HIS (A Billionaire Romance Novel) (12 page)

“No,” he said, “stay, Ms. Hartwick. I want you here for this.”

I blinked, confused, but closed the door. Then I took my seat at the table amongst the board, my previous chair still on its side against the window.

“Mitchell Darling was right,” Tyler began. “Cumberland & Cross deserves better than what I’ve given it. And that all changes today. Today, I have returned to the company my father created to not only carry on his legacy, but to forge a new one. My role in all this is simple: to lead, to innovate, and to succeed. And that starts with me being present. That starts with me listening. Perhaps a month ago I wasn’t ready to do that. But I am now.”

I sat back in my seat and shook my head in awe. This Tyler Cross was so different from any iteration I’d known before. Maybe part of it was an act, like he’d said, but I could tell that something had definitely changed. Something big.

But as happy as I was for him and the enormity of his victory, I had to wonder: what did it mean for us?

“Valerie Cross. I like it,” Tyler said. “It has a certain…
ring
to it.”

I rolled my eyes and smiled, glancing at the diamond ring glittering on my finger. “You’re ridiculous,” I told him. “I love it.”

He leaned over and brushed my hair away from my face very gently, looking into my eyes. “And I love you.”

We were standing on our private balcony overlooking the Pacific. Kaua’i was extraordinarily beautiful. It was a place I’d never imagined I would get to see, especially not from the honeymoon suite of a luxury resort that only the obscenely wealthy could afford. Moreover, I never imagined I’d be with a man like Tyler Cross, a man who had been so damaged when I’d met him that he hadn’t been able to leave his house.

That house was
our
house, now. And Tyler had hardly shut up about it since he’d proposed six months ago.

“Orwin Manor needs a woman’s touch,” he told me for the fiftieth time, smiling as he looked out over the cresting waves. The sea foam at their tips was turning orange and gold with the setting sun, and I could even see a little bit of pink glinting off the undulating tide. “It’s been too long since it’s seen a woman of your caliber.” His smile turned sad for a moment. “My mother would have loved you, Valerie. I’m sure of it.”

I inched closer until he had to put his arm around me. “I would have loved her too, Tyler. And your father, too.”

“My father was a complicated man,” Tyler replied with a little snort. He shook his head. “But I guess that doesn’t mean he was a bad one.”

“People can be hard to figure out,” I agreed, a smirk tugging at my lips. “Everybody’s got secrets, after all.”

He looked at me and raised a brow behind his shades. “Oh, please. I can read you like a book.”

I laughed. “You think that just because I’m your submissive, you must know everything about me?” I pushed away from him with a grin. “Oh, sweetheart. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s the
sub
who holds all the power?”

I took a few steps back in through the French doors leading to our bedroom. Tyler followed, reaching out to snatch at my sarong. He missed, but only by millimeters.

“Tell me one,” he said. Then he smirked slyly. “Or do you want me to
make
you tell me?”

“Mm,” I replied, feigning deep thought. “Well, I suppose I could tell you
one
secret, since you’re my husband and all.”

I fell back onto the bed and Tyler followed, crawling on top of me and pinning my wrists above my head. “You sure? It might be more fun if you make me work for it.”

I shook my head. “I’m sure. See, this one’s a biggie, and I don’t want the combination of the shock and all the blood rushing away from your head to knock you flat.”

“You? Shocking?” He let out a laugh. “You are many things, my love and my bride, but you are not
shocking
in the least.”

“Challenge accepted,” I said sternly. But I couldn’t hold onto the mask for long before the happiness came bursting out of me. “Well, Mr. Cross, how about this: I’m pregnant.”

Tyler laughed at first. Then he stopped laughing. He let my wrists go and whipped off his shades, sitting back on his heels. “Wait. You’re serious?”

I sat up on my elbows and nodded. “It would seem that you’ve not only dominated my mind, body, and soul, but my uterus too.”

He laughed again, but this time something glittered in his eyes. When he embraced me, I felt one hot tear sizzle down his cheek and I rubbed it with my own, crushing him in my arms nearly as tightly as he was crushing me.

“Oh, God!” he said, pulling away. “Jesus. I’m not crushing the baby, am I?”

