THE DADDY NEXT DOOR: A Dark Bad Boy Baby Romance (Heaven’s Horns MC)

by Nicole Fox

  There were no cameras to document the moment, no paparazzi, and no producers. But Logan knew it didn’t matter; this time would be seared into his memory for the rest of his life. He didn’t need the cameras.

  With a cry, Logan’s son entered the world.

  After a moment, the midwife handed Logan the tiny bundle that was his child. “Lenny?” Logan asked, his eyes looking down at the tiny, crying, squirming little thing that was so warm and welcome in his arms. The baby seemed to fit in the cradle of his arms so perfectly. He was strong, his fingers gripping Logan’s hard as he yawned for the first time.

  The little boy had a shock of black hair on his head, making him look so much like Logan himself that he had to smile. Something broke in him as he looked down at that perfect little face, so wrinkled and pink. This little creature was his son. It all seemed too hard to take in; none of it felt real yet. But then the boy in his arms wriggled just a little and Logan’s heart filled with a kind of light he’d never felt before.

  Francesca groaned a little from her throne of pillows as the midwife checked her out. She blinked at him with exhausted green eyes, her face pale and beaded with sweat. But in spite of all of that, Francesca was still the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

  “How is he?” she groaned, her body collapsed against the pillows like it was too much to try to move.

  “Beautiful, just like his mom,” Logan said, bringing Lenny closer. The little bundle wriggled and shook his arms.

  “I doubt I’m very beautiful right now,” she chuckled weakly. Francesca’s eyes grew wider, greener, and more filled with love as she looked upon her son — their son — for the first time. Some of the life seemed to come back to her weary limbs, and she sat up, holding out her arms for Lenny’s tiny body.

  “Here you go, mama. Look at the beautiful boy you brought into the world.”

  Tears slipped down the sides of Francesca’s face as Lenny cradled in her arms, so perfect and so beautiful.

  The midwife, Martha, smiled down on Francesca, her steel-grey eyes lighting up at another safe and healthy delivery. “How is mama feeling?”

  Francesca nodded. “I’m just fine. I ache a little, but nothing like I thought it would be.”

  “Well then, if you don’t mind, we’ll move you upstairs to your bed and get this cleaned up then. You feel up to being moved?”

  Logan could feel his heart rate skyrocketing at the thought of moving Francesca so soon, but he turned to her. She would know best. And the midwife wouldn’t move her if it wasn’t okay.

  “How about a few more minutes?” Francesca said, her eyes locked on the lovely little boy in her arms. Laughing, the midwife patted them both on the arms and started cleaning up around Francesca as best as she could.

  Logan pulled out his phone, taking about a thousand pictures of his little boy. He shot a few of them over the Diane and some to Blade before returning all of his attention back to his son.

  A text came back almost immediately from Diane.

  “Good, I’ll stop by in an hour, if you think Francesca will be up to visitors yet?”

  The another, just a few seconds later. “Good work, sticking by her through this. You’re all right, I suppose.”

  Logan chuckled at the texts, trying hard not to roll his eyes at Francesca’s mother. He texted her back an affirmative; Francesca would be up to seeing her in an hour or so.

  “Excellent. I’ll bring something. I suppose you haven’t eaten.”

  But that didn’t matter; he could go without food for a while longer, if it meant spending a few more, uninterrupted moments in peace with his Francesca and his little Lenny.

  Because for that moment, the world was a perfect place.

  Epilogue

  Francesca

  Francesca stood in her office, looking down on the great city of Henderson, Nevada. Her office was on the top floor, her wall of windows behind her desk opening up into the skyline. Buildings stood like sentinels in the desert, sprawled across the huge, orange-brown space. The Black Mountain rose up in the background, towering over even the tallest of them, its beautiful, rocky slopes catching the light of the setting sun and holding it close.

  There was something exceptional about her view that made Francesca want to spend every sunset in her office to watch the peaches and pinks spread across the sky like a carelessly dumped paint across a canvas.

  Nikki, sitting across the office from Francesca, finished off the list she was reading out loud. “And that should be all of it. Did I miss anything?” Nothing about her best friend had changed over the last year; not her long, voluminous black hair nor her fetish for weird-colored contacts. She was dressed a little better today, however, switching out her normal armfuls of bracelets for something a little more low-key. She always loved playing dress-up, even when she and Francesca were kids, and now she seemed to love dressing up “like an adult,” as she put it, for work every day.

  “I don’t think so. We should be alright by the time the spring fashion lines start being released in a couple of months,” Francesca tapped a long nail on her lips, trying to remember if she’d forgotten anything important. “Can you call Rachel in the Manhattan office and have her go over the checklist, too? She’ll most likely have something to add after the week she’s spent covering the shows out in Italy.”

  “Good thinking, Francesca; I’m on it.” Nikki got up from her seat and swished out of the office.

