Passion, Vows & Babies: Reluctant (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Your Ad Here Book 5)

by Allyson Lindt

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  Text copyright ©2017 by the Author.

  This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Rochelle Paige Popovic and Elle Christensen. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Passion, Vows & Babies remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Rochelle Paige Popovic and Elle Christensen, or their affiliates or licensors.

  For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds

  Reluctant

  A Yeah, Baby & Your Ad Here Crossover

  Allyson Lindt

  Table of Contents

  Introduction

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  Check out more…

  More by Allyson Lindt

  About the Author

  Introduction

  Dear Readers,

  Welcome to the Passion, Vows & Babies Kindle World! In this combination of my Sex & Vows and Yeah, Baby series, we’ll bring you new books by some truly amazing authors. From sexy stories of married couples fighting against outside forces to keep their happily ever after, to unexpected pregnancies that lead to forever afters… the Passion, Vows & Babies world is full of over the top alphas, sassy heroines, insta-love, wedding bells, and growing families. Although the wide cast of characters in both series have managed to find love, there’s plenty more out there who could use Passion, Vows & Babies in their lives—like the couple in this story!

  If you’re familiar with the Yeah, Baby and Sex & Vows series, you’ll see a familiar face (or more) in this story. I am so excited this author agreed to bring their storytelling talent to the Passion, Vows & Babies Kindle World! However, please keep in mind that this book is entirely the work of the author, and I didn’t have any part in the process of writing this book.

  For more about the world, stop by the Passion, Vows & Babies website: http://www.fionadavenport.com/kindle-worlds/.

  Happy reading!

  Fiona Davenport

  (Elle Christensen & Rochelle Paige)

  Dedication

  For my eternal dragon

  Chapter One

  The low battery beep of Jodie’s wireless earbuds echoed in her head. Experience said she had about five minutes before the device died. I don’t need to charge them, her logic from that morning taunted her. They’ll last through a round of studying.

  And they would have, if she’d finished cramming two hours ago, like she intended. She blew a stray lock of brown hair off her forehead. She’d never had this kind of trouble with focus and studying before. In high school, she breezed through most of her classes—especially science. Pre-grad in college? Sure, she had to make more time, but she retained what she learned.

  She powered off her headphones and tossed them aside in frustration. Since she started the Master’s program at Stanford six months ago, her schoolwork curve spiked, and her ability to finish any of it in a reasonable time plummeted. She’d expected school to be more difficult, but not like this. What was wrong with her?

  A giggle carried from the bedroom next door, almost-muffled by paper-thin walls, and blended into a loud moan of pleasure.

  Noah’s flavor of the week. Her roommate was what was wrong with her. Both directly and indirectly.

  His revolving-door dating policy and tendency toward women who were vocal in bed didn’t help Jodie’s focus any. Now seemed like a good time to grab her earplugs and get some sleep. She’d finish up in the morning, before class.

  She stripped down to her T-shirt and panties and climbed into bed. When she was this exhausted, the moans from one room over were easier to shove into the background. Tonight her brain refused to shut up. It bounced from chemistry to human biology to her plans for spring break to—

  "Oh God, Noah. Fuck me harder."

  "I love your filthy mouth, doll."

  —maybe it was time to find a new roommate.

  She didn't care that Noah was having sex or who it was with, though once upon a time she'd wished it was her. Careful what you wish for. She simply wanted him to mean it a single time when he promised next time I'll keep it down.

  Her stepbrother, Logan, had offered to hook her up with a room when she moved out here. At the time, she questioned his generosity. The asshole who made her life hell in high school was going to do something nice for her and not request anything in return?

  Then he introduced her to Noah—gorgeous, smooth-talking Noah.

  “Your pussy’s so tight.”

  Dirty-talking Noah.

  She’d entertained a wide array of fantasies where she moved in—sexy teasing and flirting would ensue with Noah, and they’d fall for each other. The first two happened. So did that one night of okay sex. Nothing like what the moans coming from his room indicated, but it wasn’t bad.

  Then, six weeks later, she realized she’d missed her period. That might have been an awkward conversation if Noah stuck around longer than it took to say, “Let me know how much the abortion is, and I’ll get you the money.”

  She was keeping the baby, though she hadn’t figured out how to tell anyone. She couldn’t hide from Noah much longer that she intended to go through with this, but moving out without saying anything was tempting.

  “You’re gonna make me come again.” The voice carried into Jodie’s room unfiltered. Yeah… Noah wasn’t worth that kind of noise.

  She rolled onto her side and tried to block out the cries of ecstasy. They’d already slid under her skin. With each grunt or groan, heat danced along her nerve endings, sparking with the thrum of her pulse. Her lack of interest in being the woman in his bed didn’t stop her from indulging a different fantasy.

  Lying in bed when a faceless man knocked on her door. Asked if she was still awake. She’d say yes and sit up, keeping the blanket over her legs more as a show of modesty than a sincere attempt.

