Текст книги "Surge "

Автор книги: Sloan Storm

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“As you can clearly see,” Ed began, winking at me. “The counter party has already signed the document as we discussed. The only thing left now is to have the applicant for adoption sign… here.”

Ed held the paper up in front of me and pointed at the empty signature line below Gene’s. The moment seemed like a dream. I still had a hard time believing any of it was real. Frozen in a state of denial, I remained still while Ed held the paper.

Jillian leaned in, nudging me. “Ava, what are you doing? Sign the paper.”

“Yeah,” Simon added. “Come on, Aunt Ava.”

Ed smiled and placed the paper flat on top of his briefcase. Using his pen, I leaned over the page and lowered the tip to it. With a few forceful swipes, I’d signed it within seconds.

Ed glanced at my signature and then looked up at me.

“Well, it’s official. How does it feel?”

Without thinking, I lunged in his direction and kissed him on the lips. Stunned, he staggered backwards while I held on to him. Curious onlookers milling about the courthouse stopped and stared at us.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Dyson said, stepping towards us and pulling me away from him.

I glanced at him and felt heat flush my neck and face. Dyson winked at Ed.

“Back off, or we can take it outside.”

The two of them shared a laugh at my expense, but soon enough, Ed passed me the document I’d dreamed of having for years.

Overcome, I looked at Simon and opened my arms. He ran towards me, and we hugged, holding onto each other, crying with joy, a family at last.

AVA

Not long after, Ed excused himself, citing other casework he had to handle. Before he walked away, I approached him one last time.

“Ed,” I began, trying to form a coherent thought in the midst of my profound joy. “I don’t know how to thank you enough for what you’ve done. You’ve literally made my dreams come true.”

He snapped his briefcase closed with efficiency and smiled at me.

“Ava, I’m only doing my job,” he began, gripping the handle of his briefcase. “If I can help people, good people, like you every day—that would make me a lucky man. It’s my pleasure.”

Before he walked away, I hugged him one last time. And then he turned, walked down a short hallway nearby, and vanished. When he did, I turned and looked at Simon.

“Simon, do you know what this means?”

Simon looked up at me, his big brown pools shining in my direction. I knelt down in front of him.

“Give me your hands.”

I took them mine, caressing them in silence for a moment before looking at him.

“I’m going to leave the decision up to you, okay?” I said, nodding and looking into his eyes. “For as long as you like, and that means forever, if you want to call me Aunt Ava, you can. However, if you want to call me Mom, you can do that as well. None of it matters to me so long as we are together. Do you understand?”

Simon looked at me, unblinking. His tiny eyes filled with moisture. I opened my arms and we hugged. With my spirit soaring, I released him after a minute or so and stood once again. During the entire time, Jillian and Dyson remained silent. I looked in the direction of my best friend to see her overwhelmed with the same joy consuming me.

Without wasting a second, I walked towards her and we hugged. The strength I’d managed when talking to Simon melted away when we embraced. We sobbed, convulsing with long overdue tears of happiness in the middle of the county courthouse. That continued for a minute, maybe more, I don’t really remember.

What I do remember is what happened next.

“Women,” I heard Dyson say. “You can’t take them anywhere.”

Sniveling messes, Jillian and I separated from each other, and I looked in his direction. Dyson stood there, with his large hand draped across Simon’s tiny shoulder.

“Are you girls about finished?” Dyson asked.

I shook my head and smeared away the tears from my cheeks. “Shut up.”

Dyson chuckled and looked down at Simon again. “You sure about this? Because if you’re not, you need to tell me right now, bud.”

Without wasting a second, Simon looked up at Dyson and nodded. “Yep.”

“Okay,” Dyson said, reaching for the top of Simon’s head and rubbing his hair.

With that, Dyson took several steps in my direction.

“Not much really happening around here today. What do you say we do something fun?”

I frowned at him, shaking my head at the same time.

“Dyson, you aren’t making any sense. What are you…?”

