SEAL'd Perfection Book 1 Read online

  SEAL’d Perfection

  Book 1

  By USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author

  KB Winters

  Copyright © 2015 BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC

  Published By: BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC

  Copyright and Disclaimer

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

  Copyright © 2015 KB Winters

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of the trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Contents

  SEAL’d Perfection Book 1

  Copyright and Disclaimer

  Chapter One — Kat

  Chapter Two — Kat

  Chapter Three — Jace

  Chapter Four — Kat

  Chapter Five — Jace

  Chapter Six — Kat

  Chapter Seven — Kat

  Chapter Eight — Jace

  Chapter Nine — Kat

  Chapter Ten — Kat

  Free Book!

  Acknowledgements

  About The Author

  Chapter One — Kat

  “Okay, baby Jax, mama is gonna go out for a little bit. You’re gonna stay here and play with Gina,” I cooed over the side of my son’s crib. He blinked up at me and offered a gummy smile, showcasing his single tooth that had broken through on the bottom only about a week before. I smiled down at him, my heart tugging, hating that I was about to leave him. I turned to look over my shoulder and saw Gina, the twenty-two-year-old nanny my husband and I had hired a few months back to watch baby Jax. She’d only worked a handful of hours a week, long enough to let me do the grocery shopping, run errands, and occasionally—if I was lucky—attempt to catch up on sleep.

  “It’ll be okay, Mrs. Martin,” Gina reassured, as if sensing my apprehension to leave. I wondered if all new moms felt this way. When Jax was a newborn, I’d assumed the separation anxiety would fade over time, but in some ways, it was worse now that he was nearing his first birthday. Every day he learned something new, and he seemed to grow every time he took a nap. I hated missing out on any of it. But today, I had to get out of the house. It was for the greater good of the family—Jax’s future.

  I straightened and waved my fingers down at Jax. “Bye-bye, baby.”

  Gina swooped in, pressing a warm bottle into his chubby little hands, and he didn’t even notice as I slipped out the door of his nursery. It was a system we’d developed to make sure he didn’t have a full on melt down every time I left the house. I glanced back once at the softly lit nursery and heard Gina begin to hum his favorite song. I exhaled sadly, wishing it was me singing to him—but I’d only be gone for a little while so I continued down the hall, trying to will away the guilt of leaving him home for a few hours.

  I stopped at the end of the hall before going down the stairs. I checked my reflection in the hallway mirror. The dress I’d picked out was cut shorter than I usually dared, and although I was wearing a short sleeved sweater, underneath it was a very low neckline which highlighted my cleavage that was hoisted to high heaven thanks to my best push up bra. My long, chestnut colored hair was teased into a sassy, layered look, and my makeup was flawless, accentuating my almond-shaped green eyes, and tanned complexion. I smiled, spinning to check out the look from the back. I was dressed to kill, that’s for sure. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d gotten all glammed up. Months ago, maybe longer…

  Geeze, Kat, no wonder he’s not paying any attention to you, I scolded myself.

  Prior to baby Jax’s birth, my husband, Mitch hadn’t been able to keep his hands off of me. We’d married young—right out of college, and people had warned us that there was no way it would last, but four years in, he still acted like a newlywed on his honeymoon.

  However, after Jax’s birth, things had changed dramatically in our marriage. Mitch had been working longer hours and often came home completely exhausted or distracted. I knew adding a baby would put additional financial strain on us, but as far as I could tell, everything had been going well. He hadn’t expressed any concern over the state of our bank accounts, and his own spending habits certainly hadn’t slowed. In fact, a few weeks after Jax turned six months, he’d surprised me by pulling into the driveway in a brand new Lexus crossover.

  Regardless of the picture of security, Mitch was drifting further and further away by the minute. In the beginning, I’d been too tired to really notice, and by the time I realized there was a problem—it seemed awkward to bring it up in conversation. I’d never liked instigating important relationship conversations—Mitch hated them—so it was easier to just muddle through and wait for things to blow over and get back to normal.

