My phone starts ringing off the hook and my heart starts pounding against my ribcage. Something is wrong, I can feel it. “Hello?â€� “Owen?â€� Says a man’s voice. I don’t recognise it. He’s panting, it sounds like he’s running. “Yes,â€� I answer, frowning. “It’s Sheriff Wilson. The uh – the Lexington Hotel is on fire.â€� “WHAT!â€� “The guests have been evacuated and the fire department is on the way. Where are you?â€� “I’m at the hospital.â€� “Are you ok?â€� “I’m fine, my toe is broken,â€� I say. I roll my eyes and sigh. “Ok, well, we’re going to send officers to you. We, uh, we suspect foul play.â€� My heart sinks and I take a deep breath. “What happened? Where’s Jess? Is she ok?â€� I can hear the panic in my own voice. It sounds like Sheriff Wilson has stopped running. “Jess is fine, she’s here beside me. One second.â€� There’s shuffling and muffled voices and finally I hear Jess’s voice. “Owen,â€� she says. “Jess, I was so -â€� “I’m fine,â€� she interrupts. “Have you got the laptop handy? I have your registration.â€� “One sec,â€� I answer, shifting the phone to the other ear as I flip the laptop open. It seems to take forever to boot up and finally I slide the USB into the slot. “Ok, go.â€� She reads out my truck registration and I click ‘OK’. The password is accepted and I breathe a sigh of relief. I slide the files to attach them to the email I’d already drafted and wait as they slowly start sending. We stay on the line to each other, breathing silently while the files attach and I click send. “Done.â€� “Good. Now get yourself back here. Owen,â€� she pauses. “What is it?â€� “It was Mary. She’s the one who set it on fire. I tried to stop her, butâ€� her voice cracks. “I don’t know, she just went nuts. I have the video on your dash cam, I’m not sure how much of it the camera captured. They’re trying to find her now. Do you think…â€� “My dad put her up to it? Absolutely.â€� I guess that was Plan B. If he can’t have a hand in my pocket, then he’d burn my pocket to the ground. My lips purse together and I shake my head. “Sheriff Wilson said he was sending some guys over to pick me up. I’ll see you soon.â€� “How’s your toe?â€� Jess asks after a pause. I chuckle. “I think I’ll live.â€� I hear her laugh softly and my heart melts. I just need to be beside her right now. I don’t care about my toe, or the Lex, or my dad, or Mary, or the trial or any arrests, all I care about is her. I just want to hold her in my arms and make sure she’s ok. If she’s ok, if the baby’s ok, then nothing else matters. “Owen?â€� She says softly. “Yeah?â€� “I love you.â€� “I love you too Jess. Thank you,â€� I add. “For everything.â€� “I’m sorry your hotel is burning down.â€� “I don’t give a shit about the hotel. I just want you and the baby to be ok.â€� I hear her sob and her strangled voice says a simple “Ok.â€� “I’ll see you soon.â€� “Yep,â€� she answers in a whisper, and then the phone clicks off. I sigh and lean back in my chair. Once again, all I can do is sit back and wait and stare at those sliding glass doors. Epilogue – Jess
Three weeks later… Owen wraps his arm around my waist and kisses my temple. We watch as the last of the movers empty my grandmother’s house, and I swing the small suitcase of stuff into Owen’s truck. It’s all I’m keeping – just a few small things from my childhood, Gram’s old heirloom jewellery and her faded old apron. I’m going to get it framed and hang it up in my apartment in New York. “That’s the last of it,â€� the mover says to me, thrusting a clipboard into my hands. “Just sign here and here and you’ll get your cheque from the estate sale in a couple weeks.â€� I take the pen and clipboard and sign where he’s pointed. I hand the clipboard back to him and he nods his head before jumping into the cab of the truck. The truck rumbles to life and Owen and I watch as they drive down the street and out of sight. “That’s everything. Sam and Ronnie signed the sale papers this morning, so that’s it,â€� I say. It feels strange to be here, in front of a house that my family no longer owns. I didn’t want to keep it, so I offered it to Sam and Ronnie to buy for a fair price. She was ecstatic to be able to stay in Lexington, and I was happy to be rid of Gram’s house so quickly. “Time to move on,â€� I say, stroking my stomach. “Too many bad memories here,â€� Owen says, squeezing his hand around my waist. “We get to start fresh now.