VALENTINE’S DAY PROPOSAL Read online

  VALENTINE’S DAY PROPOSAL

  LAUREN WOOD

  Contents

  Copyright

  Free Book Offer

  Blurb

  1. Prologue

  2. Blair

  3. Blair

  4. Scott

  5. Blair

  6. Scott

  7. Blair

  8. Blair

  9. Scott

  10. Blair

  11. Scott

  12. Blair

  13. Scott

  14. Blair

  15. Scott

  16. Blair

  17. Scott

  18. Blair

  19. Scott

  20. Blair

  21. Scott

  22. Blair

  23. Scott

  24. Blair

  25. Scott

  26. Blair

  27. Scott

  28. Blair

  29. Scott

  30. Blair

  31. Scott

  BILLIONAIRE DESIRE (SAMPLE)

  A Note From The Author

  Copyright

  © Copyright 2019 – All rights reserved

  * * *

  In no ways is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters all are production of the author’s imagination. Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18.

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  Blurb

  He was going to pop the question.

  * * *

  My boyfriend of three years is finally going to ask me to marry him.

  But I was avoiding the question, avoiding him.

  Which brought me into the arms of an unexpected man.

  Scott.

  He was an old lover, but nothing felt in the past when we kissed again.

  His eyes were black with need and I knew exactly what it was he desired.

  Scott always knew how to touch me, where to hold me, and after all this time, nothing was the same.

  Then Valentine’s Day rolled around.

  It was the day that Dominic was going to make his move.

  But I had Scott on the mind.

  Scott wanted to come over.

  I knew it was a bad idea.

  But I wanted him.

  Badly.

  And I couldn’t tell him no.

  I didn’t want to.

  Was I about to give up everything for a kiss?

  A touch?

  Something more?

  Knowing the whole time how wrong it was.

  * * *

  ***

  Prologue

  We were running as fast as we could, and it felt like my feet were actually rising up off of the ground and I was going to fly away. We were going so fast. What had started as a playful chase, had changed in some way. I was running away from Scott, sure that tonight was going to changed everything.

  When he finally got close enough, he pulled me down and grinned as he kissed me over and over again. Our bodies fell into the soft sand and I was covered fully by his body.

  Sounds came out of me that I didn’t want to give way to, but it didn’t matter. There was no way that I could stop him, even if I wanted to and I certainly didn’t want to.

  “I don’t want to wait anymore.”

  “Wait for what?”

  I tried to play stupid, but I knew what he was talking about. It was written all over his face, so it would have been impossible for me to think of anything else, but him and the desires that Scott had been holding back for a long time. I knew the day was going to come that he didn’t want to wait any longer. It was finally here.

  “Come on Blair. Do we really need to play these games?”

  “Maybe we should. Reality is scary.”

  “Are you afraid of me?”

  His body had my own pinned and I was only able to move around if he allowed it. I was at his mercy and I wasn’t afraid of him at all. The fear that I felt, was not of him, but what he could do to my heart. My body was his for the taking.

  “You know that I’m not.”

  “Then why are you shivering?”

  “It’s cold.”

  “And why is your heart racing?”

  That was a little bit harder to explain. What was I supposed to say? It was this way because of him. He knew that, but it wasn’t enough for Scott. He wanted to hear me say it, admit it out loud.

  “We were just running.”

  He growled at me and captured my lips in his. I could feel his own heart going slow and steady. It would take more than that to get him riled up. Me, all he had to do was look at me the right way. Touch me the right way, like he was doing now, and I was on fire.

  “You have an answer for everything.”

  I agreed and he kissed me again. My mind was already getting a little wobbly with all of his attention. I wanted him to see that he didn’t control me, but he did. The kiss was paired with wandering hands and I was quickly forgetting my train of thought.

  “You know that I only have one question for you Blair.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Are you ready?”

  “For you, I am.”

  I had been waiting to say that to Scott for a very long time. Now it was finally going to happen. I was finally going to be his.

  Scott spent no time waiting around for me to change my mind, something I’d done in my past. Not this time though. I was ready. Ready for the next stage of our relationship. It was time.

  Blair

  “So, tell me that you have big plans for your birthday Blair. I know that is going to be something great. Where are you and Dominic going?”

  “I don’t know. Dom is acting strange. I think that he’s going to ask me to marry him. That’s what I hope anyways. We’ve been dating for three years now. It’s time.”

