ARROGANT PLAYBOY (70 page)

BELLAMY

ONE
YEAR LATER

Puerto Vallarta at night is
vibrant.

Puerto Vallarta in the morning
is serene.

Puerto Vallarta in the middle
of the afternoon, on a sandy beach with ocean waves crashing behind a makeshift
altar is breathtaking.

My gauzy ivory dress whips
around my legs as I carry a bouquet of calla lilies down a sandy aisle
scattered with pink rose petals.

Dane stands under the canopy,
his hair soft and free from product as he dons an untucked white shirt and
cuffed linen pants. I smirk imagining Beckham picking out his clothes and
helping him get ready. I could easily get used to casual, relaxed Dane, but I’m
sure I’d miss his buttoned-up counterpart. All I know is I’m madly in love with
every faceted side of that man.

Our gazes hold as a solitary
cellist plays Chopin’s
Nocturne in E-flat
Major
.

My sister waits up ahead,
smiling bright and blinking away tears. Odessa is seated next to Jensen on a
folding chair. Beckham grips Dane’s shoulders and gifts him a reassuring pat as
he tosses me a wink.

I invited the girls out under
the guise of a ladies’ weekend, and I casually mentioned they could bring the
guys too, assuring we could all do our own things and meet up in the evenings
for couple-y things.

Little did they know, they were
going to be attending a wedding.

I sent my parents a letter last
month, right after Dane proposed. Perhaps it was my way of closing that chapter
of my life, but I assured them that I was happy, Waverly was thriving, and that
I hoped someday they would understand that our lives were never supposed to
belong to anyone but ourselves.

I simply did what needed to be
done.

No one replied. Maybe the
letter was intercepted or maybe it was ripped to shreds and burned. I’ll never
know. That’s in my past. I’m moving on with Dane, and I’m going to live this
amazingly beautiful life to the absolute fullest because it’s all mine and it’s
such a gift.

Dane takes my hand after I hand
my bouquet to Waverly and gives it a gentle squeeze, and a justice of the peace
begins the ceremony.

***

We dance under a starry sky
under a blanket of stars. My toes freeze in the ocean water, but none of that
matters. I can’t stop staring at my beautiful husband. Our guests have long
since retired to their hotel suites, but neither of us is ready to end this
magical day yet.

“Thank you for this beautiful
day.” I rise on my toes, bringing my mouth to his and stealing a kiss.

I can do that now.

I don’t have to ask for
permission.

Of course we still
play
sometimes.

Behind closed doors, when he
says the word, I fall to my knees, submit to him, and cherish every moment. A
tiger can’t change his stripes, and I would never expect Dane to suppress his
deepest desires.

But our power has balanced. I
am his equal. I love him, and he loves me. As Dane would say, it’s deliciously
uncomplicated.

“You’re most welcome,” he says,
his mouth tasting mine.

The wind whips my hair around.
I’ve celebrated hard today. My makeup is melted. My hair is a mess. My eyelids
are so heavy I can barely see anymore. But I want to keep going because the
moment this day is over, all we’ll have are the memories. I dig my toes in the
sand as if that could anchor me to this moment, and I slip my arms around my
husband.

“It’s you and me,” he says,
kissing the top of my head. “Who’d have thought our broken, twisted paths
would’ve led us here?”

Dane twirls me in the moonlight
and smiles. For the first several months of knowing him, he rarely offered
smiles. Now they’re a mainstay.

My love makes him happy.

“Aren’t you exhausted?” he
asks, pulling me back into him.

“Deliriously so.” I grin,
breathing in the salty air as it mixes with what remains of his cologne.

He threads his fingers through
mine and pulls me away from the lapping shore. “Come. This day isn’t over until
I make love to my wife.”

The End.

AMAZON BESTSELLING
AUTHOR Winter Renshaw recently celebrated her third 29th birthday. By day, she
wrangles kids and dogs, and by night, she wrangles words. She loves peonies,
lipstick, and balmy summer days. Chips and salsa are her jam, and so is
cruising down the highway with the windows down and the air blasting while 80s
rock blares from the speakers of her Mom-UV.

