They lived together like one. She slept in his bed and every night, Liam made her orgasm violently, hugged her limp, spent body and put her to sleep. They ate all their meals together, they laughed and joked together… but was this permanent? Liam never spoke to her about it. They didn’t sit down and have an actual serious discussion. Isabel was beginning to grow restless. The arrangement felt too temporary; too much like a dream that could end at any time.
“When can we open our gifts?” Sophie squealed. She was sprawled on the floor beside the Christmas tree, watching Isabel clear up the plates from their dinner.
They had just finished a lavish six-course meal that Isabel had spent the whole day preparing. Liam was smoking his pipe outside.
“Soon honey,” Isabel said, smiling at Sophie. She couldn’t get enough of this child, she was growing to love her more passionately every day, like she was her own.
“I say we open it now. It’s midnight somewhere in the world isn’t it?” Liam had come in through the door and Isabel hadn’t heard. Sophie squealed and fell on the gifts that lay scattered under the tree. Isabel smiled and shook her head at Liam and took off her apron.
“Come over here, Isabel.” Liam extended his hand towards her and she accepted. He pulled her close and kissed her softly on her forehead.
“This one’s from daddy.” Sophie was screaming excitedly as she ripped the wrapping paper open. It was a dollhouse that Liam must have bought in the town he had visited for the Christmas tree. Sophie was excited beyond words. She came running to Liam’s arms, hugged and kissed him, and then went back to her gifts again.
“This one’s from Isabel,” she said and stretched her lips. She shook the box in her hands and held it to her ear before ripping through the wrapping paper.
“A baking set!” She squealed and ran into Isabel’s arms. “Thank you so much. Does this mean I can bake with you?” she asked and Isabel nodded. “Come open your gift from daddy, Isabel,” Sophie added, running back to the tree.
Isabel looked at Liam and bit down on her lip. He was smiling and there was a twinkle in his eye that excited her. The box was square and big, and Isabel took her time to open it. Only to find that the box opened to another box, which she had to open again. Like a Russian nesting doll, this one gave way to another so that she had to open six other boxes until she got to the final one.
This wasn’t a box so much as it was a small velvet case. Isabel’s heart was racing as she opened it, aware by now what she would find there. A diamond ring lay in the center like a pearl in an oyster. Isabel shrieked and Sophie shrieked as well. She jumped up and Liam caught her in his arms and kissed her neck.
“Will you marry me, Isabel Bowes?” he asked, laughing at her excitement.
“Of course I will. I was ready to marry you the first day I got here,” she said as he took the ring from her hand and slipped it onto her finger. Isabel didn’t have the time to look at her ring. She was busy kissing Liam while Sophie danced around them in delight.
“I wanted to do this right,” Liam whispered in her ear when they broke away for breath. Isabel nodded, her own breath caught in her throat.
“I want you to be my wife, the mother of my child, and I wanted you to know me before you said yes.” Liam pressed her hand and then brought it to his lips. Isabel felt faint again. This time, it wasn’t because of the heat.
*****
THE END
Contemporary Romance: Daddy's Billionaire Friend
Description
I know it‘s taboo and wrong.
But I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.
He‘s daddy’s business partner and best friend, for Christ’s sake. He’s much too old for me.
But I’m a virgin. My body craves him like breath or water.
I should save myself for someone that I have a future with. But I need to come.
And when he shows his dominant side, he has me.
But what will he say when I tell him what we’ve made? A baby!
Chapter One - Alyssa
I looked outside at the sun shining and clicked the button to buy plane tickets. I’m going to see Dad for Christmas. I’d been living in San Diego for about a year now following graduation, working at a great graphic design office. I could’ve easily gotten a similar job back in New York, but I’d been desperate to get out of there. When I saw this job opening in California, it was just too good to resist. It was a great opportunity for me, though I felt bad being away after Mom’s car accident.
