by T. S. Ryder
The logistics of it, Agatha remembered Henry using that word, the logistics of it had been the trickiest bit to handle. It was hardly appropriate workplace behavior and the tabloids had had a field day with the story, trying their best to make it sound sleazy and unethical. Agatha had known better, deep in her bones, with a certainty she had never before experienced, that this was it, that Henry was the one for her.
Henry, on their fourth date would confess just as much to her, confirming what she felt as well. He had wanted her to move in with him after the second month of dating, but she was the one who had wanted to take it slow. But despite their precaution, time had flown by so quickly, and before she knew it, she had gotten pregnant. Henry had been ecstatic. And now it was Christmas. Their first Christmas together. Agatha couldn’t stop smiling at that thought.
“Would Madam care for some tea?” Agatha turned slightly at the sound of Stevens’ voice. He had been one of the best surprises of the relationship she had with Henry. Their first encounter had been a very rushed, panicked “Defeat the rabid werewolf” kind of an affair and even after that, poor Stevens had the considerably large chip of being the butler of what could easily be considered modern day royalty.
He had quickly proven almost all of Agatha’s preconceived notions wrong. Not only had he been one of the most polite and professional people she had ever met, but more importantly, he had been one of the kindest. In him, Agatha had found not only a trusted confidante but an easy bridge into the lifestyle and culture of the Cranes’.
Whenever she found herself ‘weirded out’ by the reality of her situation, by Henry’s unique condition, it was Stevens who provided perspective and support to her. He was the one who had guided her into the rituals and traditions and quirks of the Crane household. He was the one who had held her hand while Henry had locked himself in the steel doored basement of the manor during one of his sessions and it was he who had helped Agatha and Henry gain some valuable alone time away from the prying eyes of tabloids and townspeople.
“Thank you, Mr. Stevens.” Agatha smiled as she accepted the warm drink from him, bringing it to her lips for a quick sip. “It’s delicious!” she said. She had learned early on that Steven was as sensitive to false compliments and praise as any person could possibly be. Any praise that was offered had to be sincere or it would be rebuffed as politely and as sharply as only a British butler could, with impeccable manners and acerbic wit.
“Thank you Ma’am.” Stevens smiled with the slightest bow of his head and turned to leave.
“Stevens?” Agatha called after him, stopping him before he could leave “Why did Henry want me here?”
Steven arched a brow, the corner of his lips twitching ever so slightly as he replied, “I believe it’s called a ‘Christmas party’ Ma’am.”
Agatha smirked slightly. “Right…..and I’m Jennifer Lopez.”
Stevens bowed smartly. “Very good Ms. Lopez,” he said and turned to leave crisply
Agatha couldn’t help but chuckle again. In a world full of magic and werewolves and CEO boyfriends, Stevens helped provide much needed grounding and perspective.
The sense of anticipation and anxiety that Henry had exhibited when he had asked her to spend Christmas together had surprised her. It was more than the nervousness that any boyfriend might exhibit when taking a step towards commitment, it was….something more… something Agatha couldn’t quite put her finger on. She sighed and downed the rest of her tea, pushing the thought out of her mind. It was their first Christmas together, and she was determined not to let anything ruin it.
She was about to follow after Stevens into the main dining room when a flash of light from outside caught her attention. She walked up to the stained glass window and peered out at several pairs of headlights making their way up the main path to the manor. A frown crossed her face as the cars, three of them, all black, all expensive looking, stopped at the main door and one by one emptied their passengers. Family, friends and coworkers started entering the building.
Agatha turned to walk away from the window and stopped abruptly when she saw Henry standing there in the doorway.
“Oh!” she gasped softly.
Henry smiled at her. “I…uh…I hope I didn’t startle you.” His arm found its way around her waist and she had to smile at how easy and right it felt to have him touching her.
“Just a little.” She gently caressed over his lapel, noticing the presence of a white flower there. “You didn’t say there would be guests. Not that I mind.” She looked up at him as he smiled mysteriously and said nothing. They walked together to the top of the stairs and that’s when Agatha realized, looking down at the gathered group of people in the lobby, what this was.
She looked up at Henry. He smiled at her, that annoying, charming, mysterious smirk of his that always made her go weak in the knees.
“Dear Agatha,” he began as the people downstairs quieted. “We haven’t known each other that long yet. But the past months have been the best of my life. I couldn’t be happier that we will soon be three. There’s only one thing in the world left that I want. And I hope you want it too.”
Henry got down on one knee, the people below them clapping and cheering. He held out his hand, the most beautiful ring she had ever seen in his hand. “Will you please be my wife?”
“Yes,” she murmured, barely audible. Tears were flowing down her cheeks. “Yes!” she said again, loudly this time, as she flung her arms around his neck. He kissed her amidst an explosion of cheers and cries. This had been a wonderful year. And the best was yet to come.
*****
THE END
Bonus Book 3: Taken by Two Hockey Dragons
Description
A curvy lawyer with a secret crush PLUS a hot hockey star who is a Dragon Shifter PLUS his sexy buddy who is need of a mate!
