Only For Now: Second Chances
Read Only For Now: Second Chances Online
Authors: Alana Hart,Mila Rose
Only For Now
A Second Chances Romance
By
Alana Hart & Mila Rose
Copyright © 2015 Alana Hart & Mila Rose
All rights reserved worldwide.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.
Published by Hartfelt Books
Cover Design by Alana Hart & Mila Rose
Image by Deposit Photos
Alexa jumped at the sound of a low male voice. “Everything okay in there?” What was she going to do? She was trapped in this room with a virtual stranger on the other side. A stranger she had apparently spent the night with. She was going to kill Cara when she got out of this mess. Unbelievable. She couldn’t even count on her sister to watch out for her.
She stood there, debating what to do next until there was another soft rap on the door. Now what? There was no escape, so she figured she might as well face him and get it over with. Summoning up every spare bit of strength and confidence she could muster, she tossed her deep brown hair behind her and strode to the door and yanked it open.
Alexa wasn't sure what she had expected, but it most certainly wasn't this. Before her stood the most delicious specimen of male she had ever laid eyes on. Her already foggy brain slowed down even more as she stared. This man could have been a Greek god. Or an underwear model at the very least. He was at least six feet tall, his slightly longish brown hair falling across his forehead as he looked down at her with warm chocolate eyes. Her mouth went even dryer than before when her eyes trailed to his muscled abdomen. All he was wearing were cotton pajama pants.
She was absolutely right. She hadn’t spent the night with a complete stranger. She’d spent it with the one man she’d spent the past four years doing everything in her power to avoid.
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Contents
CHAPTER ONE
Alexa Roberts awoke with a start at the sound of a knock on her hotel room door.
“Just a minute,” she called, trying to get her bearings. She shook her head, still fuzzy from the night before, and headed into the bathroom. It was probably one of the bridesmaids coming to get her on the way down to breakfast.
Her sister Cara had wanted Alexa to sTy in one of the suites with her other bridesmaids, but she had opted for one of the cheaper hotel rooms in an attempt to save money. Cara and her friends didn’t seem to understand the idea of sticking to a budget.
Now that her head was clearing, she looked around more carefully and blinked. This was one of the most elaborate bathrooms she had ever seen. Marble floors, a walk in shower with more nozzles than one person needed, and a bathtub raised on a platform that was large enough to bathe both of her German Shepherds at once.
Her hands flew to her mouth. This was not her hotel room. Surely this was Cara's room, or perhaps one of the other bridesmaids'. She went back into the bedroom and turned on a lamp, illuminating the extravagant decor. She tried to find an explanation, but knew this was absolutely not one of the girls' rooms. She’d been in Cara’s room, and while she knew her sister’s friends enjoyed the finer things in life, she also knew none of them could have afforded this type of luxury. Not with the cost of the weekend trip to New Orleans being only a week before their sojourn to Florida for Cara’s wedding.
The only other explanation then, was…
No, no no, this cannot be happening
. She had not spent the night with a stranger. She had never done anything like that before. But more terrifyingly, she couldn't remember any of it. She wracked her brain trying to come up with what had happened the night before. She remembered going to Bourbon Street with the others and hitting up a couple of bars, but she'd only had a couple of drinks, and they had been spaced a fair amount of time apart.
Alexa jumped at the sound of a low male voice. “Everything okay in there?” What was she going to do? She was trapped in this room with a virtual stranger on the other side. A stranger she had apparently spent the night with. She was going to kill Cara when she got out of this mess. Unbelievable. She couldn’t even count on her sister to watch out for her.
She stood there, debating what to do next until there was another soft rap on the door. Now what? There was no escape, so she figured she might as well face him and get it over with. Summoning up every spare bit of strength and confidence she could muster, she tossed her deep brown hair behind her and strode to the door and yanked it open.
Alexa wasn't sure what she had expected, but it most certainly wasn't this. Before her stood the most delicious specimen of male she had ever laid eyes on. Her already foggy brain slowed down even more as she stared. This man could have been a Greek god. Or an underwear model at the very least. He was at least six feet tall, his slightly longish brown hair falling across his forehead as he looked down at her with warm chocolate eyes. Her mouth went even dryer than before when her eyes trailed to his muscled abdomen. All he was wearing were cotton pajama pants.
