Unexpected Gift aMAZON FINAL- Claire Angel, page 1
Unexpected Gift
A Bad Boy Romance
(Book 3)
(Series: Unexpected Love)
Copyright © 2019 by Claire Angel
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. While, as in all fiction, the literary perceptions and insights are based on life experiences and conclusions drawn from research, all names, characters, places and specific instances are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. No actual reference to any real person, living or dead, is intended or inferred.
UNEXPECTED GIFT: A BAD BOY ROMANCE
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Table of Contents
UNEXPECTED GIFT: A BAD BOY ROMANCE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
SAMPLE: CRUSHING ON BEST FRIEND’S SISTER: A BAD BOY ROMANCE
Prologue
Chapter 1
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
UNEXPECTED GIFT: A BAD BOY ROMANCE
Blurb:
The moment I saw her, my life was changed. She was forbidden and a big part of my brother’s world and he warned me.
I saw the hunger in her and It drove me fucking insane.
Once I had that taste, I couldn’t stop. I tried to fight it, but it was too hard.
I know she wasn’t the one-night kind of girl.
She was in my head and my heart. I didn’t want that night to end.
Would she regret this tomorrow when the sun was up, and reality surrounded us?
I never knew that my life could change that much in two weeks, but she was making me see everything differently.
I knew it was worth it to try to make it work with her.
And it killed me to sit so far from her. I wanted her in my arms.
I’d never felt that way with a woman before so why was it happening with someone here?
I wanted new things and new chances.
She had a life here in New York and mine was back in California.
I was leaving in a week and a half. That was only one of the reasons that I shouldn’t be thinking of her this way.
Was this the real thing for me? Finally?
Only time would tell.
***
Chapter 1
Lachlan
I woke up as the announcement that the plane was landing played over the speakers, blinking slowly. I was so fucking tired from partying too hard the night and I sighed as I straightened up and looked out of the window. I was going to miss California, but I was here in New York to spend time with family and friends. Mostly friends, since the family part was lacking.
I was excited to see my brother Everett again. He was getting married next spring, and I hadn’t had a chance to meet his fiancée yet. That’s what happened when you went to school on the opposite coast and then built your life there. When Mom married Hal a year and a half after my dad was killed in a car accident in high school, I applied for schools as far away as I could. I hated him and he felt the same way and treated my mom like shit. I tried to talk to her about it along with Everett, but she was a grown woman. She could make her own choices.
I went to school in Southern California and majored in graphic design. When I graduated at twenty-three, I found a job at an up-and-coming agency that I ended up owning a year and a half later. The former owner was dealing with a terminally ill wife and let things go too much, so he offered it to me for a deal. I accepted and built the business back up to the reputation that made me want to work there. I added to the staff to make it a well-oiled machine and now I could take a couple of weeks off and work remotely.
The wheels bumped down on the ground as my stomach twisted. I remembered a late night at a bar and then leaving the bedroom of some blonde girl to get home to pack. There were benefits to being a young, successful business owner, and I took advantage of every perk I could. We stopped slowly and being in first class; I left first to get my suitcase. I was not immune to the looks that women gave me but I just kept going so I could make it to the car rental agency to pick up my Rover. There would be plenty of time for that later.
Once I was in the car, I thought about where to go. I knew that Everett was at his place and called to see if he minded if I stopped by. We both planned to spend as little time at Mom’s house as possible. He was happy to hear from me and told me to come on over to see his new house. They had a few friends over, but I could meet them once I arrived. I punched in the address on my GPS and realized that he was on the outskirts of the city now with some land around him. I enjoyed the drive despite the traffic but since I lived in California, that was nothing new for me.
I pulled into a long driveway and looked at the spacious ranch home in front of me. “Damn. He did well for himself.” I shook my head and shut the car off, leaving my bag in the car. I expected that Everett would offer to let me stay there but if not, I was fine with getting a hotel. I could afford the best and that would lend me the privacy that I might need. Walking up to the door, I rang the doorbell and looked down when a petite girl with bright blonde and purple hair gazed up at me. “You must me Lachlan.” She said with a beaming smile. “I’m Priscilla. It’s good to finally meet you.” She reached up to hug me and I returned it, caught off guard by her affection.
“Brother of mine.” Lachlan appeared at the door and smiled lovingly at Priscilla. “I see you met the love of my life.” She blushed and shook her head as she moved back and allowed us to hug. “Good to see you. It’s been a minute.”
“I know. There are parts of New York that I’d like to forget.” We shared a long gaze, and I knew that he understood. He hated Mom being married to Hal, but he was the one that kept everything calm.
