Drake [The Texas Senator's Sons 3] (Siren Publishing Classic)
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The Texas Senator’s Sons 3
Drake
Drake Chandler didn’t ask to be the bastard son of the Texas senator. When the news breaks, life will never be the same again. His brothers hate him, and reporters want a glimpse of him. In the middle is a woman who challenges him to overcome the obstacles, and captures his broken heart.
Alex Mullins is working her veterinary internship on the Radcliff Ranch when Drake shows up, along with a media circus. She isn’t one to keep up with the news or politics. Instead, she is determined to complete her degree in veterinary science. As much as she tries to not like Drake, she can’t help but fall for the city boy, even though he comes with a lot of baggage.
The Radcliff family drama and hatred from Alex’s father toward the senator work to keep the two of them apart. Can Drake bond with his brothers? Can his life have a happily ever after?
Genre: Contemporary, Western/Cowboys
Length: 42,087 words
DRAKE
The Texas Senator’s Sons 3
Hennessee Andrews
EROTIC ROMANCE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance
DRAKE
Copyright © 2013 by Hennessee Andrews
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-244-6
First E-book Publication: July 2013
Cover design by Harris Channing
All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
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Siren Publishing, Inc.
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DRAKE
The Texas Senator’s Sons 3
HENNESSEE ANDREWS
Copyright © 2013
Chapter 1
The shift nurse entered Drake Chandler’s hospital room in her green scrubs and white shoes, a stethoscope poking from her pocket. “Looks like you’ll be getting out of here today.” She had a chipper voice and a pleasant smile, all business as she reached for his wrist to check his pulse.
Drake ruffled his hair and scooted back to a sitting position in the bed, offering his hand to her. “Good, I hate to complain, but the food here sucks.”
She smiled while looking at her watch. “I’ve heard that before. Maybe the bad food gives patients the incentive to get better so they can get out of here.” She laughed and put on her latex gloves. “You are a very lucky man,” she continued and removed his IV, swabbing off the blood with a cotton ball. “I hope you’ll be more careful on rain-slick roads from now on.”
“Yeah.” Drake gave a sarcastic laugh and glanced out the window at the bright, sunny sky. Maybe next time he’d crash hard enough to do himself in completely.
The nurse put a piece of tape over the cotton ball and gently pushed the strips to his skin. “Who will be picking you up? I don’t recommend driving for a couple of days, at least while you’re on the pain medication.”
“I’ll just call a cab.” Drake shifted his weight, and his muscles protested. He winced and leaned back, taking a deep breath.
“Isn’t there anyone I should call for you?” she asked with a compassionate expression crossing her young face.
“No, thanks anyway.”
When the nurse left, Drake reached for the newspaper and unfolded it. Front page news blasted his father, Senator Radcliff, for his illegitimate son with his mistress of twenty-four years. The reporters were in a frenzy of action, trying to find out the details concerning the affair. They also wanted to catch a glimpse of him, the bastard son, so they could splash it on tomorrow’s front page.
His mother had passed after a long battle with cancer just two months previous. Drake felt she was the lucky one. Someone leaked their secret, and he wondered how the information was conveyed and by whom. Only a handful of people knew the truth, and four of them, no doubt, would want the facts known.
The four people were his father the senator, his wife, Evelyn, and two sons, Damon and Drew. Drake had made an attempt to get to know his brothers and was met with unopen arms. He expected it and honestly couldn’t blame them for not embracing him. He supposed he might act or feel the same if the tables were turned.
He really didn’t know what to expect from the two to begin with. His own curiosity got the better of him, and he made up an excuse to go see them. He claimed his grandmother refused his inheritance until he introduced himself to them. It was a lie. His grandmother hated everything his father, the senator, stood for, including his offspring. She had even less respect for his mother for continuing the affair all these years up until her death. She, however, did love him. His only worry since his mother had passed was his grandmother’s failing health. She had been the only other person privy to their secret and loved him unconditionally in spite of it. Outside of her, well, he didn’t have much family. He had considered those facts, and they ultimately led him to find his brothers.
As an only child, Drake was lonely. Of course, he had everything he could ever want materialistically, but it never was enough. The fast cars, expensive clothes, and posh lifestyle were nice, but courtesy of his grandmother and his father, the senator, who wanted to keep them happy, and of course away from the press.
