BEASTLY LOVE BOX SET: Romance Collection

by Lindsey Hart

  Lisa’s eyes lit up before they darkened again, and she swung around to look at Stephane.

  “You ever hurt my sister again, and I will hurt you,” she threatened.

  “To be fair, I didn’t mean to hurt her this time; it was an accident,” Stephane pointed out.

  He paid for his smart remark with a grind of her heel into his foot. He hissed and hopped away as both sisters laughed.

  “Two peas in a pod,” he grumbled. “Fine… I don’t intend to ever hurt Mia, but if I do, I’ll probably deserve whatever you do to me.”

  “Too right,” Lisa said, satisfied by his response. Her gaze softened. “I’m really glad the two of you worked this out.” She snorted. “Seriously, why didn’t mom and dad just throw you at him in the first place? You were always going to be better at taming him than me.”

  “Hey,” Stephane protested.

  “Shut up, you’re totally tamed,” Lisa said dismissively, and Stephane sulked, wondering whether he would have signed up for this if he’d known he would get Lisa’s cutting humor in the deal. Mia shot him a smile and he admitted to himself that he probably would have.

  “They probably remembered that Stephane and I have a bit of unpleasant history,” Mia said, glancing at him.

  “Yeah… you bit me,” Stephane grumbled.

  “After you called me names,” Mia retorted. “Honestly, what seventeen-year-old in their right mind argues like that with a ten-year-old?”

  There was nothing to say that. Stephane crossed his arms and huffed; he wasn’t surprised that Mia was as cuttingly witty as her sister. After all, he had seen hints of it over the last week, and he had fallen in love with her anyway.

  Lisa cackled off to the side.

  “Oh, you guys are going to get along fine,” she said, slinging an arm around Mia’s neck and then reaching up to drag Stephane in too. A mischievous look glittered in her eyes. “Now you guys need to face telling the parents about all this.”

  Startled, Stephane and Mia exchanged a look full of dread over Lisa. How, exactly, were they going to explain what had happened between them?

  ⁂ ⁂ ⁂

  In the end, they went with the truth, mainly because Lisa threatened to tell them herself if they didn’t. Stephane wasn’t sure if she just wanted to get it all out in the open, or if she just wanted to see the scandalized looks on the parents’ faces as Stephane and Mia admitted how thoroughly they had ruined their plans.

  Well, they told most of the truth. Mia refused point blank to discuss with her parents or Stephane’s for that matter, how she had ended up sleeping with Stephane yesterday, and Lisa had acquiesced on that one point alone. No doubt she could see how embarrassed Mia was at even the thought of saying it out loud.

  Stephane was also okay with this admission. He didn’t want Tim to come after him with a hammer for sleeping with his baby daughter and then accidentally making her think that he didn’t want her after all.

  Still, hearing the whole, sordid story for the second time that day made shame curl in Stephane’s gut. He found he wasn’t as irritated at his parents as Mia and Lisa were with their’s; he could actually understand why his mother and father had gone to such drastic measures. They had been trying to convince him to settle down for months now, and this was the biggest attempt they had made yet after all their blind dates had ended exactly the same way as all Stephane’s other ‘relationships’.

  “Well,” Robert said in surprise as he sat back in his arm chair. Stephane felt a small bit of surprise for finally pulling the wool over his father’s eyes. “This was… an unexpected development.”

  “After how careful we were, too,” Sophie groaned. She glanced at Mia. “We were trying very hard to keep you away from him in particular, but it looks like we failed there as well.”

  “Wait, why were you trying to keep the two of them apart?” Lisa asked in confusion.

  “Mia and Stephane met for the first and last time thirteen years ago,” Tim explained. “It was a meeting that didn’t go very well… for either of them. While it has been a long time since then, we didn’t want to place them in an awkward position, even if Mia was better suited for our plans than you were, Lisa. No offense, honey.”