Michelle Handsworth loves to flirt with her famous hockey playing client Cain Samson. With his blond hair and blue eyes, Cain is the handsomest man she has ever met, but innocent flirting is as far as they could go. As his attorney, nothing can ever happen between the two of them.
At least, that is the excuse Michelle gives every time Cain asks her out, but it isn’t the whole truth. The real reason Michelle is determined to keep distance between her and Cain is because she can sense a dark and strong magic within him.
Michelle isn’t just a fantastic lawyer, she’s also a witch who can sense people’s auras. She’s always been able to do it and over the years she’s learned to trust her abilities when they give her a warning. Cain’s aura, with its flickering yellows and reds and constant smell of smoke, is a huge warning.
Michelle thought Cain would be OK with her dating his best friend, Brock Thaddeus, but she’s dangerously wrong. Cain is no normal hockey star, he’s a Dragon Shifter.
When Michelle chooses another man over him, will Cain be able to control the dragon within him, or will fire consume them all?
Chapter One
He was late. He was always late. Michelle glanced up at her clock and shook her head. She was used to this kind of nonsense from her clients. As an attorney specializing in contract law, sports stars with huge egos were just a normal part of her day.
Cain Samson liked to breeze into his meetings twenty minutes late. He was huge, six-foot-five and pure muscle. His clear blue eyes were set on either side of a crooked nose that had been broken more times than he could count. He had long blond hair always falling into his eyes.
As if she had called him, Cain appeared at reception with his entourage in tow. Cain was one of the best hockey players in the world. He had three Stanley Cup championships under his belt and had been the captain of the gold-winning U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. He was, by far, her most famous client and the cocky grin he always wore told her he knew it.
His contract was sitting in front of her dotted with post-its and sign-here stickers. It was seventy pages of confusing legal jargon interspersed with huge amounts of money. Millions of dollars were bein
g handled on these pages and it was Michelle’s job to make sure Cain saw every cent he was owed.
She ran her hand through her curly dark hair and quickly touched up her lipstick. Nothing could ever happen between her and Cain. He was her client, having a relationship with him would have been unethical and illegal. It could get her disbarred. Still, she wanted to look good. Flirting with Cain was one of the perks of her job.
Outside of the glass walls of her private office, the law firm was buzzing at the news of Cain’s arrival. Through the clear walls, she could see the receptionist, an older woman in her fifties who rarely moved, stand up and offer to walk Cain back to Michelle’s office.
There it was, that roguish smile that made all the girls, Michelle included, weak in the knees. He flashed it at the receptionist who giggled and tucked her hair behind her ear. He waved at her to sit down, indicating he didn’t need to be shown where to go. Cain knew where Michelle’s office was, he had been here plenty of times. As he strode past reception, the men of his entourage sat in the waiting area, propping their feet up on the coffee tables and pulling out their cell phones.
“Hello, Cain,” Michelle said as he pushed open her door. “How are you today?”
“Better now that I’ve seen that beautiful face of yours,” he countered. His voice was low and deep. Like a roll of thunder.
“I imagine this multi-million-dollar contract in front of me has also made your day better,” she said, determined to remain professional.
“That’s just a bonus, getting to see you is the real prize,” he stared straight at her when he said things like that. Sitting down in a chair across from her, he pressed his fingertips together and looked at her above them. He was so handsome it was almost unfair. If there had been any justice in the world, his handsomeness would have been diluted over several men, not all contained in this creature in front of her.
Creature was the right word. It wasn’t just that Cain was a wildly successful hockey player or that he was fabulously rich and handsome. The real thing that kept Michele away from him was hidden from normal eyes.
Cain was something else. She had known it from the first time he had pulled into the firm’s parking lot. The day of their first meeting she sensed him before she saw him. As the car pulled up to the firm, the hairs at the back of her neck tingled and she could smell smoke. No one else could smell it, though. They didn’t have the gift that she had. To everyone else Cain Samson was just a normal human, albeit one in great shape.
Everything that lived had an aura about it and each aura was different. Her mother, for instance, had a ring of yellow light that radiated off of her. It was calm and warm and soothing. Unless she was mad, then her mother’s aura was red and angry, lashing out at the other auras around her. The plants were surrounded with a pale green light, dogs had a bright white light that shone out from them.
Cain had something else. His aura was like nothing she had ever seen in a human. It was a swirling halo of greens, reds, and yellows mixed with the smell of something burning. There was a power in that aura she could not name. Cain Samson was not a normal man, but what he might be, she couldn’t guess. All she knew was that he was very powerful.
“You’re staring,” he said, interrupting her thoughts.
“You’re staring,” she replied looking seriously at him. Did he know? Could he guess that she too was not a normal human? She searched his gaze hoping to find something there, but she could deduce nothing past his flirting smile.
“So, let’s talk about your contract. It’s all the standard things we discussed. You’ll have a five-year deal with the Black Hawks for ten million per year. That includes some promotional stuff you’ll have to do, but we’ve negotiated that down to fifty hours per year, which shouldn’t be that hard,”
she held the contract out to him. He waved it away. “Let’s be honest, I would have no idea what anything written on that said. I trust your judgment, Michelle. If they’ve given me all I’ve asked for I’m ready to sign.”