  However, as we neared Jax’s first birthday, I couldn’t remember the last time Mitch and I had spent enough time together to have a conversation that didn’t revolve around the merits of different car seats, family Christmas photos, or meal plans for the week—let alone do anything other than talk.

  Our bed had been cold for way too long—but that was about to change.

  I completed my appraisal and hurried down the stairs, and out to the car, before my nerves could take hold of me. I’d never gone down to Mitch’s office unannounced, and I definitely hadn’t gone to his office with the intention to share an afternoon drink and get a little frisky in his office while his secretary was out to lunch. I shivered slightly as I got into the driver’s seat, and took a deep breath to still my nerves.

  Why am I freaking out about this? I asked myself. You’ve slept with Mitch a million times. Why would this be any different? Because it’s in his office? No, that will make it exciting and fun. Something he’ll never forget…

  I laughed at myself and pulled out onto the street, flicking one final gaze towards Jax’s window before driving away.

  Twenty minutes later, I parked in the small lot in front of the Market Street Plaza, a historic brick building that had once housed the small town’s mayor, but twenty years ago, had been re-zoned as a commercial property and a management company had renovated it into an office building. Mitch had a degree in Business Management, and worked as a highly sought out business consultant, a job that required nearly constant travel to businesses all over the country. A few years ago, when the economy started to bounce back, he had expanded the business and rented out the top floor for himself and his two associates. I applied a fresh coat of lipstick in the rearview mirror. “Now or never,” I whispered to myself, taking a deep breath before slipping from the car.

  The walk to Mitch’s office reminded me just how long it had been since I’d worn heels—only adding fuel to my nerves. I finally arrived, and swept past the frosted glass door bearing the company logo — MM Consulting. I stepped inside the plush office, noting a few new pieces of furniture that Mitch must have added since the last time I’d been there. The walls also looked like they’d been freshly painted. I couldn’t remember Mitch talking about renovations to the office, but then again—we didn’t do much talking anymore. A tinge of guilt flashed over me, and I became even more eager to see Mitch. There were so many things I needed to te
ll him. He needed to know—and feel—how much I loved him and appreciated him for all the hard work and long hours he put in to provide the best life possible for me and our son.

  I traced the familiar path to Mitch’s office, my heart swelling with pride and warmth with each step, a feeling that was stopped short when I turned the handle on the door and found it locked. “Damn,” I murmured under my breath. I hadn’t seen his car in the lot, but there was another lot on the other side of the building, so I’d assumed he’d been over there. Is he out for lunch? He was such a workaholic that he usually worked through his lunch hour. When he’d first told me that he didn’t get a lunch hour, I’d offered to pack him lunches so he could have something at his desk, but he’d declined, telling me that he preferred a cafe that was down the street who ran a sandwich cart to nearby businesses.

  Is he there now? At a sandwich cart? I hadn’t seen one on my way in, but I wasn’t looking either. My mind had been distracted with other things. I fished my phone out of my purse and dialed Mitch’s cell phone. There was no point in going on a block wide wild goose chase if he was in a meeting or with a client. My plans for afternoon seduction might have to wait.

  The sound of something chirping pulled me from my mental plans to reschedule, and I turned back to look at Mitch’s door. The sound was coming from inside…

  “Shit!” A hissed whisper from the other side.

  What the…?

  I knocked on the door. “Mitch? Honey, is that you?”

  There was no answer, but as I pressed my ear closer, I heard the rustling of papers and frantic footsteps. Two sets of footsteps. My stomach rolled as a sinking desperation grabbed a hold.

  “Mitch? It’s Kat, let me in!” I said, my voice louder as I pounded my palm against the door. Wait a second…hadn’t this door been made of glass before? I scrunched my nose, trying to remember. It had been. The last time I’d visited, shortly after Mitch had opened the new office, all the rooms had doors that matched the front door, frosted glass. But the door under my hand was solid wood. “Mitch! Now!” I screamed, my voice cracking slightly.

