Claimed: The Complete Short Romance Series

by Nichole Rose

  "Hi, Asher," Sophie says.

  Shit. I'm being rude…which isn't much different from most days if I'm being honest. I don't care for most people. But Sophie is an exception to the rule. She's family. And Trick will kick my ass if I'm rude to her.

  "Hi, sweetheart. Sorry I'm late. Got hung up working on a piece," I mutter, scrubbing a hand through my hair again. The piece was a simple rose, but the chick wouldn't stop complaining and sit still. Which wasn't a big deal until approximately five minutes ago. A lot of people struggle to sit still when you're permanently inking their skin. But had she cooperated, I might have been here long before the brunette vanished.

  "It's all good," Trick drawls, playing with a piece of Sophie's red hair.

  "Are you talking about Kennedy?" Sophie asks me, swatting his hand away.

  I didn't imagine her. Thank God.

  Trick grins at Sophie, his eyes lighting up. I swear, he gets off on riling her up. He does it every chance he gets just so he can kiss her happy again after. Never thought I'd see him fall as hard as he did for the little redheaded queen at his side. I'm happy as hell for both of them.

  "Her name is Kennedy?" I ask.

  "Yeah. Kennedy Thorne," Sophie says, eyeing me oddly. She probably thinks I'm insane. Hell, I might be because I took one look at the girl and every nerve ending in my body started firing. My heart is still pounding like a war drum. And my cock is hard enough to pound steel.

  I plan to take care of that last issue as soon as I find her.

  "Where'd she go?" I ask Sophie since she's the one with the answers.

  "She left."

  "She left?" I growl so loud half the table turns to look at me. It's then I notice the door tucked into the alcove in the corner. The parking lot is visible through the glass.

  Son of a bitch. I would find my future wife and lose her in the space of five minutes.

  Trick's lips curve in amusement, like he knows what's up.

  Sophie's eyes widen.

  "Where's she going?"

  "Back to Nashville," Sophie says. "She has a class early in the morning."

  "She's a college student?"

  Sophie tilts her head to the side, eyeing me suspiciously. "She's in her freshman year at Vanderbilt. Why?"

  I shrug instead of answering, not sure she'd approve of my answer if I gave it. Not sure I know how I'd answer it anyway. Kennedy is a freshman, which means she's even younger than I thought. Don't think that matters as much as it should though. There's something about her I can't shake, something I don't want to shake.

  Sophie seems to know where my head is. She narrows her eyes at me. There's a reason Trick thinks his fiancée walks on water, and it's not because she's timid. She has the courage of a lion, especially when something matters to her. "If you hurt her, I'll rip your balls off, Asher," she warns me, completely ignoring Trick when he messes with her hair again. "Kennedy is not like the women you're used to dealing with."

  "What does that mean?" I ask, my brows furrowing.

  "I've seen the women who come into your shop," she says, turning her nose up with a sniff. Christ, I love her for Trick. She's as sweet as she is fierce, exactly the kind of woman he needs in his life. "Kennedy doesn't date. She's a crazy talented writer with big plans. She works her butt off. And her dad is a billionaire."

  "You're serious."

  "Yep," Sophie says.

  Well, fuck. I make bank doing what I do because of the reputation I've worked so hard to protect, but I ain't anywhere close to a billionaire. My ink adorns the skin of a few billionaires, like the one sitting on Trick's other side, Dane Robertson. That's as close as I'll ever come to being one.

  "Thorne. You're talking about David Thorne?"

  "Her dad," Sophie confirms.

  David Thorne is the closest we've got to royalty here. He spends just enough time in the state to be considered one of ours. He's some hotshot in the oil industry, with more political connections than God. Word is, he's also a prick. Unless you piss gold, he ain't got time for you.

  "They're close?" I ask Sophie.

  "Close enough," she says. "He can be a jerk, but she loves him."

  I grunt, not sure I like the sound of that. He better fucking not be mean to her or I'll shove my size sixteen boot up his ass, father or not.

