PIERCE : A Billionaire Romance Book Series (The Complete Van Doren Series) (11 page)

              Pierce settles back into his seat and draws Christina’s hand into his own once more.  He holds it lightly, his palm dry, his fingers firm.  She squeezes it and remains silent, leaving it up to Pierce to rebut her father’s statements.

              When he does, he speaks with an earnest confidence she’s only recently seen glimmers of.  His response is honest, clear, and calm.  “I don’t blame you, sir – and while I’m certain you’re a very good father regardless, I appreciate your candor.  And you’re right.  I have been…”  He squeezes Christina’s hand, his smile quirking a bit as he continues. “…shady.”  Christina smiles a little at that admission, and tightens her fingers on his.  Pierce goes on, “I had reasons, and while they’re a bit… convoluted, I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.” 

              Michael arches his brows at that, but the smile that he gives Pierce is one of honest admiration.  He relaxes a bit in his seat.  Turning towards Christina, he smiles at her, too.  “Honey, can you make Pierce and I some coffee, so we can get acquainted?” 

              Thankful for an opportunity to step away, Christina nods and gets to her feet.  She gives Pierce a squeeze on the shoulder before departing, then heads into the kitchen, where she finds Ella with her head in the refrigerator.  As her sister stands up with assorted sandwich goods in her arms, she grins, and then dumps all the foodstuffs on the counter.

              “He’s hot,” Ella says, never being one to beat around the bush.  “I take it he’s rich, too?”  Arching one brow, she gives Christina a sidelong glance, then begins to assemble a sandwich.  Christina laughs a little, nods, and shrugs. 

              “Yeah, he is.”  As she measures out coffee into the coffeemaker, she glances out into the living room, where her father and Pierce are already engaged in conversation.  The weight that’s been on her chest for weeks is starting to lift, and she grins over at Ella as the younger woman slathers mayo onto some bread. 

              Maybe things are going to be okay. Maybe they aren’t.  But either way, Christina knows she’s going to enjoy the ride.

⎔⎔⎔⎔

EPILOGUE

              She’s just a lump in the bed, only the top of her head and a few blonde curls visible above the covers.  It’s quiet in the bedroom, and even though the sun is breaking through the blinds and painting buttery lines on the floor and across the baby’s crib at her side, both Christina and little Henry are sound asleep.  Pierce stands near the window, peering out across the front lawn towards the distant beach, the bejeweled ocean beckoning with the promise of warmth despite the chill in the San Francisco beachfront air.  This four-bedroom cottage is quite a change from the cavernous Van Doren estate, but it’s been warm, comfortable, and home.  His home with his wife, his baby, and his new life.  Pierce smiles as he considers his good fortune, and how perfect everything has turned out to be after all their trials and tribulations.

              The concern regarding Christina’s father Michael was short-lived.  The man proved to be just as kind and reasonable as his daughter, and even had good advice regarding William’s situation.  With Michael’s guidance, Pierce worked out a way to repay the company, agree upon a plan that allowed him to resign with little fuss, and also exonerate his father of any further prosecution.  Any charges that would have been filed were dropped with the promise that William and Pierce would give up their shares in Van Doren Enterprises, sell their patents for some software designs, and cease all contact with the business. 

              This left Pierce with quite a bit of property and capital with which to start his new life. He chose to open a publishing company for his new fiancée.  At first Christina was overwhelmed by the prospect, but upon Pierce’s suggestion that they hire Pete as their COO, she felt the company was in good hands.  While still small, V&M Publishing is already starting to make a name for itself, and Christina has time to stay home with the baby for a few months without any major concerns for the new company’s welfare.

