(The Friessens: A New Beginning #1-4)
Genres: Adult, Romance
Synopsis book 1:In THE DEADLINE, Andy Friessen has packed up everything and moved his family two states away, to Montana, to protect his wife, Laura, his newborn babies, and his stepson, Gabriel, from the threats of his mother. What Andy doesn’t know is that they’ll soon face a new threat, one he never saw coming.
Gabriel is sick, and a trip to the doctor confirms Laura and Andy’s worst nightmare: Without a lifesaving transplant, their son won’t survive.
What Andy doesn’t count on, as he tracks down the young man who fathered Gabriel, as well as Laura’s estranged parents, is that a whole host of problems are about to be unleashed.
THE FRIESSENS: A NEW BEGINNING:The Deadline (Andy & Laura)
The Price to Love (Neil & Candy)
A Different Kind of Love (Brad & Emily)
A Vow of Love, A Friessen Family Christmas
Gabriel is sick, and a trip to the doctor confirms Laura and Andy’s worst nightmare: Without a lifesaving transplant, their son won’t survive.
What Andy doesn’t count on, as he tracks down the young man who fathered Gabriel, as well as Laura’s estranged parents, is that a whole host of problems are about to be unleashed.
THE FRIESSENS: A NEW BEGINNING:The Deadline (Andy & Laura)
The Price to Love (Neil & Candy)
A Different Kind of Love (Brad & Emily)
A Vow of Love, A Friessen Family Christmas
**The stories in this series are romances filled with sexual tension, rough language, passion, the ideals of family, love and loyalty and The Friessen men in these stories are strong sexy alpha males. And are not your typical happily ever after.
The Price to Love
“Mister Neil, when are you expecting your guest?” Ana asked. The short, plump Mayan woman was their housekeeper and cook, and she moved a plate of cookies onto the sofa table.
“Any minute now,” Neil replied as he glanced at his watch before noticing Candy where she lingered beside the bookshelf. “Candy, I didn’t hear you come in,” he said. His gaze lingered on her as he took in what she was wearing. His expression was questioning. This was the first time she had chosen something different than what he’d set out for her. Before, it had been helpful for him to pick out her clothes when she didn’t know what to wear, but now it seemed as if he was dressing her up to meet a mistress. She said nothing.
“Your parents, will they be meeting this woman, as well?” Ana asked.
Neil turned to Ana, distracted, and said, “No, not yet.” He stepped around the sofa, closer to Candy, and Ana took that moment to slip out of the room. “Why aren’t you wearing the dress that I set out for you?” he asked.
“I didn’t want to wear a dress. What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“You’re not wearing makeup, so what have you been doing for the past hour?” He sounded annoyed.
“I was thinking,” she said as she moved around the sofa toward one of the large windows. She leaned in and stared at the small black car pulling up out front.
“What were you thinking about?” he asked. She could feel his heat as he stepped up behind her.
She shrugged. “Just some things. Besides, what should it matter what I wear? Is there something more going on, here?”
This time she met his gaze, and humor filled his expression. She wasn’t amused, though. She was ready for a fight, though their fights usually led her to a place she loved to be—making up with him in bed. He put his hands on his hips, and she knew he was about to start in on her and maybe push a little harder. He never let things go, not after everything they’d been through, fighting their way back to each other from hell. Her connection with Neil was everything she’d every wanted, but at times his worry about her could be smothering.
Fortunately, he was stopped from pushing his agenda, as far as dressing her went, when the doorbell rang. Candy glanced out the window and noticed two women as Neil yelled out, “I’ll get it, Ana.”
She didn’t move from her spot by the window as he went down the hall. Charm oozed from her husband as he spoke, and then, as expected, she heard a woman laughing. Neil had that effect. She rolled her eyes, knowing no one could see her, and listened to their voices and footsteps as they approached.
“Candy, this is Maria and her mother, Carmen,” Neil said as they entered. The two women stood beside Neil and followed him after he gestured to the sofas. “Come in, sit down, please. Could I offer you a glass of lemonade?”
