by J. S. Scott
Table of Contents
A BILLIONAIRE’S OBSESSION SUMMER
Copyright Acknowledgement
HANDLING SIMON
Handling Simon
MADDIE’S SECRET
Maddie’s Secret
HELEN’S SECRET ADMIRER
Helen’s Secret Admirer
About the Author
Books By J.S. Scott
A BILLIONAIRE’S OBSESSION SUMMER
Never Before Published Short Stories
J.S. Scott
Copyright Acknowledgement
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2016 by J.S. Scott
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Published by
Golden Unicorn Enterprises Inc
18695 Pony Express Dr, Unit 4338
Parker, CO 80134
Cover Art by Natalie Townson
Issued 2016
This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher.
HANDLING SIMON
Handling Simon
Simon Hudson paced his home office, scowling as he stared down at his iPhone.
I’m running a little late. Be home soon.
Kara had sent the text a half hour ago, and she still wasn’t home. Like the day hasn’t been fucking long enough? Logically, he knew she was probably safe, on her way home from work. But when it came to Kara, he didn’t exactly operate with reason. Never had. Never would. His analytical mind took a vacation when it came to his wife. She was his entire world, and the thought of anything harming her turned him into a dominant beast that wanted to do nothing except keep her by his side every minute of every day.
“Why the hell does she have to work? It’s not like I can’t support her.” His voice was husky, bewildered. His wife was six months pregnant, and still working full-time as a nurse at the hospital. And every time she left in the morning for what he knew had to be a grueling twelve-hour shift, he panicked, his anxiety level on overdrive until she arrived safely at home in the evening.
“Because she likes to work. Because she’d be bored if she didn’t. Because she worked hard for her education and wants to use it?” The amused, feminine reply sounded from the doorway of his computer lab.
Kara’s husky, teasing voice flowed over him like silk, the tension draining from his body as he stopped pacing, his eyes raking over her figure in the doorway with a covetous, possessive gaze.
Mine. My wife.
That thought hit him like a sucker punch with a baseball bat to his chest—one delivered by a major leaguer. Would there ever come a day where he didn’t find Kara more fascinating and beautiful than he did the day before? He highly doubted it. He was a lucky bastard, and he knew it.
Smiling, she moved toward him, and his heart thundered as she glided closer, his dominant genes urging him to seize and conquer her. Those desires warred with his need to protect her, to keep her safe. It was always like that with Kara, but now that she was pregnant, his protective instincts always won.
She must have showered at the hospital, and she looked beautiful in a light, floral, loose-fitting sundress that nearly hid the swell of her abdomen. Not for the first time, Simon swore his wife was sexiest pregnant woman on earth. His cock stood at attention as he caught her enticing scent, stepping forward to seize her around the waist and hold her tightly against his body, drowning in her essence, forgetting for just a moment that he was pissed off at her for coming home late and scaring the shit out of him.
“You’re never leaving this house again,” he growled, pulling the clip from her hair and letting the silky waves flow over his fingers.
“You say that every time I come home,” Kara answered casually, winding her arms around his neck.
“I mean it this time.” And he did. Completely. He was so not letting her go to work again. His heart couldn’t take it. “Why were you late? Bad shift?” he asked curiously, slightly mollified by her nearness and the way she wrapped herself around him.
“You always mean it, but you’ll let me go again next time,” she answered confidently. “Because you love me and you know working makes me happy.”
Dammit. Why did she always play that card? It was exactly how she got to him every time. “I’m not weakening this time.” He wasn’t. Absolutely not.
“Simon…you have enough security on me to protect the entire country. And you will let me go,” she answered softly, her lips grazing over his temple, the warmth of her breath wafting over his ear. “We had a deal and you’re not breaking it.”
Oh, hell. What the fuck had possessed him to agree to any deal that entailed her being even the tiniest bit vulnerable?
Her hands wandered over his chest, meandering around to his back, her nails lightly raking over the cotton of his old t-shirt. He shuddered and closed his eyes as her tongue lightly traced the contours of his ear and cupped his jean-clad ass in her hands, rubbing her lush body sensually against his, urging his groin against her.
Oh, yeah…..that. Damn it. “It’s not working this time, sweetheart,” he answered gruffly, hating himself for the lack of conviction in his voice.
“I missed you,” she whispered softly in his ear.
Okay…fucking deflated. Demolished. Destroyed. The woman in his arms was diabolical when it came to persuasion. Kara was his greatest joy…and his biggest weakness.
Swinging her up in his arms, he told her unhappily, “I want to renegotiate by telephone with at least one room between us.”
She laughed lightly and wrapped her arms around his neck as he plunked down on a comfortable leather sofa with Kara sprawled on his lap. “No deal. You already agreed to let me work as long as the baby and I are healthy. And we are. I stopped at the doctor for my check-up. We’re both fine,” she told him in a placating voice.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I would have come with you.” He always went with her. Being in awe of her pregnancy, he never wanted to miss a thing.
