by Violet Paige
She blushed and smiled in relief. “Phew. I was a little worried there for a second.”
“Alright, Dr. Howser, you’re off-duty. I think Haley knows what to do and what not to do perfectly well on her own,” Kat teased. She nudged Beverly’s shoulder playfully and she stuck out her tongue in response. The two girls started helping the kitchen staff carry in the massive platters of food. My jaw dropped as I watched the procession. Chef Louis and Lauren brought up the rear of the little parade, and Lauren was glancing up at the Frenchman adoringly. She was still a little starry-eyed about getting to work with such a famous culinary master.
“Uh, guys? You do realize it’s just two people who are supposed to be eating all this, right? This is enough food for twelve, not two,” I remarked.
“No, not two. Two and a half,” Lauren corrected. She gave me a wink directed toward my belly. I shot Kat a scandalized look.
“Geez, Kat, did you tell absolutely everybody? It’s supposed to be a surprise. It won’t be much of a surprise if Chase gets here and someone blurts it out before I get a chance to,” I pointed out.
Kat blushed and shrugged. “Sorry. I’m just really excited. You know that’s going to be the most adorable baby the world has ever seen, right?”
“Yeah. I’ve seen your husband. Those cheekbones could cut glass,” Lauren remarked.
“And you’re stunning, of course,” Beverly added.
“Thanks, guys. But just… don’t let the cat out of the bag too soon, all right?” I sighed.
“Our lips are sealed,” Kat piped up, making a zipping gesture across her mouth.
Just then, my phone chimed to let me know I had received a text message. There was a collective gasp from everyone and I laughed as I checked my phone. My heart skipped a beat and I announced, “Okay! He’s in the taxi on his way up the mountain. He’ll be here any minute now! Everybody, scatter! Go back to what you were doing before. I don’t want anything to stand out until he gets all the way up here.”
“Oh, this is so exciting!” Kat gushed. “I don’t know if I can keep a straight face.”
“Come on,” Beverly said, linking arms with her. “I’ll go downstairs with you and help you maintain your composure when he walks in. Good luck,” she added to me with a wink.
“Thanks, everyone. Sincerely,” I told them all. Everybody nodded and hurried off back to their usual positions so Chase wouldn’t be tipped off about the surprise.
I fretted over some petty details on the table and took a minute to spiff up my hair and makeup in the bathroom. I was wearing the same white dress Chase had gifted me before our reception in Chicago, and as I looked in the mirror it hit me that this might be the last time for a while that I would be able to fit in it. The ribbon-tied waistline might not suit me for the next nine months, I thought. That image filled me with so much excitement and joy that I nearly burst into happy tears, but I forced myself to calm down.
About fifteen minutes later, there was a knock at the door and I rushed to answer.
“Hi, baby,” Chase greeted me. He was holding a bouquet of lilies, my favorite flower, and he instantly pulled me into a tight hug. He kissed the top of my head and stroked my hair. “God, I have missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” I murmured into his powerful chest. This was where I felt the safest and happiest, locked away in Chase’s strong arms. Nothing could hurt me here.
“Oh, hey. What’s all this?” he asked suddenly, peering around me to look at the dinner table laden with elaborate dishes. I grinned up at him.
“Happy anniversary!” I wished him, standing on tiptoe to kiss him.
“This is amazing, sweetheart. But that’s a lot of food.”
“I know, Chef Louis went a little bananas,” I laughed. “Do you want to sit down and start making a dent in it before it gets cold?”
“Yes, actually. I’m starving,” Chase agreed. We sat down to dinner and spent the next hour and a half eating and talking. He told me all about his success over in San Francisco, about how all he had to do was mention to the seller that he was the co-proprietor of the Peppertree Resort and the seller immediately agreed to the deal.
“Wow, I didn’t realize we had that level of clout,” I confessed.
“Oh yes. I get calls about the Peppertree constantly. My clients keep asking me to give their properties ‘The Peppertree Treatment’ and asking to see photos and blueprints of the designs. I can’t wait until you can start going to these meetings with me, Haley, since you’re the mastermind behind it all,” he complimented.
“Well, thank you, but you know none of it would have been possible if not for your help. You’re the one who made it happen,” I told him honestly.
Chase grinned, taking a sip of his champagne. “Well, we are a fantastic team. In more ways than one,” he added flirtatiously. Then he gestured at my glass. “What are you drinking? It certainly doesn’t look like champagne.”
“Oh, this? It’s just apple cider,” I answered simply.
He frowned slightly. “Why? I thought you loved champagne. Aren’t we celebrating?”
I bit my lip. It was time to break the news. My heart was pounding as I slowly got up and retrieved a little wrapped present from the coffee table and brought it over to Chase.
“What’s this? I thought we agreed we weren’t going to give gifts,” he noted.
“Just open it,” I urged him, taking the seat beside him.
