I sit up and stretch out an arm to my side, unconsciously feeling for Jack in bed beside me. I panic when I only feel empty space until I see a note on the bedside table. It’s a little sticky note that reads: Went out for crepes and coffee. Stay in bed, my love. He even drew a little kissy face at the end. Jack could be cute like that. I’ve never met such a large, hard-edged man who could also be incredibly affectionate. But I love that about him. Jack isn’t afraid of love. He isn’t afraid of doing cute, sweet things for me. He doesn’t give a fuck about what other people think.
I smile to myself and lay back down. He told me to stay in bed and I plan on doing just that. Just when I do, a buzzer rings through the apartment.
My brow furrows in confusion, but I know it must be Jack. I suppose he locked himself out. I get up, drape a robe over my body and head to the door, letting him in automatically. When the door opens though, it’s definitely not Jack.
Rather, it’s a woman and she’s looking me up and down with a look of disgust plastered on her face. I remember that my robe is transparent and rush to cover my private bits.
“Who the fuck are you?” I ask. I take her in fully then and feel a stab of shame when I see she’s slender and beautiful. I can’t shake the feeling that she knows Jack. I only pray she’s like his sister or cousin though. Please be his sister.
She ignores my question, crossing her arms over her chest. “So you’re his someone else?”
“What is that supposed to mean? I asked who you are.” Fuck it. I drop my arms from my breasts. I’m not going to cover myself when it’s this woman who’s intruding on me.
“I know Jack. Intimately.” The way she says intimately makes my heart ache with dread. Definitely not his sister. I didn’t really believe it anyway. They look way too different to actually be related.
“So you’re his ex?”
She scoffs. “Fuck no. I’m pregnant is what I am.” She opens her sweater to reveal a slightly bulging belly. An early pregnancy, but she’s pregnant nonetheless. My heart stutters.
“Excuse me,” I say. “I need to leave. Jack should be back soon.” I move on autopilot, feel my world shattering around me. Even if she’s lying, even if she’s just a jealous ex… she’s pregnant.
Jack is having a baby with this woman. When there’s a baby involved, there’s never room for anyone else. I feel my heart break into a million pieces. By the time I’ve dressed and packed a small bag of my things, my face is a mask of stoicism. I head out the door while the intruder sits on the sofa flipping through a magazine.
I’ll let Jack handle his mess. As for me, I walk down the street with no destination in mind. Where do I have to go?
16
Jack
I kick open the door, juggling coffee in one hand and a bag of assorted crepes in the other. A soft tune emanates from my lips as it does so often now that Violet’s in my life. I find myself singing whenever I’m doing some random task. How can I not when I’m so happy?
I drop my keys on the counter. My jacket is halfway off when the tune dies on my lips. The woman sitting on my couch brings a frown to my face. I put down the food gently, trying with all my might not the slam it down.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Laura puts down the magazine she was perusing and looks at me, a satisfied smile twisting her face.
“Your little lamb let me in,” she croons. “Or I suppose I should say your fat cow.” She rises and it takes everything I have not to slap her across the room for speaking about my angel like that. “Is that your type now, Jackie? Fatties?”
“You need to shut up and leave, Laura. I already told you I have no place for you here.” She only laughs, and I feel my frustration growing. “Did my assistant direct you to those resources for your pregnancy?”
“Yes, yes, I got all that.” She crosses her arms. “But I don’t want it. It’s you I want, Jack. And you have no reason to refuse me now.”
“Oh, and why is that?” Just as I ask the question, I feel my blood run cold. This woman did something. Violet should be here, next to me, fighting with me to get this woman away. Where is she?
Laura seems to sense my thoughts. “I took care of your little problem for you.” She comes closer and lays a hand against my chest. “You see, you only have me now.”
I look down into her eyes and see that something’s wrong. No normal person would think this way. “You need help, Laura.” I remove her hand from my chest and step away from her. “Where is Violet?”
“Violet? That’s her name?” She begins to chuckle but I grab her wrist then.
“Tell me.”
