Forbidden Attraction: A Contemporary Romance Box Set

by K. C. Crowne

  Jared took back his phone and slipped it into his pocket.

  "He's in with some really serious people, Megan."

  His blue eyes were shining with a mixture of anger and concern.

  “Billy's out of my life now,” I told him “He got the message. And with any luck, he’s going to jail for slashing my tires and threatening me with a knife.”

  “Let's hope so. But him being tied in with Mario is bad news.”

  If I wasn't having a bad enough day already, the news of this tipped me over the edge. I lowered myself into my seat and rubbed at my forehead.

  You're going to have to tell him you're pregnant. Nothing's more important than that.

  But as I looked up at him, I couldn't quite bring myself to get the words out. Not then anyway.

  “Look,” he said, sitting beside me. “I know whatever we had together was... Well, like you said it was just a one-night thing, right?”

  Wrong. I wanted to live in that night forever.

  “But I do care about you,” he said. “And I don't want you getting into more of a mess with Billy and whatever shit he's involved in.”

  I cast my mind back, tried to think if there were any signs that Billy could be involved with the Mob, but I couldn't see any. He might have been a bit of a tough guy, but nothing more. At least that's what I thought.

  Looking back over at Jared, I immediately calmed in his presence. There was something about him that felt as though a safety net had been cast over me. I felt secure with him. Like I was wrapped in cotton wool. I had always prided myself on being fiercely independent, but he was the first person I could rely on to take my life in his hands.

  I reached the small divide between us and felt for the strength of his hand. He squeezed my fingers and right then, the spark was back between us like our bodies were connected by thousands of electric shocks.

  There was a flash of excitement in his eyes and he gripped me harder, rubbing the palm of my hand with his thumb. It felt so good to be touched by him again, and I couldn't stop myself leaning in closer and closer until I could feel his body heat.

  Don't do it. Don't kiss him here. Do you know the trouble you could be in?

  But in that moment, my mind and body were disconnected. I leaned in a little closer, then he took the lead, taking my face in his hands and kissing me. Softly at first, nothing more than a silken touch and a brush of his tongue. Then he kissed me hungrily, pressing his lips to mine with such force the two of us were breathless.

  “Wait!” I said, pushing him away and sucking in air. “Not here.”

  “There's only one place I wanna take you,” he said. “One place I know you'll be safe.”

  The truck ascended the rocky mountain road with a shudder as the tires moved over the loose, broken rocks.

  "Wow, it's so beautiful up here. Feels like we're a million miles away."

  He looked over and smiled. I got the impression he felt at home up here more than anywhere else. As though we were in his territory now.

  "I love it up here," he said, rocking side to side as we rounded a sharp bend. "Although it won't be long until I have to move back down to my apartment. Another few weeks and I'll be snowed in up here."

  It was the highest I had ever climbed Renfrew Peak and as I looked in the mirror to the town behind us, I saw it was nothing but a series of lights in the distance like jewels dropped onto a velvet sky.

  Well if there's one place Billy won't find me, it's definitely up here.

  At last, when the truck began to struggle, we turned another bend and a small, wooden cabin appeared.

  "It's not quite The Hilton," Jared warned me.

  "It's perfect,” I swooned.

  It might have been small and rickety, but it was just about the most romantic little spot you could imagine. Jumping down from the truck, I ran up and placed my hand on the ancient door.

  "It's like something out of a fairy tale," I said.

  "Literally nobody's been as excited to see the place as you," he laughed. "Usually people just complain about the crappy cellphone reception and lack of electricity."

  He creaked the door open and my nose took in the smell of the fireplace. My eyes, noticing the modest furnishing, fell on the old, brass framed bed.

  "It's like a museum in here," I said, walking up to the fireplace where a steel tea kettle lay perched.

  Jared threw a couple logs on the fire and began lighting the kindling before prodding it with a poker.

  "You're quite the expert at that."

  "I've done it a few times," he said, standing up straight and dropping the poker.

