My Bossy Protector: A Best Friend’s Brother Romance

by Charlize Starr

  It was Christmas Eve, so she didn’t have to work. She climbed out of bed and a wave of nausea hit her. She had to stand really still until it finally passed.

  She thought with a smile about the cufflinks she’d saved up to buy for Trevor. They’d get this argument sorted out tonight.

  She ran a hand through her tangled curls and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of orange juice. Somewhere, she’d read that it was good to drink OJ when you were pregnant.

  She curled up on her couch, one leg beneath her, and wondered what she was going to do. When should she tell Trevor she was pregnant? Would he be happy or think she was trying to trap him?

  A knock at the door pulled her from her deep thoughts. She crossed the few steps to the door and opened it to find Trevor. His presence, looking like he’d slept in his clothes, hit her like a smack to the face. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to see him just yet.

  “We should talk, Laken.”

  It didn’t look like he’d even ran a comb through his dark hair. Something unsettling squirmed to life in her stomach, worse than the queasiness she’d just experienced. “Come in, then, I guess.”

  “You guess… I suppose I deserve that. There was a time, before last night, you’d have welcomed me with open arms into your home. Your bed,” he said.

  “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. You look like you spent the night drinking and you’re starting to scare me.”

  He grasped her elbows. “You don’t have to be afraid of me, darling.”

  She moved away from him, back to the couch to perch on the edge. “I’m not afraid of you. But why are you here so early? Why haven’t you been to bed?”

  Grabbing a kitchen chair, he brought it over to the living area and sat down.

  Why didn’t he just sit with her? There was plenty of room on the couch. She found a hair tie on the coffee table and used it to pull her hair away from her face. “Maybe you should go lie down for a while. We can talk about yesterday when you get some rest,” she said.

  “We need to talk about tomorrow, and the day after that. All the days after that.”

  She shook her head. He still wasn’t making any sense to her. “All right. Talk.”

  “I’ve stayed up all night thinking. And drinking. Facing up to reality.”

  “And what’s that?” she asked him, rubbing her damp palms on her shorts.

  “I don’t deserve you. You’re too young for me, or more to the point, I’m too old for you.” He said it with a straight face. If he felt anything over his words, she would’ve seen it.

  It was like someone had plunged a knife into her heart and twisted. She suddenly realized she loved him, but it was already too late. What would she do about her child now? Tell him? Beg him not to leave her alone, the way everyone else in her life had?

  No, she wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t beg. The only indication she gave was a sniffle that she masked by rubbing her nose. “If that’s what you want, then you don’t need my permission. But don’t act like you’re doing this for me. You’re just one more man who let me down.”

  “But, don’t you see” —he held out two pleading hands to her— “you deserve a life of your own without me in it.”

  She shut her eyes, tears prickling in them. “I think you should go now.”

  “I understand.” Trevor stood slowly like he hurt all over. “We’ll get you transferred to someone else at the office. I don’t want you to think your job is in jeopardy.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about right now.” She hopped up to open the door. “Please, just go.”

  When she shut it behind him, loud sobs wracked her body. She was in love with the son-of-a-bitch, and he couldn’t wait to get away from her. She’d meant nothing to him.

  ***

  Trevor sat in his office on Christmas Eve with his feet up on the desk, all alone, with a bottle of bourbon. He was trying to focus on the numbers. Their profits had increased, thanks to Laken’s suggestions, but not enough to keep Eleanor from forcing him to sell the company.

  His thoughts wouldn’t stop returning to Laken. The day he’d met her in Coffee Hut, by chance. This gorgeous woman behind the counter, someone he knew, and he could do something to make her life better. Give her a good job, with benefits and normal hours.

  And what had he done? Lusted after her, filled his mind with filthy thoughts of her, of things he’d wanted to do to her.

  Their first kiss, she’d looked up at him like he’d hung the stars for her. Her words haunted him. It was heavenly. And I want to do it again.

  And, God help him, the first time he’d taken her. The way he’d pressed her against the wall and assaulted her senses until she came all over his greedy hands. That had been her first time. She’d never forget it, and now she’d have to think of him whenever she took a lover.

  His hand clenched around the bottle. He never wanted to think of her taking another lover. He wanted to be the man who held her, pleasured her, cared for her, for the rest of his life.

  He sat up in his chair, feet flying to the floor. Jesus, he’d fallen in love with her. He’d left her because he couldn’t stand the thought of making her miserable, that he wasn’t enough to make her happy. He’d left her, even though he wanted her more than water, more than air.

  And, damn, he’d made a colossal mistake. He didn’t want to set her free. Hell, she was a grown woman. She could make her own choices. What he wanted to do was go to her, ask for her forgiveness, and love her until the day he died. And maybe a little longer after that, because he couldn’t imagine any situation in which he wouldn’t still love her. He’d probably pine for her in the afterlife.

  He crossed the room and swung a painting on hinges out. He had a ring in his wall safe, one that his grandmother had given him. He’d never given it to his wife because it just never felt right. He’d thought maybe he’d have kids one day and he’d pass the ring onto them. Maybe he still could.

