More, Please (Please Series Book 3) Read online

  I stepped in and stared. Then blinked as I felt heat prickle the back of my eyes.

  Pink scrawl ran up my wall. “Fuck you bitch!” Down the hall had more scrawl, graphic pictures, and other horrible things marring the beige. At my feet lay debris: glass, bits of wood, and pieces of what had once been a little ceramic elephant. Pictures had been torn from their frames and thrown about. Pots and pans littered the kitchen floor along with more broken glass.

  “Livy.”

  I looked down the hall in a daze. Hunter was emerging from the bedroom with a stern look on his face. He’d left the office early, saying he had to run an errand. Janelle or Mrs. Foster must’ve called him.

  “What happened?” I asked in a wispy voice, tears coming to my eyes.

  “We’ve had a break-in. The police are on their way.” He put his arms around me and hugged me to him. “It was Blaire, though I’m sure you guessed. I checked the surveillance.”

  I shook my head before resting my cheek against his chest. “Surveillance?”

  He kissed the top of my head before leading me to the living room. Once there, he cleaned off a spot on the couch and sat me down. Beside me was a large slash, revealing the cushion. The TV had a spider web of broken glass marring the face. The coffee tables, drapes—everything was ruined. She’d gotten to literally everything in the room and destroyed it.

  “Blaire did some damage to my property as she was leaving. After she left graffiti here, I installed security cameras in the entryway to the building and the hallway. I planned to put them in here as well, but wanted to talk to you about it first. She beat me to it.” Hunter’s arms tightened. “We have her for breaking and entering, but not for destruction of property unless they run prints.”

  Tears overflowed as I looked at all my stuff. It was new, yes, but it was still mine. I’d claimed it. I’d called this home. Hunter’s and my home. And now it was tarnished. I wasn’t sure I’d feel safe after this.

  “This isn’t exactly a knife in the back, but it sure sucks,” I said as I leaned into Hunter’s warmth.

  “I’m sorry, Livy. I thought I was absolved of her. With the contract out of my life, and her out of my house… I was naive.”

  “It’s not your fault.” I closed my eyes. “What does the bedroom look like?”

  “We’ll stay at my house tonight.”

  So ruined, then. She’d done the whole apartment. Not that that was a surprise.

  “Do you have your project for Bruce saved in the cloud?” Hunter asked quietly.

  “Yes.”

  “Good. She—”

  I held up my hand. “Don’t tell me.”

  The doorbell chimed. Hunter got off the couch and leaned toward the window. “The police are here.” He went to let them in.

  I looked around in misery. She’d gotten me right where it hurt the most. This had technically been Hunter’s building, but it was our home. We shared everything. He spent more time in this place with me than in his own house. She’d broken into my refuge and plastered herself all over it in a way I surely wouldn’t forget. I had no idea how she’d gotten in, which meant that even if we changed the locks, she could probably do this again. She’d tarnished the purity I had with Hunter.

  The police came in, hard-eyed and severe. They looked around and started asking questions, but I didn’t concern myself. Hunter would handle that. Instead, I texted Bert. I wanted to get out of there. Maybe I’d hit up the library until Hunter was done. I needed to think. I needed a new plan.

  The next day I sat at my desk as the time clicked over to 8:00 p.m. I wanted to go home.

  Where was home?

  It certainly wasn’t my flat at the moment. When I’d first walked in, I hadn’t seen the extent of the damage. That had changed when I had to walk through with the insurance agent.

  The master bedroom had been the worst. My clothes had all been cut and ripped, as had Hunter’s. Pictures were destroyed, the bed linen had been tossed out into the backyard, and she’d defecated in the middle of the mattress.

  It was the last that I couldn’t believe. She had pooped on my mattress. It was so far out there… I didn’t know what to think.

  I pushed myself up and made my way into Hunter’s office. As I walked toward him, he glanced up, and then leaned back. He watched me sit across from him.

