by Nana Malone
Seductive in Stilettos 5
BWWM New Adult Romance
Nana Malone
Nana O. Malone
The In Stilettos Series
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
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Seductive In Stilettos 5 (Serial)
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COPYRIGHT © 2015 by Nana Malone
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
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Cover Art by Kimberly Killion
Edited by Finish the Story
Copy Edited by Marcie Gately
Published in the United States of America
To Stilettos fans old and new. I can’t wait to start a new chapter with you.
Nana Malone Reading List
The In Stilettos Series (Contemporary Romance)
Sexy in Stilettos (Alec & Jaya)
Sultry in Stilettos (Beckett & Ricca)
Sassy in Stilettos (Caleb & Micha)
Strollers & Stilettos (Alec & Jaya & Alexa)
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(New Adult Contemporary Romance Serials)
Seductive in Stilettos (Shane & Tristia)
**Sinful in Stilettos - Expected 2016
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The Chase Brothers Series (New Adult Contemporary Romance)
London Bound (Alexi & Abbie)
London Calling (Xander & Imani)
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The Donovans Series (New Adult Contemporary Romance)
Come Home Again (Nate & Delilah)
Love Reality (Ryan & Mia)
**Race For Love - Expected Summer 2015
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Love Match Series (Contemporary Romance)
*Game Set Match (Jason & Izzy)
Mismatch (Eli & Jessica)
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Chick-Lit With Sass (Erotic Chick-Lit Romance)
Corporate Affairs
Exposed
The Flirtation
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The Protectors Series (Superhero Romance)
*Betrayed a Reluctant Protector Prequel
Reluctant Protector (Cassie & Seth)
Wounded Protector (Jansen & Lisa)
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The Hit & Run Bride Contemporary Romance Series (Contemporary Romance)
Hit & Run Bride (Liam & Becca)
Hit & Miss Groom (Alex & Vanessa)
**Book Three - Expected winter 2015
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Don’t want to miss a single release? Click here: http://eepurl.com/2PeXb
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*Free Read
**Upcoming release. Dates Subject to Change
1
Tris paced the length of Ricca’s apartment. Was she doing the right thing? Was she putting Shane in danger by coming here? The instructions had been specific. She couldn’t tell him, she couldn’t call the cops. But Caleb wasn’t police, right?
Beckett, Ricca’s husband, watched her with a casual intensity. He was completely relaxed, but the man missed nothing. And it was a little intimidating.
Finally, he leaned forward, a lock of blond hair falling over his forehead. “You know, you’re going to wear a path into the hardwood, you keep going like that. Why don't you have a seat.” His voice was low and smooth. He gave her a reassuring smile, before leading her to the couch.
He started talking to her about some band he’d seen play up in Vancouver that he was sure she’d like. As he talked, she could totally see why he and Ricca were together. He was very calming. Plus, he had the ability to make everyone feel like they were long lost friends. When Ricca bustled out of the kitchen with sun dried tomato pesto, Tris’s stomach grumbled.
Ricca grinned. “Hungry, huh? Glad I cooked then. I don't imagine you’re eating properly on campus. You should come to dinner more often.”
Tris scooped some pesto onto bread. “You realize you should probably never say that to a college student. It’s a toss-up between that and sure, bring your laundry on over.”
Her cousin giggled. “In case you hadn’t figured it out, I love to cook, and since hubby is traveling so much, it ends up in the freezer, so you might as well come on over and eat it.”
Beckett helped himself to some pesto. “Unless it’s callaloo. Then, mitts off. I want those leftovers.”
The doorbell chimed, and Ricca jogged to grab it. Caleb sauntered in with Micha in tow. Jaya followed next with one of the most gorgeous men Tris had ever seen in her life. Actually, the three men together made an impressive display. Tall, good-looking, well built.
Though Beckett had them on the height thing at six feet five inches. Caleb had the muscles competition on lock down. He wasn’t bulky, but it was clear he worked out often. And he moved with the lithe grace of a jungle cat. And though all the men could easily grace the cover of a magazine, it was the other one that made her jaw go a little slack. She could only assume he must be Alec Westhorpe, Jaya’s husband.
Micha and Jaya both gave her a warm hug. Though, Jaya hung on longer. Tris got the impression Micha didn’t normally do hugs and made an exception since she was family.
After introductions were made, everyone took a seat, and Jaya immediately tried to get everything in order. “Tris, honey, why don't you start from the top and tell us what you need?”
Caleb cleared his throat even as he snuck a kiss onto Micha’s neck. “Jai, you really can’t help yourself, can you?”
Jaya smiled sheepishly then plopped onto Alec’s lap. “Sorry, your show.”
Caleb winked at Jaya then beamed a smile at Tris that made her temporarily forget her name. He cocked his head. “What Jaya said.”
A pillow flew quick and sure, directly at Caleb’s head, just barely missing Micha. Caleb deflected easily with a wide grin. “Ignore our resident project manager. She gets touchy when she’s not in charge of everything. Carry on, Tris.”