  Francesca stared out after her, her mind caught up in all of the things she had to do today. The list seemed to grow every day, stemming from the success not only of Diamond Savoy Couture and her tiny little family, but also of the spin off reality TV series she’d finally talked Logan into allowing. The world seemed to love their little boy almost as much as they did, and the first season of Fugitive Seduction had been well received by fans of the original series.

  Yes, things were going perfectly. Busy, yes, but busy didn’t mean bad. Not when Francesca was happier now than she’d ever been in her whole life. Standing in front of her favorite window, Francesca contemplated the paperwork that was currently covering up a good portion of her desk. Paperwork that would open locations for Diamond Savoy in Paris and Tokyo, bringing her fashion line into the international scene.

  A dream come true, by anyone’s standards, but not a deal she could rush into without a lot of thought. Opening international locations would pull her away from her family several times a month, scattering all of her time all over the planet instead of only the country. But Diamond Savoy was growing by leaps and bounds and needed this deal to keep growing.

  “Communications technology has also grown; perhaps I wouldn’t have to physically go to these places as often as I think.” She pondered the paperwork a little more closely, trying to decide which of the Diamond Savoy ladies would not only be willing to relocate overseas, but would be a good fit for heading the brand outside of the US.

  It was a big decision, and one she couldn’t make lightly.

  So caught up in her thoughts was she that she didn’t hear the door of her office open. She didn’t notice anyone had entered until the door shut loudly behind them, breaking her out of her thoughts.

  But as soon as she turned around, she smiled broadly. This interruption was always welcome.

  Lenny squealed in happiness at seeing his mother and held out dirty little hands that had obviously been into some mischief. Francesca laughed, her eyes traveling up from her already one-year-old son to his father.

  Logan hadn’t changed much on the outside, but a year on diaper duty with his son had remade him into something softer and gentler than Francesca had ever known him to be. And she was glad of it; Logan was the best stay-at-home dad she could have asked for.

  “Good afternoon, beautiful,” Logan said, coming to kiss her on the cheek. “How’s business?”

  # # #

  Logan

  Logan pushed little Lenny forward in his Harley Davidson stroller, grinning down at his little champ.
Lenny was like a daily miracle to Logan, bringing a kind of wonder to the world that he’d never experienced. Lenny found everything fascinating, from bugs to dirt to boxes and crayons. In fact, Lenny’s favorite game involved coloring the insides of boxes he sat in for hours, doodling little pictures and singing made-up songs to himself.

  Never in his life had Logan imagined he’d end up at home all day, caring for a baby, but now that he had it, he wouldn’t trade it for the world. Love and warmth filled his chest as he pushed his son through the doors of the headquarters (soon to be international headquarters) of Diamond Savoy Couture.

  Lenny squealed with delight at the elevator ride to the floor where Francesca’s offices were. He laughed at everything, pointing and asking questions in his half-formed language of giggles, noises, and the three English words he’d managed to get down pat.

  “Good afternoon, beautiful; how’s business?” Logan asked as he stepped into the huge offices of Francesca Savoy, TV star, successful businesswoman, and the perfect woman he had the luck of waking up to every day.

  “Business is great! How is Blade doing now that she’s taken over the repair shop?” Francesca asked, her face lighting up as soon as she saw her baby.

  “Just got off the phone with her; she’s really making it her own,” Logan grinned, feeling a swell of pride in him. “She’s doing just fine. She’ll leave quite a mark on the MC, that’s for sure.” He couldn’t have left it in better hands; Blade would do more for the MC than Logan ever could have.

  Francesca chuckled. “That sounds about right.”

  The office was massive, lined with books and Francesca’s awards and photos of the three of them. A huge desk sat in the center of the room. The decor was solid white with hints of rich, honey-colored wood, much like their whole home. Francesca insisted on keeping everything white, even though they had to hire extra help for Paula the maid to keep all of the whites white with a toddler running around the place.

  The entire back wall was giant picture glass windows, displaying an amazing view of the city. Sunset across the city, lights popping up like desert flowers after the rains.

  “Francesca certainly knows how to intimidate people with the decor.” Logan glanced around, feeling very small inside of this massive office, just as Francesca wanted to make people who came here feel.

  Heedless of her spotless, white suit, Francesca picked up Lenny out of the stroller, wrapping her arms around him and planting a huge kiss on his forehead. Lenny squealed with delight as Francesca stepped forward to give Logan a kiss, too.

  Fire burned along his veins, even at that gentle brush of lips. Being a parent hadn’t diminished any of Logan’s feelings for Francesca; in fact, he was pretty sure he wanted her more than he ever had. There was something deeply erotic about a woman who did it all, yet still made time for him. He could tell the kiss affected her, too; she looked up at him through her lashes, a slight blush creeping along her cheekbones that lit up her perfect face.