; Drake felt his life was crumbling around him. It wouldn’t be long until he’d end up utterly alone, and the thought bothered him. Since his total disregard for his very existence hadn’t put an end to his misery, he supposed there was a reason he was still here. Actually, he didn’t want to die. He only wanted the pain to end. His mother was everything to him, and now she was gone. Drake still had his father, the one he had grown accustomed to seeing once a week, but didn’t truly know. When he noticed how much he and his brothers resembled each other, he wanted to be accepted by them and develop a relationship with them. Since that wasn’t going to happen, Drake knew he needed to find his own place in the world. Somewhere he could be himself, a place far from the city and reporters. Where his utopia existed, he didn’t know. He glanced out the window again and yawned. He rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath before closing his eyes. There was a little time left to decide.
Late in the afternoon, Drake was discharged from the hospital and currently sat in the back of a cab, watching the steady stream of traffic pass in the opposite direction. Every muscle he possessed ached, and each time the cabbie struck a pothole, he tensed up in pain. He’d be damn glad to get to his apartment and out of the smelly cab. The interior reeked of take-out hamburgers and cheap air freshener. The mixture of scents combined and turned his stomach upside down. The constant whirl of colors flashing by didn’t help either, and the buzzing in his brain from the medication had him gripping his abdomen and squeezing his eyes tightly shut.
“Don’t you throw up in my car, man,” the cabbie yelled, looking back in his rearview mirror at him.
Drake nodded and waved a hand, dismissing the man. “Just get me home.” He rolled down the window, hoping for any kind of fresh air. “It would help if your cab didn’t smell like ass.”
The driver didn’t bother to respond. He simply shook his head and continued to weave through traffic. Drake sucked in the outside air that was mixed with the exhaust from the endless sea of vehicles. At least the scent seemed better than the inside of the cab he was stuck in for another mile.
He tried to distract himself and think of a plan. It would only be a matter of time before the press figured out his name and residence. Crafty assholes. Hopefully, he’d be long gone by that time, but he still had no idea where he would go or what he would do when he got there. He supposed he would drive until he landed in a place that felt good when he stopped. Thankfully, he had another vehicle courtesy of his grandmother who thought the corvette the senator bought him was too flashy and fast. She was right, the car was fast. He had to smile, because the corvette struck a sensitive nerve in his brother Drew after he found out their father bought it for him. The event shouldn’t have been funny. Drew came unhinged and went straight to pissed off after Drake joked about it. He and Drew were a lot alike from what Drake could see. Of course they resembled one another, but deeper, they both had hot tempers.
“Home sweet home. Now get out before you puke,” the cabbie ordered, slamming his car into park.
“Gladly,” Drake mumbled and opened the door. He pulled out his wallet and paid the driver the exact amount.
“What, no tip?” The cabbie gave him an incredulous look.
“I’ll give you a tip.” Drake glared. “Clean your fucking car, asshole.” With that said, he turned and headed for the front door of his apartment building mumbling. “Tip? What a dick.”
When Drake entered the lobby, he caught a glimpse of a man with a camera casually strolling around. Just fucking great. He walked on in and ignored him, hoping to make it to the elevator without incident. Currently, he didn’t appear as if he could be anything other than a bum with his white T-shirt covered in a speckling of blood and his denim jeans that were in the same condition. He was thankful the EMTs hadn’t cut them off of him. He’d rather not call anyone for help, especially his grandmother.
“Hey, I don’t suppose you could help me locate someone?” Drake heard a voice behind him as he pushed the up button for the elevator.
Drake turned and gave the reporter a glare. “No, actually I can’t.” He entered the elevator, pushed the button for his floor, and left the man standing in a stupor. When the doors closed, Drake exhaled a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall. His muscles trembled, and his ribs ached.
At least the assholes didn’t know who exactly they were looking for yet. Obviously they had figured out his name, and he hadn’t expected it would happen this fast. It wouldn’t take them any time if they first looked at a photo of his brothers and then at him. They were all carbon copies of their father, complete with his brilliant blue eyes. The only difference between them and Drake was Drake had sandy-blond hair, and his build was slightly less muscular than Damon and Drew.
The elevator doors opened and Drake stepped out, bumping into his neighbor, Jessica, as he exited.
“Oh my god, Drake. What happened?” Jessica asked, touching his arm and studying him with her big brown eyes.
