Time For Love Box Set

by Karen Deen

  My beta readers Nicole, Vicki and Di. I thank you for your help and honesty. You’re my team and never let me down. Giving it to me straight is always what I need. You give me a soundboard to bounce my ideas off and laugh at my stupid thoughts.

  Sarah Paige – Take a bow. You never let me down. My stunning cover where you encouraged me to step a little further out of the comfort zone and the vision you had from the first cover is now really taking shape as the series evolves. Any person who has the unfortunate job of editing my books, deserves copious glasses of alcohol, and I’m sure, a huge amount of chocolate. For all you do for me, I thank you so much.

  My review team – you are the ones who have been there from the beginning. You girls rock!!

  Happy reading and always remember, YOU ARE LOVED xx

  LOVE’S FUN

  Copyright © 2019 by Karen Deen

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in either, electronic, paper hard copy, photocopying, recorded or any other form of reproduction without the written permission of the author. No part of this book either in part or whole may be reproduced into or stored in a retrieval system or distributed without the written permission of the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locations or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademark status and owners of products referred to in this fiction which have been used without permission. The publication and use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Published by Karen Deen

  Formatted by Kellie Clarke

  Edited by Contagious Edits

  Cover Design by Opium House Creatives

  To my husband. Who walked into my life and became the man I never knew I needed.

  Our love knows no end xx

  Prologue

  You think he’s yours. You’re wrong.

  I will make sure I win this.

  He was always meant to be mine, to be the one who would be perfect in my life.

  You, turning up, just screwed that up.

  You think you’ve got it all. Pretty and smart. Well, I’m smarter than you. You’re about to see just how smart.

  Watching is my thing. I’ll wait until the time is right.

  His strong muscles, lean body and handsome face have fascinated me since the first time I saw him.

  He never sees me, but I’m always here.

  Watching, waiting and fantasising night after night.

  Soon, he will be mine!

  You don’t stand a chance.

  We aren’t all nice people and rays of sunshine like you.

  I’ll wipe that sweet little smile off your face. You will regret the day you walked into my world.

  It’s hard to win, when you don’t even know you’re playing my game.

  Game on, little lady. Let the strongest take the prize.

  XAVIER.

  Chapter One

  Alesha

  I don’t know why I let Lilly talk me into this.

  When will I learn to say no?

  I’m hopeless.

  I have a perfectly good gym in my apartment complex. It’s private, not many people use it. For me it’s just the way I like it. I mean, I know I’m a chocolate-addicted, margarita-drinking fat ass but that doesn’t mean I need a trainer. Oh god, I hope that’s not why I’m here. Maybe that’s what she thinks, or it could be just because she wants to get all the gossip on Zara, the woman our big brother, Grant, is crushing on. If that’s the reason she’s dragged me out of bed at six in the morning on a Saturday, I’m no longer talking to her. Who even knew this time existed on the clock on a weekend morning?

  I must have been drunk at the time. Or just still on a high of seeing Luke and Zoe finally get together last night. Obviously, I wasn’t thinking clearly if I agreed to this. Oh, that’s right, I didn’t. As usual, Lilly just told me this is what we’re doing today and of course I just agreed, and here we are, pulling out of my parking lot and on the way to Hardcore Fitness Gym, Lilly, bright and cheery, chatting away about god knows what.

  I’m secretly crapping myself.

  I know he’s at the gym waiting. We’ve spoken six words in total. ‘Hi, nice to meet you, goodbye’. That was all I could manage last night. Why is it I can help run the administration of a hugely successful building and design company, deal with men of all levels with no issues, yet, in the world of dating…

  Nothing, nada, zero, zilch!

  I totally lose my words and confidence.

  I’m certain I’ll become the old lady who lives with twenty cats, and my visitors will be my nieces and nephews who feel sorry for their old spinster aunt who never leaves her house. Why am I such a hopeless case?

  “Are you even listening to me, Lesh?” Lilly’s voice cuts into my wandering thoughts. “You’re not. I can tell. You have that spaced-out look you always get when your brain is working away. It’s not a work day, so turn off the brain and just relax.”

  “Relax, pfft, we are on the way to the gym. You know, the place where you’ve got to move and use energy and get sweaty. Please explain what part of that sentence screams the word relax to you.” I can already feel my body screaming at me to go back to bed. “I know you love this stuff, Lilly, but to me, it’s a necessary evil. It keeps my ass from looking the size of a house. Then, I can still eat chocolate and my late-night snacks while I’m curled up reading.” Looking across at Lilly driving, she has that stupid grin on her face.

  “You really are a couch potato, aren’t you? I’m not sure where you fit in this family. The boys and I, we all love to exercise, and run on a regular basis. You’re the odd one out.” Lilly is already laughing at her own joke.

  “Maybe I’m the only normal, sane one in the family and the rest of you are just crazy. Did you ever think of it that way?” I turn, looking out the window again. Part of what Lilly said hurts a little inside. I know she doesn’t mean what she says but being told I’m the odd one out in the family doesn’t feel good. I’m the quietest of all my siblings. I think Mom withheld the loudness gene from me, using it for my baby sister Lilly.

