by Jennifer Ann
My sister and Charlie intentionally step in the way as I’m pulling my gloves off.
Charlie offers a fist. “Way to go, man! That guy didn’t stand a chance against you!”
“Thanks,” I say, knocking my knuckles against his. I hand my gloves to Evelyn. “I gotta go talk to Sharlo.”
“Wait a minute, JD.” Her eyes flicker downward to my gloves. “I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but since you’ve been hell-bent on avoiding her until now, you should know Sharlo and Nolan are serious.” When she looks back up at me, she sets her hand on my arm. “She moved in with him.”
The ruckus around us becomes secondary to my pounding heartbeat. I shuffle backwards, shaking my head. The only word I can manage is, “No.”
Chapter 16
SHARLO
Leaned over on the sidewalk, hands braced against my knees, I gulp in the brisk night air and desperately try to calm my racing heart. Nolan didn't think coming to watch James fight was a good idea, but I was insistent. Once I reminded him that I agreed without protest to move into his flat, and pretend we were together so Evelyn wouldn’t get word back to James of my stalker, he finally gave in on the condition that he accompany me.
I can’t recall an instance in my lifetime as terrifying as watching James take hits toward the end, when I was worried he was going to lose the match. With the blow that almost took him down, it was as if my feelings for him were beat from my chest, forcing me to face what I’ve so desperately tried to deny in thinking I could do this alone. I need James every bit as much as this baby needs both its Mum and Dad.
“Sharlo!” his deep voice calls out, sending tingles to my lady bits.
Twirling around, I find James in the doorway with the most confusing of expressions upon his handsome face—eyes wide and lips in a tight line as his chest rises and falls with a slow, heavy breath. It’s almost as if he’s angry, relieved, and elated all at once. Can’t say I’m able to get a handle on what I’m feeling at the moment either, except that my pulse is racing faster than a squirrel on amphetamines.
As my big, beautiful protector stalks close, reminding me of the old “bull in a china shop” adage, my lungs seize, forcing me to hold my breath. His swollen eye from the fight makes him appear both more charming and dangerous. When he first stepped out for the fight, I was lost in a cloud of desire. Now that he’s standing close enough that I can feel his warmth and smell the man who forever altered my world, I could very well soak my knickers on demand.
I try desperately to swallow once he’s in front of me, but that’s clearly not happening anytime soon. “Hello, luv.”
“Why didn’t you return my calls?” His words are clipped and impatient, coming out as more of a growl.
Though I’ve prepared myself for this moment a million times, expecting the worst, my lips still quiver when I blurt, “I’m with Nolan now.”
His chocolaty gaze burns right through me, rendering me completely useless to fight. “You're lying.”
“I’ve moved on,” I whisper, barely able to utter the lie.
“Bullshit.”
Incapable of resisting the need to touch him any longer, I rest both hands against his thick, sweaty chest. Why seeing the man after a good workout makes me feel like a tomcat in heat, I have no idea, but I’ve practically forgotten what we’re discussing when I say, “It’s better this way.”
“You’re pregnant.” A massive arm wraps around me, dragging me up tight against his unrelenting muscles. I whimper with the familiar feeling of comfort his powerful hold is able to produce. “It’s the only reason I can think of why you've been avoiding me since I left.”
Looking down at my hands that have taken on a mind of their own, I stroke his brawny muscles like he’s a house pet. “I didn't want to bother you. Your family needs you.”
His hand frames my jaw, tilting my head upright. “I need you.”
My God, I didn’t know how badly I wanted to hear those three words again. Temporarily unable to speak with the declaration, I drag my eyes back to meet his. They’re filled with an intensity that brings a nuisance of fat tears to my eyes. I’m desperate to give him a reason to stay, though I’m afraid the wrong words will make him angry.
“And I want to be there for you. I really, truly do. It’s just with the distance between us—”
“We’ll find a fuckin’ way to make it work,” he promises, seeming on the edge of an angry outburst. “No way in hell I’m letting you raise my child by yourself.”
Again, the fear that he merely wants to be with me out of an obligation resurfaces. Before I’m able to say anything more, his warm lips are on mine, and he’s holding on to me with a fist anchored in my hair. The kiss is so deliciously hot that I’m suddenly forgetting why I resolved to push him away and agreed to this rubbish of pretending I’d survive without him. When his powerful lips consume me in sync with his probing tongue, I dig my nails into his back and hum dreamily, unable to believe we’re finally reunited. The scorching heat between my legs is unbearable.
The kiss is eventually broken, leaving us both short of air. His hands move up to cradle my face as he looks me square in the eye. “I have to grab my bag. Don’t go anywhere. I’m not leaving here tonight without you.”
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” I admit with a resolved sigh. “I’ll have to speak to Nolan first.”
His beautiful eyes narrow. “Fuck that guy. Unless you’re really with him, what do you care what he thinks?”
“I swear to you, he’s never been anything more than a good mate. But—”
“If you want to be with me, I don’t give a shit what Nolan or anyone else has to say.” As his thumbs stroke my cheeks in tandem, he shakes his head to and fro. “Why does my sister think you’re with him?”