Kara rolled her eyes and gently smoothed back a lock of unruly hair from his forehead. “It was just a quick check and you grill poor Dr. Shapiro every time you go with me. Last time we were there for hours.”
“I had a few questions,” Simon answered defensively.
“A few?” She gave him a sharp, disbelieving look. “It was like you were a prosecuting attorney interrogating a murder suspect. I’m lucky the poor woman still wants to deliver our baby.”
Okay…maybe he had gone a little bit overboard. But he was concerned, dammit. “I want to go next time,” he said, disgruntled.
“I won’t leave you out of anything important,” she promised him sweetly. “It was supposed to be a quick check, but it took a little longer than I thought it would.”
He looked up at her, his expression immediately concerned, one hand instinctively covering her distended abdomen. “Why. Are there problems?”
Her hand covered his, stroking his fingers. “No. No problems. But I knew you really wanted to know the sex of the baby and I was being selfish when I said I didn’t want to know.”
Honestly, Simon didn’t think it was selfish at all. Kara was absolutely incapable of being selfish, and although he loved to te
ase her, the sex of the child she carried inside her didn’t matter. It was their child, another miracle for him, and he couldn’t have cared less if the child born because of the incredible love he shared with Kara was male or female. “It’s not selfish. You want to be surprised. I’m good with that.” Hell, he was good with anything that made his wife happy. She was the one who had to go through the pregnancy and childbirth, a whole process that still terrified the hell out of him.
“It’s a girl,” she said in a hushed voice, her eyes round and moist as she met his gaze, her smile tremulous. “I asked Dr. Shapiro to tell me. I was being hormonal when I said I didn’t want to know when I had the ultrasound. I decided I wanted to know and asked her to tell me before I changed my mind again. I want to plan. I want to buy baby clothes. We’re moving into our new home next month and I want to decorate the nursery.”
Tears started to spill from her eyes, trailing down her cheeks in a seemingly endless stream. “Don’t cry,” he demanded. Damn. He hated it when she cried, and she seemed to be doing it fairly often since she’d gotten pregnant. “Are you sure? Are you disappointed?”
Simon’s heart was hammering, slamming against his chest wall as he wiped the tears from her cheeks and cradled her head gently against his chest. He stroked her hair, waiting patiently for her to stop crying. Were her tears good or bad? He would have thought by now he would know, but her tears destroyed him completely, and he never had figured out how to tell the difference.
Please don’t let her be disappointed. She wanted a boy.
“I’m happy,” she hiccupped against his chest, the front of his t-shirt saturated. “Did you really think I cared if it was a boy or a girl?” She pulled her head back to look at him and his breath seized as he looked into her eyes. “But it does seem that you’re getting your way,” she mentioned grumpily.
“About damn time,” he grumbled back, rubbing her belly with a tenderness that belied his words.
“We’re having a daughter, Simon. A little girl.”
Simon felt the baby kick against his palm and he started, grinning as Kara smiled down at him, glowing with a happiness that nearly stopped his heart.
Leaning her head against his shoulder, she sighed. “I think having a girl will be wonderful. Two females to equal out the testosterone overload in the house,” she giggled against his shoulder.
Two females who will have me firmly wrapped around their little fingers. But somehow, Simon couldn’t bring himself to really care. Kara had ensnared him completely, and he would happily walk into his daughter’s net. He’d gladly be captured if the joy he was feeling was the end result. “No ganging up on me,” he insisted, pulling Kara tightly against him.
“No promises.” She straightened, straddling him, her sundress bunching at her hips as she plastered herself against him, her core pressed against his burgeoning cock.
He groaned as she ground against him, the heat of her seeping into the denim of his jeans. Supporting her head, he flipped her gently, trapping her hands over her head as he gently imprisoned her beneath him. “Promise,” he demanded, keeping Kara at his mercy.
“Nope,” she answered cheekily. “You wanted a girl and that’s what you’re getting. Mother and daughter bonding is a beautiful thing.”
He covered her mouth with his, the flame between them igniting completely as he tried to tell her everything he felt with his kiss. It was an embrace of desperate need and a joy so intense he couldn’t express himself in words. He’d never been good at telling Kara exactly how he felt—maybe because there truly weren’t any words to explain the intense emotions.
They both came out the kiss breathless. “Promise me,” he said huskily, no longer certain what he wanted her to say. Hell, he’d give her anything she wanted, everything she desired, as long as she never left him.
“I promise I’ll love you forever,” she answered huskily, her lips swollen, her love for him shining in her eyes.
“Good enough,” he answered swiftly, knowing that she was all he’d ever wanted, all he’d ever needed, and those were the exact words he needed to hear.
Waves of fierce protectiveness washed over him, but he didn’t allow those emotions to take him over. He could be a dominant asshole tomorrow. And he most likely would be insanely possessive when the fact that he and Kara were having a little girl really had a chance to sink in.
