The Perfect Love Storm Read online

  The Perfect Love Storm

  Anna Black

  www.urbanbooks.net

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Urban Books, LLC

  300 Farmingdale Road, NY-Route 109

  Farmingdale, NY 11735

  The Perfect Love Storm Copyright © 2019 Anna Black

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, except brief quotes used in reviews.

  ISBN: 978-1-6016-2102-3

  ISBN 10: 1-60162-103-5

  This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living or dead, or to real locales are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents is entirely coincidental.

  Distributed by Kensington Publishing Corp.

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  Prologue

  The Storm men were all gathered out back near the grill, and the women were posted up in the house at the round kitchen table with glasses of red and white wine, champagne, and apple martinis. It was the eldest son, Lance’s, birthday, and his wife had decided to have a party at their house instead of the civic center that the family normally used to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers, or whatever occasion the Storms thought called for a party.

  As with all the parties the Storms threw, there was a huge turnout. Everything they did was big and done with style. They were well known in East Texas for their construction company, Storm and Sons Construction. Their family was responsible for most of the homes that had been built in the last thirty years. Every six months or so, they were breaking ground to start a new project or rehabbing a worn-down community.

  Starting with rehabbing and moving to selling, their grandfather had opened the business in the early eighties. Now, the business had flourished into a Fortune 500 company. They had expanded into different regions of Texas and hoped to someday be even larger.

  “Enough talk about these crazy kids of ours,” Gina, Lance’s wife, said, getting the ladies’ attention. “Let’s talk about this wedding.”

  All eyes landed on Madison, the newly engaged bachelorette. She had somehow won over the well-known playboy of East Texas, Chase Storm.

  Tasha chimed in. “Yes, Madison, how nervous are you? I mean, you are marrying the infamous Chase, the East Texas Ladies’ Man,” she taunted. The other ladies exchanged high fives and chortles.

  Madison slowly took a sip of her drink, paused, and then smiled. “I’m fine. I’m not nervous at all. And for the record, Chase has changed. He loves me.” She blushed.

  “True,” Deena said, agreeing with a nod.

  “Well, if I would not have witnessed this with my own eyes, I’d tell you to run as fast as you could,” Gina added.

  Gina was married to Lance and had been in the Storm family the longest. Tasha was married to Damon, Storm number two, and Deena was married to Travis, Storm number three. Chase was the baby, the fourth and last Storm, known for being a heartbreaker. He was now 34 and was finally settling down with one woman—Madison.

  She was a woman no one would have ever thought in a million years he’d choose, let alone marry. Chase was now a reformed ladies’ man, womanizer, or as some would say, playboy.

  Before Madison, the only women they’d ever seen him with looked like runway models out of some fashion magazine. Drop-dead gorgeous, fit, and sexy to the max. But not Madison. She was not a thin supermodel. Far from it, and was definitely not the norm for Chase. She was pretty as can be, but she was at least fifty or sixty pounds overweight. What society called a BBW, or plus-sized.

  Even though full-figured women were making a mark in the new-aged world, Chase selecting her still had half the folks in town scratching their heads. Madison was kind and supersweet, but no one believed for a moment that Chase had fallen for her. Especially not Hope Gardener, the town’s beauty queen. She and all the locals thought Chase would settle down with her when he was ready to stop running around. But he hadn’t.

  Instead, he fell for Madison, a plus-sized, caramel-complexioned princess. She was soft spoken, truly humble, and the only daughter to William and Martha Atkins. She had honey-colored eyes—not hazel, but golden—and a smile that would brighten a sad man’s day. Not rotund and sloppy, but shapely with curves, she was attractive . . . beautiful, some would say, because she had the face of an angel. She had a headful of naturally curly hair that hung past her shoulders at one time, but the day of her first date with Chase, she had cut it all off. Her new do was just as gorgeous and complimented her heart-shaped face.

  “Well, that was my initial reaction when he first asked me out, but after I accepted, he was serious, and I discovered he’s actually a great guy,” Madison smiled.

  “I guess . . . In all honesty, I think you changed him,” Deena said. “The more he hung around you, I noticed a change in him.”

  “Well, as you all know, I didn’t know of his past, nor did I have the 411 on Chase and his whorish ways. I just went out with the man I met, who seemed to be sweet and genuine.” Madison hunched her shoulders. “This Chase you guys constantly speak of, I’ve never met him.”

  “Well, good luck,” Tasha said and rolled her eyes. She loved her brother-in-law, but he was absolutely not her favorite person. “Because I’m still not convinced.”

