PARANORMAL ROMANCE: Shapeshifter Romance: The Vampire's Stolen Bride (BBW Fantasy Alpha Male Romance Books) (New Adult Vampire Fun Mature Young Adult Billionaire Steamy Love and Romance Novella) (22 page)

“Oh fuck…I missed that,” Serena said when he finally collapsed on her.

“You and me both,” he said in an exhausted whisper.

He was now lying on top of her, his cock still deep inside her pulsating pussy. He had been reduced to a mass of quavering flesh and she was slowly caressing the back of his neck.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” he asked in a soft voice.

“What?” she asked. He pulled away from her and looked down into her eyes.

“I love you, that’s what,” he said, still whispering. She gently caressed his cheek and shrugged lightly.

“You do?” she asked and he nodded.

“I never stopped, Serena,” he said as she brought a hand up to hold a lock of his hair. “I never stopped.”

Chapter 5

Serena

“Rubbers, woman! Why didn’t you even consider the fact that he wasn’t wearing a rubber?”
Serena scolded herself as she leaned over the office bathroom sink. She had been feeling nauseated all morning thanks to the morning after pill she had taken after her evening with Jake the previous night on his office couch. She splashed her face with water and then grabbed a few paper towels before she patted herself dry.
“You look horrible,”
she thought as she looked at her reflection. Her hair was all curly around the edges thanks to the water she had been splashing on her face. She opened her makeup bag that she had placed on the counter and pulled out a hairbrush. She then brushed her hair back and held it in a loose bun securing it with a couple of bobby pins on either side.

“Not what I had in mind when I put on this dress in the morning,”
she thought as she looked at herself in the mirror. The outfit she had on, a sleeveless navy blue knee length pencil dress, had always looked better with her hair down, and straightened of course.
“Well this will have to work for the rest of the day because I am done holding my hair back every time I feel like I am going to puke.”
She put her hairbrush back into her makeup bag before she walked back to her desk. Her now cold coffee was still sitting on her desk, untouched. Instead of coffee, she had been downing bottles of cold vitamin water all morning and she was now on her third one. Everything was fine except for the fact that she had to take bathroom breaks every ten minutes. She had just sat down when Jake called her into his office. She grabbed her pen and notepad and made her way into his office.

“Hey,” he said looking up as she walked towards his desk.

“Hey, what do you need?” she asked.

“Why don’t you sit down?” Jake said gesturing at the chairs in front of his desk.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“You tell me.”

She raised an eyebrow over the other.

“Huh?” she asked.

“Well, I have been watching you today and you look uneasy. Really uneasy plus you are drinking flavored water like there is no tomorrow.” He looked at her and shook his head. “You know I wouldn’t have minded if you took the day off, right?”

“I’m fine. I don’t need the day off,” Serena said shrugging.

“Really?” he asked, a hint of cynicism in his voice.

“Yes really,” she said as she put her notepad and pen on his desk.

“I know this is all my fault and I am sorry,” he started and she shook her head.

“What the hell are you talking about?” she asked. Jake smiled.

“Last night?”

She shook her head again.

“What about last night?” she asked as if she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

“You are really going to make me say it?” Jake asked as he looked at her. “I made love to you without protection and you had to take one of those emergency pills.”

Serena held the back of her neck to hide the fact that she was blushing.

“You don’t know that,” she said.

“I’m a doctor, Serena. You’re either suffering from the effects of the pill or you are pregnant and as much as I believe in my guys, I don’t think it is scientifically possible for them to work that fast.” He raised an eyebrow over the other. “I may be a cardio geek but I still know a thing or two about how the female body and how it works.”

“I’m fine,” she said.

Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of Tic-Tacs and a stick of gum.

“Are you trying to tell me my breath stinks or something?” she asked and he shook his head.

“No, the mint helps with the nausea. But that will just be for a few more hours,” he said as she took the gum and breath mints from him. “But if you feel like you need to take the day, just do it. Take the day. I’ll drive by to check up on you later.”

Serena smiled.

