Claimed By Him: (Contemporary Romance Box Set)

by Alexis Winter

  Her eyebrows skyrocket and eyes go wide. “Everything! What happened to you at the ranch? What exactly was going on when I walked in here a little while ago with you and that sexy billionaire?”

  A puff of air leaves my mouth. “I got knocked in the head by a horse. It’s not as bad as it sounds. I was already falling backward because when it went up on its back legs, it scared me. I jumped and fell backward. Its hooves clipped me coming down. Liam found me.”

  “And?”

  I roll my eyes. “And he stripped me down, cleaned me up, and bandaged all my cuts. I stayed there last night.” Finally, I chance looking at her.

  “Did you two…?” She wags her eyebrows at me with a big grin.

  “No way. My head is still pounding. We ended up talking most of the night though. When I woke up, he was holding my hand.” A smile spreads across my face.

  “It looked like you two were about to rip each other’s clothes off when I walked in here.”

  “Yeah, you have awesome timing,” I joke, ripping off a piece of my grilled cheese.

  “Didn’t you say he had a girlfriend who is a supermodel or something?”

  I shrug. “That’s what Tyler told me, but who knows if it’s true. Liam hasn’t mentioned her.”

  “You think Tyler made it up, so you’d pick him instead of Liam?” She cocks her head to the side while studying me.

  “Who knows? All I know is that he isn’t too happy with me right now.” I eat a spoonful of my soup. “I never wanted to hurt him. I told him from the beginning I wasn’t looking for a relationship. It’s not like I’ve been leading him on.”

  “You’ve kind of, though.”

  I jerk my head in her direction. “How? Friends. That’s what we are.”

  “I told you that he was using that friendship card as a way to get to you. He’s been hoping it would turn into more.”

  “Well, it’s not my fault. I never let him believe I wanted more. If he’s hurt, it’s his fault for not listening to me.” With each word, my voice gets higher and higher.

  “Okay, jeez. Concussions make you cranky. How about we just watch a movie?” She rolls over and grabs the remote off my bedside table.

  I spend the rest of the day in bed, but I think Amy got more sleep than I did. I can’t stop thinking about Liam and that almost-kiss. I close my eyes and imagine how it would have gone. His soft lips touching mine, my tongue sliding against his, our hands feeling their way around one another’s bodies. It makes me clench every muscle to keep the tingles of anticipation away.

  I drift in and out of sleep for most of the night. When six a.m. rolls around, I get up and take a long, hot shower. When I step out, Amy is standing in the hall, arms crossed over her chest and tapping her foot, giving me a nasty look.

  “I feel better,” I tell her, forcing a wide smile to my face and stepping past her to enter my room.

  “What if you passed out in there? You could have drowned,” she bitches, following me.

  I step into my walk-in closet for some privacy to get dressed. “I’m fine, Amy. Don’t be such a worrywart.” I tug on a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt.

  When I step back out, she’s standing at the center of the floor with her hand on her hip. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know. I’m just tired of being cooped up. I figured I’d run by the clinic, check messages and emails. Pay some bills, maybe run by the store and get some groceries.”

  She points at her chest. “Let me get a shower, and I’ll drive you. I’m not leaving you alone.”

  I roll my eyes and scoff. “Fine. Hurry up.”

  I sit down at my vanity to blow-dry my hair and to change the bandage on my forehead. The cut isn’t big, but there is a small bruise starting to form around it. The butterfly stitches hold it closed nicely, and I pray that there isn’t too big of a scar left when it heals.

  Amy and I spend the day running around. She helps me put up my groceries, then leaves to go home. For the first time in two days, I’m finally alone.

  I order a pizza and cuddle up on the couch with Ace to watch some tv until my pizza arrives. At the knock on the door, I push myself up to open the door, expecting to find the pizza man, but to my surprise, it’s Liam.

  “Oh, hey.” I feel my smile widen on its own.

  “You’re looking better.” His blue eyes start at my feet and slowly travel up my body. When his eyes meet mine, they darken.

