[B.S. #3] Claiming Laura Read online

  Braden Security 3

  Claiming Laura

  Clay, the tattooed senior member of Braden Security, meets Laura in the very vanilla side of the Vanilla Spice Playground while helping his friend and owner of the club. Intrigued when he first spots her coming into the bar, he sets out to meet her by sticking his foot out and trips her right into his lap. Laura is very attracted to Clay, but Clay’s overly protective manner and a secret from her past interrupts their budding relationship.

  Laura has been working and living under an assumed name for the last 5 years in Detroit. As her secrets are unraveled it comes to light that the general involved 10 years ago with the dishonorable discharge of Clay’s unit from the army, is the same person that Laura has been hiding from. All the men of Braden Security band together to keep Laura safe and bring the General down at the same time.

  Genre: Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

  Length: 65,997 words

  CLAIMING LAURA

  Braden Security 3

  Dale Cadeau

  EROTIC ROMANCE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

  CLAIMING LAURA

  Copyright © 2014 by Dale Cadeau

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-231-7

  First E-book Publication: September 2014

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Claiming Laura by Dale Cadeau from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Dale Cadeau’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Dale Cadeau’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  To my mom, my daughter, and husband, for their continued support.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  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

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  About the Author

  CLAIMING LAURA

  Braden Security 3

  DALE CADEAU

  Copyright © 2014

  Chapter One

  Laura sat in front of her bedroom mirror and combed out her long black hair. She had decided that five years was long enough with her hiding the hair that she took such pride in. It had been a dull brown for so long that the people in the office and her friends thought that was her original colour. She had recently dyed it back to the deep black.

  She had decided it was time that she started really living again.

  Finally she was starting to feel safe. It had been ten years that her life had not been her own. Two of those years were spent under the watchful eye of the Feds in a witness protection plan. She soon found out that they could not keep her safe when the small bistro that she worked at was firebombed and her apartment ransacked. Not waiting around for the Feds to move her to another small town, she took off on her own.

  After moving from town to town, she had finally landed in Detroit. She had now lived five years in the city and had gotten a job at an accounting firm. First, just as an assistant, as she couldn’t produce any references, but gradually she was able to prove her skills, and now she had her own accounts that she worked on.

  The accounting firm had a good computer server system, so now it allowed her to work at home on her laptop, only going into the office when needed. This also kept her out of sight and not on display as other jobs would have.

  She was getting ready to go out for her birthday with the girls—Jane, Sela, and Cathy. She had met them in the cafeteria of the large office building that housed the accounting office and other businesses in its tower. She played cool at first, not wanting to make friendships that she might have to leave behind at any moment. But the girls had persevered and now they were her best friends. Along with her small house, which she had bought, allowing herself to put down some roots, these were the only luxuries she allowed herself.

  The girls should be here any second to pick her up for the birthday celebration that they insisted on. Laura had tried to talk them out of it, but knowing them, anything to celebrate and go out on the town was not going to be put off. She didn’t know why they clicked. The girls liked to party while she had to stay in the shadows and didn’t accompany them many places. Maybe it was because she wished that she was free to enjoy herself like other women her age.

  She was expecting to go to the local diner tonight that they usually went to. It was never crowded and small enough that Laura felt that nobody would ever think to look for her there, so she felt safe and could enjoy herself. When the girls arrived with a limo, Laura was stunned. She questioned them as she let them in the door and into the small hallway. “Aren’t we just going out to dinner at Frank’s like we always do?”

  “No way, not tonight. I got some guest passes from a fellow co-worker fo
r the new club that just opened out on the edge of the warehouse district. We are going to check it out, and maybe we’ll all get lucky,” Jane told her with a carefree laugh.

  Laura asked, “And who decided this was a good idea? We don’t know this club and it seems like a long way to go when we don’t know anything about it. Why don’t we stick with Frank’s? We know it, and it’s just around the corner.”