  “Just because you’re together, doesn’t mean that you have to marry him.”

  Lisa never did like my boyfriend. She’d also never been very shy about how she felt about it. She didn’t want to have anything to do with Dom, but it didn’t matter. We were going to be married, and soon. It was how my life was supposed to be. It was in my five-year plan. Now that it was here though, I had to wonder what life would be like with him. It was hard for me to fathom being a wife, but the Dominic part seemed easy enough.

  “I know how you feel about him Lisa, but can you just be supportive once? I am going to say yes, and I want you to be happy for me.”

  She was silent for a moment and I didn’t think that it was possible. Lisa had always been the type to say what was ever on her mind, no matter how it affected other people. I didn’t want that friend right now, but she was bubbling up inside. Her brown hair was practically vibrating from her trying to hold it in. I knew that it was hard for her, but not this hard.

  “Fine Lisa. Say what you want to say about it now, but then be done, okay?”

  She agreed and Lisa started to lighten up. I hadn’t noticed how red her face had gotten, like it was physically hard for her to hold it in.

  “I think you’re making a huge mistake and you don’t even know it. You’re settling Blair. It’s just that simple and I wis
h that you would understand that and move on. He’s holding you back from the rest of your future.”

  Lisa said it all in a rush and it was only now that her deep brown eyes met mine.

  “Please reconsider before you say yes. There is so much more to come.”

  I wanted to believe that her words didn’t affect me. I sure acted like they didn’t, but they did. I could feel the judgment from her, but that wasn’t what bothered me. What bothered me was the fact that she could very well be right. Maybe I was just settling because Dominic was comfortable. But people did it all the time. I would learn to love him.

  “He is a good man Lisa. That’s what it comes down to. He’s going to ask and I’m ready for the next part of my life to begin. I feel like I’ve been going in circles the last few years. My job isn’t working out. Dominic is the only good thing in it.”

  She waved me off like what I was saying was nonsense, but I didn’t feel that way at all. It didn’t feel like it was nothing when I was trying to get everything right, failing horribly every time.

  Lisa shook her head. I shouldn’t have asked her why she was doing it. I knew that it wasn’t going to be good, but she shrugged when I asked her why she did that.

  “Just because he is the best thing right now, doesn’t mean that it is the right thing.”

  I agreed, but I knew that it was more than that. It was more than the current situations in my life. I was ready for the next stage of life, because I had failed this one so much.

  “Time’s up Lisa. You’ve said your piece.”

  I knew that she had more to say if it was allowed, but I didn’t want to hear any more. She was right in some ways, but I didn’t want to admit that. There was no way that I was going to admit it to myself, let alone to her. It just didn’t seem like a good idea.

  “Fine. Are we going to talk about how this is going to happen?”

  “I don’t know. I have no idea what he is planning, but I did see the large purchase from the jewelers. It makes sense that it would be a ring.”

  “So, you’re not even sure?”

  She was far from happy with that fact and I scowled at her. “This is what is going to happen, trust me. He knows that my birthday is the perfect time to ask. I love holidays and I told him a long time ago that I hate it being so close to Valentine’s Day, because everyone wraps it all in together with the holiday. It isn’t fair.”

  Lisa knew my stand on my birthday and she just shook her head like I was being silly.

  “Well you’re usually right about these things. I would have to ask what was going on. I don’t know if I could be so calm about it.”

  I wasn’t calm at all. I was trembling inside, unsure which way to go. When I found the receipt, I almost immediately knew what it was. It could have been a lot of things, but it was all making sense now. Dominic had become distant, but now I knew why. It was because he was nervous to ask me. It just made me want him all the more.

  This is what I wanted, right?

  I sighed and sent a glare at Lisa. It was her words echoing in my ear and I felt like she had done it on purpose. She didn’t like Dominic and she was convinced that I needed to see the ‘real’ him. But I knew who he was, had for a long time. No one was perfect.

  When I told her that, she scoffed? “No one is perfect, but there are people that are perfect for you. That’s what you should be looking for. Forever is a long time.”

  Blair

  “So, Lisa filled me in on your good news.”

  “I should have known that you’d be working with her on this. I don’t need you to start too. I’ve had enough honesty for one day.”

  “What did she say?”

  He had a grin on his face, but it wasn’t doing me any good. I knew that he was upset because like Lisa, they both felt like I was doing the wrong thing. It didn’t feel wrong, well it hadn’t felt wrong, but now it did somehow. Like I was just lying to myself. Lisa made me feel like a fool and now I was questioning everything.