“But you don’t know where I live,” she said and he shrugged.

“That’s what HR is for plus I already made friends with the pretty lady there,” Jake said boastfully. Serena stood up and looked at him.

“Should I be jealous?” she asked, feigning seriousness. He stood up and walked over to where she was.

“Please. That would be so hot,” he said before he grabbed a feel of her ass and she pulled away.

“Boundaries, remember?” she asked as she began walking towards the door.

“You wouldn’t let me forget,” he said before he opened the door for her.

“Well, you got that right doctor,” she said and he smiled.

“Call me doctor one more time and I will bend you over the damn desk,” he threatened in a low voice.

“Right now? Right here?” she asked. “In broad daylight?” He nodded.

“Yeah. Right here, right now in broad fucking daylight.”

“Good to know, doctor,” she said in a whisper.

“Oh fuck!” Jake suddenly said under his breath. And by the way he said it, she could tell that it was not the kind of sexy cursing he would do just moments before he carried out his threat.

“Okay. That is definitely not what I was expecting,” she said in a low voice.

“No, it’s not that,” Jake said as he ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s Michelle.”

Serena frowned.

“Who?” she asked and he gestured at the curly blonde haired woman that was walking towards them. “Who’s that?” she asked.

“My ex-wife,” Jake said and for a minute, Serena felt threatened. She almost said what she was thinking out loud and what she was thinking at that moment was
“You were married to
that
?”

“Dr. Alexander,” Michelle said flashing Jake an insincere smile.

“What are you doing here, Michelle?” he asked as he looked at her. All Serena could concentrate on was her outfit, an incredibly short white dress and a pair of green unbelievably high stiletto heels.

“Well, someone isn’t picking my calls so I figured I will have to come all the way to California,” Michelle said. “We need to talk,” she added before she turned to look at Serena. “Sorry, my ex-husband can be a bit terrible when it comes to people skills. Michelle Porter.”

“Serena Foster.”

Michelle raised an eyebrow and her gaze shifted from Serena to Jake.

“Wait…what are the odds…is she
that
Serena?” she asked as she looked at Jake.

“I’m right here,”
Serena thought as she looked at Michelle.

“Wow, so I finally get to meet the woman who ended my marriage before it even began,” Michelle said, her voice full of sarcasm.

“Watch it, Michelle,” Jake warned.

“So you finally found her, huh?” Michelle asked before she looked at Serena again. “You know you ruined him for the rest of us, right?”

This time Serena couldn’t help it.

“Well, you know what they say. Once you go black,” she said, a smile on her lips.

“What the hell do you want here?” Jake asked as he looked at Michelle.

“We still have one pending piece of business and since you won’t answer my calls, I need to know what you decided about the townhouse in Seattle,” Michelle said.

“I won’t be long,” Jake said in a whisper as Michelle walked into his office.

“It’s okay, Dr. Alexander,” Serena said smiling before she walked back to her desk.

She popped a breath mint into her mouth and sighed. She could not help but wonder what had brought her all the way down to California.

Jake

“Why the hell are you here?” Jake asked as he walked over to his chair. “And how the hell did you even know where I worked?” He looked at her and shook his head.

“I knew that you came out here to work for a practice called Calabasas Wellness Center and the rest I left it to Google Maps.” She crossed one leg over the other. “She is quite curvy. I now understand why it didn’t work out with us.”

‘It didn’t work out because you decided to kill our child and fuck my boss,” Jake said calmly.

“Well, all you did was work and if you couldn’t be there for little old me, how were you going to make time when there were the three of us, huh?” Michelle asked. “I did you a favor and you know it.”

Jake exhaled loudly and made a fist under the table, so tight that his knuckles hurt.

“I know for a fact that you are not here to talk about us because there is no
us
anymore,” he said and she nodded. She reached into her big purse and pulled out an envelope. “What is this?” he asked as he pulled out the papers from the envelope.

“We co-signed the town house and I cannot sell it without your go ahead. So I need this finalized yesterday,” she said.