She would describe her
writing style as sexy, conflicted, and laced with heart. Her heroes are always
alpha and her heroines are always smart and independent. HEA guaranteed.

You can friend Winter
here:
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PAGE AHEAD for a BONUS/DELETED scene from
Arrogant Master…

BONUS/DELETED SCENE FROM ARROGANT MASTER

UNEDITED

*This was originally chapter 2!

BELLAMY

My father sits at the head of
the dining room table, exactly where I predicted he would be.

“I’m
so
sorry.” I rush to the seat next to him, smiling like a fool
who’s just won the lottery, and yank out a chair before plopping down. I’m
getting out of here, and it starts now. Tonight. “You’ll never believe what
happened tonight!”

A quick read of his expression
tells me he’s in a most receptive mood tonight, and the twitch of his lips
suggest he’s fighting a pleased smile.

“There’s this guy at Bible
study,” I say, twirling my hair around my finger like a teenager in love, but
on a twenty-two year old scale. I can’t overdo this or he’ll know. I release my
hair and lean forward. “His name is Cortland. I’ve noticed him over the last
few months, but I’ve always kept to myself, you know, because you always said
it wasn’t appropriate for a lady to approach a man.”

He brings his hand up to his
jaw, leaning back and nodding as he clings onto my words like I’m telling some
gripping story.

“Anyway, he came up to me
tonight as we were leaving, and asked if it would be okay if he could court
me.” I lift my eyebrows and force a smile so big it hurts inside and out. “He’s
nice, Dad. And his family is like
ours
.”

“What does he do for a living?”
My father asks, though he knows damn well. I’m sure he grilled Cortland over
lunch, and I’m sure he’s asked around about his family.

“His father owns a medical
equipment company, and he’s a traveling salesman for them. He does travel a
lot, but he’s hoping to be promoted someday so he can be more of a family man.”

Dad’s mouth curls, and his eyes
crinkle at the corners. “I’d appreciate a phone call next time you’re going to
be late, but I’ll make an exception tonight.”

Hard
to call when I’m not allowed to have a cell phone…

His words are stern, but he’s
practically beaming from every pore. He’s thrilled about Cortland, which is
exactly
what I predicted.

My father is thrilled about the
potential of Cortland and me.

My stomach sinks, and my
artificial expression threatens to fade. I can’t let it. All the strength I
have goes into putting on a happy face. “Do you want to meet him? I can bring
him over sometime.”

The thought of Cortland sitting
at our family table, making small talk with my mothers and blowing bullshit
fakery up my father’s ass heats my thoughts, and the thought of him ruffling my
little brother’s hair with the same hands he uses to touch me makes me want to
vomit.

“I’d love to meet him.” My
father stands, glancing at the clock. Night has fallen upon the house, and
we’re all required to be in bed before ten. “Why don’t you invite him for
dinner tomorrow night?”

Shit. This is moving faster
than I expected. We’re full steam ahead.

“Sure. Yeah. I can do that.” I
pick at my nails, a nervous habit I’d picked up long ago. “Are you sure you’re
ready for me to start courting?”

I know the answer, but I have
to hear it straight from him. Confirmation that I’m right about the trajectory
of impending events is what I seek.

“Bellamy.” He places his large
hand over mine. They’re soft and clean, the hands of an educated man who spends
long hours running his pharmacy in order to provide for the abnormally large
family he was prodded by God to create. “You’re a woman. You’re twenty-two. As
much as it pains me to see my firstborn fly the nest, it’s time. And I know in
my heart, I’ve raised you to make the right choices. I trust your judgment with
this man.”

“But what if I don’t like him?
What if we court for a while, and I change my mind?” I bite the inside of my
lip. “Or what if he’s not who he says he is?”

His hand slides off mine before
he rises from the table. “Those aren’t things you need to worry about. Heavenly
Father put him in your life for a reason. Trust and don’t question.”

