by Ava Walsh
He didn’t understand why he needed to be gone before Mrs. Cassidy came home. Did she hate him now, too, for letting Mindy go? Scratch that—if he’d hurt Mindy, he knew she’d have it out for him.
Mindy turned away and went through the house, picking up a small blanket and a couple of toys off the floor. She stuffed them in a laundry basket and put them in the hall. Maybe she had a puppy now? Didn’t matter. He needed to focus on why he was here.
“Min,” he started and stopped. How did he begin? “There’s something I need to say to you. I should’ve said it a long time ago, but… I screwed up.”
“That’s what you came all the way to Indiana to tell me? You screwed up?” She wiped her eyes as a tear fell.
“No. I mean, I did, but that’s not what I meant to say. I’m doing this all wrong.” He stepped closer, took her face in his hands, and wiped the new tears away. “I’m in love with you.” His insides shook as he waited for her response.
She gazed into his eyes. “For real?”
“Very for real. I’m lost without you. I can’t enjoy anything, not even the music when you’re not there. You make my life complete, but that’s not even why I’m here. I want to be those things for you. I want to be the one thing that makes your life better.”
She turned her face into his hand and kissed his palm. “I love you, too. But, we need to talk.”
“We will. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy, I promise.” He leaned down to brush a kiss across her forehead, but she lifted her face, and then they were kissing. Electricity shot through him. It was like time had stopped. She could still make him feel like it was just the two of them in the world.
She snaked her arms around his neck and he grabbed her ass in both hands, lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist in response and moaned his name. Her mouth latched on to his neck, and she lapped at him.
“I’ve missed you,” she murmured against his skin.
“God, Min, you’re my everything. I didn’t even know what love was until I met you. I’m so sorry I let you go.”
“Not your fault.” She kissed him, opening her mouth in invitation. His body responded, and he was hard for her. He walked backward with her to the couch and sat down. Their hands were everywhere, roaming under each other’s clothes.
“We should stop,” Devon said. “You said your mom will be back soon and this isn’t how I want her seeing her future son-in-law.”
“Was that a proposal?” Mindy leaned her forehead against his, breathing hard. “Don’t ask me that yet. There’s something you should know.”
“You’ve found someone else.” He knew he’d waited too long. Stupid to think she was sitting here at this house alone, waiting for him.
“Don’t be ridiculous. There won’t ever be anyone else for me, not like that.” She slipped out of his arms and onto the couch. “But there is someone you need to know about before we can be together. We’re a package deal now.”
Was she seriously talking about her puppy now? “I could care less if you have a dog. We’ll take her on the road with us.”
“Dog? What?” She half-smiled, her head tilted.
“The toys. And the blanket. You’ve got a dog, right?”
Mindy stood up and crossed to look out the storm door. When she turned back, her fingers twisted together. “Katy isn’t a dog. Those were baby things.”
“Oh.” They could get past this. He wasn’t going to be angry at her because she’d been with someone else in the year they’d been apart. “You had a baby?”
“No, Devon. We have a baby. A little girl. I named her Katherine, after my mom.”
A flush of adrenaline hit his bloodstream and his stomach was heavy. “A baby. You and me?”
Chapter Nineteen - Mindy
Mindy’s insides felt torn apart at the idea that Devon might reject their child. What if he didn’t even believe her? What if he was worried she wanted something from him? What if, what if, what if. It was all she could think about.
“You should at least meet her, Devon. Even if you don’t want me, you should see her. She’s beautiful, smart… perfect. She’s my perfect little angel.” She took a faltering step closer.
The door opened behind her. It was her mom. She was chattering away at Katy and the stroller wheels squeaked on the hardwood floor. Mindy whirled around to face them. She couldn’t keep looking at Devon, his face slack with shock.
She wondered as she had a hundred times before, at her choice to keep this a secret from him. She hadn’t wanted to saddle him with responsibility he wasn’t ready for, hadn’t asked for. Katy was precious to her, but having this baby had been her choice.
“Devon?” Her mom stopped in her tracks and looked at Mindy, her lips pursed.
Mindy undid the latches and picked the baby up from the stroller. “Mom, can you excuse us?”
Her mom gave her a long, questioning look then nodded. “I suppose so.” She started to turn, then stopped. “Devon, I’ve known you a very long time. I treated you like one of my own.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Devon said.
“Think very, very carefully about the next words you say. They’ll define who you are to this child. And to Mindy.” Her mom turned at that and walked into the kitchen. She was right. If Devon couldn’t find a way to love them both, then they could never be together.
“I understand.” Devon took a step closer to Mindy, his eyes bulging from their sockets. “Can I hold her?”
She held Katy close, inhaling her scent for a moment. She smelled so clean and new, still. Her child… their child. “Yes.”
He crossed the room and held his arms out. She slid the baby into them, helping him adjust to Katy’s small size. “She was two weeks early. It made me think of you. She was so excited to take center stage, she couldn’t wait.”
“And she’s healthy?”
