His to Protect (Secrets Series Book 4)

by LK Shaw

  “Pe-Penny,” I stuttered, almost breathlessly as I sensed my blush intensifying. I really needed to get it together. I’d never blushed this much before in my life. I needed the confidence I showed the world, even as unreal as it happened to be. Fake it ’til you make it was my mantra.

  Marcus leaned closer as he stepped slightly inside my personal space, his mint-scented breath rasping along my ear, “What brings you out to play with us today?” Subconsciously standing a little taller, I began gaining the confidence I typically displayed as a nurse working with chauvinistic surgeons. I told him about my interest in learning more about BDSM and the lifestyle. I wanted to find a neutral place to meet people and gain, if not friends, then at least acquaintances, and definitely knowledge.

  “Knowledge about what?” Marcus asked, showing true interest. I wanted to know everything. I wanted to know the sensation of giving up control, how to please someone and be pleased in return. I wanted to be dominated, to discover why I couldn’t find someone who wanted that happily ever after with me that I constantly read about. Sadly, I didn’t know how to express any of this.

  My shoulders shrugged as I settled on, “Whatever someone will teach me.”

  “Sweetness,” he cooed, “I’d be happy to teach you anything you want to know. Let me introduce you to some friends of mine.” With a hand brushing across my lower back, startling me with the sparks of electricity that flowed through my extremities, Marcus led me over to a group of women. Marcus made introductions and left me to mingle. I noticed he never strayed far, and several times, our eyes met over someone’s shoulder. The smoldering glances he gave me sent heat burning throughout my body. My nipples pebbled like berries, and I felt myself getting wet the longer he kept staring at me. It wasn’t often that a man scrutinized me the way Marcus did. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time that even happened. I felt naked and exposed under his gaze, as though my barriers were being broke down. It was disconcerting to say the least.

  I did very little talking among the women and spent most of the time listening. I met Delilah, her skin inked with a beautiful scalloped tattoo across her chest that travelled up her collarbones and around the back of her neck. She explained that both the tattoo and the gold choker collar she wore signified her Master’s ownership. I didn’t understand their Master/slave dynamic, but she seemed happy. I also met Priscilla, or Priss, a submissive who missed her Dom as he recovered in the hospital after a heart attack. Then came Jackie, a transgender woman who’d recently gone through transition surgery, and finally Bridget. Bridget and I were close in age, maybe five years difference. Bridget was submissive and in between Doms. She was someone whose brain I wanted to pick. I also imagined we might become great friends one day. No sooner were we about to delve deeper into our conversation, than a tingle of awareness rushed through me, and a sweltering heat burned against my back.

  “Have you discovered any deep, dark secrets yet?” Marcus asked.

  “Yours or mine?” I quipped as I slowly turned to face him.

  Marcus stepped closer and closer forcing me backward until I was flush with the wall behind me. Chest to breast, his thigh worked its way between my legs to press against my pussy. His erection grew against my abdomen and with his finger tracing my lips, he rasped, “Why, yours, of course. I’m curious to know what depraved secrets you keep buried that you wish someone like me would discover. In fact, I think I would enjoy that immensely. Discovering your secrets, that is. I’d love to see you spread out before me, your hands bound above your head, writhing as I feast on your sweet, succulent cunt. You have this plump ass that I want to devour while I mark you as mine. You’d remember my handprint for days. I want to hear you scream my name as I fuck you harder than you’ve ever been fucked before. You’ll come over and over again.”

  I whimpered and felt myself almost undulating against Marcus’ thigh as he rocked against my clit. I didn’t even care that there were people around. I wanted everything he described. The huskiness of his voice nearly brought me to my knees at his feet in supplication. Every other intimate encounter before today missed this. It terrified me.

  Even still, my arousal increased at his words. I didn’t even know this man, but I had a feeling that if, given the chance, he’d discover all my secrets. Overwhelmed by his attention, I made my excuses and raced home, knowing I’d replay his words.

  You can purchase the entire series in a single box set at the link below.

  Available in Kindle Unlimited

  Amazon: http://amzn.to/2qY1Ib0

  Secrets of Desire

  Copyright

  Secrets of Desire: Secrets, Book 2 (c) 2016 by LK Shaw

  Cover design (c) 2016 by Ella Dominguez

  eBook ISBN: 978-1534723382

  All rights reserved. No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the Author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then technically, you have stolen it and/ or pirated it and are a despicable human being. Return to an ebook retailer and purchase your own copy.

  Available in ebook and print editions.

  Prologue

  “Push.”

  I had never experienced such pain in all my sixteen years. Not even when my mother died. Pain in my body, but even more so, pain in my heart. I knew once I finished pushing, regret would fill every corner of my heart. Regret about my choices. Regret about the life I was giving up. Regret that I couldn’t give this baby everything it deserved. Deep down, I knew this was the best decision I could make, even if it broke me in the process. I was sixteen years old. What kind of life could I provide a baby? I was still a child myself.

