Brazen Bachelor: A Hero Club Novel

by Dani Rene

  “You sure you want little old me to be there being a pain in the ass on your big day?” I challenge playfully.

  This time she laughs. “I would love it if my sister were beside me.”

  “Then you’re lucky because I have it on good authority that she’ll be there.” I hug her once more because this new closeness eases my ever-present anxiety.

  “And don’t worry about the dress. We’ll have a fitting. All I need to know is if you’re bringing a date.” I look at my sister, and for a moment, I wonder if Colton and I can make things work.

  No. He walked out.

  He left, so I shake my head. “Not unless I meet some hot guy in the next couple of weeks.” But even as I say it, my heart aches at the memory of him.

  “You never know what could happen.” Vickie grins. “Now, let’s have a hot chocolate and catch up. I have a feeling after all the years of estrangement, we have a lot of talking to do.”

  I settle in, happy to spend time with my sister.

  But even as I feel at ease with her, my heart is still worrying itself over my relationship with Colton. Though I broke it off, I don’t want him to walk away.

  I want him to fight.

  But not at the expense of his career.

  29

  Violet

  I pick up my laptop, log in, and open a browser. Scrolling through Facebook is boring. I turn to Ida’s website because it’s the only thing that really entertains me, especially when I’m feeling like this. Like the world is slowing down, and I’m on the ride, waiting for it to start back up.

  Colton’s been gone for a week. I’m not some lovesick teenager. I know he’ll be back because of his job, but to be honest, I miss him. It’s been a long time since I truly thought about someone else being in my life.

  I spent my teens thinking about school, about getting through college, and when I hit my early twenties, my focus was on work. My internship, and now I’m here, promoted to a fully-fledged journalist, writing articles, and informing people of the latest goings-on in the city.

  But I still rely on the advice column that’s never once steered me wrong. Though most of the advice was given to others, I used it in my own daily life.

  My phone buzzes before I have time to dig into the new submissions on the website, and I see Colton’s name flash across my screen. He’s been calling every day, but I just can’t bring myself to respond. Or to answer. I should walk away, tell him to leave me alone, and that I don’t want him in my life after seeing him with her in the newspaper article from the night he arrived back from LA. The kiss has been haunting me for days.

  But I don’t.

  Because it’s a lie, and I pride myself on always telling the truth. Even if it hurts another person, it’s the only way to live because if you have to remember one lie, you usually have to remember so many more.

  The phone buzzes again, another message, and I know they’ll come every few hours throughout the day. He’s visiting his friend Simon, and I wonder if he’s told them about me. If he’s admitted to what happened. Perhaps he’s asking for advice.

  Sighing, I open my messages and tap on the first text.

  Colton: I won’t give up. I’m yours. Always, and even though you might not believe it, I’ll make sure you understand that by the time Christmas comes.

  It’s a promise. One I’m certain he’ll keep. One thing I learned about Colton King is he doesn’t give up until he has something he wants in his hands. But that doesn’t matter. Even if he does prove himself to me, I don’t know if I can live a life in the public eye.

  And so, I cannot ask him to give up his career, just like I wouldn’t want him to ask me to give up mine. He loves modeling, I love writing. He enjoys being in the studio and onsite. His love for traveling is something I admire about him, but I can’t drop my life because he needs to fly some place to shoot. I understand the need for doing something you’re passionate about, and I can’t stand in his way.

  Being the target of paparazzi every day of my life is not my idea of a perfect life. Shaking my head, I open the second message and scan the words once. Then again. And a third time.

  Seconds later, there’s a knock on my door, which has me shooting up from the couch. It can’t be. Even though his message assured me he’d be at my apartment in a few moments, I don’t believe it.

  Another knock, then silence. He doesn’t call out to me, he doesn’t shout through the door, so I pad over to it and wait. Leaning my ear against the surface, I listen to a phone buzz from the other side, and then his deep British accent fills the space.

  “Yeah, I’m here, but I don’t know if she’s home.” He listens, I’m guessing, as silence greets me. Then he says, “I’m not leaving until she either opens the damn door, or she returns from wherever she is. It’s ridiculous that we’re apart when all I want is to be beside her.”

  More silence stretches across the barrier between us. I wonder what the other person on the line is saying. I wonder if it’s Simon he’s talking to. Perhaps it’s someone else, maybe Blythe. But she wouldn’t be the one he’d talk to about us. I know this because when she saw us together, she didn’t seem all that happy about me taking Colton’s attention away from the job she’d set up for him. At least, that’s what she believed I would do.

