Shattered: A Billionaire Romance Series (Contemporary Romance Novels)

by Love, Michelle

The fleeting image of Jenna freaking out goes through my head so I make sure to let her know I will not be letting her go. I pull her around to look at me. “Jenna, I’ve waited a very long time for you. I’m not a man who lets opportunities get by me. I want this. I want you. I’m laying my cards on the table. I know this may seem sudden, but it’s anything but that. Now, what do you want?”

  Her eyes go a little glassy. “Reed, I thought about you back then and truth be told I’ve thought about you these last two years. There’s always been an attraction to you. One I pushed back when I had to. And I do want you. I do. Like nothing I’ve ever wanted before. But your parents will not be happy about this. And if your brother ever does show up, it won’t be good.”

  “I’m not worried about him. Mom is the only person who may have a problem with it. But Mom loves me and she loves you, Jenna. And if Rod shows up I will deal with him. I can handle him. You don’t have to worry.” I take her chin in my hand and can see fear in her eyes.

  “Reed, my plan was to get a job far away where I’d never run into him ever again. If you and I are together, I’ll run into him for damn sure. And it’s a thing I’ve had many nightmares about. I can’t see him again.” A shiver runs through her body.

  “Jenna what did he do to you?”

  “No, I can’t talk about it. And especially not here. Just know I can’t see him again. I’ve come too far to go back.”

  I pull her close to me and hug her tight. “I’ll never let anything happen to you again. You’re safe with me. I swear it to you.”

  I can feel the tension leave her body as I hold her and her arms wrap around me then she pulls herself up and looks at me. “I trust you, Reed. Let’s do this.”

  A smile moves over my face and I kiss her again. Our second real kiss and her lips part and allow me inside her warm mouth. A place I’ve explored only in my dreams.

  The sound of the waitress setting our drinks and plates on the table makes me end the kiss otherwise I think it could have gone on forever or morphed into a make-out session on the table top.

  Jenna blushes and looks down as the waitress smiles at us. “Sorry,” Jenna says quietly.

  “Don’t be. If my husband looked at me like this man looks at you I’d be hard pressed to keep my lips to myself too.” She leaves the bottle of wine on the table too and leaves us alone.

  “See how easy it is to see when someone likes you, Jenna?” I ask as I take her steak and cut a piece for her.

  “Well, you have to admit that when I did notice that I was not in the position to take you up on it.” She opens her mouth, and I put the bite into it.

  “People break up. How hard would it have been to tell him he was an ass, and you were through with him?” I give her a drink and she takes my plate and cuts me a bite then places it into my mouth.

  “Very. You see, we had this written deal. And it wasn’t one that could be broken.” She gives me some wine and then she leans in close and kisses me.

  My entire body lights up with the fact she kissed me this time. My hands run over her arms as her tongue twirls around mine.

  It ends too soon, though, and she sits back. Her breathing is a little on the hard side and I really like that I can do that to her.

  “A written deal? But he left, so that means you could’ve too. And that deal was only worth the paper it was written on, anyway. You know you can even walk away from a marriage, Jenna.” I cut her another bite of the delicious steak and feed it to her.

  Her hand creeps up my leg as she chews it and it stops once she swallows merely centimeters from my cock. It twitches in an effort to feel her hand on it.

  Every part of me wants her!

  Brain, heart, and cock!

  “What we had was intense and when I look back it was just wrong on so many levels. And I’d like to know how you plan on handling him when he inevitably comes around some family function.” She gives me a drink and cuts another piece of steak for me.

  Before she gets it in my mouth, I say, “He’s not so hard to beat, Jenna. And if he was to get physical with anyone in my presence, I can take him down. I have before.” I take the bite as she narrows her eyes.

  “The thing which ended his bullying of you, right? What did you do to him?”

  “Broke his arm.” I look into her eyes to see how she takes that.

  They widen then go narrow again. “How old were you?”

