C

ONFISCATING

C

HARLIE

A S

INGULAR

O

BSESSION

N

OVELETTE

PUBLISHED BY: Lucy Leroux

Copyright © 2014, Lucy Leroux

http://www.authorlucyleroux .com

ISBN: 978-1-942336-02-0

First Edition.

All rights reserved.

This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, and events

portrayed in this novel are products of the author's imagination. Any

resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely

coincidental.

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-

sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with
someone else, please send them to the download page so they can download

their own free copy.

Thank you for respecting the author's work. Enjoy!

Publication Schedule

Making Her His, A Singular Obsession, Book One

December 12, 2014

Calen’s Captive, A Singular Obsession, Book Two

February, 2015

Stolen Angel, A Singular Obsession, Book Three

April, 2015

Chapter 1

The door to the hospital room creaked open, waking him up. Can’t get any
fucking sleep in this place, Noah thought, cracking an eyelid.

At first he thought the tall man in the suit was his father, but the blur in

the suit was too tall and muscular and its hair was the wrong color.

“Alex ,” he said hoarsely as he recognized his cousin.

Alex andros Hanas clucked his tongue as he ex amined the cast covering

Noah’s left leg, which was currently suspended with a complicated looking
contraption over the bed.

“Glad to see you’re mostly in one piece,” he said. “I saw the footage of the

crash online. It looked pretty nasty.”

“Yeah,” Noah said. “I did sort of get knocked around this time.”

Alex nodded. The concern in his eyes made Noah’s chest tighten up, which

also hurt, since he’d cracked a couple of ribs in addition to breaking his leg
and sustaining a mild concussion.

He squinted up at his cousin. Alex was a taller, darker version of

him—older by a decade. Noah had always looked up to his dynamic and
imposing cousin. People said they resembled each other, but he didn’t see it.
Alex was more muscular with more classical features. Noah was a mix ture of
his blond father and Greek mother, who’d been sisters with Alex ’s mother.

Both their mothers had passed away years ago.

“Has your dad been by?” Alex asked, taking a seat nex t to the bed.

“He came yesterday. After determining there was no permanent

damage—nothing to keep me from fathering a grandchild who will turn out
better than me—he went back to work.”

Alex winced. “Your father loves you. He’s just worried about your future.

You can’t race cars for the rest of your life,” he said sympathetically. His
eyebrows rose. “You don’t plan on doing it forever, do you?”

Noah sighed. “I had already decided to try something else when the

accident happened. My heart’s not really in it anymore.”

Truthfully, he hadn’t been into much of anything lately. But instead of

feeling apathetic and bored, he felt restless, as if his skin was too tight. And
this time he didn’t have some other outlet like racing already picked out to
channel his energy.

Alex ex haled loudly. “That’s good. I thought I was going to have a hard

time talking you into giving it up.”

Noah grinned. Alex had always been good to him, but he was one to talk.

His older cousin had set the standard for reckless daredevil behavior—or at

least he had until he’d gotten married to Elynn. Now Alex was all about
spoiling his wife and making babies.

“Any idea of what you want to do now?” Alex asked.

Noah’s smile fell away, and he let his head fall back onto the pillow. “Not

sure.”

Alex ’s head tilted as he studied him. “You remind me of myself a decade

ago. Know what worked for me?”

“Getting a hot wife and knocking her up?”

His cousin’s grin was a touch embarrassed. “Well, basically yeah. But you

don’t necessarily need a woman. More like something to channel your energy
into—a creative endeavor. You need to build something you can touch with
your two hands. Trust me, there’s nothing like it. And you could finally start
putting that business degree to use.”

“If you’re about to suggest I go work with my dad, I may have to chew this

broken leg off so I can escape.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Nothing so dire. I was thinking of something local for

Hanas Industries, but if that doesn’t work for you, then something outside
the family. I’m sure Sergei would love to have you at Damov Industries, or
you could think about working in one of Calen’s clubs.”

Before he’d hit the racing circuit, Noah had spent a lot of time with Alex ’s

friends, Sergei Damov and Calen McLachlan—more than his cousin,
actually, since Alex divided his time between London and Ox ford. Both of his
friends were good men who had taken chances to build their own little
empires. Noah had a lot of respect for them and what they had
accomplished.

He considered the job offer, but his head was too full to make any

important decisions. “I’ll think about it.”

Alex opened his arms ex pansively. “That’s all I ask,” he said, before

launching into yet another anecdote about something funny Elynn had
done.

Noah had heard the story before, but he listened to his cousin indulgently.

After all, Alex had flown out all of the way from the UK to check on him.

“I hear your dad remarried recently,” Alex said during a lull in the

conversation.

“That’s right,” Noah replied. “I have a new mommy. And a step-cousin or

something.”

“A step-what?”

“Dad’s new wife has a much younger sister. A legal ward or something.

Although she’s over eighteen now, so maybe the legal situation is moot. I
don’t know what that makes her to me, but dad said to consider her family.
Like a sister,” he said with a yawn, thinking cynically that his father
wouldn’t do the same. “She’s supposed to have graduated from high school
already, but she’s still there cause she was sick or something and missed too
much school a while back.”

Or at least that’s what he’d thought Henry had said. Given how little time

he spent with his father, the fact he’d acquired a new stepmother wasn’t all
that significant. It was his father’s fourth marriage. Or was it fifth? Yes,
that was right. Henry Masters was on wife number five.

It wasn’t Noah’s first pseudo-sibling either. His dad had married one

woman with a son and daughter years ago, but after he divorced their
mother, Noah stopped hearing from them. It used to bother him, but he’d
gotten used to it.

“I think she’s your step-aunt. But maybe also step-sister if her sister

adopted her. Is she pretty?” Alex asked with a funny little half smile.

Noah had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “I don’t think I’m going to

find my fate under my father’s roof like you did.”

Alex grinned and shrugged. “You’re probably right.”

Chapter 2

Four months later.

Noah stretched out on the poolside lounge chair, sipping a beer. The sun
warmed his face, but the glare was too bright. Slipping on his shades, he
sank deeper into the recliner, trying to ignore the raucous noise coming
from the guys splashing in the Olympic-sized swimming pool. They were so
loud they managed to drown out the roar of the fake waterfall his father
refused to tear down.

As soon as his friends heard he was coming up to his dad’s summer house

in the Hampton’s, he’d received no less than six calls from guys already in
town. Put on the spot, he’d agreed to have them over. And now here they
were, drinking his beer and giving him a headache.

Noah was surprised there were so many of them—the season hadn’t

officially started yet. He’d only been at the house an hour before they
descended. And he might be enjoying this gathering a bit more if he’d had a
little more time to decompress. Or at least get some sleep. He hadn't gotten
a lot of it since the accident.

As it was, his friends were disappointed that he nix ed the idea of a party,

but they’d gotten over it the more they drank.

Flex ing his left leg, he stretched his stiff muscles. He’d definitely done the

right thing getting away after the accident. As soon as the cast had come
off, he’d taken off to hike in the Rockies. When that wasn’t ex otic enough,
he’d hit the Inca Trail, ending up in Machu Picchu before finally coming
back—once he was sure he was back to his old self.

Unfortunately, his old self was homeless. Noah hadn’t bothered to keep an

apartment in the States since he’d been traveling so much. His real estate
agent was looking for one in Manhattan, with little success. The market was
too crowded.

But despite that he was second guessing staying at the summer house. He

hadn’t seen the staff here in years. And their curiosity seemed to be getting
the better of them—they were all watching him a little too closely.

He knew better than to suspect the staff would spy on him for his father.

Henry wasn’t popular enough with them for that, so Noah could put up with
their interest. They were simply surprised to see him. The novelty would
wear off in a couple of days and they’d stop peeking at him from behind the
curtains.

And as long as his father stayed away in Asia on business then he was

spared another lecture on picking a direction in life and following through
on it. The only reason Henry hadn’t written him out of his will was due to
the Harvard Business Degree Noah had earned before taking up his racing

career.

Noah’s racing sponsors had been unhappy to hear he wasn’t coming back,

but he hadn’t been under contract, so they had no choice but to deal with it.

At the moment they were offering him an absurd sum of money to come

back. He was one of the most popular young faces on the circuit, and he
definitely had the most female fans. But he had no intention of racing
again. There was nothing new there for him. Once his sponsors accepted
that, they’d soon find a replacement. Noah had only been with them for a
few years, burning up the track and cementing a winning reputation in his
first year.

Before that, he’d been a semi-pro surfer for a few months, and prior to

that, a beach bum. At twenty-two, he’d worn a lot of hats. But never a suit.

He might have to rethink the suit. Since he’d left the hospital, Noah had

been seriously considering his cousin’s offer. He didn’t want to work for any
of the family businesses. And although managing one of Calen’s clubs
sounded like fun in theory, he suspected he would soon grow bored. But
Damov Industries had its fingers in a lot of pies, some of which included
manufacturing.

Alex had emailed him some early drafts of a nex t-generation hybrid engine

Sergei’s company was developing that looked interesting. Noah wasn’t an
engineer, but he did know engines. The idea of helping bring that one off the
drawing board had a lot of appeal. But borrowing on Alex ’s friendship with
Sergei to actually get the job didn’t sit well with him.

“Going to get another beer!” Sammy shouted from across the pool.

Noah repressed a sigh. Sammy didn’t need another one, but as long he

didn’t throw up in the pool, or cut his fucking hand open on a broken bottle,
there was no need to get on his case. The last thing he wanted was to have
to start policing his dumb-ass friends.