  “None taken,” Lisa said with a shrug. “I guess you hoped I’d settle down, too.”

  “It was a thought that crossed our minds,” Sophie admitted with a sigh. She raised an eyebrow at Mia. “You were glaring at him from the moment we got here, so what changed?”

  “You see a lot more of someone when you’re forced into their company,” Mia laughed.

  Stephane squeezed her hand slightly, knowing that she was talking about the day they had gone to the shops and he helped the young, struggling mother. That day had changed a lot of things between the two of them.

  “Well, as long as you’re happy,” Sophie said, glancing at Mia.

  “I am,” Mia said with a smile.

  “So am I,” Stephane said when his parents looked at him. “Though I’m not sure how safe I’ll be… oof!”

  “You were saying?” Mia asked sweetly, tucking the elbow that she had just used to jab him in the side away.

  “Never mind,” he wheezed.

  Everyone else laughed. The mood in the cabin was light and happy, and he smiled down at Mia as he straightened; for a brief few hours he had honestly thought he was going to lose this. Mia smiled up at him and leaned into him.

  Later, after everyone else had vacated the living room to chase dinner, they curled up on the couch together, watched as it continued to rain. Mia carefully laid her head on his shoulder.

  “This means you’re mine now, right?” she asked, not looking at him. “You won’t be chasing other women anymore?”

  “No, I won’t.” he said, kissing her softly on the forehead. “I’m all yours.”

  She smiled and turned to kiss him on the lips. He had intended for it to remain chaste, basking in the comfort of the room, but Mia deepened it, sending a jolt of lust through him. When she pulled away he was dazed and aching, wanting to touch her more, but she just got up and winked at him.

  “Coming?” she asked, heading toward her room.

  Stephane grinned and allowed her to lead the way. He couldn’t believe that he had found it; a happiness that he hadn’t known he was missing until it was there.

  He was never, ever going to let this go.

  EPILOGUE

  Mia looked up at the manor with a soft smile, the wind teasing her curls as she clutched her suitcase. It hadn’t changed a bit since she had been here last.

  “Coming?”

  Coming up behind her, Stephane playfully nudged her shoulder and ran into the manor. She laughed and chased him, breathless with excitement.

  The receptionist stared at them with wide eyes as they burst into the building, giggling like children as she brushed snow off his shoulders. She didn’t pay the young man any mind though as she beamed at Stephane; she was so happy that she could burst.

  “You going to tell me where we’re staying yet?” she asked.

  “Fine,” he laughed. “Since it’s just you and me, I’ve decided we get to stay in the manor this time around.”

  She grinned. He laughed at the excitement on her face and strode toward the desk.

  “Hi, we have a reservation under Hayes,” he said.

  “Right,” the man said, typing on his computer. “One room in the Pinnacle Suit for two with a King-sized bed?”

  “That’s the one,” Stephane said cheerfully.

  The receptionist handed him the key and directed them where to go. Mia trailed after Stephane, curious about the room; it had the same name as the cabin they had stayed in with their families two years ago on the fateful trip that brought them together.

  When they entered the room, she couldn’t withhold a gasp. The Pinnacle Cottage had been quaint and homey. This room however, was modern and luxurious. She craned her neck up, staring up at the second floor where there was a large bed and then turned to s
tare out the huge glass windows.

  “If we want, we can watch the stars from here,” Stephane said, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “What do you think?”

  “It’s beautiful,” she said, laughing. “Just how long have you been planning this?”

  “A few months,” he admitted. “I wanted to get all the details finalized before I asked you.”

  “And if I had said no?” she challenged.

  He grinned and leaned down to nuzzle her neck. “You wouldn’t have said no.”

  Mia could help but laugh. He was still as arrogant as ever, and she loved it. He pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss and winked at her.

  “Why don’t we go explore the grounds a bit?” he suggested.

  It sounded like a nice idea but… Mia glanced at their suitcases, itching to unpack. Stephane followed her gaze and rolled his eyes.