  “I was ten, and he was fifteen. He was holding me down and punching me because he said I was playing in his room. Which I hadn’t been. He just looked for shit to be mad about and punish people and things for.”

  “I see,” she says and nods like she knows what I’m talking about. “So how did you switch it up on him?”

  “I got mad. And turned into the hulk.” I say with a laugh.

  “Really, Reed!” She smacks my arm. “How did a ten-year-old little boy turn the tables on a fifteen-year-old bad ass?”

  “That little boy had a bit of bad ass in him too. And that kid had had enough of his older brother beating him up. So I went ape-shit on him. And somehow I got on top of him and turned him face down in our driveway and held his right arm behind his back and when he told me, when he got back up I would be dead then I just went for it and yanked his arm back until I heard it pop.”

  “Oh my God!” she says and puts her hand over her mouth. “That’s insane!”

  “His loud cries had me getting off him and I went to tell Mom he was hurt and that I wasn’t sorry in the least. As they took him to the emergency room I sat in the back seat with Mom to keep us apart as Rod said I was going to hurt him again. He could see it in my eyes, he said.” I take a drink of my wine.

  “Were you?” she asks.

  “You know I think if he looked like he was going to do anything more then I would’ve. That’s the one and only fight I’ve ever been in. It ended his bullying, and that’s what mattered to me.”

  She nods and looks as if she’s thinking about things. “That’s crazy. You know I saw pictures of you guys back in those younger years and he was taller and had some muscles already and you were a normal little ten-year-old kid.”

  “And now I do have more muscles than he does so if he was to threaten you or me with anything physical I’d stop him before he could do any harm.” I pull her back into my arms. “You’re safe with me. I’ll always protect you. You will never be hurt by me, Jenna. You will never be hurt again. I swear that to you. I will never hurt you in any way or allow anyone else to.”

  Her eyes dart back and forth as if she’s searching for something. The truth, I suppose. Then her hands move over my cheeks and she says, “I feel like I can believe you.”

  I run my hands up to hers. “You can, Jenna.”

  She inches forward until our mouths meet again and I feel as if what I’ve dreamt of for so long is finally going to come true. The way her touch makes me feel is something out of story books.

  It’s as if we were made for one another.

  And now that I have her, I will have to protect her if my brother ever does decide to show his face again. He was wickedly possessive of her and I have no doubt he will hate the fact she’s mine now.

  Our mouths part and I find her looking into my eyes. “Reed, how is it that you and your brother both found me to your liking?”

  With a shake of my head, I say, “You know, my brother has always had sort of a sixth sense about what I want. When we were little I remember wanting a certain train set for Christmas and hoped Santa would bring it to me. I didn’t get it that year, not that I told anyone I wanted it. I thought Santa would just know.”

  She smiles and runs her hand over my leg. “How adorable.”

  I nod. “Anyway, as Reed’s birthday grew near I overheard him telling Mom and Dad about this train set he really wanted. Guess what, he got the damn train set I secretly wanted.”

  “Okay, that’s one time. Have anything more reality-based than that?” She smiles at me and I go all soft inside.

  �
��You know how Reed loves trucks?”

  “I do,” she says and picks up her wine.

  “I was looking through this magazine he had right before he turned sixteen. It was full of cars and trucks and he had three different trucks circled in it. As I was looking through it, I found this old Camaro and loved it. It was all black and really cool. I didn’t say a thing about it. I was only eleven at the time and far from getting a car.”

  She stops me. “I saw that picture of him with his first car. A black Camaro. And you know what else I saw in that photo, you in the background with a frown on your cute little face.”

  “You know why I was frowning?” I ask then take a sip of wine.

  “You were mad he got the car?”

  I shake my head. “I was ecstatic he got the car. I was so happy for him and I asked him if I could please buy it from him when I turned sixteen. He told me no. He told me he’d drive it off a cliff before he ever even let me drive it. Hence the frown.”

