Misbehave: A Navy SEAL Romance

by Tia Siren

  I met Anna’s gaze briefly before pulling out onto the interstate to get to the hospital quicker.

  “I promise,” I said. “I will make sure she goes.”

  We pulled up to the hospital twenty minutes later. Anna led me up to the fourth floor of the hospital where Jenna’s room was located. I nodded at one of the officers seated outside her room before stepping inside. I turned to look at Anna, but she waved for me to go in without her.

  To my relief, Jenna was sitting up cross-legged with her long strands of her hair pulled up in a messy bun. Her eyes were riveted up at the television mounted on the wall. She looked over at the sound of me drawing the curtains back to give us more privacy from the hospital staff.

  My eyes went straight to the dark marks around her neck. My blood boiled at the sight of them, but I forced myself to look away. I’d done enough damage to him to get my point across, but not enough to get rid of all my anger.

  She looked beautiful though. Nothing could ever take that away.

  “Hey,” she said, her voice a bit raspy. “I didn’t expect you to be here so soon.”

  I sat down next to her on the hospital bed. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, I savored the feeling of Jenna leaning up against me with a steady exhale of breath. Her skin felt warm and soft through the hospital gown she wore.

  “Your mother bailed me out,” I said, pressing a kiss against her hair, which still smelled fresh from her shampoo. “I owe her about five thousand dollars though.”

  “Five thousand?” Jenna pulled back to look up at me in alarm. “Why was it so high?”

  “I crushed his face,” I said calmly. “That’s why.”

  Jenna shook her head in dismay. “I still don’t understand why they arrested you. You saved me.”

  “They didn’t know what to think when they pulled up,” I replied, shrugging. “The charges will be dropped given your statement, so don’t worry about it. They were doing their job.”

  “And Leon?” Jenna asked hesitantly. “Where is he?”

  “Jail,” I said, and I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt for the lie when Jenna sagged against me in relief. “He won’t be able to bail out either. The judge denied bond for him.”

  “I bet that made his family happy,” she said, snorting. “The doctors said I can go home in an hour.”

  I picked up her hand that rested between us. Pressing a kiss to the back of her knuckles, I rubbed them with the pad of my thumb.

  “I talked to Owen,” I said.

  “About us?” Jenna asked.

  “Yes, about us,” I said, twining my fingers through hers. “He understands that you aren’t going to replace his mother. I’ll explain the rest later when he’s old enough to understand it.”

  Jenna was quiet for a long time as we both watched the television for a few moments, leaning up against one another. She eventually looked down at our twined hands. Taking a deep breath, Jenna looked back up at me. “I wanted to move away earlier today because I was afraid of how I felt about you.”

  The soft confession didn’t surprise me. I had felt that same overwhelming urge several times to put distance between us before either one of us could get hurt.

  “I don’t think either one of us expected this to happen,” I said.

  “No,” she murmured in agreement. “I didn’t expect it at all. What do we do?”

  “For starters,” I said, smoothing a few stray hairs back from Jenna’s slender face, “we can talk about you permanently staying at my house.” I caught her wide-eyed stare and added, “If you are comfortable with that. I won’t force you into anything.”

  “I want to,” Jenna said. “I’m just amazed that you are offering to let me to stay there with you, as you’re…”

  She trailed off uncertainly, looking at me for help.

  “I’m not one for titles,” I said. “Dating isn’t even something I want to consider. You’re with me, and I’m with you. Is that a good enough explanation for you?”

  Jenna smiled brightly at me before her face crumpled in pain. I rubbed her shoulders soothingly as she regained her composure.

  “I was going to kiss you,” she said. “I can’t smile without hurting.”

  I grinned at her. “You have plenty of time to kiss me all you want starting when we leave this hospital room.”

  Jenna sighed loudly.

  “My mother is going to be exasperated when I tell her that I’m selling the house after all,” she said.

  “We’ll deal with it together,” I said. “You won’t have far to move this time.”

