Beautiful Mistakes: Contemporary Romance Boxset Books 1-4

by Victoria Snow

  Perhaps, I told myself, I'd been so focused on worrying about the scandal, about the legal complications surrounding the issue, that I'd been ignoring what my own heart had been telling me.

  I got up, pacing back and forth in front of the table. I scrubbed a hand across my face. “Jillian, what you're asking me is...is...”

  “Is for the truth,” she said. “Plain and simple.”

  I turned to face her.

  She continued, “If you don't want me, Jack, then just tell me. Tell me you don't care about me, that you don't have any room in your heart for me. I'll sign the papers tonight, and I'll leave. I'll find a new job, and I'll be out of your life forever.”

  “Jillian...”

  She held up a hand to silence me. “But if you can find any place in your heart for me, Jack, then tell me right now. Tell me so that we can get past all of this, and we can finally be together.”

  I didn't know what to say. But when I stood there, looking down at her, so beautiful in her ugly Christmas sweater, I couldn't fight the feelings inside of me. I didn't want to see her leave. I didn't want her to be gone from my life. The idea of never seeing her again filled me with dread.

  I cupped her cheeks in my hands, leaned down, and pressed my lips against hers.

  She stood up, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. Her lips tasted sweet, like strawberries, and her body was warm and firm pressed against mine. Holding her like this, sharing this intimate moment together, felt right. Maybe, I told myself, I could follow my heart after all.

  Something about the way she felt in my arms was different. She felt bigger than I remembered. I took a step back, looking down at her in her baggy sweater. A slight frown crossed my face.

  Jillian sighed, a wry smirk crossing her lips. “Well, Jack, I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you.”

  She lifted her sweater, revealing a firm, bulging belly.

  “I'm pregnant, Jack.”

  It was then that I heard a gasp from across the room.

  I looked over at the door.

  Kelsey was standing there.

  9

  Jillian

  I followed Jack's gaze. There she was. Kelsey. Standing right by the door. She was staring at us. At me. At my pregnant belly. I was far enough along now that it was pretty obvious. I'd been wearing baggy clothes to conceal the baby bump, though I'd suspected for awhile now that someone would be bound to notice. A couple of my coworkers had commented about me putting on weight. I'd called them assholes and told them to mind their business. No one had said anything after that.

  But now the secret was out. Exposed in front of the one woman with the power to ruin everything. Kelsey ran the entire office. Everyone thought of her as the power behind the throne, the one who took Jack's vision and turned it into reality. If she wanted to, she could absolutely ruin me with this knowledge.

  Jack raised a hand towards her. “Kelsey,” he said. “This isn't what it—”

  “Yes it is,” I snapped, turning away from Kelsey and shooting him a glare. I knew I shouldn't have told the truth just then, but I was pissed off at the idea that he would deny that it was his child, after everything that had happened so far.

  “I should...I should go,” Kelsey said. She started backing her way towards the door.

  “Kelsey, wait,” Jack said. He took a step towards her.

  I put a hand on his arm, stopping him. This didn't seem like something he could handle. He was the boss, and he was used to people following his orders. But this wasn't about work, and it wasn't something he could make go away just by telling people what he wanted done.

  “Let me talk to her,” I said.

  He frowned, but nodded. Jack remained behind while I hurried out the door, moving as quick as I could to catch up to Kelsey. I wasn't so far along in my pregnancy that I was waddling yet, but I'd definitely lost some of my speed, and I'd never been that coordinated to begin with. I stumbled a bit as I made my way to the stairs, calling out Kelsey's name.

  I stopped at the top of the stairs. I called out to her, “Please, wait! Don't make me rush down the stairs to catch up to you.”

  I stood there, holding the railing, panting. I was already out of breath.

  Kelsey was halfway down the stairs. She looked up at me. She had a half-empty wine glass in her hand. She looked a little bit tipsy.

  “Kelsey, please.”