  “I guess he was still mad about the broken arm,” she says with a little frown.

  “No, he was always like that. He had a pair of Superman pajamas and he outgrew them. He kept those things hanging in his closet for three years and when I could fit into them I asked him if he’d let me have them.” Her hand moves very close to my personal pleasure zone and I pause to look down at it.

  It drifts back down toward my knee. “And?” she asks.

  “Um, you kind of distracted me there. Anyway, he told me no and that night they fell into the fireplace. On an accident, he said. How he happened to be walking around carrying something that didn’t even fit him anymore is still a huge mystery,” I say then take a long drink of the wine. “Anyway, in my opinion, Reed changed from the usual trashy-ass women which were his usual female fodder when he felt a shift in the universe when I set my sights on you. And I guess he had to find you. Probably didn’t even know who he was looking for until he saw you.”

  Jenna looks away and her eyes go glassy. “Wish you would’ve found me first.”

  I run my hand over her shoulders and give them a squeeze. “Me too.”

  But I have her now and I will never let her go!

  Chapter 15

  JENNA

  A week into our secret dating, Reed is taking me back to his place in California for the weekend. He told his parents he had a few things to do, and I told mine I was visiting a college girlfriend.

  And we’ve yet to consummate this relationship. No overnighters were possible with us both staying at our parents’ homes so he decided it was time I see how he really lives and we’re flying on a private jet he chartered.

  Reed has taken me out somewhere special every night this past week. We talked on the phone once we got back to our respective homes until we fell asleep. He’s the best man I’ve ever met.

  Sweet, caring, and completely awesome!

  Our hands are clasped and rest on his leg as we fly through the sky. Clouds move past the window at incredible speeds and I’m starting to see that Reed Manning is a bit more well-off than anyone is aware of.

  His head lays against the leather headrest and he turns to look at me. “I let a bit of information out to my parents over dinner last night.”

  Giving him my full attention, I turn to him. “What did you say?”

  “I told them I had seen you in town and you looked fantastic. Better than I had ever seen you look before.”

  “And what did they say?” I bite my lip with worry.

  He smiles and moves his hand over my cheek. “Dad said you always looked nice and Mom asked me how you were doing.”

  “That’s nice.” I stop biting my lip as it sounds like they don’t hate me.

  Well, not yet, anyway!

  “So, I also said I was thinking about bringing you over for dinner one night next week.”

  I tense up. “And?”

  “And Mom lit up like a Christmas tree and asked what night I thought I might do that and that she was going to make her lasagna you always loved so much. She started making a list of what all she needed and asked if I thought you still liked her.”

  My heart races. “I still love her! Are you serious?”

  He nods. “So, step one is in the process and you will be enjoying one of your favorite meals with me at my parents’ house on Tuesday. So write that down on your calendar.”

  Dinner at the Manning’s and this time I’m Reed’s guest, crazy!

  “So nothing was said about it being weird then?” I ask.

  “Not one word about it being weird.” His hand tightens on mine.

  “Then I’ll tell my parents the same thing on Monday and see how they take it. You did say we’re coming back on Monday morning, right?”

  “I did. Unless you decide to stay with me forever in Bel-Air.” His smile is contagious and I find myself smiling too.

  “Isn’t Bel-Air kind of famous for its many mansions, Reed?”

  He nods and lays his head back. “Kind of.”

  I lay my head back and go back to gazing out the window. The way our hands are positioned feels so natural. It’s so easy being with him. Like we’re two peas from the same pod.

  I like what he likes and vice versa. We don’t disagree on a thing so far. And tonight we will be testing the waters of a more physical relationship and see how that goes.

  Mind blowing, I bet!

  Since we’ve only been together in his car, which is not a place where we can get very physical, or in public, we’ve done little more than kissing and touching each other in an appropriate fashion.

  And I am dying to see how he touches me when we can get inappropriate with one another!