  “And whose birthday is it today?” Francesca asked Lenny, her face pressing in close to his. Lenny made a high-pitched noise and Francesca laughed in return, the sounds filled with incredibly joy. “That’s right. Baby Lenny is one year old today!”

  Logan chuckled. “Baby Lenny asked for something very specific for his birthday in the car just now; do you know what it was?”

  Francesca grinned at Logan, her eyes glittering like emeralds. “Please tell me you didn’t get him a puppy or a kitten; it’ll ruin the carpets.”

  “Nope, even better than that.” Logan reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box about the size of his hand. The outside had been doodled all over with Lenny’s distinctive art style, covered almost entirely in marker scribbles.

  “Wait, is this for me?” Francesca said, her brows furrowing. “Oooh, did you decorate this all by yourself?” Francesca kissed the top of Lenny’s head, turning the baby to set him back down in his stroller. She smiled, taking the box in her hands with a gentle smile.

  “Lenny wanted to get you something for his birthday.”

  Francesca chuckled. “I hope it’s a drawing,” she said, her eyes glowing as she opened the box. As soon as she saw what was inside, however, her face lost all trace of emotion. For a moment she seemed to stop breathing, for that second, the whole world stood still. Logan got down to his knees as tears started to spill down Francesca’s face. With a quiet, tearful solemnity, Francesca slid the little diamond engagement ring out of the box and admired it for a moment, before very firmly slipping it onto her finger.

  “I know you’re busy with the business, but Lenny and I were hoping that we could still find some time in your busy schedule for a wedding.” Logan said from the ground. “Then we’d be a real family.”

  Francesca was crying so hard, she couldn’t speak, her green eyes lit up from the inside with a glow Logan had never seen before. Throwing herself to the ground in front of Logan, she threw her arms around him, her lips kissing his face frantically. “Of course I will, Logan. Of course I will.”

  And in that moment, Logan knew what unbridled joy felt like.

  THE END

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  MANHANDLED: Sigma Saints MC

  By Nicole Fox

  SHE’S ABOUT TO GET MANHANDLED.

  When you stick your nose where you don’t belong, then some punishment is in order.

  It’s too late for “I’m sorry” or “It was an accident.”

  She trespassed on the wrong man.

  And I’m about to show her how delicious this punishment can be.

  She was nothing special.

  At least, that’s what I used to think.

  When she first barged in and heard some things she definitely should NOT have heard, I didn’t think much of her.

  She was cute, sure.

  Sexy even, in an innocent kind of way.

  But she was a loose end, and that meant one thing:

  She needed to be tied up.

  I cuffed her down until I could decide where to dispose of her once I’d done what had to be done.

  But the longer I stared at her, the more my hunger grew.

  A prize like this shouldn’t be just thrown away.

  It needed to be tasted.

  Savored.

  Devoured.

  I’d had a million girls before her, but Jess is another species entirely.

  She brings out sides of me I never knew were there.

  I don’t know whether to thank her for it…

  Or bend her over my knee and spank her to teach her a lesson.

  Lucky for me, I don’t have to choose between the two.

  We’ve got plenty of time for both.

  Chapter One

  Jess

  I took a deep breath, frowning down at my suitcase and wondering if there was anything I was forgetting. To take a spontaneous trip had seemed like a good idea at the time that I had booked it, but now that I was supposed to be leaving that night, I wasn't so sure anymore.

  “More shirts,” I muttered under my breath, moving already towards my dresser. But when I returned to the suitcase with the shirts in hand, I paused, looking down at the things that I already had packed. I wasn't sure that I could fit more shirts, was the thing — and I wasn't sure what to take out so that I could add more shirts.

  I sighed and put the shirts down on the bed, continuing to frown down at the suitcase. Finally, I threw my hands up in the air. If I was missing anything, I would just have to go shopping when I arrived. It wasn't as though I wouldn't be able to find the things that I needed; it wasn't like I was going to someplace in the middle of nowhere.

  I took a deep breath and flipped my suitcase closed, pulling the zipper around it. Then, I glanced at my watch — right on
time. My taxi would be there soon.

  I dragged my suitcase down into the front hall and out onto the front porch. And there was the taxi, just pulling in. I pulled the door closed behind me, checking to make sure that it was locked, and then I slipped the spare key under the front mat, where Thorn and I had agreed it would be.

  I still wasn't entirely sure about leaving my home to a stranger while I was on my trip, but I could use the little extra money. And anyway, I'd heard all sorts of great things about AirBnB. Thorn and I had chatted a few times, both through the site and over the phone, and he seemed legitimate. Besides, he only planned to stay for a night. What was the worst that could happen?

  The taxi driver honked the horn, and I rolled my eyes, carrying my bag down to the car. “Yes, yes, I'm coming,” I muttered under my breath, wondering for the thousandth time what I was forgetting. I ran through my mental checklist one more time and shook my head, reminding myself yet again that it was all right to forget things.