His bottle was light. Swigging the last bit, he raised his head and called

out to Sammy through the open kitchen door to bring him a refill. When
Sammy didn’t reply, he tried again. A few minutes passed. Swearing, he stood
up and headed to the kitchen.

The sight that met his eyes stopped him in his tracks.

Sammy was leaning against the cabinet, effectively trapping a young girl

in a schoolgirl uniform against the counter. Belatedly, he recognized the
Dalton Academy crest, his alma mater, embroidered on her shirt pocket. The
plaid skirt was also in their colors.

The girl had dark hair and full rosy lips under a pair of huge glasses. But

the thick frames weren’t enough to obscure her fine features or the glow in

her skin. And while her face was lovely, it may have paled in comparison to
her body.

She was tall and lithe with long legs, and full breasts. The skirt wasn’t all

that short, but it was apparently short enough to give Sammy ideas. The
stranger must have had some insight into what those were because she
looked terrified.

Shit. This must be Darla’s little sister. What the hell was her name?

Suddenly, Sammy swooped in to steal a kiss. The girl grimaced and put her

arms up, trying to push him away. The poor thing was trying to get her head
as far away from the drunken idiot as possible. The little whimper that
escaped as she did it prodded his conscience sharply.

“Okay, shithead. That’s enough,” Noah said, stepping up to haul Sammy

away with a rough hand on his shoulder.

The jerk gave him a drunken smirk as he swayed on his feet. “I was just

saying hello.”

Ex asperated, Noah shook his head. “Can’t you tell you’re scaring her, you

stupid fuck?”

He glanced at the girl and swore under his breath. Her big brown eyes had

filled with tears. She was blinking rapidly, trying not to let them fall. When
her eyes made contact with his, she looked away. He tugged on Sammy’s
arm, pulling him farther away. As soon as she had enough room to avoid
touching them, she bolted out the door.

Sammy, the idiot, tried to follow her but Noah grabbed him by the shirt

collar and shoved him out the back door.

Noah glanced back in the direction the girl had taken, but decided against

going after her. For now. He would apologize later, after she had a chance to
collect herself. In the meantime, he would get rid of his guests.

Chapter 3

It had taken a lot longer to get rid of his jackass friends than he’d intended.
Dusk had fallen when he finally made it up the stairs to look for Charlie.

Charlie Sutton. The housekeeper had told him what her name was. It was

a nice name, he reflected as he made a right at the top of the stairs.

He didn’t know where her room was, but he knew his father. Henry would

have put a teenage girl as far from the master bedroom as possible.

Even though he knew his father wasn’t likely to be nominated for any

parenting awards, it was still a little hard to believe that he and his new
stepmother had left Charlie completely unsupervised when they went off to
Asia. Especially considering that the business trip was slated to last more
than a month. He could only guess what his new stepmother thought about
it.

Well Charlie is over eighteen. And it wasn't like they could pull her out of

school every time his father went on a business trip.

Noah knew ex actly when he found the right room. It had a sparkly pink C

embedded in the white paint. The bedroom was smaller than the others, but
if memory served, this room had one major benefit. The double doors led to
one of the large balcony terraces overlooking the ocean.

He knocked. When nothing happened, he pressed his ear to the C. There

was a faint sound of running water. He cracked the door a few inches.

“Hello?” he called out.

There was no answer. He opened the door wider and walked into the room.

Wow.

Inside, his eyes were assaulted by the bright pink shade of the walls. It

looked like someone had sprayed Pepto-Bismol over them. It was awful. To
make matters worse, the room was dominated by an overly large princess bed
that crowded the space.

Oddly enough, the posts were naked, as if someone had stripped them of

the flowing curtains they were supposed to bear. He could still see a
forgotten ribbon tied to one of them. A simple cotton comforter was
stretched over the mattress and a white desk had been squeezed against the
wall nex t to the balcony doors. It was covered in piles of thick tex tbooks
nex t to a bookshelf so crowded, the supporting slats of wood bowed under
the weight.

Despite the personality suggested by the color of the room, they weren’t

any movie star posters or any makeup or perfume on the dresser. Just more
books. Aware he was snooping, he stepped father into the room. The water
was still running. He walked to the open door of the bathroom.

Charlie was at the sink brushing her teeth. Vigorously.

Shit. He sincerely hoped she hadn’t been brushing all this time. “Charlie?”

he called out.

She spun around, toothbrush in hand. She had taken off her glasses and

changed out of her school uniform into a plain cotton nightgown. The dress
was an ankle length shift that flowed around her loosely, showing no hint of
the lovely shape underneath. It was like something from another century,
but somehow it looked right on her.

Charlie’s eyes were wide as they took him in. Her cheeks reddened, and he

felt like an intruder.

“I’m sorry to barge in here like this, but I wanted to apologize for Sammy.

He’s an asshole sometimes, but when he drinks, he acquires a case of
terminal stupidity, too.”

Charlie continued to stare at him, frozen with her toothbrush in hand.

Her mahogany colored hair gleamed under the light, contrasting with the

creamy ivory of her skin. She really is stunning. He honestly couldn’t blame
Sammy for stealing a kiss.

When she remained still, Noah thought he was probably intimidating her.

He tried to make himself smaller by crouching a little. “Hi, by the way. I’m
Noah.”

Charlie blinked. “I know.” She twisted and turned off the water tap behind

her before turning back to him. “I’m sorry. You surprised me.”

Glad that had done the trick, he pointed to the toothbrush and tried not

to wince. “I hope that’s not because of what happened earlier.”

Charlie’s face fell, and he felt like crap. She waved the toothbrush.

“I shouldn’t be making this big a deal about it.”

He walked up and put his hands on her shoulders. “You don’t have to feel

bad about feeling bad. He shouldn’t have touched you. Hell, he shouldn’t
have breathed on you with that nasty beer breath.”

One corner of Charlie’s mouth twisted, but it wasn’t a smile. To his

dismay, she started blinking rapidly again.

“Oh no, don’t do that,” he said helplessly, patting her awkwardly on the

back.

Charlie covered her face with one hand and shook her head slightly. “I’m

being ridiculous.”

“No, you’re not,” he insisted.

“I am. But—”

Noah frowned. “What is it?”

She sighed. “It was my first kiss,” she said in a small voice.

Fucking hell. How was that even possible?

“Really?” he asked with a disbelieving scowl.

Charlie looked at him and then quickly away. Making an effort to smooth

his features he apologized.

“Sorry. It’s just hard to believe. You’re so...”

He didn’t finish, but Charlie blushed anyway. A little warm himself, he

removed his hands from her shoulders and took a step back so he wouldn’t
crowd her.

“Thanks for coming up and everything, but I’m overreacting. All I need is a

redo. I'll just pretend it never happened,” she joked weakly.

Noah paused and then shook his head.

“You’re not overreacting,” he said slowly. “A girl’s first kiss should be

special. I can help.”

Charlie made a face at him. The move called attention to a few cute little

freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose. “What do you mean?”

“You said you need to redo your first kiss. That’s a great idea. But not

here,” he said, gesturing to the bright walls.

Charlie sighed. “Yeah, it’s like a unicorn was butchered in here,” she said,

startling him into a laugh. She shrugged. “This is my sister’s teen dream
bedroom. Not mine.”

“Don’t worry. I get it. Stepmother number two did my room in the city

entirely in pastels. It was so humiliating whenever any of my friends came
over.”

She giggled. Pleased that he’d been able to cheer her up he felt energized.

But his work wasn’t done yet.

“You have to let me make this up to you,” he said.

Charlie put her hands on her hips. “You want to paint my room?”

He laughed. “No, I’m volunteering to help you redo your first kiss.”

She froze. “No, thank you.”

Noah felt a tiny little stab of disappointment before brushing it aside. “I’m

not taking no for an answer. It’s my fault your first kiss was ruined so it’s up
to me to make it up to you,” he said with an entreating smile as he backed
away toward the balcony.

Charlie licked her lips. “Please don’t,” she said in a low voice, her face

creased with unhappiness.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

What do you think is wrong? You’re behaving like an ass. Why would

she want to kiss him? He was worse than Sammy. All those mobs of female
racing fans had clearly gone to his head.

Charlie’s hands twisted together.

“I was joking, not making a suggestion. And handsome celebrities don’t go

around kissing random strangers. You...you’re either feeling sorry for me or
you’re making fun of me. Neither is a good reason to kiss you,” she said
softly.

Well, that wasn’t ex actly a rejection. And she thinks you’re handsome.

“Aw hell, that’s not true. Yes, I’m feeling chivalrous‚ but trust me, guys

only act this way when there is a pretty girl involved,” he said, crossing the
threshold of the balcony and then turning to beckon her with a wag of his
finger.

****

Charlie stared at Noah, uncertain what to do.

Kiss him, you idiot!

She gave herself a little shake. Her head was spinning slightly, and it was

all due to Noah’s prox imity. She had never been alone in her bedroom with a
boy before. Not that Noah resembled a boy in any way. He was a man—an
uncomfortably handsome one.

Noah was tall with brown hair and hazel eyes. His body was tall and

muscular without being too bulky. And he was famous. He had gone to her
school, Dalton Academy, and people there still talked about him constantly
even though he had only attended for a few years before graduating early.
His picture was in the trophy case nex t to a huge basketball trophy and his
name was on another good-sized soccer plaque. Both the students and
faculty followed his racing career.

Her stepfather Henry had said he was twenty-two now, which was crazy.

Noah had finished college and gotten a masters degree in less than three
years. After he finished school Fortune 500 companies had vied to recruit
him, but then he’d given it all up to race cars—much to Henry’s irritation.

Charlie had never told anyone her sister had married his father.

“Why are you doing this?”

