Doctor’s Fake Fiancée

by Charlize Starr

  I can’t look him in the eyes. “She’s yours. I’m sorry, Ethan. I should have told you, but-”

  “Save it, Lindsay. This isn’t the time or the place to have this conversation.” His jaw is clenched, and his shoulders are stiff with tension as if he’s making great effort to hold on to his temper. “Amanda, your guests are waiting.”

  “Well, they might as well go home. There will be no wedding tomorrow,” Amanda grumbles. She turns to me, sympathy on her face. “I don’t hate you, Lindsay. I’m pissed as hell, but I’ll get over it. I’m going to go out there and fix my problem, and you fix yours. We’ll swap stories tomorrow over strong drinks.”

  I grab her hand and give it a squeeze, grateful for forgiveness from at least one person. “Thanks. Good luck.”

  “You too.” She leaves the bathroom, leaving me to face Ethan’s wrath alone.

  He glares at me. “I don’t know what that was all about, but if the wedding has been called off, I guess there’s no need for this dinner. Let’s go.”

  “W-where?”

  “I drove you here, so I’m taking you home.” He turns and leaves without waiting for a response. My shoulders droop with defeat. Great, he’s going to drop me home and drive off as soon as I step out of the car. He hates me, and I can’t blame him. I follow him, dragging my feet, feeling like I’m on my way to the gallows.

  ***

  Ethan parks in front of my building. He still hasn’t said a word to me. I suffered through what must have been the most uncomfortable drive in history. I would feel better if he had said something to me, anything, even words of anger. But all I have gotten is silence, torturing silence. “Ethan-”

  “Let’s go inside.”

  I sigh. Finally, he speaks. “Will it be safe to be alone in my apartment with you?” I ask sarcastically.

  I’m given a withering glare. “You really shouldn’t be a smart ass right now, Lindsay.”

  Pulling my lower lip between my teeth, I slide out of the car and march up the steps with Ethan on my tail. I can practically feel his anger. Once we are inside, and he has closed the door, I turn to look at him. My heart twists, seeing his pained expression. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out something, throwing it down on the center table. I stare at the small box with confusion.

  “Why, Lindsay? Why would you keep the fact that you have a child from me for three years?”

  I take my eyes off the box. “I didn’t want to hold you back, Ethan. You had just been drafted to the NFL. It was your dream. I just wanted you to have a future. If I had told you about Casey, you would have hated me.”

  Ethan runs a hand over his face. “Are you listening to yourself? Why would I hate you because of our child?”

  I shrug. Now that he says it, I feel like a complete fool for keeping something so big from him. My lower lip quivers as I fight back tears. “I didn’t want to ruin your life, burden you with the responsibility of a child. I thought at least one of us should live our dream.”

  “You should have told me. We could have made things work.” He falls silent. “I have a daughter,” he whispers. It’s as if he still can’t believe it.

  “I suppose all I have managed to do is make everything worse by keeping such a secret. I kept it from everyone. My mother suspects, but she doesn’t say anything. She looks like you.” He looks at me with sad eyes. My conscience berates me for hurting him this way. Because of my stupidity, he missed out on three years of his child’s life. “I’ll understand if you never want to speak to me again.”

  “I was going to ask you to marry me.”

  My eyes widen. “What?” I eye the velvet box once more. “W-why?”

  He looks at me as if I’ve lost all sense. “Because I love you, Lindsay. I fell in love with you, okay? I think I did when you approached me at your graduation three years ago.” I’m gawking at him at this point. His lips twitch. “Yeah, I was just as surprised at the discovery too.”

  I blink rapidly. Ethan is in love with me? Well, hallelujah, because I love him too. “I love you, too. I always have.”

  Ethan gives me the full intensity of his stare. This time, there is nothing sexual about it. What I would give to know what he’s thinking right now. Is he condemning me? Planning to take me to court and sue for full custody of his child? My mind is racing, and I’m on the verge of panic. “Please don’t take her from me, Ethan. I’ve already given up so much in my life.”

  He frowns. “What are you talking about?”