“Absolutely perfect. Has been since day one and she’s in the ninetieth percentile for her development.”
“Is that a good thing?” He looked into his daughter’s clear, blue eyes, Mindy’s eyes. She saw it on his face, the moment everything clicked into being real for him. He hugged the baby close. “You’ve got a head start on me. I don’t know what any of that means.”
“It means she’s smart and developing well physically.” Mindy sat down on the couch because her knees were wobbly. She wanted to ask him what this meant for their future. Did the three of them have a future? But that seemed selfish considering he’d only just found out he was a dad.
“Is this why you left me? Because you didn’t think I’d want her? Because I already love her. She smells like nothing else, and she looks so much like you.”
“She got your blond hair, though.” Mindy couldn’t help but smiling when she talked about Katy. But her stomach fluttered with nerves.
“Sure she does. She’s got to have a little bit of her old man. As long as she looks like her beautiful Mommy.” He sat down beside her and laid Katy down on his thighs. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Yeah, this is why I left. I knew Bret would try to make you marry me, I knew the label would try to make you marry me, and that was the last thing I wanted. If you want us, I want it to be because it’s what you want.”
“Are you kidding me?”
She couldn’t meet his gaze, staring hard at a spot on the old hardwood.
“Min, look at me.” When she lifted her face and looked at him, he touched her cheek, keeping one hand firmly on the squirming baby’s belly. “Of course I want you both. I love you. Hell, I’ve known her for less than five minutes and I’d cut off an arm for her. I love both of you.”
Relief rushed through her like standing under a waterfall. “So, you’re not mad?”
“Oh, I’m going to kill your brother. If he’d only told me what was going on…” He shook his head, his mouth a hard line.
“I made him promise me he wouldn’t. Here.” She scooped the baby up, spread a blanket on the floor and laid her down t
here. “If you don’t kiss me in the next five seconds, I might die.”
Devon stood and was by her side in a flash. He wrapped his arms around her and looked down at the baby and then into her eyes. His lips took hers, gentle and sweet, and then more. Demanding and hot, everything at once.
When they parted, he held her close. “We’re a family. We’ll always be a family. I love you, Min.”
“I love you, too, Devon. So much.”
Today, they would start their lives together. She didn’t care if they ever married, though she’d remind him he’d sort of proposed to her. She just wanted to raise their daughter together, as one. For the first time since she had left him, she was truly happy again.
*****
THE END
The Boss's Game
Description
Oscar
I am an arrogant, self-indulgent and offensive pr*ck. Plus I am exceptionally good looking and rich. I can get any woman into my bed.
I am the new CEO of the family firm, the one who has to save the company from a financial crisis. I have to prove that I’m capable of it, because I have no practical knowledge. My skills include licking off ten belly shots in one minute and seducing Brazilian supermodels.
Women mean nothing to me. I don’t do relationships. I’m not interested in my conquests, just in whether I can fit their butts into my hands.
Until Kayla. She’s strong-willed and confident and her curves drive me wild. Her eyes command me to stay away, making me want her even more. But she’s my new PA. She’s off limits.
I know she wants me just as much I want her. So I propose a business contract. Just sex. Nothing more.
As if.
Kayla
I have my eyes on the prize. I am going to make sure my career is going places. I just got promoted to be the PA to the Connell’s lost son, Oscar. Score for me, career wise.
Until I realize that my new boss is that blue eyed blonde model of male perfection that I met in the gym. The one with the six-pack and the chiseled muscles; the one with the most annoying smirk in the world who can’t stop staring at my butt.
I’m shocked to realize that I want him. Purely physically of course. Oscar is like a hot knife and I am butter, so I agree to his indecent proposal. Even if it goes completely against my rules of conduct.
I’m pretty sure I don’t like him as a person. Who would? He’s just a means to an end. Plus I would never allow myself to grow attached to a man.
So his rules suit me just fine. Only sex, nothing else.
Chapter One
Kayla
I have to start my day in a sweat. By that I mean I have to get my heart pumping, my muscles aching and my body rewarding me for the extra mile I’ve pushed it. Every day is the same. I blink my eyes open and I can’t wait to hit the gym.
Today is no different. I arrived at seven, when the gym was deserted, the doors open just for me. I hooked the earplugs in, I stretched while walking towards the treadmill and then I started running. What a way to wake myself up!
This one hour when I’m alone in the gym, listening to the same three songs on loop, is the most peaceful time of the day for me.
It’s when I can do some thinking, clear my head and prepare myself for a day in the office. No interruptions, no distractions and no demands.
My body jerks as I run, I keep my eyes focused on the wall length mirror in front of me. This way I can see myself, love myself as I run for thirty minutes without a break.
But what I wasn’t expecting today was an intrusion. About twenty minutes into the run, I heard the gym door open behind me and saw someone walk in. I could feel my brows furrowing with irritation. I told myself that as long as they left me alone, I’d be fine.
