Claiming Beauty (Taking Beauty Trilogy Book 2)

by Nikki Wild

  She stared at me with wide eyes, her gaze darting back and forth between me and Harlan quizzically. I let him go and turned to her.

  “Matilda, hello,” I said. “How is Chloe?”

  “She’s going to be okay,” she said. “She just woke up, she’s going to be fine.”

  “That’s wonderful!” I cried.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, her eyes filled with confusion.

  Fuck this, I thought. I’m tired of keeping secrets. I’d let Chloe put off telling her mother about us for way too long.

  “Harlan called me,” I said, turning back to him. “You wait here, I’m not finished talking to you.”

  He nodded and slumped against the wall.

  I turned back to Matilda and flashed her a smile.

  “Can we talk?” I asked.

  “Of course,” she replied. I led her away from Harlan as I searched for the best words.

  “There’s something you need to know,” I said.

  “There is?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Chloe and I have grown close, Matilda,” I said. “I know it might come as a shock and we should have told you sooner. I wanted to tell you right away but Chloe wanted to wait.”

  “Wait for what?”

  “To tell you about us. We’re engaged.”

  “What? Engaged? Are you kidding?”

  “No, Matilda, I’m not. Like I said, I know it must come as a shock, but I think you’ll get used to the idea.”

  “I don’t understand,” she shook her head.

  “What’s not to understand? Chloe is a wonderful woman, Matilda. I never came into this expecting to fall in love. I promise I’ll take wonderful care of her and treat her with all the love and respect she deserves.”

  “I can’t, I don’t… this is a lot to take in,” she said, shaking her head.

  “I know, Matilda, I’m sorry to tell you like this, but I think it’s best that you know now,” I said.

  “This is a lot to process,” she replied, searching my eyes. “I know you’re a good man, Bear, I’ve known you for years. I’ll need some time, but thank you for telling me. I wish Chloe didn’t think she needed to keep things from me.”

  “I think the fact that I’m your employer had something to do with it.”

  “Of course,” she said. “I’ll have more to say but… right now I think it’s best if I gather my thoughts. As soon as the nurse leaves, you can go in to see her. She’s in room 305. She’s awake now.”

  “Thank you,” I said, pulling her close for a hug. I’d never hugged Matilda before and I wasn’t quite sure she wouldn’t break in half, but she didn’t. She’d taken the news a lot better than Chloe had imagined. I wasn’t worried in the slightest.

  I just hoped Chloe would still have me.

  Matilda walked down the hall and I turned back to Harlan.

  “Now go, and remember what I said. Don’t come back. She’s done with you. Do you understand me?”

  “I understood before you got here.”

  I turned away, my eyes on the door at the end of the hall.

  I had no idea what I was going to say to Chloe, but I had a lot of explaining and apologizing to do. I could only hope she’d forgive me.

  I’d fucked up royally.

  I knew I’d spend the rest of my life making it up to her, if she’d let me.

  I was halfway down the hall when Harlan called after me.

  “By the way… Congratulations!”

  I turned back to him.

  “For what?”

  “You’re going to be a father.”

  He smiled and waved, turning and walking down the hallway, leaving me standing there in the hallway with my mouth open.

  Slowly, I turned back, walking towards Chloe’s room and straight into my future.

  Chapter 29

  The door squeaked opened and I waved him away.

  “Go away, Harlan,” I mumbled through the tears.

  His footsteps fell heavy and slow, coming closer, despite my plea.

  A hand landed on my arm and I flinched, jumping away and turning back to him.

  “Don’t touch me!” I snapped, before looking up.

  I gasped when I saw it wasn’t Harlan. It was Bear.

  My Bear.

  “Bear!” I cried, the tears falling even harder.

  “Beauty, Beauty,” he murmured, pulling me into his arms. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” I whispered, my face pressed into his chest, my salty tears and snot smearing all over his shirt. “Why are you here?”

  “Harlan called me,” he said. “I’m so sorry he bothered you again. I should have been more forceful the first time. I don’t think he’ll be coming around ever again.”

  I nodded, leaning into him, my head spinning. I couldn’t think straight. There was so much to say to him, so much to sort through, and I had no idea where to start.

  He pulled away, peering into my eyes.

  “Chloe, I owe you the biggest apology. I am so sorry for what I did to you. You didn’t deserve that and I’m completely ashamed of taking it that far. I will never touch you like that again, I promise. It will never happen again. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be.”

  “Thank you,” I said, my voice shaking, everything inside of me melting. I’d waited so long to hear those words.

  “I mean it, babe. I’ve never done anything like that before. But I’ve never loved anyone the way that I love you. I’ve never felt anything this strong in my life. Something about you makes me feel like I’ve finally found a home, the kind of home that I’ve always searched for, one where I can be me, where I can nurture the parts of myself that nobody has ever understood. But you did! You understand me. When I found you, Chloe, it was a miracle.”

  My heart raced as I drank in his words.

  “I could have anything in the world I want, Chloe. I have more money than I’ll ever be able to spend. I could buy the companionship of a million women, who would let me do anything I wanted to them, say anything I wanted to hear. But that’s not what I want. That’s never what I’ve wanted! There’s something so unique about you, the way you fit with me, in a way I never imagined I’d fit with anyone. It’s you. Only you.We were made for each other. Don’t you see?”