  “If you’re contemplating taking Casey from me, please don’t. We’ll work something out. You can see her whenever you like.”

  He lets out a laugh, taking me by surprise. “Take her from you? I’m planning to take away the both of you.”

  Huh? “I- I don’t understand.”

  He moves toward me, and I instinctively take a retreating step back. “I have a family. I’m not leaving you or Casey. You’re both coming back to Texas with me.”

  My heart jumps excitedly, but I’m a bit apprehensive. “We can’t just uproot our lives, Ethan.”

  “What’s here for either of you, Lindsay? If you come with me, Casey will have everything she’ll ever want and need and so will you. You’ll be able to go to the best art school in the country if you wish. I’ll take care of both you. I’ll pay for your mother to visit anytime she wants.

  Wow. I honestly thought things would go much worse. He’s offering to take Casey and me with him. I didn’t see it coming. I’m starting to feel a little bit like Cinderella, and I hate that damn fairy tale. “Ethan, I don’t know what to say. This is all so-”

  “Just say yes. And say yes to marrying me.”

  “That’s not a very romantic proposal,” I murmur.

  Ethan swallows a grin. “Give me a break, here. I’m still in shock. I’ll wine and dine you later and pop the question again. How about that?”

  I can’t help but smile, elated that he still wants me in every way and incredibly relieved that I’ve been forgiven. “I don’t care about wining and dining. I’ll marry you.”

  He lets out a long breath. “Good. Let’s go get Casey now. I need to meet her. I don’t want to waste another minute.”

  “Of course. Let’s go.” I move toward the door, but Ethan snags my wrist, pulling me back.

  “You’re forgetting something.” He reaches for the box on the table and opens it, revealing an intricately designed ring with a solitary stone. It’s the biggest diamond I’ve ever seen. My breath hitches in my chest. This is really happening. My dreams are starting to become reality.

  “I love you, Lindsay. You have no idea how much you have changed me. You make me a better version of myself.”

  A face splitting smile spreads across my face. “You never needed any improvement. You’ve always been perfect in my eyes.”

  He swallows hard. “It’s dangerous for you to say things like that to me. Now I want to take you to the bedroom. But there will be plenty of time for that later. Let’s go get our little girl.”

  As we head through the door, I glance down at our intertwined hands. My time has finally come to be wholly happy.

  *****

  THE END

  Paranormal Menage Romance: Her Two Bears

  Description

  A BBW in danger PLUS two hot werebears ready to share a mate PLUS a deadly opponent with dark intentions!

  Danita Valdez is about to live her dream. She’s inherited a small farm from her uncle, and wants to make it her little paradise. But then loan shark McGrath turns up and transfers her uncle's debt to her. If she doesn’t pay, he’ll auction off her virginity to the highest bidder.

  And as if things can't get worse, two of McGrath's thugs show up to “protect” her.

  Bear shifters Killian and Ryan are supposed to keep an eye on Danita for McGrath. But they know what they want as soon as they see her. This woman with her soft curves is their mate. They’ll protect her with their own lives if they have to. But will she ever trust them?

 
Forced to live in the same house as the two Bears, Danita soon has only one thing on her mind. She can’t help it. These gorgeous men, all strength and muscle, would have any virgin dropping their panties.

  But as the tension builds and their feelings deepen, McGrath's true desires come to light, and the Bears realize there is only one way to save Danita. And that path just might end up getting them all killed.

  Chapter One – Danita

  Danita Valdez beamed as she pushed on the door to her brand-new barn. At least, it was new to her; the door fell off as it swung open, the rusty hinges pulling clear of the frame. She jumped slightly but shrugged as she stepped through, glancing back at her former foster sister Amelia with a sheepish smile.

  "I'll fix that up. New hinges and screws, no big deal. Might need to rebuild the frame, but that's easy enough to do. The place needs a little work, but all I'm missing is funds. Once I have my mortgage, I'll roll up my sleeves and with a little elbow grease, everything will be perfect."