  “We thought of that. That’s why there is a limo outside waiting for us. You know us well enough to know we like to have a good time, but would never drink and drive. Remember my friends Jeff and May that I told you about from high school? They thought they were indestructible. Well, they weren’t. I don’t forget that time in my life. Drinking and driving is just crazy.”

  Laura walked over to Cathy and gave her a hug. “Yes, I just forgot for the moment that you had lost friends in high school from liquor.”

  “OK, guys!” Jane said as she opened the door for them to leave. “Let’s get this show on the road. The night is young just like we are.” At the other raised eyebrows Jane amended, “We are all great women and the best years are still to come.”

  “Come on, people, we are celebrating.” With that, Jane ushered Sela and Cathy out the door then turned to Laura and grabbed her hand and followed them out.

  Pulling the door shut behind her and locking it, Laura had to smile to herself. This is going to be some evening. Catching herself, Laura sobered as she remembered that she still had to be aware of her surroundings. She could enjoy the evening but had to be on guard, especially at a new place.

  Jane looked back and remarked, “Smile, Laura. When you frown it make you look older than what you are. Tonight we are as young as we want to be.”

  Cathy led the way and they all bundled into the limo.

  It took the happy bunch thirty-five minutes to reach the outskirts of town and the large club that was housed in a warehouse. Laura did not discover until halfway there that Cathy had hidden a bottle in the limo. Not wanting to disappoint her friends, Laura indulged in a drink. She didn’t want to be the spoilsport of the party.

  The sign on the building declared that they had reached The VSP Playground. What do the initials stand for? Laura pondered as they all pilled out of the car.

  Walking to the front door with her friends, Laura looked at all the cars already in the parking lot. “I thought you said this was a new place? If that’s so, they are really doing great business.”

  Jane walked up the steps past her and held the large door open for them as she gave Laura a half smile. “Maybe they serve up something different? Let’s go find out.”

  Jane followed her friends inside.

  Inside the door was a large desk set back from the entranceway with the largest, meanest man that they had ever seen sitting behind it.

  “What can I do for you, ladies?” the guy growled.

  Jane walked forward with the tickets and handed them to the man.

  Looking at the tickets he told them, “You are only allowed into the vanilla bar area with these tickets.” The man pointed at the doors to his right.

  Jane and the others walked to the tall imposing doors, with Laura trailing behind them. Opening the doors, they were bombarded with the loud beat of the music. The lights were dim and there seemed to be an awful lot of people crowded in the room.

  “Let go get a drink, then find a table,” Jane yelled back over the noise as she led the way inside.

  Following Jane and the others, Laura didn’t pay attention to where she was going. She was too wide eyed, looking around the bar and the people crowding it.

  * * * *

  Clay paused from slowly sipping his whiskey at the bar and lifted his head. He turned toward the door, hearing the yell above the music, and watched as four women made their way toward the bar where he was seated. They were all stunners in their own way, but Clay’s attention was caught by the woman bringing up the rear of the group. She looked a little more mature than the others with her mode of dress. But the long black hair, trim figure, and wide green eyes taking in everything around her got Clay’s notice. Clay liked the whole package.

  Clay knew with that one look he had to meet her. He would have to think of some way to separate her from her friends, if only for a minute so they could meet.

  Clay was contemplating what to do as he watched the women file by his chair, one by one. He knew the method he came up with was dirty, but that didn’t stop him as he put his foot out and bumped her calf as she walked by. Clay was ready as she tripped and he scooped her up in his arms and sat her down on his lap.

  Laura was breathless as she felt the large arms surrounding her. She could have had a bad fall by not watching where she was going. Pushing her hair off her face, she looked up at her savior.

  Her mind went blank when she got a glance of the man holding her. She could feel her mouth drop open. He was the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes on and she was sitting on his lap. His eyes were totally focused on her and his arms seemed to tighten just a bit as she looked her fill.