            
 
Pierce can’t help but chuckle as he remembers the call to his father to tell him the good news.  William had been overcome with gratefulness, and had flown directly into New York to meet Christina and her family before even returning home.  He and Michael had hit it off amazingly well, and the two older gentlemen rapidly became fast friends.  William had chosen to stay in New York after all the business was handled, and their fathers spend time together regularly at the country club and on the golf course.  Michael’s willingness to slip into a more posh lifestyle came as a surprise to Christina, but it was a happy one.  She is much happier living on the east coast knowing that her father and William are there for one another.

              The engagement was short, and the wedding was small but lovely.  They had been married in the same church Christina’s parents were wed in, and Christina had worn her mother’s wedding gown.  Ella had stood up as Christina’s maid of honor, and Pete had flown in to stand with Pierce.  The honeymoon had been in Aruba, and Pierce remembers fondly the sight of his new bride in her bikini and sheer dress as she walked quietly through the surf at night.  Always thinking, always considering – that’s his beautiful Christina. 

              Pierce steps away from the window and turns to face his tiny family, his smile warm as he watches them breathe, listens to the small whispers of the baby’s respiration. Every day he’s grateful for the way his life has gone, and he’ll never ever forget the day Christina showed up at his house with her serious face and her digital recorder and threw him off his game for good.  He never thought that in a couple of short years, he’d give up his playboy lifestyle and settle down – much less get married and have a child.  A tiny, fragile little human.

              Christina’s pregnancy was easy enough, but there had been a few complications late-term.  Blood pressure high, Christina had been on bed rest for the last four weeks, and hospitalized for one of those weeks.  She’d been so miserable, but so full of anticipation and joy as she felt their baby move.  They’d both cried when they’d seen the last ultrasound – his tiny face there on the screen for them in all its beautiful detail.  He looked like his mommy.  Pierce was glad, because as far as he was concerned, Christina was the most beautiful thing on the planet.

              The birth had been a wonderful trial for everyone.  While Christina had been a champion, Pierce found himself fraught with nerves in labor and delivery.  He remembers his father and Michael being there, and how both of the grandpas-to-be had been adorably reticent about watching the birth. “Men should wait in the waiting room, this is private!” Michael had grumped, his cheeks red with embarrassment as he considered his daughter and her labor with an audience.  William had quietly agreed. Despite their protests, both were immediately at Christina’s bedside, anxious to hold the newborn Henry.  Michael had said they would call him “Hank”, and Christina had laughed and called the tiny thing “Hank” all the time, now. 

              Pierce’s heart felt full. It feels warm.  He sits down on the bed beside his wife carefully, trying not to disturb her, just yet.  Soon, Henry will wake up, and she needs to get as much rest as she can before it’s time to feed him.  As he slips under the blankets, Christina rolls over and murmurs incoherently before reaching out to rest her arm over his chest.  Pierce kisses her messy hair and sighs, closing his eyes and relishing this easy, peaceful morning while he can.  Before they know it, “Hank” will be hollering for breakfast, and the day will begin for real. 

              Pierce is happy for every day that he has with Christina and Henry, and he hopes they’ll have a new little face to greet them from their sun-kissed crib sooner than later.

THE END

_________________________

The following is the military romance Dangerous Love Benefits - your FREE copy is available on Instant Download in our Book Club on the last page
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COLE

              The first thing I noticed when I woke up from surgery was the smell of roses. That was weird. Of all the things I associated with hospitals, roses wasn’t one of them. I’d been expecting pain, the smell of disinfectant. Maybe even men in face masks staring down at me. But not roses. I tried to open my eyes, but the anesthetic still had me foggy and exhausted.             

              My training kicked in. Intelligence is what gives you the upper hand. So what did I know
?
My name is Cole Huntley. I was shipped back from the Middle East after sustaining a burn the size of a dinner plate over my hip and abdomen. After an eighteen-hour flight from hell, I was rushed into the emergency room, knocked out cold, and prepped for emergency surger
y
.

              I could assume that I was still in the military hospital, and I seemed to be lying on a bed. Must be in a ward. Not much noise around me, but I could hear the sound of birds singing. Muted, as though it came from the other side of a window. Middle of the day. As for the smell of roses… well, nobody was going to leave flowers by my bedside. The smell had to belong to a person.