“I hear that. Come in. Do you have luggage?” He asked as I entered a large foyer and looked down into a sunken living room.
“In the car. We’ll deal with that later.” I replied as I took in the scene. There was a red-haired woman sitting on the couch with a man and two babies that looked about a year old, clearly married. The way they looked at each other gave that away but I wouldn’t be the kind to hit on a woman with children to begin with. That was not anything I was looking for. I scanned the room and lifted my gaze to the chef’s kitchen to see a brunette pouring a glass of wine, seemingly lost in thought. I paused and took her in, realizing she was gorgeous. She placed the bottle on the counter and reached for the glass, looking at me with huge green eyes.
“Introductions. This is Michael and Delila and their babies, Danielle and Darius. Priscilla and Delila work together and Peyton has been their assistant for close to a year.” He gestured towards the kitchen as I stared at the intoxicating woman. “This is my brother Lachlan.” I heard greetings and managed to form some of my own as I looked blindly around the room. Peyton walked down into the living room and sat beside Delila, kissing the cheek of one of the babies as she laughed at something her friend told her.
She was fucking ethereal. I’d slept with a lot of women, but they were always the cookie cutter bar type. Peyton was something entirely different, and I stared at her as someone cleared their throat beside me. I blinked and looked at my brother. “What?”
“She’s like a little sister to all of us, Lac. She’s only nineteen so leave it alone. You are way too much for her.” There was a warning in his voice that conveyed his affection for the girl, and I raised a brow.
“I was just looking at everyone. Chill out,” I muttered as I made my way to the kitchen to get a beer. Everett had his wild days after his bitch of an ex cheated on him. I heard a lot about the women back then but as soon as he met Priscilla, something changed. I missed the brother that used to talk real with me, and I opened the fridge and looked inside, breathing the cool air. I reached for a bottle and closed the door gently, telling myself to calm down.
I joined everyone in the living room and sipped my beer as I observed the friendship between the group. Everett was clearly in love with Priscilla and the same could be said for the other couple. They were in love with their little family and I watched curiously, knowing that marriage and family wasn’t my thing.
Not
I was intrigued by Peyton. She was young but there was maturity in her eyes that suggested she’d been through things in life. It wasn’t that she was frowning and in fact, she was laughing with the other girls. She was also hot as fuck and I wanted to be the one making her smile and screaming my name as she came around me. I blinked, trying to remember what Everett had told me.
She was a vital part of their life and family. Peyton wasn’t to be fucked around with, possibly breaking the bond that they all had. I could fuck any woman that I wanted to and didn’t need her as a notch on my bed to make me happy. It was just sex. But was it? I looked at the fire burning in the large space underneath a stone mantel, focusing on why I was here.
I looked up to see Everett watching me as he traced Priscilla’s shoulder with his hand. I grinned at him and looked at the TV that was muted with a hockey game playing, thinking about hitting a local bar in town and burying myself inside of a nameless woman. That would fix everything.
Chapter 2
Peyton
I tried to keep my eyes away from Everett’s brother as we talked about the upcoming holidays and our plans. I didn’t add much to the conversation, choosing to nuzzle the babies as I listened to the people that were fast becoming my family. I had nobody else since my parents died two years before I graduated high school. I stayed with an aunt, but she wasn’t much of a mother figure and my own mom wasn’t even close to her. I just ended up there.
That was in Chicago and I came to New York for college when I was eighteen. I started at the Fashion Institute, planning to take photography and then find a job in the city. I was lucky to meet Delila at one of her shoots by chance and we got to talking. She mentioned that she needed an assistant with her twins coming soon and it all fell into place. I still attended school around jobs to get a degree, but I was considering taking a break. Delila was busy and her company growing by the week. I would have the experience over the degree in no time. I could afford my overpriced one-bedroom apartment on my salary and I was happy.
I had broken up with my boyfriend a month ago. I thought he was perfect being creative like me and passionate about graphic design. I found out six months in that he was more into the girls in his class and ended things immediately. I hadn’t been with anyone in a couple of months now thanks to what I thought was school and Lachlan was an Adonis. He’d be a perfect distraction for the time that he was here, and I gazed at him slowly as he sipped his beer. His throat moved as he swallowed and I watched, mesmerized by the muscles. Lachlan met my eyes, and I blinked, turning my gaze away as heat washed over my body.