  In her imagination, her unnamed lover didn’t move into view, and she didn’t turn. He brushed aside her hair and traced his lips along the back of her neck. “Mind keeping me company for the night?” His words vibrated against her skin.

  “I’d love to.”

  He glided his hands under her top and up her stomach, to cup her breasts. In real life, she mirrored the movement. When she dragged a thumb over her nipple, a gasp tore from her throat. She’d always been sensitive, but with the shift in hormones, the lightest touch zinged through her body. She bit the inside of her cheek, to keep quiet, but the other sounds in the apartment continued uninterrupted.

  Jodie pinched and tugged the swollen nubs on her chest, swallowing her moans. She squeezed her legs together, as the throb between them increased, and kept her hands above her waist, stretching the moment out. Teasing herself until dampness pooled between her legs and she couldn’t resist the pleading for release.

  “Lie down.” Fantasy-man kissed along the edge of
her ear and tugged on her shoulders.

  She trailed a path back down over her navel and to lace of her panties. Her fingers were coated instantly as she dipped between her folds. Her imaginary lover moved into view. Brown eyes so dark they were almost black held her gaze. Hair the same color and a scruff of two days’ worth of beard framed sharp features. Logan knelt between her legs. She was bothered the first few times her imagination stuck him in positions like this, but she was tired of fighting it. Here, he wasn’t off-limits.

  When fantasy-Logan nipped at her bottom lip, then crushed his mouth to hers, her heart hammered against her ribs, and she couldn’t hold back her groan.

  He stripped off her panties and dragged the head of his cock along her slit. She copied the gesture, zeroing in on her aching clit. She traced circles around her sex, thrusting her hips in time with the attention.

  When her daydream nudged her opening, she moved her other hand down and slid two fingers inside her. Imagination blended with reality. She ground against her palm, rubbing faster and harder as orgasm built. Logan pounded, hitting the right angle with each thrust. She arched her back. Her head spun with a light, floaty feeling.

  She bit the tip of her tongue when she came, barely having the presence of mind to keep the volume down.

  Jodie collapsed back on the mattress, clinging to the feathers of pleasure as they flitted along her body.

  The noise from the other room had faded at some point. It didn’t matter. With the light, floaty feeling inside, she wouldn’t have cared if Noah was blaring music and had fifty people in his room.

  As she drifted on the edge of sleep, fantasy-Logan curled up behind her in bed and draped an arm over her waist. Part of her mind protested. This was taking not-reality too far.

  She was too tired to care.

  Chapter Two

  Logan knocked on the apartment door and waited. Seven in the morning, even on a Thursday, was probably too early for Noah to be up. Jodie would be awake, though.

  The deadbolt thunked, and seconds later, the door creaked open. Jodie was already turning away, but not before he caught a glimpse of the shadows under her eyes.

  “Late night?” he asked as he followed her into the kitchen.

  “Finals. What do you think?” When she first got to California, he’d struggled to keep his gaze from falling to her ass and watching the way her hips swayed when she walked away.

  It took time, but he’d trained himself to keep his focus straight ahead. “Right. Duh.” He pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and dropped into it. “Sleeping beauty up yet?”

  “Doubt it. Coffee?” Her words were strained.

  “I’m good. Thanks.”

  “Your loss.”

  When Logan was sixteen and his father married Jodie’s mother, the melodramatic teenager he was swore it was the worst thing to ever happen to him. Gaining a new sibling was bad enough, but even then, Jodie radiated temptation.

  He did a decent job of pushing her away, to the point of making her hate him. Then he left for college. Out of state. Away from Jodie. Only seeing her on holidays, at family dinners, was no big deal. She couldn’t stand him, and he’d grown up. Didn’t need to let his dick think for him.

  She grabbed a mug from the cupboard, filled it with coffee, then opened the fridge. When she bent at the waist to grab the milk, his gaze drifted without permission. She did wicked things to her jeans.

  When she applied for Master’s programs at various schools, he fucked up. She’d narrowed it down to two choices—Brigham Young University and Stanford. If he’d kept his mouth shut, she would have stayed in Utah, and probably been miserable with BYU’s code of conduct, but she would have gotten as good an education, and she wouldn’t be here.

  But no. He had to say he had a friend who needed a roommate. This was her first choice, after all. She should have moved in with Noah and been put off by his social life and too busy studying to have one of her own. Instead, she had to go and develop a crush on the douchebag.

  “You’re welcome to go wake him up if you want.” Jodie took the seat next to Logan and set her drink on the table.

  Up close, it was easier to see the lines of exhaustion marring her features. They didn’t make her any less captivating. He shook his head. “I’ll get to it. We don’t have to be out of here for a little while. How are you?”

  “Finals. How do you think?” She gave him a thin-lipped smile and sipped her coffee.

  He chuckled at the hint of teasing in her dry tone. “Tired. Grumpy. Anxious for that moment when it’s over and you can breathe.”