  "If you say so," Amelia replied, shaking her head as she inched through the barn door. "If you need some help, I'm sure my two Alphas will be able to find some Wolves in the pack to give you a hand. We could also give you a loan if the mortgage doesn't cover all your expenses."

  Danita shook her head. "This is my place, and I'm going to get it up and running myself. When have you ever known me to shy away from hard work? Besides, the loan offer is sweet but I'll do just fine. There are only a few major repairs that need to be done before I can get my herd."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Of course I am. So I'm going to fix up the barn to store my equipment and hay, and outside I'm going to have the alpaca pasture right beside it. Three acres. I've already got Maria, but I'll need more to be successful. And I heard from some of the other farmers around here that there can be trouble with bears and cougars at night, which is to be expected with this great forest around, but I'll make sure my animals are trained to come in at night."

  "Didn't you say alpacas could be aggressive towards predators?"

  "Canids, mostly. Better safe than sorry. I'll start off with a small herd, but put males and females together and you know that they do!" Danita gave Amelia a saucy smile and winked at her.

  Amelia smirked. "It's even better then you've got two males dedicated to pleasing you. Speaking of which…"

  "No, I don't have any boyfriends. And I'm not looking for any, either. I have plenty to keep me occupied. Over there," Danita gestured towards the tree line, eager to get off the topic, "I am going to build a second barn. That's where I'll set up everything I need to clean, card and spin the wool."

  Amelia smirked. "You really have your work cut out for you. A good, brawny male around—"

  "I've already got half a dozen places lined up to take a look at my stuff once I’m producing." Danita folded her arms. "And—"

  Amelia grabbed Danita's arm and let out a short scream. Her eyes were wide as saucers. Danita spun on her heel in time to see two huge bears emerge from the trees. Each one was about twice as tall as any regular grizzly, with paws the size of hubcaps and heads as big as a small car. One was gray, the other honey-brown.

  "Oh, those two again."

  Danita scowled to cover up how her heart skipped a beat on seeing them. The two strolled along the trees, grunting to each other, occasionally bumping shoulders and making chuffing noises that sounded like laughter. Which it probably was.

  If Amelia hadn’t been here, Danita would be internally begging them to shift into their human forms. Maybe even indulge in her fantasy of them strolling up to the farmhouse and tossing her into a pile of hay while they took turns with her. She may be a virgin, but a prude she was not.

  "Those two again?" Amelia rose a brow at her.

  "They're just a couple of Bear shifters that live around here or something. They've been hanging around since I moved in. At least they're in their Bear forms this time. Sometimes they walk around naked." Danita felt heat rising in her cheeks. "Not that they aren't nice to look at, of course, but I want this to be a family-friendly farm, you know."

  Amelia smirked at her. "You should see why they're hanging around. Because if they just started once you moved in, it could be that they're looking for a romp in the hay–literally!"

  "Just because you got lucky and landed yourself two Wolves who are more than happy to share you doesn't mean the rest of us will be so lucky."

  Danita sighed with disappointment as the Bears disappeared again. Even if she hadn't had fantasies about a threesome before, Amelia's stories about how mind-blowing sex with two men at once was would have her reconsidering her attitude.

  "You might be luckier than you realize. There aren't any Bear shifter communities out here. Those two might be lonely."

  Danita smiled at her foster-sister. "Maybe, but I don't have time for one boyfriend right now, let alone two."

  "Just make sure you have time to come to my wedding," Amelia replied. "I'd ask you to be a bridesmaid, but Timothy, Xavier and I all decided we want something more intimate. So the wedding party is just the three of us, and only family is being invited to attend."

  "Of course I'll come." Danita smiled at her foster-sister. "I can see how happy they make you. I don't think I've ever seen you beam like you do when you talk about them. I wouldn't miss your wedding for anything."

  "Good. I have to go, but call me, okay?" Amelia glanced between the ramshackle barn and dilapidated house and shook her head. "You have a lot of work ahead, Dani. If the Alphas and I can help you in any way—"

  "I'll let you know."