Noah shrugged. “Because I want to,” he said with a charming grin as he

held out his hand.

Feeling dizzy, she took a hesitant step forward. He reached over and took

her hand to lead her outside. She almost changed her mind when her bare
feet made contact with the cool tiles of the balcony, but he drew her to the
walled edge to watch the surf and she followed, almost instinctively.

Noah straightened. “We are going to do a little role-playing,” Noah said,

looking down at her with warm eyes. “Pretend we’re at one of Dalton’s post-
game parties on the beach.”

He must think she was popular.

“Err...I’ve never been to one of those,” she admitted with a brief duck of

her head.

He hesitated before smiling again. “No worries. It’s pretty much like you

imagine. People drinking bad beer and making out farther down the beach.”

Charlie stiffened.

Noah’s smile grew broader. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to maul you. We’re

going to pretend to take a little stroll away from the imaginary crowd.” When
she didn’t take his outstretched hand, he cocked his head at her. “C’mon,
what’s the harm in a little walk?”

Something told her this was a bad idea, but she ignored her misgivings

and took his hand.

Her body heated at his touch, but he didn’t seem to notice. Outside, the

light was fading, but the balcony wasn’t dark. It was lit by the lights inside
the house through the glass balcony doors that lined one side. Her room was
nex t to a series of salons and offices that opened onto the terrace on the
east side of the house. The master bedroom had a private balcony on the
other side of the house.

Noah held her hand firmly as they made a circuit of the balcony terrace,

making polite small talk the whole way. He pretended they had just met,
asking about her classes, where she had grown up, and what she liked to do
in her spare time.

At first Charlie answered his questions hesitantly, but Noah was so

friendly and open that soon she was spilling her guts. She told him all about
her love of poetry and her desire to work in the art world one day.

He leaned against the balcony wall and stared off in the direction of the

beach. “That sounds like fun. I wish I was artistic, but I can’t draw a straight
line.”

“Oh, I’m not a good artist. I’m only sort of okay. But I appreciate other

people's work,” she said, taking advantage of his inattention to study Noah’s
face.

On TV and in magazines he always looked handsome. In real life he was

gorgeous—almost too pretty to be real. And she hadn’t ex pected him to be so

modest. Who cared that he couldn’t draw? He was Noah Masters.

She couldn’t believe he was even talking to her. Given the way her life

tended to go, she’d actually ex pected a much colder reception from him.
From the little she knew, he didn’t get along that well with his father. Being
nice to his father’s new family should have been a low priority. But Noah
seemed so nice and down to earth for a celebrity…not that she knew any
others.

Charlie understood having mix ed feelings about a parent. Darla wasn’t her

mother, but she was the closest thing Charlie had ever had. She had become
Charlie’s legal guardian when she was four and Darla was twenty. Their
parents had died in a car accident, and if her sister hadn’t taken her in, she
would have gone into foster care. Darla had saved her from all that, but life
had still been difficult at times.

Her sister was a force of nature, bright and beautiful, the kind of person

who made you feel like you were part of something special by being around
her. But Charlie had been with her in the lean times, before she had
managed to catch two rich men in succession.

During that period, Darla had dragged Charlie from town to town, living

off the largess of different men in between sporadic jobs. As a result, Charlie
had fallen behind in school—so much that she was a year older than most of
her classmates.

Although Charlie had appreciated everything Darla had done for her, she

hated every second of that vagabond ex istence. She’d welcomed life with her
sister’s ex -husband. Darla had married the much older businessman when
Charlie was thirteen and life had finally settled down. She had to repeat the
seventh grade, but with hard work, her grades had improved dramatically.

Life had been good. And then Darla had thrown a wrench into everything

last year when Martin had taken her to a business party hosted by Henry
Masters. After a whirlwind affair, Darla had divorced Martin and a few
months later, married Henry.

Charlie still missed Martin. She had tried to call him a few times, but now

that the divorce was final, he wanted nothing to do with her.

“I’ve lost you.”

Charlie’s head snapped up. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I seem to have lost your attention. Sorry, I’m usually considered a witty

conversationalist,” Noah said with a self-deprecating smile.

She blushed. “Oh no, you’re great. I was...thinking.”

“About what?”

Charlie fidgeted. “That we might have something in common.”

“And what might that be?”

“We both have complicated relationships with our nearest family.”

Noah stiffened, and his amused ex pression dropped away.

Charlie hurried to apologize. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be so

presumptuous. But Henry said we wouldn’t see you before Christmas. He
implied things were strained between the two of you.”

He gave her a long stare and then ex haled. “They are. I wouldn’t be here

right now if my father was home. Hell, I probably wouldn’t be in the same
state. Don’t get me wrong. We love each other and all, but we can’t be in a
room for more than twenty minutes without getting into an argument about
my future.”

“My problem is that my sister has never spent much time thinking about

mine,” Charlie confessed with downcast eyes. “Maybe having an overly
concerned parent is not such a bad thing.”

Noah shifted his weight back and forth a few times. “I don’t know about

that. Something tells me if we managed to mash up Darla and my dad
together, we’d both be better off, but since we can’t do that, let’s hope they
rub off on each other the more time they spend together.”

Charlie agreed softly, momentarily forgetting what they were supposed to

be doing. She no longer felt like play-acting.

“If you don’t mind, do you think we can forget the redo? I should get some

more studying done before I go to bed.”

Noah looked baffled. “On a Friday night?”

Charlie nodded but didn’t ex plain. How could she tell him that she was too

worried that her sister’s new marriage was going to fall apart and she would
be pulled out of school again? She needed to take advantage of the
education she was getting for as long as she could.

Her faux escort shrugged off her change of heart. “Well, milady, allow me

to escort you home,” he said, offering his arm in an old fashioned gesture.

Charlie smiled despite herself. Noah’s charm was lethal. She was going to

have to be careful when they saw each other in the future. It would be
unfortunate if she developed any real feelings for him. She didn’t want to be
the girl with a pathetic crush.

She took his arm, and they walked inside her room. The glaring pink of

the walls made her terribly self-conscious as she removed her hand from his
muscled arm.

He caught her looking at them. “If you want, I can have some painters

sent.”

Charlie laughed. “No. Better leave it this way, or I’ll never hear the end of

it from Darla.”

Noah cocked his head to one side. “She would mind that much?”

Charlie bit her lip. She was suddenly worried. The last thing she wanted to

do was create friction in her new family, but she might have inadvertently
done that already.

You shouldn’t have said anything about Darla!

She hadn’t meant to throw her sister under the bus, but Charlie had

spoken without thinking while trying to find common ground with Noah.
Darla would kill her if he had a bad impression of her before they even met.

“No, of course not. I don’t want to give you the wrong idea. Darla wants me

to have everything she didn’t—the big bed and the pink room. It’s her
favorite color,” she said, backtracking. “My little complaints don’t have
anything in common with what a husband might think. Henry is very
important to my sister.”

Noah studied her face quietly as if he was understanding a different

meaning from her words.

“Of course he is,” he said softly. His ex pression changed suddenly. “We

forgot to dance!”

“What?”

“No wonder our date was a failure. We forgot to go dancing.”

He took her in his arms and swept her into an impromptu waltz. Before

she had a chance to protest, he spun her in a fast circle, his left hand warm
on her hip.

With a dazzling grin, Noah waltzed her in a series of concentric circles

before abruptly stopping. Still carried by the momentum, Charlie crashed
into Noah.

“Sorry.” He laughed before his face grew serious.

He was panting slightly as he looked down at her face curiously. Slowly,

he lowered his head, not stopping until his lips were a hairsbreadth from
hers.

With her heart pounding loudly in her ears, Charlie leaned forward,

closing the distance between them.

His lips came down on hers, the pressure light and sweet. Her eyes drifted

closed as his right hand dropped to join the other on her waist. He tugged
her forward until her body was flush against him.

The full body contact was unex pected. Startled, Charlie parted her lips.

His tongue touched hers briefly before drawing back as if he was hesitating.

But she didn’t. Before she could chicken out she gave his tongue a quick
stroke with hers.

His uncertainty melted away. In the nex t heartbeat, he slipped his tongue

into her mouth, taking possession with a hard, aggressive kiss.

Chapter 4

Noah lost his mind. One moment it was there, and the nex t it was gone,
trampled in a rush of heat so intense his vision darkened.

Charlie was pressing against him, her tongue trying to match the

movements of his own as her hands dug into his shoulders. He could tell she
didn’t know what she was doing—she was too hesitant. But it didn’t matter.
There was something here, something stronger than he had ever felt.

He inhaled through his nose deeply and moved his hands to cup Charlie’s

curvy little rear end to bring her closer. His entire body tightened in
pleasure, but it was too intense. He felt like a bowstring about to snap.

When Charlie moaned in pleasure, the little control he had splintered.

Grabbing her ass, he lifted her feet clear off the ground, pressing her against
the wall nex t to the bathroom door. Her arms wrapped around his neck, one
small hand clutching at his hair. Blindly, he moved against her, his shaft
hard and hot as it made contact with her softness. Only a few thin layers of
cotton separated them.

Charlie’s mouth was so sweet. Her taste was like a drug, an addictive

substance that was starting to seep into his blood. He could smell her
arousal as she grew wetter and hotter in his arms.

Unable to think, Noah began to grind against her, squeezing and cupping

her ass as he instinctively fought to bring them together.

Her head fell to one side, breaking their kiss so she could gasp for breath.

Noah lifted her higher in his arms so his mouth could flame up and down her
neck. He let one of her legs down for ex tra support, freeing one of his hands.
Before he could stop to think about it, he was pulling her dress up higher so
he could reach under her panties.