“I do love how easy you are,” Michelle said handing him a pen.
“It’s not fair when you say things like that to me,” he said shaking his head as he signed where indicated. “It gives the wrong impression.”
She watched him, instead of focusing on his body, or his eyes, or the constant aura around him. Michelle imagined what she would spend her bonus on. Cain was a huge client for the firm and Michelle was the only lawyer he would work with. Signing his ten-million-dollar contract was a huge deal.
“What are you thinking about?” Cain asked, her as he handed the thick contract back.
“Shoes,” she replied with a smile. “There are these Manalo’s that I’ve had my eye on for a while. Black heels with straps. I’m going to get them the second we’re done here.”
“Why don’t I come with you?” he asked. “I’d happily buy you anything you wanted. I’d kill to see that smile on your face.”
Michelle failed to suppress her smile. She shook her head. He was too smooth, too confident, too used to getting whatever he wanted. And that power of his was surrounding and wafting over her, a perfume scent of fire and ash and something metallic. When he talked to her like that, the aura around him would flare up like someone had thrown gasoline on hot coals.
What are you? She wondered as she stared at the Norse Viking God in front of her. Where does all that power come from?
But she would never say the words out loud. If she asked him that, he would want to know how she knew and then what would she say? Would she tell her million-dollar contract holder that she was a witch? Should she tell him that she knew spells and magic, that she could sense the aura of every living thing from the President down to a small dormouse? No, it was her secret and she cherished it. She wasn’t telling anyone.
Magic didn’t run in her family. Michelle didn’t come from a long line of witches. In fact, it was exactly the opposite. She was different from everyone she knew. No one else could see the aura that surrounded the living, no one else could separate truth from lies just by looking into the speaker's eyes. No one else could converse with the spirits of trees and rivers or see the future in the stars like she could.
Magicals like her and Cain were incredibly rare. He was only the third she had ever met. The second had been a sinister looking woman on an airplane. She and Michelle had recognized each other, but the woman had only glared at Michelle and shook her head. She clearly hadn’t wanted to talk and Michelle had respected that. The first had been an old woman named Maria who worked at the local library when Michelle was a little girl. She had taught Michelle everything she knew, not that it was much.
Cain was hot, but the truth was, Michelle didn’t really know anything about him. She knew his professional life intimately, but that was it. Other than the occasional bit of flirty banter in her office, she and Cain were strangers. His aura showed him to be very powerful, possibly more powerful than she was. It was too dangerous, she and Cain could never be more than attorney and client.
“Any ticket to any game, you just call and it’s yours. I’ll put an entire club box aside for you and anyone you want, assuming it’s not a date, of course. But if you have a nephew or a niece that loves hockey, you should bring them.”
“Thank you, I might just take you up on that,” Michelle said. She had become a huge hockey fan since working with Cain and she went to as many games as she could. She had never taken him up on his offer for the club box. The truth was, she didn’t want to sit up in some isolated box sipping champagne and making polite small talk. She liked to be close to the action. She liked to sit right on the ice, behind the plastic barrier where she could scream and yell at the opposing team with the rest of the fans.
The contract signed, Cain sat back in his chair and let out a long sigh. “I always feel better when that’s done,” he said. “It’s like a weight’s been lifted off my shoulders. Now I can focus on my training without having to worry about all this.”
“Good, you shou
ld never have to worry about the paperwork. That’s my job. You just focus on winning.”
“I’m having a party at my place tonight to celebrate the contract,” Cain said leaning forward and straightening the nameplate on her desk. “Please tell me you’ll come. Your name will be on the list. It’ll be at the top of the list. You’ll be ushered right in and given a glass of whatever it is you want. There will be a lot of people there and not all of them will be hockey players.”
“But most of them will be hockey players, right?” she asked.
“Since when don’t you like hockey players?” he countered. He stood up and said. “I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow. I hope you don’t disappoint me.”
He left, making his way to the waiting room where his entourage rose and followed him out of the building like baby ducks following their mother. She didn’t have any plans tomorrow night, unless sitting on her couch watching Scandal and drinking wine counted as a plan. Maybe she would go to the party. She knew how to look without touching, she could keep Cain Samson an arm's reach away.
Chapter Two
The walls of the house were vibrating from the music. Samantha Ronson was behind a set of turntables and Cain’s dining room had been turned into a dance floor. Hockey players and models moved together, grinding and dancing with the beat of the music, full glasses in hand.
In the kitchen Cain was uncorking bottles of champagne and handing them to giggling women. His penthouse was filled with people. Everyone was smiling for selfies and posting them to Instagram with the hashtag #samsonbash. His publicist was roaming around snapping pics and getting quotes. Even when he wasn’t working Cain Samson was still working.
All he needed now was Michelle to show up. He made his way over to the front door. He couldn’t get two steps without people slapping him on the back and congratulating him on his new contract. It took him forever to get anywhere, but he wasn’t complaining. At the door he heard the siren cry of several beautiful girls begging to get in. They stood behind the bouncers stretching out their arms past them, towards him.