by Melody Anne
Chapter Nineteen Roxie had no idea what to think or feel anymore. She wasn’t sure she even trusted herself, let alone anyone else in her life. Confusion seemed to be the one emotion she could be sure of. Why, oh, why had she allowed herself to get pulled back into the orbit of Kian Forbes? Was she a glutton for punishment? She’d told herself that chapter of her life was over, and then bam! On-call room. The sad thing was, she couldn’t even regret it. The sex had been that good. The self-recriminations weren’t the best after, but during, oh, during, had been well worth the fifty lashes she should give herself. Of course, she couldn’t allow her train of thought to go down that route. Nope. That got her kinky mind to thinking in bad, bad ways, and since Lily was in her car seat, napping, Roxie certainly didn’t want to have sex and ropes and mouths and . . . Nope! Had to turn off those thoughts again. What in the world was wrong with her? Maybe it was because, until that first night at Kia
Chapter Twenty It was unreal, the urgency and panic Kian felt as he raced down the road to find Roxie and Lily. She had told him they were both fine, but he wouldn’t believe it until he was there, until he saw them, felt them, knew they didn’t have life-threatening injuries. He’d warned Roxie that vehicle she was driving was a death trap, and less than a week later, she gets into a wreck. One way or another, she was getting a safer vehicle. He didn’t care if it ended in them in a knockdown brawl. It was going to happen. He was a doctor, so he knew there were some things that simply were beyond his control. That didn’t mean he had to like it, and it didn’t mean he was simply going to sit idly by while those he cared about died of injuries he could have prevented. His heart pounded, and he couldn’t get control of his breathing as he nearly broke the speed limit by double. It was okay with him if a cop started chasing him. Then he’d have emergency vehicles on the way to the scene of the a
Chapter Twenty-One Throwing his keys down on the entryway table, Kian moved through the large foyer of his house, bypassing the double staircase and walking down the seemingly endless hallway. For some reason, the house seemed extra empty tonight. His footsteps echoed off the walls as he walked past pictures of his family, not bothering to look at them. He didn’t want to admit to what he was feeling, but loneliness came to mind before he pushed it away. He was a successful doctor, a brother, a son, and now a father. That last title got to him, though, because his daughter should be there with him. This place was meant to have children in it, was meant to absorb the sound of laughter. How much longer was he going to be able to stand not having Lily with him? He knew he wouldn’t last a long time. But he didn’t want just Lily, he wanted Roxie as well. Of course, he would love and want his daughter just on her own, but he wanted it all now. He’d bought this place a few months before Roxie
Chapter Twenty-Two Lily had been asleep for an hour, and Roxie was lying in bed reading. She’d forgone the tea, going straight for her bottle of wine. Her body was still on fire, and the worst possible thing she could do right at this moment was drink a couple of glasses of wine while reading a romance book. But she’d been so busy with taking care of Lily and then moving and finding a job that she hadn’t been able to finish her book, and it was a good one. She was a little bit in love with the hero of the story, Brett Westerly. He actually reminded her a little of Kian. Though Brett was a businessman and all, and Kian was a doctor, their attitudes certainly lined up. And Roxie was very aware that the last thing she should be doing was reading about sex when her body was so hot as it was, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She guzzled down her glass of wine and decided one more glass wouldn’t hurt anyone. She went and refilled, then climbed back into bed and grabbed her Kindle. Befo
Chapter Twenty-Three Thank you for an incredible night. Coffee’s in the fridge, you just need to heat it, and fresh doughnuts are on the table. I got called in to work or I would have woken you up with a very satisfying morning. I plan on helping you sleep tonight. Love, Kian Roxie read the note and couldn’t help but smile. Her entire body ached in the best way possible, and even though she didn’t think it was feasible, she felt a stirring of hunger at the thought of doing that all over again. She knew this was a dangerous path the two of them were taking, but maybe she should just admit they were on a runaway train and there was absolutely nothing they could do to stop it. They hadn’t talked about what was going to happen with Lily; they hadn’t talked about if Roxie would even stay in this town. They hadn’t made a commitment to each other. For all she knew, he could be seeing other women. But she was afraid to talk about any of that. She was afraid of becoming the woman she’d been whe
Chapter Twenty-Four Kian couldn’t help but smile as he stretched out on Roxie’s bed. If she seriously thought he was so easy to dismiss, then she truly had forgotten all about him in their years apart. That thought didn’t bode so well for him. He hadn’t forgotten a single thing about her—not the way her body felt, not the sound of her laughter, or the way her cheeks would give her away every single time. He had been in love with her, and he was coming to the conclusion that no matter how hard he’d tried to forget her, he still was in love with her. He truly had no idea how she felt about him, though. Kian didn’t like this uncertainty, but he had never been a person to run from his problems. When he’d found her and Lily all cozy in the barn with the vet, he’d wanted to punch Evan in the face, then put Roxie over his shoulder and smack her ass a few times before taking her home and proving to her over and over again who she belonged to. The second he’d had Lily in his arms, he’d calmed d
