Second Chance Rival Read online

  I saw it clear as day. Belle had always been sharp, smart as all hell. It didn’t surprise me in the least that she caught on before I had to share the rest.

  “They want us to merge enterprises, don’t they?”

  I nodded.

  She thought about it for a second. “We don’t need to get married for that to happen.”

  “There’s more.”

  She rolled her eyes at me. “Then out with it! What else could they possibly want?”

  I abruptly stood and leaned over her desk. In one swift movement, I was in her face, catching her off guard. She faintly gasped close to my mouth, only triggering all the times I’d evoked this same response out of her. It simply reminded me what her lips felt like against mine.

  Soft.

  Smooth.

  Filled with inexperience and lust.

  The last thing I wanted was to miss this opportunity where her defenses were down against me, so I spoke with conviction…

  “They want you pregnant with my baby.”

  Chapter 2

  —Belle—

  Instead of shoving him away, I pushed my chair back. I hit the bay window that overlooked all of downtown behind me, needing a moment to collect myself.

  Especially, my thoughts.

  “Oh my God.” It all came crashing down around me like a ton of bricks. “They want a bloodline heir, don’t they?”

  He nodded.

  “This can’t be happening.”

  “It is. And the sooner you realize that, the easier this next part will be.”

  I said the only thing that came to mind, “I can’t go in there.”

  “Whether you want to or not, you’re going in there. There’s no escaping this. There’s no running away from me, kitten.”

  My eyebrows pinched together. “Why on earth would they think I’d agree to this?”

  “Because we’ll be partners in this merger. Inheriting everything.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was like I was suddenly dragged back to that young girl who had no say in her life.

  Her future.

  I’d spent years proving myself to my grandfather that I could work for him. Graduating from high school and college with honors, making the dean’s list every semester. Sacrificing my personal life for the reward that someday I’d inherit Montgomery Enterprises.

  Not because I was bribed into receiving what was rightfully mine, but because I’d earned that title of CEO.

  As if reading my mind, he observed, “I know how you feel, kitten.”

  “Do you? Because from where I’m sitting, you look content as ever.”

  “I’m not the enemy anymore.”

  “Really?” I mocked. “I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell don’t know how to see you as anything other than my rival. It’s been ingrained in me since birth.”

  “That didn’t stop you from ending up in my bed, now did it?”

  “You pompous bastard!” I shot up, pitifully governing my emotions.

  “Kitten,” he coaxed, cocking his head to the side. “You should be thanking me, not insulting me. I came here to warn you, so that you wouldn’t feel the ambush I did.”

  “That’s funny, considering it still feels like a trap. One set up by all of you.”

  “I know what you’re thinking.”

  “You don’t know anything.”

  “I know that you’re seething from the inside out right now.”

  “That’s obvious! Come to think of it, why aren’t you?”

  “Trust me, I was.”

  “Trust you?” I spewed. “Those are fighting words, Tristian.”

  “Kitten, I—”

  “You were?” I interrupted, not wanting to hear his excuses. “How long have you known about this?”

  When he confessed, “For the last five months,” I almost fell back in my chair.

  “And you’re just now telling me?”

  “I couldn’t confront you until I wrapped my mind around everything they’re demanding.”

  “Wrapped your mind around what? Are you really telling me you’re okay with this? That you agree with it?”

  “What if I do?”

  “You can’t be serious. You?” I asserted, standing my ground. “The eternal bachelor with his playboy ways?”

  He hid back a smile. “Kept tabs on me, huh?”

  “No,” I firmly stated. “But every tabloid did with your latest conquest of the week. It’s hard to miss when it’s staring you in the face at every newsstand from here to Washington, D.C.”

  In a sincere tone I’d heard before, he expressed, “You weren’t just another conquest for me, kitten.”

  “Save those lies for someone who cares, Tristian.”

  “At one point, you did.”

  “I was young and naive. I didn’t know any better. You were the first boy to ever pay attention to me. It was easy to fall for your lies.”

  “They weren’t lies.”

  “You wouldn’t know the truth if it knocked you upside the head.”

  “Fine.” In one long stride, he backed me against the wall and caged me in with his arms like he’d done countless times before. “You want the truth. I’ll give you the truth. After months of feeling the same way you are right now, I started considering what they actually wanted, and all I could think about, all I could see, was how fucking sexy you’d look pregnant with my baby.”

  —Tristian—

  She pushed me as hard as she could, and I barely wavered. I was expecting it. Belle had one move, and it was always to shove me away from her personal space which was my favorite place to be. The girl I’d first met might have looked different.

  However, she would forever have a blazing fire deep in her soul. I once took pride in making sure she was aware that she wasn’t just the granddaughter of Chance Montgomery, and she had a mind of her own.

  The woman standing before me was who I always knew she was capable of becoming.

