Unbridled Passion: A Riverton Crossing Novel Read online

  UNBRIDLED PASSION

  A RIVERTON CROSSING NOVEL - Book 5

  Savannah Maris

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SAM AND CARRIE? LOOK FOR THEIR STORY, UNCHARTERED TERRITORY, COMING 2019.

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  INTERESTED IN OTHER BOOKS BY SAVANNAH MARIS?

  Prologue

  This book is the work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events portrayed in this book are the product of the author’s imagination and are either fictitious or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  ISBN-13: 9781728873138

  Copyright © 2018 Savannah Maris

  All Rights Reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in whole or in part by any means.

  Author: Savannah Maris

  Editor: Jennifer Roberts-Hall

  Cover Photo(s): FuriousFotog

  Cover Design: MadHat Covers

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to Linda Russell and all of the team from Foreword PR & Marketing. Y’all have helped me so much, and I don’t know what I’d do without you!

  Thanks to Shari Ryan. You make my covers beautiful! You get my vision and make it happen. You rock!

  Thank you to my beta readers: Jessica, Pam, Nikki, Dee, Judy, Lori, April, Courtney, and Ashley. Your feedback helps make these stories so good.

  Thank you to Jennifer Roberts-Hall. Even though we’re a country apart, you see the story. I know some of my southernisms don’t make sense to you, but thank you for understanding me.

  To my readers, thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining me on this ride. I couldn’t do it without your support.

  Most of all, thank you to my family who has encouraged me from day one. My hubby who puts up with crazy requests in the name of research and loves me anyway, and my kids who think this is cool.

  Prologue

  Eight Weeks Earlier

  “Vanessa, your husband is here to pick you up,” Ms. Jane said as she opened the door and stuck her head inside the back room.

  “Thank you, please tell him I’m on my way,” Vanessa replied.

  She hated to leave this room because the smell of Nathan’s cologne was still faintly in there—or was it her imagination? She remembered laughing for the first time in years inside this little room a few weeks earlier. Nathan did that for her.

  With a heavy sigh, she turned off the lights and locked the door. Walking toward the front desk, she turned the corner and saw him, her husband. He stood by the front door with his hands in his pockets. To anyone else, he appeared to be casually waiting for his wife, but she knew better. His copper hair was disheveled, the top button on his dress shirt was open, his tie was pulled loose from his neck, his suit jacket was missing, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Since he was the school board superintendent, it was never a good sign for him to pick her up and not look completely put together. She knew she was in for a long night.

  “I’ll lock up the library, Vanessa.”

  “Thanks, Ms. Jane.” Vanessa gave the woman a hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she turned to face Charles. She walked quickly toward him, trying to minimize his anger.

  “What the hell took you so long? Trying to sneak a certain police officer out the back door?” Charles asked as he took hold of his wife’s arm.

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Charles.”

  The grip on her arm tightened with her words. “You don’t fool me. I’ve seen the way he looks at you and you at him. It sucks to want to be with someone else when you’re tied to someone you don’t care for, doesn’t it?”

  The evil laugh that left him made her shiver. She smelled alcohol on his breath and knew it was best to keep her thoughts to herself.

  She didn’t speak a word the entire ride home. The car hadn’t even been turned off before she quickly got out and headed for the kitchen. God forbid dinner not be on the table precisely at six. She’d done the prep work the night before, so all she had to do was put it together. She saw Charles in the living room pouring a drink, gulping it down, and pouring another. The best thing for her to do was to stay away from him.

  He’d just pulled his chair to the table when she walked into the room with dinner. “It better taste good.”

  She took off the apron she wore so she didn’t get her work clothes dirty because she would hear it for weeks if she had to send something to the dry cleaners. She remembered one of the first dinners they had together at his father’s house when she was sixteen:

  “You will always dress for dinner. What you wear to work is fine, but I don’t want to see shorts or sweats at the dinner table. My father wouldn’t approve, and neither do I.”

  From that day forward, she made sure she was always dressed appropriately.

  “What did you eat today? Can you afford the calories this dinner has?” Charles looked at her expectantly.

  He only ever brought up her weight if his mistress made a comment about it. At twenty-five, she weighed the same as she did when she graduated high school. He’d made a point to tell her that she would maintain that weight until he was ready for them to have children, so she recorded her weight every day on the chart the asshole had beside the scales. She rarely had a period anymore because of her weight.

  “I had the salad you watched me pack this morning,” she quietly said.