  Another contraction hit, and a scream ripped through me as I bore down, pushing with all my might. No sooner did the echo of my scream fade than the cry of a baby filled the room. I sank into the bed, exhausted in body and spirit.

  “It’s a boy,” came the voice from somewhere in the room. I heard the hustle of activity as the nurses prepared my baby — no, not my baby, their baby — to be handed over to his adoptive parents. I tried to ignore the crushing agony threatening to overwhelm me. Now was not the time. I could grieve later.

  “Would you like to see him?” the nurse asked me, even as I started to shake my head. No, I didn’t want to see him. I didn’t want to look at his beautiful face or count his little fingers and toes. It wouldn’t change a thing. It would do nothing but make my decision more difficult. I turned my head toward the wall and wished everything would just be over. I heard the nurse sigh softly in disappointment as she moved away. Before I knew it, the buzz of activity stopped and the quiet snick of the door closing sounded. I turned toward a soft caress against my cheek and immediately burst into heart-wrenching sobs as my father gently climbed into the hospital bed with me. He wrapped me in his comforting arms while we cried together as my heart shattered.

  Chapter 1

  Connor

  “I need your help.”

  My whole body froze at the sound of the voice that haunted my dreams. Slowly, I raised my eyes from the papers scattered across my desk, schooling my features when I saw the stunning redhead standing at my office door. She fidgeted nervously in the doorway looking more beautiful than any woman had a right to. She was tall and all legs with enough curves to draw a man’s attention. Long red locks cascaded down her back to dust the top of her ass. Blunt bangs framed her heart
-shaped face, and her long lashes made her chocolate brown eyes appear large in her face, but not big enough to disguise the dark circles under them.

  She also possessed an energy about her that instantly put me on high alert. I never expected to see Bridget Carter fidget. She always exhibited a self-assuredness that made me envious. I’d never seen her less than confident and bold as brass. Until today. Today, the boldness she typically displayed was missing. Nervousness, and perhaps even a little fear, had taken its place. As the owner of one of the top security and protection firms in the city, this was an expression I saw far too often.

  “Bridget, please, come in and have a seat,” I directed her as I rose from my chair. She closed the door behind her and made her way to the chair in front of my desk. I walked around the opposite side of my desk and propped my butt on it. She sat on the edge of her chair as if poised to flee quickly. It made me want to slay whatever demons were haunting her. And she definitely appeared haunted. “Now, tell me what you need my help with.”

  Her breasts distracted me briefly when she inhaled deeply, causing them to rise toward me. I shook myself mentally and brought my focus back to where it needed to be. After a minute, she continued to remain silent. I resisted the urge to reach out to comfort her. Being able to touch her was not something I was ready for, because I knew one touch wouldn’t be enough. I typically used a soft, gentle voice when my cases brought me in contact with scared women and kids, but somehow, I knew I needed a different approach. I had observed Bridget often, and closely enough, at the BDSM club we both frequented, I knew how best to get her to respond. In my most firm Dom voice, I tried again. “Tell me what you need, Bridget. Now.”

  She startled, seeming to forget I stood less than three feet from her. However, my command broke through her thoughts, because she began to speak although still not making eye contact.

  “I have a son,” she said in a hushed voice, causing my mouth to fall open. Nothing Bridget said could have shocked me more. “Well, biologically, he’s my son,” she continued. “I gave him up for adoption years ago. I was only a kid myself, and I wanted him to have a better life than I would have been able to give him. I asked for an open adoption because, even though I couldn’t take care of him, I still wanted to know he was okay. They sent me regular letters and pictures, but I never initiated contact, and I rebuffed every attempt his adoptive parents made for any type of visitation.”

  She fidgeted again, shifting slightly in the chair. Her voice quavered as she spoke. “Please don’t judge me. Seeing him in person and hearing him call another woman ‘mom’ would have pushed me over the edge. The decision to give him up almost killed me. But it was a decision I had to make, even knowing I’d only be a part of his life peripherally.”

  She paused, as if gathering her thoughts, before she continued. “I left the option open that he be allowed access to my information when he turned eighteen. He’s only thirteen, so I assumed if he had any interest in contacting me, it wouldn’t be for another five years. Except two days ago, I received a phone call. It only lasted a few seconds, and I don’t even know if it was really him. I only heard, ‘I think you’re my mother. Please, help me,’ and then a scuffle in the background before the line went dead.”

