Claiming Love Read online

  Claiming Love

  A Novella

  By Holly J. Gill

  Contemporary Romance

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright

  Claiming Love

  © 2019 by Holly J. Gill

  Published by Holly J. Gill

  Edited and Proofread by Illuminate Author Services

  Cover design by Shower Of Schmidt

  Formatting by Holly J. Gill

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. The following story contains mature themes, strong language, sexual situations and mention of child abuse and neglect. It is intended for adult readers. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This 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. Any resemblance to people living or deceased, business establishments, events, or locales is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or names featured are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are only used for reference purposes. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used.

  This is Book Four in the Innocence Series.

  It is not recommended that it be read as a standalone

  Dedication

  I want to send a special thank you to my editor and proof reader, Illuminate Author Services, for their patience and working so wonderfully with me on this series. It means the world.

  I want to thank my children, Rhys, Victoria, and Alisha, and my amazing hubby Nigel for giving me so much support when writing.

  My ARC Team, you’re simply the best. To my fans, readers and bloggers, thank you all for supporting me and this emotional series and assisting me when required. I’ve never asked for it, and you doing so means so much!

  Donna. What can I say? If it weren’t for you, this series would never have been brought back. Endless amounts of lunches and teas discussing this series and how to play it, sending you snippets, and well, also being there as a bestie, thank you!

  Thank you, everyone!

  Never forget, hold your head high, and be who you are!

  Playlist

  Return to Innocence by Enigma

  It’s Your Love by Tim McGaw and Faith Hill

  Once In A Lifetime by Michael Bolton

  Tightrope by Michelle Williams

  Claiming Love

  Holly J. Gill

  Copyright © 2019

  Loves Challenge!

  Chapter One

  Donna

  I was fed up with the same old rubbish, watching my friends getting married and having babies, and here I was, shacked to the single life. I mean, was there something wrong with me? I’d even thought about trying online dating. Was I getting that desperate?

  But whenever I looked through the profiles online, there always seemed to be something missing. I’d heard so many bad stories about online dating, and despite that, some people actually managed to meet their true loves and ended up living their happily ever after. Would that ever be possible for me?

  I felt like I was chasing something that wasn’t going to happen.

  I had hopes and dreams that one day, this lonely, miserable life would come to an end. Don’t get me wrong, I had great friends in Melissa Hall and Sophie Edwards, but it wasn’t the same sharing a life with someone. At the end of the day, my friends had lives, families, which was more than I had.

  I supposed a lot of it had to do with my family who only bothered with me on their terms, according to my mother I was old enough to look after myself. I guess I count myself lucky. I don’t have a mother as bad as Sophie’s. I’d gladly throat punch that woman for all she put my friend through. She was proof that some people were born evil.

  I had things going for me. At thirty-three, I had a home, a car and was taking care of myself. I enjoyed my job as a childminder. I was usually the first person to see some of children’s first steps or smiles hear their first word or smile, it was an honour, although it made me sad that their parents were missing out on those key milestones. But let’s face it, as rewarding as work was, being covered in glue, stickers, food, and poop all day was not exactly glamorous and sexy. The only adults I saw were the parents picking up their children after a long day at work. It didn’t surprise me that the men were either married or in a relationship. So much for snatching up a hot single dad.

  Line dancing was my passion. I taught, and even helped choreographed two shows at the dance studio. They did two each year, one in spring and the other at Christmas. That allowed me a minimal social life, seeing and actually speaking to adults instead of young children.

  I was funny, respected by my friends, and I’d give them all my time if needed not expecting much back. But I was fortunate enough to get it. I shared almost everything with Sophie, as she did with me.

  I needed to get out of this funk.

  I sat in my car just after six pm on a glorious summers evening in the car park, waiting for Sophie and Calvin to arrive. We were having a meal together tonight. I’d be the third wheel as usual, as they gazed into each other’s eyes, hopelessly in love, and rightly so, with the amount of crap they’d been through in their lives. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it was like to through what those two did.

  Theirs was a truly heart-breaking love story, but with a happily ever after and I supposed that was what mattered in the end.

  Their car pulled up on cue, and I climbed out of my car and walked toward them, smiling. Sophie beamed back.

  A Range Rover sped in front of me, and I had to step back for fear of getting hit. I stared at the driver and was shocked to see Ross, Calvin’s best friend.

  “What is he doing here?” I mumbled to myself. I would seriously be telling a white lie if I said I didn’t fancy the man, and if anyone could get me tongue-tied, stuttering, or make my cheeks fluster, it was him. Not forgetting the tummy flips, and weak knees at the mere sight of him.

  How could I sit through a meal with him without messing up? When nervous, I became clumsy, made mistakes, and ended up humiliating myself.

