By Chance Box Set 1 Read online

  Copyright © 2020 by S.A. Clayton.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to [email protected]

  https://www.saclayton.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used to atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Edited by: Aquila Editing

  Cover by: Spellbinding Design

  Formatted by: Under Cover Designs

  CONTENTS

  Wrapped in Red

  Wrapped in Red

  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

  Epilogue: Liam

  BONUS EPILOGUE

  Dipped in Gold

  Dipped in Gold

  1. Clara

  2. Clara

  3. Damon

  4. Clara

  5. Damon

  6. Clara

  7. Damon

  8. Clara

  9. Damon

  10. Clara

  11. Damon

  12. Clara

  13. Damon

  14. Clara

  15. Clara

  16. Damon

  17. Clara

  18. Damon

  19. Clara

  20. Damon

  21. Clara

  Epilogue

  BONUS EPILOGUE

  Sweet Valentine

  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

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  BONUS EPILOGUE

  About the Author

  WRAPPED IN RED

  A chance meeting changes everything…

  JJ is willing to accept her reclusive life as a freelance editor. As long as she's got her best friend and her Chris Hemsworth movie collection, she can cope. But this holiday season seems hell-bent on stirring up old grudges. Her ex got engaged less than four months after breaking her heart, and now JJ wants to show him what he’s missing. Even if that means enduring his ugly Christmas sweater party.

  Liam never thought much about life outside his father’s investment firm, he was perfectly content with his solitary existence, until he meets JJ. The feisty brunette in the ugliest Christmas sweater he’s ever seen turns his life upside down with one captivating kiss. Then she disappears.

  But their lives are intertwined more than either of them realize, and when the truth comes out, their seemingly perfect connection may not survive.

  “I can’t believe I agreed to do this,” I mutter, looking at myself in the mirror and cringing at the sad reflection staring back at me.

  One of the ugliest Christmas sweaters I have ever seen is adorning my chest and I wonder who in their right mind thought this up. It’s fire-engine red with tinsel scattered over the front in the shape of a Christmas tree. There’s a star at the top of said tree that lights up, and if I press a button, it flashes and starts singing “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree.” If that wasn’t bad enough, I decided to be extra and wrap a bright red sequin bow in my hair…you know, because the sweater wasn’t enough.

  “JJ, you know you didn’t have to say yes,” Clara, my roommate, says from the doorway. I turn and laugh at the look of utter hilarity on her face. She has her blonde hair in a messy bun on top of her head and her small frame is drowning in a college sweater that we share from time to time. I bend over and throw a pair of socks at her, watching it hit her chest. “Hey! You’re the one that agreed to go to an ugly Christmas sweater party that also happens to include your bastard ex and his new fiancée.” I chuckle at the disdain Clara emanates at the word fiancée.

  I stare at my reflection again and mutter curses at my pride for making me agree to this night. My auburn hair hangs loosely around my shoulders and my green eyes pop because of the red shirt against my skin. I tilt my head and wonder how awful this sweater makes me look. I’ve never been a skinny girl, and as much as I love myself and my body, I still want Derek to take one look at me and wish he never left. Not that I would ever take him back. “You know I have to go. Derek thinks I’m coming and I can’t show weakness,” I say, as if he’s the final boss in Mario Brothers. “Plus, I need to meet this chick that he wants to marry. I need to make sure I’m better than her.” That’s my ego talking. I’m sure she’s a lovely person, but I need to see that for myself. And if for some reason she’s horrible, my ego will be appeased for one night.

  “You think it’s a good idea to go alone?” Clara asks, sitting on my bed and leaning back against the headboard. I shrug.

  “It’s not like I have a line of guys waiting to take me out.” I swear my dating life has all but died a slow horrible death these last few months. “Plus, I don’t need to bring a guy with me to show Derek that he made a mistake.” Do I want him to think he made a mistake? That’s the question of the day, isn’t it? Do I want Derek and me to get back together? No. That was obvious after we broke up, but do I want him to be this happy, this fast? Nope.

  Does that make a bitch? Maybe.

