ELEMENTAL LOVE: A Second Chance Single Dad Romance Read online

  I didn’t notice the time. But after a little while, there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” I said, without looking up, thinking it was Alastair, bringing me my lunch. But I saw it was Tom. “Back again?” I asked. “What’s up?”

  He slowly sauntered up to the desk, his hands in his pockets. “Nothing, much,” he said. He put his hands on the table and grinned. “Only, I’ve brought something here you might like to see.”

  And behind him, in walked Rachel. Her frown was as deep as I’d ever seen it, and in her tight blue jeans and red sleeveless top, she stood before me with her hands on her hips.

  “You sent your brother to fetch me?” she cried.

  I looked at Tom, my hands open. “What’s she talking about?” I asked. “I never sent you to fetch her!”

  “Too late for that now, old chap,” Tom said, and he grabbed the set of keys on the desk before I could stop him. He darted out the door, closing it behind him and turned the key in the lock.

  Rachel and I had been locked in. I could have killed him!

  I sat back and folded my arms. “Please excuse my little brother’s idea of a joke,” I said. “I know that he possesses the kind of charm you like, but I find it tiresome. And I can assure you that I’m not the one who asked you to come back here.”

  “Well, as tiresome as Tom might be, I’ve always found his older brother to be ten times as annoying,” Rachel said, and she folded her arms in front of her chest. “When he came to the apartment and asked me to come back with him, he told me it was because you insisted he drive over and bring me back and that you wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  I gave a loud ‘Ha’. “Believe me, that’s all in his head. I have nothing to say to you.”

  “Fine.”

  “Fine.”

  “Well, you carry on building your little empires, and I’ll sit here in this chair until Thomas unlocks the door again.”

  “Go ahead. You’re entitled.”

  “Damn right, I am,” she said as she plunked herself on the sofa in a huff, her arms folded tightly over her chest. I pretended not to notice her, but I could hear her breathing, steady and annoyed, only a few meters away from me. I tried to concentrate on my work but found that I was only typing nonsense into each cell of the empty spreadsheet I had open on the screen. Occasionally, I’d look at something on a piece of paper, and then I’d return my attention back to the screen.

  We held out for ten minutes or so, Rachel being the first to break.

  “This study’s in serious need of an update. It doesn’t look like it’s been painted in the last ten years.”

  “Probably nearer twenty,” I said, not looking at her. “I might think about having it designed. I’ll have a look online for a good interior designer.”

  “Pfft. Good luck with that.”

  “Well, the last woman I used was a real piece of work,” I said, “but she’s going back to Spain, I’ve heard.”

  At this, Rachel got to her feet angrily and slammed her hands on the desk. “Are you fucking kidding me?” she asked. “What are you talking about?”

  I threw down my papers and got to my feet now, and we glowered at each other from either side of the desk. “Well, in cases like this, when the ex comes back on the scene, and the girl leaves me standing there without so much as a thanks-but-no-thanks, there’s only one eventuality.”

  “God, you just think you know everything, don’t you?” she said, a snarl of a smile on her lips. “So, tell me, Colombo, what happened last night?”

  “Well, you were nowhere to be seen, so I imagine you were having a grand old time being taken in, once again, by your ex-lover. Are you really that stupid, Rachel?”

  “I drove him to a hotel and that’s where I left him. I told him I never wanted to see him again. So, no. I guess I’m not that stupid after all. And for your information, I spent the night at the apartment in the city. On my own!”

  At that, I narrowed my eyes. “Of course you did,” I said, scathingly, although, in my heart, I felt a glimmer of hope. The relief that washed over me couldn’t be denied. And I didn’t want to ignore my feelings for her any longer. Tom was right. It was time to look to the future and it was standing right there, in front of me, throwing a magnificent tantrum.

  “You know what? Believe what you want,” Rachel declared. “I know it’s the truth. I had no idea that he would show up here like that. I was floored when I saw him standing there, in front of me. But the guy traveled halfway across the world and I wasn’t about to embarrass him in front of a bunch of strangers. Unlike you, I care about people’s feelings.”

  “Right,” I replied. “Unlike me. Got it.”

  “Well, it’s not like you’d even care,” she argued. “I walked off with him and I didn’t see you running after me. If you did care, the thought might have entered that thick skull of yours to actually fight for me.”

  “Did you want me to fight for you?”

  She opened her mouth, and then closed it again, her jaw clenched. God, she looked so sexy. There was just something about arguing with her that made the blood pound through my veins.

  “No, Alexander. I don’t want you to do anything for me. In fact, I’m over this shit.”

  She turned to leave, yanking the door, forgetting that it was locked. She stomped her foot and screamed out in frustration. “Open the fucking door, Tom!” she yelled. But there was no reply.