  Bridget stopped speaking and finally raised her eyes to meet mine. What I saw in them gutted me. Unable to resist touching her any longer, I moved from my perch and knelt at her feet. I laid one hand on top of hers, which she had been wringing in her lap. Then, I reached up with my other hand to wipe away the lone tear that traced a path down her cheek. “I need you to tell me everything.”

  I told my assistant to hold all my calls, and for the next hour, Bridget explained to me that, right before she’d turned sixteen she discovered she was pregnant. Her mom died when Bridget was young, so her father raised her. He worked two jobs to support them, and when she became pregnant she knew there was only one option. She located an adoption agency and found the perfect adoptive family. Immediately after the birth of the baby, Bridget turned him over to them without even seeing him, because she thought it would be easier not to become attached. The adoptive parents made multiple attempts throughout the years to initiate contact, but Bridget never felt ready. The only information she was able to provide were their names and the return address used on the mail she’d received from them. “Connor, what if it was Alex? Why would he be calling me and not his parents? Especially asking for help. He sounded scared. Please, can you help me? I don’t know where else to turn.”

  I instinctively knew helping Bridget would test me like nothing before. Not only because I might be a little in love with her, but because something deep inside told me this case would bring forth demons I’d fought hard to bury. But this wasn’t about me. It was about Bridget, and God knew I would move heaven and Earth to find and destroy anything that threatened her or anyone she cared about.

  You can purchase the entire series in a single box set at the link below.

  Available in Kindle Unlimited

  Amazon: http://amzn.to/2qY1Ib0

  Secrets of Redemption

  Copyright

  Secrets of Redemption: Secrets, Book 3 (c) 2017 by LK Shaw

  Cover design (c) 2016 by EmCat Designs

  All rights reserved. No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the Author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then technically, you have stolen it and/ or pirated it and are a despicable human being. Return to an ebook retailer and purchase your own copy.

  Available in ebook and print editions.

  ISBN-13: 978-1540347176

  ISBN-10: 1540347176

  Prologue

  It was my first day on the job, and I was nervous as hell. My heart raced, my palms were sweaty, and I was pretty sure I was going to yack. Barely twenty-one years old, I’d graduated from both high school and MIT early. My instructors told me I was a computer genius. I don’t know that I would classify myself as a genius, but I knew that computer programming and analysis came easy to me. So did hacking. I’d lucked out when Connor Black hired me to work as a computer analyst for his security company, Blacklight Securities, considering I was a recent MIT graduate with no experience. Even though he was like a brother to me, I liked to think I earned the job on merit.

  Connor was giving me a tour of the office, and we’d just reached the employee kitchen slash break room, when I stopped dead in my tracks. Connor hadn’t noticed I was no longer behind him, and he kept rattling off information about the company as well as my job duties. Well, I assume he kept rattling off information. I had no idea; my attention was fixated on the Adonis on the other side of the room, leaning against the counter, a coffee mug in hand. His dark brown hair was cut close to the scalp, and three-days’ worth of growth covered his jaw. I watched his Adam’s apple bob when he swallowed a mouthful of coffee, and I couldn’t help wanting to draw my tongue across it. I almost melted into a gooey puddle on the floor when the god in front of me threw his head back in laughter. The sound sent a shiver racing through me.

  The clearing of a throat and “Josephine” spoken with a hint of amusement jerked me back to my surroundings. My head whipped to the side to gaze at Connor, who looked at me with a smirk on his face. I pushed my glasses farther up on my nose and stared him down, even as a warm sensation crept across my cheeks. How embarrassing to be caught ogling a
fellow employee. I waited for Connor to make a smart-ass remark, but instead, he crooked his finger at me like one of his subs. I glared as I slowly walked over to stand next to him.

  “My apologies, sir. It won’t happen again.” In addition to Connor mentoring me in the BDSM lifestyle for two years now, he was also my boss and deserved my respect.

  “You don’t have to apologize, Josie. Come, let me introduce you.” He led me over to the men standing against the counter. My whole body was on fire now that I was up close to him. His ice blue eyes glowed when he turned his head at our approach.

  “Bryce, Miles, this is Josephine Bishop. She’s our newest computer analyst. Josephine, this is Bryce Harris and Miles Standish.” He indicated each of them as he spoke their name, but I only had eyes for Miles. I went through the motions of shaking Bryce’s hand, rudely not even looking at him. When I placed my hand in Miles’, a bolt of lightning shot through me. His eyes widened, and I knew he’d felt it too. Instantly, I knew I was in trouble.

  From that day forth, I wanted to know everything about Miles Standish. To spend as much time with him as possible. At first, he avoided me. I attempted to rein in my attraction to him, even though it practically killed me. Every moment I was around Miles, my body heated, and all my synapses fired. An electric charge had the hairs on my arms standing the minute I stood near him. The air crackled between us. There was no doubt he felt it too, but he ignored it no matter how gently I tried to push.