She was absolutely right. She hadn’t spent the night with a complete stranger. She’d spent it with the one man she’d spent the past four years doing everything in her power to avoid.
“Good morning, Alexa.”
Will Townsend, playboy extraordinaire. The penultimate heartbreaker. He said something else, but she couldn’t hear it over the buzzing in her ears as she tried to figure out how in the hell this had happened. She shook her head in an attempt to clear it, but the movement made her dizzy and she closed her eyes as she swayed, gripping the door frame for balance.
"Whoa there, take it easy." He slipped an arm around her and guided her toward the plush couch. "I ordered breakfast if you'd like something. Tea? Coffee?"
"Um, coffee I guess," she mumbled. She sat down and rubbed her temples, trying her hardest to remember something, anything. Nope. Nothing.
What was Will doing there? It had been a girls’ weekend. A bachelorette trip. And she’d wound up in his hotel room? It didn’t make sense.
He handed her a piping hot mug then sat down opposite her on a chair, his own coffee cradled in his hands. He leaned back casually as if this encounter were completely normal. As if the past four years were but a blip in time and they were having a regular conversation.
"How do you feel this morning?" He studied her with an unreadable expression on his face. "You were quite an adventure last night."
Was he serious? She sat upright, nearly sloshing hot coffee all over her lap. "Excuse me? You have some nerve." So she was right then? They’d actually spent the night together? She grew more and more indignant as he simply smirked.
"I mean, you were very... Well, anyway, I'm sure you have a hell of a hangover. I hope you at least rested well."
What was with this him? He was thoughtful enough to get coffee for her and be concerned about the quality of her sleep, but not considerate enough to think twice about taking advantage of her in her apparently inebriated state? This was too much. She slammed her mug down on the glass table top and jumped up, hands on her hips, angry now.
"You hope I rested well? I wouldn't know. I don't remember a thing from last night. This is so typical of you, Will, bringing a woman back to your room who was in no state to make a rational decision about it? If I had been in my right mind, there is no way I would ever have spent the night with you! You should be ashamed, yet here you are ready to have conversation over breakfast?"
He stared at her openmouthed while she gave him a piece of her mind. She barely registered the look of confusion on his face as she stomped back toward the bedroom. It was time to get the hell out of there. Just as she was about to slam the door, his voice stopped her in her tracks.
"You don't remember anything from last night?" he asked carefully. His face was guarded.
"Nothing. As far as I know, this morning is the first time I've ever laid eyes on you in four years!"
His eyes widened and he stood slowly and started to take a step toward her.
"No, no. You stay right there. I'm changing and getting out of here." Before he could say another word she whirled and slammed the bedroom door.
* * *
Will stood gaping at the door, unsure what to do next. He had to tell her. She had the whole situation wrong. Maybe if she took a minute to calm down then he would be able to talk rationally with her. He knew something was off last night, but he’d just been so happy to see her again that he ignored the signs. The gravity of the situation was starting to sink in.
She had been drugged, he was sure of it now.
He'd had his suspicions, as he’d never seen Alexa that intoxicated, but the fact that she didn't remember anything at all made him certain. He rubbed his hands over his face and dropped back onto the chair. This was terrible. She thought he had taken advantage of her in a drunken state. The idea of such a thing made him recoil. He had never been so inconsiderate of a woman's rights, and he wasn't about to start now. Especially with Alexa. He'd let her change, then tell her everything that had transpired.
He thought back to when they’d first seen each other last night, trying to see if he'd overlooked the signs, but she had seemed perfectly okay. Perhaps a bit light-headed from a few drinks, but she had seemed to have her wits about her. Up until they had left the bar to get some fresh air and not have to yell to be heard over the pulsating music. She'd suddenly been unable to walk straight and had been hanging on his arm.
"Where’s Cara?" he'd asked. He'd known he had to get her back to her sister if she was in this condition.
"With the bridesmaids," she slurred. "I'm not having fun with them though. I'd much rather be with you."
"Maybe so," he said gently, "but I think we ought to get you back now." She pouted, but let him guide her back inside. "Do you see them?"
She looked around the room, eyes glassy, then laughed. "No. They aren't here. Looks like you're stuck with me."
"Are you sure?" he prodded. "Let's look around a little more." He practically supported her as they made their way up the stairs to the balcony that looked over the entire room. Help me look. Surely they wouldn't abandon you here."