“She left. I don’t know where. As soon as she learned I’m pregnant, she just packed a bag and took off.”
“Shit.”
I head for the door, but stop for a second and look directly at Laura. “I’m calling the police to remove you from my apartment. If I were you, I’d leave now.”
Rage takes over her faces and I hear her spewing profanities as I run from my apartment. The only thing that matters is Violet. If I explain everything to her, it’ll be fine. I just need to find her.
17
Violet
Without realizing it, I make my way to the place where I first met Jack. I debate whether or not to go inside, but ultimately decide I should. It only feels right to say goodbye to our relationship with a small toast. I sit at the bar, in the same spot, and order a whisky sour from the noticeably average bartender. I bemoan the thought that I’ll never be attracted to a bartender ever again. None of them will ever hold a candle to Jack.
Tears pour softly down my face as I take my first sip. That sip only makes the tears come down harder. This drink, my favorite drink, reminds me of him now. Jack’s sour on the outside with his stupid stoic face and his curt mannerisms, but in reality he’s a sweetheart as well.
Oh, Jack. I down the rest of the drink in one go. It may only be early afternoon but I’m determined to drink my worries away. I’m another drink in when the doors open hard and suddenly. I turn in surprise to see the man himself walk in, dressed to the nines in a slim-fitting suit.
He’s never looked better. My face crumbles when I see him, even as he strides across the room like he owns it—which he does, I remind myself.
“How did you find me?” I ask, as he settles in the seat next to me.
“My men work here. They tipped me off.”
“Ah. Right. You’re Mr. Billionaire and the whole world is at your beck and call.” I know that’s unfair of me to say. Jack is a fair man and a good employer, but I can’t keep the bitterness from my voice. I’ve lost him. Aside from Katie, he was the bright spot in my life.
“Vi…” he says.
“Don’t,” I cut in. “Just don’t. When there’s a baby, there’s no room for anyone else.”
“But it’s not—”
“I won’t do it. I won’t be caught between you and that woman while she holds a baby over my head and calls you away for every little thing.”
“She can’t—”
I speak in a rush, not letting Jack get a word in edgewise. “I deserve better, Jack. I do. And—”
“Violet,” he says, more firmly this time. He turns my stool to face him and grabs my shoulders. I struggle to meet his eyes as tears fall once again. “Hear me out. That woman, her name is Laura and we broke up years ago. So long ago that I hardly remember it. That baby is not mine. She just showed up out of the blue because she wants my money, no doubt.”
“It’s not yours?” I can’t breathe, the thought that this was all a big misunderstanding overwhelming me.
“No. I haven’t slept with her since we were together. Years ago.” He releases his grip from my shoulders and takes my hands gently in his. “So you see… that baby can’t possibly be mine and I’m not about to take on the responsibility for it.” He reaches a hand to my face and wipes away my tears with a thumb. “You are my life now, Violet. Only you. No one can come between us.”
I really break do
wn then, crying and laughing at the same time. I practically leap from my stool into his arms. “Oh, Jack. I’m so sorry. I just thought—just assumed…” I squeeze him tight and his warm, strong arms wrap around me. “I love you, Jack.”
“I love you, Violet. You’re my heart and soul, and I can’t live without either one.”
Just like that my grief turns to joy and I feel renewed with love for Jack. How could I have ever doubted him?
He chuckles, and the vibration of his laugh sends chills down my body. He caresses my hair with a gentle touch. “I’ve always been alone,” he whispers. “My parents died when I was young and I have no siblings. I never knew love until you. I kept people at a distance. If you leave me… If I were to lose you…” His grip around my waist tightens.
I pull back and look into his eyes. “The day you kissed me, I was ruined for everyone else. As long as I breathe, you will never lose me, Jack Noble.”
Jack cups my face in his hands. “Take my name,” he says softly.
“Your name?” My breath catches in my throat.
“Yes. Marry me, Vi.”
Just then his face seems made of sun, pure light and joy radiating from his features. It’s blinding—it’s a sight that feels private, intimate, distinctly mine. I never want to see this face any other way. If his happiness lies with me, then there’s only one answer I can give.