  But first, he decided as he punched in the combination, he’d give it to Laken and ask her to be his wife.

  He pulled out several papers, stocks and bonds, and a thin envelope he’d never seen before. He reached for the ring, but something nagged him about that envelope. He hadn’t put that in here, and the only other person who had the combination—Laken’s father—was dead.

  He slid a finger under the flap and opened it. A document was inside, stapled together along the top. He flipped to the back page and saw a notary’s stamp and seal. He turned back to the first page and scanned it.

  Shit, this was the elusive will no one could find! Frank had stuck it in Trevor’s safe to protect it, make sure someone unbiased would find it, and Trevor hadn’t been in the safe since before Frank had died.

  It had never occurred to him Frank would put the will here. Why hadn’t the big lug just filed it with an attorney? Frank always did things the hard way.

  Trevor scanned the will and sat down on his couch as his legs turned to rubber. Laken had told him about her stepmother keeping her college fund savings and Eleanor wanted to sell the business she’d inherited.

  The beauty of finding this document was that Frank had left a considerable sum of money and his half of the company to his daughter. Eleanor held zero stake in the company. Laken was half-owner in the business she’d been working as a secretary for.

  Trevor strode with determination to the copy machine. He’d go file this at the courthouse after Christmas so it would become a directive for Frank’s estate and then he’d take a copy to Laken. He’d help her hire a lawyer and she could get what she deserved.

  He paused as the copies came out into the tray. There was just one problem. What if she didn’t believe he loved her? What if she believed he was only trying to marry her because she now owned one-half of his company? He could only hope he could convince her of the truth.

  Chapter Five

  Laken picked up the stuffed animals all over her living room, holding one of the teddy bears close, as
she tried to straighten up. Jen and Jason had come and gone, bearing handmade Christmas gifts. Laken felt no better. Jen had tried to console her, once Laken told her about her affair with her father’s business partner and best friend, by telling Laken that Trevor was too old for her.

  Laken couldn’t care less about that. Trevor was a good, genuine, caring man and she wanted him in her life forever. Even more important, she wanted him in the baby’s life forever.

  Here she was, alone on Christmas Eve, pregnant, single, and broke, and she didn’t know what to do with herself. She put the stuffed animals away but kept the teddy bear she was cuddling. Somehow, it made her feel just the smallest bit better. She loved Trevor—she knew that now. Now that he’d left her, she realized she shouldn’t have been so hard on him just because he got jealous.

  She should have let him explain and reassured him. Of course he was a little insecure about their age difference. Anyone would be. But she only wanted him, and she hadn't made him see that.

  She’d go to Trevor and try to talk some sense into him, except there was the baby to think about now. What if he thought she’d gotten pregnant to try to trap him into marrying her? It happened, sometimes, especially to men with money and a business, like Trevor. For that matter, what if he thought she just wanted a way into her father’s company and she was just using him to get her foot in the door? To fight Eleanor as an equal, finally.

  She knew Eleanor wanted to sell the company her dad and Trevor had worked so hard to build, so she and her kids could live off the fruits of her father’s labor. What if he thought she just wanted revenge on Eleanor?

  Damn it all, if a million what-ifs didn’t race through her mind. She cared about the company, but she wanted Trevor more.

  She wanted a stable life for her baby, but it wasn’t just that. She adored Trevor, she loved him, and all she wanted was to spend the rest of their lives together.

  Clutching the teddy bear tighter, Laken realized she couldn’t keep living in fear of the dreaded “what-if.” She had to tell Trevor the truth. She was pregnant with his child and she was in love with him. The worst he could say was that he didn’t want either of them.

  Which would crush her, of course. But no, she wouldn’t even allow herself to think that way. She was going to take a shower and march over to Trevor’s house to tell him she was in love with him. And pregnant. She wished she didn’t have to tell him that right away because he really might believe she’d done it on purpose.

  She supposed she’d just have to trust him to love her enough to believe that she hadn’t. And this wasn’t a hundred years ago. Nothing said he had to marry her if she got pregnant. She’d make sure he understood—she wanted his love or she wanted nothing from him.

  ***

  Trevor had showered and shaved. He’d called the estate attorney and informed him of the will’s existence, and faxed a copy over.

  They’d have to go file the original at the courthouse, but at least Laken was taken care of, as her father had wanted.

  He might not have wanted her with Trevor, but Trevor was willing to live with that. He’d fallen for Laken, and he had to be with her.

  He walked up the dirt path to her small bungalow and knocked on the door.

  She answered in her purple robe, hair wet. “I was just getting ready to come find you.”

  “May I come in?” he asked.

  She nodded and he led her to the couch. “I found your dad’s will. He put it in my safe. You are financially secure and you own half the company. I’m telling you all this because I want to be transparent with you.”

  A hand drifted to her mouth, but she just nodded. “Okay.”

  “Listen, Laken. I’m in love with you. If we have to sell the company to prove that, then it’s what we’ll do. It’s completely in your hands, darling. Along with my heart and my life. Everything I am is yours.”