  A hint of genuine leaked into her expression. “Nailed it. You?”

  “’Bout the same. Pass, fail—it’ll be done.”

  She nudged her mug toward him. “Sure you don’t want some?”

  “All right.” He took a long swallow of her coffee. Perfect mixture of sugar, cream, and hot. His mind tried to fast forward to the innuendo saying that aloud would lead to, and he shoved the errant thought aside.

  “A bunch of us are meeting up in Oregon in June, for The Warped Tour. Susan, Olivia… They have extra tickets, if you’re interested,” Jodie said.

  Some of his favorite bands, a huge music festival… That sounded like fun. And another bad idea. “I can’t.”

  She raised her brows. “Bowling for Soup. Save Ferris…”

  A giggle floated from the direction of the bedrooms, and Jodie’s playful expression vanished behind a scowl. She jerked her head toward the noise, before turning to stare at her coffee. Like that, the mood—as tentative as it was—shattered.

  “Why do you do this to yourself?” Logan couldn’t keep the irritation from his question. He hated seeing her waste energy on someone like Noah.

  Jodie turned her glare on him. “Do what?”

  “You’re not right for him. The two of you won’t end up together.” He could have phrased things more nicely.

  Jodie rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the news flash, Dan Rather. I got that far on my own.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Why is it any of your business? What do you care who I hook up with? So what if it was Noah?”

  Her with Noah? Worst. Idea. Ever. “It won’t be.”

  “Because I’m not his type?” She made a noise that was half-growl, half-sigh.

  Logan laughed. “Not even close.” He could deescalate this in an instant if he tried. An apology, a few words to clear up his meaning… Jodie was reasonable—she’d get it. He didn’t want that, though. This was one of his easiest tricks for keeping her at arm’s length. “The two of you would be a terrible match.”

  She clenched her jaw, hurt and fury shining in her eyes and fracturing the crystal blue. I’m sorry hovered on the tip of his tongue. He hated hurting her.

  “Noah. Company.” Her yell threatened Logan’s eardrums. She pushed back from the table. “I have class. Catch you later. Or not.”

  Logan let her leave. He hated pissing her off, but it was better this way. It wasn’t like he could make a move for his stepsister.

  Noah stumbled from his room a moment later and paused in the kitchen doorway. “Did you piss off the shrieking banshee?”

  Logan clenched his fist at the insult. “Maybe she didn’t get enough sleep.”

  “I tried to keep it down.” Noah shrugged.

  A redhead emerged, smoothing a black, fitted dress over her hips. She stopped next to Noah. “I need to get going,” she said.

  “All right. I’ll call you.” He wrapped an arm around her waist long enough to kiss her on the cheek. When she was gone, he turned back to Logan. “Give me ten minutes to get ready, and we can go.”

  Logan sank a few inches in his seat and let the silence drift in around him.

  As far as he was concerned, spring break couldn’t get here fast enough. Even if it was a week in a condo with Jodie and their parents, he wouldn’t be expected to hang out with them, aside from the occasional meal. He’d put some distance between himself and school
, and find someone sexy and temporary to clear his mind.

  Chapter Three

  Jodie snagged a cinnamon roll and an empty table in the student commons. She wanted a large coffee as well, but even the one she had at home was pushing her luck. If she kept her breakfast simple, she could ignore the morning sickness most days, and this was one day when she needed it more than ever.

  She could still do some last-minute cramming for her next test. Her grades needed to stay up, for her to keep her scholarship, and she did a fair job there. This exam was more, though.

  Her career goal was transplants, but in a specialized field. External bits—ears, toes, genitalia. There was a research firm locally, one of the best specialists in the country. Competition for the internships was tight, and she didn’t stand a chance without a solid recommendation. Professor Gabriel Benjamin could give her that, but she’d have to impress the hell out of him in his classes, to get there.

  She turned her attention to her book, flipped to where she left off last night, and skimmed it for her notes and highlighted passages. She knew all of this, but needed it fresh in her mind. Especially with the tiredness gnawing at her senses.

  The argument with Logan charged to the forefront of her thoughts, scraping along her nerves. She preferred Noah not be involved in her life, post-fling. Not with the child or in any other capacity. But damn it, if Logan didn’t rub her nose her early crush on Noah every chance he got.

  Thinking of Logan summoned her fantasy from last night. Heat raced over her skin, and his faint scent—soap and spice—tantalized her memory.

  She shook it all aside and turned back to her studying. The letters swam in front of her eyes, not making any sense.

  She was fourteen when she met Logan for the first time. She’d known who he was—student body officer, on the soccer team, one of the cutest guys in school. Her friends were so jealous she was going to be sharing a house with him, and she gloated for all she was worth. Then she figured out what a jackass he was. For the two years they lived as a family before he left for college, he ran in one of two directions—teasing her relentlessly when his friends were around or ignoring her to the point she might as well have been invisible.