by Leroux, Lucy
Peyton’s Price
A Singular Obsession Novel
Lucy Leroux
Copyright © 2019, Lucy Leroux
http://www.authorlucyleroux.com/
ISBN: 978-1-942336-31-0
First Edition.
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Contents
Disclaimer
Titles By Lucy Leroux
Credits
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Epilogue
Afterword
About the Author
Other Books by Lucy Leroux
Making Her His
Confiscating Charlie
Calen’s Captive
Stolen Angel
The Roman’s Woman
Save Me
Take Me
Trick’s Trap
Peyton’s Price
Cursed
Black Widow
Writing as L.B. Gilbert
Fire
Air
Water
Kin Selection
Eat You Up
Discordia
Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with someone else, please send them to the author’s website, where they can find out where to purchase a copy for themselves. Free content can be downloaded at the author’s free reads page.
Thank you for respecting the author's work. Enjoy!
Titles By Lucy Leroux
Making Her His, A Singular Obsession, Book One
Available Now
Confiscating Charlie, A Free Singular Obsession Novelette
Available Now
Calen’s Captive, A Singular Obsession, Book Two
Available Now
Take Me, A Singular Obsession Prequel Novella
Available Now
Stolen Angel, A Singular Obsession, Book Three
Available Now
The Roman’s Woman, A Singular Obsession, Book Four
Available Now
Save Me, A Singular Obsession Novella, Book 4.5
Available Now
Trick’s Trap, A Singular Obsession, Book Five
Available Now
Peyton’s Price, A Singular Obsession, Book Six
Available Now
***
The Hex, A Free Spellbound Regency Short
Available Now
Cursed, A Spellbound Regency Novel
Available Now
Black Widow, A Spellbound Regency Novel, Book Two
Available Now
Haunted, A Spellbound Regency Novel, Book Three
Coming Soon
***
Writing As L.B. Gilbert
Discordia, A Free Elementals Prequel Short,
Available Now
Fire: The Elementals Book One
Available Now
Air: The Elementals Book Two
Available Now
Water: The Elementals Book Three
Available Now
Earth: The Elementals Book Four
Coming Soon
Kin Selection, Shifter’s Claim, Book One
Available now
Eat You Up, A Shifter’s Claim, Book Two
Coming Soon
Credits
Cover Design: Robin Harper
http://www.wickedbydesigncovers.com/
Editor: Cynthia Shepp
http://www.cynthiashepp.com/
Thank you to all of my readers!
Introduction
Peyton Carson has been in love with Liam Tyler since she was nine years old. All she has ever wanted is for him to see her as something more than just his sister’s best friend. But when he gets engaged to someone else, Peyton is devastated. Shattered, she does her best to pick up the pieces and move on with her life. She begins to build a life without Liam in it. But when her roommate's debt becomes her problem, she finds herself in a game too dangerous to play.
Suddenly thrown into unimaginable danger, Peyton has no way out. Unable to rescue Peyton himself, Liam asks for help from the last man he wants anything to do with—Matthias Raske. Now, Peyton's options become clear, but her salvation comes at a price she’s not sure she’s willing to pay. Peyton must risk it all for a chance at something she's always wanted. Torn between ecstasy and the fairy tale, can she overcome all the obstacles or will she lose her chance at forever?
Chapter 1
Peyton Carson craned her neck over the crowd, lifting her arms so she could pretend to be stretching.
I am not searching for Liam Tyler, she told herself. He was out of the country for the rest of the week, and he’d sent a card with his regrets. But she looked anyway. Some habits were hard to break.
But you will…any day now. Her childhood crush on him was over. Peyton had been telling herself that for a couple of years now. Someday, she was going to believe it…
“Here!” Maggie, Liam’s sister and Peyton’s best friend, thrust an ornately garnished cocktail glass into her hand. They were in the Caislean’s exclusive Camelot bar, a hidden speakeasy within the hotel. It had been designed by Calen MacLachlan, and it was opened as a special joint venture between him and the Tylers, the owners of the exclusive hotel chain where she’d worked most of her adult life.
Maggie had commandeered the hotspot for a surprise graduation party, inviting everyone they knew—literally. Peyton had even spotted their seventh grade English teacher dancing with one of the hotel’s concierge staff.
