by Dawn Brower
“I love it. Bring her to me.”
Cain stood up and brought their daughter to her.
“Hello Eden. I’m your mommy.”
They stared at their daughter for a while until she screamed in protest. Cain picked her up and pushed a pacifier into her mouth. She calmed down and fell back asleep. He carried her to her crib and set her down.
“She’s beautiful.” He gazed up at her. “I’ve never been so happy.”
“Come here.” Belle wiggled her finger at him. “Kiss me.”
He complied with her demands and kissed her lightly. “This isn’t the wedding night I had in mind, but I’ll take it.”
“Come join me in my bed. It won’t be a wicked night of pleasure, but I promise all the love in my heart.” She scooted over so he could join her in the bed.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more.”They cuddled in each other’s arms content with what life had in store for their future.
Sneak Peek: Unbridled Pursuit
Chapter 1
Vitoria's eyelids were narrowed into tiny slits, still heavy from sleep. The sun’s bright rays bounced in a diagonal through the room and landed across Vitoria’s face in sync with the shrill of her alarm clock. The screeching noise reverberated against the bedroom walls and recoiled throughout her eardrums. The light blinded her sleep-filled eyes. Reaching out her hand, she batted her alarm clock with more force than necessary to end the constant stream of annoyingness.
Mornings and she did not get along very well.
They were her least favorite part of the day, but time waited for no one. It kept beating steadily on whether she was ready for it or not. Sadly, Tori was almost never equipped to take on the infernal clock constantly counting down the seconds of her life. She had so many things to do in a single day it was next to impossible to accomplish it all.
Today she had a plane to catch, a flight scheduled to take her to the west coast—to be more specific, Seattle, Washington. The state her best friend now called home. The past three months without her chipped away at Tori’s thick shell.
Loneliness invaded her world in a way it hadn’t in many years. Not since the days before she met Ginnifer Zeiss, or as she was often called, Ginny. Prior to meeting her best friend, she only existed and went through the motions of her day-to-day life. She gave the impression of happiness, but in reality, she was an empty shell. Without someone to shake up her world, she feared she would sink into oblivion.
She missed the ability to drop in on her at a moment’s notice. Tori and Ginnifer didn’t go a day without talking. The difference now was it almost always involved a telephone, whereas before she stopped by for an impromptu lunch or a nightly glass of wine. Ginny had to go and fall in love and ruin it all.
Her dearest friend was getting married. The wedding was several weeks away. Now Tori had to fly out to Seattle to help with some of the planning and of course check in with her growing clientele.
Her work was never done.
Vitoria owned and operated a public relations firm. She also handled some legal work for her clients. She had passed the bar in several states. It gave her the opportunity to negotiate contracts when they were up for renewal. Her business wasn’t merely a public relations firm. It had been designed to meet any and all necessities that might arise. The sheer level of energy she required to get through her day took its toll. She wanted a change, and she missed her best friend terribly.
The distance between them was more difficult for her than anything else in her life. Tori needed to be near Ginnifer. So much so, she seriously considered a more permanent solution to her situation. While in Washington for this trip, she planned on scouting the area for a place to set up business. Thanks to her growing client base on the west coast, the transition should go smoothly. It made sense to move when the majority of her clients were on a different side of the country. The boon was her best friend lived there too. In her mind it was a win-win situation. So why did she have such a hard time making a decision?
Tori rolled out of bed and stumbled into her bathroom. She flicked on the light and rubbed her face. The lack of sleep played a toll on her normally gorgeous exterior. Her caramel-blonde hair could be compared to dried straw and her blue eyes were dull.
The constant back and forth had to stop. It didn’t matter if everything was completely settled. When she arrived in Washington she required a change. So she made the decision to start arrangements for her move immediately.
Resolution made, she picked up her cell and scrolled through the contact list. After several rings someone answered with a muffled hello.
“Alison, good you’re up.”
“Damn it Tori, do you have any idea what time it is?” she asked.
“Of course I do. I figured you would already be awake and ready to start your day.”
“If I had known how evil you were, I wouldn’t have taken a job with you after Ginnifer moved to Washington.”
“Well, you came highly recommended, or I wouldn’t have hired you at all. You should be thankful I gave you a job.”
Vitoria stared at her fingernails. The nail polish had started to chip at the top and one of her nails had a ragged edge where it broke the day before. When she got to Seattle, at some point she would get a manicure.
“What do you need? I’d like to get some more sleep today. You do realize it’s a Sunday, right? I don’t work on the weekend,” Alison mumbled.
“Well you do now. I have a job for you to start working on immediately.”
Tori could hear the groans coming through the speaker of her phone. She probably should feel guilty, but she didn’t really. Perhaps she did a little—she didn’t like getting woken up and ordered around. It plain sucked. But Alison knew what her job would entail when she agreed to work with her. An early morning wakeup call shouldn’t come as a surprise. Vitoria explained the possibility to her, and she knew a last minute assignment could pop up at any moment.
“I repeat, what do you need?” A growl came through loud and clear. Nope, Alison was far from happy. Tori didn’t consider that her problem. She paid well and expected results.