  She considered me for a moment. I didn't really know how she'd react. We weren't friends. If anything, she intimidated me. I had never thought that I would stand up to her about anything. But this was too important for me to just give in. I couldn't let her run off, knowing what she knew, without trying to find a way to smooth things over.

  Kelsey stared up at me. She downed the rest of her wine, then set the empty glass down on the stairs. She slowly climbed up to meet me, her eyes locked onto mine.

  When she stood in front of me, Kelsey crossed her arms, staring me down. “What do you want me to say?” she asked.

  “Look,” I said. “This isn't really your business. I mean, what were you even doing up here, anyway? The party is downstairs.”

  She raised her chin. “I could ask what you were doing up here, but I think the answer is obvious.”

  I rolled my eyes at her, waiting for a more serious response.

  “I was looking for Jack,” she said. “He disappeared from the party, and everyone was wondering where he went. I asked one of the wait staff. They said he'd also rented a room up here for a more private dinner. I had my suspicions, but I guess I wanted to see it with my own eyes.”

  I rubbed a hand over my eyes. I wondered how long Kelsey had known something was going on between me and Jack. “What are you going to do?” I asked. “Are you going to tell everyone?”

  “Of course not,” she said, sneering at me. “I'm not a gossip hound. But that doesn't mean you can think you'll get away with this.”

  “Get away with what?” I asked.

  She gestured back down the hall, towards the room where Jack waited. “Seducing Jack. Using him.”

  “Using him?” My jaw dropped open. “What is that supposed to mean? How am I using him?”

  “Luring him in with your charms and your low-cut blouses. Don't think I didn't see what you were doing. It's disgusting.”

  I took a step back. I felt like she'd slapped me across the face. “Now, just a damn minute...”

  “No, Jillian.” She made a dismissive wave with her hand. “I don't want to hear it. Don't go acting all innocent here. You're the lowest ranking member of the totem pole, hidden away down at your tiny desk in Social Media. You don't think I can tell what you were thinking? Jack's single, he's rich, and I of all people know he's got a soft heart. What I want to know is, is he even the father? Or did you get pregnant, then fuck him just to trick him into accepting paternity so you could cash in?”

  My jaw hung wide open. My face turned red. I stammered, unable to find any words. I couldn't believe the things she was accusing me of. I'd never been spoken to this way in my entire life.

  “What, aren't you even going to deny it?” She took a step closer, jabbing a finger against my chest. “Try to act all innocent, like it all happened by accident? As if someone like Jack would ever fall for someone as pathetic and useless as you.”

  Tears filled my eyes. My chest felt tight. I couldn't believe the way she'd spoken to me. Kelsey and I had never exactly been friends, but I'd never expected she could turn on me like this.

  I licked my lips. I shook my head, unable to find the words to deny the lies she was throwing at me.

  “That's sad, Jillian,” she said, turning away. “You can do whatever you want, but I'm going to make sure you don't ruin Jack's career. And if he won't wise up enough on his own to do what needs to be done, you can be damn sure I'll take care of it. Even if I need to get his lawyers involved.”

  She was down the stairs and gone before I could compose myself enough to say anything. I stood there in the hall for a few mi
nutes, trying to figure out what to do. Part of me wanted to chase after her, to tell her that she was wrong, that it wasn't like that at all. I wanted to explain to her that I had real feelings for Jack. That he and I were meant to be together.

  I couldn't get myself together enough to even try. I turned back towards the room where Jack was waiting. When I stepped inside, I saw him pacing back and forth in front of the table, where our uneaten food was still sitting, getting cold.

  He looked up at me, a worried expression in his dark eyes. “What happened?” he asked. “What did she say?”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a choked sob.

  Jack came towards me, wrapping his arms around me. I buried my face against his shoulder, crying into his shirt. He held me close, stroking my hair and making soft shushing noises.

  “There, there, darling. It's okay. Everything is going to be okay.”