  Tears streamed down Laken’s face. “I’m pregnant,” she blurted out. “Please don’t think I’m trying to trap you, because I’m not. I—”

  “Stop.” Joy spurted through his veins, reaching every part of him and opening his heart to the tiny creature in her womb. Laken was carrying his child. “You’re pregnant?”

  “Yes. But, you have to believe me, I love you. You can choose us both, or you can let me go—if that’s what you want—and I’ll understand. Either way, I won’t keep your child from you. And I don’t want your money. I don’t—”

  He grabbed her, claiming her mouth and kissed her slowly, languidly, like they hadn’t almost lost each other. Because now, they had the rest of their lives ahead of them, together. “I love you. This seems an awfully easy dilemma to solve.”

  He got down on one knee and pulled his grandmother’s ring from his coat pocket. “Make this the most wonderful Christmas I’ve ever had. Please, say you’ll be my wife.”

  She looked down at the ring, tears sparkling in her eyes. “Oh, yes. It’s all I want.”

  Together, they made their way to the bedroom and made love.

  Afterward, Laken admired her ring as they lay cuddled in bed together. This was exactly the way their lives were meant to be. They would love each other, and that sweet baby until they drew their last breath.

  *****

  THE END

  The Boss's Secret Baby

  Description

  Money and chicks – that’s all I’m interested in.

  And my f-list competition with my buddy.

  I always win. Of course I do.

  I’m the CEO. And sexy as sin. Who could ever say no to me?

  The next target at the top of my list? The new PA I’m gonna hire tomorrow.

  She’ll come on a business trip with me.

  Oh, and pretend to be my wife.

  I’ll show off my fantastic abs and instruct her how to please me.

  Her panties will be on the floor before she knows it.

  And she’ll want only more.

  Did I mention we’ll be sharing a room?

  Piece of cake.

  Until I see who she is.

  Until I find out she has a son.

  With green eyes.

  My grandmother’s eyes.

  Could it be?

  Chapter 1 - Vivian

  I pulled my blonde curls into a low ponytail, cursing the fact that I didn’t have time to take a shower again. I always tried to clean up when Mason was at school. I lived just far enough from the school to send him on the bus, though I’d rather drive him. I felt safer seeing him walk into the building but we’d moved to New York from Vermont and it wasn’t a small town living anymore. I had to adjust. The jobs were there for me and everything was dried up in my small town back home. I didn’t want to rely on family and as hard as it was being a single mom, I had too much pride to ask for help.

  Mom always called me stubborn and she was right. Once I found out I was pregnant, Mason’s dad had already left town in a rush to make it big here in the city and I refused to call and ask him for help. That and I was scared. We had ended things abruptly after two years of dating at the end of high school and a bit into college. I didn’t want to make him come back just because I was expecting a baby. I had plenty of help and that worked for me until I knew I couldn’t find a good job and would have to rely on the support of family.

  In addition to Mason’s father living here in the city, another friend made the move as well. Lainie and I were close in school. She went to college and moved to Brooklyn to run an art gallery. Once she knew I was having financial issues, she invited me to join her in New York and even got us a good deal on rent in a one-bedroom apartment near her place. If I got a job quickly, I’d make it here just fine.

  I looked out of the window in the tiny kitchen as I pulled bread from the top of the small fridge. I was going to make my son grilled cheese. It was his favorite right now and easy and affordable. The bus pulled up and I grinned as I walked out front and watched him climb the stairs with a huge smile on his face. “Hi, Mommy.”

&n
bsp; “How was your day, Mase?” I asked him as I hugged him and ruffled his dark tousled hair.

  “We had fun at school. Can you make me my sandwich?” he asked. I chuckled and followed him inside.

  “You got it,” I replied as he hung his backpack on a hook by the door and went to wash his hands. Mason was a good boy and I smiled as I locked the door and headed into the kitchen to start cooking for him.

  I knew that tomorrow I had a job interview and that this routine would change, but I already set it up with the school for him to stay at the discovery club until I finished work, if I got the job at all. I’d been at the discovery club a couple of times and it seemed like a fun environment for Mason while I worked. He could make friends and play like he loved to do, even if I’d miss him. “Did you have a good day, Mommy?”

  I placed the sandwich and added some grapes and sliced strawberries to the plate as he sat down. “Here you go, baby. I did have a good day. I have a job interview tomorrow,” I told him as I grabbed my green tea and moved to sit down at the small table with him. He looked at me with wide dark green eyes as a frown crossed his mouth and I took a slow breath in. “It’s a good thing, Mase. We can get a bigger place and you’ll get to spend some more time with your friends after school. Remember that place we visited a few times?” He nodded and I reached out to cover his hand with mine. “It’s just an interview but this job would be great for us. I could take us to a better doctor and dentist and we could do more around the city.”

  We’d discussed this and he nodded with a solemn expression on his face. He looked so much like Carter and I fought the urge to sigh as I gazed into his handsome face. What I wasn’t telling Mason was that the interview was with the company that his father started here in New York. The job I had applied for was to assist a manager far lower than Carter. His firm employed thousands of people and we’d likely never see one another. That’s what I hoped for anyway. The job was too good to me to pass up.