Claimed: The Complete Short Romance Series

by Nichole Rose

  She is the center of my world, the sun and the stars. I worship her as much now as ever.

  She's still my naughty little princess. I'm still her wicked daddy. I'm inside her at every available opportunity, giving her pleasure with my body and taking my own from hers. But we're so much more than that, too. The bond we share is immense, exactly as life changing as I knew it would be. I've become softer, leaving loneliness and bitterness in the past. She's become a force to be reckoned with, blossoming from a mischievous princess into a fierce queen.

  Jocelyn, who now works as my agent, is chomping at the bit to get her hands on this book. I have no doubts she'll guard it as fiercely as she has the other seven I've delivered into her hands over the last few years. I trust her implicitly. But I've refused to let her read a word of this one.

  Caroline gets to see it before anyone else.

  Watching her conquer the world has been my greatest pleasure in life. She is a fearless warrior, fighting for change at every opportunity. Over the years, she's done so much good, helping to bring attention to the changing climate and finding ways to transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy. It took a while, but she even managed to sway her father. His company now invests twice as much in solar and wind powered energy as they do in crude oil.

  She is magnificent, and she is mine. I am hers. Her lover. Her daddy. Her King.

  "It's about mommy?" Hermione asks, turning inquisitive eyes up at me. She's so curious, so eager to explore the world around her and learn. She soaks up knowledge like a sponge. It's extraordinary how very like Caroline she is in that way. Unlike my princess though, my daughter won't grow up thinking she has to make herself less to make others comfortable. She'll grow up with a mother who teaches her to be strong and a father who adores her exactly as she is.

  "It is about mommy, and about how much daddy loves her." I tap Hermione on the nose, smiling at her. "But that's a secret, right?"

  "If you say so," she says, her voice full of doubt. "But eberybody knows you love her. You tell her all da time."

  I laugh quietly. She's right. I do tell my princess that I love her all the time. I never want her to forget for even a second that she and our kids are the best things that ever happened to me. If I never wrote another word, I would survive. If I lost my family, I'd find a way to follow behind them.

  "I love you and your brothers just as much, little bird."

  "I know." She smiles at me and then yawns again. "Can I hab a prince like mommy does?"

  "Maybe when you're fifty."

  She huffs at me.

  "No boys until then, Hermione." Just the thought of my baby girl being old enough to date shaves a dozen years off my life. "Boys are gross."

  "Unka Asher said I could hab a prince when I'm thirty."

  "Uncle Asher isn't going to live to see you at thirty if I kill him," I grumble, narrowing my eyes. Asher and Kennedy have been married for as long as Caroline and I have. Asher is one of my closest friends. He's as fiercely protective of Kennedy as I am of Caroline. But he has babies of his own. He can make the rules for them. My baby girl isn't dating until she's fifty. Even then, she'll be too young.

  "Aunt Kenzie will be sad if you kill him, daddy," Hermione says, giggling.

  The sound of her laughter eases my irritation with her uncle. A little bit. I probably won't kill him because that would upset my wife and her sisters and the kids. Maybe I'll just run him over with my car. Kennedy might be mad, but she learned to forgive me once. Surely if I leave him alive, she'll forgive me a second time.

  It took a while for her to learn to trust me, but once she realized how much I love her sister, she came around. She still comes to me for help every once in a while. But she's written her own story and blazed her own trail…and done an incredible job at it.

  Hermione's eyes flutter.

  "You're tired, little bird."

  "Nu-uh."

  I smile, shaking my head. She would stay up peppering me with questions all night if I'd let her. She hates to miss anything. But she has daycare tomorrow with her brothers and it's already after eleven. "Go to sleep, baby girl. The world will still be waiting for you tomorrow."

  She pouts at me but doesn't argue. Instead, she grabs my hand and places it on her head, silently demanding that I play with her hair like Caroline does when our daughter doesn't want to sleep. My princess is an incredible mom with a limitless well of energy and patience. She loves our babies fiercely…and spoils them as much as I do. Hermione might be a daddy's girl, but our boys are all about their mommy.