  Madison ignored their comments about Chase and got up to refill her glass. They didn’t know him like she knew him. She believed their union was real. After all she had gone through and then meeting Chase, she felt blessed. He was not only wealthy, and from a line of great men, but he was also, without a doubt, fine as hell. He stood at six feet, with a set of abs and arms that made a woman weak. His back looked sculpted like an artist had molded it, and Madison enjoyed giving him massages. He had dark eyes, brows thick to faultlessness, and long eyelashes. His strong jawline, sexy-ass lips, and mustache and beard lined to perfection turned heads everywhere he went. His body was right and tight, and he dressed like a million bucks, even on a casual day.

  Confident was an understatement if used to describe him because when Chase walked into a room, he owned it. He had been with every gorgeous gal in East Texas, one would say, and Madison could imagine how the majority of them felt when he settled with her. Even Deena, her best friend, thought it had to be a joke when she told her he had asked her out. Now, after only a li
ttle over six months, Madison’s left hand housed an enormous engagement ring that was a conversation piece. And they had set a date for only three months away. The city of Tyler was still gossiping about the two of them, but the nonbelievers were finally starting to believe.

  * * *

  “So, this is really it?” Lance asked his little brother. The crowd had gone, and the only ones left at the party were the brothers and their mates. The women were now outside on the deck off the kitchen, while the men claimed the deck off the family room. Lance and Gina had a huge custom-built home, with a wraparound porch and three decks. One off their master bedroom, one off the kitchen, and the third one off their family room.

  “Yes, this is really it, man. I mean, Madison is the one.”

  Head tilted and a brow vaulted, Damon asked, “Chase, seriously, you’re not going to pull a crazy stunt or dump her the night before the wedding or leave her at the altar, are you?”

  “No! Damn, man, why can’t y’all believe me when I say I’m in love with her? I mean, do you guys think I’d go to this extreme if I didn’t love her?”

  His three brothers looked at each other and burst into roars of laughter. “Yes, you would.” Travis continued to laugh as he spoke.

  “I mean, li’l bro, you won the bet,” said Damon.

  “You don’t have anything else to prove,” Lance added. “Yes, we all know that Madison is not your type, so you can drop the act.”

  Getting serious and trying to lower the roars of laughter, Travis said, “Yeah, Chase. You’re going to hurt that woman. She loves you, and you took this bet thing way too far. We expected you to flee after the first date, but here we are, wondering why you took it there. Why did you ask that woman to marry you?”

  “Yes,” Lance said, “the three million is yours, plus whatever Dad has promised. I’ll write you a check tonight before you leave. I know it was an extreme measure for us to offer you a mil apiece, but you were out there, brother. And, besides, we never counted on you winning.”

  Damon shook his head. “We didn’t, God knows we didn’t when we came up with it, but you won, little bro. I’ll have a check ready for you tomorrow, first thing.”

  Travis took a swig of his beer. “Yes! Unfortunately, you did what we challenged you to do. Going out with Madison is something we all thought you’d never agree to, so you won the bet, bro. I’ll drop my check off tomorrow before I go home.”

  “Listen, keep your money, okay?” Chase shrugged. “The bet means nothing to me anymore. I know that was the initial agreement, and I didn’t think I’d win either. I mean, I was an ass. For you three to bet me to date Madison for six months was a bit much, but—”

  “So, it was a joke?” Madison shouted.

  The men turned in her direction. None of them had seen her approach.

  Madison stood with four cold beers locked between her fingers. Her hands trembled so much that the glasses clanked. The women had been taking turns checking on the guys and replenishing their drinks, and it was her turn to serve them a round of cold beers. She had headed around the porch smiling, but paused when she overheard them talking. She shouldn’t have eavesdropped, but when she heard Travis say, “Yes! Unfortunately, you did what we challenged you to do. Going out with Madison was something we all thought you’d never agree to, so you won the bet, bro. I’ll drop my check off tomorrow before I go home,” she couldn’t help but listen in on their conversation.

  Chase stood up quickly. “Madison!” he cried. She heard the nervousness in his voice. “Baby, hold on; it’s not what you think.”

  “Really?” she said and walked up to him. She put the beers on the table and slid the ring from her finger. “You won the bet, so you might as well collect your cash. Stay the fuck away from me, Chase!” She dropped the ring in a glass of dark liquor in front of where he had been sitting and rushed off.

  “Fuck!” Chase roared and ran after her.

  Chapter One

  “You’re leaving?” she asked her lover when she opened her eyes and saw a fully dressed man standing over her king-sized bed.

  “Yes. I have some things to take care of before Simone and the kids get here this evening.”

  “Like what?” Madison inquired. “You said you’d spend the day with me,” she reminded him.

  “I know, sweetheart,” Tony huffed.

  “So that’s what I expected you to do,” she droned.

  He continued to button his shirt. “Look, Madison, I’m sorry. I got a text from Simone saying they will be here later on this evening instead of tomorrow, so I have to cut our time short.”