Though I knew the question would come to light eventually, I hadn’t prepared myself with an answer that wouldn’t send James over the edge. “It’s complicated.”
“Fill me in later.” He bends down to lightly brush his lips over mine in a sweet gesture that makes my heart ready to burst from my chest. “Stay. Here.”
Pulling back, I smile and give in with a nod. There’s no question: I want to be with him tonight. That rare smile, more brilliant than Evelyn’s husband with a guitar in hand, makes an appearance before he runs back toward the gym’s entrance through a queue of people beginning to make their way out.
From the gym’s door, Evelyn and Charlie make their appearance. Lips set in a tight line, she whispers something in her husband’s ear before starting toward me, alone. Her wounded expression doesn’t touch the immeasurable guilt building inside my chest.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, rubbing a hand over my bare shoulder. “I’m sorry, but I told him you’re with Nolan now. I thought he deserved to know the truth.”
I take a strand of her expertly curled hair and run it through my fingers, sighing. “One day soon you and I are going to have ourselves a chat about the necessity of lies as white as the snow and why I possess the mind of a juvenile. Tonight, however, I’m taking your brother to my flat to sort things out.”
The corners of her mouth lift with a smirk. “There are so many things I could say right now, but I’m guessing it’s best if I bite my tongue.”
“I’d suggest you bite it hard,” I agree, rolling my eyes. “But not so hard you bite it completely off. You’re going to want it later to deliver a proper lashing after I fill you in on my sordid mess.”
She pulls me close for a quick hug. “Whatever it is, I don’t care. Just as long as you’re okay.”
“I will be.” Or so I desperately hope.
When James charges back out of the gym several minutes later, a smug look lit across his handsome face, Nolan’s a mere step behind. Based on my friend's unyielding scowl, it would seem they exchanged words of an unpleasant nature. I brace myself for what’s to follow when Nolan takes my arm.
“Do we need to separate you two?” Evelyn asks in a motherly
tone, glancing between the two men.
“Can we talk?” Nolan asks me. His eyes dart over to James, who has nudged his sister out of the way to stand at my side, and he adds, “Alone?”
“I will be back,” I promise James, standing on my toes to kiss his cheek. Then I whisper, “No need to call the brigade. He’s harmless.”
The way James’s hand lightly skims down the small of my back and across my bum as I step away, I’d venture to guess he’s reluctant to let me go. However he does score a point for allowing me time with Nolan when I know his protective nature wouldn’t normally have it.
Nolan leads me far beyond a pack of smokers and turns to me with tangible regret oozing from his pores. “I’m sorry, Shar. The guys from my gym were drilling me about James, and I didn’t see you leave. Are you okay?”
“I wish everyone would stop treating me like I’m some delicate flower that has been pissed on by a mongrel. James has never hurt me, Nolan. At least not on purpose. He merely wishes to catch up on all the joyous fun he missed out on these past few weeks.”
“You told him?”
“There was no need. He already guessed that I’m pregnant.”
Shaking his head, Nolan crosses his arms over his chest. “I meant did you tell him you’re living with me because someone is after you?”
“Are you mad?” I half-whisper, looking over my shoulder to make sure neither James nor Evelyn are still anywhere near enough to hear. “You can’t simply tell someone like James that I’ve caught the attention of a nutter. The fact that I haven’t the faintest idea who’s responsible for this nonsense will completely send him over the edge of reason. Were you paying attention to what the man is capable of back there?”
“What excuse are you going to give when you bring him back to my place? He deserves to know, Shar.”
“I…ah…” Knowing he won’t be agreeable with my plan, I bite down on my lips and avert my gaze beyond his shoulder.
“Don’t even think about it. You can’t go back to your place. Even the cops don’t think it’s safe until we find out who’s behind all this!”
I meet his narrowed gaze and cross my arms over my stomach. He does have a point. “Alright then. I’ll take him to a hotel if that will make you happy. I certainly can’t have an audience for the kind of proper welcome I have planned.”
The pinched expression on his face relaxes as he gives into my stubbornness. “I hope you know what you’re doing with this guy. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone so…severe. If he ends up hurting you, I’ll be first in line to kick his ass.” His lips quirk with an almost-there smirk. “Even if he is a helluva fighter.”
“He’d never dream of harming a single hair on my head and besides, I’m a big girl,” I say, tapping his nose with my forefinger. “And I’ll be an even bigger one before long.”
Laughing, Nolan throws an arm around my shoulders as we start back for the others. The moment we’re within James’s radar, Nolan clears his throat and draws his arm back down to his side. “Just promise me you’ll be careful,” he whispers. “You’re more ‘delicate’ than you know.”
I afford him a scolding glance before moving back to James’s side. When his fingers lock around mine, I slump against him and curse myself for being so pliable. It seems no matter how hard I fight, I’ll never be able to deny my heart what it wants.
In what feels like an eternity later, we’re holding hands as we check into the same posh hotel on the Upper East Side that Mum insists on occupying on the rare occasion she pops in for a visit. I’m normally not one to drop copious amounts of money on such frivolous things, but the second James believed the tale that my flat was being exterminated, I decided I would do everything in my power to make this little reunion and the celebration of his victory as brilliant as possible. Based solely on the connection vibrating between our bodies, however, we could’ve reunited on a rock in Central Park and still have made it memorable.
