ROMANCE: BAD BOY ROMANCE: Basketball Daddy (BWWM Alpha Male Billionaire Pregnancy Romance) (African American Unexpected Pregnant Contemporary Romance) (63 page)

We docked with the main ship. It was a smaller ship, meant to transport only a few individuals. He and I were the only two people on board. We docked, and from the shuttle he charted our course out of the system.

“I imagine you’ll be excited to sleep in a warm bed tonight,” he said, caressing my cheek.

“I have to tell you something,” I said. I took his hand in mine and stood up. He looked up at me in confusion as I led his hand down my body, stopping at the swell of my stomach. He blinked slowly, his mouth open.

“I didn’t know until you left,” I said. He nodded, put both of his hands on my belly and then looked up at me almost in awe.

“I’m sorry,” he said, standing up and pulling me into a hug.

“For what? Saving me?” I asked. He leaned down and kissed me. I had forgotten the taste of his lips and the feel of his tongue. I had thought of nothing but him for the last few months, but all of my dreams were nothing compared to the real thing.

“I found it,” he whispered. “The Sanctuary. It’s real. I’ve been there.”

“How?”

“I didn't go to the tribunal,” he said, with a shrug. “I headed toward Earth system and told the rebellion I wanted to join them. I’ve spent all this time getting them to trust me. They thought I had been sent by the Gosebs to trick them. But I told them about you and what I had done here. They had heard of me. I offered them everything I knew about the Gosebs. The only thing I wanted in return was to come back here and get you and then go with you to the Sanctuary.”

“Our baby will be free,” I said.

“And safe,” he agreed. I looked up into his purple eyes.

He led me onto the ship. I showered. I have no idea how long I was in there. I let the hot soapy water cover my body and remove every last particle of dust. I got out of the shower and into the ship's lone bedroom. There was a closet and I opened it and saw a wide variety of clothes for a human my size. Dresses, pants, t-shirts, sweaters were lined up in all different colors. I could wear anything I wanted. I didn't have to wear a jumpsuit. I didn’t have to be anywhere. I touched the back of my neck where I knew the sensor still rested. That thing would never again get to dictate where I was allowed to go.

Detro came in and wrapped his arms around my towel-clad body.

“I missed you every moment of every day,” he said.

“I missed you more,” I whispered back, and I saw him smile.

I put on a loose green dress. It was the softest thing I had ever worn. The fabric felt smooth and wonderful against my skin. I walked up to the cockpit and sat down next to Detro. The screen above us showed our progress through the systems. The stars were nothing more than white lines shooting past us.

“We’ll come back for the people at the camp,” I said.

He nodded. “I’ve seen the rebellion. They’re strong and smart and they’ve got a lot of soldiers. The Gosebs have no idea what they’re up against. We surprised your people in the last attack, but things have changed. The humans aren’t so naive anymore.”

I reached across the space between us and took his hand and squeezed it. Everything would be alright. I was sure of it.

*****

THE END

Bonus Book 13: Kidnapped by the Vampire Prince

By:
T.S. Ryder

Description

A curvy doctor refusing a new job PLUS a hot Vampire Prince who wants her no matter what PLUS a suspicious and deadly attack!

It is mere months before the Great Gathering when a mysterious disease threatens the lives of the Louisiana vampire clan. The Clan King, Baptiste Roche, gives the task of finding the cause and the cure to his son and heir, Sebastien.

But when the lead expert of the medical team, Dr. Duquesne, is killed in a suspicious accident, all hope and months of hard work seem lost forever...

Until Sebastien finds out that, in the last few weeks before his death, Dr. Duquesne had been consulting with a human hematologist on the project without anyone’s knowledge.

Shortly after the death of her former mentor, Dr. Kendra Allenby is offered the chance to take over his job at the highly private Roche Laboratories. But nothing – not the prestigious position, the generous paycheck, or the chance to finally get her hands on Dr. Duquesne’s mysterious project – can tempt her into leaving the Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute.

Desperate, Sebastien Roche sees no other choice but to bring her in by force, kicking off a chain of events he never could’ve predicted...

Sparks fly when two indomitable wills clash, and the mighty pull of attraction between them cannot be denied. A wild passion blooms in the midst of the desperate race against the clock... but will it be their undoing – or their salvation?

Kendra Allenby entwined her fingers, rested her hands on her desk and gave Alexander Beauchamp a level stare. “I don’t think you understand, Mr. Beauchamp,” she said, her tone flat, “I am not leaving Moffitt, and that is my final answer.”

