For a full week following her death, I had woken up from that nightmare screaming, certain that she had just attacked me. But that no longer was the case—I finally was at the point that when I woke, I knew it had been nothing more than a bad dream, which suggested to me that her stranglehold on me was starting to weaken.
It was cool in the bedroom—I could hear the quiet hum of the air-conditioning system and the faint din of the city beyond the windows at the foot of the bed. I blinked up at the ceiling, took a breath, and slowly let it out in an effort to calm my nerves.
You won’t control me forever, I thought. I won’t let that happen. I’ll get beyond this. Ben and I both will.
I turned onto my side and looked at Ben, grateful that I hadn’t woken him up. He was lying on his back with his right forearm draped across his forehead, and he was breathing soundly. Peacefully. For several weeks, he’d struggled with sleep every bit as much as I had, but the horror of what she’d put us through was starting to leave him as well.
Looking at him now, I felt a swell of love for him. I’d nearly lost him. Those first few days after he’d been shot were so touch and go. But Ben had fought through it, he was healthy now—and I took none of it for granted.
As far as I was concerned, I was his for as long as he’d have me—which hopefully would be for the rest of our lives.
When he woke, he parted his eyes and caught me smiling at him.
“What are you up to?” he asked.
“Just looking at that handsome face of yours.”
He pointed a finger at his face. “You mean this mug?”
“Yeah—I mean that mug.”
“You think this mug is handsome?”
“You bet your ass I do.”
“Would you kiss this mug?”
“In fact, I would.”
“Here’s the thing—I’m not so sure that I would…”
“Then you’re a fool.”
“Not entirely, because you have to take into account that I would kiss your mug.”
“Would you now?”
“I would.”
“How about if I call you out on that?”
He furrowed his brow at me. “You want me to kiss you?”
“I do.”
And with that, he swept me into his arms, and lowered my body onto his.
I could feel his erection pulsing against my abdomen.
“Where else would you like my lips?” he asked.
“Why don’t you surprise me,” I said.
And he did.
* * *
Later, after Ben had his way with me in what could only be described as a tour de force of lovemaking, I rolled off him and fell back onto the bed. “That was incredible,” I said. “You just sent me to the moon and back.”
“Which was my intent. And by the way, thanks for coming back.”
“My pleasure.”
“About your pleasure,” he said.
He slipped onto his side and took my right nipple in his mouth, which made me want to run screaming out of our apartment and through Central Park because every part of me was so sensitive to his touch, I couldn’t handle any more.
“I can go again, you know?” he said.
“Look,” I said with a laugh. “You might be a machine, but I’m a woman of a certain age.”
“You’re thirty-five, Kate—and probably in the best shape of your life.”
“If I am in the best shape of my life, it’s only because of you. Ever since your doctor said it was safe for you to have sex again, I think I’ve lost ten pounds. So, yeah, I probably am in shape. And here’s why—where haven’t we done it in this joint since you were given the green light to free Willy? First it was in the shower, then it was against the bedroom window for the whole world to see, then I think it was in the living room, the kitchen, and at one point, we even did it on my office floor. I mean, think about that for a moment. My office floor, for God’s sake!”
“I made you come three times there,” he said.
“You’re a sex addict.”
“Lucky you.”
“True enough. Because I’ve got to give you this, Ben Cade—you certainly are attentive.”
“Former SEAL and all that.”
I curled up next to him.
“I’m glad that you moved in.”
“I’m also glad—but we need to find our own place soon.”
“We do. After what happened here, I want out of this place, if only because of the memories it evokes. And now that it’s wildly apparent to me that you’ve fully recovered, I say we go apartment shopping this week, especially since your own apartment is on the market.”
“Where do you want to live?”
“Doesn’t matter. I just want to be with you.”
“I love you, Kate—I always have.”
“And I love you more than you know. It’s because of you that Mark Dodd is in jail. If you hadn’t urged the police to seize his computer and his cell phone, they never would have found his email conversations with the Widow. And now he’s been indicted for murder and for conspiracy to commit murder because of them. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for what you did for me—and also for Michael.”
“We did it together. When Dodd’s tried in court, he will lose and spend the rest of his life rotting in prison. The evidence against him is too damaging. You’ll see.”
“I don’t know what to expect when it comes to any of this.”
“But your man does.”
“And so you do,” I said when I kissed him. “So, how about if I make us some coffee before we tackle the day? Tonight, we have dinner with Laura and Jack, Jennifer and Alex, Nick and his wife, Sharon, and Rhoda. It’s going to be our first night out in a month, and I want it to be epic.”
“Oh, it will be epic,” he said.
“What does that mean?”
“You’ll see.”
* * *
Later that evening, at eight sharp, Ben and I exited the taxi we’d taken to JoJo, one of my favorite restaurants on the Upper East Side. The place was small and intimate, the clientele had nothing to do with tourists and everything to do with the local community, and the food was sublime.
It was one of the city’s hidden gems.
