Protection: A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance

by Wood, Vivian

  “I’m sorry that it was a surprise, but I’m not sorry that you’re carrying my baby,” he says. For a moment, his smirk is gone and he pats my abdomen with a sort of bemused expression.

  “You are such an ass,” I whisper tearfully, finally finding my voice.

  “Elly. Elianna,” he says, taking my hand again. “Will you please end my fucking misery and tell me you’ll be my wife?”

  And then of course I’m crying again.

  “What about the press? People are going to find out.”

  “Do you care?” he asks, and I can tell how serious he is about the question.

  I shake my head.

  “No.”

  “Then fuck it. What’s the worst thing that happens, Elly? Can it be worse than not being together?”

  I wipe a tear from my cheek and shake my head again.

  “No, it can’t be worse.”

  “So, will you do it? Will you marry me, Elly Parsons?”

  “Y-yes,” I say, dissolving into ridiculous, sobbing tears.

  “Thank fuck,” Connor says with a relieved chuckle.

  “You thought I’d say no?”

  “You did say no.”

  “Well… I didn’t mean it.”

  We both laugh, and then I cough.

  “Ugh, no more laughing. It hurts.”

  We’re quiet for a beat.

  “Elly,” Connor says, giving me a gentle hug.

  “Connor,” I say, raising a brow.

  “Before I go call our parents, I need you to do something for me.”

  I smile up at him.

  “Anything.”

  “I need you to tell me you love me, too.”

  My mouth opens, and a strangled laugh comes out.

  “Really?” I ask him. “Really, you don’t already know?”

  He shrugs, his expression humble for the first time since I met him.

  “It’d be nice to know for sure.”

  “Connor, I love you so much. It hurts, sometimes, physically. That’s how much I love you.”

  Connor grins, his familiar dimple making my heart skip a beat, and leans down to kiss me again, though he keeps it light. A disappointment, to be sure.

  “All right. Get some sleep, El. You have nothing to worry about. Nothing in the world, okay? I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

  And I know he’s right.

  I close my eyes and let myself drift off, feeling more secure and loved than I ever have in my entire life.

  My last thought as I fall asleep is:

  This is only the beginning. There’s so, so much more to come.

  Epilogue

  Connor

  I hold Elly’s hand as we step up to the podium together, Brad trailing behind us like a lost puppy. Elly’s dressed to the fucking nines in this sexy little cocktail dress and these crazy heels that I begged her not to wear.

  She still doesn’t listen to me, that much at least has not changed. As for the rest of our life… well, that’s another story.

  She’s still not showing at all, so we’re letting the baby news be a secret for a while longer. Hardly anyone knows, and we’ll do our best to keep it that way as long as possible.

  “Hi,” Elly says, tapping the microphone.

  I look out into the sea of expectant faces, a mixture of paparazzi, Elly’s fans, and impatient-looking reporters. Everyone is looking back and forth between us, noting the way we’re holding hands.

  I need to get used to that.

  “Hello,” Elly says, beaming. “Um, thanks for coming out, everyone. I am recovering really well, and I’ll be finishing the last few dates of my tour. Raven Media will have more details about that later.”

  People applaud, and the fans seem excited.

  “I called you all here because I want to announce that I’m married,” she says. “Well, getting married.”

  She releases my hand and holds up hers to show off her rock, an heirloom Tiffany ring that was my mother’s. People whisper and applaud.

  “This is my fiancé, Connor. He saved my life when he worked on my tour as my bodyguard. In a strange turn of fate, our parents were also recently married.” When everyone starts laughing and gossiping, Elly waves them down. “I know, I know. I swear, no one was more freaked out about that than we were. But we were already falling in love, and… well, it was all on the up and up. We met on October 18th of last year, exactly six months ago today, not a minute before.”

  She drops her hand, and I take it, squeezing it tightly. She smiles at me.

