Romance Me: A Collection Of Standalone & First In Series Books

by Florella Grant

  Dean nodded, stepped closer to her and pulled her up against his hard body. “Not only was he a millionaire, but he owned 51 percent stock in Bay City Medical.” If he hadn’t been holding her, she would have fell over. How in the world did I fall in love with a millionaire?

  She worried about being with him now that he was her boss. Dean must have read her thoughts. “I’d give it all up to be with you. They won’t make me, we already discussed this at my first board meeting earlier, but I would if that’s what they made me choose.”

  Reagan couldn’t speak but didn’t need to. Dean leaned down and kissed her. Her arms wrapped around him as they slow danced in the living room, with no music. “I love you,” she said it again.

  “I love you too,” he whispered in her ear. “Reagan Fowler, the best pediatric scrub nurse in Bay City Medical, would you be mine?”

  “A million times yes,” she answered. They laughed at the irony of her words as Dean lifted her off the floor and twirled her around.

  Dean carried her into the bedroom. He lowered her on the bed, removed his clothing as she shimmered out of the clothing she just put on. Reagan leaned back on the bed, sitting up on her elbows, and admired the tone in his body. She licked her lips as her eyes focused on his manhood. When Reagan looked up, Dean had a major grin on his face. “Want this?” he asked.

  She nodded her head like crazy and crawled to the edge of the bed where he stood. Reagan rained kisses over his hot body, giving a little more attention to the thick length in front of her.

  Dean pushed her back onto the bed and slid between her aching legs. She wrapped her ankles around his waist as her new boyfriend thrust deep inside. Reagan’s back arched, breasts heaved, and legs widened to accommodate him. Making love with Dean was the highlight of her day and she knew he’d make her the happiest woman in the world.

  Epilogue

  2 YEARS LATER

  Reagan stood in front of the mirror, admiring the black gown that clung to her hips. She saved her pay checks for months to buy the dress, refusing to accept any money from Dean. He worked hard to prove himself to the staff of Bay City Medical, but he finished his fellowship and would now be the director of Pediatrics.

  They planned on celebrating with Mercy, Kennedy, and the rest of their circle of friends. Dean made reservations at a high-end restaurant on the lake, with a romantic atmosphere. We’ll be late if I keep looking at myself.

  She couldn’t help it though, the dress turned her into a princess. Through the mirror, she watched him approach and put his hands on her waist. He looked good too, dressed in a black tuxedo.

  Dean leaned down and kissed her earlobe. “You ready yet?” He wore her favorite cologne, the one he wore the first time they made love. Sauvage. He tempted her to take the dress off and have her way with him. Reagan inhaled once again.

  She nodded and grabbed her purse and then his hand. “Let’s celebrate,” she said and headed toward the door.

  Dean opened the passenger side of his new BMW. When he first purchased the car, Reagan thought it too flashy but in time she became accustomed to being inside. He left her apartment and drove down the highway. “You look beautiful,” he held her hand as he drove.

  Reagan never took his words for granted. Dean shown her a side of life she never experienced before, and he experienced it with her. He worked just as hard as anyone else in Bay City Medical. When she went to bed early at night, so did he. When she worked weekends, he did too. They didn’t grow tired of each other and the longer they were together, the more they wanted to be near each other.

  “Thank you,” she replied but glanced out the window. We're not headed toward the lake. “Dean,” her head turned toward him. “Where are we going? I thought you made plans.”

  “I did,” he answered as the car turned down a private driveway. They were in a classy neighborhood; Reagan just didn’t know where or why. “Our friends are eating prime rib and toasting champagne without us; we have other plans.”

  “We do?” she whipped her head around to look out the passenger side window, like a puppy. The houses were huge and stylish. If she didn’t get control of herself soon, she might end up licking the window too.

  Dean pulled into a circular driveway as a man stepped out of the shadows to take the keys from him. Reagan couldn’t take her eyes off the house, the largest on the street. Tall trees blocked the view from the street to provide privacy. The sky darkened, but the lights from the house illuminated the area. Dean opened her door and helped her out of the car. The man drove the BMW away.