  The fire smoldered behind him, the amber glow of the firelight highlighting his high cheekbones and the sparkle in his eyes.

  "I haven't stopped thinking about you," he said, running his hands down my arms.

  Now's the time to tell him you're pregnant. He needs to know!

  But as I opened my mouth to speak, my heart thudding like a jackhammer, her leaned in and kissed me. In an instant, all my thoughts melted, and I fell against him, intoxicated by his kiss.

  "I've waited so long to do this," he said, kissing my neck.

  He peeled back my coat and unwound my scarf before brushing his lips down my throat, then my collarbones. I felt a rise of desire within me. Felt my skin come alive beneath his lips.

  Slowly, he unzipped my coat and let it fall to the floor. Then his hands were sliding up my stomach, pushing my shirt and sweater up over my head. Falling to his knees, he pulled down my zipper to reveal my panties, then yanked my pants down over my hips.

  For a second, he just lingered there, the shadows of the nearby flames dancing on his golden skin.

  Then inch by inch he leaned his face toward me until I could feel the heat of his breath through my wet panties. I was instantly flooded with desire and he knew it.

  I looked down between my breasts and saw his cheeky face. He loved what he was doing to me.

  Pulling my panties to the side, he slipped a finger between my lips and rubbed my clit. I felt the trembles of ecstasy already and let out a moan.

  Once again, I could feel his breath on me, and as he pushed one finger deep inside me, then another, he cupped his lips around my clit and sucked. An unstoppable moan escaped my mouth as I shook and struggled to stand. His response was to suck harder, running the flat of his tongue over my throbbing clit as his saliva mingled with my dripping juices.

  "Oh, God!" I cried and gripped his hair to pull his head closer to me.

  He slid his fingers in and out of me, faster and faster as his tongue ground down on me. I couldn't stop the impending orgasm, couldn't control my voice. I screamed as a rapid climax raged through me, my thighs quivering so hard I tumbled forward.

  Jared caught me, grabbed hold of me tight and released his mouth from my clit with a smile.

  "I love the way you moan," he said.

  When he stood up, I could see his erection tenting his pants. I pressed a hand to it and felt it pulse.

  "Fuck, I need you so much," he breathed and slid his hands onto my ass.

  Lifting me up, he carried me over to the bed and dropped me down. This time, there was nothing gentlemanly about him and he had no desire to take his time. Impatiently, he tore at his belt and jeans and pulled out his cock.

  "Come here," he grunted, pushing my thighs apart and pulling me closer to him. "I've needed you for so long."

  There was a flash of fear through me mixed with excitement. This was his home, his territory. This was where he was in control, where he had power. In this cabin, he was boss, and I loved seeing him flex that power.

  Kneeling between my legs, he pressed the tip of his cock against my pussy lips and looked into my eyes.

  "You're so fucking beautiful," he said, gliding his hand up my stomach to squeeze my breasts.

  He thrust into me hard, then harder, then harder still with his fingers dug into my thighs. I couldn't stop the screams erupting from my throat, nor could I stop the trem
bles of a second orgasm.

  The harder he fucked me, the closer I got until I was gripping the bed frame feeling as though I was losing total control of my body.

  There was no world around us. There was nothing but the feel of his cock plunging deep inside me and the constant euphoria that flooded my body.

  I pressed my nails into his back and pulled him down on top of me. Winding my legs around his waist, I drew him deeper inside me.

  "Fuck!" he grunted. "You feel so fucking good."

  He was losing control too, grabbing me wildly and pressing himself against me until I could feel his heartbeat against my breast.

  Gritting his teeth, he let out a yell that turned to a roar as his legs tightened up and his stomach pulled taught. Then, with one final spasm, he came with a violent shudder, just the sound of him coming making another orgasm swell up inside me.

  With my nails clawing at his back and my teeth sunk into his shoulder, I came with a deafening scream that echoed down the mountain. My mind was filled with pure white light and tingling ecstasy as my body entered Heaven.