But at that moment, as he looked into the eyes of the woman who had changed his entire life forever, all he wanted to do was love her.
And he did.
~.~
MADDIE’S SECRET
Maddie’s Secret
One Summer Evening in July
“I think Mom has a boyfriend,” Sam Hudson stated bluntly to Maddie as he walked into the kitchen and dropped his briefcase on the table.
Maddie turned around from the dinner that was simmering on the stove and smiled at her husband, chewing on her lip just a little as she saw him. She wondered if there would ever be a day that his heart-stopping, handsome face and masculine presence wouldn’t send her heart into overdrive. Every time she saw him, she wanted to drop her panties and jump on him. Even after a long day at the office, and just a little bit rumpled, her husband looked delicious in a suit and tie, his blond hair a little mussed, probably because he’d just run a hand through it from the frustration she could see on his face.
“And that would a problem…um…why?” Sam didn’t look the least bit happy about the fact that his mother had an admirer, a fact that she’d already been aware of and hadn’t had a chance to mention to Sam. She’d just had coffee with Kara and Helen a few days ago, and she knew about the flowers, gifts and romantic notes Helen had been receiving. The older woman had been flustered, but she looked like she was glowing from the attention.
Sam came to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and moving her away from the stove, her ass hitting a cupboard behind her. “Because she’s my mother and she isn’t really sure where they’re coming from. It could be some nut job or a crazy stalker.”
Maddie pushed on Sam’s broad chest, lifting an eyebrow at him as she met his gaze, trying not to let herself fall into his gorgeous eyes. “Just because she’s your mother does not mean she can’t have a beau. If anyone deserves happiness, it’s her. And I doubt very much that a stalker or a nut job would send such thoughtful, respectful notes trying to court her.”
Sam looked startled. “You knew about it? And you didn’t tell me?” His surprised look turned into a frown.
“Yes. I just found out a few days ago and your mom looks happy. You and Simon need to leave her alone unless something inappropriate happens. This man obviously adores her and you don’t need to ruin it for her,” Maddie admonished him. “And I haven’t had a chance to tell you. We’ve been occupied the last few evenings.” Honestly, her husband had been insatiable. After returning from an overnight business trip a few days ago, it was like he had to make up for lost time by taking her straight to the bedroom. Or taking her on the couch. Or in the kitchen. Not that she was exactly complaining.
“We had to spend nearly forty-eight hours apart. I missed you,” Sam replied huskily, his eyes riveted on her lips.
“I could tell,” she told him softly, her core clenching at the memories of the proof of just how much he’d missed her. “Just let things evolve with your mom, okay? I think it’s all very mysterious and romantic.”
“She’s my mother,” he grumbled.
“She’s also a woman who needs love,” Maddie reminded him.
“Simon and I love her.”
“And she loves you. But didn’t you still want me? She deserves to be romanced,” Maddie argued, pushing out of his embrace and crossing her arms stubbornly across her chest, tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for her husband to be reasonable. “Let her have this romance, Sam. Please. For me.” Okay. She was playing dirty and she knew it, but Helen was so happy, and she didn’t want to see Sam and Simon destroy it.
“Fuck! I hate it when you play
that card. You know I can’t say no,” Sam answered, disgruntled. “But I’m keeping extra security on her to make sure this guy isn’t a psycho.”
Yep. She knew he couldn’t say no if she asked him to do something for her. And she rarely used that tactic because she did know that Sam would do anything for her, and she didn’t want to prey on his vulnerability. But dammit…this was important. “Thank you. I’ll return the favor when you want something,” she told him solemnly, still in awe that this strong, powerful man would bend to make her happy.
“Sunshine…I do want something,” he told her with a naughty grin, his hands dropping to the counter, imprisoning her against the cupboard.
Maddie sighed and placed her hands on his chest, wanting nothing more than to let Sam have his way with her, any way he wanted it. But…
“Wait. I have something I need to tell you,” she answered urgently, knowing she had to get Sam’s attention before he kissed her. Once that happened…she’d be a goner.
He straightened up and put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing up and down her arms as he asked, “What is it, Sunshine?”
Her heart fluttered as she heard the genuine concern in his tone. Sam had transformed from horny lover to concerned husband faster than she could blink. Her man was made up of so many layers, every one of them appealing as hell. No wonder she couldn’t resist him, loved him with every cell in her body.
She had no hesitation in telling Sam he was going to be a daddy. She’d planned a nice dinner and wine, imagined telling him after they had relaxed. But the joy she’d been feeling all day bubbled up inside her, clamoring to be shared with the man she loved. “I’m pregnant,” she blurted out, far from the delicate way she had planned on delivering the news.
Sam’s expression went from astonished…to ecstatic…and then to one of apprehension. “Why?”
Maddie smirked, unable to resist her husband’s stunned reaction. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she reminded him teasingly, “You took the job of getting me this way pretty seriously. I’m not sure why you’re surprised. Does Dr. Hudson need to give you a refresher on how a woman gets pregnant?”