  They walked inside and an overwhelming feeling of home hit her. As grand as the house was, it didn’t feel empty. A maid appeared with a tray holding two champagne glasses. Dean and Reagan each took one, and he looped his arm into hers. “Care for a tour?”

  I must be dreaming. Dean walked her through the house; through the library, an office, and six bedrooms including a master bedroom that was larger than her entire apartment. She’d seen ten bathrooms, two kitchens large enough to cook for an army, and the tour stopped at their destination on the back patio.

  Dean walked Reagan toward a small table lit up with candles and place settings for two. “I wanted to have dinner alone with you tonight,” he expressed himself.

  “This is your...” the words didn’t come out.

  “My house. It took two years to remodel it, my father lived in the dark ages and I wanted to make it more modern before I brought you here. What do you think?”

  Water glistened in the pool in front of them. The maid came back and replaced their champagne glasses with new filled ones. Reagan tried to protest. There was no reason they couldn’t reuse the ones they already had, but Dean put his hand on hers and shook his head. “Dean this place is gorgeous,” she answered him.

  “Not as beautiful as you are,” he batted his eyes and rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. Reagan blushed, she never got used to the attention he gave.

  Waiters appeared out of nowhere and placed plates of food in front of them. They cooked porterhouse steaks and lobster tails, served with fresh asparagus and a green salad. The food tasted as good as the house looked. When the maid came to retrieve their plates, she winked at Dean. A wave of jealousy hit Reagan, but then she realized the maid wasn’t flirting, but reminding him of something.

  The music that played stopped. Reagan looked around and wondered why. When her attention returned to Dean, she found him kneeling on the patio. Reagan’s hand rushed to cover her mouth when she noticed the tiny box in his hand.

  “I loved you from the day you cried in the men’s room,” he said.

  Oh my God, he remembers that?

  “I loved you throughout the last two years. You’ve not only been the greatest scrub nurse I could ever ask for, but you were the best girlfriend I ever wanted.” Dean paused on his words, but she knew what was coming and tears streamed down her nose. “Reagan Fowler, will you do me the honor of being my wife and sharing this home with me?”

  She burst out in tears and nodded her head. “Oh my God, yes,” Reagan shouted loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear. She couldn’t see through globs of wet mascara over her eyes, but knew Dean was opening the box. A large diamond dazzled the moment air hit it.

  Reagan held her hand out, realizing she just agreed to marry him. He pulled the ring from the velvet backing and held her hand in his. Dean paused, and she wondered why. “Wait,” he said, “Did you wash your hands yet?”

  They cracked up laughing. “Over two years, haven’t washed them yet,” she joked. Dean steadied her hand and slipped the ring on her finger. He stood and pulled her into him.

  Dean held Reagan in his arms as cheers from the wait staff sounded from the shadows. Kennedy, Mercy, and the rest of their friends stepped out into the light. “They told us dessert would be served here,” Kennedy said as he embraced his sister.

  Their friends congratulated the couple and raised their glasses of champagne. The music played again as Reagan and Dean
danced. The first dance in their new home with many more to come.

  Our Last Christmas

  Prologue

  2016

  Graham's eyes burned into me as he pressed his lips onto mine. My hand cupped the back of his head as he lowered himself to kiss my neck and earlobe. Over his shoulder, I could see the snow gently falling from the Heavens. Darkness set and the room was illuminated by twinkling white lights on the Christmas tree. He moved inside of me and my heart fluttered. There couldn’t have been a better time to express my feelings for him.

  What's more romantic than telling my boyfriend of six months how I felt as the clock struck midnight and Christmas arrived? Graham and I were close. There was no doubt in my mind we shared a future. True, I could have said those magical words any ole day, but there's just something special about Christmas. I knew it would be perfect.