He looked mildly suspicious, but he began to unwrap it anyway. When he stripped away the paper and opened the box, his jaw dropped. He looked up at me with that familiar spark burning in his beautiful green eyes. “Haley, is this…?” he murmured softly.
I nodded. “Yes. It’s a pregnancy test. And yes, I sanitized the hell out of it,” I giggled.
He picked it up gingerly, examining the little window. There was a clear blue cross there.
“You’re… we’re… you’re serious?” he asked, almost breathless.
I nodded again. “We are. I’m pregnant, Chase.”
He threw his arms around me and kissed me passionately, cupping my face like I was the most precious item in the whole universe. “Sweetheart, this is amazing. I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it!” I told him, leaning forward to kiss him again.
“Well, it definitely won’t hold a candle to your gift, but I have to admit that I got you something, too,” he told me, taking a small box out of his coat pocket.
“So much for not giving gifts. We never do follow the rules, do we?” I laughed. I took the box from him and opened it to reveal a gorgeous, sparkling diamond ring. It was much smaller and more delicate than the massive rock he had given me last year, and tears sprang to my eyes.
“It’s exactly what I wanted,” I whispered. “I love you so much.”
“I know,” Chase replied sweetly. “I love you, Haley. Now and forever.” I slid the ring onto my finger and it fit perfectly. Chase stood up and scooped me up into his arms. So blissfully happy I could hardly think straight, I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him as he carried me into the bedroom.
Thank you so much for reading My Playboy Fiance! Hope you loved it as much as I loved writing it. I have some special treats for you tucked inside this book.
My amazing friend and writer Nicole Elliot has a few stories to share with you, including Virgin’s Dirty Boss, which is ONLY available inside this copy! Can you believe it?
Keep reading for some spicy hot and super naughty reads. Don’t forget to click on the link at the end of the book to download your free copy of My 2 Cops.
Love ya!
Katerina
Don’t Tell
by Violet Paige
Copyright © 2017 by Violet Paige
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a bo
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Introduction
The code is simple.
Never date your best friend’s little sister.
Especially when you’re a single dad. I have responsibilities.
But not every little sister looks like Kaitlyn Sinclaire.
She’s all grown up with a body to prove it.
Curves for miles and lips that beg to be kissed.
It doesn’t matter if I’m a single dad and hung up my
She’s off limits. And it never mattered until now.
Kaitlyn shows up on my doorstep with nowhere to stay and miles from home.
What am I supposed to do? Kick her out or lead her to my bed?
It’s only going to last as long as she’s in town. Her brother doesn’t need to know.
But after one taste of her sweet innocence, there’s no turning back.
1
Kaitlyn
“Miss, you need to turn off all of your electronic devices.” The flight attendant smiled while she shoved a tightly packed bag into the compartment over my head.
I nodded. “All right.”
I powered down my phone, and tucked it in the pocket of my bag before pushing it under the seat with my feet. The man next to me edged me off the armrest with his elbow. I sighed, realizing the three-hour flight to Houston from Raleigh was going to suck.
This was not how I pictured the start of my vacation. I blamed Branch. “The asshole,” was how I referred to him now and forever.
I ran my fingers through my hair. It was shorter now. Shorter than I had worn it the entire time I was in college.
Ok, I admit it was a little rash to chop my hair into shaggy shoulder-length strands. Maybe I didn’t think through my options as carefully as I should have, but I knew Branch loved my long hair. He would tangle his fingers through it, and beg me to pull it down every time I pulled it in a ponytail. I lashed out at him with something I knew he would notice. I wasn’t going to cry over him. Or beg.
I tugged on the ends now, forcing myself not to regret it. It would grow.
The plane lifted off and I thought about the break up.
“I think we’ve grown apart. We’re not the same people we were when we first started dating,” Branch stated, pressing his lips together.
My suitcase was on the bed. I needed to pull some things together for our trip. I hadn’t packed a single thing, and we were supposed to leave in three days.
He continued, speaking plainly. “I thought it was the right thing to do. You know, tell you now instead of trying to make it through a trip together. It’s time for us to end this.”
“Is there someone else?” It was the only question I could put together. My brain tried to wade through the muck of Branch’s words.
“Not exactly. You know, I just want to keep my options open.”
Options open? I almost laughed in his face.
He leaned over and patted me on the back as if I was one of his fraternity brothers. “You’ll get over this, Kaitlyn. You know we’ve run our course. It couldn’t last forever.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve gotta go. I’m meeting some of the guys back at the house.”
I could have tried to stop him. I could have put up a fight. I could have given him a good reason to stay together. But I couldn’t think of one. Not a single reason the two of us should be together. I let him walk out of my room. It was clear there wasn’t anything left to fight for. I walked straight to my bathroom and picked up the scissors.
“You from Texas?” the armrest hog asked
“Uh. No. Visiting.” I shook the breakup from my mind.
“What part?” He was leaning closer, which I didn’t think was possible with the proximity of our seats. I wished I had paid for an upgrade.
“South Padre.” I wanted to retrieve my phone and pretend I was busy.