  “You know what she said, so do we really have to go there?”

  “I suppose not, but did you listen to her?”

  “About as much as I’m going to listen to you.”

  My answer made him smile, like I knew it would. It was hard for me to see how this was all going to work out. I wanted to believe that I knew best, but why then, did the people around me think it was such a bad idea? Was it that wrong to no longer be interested in waiting for love? I don’t know when I stopped believing in it, but it was some time ago, because I hadn’t felt all the false hope that I used to.

  “Well then I am not going to say anything. You know how we feel.”

  “Yes, duly noted. So, what are your plans for the night?”

  “Going out with Vanessa. You know how that’s going to go.”

  I did and I shifted in my seat. The last thing I needed was to hear about his love life right now. Dominic and I had been together for years and our love life suffered because of it.

  “I hope you two have a good time. I’m sure it will be all that you dreamed of and more.”

  He grinned at me and it was in those moments that I saw the young Scott that I’d known for years. He was unsure of himself and always had a quick smile and wit. But he was no longer like that. Something had made him a bit darker through the years. Something I had never understood, but it was impossible not to see and feel the way he did.

  “You know what I dream of Blair.”

  “Ah yes, the mysterious woman that doesn’t speak English, but wants to fulfill all of your hopes and dreams.”

  “Exactly. Is that too much to ask?”

  I giggled at his response, but at the same time I had to feel bad, wondering if I was doing the same thing. Scott found it in someone’s arms, new girl every night. But I was looking for it in one guy. Neither one of us were satisfied though. That was the shame of it all. I wanted to be happy, but I was looking for it in all the wrong places, just like him.

  “I guess so. When I find my perfect guy, I will let you know.”

  “Since you’re thinking of getting married soon, wouldn’t it make sense that you had?”

  “Did you talk to Lisa today?”

  “No, why?”

  I sighed to myself and told him that I had no reason for my last comment. I wanted to believe that it was different with Dominic, but was it? How was it any different, if I was yearning for real connection like Scott was?

  “I don’t know. I guess it’s because both of you are annoying as hell. This is supposed to be a good thing, me getting married, but no one seems happy.”

  “It hasn’t happened yet. You could be working yourself up over nothing.”

  I didn’t want to believe that. I knew that this is what was going to happen. There was no other way to look at it. I’d stayed up many a night, trying to figure it all out. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to. It was all just so murky at the moment.

  “Why else would I find a receipt to a jewelry store for that sort of money?”

  He shrugged like he didn’t know, but his eyes told me that he had an idea.

  “What? Spill it Scott.”

  “You’re going to make me say it?”

  “Yes, apparently I am.”

  I wouldn’t make him say, whatever it was that he was going to say, if I had any idea where he was going with this. He looked at me like I was being naïve. What was he talking about?

  “You know that it could be for someone else, Blair.”

  His words hit me like a sledgehammer, and I dropped to the stool by the counter. I had been getting some tea, but he was right, it could be for someone else. Dominic was not perfect, and I had found that out the hard way. He also had an eye that shifted once and a while. Now I was trying to figure out if Scott was right. I realized then that I didn’t want him to be right.

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I know and you don’t either. Dominic has done things in the past. I don’t know why you forgave him in the first plac
e.”

  “Come on Scott. You know I just got an earful from Lisa. Can’t I just wave the white flag and pretend like I didn’t bring it up.”

  “I know you did, and I bet you were looking at her, about the way you’re looking at me. Like I don’t know what I’m talking about. You know how he is. Why try and deny it? That’s why we are looking at you this way. You know you deserve better.”

  Scott was always telling me that, but he didn’t seem to get what was out there in the dating world. There were guys that were far worse than Dominic. I knew that for a fact.

  “It sounds good in theory Scott, but all of the good guys are gone.”

  He shook his head like I’d said something to upset him. I never did understand Scott. He had been broodier than usual lately.

  “What?”

  I know that he had something to say, so it would be better if he just got it out and got on with things. Whatever was going on, behind those dark brown eyes was a mystery to me.

  Scott

  “There are good guys all around you, Blair. You just don’t pay attention. You’ve always picked the wrong guy. It’s in your nature.”

  “I picked you at one-point Scott.”

  “Yeah and it was the wrong time for both of us. We were like oil and water at times.”