by Sam Crescent
“Why didn’t you say anything?” They were both crying now, and he couldn’t stand to see her cry.
“I didn’t want you to freak out, and I was selfish, Aria. So fucking selfish. I haven’t been honest with you about a lot of things.” He ran a hand over his face, hating how much of a dick he’d been to her. “I love you. I’ve been in love with you for some time now. I guess, in the back of my mind maybe, I figured if you were pregnant with my kid, I’d be able to, you know, keep you.”
“You love me?”
He stared into her eyes. “So much. I’ve never felt this way before in my life. I know you hate me, and I’ve done a lot of bad things to you. I want to make it up to you. To love you and to prove to you that Max from the past, he’s gone. He’s gone, and he isn’t coming back. It’s just me.”
“I can’t believe you love me.”
“I do. So fucking much it scares me. I … I should have told you about the stupid condom, but I was scared.”
“So Max Carter gets scared?”
“Yeah, I get scared.”
She wiped at her tears. “I’ve got a bit of a confession to make. I don’t hate you, Max. In fact, I rather kind of love you. I know I should find an excuse not to, but I’m tired of fighting this. I love that you come and walk me to work every single day. I even noticed that you sometimes followed me. A little bit like a stalker, but it was kind of nice for you to do that. I like dancing with you. I don’t like the way women look at you, but I had noticed you don’t look at them. Not even a little bit. You always pay me attention, never anyone else.” She held his hands tightly. “I’m scared about what we’re going to be like together, but if you’d have me, I’d very much like to raise this child with you.”
“I want that. I want to be with you. Every single step of the way. Birthing classes, moving in together. My place is bigger. You’ll move in with me.” She laughed. “I don’t care if people think it’s too soon. I’m gonna be a dad.”
“Yes. I have an appointment next week to see the doctor. If you’d like to come.”
“Aria, I’ve never been the kind of guy to hang around a woman’s neck, and to be needy, but with you, going a couple of hours without knowing you’re okay drives me crazy. I want to be with you, every single day. Every appointment, every second, we’re in this together.”
He got up from his seat and walked around, holding her tightly.
“I love you, Max.”
“Aria, marry me.”
****
“And you said yes?” June asked.
“I did.” Aria looked around the spare bedroom. Max, Dale, and Trey were moving her stuff into his place. She couldn’t argue as it was bigger than hers, and with a spare bedroom as well, which they were already turning into a nursery for their child.
The doctor had already confirmed her pregnancy. She was on folic acid as all pregnant women were, and also, she had a strict diet of what to avoid.
“I’ve never seen him like this,” Molly said. “I think being a fiancé has kind of settled him down.”
“I know. He’s babyproofing everything. No corners or edges. He doesn’t like me walking downstairs in case I fall.” Aria laughed.
“You’re loving it.”
“Totally.” He loved her.
Aria at times still found that incredibly hard to believe. Max loved her.
“There you are. You’re supposed to be resting.”
“Max, I’m having a baby. I’m fine to help move things around. You need to relax.”
“I will, when I know you’re resting.” He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck.
Trey and Dale walked into the room, both of them going to their women.
“Look at us, all of us happy, settled down.”
“You’ve been engaged and a soon to be dad for, like, ten minutes, and you already think you know more than all of us.”
“Because I totally do,” Max said.
Aria laughed at his confidence. She held his arm, which was across her stomach, and she hugged him tightly.
“You both look great together and so happy,” June said. “I’m so excited for the both of you.”
She looked up at Max. “Thank you.”
Their friends left the room, and she turned in Max’s arms, placing her hands on his chest. She rubbed across the patch where his heart lay.
“Any regrets at all?” she asked.
“I have one single regret.”
“What?”
“I didn’t tell you I loved you sooner.” He sank his fingers into her hair, holding her close as he deepened the kiss. Her entire body moaned as this tongue stroked over her lip, and she whimpered his name, begging for more.
“Please don’t have sex,” Dale said. “We’re still here, and we have to move more stuff.”
“I didn’t think you had so much stuff,” he said, groaning against her lips.
“I don’t, but we did also agree to feed our friends for their help.”
“I can make them starve.”
“I know you would, but that is mean, and we’re not mean to our friends.” She kissed him again. “You’ll be all mine tonight. I promise.”
She went to walk away, but he caught her wrist, pulling her close. “You don’t get to leave that quickly.”
He pressed her against the wall, and she wished they could send their friends off now as she wanted Max all to herself.
She kept her resolve though, because they had plenty of time to make up for it. They had the rest of their lives.
Epilogue
Ten years later
“My kids are getting ready to go to college, and yours are going to be heading up to high school soon. Where did the time go?” Dale asked.
Max watched his three sons and two daughters as they played on the field. They were enjoying the high school fair, which took place every single summer at the end of term without fail.
