Rae (Captured Hearts Book 1) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Epilogue

  Excerpt: Ana

  Excerpt: Stay With Me

  Blurb: Lie With Me

  RA

  E

  CAPTURED HEARTS 1

  E.R. WADE

  Copyright © 2017 E.R. Wade

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

  To Cece – my sister, my best friend, and an amazing woman. We’re counting down

  !

  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Epilogue

  Excerpt: Ana

  Excerpt: Stay With Me

  Blurb: Lie With Me

  ONE

  Rae

  The door of the bar swings open just before I can push it, and an attractive young couple step out. I enter into the moderately-lit, fashionable bar that I’ve come to like since my friends, Ana Canden and Mia Hart, brought me here a few weeks ago. Thankfully, it isn’t too full which means that I won’t have to look too hard for somewhere to sit. As luck would have it, I find a seat that someone has just vacated at the bar and I gladly take it. I catch the bartender’s eye and smile at him. This is the third time this week I’ve come here after work so he recognizes me instantly and comes towards me.

  “Hi, there. What can I get you?”

  “A raspberry margarita, please,” I say.

  “Good choice. Coming right up.”

  Moments later, he places my drink in front of me. Smiling at him, I hand over some money and say, “Thank you.”

  I pull out my phone from my bag. There’s no message from Ana who’s supposed to be here. We were supposed to come to the bar together but she had a last minute work thing that she had to do and assured me that she’ll meet me here. Ana, Mia and I work at Raynier Publishing, publishers of fashion and lifestyle magazine, Zadie. I could have cancelled because I’m pretty sure that she’s not going to make it. Her boss has a well-earned reputation for being difficult . . . and an asshole. But I really wanted a drink, and I didn’t want to go back to my empty apartment – or flat, as it’s called here in London. I look through the messages on my phone, responding to some outstanding ones and ignoring the ones that are irrelevant.

  “You’re American,” a deep, smooth and sexy voice says from behind me. I just know he's talking to me. From what I could see before I sat down, I’m the only person sitting at the bar who’s here alone. There’s a couple on my left, and a small group of two women and a man on my right. And how many Americans can there possibly be at a bar in Fitzrovia? Okay . . . maybe a few. Who the hell knows?

  I’m not in the mood for male company. I don’t care how sexy the stranger’s voice is, I’m going to ignore him. I pretend not to hear him, and take a sip of my drink, staring harder at the boring email I was reading. Hopefully, the guy will take the hint and leave.

  He doesn’t.

  He moves from where he was standing behind my left shoulder to my side, and leans on the bar. From my peripheral vision, I see he’s wearing a dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I also see nice, strong-looking forearms.

  I hear him say to the bartender, “Simon, a beer please, and another raspberry margarita for the lady.”

  Thanks to Mr. Sexy Voice, I’m drinking faster than normal and I’ve almost finished my margarita. For some strange reason, I’m deeply aware of the stranger. So what should be a relaxing evening is turning out to be the opposite.

  Accepting a drink from him would give him the wrong impression, and I have no desire to engage in small talk tonight. I’m certainly in no mood to entertain a guy who may be looking to get laid.

  Fully intending to tell him to take a hike, I look up from my drink to do just that and my gaze collides with his. I am looking at an absolutely gorgeous man with light brown hair and stirring gray eyes. For a moment, I stop breathing. Wow! My gaze moves around his face. This man is incredibly handsome. High cheekbones, a strong jaw and slightly full lips. Shit. I can’t help it, I have to look at the rest of him. He’s tall, maybe about six feet one or two – that’s at least seven inches taller than me. His body is lean and muscular. He’s wearing black trousers with his dark blue shirt, and a Rolex on his wrist. I look back up. He has a panty-melting smile on his face. He looks like he could give me a good time.

  Fuck!

  Simon places the drinks in front of us, and I realize I’m staring at the handsome stranger.

  “Thank you for the drink,” I tell him. What? I’m accepting the drink? And why the hell does my voice sound so husky?

  “The pleasure is mine,” he says. Call me shallow but his voice sounds even better than I previously thought now that I am looking at him. I should have ordered something stronger. He slides a twenty pound note to Simon.

  “Let me guess, you’re a New Yorker,” he says confidently. He’s not asking or looking for confirmation.

  “Yes.” My voice still isn’t back to normal, but I had to respond. This beautiful man is smiling at me. “You’re also American.” With looks like that, I don’t care if he’s from Pluto.

  “Yeah. I’m from Seattle. My family lives there.”

  Family? I glance at his left hand. No ring. I have to ask and I don’t care what he makes of it. I really can’t stand cheats. When you’ve gone through what I have, you’ll never want to experience it again or be the cause of another person’s nightmare.

  “Family? You mean your wife and kids?” I ask, making sure I keep my tone light. He’d be less willing to lie if he doesn’t detect disapproval in my voice.

