by Sarah Bale
“I love you, Shannon Bray. I have always loved you. I am so sorry for being an ass. I hate myself for not trusting you and I can only pray you can forgive me one day.”
“We both have things to be sorry about. I should’ve told you from the start that someone was blackmailing me.”
“None of that matters anymore. There’s only one thing I care about. Do you still love me after what I did—how I treated you?”
Shannon stared up at him.
“Dev, I will love you until my heart stops beating and the air has left my lungs.” She punched him in the arm. “But if you ever accuse me of something without letting me explain myself first I’ll cut your dick off.”
He threw back his head and laughed. How in the hell had he gotten so lucky? He caught her mouth in a kiss. In that kiss he felt hope budding between them.
When they pulled away she sighed.
“But how do we go from here? There are so many things we still need to talk about…”
He ran his thumb over her lips. “We take it one day at a time. That’s all we can do.”
She nodded. “Dev, there is something you need to know right now, before this goes on any further.”
The look in her eyes worried him. What could she have to say now, after everything else, that would upset her?
“Remember how the contract you had me sign stated I had to take a pregnancy test when our time was up?”
The contract? This was about the contract?
He shook his head. “The contract doesn’t matter anymore. I was an ass for even having you sign that.”
“Dev, you need to listen to me.”
Fuck. Her tone scared him.
“The pregnancy test. I remember.”
“I haven’t been feeling well since I left Colorado. I thought I was depressed at first. God knows that was probably some of the reason I felt like shit.” She paused and a faint smile lit her face. “Laura told me I should go to the doctor. I didn’t want to go in Texas so I waited until I got here.”
His heart pounded. “What did they say? Is everything okay?”
She took in a deep breath and put her hand on his cheek. “I’m pregnant, Dev.”
His chest swelled with emotions.
“Are you…are you sure?”
She asked softly, “Does this change anything?”
He shook his head. “Not for me.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. “I bought this when you left me in Colorado. I know it’s too soon to hope…but one day I pray you will wear this ring and agree to marry me.”
He opened the box, revealing the yellow canary diamond surrounded by tiny diamonds on a white-gold band that he had picked out with her in mind.
“The canary diamond reminded me of you because you always bring sunshine wherever you go.”
“Are you…are you asking me to marry you?”
He nodded. “Yes I am. Whenever you are ready and we both agree the time is right, I want to marry you, Shannon.”
She threw her arms around his neck. “Yes. Oh, Dev…yes, I will marry you.”
Joy unlike any he had known before filled his body. He slid the ring onto her finger and lifted her hand to his lips.
“I love you, Shannon Bray. And I can’t wait to grow old with you and our children…”
The sound of a laugh covered by a cough caused Dev to turn. John Ice stood there smirking.
“Oh don’t let me stop you two. I’m enjoying this little show. Really it’s better than a soap opera.”
Dev cursed and stood in front of Shannon, protecting her. That asshole had already done enough damage to her life.
“What are you doing here?”
“Me? I came to get what’s mine.” He reached into his coat and pulled out a gun. “And you are standing between me and what is mine.”
Shannon? He was there for Shannon? Icy fear filled his body. John was unstable and Dev didn’t doubt for a moment the son of a bitch would use the gun.
“There is no way in hell I’m letting you near her.”
He could feel her trembling behind him.
John laughed. “That’s actually cute, except for the fact that I am the one holding a weapon. And you…you have nothing.” He waved the gun. “Now be a good boy and hand her over.”
“Fuck you.”
Shannon put her hand on his arm and stepped around him. “Dev…maybe it would be best if I went with him.”
She eyed the gun.
“Shannon,” he said in a low voice. “Think of the baby.”
This made her retreat behind him once again.
“I’ll admit I didn’t see that one coming but it’s something that can be taken care of. There are always people willing to pay a lot of money for a baby, especially one with her looks and your last name.”
Dev’s skin crawled. What in the hell was wrong with this man? He talked about selling a baby as if it were nothing. As if there was a chance in hell Dev would let anything happen to his child.
John chuckled. “The physician I make all my employees use warned me Shannon could possibly get pregnant. Fake birth control runs that risk, you know.”
Shannon whimpered.
John sighed. “Shannon, you might want to step away from your boy toy. I would hate for you to get covered in blood.”
Dev’s heart pounded as he tried to think of a plan. This man was crazy and he needed to get Shan out of there. Now.
“Johnny, why are you doing this?” Shannon asked in a voice filled with tears.
“Why? Why? Are you two really that dense that you haven’t figured out my motivation? Come on!”
“Ice, you don’t have to hurt anyone. Just let us go…” Dev said, his hands held up in surrender.
John’s eyes narrowed. “I would have thought your momma would have told you. I’ve heard dying people tend to right their wrongs when they are close to death.”
How in the hell did he know about his mother being sick?
Dev’s jaw clenched. “What are you talking about?”
“Guess not. Ever wonder why your parents’ marriage caused such a scandal?”
He’s baiting me, talking about my parents just to make me lose my cool. Dev took in a deep breath. “They got married because of me. My dad knocked up my mom when they were teens. It’s not as if this is secret information.”
John laughed. “If only that were the case. What if I were to tell you your old man was screwing around on your mom?”
“I’d say prove it.”
“Oh I’d say the proof is staring you in the face.”