  She pressed a soft kiss to the center of my cheek. “Thank God for that.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jenna

  One year later

  The trees were splashed with fiery oranges and yellows when I stepped out into the chilly afternoon air. A wetness coated the ground from the recent bout of rain. Everything felt crisp and ready for fall. Soon the leaves would fall and even Lone Tree would be bare for the upcoming winter.

  The passenger door opened. I turned to see Owen slipping out of the car while trying to fumble with the zipper of his sweater. Crouching down, I helped him work the zipper up with a smile.

  “Keep your sweater on,” I said. “It’s going to be cold all day. The summer days are gone.”

  Owen pouted unhappily at that. “I want to go back to the ocean then where it’s warm, and where my mommy lives.”

  I opened my mouth to reply, but it was Derek who beat me to it. He came around the front of the car to place a hand on my shoulder as I rose from my crouching position. He gave Owen a stern glance.

  “We talked about that, bud. You can visit your mommy for Thanksgiving this year.”

  “Fine,” he puffed out dramatically. “I guess that’ll do. I don’t like the cold here.”

  “Me either,” I said, shivering against the crisp air. “Let’s go inside to eat. My mom is waiting from what I can see.”

  Owen darted up the stretch of stone steps that led to the small restaurant in Lone Tree that all the retirees visited daily. It did have good food despite the “old people” smell, as Owen had put it one time. He had bonded, though, with my mother, who enjoyed having him around. “He reminds me of you as a child,” she’d tell me, beaming happily.

  Derek guided me along the stone steps with his hand resting on the curve of my lower back. It felt nice to be guided and protected as we followed Owen up into the restaurant. The second I walked through the patio doors, I reared back in surprise to see the entire dining area decorated with balloons and flowers.

  My mother stood in the center of it all, dressed in loose trousers and a coffee-colored cashmere sweater.

  “There you two are!” she exclaimed, resting her hands on Owen’s shoulders. “You’re late, Derek. What took you so long?”

  “We hit traffic,” Derek said, pushing me through the doors so he could shut them behind us.

  I caught sight of the word “Congratulations” on a balloon floating in the back. It made perfect sense then why Derek had insisted on seeing my mother this weekend. I turned to look at him, and he smiled innocently.

  “You know about this?” I asked, scowling. “You know I hate surprise parties like this.”

  He didn’t reply. Instead, he pushed me forward into the center of the room where everyone shook my hand. My mother tugged me into a tight embrace.

  “I’m so proud of you, Jenna,” she said, beaming at me through tears in her eyes. “You must feel proud for finally finishing your bachelor’s degree.”

  Embarrassed from all the attention, I patted my mom on the shoulder awkwardly as she guided us into the room to sit down at a table. I did feel proud, but a surprise congratulations party was a bit over the top in my opinion. I kept that to myself though, because I knew Derek and Owen had also planned everything.

  My stomach churned queasily at the faint smell of garlic and butter. I looked over at Derek as he took a seat next to me, placing a reassuring hand on my knee
underneath the table.

  “Breathe,” he said, squeezing a lemon into my water. “Try drinking some water to fight the nausea.”

  “Nausea?” Anna turned to look at Derek. She immediately placed a fretting hand on my forehead, much to my annoyance. “She doesn’t feel warm. You didn’t tell me she felt sick.”

  “I’m fine,” I grumbled, swatting her hand away. “Don’t worry about it, Mom. This is really nice. Thank you.”

  “I like all the balloons,” Owen said, happily tugging at the string of one. “I helped pick out all the balloons for you, Jenna.”

  “Thank you,” I said sincerely. “I really like all of them. We can see how many we can pile into the car afterward.”

  Once Owen was occupied with talking with my mother, I leaned into Derek’s side to whisper in his ear. “You could’ve warned me about this. You know I don’t feel good right now.”