We’re greeted with the lovely fragrance of several dozen white roses that fill a round table in the entryway of our suite. It’s necessary to pass through a high-end kitchen and sitting area with modern furniture to reach the bedroom. The square pillars surrounding the king-sized bed swathed in rich bedding as well as the steps leading up to it are certainly an added bonus, as if making a stage for our eventual lovemaking.
After he’s showered, James stands at the wall of glass windows spanning across the bedroom. They provide an impressive view of the city that’s bright with a magical array of twinkling lights. Dad’s fortune already seems worth every hundred spent. Though I’ve come to fancy the quiet life in Brooklyn Heights over Manhattan, there’s something inherently romantic about seeing the charming city outdone by the charisma of my handsome protector wearing only a pair of gym shorts slung low on his hips. Watching him take in the view, I can’t stop myself from grinning like some kind of school girl.
“I imagine it’s a much different world than what you’re used to,” I say.
“There’s a lot of fucking people down there.”
“That’s precisely why I chose not to live on this island of mayhem. I adore living close enough to get my fix of the excitement and culture you won’t find elsewhere in the States, yet far enough to keep my sanity.”
He draws away from the window and takes a lingering look at the bedroom. “I don’t care what you said at check-in, I’m not letting you pay for this. Where I’m from, men take care of their women.”
A delightful shiver runs through me with the sound of him calling me “his woman.” I start in his direction, shaking my head. “If you knew the obscene payments my dad was ordered to give my mum every month in spousal support, perhaps you’d better understand why there are no limits when you’re the sole heir to Teddy Rockford. It makes me a bit of a spoiled princess, I suppose, but he’s done so much for various charities over the years that it’s inspired me to save my eventual income from the fashion line for something meaningful. I have yet to find a cause that I can pour my heart into, but I’m confident there’s one out there. I’m hoping one day the right one will bite me in the arse.”
There’s a hint of surprise in his big brown eyes when he pushes one hand into the deep pocket of his shorts. It makes him both adorable and sexy. “Ev never mentioned you were in it for charity.”
“That’s because I haven’t told her or Katie. I don’t want them to think I’m any less motivated to make our business a success. I’m every bit as excited about seeing our designs out in the world. Charlie has already convinced some of his friends to sport a few of our best creations in hopes they’ll get photographed and generate some hype. I have yet to decide if that makes me want to pop the top on a bottle of bubbly or hurl for days on end.” Setting my hands over my stomach, I laugh. “Guess I won’t have much of a choice in the matter. This wee one has already made it hard for me to keep anything down.”
A tick ripples over his jaw when he glances down at my belly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Evelyn told me your uncle’s a suspect in your dad’s murder. You’ve been through so much already. You’re always protecting everyone else, James. I figured it was past time someone protected you.”
His dark eyes narrow. “I wasn’t raised to run away from my responsibilities.”
Pulling on his arm, I let him up the steps and direct him to sit on the edge of the bed. “Full disclosure, healthy relationships aren’t my forte. Neither is becoming a mum. Clubbing while downing half a bottle of Jack, that’s the type of task I’m fully capable of performing. I suppose it isn’t completely my fault considering I was raised by a woman who was more interested in getting high off narcotics than attending her daughter’s primary school concerts.” I lower down to straddle his lap, biting back a pleasurable moan when his arms wrap in a lover’s embrace and I’m brought closer to his broad chest. “You say you want to be in my life, then you must be made aware I’m far from perfect. I’ll do things that’ll make you second guess your decision, possib
ly even send you running.”
“I have imperfections too. We can fight past them together. I’d fight to the death for you.” Suddenly his hand is on my belly. “I’m going to take care of you and our baby the way you both deserve.”
Heart fluttering with his declaration, I lift my fingertips to brush across his wide lips. “In that case,” I pause to briefly replace my fingers with my lips, “I just happen to be in dire need of being taken care of in this very moment.”
His expression hardens ever so slightly. “You still haven’t told me why you’re living with Nolan.”
All at once pleased that he’s wearing gym shorts without the hassle of a zipper, I slip my hand inside and reach for his gloriously hard cock. “We’ll have all the time in the world for that later,” I whisper before claiming his lips.
Chapter 17
JAMES
The moment Sharlo takes hold of my dick, I fucking lose it and hoist her up into my arms, bringing her back down to lay in the center of the hotel bed’s plush comforter. Though her eyes widen, she giggles and quickly pulls her tank top off over her head with her bottom lip caught between her teeth. It never fails to amaze me how she’s so willing to give all of herself to me, despite my fucked-up mistakes.
I run the pads of my thumbs underneath her see-through lace bra, loving it when her tits become rock-hard from my touch. With a devilish smirk, she tries to nudge me back.
“Let me take care of you,” she begs, lightly touching her fingertips to my tender eye. “You’ve been through so much tonight.”
“No. I neglected the one person I care about most. I should’ve been there when you found out about the baby. I want to make it up to you.” I lean down to press a gentle kiss on her lips. “Tonight’s all about you.”