He flipped through the pages and then reached for a pen.

“You could have sent your lawyer to deliver these,” he said as he quickly signed his name on the bottom of the pages.

“Are you not going to read the documents?” she asked.

“Well, the documents are pretty clear. And I was fine with getting thirty per cent of whatever you sell it for,” he said.

“So you are not even going to contest it?” she asked and he shook his head as he handed her the envelope.

“I think the time for contesting everything is over. I mean, I have already seen as much of you as I want anyway.”

“Easy there, tiger,” Michelle said before she put the envelope in her bag. Are we still bitter about everything?”

“You got your signature, Michelle. So just leave already,” he said, getting increasingly uneasy. She looked at him for a long minute before she stood up.

“You know, now that look makes sense.” He shrugged.

“What look?” he asked.

“That puppy dog look you always had,” she started as she slowly made her way to the door. “Most people thought it was because I had you eating out of the palm of my hand but I always knew that there was more to it. And now that I met her, it all makes sense.” She turned around and looked at him. “It was her. It was always her.”

“And it will always be her,” Jake said.

Michelle smiled and shrugged.

“Good for you, I guess,” she said before she walked out of his office.

Jake took a long deep breath and exhaled loudly.

“Fuck this shit,” he said silently as he leaned against the headrest of his chair. Michelle had always been a handful but seeing her again had brought up a whole new level of resentment he didn’t know he still had after being divorced for more than a year now. He was still leaning back with his eyes closed when Serena walked in.

“Are you okay?” she asked and he looked at her, forcing a smile.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah the breath mints are helping,” she said as she walked into his office.

“That is not what I mean and you know it,” he said.

“It would take a whole lot more than just a dirty look from your ex to have me rattled. You know that.”

“Well, she did leave a whole bitchy stench so there’s that,” Jake said and she smiled.

“You really didn’t leave things cordial between the two of you, did you?” she asked as she sat down in the chair. He shook his head.

“There is something I haven’t told you about the divorce,” he said. She leaned in.

“What?” she asked.

“Michelle also cheated on me. With my boss,” Jake admitted and Serena leaned back, surprised.

“You guys were quite busy in the short time you were married,” she said and he nodded.

“Yeah, some more than others.”

“Well, technically, it is just one of you who was busier.” She unwrapped a stick of gum and put in her mouth before she shook her head.

“I’m just glad everything is over,” he said. “And she is out of my life.” He looked into her eyes and smiled. “Out of our lives.”

“
Our
lives?” she asked.
“Us?”
He nodded.

“Us. Now that I’ve found you I am not going to let you go so easily,” he said. “Hell, I am never letting you go.”

Chapter 5

Serena

“So let me get this straight,” Christina, Serena’s best friend said as she sat across the couch from Serena. “The guy you have been mooning over since God knows when is your stepbrother?” she asked.

The two were in Serena’s apartment catching up over wine.

“
Was
my stepbrother. His father and my mom divorced, remember?”

“Well, yes you guys were still once…kind of related,” Christina said.

“Well, that is all old news now because I not only crossed the line. I went overboard,” Serena said. Christina took a long sip of her wine and then shrugged.

“Well, now that I am over the initial shock I have to admit that this is kind of weird but at the same time also kind of hot.” She picked up Serena’s phone and looked at the screen for a long minute.
“This
is the famous mystery guy.”

“Yup. Dr. Jake Alexander,” Serena said before she took a sip of her own wine.

“So is it like Jacob or something of the sort?” Christina asked and Serena smiled shaking her head.

“No, his mum just wanted to give him a shortened name as a full name,” she said. “He has a sister named Meg, full name.”

“Really? Not Margaret or Megan?” Christina asked and Serena shook her head. “Well, I was almost a Christie so I guess it can’t be all that weird.”

Serena smiled and shook her head.

“Guess not,” she said.

“So, what is all this about anyway?” Christina asked and Serena shrugged as she poured herself more wine.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Well, you came clean about your hot doctor brother..” Christina started and Serena shook her head.

