His Takeover: An Enemies to Lovers Romance

by Piper Sullivan

  “What did you do to her?” I demand, seeing red. He’d fucking told Amanda to leave that night. He told her to go, to take her space. She died alone, injured and scared on the road that night. My fist balls up and I draw back, but he lifts his hands.

  “Nothing! Lady is missing!” He brings his hands up to cover his face, but I let him go. Straightening my shirt, I turn to Carson.

  “Get a search party together.”

  “On it, boss.” Carsen says, hurrying out the door.

  “Thunder is saddled, sir.” Shane’s looking at me with a mixture of anger, hate, and apologies. I nod and head toward the barn, my balled fists shaking with rage. At least, I tell myself it’s rage. I grab Thunder’s saddle and pull myself up.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Shane mount up. We say nothing, but I nod to him. His help will be appreciated. We head out, taking the only real path out of this place. It’s the most logical direction someone who doesn’t know this area would ride.

  As we ride, I see Lady trotting back toward us, her saddle bare. And my blood runs cold.

  Shane tosses me a glance and we both kick our horses.

  The world flies by and I struggle to keep thoughts of losing May from my mind. I can’t lose her. I’ve lost so much. Sure, the past haunts me, but I feel I’ve found balance. The sorrow comes back in waves, but it’s less than it was. I’ll always miss Amanda. She was sweet, imperfect, and kind. She gave me the greatest gift I could have ever asked for, Grace.

  The sun bears down on us with the smite of a god as we ride. We’re just looking, searching, hoping we find her. She’s out here, somewhere, possibly hurt. Or worse.

  A toss from a horse can kill, or injure. What if she snapped her leg? Severed an artery? Snapped her neck? The list of what-ifs racing through my mind is impossibly long and every bit of me aches as I try to put the horror of the whole situation out of my mind.

  I didn’t tell her I wanted to work it out. I didn’t tell her how much she means to me. I didn’t ever tell her I wanted to make it real. What felt weird before seems less so now that I know I’ve known her for so very long. I’d been upset at myself for falling so impossibly fast. On some level I must have known who she was all along. That’s why she felt like home, why I felt like I’d known her forever. Because I had.

  I don’t care what life has done to her since I saw her last. I know who she is, how pure and sweet, how loving and kind she is. She’d be a wonderful mother to Grace. She’d be an amazing wife. She’s an incredible woman.

  And whatever is in her past is hers to fight. I’ll be there to support her, for her to lean on, but she doesn’t have to share with me. I’m happy being the man she leans on, comes to, and trusts. And with time, I’ll learn to trust her too. I don’t believe she lied to harm me, to hurt my feelings or to make me look like a fool.

  Shane cuts away from me and I look over, wondering if he found something. Still, something tells me to stay the course. It’s the same feeling that made me cut the day short, to come home, to check on May. I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s god, maybe it’s a miracle, maybe it’s some invisible bond between our souls that keeps us coming back to one another.

  She’s counting on me. She needs me. I can’t let her down.

  The steady pulse of a chopper begins to register in my brain and I thank my lucky stars Carson got a group together so quickly. I’ll give huge donations to every organization involved in such a quick search and rescue.

  It’s a hot day. I feel sweat dripping down my back and my eyes sting as salty dampness seeps into them. How long has she been out here? We were gone for hours. If she’s been lying in the sun somewhere, she’s going to be in trouble. Hell, she’s going to be in trouble anyway. The desert is unforgiving. She’s at risk for heatstroke, for…

  I put the worry out of my mind. I need a clear head to keep an eye out for clues. And something catches my eyes. Buzzard Rock, straight ahead, looks like it’s got something on it. Something like cloth.

  Letting out a whooping holler, I ride toward it at full speed, charging like I’m headed into battle. And I see her, motionless on the shade of the rock. Jumping out of the saddle, I drop to my knees and check for her pulse. Her heart is still beating strong, but she’s hot.

  And those beautiful blue eyes flutter open and lock on me.

