Captured Bride: The Bride Series, #2

By Linzi Basset

He was trouble with a capital T.

 

London was once bitten, twice shy. ​

London Sanders had no intention of falling into the same trap again. Love wasn't an option now. Besides, Mark Farrow was trouble with a capital T, not to mention annoying and self-righteous—but damn, he was hot with his bulging muscles … something that made her ovaries burst out in song and dance every time he was near. Why deny herself some … er … pleasure, right?  Soooo … she offered him a compromise.

 

London Sanders was his chosen bride and he went at her with all guns blazing.

Mark Farrow had it all. Born from old money and with a heart of gold, he was every woman's dream. Only he preferred to … er … play the field and wasn't looking for love. That is, until the cheeky redhead came across his path and changed his destiny. He had no intention of allowing a misplaced broken heart—because he didn't believe she'd truly loved the man who'd treated her like dirt—stand in his way of getting what he wanted.

 

Would Mark be satisfied with a friends with benefits arrangement ... and if so ... for how long? Was London just setting herself up for heartache ... again?

 

Only time would tell.

 

Editor's note:

I'm jealous of London. I want a Mark. As usual, Basset intertwines an exceptional love story — with EXCEPTIONALLY hot scenes— with a twist of crime and suspense. Tender, romantic, with just a dash of jealousy and angst, as well as a healthy dose of erotic candy for the eyes, and Chosen Bride will easily become one of those books you want to read again and again just for the good feels.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Linzi Basset
• Release date: Jul 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393995845

Linzi Basset

“Isn’t it a universal truth that it’s our singular experiences and passion, for whatever thing or things, which molds us all into the individuals we become? Whether it's hidden in the depths of our soul or exposed for all to see?” Linzi Basset is a South African born animal rights supporter with a poet’s heart, and she is also a bestselling fiction writer of suspense filled romance erotica books; who as the latter, refuses to be bound to any one sub-genre. She prefers instead to stretch herself as a storyteller which has resulted in her researching and writing historical and even paranormal themed works. Her initial offering: Club Alpha Cove, a BDSM club suspense series released back in 2015, reached Amazon’s Bestseller list, and she has been on those lists ever since. Labelling her as prolific is a gross understatement as just a few short years later she has now been published forty-one times; a total which fails to take into account the three other published works of her alter ego: Isabel James who co-authors—nor does it include the five additional new works marked for imminent release. “I write from the inside out. My stories are both inside me and a part of me so it can be either pleasurable to release them or painful to carve them out. I live every moment of every story I write. So, if you're looking for spicy and suspenseful, I'm your girl... woman... writer... you know what I mean!" Linzi believes that by telling stories in her own voice, she can better share with her readers the essence of her being: her passionate nature; her motivations; and her wildest fantasies. She feels every touch as she writes, every kiss, every harsh word uttered, and this to her is the key to a never-ending love of writing. Ultimately, all books by Linzi Basset are about passion. To her, passion is the driving force of all emotion; whether it be lust, desire, hate, trust, or love. This is the underlying message contained in her books. Her advice: “Believe in the passions driving your desires; live them; enjoy them; and allow them to bring you happiness.” Follow Linzi everywhere: https://linktr.ee/LinziBasset

Book preview

Captured Bride

The Bride Series

Book 2

Contemporary Billionaire Romance

By

Linzi Basset

––––––––

Copyright © 2018 Linzi Basset - All rights reserved

Captured Bride

Copyright © 2020 Linzi Basset

Edited by: Kristen Breanne

Proofreaders: Marie Vayer, Melanie Marnell

Published & Cover Design by: Linzi Basset

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, business establishments, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Linzi Basset has asserted her rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this eBook only. No part of this eBook may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Warning: This book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. This book is for sale to adults only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase.

Disclaimer: Neither the publisher nor the author will be responsible for any loss, harm, injury, or death resulting from use of the information contained in this book.

