Ethan runs a hand over his face. “Are you listening to yourself? Why would I hate you because of our child?”
I shrug. Now that he says it, I feel like a complete fool for keeping something so big from him. My lower lip quivers as I fight back tears. “I didn’t want to ruin your life, burden you with the responsibility of a child. I thought at least one of us should live our dream.”
“You should have told me. We could have made things work.” He falls silent. “I have a daughter,” he whispers. It’s as if he still can’t believe it.
“I suppose all I have managed to do is make everything worse by keeping such a secret. I kept it from everyone. My mother suspects, but she doesn’t say anything. She looks like you.” He looks at me with sad eyes. My conscience berates me for hurting him this way. Because of my stupidity, he missed out on three years of his child’s life. “I’ll understand if you never want to speak to me again.”
“I was going to ask you to marry me.”
My eyes widen. “What?” I eye the velvet box once more. “W-why?”
He looks at me as if I’ve lost all sense. “Because I love you, Lindsay. I fell in love with you, okay? I think I did when you approached me at your graduation three years ago.” I’m gawking at him at this point. His lips twitch. “Yeah, I was just as surprised at the discovery too.”
I blink rapidly. Ethan is in love with me? Well, hallelujah, because I love him too. “I love you, too. I always have.”
Ethan gives me the full intensity of his stare. This time, there is nothing sexual about it. What I would give to know what he’s thinking right now. Is he condemning me? Planning to take me to court and sue for full custody of his child? My mind is racing, and I’m on the verge of panic. “Please don’t take her from me, Ethan. I’ve already given up so much in my life.”
He frowns. “What are you talking about?”
“If you’re contemplating taking Casey from me, please don’t. We’ll work something out. You can see her whenever you like.”
He lets out a laugh, taking me by surprise. “Take her from you? I’m planning to take away the both of you.”
Huh? “I- I don’t understand.”
He moves toward me, and I instinctively take a retreating step back. “I have a family. I’m not leaving you or Casey. You’re both coming back to Texas with me.”
My heart jumps excitedly, but I’m a bit apprehensive. “We can’t just uproot our lives, Ethan.”
“What’s here for either of you, Lindsay? If you come with me, Casey will have everything she’ll ever want and need and so will you. You’ll be able to go to the best art school in the country if you wish. I’ll take care of both you. I’ll pay for your mother to visit anytime she wants.
Wow. I honestly thought things would go much worse. He’s offering to take Casey and me with him. I didn’t see it coming. I’m starting to feel a little bit like Cinderella, and I hate that damn fairy tale. “Ethan, I don’t know what to say. This is all so-”
“Just say yes. And say yes to marrying me.”
“That’s not a very romantic proposal,” I murmur.
Ethan swallows a grin. “Give me a break, here. I’m still in shock. I’ll wine and dine you later and pop the question again. How about that?”
I can’t help but smile, elated that he still wants me in every way and incredibly relieved that I’ve been forgiven. “I don’t care about wining and dining. I’ll marry you.”
He lets out a long breath. “Good. Let’s go get Casey now. I need to meet her. I don’t want to waste another minute.”
“Of course. Let’s go.” I move toward the door, but Ethan snags my wrist, pulling me back.
“You’re forgetting something.” He reaches for the box on the table and opens it, revealing an intricately designed ring with a solitary stone. It’s the biggest diamond I’ve ever seen. My breath hitches in my chest. This is really happening. My dreams are starting to become reality.
“I love you, Lindsay. You have no idea how much you have changed me. You make me a better version of myself.”
A face splitting smile spreads across my face. “You never needed any improvement. You’ve always been perfect in my eyes.”
He swallows hard. “It’s dangerous for you to say things like that to me. Now I want to take you to the bedroom. But there will be plenty of time for that later. Let’s go get our little girl.”
As we head through the door, I glance down at our intertwined hands. My time has finally come to be wholly happy.
*****
THE END
Paranormal Menage Romance: Mated to Two Beasts
Description
Desired by a sophisticated vampire king and a bad boy shifter. Life could be worse… Or, could it?
Audrey is a reporter with big dreams for the future. So when she gets the chance to visit the Harvest Moon Festival, where human women are chosen as vampire mates, she doesn’t hesitate. This will give her the inside scoop she needs.
But she gets far more than she bargained for.
First, there’s the insanely handsome Sanjay, a tiger/lion shifter with a voice that is by far the sexiest thing Audrey has ever heard.
And then there’s the elusive Dimitri, the vampire king himself, who has the longest… fangs she’s ever seen.
When both shifter and vampire claim her as their mate, things get heated. Neither Sanjay nor Dimitri are used to being told no. If Audrey doesn't choose, they will battle to the death for her.
And that's not the end of her troubles, when enemies decide to end the Harvest Moon Festival, by any means necessary…
Can Audrey choose? Can she survive? Will she get everything she secretly desires?
