by Alyssia Leon
Be Mine
Alyssia Leon
SAGEWOOD PUBLISHING
Books by Alyssia Leon
Appleby Series
Standalone Books
Be Mine
Copyright © 2016 Alyssia Leon
www.alyssialeon.com
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
Published by Sagewood Publishing Ltd
First Digital Edition: July 2016
eISBN: 978-1-911519-00-3
[email protected] (business enquiries only)
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review as permitted by copyright law.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is purely coincidental.
Readers: 18+
From Alyssia
Aurora and Nathan’s story is my first book. It’s a sweet but steamy standalone romance about second chances and learning to trust and love. If you like to read about a sweet virgin heroine and her sexy but broody and dominant alpha male, this is the book for you.
Dedicated to all lovers of steamy Valentines encounters.
Enjoy…
Table of Contents
Beginning
01. Helpless
02. Looking for Love
03. Mr Smith
04. Back with Purpose
05. Evil Devil
06. Disturb at Your Peril
07. Ached Too Long
08. Sweet Relief
09. Road Safe Contraption
10. You're Mine
11. Blackmail and Letters
12. Love is Like a Red Red Rose
13. Belgravia
14. Hollow Victory
15. Your Loving Father
16. Fudge Cake and Emeralds
17. Epilogue
About Alyssia
1
Nathaniel Travers opened his eyes, or… tried to.
A soft weight rested on them. He frowned, his mind a blank except for the knowledge that he was himself and he was… somewhere.
One by one sensations rapidly clicked into place: the pillow beneath his head, the firm mattress, a machine’s steady beep to his left, the lemony smell of disinfectant. His limbs were heavy, unmovable. His head throbbed.
A small tink sounded nearby, like one metal object being placed on top of another. Was someone there?
He opened his mouth to call out, but his tongue stuck to the roof of his dry mouth and no sound came from his throat.
Hell!
He strained to lift his right arm in an effort to rip away whatever covered his eyes, but barely moved an inch before the machine beeping beside him raced into alarmed panic.
A gentle hand pushed his arm back on to the mattress, and the beep subsided to its original calm tone. “Rest please, Mr Travers. I go to call the doctor.” Her English had the typical Swiss accent. Her words were professional, no-nonsense.
He was still in Switzerland. And he was in a hospital.
He sank back against the bed as memories assaulted him one by one—the snow-packed ground beneath his skis rolling loose, the flash of tumbling forward, heavy chunky slabs of ice crashing into his back. He’d gasped for breath, but ice pierced his lungs, and then sudden darkness.
Panic seized him. Andy. Where the hell was Andy?
The question refused to come out and swallowing he tried again. “Andy?” Was that his voice? It was like a croak faraway.
A door clicked shut and everything was quiet, save for the beep. The nurse must have left.
Hell, this was all his fault.
A three day break in the Swiss Alps, and on the last day he’d been the one to persuade Andy to leave the groomed and meticulously controlled pistes and take a backcountry descent instead. And why? All because he’d hated the crowds: people recognizing him, journalists out to cop an impromptu interview with the tech industry’s current golden boy, women who knew of his recent single status and wanted a piece of him.
The serene mountain beyond had looked more than inviting.
They’d been prepared, even though there had been no avalanche warnings. They’d taken safety gear and an experienced guide, but what had begun as a sensational, gravity-defying experience of floating through fresh light powder had in seconds turned into a fight for his life. And now here he was, on a hospital bed and barely able to move.
But where was Andy? The same condition as him? Worse?
Dread settled like a heavy stone in his heart. No one cared if he, Nathan, lived or died, but Andy had family, a loving wife and a newborn daughter. Nathan had sometimes envied his best friend for the love that surrounded him, but right now he’d give his life if only to return Andy to his family, unharmed.
He had to do something.
Maybe if he set that damn alarm off again someone would come back from the black hole everyone seemed to have disappeared into and answer his questions.
He raised his right arm, the one that felt like it had tubes stuck in it and gritting his teeth against the dull pain that shot through it, managed a few more inches than before. But no alarm sounded. The stupid machine beeped on, merrily oblivious to his need.
“Fuck!”
At least his voice was back to normal.
The door opened and heavy footsteps thudded.
He rolled his head, unseeing, towards the sound. “Andy?”
“Nathan! Bloody hell, man. You had me scared.”
Relief like he’d never experienced before flooded Nathan at the sound of Andy’s voice. The footsteps rushed closer and Andy clutched his left hand tight.
Nathan gripped his friend back, strength flowing into his body from their contact. “You’re all right.”
Andy laughed. “I’m all right? I’m bloody brilliant. It’s you who’s had me on the edge of my seat for a whole bloody day.”
Nathan laughed in relief, keeping tight hold of Andy’s hand. A chair scraped beside him as Andy pulled up a seat.
They went back years, living, working, and revelling together even before they began their rapidly growing company five years ago.
