by Lulu Pratt
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
Epilogue
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
EPILOGUE
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Table of Contents
Copyright
Author's Note
Overprotected
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
Epilogue
Overlooked
Never
Revenge F*ck
Billionaire Neighbor (Preview)
Thank you!
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 by Lulu Pratt
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Author’s Note
Overprotected is a full-length 52,000+ word novel. Please note it ends at 25%.
I’ve included complete bonus books for your enjoyment.
I have also included a preview of my latest book, Billionaire Neighbor.
Thank you for reading this. I hope you enjoy Overprotected.
Happy reading,
Lulu xoxo
Overprotected
They think I’m going to protect her from the world but I’m the one she needs protecting from.
My best friend’s family is worried about their little girl going off to college.
They’ve sheltered Emma her whole life.
So I offer to let her stay with me while she gets settled and keep an eye on her.
But when Emma arrives, she’s not the geeky girl I remember.
Gone is that girl. Hello to the curviest piece of @ss in town, and I want to take a bite.
Now I can't focus on anything with her around, and I keep telling myself I promised her brother I’d protect her.
Turns out all I want to do is corrupt her...
***A steamy STANDALONE contemporary romance with a smoking hot hero. No cliffhanger, no cheating and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.***
CHAPTER 1
EMMA
I opened the suitcase on my bed, mentally making a list of things I would need for my big move. It was only to another part of Tennessee but going anywhere by myself was huge.
I had lived in Chattanooga my entire life. It wasn’t that I didn’t love it here because I did. I had a great family and friends, and it was a wonderful town, but I was nineteen now. I had studied at the local community college until I had enough credits to transfer and convince my parents that I was ready to move and attend the university in Nashville. They only agreed because my brother Greg got his friend Jackson Cooper to let me stay with him when I arrived in town. They had been friends for years. Jackson played backup lineman for the NFL team, the Tennessee Trojans and seemed to be pretty established there.
I used to have a crush on Jackson before he moved away, but that was old news.
I told Mom and Dad that Jackson would help familiarize me with the city, plus we’d known him for years, and they finally agreed. I would be going to college and studying as well as looking for a job. I had a little money from a college fund that my parents set up, but I would need some pocket money as well. Nashville was supposed to be amazing. I wanted to get out and see things. Even if I didn’t have a lot of time, I was going to manage to do that.
I started looking through my clothes to decide what to bring. I went through a thick stack of jeans, leggings and sweats. After that, I grabbed several T-shirts and a few long-sleeved shirts and added them.
Mom took me shopping for some things and I added the new socks, underwear and sports bras that I favored on top of the growing pile. I wasn’t exactly feminine and m
ore of a nerd. I didn’t wear a lot of skirts and dresses, though Mom insisted on getting me anything I might need for Nashville and I agreed when I saw the tears in her eyes.
A chime interrupted the music that was playing, and I walked over to see that my best friend Willow had texted me.
What you up to?
Packing. So much to do!
Right, sounds like fun. I’m on my way now!
My parents were throwing a BBQ for me tonight anyway and she’d be here soon enough. Why not arrive early so we can spend some more time together before I leave?
I continued to look over my closet as the music started again. I reached for a hairband to contain my straight blonde hair and wandered around to see what else I would need. I would come home for the holidays and the odd weekend, but I wanted to be as prepared as possible.
I was going to stay with Jackson in his spare bedroom at his apartment, so I could only bring so much. I bit my lip as I imagined the tall, dark-haired man I remembered when Greg brought up the idea.
Jackson was gorgeous. He was also a player, but I didn’t mention that. I knew my brother, and he was protective as hell. Jackson wouldn’t want much to do with me, but I was worried about him bringing girls back to the apartment.
However, moving to Nashville got me out my parents’ house and on the way to be an adult. I’d take the risk, but I expected Greg had a long talk with Jackson.
I heard the doorbell downstairs and smiled.
“Emma?” My mother called. “Willow’s here.”
“Hey,” I shouted and threw down the camisoles I was holding. I ran downstairs and greeted Willow with a smile as my flame-haired friend carried in a bag.
“I brought you something,” she said with a bright smile as we returned to my whirlwind of a bedroom. Willow set down the bag beside the suitcase and sighed heavily.
“I can’t believe you’re actually leaving me.”
“It’s not that far. You can visit on weekends when I have my own place.”
Willow was still attending the community college and had seven-year-old twin sisters who she wanted to stay close to.
“This is for you, Em, so you can remember me.”
I reached for the bag and opened it. Inside was a large picture frame with Willow and me hugging in the center. Around the border were smaller images from our long friendship. Tears started forming as I looked at the pictures, ticket stubs, buttons and other mementoes.
“I’ll visit you at Jackson’s. That man is so gorgeous!” Willow sighed.
She was much more of a dater than I was, and I didn’t doubt that she’d put the moves on Jackson if she had the chance. I was the girl who only had one boyfriend so far and with it a very awkward and brief sexual relationship. It didn’t wow me. I wondered what all the fuss was about.
“That’s the last thing I need, Willow. I know that he’s a total man-whore, or that he was one in school, and I don’t care to hear you and him in the same apartment,” I said with a grin.
Willow stood beside me as I placed her gift carefully against the wall. “Thank you. I love it. It’ll be perfect at my new place.”
We chatted and packed a bit more before I heard my mom calling us downstairs.
I looked at the clock, realizing that it was time for the guests to start arriving. I splashed some cold water on my face before heading down with Willow. We went to the kitchen to help Mom, and I hugged her as she looked at me with sad eyes.