Chapter Twenty-Five Roxie’s nerves were exposed, and she felt more raw than she ever had before. She still didn’t know what to think about the other night with Kian. It had been too much for her, and he hadn’t relented. What did that mean? Now, she had to go to this party at Evan’s house, and she knew Kian would be there. She’d refused to ride with him, and he would have to deal with that. She wasn’t going to allow him to control her, and she was more than capable of arriving at a place by herself, even if the man didn’t think her car was suitable. He could deal with that. But she still didn’t know what it was going to be like to see him, especially in public. Her emotions were raw, her body felt foreign, and her mind was spinning. This was one of the reasons she’d run from him in the first place. She couldn’t handle how he made her feel. It was too much. All of it was just too much. Roxie took her time arriving, not wanting to be one of the first ones there. She figured if there was a
Chapter Twenty-Six It was dark when Roxie got home, and though her heart felt as if it was breaking, she was at least grateful Lily had fallen asleep on the drive. Her niece had been ticked off Roxie was pulling her away from her friends. Roxie hadn’t allowed her to play long enough, but she couldn’t face all the Forbes family members, and she certainly couldn’t face Kian anymore that night. She was afraid he might show up later, so she planned on removing her spare key and turning out all the lights. She knew if he was determined, that wouldn’t stop him, but maybe he would understand she needed a little bit of time. That wasn’t asking too much, in her honest opinion. Once more she’d forgotten to leave her porch light on and to set her alarm system, which was sure to tick Kian off. Then again, she often pissed the man off. Tonight seemed off, though, and a shiver traveled down her spine as she carried Lily while she fumbled in her purse to pull out her key. As Roxie walked into the hou
Chapter Twenty-Seven There were times in a man’s life when basic instinct was all that kept you alive. There were times when you shut off everything except adrenaline and rage. When Kian had pulled up to Roxie’s house, intent on giving her a piece of his mind for leaving, he’d realized exactly what that meant. Her curtains were open, and a man was standing in front of her holding a knife. He’d taken about five seconds to call 911, to tell them a murder was about to happen, then he’d left his phone on, dropped on the front seat of his pickup truck, and he’d charged the front door. In his rage, he’d kicked it in without a moment’s hesitation, and then he’d lunged. He’d had the adv
antage on the attacker, as he’d come out of nowhere, but the man had been big, and he’d managed to get a couple of swipes of his blade into Kian. But there had been no way Kian was allowing that man to harm his family. He’d subdued the man, and he’d seriously planned on ending his life so he could never be a thr
Chapter Twenty-Eight Roxie wiped her eyes as she walked to the break room and poured what had to be her tenth cup of coffee in only four hours’ time. She was more than grateful the hospital was slow today. She truly feared she’d make a wrong call, and a patient would be the one to pay the price. She hadn’t seen Kian in three days. Now, that might not seem a long time to the average person, but after all of their ups and downs, it might as well be an eternity. She’d been at work all three days, and Kian had been in the hospital, but he’d been on another floor, and she couldn’t find a reason to go there. She knew he’d stopped at the day care many times to visit with Lily, who was always more than happy to see him and had to tell Roxie all about their special time together. So, it was only Roxie he appeared to be avoiding. That was good, she tried to convince herself. He’d told her he was giving her time to figure it out. But she was a wreck, an utter and complete wreck. She wasn’t sure w
Epilogue Why was it that sometimes it took a terrible tragedy to wake a person up? Roxie would never understand it, but she also wasn’t a person who didn’t learn from mistakes. She’d made too many of them in her life, and now she had been given a second chance, and she vowed not to waste it. Kian held Lily in his arms, and the sound of her laughter was about the most beautiful music in the universe to Roxie. She rubbed her bulky stomach as she glided across the dance floor, her eyes focused on the two most important people in her life. “There’s my beautiful wife,” Kian said as she leaned in and kissed him before giggling. “With my stomach out so far, I’m having a much more difficult time reaching you,” she said. “I love this belly. I’m going to miss it,” Kian told her as he ran his fingers across her protruding stomach. “I’m going to miss it, too,” Roxie admitted. “I love Lily as if she truly were mine. I also love this experience of carrying a child within me and getting to be there f
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book is the most emotional journey I have taken with the beginning of a new series. I always mix my personal life into my writing, and without a doubt, this book doesn’t offer an exception. Kian and Roxie go through some heart-wrenching moments in this story, and it’s because of the people around me that I’m able to write with such passion, happiness, anger, and laughter. I can’t write alone, and I don’t ever want to. Sometimes I hide away and pretend there isn’t an outside world, but when I do that, my writing fails me. It’s when I’m around friends and family that I’m at my best. Thank you so much to the continued support from my fans, who I can’t do the job I love without. Thank you to my family, who always support me no matter how crazy I get. Thank you to my friends, who make me laugh and get me to spread my wings and fly. Thank you to my Montlake family. You took a chance on me, have always believed in me, and make me feel like anything is possible, and I enjo
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Photo © John Evanston Melody Anne is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has written a number of popular series, including Billionaire Bachelors, Surrender, Baby for the Billionaire, and Billionaire Aviators. Along with romance and young adult novels, Melody has also recently collaborated with fellow authors J.S. Scott and Ruth Cardello for Taken by a Trillionaire. Kian is the first book in Melody’s new Undercover Billionaire series. A country girl at heart, Melody loves the small town and strong community she lives in. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and beloved pets. Most of all, she loves being able to do what makes her happiest . . . living in a fantasy world (for at least 95 percent of the time).