  “I feel better. Would you like to come in? I was just waiting on my pizza.” I step back to give him room to walk in.

  “You’re alone?” he asks, looking around the kitchen and into the living room.

  “Yeah, Amy just left. She’s been here since yesterday.” Someone knocks on the door, and I open the door to find my pizza.

  I quickly hand over the cash and turn back around to face Liam. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”

  His smile widens as he nods. “Sure.” At this moment, with his smile and bright eyes, he looks completely carefree. Nothing like the businessman I had met, dressed in a suit. Now, he seems laid back with his dark jeans and blue t-shirt that fit his frame perfectly.

  “Grab the six-pack out of the fridge, would ya?” I head to the living room, placing the pizza box on the coffee table.

  He walks in holding the six-pack to his side. His navy-blue t-shirt clings to his muscular chest, and the sleeves stretch around his massive biceps. His sun-kissed skin looks soft and smooth, and his dark hair is perfectly in place. Just watching him walk toward me reminds me of the things I’ve been dreaming about. I squeeze my thighs together to hold back the urges that are bubbling up.

  He opens a bottle and hands it over, then opens one for himself. He holds up his bottle and clanks it against the neck of mine. “To a speedy recovery.”

  “Cheers,” I whisper, breathless from the way his blue eyes seem to be searching for something in the depths of my soul.

  We both take long drinks and set our bottles off to the side. He picks up the pizza box and I grab a slice. He takes one for his own before putting the box back in its place. I force my eyes to the tv, trying to keep my attention on anything but him.

  “Did Tyler manage to get that tree cleaned up?”

  He nods since his mouth is full.

  “How’s Lucy and the other horses?”

  He swallows and turns to face me. “Everything is fine, Ves. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

  “I know.” I take a small bite. “I just hate being cooped up, you know? I want to be out there, helping, doing my part.”

  “The world won’t crumble if you take a few days to yourself, Ves. Take your time. Relax. Heal.”

  “Thank you,” I tell him, still looking at the tv.

  “For what?” I see him turn to face me from the corner of my eye.

  I turn to face him. “For being you. For finding me and taking care of me. For checking on me.” I smile. “For everything.”

  “You’re welcome.” The intensity in his blue eyes nearly melts my panties, but other than our almost kiss, he’s never tried to make a move. I don’t even know if he likes me romantically or if he was just wound up tight from removing my clothes.

  I try to turn off my brain, forcing myself to watch tv and eat my pizza. After we’ve both finished, I shut off the tv and turn my whole body until it’s facing his.

  “About the other day?”

  “What about it?” He looks at me, but his face shows no emotion. He’s playing it cool, and I feel anything but.

  “We almost kissed, Liam.” I feel stupid for stating the obvious.

  He nods once. “I know.”

  That’s it? I know? “Well, what does that mean?”

  He shrugs. “I don’t know.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees and shaking his head. “I don’t want to complicate things.”

  “I’ve imagined kissing your lips since the first time I heard your voice over the phone and getting to know you lately ha
s only intensified that urge.” My stomach is tingling with excitement and nervousness. I can’t believe I just said that. But it almost seemed like he was chickening out or looking for a way to erase the moment we almost had.

  “I…” he begins but lets his sentence fall silent as our eyes lock.

  We’re looking at one another, not moving, not saying anything but I can feel the current between us charging. Slowly, I lean in, and so does he. He wets his lips and I swallow down every ounce of nervousness that’s bubbling up my throat. My eyes flutter close when his hand comes up and cups my cheek. I breathe in deeply, and his scent washes over me like a breath of fresh air. Finally, our lips meet. They move softly and slowly at first, allowing the kiss to last as long as possible. But when his tongue slides into my mouth, something inside of me breaks through every wall I’ve built to hold back these feelings.