Oh, so this was like a team event. Okay. “Uh. So I uh, assume you know about what happened to me when I was a freshman in high school. The stalking incident.”
Everyone nodded.
Well, that made things easier. “In the last month or so at school, I’ve been getting phone calls and just had a feeling I was being followed. My dad is a little overzealous with the protection, so I thought maybe he’d put a tail on me or something. But, then I got an email.”
She pulled open the laptop and pulled up the photos. “So, I started seeing someone a few weeks ago.”
All around the room, eyebrows went up.
“It started to get serious, and then I got sent these.” She handed Caleb her laptop then shoved her hands into her pockets, not quite sure what to do next. The email said I needed to break up with him or they’d kill him. Not to call the police or they’d kill him. I-I didn’t know what to do, so I called you.”
Caleb’s eyes bulged for a moment, then his lips set in a firm line. “Did you break up with the guy?”
She rapidly blinked away the tears and sniffed deep. “Yeah. Tonight.”
Micha’s voice was soft. “How’d he take it?”
“Confused. I think he’s pretty pissed at me. I didn't give him an explanation, but I feel like I didn't really have a choice. Not that he’d understand anyway. He’s a totally normal guy.”
When Caleb spoke again there was a hint of ice and menace in h
is voice, and Tris could certainly believe him as a killer. “Did you tell him about the photos?”
She shook her head. “No. For the most part, I’m following the rules. I don't want him hurt. He’s been…” Her voice trailed. “Really great.”
Jaya and Ricca were up quick to comfort her. Jaya smoothed a hand down her hair. “You love him?”
She nodded. “Yeah. He doesn’t deserve this. I swear, it’s like I’m toxic.”
Ricca shushed her. “You’re not toxic. Caleb will figure this out. Won’t you, Caleb?”
“I don't want you to worry, Tris,” he said. “I’ll have my guys get right on it. Since you’ve been through stalking before, do you have a stalking diary? It might help us to nail down some timelines.”
Tris nodded, then walked over to her bag and pulled it out. When she handed it to him, she said, “I really care about him. I wouldn’t be able to stand it if something happened to him because of me.”
With a long exhale, he said. “I’m on it, Tris. I don't want you to worry. No one’s going to hurt him. Most importantly, no one’s going to hurt you.”
#
Something wasn’t right. Shane could feel it. It was in the grim set of Caleb’s mouth and the way he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his fingers over his lips. And he’d called both he and War in, so something was definitely wrong.
When Caleb spoke, his voice was low. “How long?”
Shane frowned and slid a glance at War, who only shrugged. “How long for what?”
Caleb pinned him with a glare. “If I said I wanted to pull you off the assignment and assign War instead, how would that go down?”
Fuck. He knew. Shane didn't know how he knew, he just did.
War pushed himself away from the wall, and Shane’s mind scrambled for a way to control the fallout before it went nuclear. Besides, the idea of his best friend protecting her when he couldn't shouldn't chap his ass, but it did. "She's met him once. I don't think—"
Caleb ignored him. "War, can you do an approach? See if you can get close to her. I need eyes, especially since lover boy is on the outs right now.”
War raised a brow and crossed his arms. "Just how close do you want me to get?"
Caleb's brows furrowed. "Like glue, asshole. Did I stutter?"
War grinned as rage pumped though Shane's veins. War might be his friend, hell, the only one he had, but if he put a fucking hand on her, Shane would kill him. Like you did to the old man?
The wash of shame followed immediately as his brain reel brought the memory to his frontal lobe. His father, in the hospital, screaming at him that he didn’t want him there, that he hated him, that he’d always hated him.
Shane had seen his eyes go glassy. He’d gotten help, but he’d hesitated. Maybe a moment too long. He’d hesitated. He was responsible for that, just like he was responsible for what was happening right now.
War shrugged. "Nah, boss, you didn't stutter, but I'm thinking best approach will be the best friend, the Asian one. I've seen her before at a club, and I can approach with seduction scenario."
Caleb leaned back and studied the pair of them even as Shane locked his jaw and gnashed his teeth. "That scenario works fine. Though it's probably more reliable if you approach Tris herself. Maybe she needs a friend."
Shane thought for a second he might crack a tooth with the amount of pressure he was putting on his jaw, but he managed to grind out, "Fuck. No."
In that moment, War proved how tight they were when he tried to come to his rescue. "I think what Shane means is that she's going to be suspicious. I mean, look at the both of us. Clearly a little older, badass looking dudes. And I met her as a friend of Shane's. I approach like that, and she'll know something is up. Cover will be blown."
Caleb narrowed his eyes. "What the fuck I want to know is why Shane is so against you getting close to the girl. Something you want to tell me, Shane? Like maybe why Tris asked me for a meeting yesterday to hire me to protect your ass? Apparently, her friendly neighborhood nut job said he was going to kill you if she didn't break up with you."