  “Fine,” he grumbled. “Let’s unpack first; you won’t be able to think about anything else if we don’t.”

  Mia laughed and kissed him again. Two years ago, she would never have thought she would have ended up here, on vacation with a man that she loved with all her heart… a man that she could never have imagined falling for.

  She smiled softly at him as they put their clothes away. Two years ago, almost on the dot, she really had hated him. It still amazed her that he had allowed her to see past his arrogant, playboy exterior to the kind man hidden underneath.

  At the thought, she snorted. Blinking, Stephane looked at her.

  “What?” he asked, confused.

  “We’ve been in a relationship for two years,” she announced.

  “Yes… we celebrated that anniversary two weeks ago,” he said slowly, raising an eyebrow at her. “Remember?”

  “I remember,” she laughed. “Two years is a long time.” She leaned across the bed teasingly. “I still can’t believe I managed to tame such an avid playboy.”

  He groaned. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

  “Never,” she promised cheerfully.

  Truthfully, she never wanted to forget. It surprised most people, who had thought that she would want to pretend that the years he had been out sleeping around with every woman he could find hadn’t existed, but those years were a large part of the reason why they had come together in the first place. If he hadn’t been such an incorrigible playboy, his parents wouldn’t have tried to set him up with Lisa and, in turn, he wouldn’t have been driven to make such a sleazy bet with Mia. So, no, she didn’t want to forget those years when they were as much a part of their history as the days they had spent at this manor.

  Almost as though he knew what she was thinking, Stephane smiled at her. The smile turned triumphant as he folded his last shirt and put it in the drawer.

  “Now can we go out?” he asked, his eyes pleading.

  “Yes, you big goof,” she said, rolling her eyes at him. “Where did you want to go?”

  “Let’s just walk,” he said with a shrug.

  Walking it turned out, was an interesting experience. The entire place was washed with memories of the last time they had been here and with this in mind, they walked toward the cottages they had stayed at last time. As they headed that way, they passed the spa - Mia almost wanted to dunk him in it when Stephane made a crass comment about seeing her in a bikini for the first time, trying to pretend that she wasn’t blushing - and the restaurant, this time Stephane sulked as she reminded him how she had headbutted him after he had corned her near the bathroom – then he told her how it was also here that he had let go of all plans to stop pursuing her seriously when she had smiled at him, and she couldn’t help but beam. They carefully avoided looking at the observatory, both of them unwilling to remember the place that had almost broken them up, though that was hard since their room was below the damn thing. Once they had realized this Stephan had apologized and sheepishly admitted that he had forgotten to read the pamphlet, simply choosing a room that had the same name as the cottage they had stayed in.

  When they had reached the same cottage they had stayed at, they both paused, staring up at it.

  “I got to kiss you for the first time here,” Stephane said with a soft smile.

  Privately, Mia was glad that he didn’t say that they had slept together for the first time in this building, which was also true. Somehow, it wouldn’t have sounded as nice.

  “Yeah, after I fell off that horse,” she agreed. “I never asked; how long were you waiting for me to wake up that morning?”

  “Awhile,” he said with a shrug, grinning at her.

  “That’s not a real answer,” she grumbled. She lit up. “Speaking of horses, we should visit the stables while we’re here.”

  “Sounds like a good idea,” Stephane agreed.

  They walked back toward the manor and veered off toward the stables. When they entered, Mia let out a cry of delight and made a beeline toward a stall.

  “Patches!” she said, beaming. “She’s still here! Look, Stephane! Patches is still here!”

  “I see,” Stephane laughed.

  Patches whinnied and nudged her with her nose. Mia wondered if she remembered her at all, but it didn’t really matter. She was excited enough to see the small mare for the both of them.

  “You’re so beautiful,” she whispered to the horse.

  She turned around, her eyes shining.