  Then it washed through me and I was nothing but a breathless, sweaty heap. I opened my eyes and saw the shadows from the flames wriggle across the ceiling.

  "Oh, my fucking God, " was all I could say as I tried to regain my bearings.

  Sleep had come easy to me as I lay in his arms. But as I closed my eyes, my last thought had been - You have to tell him about the baby!

  As I drifted into a deep sleep, dreams had floated through my mind. I was at the Halloween festival and Jared was by my side. We were just a regular couple. Then suddenly he wasn't beside me and Billy was in his place.

  "You're not my boyfriend!" I yelled at him, but he only laughed and pointed to the stage where Red Cherry were playing.

  But as I looked up to see the lead singer, I saw he wasn't there, and in his place was Mario Gianni and he wasn't holding a microphone, but a gun. He was pointing right at me as he knelt down and beckoned me forward. I walked closer to him and he softly spoke to me, although I couldn't make out a word he said. And as his voice pierced my ears, I was suddenly wide awake.

  I sat up in bed, confused for a moment as to where I was, then I saw the dwindling flames in the fireplace glowing against the interior of the cabin.

  " It was just a dream," I told myself. "Just a weird, stupid dream."

  But then I heard it again. Voices. But this time they weren't coming from my dream, but from near cabin.

  "Jared! Wake up!" I demanded, shaking him by the shoulder.

  He grumbled and rolled over.

  "Jesus Christ, Jared!"

  He mumbled something incoherent, opened one eye then another and squinted at me.

  "What's up?" he yawned.

  "There's somebody here."

  "What?"

  He was alert in an instant and jumped out of bed.

  "Where?"

  "I heard voices and-"

  Before I could finish my sentence, the sound came again.

  "Who is that?" I asked.

  "We're about to find out," Jared, said stepping into his jeans and boots.

  Still shirtless, he ran to the door where a shotgun lay propped against the wall.

  "Wait! You're just gonna go out there?"

  "Got a better idea?"

  "Hang on. I'm coming too," I said, pulling my clothes on in a hurry.

  "No, stay here," he told me.

  "Like hell I am! I'm coming with you."

  He sighed, lowered his shotgun and said, "I have a spare gun under the bed. Know how to use one?"

  “I'm a quick learner.”

  “Hurry,” he said. “Grab it stay close to me.”

  He ran out into the snow, the butt of his gun pressed against his shoulder.

  Diving beneath the bed, I swiped my hand and over the dusty floor until it felt the corner of a box.

  "Aha!"

  I pulled out the box, expecting to see a small display case with a gun nestled inside it like the kind my grandfather used to keep in his safe. But to my surprise, I saw a tattered shoe box that looked as though it had been in the wars. Then, as I pulled off the lid, I realized it literally had been.

  The first thing I saw were Jared's old dog tags laying on top a pile of photographs. I picked one up and held it to the light where I saw Jared and a buddy standing in the middle of the desert in uniform with a series of sand dunes and rocks stretched out behind them. They both looked so young and full of bravado.

  I returned the picture to the box and continued my search for the gun, but all I could see were more photographs. Most were taken in various combat zones, with a few including happy images of Jared's family during the holidays.

  “Urgh, there's no fucking gun in here. Jared!”

  I was about to slam the lid back on the box when another picture emerged through all the others. This one too showed Jared, but he looked like little more than a kid. He was standing in the hallway of a high school, half the size he was now wearing baggy jeans, high-top sneakers and a white basketball top.

  He had his arm around a pretty girl with a dazzling smile, a glowing, olive complexion and waist length brown hair.

  Must be his first girlfriend, I thought. Cute.

  I moved to put the picture back, not having the time to think or care about his childhood sweetheart because I needed to find the gun. But as I moved to place the picture back in the box, my finger grazed something stuck to the back of it.

  Flipping it over, I saw a folded piece of paper. As I peeled it off the photograph, I soon saw it was a funeral program.