Noah froze when he touched the scalding heat of her wet center. “Fuck.

What am I doing?”

Trying to be gentle—but quick—he let her go and stepped away.

Without his support, Charlie could barely stand. Trembling slightly, she

leaned against the wall for support.

They were both panting for breath. She moved one shaky hand to her

breasts. The other pressed between her legs, tightening the plain cotton
gown over her pussy.

The look on her face was one of anguish.

“Oh, god,” she whispered as her eyes rolled back. A shudder passed over

her. “Why does it hurt?”

Holy fuck.

That was the last thing he needed to hear. A surge of lust swept through

him—his body’s answering cry to her siren’s call. Grimacing, he slammed his
fist into the wall above her head as he pressed his eyes tightly shut.

His voice sounded like gravel when he answered. “It’s sometimes like that,”

he said eventually, trying to ex plain. “Desire—real desire—sometimes hurts.”

Intellectually, he knew his words were true, but he wasn’t speaking from

ex perience. Noah had never ex perienced a heat like this. Nothing about what
he was feeling was normal. Even his hands were shaking.

“I have to leave,” he whispered.

Noah backed away from Charlie as if she were dangerous. And she was—at

least when he was near her. He took one last look at her small form, still
slumped against the wall, and then he turned and left. He bypassed his
bedroom, stopping only long enough to pick up his keys and wallet from the
kitchen downstairs.

His feet were unsteady as he made it to his car. He drove away to find a

hotel room for the night. There was no way in hell he could trust himself
under the same roof as Charlie.

****

For a long time she couldn't seem to catch her breath. Charlie didn't know
how long she stayed leaning against the wall for support. It was longer than
she cared to admit. Slowly she picked herself and stood up straight. She
wanted to go and find Noah, but she'd heard his car outside. He was gone.

She knew he had done the right thing by leaving, but she couldn't help

wishing he hadn't. Which was slightly insane. But she couldn't help herself.
Her skin was still hot and her mind kept flashing back to those moments
when he had touched her.

It had been so much more than a first kiss.

Eventually Charlie turned off the lights and got into bed. There was no

way she could focus on her books tonight. For a split second she thought
about washing up, but immediately dismissed the idea.

She could still smell Noah on her. And she didn't want to wash his scent

off of her.

****

Noah spent a restless night at the Caislean Hampton’s hotel. Despite the soft
bed, he’d lain awake most of the night, shifting back and forth. Two cold
showers had done nothing to cool down the fire burning inside him. He’d
finally passed out somewhere near dawn. When he woke up the nex t
morning, his head hurt as if he had a hangover.

But it wasn’t a hangover. It was withdrawal.

He couldn’t get Charlie out of his head. And not only the physical stuff.

He’d gone over every word she’d said to him about her life and her interests.
She liked to read and write poetry, but wanted to work in an art museum
someday. And there had been her sense of humor. That crack about the
unicorn and other little ways she phrased things—she was genuinely funny
in a slightly off-kilter cerebral kind of way.

This was crazy. Twenty-four hours ago, he’d never laid eyes on her. Now he

could feel her in his blood. What was happening to him? He’d only meant to
give her a quick peck on the lips to make up for what Sammy had done. It
should have been easy to charm her and go about his business.

Women had never been a problem. He’d always had a comfortable

relationship with them. It was true they came in and out of his life with
great regularity. His relationships tended to be short, but that was because
he stayed on the move most of the time. He liked to think a stable,
monogamous relationship would be doable if he ever settled down in one
place.

But that wasn’t possible with Charlie. She was a part of his family

now—completely off limits. And even if she was over eighteen—almost
nineteen—she was still in high school.

Wait, why was she still in school? Henry had said she had been sick, but

Charlie hadn’t mentioned any illness during their conversation. Of course, it
could have been a while ago. There was no real reason for her to bring it up.
Hell, he never talked about his accident.

But if Charlie was okay, then why was she spending a Friday night at

home alone? She’d dressed for bed, too, in what could have easily passed for
a vintage hospital gown. It hadn’t even been nine o’clock yet. Had the thing
with Sammy upset her that much?

Or what if she’s still sick?

Noah shook his head. He was jumping to conclusions. Even his father

wouldn't leave a sick girl home alone for a whole month. And, even if he did,
Darla wouldn’t. Right?

He was seized by the compulsion to call the house to check on Charlie,

but if he heard her voice he might crumble and go back there. That was the
last thing he should do. He had to stay as far away as possible.

But he was worried now. Should he call the housekeeper? Would she even

know if Charlie was ill? Charlie certainly looked all right—amazing
actually—but what if it was one of those diseases that wasn’t obvious?

Wait. There was someone who would know everything about her.

Terrence Waters did background checks on all the employees who came to

work for his father. It was a little known fact that Terrence also did
intensive background checks on all of the woman his father became
involved with.

The security check was insanely thorough. Terrence left no stone

unturned when it came to revealing any skeletons in a woman’s background.
There was always a rundown of medical histories. As Darla's ward Charlie
would have been scrutinized too. His father demanded as much. For the first
time, Noah was grateful for that streak of ruthlessness in his dad.

It took him a while to find the number in his email. Terrence answered on

the second ring. He was immediately suspicious about the request.

“Why do you want it?” he asked.

Damn. He should have thought of a plausible ex cuse for wanting Charlie’s

file. In the end, he decided on the truth. Or at least part of it.

“I was at the summer house yesterday with a bunch of the guys. I had no

idea Charlie was home. One of the drunken shitheads cornered her in the
kitchen and made a pass at her. I think he scared her a little. I stopped him
before things got out of hand but she seemed out of sorts afterward. I
apologized, but she said she was staying in instead of going out. I was
worried she was still upset, but then I remembered what Dad said about her
being sick—sick enough to have to repeat her senior year. Is she okay?
Cause she’s all alone at the house.”

He held his breath while he waited for an answer.

“The year she missed and had to redo was the seventh grade. She’s in

perfect health.”

Noah ex haled silently in relief. “That’s good. I was starting to imagine the

worst. I mean who stays in to study on a Friday night?”

Terrence snorted. “Charlie does. Now you tell me something. Which of

your moron friends made the pass? Because if it’s that little shit Sammy, I
would tell him to steer clear of her, or he’ll have to answer to me.”

Noah stopped to stare at his phone for a second before putting it back to

his ear. Terrence was a fix ture in their lives, but it was his policy not to get
close to his father’s wives or any of their dependents. Apparently he’d made
an ex ception in this case.

“Charlie must be special,” he said before he could stop himself.

Terrence cleared his throat. “Yes, she is.”

Noah nodded stupidly before he realized Terrence couldn’t see him. “Can

you send me the dossier on her and her sister? It might help me find a
special gift or an idea for an outing—something special to make it up to her.”

The crusty security man paused long enough for him to think his request

was going to be denied. “All right,” he finally said. “I’ll email it, but you may
as well know now that Charlie’s illness is a cover story. Just keep in mind
that your father is happy with his choice.”

What the hell? Why would they need a cover story?

“Okay, I’ll remember that,” he said before thanking him and hanging up.

A few minutes later, the email arrived. It was encrypted, but a separate

tex t of instructions took care of that. He ordered a pot of coffee and some
pastries and then settled down to read all of the intimate details of Darla and
Charlie Sutton’s lives.

Chapter 5

The words of Terrence’s assessment rang in his ears as he picked through an
antique book shop in the city.

While Darla Sutton’s history indicates she is probably not after a big

payday, her relationship with her sister raised some flags.

Charlie has always expressed gratitude that her sister took her in when

their parents died, but perhaps it was a mixed blessing for her.

It is clear from Darla’s past actions, particularly in the years right

before she married Martin Shelton, that Charlie is a far second to the men
in her life. During that period, Charlie did not attend school with any
regularity as Darla went from man to man. Consequently, Charlie fell way
behind her other classmates and had to repeat a year. But when people
ask why Charlie missed school, Darla tells them Charlie was sick with
severe asthma.

Charlie makes up for missing school by studying at every opportunity,

and has distinguished herself in her studies.

Darla has never fully accepted a maternal role in Charlie’s life. Indeed,

it seems as the reverse was true. Before Darla married Martin, Charlie did
the cooking and the cleaning while covering for her sister when Darla
would forget meetings and birthdays. Darla always makes it up to her
with lavish gifts when she has the cash, but she spends little to no time
with her sister when she’s in a relationship.

The bit about Darla forgetting birthdays was prophetic. According to the

file, Charlie’s birthday was the day after tomorrow. He’d had to call Terrence
to confirm that, because he’d had a hard time accepting the fact that Darla
was leaving Charlie alone on her birthday. His father yes, that was easy to
believe. But her sister?

After a few hours of arguing with himself he'd decided seeing Charlie on

her birthday would be safe. There would probably be a crowd of Dalton
students there. They wouldn't be alone. But first he had to find the perfect
gift.

That was why Noah was shopping for a book of poetry, Dorothy Parker,

whom Charlie had mentioned was her favorite poet. The store owner claimed
to have an autographed first edition, but he was having a hard time finding
it.

Eventually the whiskered old man came out with the volume, complete

with authentication papers. It was the first time Noah had bought a book for
a woman, but he’d wanted something Charlie would be sure to like.

He could see why Terrence’s warning hadn’t troubled his father much.

Henry had always ex pected to be the priority to his partner. The fact that
Darla’s life revolved around him would have made his father happy. Even if
someone else was slighted and neglected in the process.

In fact, that probably makes it doubly satisfying to him, he thought

snidely before reprimanding himself. His dad wasn’t that bad. Darla probably
wasn’t, either. She hadn’t let the state take Charlie and put her into foster
care. But that didn’t mean Charlie should spend her birthday on her own.