  “I saw all those packages that came in the mail this morning. They all for you?” I ask and Clara just shrugs. Clara and I both work from home. I’m a freelance editor, something I’ve wanted to be since my last year of college. When all my classmates wanted me to look over their essays, I found out I loved it and decided to make it a career. Clara, on the other hand, reviews products on YouTube, mostly makeup and hair products, but she has around ten million followers and makes more money off one video than I make in a month.

  “Yeah, mostly new makeup releases. I’ll give you some once I’ve looked through them.” My reflection smiles at her as she plays with the hem of her sweater. “Sometimes I think you live with me for the free stuff,” she teases, giving me a wink from across the room.

  “It’s a definite perk,” I joke as I take one last look in the mirror and resign myself to the fact that everyone else at the party will look just as ridiculous. “I better get going. I plan to drink my weight in alcohol tonight, so I’m taking the subway.” Clara gets up off the bed and makes her way over to me. She takes my shoulders and locks eyes with me.

  “You don’t need to impress anyone at that stupid party. Remember
you are a badass woman who doesn’t need someone like Derek in her life.” I smile, hoping she’s right. I pick up my coat off the hook by the front door and grab my purse off the kitchen island.

  Here we go.

  It’s the first weekend of December and it’s like Christmas puked all over downtown. Every street light has a tinsel-covered decoration attached to its post. It is supposed to resemble a candle with some holly beneath it, but the unfortunate soul that designed it didn’t take into account the size of the cherries. Now they look like huge penises that light up.

  Every window is Christmas themed with lights and fake snow everywhere. I love this holiday as much as the next person, but sometimes I wonder if it’s all too much. Since my parents died during my last year of college, I haven’t had a reason to celebrate the holiday. Derek always berated me for my lack of enthusiasm, but no matter how much I tried to explain the reasons behind my melancholy, he never understood.

  The subway ride was as eventful as it could be…some drunk asking for money, a guy muttering about the wait times, and a woman who refused to give up her seat for a pregnant lady because “it’s not her fault she decided to get pregnant.” Just as I round the corner, a gust of wind blows, and my precious red bow detaches from my head and flies behind me. Lucky for me it lands against the wall of a coffee shop and I grab it.

  “For fuck’s sake,” I mutter as I try and get the damn bow to stay on, but it’s no use. I look through my purse, hoping Clara might have put a compact in there for me, but no luck. Of course, the one time I need her here, she’s not.

  I can see the party from here and I notice the steady stream of people flowing in and out of the house. I spent the last year of my life in that house, and for a second I wonder what the hell I’m doing here. I stare at the bow in my hand and wonder if I’m being an idiot by going to this party. I shake the doubt from my shoulders and start walking. There are cars lined up the side of the road and I notice a black Camaro with tinted windows up ahead. Man, that’s a beautiful car. Slick black lines, sexy as fuck front end…I would die to drive a car like that one day, or even just sit in one.

  When I approach the car, I look around and make sure no one is watching. I bend over, seeing my reflection in the window, helped by the street light overhead as I take the bow in my hand and try attaching it back to my head. After a few tries it works and I shake my head at the sheer ridiculousness that is my reflection. “I guess this is as good as it’s gonna get,” I mutter.

  Still bent over and staring at the hideous red bow on my head, I hear a mechanical sound, and to my sheer horror, the window in front of me starts to descend. There was someone in the car the whole time? Well shit. I can’t help the flush that creeps up my neck and over my cheeks as the window continues to fall. I contemplate running in any direction, but knowing my luck, I would end up tripping over my own feet and falling on my face. I think allowing one embarrassing moment is enough for tonight.

  “Need any help?” a deep, sultry voice says from inside the dark car. The sound passes over my skin like silk, and my nails dig into my palms. I struggle to pick out his features since he’s shrouded in shadows, but from his voice I can tell he’s a force to be reckoned with.

  “Excuse me?” My voice is small, almost non-existent, and I berate myself for allowing his voice to affect me so strongly.