â€� I turn towards him and smile. He tilts my chin up and places a soft kiss on my lips. His lips linger against mine and I groan. “I’ll never get sick of kissing you,â€� I say. “Good, because neither will I.â€� He kisses me again and I wrap my arms around his neck. “Now let’s get out of this town.â€� A smile spreads across my face and I nod. “Ok.â€� We get into his truck and head off towards the highway. When we turn onto Main Street, the charred remains of the Lexington Hotel’s first storey rise up like an abandoned castle. Owen pulls up in front and sighs. I laugh. “So much for the investment. Have you found any buyers for the land?â€� “A developer contacted me. It’s actually one of my most successful investments, between the insurance payout and the sale of the lot,â€� he says with a raised eyebrow. “Enough to buy somewhere nice in New York. I was thinking a two or three bedroom place. You know, somewhere with room to grow?â€� He says the last word so tentatively and reaches his hand over towards me. He slides it over my stomach and my heart flutters. “Are you asking me to move in with you?â€� “Yeah,â€� he nods. “Nothing would make me happier.â€� We stare into each other’s eyes for a moment and I can feel the corners of my lips start to curl into a smile. My eyes mist up and I nod. “Ok,â€� I say. “But let’s just go to my place for a few weeks and see how we manage living together. We might hate each other.â€� “Doubt it,â€� Owen says simply. He turns the truck back on and we head towards the airport. The flight is smooth, and within a few hours we have our bags and we’re at my apartment in New York City. It feels more like home than that town ever did, and with Owen by my side I feel like I couldn’t be happier. Gram’s words echo in my ears and I think I know what she meant when she told me to hang onto happiness. She meant let my guard down and let this man into my life and protect what I love with all my might. We flop onto the sofa and Owen wraps his arm around my shoulder. I turn on the TV, but before I can do anything else he slides his other hand over my cheek and kisses me. He kisses me so passionately it feels like I’ve never been kissed before this. His fingers tangle into my hair and he pulls me close, but not close enough. I swing my leg on top of him so that I’m straddling him, holding onto his head and kissing him like nothing else in the world exists. Nothing else does exist. Owen’s hands rip at my clothes, his fingers brush my skin and sends sparks flying off me. His body is hot and hard underneath me and all I want is to be closer, together, more connected. Our bodies intertwine and our hearts beat side by side as our clothes evaporate into thin air. I’m in ecstasy. My body rides wave after wave of pleasure, and Owen kisses me and tastes me and looks at me with such love in his eyes that I think we’re both drunk. Again, more than ever, I discover what it means to make love. I discover what it means to be one with someone else and to give myself completely to them. I discover what it means to be happy. We savour those blissful moments after our bodies quiet down, naked and interlaced on the sofa. I rest my head against his shoulder and listen to his heartbeat as he strokes his fingers over and back along my arm. His body stiffens slightly and he lifts his head. He looks around and finds the remote, turning the TV up until we can hear the news report. “… Mc
Allister has been found guilty of criminal fraud, and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. His wife will serve an eight year sentence..� I stroke his chest quietly and lift my eyes up to him. “You ok?� I ask. He swings his gaze over to me and smiles softly. “Yeah. It’s sad, and I wish it didn’t have to be this way, but they aren’t the people I thought they were.� He tilts my chin and kisses me deeply, before pulling away and looking deep into my eyes. “You’re my family now, Jess. You and that child of ours. Even with all this,� he waves at the TV, “I still feel like the luckiest man in the world.� My heart grows in my chest and I smile. In the most unlikely place, we found the family that’s been missing from our lives. We found each other, and we found love. The End
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Knocked Up by the CEO
A Secret Baby Holiday Office Romance
Lilian Monroe
Description
Harper
I can’t have kids. I’ve been poked and prodded, tested, re-tested, and ultimately heartbroken when one doctor after another shook their head and said that ugly word: infertile. It’s just a fact of life. I can’t have kids.