Nathan frowned. “Rainier, is he…?” Their guide had been at the front. He should have escaped.
“Scrapes and bruises, like me. He’s back with his family. We were lucky, bud. That avalanche was a small one.”
“I’m sorry for getting you into this.”
“Nah, I know you’re being billed as wonder boy right now, but even you don’t control the weather. Anyway, Rainier and I were lucky. Our airbags saved us from the worst of it, kept us on top of the slide. You didn’t even get a chance to pull the release handle before the snow was on you.”
“It was too quick. I don’t think anything can prepare you for that.”
“We found you at the bottom of the run, Nathan. You’d smashed your head against a rock and you’ve been out cold since.” Andy squeezed his hand. “Thank god you were wearing a helmet. I don’t know if you’d be here talking to me otherwise.”
“I’m fine.” He pulled his left hand from Andy’s grasp, his tube-stuck right hand still useless, and touched the padding covering his eyes. “What’s with this thing?”
“The doctors weren’t sure if the crash affected your sight. It’s a precaution until they can give you the all clear. But hey, cheer up. You’re a man of steel otherwise. No broken bones anywhere.”
“I’m thrilled.”
“Look, Nathan.”
Andy’s tone lowered. “The doctors want you to take it easy for a week, so I’m officially banning you from the office until the day before the investor meeting. And don’t argue with me on this.”
“Are you serious?” Nathan gritted, fury giving him energy. “The biggest thing to happen to Astreca so far, and you expect me to go hands-off? This is going to net us billions. You know I’ve worked my ass off for this, and there’s no damn way I’m sitting back now.”
“Nathan, listen to me. We don’t know the full extent of your injuries. I can’t risk having you keel over in a coma or anything from the stress. It’s a week, tops. I’d just be happier knowing you’re okay for sure.”
“Damn it, Andy. Astreca is gold right now and those investors know it. They’d be fools to say anything other than yes to me. I’d be more stressed lying here, blind, for a week.”
“It’s more than that.” Andy paused. “I’ve managed to keep this accident out of the news so far. This is a private hospital and they’re discreet. Do you have any idea what it’ll do for investor confidence if they get wind of this? It’s bloody hard enough with the media snooping around you the way they do.”
Nathan clenched his jaw. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. Not until a qualified doctor tells me so.”
“Get me back to London, and I’ll get regular check-ups from a discrete doctor there.”
“That you will, but not in London.”
Nathan glared. Even past closed eyes and thick bandaging, Andy must have felt it because he cleared his throat apologetically before speaking. “Look, you’re too bloody high-profile, what with your picture splashed all over Forbes and Bloomberg. Even in a hotel in the middle of nowhere, someone’s going to recognize you. These things always come out and get hyped up like no man’s business. We can’t risk spooking those investors.”
“I don’t need a hotel room. I’ve a whole damn penthouse in London. It’s just me and Mrs Douglas there, and she’s been with me too long to go sneaking the story to the press. I’ll work from home for a few days.”
“The doctors will only discharge you if you can guarantee around the clock supervision, and Mrs Douglas dropping by in the mornings to cook and clean for you doesn’t qualify.”
“For God’s sake, Andy! Hire a nurse and have her sign a non-disclosure or something.”
Andy snorted. “I’m not even entertaining that. Look, the most I’d risk is having you stay with Jasmine and me, but I don’t think a baby crying through the night is going to help you. Besides, it won’t look great if both of us get to the investor meeting sleep-deprived and smelling of nappies.”
Nathan gritted his teeth. He’d been painted into a corner, but what had he expected with a logistics whizz like Andy. No doubt the pieces were already in place. “All right. Get to it. What exactly have you set up?”
Andy cleared his throat. “The doctors asked me about arrangements, so I had to have something ready or they’d have kept you here. So I… er… I spoke to Cathy… your step-mum. You could stay with them.”
“The hell I will!” Nathan jerked to sit up, but pain seared through his head and with a groan he fell back on the pillow.
Andy’s chair scraped. “You okay?” His hands were on Nathan’s shoulders.
“No,” Nathan gritted out. “And I’m not going to Yorkshire, so you can forget that.”
Andy released him, and the chair creaked as he sat down again. “Nathan, think about it. It’s perfect. Your excuse is you’re visiting family, and there’ll be someone to look after you. Someone you can trust.”
Anger burned in Nathan. Someone he could trust? Andy knew parts of his history, but no one knew the demons that consumed him, and to return to Cathy’s house…
Aurora. The image of a young woman rose in his mind: her hair a carefree cloud of inky-black curls that bounced around her delicate elfin features, bright shamrock-green eyes that twinkled when she laughed. He hadn’t seen her in four years, hadn’t wanted to, but his hands still remembered the press of her slim curves, his lips the feathery softness of hers.
He clenched his jaw. Stay in the same house as Aurora? No. He’d buried that past long before his father had died, and it was going to stay buried. “Call Oksana, Andy. She’ll be more than willing to spend her days and nights with me.”