  I walked around from behind the desk, my hands in my pockets, taking slow steps toward her. She turned around, facing me, and pressed her palms back, flat against the door.

  “No. Don’t even think about coming over here,” she said. “I can’t stand to be anywhere near you. I swear to God, I’m going to smash this door down if I have to.”

  Still, I said nothing. I only walked closer to her.

  “Don’t push me, Alex,” she said, her eyes blazing so brightly, I was sure that, were it possible, she’d shoot sparks from them to knock me flat on my ass.

  I was right in front of her now, and I grabbed her hands, pressing her arms against the door, my lips just inches away from hers.

  “Push you?” I said softly. “I don’t want to push you, love. But if I have to in order to make sure you never walk away from me again like you did yesterday, then I goddamn will. No matter how much you protest, you’re not going anywhere.”

  “You can’t make me stay with you.”

  “Yes, I can,” I said, and I planted my lips against hers, hard, reminding her that she was all mine and that she was never leaving me again.

  At this, she jerked her hands free, grabbed my face and returned my kiss with more ardor than I’d ever felt in her.

  There were tears running down her face as we desperately held on to one another as we kissed. Breathlessly, I pulled away and stroked her face, wiping away her tears. “Why are you crying?” I asked.

  “You drive me so crazy, that I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

  “You can do whatever you want, laugh or cry, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we owe it to ourselves to explore what’s between us. I know it’s been a short ride, but goddamn, it’s been an explosive one. So, don’t you ever walk away from me again, Rachel Evans. I don’t want to waste one more minute not getting to know the woman that I’m in love with a hell of a lot better.

  “Excuse me?” she asked, her beautiful eyes wide with surprise.

  “You heard me. I’m in love with you and I have a sneaking suspicion that you might just feel the same way about me,” I said, before planting another kiss on her now swollen lips.

  “Oh, really. And why would you think that?” she asked, her eyes gleaming.

  “Because, my dear, I wouldn’t be able to drive you so mad if you didn’t love me, so just admit it.”

  Her expression softened, and she smiled up at me, slipping her arms around my waist. “Well, if that’s the standard of measure against which I need to determine whether I have any love for you or not, then you’re in for a
whole lot of trouble, Mister Maitland, because you drive me fucking insane.”

  I laughed, her veiled confession music to my ears. “So, does that mean that you fucking love me, then?” I asked.

  She moved closer, her lips almost touching mine, trying my patience.

  “If I say yes, are you going to ask me to marry you?” she asked.

  I loved her spirit. “No,” I said, now toying with her. “First, I’m going to get to know you a whole lot better, and then I’m going to ask you to marry me.” We both laughed.

  “Okay, then. I love you with all my heart, Alex Maitland… you stubborn asshole.”

  It was a nice change from all the times she’d told me she’d hated me, even though she couldn’t resist throwing in that last little jab.

  I heard Tom’s footsteps outside the door, the key turning in the lock, and I knew that we were free to leave whenever we wanted, but more than that, we were free to love.

  Chapter 31

  ________

  NOAH

  When I grow up, I want to be a pilot. Sometimes, when Daddy takes me in the chopper, he lets me take the stick so that I can move it from side to side. He never lets me move it more than a couple of times, but I think he should. I think I could land it. I’d be a good pilot. Maybe I’d fly planes, too, on my days off. I like choppers better, though. You can land on a building in the city and go and eat burgers and go back and get in the chopper and it would only take like thirty-five seconds. Maybe a bit longer, but not much.

  Daddy took me in the chopper this morning, and we went to New York City. I asked him where the Old York City was, and he said it was in England. I don’t really know where that is, exactly. Daddy says they drink a lot of tea in England. I don’t think I want to go there. My granny drinks tea and it tastes yukky.

  When we got to the city, Daddy took me to the tailor. I always get measured for new suits when it’s time for school to start. And then last year, I got measured for a suit for Grandpa’s birthday party. I didn’t like that suit. It was itchy.

  Daddy promised me that I wouldn’t have to get an itchy suit this time. In the shop, he asked me what I thought about the one he tried on.

  He looked very smart. I told him so. He smiled.

  “Well, it’s for a very special occasion,” he said. “A man should always wear his very best suit when he gets married.”

  “Did you wear a suit when you married my Mommy?” I asked.

  He got on his knees to talk to me. I don’t really know why he does that. I can still hear him, even when he stands up. Usually, he only kneels down when I’m in trouble and he wants to give me his serious look. Like the time I threw my ball and broke the vase in the lounge, or when I told Alastair his breath smelled like onions.

  But Daddy wasn’t angry with me this time. Instead, he held my hand. “I wore a suit to my wedding to Mommy, yes,” he said. “Haven’t you seen it? It’s in the pictures.”