Perhaps her death was why I wanted to leave. Losing her three years ago had devastated Dad and me. I had been so much closer to Mom than to Dad and I just wanted to get away from all of the memories. Moving here and looking at the beach in La Jolla every day from my apartment had been the perfect change.
It was Christmas though, and time for my annual visit.
I stood and stretched, arching my back and looked out of my window. Everything was beautiful here, including the people and there were times that I didn’t feel like I fit in. I wasn’t skinny and blonde like the girls on the beaches and in the shopping malls. I took after my mother, with thick curves. I had caramel colored curls that framed my face and Dad’s big brown eyes. I didn’t stand out here at all apart from being a reliable worker at my firm, which I was proud of. I wanted to go home and make Dad feel proud of me as well. He might appreciate my work ethic since he was always such a hard worker, spending more time at his law firm than at home. Once Mom died, he put in several more hours per week and was rarely home.
It was no wonder that I accepted this job. I hated being by myself in the big house, where everything reminded me of Mom.
I had a couple of weeks left before I had to leave for the holiday. I spent most of my time at the office. It was one of my favorite places, motivating me to do better in life. The thought of going home and celebrating another Christmas without Mom was daunting, even though my aunts, uncles, cousins, and some of my friends would be there.
I’d find a way through it, though. Maybe I’d find a connection with Dad again.
I dug into the back of my closet the night before my flight. I hadn’t worn winter clothes for a year now, and it felt weird to fold the sweaters and jeans before I tucked them into my suitcase. I chose a pair of yoga pants for the flight with a button up flannel that I could slip off if I got too hot. I went through security and sat down. I enjoyed a coffee while I waited to board and watched everyone coming and going. I loved watching people.
Once I was seated in coach, I waited until we were in the air before I pulled out my Kindle to pass the time. I knew that I would doze off at some point, but the coffee was still keeping my eyes open. I was reading a saucy story about the handsome alpha male and the shy girl. The torrid descriptions made me shift in my seat, realizing that I’d never had any of this in my life. Sure, there were a few guys in high school and college that I’d fooled around with, but it was all casual and never with this kind of heat. I wondered what it would be like to be with such a dominant man for a moment and my thighs clenched. I laughed softly to myself and realized that life really wasn’t like in the books and movies, at least not mine.
I did fall asleep for a while, cramped and bored in the small space, waking up a few times when kids were crying. Sleeping passed the time even if it was interrupted and restless. Once we landed, I was groggy, but I could hardly wait to get out and walk again. I knew that Dad would send a car for me since he trusted his driver Charles a lot more than he did any cabbie. I walked to the baggage claim to pick up my dark green suitcase and walked out of the front doors to see a black town car with a familiar man standing by the back door. “Charles,” I greeted him. He smiled and hugged me. I’d known him for years since Dad was never a fan of driving himself. In the city, it was a chaos of traffic and pedestrians and only for the brave.
I always wondered why Mom insisted on driving her blue Tahoe all over the place. Perhaps it was a little bit of me-time, something that ended on the Long
Island Expressway one afternoon when she was returning from lunch with friends. Dad had become stricter from that day on, insisting that Charles drives me everywhere.
When I moved to San Diego, I insisted on driving my silver Range Rover all the way to California because I’d need it there. Dad was livid about it, but I was eighteen, and he couldn’t stop me, even though I knew it broke his heart. Losing the love of his life had been life-altering for him, and I felt sorry for him, but I couldn’t let fear dominate my own life. Mom’s accident had just been the result of horrible timing combined with a bad driver, something that could happen to anybody. Mom had never lived in fear. She loved her life, even if it had been too short.
Charles got me settled in the back of the car before he headed to Dad’s house, making me smile when I saw a bag of cookies from my favorite bakery as well as a tall cup of coffee. Sometimes, I realized that Dad’s staff members were more like family to me than Dad was. They were also warmer towards me. “Thank you,” I said to Charles while breaking off a piece of the soft chocolate chip cookie.
“Not a problem,” Charles said back to me as I leaned back and smiled. I could do this.
