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  Knocking Up His Bride

  MINK

  Knocking Up His Bride

  MINK © 2020

  All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this e-book only. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from MINK.

  This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Contents

  Knocking Up His Bride

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Also by MINK

  About the Author

  Knocking Up His Bride

  MINK

  It came out of nowhere. A huge cat in the middle of the road. We swerved to avoid it and crashed into a snowy tree, ending our road trip early and stranding us far from the local town, in the middle of a snowstorm with another on the way. How can a pop star, her assistant, and her best friend survive in a snowy wilderness? Short answer is: they can’t.

  But then *he* came out of nowhere. The big guy with the gruff voice and the sharp eyes. The eyes that are always on me. I have to trust him, to accept his rescue of my friends and me, but the more I get to know Charles, the more I realize I need him. Maybe we landed at the lodge with these mysterious mountain men by accident, but Charles makes me believe it was good luck that brought us here.

  Even though he’s vague about his past, his kisses are certain, and his gentle touches becomes addictive. His love is all-consuming.

  But when an old threat follows us to the lodge, Charles reveals his particular set of skills, deadly ones. Can I accept the man who treats me so sweetly but can kill without a thought?

  1

  Clover

  My stomach drops when a Google alert pops up on my phone. Bells flicks a glance at me from the driver seat before we both steal a peek at Aurora who has AirPods in and oversized sunglasses. Pretty sure she’s asleep.

  Good. God knows she needs it. Her tour schedule has been grueling. But it’s finally coming to an end. Or it was. Then, right when we could all see the light at the end of the tunnel, Kent Kingston went and pulled one of his bullshit stunts. Gah, I’ll never understand why anyone believes anything that comes out of that man's mouth!

  “What did that dick face say this time?” Bells glares at my phone before she realizes she’s not watching the road. She jerks the SUV back into our lane. I grab the handle above the window, holding on for dear life. I drop my phone and almost have a small heart attack.

  The snow is already coming down hard.

  “Sorry,” she mouths, blowing one of her dark wavy locks out of her face that escaped the messy bun on her head. I’m just thankful that Aurora is still out. She doesn’t need another thing to worry about. What the hell did that doctor give her? It had to be something strong, because she’s been out for a while now.

  I reach down and scoop my phone back up off the floor. Not only do I have a Google alert, but I also have a text from Daphne that I missed. Crap. It was from twenty minutes ago. She was trying to give me a heads-up that a Google alert was going to begin pinging soon. It was something she didn't have to warn me about, but it went a long way in making me trust her more and more. Trust is something I don’t give out easily. Especially when it comes to things that involve Aurora.

  “Daphne texted me, too.” Bells’ eyebrows rise all the way to her hairline. “What’s up?”

  I push my glasses up my nose. “She let me know Kent is busy adding fuel to the fire, and then I got the alert.”

  “I believe her.” She shrugs. Yeah, she’s been saying that from the start. The thing was, Bells didn't grow up in this world. I did. She was tossed into it when her best friend Aurora became an overnight sensation.

  I don’t usually make friends easily, and I definitely don’t trust easily. But it was different when it came to Bells. I took to her instantly. She and Aurora were already loyal to one another, but I felt as if they extended that to me too. I may technically be employed by Aurora, but both she and Bells still treat me as if we’re old friends.

  “Giving Daphne an exclusive inside look at Aurora Davenport could put her little reporter blog on the map.”

  “Not going to fight with you on that one, but I follow her. She’s about truth, and she’s also about sticking it to assholes. Kent is as big of an asshole as they come, plus this isn't about money to her. This is about making a name for herself that people will believe in. If she wanted to be known, she could have easily become a socialite.”

  Also true. Daphne was born famous.

  “A man fucked her over in the past,” I say. “It changed her life.”

  “Yep. She’s out for blood and it isn't female. I respect it.”

  I’m not a big fan of exclusive interviews, but I know that this one is important. Kent’s behavior needs to be dealt with, and there’s no one better than Daphne to bring attention to it.

  I watch the snow start to come down faster. I thought we only had another hour to drive, but it’s been way over that. I’m chalking it up to the weather. I’ve been watching this storm since we all came up with this little plan to drop off the map. We knew it was crazy, but we needed to do something to shake everyone. To let the world and the paparazzi chase their tails while we get away to a little town in the middle of nowhere. I do have to admit that this is starting to get a little more middle-of-nowhere than I’m comfortable with. That’s what happens when you do things on the fly, though. Something we usually don’t have the luxury of doing.

  “Are we getting close?” Bells lets out another one of her deep breaths that tells you she's more than annoyed. I understand the feeling. We should have had twelve hours before this storm reached us.

  “I ran out of signs miles ago.” She squints, trying to see through the snow. I almost tell her maybe we should pull over and wait for a clear spot in the storm, but what if it only gets worse? We could get stuck in the car or plowed in, and then what would we do? Maybe we should have thought this out a little better.