He was Everett’s brother. I knew he didn’t live here and getting involved would be foolish. I had a good thing going with Delila and Priscilla and why would I fuck that up? I sensed Everett gazing at me and ignored it, taking a sip of my wine as I ignored the sexual tension in the room. I looked up when Everett invited Lachlan to stay at the house, knowing that I was going to be here to help with the kids. From what I knew, the brothers weren’t close to their mother and stepfather, but they tried at the holidays.
“It seems as though you have room,” Lachlan smirked and the cocky look on his face both irritated and aroused me.
“Yes, Lac. I do.” Everett assured him dryly as Lachlan looked at me for a moment. “There’s no need to stay in the city and pay for a hotel. I know you won’t stay with Mom.”
“I’ll stay. Maybe not the whole time since I don’t want to be an inconvenience, but it was a long flight.” I let out a slow breath at the answer, wondering how I’d sleep in a house with him in it. I wasn’t sure if it was due to my breakup or lack of good sex recently, but I wanted Lachlan. I needed to fight it and focus on what mattered, feeling despondent as I looked at my friends with their men. “Is everyone else going to be here?”
“Yes. We’ll do a big breakfast tomorrow.” Priscilla offered with a big smile as sipped my wine again, draining half the glass. I felt Lachlan looking at me and kept my eyes down. I could go back to my apartment tomorrow and get away from the temptation that he was taunting me with. I had another glass of wine and went to bed the same time as Delila, helping her with the twins. They were just seven months old now and full of energy and I kissed their cheeks tenderly before pulling away.
“He’s as good-looking as his brother,” Delila said beside me as I blinked at her.
“Who?” I asked as she smiled knowingly at me.
“Lachlan. I’d only seen pictures of him before this, but I’d say there’s something going on there. He’s gorgeous.” She said as I shrugged.
“He is trouble. I know guys like that, and they will only burn you.” I told her as we left the babies and headed to the adjoining bedroom.
“That isn’t necessarily a reason not to try. Michael was my boss when we met, and Silla was just leaving her husband when she got together with Ev. They were messy situations, but I’d say they worked out well.” She bumped my shoulder with hers, breaking into a long yawn. “Just wait to have kids. Enjoy life without them as much as possible.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I told her in a sarcastic tone as Delila stretched. It would never get that far and likely be a one-off if anything. As much as I thought he’d be incredible in bed, I didn’t want to rock the boat. A night out would get me the same thing. I pulled her into a hug and Delila sighed. “Get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I smiled as she headed into the bathroom and left the room. The house sounded quiet, and I turned right to go to the room that I was using, hearing voices across the hall. I glanced over to see Everett leaning against the door across from me as he spoke to someone. The voice that responded was husky and sent shivers down my spine. Everett turned to look at me and smiled warily. “Good night, Peyton.”
“See you in the morning.” I grinned and walked into the room, closing the door. I changed into some warm pajamas and went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth, coming out to see Lachlan in the hallway as he checked his phone. I blinked, and he looked at me, taking in my thick fleece pants and an oversized Henley. “Oh. Hi. Sorry. I didn’t know you were out here.”
“No problem. I just wanted to clean up before bed.” His tone suggested that he would rather get dirty, and I nibbled my full, lower lip. He watched the movement as we fell into silence, sizing one another up.
“I will see you tomorrow,” I told him before rushing into my room and closing the door, wishing it had a lock. The man wouldn’t come in here without permission, for God’s sake. He could have any woman he wanted. I turned the light off and made my way to the bed, running a hand through my hair. I dropped down to the mattress and looked out of the window to the stars that shimmered in the sky. Eyes that were a slightly darker tint than Everett’s burned in my mind and I thought about the sexy, muscular man just a few feet away for a moment before laying back on my pillows.
I was going home tomorrow and keeping in touch with the girls by phone. I’d spend the holiday alone if need be just to avoid the man outside in the hallway. I couldn’t get myself in a bad situation again. I heard a door close and sighed as I tucked the blankets around my body.
I woke up slowly in the morning, stretching as I inhaled the scent of strong coffee. I heard voices and more than that, babies. I smiled for a moment before remembering the new house guest, frowning heavily. I would make an appearance at breakfast and find a way to go home later today. We were on something of a break with the holidays, after all.
I rose and grabbed some clothes, heading to the bathroom after listening in the hallway. I brushed my teeth again and fixed my hair into a messy bun, looking closely. On paper, my dark hair and green eyes were a great combination, but my eyes were so big. I thought I looked like an alien and Bray’s infidelity didn’t help that one bit. I pulled on skinny jeans and a dark purple sweater before dispensing my pajamas on my bed. I glossed my lips and shoved the tube into my pocket before turning to go down the hall to the kitchen.