  He laughs lightly. “No. I’m not married. No girlfriend too,” he says. His eyes are what make me believe him. They look so clear and honest.

  I’m relieved he’s single.

  “You?”

  “No husband and no boyfriend.”

  “That’s good to know,” he says with a devastatingly sexy smile.

  I look away from him. I need to take a sip of my drink to moisten my suddenly dry throat. After taking a large sip, I notice a slender brunette and a tall, dark-haired man standing together further down the bar. They’re looking at us. The man has a mildly curious expression but the brunette looks annoyed.

  “Friends of yours?” I ask, nodding towards them.

  “Yeah.” He doesn’t bother turning to look at his friends.

  “They’re looking at yo
u like they expect you to get shut down.” I give him an innocent look. “Poor you. Does that happen often?”

  He lets out a deep chuckle at my question. “Not as often as you’d like, I’m sure.”

  I shrug. “It has nothing to do with me. I’m just feeling bad for you.”

  He gives me a heart-stopping smile. God. This man is handsome. “Good. That means you’ll take pity on me and say yes to giving me your number and to the date I’m about to ask you out on.”

  No way. I’m staying far away from him. Any man that looks like him is guaranteed to be a heart-breaker. “As much as I’d like to help your ego out, I don’t date.”

  With his smile still in place, he studies my face, and I keep my expression impassive. “That’s surprising for someone as beautiful as you.”

  I raise an eyebrow at him, suppressing the surge of pleasure I feel that he finds me beautiful. “Could you be any more unoriginal?”

  “Just being honest,” he says casually. He offers me his hand unexpectedly. “Cole Mardsen.”

  I look down at his big, strong hand. Even his hand is attractive.

  I put my hand in his. His touch sends tingles up my arm and through my body. This man is dangerous, and I’m drawn to him like a moth to a flame. “Rae Stanton.”

  “Rae. I like it. It’s not a nickname, is it?” He sounds like he’d be disappointed if it is.

  I’ve been asked that a few times. “No, it’s just Rae.” My dad named me after his favorite jazz musician. It’s actually my middle name, but it’s what I’ve preferred to be called for the past three years. After my divorce, I felt like I needed a change. I didn’t want to be Mackenzie or Kenzie anymore. I was named Mackenzie after my mother’s blonde-haired, blue-eyed childhood best friend.

  “I like it,” he says again, grinning. “So, Rae, what do you do?”

  “You mean besides going to bars and accepting drinks from strangers?”

  A corner of his lips lifts in amusement. “Besides that.”

  “I’m a writer and the Style Director for Zadie magazine.”

  “Interesting. So you live here in London?”

  “I got transferred here for a year.” Raynier is an American company but has offices in a number of major cities across the world. I’d been hankering to move to London for some time and as soon as the opportunity came, I grabbed it with both hands.

  “When did you move?”

  “Five weeks ago.” Enough about me. “What do you do?”

  “My friend, Luke, and I own Enton. We created a marketplace for software developers to sell their products and offer services directly to consumers, and we also have a division that develops tailor-made products for corporations.”

  They must be pretty successful judging by the quality of his clothes and the Rolex he’s wearing. Cole seems very confident. I don’t see the usual cockiness that handsome, successful men typically have. He just seems self-assured, which makes him more attractive to me.

  He asks me about my move and how I’m finding the city I now call home. I’ve come to London a lot over the past two years so I’m comfortable here. Also, my two closest friends, Ana and Mia, live here. Cole tells me more about his company. He and his business partner set it up right after they graduated from college. They decided to move their operations to London because the bulk of the demand for their services came from Europe.

  My phone buzzes on the counter. It’s a text from Ana.

  “Excuse me. I need to read this.”

  Ana: AARGH!!! Can you believe I’m still in the office? I’m one second away from telling Colin to go fuck himself!

  Colin is her pain-in-the-ass boss. Ana would definitely have told him to go fuck himself but she loves her job too much and is saving for a down payment on a house.

  Me: Want me to tell him for you and also kick his ass?

  Ana: No. I’m looking forward to the day I’ll get to do that. No one will take the pleasure away from me

  Ana: Sorry. It doesn’t look like we’re going to leave here anytime soon

  Me: That’s okay. I’ll call you tomorrow

  It’s almost eight-thirty p.m. which means I’ve been talking to Cole for over an hour.

  “I’ve got to go,” I tell Cole, dropping my phone in my bag.

  “It’s still early, and tomorrow is Saturday. Why don’t you stay a little longer? I’ve been told I’m excellent company,” he says with another one of his heart-stopping smiles.

  “Sorry, but it’s past my bedtime.” I pause and hold his gray gaze, trying to read him. He’s definitely interested in me. It’s been months since I let a man get this close . . . and I want Cole to get even closer. I decide to go for it. Who knows when next, if ever, I’ll meet a guy that I feel this attracted to? “Unless you want to tuck me in.” I hold my breath as I let my invitation sink in.