Chapter Two - Alyssa
Charles parked in the driveway, and I glanced out of the window to see the classic brick house, spacious and beautiful. I never understood why they had built an eight thousand square foot home when they had just one child, but Mom was still able to make every single room homey and warm. It amazed me. Charles got my door and suitcase, and I looked at his wrinkled face and twinkling blue eyes. I knew he was paid well, but I sometimes felt sorry for him having to always be there at Dad’s every beck and call.
We walked into the house, and while Charles headed to my room with the bags, I walked to the kitchen to greet Sherry, our chef. She took over when Mom passed away. Cooking had been another thing that Mom loved to do. Sherry was sweet enough to use Mom’s recipes often, though I don’t think that Dad had ever noticed it as much as I had.
“Hi, sweetie,” Sherry turned from the stove to greet me with a smile. She was a pretty brunette in her late fifties.
“Hey there. How are things around here?” I asked her.
“Well, I feel like I cook for a ghost most of the time. Your father is always working, as usual. I look forward to your company,” Sherry told me and shook her head. “How long are you home for?”
“Two weeks,” I replied as she nodded and walked over to give me a hug.
“We’ll make it special,” she said. I took a seat at the long breakfast bar that overlooked the kitchen. “I’m making beef stew with barley for dinner tonight since I think your father’s partner is coming over this evening. It’s for business purposes, but the man does need to eat.”
Nathan Moore was Dad’s partner and a handsome man in his late forties. I’d always had a secret crush on him, but he was married for most of the time I’d known him. But even if he hadn’t been married, Nathan was so much older than I was that it was crazy to think of him as a potential lover.
“Yeah, Dad doesn’t eat enough,” I agreed after a moment and smiled. “Beef stew sounds good.”
I helped Sherry with the Christmas tree. Her husband had gotten it set up near the front window and she wanted me to decorate it. We ended up doing it together while I told her the same stories about the ornaments that I had every year since she’d come here. Some of the ornaments Mom had bought during her travels, others she had bought as part of a new theme that she would try every few years. I loved to mix them up and add in the ones that Grandma gave me every year for Christmas before she passed away.
Decorating the tree took all afternoon, and I went up to my room to change into some black slacks and a purple cashmere sweater for dinner. Dad didn’t appreciate yoga pants being worn when company was over. I didn’t either, knowing how much they accented my full figure.
I helped Sherry set the table for dinner and everything was ready when we heard the garage door. I looked up with a smile when Dad led Nathan inside, talking about a court case as could be expected. He saw me and smiled briefly before he went into his office to put his briefcase away. Nathan leaned against the kitchen counter, and I felt his eyes roving over me while I looked at the floor and blushed, plagued by my earlier thoughts. “It looks like California is treating you well, Alyssa.”
I looked at him, appreciating his smooth face and intense blue eyes. My word, Nathan was working out these days. I could see his muscles bulging under his white shirt. His tie was hanging loose. He was more relaxed than Dad in some ways, but I sensed a deep strength inside of him as I smiled. “Yes, it’s a great firm and La Jolla is lovely.”
“Indeed, it is. I have a sister living over there that I visit frequently. Maybe next time we can have dinner together,” Nathan suggested, and I nodded as our eyes locked for a second. I felt heat pass through my veins and licked my lips as I grabbed onto the counter behind me.
“That would be wonderful,” I told him as Dad came back into the kitchen and Sherry started ladling the soup into big bowls for everyone. She’d made a hearty salad to go with it as well as thick, crusty bread. I sat across from Nathan and next to Dad. They talked about a new case that sounded complicated. I felt out of place. I took small bites of the soup and let my gaze rest on Nathan from time to time. His tie was gone now, and he seemed to relax a little while he ate and sipped the wine that was poured for dinner. Dad’s was still on as if he was still at work.