  “Signs? You don’t pay attention to those anyway.”

  “Fair point.” She smirks, then grips the wheel harder.

  I tense up when the SUV begins to slide, but then the back tires catch, and it quickly rights itself. Bells is a killer driver in the city. I’ve never seen anyone lose paparazzi the way she can. She could make a profession out of it. I’m really starting to see that city driving and country snow driving are two different beasts altogether. I think she’s coming to that conclusion, too.

  “I haven't seen a sign in forever. Not even one of those mile marker things. Nothing.” She shakes her head. “Not good.”

  “Okay.” I sit up a little straighter. “We’re not going to freak out.” I'm totally beginning to freak out.

  “I’m not freaking out.”

  “We will remain calm.”

  “I am calm, but I can tell from the high pitch in your voice you’re not feeling the same.”

  “I am totally calm.” I drop my voice low to cover the high voice I have when I’m, well… not calm. But the attempt only makes me cough.

  “What the hell is that?” Bells says under her breath. I look out the window and only see snow. I do
n’t even see a road. How is she driving in this? Still, I try and see what she’s looking at.

  “Are we on a road?” I find myself asking. “I think that’s a mountain.”

  “We’re already on a mountain.” I watch Bells try and press the brake, but nothing happens.

  “Bells.” My voice wanders higher.

  “I know.” Yeah, she doesn't sound so calm anymore. Neither of us do. My stomach drops as I watch her yank the wheel to the right. I don’t miss for one second the fact that she turned the wheel so that she would take the impact of whatever it is we’re about to hit.

  Our screams fill the inside of the vehicle. They’re the last thing I remember before everything goes eerily quiet.

  2

  Charles

  I hear the impact and watch as the turkey I was aiming at scatters right along with all its brethren. “Shit.” I drop my aim and peer through the woods down toward the main road that leads to Frozen Falls.

  For a moment, I consider turning around and hiking back to my truck, throwing it in gear and heading back to the lodge.

  Staying hidden has its advantages, especially for a man like me. Walking down to the road could mean more trouble than it's worth, especially if this is something more nefarious than a simple wreck. No one has come for me in the two years since I came to Frozen Falls, but that doesn’t mean no one ever will.

  I sling my rifle over my shoulder and look up as the sun peeks from behind the wave of storm clouds. The first front is moving off, but the real snowmaker is coming right behind it. If the people on the road are hurt, they’ll die in the second storm. The cold will get them before they ever reach town.

  With a groan of deep discontent, I trudge down into the clearing where the turkey was huddling, then I keep going over a ridge and down until I get a view of the road. A white SUV is wedged against a pine tree. I can see movement inside.

  Moving one hand to the pistol at my side, I creep closer. Something in the snow catches my eye. Leaning down, I find prints. Big ones.

  “Dammit, Leonard.” I stand again and curse the big white lynx that likes to run these woods, play in the road, and rummage through my garbage. Looks like he’s also into causing car accidents.

  “I don’t know!” I hear a woman’s voice as one side of the SUV opens. “I can’t see much. Bells, are you awake?” She leans back into the car, her nice ass on display. “Should I call for help? I haven’t had a signal in an hour or more. Bells! Come on, wake up.”

  A groan wafts from the car.

  “Yes, come on. Wakey wakey, eggs and bacey!”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Another groan.

  I stop and watch the woman with the round ass. My cock begins to act up, but I ignore it. These people need help, and though I’m not exactly the sort of man you want helping you out when you’re stranded in a snowstorm, here I am. The more I watch the blonde, the harder I get, and the more interested I am in exactly how this is going to play out. How long has it been since I’ve spoken to a woman other than Sable at the grocery store or Jenny in the Tiny Diney?

  Movement in the trees catches my eyes, and I glance up at the ridge on the other side of the road. I pull up my rifle and use the scope to sight in on the area. “Leonard, you up there?” I whisper, my breath turning to vapor in the chill air. I don’t see the cat, but I can feel eyes on me. I scan the ridge, looking for whatever caught my eye, but there’s nothing.

  I drop the rifle to my side again, then skid down the slope, catch myself on a tree with ease, then jump down to the icy road.

  When I stand straight up, the blonde is staring at me, eyes wide, mouth open. What a pretty picture. Her lips are pink, her cheeks even pinker, and I see she has a nice rack to go with the plump ass. Damn, what a fine woman.

  “We, uh, we …” She blinks and pushes her glasses up, the pink frames only highlighting the softness of the rest of her.

  “There was a cat,” someone inside the SUV groans. “A big one.”

  “You all right?” I walk up to the blond beauty.

  “We hit the tree,” she says it in a dazed way. “And then you came out of the woods.”

  “Bells is hurt.”

