by Nikki Wild
“You’ve heard. Of course, you’ve only heard. You were born rich, right?”
“Yes, my parents were wealthy,” I said.
“Lucky you,” he said.
“Yes,” I agreed.
“Did you know Ruby died?” he asked.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“She killed herself. Jumped right off a twenty story apartment building, can you believe that?”
“She must have been in a lot of pain,” I said.
“Yeah, you think?” he said. He was pacing around the room, a light sheen of sweat forming over his brow. “She was never the same after you.”
“After me?” I asked.
“She was classy, right?”
“Sure,” I said.
“She was. She wasn’t like all the other girls from the neighborhood. She didn’t need money to be stylish, she didn’t need some fancy education. She taught herself, was constantly reading books. She was adventurous, too, but you knew that, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“After you broke up with her, she told me all about your…perversions, shall we call them, Dalton?”
“I didn’t break up with her. We weren’t in that kind of relationship, there was nothing to break up. It was just a few dates.”
“No? So you just beat the shit out of everyone you go out with?”
“Look, I don’t think this is something we need to talk about.”
“You don’t? What would you rather talk about? Your dead friend?”
“Sure,” I said, grinding my teeth together. “Let’s talk about Bruce.”
“Yeah, that’s someone you loved, right? He was like a brother to you?”
I nodded.
“He sure loved you, I tell you that. Gave up so much for you, risked everything for you. He could have gone to jail for years.”
“Tell me about it,” I prodded, straining my ears for sirens.
“Didn’t your private investigator tell you enough?”
“I’d rather hear it from you,” I said.
“Of course,” he said. “That’s only fair.”
I sat calmly, watching him pace around the room as he spoke.
“Bruce wanted to put me away for life. He was a fierce guy, wasn’t he? Passionate. A do-gooder, my mother used to call them. Wanted to wear a cape, save the world, put one criminal away at a time. It was honorable, don’t get me wrong. If he’d set his sights on someone else, I’d have cheered for him.”
“Bruce was a good man.”
“Ah, yes, but every good man has a price, doesn’t he?”
“Do they?”
“I think so. I found Bruce’s weak spot. I had to, of course. I wasn’t about to spend a lifetime behind bars just for giving a few men access to some pussy. Turns out, that weak spot was you. Once I figured that out, he was easy to roll. And boy, did he roll right over as soon as I threatened to kill you. I guess he knew I wasn’t kidding.”
“So if he did what you wanted, then why’d you kill him?”
“Well, I’m not too fond of loose ends. My father taught me to never leave things unfinished. You see, Bear, that’s why I’m here today, as a matter of fact.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. You’re a loose end. You probably didn’t even know that, though, did you?”
“Nope,” I said.
“Well, now you do. So, how do you want to do this?”
“Do what?”
“Die, of course,” he said, casually pulling his gun from his jacket and pointing it at me. I shot a glance toward the kitchen but I couldn’t see Chloe.
“How about we go outside?” I said.
“With a million witnesses? Come on, you know I’m smarter than that.”
I nodded slowly, assessing the situation. He stood by the couch and for the first time, I cursed my minimalist design. If I had some vases or lamps or something heavy around, maybe I could use it to defend myself. As it was, there was nothing in this room but a couple of couches and a rug and a table.
He moved towards me, pointing the gun at my stomach. I braced myself, my life flashing before my eyes—Bruce, Chloe, my parents, my friends…
“Wait,” I said. “Let my wife leave first.”
“No,” he shook his head. “I promise I won’t hurt her. She doesn’t have anything to do with this and I hate killing kids or women, contrary to popular belief. I’m not a monster, Dalton.” The smile that spread across his face was the ugliest thing I’d ever seen in my life and I didn’t trust him for a second.
“Thank you,” I said.
He was crazy if he thought I wasn’t going to fight back. My head was spinning as I turned away, hoping like hell he’d follow instead of shoot.
“You know,” I lied, turning back to him and flashing him a smile of my own. “Ruby did tell me about you, now that I think about it.”
“She did?” he said, his eyes lighting up. “What did she say?”
She said you were a fucking monster, I thought to myself.
“She told me she loved you, she said you were really good to her, better than anyone she’d worked for before.”
“She said that?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I replied, catching a glimpse of Chloe behind him. She stood near the terrace, Harlan’s gun in her hand as she pointed it right at Rio’s back.
“She said something else, too,” I said.
“What? Tell me before I kill you, it’s the least you can do. You owe it to me for taking her away from me.”
“You’re right,” I nodded, taking a deep breath. I walked a few steps out of the way and then turned back to him. “She said you had a really fucking tiny cock. She said it was so tiny she couldn’t feel it at all when you fucked her. And she said you sweated like a pig when you were on top of her, so much she thought she was going to drown in your toxic fucking juices.”
He looked at me in shock, his eyes widening in surprise.
“You motherfucker!” he yelled, starting to walk towards me.
“Freeze!” Chloe yelled. He turned to her and then began laughing.