He left the shop with a gift-wrapped bundle tucked under his arm but

delayed getting back into his car to drive back to the Hamptons.

If Noah was perfectly honest with himself, he was still feeling off balance.

He needed a little more time to recover his equilibrium before seeing Charlie
again.

****

She hadn’t invited any friends over for her birthday. Charlie was alone,
sitting by the pool reading a book. A huge pair of sunglasses covered most of
her face. Her hair was wet, indicating that she’d actually had a swim.

Noah knew plenty of women that bought decorative bathing suits only

meant for lounging. They wouldn’t even get them wet.

Charlie’s swimsuit was a simple black one piece, and it made him want to

do unspeakable things to her.

He had spent the last few nights at the Caislean, convincing himself that

he was back in control. He was an adult with plenty of ex perience. Models
and actresses had shared his bed. What he’d felt kissing Charlie was an
aberration, a one-time thing.

All of those arguments fell away to dust as he watched her read a book all

alone on her birthday.

An unfamiliar energy pumped through him. It took him a little while to

recognize it. Noah was angry—at his father, at her sister, and irrationally,
with her.

He felt as if he was sliding down a greased ladder. The fall was inevitable.

He relax ed as the realization settled in. He wasn’t supposed to do the noble
thing and stay away.

Charlie needed him. And he needed her.

Alex had said the same thing about Elynn once. He and Elynn had been

talking at brunch one day. She had said something that made him laugh,
and suddenly Alex needed her.

Noah hadn’t understood what that meant at the time, but he did now.

He didn’t remember walking outside. The nex t thing he knew, he was

standing in front of Charlie. He must have handed her the book because she
was holding the package. But she didn’t open it. All she did was slip off her
sunglasses to stare at him. Those full pink lips opened and closed. But if she
said something, it was lost under the noise of blood rushing in his head.

He caught hold of her face in both of his hands and kissed her as if his life

depended on it. She kissed him back, dropping the book to dig her hands into
his shoulders.

He broke the kiss first and looked down at her flushed face.

“Happy birthday,” he whispered.

Charlie’s lovely face lit up. “Thank you.”

For a long moment, they stared at each other. His heart hammered in his

chest. “Do you want to come with me?”

She nodded eagerly.

“Don’t just agree,” he warned. “If you come with me, it means this is real.

There will be no going back.”

Charlie’s thick dark lashes lowered over her rosy cheeks. “I want to be with

you. I can’t stop thinking about you,” she said clutching his hand.

His answering smile was short. He was relieved, but this wasn’t a fun or

lighthearted moment. It felt deadly serious.

Noah drew her toward the fake waterfall.

“Where are we going?” Charlie asked confused.

“Someplace private,” he said as he walked under the wall of water.

He ducked down, gesturing for her to do the same. A few steps, and the

space overhead opened up into a private grotto, complete with cushioned
benches surrounding a hot tub that was made to look like a natural pool. A
few hidden lights in the water lit the place with a reflected glow.

“Oh my god,” Charlie ex claimed. “I had no idea this was here,”

“It came with the house,” he said turning back to her.

For a moment, they stared at each other, frozen. He took a deep breath.

Maintaining eye contact, he began to undress.

Chapter 6

Noah was so beautiful. His chest was lean and sculpted, with a defined six -
pack underneath. His arms looked strong and lean. She waited, holding her
breath as he stripped to his box ers.

He had a large scar near his left knee that looked as if it had been

ex tremely painful. But she couldn’t think clearly enough to ask if it still
hurt. Her eyes were focused on the large bulge in his black shorts. He waited
until she looked back into his eyes before pulling them down.

His cock sprang forth, thick and hard. It was almost as if it were pointing

at her. Transfix ed, she stared as he waited patiently for her, making no
move to come toward her.

Mechanically, she undid the halter top of her bathing suit, pushing the

one piece down quickly, trying to ignore the fact she’d never been naked in
front of a man before. But her face felt hot enough to fry an egg on her
cheeks. Nervously, she looked down at Noah’s feet until he closed the
distance between them.

In one dizzying move, he picked her up and laid her down on the

cushioned bench before turning to get something from his pants. Her breath
picked up speed when she recognized the shiny foil packet.

“This is only for now,” he said gravely. “We’ll look into birth control later. I

don’t want anything between us when we make love.”

Oh my god. Charlie hesitated. “I’m ... I’m already on the pill. Not for sex !”

she added hurriedly. “I’m not regular without it.”

Noah froze. He looked down at the condom in his hand. “We don’t need

this. I’m safe.”

She closed her eyes briefly and then nodded. She didn’t want anything

between them, either. Noah put the packet aside and climbed over her. His
eyes bore into hers, and then he started to touch her. His hands moved over
her slowly, as if he was shaping her body from clay.

Her breath stuttered as he cupped her breasts. He stared at them with wide

eyes as he tested their weight and ran his finger over their fullness. His head
bent, taking the tip of one into his mouth before running his tongue over it
and sucking firmly. She gasped as his action sent a streak of pleasure
straight to her pussy. Growing wet, she shifted under him restlessly as he
moved to the other breast.

Then his hips lowered. Instinctively, she opened her legs to cradle him

against her. Noah hissed when his hard shaft touched her already wet
center. His hands moved to brace himself before he ran his cock up and
down over her moist lips.

The thick rod teased her clit, sending bliss straight to her brain. She could

practically see sparks behind her eyes. He took her lips, his tongue stroking
hers, robbing her mind of sense and coherent thought.

She had never felt like this before. It was as if someone else was in

control, a creature that came alive with his touch and took over her mind
and body.

Noah stopped and drew his head back to look into her eyes. “After this, you

belong to me. Do you understand?”

Blindly, she nodded.

“Say it. Say it out loud,” he ordered hoarsely.

“I belong to you.”

A calming trance settled over her as she said the words. They felt right.

Noah gave her another kiss. This one was harder, soul-stealing. She parted

her lips and kissed back, matching his intensity as she wrapped her legs
around him.

His skin slid against hers as he shifted his hips, moving one hand to guide

his cock to her small opening. Slowly he pressed against her. Her body
resisted him, and he frowned, pushing harder until the head of his cocked
opened her up and popped inside.

“Oh, god,” she moaned.

There was a slight burning, but there was also pleasure.

“Charlie? Are you okay?”

“Yes. Well, mostly okay,” she amended, her heart slowing as she caught

the concerned look on his face. “Please don’t stop.”

He looked worried, but her words seemed to reassure him.

“No going back,” he said as if repeating an internal mantra.

She put her arms around his neck. “I don’t want to go back. I’m yours,

remember?”

Noah stared down at her as his fingers tightened on her skin. His eyes

flared. “Put your hands over your head.”

Charlie’s heart skipped a beat.

In the blink of an eye something had changed in Noah. The intensity of

his eyes and voice had kicked up several notches. She put her hands over her
head. His forearms braced him as his hands covered hers, holding her down.
Pressing a kiss to her lips he began to push his cock father inside her.

Sucking in a breath, she tried to relax as Noah forged a path inside her. If

he broke through some barrier, she didn’t feel it. There was just this

immense pressure as he slowly moved forward.

He didn’t stop until his shaft filled her and his balls came to rest against

her. He paused there, letting her get used to him. It didn’t really hurt
anymore, but it was a strange feeling. But the sensation was quickly
converted to euphoria as he withdrew and pumped back inside her.

“Holy shit,” she breathed.

It was a tight, stinging pleasure, almost like being tickled. Noah repeated

the motion a few more times, and she moaned aloud. He let out a husky
laugh and withdrew until only the tip was still inside her. She flex ed,
arching upward to try and bring them closer together.

“Noah.”

His name was a plea. She didn’t want the feeling to stop. Being denied it

almost felt like punishment.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he commanded hoarsely.

The strain in his voice made her feel better. He was hurting, too. Charlie

wrapped her legs around his waist, and he lowered his face to her hair as he
began to thrust back and forth, teaching her a rhythm she was able to follow
instinctively.

The raw hunger from their first kiss was back, holding her tightly in its

grip. Each time Noah rocked forward, she tightened her channel around him,
trying to hold him inside her. In response, he hissed and moved faster and
harder, stroking a spot inside her that pulsed with pleasure.

Unable to use her hands, she held him with her legs, moving them to

caress his sides until the wave of bliss from where they were joined rose and
broke over her in an intense orgasm.

Charlie cried out, her body arching high off the cushioned bench. Her

vision whitened like an ex plosion had gone off nearby. Noah let go of her
hands and moved his arms around her, holding her as she trembled and
shuddered from her first real climax .

The intensity of it stunned her. Touching herself had produced pleasant

little twinges she’d always considered orgasms. But they were nothing like
this feeling of being built and then shattered.

“Hold onto to me,” Noah whispered as she tried to slow her breathing.

Charlie put her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly as he pumped

inside her again.

His strokes fueled the hunger that had started to recede after her climax .

It grew quickly until she was burning inside. She didn’t think she could
stand anymore when Noah’s rhythm broke and his hands reached up to fist

in her hair.

“Fuck,” he ground out as his cock jerked and twitched inside her.

Every time he jerked, his shaft rubbed against that spot inside her that

made her shiver and moan. She clamped down on him, trying to hold him in
place as the little waves and contractions inside her got progressively bigger
and bigger.

The second orgasm was more intense that the first. Charlie opened her

mouth and screamed Noah’s name. He lunged forward a few more times,
spilling his hot come deep inside her before collapsing. Warmth spread inside
her and out of her as his seed ran onto the cushion underneath them.

