The Independent One: A Billionaire Bride Pact Romance

by Cami Checketts

  Cal chuckled. “I was hoping for romantic.”

  Haley smiled up at him. His strong features softened by the moonlight. “I think you’re doing great in that arena.”

  Cal squeezed her hand then released it and grabbed Taz. He swept him up into the air then plunked him on his shoulders. “I can’t have my boy being bored though, can I?”

  Taz shrieked in delight as Cal ran around in circles, bouncing him up in the air. Haley stopped walking and watched them. My boy? And he’d been the one to claim they were married this morning. Was Cal as affected by them as they were by him? Could it be possible he was having the same daydreams of a family of three that she was? She really needed to talk all this out with Cal, but what if this was just what he did every week? Made a girl fall in love with him and then waved to her as the ferry pulled away. She couldn’t be that girl, and she was afraid of the rejection if she brought it up with him. She couldn’t stand to see a placating look in his eyes as he falsely reassured her this wasn’t a fling.

  It was late when they got back to the room. Cal opened the door and gestured Haley inside. She smiled up at him, lost in those blue eyes. Her mind replayed the kisses from last night as her body heated up. Could she get Taz to sleep quick so they could try that again?

  “Somebody left me a note.” Taz plucked a piece of white paper off the floor and held it up proudly.

  Haley screamed and grabbed her boy, pulling him into her arms as if the note itself could hurt him. Cal gently removed the paper from Taz’s hands and set it on the table. Haley could clearly read it, even though she didn’t want to.

  I’m enjoying watching you and only wish I was still alive to touch that beautiful body.

  Her breath was coming in short puffs. Taz tried to struggle from her arms, but she held him tight.

  “What’s wrong, Mama? What’s my note say?”

  Cal studied Haley for a few seconds before focusing on Taz. “It says, Taz, you’re a tough dude. Thanks for being a good boy for your mama.”

  “Cool.” Taz glanced up at Haley suspiciously. “Did you write that, Mama?”

  “No. I promise I didn’t write that.”

  “Taz. Do you want to watch Blaze on the iPad?” Cal nodded to her.

  “That’s a good idea.” Haley carried him into his room, changed him into pajamas, and got the show started on his iPad. With any luck, he’d fall asleep. Her hands were still trembling when she returned to the main room. Cal was on the phone.

  “Yes. Come get the note and get it to the Sheriff. It was slipped under her door so at least he didn’t enter this time, but you should be able to find footage of him coming to the door.” He paused for a few seconds. “Okay. Thanks.” He hung up and glanced at her. “That was Raul. He’ll take care of everything.”

  Haley swallowed and blinked a few times. Cal wrapped his arms around her. Haley clung to his solid back as he gently held her. A knock on the door interrupted his comforting touch. Cal released her and swung the door open. Raul entered. He glanced briefly at the two of them, but didn’t say anything as he proceeded to read the note.

  “Taz touched it,” Haley said.

  “That’s okay, ma’am. I’m sorry for this mess. We’ll find this guy.”

  Haley forced a smile at him.

  “We should move you to a different room,” Cal said.

  Haley shrugged. “Is it going to do any good?”

  “I don’t know that there are any other suites open right now,” Raul said.

  “We don’t need a suite.” Haley simply wanted to be safe. She was sleeping with Taz every night anyway so it’s not like they needed all this room.

  “Why don’t we switch suites,” Cal suggested. “Then if he tries anything, I’ll be in here.”

  Raul’s eyes widened, but then he quickly nodded. “If you’re okay with that, sir. I think it would help ensure Ms. Turnbow’s safety.”

  “Has he left notes with any of the other women?” Haley stalled for time. Did she want to sleep in Cal’s bed? Become even more infatuated with him than she already was and owe him more than she already did?

  “No, ma’am,” Raul answered.

  “You need to stay in my suite tonight,” Cal demanded.

  Haley arched an eyebrow at him. The rush of indignation at him ordering her around was definitely preferable to the fear. “I need to do what I think is best for me and Taz.”