Dale’s kids were wandering around the stalls, while Aria, June, and Molly were running their food tent. Each year June always offered to host a food tent, and this was no different.
He was taking care of his and Aria’s kids, like he did every single year.
Ten years he’d been married.
Ten years he’d belonged to Aria, and each day he considered more precious than the last. Their relationship had been the talk of the town for a short time, until they were married, and until they saw Aria actually pregnant with his kid.
He knew some of the women believed he’d stray, but never in all the years he’d been married or engaged, or even before that, had he ever stepped out on his woman.
Some men cheated, but Max knew he never would. Glancing behind him, toward the tent where his woman was working selling all the baked goods she’d been working on, he knew she was the love of his life. There was no one else in the world for him.
“You’ve got that completely besotted look on your face again. It kind of makes me want to vomit,” Dale said.
“You’re just scared. Your kids are getting older, and you’re worried Molly’s going to leave your ass.”
“I’m not worried. I’m happy. I just … time is flying by so fast. I don’t want to waste a single moment of it.”
“Dad, Dad, look, I can totally do a handstand,” Luke said, running toward him. Luke was six years old, and constantly trying to copy his oldest sister, Louise.
Every single time he was called “Dad” it was like his heart stopped beating or some shit like that. He was over the moon to be a dad and so proud to be a husband.
He clapped his hands as his son did a handstand, or at least something where he kicked his feet out from under him.
“Well, losers, we’re all dads, and we’re all happily married men,” Max said. “When did that happen?”
Each of them turned to look at the tent where their women were. Aria glanced over at him and smiled. Her hand lifted in a wave.
“We found the right women,” Dale said.
Max had had enough of
waiting around. He walked toward his woman and pulled her into his arms.
“Max?”
“Woman, it’s the fair. You do this every year, and for once I’m going to steal you away.” Dale and Trey usually got there before him, and he was left helping at the tent. This year, he was going to enjoy the fair with his wife. He tossed Dale his wife’s hat and walked away.
They walked toward their kids, where they were still having fun, trying to do some kind of gymnastics.
“They’re our babies,” she said.
“They are.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. His hand rested low on her stomach, and he waited for her.
“Max?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I’m pregnant.”
He smiled against her neck. “I know.”
There wasn’t anything he didn’t know about his wife, and he loved her. Each day that passed he loved her more than the last.
Ten years together had been a dream, and he was looking forward to the next fifty-plus. As long as Aria was in his life, he knew they were always going to be perfect.
The End
www.samcrescent.com
Other Books by Sam Crescent:
www.evernightpublishing.com/sam-crescent
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BONUS SAMPLE CHAPTER
BRED BY THE BILLIONAIRE
Breeding Season, 1
Sam Crescent and Stacey Espino
Copyright © 2017
Chapter One
“Where’s my fucking coffee?” Tobias Bennett sifted through the files on his desk. He was getting too old for this shit—late nights at the office and staff who couldn’t follow simple instructions. At this point in his life, he’d imagined living on a private island, a mojito in one hand and The Wall Street Journal in the other. But he was still running the family business with no sign of slowing down. He’d been termed a perfectionist, and probably a lot worse, but he strongly believed wealth was the measure of success.
A couple minutes later, one of the interns set a mug on the corner of his desk. She scurried out of his office, nearly breaking into a jog. Was he that much of an asshole?
Tobias scrubbed both hands over his face. He knew exactly what had been driving him crazy lately. His parents were riding him hard for an heir, another Bennett to carry on the family empire. The problem—he wasn’t looking for a wife. His bachelor life suited him just fine, and even at forty-five, he wasn’t ready to settle down. He would have told his aging parents to back off, but they had a point, one that kept crowding his thoughts.
Morgan peered in his office. “Why are you still here?”
“Work.”
“Go home. It’s Friday night, for God’s sake.” He’d gone to university with Morgan, and hired him to work on the Bennett Corporation legal team over a decade ago. Morgan was the only man who dared to speak freely with him.
“I’ve got that big bid on Monday. I need to be prepared,” said Tobias.
“We’ve already got it covered. Everything’s in order.”
“It has to be perfect.”
Morgan exhaled, then shook his head. “Well, I’m heading out.” Then he added, “Don’t push yourself so hard.”
“See you Monday.” Tobias leaned back in his leather chair and gave his friend a mock salute.
Once alone again, he pondered Morgan’s words. Yes, he pushed himself. It was life as a Bennett. His parents expected perfection from day one, and he’d always delivered. The company was strong, profitable, and dominating the stock market because he didn’t fuck around. He always put a hundred percent effort into everything he set out to do, and demanded the same from his staff. If one of his employees couldn’t meet the mark, he didn’t think twice about showing them the door. He had no room for weakness.
After another couple of hours, he packed up his paperwork and flicked off the lights to his corner penthouse office. As he stood in the darkness, the lights of the city sparkled with life beyond the floor to ceiling windows. He grabbed his briefcase and walked over to the window, looking down from one of the highest vantage points. It was one big party below, a city that never slept.
