Owning Beauty (Taking Beauty Trilogy 3)

Chloe

“I guess there are perks to being pregnant,” I said, as Bear’s Jeep hugged the curves of the rugged roads leading to his cabin.

“Admit it, Beauty. You loved repelling out of that helicopter,” he teased, referring to his usual method of traveling to his rustic upstate hideaway.

“Sure,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm, “I can’t wait to have this baby so I can do it again. Hey! Maybe next time, I can do it with our baby strapped to my back, or something.”

“Why not? It’s important to start kids early these days,” he replied, his sapphire eyes twinkling with mischief, “make sure they aren’t afraid of anything, you know? It’s like throwing them in the deep end of the pool right away.”

“Remind me to never let you take our child swimming,” I said.

He laughed, throwing his head back as the corners of his eyes crinkled up. I stared over at him, my heart bursting with joy.

I’d never expected everything to work out so well.

Sure, it was lightening fast, but so what? I’d come to accept it. Especially now that I was pregnant. There’s no turning back at this point, you know?

Not that I would. If you’d told me six months ago that today I’d be pregnant and engaged to my drop-dead sexy billionaire boyfriend, I’d have laughed in your face.

In fact, I didn’t even want children before, but now….well that was just one more thing on the list of things that changed. Bear felt the same way. We’d spent long hours talking it through, especially after we’d both previously declared to each other that we never wanted children. But things don’t always turn out the way you think they will and you don’t always feel the way you might expect, until you’re really thrown into that situation.

And so, here I was, my hand engulfed in his as we raced away from the city for the weekend, our attempt to get away from everyone and everything to regroup.

It was going perfectly so far and did we ever need it!

My mother, Matilda, was shocked by the news that Bear and I were in love. When we told her I was having his baby, I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head. She couldn’t wait to get me alone, and once she did, just as I suspected, she laid into me.

‘She couldn’t believe how irresponsible I was. How could I do something like this? And with her boss, of all people!’ She’d gone on and on about how much I’d ‘disappointed her, how I’d embarrassed her, how she’d be the laughing stock of the company now and nobody would take her seriously, that my pregnancy would somehow delegitimize her position at Dalton Enterprises’.

I’d let her go on. And on. And on…

Once I was certain she was finished, I very quietly and very calmly, laid everything out.

“Mom, no matter what you feel, no matter what you think, no matter how harshly you judge me, it won’t change anything. You can harp on about how horrible I am as much as you want, but that won’t change the fact that in a few short months, you are going to be a grandmother. Now, you can embrace that and be a part of your grandchild’s life, or you can be an unhappy, lonely woman. It’s your choice. I’m marrying Bear. I’m having his baby. That’s all there is to it.”

To my surprise, she stopped bitching, admitted I was right and wished me luck. And then, she’d hugged me. I almost fell out of my

chair.

I’d never felt like more of a grown-up than I did at that point.

Somehow, knowing there was a child growing inside of me, that it was entirely up to me to take care of her, to nurture her, and that I alone, would be completely and utterly responsible for her, had allowed me to grow stronger.

My confidence was soaring.

I was done questioning my relationship with Bear.

I was done dwelling about my past and being indecisive and unsure if this life was for me or wondering what I’d done to deserve it all.

What’s done was done and this was happening.

The ultrasound pictures were in my purse.

I’d heard the heartbeat.

I’d seen her moving around inside of me.

I was sure it was a girl. It was too soon to tell but the dreams I’d had, the whispered song of a little girl that wouldn’t leave my head when I’d fainted, those feelings had stuck with me. I was sure it was my little girl that day, trying to tell me to be strong.

For her. For us.

For all three of us.

I’d never felt stronger in my life.

The queasiness had subsided and after staying overnight in the hospital and getting rehydrated, I’d been released after being told to ‘take it easy’.

Bear promised my obstetrician, Dr. Reynolds, that he would make sure that happened and he took me straight home.

Home.

Our home.

I’d moved in with him that night.

He’d gone and picked up a few things from my apartment and sent Max to get everything else the next day. He’d barely left my side since then, making sure I had everything I needed, making sure I was comfortable, making sure I was happy.

He’d kissed me, and my belly, about a million times and I couldn’t get over the gleam in his eyes. He looked like the happiest man on Earth and he was contagious.

It was like all the bullshit had completely disappeared, leaving nothing but a clear view of our future. And it was glorious.

We’d spent a few days holed up in the penthouse, talking for hours about the baby.

I told him I was positive it was a girl and he said he felt it, too.

We talked about where she would go to school, contemplated a hundred different names that neither of us could yet decide on. I wanted something exotic and unusual and he wanted something simple and wholesome. I knew we’d find a happy middle eventually.

We imagined what she would be like, which one of us she might resemble and he insisted that she never, ever go out on a date and maybe should join a convent at some point.

We’d talk for hours, then make love and spend all night talking again.

It was an enchanting cycle.

Once he realized I wasn’t a fragile doll made out of china and that he wasn’t going to hurt me, or the baby, we started making love again.

He was so careful, so heartbreakingly gentle at first, that I had to assure him that it was okay to use a little more force.

Not only was I feeling stronger than ever now that I was pregnant, but I was also feeling hungrier for him than ever.

I couldn’t get enough of his body, his hands, his mouth. All my inhibitions were gone and I pounced on him every chance I could get. He seemed to be enjoying the fact that I was taking the initiative and any sense of shyness that I’d possessed seemed to have packed up and hit the road.

I’d become as hungry as a wild cat in heat.

I wanted it in the car, in the kitchen, on the stairs, on the terrace, on the couch, by the fire, in the shower, hell, I even wanted it in the elevator.