“I’ll marry you any day, Jack. No matter how angry we get or how many problems we face, I know we’ll always find our way back to one another.”
His smile is wide as he bends his lips to mine for a kiss. One kiss and a lifetime more to come.
EPILOGUE
Violet
Ever since I began living and working with Jack, life has never been better. In only one year, I’ve managed to increase his client base through small tweaks in his marketing strategies. Those small tweaks leave no doubt in anyone's mind that I wasn’t hired just because I’m married to the boss. I’ve earned my place a thousand times over.
So yes, I’m happy with my job. That’s not the best part of my life though. I get to wake up next to my best friend and lover every day after all. I reach my arms across Jack’s bare chest as he sits up in bed reading the paper.
“We’re like an old married couple, aren’t we, babe?” I say as he sips his coffee and turns the page.
He narrows his eyes at me, lowering the paper. “Do old married couples have hot, steamy sex at least three times a day?”
I laugh, and he shakes his head at me. “I guess not,” I say. “I’m just so happy.”
“Me too, babe.”
I rise to my knees, take his coffee from his hand and set in on the end table next to us. He eyes me suspiciously. I only smile as I proceed to straddle his lap, pushing the paper aside.
He turns the page again and lays the paper beside us. “Be careful, baby,” he laughs. “You can’t be exerting yourself right now.” His hands reach out to rest on my very swollen baby. Another month and baby Noble will be in the world.
“Oh, I’m fine,” I say. “This pregnancy hasn’t stopped us from having sex so I can handle climbing into your lap.”
“Mmm,” he intones, each of his strong hands grabbing my hips and giving them a squeeze. “You’ve never looked sexier, babe.”
“I’m glad you think so. I do think pregnancy becomes me.” I mock pose, lifting an arm dramatically in the air only for Jack to take the opportunity for a tickle attack.
Tears pour from my eyes as I squirm on top of him. Finally I fall to my side and the image I see in front of me stops my laughter instantly.
Jack hasn’t seen it. “Jack!” I say, trying to get his attention. “Jack, wait! Look.” He stops tickling me and I grab the paper he’d just put down. “Did you even look at this?” I hand it over.
He takes it, his brow furrowing in concern. “What is it?” He skims over the article for a minute before dropping the paper again. We share a look. “Holy shit,” he says.
“Thank God,” I say. “That place had it coming.”
He nods somberly and I place a hand on his shoulder. “I feel…” he says slowly. “I feel like I can breathe.”
“That place has always weighed on you, baby. It doesn’t have to anymore.”
I look down again at the article. A picture of the Palace takes up half the page, bright police tape circling the building. Apparently there was a late night raid and the place has been shut down at last. It took long enough, but I’m glad it’s done. I still have nightmares sometimes about what could have happened to me and Katie had Jack not been around to intervene.
I know it’s a relief for him, too. He put in the money to build that place. It’s weighed on his soul all this time. I sit in his lap and wrap him in a hug. His arms come around my waist. Cheek-to-cheek with him, I think I feel a stray tear fall from his eye. “My strong man,” I breathe. I kiss his temple. “I love you, baby.”
Then I pull apart and rise from the bed. My hands rub my stomach. “I also love this baby so we should get ready. Katie will be here soon so we can all head to the baby shower venue together.” I offer him a hand. His eyes are filled with love as he laces his fingers through mine.
We have forever to look forward to, and the future is even brighter than before.
About the Author
Gia Blackwood writes short, sweet romances with steamy love scenes, soulmate connections, and happily ever afters. She is a firm believer in the existence of men who are both sweet AND alpha.
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Read the complete BILLIONAIRES LOVE CURVES series if you haven’t yet!
BOOK 1: Curves for the Billionaire
BOOK 2: Fated for the Billionaire
Thank you so much for reading Breathless for the Billionaire. If you enjoyed it, please take the time to leave a review. It’s your feedback that drives me to create the stories you love.
Much love,
Gia
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