  I run my fingers through Hermione's hair, combing gently through the tangles.

  "Tell me a story," she demands.

  "Which story, little bird?"

  "Da one about how da beast met my mommy."

  I smile, my heart pulsing again. She never wants to hear any story but that one. So I tell her about the night I went to a ball and met a princess who changed my life and changed me. I tell her about a wounded beast learning to love again, learning to live again. I tell her the truth. At least the parts she's allowed to hear. The rest…well, those parts are just for me and my princess.

  Caroline

  "Jared." I run my hand down the side of his handsome face, quietly calling his name. He's asleep at his desk with Hermione passed out on his lap. Despite the fact that he's out cold, he has one arm curled around her, holding her protectively so she doesn't fall. The sight melts my heart.

  I never knew love like this existed, but every day of my life with Jared has been a fairytale. He brought so much magic into my life when I found him. Having his babies has brought even more. Hermione, Archer, and Jude are my heart and Jared is my soul. There is nothing I wouldn't do for them.

  Jared's lashes flutter.

  "Wake up, my handsome prince," I whisper, pressing my lips to his forehead and then to his lips.

  "Mm, princess," he sighs, reaching out with his free arm to snag me around the waist. His lips seek mine out again, making me smile. Even half asleep, he is insatiable. I can't count the number of times he's woken up in the middle of the night to make love to me…nor how many I've done the same. After five years, the flame between us has only grown hotter. It burns brighter.

  I want him incessantly, and I know he feels the same.

  "Hermione is sleeping on your lap," I remind him, kissing all over his face.

  "I know." He chuckles softly, his eyes fluttering open. Searing mossy green locks with mine, sending my heart rate into overdrive.

  Jared has always been beautiful to me, but he's only gotten more beautiful over the years. Especially since we had kids. There's a glint of satisfaction and pride in his eyes that never diminishes or disappears. The way he loves our babies, protecting and providing for them and for me, is so damn sexy to me. He's an amazing father…and an equally as incredible daddy. We are spoiled with his love, humbled by his devotion, safe with his protection.

  "The monsters came back," he says.

  "One day, you're going to stop letting her fool you with that," I murmur, brushing his hair back from his forehead. Hermione hasn't believed in monsters since she was two. "She only tells you there are monsters because she knows you'll let her stay in here with you."

  "I know." He grins at me. "But it makes her happy when I play along."

  "You spoil her," I say, no heat in my voice. He spoils all of us. I think it's adorable how tightly he's wrapped around her little fingers. I know he's going to be wrapped around our next baby's fingers just as tightly. He doesn't know I'm pregnant yet. I didn't even know until a few hours ago. I can't wait to get him alone to tell him. "You should come to bed."

  His eyes heat, turning dark. "You need me, princess?"

  "Always, daddy."

  He groans, his hand tightening on my hip before he releases me. "I'll be there in a minute," he promises, pushing his chair back to stand up. Hermione doesn't even stir as he adjusts his hold on her to carry her to bed.

  I kiss her on the cheek and then
follow them from his office. When he carries her into her bedroom, I stop across the hall to check on the boys. They're both asleep in Jude's bed again. We tried to put them in their own beds when they graduated to toddler beds, but they never seemed to stay there.

  Even if we waited until they were asleep to put them down for the night, when we came to check on them, Archer would have crawled out of his bed and into Jude's, or Jude would be in Archer's. They're happier when they're together. I guess that happens when you share a womb. Eventually, they'll grow out of wanting to be right next to each other when they sleep. Until then, we let them sleep together.

  "I love you," I whisper, brushing Jude's hair back from his face. He and his brother already look so much like Jared with their leather-brown hair and green eyes. I tuck him in and then grab Archer's blanket from his bed to tuck him into Jude's.

  He stirs slightly and whines, his little lip poking out. Thankfully, he doesn't wake.

  "Goodnight, sweet boys." I kiss them both and then double check to make sure their baby monitor is on before I slip back out into the hallway.

