by T. S. Ryder
The doors burst open. Gavin growled as half a dozen vampires rushed in. Three were his. The other three were Monique's ministers. The queen began whimpering, struggling pathetically against him. He twisted her arms up higher, ensuring that she couldn't squirm free. Her lip wobbled. Tears cascaded down her face.
"Help me," she whimpered. "He's gone insane!"
The ministers stepped forward. Gavin’s men blocked their path. But even they glanced at him with alarm in their eyes, like they weren't sure that what they were doing was right. Their lack of loyalty was frustrating, but considering the situation, he couldn’t blame them.
"Help me," Monique whimpered again.
"Where are the humans you kidnapped from my kingdom?"
"I didn't have anything to do with that!"
Gavin kept his grip on her as he turned to face her ministers. "Do you know about this? The way she stole my people for her breeding program?"
"Why would I do that? We have plenty of humans here for the program."
"Why did you want to trade humans with me before? My people are healthier and more robust than your subjects. You want the humans from my kingdom because you think that they will strengthen your so-called stocks. But if you took care of your people properly instead of treating them like cattle, maybe they would be stronger, too!"
One of her ministers pushed against one of his guards. "Your Majesty, please, I must protest this rough treatment of our queen. Whatever you think she has done —"
With a snarl, Gavin dragged her towards the window. Monique shrieked as he threw her out, grabbing her throat at the last second to stop her from falling. He held her by the jaw, and she clung to his hand. Gasps and wheezes ran ragged in his ears, and the king hesitated for a moment. Was he going too far here?
No. Not when human lives were at stake.
"You know if I drop her she won't die," he told her ministers. "But there will be damage. Perhaps even too much for her to fully heal from. And there are plenty of other things that can happen to a vampire without killing them. So I will ask you one more time. Where are the humans she had stolen from my kingdom?"
Monique shook her head. The ministers glanced at each other, looking torn. Gavin feinted letting her go. The three ministers all jumped forward, shouting in unison.
"Your queen's life is valuable to you." He pulled her back inside and threw her to the floor. Monique glared up at him, rubbing her throat. Gavin stared down at her coldly. "Well? Where are they? If I don't get an answer from one of you in three seconds—"
"Don't tell him anything," Monique seethed. "Right now he is attacking a fellow sovereign without provocation. If you speak—"
Gavin reached for her again.
"She did it," one of the ministers shouted. "My queen, forgive me, but if we do not speak, you will die. The other nations will be sympathetic to you."
Monique spat and hissed like a cat, but Gavin ignored her, focusing on the minister.
"She ordered for your subjects to be taken. They were meant to be individuals that no one would miss, but our first takes were too weak. Stronger subjects were needed. So we took more. None have been killed, I assure you of this. We have kept careful records. The humans are being moved to another location—"
"Bring them back," Gavin ordered. "All of them. I want them here where I can see them myself. And then I will be taking them home."
Monique scrambled to her feet. Her fists clenched and she started for him. She stopped when he gave her a glare. Her face twisted and she spat at his feet. "You're weak. This program would strengthen us all, but you've condemned us. We need stronger blood to sustain ourselves. We need—"
"Monique, you performed an illegal action against my kingdom. Expect that there will be consequences. A person like you can't stay in power."
He nodded at his men, and they came forward to grasp her by the arms. She snarled at him, but didn't resist as they pulled her out of the room. Gavin watched her go, his brow furrowed. He would need to handle the situation delicately from here on out, but there was no way that she would go unpunished. His first priority was the humans, though. He turned to the ministers.
"Bring my people back."
Chapter Eleven – Aria
She still felt sore even though it had been a couple weeks since the baby had been born. Aria sat on the couch, her feet propped up as she watched Sonya gently rocking little Elizabeth back and forth. She had been big baby: ten pounds, but perfectly healthy. Aria smiled and shifted slightly to relieve the pressure on her lower region.
"She's beautiful," Sonya said, smiling up at her.
"Yes, she is."
Her father, who was making tea for her, grunted. "Speaking of the vampire king, where is he? After you were born, I didn't leave your mother's side for a month."
Aria couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that. "He'll be here soon, Papa. He just had to deal with some things with Monique's kingdom. Getting a suitable replacement for her wasn't easy, you know. And it's not like he could just appoint the ruler himself. He has to get cooperation from the other kingdoms. But things are finally starting to calm down there."
"Good," Sonya said. She shivered. "I can't even watch the news anymore because it's all about her and what she did. I don't like thinking about it. I still have nightmares if I don't have Laura right by me."
Aria nodded. For the first few months after the humans were brought back home from Monique's 'program', Sonya had stayed at the palace, too distraught to go to her empty house. She had recently returned home, but not alone. During her time at the palace, she had gotten quite close to a vampire by the name of Laura, and sparks were flying between the two of them.
"And what about you?" Aria's father handed her a cup of tea. "Are you happy here?"
"Yes. Gavin and I are figuring everything out. We're still not entirely certain why I was able to get pregnant by him, though. The nearest we can figure is that his drinking my blood actually stimulated some of the dead, for lack of a better term, systems in his body."