  I was damn fucking proud of what she’d accomplished, following her career without anyone knowing was what I did best. I couldn’t help myself. Not with the way I left things. I never wanted to hurt her, at least not like that. Though the longer we snuck around, the more evident it became I’d have no say in the matter.

  Our families made sure of it.

  Belle was the only girl who ever meant something to me. Granted, we were young back then. Even now, having her this close to me for the first time in what felt like an eternity was as if no time had passed between us.

  The spark.

  Our instant connection.

  It was still there.

  Despite her pretending it wasn’t, she couldn’t fool me. Not for one fucking second.

  Reading my mind like I knew she would, she acknowledged, “You have no right to say that to me.”

  “From where I’m standing, kitten, I have all the right in the world to tell you how I feel. You wanted the truth, so here it is. You carrying my last name and my child isn’t a future I contemplated after I left. However, now that it’s a possibility, it’s become the only thing I find myself thinking about.”

  Her chest rose and fell with each word I confessed.

  “You always knew how to say the right things, Tristian Hawkins. It’s the Southern gentleman in you.”

  “Let’s get one thing straight, kitten. You never liked gentle.” I leaned in closer to her mouth, rasping, “Now the question is, are you going to deny me, Miss Montgomery?”

  The sound of the door opening behind us wasn’t enough to break our trancelike state. Neither one of us moved from the compromising position I’d intentionally put us in.

  “Good,” Mr. Montgomery announced. Her grandfather’s voice echoed off the windows and walls. “You’re not wasting anytime in getting reacquainted.”

  I peered over my shoulder. “We need another minute.”

  He nodded, grinning like a fool, and left. My eyes met hers once again.

  “Are you ready?”


  “No.”

  “Tell me what I can do to make this better for you.”

  “Nothing you can do will make this better for me, and don’t you ever forget that.”

  “Isn’t love supposed to conquer all?”

  “Love?” She jerked back with wide eyes, startled by my question. “You think love is involved in this merger?”

  “I think it can be.”

  “Wow,” she breathed out. “You’ll say anything to get what you want, won’t you?”

  “It’s what we both want.”

  “At what cost?”

  “I can think of worse things than you being my wife and the mother of my children.”

  “Children?” she repeated. “As in plural?”

  “I mean, why not?”

  “Are you listening to yourself right now? You sound insane. We haven’t seen each other in twenty years, and now I’m just supposed to walk down the aisle with you and get knocked-up, on what? Our honeymoon?”

  “I was thinking more like our wedding night, but that works too.”

  “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “You already said that.”

  “And I’m going to keep saying it for as long as I have to for you and everyone else to understand this plan is absurd.”

  “If it gets us the title of CEO, then it couldn’t be more logical.”

  “Stop speaking to me like I’m another one of your hostile takeovers, Tristian. I don’t want to marry you, let alone have your baby.”

  “Then what, huh? Everything you’ve worked so fucking hard for was for nothing? Because that’s exactly what you’ll receive. Not. One. Damn. Company. You want to see one of your brothers or cousins step into the role that should be yours?”

  The truth of what would happen was getting through to her. I could see it in her eyes.

  “How is this even legal?”

  “You and I both know in our world, the two of them make the laws.”

  I pushed off the wall and reached for her hand. “You once told me you wanted to prove your family wrong. Well, here’s your chance, kitten. Make a future with me, and I’ll make all your dreams come true.”

  “Sounds more like a nightmare.”

  “Well…” I smiled before I spoke from experience, “You know what they say—your best dreams and your worst nightmares usually have the same people in them.”

  Chapter 3

  —Belle—

  I walked into the conference room like a woman on death row, and in a way it felt like I was. With my heart beating out of my chest, I inhaled one last heavy breath. I was losing my mind, but I tried to remain calm on the outside.

  Mr. Hawkins greeted, “Nice of you to finally join us, Belle.”

  “I’d have been here sooner had you and my grandfather included me in your plans for my future.”

  “Our future,” Grandfather chimed in, nodding to the empty seat near the center of the table.

  I adamantly shook my head. “I want no part in this.”

  “If that were true,” Mr. Hawkins countered. “You wouldn’t be here.”

  I sighed. He was right. Slowly, I walked toward the chair. Fifteen steps was all it took to make it to the seat while Tristian sat in the other empty seat in front of me. Of course, our grandfathers were sat at each end of the long rectangle table, looking like the epitomes of the coldblooded businessmen they were.

  At that moment, I felt like a little girl and not the successful businesswoman I was. I desperately tried reeling in my emotions, fully aware they could still smell my indecision. The truth was, I didn’t know what to do. A part of me wanted to tell them all to go to hell while the other part, the ambitious one, craved to cave.

  “This is how it’s going to go, Belle.” Grandfather slid what appeared to be the contract Tristian had mentioned in my office across the desk. “As you will see, this contract is non-negotiable. It states that after you’re married and our great grandchild is born, we will sign our companies over to you and Tristian.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Yes. It’s really that simple. You and Tristian will merge our businesses, and there will be a fifty-fifty split on the position of CEO.”

