Getting Preggas

by Charmaine Ross

  PARANORMAL ROMANCE

  Daman’s Angel

  Daman Quade wants to die, but when he does an angel rescues him – an angel who doesn’t remember who she is or what she was doing in that dark alley. All Daman knows is that he should be dead and the angel shouldn’t be alive on earth.

  Daman wants to help the angel return to her place in the otherworlds and enlists the help of Father Joseph. They discover that Angel has to return by a flesh and blood sacrifice in three days or she is doomed to walk the earth until the end of time, neither angel nor human. Daman is torn, knowing he must be the sacrifice to save Angel and wanting to live and love again in the one chance of life Angel has given him. Angel has a very big secret. She has fallen in love with Daman. Now that she is flesh and blood, her physical attraction is all-consuming. She doesn’t want to go back. She wants to become human, to live and love as a mortal woman. And she wants Daman at her side until death do them part. But that might be earlier than she thinks.

  Daman must survive otherworldly demons and death itself to claw his way back to a life where they both can be together. But after all that - will Angel’s secret prove too much to overcome?

  Paradise Island

  It is Dartmouth Cove, Nova Scotia, 1853 and Captain Estelle Stonebridge is consumed with revenge against the man that killed her father. Captain Gregory Marshall is lulled to sleep by the fiery-haired valkrie’s magical song when she kidnaps him. Upon waking he finds himself in chains staring at the beautiful Estelle. Estelle is taking him to her Island of Paradise to face trial for a murder he didn’t commit.

  Attacked by the notorious pirate, Jack Cutlass, and magically appearing in a land they know nothing about, Estelle soon realizes there is more at stake than fighting her arch enemy. With the unsettling notion that there is something otherworldly manipulating them all, Estelle is

  torn between taking Gregory with her to Paradise, battling her powerful attraction to him, and fighting the magical curse —Amor Fati—that Cutlass has unleashed on the world.

  As Estelle and Gregory work together, albeit begrudgingly at first, and are drawn closer to the evil source, the battle intensifies as an evil power takes over minds of many men and eventually Estelle herself. Estelle must use her magical gift to defeat the terrible power that is close to being unleashed on the world, overcome her deep mistrust of men, and

  realize her powerful love for Gregory.

  Cursed

  After years of abuse and torture at the hands of her father, Katia uses her genetically engineered “gift” to destroy the lab that has been her living hell.

  She wakes from the explosion to find she’s been transported more than a hundred years into the future to a new world where nothing makes sense. As handsome and as kind as Dr. Julius Freeman is, Katia doesn’t buy his story that she’s been in a coma, and she certainly doesn’t trust him. She does know, however, that the horrors of her previous life have followed her to this century.

  Katia stirs more than strictly professional feelings within Julius, but he, too, harbors a dark secret that could threaten everything building between them. When Julius is attacked and kidnapped, Katia must face her demons and fight like she’s never fought before to save the man she loves.

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  A kind of Magic – Chloe’s Story

  A fun romance novella filled with a chance conversation, a change of heart and finding unexpected love.

  Chloe is given a mundane little red garnet by a perfectly strange stranger. Along with a perfectly strange romance story. She might have left the garnet sitting on the café table where she’d been given it, if she hadn’t been so desperate. She was going to her work’s Valentine’s Day party. And Dion would be there. She’d spent a small fortune turning herself into one of the woman Dion finds attractive.

  She was relying on the little red dress that hid far too little, the new complicated blonde up-do that was far too bright, killer heels she couldn’t walk comfortably in and the strange red garnet that was now strung on a silvery chain around her neck. Well, who was she to turn down any extra help she could get when it comes to love.

  Chloe was determined to break free of her old mundane life where her computer avatar had more fun than she ever had and finally get Dion to notice her. But when Lachlan rescues her from a near tumble from said killer heels, she quickly learns that her priorities might not be just what she expected.

  A kind of Magic – Lydia’s Story

  The magical garnet is passed on...

  Work-a-holic. Frigid. Ice-Queen. That's Lydia's reputation. And it always worked well until - now. Until she met Clarke at her companies conference. She was here to work hard and impress her boss, not to notice Clarke's devastatingly handsome looks, his sexy eyes or note his intelligence.

  She was here to weigh Clarke up as a potential client. Business was complicated enough without romantic emotions messing up her priorities. It simply isn't on her plans to double think the way she'd lived her life up until how.

  Not only had Clarke challenged her to loosen up, her anger had pushed her to accept his ridiculous dare. Then a complete stranger handed her a red garnet pendant that strangely seemed to talk to her. The day was getting out of hand as it was and now she was being directed to do by a bossy stone!

  Her foundations are crumbling. Torn between unwanted desire and deep-seated fear of change, can Lydia break through past ties and trust her smashed-to-pieces heart?

  TEASER – TAKE ME AS I AM

  CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

  Chapter One

  This meeting was the first and the last thing he needed. The day had been long, hot and exhausting and all he wanted to do was go home and sink a beer, but the thought of the drive across the city in peak hour made him turn his ute into the car park of the Kallista Tea Rooms instead. An iced drink and a burger would have to do. Besides, he could sit there in peace for an hour and cool down before his meeting.