“Oh, you’re on tough bitch, eh?” he asked, before turning back to me. “You got a live one, huh, Dalton? A little firecracker?”
Chloe kept her focus, her eyes squinting as she kept the gun pointed at him.
“Move away from him or I’ll shoot you, I mean it, asshole!” she yelled.
My eyes widened in surprise as I heard the faint sound of sirens ring out. Rio laughed and shook his head, but he took a step back, his gun still pointing at me.
“Now, put the gun down!” Chloe ordered.
“I’m not going to do that, chicka,” Rio said.
Chloe cocked the gun, her eyes filled with rage.
“Yes, you are,” she whispered, her voice seething. “I’m not going to let you hurt my husband.”
“Chloe,” I warned, my head spinning. Harlan’s gun wasn’t loaded. As soon as Santiago called her bluff, I was a dead man.
“You don’t have a choice, lady,” Santiago said, turning the gun on her.
“Chloe!” I screamed, just as the shot rang out from her gun, the bang echoing through the penthouse, ringing my ears as I lunged towards the bleeding Santiago.
The police rushed in, grabbing Harlan’s smoking gun from her hand and descending on Santiago’s unmoving body.
“That gun wasn’t loaded,” I said, pulling her into my arms.
“I loaded it,” she said, her voice shell-shocked as she fell limp against me.
“Oh, Beauty, you saved my life,” I said.
“I’d do it a million times, if I had to,” she whispered.
I kissed her hard, the chaos around us disappearing, until there was nothing in the room but my beautiful bride and the love flowing between us.
New Beginnings…
5 months later…
Chloe’s screams echoed through the delivery room as Bear clutched her hand. She panted, screamed, panted and screamed again, her fac
e drenched in sweat, her thighs open, the doctor smiling between her legs.
“Push, Chloe, that’s it, harder…”
“I can’t!” she screamed.
“Yes, you can,” Bear leaned down, whispering in her ear as she squeezed his finger with a deadly grip. “Come on, Beauty. You’re strong. You’re tough. You’ve got this. I’m right here, you can do this.”
“Noooooooo!” she screamed, bearing down.
“That’s it, Chloe,” the doctor yelled. “So close, keep going!”
She cried out, her eyes wild with pain as the baby burst forth, flailing and wiggling, a piercing cry filling the room.
“It’s a boy!” the doctor yelled.
“What!” Chloe cried, her head shooting up and looking at the baby as they placed him on her chest. “It can’t be…”
“It’s definitely a boy. A very big boy!” the doctor exclaimed.
Tears ran down their laughing faces as they gazed upon their beautiful son. Bear kissed Chloe’s forehead, his eyes shining with pride and joy.
“I can’t believe it’s a boy,” she whispered, her eyes wide with love as she stared down at him. “I was so sure…”
“Life is full of surprises,” the doctor said. “This is just one of many coming your way, now that you’re parents. Congratulations, you two! He’s beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Chloe cried, her fingers running over her newborn’s soft skin. She looked up at Bear, her eyes full of love and wonder. “He is beautiful. Let’s name him Bruce!”
Bear looked down at her in surprise, his eyes spilling over with tears.
“That’s perfect,” he whispered, kissing her gently through the tears.
“I love you,” she said, peering up into his eyes before turning back to their baby boy, Bruce Dalton.
“I love you, too, Beauty,” he whispered.
He kissed her passionately, their tears mixing together, their future laid out before them, full of love and happiness, full of more joy than any either of them could ever have imagined.
Bear pulled away, his deep blue eyes peering into hers.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
“For what?” she asked, through her teary smile.
“For giving me the one thing I could never buy. A family…”
Bear and Chloe’s story is over, but don’t stop now. Turn the page because I’ve included some special extras for my amazing readers! I hope you loved the Taking Beauty series! If for some reason you missed it, here are links to book 1 (Taking Beauty) and book 2 (Claiming Beauty):
Click right here to read Taking Beauty (Part 1 of the Taking Beauty Trilogy) for just 99 cents or FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
Click right here to read Claiming Beauty (Part 2 of the Taking Beauty Series) for just 99 cents or FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
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LUST
A extra-spicy romance from Nikki Wild
For a limited time, EVERYONE who signs up to the WILD LIST will receive a free exclusive romance novel from Nikki Wild that you can’t find anywhere else!
The Wild List will send you exclusive updates from Nikki Wild and you can be among the very first to receive part 3 of the Taking Beauty series!
Click here to subscribe now!
Sarah
With a sigh, I looked out the window at the frigid landscape that zipped by. This wasn’t exactly my idea of a relaxing trip. To me, a vacation meant sun, beaches, and cute cabana boys. Not constant snowfall and temperatures below zero. Yet here I was, on my way up a mountain in what seemed like a blizzard for a week long ski trip.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Nathan nod his head in time with the music blasting from the speakers. He loved the cold. Whether it was skiing, snowboarding, or even hopping on a sled to slide down a hill, he was there with a smile on his face. This trip had to be a dream come true for him.