  “No, Bear, I don’t, why? Why me, Bear?” I cried. It was the question I never could understand the answer to. I’d asked it before and I still didn’t get it.

  “Because my heart tells me it’s you.”

  “Oh, Bear,” I sighed.

  “It’s that simple,” he said, his eyes shining bright blue love right into mine. “I love you, Chloe. There’s nobody else like you in the entire world and there never will be, Beauty, don’t you see? We can’t buy this, we can’t recreate it with anyone else, there is no formula that you can follow over and over again. This only comes once in a lifetime. I never should have touched you like that, and I never will again, I promise you.”

  “You stopped when I used my safe word,” I reminded him.

  “I did, but I took it too far. You can have dinner with anyone you want. You can take whatever job you want. It’s not that I didn’t trust you, it’s that I was afraid of losing you, don’t you see? You’re everything to me, Chloe. I’m nothing without you. The penthouses, the cars, the business, even our island. You’ve touched everything, babe. Every part of me. I’ll never be the same without you. Please, please forgive me, Beauty. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, if you’ll allow it.”

  “Oh, Bear,” I whispered, tears shimmering in my eyes, my heart so full of love I thought it might burst. “Of course, I’ll allow it.”

  “I love you, Chloe,” he said, kissing me gently, his lips melting into mine.

  “Wait, I have to tell you something,” I said, pulling away. “It may change your mind.”

  “What is it, love?” I said.

  “I—I can’t believe this I’m saying this,” I said, my voice shaking. I bit my lip, holding my
breath before I let the words fall out in a rush. “I’m pregnant, Bear.”

  “I know! Isn’t it wonderful?” he exclaimed gleefully, his eyes shining down on me with pure love.

  “How did you know?” I asked, my eyes wide.

  “Harlan congratulated me, right after I threatened to kill him if he ever came near you again,” he shrugged.

  I burst out laughing.

  “Do you even like kids?” I asked. “We’ve never even talked about it.”

  “I love them,” he said, the beautiful blue eyes that I’d fallen helplessly in love with beaming at me.

  “This is all so fast,” I said, shaking my head. “I haven’t even told my mom yet…”

  “I already took care of that for you,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “What!” I cried. “Really? How did she take it?”

  “Really well, actually. She didn’t hit me or quit, so I think we’re in the clear.”

  I laughed, shaking my head.

  “I thought we were over, Bear,” I whispered, my heart swelling with joy. “I thought I might never see you again.”

  “We’re just getting started, Beauty,” he said, pulling me close again, his warm musky scent enveloping me.

  “Well, what do we do now?” I asked, the comfort of his arms soothing all the worry away, my tears disappearing, my smile spreading across my face.

  “We live, we love. We get married, we raise our baby. We make our fairytale come true…”

  “It already has,” I whispered, leaning into him, his words an enchanting lullaby of beautiful promises, placing me under trance that I couldn’t wait to swim in for the rest of my life.

  “I think it’s a girl,” I said, the voice that called to me in the darkness singing softly in my head again as his arms tightened around me.

  “I can’t believe you’re real, Beauty,” he whispered. “And you’re mine.”

  Those were the words I so desperately wanted to hear, but I never could have expected what would happen next…

  What’s going to happen next? Turn the page for an exclusive preview of book 3 of the Taking Beauty series, OWNING BEAUTY! And don’t stop there. Keep turning pages because as usual, I’ve included some awesome bonus romance novels to help you catch up on my sexiest new releases! Go ahead and read them all!

  You are the reason I write.

  -Nikki

  What’s Next?

  The Taking Beauty series returns for it’s thrilling and dangerously sexy conclusion with OWNING BEAUTY. Turn the page for an exclusive preview of the first two chapters!

  Owning Beauty Preview Chapter 1

  Chloe

  “I guess there are perks to being pregnant,” I said, as Bear’s Jeep hugged the curves of the rugged roads leading to his cabin.

  “Admit it, Beauty. You loved repelling out of that helicopter,” he teased, referring to his usual method of traveling to his rustic Upstate hideaway.

  “Sure,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm, “I can’t wait to have this baby so I can do it again. Hey! Maybe next time, I can do it with our baby strapped to my back, or something.”

  “Why not? It’s important to start kids early these days,” he replied, his sapphire eyes twinkling with mischief, “make sure they aren’t afraid of anything, you know? It’s like throwing them in the deep end of the pool right away.”

  “Remind me to never let you take our child swimming,” I said.

  He laughed, throwing his head back as the corners of his eyes crinkled up. I stared over at him, my heart bursting with joy.

  I’d never expected everything to work out so well.

  Sure, it was lightening fast, but so what? I’d come to accept it. Especially now that I was pregnant. There’s no turning back at this point, you know?

  Not that I would. If you’d told me six months ago that today I’d be pregnant and engaged to my drop-dead sexy billionaire boyfriend, I’d have laughed in your face.