Luckily, I had a man that could deliver.

Once he realized he wasn’t going to hurt me, he gave me everything I asked for and more.

And right now, what I wanted was his cock—again.

The trees whipped past us, as I reached over into his lap, cupping his package like a prize in my palm.

“You’re insatiable,” he said, shaking his head.

“It’s your fault. You’re dripping pure sex. How do you expect me to react?”

“Don’t worry, Beauty,” he growled. “I’ll take care of you as soon as we get to the cabin.”

“I don’t want to wait,” I cooed, scooting over to him and kissing his neck. He smelled like a spicy, musky heaven that I wanted to roll around in. He groaned and gently pushed me away.

“We’ll be at the cabin soon enough,” he said.

“But it’ll take forever. And you’ll end up drinking with Bruce all night and I’ll have to wait hours until I get you alone again. Let’s pull over.”

“It’s late. Bruce will be asleep already, because he never misses being on the slopes before sunrise. We’ll see him tomorrow when he gets back.”

“Does that mean I don’t have to wait?” I smiled.

“Don’t worry, baby, I’m going to fuck you until you’re begging me to stop as soon as we get there.”

“Good luck with that,” I laughed. “I never seem to want you to stop these days.”

“Well, then maybe I’m not doing my job,” he said, winking at me. “I’ll have to fuck you a little harder.”

“Promises, promises,” I said, smiling over at him.

It was already dark, the sun completely faded over the horizon, the tall pines dancing in the breeze overhead as we whipped up and around the curves, the headlights of the Jeep the only light around for miles.

“I’m so glad we’re doing this,” I said, leaning back in my seat.

“Me, too, Chloe.” Bear reached over, grabbing my hand and intertwining his fingers with mine.

“Do you think Bruce will be shocked about the baby?” I asked.

“No,” he said, thoughtfully.

“You don’t think he’ll think we’re going too fast?”

“No, he knows how much I love you. He won’t care about that. He’s not that kind of person.”

“Marie seems to really like him.”

“Everyone loves Bruce, it’s impossible not to,” he said.

“He’s really special,” I said. It was true. Bruce was everyone’s friend, the kind of guy who accepted you without question. He’d welcomed me into their life with wide open arms.

“He is,” Bear said. “There haven’t been a lot of men like him in my life. He’s been my one true friend, the only person I would trust with anything.”

“It’s good to have a friend like that,” I said, thinking of Marie.

“It is,” he said. “I actually think he’ll be thrilled. He loves kids. He loves you. It really couldn’t be more perfect.”

He pulled my hand up to his lips, brushing his warm lips across my fingers. I beamed over at him, my heart bursting with joy.

This is my life, I thought.

My wonderful, beautiful life….

Bear

I woke up with my arms wrapped around Chloe, her head lying peacefully on my chest, her long black waves covering half of her beautiful face. I bent my head, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair, just like I’d done everyday for the last week.

I’d insisted she move in with me, partly just so I could smell her hair every single morning for the rest of my life and partly because I couldn’t bear to be away from her.

I’d become addicted to her.

I loved everything about her. The way she smelled, the way she laughed, the way she talked, the way she moved…the way she moved on the end of my cock.

The thought of it made me hard instantly. Or, maybe I’d woken up that way. Either way, it was suddenly all I could think of and I was filled with pure need. A need that could only be fulfilled by her body.

I was still trying to wrap my head around all of this. In my usual manner, I was obsessed with why.

Why I reacted so strongly to her.

Why I continued to need her more than I needed air.

Why it was her, and only her, that could make me feel this way.

There were so many reasons, all of them perfectly vali

d, but I couldn’t help but contemplate the pure craziness of it all. It had all gone so fast, even for me, the king of fast decisions and even faster deals.

I’d learned to strike while the iron was hot, but my feelings for Chloe had even made my head spin a little.

I didn’t mind it, though, it made everything that much more exciting.

I was in awe of the fact that she’d gone along with everything. She’d had every opportunity, and probably every reason, to slap my face and demand that I never come near her again.

But she hadn’t. She’d been a little scared, at first, I’d seen it in her eyes.

But she’d also been brave. Braver than any other woman I’d let in before.

I know I’m a lot to handle. I’m not like other men. I have these needs that consume me, it’s like an aching inside of me that won’t go away unless I…well, you’ve seen it.

You’ve seen how I get.

I can’t help it.

And yes, I’ve tried. I’ve tried to suppress the rage, the darkness, as Chloe calls it, and you know, it works for a hot minute. But all I’m doing in those instances is shoving it down, letting it build up until the need is even stronger and hotter and I just…explode.

It’s best to let the steam out a little at a time, you know?

I can control it better that way. It doesn’t get out of hand.

Not like before.

I’m still filled with regret and shame for the way I’d acted because she’d lied about having dinner with Levi. Fucking Levi. He’d been trying to sabotage every relationship I had since Zoe had become infatuated with me.

It wasn’t my fault, but I’d been paying the price ever since.

Well, okay, maybe it was a little bit my fault, but it was a long time ago and he should have gotten over it by now.

But none of that mattered any more. Levi wasn’t a problem for me, he never was. I just didn’t want him anywhere near Chloe, because Chloe wasn’t just any woman.

She was the woman.

She was different from all those other women I’d dated. That’s why I’d lost my shit so badly. In retrospect, I should have gone over to Levi’s place and taken care of things like a man, taken out my rage on his face. Instead, my emotions had gotten all mixed up and I’d taken it out on Chloe’s beautiful, perfect ass instead.

I’d never fucked up like that before and I’d never felt as horrible as I still did about it.

I would never make that mistake again.