I thought that my mother was beautiful with her blonde hair and big, blue eyes but I had dark brown eyes like my father. It just wasn’t a breath-taking combination in my opinion and the fact that I wore glasses sometimes didn’t help my confidence much. I felt like a nerd.
Family and friends started to arrive. We hung out in the backyard and ate. I wandered around and talked to everybody, realizing that most of these people weren’t going to miss me that much.
I made my way back over to Willow, who was talking to Greg and a couple of his friends. Greg pulled me close to his side, and I rolled my eyes at Willow.
“Are you sure that you don’t want me to drive you there, Em? I can catch a flight back home.” Greg was an accountant here in town and worked long hours.
“It’s just a couple hours away. I have my car and I’ll be fine if you help me load it,” I assured him. “If I let you drive me, you just might stay and guard me like a Rottweiler.”
“I already have Jackson on that. Nobody will mess with him in that town,” Greg bragged.
“He’s bound to be gone playing games. What are you going to do about that?” Willow asked with a challenging look.
“He’ll have made everyone know that Emma is off limits by then,” Greg replied with narrowed eyes.
“Let Em grow up, already. It’s time,” Willow grumbled before she took a bite of her food and gave me a sympathetic look.
I smile and shrugged.
I stayed outside for the entire party and finished packing with Willow once all the guests had left. She helped me decide on the sentimental items to take. We went to bed after midnight as she stayed over so she could see me off in the morning after breakfast.
We got up at seven and showered before enjoying breakfast with my family. My aunt and uncle came over, as well as my grandma, so we lingered for a bit before Dad and Greg started packing my Toyota Camry for me. It was small but dependable and it would get me through a few years still.
I hugged everyone slowly. Mom and Willow were crying, and I tried not to join in, hugging Greg last.
“Jackson should be all set up for you when you get there,” he said.
I smiled gratefully at him.
“Thank you for getting me a place to stay. It helps a lot.”
“It’ll be a safe place for you. He’s like a big brother to you and will keep the boys away.”
“Greg, it’s not the boys you should be worried about!” I said with a smile and a shake of my head.
I opened the door and got in the car. I looked in my rearview mirrors to see everyone waving and let a tear slide down my cheek. As nervous as I was, I was also excited to start a new life. I turned up the radio and hit the gas pedal, ready to be in Nashville.
CHAPTER 2
JACKSON
I dried my hair and wrapped the towel around my waist, still a little wet from my shower. I worked out for a long time today and needed it. I walked through the apartment, glancing the guest room as I made a mental note to clean it for Emma. It was hard to believe that I was letting her move in to go the university here. Wasn’t she just a kid?
Well, nineteen was not a kid. I knew that and Greg knew that, although he still saw Emma as a kid. He overprotected her. I appeased him on the phone when we discussed her staying here for a bit, not wanting to burst his bubble.
I listened to ESPN talking about football season as I got ready. I knew that this season would be different.
Fuck the commentators for going on about the Patriots. They had a great season last year and nearly made it to the Super Bowl, but it didn’t happen. This was a new start, and I wanted my shot. I watched the screen for a minute before getting a water from the fridge.
I thought about what I should do to prepare for Emma even though I had a few days before she arrived. I needed to stock the fridge, clean the second room and tidy everything else.
I shook my head at the idea of her living here. She was just a kid for the longest time and then suddenly I was graduating, and she was getting tits and a great ass. I hadn’t seen her too much since I started playing professionally, but she was a cutie last time.
I wondered if she was the kind of girl to have guys over at the apartment a lot. Greg swore that she was a good girl, but women could hide things. Greg had never stopped being protective of her.
Emma had always been sheltered. I suppose it paid off since she was great in school and going to college for engineering now, but at some point, she was going to go crazy. I could step in to some degree if she was living with me, but E
mma was an adult who deserved to live her life. Who was I to stand in her way?
The commentators said something positive about the Patriots again. Enough, already. What the hell did they know? I could think of a few years they weren’t right, and a team just proved them all wrong. This year, it would be my team.
As much as I bashed these guys, I listened to what they had to say and let it get to me. I was just a backup for the team right now, but I trained as hard as anyone else, ready to step in when needed. I was still a valuable part of the Trojans and proud of that.
I wondered what it would be like with a roommate here. I hadn’t had one of those since college, much less a woman.
Most women didn’t even get the chance of staying the night with me, much less seeing the morning light here.
I made it clear that I was in it for casual sex and nothing more. They weren’t going to spend the night, move in or date me. I was also careful about safe sex. I knew that stuff got to the media about players, but I didn’t worry about that. I didn’t have a bunch of kids running around or any felonies, and in pro sports that was something. I was doing great.
I woke up later to the sound of knocking. I realized I fell asleep in front of the TV. I grabbed the towel to answer the door.
A hot blonde was staring at me in shock.
“Hey, Jackson. Did I arrive at a bad time?”
It took me a moment to recognize the hot blonde as Emma and not some woman that I’d brought home once.
“Em? I thought that you were coming next week.”
“No, it was today.”
She stared at the worn mat on my doorstep, blushing deeply. “I’m sorry, Jackson. Want me to get a hotel until you’re ready? I thought that Greg arranged this better.”
“No. Not at all. I just spaced out. Come in, Emma. I’ll get some clothes on and clear your room.”
I ushered her in, keeping a tight hold of the small towel before I darted back to my room.
Fuck, Emma was gorgeous now. Her body filled out with some great curves and those big brown eyes could make a man do just about anything. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a dark purple top.
I dropped the towel and looked around the bedroom for something to wear. I grabbed a clean pair of workout shorts and a T-shirt, tugging them on before I looked at the mirror to see my dark hair sticking up in complete disorder. I ran some water through it and arranged it into a quick version of the spiky look that I mostly went for.