Gavin came through the door. He smiled at Aria, then gave a small bow towards her father. "Mr. Taylor. Sonya. It's good to see you both again. And you, beautiful one. How are you feeling?"
"Sore, and I'm feeling a little cooped up. I thought that you and I should go for a little ride while Sonya and my dad were here to watch Elizabeth…"
She rose her eyebrows and gave him a sexy grin. He couldn't drink from her until she was fully healed, but that didn't mean she wasn't craving some snuggling and kissing. She'd heard that most women lost their libido after having a baby. Not her. While she certainly wasn't interested in sex right now, that didn't mean she didn’t crave physical intimacy.
Gavin grinned back at her. He went over to Sonya and gently took Elizabeth. "It's been hours since I saw this little cupcake here. I can have fifteen minutes with her first, right?"
"Of course."
A grin crossed her face as she watched Gavin rocking Elizabeth. The smile on his face made love swell in her chest like a hot air balloon, making her whole body feel lighter. If she had any doubts about Gavin, they all disappeared the moment she first saw him hold their baby. He was so gentle with her, so cautious and caring. She knew he'd do anything for Elizabeth. And her.
The baby fell to sleep quickly in Gavin's arms, and he settled her into his crib. "Are you sure that you two can stay with her?"
"Of course." Sonya smiled. "Go. Have fun."
Gavin scooped up Aria and headed for the door. Aria laughed, throwing her arms around his neck. She thought about telling him she could walk, but decided she liked being carried. The air was fresh and clean outside. Aria pulled in deep breaths, enjoying the feel of the sun on her face. Gavin nuzzled into her neck as he crossed to the garage.
He settled her into the limo, then called for a driver. Aria curled herself under his arm as they headed out. The last few days had been very sleep-deprived, and she found herself drifting off, rather than embracing him. Gavin carded his fingers t
hrough her hair, further relaxing her.
"Are you awake?"
"Barely."
"I wanted to give you something."
Aria pulled herself up and yawned. "What?"
Gavin grinned at her. He kissed her gently, grasping her hips. "You know, this is the same car that Elizabeth was conceived in. Who would have thought that pure animal lust would have turned itself into something so beautiful?"
"Animal lust?" She laughed. "Come on, really? Is that you trying to be romantic? Because I have to tell you it's not working."
"Not even the beautiful part?"
Aria shrugged. "Okay," she admitted. "Maybe that part."
"Good. Because I wanted this to be romantic. I know that it's traditional to have it in a bit more of a splashy setting, but considering this is the first place that you and I… Well." Gavin reached into his pocket, pulled out a small velvet box and pressed it into her hands. "Open it."
Aria's heart jumped around erratically. She was almost afraid to open the box. If it was what she thought it was… but what if it was disappointing? And if it wasn't what she thought it was? She swallowed hard and cracked it open a smidge. The sparkle inside had her opening it all the way. She gasped.
The ring was made of white gold with two pearls in its center. One was black, the other white. An 'S' of tiny diamonds separated them, and a cluster of three gems lined either side.
"This… this is beautiful."
Gavin grinned. "Aria Taylor. I love you. Will you marry me?"
"Yes. Yes, of course!" Aria kissed him hard, then grinned as he slipped the ring on. Of course, it fit perfectly. Gavin never missed anything.
Her eyes welled as she looked at her ring and then up at her king.
Gavin saw the tears and jumped, startled. "Are you okay?"
"Yes." Aria kissed him again. "It's just… it's everything I wanted. And we almost didn't have it. If we hadn't found a way past our differences…"
"Shhhh." The king pressed a finger to her lips. "We did. And nothing will ever come between us again. I promise."
*****
THE END
Contemporary Romance Collection
The Boss's Surprise Baby
Description
A curvy girl who is out of luck PLUS a sexy billionaire looking for love PLUS an ex-wife with evil intentions!
Kelly Taylor has no idea what she is getting herself into when she meets the famous billionaire Oscar Moretti chasing his daughter April down the street.
She has been down on her luck, and after losing yet another job she is eager to find a new one. So when Oscar offers her one as a nanny to his daughter, she accepts without hesitation.
What she isn’t ready for is the butterflies invading her stomach... He’s a player and she should stay away, but she can’t help but feel attracted to him. She does her best to stay focused, but her attraction to Oscar becomes more potent by the day. Soon, she must face the reality that a man like Oscar would never fall for a young girl like herself.
But there is much more to a man than what you see on the outside...
Oscar Moretti no longer believes in love. After strings of girlfriends and a fiancé who cheated on him, his only love is his daughter, April. But then he sees a dark-haired girl who brings joy into his heart again. He should stay away, because he is much too old for her. But he wants her, and there is no way he can let her go.
He is used to getting what he wants.
The attraction between Kelly and Oscar is obvious. But then Oscar’s ex-wife returns and Kelly must make a difficult choice.
Will Oscar get back with his ex-wife? Or does he want Kelly? And should she tell him that she has a surprise for him? Find out now in this steamy billionaire romance!