  Cal studied her before taking a long breath. “Haley. Can you please stay in my room for a few nights while we figure this out?” Cal begged her with his eyes though his voice stayed calm.

  Haley knew it was a good idea so she finally nodded, wondering if she’d finally sleep in Cal’s bed or if she’d be staying awake for completely different reasons. Cal wrapped an arm around her shoulder, kissed her forehead, and whispered, “Thank you.”

  Haley loved that he hadn’t asked her to just stay with him, but offered to switch rooms to make her feel safe. He had been nothing but a gentleman so Haley tried to stop worrying that he only wanted a one-week stand.

  Raul quickly wrapped up the note in a plastic bag, nodded to his boss, and left. Haley packed some clothes and toiletries for her and Taz into her beach bag and grabbed her purse. Taz had fallen asleep, exhausted from their day. Cal carried her little boy down the hall to his room. He balanced him as he found his key card then Haley pushed the door open. Her suite had been opulent. This one was extravagant. Elaborate crown moldings decorated the cabinets and framed the ceiling. Expensive oil paintings with gorgeous frames she’d only dreamed of stocking in her store, and even plusher carpet than the thick stuff in her suite covered the striated wood floors. The decorations spoke of a professional job and didn’t reveal the real him like she’d love to get to know.

  “So this is home?” she asked.

  “For a little while.” He strode through the huge living room and into what hopefully was the master suite. If the extra bedroom had a bed this big, that would be insane. Settling Taz into the bed, he gazed down at the little boy for a few seconds then turned to Haley. “You doing okay?”

  Haley shrugged and set the bag she’d packed and her purse on the dresser. “Thanks for doing this for us.” She gestured around the room.

  “Of course. I’ll do whatever I need to keep you safe.” He cocked an eyebrow at her. “I’d really prefer staying together, but I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

  Haley gazed over his muscular frame and handsome face before focusing in on his smoldering blue gaze. Words escaped her. His mouth lifted into a cocky grin then he crossed the distance from the bed to where she stood by the dresser. He didn’t touch her, but he was so close she could feel the warmth from his body.

  “Would you prefer we stay together?” he whispered.

  Haley tilted her head back to meet his gaze. She couldn’t go where she’d been before. Granted, when Taz was conceived she’d been drugged and didn’t remember it, but she’d made a labor bed promise to the Lord to keep herself clean until marriage. “I can’t, Cal. I won’t… be like that again unless I’m married.”

  Cal nodded his understanding. “I respect that and I didn’t mean…” He swallowed and touched her chin. “I shouldn’t have said that. I meant I’d stay in the other bedroom. I just want to be close and have you feel safe.”

  Haley wasn’t sure whether to believe him. If she would’ve agreed, would he be singing a different tune? She didn’t know him well enough to even guess at the answer. “So if I would’ve said we should stay together? You’d take your room and I’d take mine and it would be some chaste sleeping arrangement?”

  Cal smiled. “Well, after we kissed for a while.”

  “Really?” She waited, wanting him to either own up to it or convince her that his intentions were pure.

  “Haley.” He cupped her cheek with his hand and rubbed his thumb along her jaw. “You’re irresistible to me, but I do have self-control.”

  “Oh, yeah? You going to prove that?” She was irresistible to him
? Warm tingles spread through her and she wanted to kiss him until he had to use that self-control he claimed to have.

  He smiled. “Don’t tempt me. I’m not Superman. The thing is I feel so different around you and Taz.” He inclined his chin to the bed. “I’m not going to trifle with you and then just assume it was some vacation fling.”

  Haley’s breath caught. This was exactly what she’d been hoping for. The sincerity in his blue eyes almost convinced her that this man couldn’t possibly hurt her. “What is it you want from me then?”

  Cal continued to gently trace his thumb along her cheek. He bent close until his mouth almost touched hers. “Everything.”

  Haley swallowed. “What if I can’t give you everything?”

  “I just want you, sweetheart. Is that so hard?”