Mr. Beauchamp flashed her a perfectly charming smile that nevertheless did nothing for Kendra. “While MCC is certainly a fine establishment, I sincerely doubt it can offer you the kind of working conditions and financial compensation Roche Laboratories can,” he said. “Not to mention the years it might take you to become Head of Hematology – a position we are ready to offer you right now.”

“Moffitt provides me with the kind of work I want to do,” she replied, managing to maintain her calm despite the slight edge of annoyance creeping into her voice. “The kind that allows me to work for the good of the general public, rather than a shadowy organization with a mysterious billionaire benefactor at its helm.”

Mr. Beauchamp cocked an eyebrow. “You make it all sound so... ominous.” He tried to endear himself to her with a bit of humor, but Kendra was not amused. “Roche Laboratories may be privately owned and funded, but we are no more secretive than, say, Monsanto, or any other organization that heavily relies on research and invention to achieve success.”

“You do realize that Monsanto comparison is making my case for me?” Kendra asked, deadpan – a comment that finally broke Mr. Beauchamp’s amiable façade.

“Dr. Allenby...” he began, rather condescendingly, thus choosing both the wrong tone and the wrong words for this conversation. “Let me be perfectly clear. Yes, you are undisputedly an expert in your field and Roche Laboratories’ first choice, but you are certainly not our only one. Furthermore, considering the debt your student loan has racked up, I’m not so sure you can afford to refuse our offer.”

Resisting the urge to punch the arrogant twit, Kendra instead pressed a button her intercom, not once breaking their eye contact. “Yes, Dr. Allenby?” Dan Swenson, the desk clerk on duty at the reception, answered promptly.

“Mr. Beauchamp will be leaving now,” she said, her tone even. Dan didn’t need further instruction. Just a moment later, two security guards were inside Kendra’s office, standing by Mr. Beauchamp’s chair, ready to escort him out of the building by force if need be, and making their intention clear through the sheer force of body language.

At first, Mr. Beauchamp just sat there, ignoring them while he watched her with the kind of keenness that made her feel uncomfortable before he blinked and stood up calmly. “Very well, Dr. Allenby,” he said and, followed by the guards, exited her office without any further comments.

Kendra counted to fifteen and then let out a loud, frustrated groan as she dropped into her chair. This, this right here was why she entered relationships so rarely! Nursing male egos and dealing with their self-entitlement was both exhausting and frustrating, and she had lost both the patience and the will to put up with that for the sake of companionship years ago.

Some five minutes later, Dan came into the office with a cup of coffee in his hands to find Kendra focused on her work again, deeply engrossed in the reports of the most recent lab work. “So what’s the deal with Hottie McSnotty?” he asked as he approached her and put the coffee on her desk. Clearly, Dan was just as impressed by Mr. Beauchamp’s physique as he was disappointed with his attitude.

“He’s from Roche Laboratories,” she told him, in a considerably warmer tone now that the cause of her irritation was gone, and smiled to him gratefully. He made the best coffee, strong and black, with just a pinch of cinnamon to brighten the flavor.

Dan sat down, frowning. “Dr. Duquesne’s stomping grounds?” he asked, and Kendra nodded.

“They want me to take over for him,” she said, prompting Dan whistle and raise his eyebrows, clearly impressed. “Don’t get your hopes up,” she told him straight up. “We’re staying right where we are.”

Dan smirked. “I know,” he said. “You’re way too invested in the work here to quit. But, for the record, I think you’re making a huge mistake.” Kendra gave him a hostile stare, but he knew her too well to be perturbed by it. “Oh, come on,” he teased her. “Aren’t you even a little bit tempted?”

She shook her head. “No,” she replied categorically, “I don’t know what their deal is, but it gives me the heebie-jeebies. Nobody offers that kind of position or that kind of money to someone who’s barely made their full credentials, even if they’re as good as I am.”

She expected Dan to make a joke about her lack of modesty, but he just nodded gravely. “You don’t trust them,” he said.

“Not one bit,” she confirmed.

“Dr. Duquesne did,” he noted.

Kendra sighed, sitting back in her chair. Yes, her mentor had seemed to think that leaving the Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute for a private research facility was the right thing to do, but Kendra couldn’t help but be heavily disappointed with him. She had felt betrayed when he’d announced his decision the year before, and they’d had a huge falling out as a result. She was sure they’d never even talk to each other again... but then, about a month and a half ago, he started sending her emails, asking if they could meet. At first, she refused, but he knew her too well – he started sending her microscopic images and laboratory results of blood and tissue that behaved in a way that, frankly, should not have been possible, tickling her curiosity until she finally gave in and met up with him.