  We are opposite in so many ways.

  I know by the way men look at Lilly that I am not like her.

  Her long blonde hair and sensational figure have them drooling. Not to mention her boobs sit just perfect. If I were a guy, I would totally be hot for her, too. Her wild personality matches her looks. She doesn’t take life too seriously and enjoys every day to the fullest. My whole teenage and adult life has revolved around Lilly. She is my sister but also my best friend. We do everything together, and tell each other every little detail. Which sometimes, I must admit, with her sex life, it becomes way too much oversharing. If I didn’t have Lilly as a sister, I would have never left my room or house through high school and college. It’s just my nature to enjoy my own company. The quiet you get from sitting with a great book and immersing into the world of words is a precious thing. My sister doesn’t see that, though. She believes I’m hiding from the world in my room. She makes it her mission to get me out and socializing, whether I like it or not. It’s not that I don’t enjoy being with people. I’m just naturally a quieter person than her. Something Lilly never understood growing up and still doesn’t understand now.

  “Come on, sis, at least pretend you’re going to enjoy this morning. I promise you will feel better after we’ve finished working out. I will even shout you breakfast. Now that is rare, so you better be smiling for that.” I can’t help but laugh at her.

  “Oh wow, you sure you’re able to wedge your wallet open enough for that? I know it opens, because I see you splashing it all around the shops on shoes, clothes, make-up and anything that takes your fancy. However, it doesn’t open much for anything else.” I must finally be waking up a little, as my sarcastic wit is starting for
the morning. No one else gets to see that except my family. The only ones who truly know me. Lilly leans over and smacks my leg which makes me laugh. She has no comment because she knows I’m right. “Be careful, if you injure me, I may not be able to do anything at the gym. Which would be a real shame, I know. I might just have to sit this one out and watch you get your ass whipped into shape.”

  “No way you’re getting out of this, Alesha! You’re up, dressed and in the car already on the way there. There’s no turning back now. So, suck it up and get ready to do some sweating, baby.” Lilly is looking at me with the look she gives when I’m meant to just agree. It’s one she uses on me all the time. It works too well, unfortunately. It’s just easier to agree with her than to listen to her go on and on at me.

  “Whatever, bossy boots. Now, can you keep your eyes on the road? We all know what your driving skills are like. Your eyes on the road at all times is advisable.”

  “Shut up. You sound like Grant. That last accident wasn’t my fault and you know it. I can’t help it if other people are just bad drivers and they run into me.” Her chirpy attitude changes to one of sulking. “Anyway, we can’t all be perfect at everything. Oh, wait, except you, isn’t that right? Little Miss Goody Two-Shoes who has never done anything wrong in her whole life.” We might love each other like crazy and be each other’s best friends, but we are still sisters, and there’s certainly little bits of jealousy between us.

  My whole life I have been envious of Lilly’s beauty and confidence, especially around the boys. She has never understood how naturally stunning she is. Thank goodness, because I don’t think I could live with a sister who is full of herself and acts like a stuck-up cow. My family would never let her get away with that. Lilly’s the total opposite. She’s loving, kind, and will do anything for me. Well, providing it’s her idea, of course. On the flip-side, Lilly’s always felt threatened by my academic abilities. Not that I believe I’m any smarter than her, it’s just what I love to do. So, I work hard at it and have done so my whole life. Where she thought it was important to be partying through high school and college, I was at home studying and making sure I kept my grades high. That was, of course, unless she had gotten her way and dragged me along to one of her parties to meet some boy who she thought was a perfect match for me. Of course, she had roped the poor guy into a blind date with me and once he worked out how awkward I was, he eventually found an excuse to wander off and then didn’t return for the rest of the evening. I would then leave and head back home. Change into my comfy pyjamas and curl up with my current book boyfriend for the night, dreaming of what could have been. Lilly is not a reader, so she never understands my love of books. How they take me into a fantasy world that is full of love, hot sex and happily-ever-after endings. She doesn’t need the hot sex scenes. From what she always overshares with me, she is getting plenty of that herself. Still, I can never understand what she is jealous of, in my life. It’s not as exciting as hers by any stretch of the imagination. I guess that’s what makes the world go around, everyone being different.

  “You ready to do this, lazy bones?” Lilly’s chirpy voice breaks my thoughts, bringing me back to reality. Looking outside, I realize we are parked outside the gym that Zara and Natalie had described last night. Suddenly, my heart is racing a little and my stomach feels tingly. I can’t put this off any longer. Here goes another embarrassing day with me not being able to talk to a guy. Well, not just any guy. Xavier is like the Greek god, Adonis. His body is built to perfection, and it may or may not have invaded my dreams last night. His face, however, has that bit of roughness to it. A five o’clock shadow that’s almost a beard trails down his jaw bone, which has me wondering what it would be like to run my fingers over it. The problem with reading romance novels is your mind wanders to the places it shouldn’t, straight away. I can’t help but wonder what that facial hair would feel like on other places of my body. I don’t have any experience with that, but I’m starting to feel desperate for the chance. For all the hardness of Xavier’s body, his smile and eyes are the complete opposite. His eyes last night as he looked me over, were soft, warm and gentle. He is definitely hiding all that behind his cheeky smile. Watching him carrying on with Luke last night at the bar where we met, he seemed to fit right in with him. Just like Luke, I think he is a bit of a joker. Likes to keep everyone on their toes. Not that he spoke much to me all night, but I certainly felt his eyes on me for most of it.