  “Hey,” I said.

  “Are you okay?”

  I shrugged. “Yeah.”

  “I pressed charges against Blaire. She’s under house arrest until her trial. Her father is taking charge of her.”

  “I’m sure he’s not thrilled about that…” I crossed my leg over my knee.

  “No. More than that, though, he’s embarrassed. He offered me his sincerest apologies. She’ll be on a tight leash. You don’t have to worry about her anymore.”

  I scoffed. “How can you be sure?”

  “I let him know that if she comes within a hundred feet of you, she will go to prison. Also, if anyone that is in any way linked to her harms you, I will bury her or him. His business is faltering. I can give it a solid push.” Hunter clasped his fingers in his lap. “I’ve made sure that he’ll keep her in line or he’ll cut her off. Blaire would never be able to function without money. She’s out of your hair.”

  “That’s good, but the damage has been done.” I wiped a tear away.

  “I’m sorry, Livy.” Hunter took something out of a drawer and came around his desk. He knelt in front of me, holding a key. “Will you consider moving in with me? You can change anything in the house you want. If you need a room to yourself, you can have it. An office, your own TV room, anything. Whatever you want.”

  I smiled as my heart warmed. The flat had never really been mine—I knew that. I’d loved it because it was Blaire-free. Since that was no longer true, it had lost its appeal. What I wanted was to be with Hunter. I didn’t really care where.

  “Yes,” I said, taking the key. “Okay, yes.”

  A smile lit up his face as he pulled me up and hugged me close. “I’m sorry it had to happen this way, but I’m glad of the final resolution. Let me close everything down and we’ll go. I’ll take you home.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Two days later I let myself into my new home. Hunter’s and my home. All traces of Blaire had been cleaned away. Her room was now a guest room. The places in the house she used to frequent were being redecorated. Anything she had bought or brought in was long gone.

  My keys made a clink as they dropped in the bowl by the door. I headed upstairs to our room. Hunter had left work early to take care of some things with the flat and said he’d meet me at home. I figured he’d be in there.

  Across the large room, the bathroom door was open. I could barely hear water slapping the base of the shower.

  I wandered closer, stopping in the doorway. “Hunt—” I cut off as my gaze hit the counter.

  The water shut off. The glass door rumbled on the tracks as it opened, showing the fantastically cut body of Hunter, wet and glistening. Heat rolled through me, and then extinguished as my gaze went back to the counter.

  “I’m not even sure if I’m late, Hunter.”

  He grabbed a towel and rubbed away the wetness. “You’re two days late, I thought you said. Last night…when we were watching TV…”

  “No.” My phone drifted down to my leg, the code I’d been looking at forgotten. “I mean, yes, I did. But I can’t be sure because things might be different off the pill, so I don’t really know…”

  “And now we will.” He motioned toward the pack of pregnancy tests. “I was afraid you’d sneak off and do it by yourself, Livy. I want to be here for it.”

  I gave him a pretty fantastic scowl. At least, it felt that way. Because I totally would have snuck away. I wouldn’t want him hovering over me, watching the process. Not only that, but I knew he hoped the test would be positive, and I was worried he’d get his hopes dashed if it wasn’t.

  I also had to admit that mine would be dashed, too. I’d bee
n thinking a lot about it. I was young, and it was early, but…something about it just felt right. A little reckless, maybe, but at least money wouldn’t be a problem. The problem would be working hours. Both mine and Hunter’s. But that would be an issue regardless, and he’d already identified it.

  “I’m not going to get out of this, am I?” I said as he slipped his arm over my shoulders.

  “I’m not going to push you, but…”

  “You’ll mope.”

  “I don’t mope, Olivia.”

  I scoffed. “Say that to Brenda and see what she says.”

  Hunter kissed me on the temple before leaving the bathroom. “Brenda has a false view of things. I’ll just be…”

  “Waiting on the bed with bated breath, I know.”