Especially since his daddy was the one paying for all of it.
His father, and my step-father, had insisted we go on a trip together, to get out of the house and relax. With my twenty-first birthday having just passed, he said it was the perfect chance to go have some fun, rather than burying myself in my school work like I usually did.
And Nathan hadn’t done anything but nod and grin as his father spoke, the traitorous bastard. He knew damn well I wasn’t a fan of the cold, nor was spending a week with his friends something that was high up on my priority list.
Especially if Billy was going to be there.
I shuddered at the though. Out of all of Nathan’s friends, Billy was my least favorite. I’d have been perfectly happy to never see him again, though the chances of that happening were pretty damn slim. He was always there, whenever Nathan and his friends got together.
Just the thought of him brought back the memories of Nathan’s twenty-first birthday a few months ago. Billy had set his eyes on me the moment he’d walked in the door. He’d seemed nice at first, until he started pushing drink after drink in front of me until I was more than a little tipsy.
That’s when he’d cornered me, pushing me up against a wall and trying to shove his tongue down my throat. I’d tried to push him away, but the fucker had just laughed and tried again, earning him a swift kick in the nuts.
He hadn’t tried anything else that night, but every time I’d seen him, he’d been watching me. I’d made sure to keep my distance from him after that, but he still gave me the creeps whenever I saw him
And now I was going to be stuck at a ski resort with him for a week.
Lucky me.
“Where are we?” I asked, trying to get my mind off Billy. I looked around and didn’t see anything but snow covered trees. It seemed like we’d left civilization a while back.
But Nathan just grinned, seemingly unworried about the lack of anything living, besides us. “Short cut. We’ll be there in an hour or two, at this rate. The main road would’ve taken us almost five hours.”
“Okay,” I said with a nod. That seemed reasonable. And the less time I had to spend cramped in Nathan’s Jeep, the better. It was pretty nice, as far as Jeeps went, but it still wasn’t the ideal vehicle for a long road trip. Besides, I really needed to pee soon!
Sighing, I closed my eye and leaned back in the seat. If I was going to be stuck here for another two hours, I might as well take a nap. It seemed like a better idea than staring at frozen trees at least.
Only a few minutes had passed before there was a loud popping sounds, making me jump out of the seat. My eyes flew open as I whipped over to look at Nathan. “What the hell was that?”
Nathan frowned and shook his head as he pulled over. “Not sure. Gonna have to get out and check.”
Now I frowned. That didn’t sound good at all. Already, smoke rose from beneath the hood, making my heart sink even more. The last thing I wanted was for us to get stranded on the side of the road in this frozen hell.
Nathan turned the car off, then reached behind the seat to pull out his jacket. He shimmied into it, then turned at me and smiled. “Don’t worry, it’s probably nothing. I’ll go out and check it. Stay in here.”
Like he needed to tell me that! There was no way I was going out in the knee deep snow unless I absolutely had to. Freezing my tits off wasn’t on my to-do list today, thank you very much.
The longer Nathan was out there, fiddling around beneath the hood, the fast my heart began to beat. I slid my phone from my pocket and frowned. Not even a single bar of service, much less a data connection. Just freaking great, I thought as I shoved it back into my pocket. Could this day get any worse?
I tapped my foot, taking deep breaths to try and calm myself. Time seemed to slow to a crawl a
s I waited for him to finish whatever it was he was doing out there. And the entire time, not a single car drove past in either direction.
We really were out in the middle of nowhere.
God knows how long it took before Nathan slammed the hood shut and ran back around to the driver’s side and slid inside as quickly as possible. He shivered slightly and rubbed his hands together, bringing them to his lips and breathing on them to warm them up.
“Well?” I asked, impatient to know what was going on. It was still pretty early, but I wanted to get to the lodge as quickly as possible. A cup of hot cocoa and a nice roaring fire was just what the doctor called for right now.
Nathan shook his head. “Looks like we’ve blown a gasket.”
Whatever the hell that means. “Can you fix it?”
“I could,” he said, “if I had my tools and a new gasket. Out here though? Not much I can do.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, cursing under his breath as he looked at it.
“No service either?” When he shook his head, I groaned. “Now what do we do?”
Nathan shrugged, then massaged his temple. “Well, we can either wait here and hope some comes by or we can try hiking down to the cabin we drove past not long ago.”
Cabin? I must’ve missed that, since I didn’t recall any cabin. But if he saw one, I trusted him. I wasn’t exactly paying all that much attention to our surroundings. Hiking to a random cabin didn’t sound all that appealing, but neither did sitting here freezing my ass off as the heat left the car.
“Can’t we just hike up to the lodge?
“If you want to spend the entire day hiking in the snow, sure,” Nathan said with a laugh. “It was going to take us two hours to drive there. You know how long it would take to walk?”
I frowned and shook my head. If there hadn’t been a blizzard raging outside, it probably wouldn’t have been too bad. But Nathan had a point. It would take forever to hike in this, and we’d probably freeze to death long before we got there.