Charlie wrapped her arms and legs around Noah, welcoming his weight on

top of her. At that moment, he was the only solid, real thing in the universe.
If she let go, she might float away.

For a long time, they stayed like that, trying to catch their breath.

“Are you okay?” Noah asked finally.

“I’m...I’m...”

She didn’t know how to ex plain. But it turned out she didn’t have to. Noah

ran a hand up her side and kissed her softly.

“Yeah. Me too.”

****

The staff figured out what happened between them right away.

After they dressed, Noah walked Charlie to her room so she could shower

and change. Noah retrieved his bag out of the car and took it to his room,
and then went back downstairs to make sure the cook made Charlie a cake
for her birthday.

The matronly, grey-haired woman put her hands on her hips and gave him

the evil eye when he came into the kitchen.

How do they always know?

She continued to glare at him until he actually made his request.

“It’s Charlie’s birthday?” she asked in surprise.

“Yeah,” Noah said, thinking about what the background check said about

her personal tastes. “I think a chocolate cake is a safe bet.”

She was still scowling at him, but a little less fiercely. “I can make Devil’s

food.”

“That sounds good,” he said before standing up a little straighter. “I also

want you to pass along word to the rest of the staff that I’m going to be
staying on here for a while after all.”

The cook gave him a knowing look. “How long do you ex pect that to be?”

He shrugged. “I have some things to organize around here, so the rest of

the month—or until my father gets home.”

He turned and left before she could voice any complaints.

Chapter 7

Charlie showered slowly, closing her eyes to savor the feel of the water
running off her body. Everything felt different. Her breasts tingled and there
was a slight soreness in her pussy.

It was as if Noah had branded her, leaving little traces of himself in her

skin. She lingered in the shower, flashing back to their lovemaking in the
grotto, until she reminded herself that she could go have the real thing right
now if she hurried.

She blow dried her hair and dug through her closet for her best dress. It

was a form fitting black one with a square neckline. Her sister had bought it
for herself and then rejected it for being too long. On Charlie it fell to a
modest length right above the knees.

The neckline however revealed the generous curves of her breasts. She’d

never worn it in public after the first time because of the way men looked at
her when she wore it. Even her sister’s ex -husband had stared and then
looked away hurriedly the one time she’d worn it at home.

But only Noah was going to see it now. Hurriedly, she slipped it on and ran

to her vanity, then dug in a drawer for her mostly unused makeup. A little
powder, lipstick, and a dash of mascara were all she applied. She didn’t need
blush. Her cheeks still had a lot of color in them from her and Noah’s earlier
encounter.

As she primped, her inner voice interjected periodically, telling her she

was behaving like a crazy person.

Her first taste of pleasure, and she had fallen hard, succumbed to a desire

so intense she could barely function. The fact that she had just met Noah
wasn’t even enough to make her blink. All she knew was what he had told
her.

She was his now.

Charlie hoped Noah knew that he was hers now, too.

****

When she knocked, he wasn’t in his room. She went downstairs and found
him in the dining room, sitting at the formally set mahogany table. He was
talking on the phone, but he rose when she entered.

“Yes, Sergei. I’ll come in first thing Monday. Stop that. I should be

thanking you. All right, see you Monday, man.”

Charlie tensed. Today was Saturday. Was Noah going to leave in a few

days?

“Where are you going?” she asked, unable to hide the disappointment in

her voice.

Noah smiled. “Only to the city for a meeting. Business. I’ll be back in time

for dinner.”

Charlie nodded, the tightness in her chest loosening fractionally, but she

still felt a little anx ious. She had only been alone with him twice, and both
times passion had literally swept her off her feet.

She didn’t know how to act around him.

He beckoned her to a chair. “You look beautiful. Come sit. Cook said she

knows what your favorite dinner is, and I asked her to make you a cake.
Devil’s food. I hope you like it.”

Charlie beamed at him. “I love it, thank you.”

Noah gave her a small frown. “Why didn’t you tell anyone it was your

birthday?”

She shrugged and looked down at the table. “I didn’t want them to get the

wrong idea.”

“What might that be?”

Charlie met his eyes and then waved her hands lightly. “It’s complicated. I

do miss my sister today, but believe me, I would rather spend my birthday
alone than go through the circus she would organize to celebrate it. She’d
invite half the county and my entire school, which is awkward since I don’t
know anyone very well yet. I have made some friends, but not close ones and
I didn’t invite them over because...well it’s weird to spring that on
someone—hey, come on over. We’ll swim and have cake ‘cause it’s my
birthday.”

“It’s not weird,” he protested as the cook brought out the meal—stuffed

mushrooms followed by shrimp and scallops baked in cream with
breadcrumbs.

Charlie grinned wryly. “It’s a little weird,” she continued after the cook

left. “I was going to reread my favorite book instead. I’d rather do that
than— ” She cut herself off and blushed. “I take that back. There are some
things I’d rather be doing than rereading Persuasion again.”

Noah gave her a warm and intensively private smile. A little thrill raced up

her spine.

“That’s Austen right?” he asked between bites of the delicious meal.

“Yes,” she said pleased he knew one of the author’s lesser known works.

“We forgot your gift outside,” he reminded her. “We should go get it after

dinner. I think you’ll like it.”

She gave a guilty start and then laughed. “I would apologize, but it’s your

fault I forgot all about it.”

He chuckled and agreed. The rest of the meal passed in eager

conversation. They told each other their life stories, although Charlie tried
to gloss over the unpleasant parts. But inevitably, some surfaced anyway.

They had blown out the candles on her cake together at her request and

were enjoying seconds when he pointed out that Darla hadn’t called her.

“Oh, the time change is probably confusing her,” she said lightly. “She’s

always been hopeless at calculating the right time back home when she
travels.”

It was true, but Noah still threw her a small sympathetic glance. “What

about her husband? The other one. Her ex -husband. Were you friendly?”

Charlie’s throat tightened. She set aside her fork and looked down at her

plate. “We were. We don’t talk anymore. Not since the divorce.”

She was surprised when Noah appeared at her side. He pulled her out of the

chair. “Forget about that. I’m your family now,” he said stroking her cheek.
“Come on, let’s go get your gift and then veg out in front of the TV.”

Charlie inhaled deeply before agreeing.

****

Noah woke up early, surrounded by the familiar blue plaid of the walls of his
bedroom. The pattern was faint, and he’d always disliked it, but it was a
more pleasant alternative to the glaring pink of Charlie’s room.

They hadn’t made love again last night. Since yesterday was her first time,

he wanted to wait and give her a chance to recover. Instead, they talked
most of the night, cuddling on the couch long after the movie she had
chosen finished.

Charlie had been shy about sleeping in his room, worried about what the

servants might think. But he hadn’t taken no for an answer, and she’d slept
in his arms. He’d slept peacefully the whole night.

Waking up was better. He crawled down Charlie’s length, stroking her soft

skin as he opened her legs.

This was a wake-up call she was never going to forget.

Chapter 8

The nex t few days were the strangest of Noah’s life. He was energized and
curious to know everything about Charlie, but at the same time he felt like
he already knew her—had known her his whole life.

A strange and unfamiliar peace settled in his heart. For the first time in

his life, he didn’t feel restless.

It was like coming home.

He knew his claim on her had confused Charlie. There were moments

when she would stare off into space and then blink before smiling at him
nervously.

She wasn’t the type of women who gave herself freely to a man. She wasn’t

Darla. But he wasn’t like his father, either. He wanted Charlie as she was. He
would adapt to fit into her life the same way she would adapt to fit into his.

But so far, neither of them was going to have to make any big sacrifices.

His vague idea of moving to Manhattan was solidified when Charlie told him
she had been accepted to Columbia and was going to start there in the fall.
Things couldn’t have worked out better if he’d planned them.

On Monday morning, he drove into the city to meet Sergei at Damov

Industry headquarters. They drove to the other side of town to tour the
engineers draft room and ex amine a 3D printed model of the hybrid engine.
By lunchtime, he was signing contracts in the conference room.

Sergei had wanted him to start right away, but Noah had put him off. “I

need to take some time to find a decent place and to get some stuff settled
between me and my girl.”

Sergei raised a brow. “Someone new? Is it serious?”

Noah smiled. “It is new and serious. You’ll love her. She’s brilliant.”

It wasn’t an ex aggeration. Terrence’s report said Charlie had straight A’s

this semester. At Dalton, that was quite an achievement.

Sergei gave him a broad grin. “You have to bring her around for drinks. We

can celebrate your new career!” he said, picking up one of the reports on the
engine’s projected fuel efficiency.

Noah pursed his lips. “Well, there’s a little problem with that.”

“What is it?” Sergei asked absently, his eyes on his small brunette

assistant, who was gathering the rest of the paperwork from the table.

“Charlie’s not legal drinking age yet.”

Sergei’s head snapped up. He looked shocked, and Noah was about to make

it worse. “And she’s still in high school.”

Sergei dropped the report on the conference table. “Noah.”

“It’s not what you think. Charlie’s nineteen. She had to miss a lot of

school so she’s only now going to graduate, but she’s amazing. Honestly, I
don’t know how this happened so quickly, but I’m crazy about her.”

Sergei passed a hand over his face. “I forget how young you are sometimes.

That’s what you get for being an overachiever. So how did you meet this
girl?”

Noah broke out into a huge grin. “My dad married her older sister. She’s

Charlie’s legal guardian.”

The tall Russian threw back his head and laughed. “Have you told Alex ?”

“No, not yet. But I think I can count on his support.”

Sergei clapped him on the back. “As long as you’re serious about her, yes, I

think you can.”