A few seconds later he came into view. Walking up behind me, watching me run on the treadmill. A soft smirk creased the side of his face. I could see his eyes were on my butt, and then on my back. He was walking towards me with a towel flung over his shoulder.
He looked familiar, although I couldn’t exactly place him. I was sure he was related to the Connells in some way. He had to be. This was the family’s personal gym after all; very few employees have access to this room.
I’d been working as a receptionist at their financial services firm for the past four years. It’s a medium sized company that trades in stocks and is located in a swanky private office building. The Connells trust me, I live nearby and I’m there at their every beck and call. Working seven days a week if they need me to. The free access to their personal gym is one of the many perks that they’ve provided me with. For that, I’m very grateful.
But who is this guy? I couldn't remember seeing him around the office, and the confidence, the sheer arrogance with which he was walking towards the treadmill next to me…I could tell that he wasn’t just a regular employee.
His blonde hair and baby blue eyes contributed to a boyish look, but everything else about him was purely man. I was annoyed, nonetheless.
The crop top he was wearing clung to his chiseled muscles, the bulges on his thighs stretched the thin nylon material of his shorts.
He was still smirking as he flung himself onto the treadmill next to mine. He was making a point. There were six other empty treadmills around us, an entire empty gym to make use of. But he chose to run on the treadmill next to mine, to look into the mirror in front of us, directly into my eyes as he picked a speed on the machine.
Within seconds he was running, faster than me. I looked back at him in the mirror, narrowing my eyes and maintaining my speed. If this was a battle, I wasn’t just going to give up. I had been here nearly thirty minutes by now, so my body had started to wind down, used to the usual routine. But I was going to push myself now. If he was trying to make a point, I’d make one too.
We were both running to match each other’s speed. The music was loud in my ears, keeping me motivated but I could feel the breath catching in my throat. It wouldn’t be long before I’d start feeling the strain of my muscles.
He was still smirking, watching me, running with ease. His neck was broad, and he had broad shoulders to match. There were sweat patches forming on his shirt now, and sweat dripped from his hair too. None of it seemed to bother him.
I was growing increasingly aware of my senses, everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. I could feel my ponytail grazing my back, the soles of my shoes hitting the rubber belt of the treadmill, the muscles on my calves beginning to ache with every extra second.
I saw him punch the board, to increase his speed and I was tempted to do the same. I was panting by now but tried to make sure that my face didn’t change. I didn’t want to give away that I was getting tired.
How did this turn into a competition? I didn’t even know the guy. Maybe it was the smirk on his face, the absolute confidence with which he challenged me to a fight, without even asking me to it.
The music in my ears was growing louder, and I had to blink hard to keep my eyes from shutting on their own accord. My body was screaming at me to stop, but I pushed on. I could feel the sweat trickle down my back, the hair from my bangs stuck to the sides of my face. He was running faster now, harder, his muscular torso stretching and contorting with every step. He was enjoying himself, while I was wondering why I was even a part of this.
I saw his lips move in the mirror, and my mind was grateful for the distraction. I continued running but pulled the earplugs out.
“You can give up if you want,” I heard him say, repeat himself. I crossed my brows at him.
“Thank you for the permission, but I’m following my own routine,” I said and stuck the earplugs back into my ears. I saw him smile, a big wide self-indulgent smile.
Then he casually stopped the machine and slowed to a stop himself. I was relieved, even though I didn’t allow my face to show it. Secretly it was a victory for me, that I wasn’t the first one to put an end to it.
I saw him jump off the treadmill and reach for the towel. That’s when I stopped a
nd got off the treadmill myself, feeling a little dizzy. I switched off the music when I picked up my own towel, still annoyed by the disruption to my routine.
“Good run,” I heard him say. I looked at him and threw him a half smile. Common sense was flooding my brain now. No matter how irritated I was, in all likelihood, this guy was a colleague, which meant that I shouldn’t be rude.
“Is that your usual set?” he asked as I undid the cap of my water bottle, still panting.
“Yep,” I said and eagerly drank from the bottle. He was still wiping himself down, looking at me with confidence, unabashedly, no apology in his eyes.
“I like to get an early start at the gym. I didn’t expect to find anyone here,” he continued. I wanted to tell him that was exactly how I operated, but I decided against it. I wasn’t here to make friends.
“Have I offended you in some way?” he asked after a few seconds of silence. I was preparing to leave now. I usually spent another fifteen minutes on the cross trainer, but I didn’t want to get into another competition with him.
“Why do you say that?” I asked him, as I picked up my gym bag.
“You don’t seem too pleased to see me here,” he replied, his eyes flitting over my breasts and back up to my face. I could see what kind of man he was. He thought I was going to be an easy pickup at the gym. He had confidence in himself and his prowess at impressing women. But I wasn’t just going to giggle and accept his advances. He had intruded on my privacy, on my personal space and I was secretly glad he thought I was offended.
“I’m sorry that I’m not more friendly. It’s just that I have to get to work,” I said, starting to walk away from him.