ALSO BY MELODY ANNE
The Billionaire Aviators
Turbulent Intentions
Turbulent Desires
Turbulent Waters
Turbulent Intrigue
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2018 by Melody Anne
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Montlake Romance, Seattle
www.apub.com
Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake Romance are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
ISBN-13: 9781542046046
ISBN-10: 1542046041
Cover design by Letitia Hasser
This one is for Chris. Very rarely do people enter our lives who we truly don’t want to live without. From the moment you stepped into my life, I knew you were that person. I adore you, Christopher. My world is a better place with you in it—always has been and always will be.
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Epilogue
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chapter One
“Dr. Forbes to ER STAT.”
The voice boomed over the hospital speaker system at the same time his pager buzzed. It was a Friday night in Edmonds, Washington, and there was no time for rest, with traumas pouring in through the double doors.
Kian was a trauma surgeon, and he loved the knowledge that he was capable of saving a life other doctors couldn’t. And when it came to the kids, he had an extrawide soft spot. Yes, he’d seen enough trauma to last a lifetime, but the hope that he could save one more child kept him moving forward.
Kian swept through the corridors of the hospital as he thought about the fact that he was grateful to only work the night shift once a month. He’d paid his dues on nights and now enjoyed only being called in for special cases, but there was nothing that got his blood pumping more than a code-three ambulance coming through the doors. It wasn’t uncommon for the ER physician to consult with the surgeons, especially in cases of trauma.
Kian screeched to a halt in the entrance to the busy ER as he glanced at the heavy commotion of hospital staff scurrying to and fro as patients rushed through the hospital doors. For a weekend night in suburban Seattle, this was nothing new. When he scanned the trauma bay, his heart lodged in his throat. Kian found a very pregnant woman lying on a stretcher covered in red as a highly capable staff did all they could to help her. Her clothes had been cut off, and it was difficult to see any area of her body that wasn’t blood soaked, making it impossible to identify her.
A crime scene would have been less gory than what was before Kian. He quickly assessed the room. Detectives? Check. Gore? Check. Cries of pain? Double check.
On a stretcher next to the pregnant woman was a young girl—three, maybe four. Her eyes were wide with fear, and her frail body was covered in blood. Nurses worked efficiently to place her on the monitors and assess her for life-threatening wounds.
“We have a twenty-eight-year-old female, seven months pregna
nt, with approximately fifteen to eighteen stab wounds in the chest, neck, and abdomen. Blood pressure is 76/52, heart rate is 133, oxygen saturation is 82 percent, and we are bagging her while we prepare for intubation,” a nurse called out. Kian nodded.
“Also, her three-year-old daughter, multiple stab wounds in the arm, back, and head, bleeding is controlled and her vitals are stable.” The last part of her words came out slightly choked, and she had to clear her throat before she continued.
“The baby’s heartbeat is one hundred and dropping, and we’re having a hard time controlling mom’s bleeding. We are transfusing blood now, but it may not be enough. We need to get her into the OR ASAP.”
Without conscious thought, Kian was already getting to work, grabbing gloves and continuing to assess the progress the team was making. He noticed the new ER physician trying to maintain a grasp on the situation, but the man seemed overwhelmed. It was understandable.
“We need the NICU team and the neonatologist in the OR now in case this baby is viable,” Kian said with sharpened focus.
“We did a fast scan that shows significant internal bleeding including lacerated liver, right hemothorax, and possible cardiac tamponade. We’re also putting pressure on her left carotid artery, which has been lacerated. She has two sixteen-gauge IVs and an IO in place. We have two units of blood infusing now, and she’s on her third liter of fluid,” the ER doctor said, sounding exhausted as he prepared for intubation.