  “Maybe.” She wasn’t sure if they were talking about her body or her soul and she didn’t know if she could commit either.

  He kissed her. It was soft and not asking for anything, but it made her tremble and feel warm all over. Cal released her face and took her hand. He led her into the living room and they sat on the couch. The window was open and the comforting sound of the waves rolling in helped to relax Haley, though having Cal this close and the awareness she felt around him kept her keyed up.

  “Tell me about it.” He kept a hold of her hand, but didn’t try to touch her anywhere else.

  “About what?”

  “Why you’re scared.”

  “About the ghost?”

  “No. Why you’re scared that I want to be with you.”

  Haley darted a glance at him. His face was serious enough, the dimples almost disappeared. She exhaled slowly and clung tighter to his hand. “What do you want to hear?”

  “Whatever you want to tell me.”

  Being from a small town, she never shared her story. People either knew, or thought they knew, what had happened to her. She’d talked it through with some of her summer camp friends, sharing the most with Maryn, but usually she was pretty closed off. Focusing on their clasped hands, she started talking, “I had no reason to rebel. My parents are great and so is my older brother, Isaac, but after my senior year of high school I kind of struggled. I thought I’d get a volleyball scholarship and it didn’t pan out. Apparently I wasn’t tall enough to play at the next level. I didn’t have good enough grades for an academic scholarship and my parents made too much money to get grants for school, but not enough to pay for my college.”

  Cal nodded. “I understand that. I joined the army because of all the reasons you just listed. Except for me it was dreams of playing football.”

  She squeezed his hand, grateful he could understand how hard it was to make something of herself. She wished she were listening to his story. He’d pushed through the frustrations and become successful. Part-owner of a hotel like this was an amazing accomplishment. “You were definitely more motivated than me. I didn’t even think of the Army.”

  “Too bad. You would’ve looked good in camo.”

  Haley laughed but sobered quickly as she continued her story, “I got a job at Clark’s Market, the local grocery store, and planned to save so I could go to Colorado State, where I had a partial scholarship commitment, but it was hard. I started fighting some depression. I was bored and frustrated because all my friends had left home and were moving on with their lives.” She couldn’t meet his eye as she admitted. “Except for Brad.”

  “Taz’s father?”

  She nodded, unable to vocalize those words. She’d been in lust with Brad since the second she realized boys existed. In her immature and deluded eyes, he’d been charismatic, confident, and the most handsome boy in her small town. “He was something of a town hero. Still is in some people’s eyes.” Except for hers after that night. “Football and baseball star. Fake loser who acts like he’s everybody’s friend. His dad wanted him to stay in town and take over his business.”

  “Which is?”

  “Real estate.” She glanced up at him. “They own a lot of the restaurants, a few businesses, and the ski resort.”

  Cal didn’t respond so she continued, “Brad and I started hanging out, even though my mom begged me to stay away from him. She had a bad feeling about him, but I didn’t listen.” She’d been too excited that he was finally giving her the attention she’d daydreamed about for years. Several times, he’d tried to push her to do more than kiss, but despite how much she thought she loved him, she’d stayed strong and kept her virtue intact. Well, until that night.

  “I’d never drank before, but like I said, I was depressed and bored. He begged for weeks before I finally gave in and tried a wine cooler one night. He claimed I drank five.” She shook her head as her voice dropped, “I’m not sure. I only remember taking a few sips, but I woke up in the back of his truck the next morning.” She hoped he got the picture because she definitely didn’t want to spell it out. How humiliated she’d been—naked and scared. Her head and other parts of her body ached like she’d been beat up. The worst had been the way Brad had laughed at her and told her she’d been better than any porn star and she could drink with him anytime. She’d stayed as far away from him as she could after that night and promised herself to not date overconfident, handsome, and rich men.

  “You don’t remember?”

  “No.”