  His eyes immediately become hooded. He picks up his beer and takes a swig, then lifts his clear gray gaze back to me.

  “You want me to go home with you?”

  “If you want to.” I try to sound casual, like I don’t care whatever his answer is, but my heart is pounding with nervous anticipation. I don’t want him to turn me down.

  TWO

  Rae

  Cole gives me a long look I can’t decipher. “Sure.” Relieved, I pick up my bag. “Hold up. Let me tell Luke and Amber I’m leaving.”

  I try not to watch him but I can’t help it. I notice the brunette glaring at me maliciously. It looks like someone’s not happy that Cole is leaving with me. I smile sweetly at her, which makes her glare at me harder with venom dripping from her gaze.

  He comes back in less than a minute. “Ex-girlfriend?”

  He looks at me, puzzled. “Who?”

  “The brunette. Amber, right?”

  “Not at all. She’s a friend. Why?”

  “Just curious.”

  When we step outside, I immediately scan the street for a taxi.

  “I’m parked right around the corner, on the next street.”

  It didn’t occur to me to ask him if he had a car. Years of doing things my way and wanting to be in control, I guess.

  “Lead the way,” I say.

  He takes my hand in his. My nerve endings are tingling with excitement at his touch, and my lower belly is doing backflips. Thankfully, he doesn’t notice my reaction to him.

  We get to the next street, and he stops at a gleaming black BMW 7-series. He opens the passenger side door for me, and I slide into the luxurious cream leather seats. He closes the door and goes around to the driver’s side, getting in. He starts the car but doesn’t move.

  “I’ll be back in a minute.” He slides out of the car, leaving the engine running. Slightly puzzled, I watch him as he walks into a pharmacy two doors away from the car. Oh, right. Protection. At least I think that’s what he’s going to get. He doesn’t take long inside, but he doesn’t appear to be carrying anything.

  “Where am I driving to?” he asks when he has his seatbelt on and inching into the road.

  I give him my address. I live in a low-rise block of apartments in Soho.

  When we get to my building, I unlock the front door and then climb the two flights of stairs leading to my apartment.

  “I like your place,” Cole says. He’s been quiet since we got here. This is the first time I’ve had a man in my apartment, and he seems to fill up the space.

  “Thank you. Would you like a drink?”

  “No. Just you,” he says, and pulls me to him. “So, Rae, do you have to work tomorrow?” he asks as he frees my hair from my ponytail, his other arm is curved around my waist.

  “No.” My voice is doing that funny thing it did earlier tonight. It sounds damn too husky.

  “That’s good,” he murmurs right before he lowers his head and captures my lips in a devastating kiss that has me immediately melting into him. His kiss is like nothing I’ve ever felt, nothing I could have ever imagined. His hand is in my hair, holding me steady while his lips devour me. He sl
ips his tongue inside my mouth, and deepens the kiss. The kiss is everything. I can’t help it, I moan into his mouth. I’m clinging to him because without my hands on his shoulders, I’d be a puddle at his feet. No man has ever made me feel this way. My entire body is pulsating with desire. There’s a throbbing ache between my thighs that’s demanding his attention. I’m more than ready for him to take me. I’ve never wanted anything more.

  “Where’s your bedroom?” he asks, his voice deeper than normal. I didn’t think his voice could be sexier. I was wrong.

  “Second. Right.” Thankfully, he understands I mean the second door on the right.

  “Wrap your legs around me,” he tells me just before he lifts me up. I do as he says, as he carries me effortlessly into my bedroom. His lips are back on mine.

  I feel my back on the bed and Cole is on top of me, taking care not to crush me with his weight. Trailing kisses down my jaw and my neck, his hand slips under my top squeezing my full, aching breast. He wastes no time taking off my top and my bra. His lips latch on to my incredibly hard nipple, sucking it hard and making my body writhe with uncontrollable need. All the cells in my body are buzzing with excitement. I’m whimpering, needing him to take me.

  In response, his hand slides under my skirt. He slips a finger inside me, then a second one. I feel tingles all over my body. His fingers pump in and out of me, and waves of exquisite desire flow through me. My moans resonate loudly in the bedroom, and it takes just a few seconds for a violent orgasm to rip through me.

  “Oh god,” I gasp, trying to draw in air into my lungs. My whole body is quivering. “Oh god.” I have no idea what just happened. He releases my nipple and kisses me briefly on my lips. I open my eyes to see Cole watching me intently. The man is so fucking sexy. I can’t wait to have him inside me. I start pulling at his shirt, eager to touch his skin. He helps me take it off, and he also takes off his shoes.

  “I have to taste you,” he says thickly, pulling off my skirt and my G-string in no time and tossing them aside. His lips touch my clit and my hips jerk in response. My body trembles with pleasure as Cole licks and sucks me. My hand grips his hair, urging him on, wanting to be closer to him, wanting desperately to meld with him. In no time, my muscles tighten and I cry out his name as I orgasm with wild abandon.