  My hands rubbed the sides of his torso as his hands caressed my breasts. My head turned to listen to the fire crackle as his hardness thrust deeper into me. The wind howled outside and forced the snow to splatter on the window. I couldn’t help but feel the atmosphere encouraged me to speak from the heart.

  "I love you," I breathed into his ear. There, I said it, there was no going back. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, waiting for Graham to confirm our affection toward one another.

  Silence. Surely he felt the same. The longer he remained quiet, the louder the beat in my chest became. Why didn’t he say anything?

  Graham stopped our love-making and rolled to his side. I laid perfectly still, my eyes shifted in his direction then back up toward the ceiling. I listened intently, waiting for him to say it back. He didn't.

  "Graham," I turned and touched his shoulder. My mind went to work, trying my hardest to make sense of what happened. Did he feel sick? Did he need to put his head on the pillow? Was he overwhelmed with emotions and unable to reply? Or, was I wrong, maybe he wanted to say those words first and I ruined the moment? His silence ate at me. For every second of his lack of communication, my pulse multiplied.

  He turned toward me and looked like a stranger. The eyes that met mine were void of any emotion, his smile faded. Graham continued to be quiet as he sat up and replaced his boxers. I pulled the sheet over my bare chest and sat up.

  "Where are you going?" I gasped at the turn of events. "Didn't you hear me? I said, 'I love you.'"

  He heard me. At that moment it began to set in, Graham didn't feel the same way about me. How could I have been so foolish? We shared six months of being together, all night conversations talking about our dreams and perfect dates. Who wouldn't fall in love? I wondered. We wanted the same things out of life, enjoyed each other's family, he was meant to be my man. Wasn't he?

  "Yes I did," he finally answered. I reached over to touch him, but he pushed my hand aside as he stood. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you what you want to hear. You've been a great companion but I'm not looking for love."

  My heart ached, and tears pooled in my eyes, one blink and they'd fall onto the bed. What was I supposed to say to him? For six months I could tell him anything, now I was speechless. My head fell back on the pillow and my eyes squeezed shut. This wasn’t happening.

  I could hear Graham’s zipper slide up his jeans. My eyes opened as he pulled his sweater over his head and grabbed his coat. He didn't make eye contact with me. He didn't bend over to kiss me goodbye like he always did, he just opened the door. "Graham," I managed to sob.

  "Goodbye Alexa," his final words were harsh. I listened to his footsteps fall on the stairs and the front door slam shut.

  I jumped out of bed, threw on a robe, and ran down the stairs toward the door. He couldn't leave, it was Christmas and we had plans to be together. I'd take it back, tell him I didn't need a commitment, lie to him, anything to convince him to stay. But it was too late. A gust of wind froze the tears on my cheeks. Headlights blinded me as I stood on the porch. Graham backed out of the driveway and drove himself out of my life.

  Chapter 1

  2019

  Connie snapped her fingers and twirled around the room as holiday music blared through the office speakers. She looked to me and crooked her finger, telling me to join her. I shook my head and focused on the computer screen in front of me. The new kid in the cubicle across from me tapped his pen on his desk in tune with the song. I glanced his way and he smiled. “Can you stop that?” I asked. His head shook and he continued to play the drums.

  “Come on,” Connie begged as she spun my chair around. She pulled my hands and yanked me from my seat. “Dance with me.”

  Before I knew it, she led me to her imaginary dance floor. “I don’t have time,” I shouted over the radio. She grabbed my hand and waist and forced me to waltz. “There are quarterly reports due as well as year-end. We both should be working.” Connie’s eyes saddened when I pushed her away and stormed back to my desk.

  For a moment, I felt bad. The kid stopped drumming and she lowered the volume on the radio. “We’re just trying to have fun,” she said.

  They would, their silly shenanigans stemmed from their Christmas spirit, something I lacked. It was ripped from me years ago and I haven’t celebrated since.

  "Oh, my," Connie exclaimed as she looked out the window that faced the rear parking lot. "We have a new delivery man and he's smoking hot. Come look," she said as she waved her hand at me.