  “My mother wants to have us to dinner soon, too. She wanted to check with your schedule.”

  “I—” I didn’t get to finish. He’d closed the door behind him.

  “So I’ll just do this now, then, will I?” I said to the empty room.

  I put my stuff on the counter and grabbed the test. I bit my lip, because I knew his look would be all kinds of sad when this came up negative.

  I put my phone on the counter with the screen lit so I could still read the lengthy email Bruce had sent me, and took out the wand. I braced, holding it just right, and let go.

  “Ew!” The stream hit off the side and splashed me. I angled. My shoulder hit my phone. The device went skittering across the floor. “Oh, come on!”

  “You okay?” Hunter called through the door.

  “A little privacy, please?” I yelled at him.

  Muttering swear words, I cleaned myself up and fastened the lid on the test. There probably wasn’t a romantic way to do this, but this was a bit ridiculous.

  I reclaimed my phone and opened the door. Hunter was sitting on the edge of the bed in a pair of pants but shirtless.

  “How’d it go?” Hunter asked as he stood. His stare fastened to the white plastic stick in my hand.

  I wanted to say, “Well, I peed on myself, so what do you think?” Instead, because he didn’t need the added stress of me being super stressed and really grumpy, I said, “Fine.”

  I sat on the edge of the bed. He sat down next to me. His gaze was still glued to the test.

  “If it doesn’t happen, Hunter, just know that it’s okay. Okay? We don’t—” I cut off as his expression turned to one of incredulous delight. I looked down at the little window. “Oh crap.”

  I wiped my forehead and then my eyes. I stared at the little plus sign. “Kimberly said coming off the pill and immediately getting pregnant was highly unlikely…”

  Hunter took a few quick steps into the bathroom. When he came back he was reading the package. Apparently “+” wasn’t a dead giveaway to him. The package lowered. The biggest smile I had ever seen on Hunter’s face.

  I was struck mute. Transfixed. In that moment I couldn’t imagine anyone, ever, being more handsome than this man. Adonis had nothing on this guy.

  “We’re pregnant, Livy!” He threw the package on the bed and bent to me, scooping me up into his arms. “We’re pregnant!”

  I felt my own smile blossom. I had life inside of me. I was going to be a mom. Hunter was the father of my baby!

  He put me down gently. His lips connected with mine, deep and passionate. I lost myself in the feel of him, his safety. I ran my hands up his chest as his arms hugged me close. When he backed up, his sexy, smoldering eyes stared down into mine. For a brief moment, I saw a flicker of doubt. A hint of fear. But then they started sparkling again over his beaming smile. “I love you so much, Olivia Jonston. This is the best day of my life. Thank you.”

  He bent and scooped me up into his arms again before carrying me downstairs and into the living room. He settled us both on the couch, the same place I’d said I was late. His fingers threaded through mine as I snuggled against him.

  “Promise me something, Livy,” Hunter said after a quiet moment.

  “What’s that?”

  “Promise me you’ll bear with me, okay? I know it’s mine but…I have ghosts haunting me. Please don’t be offended or sad if I ask you if it really is my baby. Or if I have times of jealousy. I won’t mean them.”

  “I know, Hunter. I might yell at you anyway, though.”

  He squeezed me affectionately. “That’s okay. As long as you stick by me. There is only one of you in the world—I’d be lost without you.”

  We’d been through a lot of turmoil, Hunter and I. From my misgivings, to his, we’d worked around contracts and made it through his father and Blaire. We’d earned this moment. We’d earned our future together as a family. I couldn’t have been happier.

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  Don’t miss the conclusion in book 4~

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  Forever, Please (book 4)

  The story continues in the third book:

  Forever, Please

  Excerpt:

  Chapter 1

  “Come in here.” Hunter passed by my desk with a determined stride. His palm slapped the door, pushing it wide as he went into his office.