He chuckled. “Yep, it’s that time of year. Let me guess… post-graduation vacation?”
I didn’t like that he had guessed it. “Yeah. I’m meeting lots of friends there.” I paused. “And my boyfriend.” I had to force the last word from my mouth. There were no friends on the other end of this trip and certainly no boyfriend, but he didn’t need to know I was suddenly single.
He reached for the in-flight magazine and flipped through the pages. “Well, have a good time. It’s a trip you’ll never forget.” He stopped on an article and his attention shifted away from me.
I didn’t know what I expected from this trip. I’d never taken a vacation by myself. I never wanted to. But I wasn’t going to let Branch and his wishy-washy, keep-his-options-open plan stop me from having this vacation. I deserved it. I had earned it. I had let Branch take the reins for way too long.
2
Cole
Sometimes I wished I could burn this hellhole down. The whole thing. I pictured it going up in flames. There’d be nothing left but piles of smoldering ash. The frame and some charred pink tiles would be the only recognizable parts of this piece of shit. I could finally fucking walk. I could turn my back on it.
But that’s not the kind of man I was.
I grabbed a cold beer and twisted off the cap. I slammed the office door behind me, walking past the pool that was still battling a green tint.
I chugged the beer.
I walked up the steps to the boardwalk. There was enough wind to make me forget how hot I had been all day.
“Daddy!”
I turned just in time to see Grayson running toward me. His chubby hands outstretched.
“Hey.” I reached down, scooping him up in a hug. “What are you doing here, little man?”
He pointed at a seagull overhead. “Bird.”
“Yeah. That’s a seagull.” I looked around. And then I saw her walking toward us. “Amber.” I tried to hide the bitterness in my voice in front of Grayson.
“Grayson wanted to say hi before we head out of town.” She smiled.
“Out of town?” I placed him on the ground so he could chase the birds on the beach.
“It’s my week with him,” she snapped.
“I know it’s your week, but where are you going?”
I hated this shit. I hated how we argued. I hated that I shared custody of my two-year old son with my ex. I hated that she was unreliable and changed her mind every other damn second.
She shrugged. “It’s getting hot. I thought we might go somewhere we could avoid the sun.”
“This is Texas. That doesn’t exist.”
I watched Grayson face plant on the sand. He hopped up and kept going.
Amber rolled her eyes, brushing her auburn bangs to the side. “I’ll text you. Ok?”
I shook my head. “I don’t like not knowing where you’re going to be.”
“I said I’ll let you know. I didn’t even have to bring Grayson by. You could try saying thank you.”
I gritted my teeth. I wasn’t taking her bait. I wasn’t going to get pulled in. She did this every time. She wanted me to fight and it wasn’t happening.
“Fine. I’m glad I could see him.”
She planted her hands on her hips. “I’ll drop him off next week, unless you’re too busy here.” She eyed the motel.
“No. I’m never too busy for him. Never.” I stared at her.
She laughed. “Right. And that’s why you spend all your time at this dump.”
I glared. “I inherited this property and it’s how I support my son. It’s a business. It’s my job. You know that.”
“Whatever. You choose to spend your time here. It’s useless.” She walked past me. “Grayson, come on. Let’s go,” she called.
He made another circle in the sand and ran toward us. His hair clung to his forehead. Even with the sun going down, he was sweaty. I bent down, wrapping my arms around him.
“Have fun on your trip. I’ll see you next week.”
He rubbed his nose over mine. I laughed. I hadn’t letting him out of my arms. It never got easier.
I rose and faced Amber. “Text me.”
He ran next to her. Five minutes later they were gone. Although, I had no idea where my son was going.
3
Kaitlyn
Once we landed in Houston, I pulled my bag from underneath the seat and turned my phone on. I had three missed calls from Branch. I didn’t want to talk to him. My anger toward him suffocated any creeping curiosity about why he was calling after three days of utter silence.
I still had one puddle jumper flight to Brownsville. From there, I would hop on the resort shuttle that would take me to South Padre.
“You be careful, young lady. Those Padre vacations can get a little out of control,” the man next to me warned. He had not taken any of my subtle hints.
I smiled, scooted down the aisle, and walked off the plane.
I had enough time between my flights to call Mary Ellen, my roommate for the past four years. She was like the sister I never had. I tapped her name on my screen and waited for her to answer.
“Hey. How is Texas? Are you there?”
“Yes.I’m in Houston, waiting for my next flight.” I observed the passengers walking past me. I had never seen so many cowboy boots worn in one place. Everyone had them on.
“We just checked into the hotel and we’re headed to happy hour. You doing ok?”
“Happy hour?”
“There are graduation parties everywhere,” she explained. “I think it’s happy hour all the time this week. How are you doing? Have you heard from Branch?”
I didn’t want to talk about Branch, but Mary Ellen was worried and I knew she would keep pestering me about him until I said something. If the roles were reversed, I would do exactly the same thing.