  "I'll pass," I mumbled as sales figures calculated on the screen in front of me. Connie had become more than just a work team member, we were the best of friends. She took me under her wing from the start and we were inseparable at times, but we didn't see eye to eye on men. Connie loved them, I hated them.

  She danced her way back to my desk and pulled my hand until I followed her back to where she stood to gawk. "All I want for Christmas is for you to come out from underneath that rock and be happy." I stood beside her, she leaned her head onto my shoulder and sighed. "Look at him."

  I looked, squeezed my eyes shut, then looked again to make sure I wasn't seeing things. "Graham," I gasped.

  Connie spun me around and held her hands on my arms. "Did you just say what I think you said?" she asked. My head nodded without my approval and I'm pretty sure my heart stopped for a moment. "As in Christmas past?" We looked down into the parking lot as Graham pulled a cart of packages toward the building.

  Sweat beaded on my forehead and the room began to spin. "I need to sit," I told Connie and staggered toward my desk like someone spiked the eggnog. She followed and sat at hers, which was right next to mine. We looked at each other but neither of us could focus on work.

  "You never told me how attractive he was," she couldn't hold back any longer. "Wow, no wonder you never got over him."

  "I am over him and I can handle this like a pro," I stated just in time. The office door opened and the man I lost three years before walked in. Except I couldn't handle it as well as I thought I could.

  I looked up at him, then down at my desk. My breathing couldn't keep up with my heartbeat and I felt like the entire office was watching me. There he stood, there was no mistaking his identity and my heart broke all over again.

  "Alexa?" he asked as he approached the desk.

  Graham was the last person I expected to see in the city. He was the reason I moved in the first place, to get over him and start anew. So much for that, I snickered to myself. Forgetting him was not my fate. How was this possible?

  My mouth opened but words failed me, they always failed me when I needed them the most. I turned and looked at Connie. She leaned on her elbows, listening to every word said. When I returned my attention to Graham, his smile brightened the room. Damn him.

  "Graham," I answered. "I'm surprised to see you." My throat constricted and lips grew dry. If only my eyes remained the same. Before he could notice the buildup, I turned and faced my computer screen.

  "Same here, you're a little far from home, aren't you?" From the corner of my eye, I could see him cross his arms over his chest, waiting for my reply.r />
  How could he act like we were still friends? The past didn’t seem to faze him the way it did for me. Didn’t he remember the thousands of texts and voicemails I left for him? The ones he ignored and to this day haven’t returned? Graham abandoned me long ago, but now he wanted to start a conversation like nothing happened.

  I stood and handed him the days mail, deciding not to air out personal laundry at work. He placed the incoming packages by my desk and extended his hand with a bundle of envelopes. With any luck, he would just be a substitute delivery man and I wouldn't have to see him every day.

  "Are you filling the position permanently?" Connie asked as she reached to shake his hand. If looks could kill, she'd drop right there, but she didn't even notice my evil eyes. She turned her head and flashed me a smile. Connie had a way of reading my mind, but this was a question I didn't want to be answered. I wanted him to say no. I wanted him to get out of the office and never come back, but I heard him tell her what I dreaded to hear.

  “Yes, I’m Graham,” he introduced himself. A soft chuckle escaped my lungs. She knew more about him than he realized. I watched as they shook hands and the kid across the room waved.

  I couldn't handle seeing him and thought I would faint. I leaned into my elbows and felt perspiration gathering on my brows. This had to be a bad dream, not real. Did Graham come back into my life to hurt me all over again?

  "Alexa, are you ready for lunch?" My boss, Logan, appeared out of nowhere and caught me off guard. My eyes shifted from Graham to Logan, but I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Logan looked at Graham and extended his hand. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I'm Logan," he said, "and Alexa's boyfriend." Normally I would have freaked out and made a complete fool of myself, but somehow, I knew my boss was trying to help me. Why I had no idea? He turned to me once again. "So, are you ready, hon?"