Contents

Author’s Note

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

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Excerpt: Captured Bride

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About the Author

Stalk Linzi Basset

Author’s Note

Dear Reader,

The Bride series are the stories of gorgeous and successful Alpha Males and the sassy women they choose as brides. Although some characters will appear in other books in the series, all of them are standalone novels.

In Captured Bride, Book 2, billionaire Blake Harper would do anything in his power to capture the heart of the delectable Michelin Chef, Amber Summers.

I don’t have time for, nor am I interested in a fling.

Amber Summers was having a hard enough time dealing with a food critic who was doing their best to destroy her reputation and, in the process, close her restaurant doors ... for good. But also dealing with the magnetic attraction of the first man who managed to make her forget her inhibitions was more than she could handle. Until she realized her one moment of weakness had come with a very hefty price.

Say yes, Blondie. You know you want to.

Blake Harper was after one thing: capturing the enticing little chef's heart. He had no interest in a short-term love affair. He'd been there, done that. Now, he was ready to settle down. He would have what he was after, no matter what, until a favor for a friend backfired and threatened the future he coveted.

Love doesn't always come easy, especially if there's a determined third-party intent on creating chaos.

Sparks fly as Amber and Blake try to weave their way through a white-hot maze of lies and deceit. Will their love survive the flames?

Editor’s note:

Mouth-watering in more ways than one: have your wine, your favorite dessert, and any other fun items you'd like at your near disposal as you traverse this landscape of mental man-candy, scrumptious food, and sizzzzzling sex.

I trust you will enjoy this love story.

Warm regards,

Linzi Basset

Chapter One

Dammit! Not another one! 

Amber Summers crumpled the newspaper in her hands.

Agh! I wish I could find these cowards so I could have a face to face with them. It would give me such pleasure to choke the truth out of them.

Amber’s Cuisine in uptown Manhattan was known for providing excellent dishes with a well deserved Michelin two-star rating to highlight its success.

It was the time of year again when restaurants were rated by the Michelin inspectors. Amber had high hopes of adding one more star to her repertoire—until a couple of food critics started targeting her. One after the other, negative reviews were published. Today's was the fifth in a period of three months.

What the devil am I going to do?

When she had opened the restaurant a couple of years ago, there had been many unhappy restaurateurs in the area. She’d started as a well-known Michelin two-star chef and the competition her establishment offered in the area had been a threat to most of them. If Amber’s Cuisine was honored with an additional star it would boost their popularity, but if she lost one star it would mean the beginning of the end.

And there’s no way in hell I'll allow that to happen.

She strode out of her office toward the kitchen.

Craig, she called the senior sous chef who had been with her since opening day. He’d become her crutch, and he was as much part of the success of the restaurant as she was.

Yes, Chef, he said. He glanced at her over his shoulder. I just need to finish deboning the salmon. I’ll be with you in two minutes.

Amber paced in front of the counter, wringing her hands while she contemplated her strategy. One way or the other, she had to find out who the food critics were and why they were so adamant to destroy her career.

Coffee, Chef? Kerry, a recently appointed pastry chef offered.

Amber took a deep breath to inhale the aromatic flavor of the dark roasted brew, and her stomach rumbled in warning. Her eyes widened. The cup hit the counter with a resounding clang.

Uh ... I ... excuse me, she choked with her hand over her mouth. She tore through the kitchen toward the restroom. She made it with seconds to spare. She hunched over the toilet, hurling until it felt her guts were about to split.

Good lord, what was that? she muttered as she rinsed her mouth in the basin. She was trembling and her legs felt like rubber. It was a feeling she always hated after throwing up. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, trying to remember what she had for dinner that could have upset her stomach this much.

Chef? Are you okay? Kerry asked from the door.

I’m fine. It must have been something I ate. She pushed away from the basin. I guess I’ll have to stay away from coffee for today. She offered her a lame smile.

I’ll make you some toast. We need to boost your system with some electrolytes with one of those energy drinks Craig loves so much.

Thanks, Kerry, that will be lovely.

Kerry was a talented pastry chef and very eager to please as the newbie on the team. Amber had been indulging her but in due time, she would have to concentrate on her work and not on Amber. She turned into her office.