I shook my head, looking up at him. I had never felt so happy, so fulfilled in my entire life. “You’re ridiculous,” I whispered to him. “And I love it.”

He didn’t miss a beat. “And I love you,” he said. Then he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me, and as always, I submitted.

Hey my lovely readers! Did you enjoy my newest novel, HIS DEMANDS? I’ve got a little surprise for you! For a limited time, I’m giving my readers an entire bonus novel, absolutely free. Keep turning pages for my hit novel, PROTECT AND SERVE.

Renowned author Kat Jackson arrives with her first full-length novel.

Sandra Williams
is a by-the-books detective with a job to do: Protect
Nathaniel Hale
, the most infuriatingly arrogant and hopelessly self-entitled billionaire playboy on the planet. There’s only one problem…

He’s the man who took her virginity…

It was supposed to be an easy ride… Just spend a few days shacked up in a cheap apartment until the bastard could testify.

The rules were simple. Keep him alive, keep him quiet, and
don’t
have sex with him… Again…

Two out of three isn’t bad…

This is a stand-alone novel with a HEA and NO cliffhanger.

Published by the Kat Jackson Publishing Group

Copyright
©
2015 by Kat Jackson

This book is a work of fiction, any names, places, and situations portrayed within are products of the author’s imagination.

Join the Kat Jackson Mailing List!

Thank you for supporting an independent author! Just for my lovely readers, my entire catalog is now FREE TO READ to anyone with a
Kindle Unlimited
subscription!

You might be interested to know that I offer special discounts, new release notification, and FREE EXCLUSIVE CONTENT to anyone that subscribes to my Kat Jackson Mailing List! So go ahead, sign up is easy and I will NEVER send you spam or share your e-mail address with anyone.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to my husband and my wonderful children for being so patient with me. You have no idea how lucky I am to have you all.

Thanks to Nora, my tireless editor who never fails to get the job done. Thanks to my cover artist Ethan and my incredible publicist Devlin Rice.

A special thanks to the too-many-to-list authors and friends who have given me advice and helped me along the way. I may never be able to fully repay your generosity, but I shall make every effort to do so.

And finally I want to thank you, dear reader. It is your graciousness that allows me the opportunity to press these words onto paper. I could never live my dreams without you.

ONE

The
last place on earth that I wanted to be was at Nathaniel Hale’s front door.

I sighed as I looked up at the obscene decadence looming before me. This was the mansion I’d come to loathe over the past few years, and one I’d ended up at more times than I cared to count. It was home to one of the most obnoxious playboys I’d ever met, a walking, talking, self-entitled stereotype who had made my life hell on more than one occasion.

And this time, I was
not
coming here to fuck him. It didn’t matter how much I wanted him to open this door and pull me inside by my hair for old times sake... I was here on police business, and that was the beginning and the end of it. Our history together didn’t put him above the law, and neither did his pile of money.

I stared at the thick wooden door, waiting for a response. Nathan wasn’t exactly a criminal, but he was
definitely
a nuisance. Maybe having a multibillion dollar inheritance dropped on your lap could do that to a person. Even now, the front lawn was strewn with remnants of another of his famous parties. I never knew what exactly he was celebrating, but it
almost
always involved half-naked women and rivers of booze.

And despite my best intentions, here I was again. Nathaniel Hale’s little puppet… He knew the power he held over me… Every time I showed up at his door, badge in hand, he’d flash me a lopsided grin and tell me:
Loosen up a little, Officer Williams. Come on in and have a drink with me.

That wasn’t going to happen today. No matter how much I wanted it, I had to be strong. If I went through that door, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. This time, he was coming with me.

I smiled at the thought. It was about damn time some of Nathaniel Hale’s skeletons came out of the closet.

The
first
time I knocked on this door I was a rookie just out of the academy, and I didn’t know anything about those skeletons. Barely twenty years old and on my own, I couldn’t even legally have the drink he offered me… But Mr. Hale insisted. He knew what he was doing. I was young and innocent and he was the kind of man who gets what he wants. Maybe if I hadn’t gone inside I wouldn’t be standing here again…

I could remember following him through the door that first time, ticket-in-hand and ready to fine him for the disturbance and get back to my beat. I lost my entire train of thought as he drew me inside. I’d grown up on the wrong side of the tracks, and I’d never been close to a house this big, let alone inside one. There was a chandelier hanging over the entry that probably cost more than my salary. Music pulsed through me, the beats keeping time with my own racing heart.