Shannon grabbed onto Dev’s arms and gasped. “No!”
Dev’s stomach churned. No way in hell…
“I can see what you’re thinking. Take a close look at me. Same age. Same build. Why we look as if we might be…brothers, don’t we?”
“You bastard!” Shannon said. “How long have you been planning this?”
Dev glanced over his shoulder at her. Tears streamed down her face. She had obviously put something together he hadn’t, but what?
John sighed dramatically. “Since I met you, Shannon. You were the key, you see. Before then I had only my hatred toward the mighty Devlin James to keep me warm at night. Then I had your sweet body.”
Shannon sobbed and Dev wanted to wrap his arms around her. But turning his back on Ice was too dangerous. Not when he still had the gun pointed at them.
“So what is your plan now, Ice? Kill me? Take Shannon? That will never work. There are people who know where I am. You won’t get away with anything.”
John’s eye twitched. “Shut up. By the time I’m finished with you it won’t matter if they find you or not. You’ll be dead.”
“If what you say is true, then why didn’t your mother ever try to contact our old man?” Dev’s mind worked. He needed to keep Ice distracted.
“What makes you think they weren’t in contact?”
“Well if you actually knew the old man then you wouldn’t be standi
ng here with a gun pointed in my face. We would probably be sitting over a beer talking about what a dick he had been.”
That was more than the God’s honest truth.
John’s eyes clouded for a moment. “The bastard didn’t believe my mom. Not even when she showed him a photo of me. He denied being my father but your mom didn’t. She knew as soon as she saw the resemblance. Couldn’t deny how much I looked like you.”
Could his mother have really known? He thought back to all the fights his parents had that ended in his old man coming after him. Had they been fighting about his adultery and illegitimate son?
“If you’ve taken the time to follow me all these years, then surely you know that my life wasn’t that great…”
“It was better than mine!” Ice yelled. “And everything you have now should be mine.”
Dev stared at the man incredulously. “Really? Are you fucking kidding me? That’s what this is about? That’s why you blackmailed Shannon? That’s why you tried to have me killed during my fight?” He shook his head. “If you wanted my life so bad, then you should have fucking worked for it. I did.”
His temper rose quickly. He needed to find a way to get Shannon out of the cemetery before he lost his cool.
Ice laughed. “Don’t even think about trying to leave. I can see the little wheels turning in your head. There is one more person who needs to be here before I kill you.” He glanced to the side. “Ma, you can come out now.”
A bush to the left rustled and a woman stepped out. The air left Dev’s lungs in a whoosh and he couldn’t have been more stunned. Mrs. Ingram walked to John’s side.
“This explains so much,” Shannon whispered. “Such as how he knew what I was doing when I was with you.”
Dev turned his attention to the older woman. “And what do you get out of this? Money?”
She had the decency to look away before answering. “A mother will do anything for her child. And…you offered great benefits.”
Dev felt as if he entered an alternate universe. These things didn’t happen to normal people.
“And you did everything I asked.” Ice turned his attention back to Dev. “Would you care to hear how much she did for me? She is the one who told Marco about The Honey Jar when he was looking for a place to meet an old flame. She is the one who gave me inside information on your schedule. And she is the one who made sure Shannon was following my instructions.” He laughed. “But now her usefulness to me has reached an end. Sorry, Ma. Be sure to tell Dad I said hello when you join him in hell.”
Dev watched as Ice aimed the gun at Mrs. Ingram and pulled the trigger. She fell, blood staining the white shirt she wore. Shannon’s cries filled the cemetery and Dev moved before he could think.
He rammed into Ice, knocking him backward. His first struck the side of Ice’s head before he had a chance to recover. The gun flew across the grass and Shannon scurried to get the weapon. Ice tried to swing back but Dev kicked.
This felt like practice. Jab. Kick. Jab. Jab. Until Ice fell to the ground in an unconscious heap and Dev backed away. He didn’t want the asshole dead. No, he would let the justice system take care of Johnny Ice.
Kneeling at Mrs. Ingram’s side, Shannon looked up at him and shook her head.
“Shannon, get over here,” Dev said in a hoarse voice.
She stood and ran into his arms.
“I was so fucking scared for you. For our baby,” he said against her hair.
She wrapped her arms tightly around him as the sounds of sirens filled the air.
“I love you so much,” she said against his chest.
He held her close as police cruisers filled the area. Everything around them was chaos but he didn’t care. He had everything that mattered right there in his arms. They had a long way to go but one day they would find their happily ever after. And he couldn’t fucking wait.
About Sarah Bale
Sarah Bale’s family always knew she was destined to write romances when they saw the elaborate stories she created for her Barbie dolls as a child. Throughout middle school the writer inside Sarah began to bloom. At fifteen she penned her first book, which will never see the light of day if she has any say.
When Sarah is not writing she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. To keep her creative juices flowing she attends WWE live events–who wouldn’t be inspired by all those muscles! She resides in Oklahoma and doesn’t plan on leaving any time soon.
Sarah welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Fighting for Desire
ISBN 9781419990748
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Fighting for Desire Copyright © 2014 Sarah Bale
Edited by Jill Noelle
Cover design by Fiona Jayde Media
Cover photography by pio3 , 3drenderings, Marco Scisetti
Electronic book publication July 2014
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