by Nella Tyler
“I would have gone through with it anyway,” Chase repeated. “My love for you was never conditional, Lauren. I wasn’t investing in your business in hopes of reconciliation. I was doing it regardless of how things were going to go between us. It was my way of trying to make up for the fact that I wasn’t there for you in your hour of need.”
I shook my head. “Chase, I don’t know what to say.”
“Say that you’ll let the deal fall through,” he insisted. “Say that you’ll accept my help and my love.”
“I have accepted your love,” I told him.
“Then you shouldn’t have a problem accepting anything else from me,” Chase said adamantly. “We’re a team now, right?”
“Chase—”
“I know you’ve always wanted to do this on your own, Lauren,” he said. “I understand that and I respect it. But the fact is you’re not alone anymore. You have me, and I am not the kind of man who will ever repeat the same mistakes again. I’m in this for the long haul, and I will never do anything again without you standing there next to me. You’re not alone anymore.”
They were beautiful words. They were words that filled me up and repaired all the little wounds that had been accumulating over the last four years. It was amazing how quickly they had disappeared. I believed Chase; I believed that he was telling the truth and he was never again going to break his promises to me. And how could I possibly resist that?
“Okay,” I said at last. “Let’s do this. Let’s do this together.”
Chase’s smile brightened up the whole room, and I melted into his arms as his lips fell over mine. He pushed me back onto the bed and moved on top of me as his hands started to traverse the planes of my body. His fingers grazed my skin with the lightest of touches, leaving me tingling and wanting more. Slowly, he peeled away my dress, unhooked my bra, and slid down my panties until I was lying naked beneath him.
I understood the promise in his slow and sensual movements. This time wasn’t going to be like the first when it had been just about sex and nothing else. He had wanted to talk about love that night, but I had stopped him. My body had craved his, but my mind was still wounded and I hadn’t been ready for gentle caresses and passionate kisses. I had wanted nothing but violent fucking.
This night was so completely different, and we could both feel it. There was the intoxicating smell of lust and desire circling both of us, but it was heightened by our feelings, by our love for one another. Chase pushed himself off the bed and undressed himself while I watched hungrily.
His body was made of smooth, flat planes and ripped muscles that flexed with the slightest movement. His penis stood hard and erect, and I moistened at the sight of it. He lowered himself on top of me again as he grinded against me and I moaned at the feel of his erection against my inner thigh. I reached for his penis and clasped it firmly in my hands as his mouth came down over my left nipple.
He sucked gently, teasing me by running his tongue over my nipples. Then he slid lower down, kissing my breasts and my stomach until he was settled right between my legs.
“I want you inside me,” I moaned wriggling under his hands.
“Not yet,” Chase murmured. “I want to make you cum first.”
His tongue sent ripples of pleasure colliding through my body like heat waves. My back arched of its own accord and I had to remind myself that I would wake up the whole house if I gave into the screams echoing in the back of my head. He made me cum faster than I could possibly have imagined and then he was sliding into me and my world seemed to right itself.
I clung to him as he gazed down at me, his eyes boring into mine as he fucked me slowly, taking his time and allowing the moment to build. Our hands entwined over my head and our breathing mixed together until I couldn’t tell which was which.
At the beginning of this night, I had believed I’d found Chase again. But I’d been wrong. It wasn’t Chase I had found. It was myself.
I could see it all perfectly and it had never been clearer or more comforting. I could see the future in his eyes. I could see my future in his eyes.
One Year Later
Epilogue
Chase
“Ow,” Lauren’s voice was a whisper, but it seemed to amplify in my ears.
“Are you all right?” I gasped kneeling down so that I was at eye level with her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, darling,” Lauren said gently in the same voice she used on Cole. “Just another contraction.”
“They’re coming closer together now,” I rattled off. “All the books say that that means the baby is coming.”
“Mmm,” Lauren responded, closing her eyes as another contraction hit.
I ran my hand up and down her back hoping to soothe her, but my panic was starting to rise with each passing minute. “Don’t worry,” I said frantically. “It’s all going to be okay. Everything’s going to be just fine.”
Lauren smiled at me. “I know that,” she said tiredly. “I’ve done this before, remember?”
“Right,” I nodded returning her smile. “I forget sometimes.”
“Understandable,” she said, taking my hand as she winced noticeably.
“Where are the damn nurses?” I said through gritted teeth. “It’s been like thirty minutes.”
“It’s been three minutes,” Lauren reminded me.
“Really?” I said in genuine surprise. “It feels like longer.”
“That’s because you’re nervous,” she said comfortingly as she squeezed my hand. “They’ll be back the moment they find a private room for us.”
“But you’re in pain,” I said desperately.
“That sort of comes with the territory, hon,” she said with a small smile. “It’s necessary pain. Now stop worrying and stay calm. I’ll need you to be calm in the delivery room.”
Just at that moment, one of the nurses we had spoken to turned the corner. “Mr. and Mrs. Morgan,” she said with a reassuring smile. “You’re very lucky; a private room just became available. I’ll wheel you over there.”