  Ross was gorgeous, muscular, built, and tall, with neatly cropped, mousy blonde hair, and he oozed confident. And those hands, he could slip and slide them all over me, and I wouldn’t protest. Let’s just say if he hopped into bed with me, I wouldn’t be knocking him out. Each time I looked at him I imagined the things I could do to him, starting with removing his clothes and throwing myself at him. I’d give him a night to remember. But he also infuriated me at times with his charismatic personality. He was intriguing but needed to mellow in more ways than one. But it wasn’t just his looks. The man was beyond intelligent. He knew everything about everything, and from what Sophie said, he worked damn hard.

  Ross got out his vehicle looking like a cover model. My knees instantly trembled. He wore a pair of dark jeans and a white T-shirt. Stubble lined his firm jawline, giving him a rugged look. He wore sunglasses obscuring my view of those glorious green eyes .

  The white shirt clung to his frame, showing off his broad shoulders, leading down to firm biceps, and his solid wall of his chest. I wanted to rip that T-shirt off and check out his abs. The man clearly worked out.

  Entranced, I watched him make his way toward us, and it was like everything was in slow motion. His smile sent raptures of pleasure to m
y core. Each stride was perfection, making my heart skip a few beats.

  “Hey,” I heard and turned as Sophie approached with her arms out, ready for a hug. “How are you?”

  “You didn’t mention Ross was coming,” I whispered discreetly in her ear.

  “That’s because I didn’t know,” she whispered back.

  “Ok, I’ll let you off this time.” I stepped back and winked.

  Calvin approached and kissed me on the cheek. “Are you well, Donna?”

  “I’m great, Cal. How about you?”

  “Have I ever not been amazing?” He grinned.

  I caught Ross looking me up and down from the corner of my eye.

  “Hey, Donna,” His smirk made me blush.

  He kissed Sophie on the cheek. “Shall we?” He motioned to the pub. I was thankful he didn’t kiss me on the cheek, too, as I might have turned my head and kissed his lips.

  We all strolled into the pub, making idle conversation. Ross walked a few steps ahead of is, and I took a few seconds to stare at his rear, longing to squeeze those buttocks.

  Sophie sat next to me, and Ross positioned himself opposite me next to Calvin. I glanced at him whenever he wasn’t looking. He was just so swoony.

  “How’s work, Ross?” Calvin asked as we looked through the menus.

  “Busy. My newest case is complicated, this couple are fighting over the house. I’m representing her, and it’s getting messier by the day. The perk of being single is that I don’t have to bother with that nonsense,” he teased.

  “I happen to like being married,” Sophie, piped up, smiling as she glanced over at Calvin. They reached out to touch each other’s hands.

  “You two are an exception,” I piped in. “Not everyone is that lucky.”

  And that was true.

  “Enough with the heavy, we need us some drinks.” Calvin nudged Ross. “Orders, ladies.”

  I went for the scampi and chips, and everyone else ordered the same.

  The two guys walked over to the bar to order the food and drinks. I could not resist staring at Ross, at that, fantastic smile as he joked with Calvin.

  “So, how was your day?” Sophie asked.

  “Absolute fun. Kids wrapped around my ankles all day,” I answered.

  “I don’t know how you do it,” Sophie said in awe.

  “I enjoy it. It gives me purpose, you know. So, have you been practising the new line dance?” I asked curiously.

  “I sure have. It’s easy once you get the steps right,” she laughed.

  The guy’s re-joined us. I listened as they all talked amongst themselves. Sophie seemed to blend into the conversation, and I tried to participate as much as possible, but my eyes and thoughts were on Ross. I watched his mouth, imagining what he could do with that tongue. I sighed, aware that such a thing would never happen. I had to stop with the fantasy and get a grip on reality. Hopefully, find someone who…well, I don’t know! Was not Ross.

  The meals arrived, and we all tucked in. I noticed Sophie moving her food from one side of the plate to the other. She clearly wasn’t as keen as the rest of us.

  “Why don’t you get something else?” I asked her.

  She turned to me and smiled weakly. She was definitely not well. “Nah, I’m good.”

  Ross and Calvin continued talking about things I had no idea about. I made small talk with Sophie, but she appeared to be miles away.

  I leaned closer to her. “Are you ok?”

  “Yeah, I’m just not hungry for some reason,” she explained, looking pale. When she dropped Kacey off that other morning, she looked worse for wear, like she’d caught a bug. Maybe she had.

  “How’s the line dancing going?” Ross asked, and when I looked up, I was surprised to realise his question was directed at me.

  Those eyes, holy crap. It felt like I was drowning in them.

  “It’s good… still enjoying it,” I told him.

  “That’s great. You certainly know how to move about the floor. Although, teaching me was a challenge,” he chuckled.

  “It certainly was, but you pulled it off. You did great eventually,” I praised him.

  “Well, I had a very bossy teacher,” he teased.

