Take Me: A Singular Obsession Novella Read online

  Table of Contents

  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

  Take Me

  A Singular Obsession Novella

  Lucy Leroux

  Contents

  Titles by Lucy Leroux

  Introduction

  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

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Books by Lucy Leroux

  Making Her His

  Confiscating Charlie

  Calen’s Captive

  Stolen Angel

  The Roman’s Woman

  Save Me

  Cursed

  Black Widow

  Writing as L.B. Gilbert

  Fire

  Kin Selection

  Titles by Lucy Leroux

  Making Her His, A Singular Obsession, Book One

  Available Now

  Confiscating Charlie, A Singular Obsession Novelette

  Book 1.5, Available Now

  Calen’s Captive, A Singular Obsession, Book Two Available Now

  Stolen Angel, A Singular Obsession, Book Three

  Available Now

  The Roman’s Woman, A Singular Obsession,

  Book Four, Available Now

  Save Me, A Singular Obsession Novella, Book 4.5

  Available Now

  Take Me, A Singular Obsession Prequel Novella

  Available Now

  Cursed, A Spellbound Regency Novel

  Available Now

  Black Widow, A Spellbound Regency Novel, Book Two

  Coming Soon

  Writing As L.B. Gilbert

  Fire: The Elementals Book One

  Available Now

  Air: The Elementals Book Two

  Available Now

  Water: The Elementals Book Three

  Coming Soon

  Kin Selection: A Shifter’s Claim Novella

  Part of the Myths and Magic Box Set, August 2017

  Take Me © 2017 Lucy Leroux

  *

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. 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 permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Created with Vellum

  Introduction

  Take Me: A Singular Obsession Novella

  FBI agent Jason White has found his dream girl in Maggie Tyler. The only problem…she may be a criminal.

  How to land the girl of your dreams:

  Step One: Spill hot coffee all over her.

  Step Two: Accidentally touch her inappropriately while trying to clean the coffee.

  Step Three: Convince her to go out with you anyway.

  Step Four: Woo her with ice skating and vintage Street Fighter games.

  Step Five: Drag her downtown and accuse her of breaking the law.

  *

  *For instruction on how to lose the girl of your dreams see step five above.

  *

  Take Me is a standalone prequel novella in the Singular Obsession series. It takes place before the events of Calen’s Captive, A Singular Obsession Book Two, but can be read at any point in the series.

  Chapter 1

  “That’s her,” Jason White whispered, nudging his partner hard in the ribs.

  Ethan grunted but didn’t look up.

  “C’mon, she’s almost done with her order. You are finally here at the same time as she is, so look already before I kick you in the balls under this table.”

  Ethan rolled his eyes, but dutifully raised his head to check out the brunette standing at the coffee counter. He picked up his report again. “She’s got nice legs. Can you please ask her out so we can get the hell back to the office? You know I don’t like working up cases in public.”

  “Relax. No one can see the pics of the bodies from where we’re sitting,” Jason said.

  They were investigating a fraud case with collateral damage in the form of two dead guys, but Jason wasn’t overly concerned about privacy. Not in this empty corner of the cafe.

  Jason and Ethan were both recent transplants to Boston. They had been assigned to FBI offices on opposite ends of the country but after working a few overlapping cases together, they decided they would enjoy being partners. Both wanted to move to a bigger city than the one they lived in. The bureau had recently seen fit to honor their transfer requests.

  For the moment, they were stuck in the white-collar crime division, but to Jason’s surprise, they were enjoying the work. The cases were more interesting than they’d initially supposed. Now if he could just get his love life on track, like his career…

  “I can’t walk up to a total stranger like that,” Jason said, trying hard to appear as if he was studying the menu and not the girl. “She doesn’t know me from Adam.”

  “You do it in bars all the time,” Ethan said, eyes still on his report.

  “That’s different.” Jason scowled, still staring at his Coffee Girl before hurriedly turning away when she swung around to glance at the cafe’s other occupants. She turned back to the barista when the other woman said something to her.

  “Pathetic.” Ethan laughed under his breath. “What is wrong with you? You act like you’ve never seen a pretty girl before.”

  “That woman at the counter is not pretty. She’s beautiful,” Jason corrected, stirring his coffee a little too hard.

  It was true he was normally not this hesitant. A series of substandard dates and a few bad breakups had shot his confidence. His answer had been to avoid women for the past few months. That had been all right…for a while. Settling into a new city and a new department was time consuming. He figured he’d start dating in a few months. And then he’d seen her.

  Coffee Girl was a goddess disguised as the girl next door. She was tall with long, dark hair that curled up at the ends. Whenever he saw her, she was wearing a fitted dress suit. She looked more like a cover model’s version of a businesswoman than any executive in real life.