  Unable to resist, I questioned, “Why now?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked if it didn’t.”

  Mr. Montgomery chuckled, bringing our attention over to him.

  “I like her determined spirit, Chance. To answer your question, Belle, there’s only so much either of our organizations can take over with both of us constantly competing for that number one spot. It’s easier to finally unite forces. Do you imagine the press when we announce our merger? Not to mention our other competitors. They’re going to be blindsided, having to go back through their yearly schedules to see how this will affect their corporations. I couldn’t ask for a better surprise to drop on them. Just thinking about it makes me so damn excited.”

  My heart sped up. I had to dig my nails into the palms of my hands under the table as I desperately tried to keep my emotions in check, willing myself to stay as calm as possible.

  Including Tristian.

  The room was spinning, closing in on me inch-by-inch.

  “You know I love you,” Grandfather reminded. “I’d never put you in a situation you couldn’t handle. Ultimately, your decision will affect everyone in this room. A lot is riding on you to say, ‘I do.’”

  I swallowed hard, digging my nails deeper into my skin.

  “On top of that, publicizing your marriage and then pregnancy. Well, let’s just say, it’s going to be a great year for us all,” Mr. Montgomery added.

  “And if I file for divorce after you hand over—”

  “Page five.” Grandfather nodded to the contract in my hands. “There’s a clause in there for that.”

  I opened the contract, coming face-to-face with their stipulations. They really did think of everything.

  “As you can see, if either of you file for divorce, the contract is null and void.”

  My eyes locked with Tristian’s, who still showed no emotion whatsoever as he confirmed, “Meaning we’d get nothing.”

  “So you’re saying this arranged marriage of convenience has to last forever?” I questioned, although I already knew the answer.

  I. Was. Fuming.

  Pissed beyond belief.

  I resisted the urge to scream and run, holding my ground.

  “You’re looking at the glass half empty when you should be looking at it half full. It’s not like we’re asking you to marry a complete stranger, Belle.”

  “Up until an hour ago, I hadn’t seen Tristian in twenty years. That doesn’t count as a stranger to either of you?”

  “Kitten…”

  My stare connected with Tristian’s.

  “He has a term of endearment for you, Belle. That doesn’t seem very unfamiliar to us, now does it?”

  “You both are being unreasonable.”

  “If you ask us, we’re doing you both a favor.”

  “A favor?” I exclaimed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “Quite the contrary, Miss Montgomery. We’re as serious as a heart attack. I see what the press calls you—a workaholic, a woman who is all business and no play. Is that the kind of life you want to continue leading? No husband? No children? You want your grandfather to leave you his legacy with the possibility of no heir? Come on, Belle. You’re smarter than that.”

  “This isn’t fair.”

  “Life isn’t fair. It’s not like my grandson isn’t quite the catch. You couldn’t ask for a better partner. He’s wealthy, successful, determin—”

  “He’s also controlling, demanding, and not to mention, a complete asshole half the time.”

  “And those are only some of my best qualities, kitten.”

  I was at the tipping point of exploding. It wasn’t until Mr. Hawkins asked, “I mean, there once was a time when you were in love with my grandson, isn’t that
right?”

  However, before I could snap, Tristian did it for me.

  —Tristian—

  “That’s none of your goddamn business,” I declared, loud and fucking clear.

  “You see…” Grandfather grinned, proving the point he wanted to make. “You’re not even married yet and he’s already defending your honor.”

  “Kitten—”

  She interrupted me. “How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? Wow. This ambush is off to a great start. Can’t wait to see what our marriage looks like.”

  “At least it has you thinking about our marriage.”

  “Let’s get one thing straight, Tristian. If I agree to this, it’s only because they’re giving us no other choice. Do you understand me?”

  Her defiance made my cock twitch which was a nice change of pace from the women I was used to who couldn’t turn me on.

  “Noted,” I replied, only pissing her off further.

  “We’re doing what’s best for our futures, and eventually, we know you’ll understand and thank us for it. Now let’s get down to business. The wedding will be front page news, it will be reported in the media, through online sources, and the news stations. It’ll be the wedding of the century. The talk of the town.”

  “We don’t need to get married to be the talk of the town, Grandfather. In fact, it’d be nice for the town to talk about us less.”

  He paid her no mind. “We’ll have reporters at the wedding and the first exclusive photos of the two of you married will go to the highest bidder.”

  “How romantic,” she remarked in a snarky tone. “Nothing says forever like staged photos.”

  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t entertained by her feistiness.

  “The press is going to have a field day with this news, and it’ll only get worse as time goes on. We’ll need to announce the merger first. The exposure from that and then your nuptials will light the fire we want under our competitors asses. It sets the tone for the future of our companies.”

  “And then once you’re married,” Grandfather informed. “You can start trying for our bloodline heir.”