  I'm glad as fuck my girl doesn't date though. Never considered myself a jealous person, but the thought of her with someone else doesn't sit well with me. I doubt her daddy will approve of an ex-Marine with no family, a fucked-up past, and an attitude, but that's not going to stop me from trying.

  "Oh no," Sophie groans. "I know that look. I hate that look."

  "What look?" I ask.

  Trick slides his arm around her shoulders, giving me a dirty look. He rests his other hand on her belly. They just found out she's pregnant a couple weeks ago, but I don't think anyone knows yet. I only know because I'm the closest thing to family that he's got. I recognize the look on Trick's face though. If I upset his girl, he's going to be pissed about it.

  "That look! The same one he gets when he's getting all possessive and bossy," Sophie huffs, pointing at Trick before turning back to me. "It means you're going to be completely unreasonable and ignore everything I just said." Her expression turns stern, her love for her friend obvious. "I will help her hide your body, Asher. I'm not even kidding. She isn't the kind of girl you're used to dealing with. She doesn't do one-night stands and casual hook ups."

  "Neither do I," I growl, not sure what gave her that idea. It's been years since I last got laid. I've had more important shit to do than chase pussy. Building my shop into one of the best in the southern half of the United States hasn't been easy. I've worked my ass off to get where I am, and I have the industry write-ups to prove it.

  She snorts as if she thinks I'm lying to her.

  Trick leans toward her and whispers something in her ear.

  Her eyes widen and then narrow on me, her expression morphing from fierce to genuinely surprised. "You're serious?" she says, looking at Trick.

  He nods.

  "But…" She blinks at me. "Wow. I did not see that coming. You really don't sleep with any of them? Not even the models?"

  "Fuck no," I growl. Why do chicks always think I like to screw around? Just because Instagram models descend on my shop like groupies doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to put my dick in them. "I don't shit where I eat."

  "Oh. Wow." Sophie's cheeks turn pink with embarrassment. "Um, I'm sorry. I guess I just assumed you didn't lack for companionship because you're hot and you have a lot of female clients."

  "What the fuck, Ember?" Trick growls.

  "What?" She flings out a hand, waving it in the air. "Look at him. He's covered in tattoos, which women find sexy. And he has that whole bad boy thing going on with the piercings and the hair and that intense stare. He's hot!"

  Trick turns his scowl on me like this shit is my fault. I smirk and flip him off. Naturally. What else am I going to do? Apologize for being pretty? I don't really give a shit what anyone thinks of the way I look, but any opportunity to fuck with my brother is a good one in my book.

  "You are not in the wedding anymore," he says, his tone flat.

  "Yes, he is!" Sophie protests. "He has to walk with Kennedy so Sienna and Dane can walk together, otherwise Dane will have a hissy fit." She leans forward to look at Dane, who is caught up in his own conversation with his wife and Sophie's father. "No offense."

  Dane shrugs like he doesn't give a shit what she says about him. He's all about his wife, who laughs quietly at Sophie and then says something to her dad.

  "Kennedy's in the wedding?" I ask, the only important question as far as I'm concerned. Trick and Sophie can argue later.

  Sophie goes from fussing at Trick for trying to kick me out of the wedding to glaring at me. "Did you listen to any of what I said to you about the wedding?"

  "Yeah…to the parts about the open bar." Isn't that the most important part for every man who has to attend a wedd
ing? Don't get me wrong. I love Sophie and I'm happy as hell for Trick, but I'm not wearing a goddamn monkey suit and giving a speech sober. Fuck that.

  Trick cracks up.

  Sophie continues to glare at me for a minute and then she cracks a smile too. "I guess you aren't a manwhore," she mutters. "A woman would have killed you long before now if you were."

  She's probably right about that, but I don't say it. Besides, I don't care what most women think about me. I'm only interested in the opinion of one woman…Kennedy Thorne.

  Chapter Two

  Kennedy

  "Hey," Sophie says, popping her head into the guest room. "Are you all right?"

  "Yeah." I flop down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She and her fiancée are getting married tomorrow…but I kind of ran away today after finding out that my sister is in love with the professor who has been making my life miserable since I started college two months ago.