Shane cracked his neck and slid a glance toward War. Is that why she’d broken up with him? But then the gravity of the words sank in. Caleb knew and instead of trying to salvage, he should have come clean five minutes ago. At least he could cover War’s ass. "War is trying to cover for me. Tris and I have a relationship."
Shane had never had any indication that his uncle was anything like his father. Caleb was always so cool. But in that particular moment, he looked murderous. As an automatic reflex, Shane's muscles bunched, and he shifted his weight. If this was going ugly, he'd go out swinging.
Both War and Caleb must have noticed the subtle shift in the air, and War shifted his weight to the balls of his feet and angled himself to act as a shield. Caleb, on the other hand—his brows rose, and he immediately relaxed his body, sinking down into his seat. "Warrick, can you give Shane and me a minute please?"
War looked between Shane and Caleb, then back at Shane. Without looking back at Caleb, he said, "If it's just the same, I'd rather stay."
Caleb's voice was soft. "I know you're protecting your boy, but my nephew has nothing to fear from me. And he's not going to lose his shit. He's holding on. Aren't you, Shane?"
Yeah, fucking barely. The fight or flight instinct was strong, and he’d spent too much time honing the fight instinct. But Caleb clearly wasn't a threat now, and he wasn't the same as his father. He didn't need to fight his way out of every situation.
Shane cleared his throat. "I'm cool, War."
War looked displeased, but he rolled his shoulders. "I'll be right outside the door." He pinned Shane with a hard stare. "You need me, you call. Feel me?"
Shit. The prick of emotion made that burning in his chest shift to a more acute piercing pain. He nodded, never taking his eyes off Caleb. "I hear you."
When they were finally alone, Caleb pushed his hair back and deliberately slouched. Shane knew what he was doing. He was trying to make him more comfortable. "Why don’t you have a seat, Shane?"
The fuck he would. "I'm good standing."
"Fair enough. You read that right. I'm fucking furious with you right now. Starting a relationship with Tristia was irresponsible. Worse, you didn't tell me about it. I don't need to be all in your biz, but it would have been some good information to have. It jeopardizes everything. Do you understand that?"
Caleb's voice was quiet, and that unsettled Shane more than his father's yelling ever had. Regardless, his uncle had a point. "Yeah, I know. I never intended for it to get that far. I met her before you assigned me to the case. I know I fucked up."
Caleb nodded slowly. "You care about her?"
More burning in his chest. "Yeah."
Caleb sighed. "On the one hand, this is great. You forming attachments. Not being so alone. It's good for you. And clearly you can protect her. But this whole thing is all kinds of fucked up beyond recognition."
Shane's jaw locked again. "You think I don’t recognize how FUBAR this whole thing is? I know it. All I care about right now is keeping her safe."
"I can see that." Caleb dropped his voice even more. "You need to understand something."
Shane knew what was coming, and he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to have this conversation. "I know. I overreacted. Won't happen again." He'd slipped. The shrink would tell him this was transference or something.
Caleb shook his head. "We haven't talked about it directly, and we will, but for now, I'm going to tell you that I’m not your father. He was a fucked in the head, mean as shit, asshole, and you deserved better. I remember how he used to torture me when he would visit. So I can only imagine the hell you went through. But I don’t care how pissed off I am with you. I am never going to lay my hands on you. Do you understand?"
His eyes stung. Fuck. What was wrong with him? "Yes, sir."
"No. You don't. But you'll learn. We'll have plenty of time for you to figure that out. I meant what I said. I'm here
if you want to talk. You're safe here. I'm your family. You don’t always have to be on alert around me. Are we clear?"
Shane swallowed hard and nodded brusquely. "Clear."
"Good. Now, you figure out a way to fix shit with Tris. I'll send War in after Xia, and hopefully, he can help a little."
"Thanks."
"Don’t thank me. You're the one who has to find a way to get close to her again."
Later that night, after he'd kicked War out of his house, Shane dragged a beer out of his fridge and tried to make his brain operate correctly. The whole day had been a fucked-up series of events he'd rather not repeat again. War hadn't said a word on the way here, but he knew his friend was worried. Hell, he was worried. Worried enough he'd almost called Dr. Rogers to have a chat. And he pretty much hated that shrink.
No, he just needed to get himself on even ground. But instead, his brain kept replaying this afternoon over and over. Would he really have kicked his uncle's ass? Yes. Granted, that would probably be a hell of a fight. He had youth on his side, but Caleb had experience.
The knock at his door dragged him out of his reverie. "War, fuck, I'm good. You can stop mother henning me to death." He said as he yanked open his door.
"War is very pretty, but I'm a hell of a lot better looking than he is."
Micha stood on his doorstep. Shane wasn't intimidated by much, but Caleb's fiancee had a way of making him squirm. "Uh, hey, Micha." He stepped aside to let her in. "What's up?"
With her long legs and the added four-inch stunners she wore, she was his height. Her curls were wild and loose, and she looked like an Amazon. But then she smiled at him warmly, and it transformed her whole face, softened her. She was beautiful to start, but the smile made her stunning and approachable. She looked like she should do nothing but laugh all the time.