by Helen Cooper
***
“I have some presents for you.” Tyler grinned as he led me into the master bedroom after we got home.
“You didn’t have to get me anything.” I shook my head and squeezed his hand. “Just being with you is enough.”
“I’m so lucky to have you, Evie. I never thought I’d meet someone like you.”
“Neither did I.” I leaned forward and kissed him softly.
“Come.” He grabbed my hand. “Sit on the bed.”
“What did you get me?” I asked eagerly awaiting my presents.
“Roses for my rose.” He handed me a bouquet of red roses. “To represent my love and passion for you.”
“Thank you.” I smiled. “How sweet of you.”
“That’s not all.” He handed me a small box and my heart started racing.
“What’s this?”
“Open it.” He sat next to me and watched my face.
“A ring?” I gasped at the platinum band with the huge carat diamond.
“It’s a promise ring.” He rubbed my back. “I promise to take care of you and all of your needs. I promise to always be the man you need me to be. I promise to always take care of you.”
“Oh Tyler.” I took the ring out of the box. “Thank you.”
“Just say you’ll never leave me.” His eyebrows furrowed. “I couldn’t stand it if you left me.”
“Oh Tyler, I’ll never leave you.”
“Good.” He smiled. “Two more presents.”
“You’re spoiling me.” I laughed.
“Good, you deserve to be spoiled.” He grinned and reached into a bag on the stand. “This is for you.” He handed me another jewelry case. I opened it slowly and saw a beautiful silver ROLEX watch.
“Oh my God, Tyler. This is too much.”
“Nothing is too much for you.” He took the watch and placed it on my wrist. “Perfect, it fits perfectly.”
“You’re too generous.”
“Nothing is too much for the lady that I love.” He kissed me hard and then jumped up. “One final gift.”
“Ooh, what is it?” I giggled.
“This one is the most special.” His blue eyes were warm as he handed me a larger box.
“What is this? Sexy underwear?” I laughed and opened the box eagerly. I frowned as I saw a small notebook and a pen. “What’s this?”
“It’s a journal.” He smiled happily. “And a pen for you to write in it.”
“Oh, I don’t keep a journal.”
“Oh, but you must.” He continued to smile, but he looked firm. “You must write in your journal.”
“I mean if you really want me to.” I agreed, too happy to think much of it.
“I’m hiring a new chauffeur tomorrow.” He smiled at me. “He’ll be able to take care of all of our needs, so we don’t have to leave too often.”
“Oh, I don’t mind doing the small things. I can shop and cook and—“
“No, there is no need for that.” He shook his head and played with my right breast. “I don’t want you to do that.”
“I don’t mind.” I was surprised at how firm he sounded. “I like to cook.”
“I just want to spend my days with you. I want us to be together and I want to know you’re safe. Always.”
“I’ll be safe, Tyler. Nothing will happen to me.” But then his mouth covered mine and he kissed me so passionately that I forgot about everything other than his tongue in my mouth and his cock pressed up against my stomach.
***
I stared at Tyler’s sleeping body and rolled over and stared at the journal on the side of the bed, my heart suddenly racing as I remembered Eugenie asking me what I was going to write in my journal. My body felt cold as I lay back and stared at the ceiling. I sat up again, jumped out of bed and walked to the door.
“Where are you going?” Tyler’s voice was soft behind me.
“I wanted to get some water from the kitchen.” I paused, my hand on the door handle, anxiously wanting to exit the room. My heart was racing and my face was hot.
“I have water on the nightstand.”
“Oh okay.” I turned around slowly and walked back to the bed. “I didn’t realize.”
“It’s okay.” He smiled indulgently. “Back to bed and I’ll pour you some.”
“Thank you.” I lay back and waited for him to pass me the glass of water. I took it from him and drank it slowly. He watched me with careful eyes and the only sound in the room was the sounds of me drinking thirstily. I handed him back the glass and he placed it on the nightstand and we both lay back.
“Good night, Evie.”
“Good night, Tyler.”
We both lay back, our shoulders rubbing against each other and I closed my eyes and tried to breathe slowly. The nerves in my stomach were rumbling and I scratched an itch on my face. Then I heard the ticking of the watch next to my ear and froze as I listened to the tick tock of the second hand. All I could think about was Eugenie’s rambling. “Tick Tock goes the clock, Tick Tock goes the clock.” My body started trembling then.
“You’re different, Evie.” Tyler whispered in my ear as his fingers lazily played with my nipples as I lay there in shock. Had I been taken all along? Had I been fooled? Was Tyler the one that I should have been scared of all of this time? Had the lady in the market been right? Had I made the wrong decision? “I know that you’re different Evie. This time will be different. Trust me, Evie. All you have to do is trust me.” He kissed my cheek softly and as I stared into his deep blue eyes, I realized that it didn’t matter if I trusted him or not. He had me. And there was nothing I could do about it. He rolled over on-top of me again and I spread my legs wide, waiting for him to enter me. He did so quickly and the only sounds in the room were his deep breathing and the ticking of my new watch. My legs clung to him as I orgasmed and I scratched his back as I called out his name. I waited for him to fall asleep before I got out of bed again, this time I was very slow and calculated with my movements. I knew as soon as I tried to open the door that it wouldn’t actually open. I stood there for what seemed like hours before Tyler came up behind me, his arms sliding around my waist and pulling me back into him.