  Sophie was kind enough to let me stay with her even though I planned to get a hotel room. My world feels a little like it's spinning right now. My sister, Caroline, is my best friend. She's three years older than me and we're nothing alike, but we've always done everything together.

  I'm not surprised my professor fell in love with her. She's incredibly beautiful, with red hair, the prettiest charcoal eyes, and curves girls would kill for. I know I would. Even with my boobs, most people mistake me for a kid because I'm so small. I also have boring brown hair and green eyes. She says guys are always staring at me, but I wouldn't know.

  Attention makes me uncomfortable. I tend to zone out a lot. It's not on purpose. I'm a writer and I get lost in the worlds in my head. People get annoyed with me for it, but I've learned that if I don't talk much, they just assume I'm shy and don't expect me to participate. I'm much happier observing and writing about adventures than participating in them. Caroline is the opposite.

  She is so brave. She has a huge heart and throws all of it into helping the people and causes that matter to her. She isn't afraid to stand up for herself, even when she has to stand up to our father or our older brothers, Sebastian and Killian. I've always thought she was a little bit like the wind…strong, stubborn, able to wear down even the toughest of subjects, but also gentle, healing, and so sweet.

  So no, I'm not surprised Professor King—Jared Kingston—loves her. The fact that she's in love with him is what has my mind reeling.

  "Do you want to talk about it?" Sophie asks, coming inside and closing the door behind her.

  "I don't even know what to say." I lift my head to look at her, truly at a loss for words…which is unusual because I always have words waiting to escape. I rarely ever say them out loud, but I write everything down. Ever since I was a little girl, all I've ever wanted to do was write. My dream has always been to go to Columbia University, but I didn't make the cut this year. I was okay with that though. I like to succeed or fail on my own merit, not because my dad threw money at a problem.

  So when I got accepted at Vanderbilt with Caroline, I was so excited. I jumped at the chance to take Professor King's Creative Writing Workshop. He's basically a literary god, one of the most talented writers of this century. I knew working with him would be a challenge. I didn't expect it to be impossible.

  He's the strictest, most exacting professor I've ever met. No matter how hard I try, it's never good enough for him. He's super critical of my work. He thinks I'm unrealistic and naïve when it comes to love and relationships. He told me that I need to take off my rose-colored glasses and get real if I want to be taken seriously.

  And then, out of the blue a few days ago, he offered to write my recommendation for the Braxton Literary Prize, an annual prize awarded to a student at the collegiate level. It's a huge deal because your work is seen by everyone who is anyone in the industry. The winner last year signed a six-figure contract with a major publishing house. The winner the year before last had publishers fighting to offer her internships.

  I couldn't figure out why he offered to write my staff member recommendation when he hates everything I write. I guess I know now, though. It took me all day to work up the nerve to go talk to him about it. And then I get there and find him and my sister together.

  He says he offered because I deserve it and he's sorry for the way he's treated me, but it's hard to believe him when he's never been nice to me…until he met Caroline.

  "You're allowed to be mad," Sophie says.

  "I'm not mad," I say, sitting up when she perches on the edge of the bed beside me. "I guess I'm more disappointed than anything. Caroline and I always tell each other everything." At least I thought we did.

  Like me, Caroline doesn't date. Neither of us have ever paid much attention to the opposite sex. I focus on writing, and she keeps busy fighting for the things that matter. Plus, as far as I've been able to tell, men in books are way better than men in real life.

  My fake boyfriends don't make gross, chauvinistic comments like guys do here. They don't treat me like I'm a child just because I'm small like everyone did in high school. They're kind of perfect. One day, I'll find the man I'm supposed to be with, the one who sets my heart on fire and makes my soul dance.

  Maybe this makes me as naïve as Professor King thinks I am, but I believe in soulmates and the kind of deep, powerful love that lasts a lifetime, the kind that sweeps you away and leaves you breathless. I want the forever kind of love my brothers have found, not the fickle, tepid imitation my classmates talk about.