  I couldn’t look up as I was too shy.

  I wanted to.

  I just didn’t know how.

  God, when will I get over this and finally get a man? I’m a twenty-five-year-old woman, who has only ever had a few fumbling sexual experiences and has yet to have a steady boyfriend. There is something wrong with me.

  “Umm, hello, earth to Alesha. Are you still with me?” Lilly is madly waving her hand in front of me.

  “Shit, sorry Lil, I’m still half asleep.” I couldn’t tell her the truth of where my mind went. God, that would be like waving a red flag in front of Lilly. It would be full steam ahead with her ‘set up Alesha on her next date’ plan. I will get steamrolled before I even leave the gym.

  “Okay, well, let’s get inside and start working out. That’ll wake you up quickly. Come on.” With that, she bounces out of the car like she’s full of energy. I’m not feeling as enthusiastic.

  There’s a reason I haven’t really spent much time in big gyms over the years. I feel self-conscious, like I don’t belong. I’m not as fit and trim as Lilly. I was born with round hips, a backside that I struggle to keep from looking huge, and boobs I wouldn’t call perfect. I don’t quite match the majority of the women, flirting around the room, showing off their tight booties and gorgeous trim bodies. Good on them for working hard but I’m not stupid. I know I just don’t look like them. Using the gym at the apartment complex is great. It’s small and only visited by a few people from our building at a time. There’s a real mix of people using it, varying in age and ability. I feel I fit in my little gym just fine.

  “Hi, girls. How are we this morning?” Natalie, Xavier’s sister, greets us as we come through the door. We also met her last night where we hit it off immediately. She seems lovely and our kind of girl. Her and Xavier are twins. I’m not sure she is as cheeky as him, but she was partying and having fun last night with Lilly and me. Her friendship with Zara, my brother Grant’s current flame that he won’t admit to having, is a close one. Almost like a sister. They are each other’s best friends, and I have a feeling Xavier is a little protective over Zara too, like she is another sister to him.

  “Ready to work hard? Just because you were out partying last night, don’t expect me to go easy on you. If one thing is certain, Xavier never goes easy on anyone. Just ask Zara, look at her face over there, just from her session with him. He’s a mean man, let me assure you.”

  “Wow, you’re really filling me with so much confidence, Nat. Maybe I should just back out now?” I look at Lilly who is already laughing at me.

  “Not a chance. Let’s get going. You are going to sweat whether you like it or not.” Little does Lilly know, I’m already sweating from nerves and we haven’t even made it over to where Xavier’s standing.

  Walking over to the other side of the gym, Lilly and Natalie are talking away, laughing about last night. Tagging along behind them, I can see the attention of nearly all the men in the gym is fixed on Lilly. They all start to either run that little bit faster or pump those weights that little bit harder trying to get her to notice them. It’s almost comical. Pity Lilly is oblivious to all the attention. She’s too busy gossiping with Nat.

  The closer we get to Zara and Xavier, the more my palms sweat. I can see what Grant sees in her. Her body is toned, and she has the beautiful long legs of a dancer. Her dark hair and amazing soft complexion make her look like a princess. I can only imagine what she looks like on stage, fully made up and in costume.

  They’re stretching at the end of what I’m guessing
was an intense workout. With Zara’s big dance audition not far off, I imagine she’s working hard to maintain her fitness. Even though she is sucking in her breath still, she lights up with a beautiful smile as we approach.

  “Well, girls, you just lost me twenty dollars. I bet Nat you wouldn’t show up this morning. You were both partying hard last night. I thought getting up to come down and train with this legend was the last thing you would feel like. I must admit, I am impressed.” There it is, that feeling in my stomach when he speaks and laughs. Like something’s grabbing it and tying parts of it in tiny knots.

  “Oh, shut up, Xav. I was confident they were always going to show. Look how eager they are to be here. They can’t wait to get started. Easiest twenty dollars I’ve ever made. That’ll teach you to doubt a woman when she says she is going to do something. We don’t back down. Right, girls?” Lilly and Zara both laugh out loud at Nat, but my voice is lost somewhere, I’m not quite sure where to find it. I am so pathetic.

  “Not sure how happy Alesha looks to be here. Let’s see if we can change that by the time we’re finished with you. What do you think, Ally?”

  Ally?

  No one has ever called me that before.

  I’m always Lesh for short, which came from when Lilly was little and struggled to say my name. I can see Lilly smiling that stupid grin she gets when she’s trying not to say anything. I stand there with Xavier looking straight at me. My breathing is getting a little faster and I’m trying to get some words out. At this stage, just any words would be great.