  I looked over at Brenda with comically wide eyes and a thin mouth. “Sounds like I’m in trouble…”

  “I’ll say. What’d you do?”

  I got up and grabbed my notepad, just in case the bad mood wasn’t directed at me. I didn’t have high hopes. “Not sure.”

  “Close the door,” Hunter said as I made my way toward him.

  A thrill arrested me. My breath quickened. Since moving in with him two months ago, we hadn’t partaken in much office fornication. He usually just left work earlier and went home with me. He wanted to take his time. I was all for being bent over the desk, though. Since finding out I was pregnant, he’d been too gentle by half. I needed a good rogering.

  “You wanted to see me?” I asked with a grin. I stood beside his desk.

  “Sit.” He leaned his elbows against the desk. The light from the windows behind him showered his broad shoulders. His sexy, hooded eyes trained on me. I marveled at his handsome face, with its strong jaw, straight nose, and lush lips.

  I was the luckiest girl in the world to be able to kiss those lips. To feel his firm touch and reap the benefits of his clever fingers. There was a list a mile long of girls that wanted him, but he’d chosen me. I didn’t have to understand why; I just had to bask in the glory.

  “Your game goes live tomorrow, right?” Hunter asked, his gaze dipping for a brief moment, touching my stomach. “Come here.”

  “I—huh?”

  He stood and reached for me. “Come here and sit on my lap.”

  I smiled like an idiot. I bounced up and grabbed his hand. He reeled me in before sitting on his chair and settling me onto his lap. His lips grazed my neck as his palm covered my belly. “How are you?”

  I laughed with the change in his tone. “I’m good. Kind of tired. The baby blogs say that’s normal, though.”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. You’re doing too much. You have shadows under your eyes and you’re dragging.”

  I tensed. “Hunter, I haven’t had much choice. We had the final push for the app these last few weeks. We’re good now, though. The marketing is all set up, the game is loaded, the bugs are worked out—we’re ready. Now I can relax.”

  “Bruce says you have another project coming up. You hav
e more levels to design for this game…”

  I got off his lap. I couldn’t help my testy tone. “You’re my boss in this job, Hunter. You’re not my boss with the side project.”

  “It’s my job to look after you and our baby, Olivia. You’re doing too much. It has to end.”

  I snatched up my notepad. He’d been saying this for the last few weeks. Over and over he harped on about the amount of work I was doing, but at the same time, most of it was for him. By the time I finished all of his tasks, it was late. Then I could do what I loved, which was working for Bruce. In order to break this cycle, I had to choose. One job or the other. Hunter knew it, Bruce knew it, and, unfortunately, I knew it too.

  The problem was that the one that paid well, and was with the man I loved, didn’t interest me. My favorite part of the day was working on Bruce’s projects. Most of the new levels were my design. Bruce was starting to step away a little to come up with the next great thing while I took on the future of the current game. I even had an idea for a game of my own.

  I shook my head and started for the door.

  “Olivia.” The deep, commanding voice dripped down my spine and pooled in my lady parts. I slowed despite myself. I loved when he used that tone. It did things to my body that should be illegal.

  I turned to him, raising my eyebrows in a silent question.

  “I love you. Good luck tomorrow.” He turned to his computer.

  Warmth spread throughout my chest. My heart surged.

  I left the office, wondering where my irritation at his talk had gone. The man could knock me off balance way too easily.

  “Did you get in trouble?” Brenda asked as I sat down.

  “Kinda. Same old thing—I work too much.”

  “That’s rich, coming from him.”

  “I know, right?” I scoffed. I’d found my irritation again. “He works more now than before—” I snapped my mouth shut. I was about to say “before I got pregnant.” That was a big no-no. All the blogs and books said it was best not to tell anyone before the three-month point, when the chance of miscarriage dropped significantly. Besides that, I wasn’t married, hadn’t known Hunter that long, and didn’t have one thing in my future figured out. There were more than a few reasons not to spread the news around yet.