Undeniably Unexpected (Boston's Irresistible Billionaires, #6)

by J. Saman

“I’m so fabulous I’m a damn unicorn,”

But Victoria Nightshade—that’s me—looks like she just landed herself a legit deal.

That is until my cute and not at all practical for winter weather heeled booties skid and slide on the ice. My arms flail and my hands fly as I try to counterbalance the slip of my feet, and in the process, the plastic top of my drink snaps off and douses my cashmere camel-colored coat in a wet mocha mess. “Fuck!” catapults from my lungs because even though I’m upset about my coat—it’s my favorite—there is no stopping my trajectory, and no matter how I move or twist or try to plant my feet, I’m slipping fast and furiously. “Hold on!” someone cries out. “I’ve got you.”

With one final attempt, my boots that have zero grip give out from beneath me, and I go down. Instinctively, my hand shoots out to stop my fall, which it does, but it also slips on the freezing cold, icy sidewalk, and I land on it. Hard. Pain slices from my hand to my elbow, immediately followed by a sharp thwack when my ass and back meet concrete. Thankfully I stop myself just in time to prevent smacking the back of my head.

“I’m a doctor, remember? I can do that.” “Yes, I know you are, but you don’t have X-ray vision unless I missed something. In which case, what color are my briefs?” “That seems a bit forward for a meet-cute.” I raise a pointed eyebrow at him. “Do you always ask women on the street to try to guess what color your underwear is?” Humor dances in his eyes. “Only the really beautiful ones I meet-cute in tragic situations. Though I think we deserve a better one than this, don’t you?”

“Who are you?” Alden asks with an edge, obviously not liking our proximity or Loomis’s hand on me. Not that he has a right. Not anymore. Loomis smirks and shifts in closer beside me, his hand roving possessively around to my hip so he can pull me against him. “I’m her new boyfriend.”

I’ve always liked Keegan a little too much.

Since the moment I met her over a year and a half ago, I’ve been drawn to her in a way I never am with anyone.

“Dada! Dada!” a small voice calls out, and my head flies up just as Fenric, all bundled up with red cheeks staining his face, comes barreling down the slippery sidewalk headed straight for me. And running behind him is Tinsley. Crap. “Dada?” Keegan questions, her head flipping back and forth like a ping-pong ball between the two of us as I make a quick adjustment and catch my little boy at full speed, swooping him up into my arms and kissing his cold, runny nose. “Did he just call you, Dada?” Fear grips my lungs, and I hold him closer to me before I meet her shocked green eyes and answer, “Yes.”

“Thank you. This is Fenric, or Fen, as I’ve grown fond of calling him. But I really can’t discuss this out here, and we are late for an appointment. Can I ring you later? Make sure your wrist is okay?”

But this tatted, sinfully hot man who gives off the bad boy vibe while actually being so incredibly sweet and kind is just lethal.

Being married to perfect Keegan Fritz would help secure my custody of Fen, and it’d be nice to finally shake the remains of my bad-boy reputation once and for all. When the media thought I was dating Tinsley, some of that dissipated, but for the last year, much of that has crept back in, and I did little to stop it.

The girl with a lot of extra curves and not a lot of straight lines. So unlike the women he dated between our relationships.

She’s gorgeous as always, and her body is impossible not to notice. Tinsley once referred to her as Jessica Rabbit, and I wholly agree with that statement, though she radiates sweet innocence more than raw sexuality. But it works for me with Keegan. All of it does.

“He’s a prat, love. Any guy who doesn’t love you like you’re a million of the best pieces combined into one is an undeserving prat.”

“Oh, girl. What in the Fritz have you gone and done?”

“Protect your heart and don’t give it to the movie star who has too much baggage and a history of never getting serious with any woman.”

Afraid to tell people I’m an author. Men dating me while it’s convenient for them and passing me along when they’re ready for something better. I’m over it. I want the risk. I want to take chances even if they seem stupid to everyone else. I’m so tired of caring what others think. It’s exhausting.

“Don’t fall for him.” “I won’t.” “Good. Because he’s the definition of emotionally unavailable with more baggage than he can carry, and you have a way of falling fast and hard.” “I’m not going to fall for him. I’m not even going to like him more than I should.”

“Because I believe the mistakes you made as a scared, angry kid are what helped to form you into the man you are now. A man who would do anything for his son, even taking on a fake girlfriend when he’s not known for having real ones, and flying down to Key West to hide out on an island to protect him. You were thrust into an impossible situation. A son you had never met was literally dropped on your doorstep, and you’ve adapted as I bet you always have. But more than that, you love Fenric, and that shines brighter than anything.

Our history isn’t who we are, it’s who we were. It’s one facet that tells our story, and most of us use it as a steppingstone and learning curve on our way.”

it’s a beautiful house. Two stories with full porches on both floors, a formidable hurricane-proof-looking tin roof, butter-yellow shaker wood siding, and large windows with shutters. It’s straight out of Southern Living magazine, especially with all the trees and flowering shrubs surrounding it, keeping much of the grounds and the cottage hidden from view. But… it is a cottage. And therefore, it’s small. The island is too, for that matter, though I do catch a glimpse of a lush-looking pool area, a large sprawling garden that appears well groomed, and a beach. So much for having privacy and not being on top of each other.

“Dada. Hi. Hi. Dada.”