  “You can’t tell from here, but her eyes are green,” Jason said. “And she’s got a few freckles, but only on the bridge of her nose. It’s as if someone designed her to check off all my boxes. She’s freaking perfect.”

  Ethan sighed and looked over at Coffee Girl again. “Well, those tits are winners.”

  “Hey! That is the future Mrs. Jason White you’re talking about. Watch your fucking mouth.”

  His partner smirked and glanced at the counter again. “Well, the barista sure seems to like her. And vice v
ersa. She could be a lesbian.”

  Jason made a face. “No. I’m sure she’s not. They’re just friendly. She comes in here every day.”

  But now, he had doubts. It wasn’t possible to tell nowadays. And the barista had just made her laugh. Coffee Girl had an amazing laugh. It was husky like she was coming down with a cold.

  Maybe she is coming down with a cold. Whatever, he’d happily trade in some sick days if it meant he could lock lips with his dream girl.

  The barista handed over Coffee Girl’s order—one of those specialty drink monstrosities that was more whipped cream than coffee. She waved and laughed before walking out.

  Ethan’s head snapped up. “Seriously? You dragged me all the way out here, and you don’t even talk to her?”

  “It’s not like we trekked miles on foot,” Jason said. “We’re two blocks from the office. And I brought you out here to check her out. That’s all. And I’m not going to ask her out in front of you.”

  His partner gave him a disgusted look. “At this rate, you’re not going to ask her out at all. You’re going to camp out here all summer mooning over some random girl. Meanwhile, she’s probably got a boyfriend or husband tucked away somewhere.”

  Jason’s face fell, and his partner took pity on him. “Except I didn’t see a ring,” Ethan added.

  “No, there’s not one.” Jason had made sure of that at least.

  “But you have to do something soon. It’s been like months, man.”

  Ethan was exaggerating. It had only been a couple of weeks since Jason had discovered this place. But his partner was right about one thing; he did need to figure out a way to talk to her. He was wasting time. If Coffee Girl didn’t have someone in her life, she would soon enough. Women like that got snapped up quick and never stayed single long.

  Maggie should have been watching where she was going, but Liam had just sent a third text about the Bracebridge group arriving early. Consequently, she was looking down at her phone as she walked to the door of the cafe. That was why she missed the brick wall standing between her and the exit.

  Except it wasn’t a brick wall—it just felt like one. She’d run into someone, managing to upend her mocha all over her white dress shirt…her very hot mocha.

  “Ah!” She dropped the cup and her coat, pulling her shirt away from her skin.

  “Oh my god! I’m so sorry. Shit, let me help you.” The man she’d walked into started patting her chest, trying to wipe off the hot coffee with his hands. His rapid brushing opened the buttons of her blouse, exposing her lacy brassiere and sticky décolletage, but he didn’t appear to notice.

  “Hey!” She looked up, ready to tell the bastard off, but she was instantly transfixed. The man with his hands on her breasts was Coffee Guy, the gorgeous blond from the cafe. Unbeknownst to him, he’d also had a starring role in some of her shower fantasies lately—and that was after only seeing him from a distance.

  Up close, Coffee Guy was devastating, tall and broad shouldered with blond hair and sky-blue eyes. He had big hands too… She knew because they were still on her.

  When she stared openmouthed at him, he froze and glanced down at his hands. Flushing beet red, he straightened and snatched them away from her breasts.

  “I wish you’d ordered a Frappuccino,” he said before looking over her head. “Ice! Can we get some ice over here?”

  Karen, the barista, hurried over with a cold towel. “Are you okay, Maggie?”

  Maggie took it gratefully, wiping up coffee while simultaneously trying to cover herself with it. “I’m fine.”

  She had added extra cream, so the coffee hadn’t been as hot as it normally was.

  “Are you sure?” Coffee Guy asked, his blue eyes wide with concern. “Let me buy you a new coffee at least. And a shirt.” What looked like panic filled his eyes, and his hands went to the buttons of his own dress shirt. He started to take it off.

  Maggie laughed aloud and put out her hand. In a move she would regret later, she stopped him. “Really, I’m all right. I don’t have time to wait for a new drink, but thank you anyway.”

  “Are you sure, Maggie? It’ll just take a minute,” Karen chimed in from behind her.

  But her phone was ringing now, the Darth Vader theme she installed just for her older brother filling the air.

  She turned back to the barista and gave her the towel, pulling the two halves of her shirt closed as best she could. It might have been missing a button now. Good thing her rooms were on the same floor as her office. “I have to run. Maybe next time. I think Liam will have kittens if I don’t get back.” Smiling at Coffee Guy, she ducked out the door before anything else could happen to her.