  His fingers squeezed my knee. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t find a way to tell your mother no. If I said anything, she would’ve figured it out. Speaking of that”—he paused, leaning forward to press a kiss to my lips that instantly soothed my already bad mood from trying to find something to wear that fit— “when do you want to tell everyone?”

  “Well, I—”

  “Tell everyone what?” Anna asked. She was far too perceptive sometimes.

  I turned to glare at her as she hovered above me again. “I’m going to turn that hearing aid off. It makes you prone to eavesdropping.”

  “You sure are moody for a joyous occasion,” she replied, frowning down at me.

  I didn’t know what to say to that. The wheels in my mother’s brain were already turning rapidly. Then realization filled her eyes.

  “Oh my!” she said, one hand clutching at her chest. “Please me tell that what I’m thinking is right.”

  I looked over Derek, who didn’t even bother hiding that charming and knee-trembling grin of his. Pride flashed in his eyes. He reached up to cover the small bump I had strategically hidden underneath a loose and oversized sweater.

  “You’re thinking right,” he said. “There’s a baby bump that is making Jenna a horrible grump today.”

  I rolled my eyes in exasperation at that before I was embraced again by my mother, who was practically bouncing in her heels from excitement. It was a right damn miracle that Owen hadn’t told her yet. He was excited to have a sibling to play with.

  “I didn’t tell,” Owen said proudly. “I kept the promise like you and Dad asked.”

  Derek reached over to ruffle his hair fondly. “You did good, Son. I’m proud of you for keeping quiet.”

  My mother sidled down into the chair next to me as a waiter arrived with a platter of various fruits and cheeses. She placed a hand on my stomach with a happy grin.

  “When is the due date?” she asked.

  “May 24th,” I said. “I’m nearly out of my first trimester.”

  “After everything that has happened,” Anna started whimsically. She smiled over at Derek, who returned it. “I’m so happy for you both. A baby and a future wedding to plan.”

  “You only like Derek because he got me to complete college,” I said, but a grin tugged at my lips as well.

  Even if I felt sick to my stomach, and unable to fit into my clothes, it was hard to contain the joy and happiness I felt. I stared down at my left hand, where the overhead lights sparkled off the ring there. It still felt bizarre and good at the same time to have a ring there.

  “At least he got you to,” she replied, sniffing back tears again. “I’m just happy that everything worked the way it has for you. The both of you are blessed with Derek taking on that job as a lead investigator for a private firm, and finishing school after so long…” Anna sighed in relief and sat back to fan herself. “I’m just so relieved too. A baby. A baby. So many changes that I hope you both are ready for.”

  I reached over to grasp Derek’s hand. He smiled at me in faint amusement as he gave my fingers a tender squeeze.

  “Ready for those changes, Mr. Summers?” I asked teasingly.

  He winked at me playfully. “More than you know, Mrs. Summers.”

  THE END

  ***

  Big Bad Fake Groom: A Billionaire’s Virgin Romance

  I need a wedding.

  I need a bride.

  But marriage is my worst nightmare, so why not fake it?

  The only thing worse than marriage?

  A virgin who wants to wait ‘til the wedding night.

  I’m New York’s wealthiest bachelor.

  Oil is my business and women are my pleasure.

  And the sound of wedding bells makes me cringe.

  Until I find out my inheritance depends on me getting engaged.

  So I do exactly what I do best. I buy a solution.

  Paige Scott is the hottest upcoming painter on the NY art scene and she needs the publicity as much as I need my inheritance.

  A deal made in heaven, right?

  Almost.

  The virgin naturally insists that we don’t have sex before the wedding.

  Marriage and virginity, REALLY?

  But Paige is the biggest tease my cock has ever gone hard for. Well, I sure can RISE for this challenge.

  I’m going to make her wet. I’m going to make her ache for me. Then, I’m going to steal her virginity before the big day.

  And once I get it, I’m gone.

  But I never counted on actually wanting to say, ‘I do.’