  "I don't know Caroline very well," Sophie says carefully, "but I know how much you guys love each other. If I had to guess, I'd say she probably didn't tell you because she didn't want to disappoint you. You don't like your professor very much."

  "I don't dislike him."

  Sophie snorts in disbelief. "You called him the devil, and an unreasonable dictator with the heart of a Grinch."

  "Okay, so maybe I dislike him a little bit," I say, drawing out the word little, which makes her laugh. "But he is unreasonable and dictatorial. I guess he does have a heart though." Caroline would never have given him a chance if he were as cold to her as he is in class. She may be a little wild, but she believes in love as fiercely as I do.

  Plus, I saw the way he looked at her today. I've never, ever seen him look at anyone the way he looked at her, as if he worships the ground she walks on. He wasn't the cold dictator today, but a man madly, desperately in love with my sister. I want that for her.

  "He thinks I'm some helpless little girl." Maybe I'm not like Caroline, but I am not helpless or weak. I may live with my head in the clouds, but my feet are firmly planted on the ground. I'm a dreamer but I'm not stupid. I know how to take care of myself and make decisions that are in my best interest.

  "It's not always a bad thing to have someone who wants to watch out for you," Sophie murmurs.

  I blink at her. She's as fierce as Caroline is and doesn't let many people see beneath the surface. I guess love has softened her up a little bit, made her feel comfortable letting down her walls. Trick is good for her. He doesn't let her get away with hiding behind those walls the way she always has. We've been friends for a long time and I've never seen her as happy as she is with him.

  Seeing everyone I know so blissfully happy makes me ache for my own happily-ever-after.

  My mind drifts to the man I saw from across the room last night at Sophie's rehearsal dinner, Asher Reynolds. No one has ever looked at me and made my entire body tingle like he did. We're paired up for the ceremony tomorrow. He's Trick's foster brother and he is so freaking beautiful, like a Viking warrior.

  He's intense and imposing, with dark blond hair that's short on the sides and longer on the top. Beautiful, bold ink adorns his golden skin like living pieces of a story I'm dying to understand. They're a roadmap to his past, which seems as stark and lonely as it does triumphant. Silver jewelry shines from at least three different places on his face—his eyebrow, his nose, and his tongue.

  He's well over six feet tall, and so br
oad through the shoulders that I could probably fit between them two or three times. His entire body is hard, as if he's cut from marble, only there's nothing cold about him.

  He looked at me with those steely gray eyes last night and set me on fire.

  He's powerfully made and fiercely beautiful, equal parts devil and angel…and I don't stand a chance with him. Lions rarely notice lambs unless they're starving. When you look like him, you can have anyone you want. I'm completely plain and boring. Everything about me says good girl, while everything about him screams sex.

  I'm guessing a man like him lives for adventure. He probably dates supermodels and sirens, not boring college students with ink-stained fingers and lofty dreams of being the next big name in romance. I doubt he'll even remember me tomorrow when we officially meet…which is going to be super awkward for me because I haven't stopped thinking about him since I rushed out last night, mortified to have been caught staring at him.

  "It's true," Sophie says with a shrug, drawing me back into the here and now. "Letting someone help you isn't bad, Kenz. It's a good thing that you have someone in your corner who wants to protect you from people who would take advantage of you. You aren't weak or helpless, but you're tiny and innocent. There are bad people in the world. They'll take one look at you and think you're an easy target."

  "Being short is so annoying. Everyone thinks I'm a little kid," I complain. It wouldn't be the first time someone thought I was an easy mark because of my size. Caroline and our older brothers have been looking out for me my entire life because of it. Even though Caroline is the same height as me, people don't treat her like a kid. She doesn't let them. Maybe that's the difference. I've become too comfortable letting others speak up for me instead of using my own voice. I've let people think I'm less than I am because their opinions never really mattered to me enough to want to change them.

  But I want to prove to Professor King—Jared, I have to get used to calling him Jared—that I can take care of myself. Maybe I need to prove it to everyone else too, force the world to finally see me as the woman I am instead of the kid they want me to be. Maybe I need to prove it to myself too…that I can make it on my own.