  “Thanks for saving me,” Laura stuttered. Thinking that he would probably want her to move, she said the last thing she wanted to say. “If you’ll just let me up, I’ll join my friends.” She didn’t want to move. She wanted to stay in this beautiful man’s lap.

  What am I thinking? A man like him would not take a second glance at me if I hadn’t fallen into his lap.

  Clay looked down at the large green eyes staring back at him. With her pale complexion, long black hair, and curves, his body reacted to her like it never had done before for any other woman. God, he just wanted to eat her up. He could make such a meal out of her. He could smell her spicy perfume and knew the smell didn’t all come out of a bottle. Clay tightened his arms around her again. What could he say? He was so rusty when it came to small talk or having to make polite conversation with a woman, that now he was lost. Clay knew, what the women that usually hung around him expected, and talking wasn’t usually a requirement.

  This woman was different.

  “Hey, pretty lady, the pleasure was all mine. The bar is awful crowded tonight. This might be the only good seat left in the house.”

  Laura couldn’t help grinning up at him. He was flirting, at least she thought so. After years of making sure she stayed off anyone’s radar, she was so out of practice.

  “What about my friends that I came with?”

  “Sorry, my lap only has room for one.”

  Laughing up at him, she gently removed his arms from around her and stood up, between his legs. Stepping back a little, she took him in. He wore dark brown leather pants and a leather vest that matched. His arms were solid muscle and full of tattoos. Looking up past his magnificent chest on display with the open vest, she took in his too long brown hair streaked with a little silver. His gray eyes were framed by long black lashes. Eyes that you could get lost in, Laura thought. If she had been asked to describe bedroom eyes, these would be it. The total package, along with his masculine scent, brought to her mind things she should not be thinking of when just meeting a man for the first time.

  Tearing her eyes away from him, she looked around for her friends. Spotting them, she saw that they were at the cash register at the end of the bar paying for their drinks. “There they are. I better hurry if I want a drink.”

  Clay turned in his seat but, keeping her hips encased by his legs, he raised his hand at the bartender, who was at his elbow right away. Looking at Laura, he asked, “And what would you like? I can’t keep calling you pretty lady, even though it fits. Tell me your name? I’m Clay Taylor.”

  “Thanks. I’ll have a rum and coke.” She opened her purse and fumbled trying to pull her wallet out. “And my name is Laura.”

  “Does it go with a last name? I don’t bite and your friends are just at the end of the bar, so I think you’re reasonably safe,” Clay added, trying to be smooth.

  “Branch, my last name is Branch.”

  “Well, Laura Branc
h. Let me buy you at least one drink. Your friends seem to be getting to know the neighbors around here.”

  Laura looked at her friends, who now were standing surrounded by men. They seemed to be having a great time.

  The bartender laid her drink on the bar and Clay laid some cash on the bar before she could ever reach into her wallet.

  “Thank you for the drink, but my friends and I are out celebrating this evening and I wouldn’t want to desert them.” She picked up her drink from the bar and turned away from Clay toward her friends. Clay gently grabbed her elbow before she had taken one step away from him.

  “Do you come here often? I would really like to see you again and continue with our conversation, Laura Branch.”

  Laura looked at him. “This is our first time here. A friend of Jane’s gave her the tickets. If we didn’t have them, we probably wouldn’t be here. It was nice meeting you and I also would like to continue our conversation, perhaps at a later date.”

  Clay stood up. This close he was very much in her personal space. He pulled a card from his back pocket of his leather pants. “Call me and we can arrange something. I can see that you usually don’t take men’s cards, but please let this be the exception.”

  Laura glanced at the card in Clay’s hand and took it. After all, hadn’t she said only tonight that she had to start living again? Maybe this was the sign. “I’ll call you.”

  “Any time, pretty lady,” Clay said to her turned back as she walked away and he sat back down.

  As Laura made her way back to her friends, she couldn’t resist looking over her shoulder. Clay was still looking at her. God, what she would give to be able to just sit on his lap again. Turning back toward her friends, she sighed as she finally reached their group.