  ***

  Chapter One

  Paige

  “Finer strokes, my dear Paige. Finer strokes.”

  She focused on doing what Professor Grey instructed her to do by adjusting her grip on the paintbrush. The strokes on the canvas were smoother then. Somehow he always knew exactly what needed to be done.

  Paige turned on her stool to give an appreciative smile to Professor Grey. He was an older man with gray hair twisted back into a ponytail and a white beard that reminded his students of a real-life Santa Claus. He even had the potbelly that poked out through paint-splattered shirts.

  “You are doing wonderful,” he said, patting her on the shoulder. “More advanced than some of my graduating seniors this year.”

  The compliment cheered her up instantly. Two months of living in the hustle of New York City had taken a toll on her emotionally. She dearly missed both her parents who were back in Wyoming. This was the first time in her life she had gone this long without seeing them face to face, and it was hard every single day to not feel homesick. It didn’t help that her mother cried every time they spoke on the phone at the end of Paige’s hectic days of classes and figuring out where all the dining places were.

  New York University was spread throughout several city blocks. It took forty minutes to an hour just to walk to a class from her dorm. She didn’t mind so much though, except in the winter when it was freezing.

  It was a drastic difference compared to the quietness of her hometown. There were only 5,000 people there, and they lived on sixty acres of farmland. Hearing the constant sound of cars, alarms, and late-night chatter was also drastically different.

  And there were times that Paige wondered if moving to New York had been the right thing to do after what had happened. She quickly shut that last trailing thought down. There would be a time to deal with all that later, not while she was in her freshman painting class.

  “Really?” Paige asked.

  He nodded and let out a soft chuckle. “Yes. That’s a scary thought, now isn’t it?” He gazed down at her with kind blue eyes. “How are you handling your first two months here at NYU? Feeling homesick at all?”

  “Yeah, a little. If I’m being honest, it’s been hard,” she said. “I miss my parents, but I assume that’s normal.”

  “Normal as can be. You came from Wyoming, correct?” He tilted his head to the side, watching her closely.

  “Yes. My parents own a farm, so the nightlight is a change of pace for me.” She shrugged, trying hard not to
think about home. It would be far too easy to dive into another depression about missing her family and her old room.

  Professor Grey laughed. “I imagine it is. Well, try to stick to being here in New York. It’s a lifetime experience and a wonderful opportunity for a woman such as yourself.”

  He continued down the line of students. Paige finished up her painting with a pleased smile. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That much she had recognized when opening the acceptance letter over a year ago to find out she had also been selected for a hefty scholarship that at least covered her food and housing. Everything else had fallen onto her parents’ shoulders, who insisted they had saved for a day when her dreams and talents would take her places.

  It had taken to her New York City of all places. The big city. And for a small-town country girl like her, it was different…even terrifying at times.

  She cleaned up her workstation as Professor Grey talked about next week’s student critique. He excused them a few minutes later with a bid for them to have a good weekend.

  Slipping the strap of her leather tote onto her shoulder, Paige filed out with the rest of her freshman classmates, but she didn’t bother talking to anyone. They were all nice, but several of them were too high class for her. They didn’t have problems with money. They were only going to New York University because their parents could afford it and they were required to go to school if they wanted access to a wealthy lifestyle. Students like Paige were the oddballs who wore cheap leggings and T-shirts to every class.

  She spotted Jessica Kindley waiting in the lobby of the fine arts building. Her heart lifted at the sight of a familiar and friendly face. Jessica lived in the room next to hers in their apartment building. She was on a full-ride scholarship to study English and Creative Writing. She came from a low-income home with five sisters, so that was the only way she had been able to come—through her writing.

  “How was class?” Jessica asked.

  “Fine,” Paige said. She stopped to wait for Jessica to gather her things from the couch she had been studying on. “I’m glad the afternoon is over though. Want to get some pizza tonight for dinner? I’m craving it like crazy, that thin crust New York style pizza that you can fold over and it still takes forever to eat.”