First Love

by Natalie Ann

  “It’s not the same thing as working in an office. I’m just getting my bearings here.”

  “You actually believe those rumors yourself, don’t you?”

  “Which rumors are those?” she asked, her eyes filling again. She couldn’t remember ever crying as much as she had in the past few days. “There are so many I can’t keep track.”

  “The ones where you are only sleeping with Jace to get ahead. Or the ones where he is only sleeping with you for a quick fling.”

  Lauren shrugged. Deep down she knew she could do the job, but did she feel Jace was only giving it to her because of their relationship? “I don’t really believe it.”

  “But part of you does. I see the number of hours you work. So does Jace. Do you know that he never used to work in this office that much? He never used to be here much at all before you were hired.”

  “That’s because he bought those franchises and he wanted to keep a close eye on them.”

  “I’ll buy that, but he could do that from his home office after hours. Instead he’s here when you come in and most nights until you leave.”

  “Everyone is watching our every move, aren’t they?” she asked. It was never going to end.

  “I’m sure. I’m only saying this so you realize that he sees something in you. He was impressed with your work long before you two started seeing each other,” Sue said.

  “Anyone could have found the things I did in the beginning.”

  “But not everyone would have found what you did with Scott.”

  “Just luck and hard work,” Lauren argued.

  “I would have never expected you to be this stubborn. It’s probably giving Jace fits,” Sue said, laughing. “I know this place is full of rumors. You can’t get past it with as many as we employ. But just know one thing. Jace is nothing like his father. Matter of fact, Mr. Stratton is starting to be more like his son. That’s a good thing. Trust me.”

  “Thanks,” Lauren said. “I appreciate everything you said.”

  “Give Jace a chance. Don’t get caught up in everything you hear unless it’s coming from his lips. He seems to be on uncharted territory too.”

  “I doubt it,” Lauren said.

  Sue left and shut the door and Lauren went back to work. She stayed there until close to seven and still hadn’t seen or heard from Jace.

  Sue was wrong about the two of them. If Jace really cared, he would have come in to see her, but he didn’t. He left her alone, letting her believe that maybe their time was coming to an end after witnessing what happened with Scott and Katy today.

  Jace was getting sick of looking out his office door waiting to catch sight of Lauren leaving.

  He knew she was still in the building. He wanted to run after her when Katy shouted out what she did, but figured he’d give Lauren time to calm down. Give her time to compose herself.

  He’d seen Lauren’s red face and glossy eyes and as much as he wanted to follow her, it would only cause more speculation and rumors. The things that were bothering her the most about their relationship.

  It seemed like there was no good way to deal with this.

  He looked up when he saw a movement around the corner and jumped up to race after Lauren. She didn’t even bother to look and see if he was in his office or not.

  “Lauren,” he called out.

  She turned quickly. “Oh, Jace. I thought you were gone.”

  “You didn’t even look to see if my door was open or closed,” he said.

  “Sorry. My mind was on other things.”

  “Come into my office so we can talk,” he said.

  “Can it wait until tomorrow? It’s been a long day.”

  “No, it can’t wait. I’m not giving you any more space. We’re going to talk about it all right now.” She looked like she wanted to argue, but didn’t, rather turning and walking back to his office where he shut the door. “I’m sorry for what Katy said.”

  “Why are you apologizing for her words?”

  “Because you believe it. You believe a lot of what you hear when you shouldn’t.”

  “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

  “Then let me ask you. What do you want?” He hoped to hell she didn’t say she wanted them to end things.

  “I just want a normal life. One where I can come into work, do my job, go home, and have a relationship with someone where not everyone is looking at me. Not everyone is talking about me. I’m kind of sick of it.”

  “That’s not going to happen as long as you’re with me.”

  “Yeah, I know,” she said quietly.

  He wasn’t going to wait for her to end things. He was getting desperate for someone who never felt a desperation like this before. Not even when he was trying to make a name for himself. He wanted Lauren more than he ever wanted anything in his life before and he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to fight for her.

  “I thought you were stronger than that. Stronger than what has been going on. That you could handle it as long as you knew where I stood.”

  She laughed, not a funny sound either. “That’s the problem. I don’t know where you stand. It’s hard to feel good about myself or our relationship when I think I feel more than you. When I’m waiting for everything I hear to become the truth.”

  Had he been the stupid one all along? Had it been right in front of his face and he had no clue because he’d never been in love before? That he didn’t even know what to look for?

  “Really? I’m the one that has been wanting to go public with our relationship, not you. If that isn’t making a statement of how I feel, I don’t know what does.” She looked stunned, then opened her mouth and closed it again. “Don’t you dare piss me off and say I’ve got nothing to lose and you do.”

  Her eyes started to fill. “Why can’t you just say the words to me?” she said. “Rather than making me guess by your actions.”

  “Why do I have to be the first one to say them? Maybe I’m afraid I’m all alone in a place by myself.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Really? Try me,” he said willing to push her more now than ever before.