  “I’m sitting on the floor, on the small welcome mat outside her door. She has to come home, surely.” Suddenly, he sounds so afraid, as if I’d run off and never return. And I wonder briefly what the person on the other end of the line is telling him.

  Maybe they’re explaining that I can’t just up and leave in a week, but I mean, it’s entirely possible. He sighs so loudly, and I feel it right down to my bones. I want nothing more than to hold him in this second. I want to feel his warmth embrace me like he used to.

  “Okay, goodbye,” he states before disconnecting, and then I’m met with quiet. I wonder if I should open the door, put him out of his misery. I sigh this time before I unlatch the lock and pull open the door, causing him to fall back over the threshold of my apartment and onto the soft carpet.

  “What are you doing here, Colton?”

  “Darling,” he sighs, looking up at me from the floor. He rolls onto his knees, staying on the welcome mat, and makes no move to stand. He holds a bouquet of red roses, a dozen if I’m not mistaken, and smiles. “I’m here because you need to know how much I care for you. How much I …” His words trail off, and I know what he’s trying to say, and my heart stutters in my chest.

  In all my years, all the dates I’ve been on, and the very few relationships I’ve had, never once did I say to the guy, nor did the guy I was with say those words to me. And now, I hold my breath, waiting.

  “I love you,” he finally admits, his voice lilting with every syllable, and I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face. “The girl they forced on me, that was nothing. She’s not who I want. Please, you have to believe me.” There’s a plea in his expression, in those deep and endless eyes that captured my attention from the start. “I would never and could never do anything to hurt you. She pressed her mouth to mine, what the camera shot, that was her coming onto me. What they didn’t catch was me pulling away,” he tells me. “That woman didn’t hold a candle to you.”

  “You look silly down there,” I tease, earning myself a chuckle as he pushes to his feet, and now, I have to tip my head back to look into his eyes. They’re clear, almost glassy as he regards me for a long time.

  Then he holds the roses out toward me. “Would you do me the honor of going on a date with me?” he finally asks, and I stare at him, making him sweat it out for a while before I slowly nod.

  “I suppose I could fit you into my planner,” I jest with a grin.

  Epilogue 1

  Colton

  It’s winter. Almost Christmas. It’s one of my favorite holidays. When I walk into our apartment, shoving open the door and kicking it shut, I smell the faint aroma of gingerbread.

  But what I find in the living room is
more appetizing than any confectionary. Violet is sitting in the window seat, her thigh-high woolen socks adorn perfectly toned legs, and her jumper hangs just under her ass. She looks like a flawless sculpture.

  Her hair hangs in waves down to the middle of her back, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more entranced by anything in my life. She truly is spectacular. She’s reading a book, but when I enter the room, she looks up and offers me one of her bright smiles.

  “Wow,” she giggles. “That’s a lot of gifts.” She moves from her seat to help me with the bags. But all I want is for her to be in my arms. Who knew that this feisty little lady would set me straight? Simon can’t wait to meet the woman who’s finally tamed the Brazen Bachelor.

  “Yeah, but I needed something for Simon and Bridget. And then, of course, I need to spoil Brendan and the twins.”

  “I can’t wait to meet them all.” She smiles up at me. Even though we’ve only been living together for six months, after our roller coaster start, things have evened out, and I’m happier than I’ve ever been.

  I decided to take her to see Simon and his lady, Bridget. Simon being one of my oldest friends, has given me enough flack about finally settling down. Over the years, he never believed he would see the day Colton King finally settles down. To be honest, I didn’t think I would either.

  “I have something for you though,” I confess, pulling out an Apple box from one of the shopping parcels and handing it to her.

  “An iPad?” She looks confused, but I can’t wait for her to see what I’ve done. With the help of Blythe and Clarissa, this was the only way I would be able to do it.

  “Unlock it,” I tell her. Silently, Violet swipes the screen, and it unlocks seamlessly. The browser pops up, and I watch as she stares at the screen.

  Epilogue 2

  Violet

  My eyes sting with emotion as I scan the letter on the tablet. I can’t believe he’s done this. My chest is filled with affection, with love, and I know I haven’t said it to him yet, but I know it’s time.

  I re-read the letter in silence.