We’d dressed up for the evening—Ben was in a black suit with a blue tie, and I was wearing a pale yellow dress with pretty matching heels. When we stepped inside the restaurant and introduced ourselves to the host, he led us through a curtained partition and into a private dining room that held our friends.
“Hello, gorgeous,” Laura said as she stood up to give me a kiss on each cheek.
“Hello, hotness,” I said as I kissed her back.
“Mama needs in on this action,” Jennifer said. “And so do Rhoda and Sharon. Come on girls—get on your feet. Air kisses for everyone.”
As the men shook hands and exchanged greetings, I couldn’t believe my good fortune. I was blessed to have such amazing friends.
“How are you, Ben?” Laura asked.
“I’m great.”
“But it’s only been a month. Are you sure?”
“Trust me,” I said. “Ben is beyond on the mend.”
“Oh,” Laura said as she widened her eyes at each of us. “Now we’re talking in code—and I hear you, lovey. Good for each of you.”
“You have no idea.”
“Anyway,” Ben said as he cleared his throat. “Let’s just say that Kate has been a very attentive nurse.”
“I’m sure she has been…” Laura said with a shot of mischief in her eyes.
“Poor Ben,” Sharon said. “Look at him—blushing.”
I’d first met Sharon when she came to visit Ben in the hospital, and because of how caring, concerned, and gracious she was, I knew that we’d become fast friends. And we had. She wasn’t just a hot, saucy Latina, but she was also strong willed and whip smart, which I responded to at once.
“I am not blushing, Sharon.”
“If that’s th
e case, then you might want to have your blood pressure checked…”
“Let’s just say he had it tested this morning,” Rhoda said. “And that all is well and good.”
“Do you see everything?” I asked her.
“Well, not everything…”
“Why do I doubt that?”
“No idea. But I will say this, Kate—congratulations.” She winked at me. “Well done.”
A waiter approached our table. “Can I interest any of you in a drink?” he asked.
“Martini for me,” I said. “No olives—just a twist.”
“Same for me, but without the twist. I’ll take mine with olives,” Laura said.
“I’m also a martini girl,” Jennifer said. “But I’m with Kate—just the twist.”
“Champagne for me,” Rhoda said. “Tonight, we celebrate.”
“Sharon?” I asked.
“Whiskey,” she said in a seductively low voice. “Neat. Because I want to feel the burn now, and hopefully even later.”
“Oh, honey,” Laura said. “You just won the night.”
“We’ll see,” she said as she nudged Nick’s arm.
After the men had ordered their drinks, we all fell into conversation. When our drinks arrived a few minutes later, it was Nick who took the lead.
“Here’s to you, my friend,” he said to Ben. “And to you, Rhoda, because you’re a miracle. We never would have ended this so quickly without you. So, thank you. And finally to you, Kate and Laura. Without the teamwork you showed when that bitch decided to take you on, things could have turned out very differently. But they didn’t because all of you worked together and in the end, you won. I say cheers to that.”
“Cheers!” everyone said as we reached across the table to touch glasses.
“I’d also like to say something,” Ben said.
“Speak!” Jennifer said as Rhoda reached for her glass of champagne.
But he didn’t speak—at least not at first. Instead, he stood, moved his chair to the side, and then smiled at me before he got down in front of me on one knee.
No way, I thought. This can’t be happening…
In shock, I looked down at him as the room suddenly became abuzz with what was unfolding at our table. Ben reached inside his jacket pocket and removed a small black box, which he held in front of me. Before he opened it, he said, “Kate, I fell in love with you when I was sixteen years old. And despite all of the years that have passed between us since that first date, I’ve never stopped loving you. Fate brought us together again, and it did so for a few reasons. Nick is right—we did win when it came to getting justice for Michael and Lydia. But now I’d like to take that win to another level.” He opened the box, inside of which was one mother of an engagement ring. It was a massive diamond solitaire that caught the light—and tossed it right back at me.
“Tonight, in front of all our friends, I’m asking you to marry me. Because I can’t imagine living life without you by my side. I can’t imagine not having you as my partner. I love you more than you’ll ever know. So, please say yes. Because more than anything, I want to be your husband.”
I covered my hand over my mouth as my eyes filled with tears.
“Oh, Ben,” I said.
“Will you marry me?” he asked.
I was a trembling wreck when I reached out to take his face in my hands so I could lean in and kiss him.
“Of course I will. Because I’m just as in love with you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Rhoda lifted her glass higher and smiled as she took a sip.
“You already knew, didn’t you?” I asked her.
“Oh, toots, I so knew. And cheers to both of you!”
When she said that, the whole room erupted into applause. In a haze, I watched Ben pluck the ring out of the box and place it on my ring finger. It was just as dazzling and as breathtaking as this moment was. While I held out my hand so the women at the table could swoon over it, Ben’s lips met mine, and we kissed deeply. We told each other that we loved one another—and I knew at that moment that my life hadn’t just changed forever, but that it also had changed for the better.
# # #
Thank you for reading A Dangerous Widow. I hope you enjoyed it and will read more in the series as it continues with new books.