  I raised my foot, about to start kicking, when the door flung open, and I tottered in my heels for a moment before bursting into the room. Mitch was standing there, his hand still on the opposite door handle, with a twinge of red in his cheeks and his eyes wide as he looked me up and down. “Kat! Sorry about that, darling, I was wrapping up a conference call,” he explained, his voice a little faster than his normal cadence.

  I stared at him for a moment, and then pushed past him into the office. It appeared empty, but I’d heard two sets of footsteps moments before. There was no way Mitch was the only one here. All at once, a thousand clues came flashing to the surface, blaring at me like big, red warning lights. All the signs I should’ve noticed, the things I should’ve been paying attention to. Late night calls in his study, last minute trips, the long nights, the secret credit cards I’d found that were in his name only.

  “Mitch?” My voice quivered. “How could you do this?”

  His eyes flicked to the closet—giving everything away. Confirming my darkest suspicions.

  My body sagged, but I crossed the room, towards the closet. Mitch raced behind me, jumping in front of the door before I could get a hold of the knob. “Kat, don’t—”

  My eyes flicked to his, holding his brown eyes through the misting that blurred my vision. “How could you?”

  He tried to grab for my hands but I jerked away, so violently that I stumbled backwards a step. “Kat, come on, let’s talk about this…” he pleaded.

  “Open the door, Mitch.” I gulped back the lump in my throat and pointed at the closet. “Now.”

  He sighed, and I could see the gears of his mind turning.

  “Mitch, please…” I whispered.

  He sighed and opened the door, and my vision worked in slow motion as his secretary Hannah, came into view. I’d met her once before, at a dinner once upon a time. She was young, maybe in her early twenties, with long blonde hair, full, red lips, and loads of dark eye makeup. She was wearing a skin tight dress that left little to the imagination, hugging her every curve, and her lipstick and hair were smudged, and her hands were twitching nervously as she clasped them together in front of her. As soon as she was exposed, her eyes cut to Mitch, looking for instruction.

  I managed to tear my eyes away from her long enough to look back at Mitch. “Really, Mitch? This is what you want?” I asked, considering the trembling girl again, making notes of the differences between us.

  Mitch looked absolutely frantic. “It’s not what you think, Kat. Please, hear me out!”

  “You have a woman—a girl—hiding in your closet and you locked me out of your office. Mitch, don’t lie to me. I’m not stupid! Maybe I have been, ignoring the signs and pretending the distance between us wasn’t a problem, but that was all fixable! This—this isn’t. I mean, how long has this even been going on?” I paused, reconsidering my question. I put my hands up, blocking him. “No, you know what? I don’t even want to know.”

  “It was a mistake, Kat, a moment of weakness! That’s it!” Mitch said, locking his eyes with mine, disregarding the girl in the closet. “Please, Kat, let me explain.” He reached for me again, this time getting a grip on my forearm.

  “No!” I yelled, turning away, and ripping my arm out of his grip as though he’d burned my skin. “I’m not some client that you can use your sales voodoo on. I won’t be bought! This,” I said, tugging the massive diamond ring from my finger, “is over. We, are over.”

  I threw the ring on his desk before racing out of the room as fast as I could without falling on my face. I barely made it to the elevator without spraining my ankle, and only once inside the metal box did I allow myself to break—freeing the hot river of tears as I sagged against the wall.

  Somehow, on the ride down to the lower level, I pulled it together enough to keep my head held high as I stalked back to the car—hoping that Mitch and his little whore were watching from his office window. I shifted my focus back to the only thing that mattered—getting home to Jax and making a new life for us.