Dyson raised his hand in front of my face.

“Okay, kid, you ready?”

Simon began to walk towards us. I glanced down at him.

“Don’t look at him, look at me.” Dyson said.

I snapped my gaze in his direction.

“I’m leaving soon,” he began, looking into my eyes. “I won’t see you until the season is over.”

I nodded at him, still eager to sneak a peek at Simon.

“I see,” I said. “I wasn’t aware that you were planning on coming back.”

Dyson smiled at me. “I have to now, you see. You’ve got something that belongs to me. Two things actually.”

Before I could say another word, Dyson grabbed my hand and yanked it upward between us. He held it there, staring me in the eye without blinking.

“Okay, Simon,” he began, not breaking eye contact with me. “Look at me, Ava.”

My eyes met his once more. And then, almost faster than I realized, I looked down and saw Dyson sliding a ring on my finger.

“Holy shit!” Jillian exclaimed, slapping her hand over her mouth at almost the exact same instant.

“Right here, Ava, right here.” Dyson repeated, aiming his index finger in the direction of his face. “It’s just us right now. No one else.”

My pulse quickened. I felt a wild thumping in my neck.

Unable to control myself, I glanced down at the immense diamond on my finger. It was actually heavy. In my entire life I’ve never seen anything like it, and nothing could have prepared me for that moment.

“I-I…” I stammered, lifting my eyes to meet Dyson’s once more. “Are you serious?”

Dyson shook his head. “Absolutely not. I’ve got a pocket full of these, and I give them to babes every day.”

I narrowed my eyes it him for a split second before he spoke once again.

“Ava, don’t be ridiculous. I don’t want to come back from Europe and waste my time. I love you. I want you and Simon in my life forever. No one else. Ever. Will you marry me?”

“Holy shit!” Jillian screamed again. Just like before, she slapped her hands to her mouth, but unlike last time Dyson turned and looked at her.

“Would you mind…?” he began, pointing to the other side of the courthouse. “I’m trying to handle some business here.”

Jillian looked at him, her mouth wide open in shock.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be quiet, I promise.”

Dyson rolled his eyes and looked back in my direction. Jillian couldn’t help herself, and a final squeak passed through her lips. Dyson let it go and instead stared into my eyes.

“What’s it going to be, Ava?”

Before I could get a word out, Simon yelped, “Say yes, Mom! Say yes!”

No sooner had the words tumbled from his lips than Dyson and I both turned and looked at him. Without a conscious thought on my part, tears of happiness streamed down my cheeks. In the middle of a city courthouse, of all places in the world, I’d found my true bliss.

Without wasting another second, I leapt towards Dyson, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him. It felt as if that went on for a minute, maybe longer, but not long enough.

When we separated, I noticed Jillian hugging Simon nearby. I smiled at both of them, eager to hug them and celebrate with them as well. But, before I could, I looked at Dyson once more.

“So what does this mean?”

“What are you talking about?” he replied, frowning at me. “It means we’re going to be married.”

I shook my head, “No, what I meant to say was…”

Before I could continue, Dyson waved me off, interrupting me.

“There’s nothing to worry about. We’ve got all the time in the world. You can plan the wedding, have it anywhere you like, but only on one condition.”

I leaned away from him, arching an eyebrow. “And that is?”

“Well, that you graduate from medical school, of course,” he said, winking at me. “After all, you can’t drive in Formula One forever. I need a hot, rich wife.”

I laughed at him.

“Come here,” he said, gesturing for me to approach.

I walked up to him and he slipped his arm low around my backside, pulling me close to him with a firm tug.

“Mrs. Ava Vix,” he began, nodding as the thought settled into his consciousness. “I like the sound of that. Don’t you agree?”

I nodded, raising the ring and admiring it.

“I do.”

“There,” Dyson began. “Now, was that so hard? ‘I do’… You see? So I’m assuming that’s a ‘yes’, then?”