  “We expect that people will have something to say,” Elly continues. “I mean, have y’all been on the internet? It is vicious.”

  People laugh. Elly glances at me and shrugs. I step forward.

  “Please be respectful and kind to my wife,” I intone. “She’s a wonderful person, and she deserves to be treated kindly.”

  Elly grins and kisses my cheek, and cameras flash wildly.

  “Elly, how are you feeling after your attack?” a reporter shouts.

  “Very well, thanks. I’m nice and healed up. Ready to get back on the road, although I don’t know that I’ll do another tour like this,” she says with a wink. “It was killer, if you know what I mean.”

  People crack up. Elly’s so goddamned charming, it’s irresistible.

  “Elly, are you still doing another album next year?”

  Elly wrinkles her nose and shrugs.

  “I plan to do that, time allowing. I’ve been offered the role of Cleopatra in an upcoming feature film about Cleopatra and Marc Antony, so I’d like to do that first.”

  “Connor, are you an actor too? Are you playing Marc Antony?”

  I smirk. Since we moved to L.A. I’ve been offered a couple of small roles, but I’m not about to tell anyone that. Not before I know whether I’m any good at acting, anyway.

  “No comment,” I say.

  “Elly, are you two lovebirds planning to start a family?”

  Elly giggles and gives me a secretive glance.

  “There’s plenty of time for that, don’t you think?”

  Brad elbows his way in, just as I’m starting to get uncomfortable in front of the audience.

  “All right, everyone, let’s give Elly and Connor a round of applause. Any further questions can be directed to Raven Media, okay?”

  We step off the stage to the sound of applause, an outcome that I genuinely didn’t foresee. I definitely imagined us getting booed off or pegged with rotten bananas or something.

  Elly turns that mega-watt smile on me as we climb into the waiting car.

  “See?” she says. “I told you it would all go well.”

  “Mmm. Your confidence is unnatural,” I tell her.

  She leans over and kisses my cheek, then nips my earlobe, teasing my ear with the tip of her tongue.

  “Don’t start something you can’t finish,” I warn her.

  “Oh, I can finish it. Pregnant Elly wants all the sex, all day long,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows.

  I wrap my arm around her and pull her tight against my side, kissing her neck until she squirms.

  “Just wait till I get you home, Miss Parsons.”

  “That’s Mrs. Gray to you, sir. Or it will be, after the top secret celeb wedding this weekend.”

  “We are still just getting married at the courthouse, right?” I ask her.

  “Well yeah. You don’t want your baby to be a bastard, do you?”

  I roll my eyes.

  “The horror. I’m pretty sure you just want this shotgun wedding so you have a reason to honeymoon at the beach in Fiji. You’re just in it for the black sand beaches, I know it!”

  She laughs, and I kiss her again.

  “I think my mom cares more than anyone else,” she sighs.

  “Well, you’re still getting your big poofy dress and fancy party. Just,” I wave my hand. “Later.”

  “Yeah, when I can fit my tits in a dress again,” Elly sighs.

  “I, for one, welcome
pregnancy tits.”

  “You’re awful.”

  “Yeah, but I’m yours. Not sure how I got so fucking lucky, but...”

  I wink at her.

  She gives me this tender, serious look.

  “You are mine, aren’t you? Forever, huh?”

  I grin and press a kiss to her lips.

  “Forever.”

  If You Loved Protection

  We’ve included one of Vivian’s popular paranormal romances, Shifter’s Ascent.

  Sweet, quiet Tessa Anderson made one little mistake - wrong place, wrong time, wrong guy. Suddenly she finds herself in the territory of the Louisiana Shifters - powerful, sexy creatures capable of changing from human to to wolf.

  Before Tessa knows it, her baby sister is abducted and her whole life is turned upside down. Desperate to save her sister, Tessa turns to sexy, deeply conflicted Shifter Jace Copeland for help.