Noah didn’t need the warning. Afterwards, he stopped at his real estate

agent’s office to give her new specifications for her search before driving
back home.

****

Charlie didn’t want a graduation party. He argued with her, but she easily
convinced him that a private celebration was a much better idea.

That didn’t stop him from going to watch her get her diploma with a huge

bouquet of roses. It caused a bit of a stir, since he had a few fans in the
student body at Dalton. A few of the faculty tried to make a fuss over him,
but he politely reminded them that this was Charlie’s day.

After that, he’d thrown a possessive arm around her shoulders and taken

her home. They spent the afternoon making love in his room. They took a
break for dinner, but went straight back to bed afterwards.

She’d been ecstatic to hear about his new job. She asked if his new place

was going to be near the Columbia dorms. He didn’t know how to tell her she
wasn’t going to need a dorm room.

He’d gotten a tex t from his real estate agent. She had found him the

perfect apartment approx imately half-way between the Columbia campus
and Damov’s engineering offices. The two were fairly close together. After
work, he could walk to campus to pick Charlie up and help her carry her
books home.

The nex t morning, Noah woke up early. He was training himself to keep

normal hours so it wouldn’t be too much of an adjustment when he went to
work at Damov early each morning, setting his watch alarm on vibrate so he
wouldn’t wake Charlie.

He left her asleep in bed and went downstairs to put on a pot of coffee. He

surprised one of the maids holding a mass of high-end shopping bags and
packages going up the stairs. Once he helped her get them to the second
story, he went back down, frowning. Apparently, his father was home early.

But it wasn’t his father. Darla was alone in the kitchen.

“Hello,” he said, stopping short when he saw her.

She looked like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar as she

mix ed herself a mimosa using a bottle of Crystal.

Charlie strongly resembled her sister in terms of build and coloring. But

Charlie’s face was softer and her eyes fairly sparkled with intelligence.

By comparison, Darla had the angular features of a model. He could see

why his father had been taken with her, enough to marry her out from under
the nose of another man. But he preferred Charlie’s sweeter look.

“Hi, you must be Noah. I didn’t know you would be here,” Darla said,

recovering from her startle gracefully.

That was a little surprising. He’d half-ex pected the staff to call his father

and Darla to tell them all about his relationship with Charlie. But apparently
no one had tattled on them. He liked to think everyone had recognized that
Charlie was better off with him than without.

“Is my father here?”

“No, he was delayed. You know how he is,” Darla said, waving a bejeweled

hand. “I simply couldn’t wait to see my baby sister any longer.”

Noah didn’t buy that for a second. Darla had gotten bored, and she’d come

home to shop. Every single bag he’d helped the maid with were from
ex clusive stores in the city.

He crossed his arms. “But you stopped in town to do a little shopping first.”

Darla stiffened. “I wanted to buy a little present for Charlie.”

He humphed. “And you didn’t think to cut your shopping trip short and

come home a day earlier so you could see her graduate from Dalton Academy
instead? Graduation was yesterday.”

Darla’s face fell. “Oh my god. I forgot all about that!”

Her hands flew to her face and her bright dark eyes filled with tears. But

the tears didn’t fall.

She’s good, he thought. But he wasn’t fooled. She might have forgotten,

but she wasn’t all that upset about it.

Noah glowered. “That’s kind of obvious.”

He looked her up and down. He needed to make the situation clear to her.

“Look. You can stay away all you like. Charlie doesn’t need you anymore. She
has me.”

Darla was so surprised, she forgot she was supposed to be upset. She

straightened with a look of confusion. “What?’

He sighed. “I don’t care how much of my father’s money you spend or what

you do to fill your days. All I care about if that you leave me and Charlie
alone. She belongs to me now. Do you understand?”

Darla stared at him, open-mouthed.

“Darla, do you understand me?” he asked, steel in his voice.

He stared at her until she gave him a wide-eyed nod.

“Good,” he said. “Now we’re going to tell Charlie that you tried your hardest

to get here for her graduation ceremony, but you were delayed when your
flight was cancelled due to engine trouble.”

Darla closed her mouth. She gave him a narrow eyed assessment, studying

him for a long moment. He met her stare evenly, until she inclined her head.

“All right,” she said quietly.

He jerked his head at her in acknowledgement before going to tell Charlie

they had company.

****

Noah didn’t enjoy her sister’s surprise homecoming, but he was very polite
about it. Charlie, on the other hand, was grateful that Darla had tried so
hard to get home in time for her graduation.

She surprised Charlie with a lovely watch and some of the latest New York

Times bestsellers. The fact she’d smudged a few of them with stains from a
wineglass were beside the point. It was the thought that counted.

It was awkward with Darla around, but Noah sat her down and presented

her with a solution.

“Charlie, why don’t we head back to the city early? My agent has the keys

to my new apartment. It needs to be decorated, but it’s habitable. And who
knows. It’s within walking distance of the Columbia campus. You could even
stay there after school starts...you know, if you wanted to.”

Noah’s voice had grown hesitant and he wasn’t looking at her eyes,

focusing instead on their joined hands.

Her breath shortened. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

He looked up. “Yes.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, her heart pounding.

Noah scowled adorably. “Yes, Charlie. But if you don’t want—”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence, because Charlie had tackled him. She

pressed kisses all over his face.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Noah started laughing. “Good. Start packing.”

“Are we leaving now?”

“Why wait? Darla can have this place to herself, and we can go and pick

out furniture for our place. I took the liberty of ordering a bed without you.
It should be delivered this afternoon. The super promised to make sure it was
set up so we don’t have to be there. But the rest is bare.”

Charlie sprang up. “That sounds fantastic! I’m going to go pack!” she called

out as she ran out of the room.

Chapter 9

“Charlie, baby, where did you put the spatula?”

“It’s in the drawer nex t to the oven,” she called out from the bedroom.

It had been a little over three weeks since he and Charlie had moved into

their new apartment. The place was perfect for them. It had two bedrooms
and an ex tra room they converted into an office they shared. There wasn’t
much of a view, but they had rooftop access to where the tenants had set up
chairs and potted plants for a makeshift garden.

Humming to herself, Charlie came out of the bedroom wearing a pair of

his box ers and a tank top.

And no bra.

Noah had been delighted to learn that she hated wearing them. She

reluctantly put one on when they went out in public, but it was the first
thing she took off whenever she walked through the privacy of their front
door.

It was the highlight of his day.

One look at those glorious breasts in the low neckline of her tank and all

thoughts of dinner flew out of his head. Their decorator had delivered the
little kitchen table they had picked out earlier that day. It would be a good
idea to test out its sturdiness.

As soon as she walked within range, he reached out and pulled her close,

lifting her up on the table without breaking the kiss. Heat kindled and
flared.

Despite the fact they had sex two or three times a day, his desire for her

hadn’t lessened. Instead the madness had simply grown stronger.

He leaned back to pull the thin tank top off her.

“What about dinner?” she gasped as his hands cupped and kneaded her

breasts.

He lowered his head and took a nipple in his mouth.

“Nevermind,” she moaned as he moved to kiss and suckle her neck.

Her hands went to the zipper of his jeans, but he stopped her by taking

hold of her wrists. “No. Lie down and put your hands up over your head,” he
rasped, taking off his nylon belt.

Her eyes flared wide before she lay back, arching up in sinuous undulation

that shredded his control. Looping the belt around her wrists he tied the
other end to the table leg behind her hands before stripping her shorts and
panties off. He stopped to kiss her parted lips. Her breath was already fast,
and she was wet.

Charlie liked it when things got a little rough, and she loved being tied up.

After tearing his jeans open, he pushed them down and freed his shaft.

Pulling her legs around him, he entered her in one smooth motion, letting
out a sigh as he slid home.

“Oh oh,” Charlie panted, rocking up to meet him.

Noah grunted as her tight little channel gripped him like a vise. Holding

tight to her legs, he began to pump harder and faster. Underneath him,
Charlie writhed, her little cries threatening to short circuit his brain.

He reached out to cover her breast with one hand, pinching her nipple

before softening the sting with the flat of his palm while rocking into her
over and over again.

Charlie strained against her bonds and arched up off the table. “Oh shit,

Noah!” she cried out, straining and pushing against him.

Her pussy fluttered and spasmed around his cock, and she almost took

him with her, but Noah gritted his teeth and threw his head back, fighting
for control. A few more thrusts and he pulled out.

“No,” Charlie gasped.

“Don’t worry,” he assured her with a kiss. “I’m not done with you yet.”

He moved to loosen the belt and took hold of her hips to pull her toward

him. Using his superior strength, he pulled her off the table and flipped her
around, pushing with one hand until she was bent over.

“Spread your legs,” he growled.

Charlie immediately complied and he sank back inside her with a groan.

“Fuck baby, you feel so good,” he said, stroking the soft skin of her

backside reverently.

Noah loved Charlie’s firm little ass. He gave her a few playful slaps, just

hard enough to give her cheeks a healthy pink glow. Her hands scrabbled on
the wood grain of the table, but she didn’t try to get loose. Instead she
moaned, gripping the belt tighter as her pussy throbbed around his cock,
milking him with powerful contractions.

Noah bent at the waist until the bare skin of his chest was flush against

her back.

“I love you, Charlie.”

Underneath him, she froze. He thought she might have stopped breathing

until she spoke.

“I love you, too,” she whispered.

Noah put his hand on the back of her neck, moving her hair aside to kiss

the soft skin nex t to her ear. He began to pump again in slow but powerful
movements. Every time his balls slapped against her, she shuddered and
repeated over and over again, “I love you, too.”