  “What do you want me to say, Jace? That I love you. That you’re the first guy I’ve ever been in love with and that I’m terrified it isn’t going to work out. That you’re going to wake up one morning and realize you can find someone better. Someone more mature. Someone better looking. Someone that fits in your social circle more.”

  “Wow. I’m not sure if I’m thrilled to hear you love me or insulted you think so little of me.”

  “What does that mean?” she asked, pulling a tissue out of her pocket. It was still damp with tears from earlier.

  “It means I love you too. And I’ve never been in love before either. I don’t know what to look for. I didn’t know how you felt and didn’t want to guess. And all those things you’re worried about are nothing to be worried about. If anything, I might have been more worried you’d want to be with someone younger.”

  She laughed. “Seriously?”

  He walked toward her. “Yes. Seriously. Can we just stop with all the doubts? All the insecurities and questions. Can we just have somewhat of a normal relationship?”

  “I’d like that.” She pulled him into her arms. “I’m only allowing you to hug me here because I know no one else is on this floor.”

  He laughed. “You’re one of a kind. And you’re mine!”

  Epilogue

  Six months later Lauren was walking toward her office after running some errands on her lunch.

  The lease on her apartment was up in a month and Jace had convinced her to move in with him. She wanted to fight it but figured there was no reason at this point. Everyone knew they were dating and no one was really talking much about it anymore.

  Rumors and gossip stopped a month after Katy and Scott were fired.

  Her and Jace’s relationship was more out in the open and she was learning a lot of the rumors going on around her and Jace had started from
Katy, then Scott.

  Scott had been trying to discredit her, hoping that she wouldn’t find what had been done prior to Jace buying the franchises.

  She’d come to a standstill outside her office when she saw one of the maintenance men standing there with Jace. “What’s going on?”

  “Crap,” Jace said. “You weren’t supposed to be back for another thirty minutes. I thought you had a bunch of things to do.”

  “I did. I got them done fast though. What is going on?” she asked again, looking at the nameplate in Jace’s hand.

  He sighed and showed it to her. It had a new title on it. The promotion she’d been fighting for months. It seemed he wasn’t going to let her fight it anymore.

  “I was going to do it all at once. You’re ruining my plans.”

  “What plans? What were you going to do?” She didn’t like that there were a few people milling around right now either.

  She realized there was another nameplate under the title one. “I was going to give you this to put up in the future.”

  She reached for it and saw it said Lauren Stratton on it. “What?”

  He took her hand, then looked in her eyes. “Just so there is no gossip or rumors, I’m going to do this where there are witnesses. Lauren, will you marry me?”

  There was more than one gasp with that question. She looked around and saw the number of people coming out of offices mounting. “Jace,” she whispered. “Are you serious?”

  “Do you think I’d do this as a joke?” He leaned down and whispered, “You’re killing me here.”

  The maintenance man laughed. She’d forgotten he was standing right there. “Oh my God, yes. I’m just stunned.”

  There was applause around them now, but she pushed it all aside and hugged Jace. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a diamond ring bigger than she’d ever seen before and tried not to shake when he slipped it on her hand. Then he pulled her in and planted a kiss on her right in front of everyone.

  “Now I can do this as much as I want and you won’t get mad at me.”

  She laughed. She had to. “I guess you can.”

  The End!

  Want to read more of the Love Collection?

  Secret Love:

  Vin Steele has always been in control. Always been a leader. Failing at what he always did was a bitter pill for him to swallow, sending him into an isolation…of sorts. A new life and a new career, trying to find the person he lost.

  Piper Fielding spent her life putting on a good face. Looking for the positive in the light of all the negative in her world. When a threat forces her to face the ugliness she always avoided, she finds herself running to the only person she can trust. Her sexy neighbor that has mystery and complications written all over him.

  True Love:

  Shattered dreams vs a new beginning. Can they help each other heal?

  Jared Hawk thought he had it all. Until he didn’t. Until a bomb exploded bringing a building down around him and his unit, leaving him less than the man he was. Broken and disabled, he needed to figure out a new plan of action hoping to find a glimmer of the happiness he’d had before.

  Shelby McDonald wanted a fresh start. A new life. She didn’t expect to be a single mother—a widow—at just twenty-three. She was strong enough to start over once, she could do it again. She had to. She had no choice. It may not have been the life she envisioned, but she’d be damned if anything was going to hold her back…including the sexy Navy Lieutenant trying to find his way again.

  Finding Love:

  What happens when a hopeless romantic falls for a cynical romance writer?

  Sheldon Case spends her days writing about romance and love. Only she doesn’t believe in it herself. Happy ever after…nah. It only exists in books and movies.

  Dr. Erik McMann had the love of his life...or so he thought. Until he found out it really didn’t exist like he imagined. Like he always dreamed. But now he wants to try again, and when he meets Sheldon, he decides she’s the one. If only he could convince her that what she’s believed her whole life is false.

  Beach Love:

  A reformed playboy. A woman looking for love. What happens when trust becomes an issue?

  If you looked up privileged in the dictionary, you’d see a picture of Dr. Connor Landers, trust fund playboy extraordinaire. He loved having that title, but the real reason he was that way was something very few people knew. Then reality was shoved in his face and he had to make a choice.

