Daughter-in-Law: Stolen Love, #3

By December Drake

"You married the wrong man."

Once those words slip out of his mouth, he knows he'll never be able to take them back, just as he knows them to be true. But knowing the truth makes it no less wrong to say, especially to the one woman he can never have: His son's new wife.

And so, he claws himself back from the brink, determined to remain the honorable man, and father, that he needs to be. Unfortunately, those fateful words were a catalyst. And the young woman he covets is not afraid of the burning desire in his eyes, as she searches for her own truth. A truth that could set them both on fire.

Contains themes of infidelity that may not be suitable to all readers. This is Part One of the Wedding March, a two-part romantic drama.

• Language: English
• Publisher: December Drake
• Release date: May 17, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224093984

December Drake

December Drake writes short stories and novellas about aggressive men forcefully claiming, breeding, and using women for their pleasure. Most of her stories are spicy; some are even sweet. And others are just plain dark. If any of that sounds intriguing, you're welcome to visit her at www.decemberdrake.com, where you'll find links for all of her stories, including those too spicy or dark for many retail outlets. You can also sign up for her newsletter at www.decemberdrake.com/newsletter, to stay updated on new releases and promotions.

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Daughter-in-Law

December Drake

Copyright © 2024 December Drake

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

This book is a work of fiction. The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

Also by December Drake

About the Author

Chapter one

She should have been his.

The quartet began the wedding march. The guests rose to their feet, murmuring appreciatively when Lauren appeared at the end of the aisle.

She was breathtaking, in her antique lace gown. Her eyes shown with happy tears while she looked toward the front of the church at her waiting groom, Jacob.

His son.

Noah Conrad ground his teeth, his gut churning, as he watched Lauren’s mother, Audrey, slowly walk her down the aisle.

Lauren’s father had never been in the picture, and Noah had intended to offer to escort her instead. They’d all been surprised when Audrey had asked for the privilege. No one had been as surprised and delighted as Lauren, who’d been struggling to reconnect with her estranged mother.

Audrey wore an off-white suit, probably the closest the formidable magazine editor would ever come to a matronly dress. But she also blinked back her own tears as she led her daughter to Jacob.

Noah had lucked out, he realized, as Audrey relinquished Lauren to Jacob’s waiting hand. If it’d been his duty to walk Lauren down the aisle and turn her over to his son, shit would have gone downhill, fast.

Because he never would have been able to let her go. He hated himself, for not realizing it until just now.

Maybe he’d subconsciously known it six months ago, the moment Jacob had introduced his new fiancée to him over dinner. Noah had been dismayed that his twenty-six-year-old son was about to marry a woman six years his junior, that he’d only dated a few months.

Yet when Lauren had first greeted him, offering him her small hand, Noah immediately understood why Jacob was in such a rush to claim her.

And when she’d shyly raised her soft brown eyes to his, nervously licking her lips and leaving them glistening while she returned his greeting, Noah’s cock had turned to stone.

He wasn’t ashamed of his body’s reaction; Lauren undoubtedly inspired the same response in any man she met. She glowed with a pure, trusting innocence that had Noah almost groaning with his sudden hunger to steal all of her firsts.

Noah knew his son must have already taken her to bed, to gorge on her every night. Because that’s what he himself would have done.

Yet there were still plenty more firsts to take. Every smile, every gasp of delight. Every secret thought she’d ever had. He hungered to see them all, and swallow every one from her delicious lips.

All while he protected her. Treasured her. Discovered everything she’d ever wanted, so he could give it to her, and watch the joy light up her eyes.

Jacob must have fallen hard for her at first sight, the way he had. More than that, he knew Jacob valued another perk of claiming Lauren.

Other men’s envy.

Since he’d been a boy, Jacob loved having what others coveted. The fancy new toy. A perfect collector’s card. A classic car so rare that even the mechanic’s jaw went slack, when Jacob brought it to the shop.

Lauren was Jacob’s prize. His trophy.

As they’d taken their seats in the restaurant, Noah had felt the eyes of every straight male with a pulse turning her way. He spent the entire meal unable to look away from Lauren whenever she spoke, while resisting the urge to unleash his fist on those whose eyes lingered too long.

They couldn’t help themselves, just as Noah couldn’t. Lauren was the kind of woman who could start wars.

Or end relationships.

Noah swallowed the bitter lump in his throat as Audrey took her seat in the front pew, across the aisle from him. He closed his eyes briefly, struggling to banish the burning need from his expression before he lifted his gaze to watch.

The preacher opened his bible and began to recite Corinthians. Lauren and Jacob faced each other, clasping each other’s hands.

Beyond them, outside the church’s tall, glass windows, the waves crested against the Maui shore. The wedding photographer knelt near Noah’s feet to capture the moment.

Love is patient, love is kind.

The preacher gave the couple a warm smile before continuing. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Noah curled his hands into fists until he felt his knuckles crack, fighting to sit still through the hardest hour of his life.

If he were to leap up right now, snatching Lauren away from his son before they could complete their vows, Jacob would never forgive him.

But he sure as hell would understand.

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They’d reserved a quarter of a Maui hotel for the destination wedding, leaving guests the option to arrive early, or extend their stay.

Noah had been one of the last to arrive. He was miserable enough, without choosing to languish here.

After the photographers finally released the wedding party, Noah wandered the property, across manicured lawns and along the edge of a sprawling golf course, before he made his way to the wedding reception area.