  “Clint?” She whispers, before her arms come around my shoulders like I’m the only person in the world. “I knew you’d come…” she whispers as her whole body goes limp in my arms.

  Shane is up on me in an instant. “Is she…?” he asks, and I shake my head.

  “Passed out.” I nod to him and there’s just a flash between us. A comradery that whispers to the past, the friend I’d had for so long before he’d let me down and ruined my life.

  From his belt, he pulls a flare and pops it off into the air.

  May

  “I’m fine,” I say, seeing the three guys hanging around the bed as the doctor echoes my words.

  “You’re a lucky young lady,” The old doctor says, his bushy white eyebrows knitting together.

  I know I am. And as Clint’s worried eyes meet mine, I’m doubly aware of just how lucky I am. The doctor packs up and leaves, and the other two guys, Carson and Shane, follow him out to his truck.

  Leaving me alone with an intense looking Clint.

  “I’m sorry,” I say, needing to put it out there.

  But he’s at my side in an instant. “No, I’m sorry,” He says, looking me deep in the eyes as he takes my hand and presses my knuckles to his lips. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I want to work through this. I want you in my life, if you’ll have me. I love you, Sara May,” he says, his intense brown eyes on mine, “I always have.”

  My heart beats like a drum in my chest as his words sink in. He’s always loved me. “I always loved you too,” I say, feeling shy. “Is the mare okay?” I ask, feeling terrible.

  “Lady? She’s fine.” He seems perplexed that I’m asking.

  “I feel terrible. I shouldn’t have put her at risk, or put myself at risk, or anything like that. I am so stupid.” The words flood out and I notice Clint is watching me carefully. “What?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  I feel my eyebrows come together. Now doesn’t seem like the time for that. Shouldn’t he be mad at me for causing so much trouble, for risking his horse, for making a whole damn search party come out for me?

  “I must have cost you a fortune,” I whisper, feeling humiliated. How will I ever pay him back for this? For any of it?

  “You don’t owe me anything,” he says, his fingers warm in mine and his breath reassuring on my hand.

  And the words have a ring of truth to them. His eyes are warm as he continues. “I was so scared I’d lost you. I’m just glad you’re home safe.”

  Home safe.

  Does he even know what he just said? Tears trickles down my cheeks as I draw in a ragged breath. Home. I haven’t had one of those in so long.

  “Does it hurt?” he asks, and I glance at my sunburn.

  “No, the stuff doc put on it helped a ton.” But I’m not totally ready to tell him why I’m such a damn mess. Then I look into his serious brown eyes once more. “I love you. I love Grace. And this feels like home. More like home than even home does.” The words flood out and with them comes an intense relief that leaves me shaken.

  “I don’t know what I would have done without you. My ex was,” I suck in a shuddering breath and fight to get the words out around the tears. My voice lowers to a whisper. “He was a monster.”

  And the apology follows. “I’m so sorry. He might have followed me. I was so scared, but as time went on, I realized he was too much of wimp to actually do something like chase me. He wanted me while it was convenient. When I became trouble, he just gave up. I’m sure he’s with some girl right now, treating her like he treated me.”

  “Do I know him?” Clint sounds so quietly furious I feel a
flutter of fear in my belly. Not fear for me, fear for Dillon.

  “Dillon?” I ask, shaking my head. There’s no way he knows him. That relationship came after I ran so far from home. “But I don’t’ care about him. That’s over, it’s behind me. I feel like you’re my future,” I say, feeling the honesty of the words. It feels good to finally totally come clean to him. This was a long time coming.

  And since telling him who I am wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d been scared it would be, I’m certain this will be fine too. Clint is a good man. And I haven’t had too many of those in my life. But I’m ready to have one. For good, if he is willing.

  “You know how to shoot,” Clint says seriously. “If you ever see that son of a bitch, you pull the trigger, understand?” He asks, and I nod. But he’s not done.