He’d put the Bennett Corporation on the map, made his father’s business into something multi-national, but what happened next? What would happen when he died? The legacy he’d built would die along with him, all his hard work and sacrifices for nothing. The business might continue with the family name, but without the blood of a Bennett, it would be a soulless enterprise, nothing more than dollars and cents.
“Mr. Bennett?”
Tobias snapped out of his reverie, turning to see a silhouette in the doorway of his darkened office. “Yes?”
“Would you like some company tonight?”
He narrowed his eyes as he strode to the door. “Aren’t you one of the new analysts we just hired?” Tobias had thousands of employees, so couldn’t remember many names and faces. He only allowed minimal staff on the penthouse floor of his skyscraper. He remembered this woman from the new staff tour yesterday morning, and only because she’d worn a short skirt.
“Yes, sir.”
“And why are you up here?”
“I wanted to offer my company.” She ran her finger along the low collar of her blouse. Was she actually trying to seduce him? “I have many skillsets beyond analyzing, and I thought you’d like me to show you some.”
He scoffed. “You thought wrong, sweetheart. If you’d actually done any digging, you’d know I never mix business with pleasure.”
“But—”
“Stay on the fifth floor. I don’t want to see you up here again.”
She sulked off, clearly not expecting him to reject her. Tobias wasn’t hard up. He had a long list of women he could call for a hook-up. None of them meant a thing to him. They were available for sex, and that’s how he liked it—until now. If he wanted a kid, he had to find a decent woman to be the mother. Unfortunately, most of the women he fucked were gold-diggers, and he didn’t want any baby drama. He just wanted the heir, nothing more.
He could already envision it, a life similar to his own childhood. His son would be raised by a nanny, go to boarding school, and be trained to be the best at everything. Tobias knew parenting wouldn’t take much effort on his part—he’d rarely seen his own mother and father growing up.
Tobias took the elevator down to the parking garage, trying to push thoughts of babies and legacies out of his head. This responsibility shouldn’t have fallen on his damn shoulders. He’d been the younger brother—until he turned sixteen. Maximus had been nineteen when he died of a heroin overdose. Of course, his parents made sure the real cause didn’t hit the media, appearances being more important than the truth. Tobias had seen it coming. He’d done nothing. Unlike him, Maximus wanted more, wanted the love and warmth he’d seen in other homes. Their father said he was weak, he couldn’t cut it, and that’s why he killed himself. No one ever mentioned Maximus, like he never existed.
The elevator dinged, and Tobias stepped out into the secure garage. He dug the keys to his Mercedes out of his pocket, turning off the alarm system. Once behind the wheel, he tossed his briefcase onto the passenger seat and squeezed the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. Reflecting on a past that couldn’t be undone was pointless, and like his father taught him, emotions were for pussies. He needed to block that shit out, forget about the brother taken from him too soon. Trying to imagine an alternate reality would only break down his carefully maintained exterior.
He turned on the radio, hoping the music would drown out the noise in his head. Right now, he wished he could have fucked that blonde bitch over his desk to release the tension, but he refused to get involved with women in the office. Nothing was worth risking the reputation of the family business, certainly not a piece of ass.
Tobias hit the gas as he drove, the streetlights and bright signage disguising the fact the sun had set hours ago. At least leaving late thinned out the downtown traffic. His condo was only ten minutes from the office in one of the waterfront condos owned by the Bennett Corporation. There wasn’t much they didn’t have their hand in.
He nodded to the doorman as he walked to the elevator. Normally, he’d go out for a drink on Friday, maybe choose who he wanted to take home with him for the night. Today, he just wanted to crash. He’d pour himself a scotch on the rocks and drown out all the insecurities. Friday meant he could sleep in tomorrow, so he’d drink enough to keep all his nightmares at bay.
****
Adora Garcia had three major assignments due in the next two weeks, so her desk and laptop were going to be her best friends for a while. She’d been studying all morning, empty coffee cups and balls of scrunched up paper hiding her cellphone. When it began to ring, she remembered the promise to pick her mother up from work while her car was in the shop.
She drove out to the waterfront where her mother worked cleaning Tobias Bennett’s condo three days a week and every Saturday. Adora hated driving in the downtown core, but it was the least she could do for the woman who raised her single-handedly, working her fingers to the bone to provide the basics.
“Can I help you?”
Adora had been wandering around the massive lobby of the condo, admiring the modern architecture, use of glass, and difficult angles. The security had apparently had enough of her presence. She was used to being questioned in stores when they assumed she was stealing something. Her absentee father had been a blue-eyed, white businessman who’d used and dumped her mother twenty years ago, leaving her alone and pregnant. Although Adora didn’t have her mother’s skin color, she had many of her Latin American features, including her long dark hair.