She took a hold of Lauren’s wheelchair and started pushing. I walked beside the nurse, trying to remember to stay calm. “Is Doctor Farrow here?” I asked.
“She’s making the rounds,” the nurse nodded. “She’ll be in to check on your wife in just a moment.”
“Great,” I nodded as she led us to a small, private room in the west wing of the hospital. It had large windows and a little cot already set up on the side of the room.
I helped Lauren into the bed and tried to make her feel as comfortable as possible. Moments later, the doctor walked in and I breathed a small sigh of relief.
“Hello there,” Doctor Farrow said enthusiastically. “How’s my favorite couple doing?”
“Nervous,” Lauren smiled as she gestured to me.
“Don’t you worry,” Doctor Farrow assured me as she checked on Lauren. “I’m going to make this as smooth and as easy as possible.”
“The contractions are coming quite close together, Doctor,” I said. “Does that mean we’re close?”
“Let me check Lauren’s cervix,” she replied as she slipped on some clean gloves and instructed Lauren to part her legs. “Hmm…you’re only about three centimeters dilated; we still have a way to go.”
“Isn’t that enough?” I asked.
“Not quite,” Doctor Farrow replied gently. “We’re going to have to be a little patient. I’ll be back to check on you in fifteen minutes.”
She left us to our private room and Lauren motioned for me to come closer to her. She gave me a half hug and placed a kiss on my check. “You really need to relax,” she said lightly. “This baby is going to be fine, just like with our first one.”
I nodded.
“Speaking of our first one, why don’t we check up on him?” Lauren suggested.
“Sure,” I nodded as I picked up my phone and dialed in my mother’s number.
She answered almost immediately. “Hello? Chase?�
��
“Hi, Mom,” I said. “We’re all checked in, we got a room at the hospital.”
“That’s great,” she replied. “How’s Lauren?”
“She’s doing well,” I said. “Better than I am, to be honest.”
“Nervous?”
“Very,” I sighed. “How’s the boy?”
“He’s been asking about the two of you every five minutes for the past hour,” Mom replied with a laugh. “He wants to know when we should leave for the hospital.”
“It’s going to be awhile, apparently,” I replied. “You guys stay put and relax. I’ll have Lauren’s Mom call you when Lauren goes into labor so that you can be here when the baby arrives.”
“Okay,” she agreed.
“Can you put Cole on?” I asked. “Lauren and I want to speak to him.”
“Sure,” Mom nodded as she transferred the call to Cole. I put my phone on speaker so that we could both hear.
“Mom?” Cole’s voice sounded as nervous as I felt. “Dad?”
“Hi, sweetheart,” Lauren spoke up immediately. “How are you? Are you having fun over at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s?”
“Grandpa let me help him with the car,” Cole replied.
I smiled. “That’s a real rite of passage, kid. Your Uncle Braden and I used to help him out with that car all the time when we were little.”
“Grandpa said he’d teach me to drive one day, too.”
Lauren laughed. “All in good time, my friend.”
“Mama, are you okay?” Cole’s little voice sounded more vulnerable when he was worried.
“Of course, baby,” Lauren assured him immediately. “I’m going to be just fine. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
“Grandma said that we couldn’t go to the hospital yet?”
“It’s too early,” I told him gently. “You’d have nothing to do but sit and wait. But we’ll let you know as soon as we can.”
“Don’t pick a name without me,” he said firmly, and Lauren and I exchanged a smile.
“We wouldn’t even think of it,” Lauren replied. “We’re going to wait for you.”
“Okay,” he said, sounding appeased.
“It’s late, honey,” Lauren said softly. “Why don’t you get to bed? Grandma will wake you when it’s time to meet your new baby sister.”
We said goodnight to Cole and then I held Lauren’s hand through the next wave of contractions. Every few minutes, a nurse came in and checked on her progress. It seemed we would have to wait a few more hours.
“Was it like this with Cole?” I asked.
“My labor wasn’t quite as long,” Lauren admitted. “But Doctor Farrow told me from the beginning that every pregnancy is different. This little one doesn’t seem to be in such a hurry to come out.”
“Well, I’m in a hurry to meet her,” I said feeling a spark of excitement at the thought of my daughter. “I can’t believe it’s finally time.”
“Me neither,” Lauren nodded. “I’m just thankful we got her room finished in time. I was so scared that the move would coincide with her birth and we wouldn’t have any place to put her.”
“It’s going to be a lot,” I nodded. “Adjusting to the new house and a new baby.”
“It’s going to be chaos,” she agreed. “But it’s the kind of chaos I thrive on.”
I leaned down and kissed her temple. “I don’t want you to worry about a thing okay? The gym will run itself. I don’t want you hurrying back to work because you feel you have to oversee things. I can do that for you.”
“How are you going to manage that between shifts at Camp Pendleton?” she asked with raised eyebrows.
“Easily,” I said. “I’ve arranged a flexible schedule out with Kelly and Grant for the three months that you’re going to be out on maternity leave. You won’t have to worry about a thing – just relax, recuperate, and trust in me.”