“Step brother,” Serena said cutting him short.

“Fine. You have told me all about your
stepbrother
but I have to wonder, since you have already told me that you went overboard, what’s the big deal?” Christina asked.

“Well, he asked me to go over to his place tomorrow night. He wants to make me dinner,” Serena said.

“So?” Christina asked.

“What do you mean, so? It’s obvious…” Serena shrugged. “I honestly don’t know if I want…” her voice trailed off. Nothing she thought of saying made any sense. Her thoughts were all jumbled up.

“What are you trying to say?” Christina asked as she looked at Serena.

“When a guy says he wants to make you dinner he is hinting at one thing,” Serena started and Christina nodded.

“Yeah, the guy wants to lay it down like he means business,” she said and then shrugged. “What’s so wrong with that?”

“Nothing.”

“Good, because form where I am standing you look like you don’t want that to happen.” Christina took a sip of her wine.

“I do, I really, really,
really
want it to happen,” Serena started.

“Three really’s. Then I don’t understand what the big deal is.” Christina reached for the bottle. “What’s going on?”

Serena took a sip and then shrugged.

“Jake was married before,” she finally said and Christina’s grin grew wide.

“This guy is just full of surprises, isn’t he?” She straightened up and leaned against the couch’s armrest. “I like him. He is like a real life telenovela. I’m not even sorry I am missing out on my soaps tonight.”

“Christina, focus,” Serena said rolling her eyes.

“I’m just saying it as it is,” Christina said

“So like I was saying Jake was married before to a…freaking cheerleader. And I’m talking the whole nine yards, skinny bitch blonde hair type,” Serena went on. And he has always been a stud but I have always been this person struggling with her weight and…” Christina shook her head and reached for her friend’s hand.

“Wait, is that still a thing?” she asked and Serena shook her head.

“No, you are missing the point,” Serena started.

“And what’s the point?” Christina pressed.

“That he married a skinny blonde woman. And for him to have done that then it means that everything changed. He fell in love with someone who was not like me,” Serena explained.

“Wait, are you feeling threatened by his ex?” Christina asked and Serena shrugged.

“I think I am,” she said nodding. “And that is why I don’t think I can just pick up from where we last left off. I am not the same person…the girl who felt sorry for herself because she was always picked last in gym class and maybe he is not the same person who used to like his coffee like his women, strong and black.” She shrugged.

“As a sucker for romance novels and Mexican soaps I have to say that f it’s meant to be, then it is fucking meant to be,” Christina said. “Go for that dinner. You know you want to.”

“And then what?” Serena asked.

“And then talk about shit. Ask him what you want to know and hear what he has to say.” Christina took another long sip of her wine as she smiled at Serena. “You owe yourself at least that much.”

*****

When Serena got home on Friday evening, Christina’s words were still ringing in her head. She had the unusual luck of not having to face Jake all day. There had been a major pile up on one of the major highways and Liberty Memorial needed all the help they could get. Actually, all the doctors at CWC were at the hospital. But for Serena, not seeing Jake meant that she didn’t have to think of an excuse to blow him off that evening. She knew that it would have been unfair not to show up for the dinner he had been so psyched up for the last week.

After she took a shower, she put on her make-up and straightened her curls before she pulled out a white long sleeved low cut midi dress with a thigh high front slit from her closet. She put it on and matched it up with red-strapped high heels. A smile played on her lips when she saw her reflection.

“If I wasn’t straight, I would do me,”
she thought to herself before she walked to the kitchen where she had made an apple crumble pie on the previous day to carry to Jake place. She had promised to bring the dessert so Jake wouldn’t have to do all the cooking. She had half a mind to make the custard but she didn’t think it was such a good idea. It would be cold by the time she got to his place and they both liked their custard nice and warm.
“Plus I don’t want any spillage in my car,”
she thought as she grabbed a small purse and her keys before she walked out of her apartment. Her heart was beating hard as she keyed in Jake’s address into her GPS.

“Here goes nothing,”
she thought as she pulled out into the road.