  “This is perfect, Stephane,” she said. “This place was already amazing as the place where we finally got together for real, and it’s even more amazing that Patches is still here for us to see. I wasn’t sure she would be.”

  “This place is perfect, isn’t it?” Stephane said, a strange look crossing his face.

  Turning back to face Patches, Mia didn’t seem him fiddling with something in his pocket before straightening his shoulders in resolve. She just heard him when he cleared his throat pointedly, obviously attempting to get her attention.

  At first, she didn’t see him when she turned her head. But then she looked down, and her breath caught to see him on one knee.

  “I was going to do this at dinner,” he admitted. “But you’re just so happy right now, and this is the place where it all began, so it kind of feels like the right time.” He laughed. “I hope, anyway.”

  Mia felt a little dizzy, unable to believe what was happening in front of her. As he carefully opened a small box and showed her a dainty, diamond ring inside - the stones weren’t too large, exactly as she preferred it - she wound her hands through Patches’ mane for support.

  “Mia, we’ve been together for two years now,” Stephane said, clearing his throat. He was nervous, she could see it in the slightly shaky quality of his smile. “I know there was part of you, in the beginning, that didn’t really believe we’d last so long, but we did.” His smile softened. “I promised you, didn’t I? I told you that I’d spend every day proving to you just how much I loved you. I hope I’ve lived up to that.”

  Mia bit back a sob, not wanting to interrupt him. They’d had their ups and downs, of course, but he had more than fulfilled that promise.

  He drew in a deep breath. “Now, I want to take it a step further. Two years ago, I promised you that I was going to be yours. But I want to further that promise, Mia. If you’ll have me, I want to promise you that I’ll be yours for the rest of our lives. So, Mia Arnold, my beautiful swan, will you marry me?”

  She choked out a laugh and threw herself forward, her arms winding around his neck. Somewhere in there she thought she might have said, “Yes”, as she peppered him in kisses, but she wasn’t sure. Stephane laughed though and stood, picking her up by the waist and spinning them around.

  When he put her down, looking giddy with excitement, he took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger. It fitted perfectly, and she suddenly remembered her sister bullying her into ring shopping, making her write down the sizes of each of their fingers – on both hands – before leaving the store without buy anything. She laughed tearfully; Lisa,
who had supported their relationship from the moment she realized it was there and who had become Stephane’s best friend somewhere along the way, was such a sneak. She should have realized something was up, but she had been too busy being exasperated and apologizing to the startled store clerk.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said, laughing. “Remind me to thank Lisa for helping you get the sizes.”

  “She wasn’t exactly inconspicuous,” he admitted.

  “No, which is why it’s even worse that I didn’t see through it,” Mia said.

  Stephane just smiled and leaned down to draw her into a kiss. When he pulled back, she smiled up at him, completely content. Two years ago, she hadn’t been sure of the shaky path she was walking down. Now however, she knew exactly where she was going.

  She reached out and took her new fiancé’s hand. She and Stephane were heading straight toward their happy ending.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ROSE CHAPMAN

  When Rose is not busy with her sexy as hell hubby and her 2 Fox Terrier, she spends the rest of her time in her small library sculpting her next billionaire bad boy. She perseveres in making him come alive even though she is often interrupted by a super jealous husband.

  Rose first started writing at the age of seventeen but never had the courage to show anyone her novels until her husband came along. With his encouragement, she decided to publish her first book. And never has she regretted her decision since.

  But she is extremely doubtful that her husband feels the same especially when she describes her next steamy hunk.

  To discover her macho men with a bad attitude, Rose invites you into her world of naughty deeds.

  LINDSEY HART

  Lindsey Hart is a married mom of a two-year old and lives in Ohio with her husband and two furry ball Persian cats who take themselves as the owners of the house.

  She specializes in sweet to extra hot and dirty romance and strongly believes in happily ever after. If you are looking for a page turner, then you are in for a wild and naughty ride with feisty heroines and alpha male heroes.