“I’m going to move to Seattle. I want you to contact some movers. I want my entire apartment and office packed up in preparation for the move. I don’t plan on coming back once I fly out there later this afternoon.”
Tori rattled off her list. “I also would like you to contact every person on my east coast client list and inform them of my move. If they want to consider moving to a more locally-based agent, I’ll allow them break their contract for a nominal fee, but please explain to them I am not coming back to New York unless it’s an emergency. From now on they will have to meet with me in Seattle.”
“What? So I’m going to be out of another job?” Alison asked.
“Only if you don’t want to move to Seattle with me. I’ll pay your moving expenses if you want to transfer out there. If not, I will give you a letter of recommendation.”
Alison really was a good assistant. Plus Vitoria had already broken her in. All of her expectations were fully ingrained in her. She really didn’t want to train someone new. Paying her to move out to Washington was a sound business decision. If Tori was lucky, and she didn’t rely on luck very often, Alison would grab at the opportunity to relocate.
“I will have to think about it and let you know. Where’s everything going to be sent to?” Alison asked.
“I’m not exactly sure. I’ll call you in a few days with the information. It’s going to take at least a week to pack both places up anyway. Make the other arrangements first.”
“All right. I will call and see who is available. It’s kind of last minute, and there might not be too many openings.”
“Do the best you can. I have faith in your ability to make this happen. It’s a good thing I’m not a coffee nut like Ginny. Everything else you do stupendously. That was her only complaint as to your skills.”
“If you can keep a secret, I’ll tell you why I failed
miserably at that.”
“Let me guess. You did it on purpose.”
“How’d you guess?” Alison asked.
“It’s what I’d do. No one wants to be that person. The one who fetches coffee repeatedly. If you show your ineptness for it, they’ll quit asking.”
“Exactly,” Alison agreed.
“Anyway I have a few things I need to do before my flight. I’ll be in touch with the rest of the details. I have an extra set of keys to my apartment in my office safe. You have the combination, so retrieve them when you need to let the movers into my apartment. I’ll talk to you later.”
Tori ended the call and got ready for her trip. She had packed the night before, but in light of her change of plans, she packed an extra bag with a few essential items. The additional cost of the baggage would be worth it to take everything she needed. With care, she folded more clothes and placed them in the large suitcase. Ginnifer often made fun of her over-packing, but she believed in being prepared for any scenario.
The one thing Vitoria hated more than anything was being blindsided.
In a lot of ways, she was a control freak. She hated giving anyone any kind of power over her. Her parents were tyrants and meticulously planned every part of her childhood. Their need to have successful, ambitious children led to her estrangement from her sister, Vivian. She hadn’t seen Viv in over two years. The last time they saw each other the conversation had been stilted and heavy with tension.
The encounter happened purely by chance. They were almost like two ships passing in the night.
Her sister was walking into a lawyer’s firm Vitoria had been leaving. At first seeing her sibling directly in front of her startled her. They normally kept a large distance between them. Vivian could be very coldblooded and distant. She developed her attitude as a coping mechanism. At times Tori wondered if she was actually sociopathic because of some of the things she did to get ahead in their parents’ eyes. Nothing stood in her way, not even her own sister.
A high-pitched noise filled the room, and she looked over at her phone. She had tossed it on her bed as she began to pack. Vitoria reached for her cell and smiled when Ginnifer’s name flashed across the screen.
“Hey, Ginny. You do know what time it is, right? I mean you are like three hours behind me, so is the sun even up there?”
“As a matter of fact, no, it isn’t. Dallas starts chores quite early.”
“And he wakes you up first? That brute! I will have a chat with him when I get there. Sleep is a sacred thing, and he shouldn’t deprive you of yours.”
Tori stopped and tapped her chin as a thought entered her mind. “Although I have to admit that is kind of brave of him. I'm aware of how perilous it is to wake you up before the sun comes up.”
Ginnifer’s laughter floated through the phone. “Oh trust me. I don’t mind. Everyone should experience our version of peril at least once in their lifetime.”
“Have you been watching Monty Python?”
“Of course not. It was horrid enough the one time you made me watch it.”
She could imagine Ginny’s shudder as she said the words. She did every time Tori mentioned the one movie she actively despised. Of all the films Tori made her sit through, Monty Python and the Holy Grail left Ginnifer quivering with displeasure. It didn’t take long for it to become her least favorite movie. Of course using favorite in any context was overstating it. Ginny hated that particular movie.
“It reminded me of the scene when Sir Galahad was in that castle full of women. Sir Lancelot said he was in peril.”
“Oh, I think I do remember that. Seems like it had to do with his duty to experience such peril or a lot of peril. I don’t remember exactly.”
“Yes!” Tori shouted with excitement. “He said and I’m paraphrasing it here—it is my duty as a knight to sample as much peril as I can. You came pretty close to it with your comment about Dallas.”
“Tori dear, you watch too many movies. You need to get a life.”
“Hmmph, I have a great life, thank you very much. So back to you. Why are you calling me?”