  Jared is waiting for me when I reach our room. I'm barely over the threshold before he pulls me into his arms, backing me up against the door. His lips find mine, his kiss ravenous. I swear, when we're apart for even a few hours, we crave each other so much. By the time we're alone together, we're both frantic, desperate to be connected physically again.

  "Daddy," I moan, tipping my head back against the wall as he attacks my throat with his lips, sliding his hand beneath my shirt at the same time.

  "You aren't wearing a bra," he growls, one hand closing over my right breast. He pinches my nipple, making me sob his name, partly because it feels so damn good, partly because my breasts are so tender…which is why I'm not wearing a bra. He gets crazy possessive when I leave the house without one. I don't usually do it unless I intend to rile him up.

  As soon as he hears me, he jerks his hand away, his gaze flying to mine. His eyes are dilated with desire that quickly bleeds to concern. He can be rough and dirty, but he's also so incredibly gentle with me. "Did I hurt you?"

  "No," I promise.

  He narrows his eyes, suspicious. I'm not very good at keeping anything from him. He knows me even better than I know myself, I think. He reads me so easily. He knows my sounds and what they mean. He also knows how much I like it when he gets rough with me, so there's no hiding that something is different this time.

  "I have something to tell you."

  He watches me steadily, waiting for me to tell him.

  I reach for his hand, placing it against my stomach. "You're going to be a daddy again, Jared," I whisper. "I'm pregnant."

  He splays his hand across my belly, emotion flaring in his eyes. "You're serious?" he asks, his voice shaking. "You're pregnant again, princess?"

  I nod, tears filling my eyes. "I peed on a stick tonight. We're having another baby."

  "God, princess," he breathes, leaning forward to touch his forehead to mine. "Just when I think my life can't get any more perfect, you somehow manage to make it even better. Every day, you make my life better, sweet baby. How did I ever live without you?"

  "Daddy," I sob, my tears spilling over to course freely down my cheeks. "I love you so much."

  He pulls me into his arms, kissing my tears away, and then he sweeps me up and carries me to bed. Somehow, he manages to get me undressed without ever separating more than a few inches from my lips. His kisses are full of gratitude and pride, of worship and reverence. So are his hands as he runs them all over my body.

  By the time he's naked, I'm writhing beneath him, pleading for him to ease the ache that grows bigger by the moment. I don't just want him inside me. I need him. He kisses his way down my body before throwing my legs over his shoulders to take me with his mouth.

  His loud sounds and mine blend together, filling the room with the song of our obsession. I twist my fingers into his hair, holding him to me as he thrusts two fingers inside me, attacking my clit with his lips and tongue. I rock my hips against his face, greedy for more. He always eats me like I'm the best thing he's ever tasted, like he would live on me if only he could find a way to make it possible.

  Lord knows, seeing how good I can make him feel with my mouth is one of my favorite things to do. I can make my daddy beg when I take him in my mouth. He doesn't let me do it for very long. He says he likes it too much and that it makes him crazy to fuck me, which makes me happy.

  "Fuck," he growls when I'm right on the edge. "I can't wait. Daddy needs to be in you now." He kisses my center and then crawls up my body. As soon as I wrap around him like a koala bear, he flips us over, trading places. "Ride me, princess."

  I brace my hands on his chest and then pause to run my fingers over the tattoo of my name. He got it on our first anniversary. Asher did it for him. I love it so much. It's in beautiful black script, with little memories of our life together hidden in the swirls.

  "Princess," Jared growls, impatient and bossy. "You're killing me here."

  "Sorry, daddy." I laugh quietly and then take mercy on him. I lift up, allowing him to line himself up at my entrance. He runs his fingers over my back entrance, making me gasp and moan. He knows how much I love it when he takes me there.

  I pay him back for teasing me by dropping down on him, impaling myself on his cock all at once.

  "Caroline!" he shouts, his voice strangled with pleasure. His eyes meet mine, full of heat. "Naughty little princess."

  "Only for you, daddy," I moan, writhing on his lap. Somehow, I always forget just how good he feels when he's inside me. I think I remember until he's in me again, but I don't. It is always better than the last time. He's so big and hard. God, I love everything about sex with him.