I nodded, fighting back a fresh round of tears. I hugged him again, kissing him over and over.

“Of course it’s ‘yes’. What else would I say?”

“Mrs. Vix it is, then.” he replied.

No sooner had he uttered those words than a bolt of inspiration hit me.

“Give me your phone.” I said.

Dyson leaned away for me, wrinkling his brow. “What? Why do you want my phone?”

I shook my head. “Just give it to me.”

With reluctance, Dyson reached into the pocket of his jeans and a few seconds later produced his cell phone, passing it to me. I flipped around for a moment or two, locating his camera app. Once I had, I extended my arm and leaned in towards him, positioning my hand with the engagement ring between us and the camera.

I snapped the picture.

Afterward, I lowered the camera and turned my attention to Dyson’s address book.

“Ava, what the hell are you doing?” he asked.

“Shh! One second!” I grumbled.

Not long after, I found the phone numbers I wanted. I attached the picture of Dyson and me and hit send with a simple message. Dyson took the phone from me and glanced at it for a second.

“Told you so?” he said, turning back towards me with a confused look on his face.

I crossed my arms at my chest and nodded. “Yep.”

He glanced at me for a split second and then looked at his phone once more.

“You didn’t,” he began, shaking his head. “Ava… Anastasia and Svetlana? Really?”

“What?” I purred, turning towards him and draping my arms around his neck, hooking my hands together. “Why should the Grid Girls have all the fun?”

He laughed. “Why, indeed?”

We kissed and I closed my eyes. Simon crashed into my waist, wrapping his small arms around me in a firm embrace. Smiling and happy, I savored the moment feeling loved in every way and at last, complete.

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The Next Release in the Series

October 28, 2015 – Thrust (Fastlane Series: Book #2)

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Read Slipperless Series: Book #1 for FREE with Kindle Unlimited Now

Synopsis:

My new billionaire boss has literally turned my life upside down in less than a month. What's worse is he appears to relish the fact.

Not only is he incredibly good looking, in a panty-melting-book-boyfriend-way, but he's worth more than most countries and has a reputation around the office as a lover of rock star status.

So why would he be interested in a curvy girl whose entire sexual existence was limited to an awkward, drunken screw in her sophomore year? I have no idea, but he is, and it's making my life a living hell.

Because of his pursuit, I now find myself in the midst of cat fights I didn't start, office backstabbing I can't seem to stop and jealous innuendo from my female coworkers the likes of which I've never encountered.

Inexperienced though I may be, I'm not stupid. And he's not subtle. Every chance he gets, he dares me and tempts me to resist his advances in spite of the risk it poses to my fledgling career.

There's only one problem... I'm not so sure I can any longer

Excerpt from Book #1 in “Slipperless: A Billionaire Love Story”

“Excuse me.” I said with a cautious tone. Tugging my hair behind my ears, I ducked a shoulder as I attempted to pass by him and leave. But I’d managed to get no further than about a foot when Gabe grabbed me with such force, one of my sleeves almost tore at the seam near my shoulder.

Blindsided by his speed and aggression, I gasped as Gabe crushed my body into his with a hard pull. He yanked me as if I were weightless, an experience I didn’t think possible. The power of his embrace was a hundred times greater than I expected. Just then, my eyes locked on his. Inexperienced though I was, there was no mistaking, none, about what he intended to do. My breath hitched in the middle of my chest as the muscles of Gabe’s arms flexed against my curves.

Without wasting a second, Gabe descended upon me, pressing his mouth into mine. I inhaled as he did, half-shocked, half-lustful. His lips were soft, moist and seemed to fit against my mouth as if by design. I flinched at first, thinking I ought to know better, do better, be better, but as Gabe’s tongue invaded my mouth, I felt my desire to be right slip away.

In its place, just a desire to be…desired…took its place.