“Why me?” I whispered as I leaned back into him and closed my eyes.
“I knew from the first time I saw you with my sister.” His fingers squeezed my breasts together and I cried out as he pinched my nipples.
“Your sister is alive?”
“Of course.” His right hand crept down and played with me. “Grant found her a few years ago. I did think she was dead at first. That wasn’t a lie. And she’s still dead to me. She choose a life I don’t approve of. I failed her, but I won’t fail you. I’ve been waiting for you to be mine for a long time.”
“Hailey is your sister, isn’t she?” My jaw dropped open. “All this time, she was your sister? You played me.”
“You knew this was a game, Evie.”
“The photos were yours weren’t they?” I asked, but I already knew the answer.
“You wanted a man that wanted you and only you. You wanted a man that would take you from your mundane existence. You wanted a man that could excite you. You wanted me, Evie, before you even knew it, you wanted me.” His finger dipped inside of me and I whimpered as he pulled it out. “Isn’t that what you wanted?” He asked me softly as he faced me, his eyes blazing.
“Yes.” I nodded softly. “This is what I wanted.”
“I’m your wolf, Evie. I’ll do everything for you. Absolutely anything.” He gripped my shoulders. “You can just never leave.”
I didn’t say anything, but just stared into his eyes.
“If this were the last second of the last minute of the last hour of the day, all I would want is to see your face, Evie. All I would need is to feel your soft, delicate touch. All I would crave was one smile from your pink luscious lips. If this were my very last breath, all I would want would be to tell you that I love you. With every piece of my stretched out, barely beat
ing sick heart. Every step that I took was to find you. Every move that I made was to be near you. Everything that I did was to have you. I’m sorry it came to this. I’m sorry that I’m the man that did everything that I could to trick and fool you. I’m sorry that I had to play these games. But, if this were the last second of the last minute of the last hour of the day, I’d be happy Evie. I’d be happy because I’m here with you. I’m here with you and you’re here with me. And that’s how it should be.” He held me tightly towards him and stroked my hair. “This is how it should be Evie, I did warn you before, once you know all my secrets you can’t leave.”
Thank you for reading the Alpha Billionaire Serial. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review and recommend it to your friends if you did.
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Other Books By Helen Cooper
The Ex Games
The Private Club
After The Ex Games
The Love Trials
Exclusive Excerpt from Illusion
Prologue
Bianca, where are you?” His voice sounded angry, and I shivered as I opened my eyes.
I stared at the large expanse of dark midnight blue sky through the tree branches and prayed that he wouldn’t find me. I could see the white-sand beaches from my vantage point. The whole island looked so much smaller from up here. My limbs felt numb, but I was too scared to even move an inch. If he heard the rustling of leaves, he’d know where I was. I closed my eyes again and tried not to think about falling.
“Bianca, this isn’t funny.” His voice was hoarse, and I heard his footsteps moving closer to me. “Bianca, if you can hear me . . .” He paused, and his voice changed. “Please don’t make this harder than it has to be. I’m not going to hurt you.”
I heard a branch snap below me, and I knew he was close. All he had to do was look up. If he looked up, he’d be able to find me. This man who’d become my most intimate confidant was now my predator, and I was his prey. I opened my eyes and took a deep breath before looking down. An involuntary gasp escaped my mouth as I realized how high up I was. That was my first mistake.
“I’ve found you,” his voice cracked as he looked up at me with dark eyes. “When will you learn? You can’t escape me.”
“Did you hurt him?” My fingers started trembling as I looked back down at him. “Tell me. Did you hurt him?”
“It depends on what you mean by hurt.” He lifted his hands up, and I saw that his fingers were drenched in blood.
I closed my eyes; I had my answer.
“I did it for us,” he said simply, and I felt my heart drop into my stomach. “Don’t you trust me?” he asked me softly as he started to climb the tree. I saw the shiny glitter of the silver knife in his left hand before he placed it into his pocket, and my heart stopped beating for a second.
“I trust you.” I nodded and waited for him to reach me.
That was my second mistake.
Chapter One
One Week Earlier
Can I have this seat?” A deep voice interrupted my typing, and I stifled a sigh.
“Uh, sure,” I replied, without looking up. I had to finish my latest movie review in the next ten minutes and e-mail it to my editor if I wanted to get paid for the article.
“Can I have some space on the table?” His voice was dry as he spoke again, and I pulled my laptop toward me quickly, my eyes never leaving my screen. “I don’t mean to disturb you.” He continued, and this time I ignored him completely. I didn’t have time for chitchat. Not when I had to finish an article on Adam Sandler’s latest movie and persuade viewers to go and watch it without completely lying about my feelings toward the acting and the poor jokes.
