Confiscating Charlie

Confiscating Charlie

A Singular Obsession Novelette

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!

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

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.

Alexandros Hanas clucked his tongue as he examined 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 mixture 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 next 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 exhaled 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 Oxford. 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 expansively.
“
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.
”

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 nixed the idea of a party, but they
’
d gotten over it the more they drank.

Flexing 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 exotic 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.