  He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and drew her into his side. Haley appreciated the gesture of understanding and support. Despite her desire to forget this and never talk about it again, she couldn’t help but finish. “Taz was born nine months later. Brad denied ever being with me. I was happy he didn’t want any part of Taz. His name isn’t on the birth certificate and he hasn’t been involved.” Except when he caught her alone and tried to coerce her into being with him, or threatened that he’d take his rights with his son if she didn’t give him the attention he thought he deserved. In their small town, where Brad and his dad owned a majority of the businesses, he could get away with anything he wanted.

  Haley realized that she was trembling. She hated Brad so much and she always felt guilty that she could hate the man who’d fathered her son. Taz was everything to her so wasn’t it wrong to have these awful feelings about his sperm donor?

  Cal rubbed her arm. “That’s a good thing then, right?”

  “A very good thing. Brad’s a rotten excuse for a person, let alone a father.”

  Cal smiled but sobered quickly. “You’re shaking.”

  “I don’t talk about this.”

  “With anyone?”

  “Except for a few close friends.” Friends she saw once a year. At home most of her friends had moved away and she’d been too busy since having Taz to develop any deep friendships.

  “Did you get counseling?”

  She almost laughed. “My parents are great, but definitely from the old school. ‘Turnbows don’t get counseling, they deal with their problems.’”

  “Is that a direct quote?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You should’ve gotten some help. You were raped, Haley.”

  She shuddered at that word, but she’d felt the same way. Her dad had tried to press charges, but the police were pretty loyal to Brad’s father and they insisted that Brad and Haley were both consenting adults. They didn’t believe that Brad would ever hurt a woman. They offered to press charges for Haley drinking while underage if she pursued the claim. Her dad and brother wanted to continue the fight, but finally they dropped it. Though to this day Haley suspected Isaac was still waiting for a chance to beat Brad up.

  “I know. My dad thinks Brad might’ve used a date rape drug. I can only remember drinking a few sips of a wine cooler and my dad doesn’t think I could’ve gotten knocked unconscious off of one drink. Plus, I was pretty… beat up.”

  Cal’s grip on her shoulder tightened.

  “It’s over now. I’ve got Taz and he can’t hurt us anymore.” The way she was shaking must’ve counteracted her statement.

  “It seems like he is still hur
ting you.”

  Haley gulped and looked at his handsome face. “How?”

  “Have you dated anyone seriously? Do you trust men?”

  Haley clasped her hands together. Cal had a point. “I’m alone with you in a hotel room.”

  Cal’s dimples deepened. “Yeah, but how could you help but trust me?”

  “How indeed?” She traced a finger along his cheek and over his dimple.

  Cal easily lifted her off the couch and onto his lap. He held her against his chest and suddenly Haley was trembling for different reasons than remembering what Brad did to her.

  “Is it hot in here?” she whispered.

  Cal chuckled. He tilted her chin up so she had to meet his gaze. “Do you trust me, Haley?”

  She loved the way she felt sheltered in his strong arms. Boldly wrapping her arms around his neck, she admitted, “If I was going to trust a man again, it would be you.”

  Cal grinned before bringing her snug against his body and pressing his lips against hers. Haley moaned against his lips. Cal was definitely an expert kisser. That thought terrified her a bit. How many women had he kissed to become this good at it? She pushed the idea away and concentrated on the sensation of his lips manipulating hers and his hands massaging her back.

  Desire quickly overtook her good sense and Haley turned more fully into his embrace and deepened the kiss. Cal jerked, maybe in surprise, but responded just as quickly, pulling her even closer and matching her kiss for kiss.

  A niggling fear pressed at the back of her mind. Haley tried to ignore it as she enjoyed each sensation of his kiss and his touch. She wanted this. She wanted him. Suddenly, she realized she was a woman desperate for a man’s touch. She’d never believed Brad’s insinuations that she had not only consented the night Taz was conceived, but actually instigated and pursued him. What if Brad was right? What if she had no self-control?

  Haley’s breath caught and tears of embarrassment rushed to her eyes. She wanted to continue this, but she couldn’t. She pulled away. Cal jerked like he’d been caught by one of their parents.

  “I’m sorry, I… got carried away.”