“Oh, I wanted to double check to see what time your flight arrives today.” Ginnifer asked.
“Why? I’m not going to be coming out to Novak Springs until next week. I have a few things to take care of in Seattle first.”
“I thought I’d arrange to meet you, and while we are there, we can get the fitting done on your bridesmaid dress. I also want you to see the dress I picked out and get your opinion.”
“You finally found a dress?” Tori squealed. “I can’t wait to see it.”
“I figured you might.”
“Hmm, my flight actually gets in kind of late. It might be best for you to come out tomorrow or the next day. I’m not so sure anything will be open when I get there.”
What Tori didn’t tell her was she had other plans once she arrived in Seattle. She needed to find an apartment and some office space. What she hoped was to be able to give her the good news about the move when she saw her. No way could she do that if she didn’t have any time to scout out the area first. Her first stop, after she checked into her hotel, was with the real estate agent she set up an appointment with. She needed at least a half day to make some headway on her idea.
“Oh. Okay. I will plan on driving out tomorrow morning. Dallas wakes me up pretty early, so I should be able to get there by nine. We can shop and have lunch. Does that work for you?”
“Of course. I can’t wait to see you. I’m excited.”
“Good. I’m gonna hang up. Maybe I’ll get some more sleep.”
Tori could hear Ginnifer yawn. Dallas might have been very good at a morning wake-up, but that didn’t change her best friend’s sleeping habits. She would probably call it a power nap.
“All right. Bub-bye Ginny.”
Tori hung up the phone and finished packing. The cab was scheduled to arrive in an hour, and she needed to get done before they arrived. After everything was packed, she zipped her suitcase and rolled it next to the other two in her living room. She only had twenty minutes to wait until her ride came to pick her up. With everything arranged and planned, Tori sat on a chair in her living room to relax. No reason to expend any unnecessary energy. She had a long day ahead of her.
Chapter 2
The plane landed at Seattle’s Sea-Tac airport on time. The problem didn’t start until five minutes after Tori entered the airport terminal from the plane. The outside windows portrayed a torrential downpour of rain and hail the size of ping-pong balls. It pounded against the glass panes with a force leading her to believe they’d break at any moment.
This, of course, left her without much desire to actually leave the airport.
If it appeared this bad from the inside looking out, it had to be ten times worse to actually be underneath the wicked spray. Tori pulled her phone out of her purse and clicked the side button to check the time. The phone had already adjusted itself to the time difference between New York and Seattle. Her appointment with the realtor was in an hour. She needed to go check into her hotel and soon if she hoped to make the appointment on time.
With a sigh of resignation, Tori grabbed her carryon bag and trekked through the terminal to baggage claim. She pulled her two suitcases off the conveyer and stacked her carryon bag on top of the smaller one. As she turned to go toward the rental car area, she walked right into a hard male chest.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you…” She gazed up into a pair of aquamarine eyes filled with hatred.
“No need to explain. I’m well-aware how self-absorbed you are.”
The beginning of a sigh built up deep inside of Tori's chest. She squashed it before it could expel itself from her body. Wesley Novak, the bane of her existence. She wanted to avoid him on this trip. Apparently the fates had a different idea altogether. At any other moment in time, with any other male, she’d have enjoyed the encounter.
Especially a male as gorgeous as Wes.
His long h
air was a beautiful, golden shade of blond, his eyes alternated between green and brown, and he had a rock-hard chest she was desperate to run her hands all over. Unfortunately for her, for reasons she didn’t quite understand, the man loathed her.
“What are you doing here Wes?”
“I’m here to offer you a ride.”
Well, wasn’t that just peachy? By the expression on his face, he didn’t want to extend the offer any more than she wanted to accept it. His eyebrows were so scrunched together, they threatened to form a uni-brow. Every time he glanced at her, his eyes shot daggers, ready to kill her on sight. She had to wonder whose bright idea it was to have him pick her up from the airport. Hell, who even knew she’d arrived to be picked up? She thought she had stalled Ginny earlier on the phone.
“I don’t need a ride. I’m gonna walk on over there to get a rental car. I’m not about to rely on you for anything. I might end up in a body bag somewhere marked as a Jane Doe.”
“You would be familiar with body bags seeing what you are responsible for.”
What? That was a new one. She had nothing to do with body bags or dead bodies for that matter. Clearly Wes decided to take a trip off the deep end into loco town.
“I’m not even going to touch that one. Leave me be, Wes. I can take care of myself,” Tori snidely remarked.
“I know. It’s what you’re good at. But I’m here anyway. Don’t worry, it’s not for you. I’m here ’cause Ginnifer worries about you. Only God knows why.”
“Well you can go on back to the ranch and tell her you saw me and I’m fine. I’m going to check into my hotel. I have an appointment. I don’t have all day to stand here and argue with you.”
“Well then quit bitching, and do as you’re told for once.” Wes continued to glare at her in disapproval. If he kept it up, he was going to get some serious forehead wrinkles and some unflattering ones around the edges of his mouth.