  David swung his legs out of the door. Dust swirled around his Blundstones. In fact he was covered in it. Swiping the worst of it from his shorts, he decided he’d change his clothes after eating. He’d had the forethought to pack some fresh clothes for the meeting, knowing the day landscaping the front of the Johnstones’ yard in this heat would be hard and dusty. But they’d paid well and in his financial state he didn’t have the option to be choosy about where and when he took his jobs.

  He slammed the ute door shut and walked the short distance to the Tea Rooms. Cockatoos screeched from the branches of the huge oak tree that shaded the steps leading upwards to the front of the café. He spotted colourful rosellas feeding from the seed trays that were set outside large windows and filled daily. A cockatoo flew to a tray in flurry of wide wings and white feathers, landing near the rosellas and sending them fluttering to the branches.

  ‘Bully,’ David murmured to the cockatoo as he stepped on the footpath that traced the building beneath the tree.

  He glimpsed a woman jogging toward him, dressed in skin-hugging black lycra running gear. He didn’t fail to notice the long, shapely legs that pumped with long purposeful strides. A look of sheer determination set her features. She was lean. Fit. The snug tank top showed off a flat stomach and a delicate frame.

  Her long honey-coloured ponytail swung from side to side with each forceful step, hair pulled back tight from her forehead. Her eyes were downcast, mouth in a firm line, as though she was here in body, but her mind was far away.

  It took a moment for David to realise
he stood at the top of the steps staring at her. He ducked his head, but as he went for the door-handle, a slim hand reached in front of him. The woman jogging. She glanced up at him and he was caught in a timeless moment where she returned from deep thoughts and slid into the present. Her hand retreated from the handle. ‘Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to burst in front of you.’

  Her eyes were such an unusual colour. Green and hazel all mixed in together, like the colour of a cat’s. Sharp eyes that told of keen intelligence that missed little. They were a perfect match for the sternness she wore on her otherwise beautifully sculpted face.

  ‘No problem.’ He smiled. She didn’t return it, but stood awkwardly. He opened the door, indicating the inside of the café. ‘After you.’ She hesitated, as though unsure if she should precede him. He cocked a brow. ‘Chivalry isn’t dead.’

  She blinked at him and he noticed that her eyes were quite large for her face. And edged with the longest lashes he’d seen. They curled elegantly, making her eyes look more slanted than they actually were. Maybe that was why they’d reminded him of cat’s eyes. Then again, it could be the way she was so wary. Flighty, as though she were cautiously steeping into an unknown place. He tilted his head towards her. ‘I won’t bite. Promise.’

  Her eyes widened and she sucked in a quick breath then caught herself. She straightened her shoulders and lifted her head. In an instant she’d changed personalities. Before awkward. Now self-assured.

  She offered a cool smile.

  ‘Thank you.’ Her voice was low and husky, and suited her. She stepped past him and he had the opportunity to study her back as he stepped into the café after her. She looked fit and toned. She looked as though she ran every day and again he wondered what drove her to run in heat like today. Her derriere was encased in fitted running shorts that clung lovingly to each shapely curve. Her cheeks were round and pert and looked like they’d fit neatly into his hand. His palm tingled and he scrunched it into a fist. He didn’t need to get carried away with fantasies. He had to keep his mind on the upcoming meeting and the potential of a lucrative contract.

  He held a breath, purposely focused on the cakes that lined the counter and away from her backside. The heat had to be getting to him. That and the lack of any social life since his father’s heart attack. Really, he’d been so busy and tired working the hours and days he had, women were the last thing on his mind. He didn’t need the diversion.

  David closed his eyes, letting the air-conditioning caress his body. It was good to feel some cool after the heat of the day. Chill his body and hopefully his mind. The waitress stepped behind the counter and greeted them with an open smile. He stood back to indicate he’d wait until the jogger ordered.

  The waitress then turned to him. ‘Hi. How can I help?’

  David returned her smile and looked apologetically at his dust-covered clothing. ‘Just wondering if I could come in as I am?’

  Both women eyed his clothing, but he felt the caress of the eyes of the jogger. He kept his attention on the waitress, ignoring the urge to see the expression on the jogger’s face. Normally he didn’t go anywhere looking as he did, but today his stomach demanded attention before his clothes. The waitress’s gaze returned to his, edged with interest. ‘Sure. You look like you’ve had a hard day’s work.’ She took her pen and ordering paper. ‘What would you like?’

  David told her and she gestured to a table and chair where he could sit. He thanked her, and added, ‘Can I sit here for a while? I don’t have time to get home before a meeting I’ve got not far from here.’

  ‘On a hot day like this? Couldn’t you reschedule?’ The waitress asked.

  David shook his head. He never cancelled a meeting, not in his financial state, but there was no way he’d cancel this particular one. He’d answered the tender and had been contacted shortly after. He wasn’t surprised. He’d come in at a good price, and was able to meet the tight deadline of the job. In this heat in the middle of January, most landscapers took holidays. He didn’t have a choice for that luxury, but the extensive time it would take to do the work would mean he wouldn’t have to run from job to job for a while. Kate Moore had wanted to meet him to sign the documents today and he wasn’t going to make someone like that wait.