I typed away as quickly as I could, but I could feel that the man was staring at me. I bit down on my lower lip to stop myself from looking up at him and asking what his problem was. It wasn’t his fault that I was on high alert and anxious. I knew that I couldn’t have an expectation of privacy if I was working at a coffee shop, but I didn’t normally have to worry about a stranger talking to me. People in New York never talked to strangers, not unless they were tourists.
I sighed and looked up. “Did you need help with something?” My breath caught as I stared at the man’s face. He was handsome, or appeared to be under the Yankees cap that covered half of his forehead. His blue eyes looked into mine with a bright light, and I could see a hint of a smile on his full pink lips. I licked my lips unconsciously as I stared at the man across from me and attempted to brush my messy hair back.
“I can move onto my back if you want. I mean, move back.” I stuttered as he stared at me with his lips twitching slightly. “I don’t mean I’ll go on my back or anything, I mean I can move farther back, if you need more space.” My face burned red as I tried to explain myself.
“No, you’ve done enough. Thank you.” He nodded and looked down at his book in a dismissive fashion. Served me right, I suppose. I hadn’t really given him the time of day, and it would be way too obvious if I tried to start up a conversation now. I looked at my watch and then back at my article; I had five minutes to sum up a lackluster review of a movie I’d thought was inane. If I didn’t send it over, I wouldn’t get
paid. And now that this was my only form of income, I needed to get paid. I went back to typing, though my mind was partially on the man I was sharing the table with. His knee was rubbing against mine, and I couldn’t help but laugh at myself for the slight thrill his touch was giving me.
“Loser,” I whispered to myself under my breath as I wrapped up the article and attached it in an e-mail. I knew that I was sending the e-mail without rereading the article one more time so that I could try to chat with the man. Though, I really had no business trying to flirt with a strange man in a coffee shop. I was about to ask him what he was reading, when I got the strangest sensation that someone was watching me again. And this time I knew it wasn’t the man sharing the table with me. I looked around the coffee shop
and saw an older-looking man sipping his coffee and staring at me over a newspaper. As soon as our eyes made contact, he looked away and back down at his paper. I felt my heart racing as I stared at his coffee cup on the table. It wasn’t from this coffee shop. I pressed Send on my e-mail and grabbed my bag up from the floor in a panic, spilling half of its contents on the ground.
“You need some help?” The man looked up from his book and then stared at the ground. He leaned down and picked up my lipstick and some mints and handed them to me. Our fingers brushed each other’s as I took my belongings from him, and I felt a dart of electricity running through me at his touch.
“Thanks.” I stared into his deep blue eyes and nodded quickly.
“Is everything okay?” His eyes crinkled in concern, and I was about to answer, when I felt the man in the corner staring at me again.
“I’m fine.” I looked back down at my computer screen and stifled a groan. I’d received another message from Matt, a guy I’d spoken to a couple of times on the computer, yet had decided I didn’t want to meet. I opened the e-mail slowly, not really wanting to read what he had to say. I’d much rather be talking to the hunk in front of me. I read the e-mail from Matt quickly and then deleted it without responding. He just
wouldn’t leave me alone. “Stalker,” I muttered under my breath, and looked up again to see the hunk staring at me.
“Sorry, were you talking to me?” His lips were twitching again, and I shook my head.
“No, sorry. I just had an e-mail from this guy. If it was from you, I wouldn’t be pressing Delete, trust me.” I groaned out loud as I realized what I’d said. “I mean, because you seem like a really nice guy.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Let me know if I can be of any help.” He went back to his book, and I was about to ask him a question about what he was reading, when I felt the man in the corner staring at me again.
“Shit.” I jumped up and grabbed my bag, hitting the hunk in the shoulder as I moved.
“You okay?”
“I think I’m being followed.” I said as I shook my head and nodded toward the corner where the man watching me sat. “Sorry, I have to go.” I grabbed my laptop and pushed it into my bag. “It was nice meeting you.” I gave him a quick smile and ran out of the coffee shop. “This was our serendipity moment. I hope we meet again,” I muttered as I gave the hunk one last look before darting down the street. I continued running down the street until I could no longer run anymore. I stopped outside a donut shop and leaned back against the wall, breathing deeply. I looked left and right to make sure I didn’t see the man who I was pretty sure had been following me and then rubbed my forehead.
“You’re going crazy, Bianca,” I said to myself as I straightened up and started walking at a normal pace. I started laughing as I reached the subway station and went down to catch my train. Not one person had looked at me like I was crazy as I’d run down the street. Even though I’d been running like I was in the 100m sprint finals at the Olympics. That was part of the beauty of living in New York City. You could be who you wanted, and you weren’t judged. The other side of the coin, the side of the equation that made me stop smiling, was the wonder of what would have happened if the man had been following me. Would anyone have come to my aid? I walked on to the subway and held on to the pole without looking at anyone. As I stood there I thought about both men in the coffee shop, one I’d wanted to get to know better, and the other, I hoped I never saw again. I shook my head as I realized how different I was now. My life had changed completely in the last year and so had I.