  A breathless desire is sparked between them, but when all the secrets come out, Tessa will have to choose whom to protect - her beloved sister, or the alpha male whose passion melts her heart?

  Sexy, fun, and fast-paced, this book takes readers down a series of hairpin twists and turns. The world of the Louisiana Shifters opens wide, a page-turning pleasure that also sets up the next novel in this erotic paranormal romance series.

  Turn the page to start this sexy, thrilling shifter romance!

  Shifter’s Ascent

  I’d like to thank my beta-readers: Haley, Echoe, and Olivia. Thanks also to Brooke, Sarah, and Margaret – just in general. Love you all!

  Prologue

  Tessa knew the question was coming, and she knew her response: she’d die before she yielded to her captors. In truth, she felt relieved that she wouldn’t have to hold on much longer. She could feel death’s cool presence lurking in the corners of her prison cell. Funny, she’d almost come to think of the space in a possessive manner, as if she owned it.

  “Have you changed your mind yet, Miss Anderson?” came a deep voice.

  The question wafted into the florescent-lit prison cell. It battered at the fragile remnants of Tessa’s sanity. Every day, the same question. The same scenario.

  A dark-haired man with cold eyes would slide open a slot cut in the otherwise unmarked white door. He’d speak to her through the slot, as if it were normal to demand answers from people he’d kidnapped and locked in… wherever she was. Some kind of mental institution, judging by the sterile, austere looks of the place.

  “Have you changed your mind yet, Miss Anderson? Are you ready to cooperate?”

  His questions never varied from that precise selection of words. Tessa strained to make out the nuance of his voice, but it difficult to hear through the door. It was the same soundproof, thick steel as the rest of her cell. Lined with a thick layer of baffling material, the walls served as soundproofing, and to keep the occupant from self-harm. Like everything in the six by six room, it was all the same shade of perfect, blank white. White sheets, white plastic cot frame, white walls, white floor… even the tee shirt and scrub pants she wore were icy-white.

  “Are you even listening anymore, Tessa?” the man asked, sounding frustrated.

  Tessa paused in her cyclic thoughts. He’d deviated from routine. He’d said her first name.

  The man asked the same two questions, and then waited in silence. When she refused to answer, as she always did, he left.

  Shortly thereafter there would be punishment, issued by two unflinching female nurses. It had been like that every single day since she’d arrived, and she thought she’d been here at least a week.

  In the time Tessa had been captive, there had been no explanation. The man hadn’t specified how Tessa could help. He hadn’t explained why they had kidnapped her. He hadn’t said or done anything, except to tell her his name and demand her cooperation.

  I am James, and I am here to ensure your compliance, he’d said.

  All they wanted was an agreement from her… but what would she be agreeing to? A weak voice in the back of her head begged her to just agree, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Anyone who kidnapped her, held her captive, and hurt her was not getting any help from Tessa Andersen. Plain and simple.

  “Tessa?” the man prompted again. He sounded… concerned? Something about his anxiety chilled her to the bone.

  She took a deep breath and tried to focus. Something was happening, and she needed to gather her wits about her. Cocking her head, Tessa waited to see if the voice would continue. There was a long silence before the slot slammed shut, making her jump.

  In moments, the smooth white door panel swung open to reveal the two blank-faced nurses. Looking at the two women, the wrongness of their empty expressions filled Tessa with a clawing feeling of fear.

  They weren’t human, not the way Tessa defined it anyway. The first time they’d entered her cell she’d struggled hard, pleading with them. She'd tried everything to make them react.

  Tessa realized that there was something wrong with the nurses. Something essential was missing from them, and it was awful to witness. How that essence was removed, she shuddered to guess.

  Today, Tessa didn’t even put up a fight when they started to hook the electrodes to her chest and temples. She didn’t have the energy to do battle today; she’d need all her energy to recover afterward. Knowing what was about to happen, her body clenched with fear. The knowing was almost worse than the actual pain.