I’m still as a statue as I wait
for my father’s silhouette to disappear up the stairs, the creak of the steps
filling our silent home. Sleep won’t be in the cards for me tonight. The still,
quiet hours of the night will be better spent plotting and planning.

***

My hands tremble as I set the
extra place setting. Dad requested that Cortland take the seat next to him, and
that I sit next to Cortland tonight. I glance at the grandfather clock in the
hall. Cortland will be here any minute.

My mothers are flitting about
in the kitchen, and Summer turns on the hand mixer, whipping up a huge batch of
mashed potatoes. The grinding, metallic sound is a nice distraction right now,
but it won’t prolong the inevitable.

Waverly skips down the stairs,
looking freshly washed up for dinner. She hops up to the table and rests
against the back of a chair. “Need help with anything?”

“Nope,” I sigh, my eyes
trailing the length of the table that’s already set. “I took care of it all
while you were upstairs.”

Her nose wrinkles. I’m tense,
and I shouldn’t take it out on her, but I can’t help myself. Right now, I’d
almost give anything to go back to those carefree high school days, when my
only concern was studying for tests and fighting off advances from the boys I wasn’t
allowed to date.

The Fahnlander boy down the
street was the only boyfriend I ever knew, and I made damn sure that whole
thing was kept hidden from my family. And by boyfriend, I mean we sat together
at lunch and passed notes in the hall.

Despite not having a true
boyfriend experience growing up, I don’t feel as though I missed out on much. I
found ways to get around my father’s stringent rules most of the time. All I
crave, all I’ve ever missed out on, is pure autonomy and genuine independence.
 

Waverly studies me and pulls
her chair out carefully. “Are you nervous about this or something?”

I shoot daggers her way and
silently scold myself. My face softens, if only for her sake. “Yes. I’m
nervous.”

“I’m sure you have nothing to
worry about. Our family is so nice. And everyone’s so excited to have company
tonight. This, like, never happens.” Waverly smiles like she hasn’t a care in
the world.

I want that.

The mixer in the kitchen goes
silent, but our mothers are still flitting around like they’re prepping a meal
for the President of the United States. When I lean in, I whisper, “What if I
don’t like him? And what if Dad likes him?”

“Dad would never make you marry
someone you didn’t like.”

My head cocks hard to the
right, as if to say, “
Really?!
”

She doesn’t get it. She doesn’t
understand how our father operates. She hasn’t seen what I’ve seen or heard
what I’ve heard. He’s not who he says he is. I just hope she never learns that
the hard way.

“Waverly, Bellamy,” our mother
calls. She skips off to the kitchen and I death march.

Outside a car door clicks,
sending my heart sinking down to my feet. He’s here.

Summer hands a bowl of tossed
salad to my sister and my mom fishes in a drawer for a set of tongs, which she
promptly shoves in my hand and nods toward the table.

The doorbell chimes a soft and
cozy song, but it may as well be a battle cry.

This is war.

This is where I fight for my
freedom.

“Cortland’s here,” Waverly
announces.

Thank
you, Captain Obvious.

My mother wipes her hands on
her apron. “What are you waiting for? Go get the door.”

By the time I reach the front
door, I can hardly breathe. I’ve never had a panic attack before, but I think
this might be what it feels like. The walls close, my head pounds, and my
vision blurs. Sucking in deep breaths, I lurch for the handle and open the
door.

He’s gorgeous.

And evil.

With a hand in the pocket of
his khakis and the other hand holding a bouquet of spring lilies, his lips curl
into the widest grin I’ve ever seen. He looks so deceptively benign. Like some
deliciously handsome man who stepped right off the pages of a J. Crew catalog.
The way he stares at me, like I’m the only girl in the world, used to send
butterflies soaring in my center.

Now it makes me sick.

He leans in, owning the courage
of a man unafraid to steal a kiss at the most inappropriate of times.