Please ask Craig to come and see me.

Will do.

Amber sank down in the chair, and her eyes fell on the crumbled newspaper. She was smoothing it out when Craig walked in.

Don’t tell me there was another crappy review?

Yes, and it’s getting worse every time. It’s too close to the Michelin inspections to be a coincidence, Craig.

Are you saying someone is targeting us?

What else? Listen to this, and I quote: 'The very fancy, two-Michelin-starred restaurant still can’t get it right. As I sat with hunger pains growling in my stomach because of their slow service, I felt like I was waiting on a whore in a bordello while slowly losing my taste for food. I mean who can drench up an appetite amid various shades of taupe, biscuit, and pussy pink? I shudder just thinking about it. And then came Chef Amber’s main signature dish, a Pigeon’s snare. I requested medium, but it was served so pink the moment I poked it with my fork, it twitched in preparation to fly off. Not a very pleasant experience ... yet again.' Unquote. Everything is said in such a derogatory way. I’m furious! What are we going to do?

Anything I can do to help, Blondie?

The baritone of his voice reverberated through Amber’s bones. Blake Harper: best friend to the husband of her bestie, Penelope Sinclair. She looked up and became lost in the warmth of his gunmetal gray eyes. The low rumble of his voice comforted her. It wrapped around Amber and carried her to a moment when he’d whispered into her ear. Say yes, Blondie. You know you want to. A momentary lapse of control had resulted in the most satisfying sex she'd ever had.

She blinked away the memory as he cleared his throat. He leaned his tall, muscular body with negligent pizzazz against the doorframe. She couldn’t help but stare like it was the first time she'd laid eyes on him. Muscles rippled as he crossed his arms over his chest, and she realized he was waiting for an answer.

No, Mr. Harper, there isn’t but thanks for offering.

The chuckle that rumbled from his throat was like a soft, rolling thunder that billowed across dark skies on a stormy night.

Still in denial, love?

Amber simmered under his lustful stare, something she had no doubt Craig, who was following the interlude with interest, didn’t miss.

We’ll continue this later, Craig.

Ah, come on, Chef! This was just getting interesting, he protested but stood up nonetheless. He shook Blake’s hand. Good to see you again, Mr. Harper.

Likewise. How about cooking up your famous farmhouse breakfast for me? I’m starving.

Coming right up. He walked to the door. Your usual table?

Blake nodded as he pushed away from the door to allow the younger man room. He ambled closer.

Amber’s gaze was snagged by the hypnotic pull of his steel gray one that peered at her from beneath magnificently arched eyebrows. She clenched her hands together to prevent them from sinking into his hair. A vision of how soft those long tresses had felt under her fingers as he sank his hard, turgid―

Stop it, Amber! It was one time. A moment of weakness not to be repeated!

I see you are, he whispered into her ear. The warmth of his breath caused her libido to spike.

I’m what?

She shivered as excitement surged to the surface. She hadn’t even realized he’d walked up to her. The familiarity of his hard body pressing against her side, his dark voice that flowed through her mind like the soothing taste of a single malt whiskey, made it difficult to forget their one night of debauchery.

In denial.

Blake straightened. His fingers brushed over her cheek. The touch was light, leaving her skin to tingle in its wake. His head moved as he shook his hair from his eyes. Her gaze moved over his wide forehead, high cheekbones and square jaw, covered in a neat stubble that gave him an all-day-long just-woke-up look. No wonder all the women found him irresistible. He was ruggedly good-looking with a magnetism Amber had been unable to resist from the first time they’d met.

Oh! Amber cried in surprise as he yanked her to her feet.

Blake caught her in his arms and pulled her against his rippling chest. His full lips quirked as he watched her eyelids flutter. Her measly attempt to push his tall, broad, and remarkable muscled frame away failed miserably.

Let me go, she snapped.

Now, why would I wanna do that, love? You fit so well in my arms.

Oh, please. I’m half your size. We’re anything but a perfect fit.