Twisting our heads from side-to-side, Gabe and I continued to kiss for several seconds. His firm embrace eased as his strong fingers trailed along my curves. I reached up, squeezing the hard roundness of his biceps as he explored me. As the seconds drifted on, Gabe’s hands made their away around my backside and up towards my head where he snaked them amongst my silken strands, clutching small handfuls as he went. When at last we broke for an instant, I leaned away from him.

“I don’t understand why…” I muttered, as I looked at him through a lustful gaze. “You can’t want me.”

Gabe licked his lips in frustration.

“Oh Fiona, for fuck’s sake,” he said in disgust. “It's obvious I’m going to have to use words to communicate this to you because you literally think everything to death.”

“No I don’t. I…”

“Fiona, shut the fuck up. Right now. And listen. Don’t speak. If you say another word, you won’t enjoy what happens next. You got me?”

Gabe’s words offended me but his tone… commanded me. My jaw slackened as he spoke. I nodded.

Wordless, Gabe reached towards me, sliding his fingers in the space between my ears and my shoulders and hooking my neck with a gentle tug. I felt my pulse thump against the tips of his digits. My breathing stopped as he leaned in and started to speak.

“Fiona…” he began, in a voice not much above the sound of a whisper. “I don’t give two shits about what you think about what I want. Understand? My mouth literally waters when I see you. There’s not a pure thought in my mind when I watch you walk by me. Not a single one.”

Gabe paused for a moment and moved in closer. Hairs prickled along the back of my neck as he hovered. Goosebumps erupted along my arms.

“Do you know what I want in this moment, more than anything?”

I licked my parched lips, searching for any hint of moisture. I felt small before him, vulnerable, but still, safe. I drew my gaze towards Gabe, locking my eyes on his deep blue pools.

“No,” I whispered.

Gabe chuckled at my discomfort. As he finished, he pointed toward the leather couch where my lab coat hung. He licked his lips like a wolf. With a predatory intent, he made his carnal intentions clear as he drew his mouth near my ear once more. Shivers raced along my spine, causing me to tilt my head in his direction as he advanced towards me. The soft skin of his lips brushed against the curvature of my ear as he divulged his secret.

“I want to pin you down and fuck you until you lose consciousness.”

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Praise From Reviewers for Slipperless…

"And the boss – Mr Gabe Hawkins? Oh boy. He’s the arrogant jerk you can’t help but lose your panties over. Bad mouthed, determined and sexy as hell he isn’t someone who takes no for an answer – Fiona doesn’t stand a chance! A great storyline which I’m so excited to watch unfold – and what an ending! I can hardly wait for more of Gabe Hawkins and the rest of the serial!"

– Holly, Page to Page Reviews

"I swear this author’s writing grows more each time. What I loved even more is Fiona doesn't understand how gorgeous she is. She is not used to getting attention from men but the girl has curves which to me is awesome. Makes the character more realistic."

– Stephanie, Night and Day Book Blog

"The sexual tension between Gabe and Fiona is so electrically charged that my e-reader was on fire! I needed a very cold shower after that sizzling ending."

– Liz Castillo, Liz’s Reading Life

"The chemistry between these two sizzles off the pages and right into your lap. Fiona is sensible but female and even her sensible brain cannot ignore Gabe's sexy... well, sexy EVERYTHING, but he's making her life hell in the lab and she doesn't know how much more she can take before she cracks."

– Lisa, My Favorite Things

Not enough? There’s more!

Read Billionaire's Pursuit (Never Never Man Series: Book #1) for FREE with Kindle Unlimited Now

Synopsis:

Recently dumped by my ex, I found myself broke and jobless after five years of chasing stardom in Hollywood. Desperate, I took the advice of my best friend and roommate, Katy, and started my own business in a last ditch effort to prevent a full on meltdown into bankruptcy.

Little did I expect my first client to be a man like Grey Sinclair. Young, rich and cruelly handsome, he had a reputation for making women squirm in his presence. When I first saw his image in a photo, I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel an irritating stir in places I shouldn't have.