“Si, senor. That is very kind,” the older woman said. She was slim and attractive, with jet-black hair woven with silver threads, pinned back at the sides with two barrettes. She was pretty and looked so neat and tidy in her red skirt and white blouse. Her daughter, Maria, was a young woman, and she smiled brightly up at Neil. When her gaze slid over to Candy, she blushed. Her hair was long, dark, straight—not wild and out of control, like Candy’s. She was slim, with long legs, and curvy in a way men must have loved.
Neil poured two glasses of lemonade, and Maria smiled in a coy, shy way that stirred all Candy’s insecurities. Her stomach was starting to hurt, maybe from how tightly she’d been holding on to everything, bottling up her feelings. Having a woman here who would carry her husband’s child…it was almost more than she could bear.
“Candy?” Neil gestured to another glass as he poured.
“No,” she said, shaking her head and crossing her arms in front of her. She took only one step from her spot by the window before deciding to stay where she was.
Neil set the glass down and strode around to the fireplace, facing the women. “I’m glad you agreed to come. My wife isn’t able to have children, and we want a family—a child of our own.”
Maria, sitting right beside her mother, cast Candy a sympathetic look, and Carmen patted her daughter’s hand. “My Maria is strong and young. She can carry your child, Mister Friessen,” she said boldly.
Candy had never considered that Neil would talk openly about her condition this way, in front of strangers, and it stung—never mind the fact that this was why the women were here in the first place. “How old are you, Maria?” she asked.
The Deadline
“Everything’s loaded up,” Andy said as he strode into the hotel room. Laura was bundling up the babies and buckling them into the carrier. Gabriel was still lying on the bed, bundled in his coat, his pajamas on underneath. He still hadn’t shaken off the flu bug, but hopefully he’d start to feel better once they were settled in the house. “You ready yet?” Andy said. “I want to get there while it’s still early enough to do something.”
He realized it had come out a little sharp, as Laura flinched and hesitated before setting the buckle in place over the twins. Andy ran his hand over his face a couple times to try to ground himself.
“Why are you so irritated this morning? Did I do something?” Laura asked, sounding genuinely hurt.
Andy groaned. He really didn’t want to get into this right now. “You’ve been really tired lately,” he said.
“Yes, of course I have. I feel like a damn dairy cow. How many times am I up at night, feeding the babies——and during the day? If they woke up at the same time, I would be getting more sleep. But right now, I get one down and the other one wakes up. I’m sorry, Andy. I’m doing the best I can,” she said.
Well, now he felt like crap. Laura was all but falling over with exhaustion, and it didn’t help that he wanted to paw at her like some randy teenager. If he didn’t do something about this soon, the tension between them would ramp up and the distance between them would grow. The fact was that he needed her. “Okay,” he said, holding up his hand as if letting her know he’d decided what they needed to do. “First things first, we get settled in the house. Then, I’m going to hire help for the kids.”
Laura’s expression took on a hurt he hadn’t seen in a long time. Along with being tired——she was misunderstanding everything he said. “I’m not irresponsible, Andy,” she snapped. “I’m capable of looking after my own children.”
Yeah, she had definitely taken it the wrong way. He took a step closer to her, then another step, until he had backed her against the wall. He traced his thumb over her lip, her cheek, sliding his hand into her hair, taking in her startled green eyes. The weariness that had been there a second ago was now replaced with surprise, and he stepped closer still, pressing into her with all his hardness. Her breath caught. He rubbed his nose against hers, his warm breath fluttered across her lips, and her tongue flicked out and over her lower lip. He was so close to her, almost touching her, that she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to pull herself closer. He started to lift her and was about to strip her right there when the baby squealed. He nearly dropped her, stepping back quickly and glancing at Gabriel, who was still asleep on the bed, his back to them.
“Oh my God. What the hell was I thinking?” he said.