Nathaniel Hale didn’t give me a chance to get my bearings. “Come upstairs and we can get started,” he said, his voice barely audible over the sounds. He had gripped my arm and led me up the stairs toward his office, the crowd of beautiful people stepping aside and letting us through. I could feel the heat from his fingertips, my heart fluttering in an unexpected way with every step we took. I don’t know why I didn’t stop him. A moment later we were standing in front of the large wooden doors, my eyes widening as he threw them open to an even more opulent study.

“Did they tell you what I like?” he asked as we made our way into the office. He moved to a large chair, leaving me standing in the center of the space in a way that made me feel totally exposed and on display.

“I’m here on a noise complaint, not to discuss your likes and dislikes, Mr. Hale,” I’d replied, more confused than anything.

“A feisty one. You must be new. What’s your name, beautiful?”

I couldn’t help myself. I blushed. Mr. Hale wasn’t some ordinary man. His face was a masterpiece, as though he’d been chiseled from the finest marble by the most divinely-inspired sculptor there was. His burnt jade eyes were host to flecks of gold near their center, orbiting his pupils and glimmering every time he flashed one of those blinding white smiles. The man was unbelievably wealthy, almost criminally handsome,
and
he thought I was beautiful…

“Officer Williams,” I replied curtly, trying to maintain my composure. Standing here under his withering gaze was enough to make me lose my mind. His eyes swept up and down my uniformed body, appraising me the way a lion might look at a zebra.

“You said that at the door, Ms Williams. I’m asking you for your
real
name,” he replied, a smile blooming across his face.

“Sandra,” I whispered.

“Turn around, Sandra.”

The words were less of a request and more of a command. I don’t know why, but my feet were moving before my brain could catch up. I found myself facing away, gasping ever so slightly as I heard Mr. Hale moving from his chair. All of my police training was screaming out. This shouldn’t be happening. What in the world was I doing?

All of my protests came to a sudden halt as his hands found their way to my hips. A tingle flashed up my spine and I was lost. He held me so softly, his chest pressing into my back and his head finding its way along the edge of my neck. Even the thrumming sounds of the party downstairs seemed to fade away as he inhaled deeply, drawing scent from my shoulder up and over my collar, his lips pressing effortlessly just below my ear.

“Mr. Hale, what are you doing?” I managed to whisper, heat rising up my body in a way I had never felt before. No man had ever held me like this. I was too busy for dating, too driven for a casual encounter. What in the hell was going on?

“You can stop playing pretend, Sandra. We both know why you’re here.”

I couldn’t bring a single word to my lips as he pressed himself tighter against me. I could feel something pressing against the small of my back. Something almost frightfully big…

His… Is THAT his…
Oh my God… What am I doing?

“You’re here to be fucked… Aren’t you Sandra?”

Oh GOD! My thighs clenched together, heat suddenly blossoming from my secret place between them. The whole world was being turned upside down, and all I could do was try to breathe and make sense of it all. I felt as if I couldn’t move. It was as close to an out-of-body experience as I’ve ever had.

Nathan’s hands swept up my sides, brushing up against the edges of my breasts through the clean and creased uniform. He gripped at my arms, bringing them together behind me. Before I could make sense of anything, I felt the cold metal against my wrist.

My handcuffs!

I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I started to protest, but he caught me mid-word and lifted me off my feet, spinning round and tossing me toward the big heavy wooden desk. I crashed into it, my thighs stinging as he came up behind me again, forcing me down until my face was pressed against the cool hard surface. Without a moment’s hesitation, his hands were moving around my waist, tugging at my belt and bringing my uniform pants down around my ankles. I could feel the air sweeping across my skin, only the thin protection of my panties maintaining my innocence.

“Happy birthday to me,” he said, his voice taking on a hoarse sound as he swept his fingers over the curve of my hips. I gasped as he brought one of them around and against the inside of my thighs, forcing my legs apart as far as they could go with the pants still wrapped round my ankles. “I don’t know where the agency found you, but remind me to thank them later.”