Chapter One
Dozens of women milled about the large, opulent room. The floor was polished marble, and a single, giant chandelier hung from the ceiling. It reminded Audrey of the chandelier from the productions of The Phantom of the Opera she had reviewed for her high school newspaper. That one had fallen directly on her head, which was probably why she was careful to avoid standing beneath this one. She had a feeling actual gold and crystal would hurt a lot more than painted cardboard.
Audrey leaned against the wall, ignoring a buffet table full of delicate-looking dishes, among which ranged lobster and crab. All around her, humans, vampires and shifters from various packs were flirting with one another–and in some cases, doing a little more than flirting. She tried to soak in every detail.
It wasn't often that the halls of the vampire palace were open to humans. This was a special occasion, though. It was the festival of the Harvest Moon, when the vampire king, Dimitri, invited selected human women to his halls to meet various vampires looking to find themselves a mate. The festival would actually take up the full month, until the next full moon. Today was only the meet and greet.
The festival happened every year, but what made this one different was the fact that Dimitri had also invited shifters to his halls. The poor relations between them and vampires made this an unprecedented move on Dimitri's part.
And I've been chosen to cover it from the inside.
Audrey fought to keep the smirk off her face as she remembered when her boss assigned her the story. The young reporter was determined to prove herself worthy of the task and was taking careful mental notes of what she observed. Details about what actually happened during the festival were scarce out in the human world.
So far there hadn't been anything really worth reporting on. It was like any fancy party. Or, given the amount of couples sneaking off to private rooms, like any prom. The most exciting part was the hostility apparent between the shifters and vampires. Just a couple minutes ago, a tussle between a Wolf and a vampire over the same woman had ended with them both being ejected from the hall just moments ago.
Audrey scanned the room again. It didn't escape her notice that the women in the hall were all gorgeous. Audrey herself had always been seen as 'exotic', with her hair a peculiar shade that was usually black,
but with a tinge of red in the right light, her golden-brown skin and eyes so blue that people assumed she wore contacts.
So vampires like unusual combinations on their women, Audrey mused, catching sight of a woman with one green and one brown eye being chatted up by no less than three men.
She grimaced as a man sidled up to her. He wore a suit like the vampires, but there were a few giveaways telling her he was a shifter. The first was the sheer size he had over his blood-drinking paranormal counterparts. While vampires did stand taller than the average human, they were tall in a supermodel or basketball player way. Shifters, even the ones that could turn into smaller animals like foxes, were sheer bulk. They towered over everybody else, huge and intimidating.
Audrey drank some punch and ignored the shifter. Right now she wanted to take in the rituals going on around her.
He leaned against the wall and peered down at her. It didn't escape her notice that was easily the biggest man in the room. He had dark eyes, dark hair, and dark skin that was smooth and unblemished. He was also insanely handsome, with a strong jaw and symmetrical features. If she had been here to find a mate, rather than get the inside scoop, she would have been all over him. Which was one of the reasons she was so determined to ignore him.
"Hello," he said, his voice deep like the ocean and by far the sexiest thing she had ever heard. "My name is Sanjay."
Would it hurt to let herself dabble in the festivities with this huge shifter? She had signed up for the whole selection process. It was the only way she could get access to the festival… No. She had to stay on track. No dabbling.
But that didn't mean she couldn't ask a few questions.
"Audrey," she said with a smile. "My name is Audrey. So you're a shifter, right?"
Sanjay nodded.
"What do you turn into?"
"A Liger."
Audrey stared dubiously at him. "A Liger? As in…?"
"Half tiger, half lion. Sanjay grinned at her. "Just like in non-shifter species, if a tigress mates with a male lion, the offspring is a liger. Want to go to a room and find out more?"
Well, he was right to the point. Audrey's pulse quickened. Her body screamed at her to say yes, but she shook her head. Maybe she had signed up for it, but she wasn't here for a mate. It was just a cover. She wasn't going to lead Sanjay on, despite how hot he was and how much she'd like to learn more about him.
"No. I'm here for the vampire king, nobody else."
What the... What had possessed her to say that? Audrey tried to smile. There was a non-disclosure agreement with signing up for the festival, and if she revealed her true purpose she'd be ejected. But she could have found a different excuse to refuse the handsome shifter.
Sanjay's eyes darkened, but before he could say anything else, a vampire turned towards them. He actually stepped between the Liger and the human, flashing her an easy grin. His fangs were the longest she had seen yet. It must have been all the pheromones floating around from other women looking to mate, but Audrey suddenly had the urge to ask if the length of fangs corresponded with the size of… other parts of the body.
"You're interested in the king?" the vampire said.
Audrey nodded, although she couldn't help but wince at the look on Sanjay's face. Frustrated, annoyed, and maybe even a little hurt. I don't owe him anything.
"Yeah. I want to meet him. I've never seen any pictures or anything."
"The king likes his privacy." The vampire clamped an arm around her waist. "I'll take you to see him."
Sanjay gripped the vampire's shoulder and yanked him away from her. "She was talking to me."
"And it looked to me like she was done."
Audrey looked between the two men, eyes widening. They weren't going to start fighting, were they? She certainly didn't want that! And as much as she would like to stay and talk with Sanjay about why he was here and what life as a shifter was like, being able to speak with the king himself was a huge break for her. There were no photos of him, let alone a real, honest-to-goodness interview.