Ah, but we do fit ... albeit very snug and tight but so hot, I get a hard-on every time—

Enough! I told you, Blake Harper, it was a one-time indulgence, never to be repeated. So, kindly remove your big ass body from mine, she clipped through clenched teeth. She could almost hear her ovaries ranting in protest. Her loins clenched as he leaned closer to nibble on her lips, which softened under his insistence no matter how much she told herself not to respond.

Only to find his lips gone.

Blake, this isn’t a good idea, she puffed in a breath.

Why? Because you’re adamant to deny you want me as much as I do you?

I don’t have time for, nor am I interested in a fling. Stop doing that, she ordered in a husky whisper when he trailed his lips over her cheek. His teeth nipped sharply on her earlobe.

You’re delusional if you think I’m after a fling, love. So, stop lying to yourself. His lips closed around her earlobe to gently tug on it with gentle sucks.

Her clitoris throbbed as a surge of arousal shot to her loins. Her nails bit into his shoulders. She desperately tried to keep her wits about her. Needless to say, she failed miserably.

What do you mean ... ohhh, she crooned when his meandering lips locked onto the frenzied pulse of the vein in her neck. He sucked. Hard. The hot shard of lust that tore into her loins caused her eyes to roll in their sockets. 

His hand fisted a tuft of hair to force her eyes to his. He blinked once. Amber was enraptured by the promise in his irises. She couldn’t look away. His masculine features were suddenly rigid with an intensity that also made his body pressed against her softness feel harder and tense.

"I’m not a youngster looking for a quick fuck, Amber. I’ve been there, done that. The sooner you get your mind around it, the better. You and I ... us, that’s what you need to start seeing in your future. Because, believe me, Blondie, you and I will be. Whether you want to admit it or not."

His gaze locked on her pouty lips, and he leaned in to bite into the lower one, followed by a soothing suck to ease away the sting.

A flash of heat raced through Amber to unleash a warm flush of essence inside her vagina, forcing her to clench her muscles against a flood of pheromones that left her panties moist. 

Oh my god. Why is it only him? Why does he have such an effect on me?

She shivered, completely overwhelmed by the rush of sensations that were so foreign to her and yet becoming the norm whenever he was near.

The next moment she stood alone. Her body felt bereft of the warmth that moments before had filtered from his skin into hers. She lifted her eyes to catch his brooding look where he watched her from the doorway.

"It was never just a one-time indulgence, Amber. At least not for me. If you, for one moment, believe I will let you brush off what happened between us, you don’t know me very well."

That’s the point, Blake. We don’t know each other—at all. We can’t just, her hands fluttered in the air, jump in the sack and go at each other like crazed rabbits for hours on end ... Her voice drifted off. Her breath wheezed from her throat as she stared at him wide-eyed. Her heart started a rapid staccato rhythm against her chest.

Oh, fuck, no. It can’t be.

We also can’t turn back the clock, love. We’re both grown-ups. We’re two consenting adults who know what we want out of life. We can get to know each other without denying ourselves carnal pleasures while we do.

Easy for you to say, she retorted automatically. Her mind was frantically doing sums while she tried her best to remain calm.

I’m stating a fact, Amber. I fully intend to have sex with you again. He winked at her, ignoring her blank look. And again and again and again.

The words floated back at her from down the hallway as he sauntered away. Amber’s legs gave way. She slumped into the chair but immediately grabbed the calendar and furiously searched the dates. Her body went stiff. A chill racked her frame.

No! It can’t be.

But it was. She had missed her period. Almost two weeks to be exact and she hadn’t even realized it. She covered her mouth as the dates blurred in front of her. She was swamped by emotions she couldn’t decipher. For one thing, she had no idea how she felt about it, but it had happened. Her one-time indulgence had come with a hefty price. Her voice sounded thin as it croaked from between her fingers.

I’m pregnant.

Chapter Two

The sensations that surged through Blake’s body brought a tremor to his hands. He couldn’t remember that he’d ever wanted a woman as much