  She sat up and blew out a breath.

  “Come on, baby, don’t start making me feel bad about it. You know I would spend the day with you if I could.”

  “I’m not trying to make you feel bad. It’s just I’m tired of this situation with us, Tony. I mean, Simone doesn’t even live here with you, but it seems like she sees you more than I do sometimes.”

  “Well, Simone is my wife, Madison.”

  “Damn, Tony,” she spat, “I know that. I don’t need you to remind me of that every time I bring her up, Tony. I know what and who she is!” she shot at him.

  “Look, baby, I’ll see you in a couple of weeks. If I can get away sooner, you know I will see you before then.”

  “Now it’s a couple of weeks? She was only going to be in town for a week. When did it become two?”

  “Well, they’ll be here in Tyler this week for Spring Break, then next week, I’ll be in Austin with them.”

  “Whatever,” Madison mumbled under her breath.

  “I’ll try to come by when I can, babe.” He kissed the side of her head.

  “No, don’t bother. I can’t be your sidepiece anymore. It’s not enough for me.”

  “Are you serious right now, Madison?”

  “Dead serious. Enjoy your time with your family, and when you’re done pretending to be a good husband, don’t bother ringing my bell.”

  “Madi—”

  Cutting him off, she threw up a hand. “No!” she barked. “I should have never gotten involved with you in the first place, Tony. That night at the ranch, when we reconnected, I should have done the right thing, but I got caught up. This, this,” she said shaking her head. “This is not who or what I am. I know better than this.” Now tears fell from her eyes. “Please, stay away from me, Anthony Reed. I don’t want to do this with you anymore.” She lowered her head. “This was wrong, and I don’t know why I even got involved with you,” she cried.

  “Are you serious?” he asked. “We have history, Madison. We should have been married. You and I were always meant to be,” he defended.

  “No, we weren’t, and the only reason I can say that I ended up messing with you, Tony, is because you were familiar. It was just safe, but the two of us are dead wrong, Tony, and I’m more than ashamed of myself for this. Now, please, go.”

  “Just like that?” he asked. His voice was shaky, but she didn’t look up at him. “You don’t have any feelings for me?”

  “I did once, Tony, but that was long ago. This right here was just physical. I knew that because I never thought you’d leave Simone for me. This brief moment of insanity is over. I’m ready to get my life back on track, and maybe even fall in love again, and being your mistress isn’t what I want for myself.”

  “Wow,” he said standing there, and she wondered why he was so shocked. They had only had sex four times during their brief affair, and those times were because she simply could no longer ignore the aching between her thighs. She had told him she only wanted to be friends, but she had weak moments when she had given in to him and let him put out her fire. She knew she was wrong and would feel terrible afterward, but not terrible enough to not see him again, but that day was different. That isn’t what Madison dreamed her life would ever be like, and she was now mad at herself for allowing such foolishness to happen.

  “I’ll just go, if that’s what you truly want, Madison.” She nodded yes and
was happy he didn’t argue. He kissed the top of her head and slowly walked toward the door as if he wanted her to change her mind, but she silently watched him leave.

  She leaned back against her headboard. Why did I allow myself to become his mistress? she questioned herself again.

  Maybe because they did have history, and she felt safe with Tony, she thought. That had to be the only logical reason for her to go out like that.

  Tony was gorgeous, and he was her type—tall, chocolate, and with a hard body. He was a cowboy, and he had come back to Tyler to tend to their family ranch when his dad fell ill. Since his kids were settled in school in Austin, and his wife, Simone, owned a business there, they’d decided to live apart, until Tony either found someone to take over the ranch full-time or he sold it.

  A couple of days after he had arrived, Madison and her mom had run into him at the store. She was shocked to see him and wanted to run in the other direction. They had dated awhile back in high school, and he was her first love and sexual partner. She’d gone off to Huntsville to attend Sam Houston, and he went off to Texas A&M. They had grown apart quickly. By winter break, they had both moved on. Later, they both married and had kids. Tony had settled in Austin, while Madison and her family settled in Houston. A few years later, Madison moved back to live with her parents after losing her husband and 3-year-old twin boys to a car accident. When it happened, she fell into a deep depression and cut herself off from the world. She stopped working and gained eighty pounds over the years of her isolation, going from a size six to an eighteen. She had just been forced to rejoin the world when she ran into Tony.

  She was out shopping with her mother, and Tony called out to her mom. Since Madison had put on so much weight, she knew he probably didn’t recognize her.

  “Mrs. Atkins?” Tony said.

  “Yes?” Her mom looked up. “Oh my goodness, Tony, how are you?”

  He hugged her. “I’m fine. How are you?”

  Madison wanted to die when she realized who her mom was talking to. Her first love stood before her eyes, and she looked like a damn beached whale.