  Dear Ida,

  There’s a girl I know. She’s been in my life for a while now, and she’s made me a better man just by being there for me when I least expected her to be. By giving me a chance to prove to her that I can make her happy. She’s beautiful, funny, her laugh is infectious, and it’s a sound I want to hear until I’m old and gray, and even when I take my last breath.

  Today, I want to go down on one knee and ensure she realizes, she’s now stuck with me. I’ve told her once, but I need to assure her, she’s mine, or I risk losing her, and that’s not an option. She’s everything to me, the air in my lungs, the light in my life, and the star in my dark night. She’s saved me without knowing she did it.

  I want to tell her I love her. I’ve loved her since the moment I laid my eyes on her, and no woman who walks by me will ever turn my head because Violet is everything I could ever want in a woman, in a partner, in a wife. And hopefully soon, a mother to my children.

  So, I’d like to ask her for all the world to see, if she would do me the absolute pleasure of being my wife. I know there is a risk she’ll say no, but I’m taking that chance because hell, I’m a brazen man, no longer a bachelor, but most certainly owned by the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on.

  In love in New York

  When I finally look up, I find Colton on one knee holding a small velvet box which has a stunning cushion-cut diamond ring set on a gold band. The gemstone glints in the low lights from our ceiling.

  “Colton.”

  “What do you say, love?” he implores, hope sparkling in his sparkling eyes, and I blink the emotion away as it falls with joy. “No crying now.”

  “They’re tears of happiness, Colton. I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, sweetheart,” he affirms in that accent that’s stolen my heart and soul. “Will you marry me?”

  “I’ll have to check my planner,” I tease with a giggle, which earns me an eye roll before he slips the ring on my finger.

  I’ve taken the Brazen Bachelor off the market, and it feels good.

  THE END

  Want to keep up with all of the new releases in Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward's Cocky Hero Club world? Make sure you sign up for the official Cocky Hero Club newsletter for all the latest on our upcoming books:

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  http://www.cockyheroclub.com

  Acknowledgments

  I am so humbled to be included in the Cocky Hero World, and I have to thank Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward for the opportunity to dive into their incredible series, and write this story. I loved delving into Colton and Violet’s journey, and I hope you’ve enjoyed them as well!

  To my BETA readers, editor, and my proofer, thank you for getting this into a beautifully polished manuscript, and for loving these two incredible characters so much.

  To my readers, thank you for always being there for me. IF it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be living my dream, bringing you stories that you can fall in love with.

  And to all the bloggers who love and support me, thank you so much! You are invaluable with everything you do.

  Mad love,

  Dani xo

  Also by Dani René

  Stand Alones

  Choosing the Hart

  Love Beyond Words

  Cuffed

  Fragile Innocence

  Perfectly Flawed

  Black Light: Obsessed

  Among Ash and Ember

  Cursed in Love (collaboration with Cora Kenborn)

  Cursed Angels (collaboration with Anna Edwards)

  Beautifully Brutal (Cavalieri Della Morte)

  How the Mind Breaks

  The Devil’s Plaything

  Taboo Novellas

  Sunshine and the Stalker (collaboration with K Webster)

  His Temptation

  Austin’s Christmas Shortcake

  Crime and Punishment (Newsletter Exclusive)

  Malignus (Inferno World Novella)

  Tempting Grayson

  Thornes & Roses Series

  A Cut so Deep (Book 1)

  Gilded Sovereign Series

  Cruel War (Book #1)

  Volatile Love (Book #2)

  Sins of Seven Series

  Kneel (Book #1)

  Obey (Book #2)

  Indulge (Book #3)

  Ruthless (Book #4)

  Bound (Book #5)

  Envy (Book #6)

  Vice (Book #7)

  The Taken Series

  Stolen

  Severed

  Four Fathers Series

  Kingston

  Four Sons Series

  Brock

  Carina Press Novellas

  Pierced Ink

  Madd Ink

  Broken Series

  Broken by Desire

  Shattered by Love

  The Backstage Series

  Callum

  Liam

  Ryan

  Forbidden Series

  From the Ashes - A Prequel

  Crave (Book #1)

  Covet (Book #2)

  About Dani René

  Dani is a USA Today Bestselling Author of a dark and deviant romance. She lives in the picturesque city of Cape Town where wine is plenty, and the views are spectacular. She's also a proud member of the Romance Writer's Organization of South Africa (ROSA). When she's not writing, she can be found binge-watching the latest TV series, or working on graphic design. She has a healthy addiction to reading, tattoos, coffee, and ice cream.

  www.danirene.com

  info@danirene.com

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