  “What the hell?”

  Unfolding it, I saw an oval photograph in the center of the page showing the beautiful, smiling face of the young girl. Below it was the words: Marie Ogilvy. 1986 – 2005

  It's the same girl, I realized.

  Feeling as though I was intruding on Jared's memories, I slammed the lid shut on the box, slid it back under the bed and continued to look for the gun. My fingers finally fell upon another, smaller box. As I slid it out and opened it, I saw a matte black Glock handgun. It fitted into my fingers easily and I gripped it tight as I ran to the door.

  “Jared!”

  He was at least fifty yards away, knee deep in snow, the sweat on his muscular back glistening beneath the moonlight. With a tight hand around the gun, I edged closer.

  Hearing the crunch of my footsteps, he spun round.

  “There's no one here,” he said.

  He walked back toward me, shotgun now at his side.

  “If there was anyone here I would have seen them. You can see for miles up here and...”

  His words trailed away when another noise traveled across the mountain. The distant rumble of an engine.

  “Who the hell is that?” I asked.

  Jared took off running toward the sound. I was on his heels, struggling to keep up with his long, quick strides in the deep snow. Pushing our way through the trees with nothing to light our path but the moonlight, we came through the other side where a narrow dirt track lay.

  As we arrived, we caught sight of taillights in the dark. Jared ran forward as the car sped into the distance.

  He ran after the car, but it was too fast and eventually, he slowed to a halt and watched the headlights disappear.

  “Who was that?” I cried.

  He shook his head, staring in the direction they departed. “Whoever it was, they weren't here for a friendly visit.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “Tell the team,” he said, heading back toward the cabin. “I'm calling Jackson.”

  I was back at work, but wished I wasn't. Sitting in the kitchen on my lunch break I let myself drift away on a daydream. Lucy was beside me, gibbering to herself while noisily eating a salad.

  "So, I said to the girl behind the counter that I got the voucher, it's just at home and she was all like excuse me Ma'am, but that ain't gonna do and I was like..."

  I tuned her out and yawned.
>
  "You okay?" Lucy asked. "You look tired."

  "Yeah, had a pretty late night."

  "Did you do anything exciting?"

  Oh, just the usual. Had the best sex of my life in the cabin of a wild mountain man then ran out into the night with a Glock chasing down a trespasser who I was sure was a Mafioso.

  "Nah, not really," I replied. "Just the usual."

  I struggled to stifle another yawn and stood up to stretch.

  "I think I'm gonna go for a walk and grab a coffee at that new place around the corner. Want anything?"

  "Nah, I'm off the coffee," Lucy asked. "That shit gives me the jitters."

  I looked at the clock and saw I had a whole forty-five minutes until my next patient, which gave me ample time to head around the block. Grabbing my coat and purse, I headed outside leaving Lucy crunching on a mouthful of salad.

  The air was crisp with the sidewalk scattered in crunchy, orange leaves. I'd always loved everything about fall; the smell of bonfires, the excitement of Halloween, eating pumpkin flavored everything at every opportunity and getting to wear my big comfy coats and scarves once again.

  As I walked down the street, I admired the Halloween decorations of the nearby houses and listened to the sound of the crunching leaves. Somewhere in the distance, the sugary smell of a doughnut shop drifted toward me.

  Hmmmm... I should do this more often, I thought. Take the dogs up somewhere nice and walk for miles taking in the smells and sights of the changing seasons.

  I was so deep in thought I didn't notice the black Mercedes crawling beside me until it came so close the wing mirror almost bumped my arm.

  Assuming the driver was pulling in to park, I didn't think too much of it. But as I continued to walk, I became acutely aware of it still moving beside me, creeping along matching my pace. I stared into the windows but saw they were blacked out.

  Then, slowly, the back window glided down to reveal the handsome face of an older gentleman. I could just about see the collar of an expensive coat and cashmere scarf. He ran his leather-gloved hand through his salt and pepper hair, reminding me of Cary Grant.