That’s what I’ve always believed, at least, until one wild night at the office Christmas party changes everything.
Zach Lockwood is my boss, the company’s CEO, and New York’s most eligible bachelor. He’s also… my baby’s daddy??
How will he react when old and new secrets start to unravel right in front of our eyes? Will one night of fun make me lose everything I’ve ever cared about?
Zach
I don’t know what it is about her, but I’ve never been able to keep my eyes off her. Tonight she’s mine. I’m claiming those luscious curves and soft pink lips as my own, right here in my corner office.
I’m about to get a lot more than I bargained for, and I’m not sure I’m ready for it. All I know is that there’s a lot more to Harper Anderson than I ever could have imagined.
Knocked Up by the CEO is a secret baby holiday office romance with high heat level and as always, no cheating and a happily ever after!
Chapter 1 – Harper
“Coming through!â€� I call out, balancing a tray of cookies in one hand and a jug of eggnog in the other. I can smell the boozy scent of rum coming off the eggnog and I know it’ll be a big hit this year. My coworkers move out of the way as I crouch down towards the table and slide the tray off my hand onto the table in a smooth motion. The tablecloth is covered the cartoonish drawings of snowmen and snow flakes, with tinsel strewn under the trays of food. The whole office looks like the inside of a Christmas store. I place the jug of eggnog beside the cookies and stand up, putting my hands on my hips and turning around. “That should be it,â€� I breathe, pulling the hem of my sweater down. It’s the ugliest and most amazing sweater I’ve ever seen, a wooly red monstrosity with flashing LED lights all over the front in the shape of a Christmas tree. Perfect for the office Christmas party. “Well done, Harper! The place looks amazing,â€� Rosie says as she walks up beside me. She’s wearing her regular work clothes. In fact, no one except me is dressed up, but I don’t mind. Rosie smiles and raises the plastic wine glass towards me. I grab a glass of my own from the dozens lined up on the table and lift it up it towards Rosie. “I can finally start enjoying myself now,â€� I grin back. We clink our glasses and I take my first sip of wine of the evening. “It’s always so much work putting this party together.â€� “But it’s always worth it,â€� Rosie replies. “Think of all the gossip that comes out of it every year!â€� She grins mischievously and takes another sip of wine, scanning the room over the rim of her glass. I laugh and nod. She’s right, it’s usually fodder for at least a couple months of water cooler chat. I’ve been in charge of the office Christmas party for the last three years, and they’ve gotten wilder as time has gone on. I’m sure this year will be the same. “Nice sweatshirt!â€� I try not to cringe as the screechy voice reaches my ears. The back of my neck prickles with that same uncomfortable feeling I get every time I hear his voice. I already know it’s Greg from accounting. I turn around slowly and there he is, grinning at me with his toothy, slimy smile. I nod, trying not to stare at the stains on his tie or the greasy hair plastered to his forehead. “Thanks,â€� I respond curtly. “You like Christmas, hey?â€� “No, not really, I just do this so I can drink at the office.â€� He throws his head back and laughs before shuffling closer, his baggy pants and too-tight shirt sliding in beside me. I inch away as he gets closer. He smells like wet socks. “Haven’t seen you around the accounts department lately,â€� he says to me. I try to avoid his stare and glance at Rosie. She’s got her nose buried in her glass of wine. “I got promoted a year ago, Greg. I don’t work in accounts anymore.â€� “Yeah, yeah, of course, but you know, I thought you’d still come around and say hello to me – to the team. I thought we meant something to you!â€� He smiles at me and I resist the urge to shudder. I would rather come across as a cold-hearted snobby executive bitch than to willingly spend time with you, after all the torture you put me through! Greg glances at Rosie and his smile disappears immediately. He almost snarls at her and I grab her arm and point over to the other side of the room. “Oh, look, it looks like those decorations need to be adjusted. Excuse me.