  My hands wrap around his neck, pulling him closer. But even that isn’t close enough. He lets his hands fall from my face as he reaches out and picks me up, setting me down on his lap. His hands hold my hips tightly, squeezing as they begin to tour my body. Sliding up the back of my shirt while continuing to pull me as close as he can get me. I can feel him harden beneath me, and a fire engulfs my body, boiling my blood. Every place he touches tingles with excitement.

  My hips seem to have a mind of their own as they begin rocking against his hardness. His hands squeeze my hips, stilling them as he breaks the kiss.

  “Ves, if you don’t stop, there will be no stopping me from fucking you right here on this couch,” he grounds out.

  “That’s exactly what I want, Liam,” I whisper, moving back in for another kiss.

  But he pulls away. “Ves, this is not how I want this to go.” He picks me back up and sets me on the couch while he stands and begins pacing. I feel cold and lonely without him to hold onto, not to mention embarrassed because I’ve been denied what I’ve been dreaming about for so long now.

  “I don’t know what’s going to happen with us, Ves, but I do know that I don’t want it like this.” He stops and narrows his eyes on me. “I want you. I do. But there are too many obstacles between us right now. And when we come together, I want it just to be you and me.” He drops down to his knees before me. “I said when, not if. It will happen. No ifs about it.”

  I have no idea what he’s saying, but I don’t care. I’m lost in his passion and intensity. I can’t say anything or argue. All I do is nod my head while getting lost in those dark blue eyes, enjoying the tingles that statement brought on.

  14

  When I wake up the next morning, I have to force myself to go to work when all I want to do is go to the ranch and see Liam. I don’t know what he meant by too many obstacles in the way. Did he mean my job? Tyler? That supermodel girlfriend that he supposedly has?

  I know that I’m going to be late for work, but something gets the better of me and I pass by the clinic, heading toward the ranch. I drive as quickly as possible, and I’m pulling up twenty minutes later. I know it’s crazy of me just to show up unexpected and demand answers, but I have to know.

  I park the car and rush around to the barn just as Tyler is walking out to see who pulled up.

  “Oh, hey.” I come to a stop several feet from him.

  “Hey.” He nods.

  “Have you seen Liam this morning?”

  Tyler rubs the back of his neck with his right hand and shakes his head. “He took off last night after he got home. I don’t know when he’ll be back.”

  He left? After he got back from my place last night? He didn’t even say anything. “Oh. Okay.” I hang my head, looking at my feet.

  “I warned you about him, didn’t I? I told you he’d just use you. Now look at you.” I look up in time to see him wave his hand toward me. “He took what he wanted and ran off. Didn’t even say goodbye.”

  I shake my head. “We didn’t…”

  But he doesn’t stay to listen. Instead, he turns around and walks back into the barn.

  I walk into the clinic feeling let down. I finally felt like we were getting somewhere, and he just leaves? Is he running away? If he is, from what? From me? He knows that I’m not looking for a relationship, so what could he be running from?

  I don’t believe the things Tyler said about him being a playboy. If he was, he easily could have taken what he wanted from me last night, but he didn’t. I just wish I understood what was going on before I lose my mind.

  “What are you thinking so hard about?” Amy asks, popping her head into my office.

  I shake my head and push my hair behind my ear. “It’s nothing. Just…” I bring my eyes back to her. “It’s nothing. What’s up?”

  She walks into my office and sits in the empty chair across from my desk. “I know things have been a bit overwhelming for you lately, and I was thinking…” She smiles wide. “What do you say we take a weekend off? We can get a hotel and skip town for a few days. You can avoid that ranch, along with Tyler and Mr. Sexy Billionaire. We can just have a girls’ weekend: lounging by a pool or on a beach, drinking, partying?”

  I smile. “That sounds amazing, Aims, but I don’t know. I have so much stuff to do. I need to look over all these invoices and return a countless amount of emails.”

  She shakes her head and leans forward. “No. All that can wait. You need to take some time off, woman. You work yourself to death. I mean, what can go wrong in one weekend?”

  Maybe she’s right. It would be nice to get away for a while, maybe even forget about the ranch and Mr. Sexy Billionaire, as she calls him.