  I pulled back for a moment, looking up at him through tear-filled eyes. “You called me 'darling',” I whispered.

  A small smile touched his lips.

  Then he leaned down and kissed me.

  For just a moment, I forgot about Kelsey and her threats. I forgot about the risk to my job and my reputation. Even if the rest of my life were still in a state of upheaval, I had accomplished one thing tonight.

  I had Jack. And he wasn't letting me go this time.

  I leaned against him once more, hugging him tight against me. I didn't want to be apart from him now.

  “Can we go?” I asked.

  “Go where?”

  “Anywhere,” I said. “I just need to be away from here. Away from people. Can we be alone together?”

  He looked down at me, caressing my cheek. He nodded. “Of course, darling.”

  He led me downstairs. We went to his car. He didn't ask me any more about what Kelsey had said. I knew we'd have to face the consequences of that encounter soon enough, but for tonight, for right now, it didn't matter. What mattered tonight was us sharing a moment together. Just the two of us.

  We drove in silence for a time, leaving the party behind us. I wondered if the others back there would notice that I'd gone. If they would wonder why I'd disappeared. If they would deduce, as Kelsey had, that I'd run off somewhere with Jack.

  I told myself not to care what anyone else thought. It wasn't quite that easy, but telling myself that helped a little bit, at least.

  Before long, we pulled into the parking level of Jack's building. I was a bit surprised that he'd brought me here. I'd never been to his home before. It felt like a far more intimate gesture than a romantic dinner. Jack was a very private person, and somehow I didn't think he would invite just any old girl over to his place.

  We got out of the car and took the elevator up to his apartment. It was more stark and simply decorated than I'd expected. The furniture was all black leather and steel, with a glass-topped coffee table and a huge TV mounted to one wall. There were a few framed movie posters hanging on the walls, mostly from old superhero movies. A bookshelf sat against one wall, filled with a mixture of technical manuals, old sci fi novels, and comic books.

  I looked over the bookshelf. “Comics? I would never have expected that from you, Jack.”

  “I consider those to be the finest literature, actually,” he said. He pulled one off the shelf and showed it to me. It was kept in a plastic sleeve, with a cardboard backing to keep the pages from being bent. “And quite valuable. I always loved comics when I was a teenager. My father called them a waste of time.” He smiled at the little book in his hands. “I was determined to prove he was wrong, so I started researching comic trades, so I could learn the real value of them. I bought my first car after I sold a collection of X-Men comics for over $5000.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “My father was shocked. But he never questioned my sense for business again.”

  “Hmm.” I looked over the cover of the comic book. It had a woman on it wearing tight spandex clothes that showed off her unrealistically large tits. “I guess I never saw the appeal. But if they can really be that valuable...”

  “You'd be surprised,” he said, tucking the comic back on the shelf where it belonged.

  He showed me around the rest of the apartment. I was feeling calmer now, with the fight with Kelsey mostly pushed out of my mind. Being in Jack's home made me feel relaxed. I felt welcomed here. Like I belonged.

  I sat down on the couch. The leather was soft, and I felt like I could just sink into the cushions and fall asleep. It had been a long night.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” Jack asked. “Nonalcoholic, I mean.”

  “Just water would be fine, thanks.”

  He brought me a glass of ice cold water. I took a few sips, then held the glass against my forehead. Jack sat next to me, touching a hand against my back. He rubbed his fingers gently between my shoulder blades.

  “That feels nice,” I said. I shifted position to give him easier access.

  He put both hands on my back, rubbing me through my sweater. The wool was a bit itchy, and it was even itchier with Jack pressing the fabric against my skin. I actually really hated this sweater. One of my aunts had given it to me as a Christmas present years ago. She hand-knitted gifts for most of the family every year. I would never have worn it, if not for the need to cover my pregnant belly.

  There was no need for that now, though. I reached down and pulled the sweater up over my head.