Laura was standing there, dazed, and he wondered if the hint of pink on her cheeks was the start of a blush. She slid her hands through her short hair but didn’t say a word as she stared at him, licking her lower lip again. Did she have no idea what she did to him when she looked at him like that? His eyes went instantly to her lush tongue, and his thoughts went running to images of his own tongue over her sweet lips, tasting her. Her eyes widened as she took in his arousal. He couldn’t hide it, which only added to his agony.
“Andy, the kids…” she started.
“We’re hiring help for the kids so you can get some rest,” he began, stepping toward her again, closer. He knew she understood his meaning. “If I don’t get my wife back soon, well, let me be clear——my mood is unlikely to improve. I want you willing, rested, and an active participant when I have you under me again.” He set his hand around her chin and pulled her closer, nipping her lower lip between his teeth and kissing her deeply before stepping away. “Understand?”
She was out of breath. She swallowed, her cheeks flushed. “Yes.”
“Good,” he said.
He realized it had come out a little sharp, as Laura flinched and hesitated before setting the buckle in place over the twins. Andy ran his hand over his face a couple times to try to ground himself.
“Why are you so irritated this morning? Did I do something?” Laura asked, sounding genuinely hurt.
Andy groaned. He really didn’t want to get into this right now. “You’ve been really tired lately,” he said.
“Yes, of course I have. I feel like a damn dairy cow. How many times am I up at night, feeding the babies——and during the day? If they woke up at the same time, I would be getting more sleep. But right now, I get one down and the other one wakes up. I’m sorry, Andy. I’m doing the best I can,” she said.
Well, now he felt like crap. Laura was all but falling over with exhaustion, and it didn’t help that he wanted to paw at her like some randy teenager. If he didn’t do something about this soon, the tension between them would ramp up and the distance between them would grow. The fact was that he needed her. “Okay,” he said, holding up his hand as if letting her know he’d decided what they needed to do. “First things first, we get settled in the house. Then, I’m going to hire help for the kids.”
Laura’s expression took on a hurt he hadn’t seen in a long time. Along with being tired——she was misunderstanding everything he said. “I’m not irresponsible, Andy,” she snapped. “I’m capable of looking after my own children.”
Yeah, she had definitely taken it the wrong way. He took a step closer to her, then another step, until he had backed her against the wall. He traced his thumb over her lip, her cheek, sliding his hand into her hair, taking in her startled green eyes. The weariness that had been there a second ago was now replaced with surprise, and he stepped closer still, pressing into her with all his hardness. Her breath caught. He rubbed his nose against hers, his warm breath fluttered across her lips, and her tongue flicked out and over her lower lip. He was so close to her, almost touching her, that she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to pull herself closer. He started to lift her and was about to strip her right there when the baby squealed. He nearly dropped her, stepping back quickly and glancing at Gabriel, who was still asleep on the bed, his back to them.
“Oh my God. What the hell was I thinking?” he said.
Laura was standing there, dazed, and he wondered if the hint of pink on her cheeks was the start of a blush. She slid her hands through her short hair but didn’t say a word as she stared at him, licking her lower lip again. Did she have no idea what she did to him when she looked at him like that? His eyes went instantly to her lush tongue, and his thoughts went running to images of his own tongue over her sweet lips, tasting her. Her eyes widened as she took in his arousal. He couldn’t hide it, which only added to his agony.
“Andy, the kids…” she started.
“We’re hiring help for the kids so you can get some rest,” he began, stepping toward her again, closer. He knew she understood his meaning. “If I don’t get my wife back soon, well, let me be clear——my mood is unlikely to improve. I want you willing, rested, and an active participant when I have you under me again.” He set his hand around her chin and pulled her closer, nipping her lower lip between his teeth and kissing her deeply before stepping away. “Understand?”
She was out of breath. She swallowed, her cheeks flushed. “Yes.”
“Good,” he said.
Lorhainne lives on sunny Salt Spring Island with her family where she is working on her next novel.
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