  Melissa Mahoney was looking for love in all the wrong places. How hard could it be to find someone to trust? Someone to give her what she’d been dreaming of? She takes a risk and puts her heart in Connor’s hands, but will he just end up shattering it like she’d been fearful of all along?

  Intense Love

  A detective on the mend. A psychiatrist being tormented. Can their pretend relationship uncover who’s behind the threats?

  Dr. Cameron Mason went into private practice so she could help the victims. She spends a lot of her time putting the accusers away. It’s what she thrives at. What she wants. What’s right. Until someone didn’t think it was so right and decided to silence her from ever helping others again.

  After killing a teenager hopped up on heroin—that happened to be stabbing his partner—Detective Ian Price is mandated to get released by the city shrink. He wants to get in, get his release and get out. Until he sees she’s being victimized herself. Now he must go undercover in his most dangerous assignment yet. The threat isn’t just for his safety or his sanity, but also his

  Autumn Love

  What happens when Ali’s grandfather’s ghost decides to make an appearance and meddle in her life?

  Liam Sullivan is a well-respected businessman in the community. He sees a beloved apple orchard falling into disrepair and offers to buy it, making a dream come true for his mother. When he discovers the woman he’s interested in is the daughter of the current owner, he’s stuck with a choice between work and pleasure. Or could he have both?

  Ali Rogers’s life is falling down around her. She’s in debt up to her ears. Her mother is selling the family business that should have gone to her and the sexy new owner has his eye on her. Only, there is nothing she can do about it because she is losing her mind. How else does she explain all the conversations she’s having with her deceased grandfather?

  Holiday Love

  Sometimes failed relationships are needed to make the next one count.

  Dr. Owen Taylor is on the fast track to running the Radiology Department at one of the top ranking cancer centers in the US. Plans of a family are in his future, just not his immediate future. That is until he finds himself a single father and failing miserably at juggling it all, forcing him to return home to Upstate New York needing help.

  Jill Duncan had plans of her own. But time, money, and a failed marriage squashed her hopes like a soldier's boot on a cockroach during an apocalypse. When a new doctor shows up at her job, she starts to think that old saying “better late than never” just might apply to her, if only she could get over her own insecurities.

  Christmas Love

  What happens when even the strongest are blinded by insecurities?

  Former model, Noelle Bennett has decided she wants to be behind the camera instead of in front of it. She is longing for peace and quiet. No more traveling. No more crowds. No more men hitting on her left and right. Or people only wanting one thing from her. Just her and the woods around her little home, snapping pictures of the landscape beyond. A normal life for once...maybe.

  Veterinarian Chase Martin has always gotten along better with animals than people. So when a sexy woman who looks like she just walked out of a fashion magazine shows up at his clinic offering to volunteer to take pictures of the dogs for his rescue shelter, he finds what should have been a great idea turning into uncharted territory for them both. Now he is wondering how he got so lucky...or is it more how unlucky he’s always been?

  Winter Love

 
; Kendall Hendricks spent the first decade of her life as a modern-day gypsy, until her parents finally planted themselves in Las Vegas. She loved it there. She made a name for herself. She was happy… or so she always thought. Then tragedy struck and her parents were gone, leaving her a note asking her to scratch those itchy feet she’d inherited before she settled down.

  Zeke Collins has never known anything other than working at the family lodge his whole life. Now he and his sister own and operate it and he’d have it no other way. Lake Placid is where he wants to be. It’s where his heart is and nothing could make him move. Not even the bewitching stranger with sorrowful eyes and adventure driving her course. The question is...can he change her mind?

  Chasing Love

  Her childhood crush. His best friend’s little sister. There’s nothing wrong with that, right?

  Meena Dawson has always been loud. Always been wild. Always been bold. And she always thought she loved her brother’s best friend. She’s an adult now. Not so loud. Not so wild, but still bold and definitely in love with Troy Walker. It’s time to make her move now with the hopes of not scaring him away or ruining the family connection they’ve always had.

  Troy Walker has always been serious. Dull and even boring. He knew that because he’d been told it enough in his life, especially by all his exes. At least that was the reason they’d given him for leaving every time. But now that Meena Dawson is back in town, he’s wondering if he could find a way to not be all those things and maybe catch her eye. Only he has to find a way to make sure his best friend—Meena’s brother—doesn’t find out.

  First Love

  Sparks fly when a woman from the wrong side of the tracks catches the eye of the heir apparent to the family empire.

  Lauren Towne has had a tough life. A good work ethic and a lot of determination are the keys to changing her lot in life. The last thing she needs to focus on or worry about is her new sexy boss that might just end up making all her hard work vanish in the air when he realizes how attracted she is to him.

  Jace Stratton always knew he’d be the heir to his father’s grocery store empire. But before that happened, he was determined to make a name for himself. When his “rule with an iron fist” father falls ill, he finds his timeline pushed up faster than he’d hoped for. Now he’s out to prove that even though he’s falling for an employee, he’s nothing at all like his father and never will be.