“Good. Because per Katy, Keegan’s a little mermaid with a history of trying to change in the hopes the prince will notice her and fall in love. I have to agree with that. Keegan doesn’t even realize she’s doing it, but we all see it. However, I think she’s finally had enough if her response to Alden is anything to go by. But don’t be another Ursula in her life when she needs a Prince Eric.”

“You see that dishy bird there, lad?” I ask Fen in a low tone, my eyes still all over her. “One day, if you’re lucky, you’ll land a woman like that, and when you do, hold on to her with both hands because women like her don’t come around all that often.”

“Next lesson is to be a better man than I was. Be a man, not a git. I was a git for a very long time, but more than that, I’m not the right sort of chap for her or anyone really. I’d be a letdown for sure. Love is not my cup of tea, but you’ll grow up better than I did and won’t have to see or live through that ugliness. I’ll make damn sure of it.”

“Oh, fuck. Are you… you totally are. That’s why you’re calling me. You’re fake dating the movie star. Just tell me you’re not engaged or married to him.” “No. Just fake dating.” “Keegan Hannah Fritz, what in the Hollywood Squares are you thinking?” “Pot calling the kettle black, for two thousand, Alex.”

“Keegan Fritz, I think you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Everything about you does it for me. Look into my eyes and dare to call me a liar.”

All I wanted was to take away her fear and make her feel safe.

“I like my women a little older and with curves to spare.”

“Oh, love.” His thumb drags along my bottom lip, pulling the plump flesh with it. “You are such a good girl, but I have a feeling you were meant to be bad.”

“Fuck it.” “Fuck it?” I squeak hastily. “What does that mean?” “It means I’m going to kiss you so good we’ll both forget all the reasons why this is a bad idea.”

“You’ve been driving me mad all week,” I murmur, my voice low against her ear. Her green eyes flicker up, dark with mischief. “Then it’s about time you did something about it.” A small, amused smile quirks my lips. “It’s going to be like that then?” “I sure as hell hope so.” “Oh, darling. You better prepare yourself. You’ve unleashed me, and now there will be no holding me back.”

A vision of sexy contradictions. Naughty and vulnerable. Excited and nervous. Confident and timid.

It has a tonic effect on me. A trigger released, I pick her up and carry her over to the bed. If she needs me, she has me. I don’t know what that means, and I can’t think about it yet, but for now, she has me. All of me.

“It means this is more than just some fun for me.”

It’s her. She’s love. She’s everything I never knew was possible. Everything I never dreamed of or even wanted. Keegan Fritz is undeniably unexpected, and I can’t get enough of her. She’s one of the best parts of my day and the serenity of my night. And getting the chance to love her in return…

“I’ve seen enough in my career as a doctor to know that there are good parents and bad parents. Parents who love their children and parents who wish they had never had them. I’ve also seen enough to know that this isn’t black and white. There are a lot of grays mixed in there. Sometimes people are forced to live a life that isn’t always the prettiest and sometimes the hardest decisions become the best. Fen is where he belongs, regardless of her reasons.”

“Keegan,” he says, my name sounding sweet on his lips. “There’s something so different and perfect about you. Has anyone ever told you that?” “Different how?” I quip. “Good different, or you’re insanely quirky and weird and a bit off different?” “Both, and both of those are good different. Real different.” He leans forward, elbows on his knees. “Everyone in my world is performing all the time, including me. But you... even when you’re supposedly playing a part, there’s something authentic shining through.”

“I’m a writer,” I spill, the words coming out faster than I intended. “An author. I write books. Novels. Under a pen name, Victoria Nightshade.”

“Somewhere along the way, I stopped acting. And I’m rather afraid I’ve… that is, I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”

“Yeah, it’s a lot more than think. I’m in love with you. With all of you. Every piece I find is more perfect than the last.”

“But I guess what I’m trying to rather inarticulately say is that I don't want this to be fake anymore. I want it to be real. I want us to be real. I want you to be mine because I’m already yours.”

“Loomis, I’ve been falling for you since we first met. I mean, I loved the movie star, but when I met you, I was struck on an entirely different level. I’ve been fighting it every step of the way because I was convinced this could never happen. I assumed you’d never be interested in me and that this thing between us is only sex because I’m there, and it’s fun. Especially when you’ve told me countless times that you don’t get involved with women and you don’t do relationships.”

“You’ve changed everything. All of it. All of me. I can’t run or hide from it, and I want you more than I want to hang onto my fear. I’ve already told you this, but I’m not sure you heard me or believed me. Keegan, do you have any idea how extraordinary you are? How extraordinary I think you are? God, darling, I’m absolutely mad about you.”

“I love you, Keegan Fritz.” His thumb grazes my bottom lip. “Quite desperately, actually. No thinking about it.”

“You’re not the first man I’ve said it to, but you’re the best of them by a mile. I’m myself with you, and you see that and want it anyway. I never had that with them, and how much could I have really loved them if that’s the case? This is real. We’re real.”

Tonight, Keegan Fritz, I’m going to show you exactly what it means to be owned by me.”

“My girl. My woman. Tell me you’re mine. Tell me I’m yours.” “Always” escapes from my lips, and it does something to him.

“But I’ve done the math in my head a hundred different ways, and every calculation ends with the same result. I want you with me. I want Fen with me. The alternative is worse than whatever obstacles we’ll face.”