Even so, if I failed at making a good impression on him, it could not only mean the end of my business but all my dreams as well. With that much on the line, I would have no problem keeping my urges in check.

Right?

Excerpt from “Billionaire’s Pursuit” (Book #1 in the Never, Never Man Series)

I watched as the slender fingers of her hand grabbed the inside of the limo door a split second before her leg appeared through a slit in her dress. I could see the muscles in it flex as she made her way inside. Her legs were long, lean, slightly tanned and obviously fit. I don’t suppose I could have hoped for more, especially on such short notice.

As she took a seat across from me, I allowed my eyes to travel wherever they saw fit. Aside from her tempting legs, she had ample tits, a great ass and a helluva smile. She was a damn beauty, that’s for sure. The picture hardly did her justice. This was going to be a good first night. An unexpected and enjoyable end to an otherwise pain-in-the-ass day.

“Mr. Sinclair,” she began, as she raised her hand and draped it across her chest. “I’m really sorry about what happened out there a moment ago. Please believe me when I say I didn’t mean to offend you in any way.”

Just as she finished speaking, the car lurched forward. The tires squeaked on the slick surface of the tarmac and in that same instant, her purse fell from her lap, spilling its contents onto the floor in the process.

“Oh my God!” she gasped.

For a split second, I almost reached down to help her, but when I got a look at her cleavage, I thought better of it. While I got an eyeful, she corralled a stack of paper and an assortment of other random knickknacks and jammed them back into her bag.

Returning to her seat, she flung a handful of her blond hair out of her eyes. It came to rest in an even split along her shoulder, with half of it covering her breast and the other half concealed from my view as it draped down her back. A hint of crimson flushed to her cheeks as I studied her attempt to compose herself. She flashed a closed-lipped grin at me once the fidgeting ceased.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Yes,” she began. “I’m so sorry about that, Mr. Sinclair, about what happened when you got off the plane, I’m just… sorry. Can we start over?”

Spreading my legs, I unfolded my hands from their position in my lap and covered my kneecaps with my palms.

“Sure thing,” I replied. “We can do that.”

“Oh, thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.” As she spoke, she broke eye contact with me just long enough to start fishing around inside of her purse once again. Within a few seconds, she produced a handful of paper, now tattered at the edges from the mishap moments before.

“What do you have there?” I asked.

“Oh,” she said, as she jumped in with eagerness. Clutching the half-folded stack in her hand she smiled and said, “Well, I… I’ve compiled a list of activities based on the proposal I sent you. You know, stuff you might be interested in seeing or doing in town when you’re not working.”

Raising my hand, I motioned for her to pass the information to me. I took the papers from her, spun them around and placed them in my lap for a closer examination.

“Got a pen?” I asked, as I started to scan the list.

She cleared her throat, and then I heard the now familiar sound of her rummaging through the loose items in the bottom of her purse. After a few moments, the noise ceased as she located a writing instrument.

“Here you go,” she said, extending the pen in my direction.

As I perused the list, it became obvious she’d put a fair bit of time into it. Under ordinary circumstances, I might even enjoy some of the items she’d laid out. Of course, I’d have no interest in doing any of them by myself no matter what. In any case, I decided to have some fun with her about it.

“Yeah,” I said with an exhale as I pressed my back into the seat. “This list… it’s not gonna work. Not at all.”

“Oh,” she replied. Her tone sank.

This would be easier, and far more fun, than I suspected.

“Yeah, for example. You’ve got daytime activities in here, like visits to the museum.” I paused mid-sentence and began to cross items off the list one at a time. As I wrote, the sound of her sinking into the seat across from me filled the air. “You see, I’m working all day when I’m here, so this kind of thing is out.”

She remained silent as I laid waste to her list with the angry tip of my red ballpoint.

“Okay, then here, at night. You’ve scheduled trips to the opera and at least what… two, three, four art shows?” I stopped and glared at her to drive home the point. “You really think I want to go to four art shows in five days?”