  “It’s not just you that you have to protect here,” He says, his eyes slashing back and forth over mine. “Grace needs you. She looks up to you, she trusts you.”

  “I’d never let anyone hurt her,” I murmur, watching his face. I’m doing my best to convey that I’m telling the truth. She means so much to me. “I’d die first,” I whisper, and his pupils dilate with shock. “I love her too,” I whisper. She’s such a strong girl, so beautiful and kind, compassionate and sweet despite the pain life has dealt her.

  But one thing is still nagging at me. “How did you find me?” I ask, curious.

  Clint’s features lighten a bit and there’s a bit of boyishness I saw in him that day he’d fallen asleep. “Because someone or something wants us to find each other. I think we were meant for more than we ever thought.” He seems thoughtful a moment, and I nod.

  “I felt the same way. How did I choose this specific ranch to begin with? How as I on this road? I mean, the help wanted sign helped, but it’s so many coincidences in a row.” I trail off, wondering how everything managed to work out so perfectly.

  Over Clint’s shoulder, I see a familiar face and I rise up to sit, despite the protest of the massive sunburn I’d sustained.

  “Katie?” I ask, seeing her eyes are guarded. Behind her, I see Babs. My heart sinks like a stone. Katie knows. She’ll hate me forever now.

  Clint

  I glance back as Katie moves past me to gently hug May.

  “Oh my gosh!” She says, my ever exuberant sister. “This is perfect!” She says, “My best friend and my brother getting married!” She squeals in joy and I see May’s shock. I glance back at my mother, who’s beaming at us.

  “Where’s Grace?” I mouth and she motions over her shoulder. I gather that she’s with dad, and I nod.

  “We’re only here for a minute,” Katie says, glancing at mom, who steps in to give me a hug, then to hug May. “But,” Katie says, her eyes sparkling as she looks at May, “You’ll have to tell me everything.”

  Katie pulls me into a hug, growling in my ear that she’ll castrate me if I hurt May. “I love you too,” I say playfully and she gives me the look, the sister look that’s part amusement, part serious, but it’s all love.

  They leave quickly with mom promising she’ll call, but telling me she’s keeping Grace another night. “So you two have a chance to…” Her gaze skips to May. “Recuperate.” Her eyes come back to mine and I want to shake my head at her. But her joy is unmistakable as she takes Katie’s hand and heads to the door.

  I turn to May who seems stunned.

  “I thought she’d hate me,” She whispers, tears streaming freely down her face. “But she will, when they find out…” she trails off, pain written in her features.

  “I wanted to talk about that,” I say, my heart thundering in my chest. I’ve never been so sure of something in my life.

  And as I pull out the ring, her eyes widen. “That’s not…” she says, her lovely blue eyes clouding over with confusion.

  “I know. The other ring felt like it would forever symbolize the lie, the fake engagement. I wanted a fresh start.” I shift, getting on one knee as her face drops into an expression of shock and joy.

  “The world seems to want us together,” I say, wishing I’d prepared an actual speech. But like everything else in my life that has to do with May, I feel like whatever happens will be perfect. “And I want you in my life. No,” I amend, “I need you in my life.”

  She speaks up and I listen. “Someone or something wants us to find each other. We were meant for more than we ever even knew.”

  “Exactly,” I say, glad she feels the same way, that I’m not just crazy. Maybe I am crazy. Maybe we both are. “Before, I felt crazy for having fallen in love with you so fast. But after I found out who you were, it made sense. I loved you because I always have. Since that time when you were on Katie’s bike and you fell.” Her face lights up and I know she remembers too.

  “You skinned your knee and it kept bleeding and you were so scared. Do you remember what I told you?” I ask and she nods, her blue eyes on mine.

  “You told me to hold onto you really tight, that I’d be okay.” She’s whispering, her gaze illuminated with the memory.

  “And I told you that I’d always be there when you got hurt. That you could count on me to be there.” The memory leaves warmth spreading through every inch of me. And while it all makes perfect sense now, that we were always meant to be, that even then we loved each other, we had to part ways.