  They kissed cheeks, and Amelia left. Danita glanced at the tree line, but the Bears were good and gone. Without changing and giving her a good look at their tightly-muscled asses. How rude. If they were going to invade her property the least they could do was give her something to look at!

  She headed to the house to take a look at a burnt-out light fixture, but before she got to the porch, another car pulled into her driveway. A blue Mercedes.

  Danita's jaw dropped. What a beautiful car! She struggled to put her eyes back in her head as a man dressed in a sharp navy blue suit–and for some reason, black leather gloves–stepped out of the car. He clearly wasn't from around here. He had all the polish of a Harvard lawyer, unlike the rough farmers she had come to know as her neighbors.

  "Danita Valdez?"

  "Yes. May I help you?"

  The man smiled. His skin had that perfect sun-tanned glow that came with people who spent their time in tanning beds rather than actually in the sun. His hair was salt-and-pepper gray. There was something graceful about the way he walked that reminded her of a cat stalking its prey. She shivered as he drew closer.

  "Dean McGrath." He held out his hand, and Danita shook it. "I was sorry to hear about your uncle's passing. Tragic, that a man would take his own life like that."

  Danita made herself smile, though the man’s voice made her skin crawl. "Thank you. I didn't really know him very well. Still, he gave me what I always wanted. My own land to establish myself as a farmer."

  "Yes…" His gaze swept over her freshly inherited farm. "The thing is, your uncle owed me quite a bit of money. In the general vicinity of five hundred thousand dollars. And since he owed me that money, this land technically belongs to me."

  Danita's brows rose. "Excuse me? I assure you, I went over his finances very carefully with a lawyer and—"

  "We don't want to involve lawyers now, do we?" McGrath flashed her a smile with distinctive fangs.

  Danita stared at them.

  "Oh, silly me." He made a big show of pushing the fangs until they were even with his other teeth. "Leopard shifter, you know. Sometimes my teeth just lust for something to tear into. But as I was saying, I'm sure you and I can figure this out just fine without involving any unnecessary middlemen."

  A loan shark. Danita repressed yet another shiver, the hairs prickling on the back of her neck. She longed to run into the house and slam the door but somehow kn
ew that it would only make him pounce and do something she didn't want to think out.

  "For all I know you could be making this up to try to extort money from me," she said and hated that there was a tremble in her voice. "Besides, I don't have anything to give you. Look at the condition of this place. It's going to take a lot of funds to make it productive. So you can take your veiled threats and just leave me alone."

  McGrath's eyes narrowed. "Miss Valdez, you do not want to get on my bad side. You've suffered from your uncle's death, and so I'll give you time to rethink what you’re saying to me. I will require a show of good faith, a down payment if you will, in three months' time. I'll go easy on you. Fifty thousand. We'll talk about further monthly payments then."

  "How am I supposed to give you money I don't have?" Danita's voice was clearly shaking by this time, no matter how hard she tried to control it.

  "Well, perhaps we'll have to find alternative ways for you to pay your debt, then." His gaze slowly ran down her body.

  Danita wanted to slap him for daring to look at her that way. She knew she carried extra weight on her belly and thighs, but she had the misfortune of being extremely top-heavy. Not enough for her insurance to cover having breast reduction for health reasons, but enough for disgusting men like Dean McGrath to undress her with their eyes. She backed up a step, heart in her mouth, throat dry.

  No. I am not letting some creep cow me.

  "Forget that!" Her hands clenched as she shifted her feet into a fighting stance. If he dared come any closer he'd get a palm to the nose and a knee to the groin. "I am going right to the police and then we'll see what happens!"

  "Funny… that’s what your uncle said before he sadly took his own life."

  Danita froze.

  "There won't be any more of that silliness, will there, Miss Valdez? You will pay back your debt, one way or another." He inhaled, leaning forward as though smelling her. It made her skin prickle with disgust. "You are quite the beauty, with those exotic amber-brown eyes, your smooth, supple skin, long, silky brown hair, and that figure… you shouldn't cover it up with those baggy flannel shirts. Hispanic girls like you fetch a high price at auction… especially if they're virgins. Are you a virgin, Miss Valdez?"