  I smile and nod. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  “Yay!” she squeals and claps while bouncing in her seat. She stands up and rushes toward the door, turning back to face me before exiting. “Let’s close up and go pack.”

  “Pick me up in an hour!” I call out.

  She rushes out the door, and I turn back to my computer to finish the email I was typing. Once I hit send, I shut down the computer, turn off the lights, and lock the building behind me. I rush home and pull out my bag to start packing. Ace jumps up on the bed, reminding me that I need to call Mom and ask her to pop in and feed him. I pull my phone from my back pocket and dial her number.

  “Hey, honey,” she answers on the third ring.

  “Hey, Mom. Amy and I are running away for the weekend. Would you mind coming over and feeding Ace?”

  “Of course not. Where are you going?”

  I grab my bikini and toss it into the bag on my bed. “Not sure, exactly.”

  “Well, doesn’t that sound fun. You guys be careful. And call me so I know you're safe and haven’t been kidnapped or arrested or something.” She laughs.

  “I will. Remember, Ace likes to eat twice a day, and don’t feed him both amounts all at once so you don’t have to come as often. He will scarf it down and then leave a trail of vomit around the house.”

  “I know how that weird cat functions. No need to remind me.”

  I laugh. “Okay, Mom. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Love you.”

  “Love you too,” I hang up the phone and get back to packing for the weekend.

  I hear my front door open and slam shut. “Let’s get this party started!” Amy yells as she bounces her way through the house, walking into my room.

  “What are you wearing, bitch? We can’t go to San Diego with you dressed like that!”

  “San Diego? I thought we were just taking a girls weekend?”

  She smiles. “We are…in San Diego. A whole weekend of lying on the beach and catching the rays.” She holds her arms out at her side and falls backward onto my bed. “I’ve already bought the plane tickets, so there’s no backing out of it.”

  I laugh and roll my eyes, pulling the phone from my pocket to text Mom where I’ll be.

  A few hours later, our plane is landing in San Diego just as the sun is beginning to set.

  “It’s so beautiful here,” I mumble as I’m watching the sun set over the beach from my
cab, counting each palm tree as we pass.

  “I know. God, why didn’t we move here after college instead of going back home?”

  I shrug. “I love our home, but I could totally move here and become a beach bum.”

  Amy smiles wide and nods her head. “God yes! I could totally date some hot surfer guys. They’re much cuter than the cowboys we have at home.”

  My mouth drops open. “Are you kidding me? I love a sexy cowboy.” Already, my mind drifts off to Liam, imaging him wrangling a horse as the sun beats off his sweaty, muscular chest.

  “No way. I’d rather see a tan, shirtless guy in boardshorts all day long, water rolling down his hard chest and abs.” Her eyes glaze over from thinking about it.

  The cab pulls up to our hotel and I slip him some cash as we exit the car. We’re both handed our bags as we start toward the doors.

  “It’s a little late for the beach today. What do you say we grab some dinner and then check out the nightlife?”

  “Sounds good to me,” I answer.

  We make it to our room and I flop down on the bed while Amy starts pulling clothes out of her bag. “Please tell me you brought that black dress for tonight.”

  I twist my head until I can see her standing on the other side of her bed. “No, I thought we were hanging out by the water, not clubbing.”

  She rolls her eyes and scoffs. “We take every opportunity for clubbing, Ves!” She reaches into her bag and pulls out her clothes, dropping them onto the bed and picking through them. “Here, you can wear this.” She holds up a short black skirt and a top that is completely backless.

  I stand and jerk the clothing from her hand, looking it over. “Why don’t I just walk around naked?”

  She sticks out her bottom lip and shrugs one shoulder. “That’ll work too.”

  15

  Amy manages to get me in the short skirt and halter top. She even threatens to hold me down to do my hair and makeup. By the time I’m walking out of the hotel room, I feel like her doll. But my stomach is rumbling, and I’m more than ready to relax with a few drinks, so I quit fighting her. It’s not like anyone knows me here anyway.