  She had to chase her own demons. I had to love and lose Amanda to get Grace. But there’s more I need to say. “Everything that has happened to us up until now was preparing us for each other,” I say, lifting the ring. “Will you marry me?”

  She hesitates and my heart sinks. She eyes me, then the ring, before her lips part. “For real? Or just for show?” Her eyes light up with humor and I can’t help it. I kiss her.

  “For real,” I murmur against her lips as we lazily pull apart.

  “This has to be against the rules,” She says, planting a quick kiss on my lips before smiling, “You’re coercing me.”

  Amused at her wit and teasing, I ask, “Is it working?”

  “Maybe,” she says, opening her eyes to look into mine. “Kiss me again and I’ll tell you.”

  I kiss her, this time our tongues meet and it feels like heaven. She melts into me like she belongs in my arms. She fits me perfectly, and there’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here, with her. Forever.

  But I end the kiss and pull back a bit. “You’re killing me,” I say, watching the way she shivers as my breath cools her damp lips.

  “Oh, sorry,” she says, her face illuminated with joy and humor as she studies me once more. “Yes. Yes, please. I love you.” She leans in and I kiss her, finally feeling like everything is perfect.

  “I’m the luckiest man in the world,” I whisper, needing her to know how I feel. I want to tell her everything in my heart, how lucky I am, that this is perfection. But she rises up a bit, her hand wrapping in a fist around the lapel of my shirt as she clings to me.

  “Shut up and kiss me,” she says, pulling me closer.

  THE END

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  Claimed Bride: An Arranged Marriage Romance

  Chapter One

  “What did you just say?” Jax spun and snarled at the mousy little man behind him. Samuel, his personal assistant lowered his eyes when Jax’s lit a luminescent yellow. Samuel knew from experience that when his master’s eyes held that tint, it was best to proceed with extreme caution.

  So, the short, balding man cleared his throat and while keeping his eyes trained squarely on the floor, he repeated the message he’d been trusted with delivering.

  “The High Council has sent word, summoning all four factions to a meeting tonight.”

  Jax inhaled a deep breath and held it for a few moments. Calming himself would keep him from striking out against Samuel; the man was just doing his job. Slowly, as each second ticked by, Jax felt the hot rage dim to a smoldering p
ile of ash. Apparently his eyes had gone back to their normal shade of dull brown, because Samuel immediately relaxed his shoulders and finally met his master’s eyes once again.

  When the last of Jax’s lava-hot rage ebbed, a splitting pain spread throughout his forehead; a repercussion of holding his anger in check. Of course, he’d let his leash slip in the first place, so perhaps he deserved the headache. He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose in a small effort to ward off the worst of the pain. When he felt like he could carry on a normal conversation without killing or maiming anyone in his vicinity, he turned and moved around behind his large, wooden desk and sat in the comfortable brown leather chair.

  “And what, pray-tell, did they say this “summons” was about?” he asked lightly, monitoring each word carefully.

  Samuel shifted nervously from one foot to another before clearing his throat once again. This next bit was what he’d feared worse. Jax wasn’t going to be happy to say the least, Samuel just hoped he lived long enough to see his sixty-fifth birthday next month.

  “Well your Highness, it appears as though the population has diminished so severely that the High Council has decided it’s time for each of the four leaders to take a mate in order to replenish our ranks.”

  The word “mate” jumped out and smacked Jax clean upside the head. Never in his seven-hundred plus years did he expect this. Before now, each leader was left to choose his or her own mate at his or her own discretion. Of course, throughout time, battles were fought, war was waged and numbers were lost.

  When his father had died and the mantle of reign fell to Jax, he sworn he’d never subject another person to his lifestyle. And now, the High Council - those pompous, high and mighty deities of fate - were going to demand he sever his own life-force in order to bring more children into a world they’d never be accepted much less survive? Not to mention there were not that many females left in any of the four factions.