  More than that, though, he was after the prestige the job would bring. With a name like ‘Moore’s Hotels’ on his CV, he would be able to secure larger, more lucrative jobs, maybe put on a crew and he could step into a management role. Along with that would come the money he would use to pay the piling medical bills for his father. He just had to get through the work and do it well. Kate Moore had a reputation of being a hard taskmaster, wanting her bit of blood with the flesh it took to work for her. All he had to do was keep his eyes on the big picture and the future security of his parents. ‘I’ve got a meeting with Kate Moore.’

  The waitress frowned as she set his drink on the table. The ice cubes clinked cheerfully in the glass, offsetting the faltering look on her face. ‘Is that the Kate Moore of the Moore Hotel chain?’

  David nodded. ‘The same.’

  ‘Wow. They do some huge hotels. Some of the best in the world.’ The waitress clicked her fingers. ‘Hang on, she’s setting one up around the corner from here. We’ve been getting a few of the workmen here fitting it out. I could tell you tales about her.’

  David nodded and relaxed as the drink cooled his throat. ‘That’s a woman I don’t want to keep waiting.’

  ‘She has a reputation. They call her Queen Kate. I’ve never seen her, though. Keeps to her ivory tower. They say the work is way ahead of schedule, but she’s never happy with the progress. She’s completely driven for some unknown reason. It defies logic. Completely mad, that’s what I say.’

  From the corner of his eye, David watched the jogger cross lean arms over her chest and aim a wilting glance at the waitress. He realised she was still waiting for her order.

  ‘I guess you don’t get a name like that for nothing,’ David said, put his glass on the table and indicated the jogger with a glance. The waitress turned in the direction of his gaze.

  The rise of a sleek brow sent the waitress into motion making the iced-coffee the jogger had ordered. As soon as she had the cup in her hand, the jogger left. He watched her walk the length of the windows with the cup balanced in her hand before she disappeared from sight. David shook his head; how she could drink and jog in this heat was beyond him. Either she was determined to do herself an injury, or she lived her life the way she jogged. Multi-tasking to the extreme.

  Right now, though, he had other things to ponder. The waitress set the burger on the table. He thanked her and turned his mind to the upcoming meeting and how he was going to get through a contract period with the woman known as Queen Kate.

  ***

  Kate straightened her skirt, then did the middle button of her jacket up. The navy blue of her suit was a controlled neutral and concealed her body with skilful pin-tucking coupled with an expert cut. It hadn’t been cheap, she’d bought it on her father’s recommendation, and it was worth it. She adjusted her shoulders, making sure the collar of her white shirt poked evenly over the lapel, then pulled the hem of her jacket down in the way she’d been taught by her deportment teacher to keep the lines straight. She placed her feet into shoes that were the same navy tone as her suit.

  Standing in front of the tall mirror in her makeshift bedroom, she ran a critical eye over her outfit, smoothing down her hair she’d put back into her neat ponytail, making sure none of the usual strands floated free. She’d put her make-up on lightly, using neutral tones.

  Her lips were glossy, yet skin toned. She looked professional. Austere. Distant. Just the way she’d been taught.

  She turned her back on her image and walked into the hallway. Her shoes clicked confidently over the tarnished boards. The floor was the last thing to be attended to. Soon they would shine, once the rest of the renovations had been accomplished.

  She mentally listed what was
yet to be done. The list extended beyond her memory and she purposely shoved the anxiety aside. Worrying would get her nowhere. Planning was her best friend. She entered her office and sat at the desk. That had been the first room she’d completed, knowing she would spend more hours here than in any other room of the mansion she had bought with her private funds that would be renovated into the first five-star hotel in the new-look Moore’s Hotel chain.

  At least she hoped it would be. The final okay was dependant on her father’s willingness to put his name on it or not. If it was good enough he would. If not—she’d gambled a lot of money and he’d leave it to her to settle her problems. That was just how her father worked.

  Her computer screen lit up with a touch of her mouse. She rarely shut her computer down, the exercise taking too long to start it all up again. Besides, she was not away from it long enough. The Excel spread sheet she’d been working on blinked on-screen and her eyes went to the last entry. Landscaping.

  She’d sent out the tender two weeks prior and had spent four days going through the entries. One had truly caught her eye. Not only because of the price. She’d researched all entries thoroughly, but found the most breathtaking gardens belonging to only one she’d offered a meeting to. A garden worthy of the vision she had for her hotel. There had been no need to meet with the others.

  The gardens on the website of her choice were simply incredible. She’d shuffled through the images three times, and had finally stopped when she’d been dreaming of wandering through one of them. She wasn’t prone to daydreaming. Didn’t have the time for it in fact, but her mind had drifted with the images and she’d been moved beyond her strict reality. If her garden was as beautiful as the ones on the website, she knew her hotel would be more than outstanding. It would sell the hotel in a whole other way.