Her friend took a big sip of her own glass before standing on a chair. She lifted her glass in a toast. “To th
e hardest-working woman in town and my very best friend in the world—congratulations on your Ph.D.!”
Peyton had delivered her magnum opus to the computer science department yesterday. After sleeping twelve hours, she’d woken to the hotel’s masseuse waiting to give her the works. Once he’d finished, he’d said Maggie had organized an intimate dinner for the two of them to celebrate. Instead, she’d found the party of the year.
Feeling loved, Peyton laughed, standing and holding her own glass high. “Thanks. And to all of you, I can’t tell you how much it means you’re here—I’m done, bitches!”
There was laughter all around. Peyton chugged her drink, then held out her empty glass for a refill. Patrick, Maggie’s other brother, laughed and replaced it with an equally artful glass—a gin-based drink this time. Peyton didn’t even bother to ask for one with her preferred rum instead.
Forget that Liam’s not here. After four long years, she’d finally completed her dissertation in computer science, a Ph.D. she’d earned while working full time in the IT department of the hotel.
Calen and his wife Maia had set up an elaborate private party in the VIP room of the Camelot, one complete with a private bar and a mustachioed hipster mixologist. Some of her other girlfriends were here as well—Elynn and Sophia had flown in from the UK where they both lived with their doting husbands. Both were here at Maggie’s behest, with their men in tow, to help Peyton celebrate.
“I can’t believe you guys came all this way,” she’d cried when she saw them. Sergei Damov was also here, but he made his home in Manhattan, which was just a short helicopter ride away—a viable travel option for a billionaire.
The music was just loud enough, and the alcohol flowed. Peyton felt great as she danced and drank with her best friends.
“I can’t believe I’m finished,” she shouted from her spot in the middle of the dance floor, holding up her cocktail like a torch. Whoops and cheers came back from all directions. Maggie threw her arms around Peyton, almost sliding to the floor as her stilettos lost purchase on the tiles. Laughing their heads off, Peyton and Elynn caught her, helping her up so they could keep dancing their butts off.
Sometime after Peyton’s third cocktail, she took a break from dancing, collapsing in her seat at the head table. A hush fell over the room as someone come inside. When the music was turned down, Peyton twisted her head to see Sabrina, the hotel’s pastry chef, holding a cake lit by sparklers.
A chorus of ‘For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow’ broke out as Sabrina set the cake in front of Peyton.
“It’s chocolate and sweet cream—your favorite,” the chef said, before leaning over to give her a hug.
Peyton almost squealed. “I don’t care what flavor it is! Everything you bake is amazing.”
The Caislean only hired the crème de la creme. Everyone in the kitchen was the best at what they did, but Sabrina was exceptional. People from all over the East Coast came to the Caislean just to eat her desserts. The Tyler brothers had fended off more than one attempt to poach her.
Peyton had just finished cutting the cake when she felt his presence. Peering over Maggie’s head, Peyton spotted Liam. He walked up behind his sister, clapping with the rest of the crowd. Peyton’s heart stuttered and she flushed, beaming with joy. She should have been more circumspect, but she couldn’t help herself. He had come.
Liam spent most of his days out of the country, overseeing the construction of a brand-new hotel in Australia. The local government had been giving him trouble, and she’d resigned herself to the fact he wouldn’t be here for this—the most important day of her life.
“Congratulations,” he called over his sibling’s head as Alex patted him on the back. Calen came up on his left, greeting him as if he hadn’t seen him in years instead of days.
“Thank you,” Peyton said, a bit too softly for him to hear. Her hungry eyes drank in the sight of him as he leaned over and dropped a small box tied with ribbon in front of her.
She took the box, but she didn’t open it. That would happen later, in private.
Every time Liam left town, Peyton ordered herself not to miss him, but her heart still dipped and soared whenever he returned.
The low light obscured the rich mahogany of his hair, which he wore just a bit longer than was fashionable. His broad shoulders filled out his navy Brioni blue suit to perfection, but it was a tad rumpled. Peyton smiled as she realized that mean he’d come straight from the plane instead of stopping to shower and change like he usually did when he arrived home.