“No,” I whisper. “We’re
courting now, remember? You can’t kiss me. You can’t touch me. We don’t know
each other
like that
.”

“Is this the man of the hour?”
My father’s voice bellows from behind me, sending a quick shock to my heart. I
can only hope he didn’t see Cortland try to kiss me. When I step out of the
way, my father brushes by and extends his hand to meet that of my suitor.

“Nice to meet you, Dr. Miller.”
Cortland flashes a megawatt grin which makes him look too boy-next-door and not
nearly enough psychopath-who-should-not-be-marrying-your-daughter. “Thank you
so much for having me over tonight.”

“Welcome, welcome.” My mother
comes in from around the corner, her lips slicked in red and her apron long
gone. She cleans up quick, and she cleans up well. Her blonde hair is pulled
back into a low bun, and she’s suddenly wearing a modest pair of cubic zirconia
studs. “Come on in. Supper’s on the table. Bellamy can show you to your seat.”

“These are for the women of the
house,” Cortland hands her the bouquet, and watches as she brings them to her
nose and inhales.

“Thank you so much. You’re so
sweet. I’m going to stick these in water real quick.” She disappears, and the
three of us amble into the dining room.

We take our spots, Cortland
sitting on my father’s left. The little kids are at the furthest end of the
table with Kath, my father’s third wife.

“Cortland, would you mind
saying grace tonight?” My father wastes no time putting him on the spot, though
I think it’s a test of sorts.

We hold hands in prayer, though
Cortland squeezes mine. Hard.

“Dear Heavenly Father,” he
says, his eyes closed tight. “Thank thee for the many blessings you have
bestowed upon us. Thank thee for the fellowship we are about to enjoy this
evening. And thank thee for the refreshments about to nourish and strengthen
our bodies. Bless all those who gather in your name tonight. Amen.”

“Amen.” My father adds. “Thank
you, Cortland.”

“Beautiful,” my mother says.

Oh, God. She’s got stars in her
eyes. I see them from my side of the table.

“So, my daughter tells me your
father owns a medical supply company?” My father takes a crescent roll from a
basket and passes it to Cortland.

“He does,” he replies. “Been in
our family for generations. Started out selling iron lungs in the forties and
fifties. Now we sell just about everything under the sun.”

“You enjoy selling?” My father
chews slowly, savoring each slow minute that drips by in the presence of this
monster.

“My father wanted me to learn
the business from the bottom up, so that I could take over eventually. I’m the
oldest son, so the company will be in my hands whenever my father eventually
retires,” Cortland injects an air of respect into his words that I know my
father appreciates. “I’m learning a lot, and my father thinks I’m a
natural-born salesman, but my heart is in management. I like to lead.”

More like he likes to control.

“Did you attend college?”
Summer asks.

“BYU,” he boasts. “Graduated
with a degree in Business Management a couple years ago.”

“Nice.” My father takes two
scoops of mashed potatoes and passes the bowl on. “How many brothers and
sisters do you have?”

Cortland counts on his fingers
and laughs. “Oh, gosh. Twelve.”

My father continues asking
Cortland questions in a feeble attempt to pretend like this is their first
meeting. I tune them out. None of it matters. Nothing about him could possibly
make me un-see the dark side of him. There’s no going back, and there’s no
changing my mind.

I know what kind of life I
want, and it’s not a life with any part of Cortland in it.

When the food is nearly gone
and we’ve all had our fill, my mothers begin clean up while Waverly takes the
younger kids into the family room. It’s just me, Cortland, and Dad.

“I’m so ready to settle down,”
Cortland says, turning to look at me. “Sometimes you see someone, and you just
know.”

“I know exactly how that goes.
I see a lot of myself and Jane in you two. Bellamy’s mother caught my eye at
church, and it was all over from there.”

“So you know.”

“I sure do.” My father leans
in. “Bellamy, you’re being awfully quiet over there.”

I force a smile. “I’m just
letting you two get to know each other. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to
get to know Cortland during the courtship.”