  “Here,” I said. “This will work better.”

  Jack hesitated for a moment, then touched his fingers against the bare skin of my back. All I had on under the sweater was a thin tank top. The spaghetti straps and sheer fabric left little to the imagination. Not that it was anything Jack hadn't seen before.

  I leaned back into his touch. Jack's fingers massaged my tender skin, working out the tension I'd been building up for months. He had a magical touch, working his fingers gently yet firmly, responding to each soft noise I made when he touched me in just the right spot. Jack had touched me in many ways before, including some ways that most people would consider far more erotic than a simple back massage. But the simple, loving gesture of him rubbing my back to release my tension was somehow more intimate than anything we had ever shared before.

  I pulled off my tank top, leaving my back bare and exposing my breasts. I sat there on the sofa with Jack, my arms wrapped around my swollen belly, letting him massage all of my worries away.

  The longer Jack touched me, the more it made me feel warm all over. It had been so long since he'd touched me. Too long.

  I shifted my position, pulling his arms around me and pressing my back against him. I leaned my head against his shoulder.

  “Do you really want me, Jack?” I whispered.

  “More than anything,” he said.

  “Are you sure?” I closed my eyes, remembering when he'd said something similar to me once before.

  “Yes,” he said. “I was trying to deny it, but I know now. This is what I want.”

  I placed his hands over my belly. He held me, and our unborn baby. We sat there in silence for a long moment, sharing our first true time together as a family.

  After a while, I said, “It's getting late.”

  “Yes,” Jack said. “It is.”

  “I don't want to leave,” I said, pulling his arms tighter around me.

  “You don't have to.”

  “I can stay?”

  He nodded against my shoulder. “You can stay for as long as you like. Forever.”

  I twisted around in his arms, pulling him close and pressing my lips against his.

  He kissed me, his hands gingerly touching my belly. I reached down and took his hand, raising it up to my breast. He gave it a firm, loving squeeze.

  “Be gentle,” I whispered. “They're sensitive.”

  He nodded, his fingers gently massaging my nipples. His touch sent warm tingles down my body and between my legs.

  I kissed his neck, reaching down to undo his pants.


  “Are you sure this is okay?” he asked.

  I giggled, tugging his pants down. “Oh, Jack. You act like we haven't done this before.”

  “I mean, since you're pregnant,” he said.

  “Oh.” I smiled sweetly at him, caressing his face. “Don't worry. The doctor said it's perfectly safe. I just need a comfortable position.”

  I pulled my pants down, then turned around on the couch. I grabbed one of the throw pillows, placing it under me as I got on my hands and knees on the couch. With the pillow supporting my weight, I felt relaxed and ready. I looked at Jack over my shoulder, giggling.

  He grinned, reaching out to grab my ass with both hands. He massaged my ass cheeks, shifting himself on the couch until his hard cock was pressed up against me from behind.

  I braced my head against the arm of the couch, closing my eyes as he rubbed his cock against my ass. It felt so naughty, being in this position, about to be taken from behind like this.

  I felt Jack's cock brush up against my butthole.

  I tensed up.

  “Jack...”

  “Shh.” He grabbed my hips, rubbing himself gently against me. “I'll be gentle.”

  I lowered my head again, holding my breath. I clutched tightly to the throw pillow, my entire body on edge. I'd given every other part of myself to Jack, but this was something new. I'd just been expecting him to fuck me doggy style. Instead, he was pressing up against the only virgin hole I had left.

  I bit my lip, telling myself it was okay. I didn't want to have any barriers with him. I wanted to give every part of myself to Jack. If we were going to be together, if he was going to be mine, then I would have to let myself be his, fully and completely.

  I winced as his thick cock slowly stretched me out, working its way inside. I let out a sharp gasp, a mixture of pain and pleasure as the unfamiliar, yet not entirely unwanted sensation filled me. It felt so strange, yet nice. I wanted more.