â€� “I’ll help!â€� Rosie says. The two of us speed away towards the huge tree I rented for the party. “Is he still following you around? I thought you’d made a complaint.â€� I sigh. “I did, he got a warning from HR and avoided me for a while but it looks like he’s plucked up the courage to talk to me again. Might be the booze.â€� “Isn’t there anything you can do? He FOLLOWED you to your HOUSE! Multiple times!!!â€� “Don’t remind me,â€� I say, glancing at her sideways. I push the thought away, not wanting to go back to those months last year when I was constantly looking over my shoulder. I didn’t even know it was Greg until weeks after the whole thing started. I spent weeks and weeks with that same prickly feeling at the back of my neck, feeling like I was being followed and thinking I was going insane. The promotion to Commercial Director came with a healthy pay raise and the condition that my complaint about Greg would be satisfied when he got a warning. I never understood why the Human Resources department didn’t take me more seriously, but at the end of the day not many women make it to the Director-level at a top advertising firm at my age. I weighed my options and for the most part, it was worth it. I hardly have to see him anyways. Rosie and I get to the Christmas tree and look at all 16 feet of it. The top of it grazes the ceiling. “So what do you want us to adjust? I think Greg is still looking over here,â€� Rosie asks, looking at the massive tree. It was almost too big to fit in the door. I had to beg and plead to get approval for it, saying
that it wasn’t a Christmas party without a tree. It’s impeccably decorated and I already know that nothing needs to be adjusted. “Uh, let’s just lift this string of lights a bit. We can just move them around till he looks away.â€� I point to the other side of the tree and Rosie nods. I turn to the lights and am about to grab them when she makes a noise between a gasp and a yelp and I look at her. Her eyes are staring behind me before she flicks them to my face. She lifts her eyebrows up and gives me a knowing nod. It must be him. Immediately my heart starts beating faster and I hear the roar of every heartbeat pounding in my ears. It’s our elusive, mysterious, unbelievably sexy CEO. Zachary Lockwood. I feel my cheeks burning as Rosie glances back at him. I turn my head slowly and see him near the entrance of the office, shaking hands with one of the employees. His suit is navy with little white pinstripes. His chocolate brown hair is slicked back perfectly, with a crisp part down the side. He’s tall and athletic, with a chiseled jaw and unbelievably deep brown eyes. Not that I’ve noticed, or anything. I glance away quickly, trying to ignore the thumping of my heart. I’ve been admiring him from a distance ever since he took over and brought our firm back from the brink of bankruptcy. Rosie knows it, and constantly teases me whenever he makes an appearance at the office. Thankfully that doesn’t happen very often. “He doesn’t have a hot blonde model with him this time, maybe this is your chance!â€� Rosie whispers loudly with a grin. “Shut up,â€� I respond. “I’m sure he’s got a gaggle of girls waiting in the wings.â€� Rosie nods and my heart sinks a little. I know it’s probably true. He’s one of the richest and sexiest men in New York, and definitely way, way out of my league. Plus, he’s my boss! Even if I had a chance with him, it would definitely be inappropriate to pursue it. Suddenly I wish I wasn’t wearing a ridiculous light-up Christmas tree on my chest. I could be wearing anything else and it would be more flattering. Literally anything. A paper bag would look better than this thing. It doesn’t matter, I tell myself. He’s my boss. Even if he is attractive, we work together and fantasising about him is inappropriate. I shake my head and try to ignore the nervous excitement at the pit of my stomach. I take another sip of wine and nod to Rosie and the string of lights. She grins but says nothing, and instead turns to the tree and follows my lead. Chapter 2 – Zach
Knocked Up... Again!: A Secret Baby Second Chance Romance Page 18