  I suppose since we’ve known each other so long, the week has seemed like a very long time. Like we’ve been dating for a year or something like that.

  We’re very comfortable with each other. A thing I wasn’t with Rod most times.

  It’s effortless, the conversation, the way we can sit without saying a word and watch a sunset. It’s all so easy and I find myself very sad I didn’t break up with Rod that New Year’s Eve night when he was all over those women and made me hurt that one.

  I shake my head to rid myself of the bad memories and try to think about being grateful this man saw fit to give me a shot after all he’s seen me do and put up with.

  The pilot tells us we’re about to land and I tense up. The take-off was easy but I’ve never been on a plane before so the landing has me kind of worried.

  That is when most plane crashes happen!

  I think so anyway.

  He must feel my hand go rigid as he says, “Don’t worry. I’ve flown a lot and there’s nothing to worry about. The Los Angeles traffic is more of a thing to fear than this jet landing.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.” I close my eyes as I feel the plane start to go down.

  “Hey,” his voice comes from right next to my ear.

  I turn my face and his lips catch mine and he kisses me. His kiss always takes me away. My hands move on their own to run around his neck and my mouth opens inviting him inside.

  His hand moves up my neck and gathers my hair in a bunch as his tongue runs over mine. And then he moves his mouth off mine and I open my eyes to find him looking at me.

  “We’ve landed.”

  I turn and look out the window and laugh. “So, we have, Well, you were right. That wasn’t bad at all!”

  “Thanks,” he says sarcastically. “I thought that kiss was more than not bad.”

  He unbuckles my seatbelt and stands up, pulling me up with him. I run my arms around him. “That kiss was not what I was describing. That kiss and every kiss you give me is utterly indescribable. As are you.”

  His blue eyes sparkle. Then he pulls me in for another kiss and my knees go weak as I lean into him.

  My body just goes limp when we’re standing and kiss. It’s insane and I’m so ready to find out what my body does when we’re in a bed and lying down and kiss.

  Bet it’s going
to be something intense!

  When he ends the kiss, he turns to leave the jet, holding me tight around my waist. As we go down the stairs I see a black limousine pulling up near us and Reed takes me toward it.

  “A limo on the runway?” I ask in surprise.

  “This is technically called the tarmac, not the runway. And yes, I called ahead and had a service pick us up. I don’t usually take cabs.”

  The driver hurries to the back passenger door. “Hello, Mr. Manning. Good to see you back. It’s been a long couple of weeks since you left us.”

  “I’m only home for the weekend then I have to go back to Arizona.” Reed looks at me. “And, Pete, I’d like you to meet, Jenna Foster. I do believe if I have my way, she’ll be a person you see around me often.”

  He gives me a nod. “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Foster.”

  I nod back. “You too, Pete.”

  Reed lets me slide into the dark backseat of the gorgeous car then he slides in next to me. I must look like a real hick as I look all around the car. “So ritzy.”

  His eyebrows go way up. “Are you impressed?”

  I nod and smile as he takes my hand. “Very. A jet, a limo. I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

  His lips touch my cheek. “Neither can I.”

  My insides go hot as I think he means he can’t wait to see what happens when we’re alone at his house. With nothing and no one to stop us from really getting to know each other.

  In the back of the dark limo, I find his hand moving over my stomach as he runs it around me and pulls me onto his lap, facing him. I straddle his legs as he pulls me around and put my arms around his neck as he looks at me with the most intense look I’ve seen from him.

  Then one side of his mouth goes up in a half smile. “I may not let you out of bed the whole two days.”

  A shiver runs through me at the thought. “Really?”

  He nods and moves one hand up the side of my face. His thumb runs over my cheek and he stops smiling at me and looks serious. “Jenna, I want you to know something. Before I take you to bed I want you to know I really respect what you’ve done with your life.”

  “And I respect what you’ve done with yours, Reed.”