If you’d like to read more about Jennifer, Alex, and Blackwell, follow their story in the Annihilate Me series, which has sold 1.5 million copies in six different languages worldwide and has over 1,000 5-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
Below are the first three chapters—at the end of which is a link that will allow you to download the first volume onto your preferred reading device for FREE. Get ready for more romantic suspense, because that’s what the Annihilate Me series is all about!
Here’s the book’s description:
The business of love is dangerous.
For Jennifer Kent, a recent MBA graduate who has been searching for work in Manhattan for four long months, time and money are running out. If she doesn’t find work soon, she’ll need to return to her native Maine, where the job situation is even bleaker.
And where her abusive parents lie in wait.
But when an unorthodox arrangement is proposed, Jennifer decides to take it. She agrees to be the “girlfriend” of Alexander Wenn, the reluctant, billionaire CEO of Wenn Enterprises, who is so devastatingly good looking, he needs a beautiful woman like Jennifer on his arm to “keep the wolves at bay.”
In this case, the wolves are other women who vie for his attention so aggressively, they keep him from focusing on business at the exclusive social events he must attend. Damaged by a past loss, the only thing Alex wants to do is focus on work.
And also forget the past.
But can Jennifer deny their white-hot chemistry? As she’s swept into this glittering otherworld of society and big business, she finds herself struggling to keep from falling for Alex, an almost impossible challenge she nevertheless must meet.
Armed with her MBA, Jennifer Kent knows about business. But what she doesn’t know about is what could destroy her—the business of protecting her heart.
And maybe her life.
ANNIHILATE ME, VOL. 1
BOOK ONE
CHAPTER ONE
New York City
August
In my suffocating, one-bedroom, prison camp of an East Village apartment, I stood in front of the narrow mirror attached to my broken closet door and saw an older, messier version of myself staring back at me. I wondered who the hell was she—a distant relative, a long lost sibling, my ugly stepsister? All of the above? But then I was too distracted by the sweat coming through my white blouse to be sure or to even care.
What am I thinking? I look ridiculous. Not even ice in a freezer could keep cool in this heat. Call and cancel. Tell them there has been a death in the family—my hair.
“This isn’t going to work,” I called out. “My makeup is running down my face, my hair looks like a hot mess because of the humidity, and my clothes are starting to make the Hudson look dry. Why couldn’t I have found a job in May or June? Or even July? I could be in a comfortable, air-conditioned office right now, doing my work, making light chit-chat with my elegant co-workers, laugh, laugh, laughing with them over the water cooler, and getting something I’ll apparently never see in this city—a paycheck. But, oh no! For whatever reason, no one wants to hire me. So, today, I’ll go and sit in front of some other prickly HR professional who will judge me to be unworthy and send me on my way.”
I waited for a response, but none came.
I grabbed a magazine off my bed and started to fan myself with it. I walked to the doorway that entered into the living room, and found my best friend and roommate, Lisa Ward, typing at a quick clip on her MacBook Pro. She was nearing the end of her second novel, which she’d upload to Amazon in a few weeks. Given the success she enjoyed with her first book, which was an overall Top 100 best seller, I knew my time with Lisa might
be brief if this book also took off. And I hoped it would, if only for her. Lisa had worked hard and she deserved it. At least one of us could enjoy our lives.
“You’re awfully quiet,” I said.
“That’s because while you were in a full-on rant, I was taking notes. I’m going to use that mother of a tantrum for a scene in the new book. You were brilliant.”
“You’re putting me in your book?”
“I’m putting that rant in the book.”
“Tell me I’ll receive a royalty of some kind.”
“How about dinner out? Like at a hot dog stand? We can afford that.”
“Works for me. I’m Raman-noodled out.”
Lisa pulled her blonde hair away from her face, wrapped it into a ponytail, and turned to look at me. Her skin was shiny from the heat, but even from where I stood, it appeared poreless. Lisa was one of those beautiful young women who could go without makeup and still look chic. She often said the same about me, though I never believed it. I’d never seen what others saw in me. I only wished I had Lisa’s confidence.
“So, where is this interview?”
“At Wenn Enterprises.”
“Never heard of it, but I’m not the business type. What’s the job?”
“Oh, you’ll love this.”
“What?”
“I may have my master’s degree in business—you know, the one that has sucker-punched me with forty thousand dollars’ worth of debt—but because I’m essentially broke, I’m now going for a secretarial job.”
“Jennifer—”
“It’s fine. Wenn Enterprises is a successful conglomerate. Here’s what I’m thinking. If I can get my foot in the door as a secretary, someone might see something in me, and in a few months, I’ll have the job I’ve been seeking.”
“I told you I’d give you money. The book is doing well, and this one is better than the first one, so maybe it’ll do better.”
“I appreciate that, Lisa. But I need to get out of this mess on my own. I still have a little left in savings. Enough to pay for next month’s rent, but then I don’t know what I’ll do. If I don’t get a job, I might have to go home.”
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