  “At least let me pay for your dry cleaning,” Coffee Guy said, following her outside the shop.

  “I get mine done for free!” she called over her shoulder with a smile and a wave as the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo Money Mo Problems” began to play, signaling her other brother Patrick’s call. The Bracebridge group organizer, an aggressive young woman named Rita, must be driving them batshit—most likely by trying to wheedle one of them into going out with her.

  The pitfalls of being young and attractive almost-billionaires. Her brothers’ timing couldn’t have been worse, but they were counting on her. Maggie rescued her siblings from their determined admirers on a regular basis. Oh, well. C’est la vie. At least it was her life…

  With one last laughing glance at Coffee Guy, she picked up her steps, her heels clicking on the pavement. He was still out on the sidewalk watching her when the Caislean’s doorman Jonah opened the door for her.

  Chapter 2

  Ethan laughed his ass off when Jason told him what happened.

  Wiping tears from his eyes, Ethan thanked him. “God, I needed that after the Burns case. That’s priceless. You’re such an asshole.”

  Jason lips thinned. “Are you done yet?”

  The out-of-breath chuckle that followed was answer enough. Five full minutes later, Ethan was ready to talk. “I can’t believe you felt her up.”

  “It was an accident,” Jason muttered.

  He was typing out a report, hitting the keys hard enough to make his displeasure with his partner clear. Normally, he would have taken the time to shut Ethan up, but he was too distracted. Was Liam a boss or a boyfriend? What job had perks like free dry cleaning?

  “At least you have a reason to talk to her again,” Ethan observed. “Too bad it’s going to be just to apologize.”

  “I’m still asking her out. I’m turning this sinking ship around.” Or he would be if that Liam guy wasn’t her husband or anything like that. “I know her name now and where she works—that big hotel across the street from the coffee shop.”

  “The new one with a weird name?”

  “The Caislean. And it’s not that new. Been there almost two years. A standard room goes for most of my paycheck.”

  Ethan hummed. “Are you sure she works there? Don’t most of the staff there wear uniforms? I know I’ve seen some of them on the subway going home. They wear navy suits with little gold name tags.”

  Jason shrugged. “It’s where she went in. Maybe she was cutting through their lobby to someplace else.”

  Ever the pessimist Ethan couldn’t resist pointing out the obvious. “I bet they charge for that, too. That place is not the kind where they let you loiter. Could be she’s a guest who will be leaving soon.”

  The sinking feeling in the pit of Jason’s stomach was out of proportion to the facts at hand. He didn’t even know Coffee Girl—Maggie—at all. So, he shouldn’t be this downcast at the possibility she wasn’t a Boston local.

  His partner took pity on him. “Why don’t we go and drop a wad on some overpriced whiskey at the hotel after work? They have a bar. I saw the entrance on the east side of the building. Too rich for my blood, but we can check it out tonight. Maybe you’ll see her. And if you don’t, you can go back to stalking her at the cafe.”

  “I’m not stalking her,” he protested h
alf-heartedly. “I drink coffee. They make a decent cup there…” Ethan grunted, and Jason side-eyed him. “What time?”

  “Six.”

  The whiskey didn’t cost twenty dollars. It was fourteen. Even though he still grumbled about the price, Ethan admitted it was pretty good. Jason paid for a few more, and they sipped, reclining in plush leather armchairs in the dark wood-paneled room.

  “No wonder they charge so much for each room. This place must have cost a fortune to build,” Ethan said, fingering the linen tablecloth on the table. He reached behind him to touch the paneling on the walls.

  “Yeah, I don’t think I’ve been a to a bar set up like this. I feel like I’m in one of those private English clubs that Sherlock Holmes belonged to.”

  His partner snorted, leaned back in the rich leather, and took another sip.

  Even though they had little chance of spotting Coffee Girl, Jason didn’t mind coming out tonight. After closing a big case last week, he and Ethan had been rewarded with an even tougher one. They both needed to unwind, and this place was exactly what he needed.

  Jason didn’t like the sports bars Ethan inevitably chose for a post-work drink. They were too loud and the girls who came in were almost always taken—although it didn’t seem to matter to Ethan. The guy usually left with a hot chick on his arm. Jason didn’t have that kind of luck, despite what Ethan said. His partner thought he was too picky and maybe he was, but he was tired of settling.

  Boston was a fresh start for his love life, and, this time, he was playing for keeps.

  “The only thing missing from this place is a fine cigar,” Jason observed, waving a waiter over to ask about the house whiskey. He wanted to buy his dad a bottle for Christmas, but he was disappointed. The spirit was a special blend specifically crafted for the hotel by an independent distiller in Scotland.