  “Then you should be fine.” He served her the portion he found suitable.

  She sat there with her hands in her lap until he tasted everything and nodded toward her indicating she could eat. He watched her take a few bites. “Father called today. He wants to know why you aren’t pregnant yet.”

  Her stomach turned at the thought.

  “Maybe after another drink or two, I can fuck you.” An evil smile stretched across his face.

  Was that why he was drinking so much? Oh, God, please no. What little appetite she had was now gone, so she laid her fork down and slid her plate away. “I’m full, and I need to get some laundry done. May I be excused? I’ll clean the kitchen when you’re finished.”

  “Yeah, the thought of fucking you makes me sick too. Oh, and Daddy dearest made you an appointment with the doctor tomorr
ow to make sure we’re having sex, so no condom tonight.”

  Vanessa’s mind was racing. He was cruel when they had sex. He didn’t touch her, didn’t kiss her, never made it enjoyable. He never made love to her because he didn’t love her. He’d always loved Linda and made sure she knew it. If she wanted any relief, she’d use a lubricant before he came near her because she wouldn’t get it any other way.

  She decided to wash a load of laundry before she changed into something more comfortable. As she pulled out his dress shirts, she saw lipstick on the collar of one of them. She knew this would get her off the hook, so she took it with her to the dining room where he’d just finished his dinner. “Is this Linda’s lipstick, or do you have a new mistress?”

  The chair toppled to the floor with a quick push from the table.

  Whack!

  He slapped her across the face so hard that his college ring caught her lip and split it open. “I’ve told you to never say her name. You aren’t good enough! It’s your fault we aren’t together!”

  The rage in his face was something she’d never seen before. She stumbled toward the desk in the living room where Charles kept a handgun. At least she could protect herself. She was plundering through the desk when Charles calmly strolled into the room with a hand behind his back.

  “You looking for this?” he asked as he waved the gun at her.

  She grabbed the phone off the desk and dialed 9-1-1. When the operator answered, the disbelief on Charles’s face was evident. “Help. My husband has a—”

  Bang!

  She screamed as she fell to the floor. Charles jerked the phone out of her hand and disconnected the call. A few minutes later she saw blue lights flashing. Thank you, God.

  “You, stupid bitch. I should—”

  “Riverton Crossing Police Department. Open up, Mr. Harper.”

  “There’s no problem. We’re sorry for the false alarm,” Charles called through the door.

  “Sorry, sir. We need to speak with Mrs. Harper,” the voice from the other side of the door said.

  Vanessa tilted her head to see Charles move toward the front door. “Please help me,” she softly said.

  “You. You here to rescue my bitch of a wife? Did she blow you when y’all were watching surveillance tapes? That’d be a first. Did you fuck her? I hope you brought plenty of lube because it’s like fucking dry bones!” Charles yelled.

  “Where is she?”

  She knew that voice. Nathan. Nathan was here.

  1

  Present

  Officer Nathan Cox had sat in this same courtroom about two months ago when Charles Harper was denied bail and remanded for forty-five days for psychological evaluations to prove he could stand trial. Now, his forty-five days were up, and Nathan hoped the judge would keep him in jail until his hearing for criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature as well as attempted murder, so he sat there with his knee bouncing until the hearing began.

  Startled by the hand landing on his shoulder, he turned quickly to see his Chief of Police, Evan Riverton, and Officer Rodney Parker behind him.

  “Want some company?”

  Since he was a big guy, he always sat on the end, so he stood to let them slide in. “Do you know this judge?” Nathan asked Evan.

  “Nah, man. I don’t know any of the Circuit Court Judges.”

  “With all of the evidence, surely, she won’t let him out,” Nathan said more like a prayer than a question.

  “Hang in there. Have you spoken with Vanessa?” Evan asked.

  “A couple of times.” With a knowing twinkle in his eyes, he looked at Evan. “I’m her investigating officer. I need to know she’s safe.”

  Evan leveled Nathan with a don’t bullshit me look.

  “She knows about the hearing today,” Nathan nodded, “and I told her I’d be here.”

  “How’s she doing?”

  “Trying to figure life out for the first time.” Pain laced his voice.

  “Nathan, be patient. She’s got all she needs to get one of the quickest divorces in South Carolina, but she has to file for it.” Evan looked at Nathan who had a wrinkled forehead from the concern on his face.