If she was able to get an exclusive on him, her career would skyrocket. She might even get the Pulitzer for it. It was a chance she couldn’t turn down, so she stepped between the two men.
"I really do want to meet the king," she told Sanjay. "But you and I could talk again. Just talk, though. Like I said, I'm not looking for a shifter mate."
Sanjay's lips pursed but he nodded stiffly and stepped back. The vampire once again put an arm around her waist and led her away from the party.
Now that she wasn't comparing him to Sanjay, Audrey could see that the vampire was quite attractive as well. Paler than she normally went for, but it suited him well with his brown hair and hazel eyes. And while not as muscular as the shifter, he was no string bean. It was no wonder so many women flocked to the palace every year for the chance of becoming a vampire's mate.
The vampire led her up a set of polished oak stairs and into a room at the end of the hallway. A fire flickered in a hearth across the room, and two full walls were covered in books. A desk sat in the corner next to the fire, and in the center of the room was a white couch.
"So is this the king's library or something?" Audrey asked.
"Yes." The vampire closed the door behind him. "And now that we're alone…"
He was on her in a second. His hot, hungry mouth captured hers, his arms wrapping around her waist. He pulled her tight around her, the wool pencil skirt she had elected to wear already riding up on her thighs. Heat flooded through her as he expertly kissed her. Sparks exploded in her brain and for a moment all she wanted was for him to lay her down on the floor and take her where they stood.
The sound of her own moan caught her off guard and she pulled back, pressing her hands to the vampire's chest, gasping for breath.
"What are you doing?"
"I should think that it's fairly obvious," the vampire replied with a roguish grin. "And don't tell me you didn't like it. You don't make sounds like that when you're not enjoying yourself."
Heat rose on Audrey's face. She shoved at the vampire, but he was too strong and didn't release her. Her eyes narrowed. "Let go of me this instant!"
"I can make you enjoy yourself a lot more than that," the vampire said, his voice husky. "Have you ever been drank from? Trust me when I tell you that you've never felt anything like it. It's an instant orgasm with just my lips on your neck."
Audrey was speechless for a moment. Not only because she was shocked by what he was saying, but also because how much her body responded. Everything in her screamed for him to clamp down on her neck, piercing her skin with his fangs. She bit her tongue hard, bringing her back to reality, and shook her head.
"No. You're not going anywhere near my neck. Now let me go!"
The vampire's brow rose, but he let her go and stepped back. "Better?"
"Much. Can you even introduce me to the king?"
"Yes."
"Good. Go get him." The vampire didn't move. Audrey narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "I said go get him."
The vampire chuckled. "You didn't even ask my name."
"I don't care what your name is, I only want—"
"It's Dimitri."
Audrey's eyes widened. Her stomach flip-flopped. He was the king. The king had kissed her. And she had ordered him around. There goes my exclusive interview.
"Changed your mind about my mouth on your neck?" the king asked, his gaze dropping to her throat.
"Er… no." Her voice came out a squeak. She had told Sanjay she was holding out for the king, so what excuse would she give now?
Dimitri stepped closer. "You will. I want you, Audrey. And I always get what I want."
As she stared into his eyes, Audrey believed him. Her heart lurched with a desire to just give in, but the more stubborn part told her not to. She was on the job. She wasn't going to start sleeping around just because everybody here was so good-looking.
Afraid that she would give herself away if she opened
her mouth, Audrey walked past the king, leaving him behind in the room. I'm in trouble. Big, big trouble.
Chapter Two
The human women were housed in a special wing of the palace dedicated to their needs, although many had already moved in with their new shifter and vampire mates.
Audrey knew that a lot of people thought the whole thing, vampires picking out women as their mates, was sexist. From what she observed, however, there was as much of women picking out their vampires and shifters as it was the another way around. Maybe more so.
She stared at the screen of her laptop. If the king of the freaking vampires hadn't kissed her, she would have been fine. But she had been here less than twenty-four hours, and already she had a king telling her he wanted more than just kissing…
Was he serious, or was he just messing with her? What would she do if he really did want her as his mate?
The reporter shoved thoughts about Dimitri aside. She didn't have room for romance right now, or to let some hot guy distract her. She was on the fast track to becoming the greatest reporter in the world. After her article about the festival was published, she hoped to go live among shifters for a time, to tell their stories from their perspectives, instead of the hyper-sexualized ways they were often portrayed.
Sanjay floated into her mind. Maybe she'd ask him for an introduction to his way of life… But would he expect more, too?
I always get what I want. She shivered as she remembered the raw lust in Dimitri's eyes. Worse was the way she had wanted to succumb to that lust. Audrey pushed herself away from her desk, realizing she had been staring at the blank page for an hour.
And then she remembered Sanjay's glare as the vampire put his hands on her and her desire for the massive shifter as well. Her gut twisted. This was crazy. She was used to getting hit on, but not having this strong of a reaction to men. Certainly not men she just met.
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