  The first jolt of electricity arcing through her mind was always the most excruciating. There was no way for Tessa to prepare for that kind of pain. The nurses would hook up the electrodes and step away. They pressed buttons on the machine attached to the electrodes. Then pain would radiate through every molecule in her body. They would shock her over and over. Until she gritted her teeth so hard her gums bled. Until she cried out, until she screamed. Until she prayed for her heart to give out, anything to stop the pain. Finally darkness would find her, and her last thought would be that she hoped she didn’t wake up this time.

  Tessa closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sought the quiet place in her mind that beckoned. It offered peace, or at least solitude.

  One breath out, one breath in. Slow and steady. She had to focus on something other than her impending punishment.

  “Just a moment. I’d like to speak with her again before you start,” came James’s smooth voice.

  Tessa opened her eyes to find the gorgeous young man standing next to her, addressing the nurses. The two women didn’t so much as blink. They left on silent feet, unable to resist his command.

  James looked down at her, his lanky height putting a great distance between them. Dark, close-cropped hair and dark brows drew her gaze. His piercing ice-blue eyes bored into her, just as they had the first time they’d met.

  Tessa tried to remember exactly how long ago that had been, but the details wouldn’t come. Her eyelids drooped, and she felt herself slump forward. She knew they must put something in her food to keep her docile, and they always fed her exactly an hour before the questioning began. Whatever they put in the food turned her world to hazy echoes, melted her bones, made her long for sleep.

  “Whoa, whoa,” James said, reaching out to steady her and prop her back against the wall.

  Tessa forced her eyelids open, trying to muster a hateful glare. She never wanted anyone to touch her again, much less the man who had tricked her and brought her here.

  “I need you to listen to me, Tessa. I know you have no reason to trust me. You must despise me.”

  He took a deep breath, his gaze boring into hers.

  “I brought you here to help you. I know you don’t understand, but you will. For now, I need you to understand that it’s time to give in. You can’t stand many more compliance treatments, Tessa. Your body has already quit fighting, and if you don’t agree… I can’t help you if you refuse to cooperate,” he said. His voice was soft, almost tender.

  Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out a circle of black
plastic. He turned it to reveal a mirror, and positioned it to reflect Tessa’s face. She sucked in a breath as she looked at herself, at the blue-black bruises ringing both her eyes and marking her cheekbones and neck. Her skin, already pale, was now almost translucent. Her vibrant head of blonde ringlets looked matted and disheveled, their golden hue dimmed to an ashy blonde. She’d lost enough weight for her cheekbones to have grown sunken, giving her a skeletal semblance.

  “You see, don’t you?” asked James.

  Tessa turned her slate gray eyes upward to meet his gaze, fighting to stay awake. This conversation was important, and she refused to let her body fail when there was hope of salvation.

  “Yes,” she said, her voice a thin whisper.

  “You understand, then. You’ll cooperate?” he asked, looking hopeful.

  Tessa looked right at him for several long seconds before responding.

  “No.”

  James’s face darkened in frustration. She watched the struggle play out on his features. He composed himself, flashes of sadness and anger showing before the uncaring façade reappeared. He returned the mirror to his pocket with a sigh, pulling out a sleek black cell phone instead.

  “I didn’t want to have to do things this way, Tessa. It’s not your fault you were born to demons. It’s not your sister’s fault, either,” he said, his words measured for effect.

  Tessa’s eyes snapped up to his face, then down to the phone. She struggled to understand what he was telling her.

  “Camilla, isn’t it?” he asked, flipping through files on his phone. Turning the screen around, he flashed a picture of Camilla in a cell just like Tessa’s. She wore the same white cotton top and pants, looking so like Tessa but for her dark brown curls and green eyes. She was staring at the camera, defiance flashing in her gaze.

  Tessa’s heart flip-flopped, and she felt a lone tear escape to track down her cheek. Tessa had stared the nurses down just like that on her first day, challenging. Now she fought to stay conscious.