What in the hell was he saying? My mind swam and my body burned for his touch. None of this made sense. There was no way anyone would treat an officer of the law this way. Mr. Hale’s fingertips made their way to the scorching heat between my thighs and pressed against the thin cotton between us, sending a wave of pleasure over my body. Why in the hell wasn’t I stopping him? The cold realization dawned on me as pulled my panties roughly aside.

I
wanted
this.

I’d spent my whole life denying myself the pleasures of men. I had responsibilities. My sister… My schooling… The academy... My work ethic kept me away from these kinds of situations. Now I was at the mercy of a man who had never even bothered to ask permission. A powerful man who could have anyone he wanted… And he wanted
me
.

And I wanted him.

“You’re so wet, Sandra,” Mr. Hale breathed, his finger moving ever so slowly between my nether lips. My body shuddered beneath his grasp, the scent of sandalwood and scotch filling my nostrils as I inhaled deep. I could feel him moving behind me, and suddenly a new sensation entered the mix. Something very large was being pressed up against the soft and hidden opening.

“We can’t,” I gasped. “I’ve never… I’ve never… Oh God…” I squealed as his cock moved downward, slipping along between my virgin folds but not penetrating me. Instead, he brought his hips forward, the length of his shaft pressing against the front of my pussy, every inch of flesh sending courses of pleasure firing from my sensitive nub as it drew slowly along it. I could feel my slick wetness being drawn out, coating him in my own desire. His hands returned to the space between my thighs and I could feel him rolling a condom over his impossibly large member.

“It’s too big…” I whispered, feeling the sheer girth beneath me as my hips shifted, his cock slipping side to side against me and driving me out of my mind with pleasure.

“They didn’t tell you about that at the agency? Not every girl can handle it,” Mr. Hale responded, drawing himself back until the head of his enormous cock lined itself back up with my delicate tunnel. “What do you think Sandra? Do you think you can handle it?”

He was pressing just slightly between my folds, the head barely pressed against my maidenhead. I couldn’t respond. I couldn’t even breathe. His words held no meaning. Agency? Telling me about his cock? Girls? He may as well have been speaking Greek for all the sense it made to me now. I squealed as he lifted my arms behind me, pulling my breasts just barely free from the desk as he gripped the chain between the cuffs.

“Are you ready, Sandra?”

Oh God… Was I going to do this? Could I possibly? What in the hell was I thinking?

“Say yes, Sandra.”

I bit my lip as his free hand wrapped itself in my hair, pulling my head forcefully back and lifting me even higher off the desk. My thighs strained against the edge of the wood, my legs parted, his cock pressing against me but still unmoving. None of this was supposed to be happening! Pleasure and desire was coursing through my veins as I found my voice.

“YES!” I shouted, screaming out as he thrust forward, taking my innocence. His cock impaled me, every inch sinking into my willful depths, his body freezing up in the aftermath.

“Sandra… You’re a virgin?” he asked, holding himself steady with his cock still throbbing inside me.

“Just fuck me,” I screamed out, lost in the overwhelming sensations of pleasure mixed with pain. “Fuck me please…”

I’d lost all control, and Mr. Hale was no better off. His hips began to move faster and faster as he wrapped my hair with his hand, forcing me around his cock as if her were holding the mane of a horse at full gallop. Nothing mattered except this moment, and I was overwhelmed as an orgasm seized my body, the shuddering waves of pleasure rocking over me even as my overstretched depths grasped at his flesh. That was all it took, and with one deep thrust that nearly sent me across the desk, I could feel his cock throbbing and thrumming inside me. For the first time, I could feel what it was like to please a man… And I liked it.

But something was wrong…

I could sense the tension behind me as I lifted my gaze toward the doorway. With Mr. Hale’s cock still throbbing inside me, I stared into the eyes of the young blonde who had let herself in, her slutty police officer uniform clinging to her large fake breasts, the blue shorts cut off high and showing off miles of legs. For a moment, nobody said a word, but the leggy blonde smiled and broke the silence.

“Honey, I don’t do couples. If that’s what you’re looking for, it’s going to be triple my rate.”

Mr. Hale seemed to stutter, his cock pulling free as he reached down and pulled me upright from the table. I couldn’t look him in the eye as he spun me around, his hand brushing up against my chest, grasping at the shining badge still pinned to my uniform…