Chapter One
Kelly closed her eyes and tried to focus on making it home. She had opted to stand the short way home, afraid that she would otherwise end up on the other side of town after missing her stop. It had been a hard day and all she wanted was to go home and get as much sleep as she could. Being in college with no money and a mediocre job, which she had just lost, had made her life more stressful than the life of any twenty-three-year-old needed to be. She had tried all her life to make both her parents proud but, as it was, she would be lucky if they still looked to her as a daughter after finding out she had lost her third job in two months. It wasn’t that she didn’t try. She had done everything in her power to please her employer, but she found that she did not love her job. The longer she had worked as secretary, telephone attendant, and then waitress, the more she had become resentful towards her jobs.
The bus lurched to a stop and Kelly got off, deciding that she would run home and get started on a new job hunt before she told her parents. Just as she stepped off the bus a beautiful little girl with blonde pigtails and a scowl came bolting towards her from out of nowhere. Concern filled Kelly as she looked down at the little girl, who had clearly escaped her parents. She stepped forward and scooped her up before the girl could make her way on to the bus. She perched the girl on her hips and bounced her up and down as she began to lash out against Kelly. There was only one thing to do, and that was to find her parents.
Just as Kelly was about to take her first step, a woman came running out of a building nearby. She looked young and Kelly assumed that she must be the mother. She ran straight towards Kelly and grabbed the child from her hands.
“How could you do that to mommy?” the woman asked, obviously angry with the child.
“Oh, I’m sure she only meant to be off for a few minutes,” Kelly tried to joke. She had been an energetic child, so she knew what it was like for little girls to want to do a bit of exploring, even if that meant the parents would be worried crazy.
The woman looked at her as if Kelly had lost her mind. Just then a man came out from the same store the woman had just left. He looked much older than her, but Kelly was impressed by how handsome he was. He wore a gray fitted suit and a scowl that made Kelly want to cringe. He walked with slow, long strides, taking his time to get to them. Kelly registered that the woman standing beside her was afraid of him, and she wondered why.
“I’ve had it with you, Julianna,” he said, in a low, rumbling voice. “This is the second time you’ve lost our child this week. The judge said you could have supervised visits, but I frankly have had enough. I’m taking her.” Just like that, Kelly watched as he yanked the child from her mother’s hand. The little girl, who had previously quieted, now stretched out her hands and began crying to be returned to her mother.
Kelly was about to speak when the strangest thing happened. Instead of reaching out for her child, the mother simply sucked her teeth and walked away, leaving the father holding the crying little girl.
“Do I know you?” he asked.
“Oh, um, no. I was just here to catch your daughter just now,” Kelly said, trying to step around him so she could flee the scene of what appeared to be the weirdest episode she’d ever seen.
“Ah, so you caught little monkey here?” he asked affectionately. “I’m surprised you were able to. She usually gets a few blocks from us before we can catch up to her.”
“She basically ran into my arms,” Kelly joked.
“Did she?” he asked, looking down at his daughter. “You like this lady?” he asked his daughter, who was now sobbing quietly into his jacket.
Kelly was thrown a bit off guard by the turn of the conversation, but it seemed the little girl understood clearly because she nodded and placed her head on her father’s shoulder.
“Seems you’ve done what many have tried to do,” he said with a smile. “You’ve won over a Moretti.”
Kelly didn’t register the name immediately, but after a second she began to recognize who he was.
“You’re Oscar Moretti?” she asked, beginning to understand a bit better. The woman she had just met was his ex-wife, who he had caught cheating with his business partner. Or that’s what the gossip columns had reported. She had heard a lot of
things about Oscar Moretti from the gossip columns. He had made a name for himself in college, turning his measly inheritance into a multibillion dollar hotel empire. He’d had relationships with various tall, thin models before marrying Julianna when she fell pregnant. Their split had been of great interest to Kelly’s circle of friends, and had been plastered on the covers of all the tabloids for months.
“Yes, I am,” he replied. “And you are?”
“I’m Kelly, Kelly Taylor,” she replied.
Just then a car drove up, and a man dressed in a black suit and sunglasses stepped out.
“It was nice to meet you, Kelly,” Oscar said, handing the little girl to the man in the suit. She reluctantly let go of her father, who then stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out a card. “Give me a call, Kelly, I think I have a proposition for you,” he said, handing her the card. For a moment their hands touched and Kelly felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her that she had not felt since she was a love-struck teenager.
Kelly was impressed, but she wanted to know what a man like him wanted with a girl like her. And she also wanted to go home and figure out why the simple brush of his hand against her made her feel as if butterflies had invaded her stomach.
Chapter Two
“You lost your job!” Kelly wasn’t surprised her mother had learned of her transgression before she had got home. Hoping she could get away with it was a big mistake.
“I couldn’t help it, mom,” she said, walking past her mother, who was blocking the doorway to the kitchen.
“You couldn’t help it!” her mother responded, walking right behind her as she headed to her room, “You have no space for error, Kelly. Having a job is the only way you’ll make it through this last stretch of school,”