              There was a person who smelled like roses in the room with me. I decided to make myself known. A little bit of major emergency abdominal surgery wasn’t going to get me down! I cleared my throat and said, “There’s plenty of room in this bed if you need to take a nap too.”

              At least, that’s what I tried to say. The anesthetic wasn’t having it though, and I ended up just mumbling a long string of unintelligible syllables. Oh well. Worth a shot.

              “Oh, you’re awake,” said a female voice. It’s hard to tell without looking, of course, but this woman sounded attractive. She sounde
d
sof
t
. Silky. Her voice was like a caress. I sensed her leaning over me. “Can you open your eyes?”

              “For you, sweetheart, anything,” I mumbled. It came out a little better this time, but still not perfect. I’m sure she got the gist. I tried to pry my eyes open, and to my surprise, I succeeded. Light flooded my brain. I was on a clean, white, sterile hospital ward, and leaning over me was one of the most beautiful creatures I’d ever seen.

              “You’ve got to be the most beautiful nurse I’ve ever seen,” I said. Third time’s the charm – this time my words were a little slurred, but otherwise intelligible. A frown crossed the woman’s face.

              “I’m a doctor,” she said. “Your doctor, in fact.” She looked me up and down. “My name is Dr. Piper Phillips, and I’ll be supervising your recovery.”

              I swallowed hard. A civilian. Not a great start. But the doctor really was beautiful. I’d never seen anyone with hair such a golden color, or with a set of features so perfectly arranged. Her skin was smooth and radiant, and her blue eyes bore straight into me with a sharp intelligence. Not only that, but her breasts were stunning. Hidden, of course, beneath a sensible blouse, but I could see they were full, rounded and heavy.

              “Well,” I said, doing my best to sound casual despite the fogginess,               “You gotta promise to go easy on me, Doctor Piper. I’ve been in battle. The fight of my life.”

              That seemed to reach her – a tight little smile flashed across her lips.               I felt like grinning. Once you’ve made a woman smile, you’re halfway there. I lay back on my bed as she read my chart and checked me over. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. My pulse spiked just looking at her.

              “How long have you been a doctor?” I asked as she was updating my chart.

              Piper looked at me with that piercing gaze. “Four years now. Why do you ask?”

              “Just curious,” I said. “You look very young. You must be one of those gifted ones.”

              That got a little bit of a smile too, but not much. I could tell that she was holding back, keeping herself professional. That only made me more determined to crack her shell. I knew it was possible. I’ve got a sixth sense for when women are attracted to me. It’s one of those things that I just know. It’s not the best superpower in the world, but it has its moments.

              “Are you wearing perfume, Doc?” I asked, making it sound like I’d only just now noticed.

              “A little,” said Piper without looking up.

              “Roses?”

              “Yeah.” She glanced up at me this time. Each look from those perfect blue eyes was its own reward. I would have loved to have her stare at me all day. Not to mention have those tits hanging over me again.

              “Huh. Well then, thanks!”

              “For what?”

              “Your perfume was what woke me up. First thing I was aware of.” I looked her up and down, taking in her pert little body hidden beneath her sensible clothes. My cock stirred from deep below and I imaged wrapping my big hands all over her tight curves. Oh yes, she would fit nicely under me. Her face flushed as my eyes hovered over her lips. Fair’s fair – she had been checking me over a minute ago.               “Believe me,” I said, “there are worse ways to wake up. In fact, I’d have to say you’re the nicest thing I’ve opened my eyes to in quite some time.”

              That did it. The smile that broke onto her face – just for a second – was a genuine one. Wide, not forced, and it reached her eyes. I smiled back, and for a minute I felt the hot tension between us. Piper glanced away. She hung my chart up on the edge of my bed and swiveled on her heel.