Eventually he couldn’t contain himself any longer. Two more hard strokes,

and he ex ploded deep inside her.

Charlie clamped down on him, beating the table with her bound hands.

“Noah!” she cried as she came again.

He threw his head back and groaned as his cock jerked for the last time.

His reserves gone, he collapsed, letting her take more of his weight. He
reached up to cover her hand, tangling his fingers with hers as they both
struggled to breathe in the aftermath.

He pressed his face against the back of her neck. The way she smelled was

intox icating. Everything about her was.

Charlie was his drug.

He could have stayed like that forever, but the strident ring of the doorbell

pulled him out of his reverie. Annoyed at having his post-coital glow cut
short, he shot the front door a dirty look.

The doorman should have buzzed him to let him know they had a visitor.

Reluctantly he pulled out and stood up, doing up the fastening of his

pants as he went. He took his belt off Charlie and helped her up. She was
limp in his arms, but her legs could support her—barely.

God, he loved her like this, flushed and rosy after a good fucking. Pressing

a kiss to her lips, he pulled up her shorts and gave her a little push to the
bedroom.

“Go get dressed baby. I’ll see who this is.”

Too tired to argue, she walked back to the bedroom while he walked to the

front door to look through the peephole.

Shit. It was his father.

Well, he’d known this confrontation was inevitable. He opened the door

and let him inside.

Henry Masters’ face was a cold, ex pressionless mask. Noah had always

hated the way the old man iced over. You couldn’t even enjoy a good fight
with him.

His father didn’t waste any time. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?

Where is Charlie?”

Noah scowled. “In the bedroom. And she’s fine. So am I. Thanks for

asking.”

His father rolled his eyes. “I get a frantic phone call from your stepmother

telling me all about how you seduced her baby sister and took her out of our
home and all you give me is sarcasm?”

Noah frowned. “And ex actly when did you get this phone call?”

“Last week. That’s not the point—”

Noah cut him off. “It’s been three weeks since Charlie and I moved in

together. Why did it take Darla two whole weeks to become so concerned
about her sister? The one she left alone on her birthday and graduation day
so she could shop, I might add.”

Henry blinked. Clearly he hadn’t been ex pecting a counteroffensive.

“I don’t know why it took her so long. The point is she’s upset.”

And there was the rub. If his new stepmother was upset, his father was

inconvenienced.

“She’ll get over it. Charlie’s not going anywhere. This is our home now. It’s

the perfect location in between my work and her college.”

Henry wasn’t listening. “I still can’t believe you did this. You ripped that

girl out of the only life she knew. Doesn’t she have school?”

Unbelievable. “Weren’t you listening? Charlie already graduated from

Dalton. She’s off to Columbia nex t. And she’ll be living here as she attends
classes. With me. She loves me, so I suggest you go home and tell Darla that
everything is fine. Her sister is being well taken care of—for a change.”

Henry stared at him. “What did you say about work?”

Noah looked down and shook his head. At least he couldn’t fault him for

being inconsistent. “I got a job at Damov Industries. I’m going to be working
on their nex t-gen hybrid engines.”

His father’s head drew back. “Oh. That sounds like an ex cellent

opportunity. Not as good as the one you would have working for me, but good
enough. But this thing with Charlie is…it’s unacceptable.”

“I thought you wanted me to settle down. I believe your ex act words were

get a real job and date a nice girl—not a racing groupie.”

“I didn’t mean someone related to you.”

He put his hands on his hips and stared his father down. “If I ex cluded all

the woman in New York because you married a relative of theirs there would
be no one left.”

Henry rolled his eyes. He was going to say something else, but he stopped

short.

Noah turned to see Charlie standing in front of the hallway leading to

their bedroom. She had found another one of those delicious tank tops, with
a bra this time, and she had pulled on jeans over her long golden legs.

She didn’t say anything, and instead simply raised a hand in an

abbreviated wave hello. His father rubbed a hand over his face, not bothering
to greet her. “This is going to blow up in your face,” he said cynically before
leaning in. “Try not to get her knocked up.”

Noah shook his head. “I make no promises. We want a big family.”

Henry’s eyes and mouth widened in shock. Noah tried not to laugh.

Tired of having their privacy disrupted, he gestured to the door. His father

blinked and scowled, but he headed for the ex it. Noah opened the door, and
his father walked out, twisting to face him once he was on the other side.

“Do what you want, but try and not to fuck this up.”

Noah rolled his eyes. “I could say the same thing about your relationship.

In that respect, my track record is considerably better than yours,” he said
evenly, before closing the door and staring at it for a moment while he
regrouped.

“We want a big family?”

He spun around to face Charlie. She didn’t look mad. Her ex pression was

more like sympathy mix ed with resigned amusement.

“We do, don’t we? Eventually…”

Charlie grinned and nodded. “Someday,” she agreed before the smile on her

face faded into a rebuke. “But not before I finish college,” she said, pointing
at him for emphasis.

Noah put his thumbs in his empty belt loops. “Someday,” he repeated. “But

accidents happen. Just in case, you better finish early.”

Charlie rolled her eyes to the heavens as if asking for patience. Taking

advantage of her inattention, Noah rushed to her and threw her over his
shoulder.

She squealed as he lifted her high in the air. He ran his hand over her ass.

“I promise no babies for now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t practice making
them right?” he asked as he headed for their bedroom.

Hanging over his shoulder, her hair streaming behind them, Charlie

laughed. “What about dinner?”

“We’ll order in. I’m hungry for something else right now,” he said, giving

her rear a proprietary spank.

She spanked him right back.

The End.

If you liked this story and want more, read Alex ’s full length novel

Making Her His

A Singular Obsession Novel, Book 1

An Amazon Erotic Suspense Bestseller for only 99cents!

From the reviews *average 4.5 out of 5 stars* in December 2014

"Beyond amazing! I didn't ex pect to love this story as much as I did.

[…] I'm so thrilled that I read this book because it was wonderful and one of
my top favorite books I have read this year!”

"Ms. Leroux pens a beautiful story about love that was so gripping than it

still runs around in her hear after the story long ended!!”

"Making Her His wasn't what I ex pected, but was also refreshing and didn't

feel like a lot of other books on the market."

"This was a great book, I really enjoyed it. This book is a great love story

about a man following his heart and a girl becoming a woman and finally
taking her life back”

"I was not sure what to ex pect with this book when I first read it, however,

it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Leroux created a complicated
relationship situation but developed it in a beautiful and realistic way. I
especially enjoyed the erotic scenes, which were very steamily written! I
recommend men buy this book for their women ;)”

Summary

For almost five years, Alex has had one obsession. Her name is Elynn.

Alex Hanas couldn't believe that after so many years as a widower, his

father was getting remarried. To make matters worse, the American gold
digger had a kid—a daughter named Elynn. After months of avoiding it, Alex
goes to brunch with every intention of giving his father's new family the
deep freeze. But he can't pull it off with Elynn's anx ious green-grey eyes
locked on him.

That was the day his life changed.

Four years later, Alex is as close to Elynn as a stepbrother can be. But

that's not enough for him. He wants more...and he's done waiting.

Available now on most online retailers!

Coming Attractions

Calen’s Captive

A Singular Obsession, Book Two

Coming Feb 2015!

Calen is a good man from a bad family. He’s worked hard for success, but
something’s missing…or rather, someone.

Calen is the son of an Irish mobster, but he’s rejected his legacy and has

made a name for himself as a club owner. After years of hard work, he has
the life he’s always wanted. Almost.

Then his father asks him to take a meeting with a rival crew. It’s too

important to say no. Reluctantly, he drives out to the middle of nowhere to
meet them. There to negotiate for reparations, he sees an innocent girl being
held against her will—someone who looks very familiar.

Unwilling to leave the girl to a fate worse than death, he demands she be

included as part of the deal. Maia is forced to stay with Calen for her safety,
but she soon finds out he has ulterior motives for protecting her.

Read the first three chapters at http://goo.gl/6AJhF6

Stolen Angel

A Singular Obsession, Book Three

Coming April 2015!

Sergei Damov is in love with someone who isn’t interested in him, but

he’s determined to change that.

Sergei has pined for months, waiting for his assistant to turn around and

see he’s the perfect man for her. But Ada only sees him as her boss. Until one
night when they both have to work late and the office is deserted…

It doesn’t happen right away, but soon Sergei has Ada right where he

wants her—in his bed. Then demons from his past resurface, and he brutally
pushes her away before the darkness inside him can consume them both.

But Ada isn’t about to let herself be used. Soon she turns the tables on him

and disappears, leaving a mystery in her wake. Why was Ada working under
an assumed name? Not just with him, but at every job she ever held?

Using every resource at his disposal, Sergei desperately searches for her,

before the danger she’s running from catches up with her…and to try and
heal the heart he shattered.

Read the first three chapters at http://goo.gl/cqh0OI

About the Author

Lucy Leroux chose love.

Lucy moved to France for a one-year research contract. Six months later

she was living with a handsome Frenchman and six years later is happily
married to him…and still in France.

When her last employment contract ended Lucy turned to writing.

Frustrated by the lack of quality romance erotica she enjoyed reading she set
out to create her own. Her stories feature heroines who are smart, brave, and
resourceful. She enjoys writing men who are thoughtful and slightly obsessive
alpha males.

Her ‘A Singular Obsession’ series is a combination of romance erotica and

suspense that feature intertwining characters in their own stand-alone novels.
Three are completed and additional four books are planned. Follow her on
twitter @lucythenovelist or http://www.facebook.com/lucythenovelist or visit
www.authorlucyleroux.com.

Sign up to get release day news and free reads!

http://www.authorlucyleroux .com/newsletter/