  And yet, here I was, my hand engulfed in his as we raced away from the city for the weekend, our attempt to get away from everyone and everything to regroup.

  It was going perfectly so far and did we ever need it!

  My mother, Matilda, was shocked by the news that Bear and I were in love. When we told her I was having his baby, I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head. She couldn’t wait to get me alone, and once she did, just as suspected, she laid into me.

  She couldn’t believe how irresponsible I was. How could I do something like this? And with her boss, of all people! She’d gone on and on about how much I’d ‘disappointed her, how I’d embarrassed her, how she’d be the laughing stock of the company now and nobody would take her seriously, that my pregnancy would somehow delegitimize her position at Dalton Enterprises’.

  I’d let her go on. And on. And on…

  Once I was sure she was finished, I very quietly and very calmly, laid everything out.

  “Mom, no matter what you feel, no matter what you think, no matter how harshly you judge me, it won’t change anything. You can harp on about how horrible I am as much as you want, but that won’t change the fact that in a few short months, you are going to be a grandmother. Now, you can embrace that and be a part of your grandchild’s life, or you can be an unhappy, lonely woman. It’s your choice. I’m marrying Bear. I’m having his baby. That’s all there is to it.”

  To my surprise, she stopped bitching, admitted I was right and wished me luck. And then, she’d hugged me. I almost fell out of my chair.

  I’d never felt like more of a grown-up than I did at that point.

  Somehow, knowing there was a child growing inside of me, that it was entirely up to me to take care of her, to nurture her, and that I alone, was completely and utterly responsible for her, had allowed me to grow stronger.

  My confidence was soaring.

  I was done questioning my relationship with Bear.

  I was done dwelling about my past and being indecisive and unsure if this life was for me, or wondering what I’d done to deserve it all.

  What’s done was done and this was happening.

  The ultrasound pictures were in my purse.

  I’d heard the heartbeat.

  I’d seen her moving around inside of me.

  I was sure it was a girl. It was too soon to tell but the dreams I’d had, the whispered song of a little girl that wouldn’t leave my head when I’d fainted, those feelings had stuck with me. I was sure it was my little girl that day, trying to tell me to be strong.

  For her. For us.

  For all three of us.

  I’d never felt stronger in my life.

  The queasiness had subsided and after staying overnight in the hospital and getting rehydrated, I’d been released after being told to ‘take it easy’.

  Bear promised the doctor he would make sure that happened and he took me home.

  Home.

  Our home.

  I’d moved in with him that night. He’d gone and picked up a few things from my apartment and sent Max to get everything else the next day. He’d barely left my side since then, making sure I had everything I needed, making sure I was comfortable, making sure I was happy.

  He’d kissed me, and my belly, about a million times and I couldn’t get over the gleam in his eyes. He looked like the happiest man on Earth and he was contagious.

  It was like all the bullshit had completely disappeared, leaving nothing but a clear view of our future. And it was glorious.

  We’d spent a few days holed up in the penthouse, talking for hours about the baby.

  I told him I was positive it was a girl and he said he felt it, too.

  We talked about where she would go to school, contemplated a hundred different names that neither of us could yet decide on. I wanted something exotic and unusual and he wanted something simple and wholesome. I knew we’d find a happy middle eventually.

  We imagined what she would be like, which one of us she might resemble and he insisted t
hat she never, ever go out on a date and maybe should join a convent at some point. Of course, that was where I couldn’t resist reminding him of our own sinful date at Christmas Mass and that would just turn him on and we’d end up making love all night long again.

  It was an enchanting cycle.

  Once he realized I wasn’t a fragile doll made out of china and that he wasn’t going to hurt me, or the baby, we started making love again.

  He was so careful, so heartbreakingly gentle at first, that I had to assure him that it was okay to use a little more force.

  Not only was I feeling stronger than ever now that I was pregnant, but I was also feeling hungrier for him than ever.

  I couldn’t get enough of his body, his hands, his mouth. All my inhibitions were gone and I pounced on him every chance I could get. He seemed to be enjoying the fact that I was taking the initiative finally and any sense of shyness that I’d possessed seemed to have packed up and hit the road.

  I’d become as hungry as a wild cat in heat.

  I wanted it in the car, in the kitchen, on the stairs, on the terrace, on the couch, by the fire, in the shower, hell, I even wanted it in the elevator.

  Luckily, I had a man that could deliver.

  Once he realized he wasn’t going to hurt me, he gave me everything I asked for and more.

  And right now, what I wanted was his cock—again.

  The trees whipped past us, as I reached over into his lap, cupping his package like a prize in my palm.

  “You’re insatiable,” he said, shaking his head.

  “It’s your fault. You’re dripping pure sex. How do you expect me to react?”

  “Don’t worry, Beauty,” he growled. “I’ll take care of you as soon as we get to the cabin.”

  “I don’t want to wait,” I cooed, scooting over to him and kissing his neck. He smelled like a spicy, musky heaven that I wanted to roll around in. He groaned and pushed me away.

  “We’ll be at the cabin soon enough,” he said.

  “But it’ll take forever. And we’ll end up drinking with Bruce all night and I’ll have to wait hours until I get you alone again. Let’s pull over.”