“But you guys broke up two weeks ago, and she’s in Los Angeles now. You know there’s only one reason she’ll come running back.”
Andy was right. That relationship had broken up when after a year of on and off dating, he’d refused to put a ring on Oksana’s finger, a commitment one step too far for him. Hell, he’d even been careful never to spend a whole night at her place. But compared to Aurora, Oksana was a safer bet. She was a situation he could control.
“Nathan, Oksana’s been trying to get you up the aisle for a while now. Don’t go crazy and land yourself in something you’ll regret. Look, I know you and Cathy haven’t spoken since your Dad died, but she was really worried about you when I called. This might be a good thing…”
Nathan frowned.
“I’m not trying to play family shrink or anything,” Andy said. “It’s just the best solution we have. You know it.”
She’d been eighteen the last time he’d had seen her. Eighteen and flaunting her ripe, scantily clad body before a horde of hungry male eyes, just like she’d exhibited for him ever since she hit puberty. Did she get off on the attention? But he’d been careful to never fall victim. There had been that one incident… but he’d got the hell out of there straightaway.
And he was still running.
Damn. This craving for Aurora hadn’t died. He’d merely pushed it aside over the years. Maybe it was time to free himself of it once and for all. They were no longer children. She was twenty-two now and he was twenty-eight. Maybe it was time to finally slake this thirst and move on.
“…and Yorkshire’s the last place people will expect to find you, so—”
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
“You’ll do it?” Andy’s tone rose an octave in surprise.
“One week, Andy, no more.”
* * *
“Mum, I’m home.” Grappling with the two bulging shopping bags and the set of keys in her hands, Aurora kicked the front door of their townhouse closed behind her. She placed the heavy bags down on the hallway carpet with relief, and throwing the keys into her shoulder bag, dumped it beside the shopping.
The February weather had been as unpredictable as ever, beaming sunshine in the morning, pouring buckets of rain in the evening. Langley was more prone to excitable weather than other parts of England, having the dubious honour of being a nondescript little town in Yorkshire where the weather had tantrums that southerners down in London escaped.
She shrugged off her rain-soaked, blue wool coat, and hung it up on the coatrack by the warm radiator before running sore fingers through her damp dark curls. She’d been fooled by the weather and forgotten to take her umbrella on her way to work this morning, and lugging bags from the supermarket back to her car in the evening had been like taking a fully clothed shower.
“Did you get everything, Aura?” Her mother came out of the kitchen and stooped to examine the shopping bags, her shoulder-length, pale-blonde hair falling across the sides of her face like curtains. She hadn’t changed out of the drab grey work clothes she wore for her job as an administrator at the local school, and tired lines showed around her almond-brown eyes.
“Everything you wanted.” Aura said, straightening her yellow sweater over her jeans. “Though I was surprised to find it all, to be honest. Six o’clock rush on a Friday, and the supermarket shelves were emptying like it’s the day before the apocalypse.”
Mum laughed. “People are just happy to see the weekend, that’s all.” She straightened up, lifting a bag in each hand.
“Here, those are heavy.” Aura stepped forward and took the bags from her shorter mother. “I’ll bring them in to the kitchen.”
“Thanks, lo
ve. And how was your day?”
“I finished that vintage wedding gown,” Aura said, leading the way to the kitchen. “It’s a pity I won’t get to see the final fitting tomorrow, but Mrs. Harrison has promised to take a couple of photos and send them to me.”
It had taken her the entire day, and the delicate hand-sewing involved had left her fingers stiff and aching, but the results had been worth it. It wasn’t often she got to work with authentic 1930s silk and lace. At least she had the next few days off for her fingers to recover, since she only worked at Harrison’s tailoring studio on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. She’d just have to take it slow with her personal client projects in the meantime.
Mum grinned. “A job well done deserves a warm stew, is what I say.” She indicated the stove where a casserole dish of beef chilli was cooking.
Aura placed the bags down on the pine kitchen table and sniffed in the hearty scent, already forgetting the cold greyness outside that she’d clambered in from. It was warmer in the kitchen than the hallway had been, with the golden pine shelves and cupboards adding to the cosy feel, and the cream countertop and marble flooring reflecting the overhead lights.
They’d had the kitchen enlarged when her step-dad Ralph had been alive, creating a kitchen-diner with a six-seater pine table and its chairs taking up half of the bright and welcoming room. Ralph had converted the tiny old dining room next door into a sewing room for Aura, a place of her own where she could design and create her dresses.
“Oh, you managed to get the wine too.” Mum, in the middle of emptying the shopping bags, held up the bottle of expensive red wine with a smile.
Aura cocked her head to the side and regarded her. More food than they usually bought adorned the table, and the only time the two of them drank alcohol was for a birthday or Christmas. Mum had phoned her with the last-minute shopping list just as Aura had finished work.“Why all this food and the wine, Mum? You’re not planning a party before you jet off on Sunday, are you?”