“Just another night in the big, bad city,” he joked and pulled out his keys with a wobble in his step. He had been chasing this particular woman for the last six months to no avail. She was an ice princess as far as he was concerned. He stopped daydreaming about nailing her three weeks ago.
“You’ve been in an accident. Are you okay?” Jessica had a sympathetic appearance on her face.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry your pretty little head over me.” He gave her a grin and started down the hall toward his apartment. The woman was still as beautiful as ever with her short dark hair and big brown eyes. She smelled pleasant, too. Good enough to eat, to be exact. His mind played with her image a lot over the last few months. He’d imagine her pouty pink lips wrapped around his cock. She’d stare up at him and bat her long black lashes and pull him deep into her mouth. He stroked himself periodically thinking about her and such an event. But now, images of her didn’t even give him a semi-erection, or maybe it was the drugs in his system. Who knew?
“Wait,” Jessica called and followed him to his door. “Can I help you with anything? I mean, I’d be happy to get you settled in or run an errand if you need me to.”
Drake couldn’t help but laugh. “Sweetie, I can take care of myself.”
“Well, if you need anything, give me a call,” she offered, standing in his doorway in all her glorious innocence.
“Thanks.” Drake smiled while holding the door knob in his hand. “On second thought, I do need a shower. As you can tell, I’m in no position to scrub those hard to reach places.” He gave her a wicked smile, knowing she’d turn, tuck tail, and scurry down the hall.
“I can see that you’re okay.” She frowned. “I’ll take a rain check on the shower.”
“I thought so.” Drake grinned and shut the door.
It was worth a shot anyway, he figured, and walked to the kitchen. The woman must be a lesbian or something. He tossed his keys on the table. Most women threw themselves at him, or at his money. He generally didn’t care which, as long as it paid off at the end of the night. Drake could be described as a player. There were no serious relationships in his past and no desire for one either. He loved being the playboy, hitting all the clubs with his close friends to see what they could conquer. The list was long and varied, from blondes to redheads, and from Caucasians to Latin beauties. He loved every type of woman he could get his hands on.
As he surveyed what little lay inside his refrigerator, he felt different. His dick normally rose with the sun, as each day signified another adventure. Today, something changed and he didn’t feel like his usual self. Maybe it was the impending change in his life, or maybe he had all of a sudden grown tired of the scene. Then again, it was more than likely the drugs. Whatever was going on, he intended to change it. Life had been his for the taking, and now he felt deflated, lost. He slammed the refrigerator shut and leaned back against the counter. Nothing sounded good to him anyway. Yawning again, he walked toward the living room and sat down on his oversized couch and reached for the remote. He lay ba
ck against a pillow and stretched out his legs.
The doctor said he had cracked a couple of ribs and had a mild concussion, but other than that, he only sustained minor cuts and bruises. It all combined to royally fucking hurt as far as he was concerned. He groaned as he shifted, trying to make himself comfortable, when his phone rang. “Just about the time I get comfortable,” he muttered and eased slowly off the couch. He looked at the number on his display before answering. It was his grandmother, so he answered.
“Hi, Grandmother.” He worked to sound energetic and not like a man who had just been discharged from the hospital. “Yeah, I saw the paper. Who do you think leaked the info?” He nodded and listened. “No, she wouldn’t. Why would she do that?”
He continued to listen as he paced through his living room. “I’ve got to get away from here.” He peered out his window to the street below. “I don’t know where I’ll go, but as soon as I land somewhere, I’ll call.” Walking back to the couch, he sat back down. “I love you, too.” He ended the call and slammed the phone down on the coffee table.
“Damn it!” He scrubbed his unshaven face.
Leaning back on the couch, the feeling of betrayal overwhelmed him. What made it all worse was the fact his mother was, in fact, responsible for the leak. His grandmother had explained that before his mother died, she had left a letter with her attorney, giving him instructions to release the information to the media sixty days after her death. Her reasoning was so Drake could stop living a lie and take his rightful place as the senator’s son, no matter the consequences. His grandmother also said that his mother hated the fact they lived in secrecy, and didn’t want Drake to continue life in the shadows, hidden. She felt it was her mission to free him once and for all. He didn’t think he was free now as he sat thinking of all the repercussions his mother’s actions would cause. Not only was the press sitting outside of his building, he was sure they were also hounding his father and brothers as well.