Lauren laughed. “You’ve been watching the Jungle Book with Cole again, haven’t you?”
“That movie is good,” I nodded.
Lauren closed her eyes as another contraction hit but this time she didn’t bounce back like she usually did. “Ow,” she moaned. “That one really hurt.”
“Let me get the doctor in here,” I told her as I pressed the button that would alert the nurses.
A moment later, Doctor Farrow walked in. “Hi, Lauren,” she said. “How are you doing?”
“The contractions are more painful,” she replied.
“Hmm,” Doctor Farrow said as she examined Lauren. “That’s because your little girl is ready to make her debut.”
“It’s time?” I almost gasped with expectation.
Doctor Farrow laughed. “It’s time,” she nodded. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
I had just enough time to pop my head into the hallway to alert Lauren’s mother that the baby was coming. Then I jumped back into the delivery room with my game face on. Lauren held fast to my hand as she pushed hard, her face growing red with exertion.
“Come on, Lauren,” I whispered in her ear. “We’re almost there.”
Twenty minutes later, the room was filled with the sounds of indignant newborn screaming and I honestly believed it was the best sound in the world.
“She’s here,” Doctor Farrow said, presenting me with a squalling, pink-faced infant. “Let’s get her cleaned up and then you can hold your new baby.”
I watched as the nurses cleaned up my brand-new daughter, swaddled her in a light-pink blanket, and handed her over to me as though she were a prize. I looked down at the little girl in my arms and I felt a tug of unconditional love wash over me.
This was what Lauren and I had fought so hard for. This was worth every decision and mistake and choice we had ever made in our lives. I bent down and kissed the baby on the forehead.
Then I walked over to where Lauren lay, tired and happy, and placed the baby in her arms. She cradled the baby as she stared down at her in amazement. “Wow,” she breathed. “I can’t believe you’re finally here.”
“Does she seem familiar?” I asked.
Lauren laughed. “You know what? She does, actually; I feel like I know her already.”
“She was inside you for nine months,” I nodded.
It was the perfect moment and the only thing that was missing was Cole. Lauren seemed to have read my mind because she looked up at me with questioning eyes. “Your parents should be here with Cole by now, right?”
“They should,” I nodded. “I’ll go see.”
I walked into the room five minutes later with our son in tow. He was bouncing on his feet, excited and nervous to meet his new sister. He stopped short when he saw Lauren on bed. “Is she okay?” he whispered to me.
“She’s perfectly fine,” I assured him as I led him towards Lauren and hoisted him onto the bed beside her.
“Hi, handsome,” Lauren said planting a kiss on his cheek. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” he replied, but he was looking only at the little, pink bundle in Lauren’s arms. “She’s so little.”
“You were this little once, too,” Lauren told him. “In fact, she looks exactly like you when you were born.”
“Really?” he asked with fascination.
“Yup,” Lauren assured him.
Cole looked up at me. “What are we going to name her?” he asked looking between the two of us.
“We had it narrowed down to three names, right?” I asked.
“Sarah, Emily, and Olivia,” he said immediately.
“That’s right,” I nodded as I glanced at Lauren. “You know what? Your Mom and I have been discussing it, and we both love all those names so much so we thought we’d let you decide.”
“Really?” Cole asked looking thrilled. “I get to choose her name?”
“Yup,” Lauren smiled. “We’ll go with whatever you decide.”
He leaned in and looked closely at his baby sister. “Her name is…Emily,” he said with flourish, and Laur
en and I laughed.
“Emily,” I repeated. “Emily Powell-Morgan. That sounds like her.”
Cole leaned in and started cooing at the baby. With our children lying between us, I locked eyes with Lauren. Neither one of us needed to speak to communicate in that moment; our whole world was right there. It was the kind of moment that made you believe in miracles.
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NAILING THE BILLIONAIRE
By Nella Tyler
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Nella Tyler
CHAPTER ONE: DEXTER
I ran a hand through my hair one more time in an attempt to tame it. Some mornings, it felt nearly impossible to grapple with the thick black mop of hair on my head, no matter how much I styled it. I knew I was late to meet with my father, but that didn’t stop me from fidgeting in the mirror just a little more. I double-checked my cufflinks, rebuttoned my suit once, twice, three times, and then finally stared at myself in the bathroom mirror.
What the hell are you doing? I turned my head, watched my own green eyes interrogate me with their unsettling brightness. You’ll never make him happy.
My phone went off, and I turned off the alarm I’d set to meet with my father. I exited the bathroom, took a deep breath, and walked down the hall and into the biggest office at the end of the hall. A plaque carefully placed in the center of the glass door read ‘Leonard Mason, CEO.’
I pushed the door open, and didn’t see my father at first. The enormous mahogany desk at the back of the room was empty, and so were the luxurious chairs that sat in front of it. I walked up to the desk, examined the name plaque with a repeat of my father’s name and title, and looked out the window; like my own office, this entire back wall was a window overlooking the city.