  “I guess the quickest would’ve been for him to kill her.” He knew his temper was rising and needed to stomp that shit down before Charles walked into this courtroom. Didn’t happen fast enough. Nathan was back to bouncing his knee. Funny, he was coaching his whole body to stay seated when Charles walked in.

  Nathan cut his eyes to Charles when the bailiff said, “All rise. The Honorable Francis Sherman presiding.” Everyone stood until the judge motioned for them to take a seat. When Nathan sat down, he clasped his hands together. Even though he wasn’t near Charles, he was afraid they’d try to strangle him if he left them by his side.

  The minute Charles’s attorney, Mr. Wayne Chesterfield, finished speaking to him, Charles looked him in the eye. Nathan didn’t back down from the eye contact, nor did he fall for the taunting smile Charles was baiting him with. As Charles took his seat, he continued to stare at his back.

  “Nathan, he’s not worth it,” Evan quietly said close to his ear.

  Nathan cut his eyes to Evan. “He’s not, but Vanessa is.”

  “Mr. Harper,” The judge started to speak, “I’ve reviewed your file and your psychological evaluation. I’m pleased to see that you passed that with flying colors, and there won’t be a reason for you not to stand trial. I also see that Vanessa Harper has filed for divorce during your incarceration.”

  Nathan’s mouth fell open, and he closed his eyes. Thank you. Thank you. When his elation had calmed, he realized he’d missed part of what the judge had said.

  “…you must forfeit your passport, and you are not allowed to leave the county.”

  What the fuck? What happened? He looked at Evan. “What did I miss? I zoned out for a minute.”

  “I’ll tell you outside,” Evan said.

  The judge slammed her gavel. “Court is adjourned.”

  2

  Vanessa paced through her cottage on the beach. Waiting to hear from Nathan was killing her. How long could this hearing take? Was it taking so long because they released him? Oh, dear God, please don’t let that happen. She checked her phone for the hundredth time and continued to pace. When a phone buzzed, she froze, looked at her phone and realized Nathan was using the burner phone. She rushed to her purse to dig it out before it stopped ringing.

  “Nathan!”

  “Hey, beautiful. You sound a little shook up. You okay?”

  “Yes, I couldn’t wait to hear from you. What happened? It’s been hours.”

  “I don’t want to do this over the phone, but I can’t come down there right now.”

  “Is it that bad? Do I have to go back?”

  “Ness, calm down.”

  She loved that he’d started calling her that.

  “We’ve got a lot to talk about, but first, when did you file for divorce?”

  She smiled hearing the relief in his voice. “The day after you dropped me off, I called my father’s attorney here. He came out, and we discussed a lot of things. The divorce was just one of them.”

  “Listen, Evan told me how the state of South Carolina works where divorce is concerned. He said you have enough to get one of the quickest divorces the state allows,” he took a deep breath, “but if you need more evidence, I have a picture of Charles in a very compromising position with Linda. I’ve had it since the street dance. I wasn’t showing it to you because I needed this to be your decision and not something I pushed you toward.”

  “Nathan,” she said on a breath, “I’ve wanted to do this for a while, but I never had the strength to. You give me that strength. Thank you.”

  “I’ll give you all my strength. Anything you need.”

  “I want to see you.”

  The huff of air that came through the phone surprised her. “Well, that’s going to be hard to do for a while.”

  “What? Why?”

/>   “Dammit. Are you sitting down?”

  She sat in the sunroom. “Okay, I am now, but Nathan, I’m not liking the way this conversation is going.”

  “So how long ago?”

  “For what?”

  “How long ago did you file?”

  “About eight weeks.”

  “Four weeks to go.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Ninety days is the fastest anyone in this state can get a divorce. Attempted murder and adultery. You’ve got him on both. The thing is, we can’t be alone together for more than thirty minutes for the next four weeks.”

  “You looked into this?”

  “Hell yes, I looked into it. I wanted to know what I was facing. That asshole made sure I went on the record that there wasn’t anything between us, and I won’t give him the satisfaction of thinking he’s right, and I’m sure as hell not going to give him something to discredit you with. So we’re going to do this the old-fashioned way, and it’s going to fucking suck.”

  Vanessa giggled because of his fervor, but she was grateful. She didn’t know if she was ready for more than a friendship. What if she couldn’t actually love someone? She’d never experienced love outside of her family, and even now she wondered what her father was thinking. Did he love her or was he punishing her for some reason? Was she just an asset to be leveraged?