A part of her hoped this would be the start of their reconciliation, but even though their relationship improved, it was clear it would never be what it once was. Dr. Duquesne refused to give her any more information than he absolutely had to, which made each of their meetings both a delight and a major source of frustration. And now that he was dead, all hope that they could truly patch things up (or that she’d ever find out what the hell he was working on) was gone.

They had had one of their meetings scheduled for the day he died, but he had never showed up or answered his phone, leaving Kendra irritated and angry, thinking she was being stood up without a word... and then devastated with pain and guilt when, that evening, she had seen the news of the car accident that took his life. Relying on eyewitness accounts, the police suspected a drunk truck driver took a wrong turn, slamming into Dr. Duquesne’s rental and killing him on the spot before fleeing the scene of the crime.

Kendra was heartbroken and disgusted with herself for how angry she’d been with him that entire day. The only reason Dr. Duquesne was in Tampa that day was to meet with her, and she couldn’t help feeling responsible even though she knew she was being irrational. He had chosen to look her up. He had set the meetings up. She wasn’t even marginally to blame, but her heart still hurt every time she remembered he was gone, and the only thing that brought her joy in the ten days after the accident was the thought of her upcoming vacation.

But even the memory of him, even the prestige and money that would come with taking over his job at Roche Laboratories, even a chance to finally see what this mysterious and baffling thing he was working on was couldn’t convince her to leave Moffitt. If Mr. Beauchamp had been more upfront about the kind of work Roche did, she would’ve been tempted, but he was even vaguer than Dr. Duquesne, and Kendra refused to risk her peace of mind to satisfy her curiosity or clean her credit score.

“It doesn’t matter,” she finally said, “I’m staying here, and that’s that. And, besides, I’ll be damned if I’m gonna miss Maui just to dive into even more work than I have here.” She grinned, gladdened by remembering that, this time tomorrow, she’d be lying about on a beach in a private resort, completely cut off from any communication with the rest of the world. She had worked for three years without a single day off to make it happen, and she wouldn’t miss it for the world.

“Can’t argue with that logic,” Dan grinned, and stood up to go about his business, leaving Kendra to go back to hers.

She had quite as few things to finish up before she could go home to pick up her luggage and get to the airport.

“Well?” Sebastien Roche asked his second as he picked up the phone, too tense to bother with pleasantry.

“She won’t take it,” Alex sighed, frustrated.

Sebastien swore a blue streak, slamming his fist against the armrest of his chair out of sheer frustration. “Did you tell her about the money?” he demanded to know. “That she’d be the head of her own lab?”

Alex sounded defeated. “I tried everything,” he told him, “I amped up the charm, played to her ambition and vanity, tried scaring her into taking it – I even
flirted
with her... nothing worked.”

Even in his current state, Sebastien couldn’t help but snicker. “You don’t usually see flirtation as a sacrifice,” he teased his friend, but Alex was not amused.

“She’s
fat
,” he replied, sounding like a whiny child, and Sebastien rolled his eyes.

“And she didn’t immediately fall for you,” he noted.

“And she didn’t immediately fall for me.” Alex confirmed the true source of his irritation. He was much too used to being adored by both men and women alike for his pride to take being brushed off so easily by anyone, let alone someone he considered severely unattractive – a category that included far too many people to make Alex a realistic judge of anyone’s physical appeal.

“So what do we do now?” Alex asked, all lightness gone from the conversation.

“You know what we do now,” Sebastien replied with a sigh. He hated being driven to such drastic measures, but he was desperate... and rapidly running out of time. If it had been only his life on the line, he’d never stoop so low, but his entire Clan was in jeopardy – and unless they found a way to defeat the disease, their entire species.

He had no other choice.

“I don’t like this, Seb,” Alex said gravely. Sebastien closed his eyes.

“Me neither,” he said. “But it has to be done. Keith confided in her. She was a big part of his research, even if she had no idea what she was doing, and knows more about the recent developments in his works than she’s aware. She could be instrumental to finding the cure, and we can’t risk missing that chance, no matter how small.” After all, if his brother-in-law was willing to put everything on the line to use her expertise, then she had to be able to do something he couldn’t, something he couldn’t get from anyone else.

They needed her, and if she wouldn’t come to them on her own, they had to take her by force.

“Have the team on standby,” he ordered. “I want her here tonight.”