  “I’m fine,” she calls.

  The blonde turns. “No, you aren’t. The car is busted, and you got banged up. Aurora?” she asks.

  “I’m fine. But I think I may have lost my Airpods,” someone else grumbles.

  “Three of you?” I ask.

  The pretty blonde nods. “We were trying to get to Frozen Falls, but we got lost in the storm.”

  I step even closer and get the slightest whiff of something sweet. Like vanilla, or the icing on a cupcake with sprinkles.

  “I’m Charles. I’ll get you to Frozen Falls.”

  “I don’t know.” She wrings her hands. “I mean, you just came out of the woods, and we don’t know you.”

  I look up. “Hate to say it, but you don’t have much choice. The next storm front is supposed to hit within the hour. We need to get to shelter.”

  The engine groans and tries to turn over, then stops. “No dice,” the one called Bells says. “I guess we need to go with him, Clover.”

  “Clover?” I look down into her big green eyes.

  “Yes.” The pink on her cheeks deepens even more.

  I have the strangest urge to stroke her cheek, just so I can feel how soft she is. How warm.

  I clear my throat and try to push away the out-of-place thoughts. “We need to get moving. Take only what you can carry. My truck is a quarter of a mile, maybe a little more.”

  She looks up at the sky, indecision in her eyes.

  That urge hits again, and this time I give in and press my palm to her cheek.

  Her eyes widen in surprise.

  “You can trust me, Clover. Okay? I’d never hurt you.”

  “Hands off, strange man of the woods.” Bells climbs into the passenger seat, then steps out and gives me a vicious look.

  “Sorry.” I drop my hand and step back.

  But I don’t miss the way Clover licks her lips. And I definitely don’t miss the way she doesn’t take a breath until I break our gaze.

  3

  Clover

  Bells tried to stand up straight but sways on her feet. Her voice might be firm, telling the mountain man Charles to keep his hands and his eyes to himself, but I can tell she’s in pain. I have no doubt she is going to try to hide every second of it.

  I give her a once-over, but I can’t see any visible damage to her. That doesn’t mean she’s not hurting still. She was the one that took the impact of the crash. It’s only a matter of time before she really starts to feel that.

  Not wanting her to do anything she doesn't have to, I open the back-passenger door. If I wasn't in the middle of a full-blown freak out, I might laugh. As always, Aurora looks ready for a runway and she’s not even trying. All of her beauty and poise is natural. Some people have all the luck.

  I truly believe a big reason why she seems to have a glow around her all the time is because she’s made up of kindness and sweetness on the inside. There isn't a mean bone in her body. Not even one mean enough to rip that jerk face Kent a new one. I think he knows that too. Predators often do. They sense the sweetness and good in people and pounce like the monsters they are.

  “I got you guys into this mess.” Aurora’s voice is filled with tears.

  “We’re in this shit together,” Bells says before I can respond.

  “We wanted an adventure, and it sure as heck looks as if we're going to get one!” I put on a bright smile. The last thing I need is for Aurora to burst into tears. “Plus, look” I point over my shoulder. “We found a hot mountain man.”

  Aurora snorts a laugh at my teasing. Most likely because I never openly call a man hot. The tears in her eyes start to fade away. My work here is done for now. I’m holding on by a tiny thread, and I don’t need Aurora having a breakdown when I’m so close to one myself.

  “Guys. Our li
ttle Clover just made him blush.” I look back over my shoulder to Charles. Pretty sure that’s the cold doing that to his cheeks. He doesn't deny or defend himself. Truthfully, I don’t think he cares why we think his cheeks are red one way or another. He does, however, keep staring right at me. I try not to fidget at that.

  I might be what many like to call the mousy type, but I am the first to get into anyone’s face when it came to Aurora. But this man has me fighting the urge to not fidget and retreat back to my high school years when my hormones were all over the place.

  “Is it night out?” Aurora asks. Bells and I both break out in much needed laughter. I reach up and pull the glasses off her face. Her eyes are still puffy and red from crying. As much as I hate seeing that, the hot flash of anger I feel warms me.

  “Help her out.” I move to the back of the SUV. Charles follows me. I try to open the back but can’t get it to budge.

  He looks at the sky. “We’re not worried about your luggage right now.”

  “I’m not.” I give him a frown. “We’ll come back for it.”

  “Clover.” He says my name like he’s tasting it. “I like that name.” He grabs the back hatch and somehow gets it to open.

  Now my cheeks are the ones reddening, and not from the cold. “Thanks.”

  His warm smile sends pleasant tingles up my spine. Maybe I hit my head in the wreck or I’m starting to go snow crazy, but the longer he looks at me, the hotter I feel.

  I grab our coats and winter gear we tossed off when we’d gotten into the warm SUV, then bring them back to the girls to put everything on. Bells clenches her jaw as she puts her coat on.