  He wraps his hands around my waist, helping to lift me up and down his cock. "Fuck," he pants, his eyes on fire as he watches his cock disappear inside me over and over before flicking his gaze up to watch the way my breasts bounce. "Watching those little tits jiggling in my face, knowing you're carrying my baby again, being inside you…fuck, princess. You've got daddy's dick so hard it hurts."

  "You like when I make it hurt," I remind him.

  He growls at me again, almost a sob, really. I love that sound. When he makes it, I know he's so turned on he can't even think straight. Making him feel that way makes me just as crazy. Our pleasure feeds off one another, creating a harmonic that drives us both wild.

  I ride him hard, slamming myself down on his cock until we're both writhing, both crying out into the room. Thank god our room is soundproof because we're both loud.

  "Goddamn. You fuck daddy so good, princess. So fucking good," he says, the words staccato, timed to each time I snap my hips, taking him all the way to the hilt again. He grabs my bottom, grinding me down on him.

  "Daddy, daddy," I gasp, trying to tell him that I'm going to come.

  But he already knows. He always knows.

  "Give it to me."

  I come as soon as he demands it, sobbing his name and bucking against him. My heart pounds, blood rushing in my ears in a dull roar of sound. My body overheats, sweat sliding down my skin, dampening my hair. He holds me down on him, grinding so deep I feel him in my soul again, right where he belongs.

  "Fuck!" he shouts, following me over the edge.

  I feel his cock pulsing inside me, feel him spilling into me. I sob his name again, losing the ability to hold myself up. I slump against his chest, writhing and panting through the aftershocks, my body clenched tightly around his, demanding everything he has to give me.

  He does, willingly, eagerly, chanting my name over and over.

  We tremble together, his heart racing beneath my ear. He runs reverent hands all over my back, touching everywhere he can reach as we both float slowly back to earth. Or to our heavenly little corner of it, anyway.

  Eventually, I find enough strength to turn my face and press my lips over his heart. "I love you, daddy," I whisper against his sweaty skin, so damn
in love with him that tears fill my eyes. "I love you so damn much."

  He wraps his arms around me and rolls us until I'm on my back with him hovering over me. He brushes strands of hair out of my face, his eyes searching out mine. "I love you too. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, sweet baby." His lips touch my forehead and then my eyes before finally landing against my lips. "Thank you. Thank you."

  I don't have to ask what he's thanking me for, I already know. For us. For our incredible life and our babies. For every moment of the last five years and every moment of the years still to come. For putting my trust into the hands of a handsome prince at a ball.

  Back then, he told me the night belonged to us. Now, we both know he was wrong. The night isn't ours…but the future is. And it is going to be so damn beautiful. A true fairytale ending.

  Bonus Scene

  Caroline

  Six Years Later

  "Abort mission," I hiss to Kennedy, waving my arms like a crazy person in an attempt to get her attention. "Abort mission."

  She doesn't see me. Asher has all of her attention. Whatever he's saying to her has her lit up like the Fourth of July…which would be way cuter if he weren't currently ruining my master plan. Or my last-ditch effort to abort my master plan.

  Jared is missing from his spot across the room, which means Liberty failed to distract him. There's no way I'm getting out of here now. I need better co-conspirators. Mine aren't very helpful. They lie worse than I do.

  "Princess," Jared says, coming up behind me.

  "Ahh!" I jump, spinning around to face him. "Jesus, Jared. You almost gave me a heart attack!"

  His lips twitch as his gorgeous eyes flit across my face. "What are you up to, sweet baby?" he asks, pulling me into his arms. His lips brush my crown, and he sighs, his body relaxing against mine. My belly kind of gets in the way, but he doesn't mind. He loves watching it grow.

  It's not so fun from my vantage point. I feel like I'm as big as a whale. I haven't been able to see my own feet in over a month! It's making me crazy. Well, crazier, I guess. Which is why I planned to sneak out of Jared's signing to troop all the way across the mall to pick up lingerie.