  “Oh. Yes.” Now I remembered.

  “And I loved your mommy very much indeed,” he said. “And she loved you and nothing will ever change that. But Mommy wouldn’t want us to be sad anymore.”

  “Are you sad, Daddy?” It made me sad to think that he was.

  But he smiled, and I felt better. “I was,” he said. “But I’m not now.”

  “Because of Rachel?”

  “No, because of you,” he said, and he squeezed me and rubbed his cheek against mine, and it was all itchy and stubbly and made me giggle. “You made me the happiest person I could ever be in the whole world and nobody will ever be as important as you. But I love Rachel, and she’s the most important and special woman in my life. She has made me even happier.”

  “I love Rachel as well.”

  “Good. I’m glad.”

  “She’s a bit bossy when I’m riding, though.”

  At this, for some reason, he laughed very loudly, as though I’d made the funniest joke in the world. “She’s bossy with me, too,” he said. “I think we’re going to have to get used to that, kiddo. Do you know that she loves you almost as much as I do?”

  “She loves me?”

  “Like crazy,” Daddy said, and he kissed my cheek.

  I liked that. I liked to hear that Rachel loved me. It made me glad. Because it meant my plan worked. I wanted Daddy to marry Rachel. And now he was. I am a very good planner.

  I also have a very important job at the wedding. I have to keep the rings safe and carry them down the aisle on a white pillow.

  I hope there’s going to be shrimp at the wedding. I love shrimp. And pasta. And chocolate ice cream. And strawberry ice cream. But not vanilla ice cream. That’s boring.

  I’m excited about the wedding. I can’t wait to get a new mommy. I’m going to keep my photo of my other mommy next to my bed. She’s an angel now, and she watches over me, Daddy says. But I don’t think she’ll mind about Rachel. Because she makes Daddy happy.

  As long as they don’t make me have a baby sister. Yuck.

  ~ Fine ~

  STAY IN THE KNOW

  ________

  BE THE FIRST!

  Follow me on Amazon, Goodreads or Bookbub

  and be the first to know whenever a new release hits the Amazon store.

  AMAZON: Click HERE

  or

  GOODREADS: Click HERE

  or

  BOOKBUB: Click HERE

  OTHER RELEASES

  ________

  GETTING IT - 3-IN-1 BOXSET

  (Three Standalone 50k+ Novels - Also sold individually)

  Grab it HERE!

  FIRST LOVE: A Single Father Second Chance Romance

  Grab it HERE!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ________

  Free-spirited author Scarlet Wilder was raised on songs and stories, writing her own since she learned how to put pen to paper.

  Today, she lives in the heart of Sandton, although you will rarely find her there.

  Whether you’d call it wanderlust, a love of travel or just regular old curiosity; she hungers to explore the world outside the four walls of her cozy mid-town loft.

  She unapologetically admits that the only things she loves more than her followers and fans are coffee and chocolate.

  Wherever she goes, she’s in constant search of the perfectly brewed cup of Java or the sweetest melt-in-your-mouth chocolaty treat.

  Her favorite themes include:

  * Alpha males who know how to love their woman

  * Bad boys with hearts of gold

  * And, of course, strong sassy women who can stand their own.

  CONNECT & GET SOCIAL WITH ME

  ________

  Join me on my travels and adventures as I take you along on my journeys or simply share my day with you.

  Subscribe to my BLOG @ www.scarletwilder.com

  Find Me and Stalk Me!

  FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ScarWilder/

  INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/scarlet_wilder

  TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Scar_Wilder

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title

  Copyright 2018

  Table of Contents

  Important Notice

  Warning

  Note From The Author

  Bonus Read

  Description

  Chapter 1: Rachel

  Chapter 2: Alex

  Chapter 3: Rachel

  Chapter 4: Alex

  Chapter 5: Rachel

  Chapter 6: Alex

  Chapter 7: Rachel

  Chapter 8: Alex

  Chapter 9: Rachel

  Chapter 10: Alex

  Chapter 11: Rachel

  Chapter 12: Alex

  Chapter 13: Rachel

  Chapter 14: Alex

  Chapter 15: Rachel

  Chapter 16: Alex

  Chapter 17: Rachel

  Chapter 18: Alex

  Chapter 19: Rachel

  Chapter 20: Alex

  Chapter 21: Rachel


  Chapter 22: Alex

  Chapter 23: Rachel

  Chapter 24: Alex

  Chapter 25: Rachel

  Chapter 26: Alex

  Chapter 27: Rachel

  Chapter 28: Alex

  Chapter 29: Rachel

  Chapter 30: Alex

  Chapter 31: Noah

  Stay In The Know

  Other Releases

  About The Author

  Connect & Get Social With Me