Appearances were important to Liam. He always said presentation was everything in the hotel business, so she was pleased he’d been willing to forsake his image to be here sooner.
Peyton’s smile turned brittle as Caroline Wentworth, Liam’s on-again/off-again girlfriend, appeared at his arm. “Did you tell them?” the woman asked, tipping her perfectly coiffed head at Liam.
Peyton’s stomach churned as Liam dipped to murmur something in his girlfriend’s ear. Why did he have to bring her? No sooner had Peyton had the thought, she regretted it. This was Liam’s hotel. He could bring whoever he wanted to the party.
She tried not to envy the socialite’s appearance. Caroline’s smooth platinum hair was in a perfect French twist, a hairstyle Peyton never had the patience to try. The woman was also dressed in a sharp white suit, a color Peyton couldn’t wear without instantly getting it filthy in some freak accident. The suit was trimmed in sparkling yellow thread.
It’s probably real gold, she thought waspishly. Gene, Caroline’s father, owned a lucrative string of boutique hotels. The Caislean had a reciprocal loyalty program with the smaller chain. It was how Caroline and Liam had met a bit over three years ago. They dated for seven or eight months before breaking up the first time—a record for Liam. Over a year later, they began seeing each other again, resuming an intermittent but distressingly lasting relationship.
Peyton almost missed the days of interchangeable blonde bimbos. Those were around for a few weeks at the most before Liam dropped them to find a new, nearly identical model.
But even she had to admit Caroline wasn’t part of that mold. Yes, she was blonde, but the similarity ended there. Like Liam and the other Tylers, she had grown up in the hotel business. Caroline helped her father manage the boutique chain, and she was partially responsible for its success.
Liam’s expression darkened before her eyes. “I already said not now. It’s not the time,” he growled.
“Oh, come on Liam—it’s a celebration! We’ll just be doing more of it now.”
Caroline turned, waving with an expansive gesture. Peyton blinked as she realized Caroline was deliberately calling attention to a massive diamond ring on her left hand.
“We’re engaged,” Caroline squealed, poking Liam when he tried to shush her.
The announcement was followed by a long silence. Peyton’s lungs began to burn when she felt all eyes on her.
“Congratulations,” she said in a loud, overly bright voice, trying desperately to sound jovial while her heart was silently ripped to shreds.
“Thank you,” Caroline said, smiling up at Liam. He shook his head at her as if she were an incorrigible child.
“You should have waited,” he scolded. “Sorry. She should have waited,” he repeated apologetically, this time addressing Peyton. “This is supposed to be your day.”
“No problem,” she said in a hoarse voice, grateful for the dim light. “More to celebrate.”
“That’s exactly what I’ve been saying,” Caroline chided, reaching up to touch the nape of Liam’s neck.
Peyton nearly gave herself whiplash when she jerked her attention away. She turned to the other girls. Next to her, Maggie was bone white. Peyton pivoted on her heel, unable to see her own shattered expression reflected in her best friend’s eyes.
Elynn gave Maia a hard nudge. The other woman hurriedly stood, then crossed the room to turn the music back up.
Everyone started talking at once. Pe
yton pushed her plate of cake away, then staggered to her feet. She couldn’t make anything out through the haze of tears. Biting the inside of her cheek she inhaled deeply through her nose, refusing to let a single one fall as she made a beeline for the restroom.
Someone called her name, but she didn’t stop. The party would have to go on without her.
Chapter 2
Peyton clung to the toilet, violently retching. It felt like her lungs were being compressed by steel bands—a cage around her chest, one that only let her get one shallow breath at a time. It wasn’t enough. She needed more air.
Tears coursed down her cheeks. You knew this was coming. Lately, Liam had been spending so much time with Caroline. And he wanted the hotel chain Caroline’s father owned. But Gene Wentworth wanted to keep his business in the family. He’d made that clear on several occasions.
Despite his ambition, Peyton never thought he’d go this far. It was Liam after all. He’d built an empire from nothing through sheer grit and determination. Nobody could force his hand this way. Not if he didn’t want them to. Which could only mean one thing. He loved Caroline.