I thought about Mom and how different she was from Dad while my eyes grazed over Nathan. Seeing his left-hand bare made my heart pound in my chest. He was single now? Not that it mattered of course, but when his eyes met mine with intensity for just a second I almost believed that it did. I focused on my food that was delicious, taking faster bites of the soup and tearing the bread apart to dip it into the bowl. There was something in this room now, and I didn’t know what to do with it. I glanced at Dad to see if he was picking up on it, but he was so wrapped up in the conversation that he didn’t even feel my gaze.
Nathan felt it. I saw it in his eyes when he glanced at me before offering a suggestion to Dad, dark with a promise of something similar to the book I was reading on the way here. I felt stunned. I had never felt this way before in my twenty-three years of life, not even with the people I’d nearly slept with before I changed my mind. This wasn’t right. He was older and my father’s business partner, for Christ’s sake.
I excused myself from the table to take my dishes into the kitchen for an escape, and took a few deep breaths. Sherry made an apple cake for dessert, and I walked over to the fridge to pull it out after noisily dropping my dishes into the sink. She’d left for the evening to get home to her husband and I was alone. I set the cake on the counter and turned when someone cleared their throat. “I was going to make some coffee. We have a late night ahead of us.” Nathan stared at me while he spoke and I nodded and walked over to what looked like an even newer Keurig. I got the water in, asking him what he liked without looking at him. “Something strong,” Nathan told me. I pulled out a dark French roast and got it into the machine with shaking hands. “You feel it as well, don’t you?”
“Feel what?” I asked as I set a large mug under the spout and pressed the button to start brewing the drink. I set the blend that Dad liked down on the counter and raised my eyes to his.
“This heat, this attraction,” Nathan replied as he lowered his hand to rest it on my lower back. The heat from his skin seared me and I arched forward and closer to him as he eyed my lips.
“Nathan,” I whispered and looked toward the dining room with wide eyes.
“He’s on the phone in his office,” Nathan assured me and I pressed my lips together. “I am not going to push this with you, Alyssa. I just know that I want you and I can see in those scared brown eyes that you want me as well. I am divorced now and available. Linda left two years ago, looking for something else.”
“I’m sorry,” I told him. He shook his head and looked at my lips agai
n.
“Don’t be. It was time,” Nathan assured me as I glanced over to see his coffee ready. I pulled it out and asked if he wanted cream or sugar, seeing him shake his head. Dad was the same way, and I brewed his dark roast and pulled it out as I looked at Nathan. He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine slowly. I sucked in my breath, pulling away as he took his coffee in his hands. I brought Dad’s to the office, where he finally hugged me and told me that it was good to have me home. I told them to let me know if they wanted more coffee. I left to clean up the table, remembering the cake and brought the dishes in.
My brain felt lost since that brief kiss. It was nothing really, but it felt like my whole life revolved around it. I cut pieces of the dessert and took the plates into the office, tapping on the door before I walked inside. I set the cake down and glanced at Dad and Nathan as his eyes locked on mine for a long moment. I told them to call me if they needed anything before I left again. I took my slice to the bistro table by the window overlooking some of the rare trees in New York, silently thanking my father for choosing a house outside of the city where he worked. We were on Long Island, and while the traffic could be unbearable, Charles dealt with it while Dad worked in the back of the car. Mom and I preferred living here and having the choice of going in when we needed to, something that she was doing when she was killed.
God, I missed her right now.
Chapter Three - Nathan
I lost my breath when I walked into the house and saw Alyssa in the kitchen. She was helping with something on the counter, and I took a long look at her, curvy in all of the right places and looking sexy as hell. Alyssa had always been a beautiful girl, but now she was older, more mature. She looked more like her mother by the day, someone that her father hadn’t appreciated as much as he should have. That was my opinion anyway, seeing how loving that she was towards her family. Nola was an incredible woman, and I sensed how lost my friend was now that she was gone, realizing what he’d had. Brad worked more and more and tightened the control around his house, making me able to see why Alyssa left after she graduated. She needed to spread her wings.
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