  He held my gaze, and heat flooded my cheeks.

  What on earth was this? Him making small talk. I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe, suffocating under his gaze.

  I needed some air before I exploded. He was sending me gaga.

  “Sorry, could you guys please excuse me I need some air, having a hot flush, I think?” I laughed and stood rushing through the pub, my chest tightening. My hands were shaking. How could I have developed such an insane crush on Ross of all people? He’s totally out of my league, and yet I can’t help but feel the way I do.

  I stepped outside and inhaled the fresh Yorkshire air, eager to cool down from the hot surge that took over my body.

  “Donna, are you ok?” I heard Sophie approach.

  She stood beside me.

  “I’m fine, it was just sweltering in there. I felt like I was on menopause or something, having one of those hot flushes. You know, I think I should leave,” I told her watching a car pull into a parking spot.

  “Why? You can’t leave now, we haven’t even finished our food,” Sophie said.

  I couldn’t bring myself to look at her. “I need to go, I have so much to do,” I added.

  “Like what? Donna, what is going on?”

  Crap. Sophie knew me better than I knew myself.

  “I just have things to do,” I said, stepping closer to the carpark.

  “Seriously? Earlier you told me you were bored and needed to get a social life and find a man.” Sophie reminded me. I had said that. “Does this have anything to do with Ross?”

  I turned to face her as she watched me. How the heck did she know? Or was it just a lucky guess?

  “What?” I answered.

  “Does this have anything to do with Ross? I’m not stupid. You totally change when he’s around.”

  “I do not,” I said, moving to the play area to sit on a bench, watching kids on the playground.

  “You do.” Sophie sat beside me.

  “I don’t,” I replied, tight-lipped.

  “And I’m the queen-mother, you act all strange around him.”

  “He’s an arrogant, patronising, insensitive, egotistical dick, who I personally have no time for, and if you’d told me he was going to be here…I wouldn’t have come,” I told her, getting straight to the point.

  “I agree he is all those things, but he’s also…” I turned to face her, eager to hear what she had to say, “Nice.”

  “Nice,” I repeated, baffled.

  “He’s…”

  “A stuck up dick, who kisses his own arse. He thinks he knows everything. He talks down at people all the time. How the hell does Calvin put up with him?” I asked.

  “They’ve known one another since they were kids. Ross has his moments, but he’s a good friend to Calvin. Cal would be lost without him. They have this unique bond. I must admit when I first met Ross, I didn’t like him either. I found him intimidating, intrusive and patronising, but he helped me too, and he’s grown on me,” Sophie told me.

  “He talks snooty,” I added.

  “Yep!”

  “He loves himself a bit too much,” I continued.

  “Yep!” she nodded.

  “He thinks he’s God’s gift to womankind.”

  “No, I don’t think that. Ross just never had any luck with women. If anything, he spends all his time working and has had no time for women,” Sophie told me.

  I scratched my neck, wanting to change the subject. The thought of Ross had me flustered again.

  “Do you like him?”

  I glared at Sophie. The thought of her even suggesting it was insane, even if she was right. I would never admit my feelings towards him. She would tell Calvin and Calvin would tell Ross, and he no doubt would laugh about it.

  “Excuse me?”
r />   “It’s a simple question.”

  I tutted. “Are you serious, what is there to like about him?” I rose to my feet to walk to the area that looked out onto open fields. Sophie followed me and caught up with me to stand beside me.

  “So what is going on then?”

  “There’s nothing going on,” I retorted.

  “So why are you running? There is nothing wrong with being attracted to him,” Sophie elaborated.

  “I’m not running, and I’m certainly not attracted to him,” I snapped.

  “So what’s with the attitude?”

  “I don’t have an attitude,” I huffed.

  Sophie flicked her eyebrows up.

  “There is no way in hell, he’d ever look at me,” I shouted.

  “Ha, got you. So, you do like Ross?” Sophie said proudly.

  “No, I never said that.”

  “You said, ‘no way in hell, he’d ever look at me!’ that’s enough for me,” she said smugly, leaning against the wooden gate staring out onto the fields.

  “He wouldn’t though,” I told her.

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “I’m not brainy. I’m not his type.”

  “You’re brainy in subjects he knows nothing about, like with children. He looks terrified whenever he’s near Kacey, or when she goes to him. If he could he’d crawl, run and hide, which to be honest I don’t blame him. And how do you know you’re not his type? I’m not even sure I know what that means. Yes, he’s smart, he has to be, in his line of work. He’s a lawyer for goodness sake. He’s bound to be a Mr know it all,” she explained.

  “Yeah, like I said, he’s out my league. I could see him picking on me. I’m not the brightest of sparks, and there are many things I don’t understand, and if I asked, I bet he’d take the piss.”

  “And you know that how exactly?”