Chapter One
It started with a little lie. Just one.
Her alpha wolf, Ben, had had her wrists pinned over her head as he drove forcefully into her and he said something like, “Your body belongs to me, doesn’t it?”
She had moaned, “Yes, sir,” her eyes rolling back in her head with pleasure at being taken roughly.
“I’m going to come inside you today, Ash,” he’d said.
“Yes, sir.”
It hadn’t mattered. She was on the pill—which he knew—but Ben Stone was a dom through and through and understood she liked to feel as though she had no choice. She had come with a scream, arching and shuddering beneath him and after he’d found his release, he’d lain down beside her, stroking a hand over her hip.
“I think we should make pups,” he’d said, his breath warm against her ear. “Don’t you?”
“Yes,” she’d breathed. She would’ve said yes to anything he’d said at that moment. Post-coital murmurings probably shouldn’t be counted as declarations of intent. And she hadn’t realized he meant soon, as in ‘let’s start now.’ They weren’t even married yet. Not that human contracts meant much to him. As far as her shifter was concerned, he’d marked her and she was his. Forever.
The discussion about babies had been five months ago.
“I can’t figure out how to talk to him about it,” she confessed to her twin sister, Melissa, on the phone in her office. She lowered her voice, because even though a couple of walls separated her glass-windowed high-rise corporate office from Ben’s, she never knew what he could hear with his superhuman senses.
“Just tell him! This is getting stupid, Ash. If he thinks you guys are trying to get pregnant, and you’re still taking the pill, it’s dishonest. Is that the kind of marriage you want to have?”
“No,” she said, resting her chin in her hand. “But he’s going to be mad.”
“Mad that you’re not ready to have kids?”
“No… well, I don’t know about that. Disappointed, probably. But definitely mad about the fact that I’m taking the pill.” Her stomach knotted up thinking about it. There was no way out of the situation that she could see. If she talked to Ben, she risked his disappointment, or worse—anger. And he probably would decide she deserved punishment for her deceit. But she wasn’t ready to have children. She was only twenty-five and Ben, the multi-millionaire CEO of Stone Technologies, had just given her a job as his personal assistant, which came with intoxicating power and excitement. So going off the pill was out of the question. She’d been around and around this circle of thoughts for the past five months without arriving at a solution.
“Ashley,” Melissa said, affecting a stern tone. “You’re being a coward.”
She slumped in her chair. “I know.”
“Go tell him right now.”
Her insides twisted. “I can’t.”
“Now, Ashley. I’m serious. This is just stupid.”
She exhaled. “Okay. You’re right.” She stood up. “I’m going.”
“It will be fine.”
“I don’t think so.”
“It will be. Call me and let me know how it goes.”
“Okay-bye,” she said all in one breath. She put the phone down and walked toward the door before she could chicken out.
The top floor of the building was busy, with upper level management holding meetings in their offices or talking on their phones. When she’d first come to this floor to interview, it had been dead silent, with just Ben and his secretary, Karen, occupying the space. He had kicked everyone else off the floor, preferring solitude in his grief over his brother’s death.
She walked past Karen’s desk. “Is he busy?” she asked.
“He’s alone.”
She tapped on the door and swung it open.
“Miss Bell,” he said coolly, using the stern employer tone that made her panties wet. The green eyes that turned gold in wolf form surveyed her critically.
She walked in and shut the door. “Mr. Stone.”
He leaned back
It started with a little lie. Just one.
Her alpha wolf, Ben, had had her wrists pinned over her head as he drove forcefully into her and he said something like, “Your body belongs to me, doesn’t it?”
She had moaned, “Yes, sir,” her eyes rolling back in her head with pleasure at being taken roughly.
“I’m going to come inside you today, Ash,” he’d said.
“Yes, sir.”
It hadn’t mattered. She was on the pill—which he knew—but Ben Stone was a dom through and through and understood she liked to feel as though she had no choice. She had come with a scream, arching and shuddering beneath him and after he’d found his release, he’d lain down beside her, stroking a hand over her hip.
“I think we should make pups,” he’d said, his breath warm against her ear. “Don’t you?”
“Yes,” she’d breathed. She would’ve said yes to anything he’d said at that moment. Post-coital murmurings probably shouldn’t be counted as declarations of intent. And she hadn’t realized he meant soon, as in ‘let’s start now.’ They weren’t even married yet. Not that human contracts meant much to him. As far as her shifter was concerned, he’d marked her and she was his. Forever.
The discussion about babies had been five months ago.
“I can’t figure out how to talk to him about it,” she confessed to her twin sister, Melissa, on the phone in her office. She lowered her voice, because even though a couple of walls separated her glass-windowed high-rise corporate office from Ben’s, she never knew what he could hear with his superhuman senses.
“Just tell him! This is getting stupid, Ash. If he thinks you guys are trying to get pregnant, and you’re still taking the pill, it’s dishonest. Is that the kind of marriage you want to have?”
“No,” she said, resting her chin in her hand. “But he’s going to be mad.”
“Mad that you’re not ready to have kids?”
“No… well, I don’t know about that. Disappointed, probably. But definitely mad about the fact that I’m taking the pill.” Her stomach knotted up thinking about it. There was no way out of the situation that she could see. If she talked to Ben, she risked his disappointment, or worse—anger. And he probably would decide she deserved punishment for her deceit. But she wasn’t ready to have children. She was only twenty-five and Ben, the multi-millionaire CEO of Stone Technologies, had just given her a job as his personal assistant, which came with intoxicating power and excitement. So going off the pill was out of the question. She’d been around and around this circle of thoughts for the past five months without arriving at a solution.
“Ashley,” Melissa said, affecting a stern tone. “You’re being a coward.”
She slumped in her chair. “I know.”
“Go tell him right now.”
Her insides twisted. “I can’t.”
“Now, Ashley. I’m serious. This is just stupid.”
She exhaled. “Okay. You’re right.” She stood up. “I’m going.”
“It will be fine.”
“I don’t think so.”
“It will be. Call me and let me know how it goes.”
“Okay-bye,” she said all in one breath. She put the phone down and walked toward the door before she could chicken out.
The top floor of the building was busy, with upper level management holding meetings in their offices or talking on their phones. When she’d first come to this floor to interview, it had been dead silent, with just Ben and his secretary, Karen, occupying the space. He had kicked everyone else off the floor, preferring solitude in his grief over his brother’s death.
She walked past Karen’s desk. “Is he busy?” she asked.
“He’s alone.”
She tapped on the door and swung it open.
“Miss Bell,” he said coolly, using the stern employer tone that made her panties wet. The green eyes that turned gold in wolf form surveyed her critically.
She walked in and shut the door. “Mr. Stone.”
He leaned back
Similar Books
