What Is Mine (Lover's Secrets Book III)
What Is Mine
Life couldn’t have been worse for Christa Spencer. Raised in a cold household with wealthy parents who expected nothing but perfection from her and plagued by the memory of a horror she wishes to bury and forget, her life spirals after losing her job of two years in Manhattan. Destitute and feeling alone after losing her apartment, Christa decides to spend one more evening out at a club before facing what feels like her inevitable life on the street. But everything changes when she ends up spending a steamy night with a man she meets there. Maximus Chandellor has it all. He is handsome, intelligent, and beyond wealthy. After their night together, he offers Christa a deal that she feels she can’t refuse: Be his lover and marry him, and he'll give her whatever she wants in return. Easily swept into Max’s world, Christa’s life becomes consumed with both happiness and lust she’s never known. But the deeper she gets in her relationship with him, the more she realizes that there's something very different about Max; something that may just be beyond human. What secrets is Max hiding, and is the blooming love between them real, or too good to be true? ***While this book can be read as a stand-alone, it is also related with The Secrets We Keep and Dirty Little Secrets.*** **Available on Inkitt but will soon be moved to Galatea (all but first three chapters)**
Excerpt
I awoke slowly with my mind echoing these painful memories, though confusion set in as my eyes focused on the view of the city through the nearby windows. I was certain that I was supposed to be homeless, yet I was lying in a comfortable bed covered by dark sheets, not to mention in a huge bedroom. But turning around and seeing the man sleeping beside me brought everything back. That was right. I’d met this guy the night before at the club and we’d hit it off right away, and I’d come home with him, where we’d ended up having sex. Shit, I thought as I turned onto my back, I really did do that! I couldn’t say that I regretted what we’d done, but now that reality was setting in, I knew I may have some problems. Max was obviously a very rich man. Seeing his home had told me that much. He’d also mentioned that he’d had issues with some of his investments before I blew the whistle about the company I worked for. I wondered if some of this had stemmed from that. Maybe he’d been glad that I did that and saved some of his money, and offering me a place to rest for the night was like kind of weird compensation. The sex just ended up being a bonus for both of us. As much as I hated that thought, it could fit. I was pulled back to reality by the sound of a phone ringing near us. It took a second to dawn on me that it was Max’s phone. He’d put it on the nightstand beside the bed before the two of us had gone to sleep, which was around four in the morning. I looked at the nearby clock and realized that it was now about nine. Crap! Did I make him late this morning too?! Max stretched, rubbing his eyes before reaching over to grab his phone. He frowned when he looked at the screen, then answered it. “What is it? I thought everything was settled and you weren’t going to bother me anymore,” he grumbled. The person on the other end of the line said something that made him angry, “Give me a fucking break! They know damn well that’s not going to happen! I made sure everything was airtight when I handed Celestial to you, so none of them can do a thing about it. Stop worrying so much and go on like you’ve always done. I’ll step in later if I need to, but right now, I’m getting some well-deserved rest.” “Is everything okay?” I dared to ask as he hung up and set the phone on the nightstand. Max stiffened, though he quickly tried to catch himself, “Yeah, it’s fine. Just a business sale that I’ve had some trouble with. That’s all.” he assured me. We faced each other as he continued, “How long have you been awake?” “Not that long. Maybe about ten minutes.” I answered. I was feeling at a bit of a loss now. What could I say when I was lying naked in the bed of the man I’d just met the night before and we might be getting ready for that awkward goodbye that usually came with one-night stands? It was like Max read my mind, “You do realize I’m not asking you to leave.” he informed me. “I know, and I appreciate your letting me stay the night. It is a lot better sleeping in a bed than on a bench.” I acknowledged. “I’d think so. While I can’t say I’ve ever done that, I have had to deal with sleeping in some very uncomfortable places before, not to mention burning up or freezing some nights.” Max admitted. I decided that it was better to just move on to the elephant in the room. I never had liked dragging uncomfortable things out. “So, what happens now? Are you thinking you’re gonna help me by getting somebody to hire me or something like that?” I asked him. “I could, but I don’t like that idea that much.” “You don’t?” “No,” Max shifted a little, putting his arm under his pillow to prop his head up, “I was thinking about it last night before I fell asleep. While I want to help you, I also feel quite a connection to you, even if that sounds strange or outrageous. Simply finding you another job and helping you get on your feet wouldn’t really satisfy me, so I decided on another approach.” I gave him a suspicious look, “Another approach?” Max laughed, “Don’t be so suspicious of me. I swear I’m not the creepy or possessive type. But I’ll confess to you that I have been very lonely for the last few years, and meeting you last night made me feel more alive than I have in years, even before our fun in bed. I pride myself on being a good judge of others, and I trust my gut with all of this. I want you to stay with me, so I’ll make you an offer; marry me and I’ll give you anything your heart desires.” I stared at him as his words slowly sank in. He couldn’t have been serious. We’d slept together and now he wanted to marry me?! “You can’t be serious,” I managed to spit out. “Why wouldn’t I be? I don’t say things that I don’t mean. It’s a matter of principle to me, and I can’t stand going against that.” Max responded curtly. I was finally pulling myself together enough to think straight, “Okay, I’ll believe you, but that wouldn’t work with my parents. They’ll figure out that you weren’t really my fiancé before all of this, and I’m sure my dad already knows about the whole thing with me causing the firm I was working for to go under. He’s probably just waiting to get on me for everything once he decides to come here. He might even disown me.” I informed him. Max wasn’t the least bit put off, “I’d imagine you’re right, but who said that I was going to be completely lying about how you became my fiancé?” “Huh?” He laid over me, placing a sweet kiss on my lips, and I stared into his blue eyes as he looked into mine, feeling my heart skip a beat. There wasn’t a hint of doubt in them. He meant every word he was saying. “I told you that I’ve been lonely for a long time, and I know for certain now that you’re the one I want to spend my existence with; so I’ll make you my fiancé and you can choose when we get married. I’ll also make certain that we have a long, happy life together. Would that be enough to convince you of how serious I am about all of this?” This guy had to be the most unorthodox man I’d ever met. How could he like me so much in less than a day of meeting me? There was just no way that he could be that sure about having such a permanent relationship with me. But at the same time, the implications of this painted one hell of a better picture for my life. Even if it was a risk and he might be a rough person behind closed doors, being with him would get me off of the streets and into a life of luxury again. Nope, I wasn’t beyond anything when I had always felt worth nothing. If I could rub in my parents’ faces that I had a very successful husband, then I was ready to face anything that might come. “All right,” I agreed, running my fingers through his silky dark hair, “If you mean that, then I’m game. It’s not like I don’t like you too. You’ve come off as very nice so far, and you’re a really hot guy on top of that. I just hope I don’t see a bad side of you after we get married.” “You don’t need to worry about that. I’m a ‘what you see is what you get’ kind of guy. I damn sure don’t need to put on a front to anybody, and I can’t stand people who do.” Max assured me. “Hmm, you sound like me.” I had to admit. “There’s no reason to worry. I know we’ll get along just fine, and I know I can make you happy.” He pressed his lips to mine, and I moaned into our slow, deep kiss. God, I loved how all of this felt; his mouth covering mine as our tongues slowly caressed each other’s, the sweet weight of his body pressing down on me. Oh yes, I could easily get addicted to him now that he was going to be mine.