  Chapter Two — Kat

  Two Years Later…

  It was the Monday from hell. Jax was screaming at the top of his lungs at Mickey, our Golden Retriever, who was barking happily, thinking that Jax was playing the game of tug-o-war with him, when in reality…the three-year-old just wanted his favorite stuffed bunny back in one piece. As I’d been in the middle of breaking up the fight, the toaster had gone rogue and the smell of burnt toast filled the house. So, with no breakfast, a slobber covered stuffed bunny, and clothes that I’d been forced to pull from the dryer even though they were still damp, I hauled Jax up on one hip and headed next door to drop him off with Hilda, my saint disguised as a babysitter. She ran a small daycare from her home and had fallen in love with Jax from the day we moved in and offered me a ridiculous discount to watch him when I went to work and then again, three nights a week, when I went to school.

  “It’s okay, Jaxy, bunny will be okay. Mickey was just playing,” I tried to explain to the inconsolable toddler as we hurried across the postage stamp yard in front of our townhouse. Regardless of my explanation, Jax only cried harder as he picked at the munched ear of his favorite toy. As I sprinted, I silently prayed that Hilda would be handy with a needle and thread to mend it before Jax went into a full-on melt down.

  Hilda was waiting outside for us and broke into a huge smile as soon as she saw baby Jax and the stress wrapped around my stomach loosened. At least I knew he’d be safe and in good hands while I was gone. “Good morning,” she called.

  “Morning Hilda,” I said, struggling to hold onto Jax who began flapping his arms, trying to reach for Hilda. I smiled and passed him off. “So, we had a little bunny emergency this morning, bunny might need a trip to the hospital,” I said, throwing Hilda a wink as Jax showed her the place where the ear was pulling away from the head, a tiny swath of cotton exposed.
r />   “Well you’ve come to the right place, Mr. Jax. Bunny will get the best care possible,” Hilda responded, snuggling Jax close.

  I pressed a kiss to Jax’s tawny head. “You hear that, kiddo? Ms. Hilda’ll fix him up while mama is at work.”

  Jax waved a hand at me as I backed a few steps down the drive. “Thanks Hilda, you’re an angel!” I called, going back across the small yard that separated our attached homes and began fumbling for my keys.

  “Have a good day, mama!” Hilda said, helping Jax wave at me as I fired up my old hatchback and pulled out onto the street. As I drove away, my eyes welled up—as they always did—wishing I could stay home with Jax.

  Like I used to…

  “No,” I shook my head. “Nope, nope, not today,” I scolded myself. I refused to let myself get lost in the tangle of memories and pointless wishing that things could be different. That was my old life, and I was never going back to that again.

  It was startling how much my old life still haunted me. It had been two years since the day I’d found out Mitch was cheating on me with his secretary, Hannah Neal. In a way, it felt like a bad dream, and if it weren’t for Jax, I wondered if I’d even think about the dirt bag at all. As it was, we had gone through a nasty, drawn out divorce trial and custody battle, and not two months after it was settled, Mitch and Hannah had run off to Maui and eloped on the beach.

  In the end, I’d walked away with joint custody of Jax, just enough child support to get by on, and a reversion back to my maiden name. I was Katherine Anne Ryan again, and as far as I cared, would remain that way for the rest of my life. Despite Mitch’s rush back down the aisle, and everyone’s prodding that I move on and start dating again, I had little desire to ever go down that path again.

  Not that I had time anyways. After the divorce became final, I’d been forced to take a job at a small diner, just to make up the difference between what child support would cover and what I needed to keep food on the table and the electric bill paid on time. Meanwhile, Mitch and Hannah had recently upgraded the house I’d shared with him for nearly five years, adding on an extensive horse barn and mother-in-law home on the back of the property. Mitch had more money than he knew what to do with, but that had also afforded him a far superior legal team during the divorce, and made sure that I didn’t get a penny more than I needed to survive. And then, like clockwork, allowed him to swoop in and spoil Jax with anything a small child could imagine, including our dog Mickey, who had originally been adopted to stay with Mitch and Hannah, but he and Jax had become inseparable—unless a stuffed toy was at stake--so like it or not, I also ended up with 50/50 custody of a Golden Retriever mix.