Her shoulders drew up towards her ears in doubt.

Elevating my voice I said, “And to make matters worse, for tonight, you have me going to dinner in my hotel. Honestly?”

I lifted my gaze up from the wrinkled pages again to see her pink twinge had deepened in color and spread down to her chest. Before continuing, I gave her a chance to offer up a defense, which she wasted little time in mounting.

“Ugh, Mr. Sinclair. I’m so sorry,” she began. She made a gesture for me to pass the pages back to her. Continuing, she said, “I’ll figure something out. I promise.”

With a flick of my wrist, I pinched the stack of pages between my thumb and forefinger and held them up halfway between us.

“I should hope so,” I replied.

Taking them from me with a ginger tug, she reached up and pulled two long strands of hair behind her ears as she placed the pages flat in her lap. Without looking up, I watched as she traced my markings with her eyes.

“Okay, well,” she stammered. “Let’s start with tonight. You don’t want to have dinner in the hotel so um…”

“Not alone,” I interrupted.

She lifted her eyes from the page. I watched as she swallowed an anxious lump down before she continued.

“Oh, okay,” she began. “Right, of course. Um, I can um, make some calls. I’m sure I can arrange a dinner companion for you.”

“What do you mean, arrange one?” I said. I angled my head down at her, feigning displeasure. “What kind of professional concierge are you? Does Katy know about all these plans of yours and how almost zero of them are of any interest to me?”

“No,” she said. “This isn’t Katy’s business, sir. It’s mine. Now, with all due respect, I’ve apologized to you for how things have gone so far, but I would ask that you please don’t mention any of this to her. Please, I can make this right if you’ll just give me a chance.”

This was almost too easy.

Slapping my hands on my knees once again, I narrowed my eyes at her as I leaned back into the car seat.

“Since you haven’t had the foresight to arrange for suitable escort for me this evening, I’ll have to insist that you accompany me instead.”And then, almost as quickly as she’d flushed moments earlier, the process reversed itself before my eyes. Within seconds a much paler Maddie Olsen locked eyes with me.

“You want me to be your escort?”

I nodded but didn’t speak.

Her eyes darted back and forth for a moment as I assumed she searched for some reason not to do it. Her hand floated up and she started to twirl a strand of her blond hair around her index finger for several seconds. Finally she released it and her hand fell back into her lap.

“This is strictly business, isn’t it?” she asked. “I mean, I just want to know what your expectations are here.”

Just then, the limousine pulled up to the entrance of the hotel. Maddie glanced towards the bellman as he approached the car to open the door. As he tugged on the handle, the door creaked open and the din of the city evening invaded the intimacy of our exchange.

“It’s simple, Miss Olsen,” I replied. “I expect you to do what I want. That is your job after all.”

Read Billionaire's Pursuit (Never Never Man Series: Book #1) for FREE with Kindle Unlimited Now

More than 300 five star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads!

”Maddie is a character that you fall in love with and Grey... well hell he is the Alpha male woman all over the world would froth at the mouth for. But put them together and you have one helluva story to watch unfold.”

– Barbara, Paging Through the Days

”Holy Sh*tballs! What an amazing start to what promises to be a brilliant serial, and an even better career for Ms. Sloan Storm! Maddie and Grey's chemistry will set your Kindles on fire and their journey will suck you in and have you screaming in frustration in no time...”

– Holly, Page to Page Reviews

”This book is full of witty banter and sarcasm. I loved it! It is definitely not in the same category as all the other Billionaire books that have a pitiful attempt at a story and are just filled with random sex scenes. This book actually has an awesome story with great characters.”

– Kim, Book Purses and Reviews

”The sex scenes were great and you really felt the heat between Grey and Maddie.”

– Cassandra, Girl in a Corner Book Blog

Surge

Fastlane Series

(Book #1)

Copyright 2015 by Sloan Storm

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher except for the use of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.