  “You seemed to be having trouble with your…outfit.” I can hear the smile in his voice and I wonder what that smile looks like. I look down the street and see Derek standing on the porch, and I avert my eyes quickly, hoping he doesn’t see me.

  Wait. Aren’t I going there so he can see me? Obviously my brain is as confused as I feel right now.

  “You going to a party?” Mystery Man says from inside the dark car.

  “No, I just really like obnoxiously large bows.” My sarcasm is harsher than I intend, but he laughs.

  “Well, if it’s any consolation, it looks good on you,” he says as he steps out of the car and my jaw hits the ground.

  All I wanted was for the night to be done and over with. I spent most of my day and night at the office, which isn’t out of the ordinary. When I took over the family’s investment company, I knew I would be spending a lot of time at the office. What I didn’t expect was for Dad to throw all his mistakes at me and expect me to fix them. I love my old man, he was a genius in his prime, but right now, I’m trying to make sure our clients don’t find out what a shit show our company has turned into.

  Not only did my father take bribes from investors, but he also decided that he would gamble in insider trading, which landed him in some pretty hot water. The only reason he’s not in a jail cell right now is because we have a very good attorney.

  What I didn’t expect from tonight was the gorgeous sight in front of me. This woman is sin incarnate. And damn, do I want a fast-track ticket to hell. Her auburn hair cascades down her shoulders in waves and I rein in the need to touch the strands. The red bow atop her head makes her look adorable, but it’s her eyes that rock me to my core. Her emerald depths suck me in and I wonder for a moment how eyes could be that green. Her curves seem like they were plucked from my most epic fantasies and my hands itch to touch her.

  As I get out of the car, her eyes flick to the lit up house down the street once again. “You supposed to be at that party?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

  “Yeah, it’s an ugly Christmas sweater party. Hence the…” She points to the bow and I smirk. Makes sense.

  “So do you actually have on an ugly sweater under that or…” I motion to her coat. Her lips quirk and for a moment I wonder what those lips would look like around my cock. I shake the thought from my head and concentrate on the woman in front of me, who is unbuttoning her coat. My cock stirs at the thought of what’s under that fabric, but the moment the sweater comes into focus I can’t help the laugh that escapes.

  “I’m glad you find it amusing,” she mutters, still holding her coat open. It’s hideous, but I think she knows that. “But wait…it gets better.” She presses a button on the front of the sweater and all of a sudden, it lights up and starts singing. My laughter gets louder the longer it goes on.

  “Why on earth would a gorgeous girl like you wear something that hideous?” Her eyes widen and the corners of my lips turn up. Her cheeks flush and I swear it’s the sexiest thing I’ve seen in months…maybe even years. I can see the hesitation in her eyes as they dart back to the house once again, and I wonder what’s within those walls that has her questioning herself.

  “I might have agreed to this party in an attempt to show my ex what he’s missing.” Her words come out in one breath, as if she’s afraid the words are cursed. I cock my head to the side, wondering why a girl as sexy as her needs to prove anything…let alone how amazing she is. “But I never thought of the fact that I would have to wear…this.” She motions to her sweater, hiding it away underneath her coat as a cold wind whips by.

  “So you want to get your ex back?” I ask, hoping she says no because I know she will be going home with me tonight. One way or another. She shakes her head as I let out a breath.

  “God, no. The bastard is already engaged to someone else. I just want to show up and let him know I’m good, better than good. If only I could have shown up with a date,” she mutters, almost to herself, and a lightbulb goes off inside my head. I am usually not one for crazy last-minute ideas, but tonight seems to be full of surprises.

  “I’ll be your date.” The words are out before I think better of them, and she just looks up at me in shock.

  “You wanna be my date?” She motions to the house, and my eyes drift to the crowd of people gathered outside and I can’t imagine her going into that alone.

  I lean down, lightly brushing my lips against her ear and whisper, “I want to be much more than that, but we’ll start there.”

  My whole body heats at his words. My hands shake as his lips lightly trace the shell of my ear. I suppress a moan as he pulls away and smirks down at
me. I study his face to see if there’s any hint of malice, teasing or straight-up assholery. There’s nothing but desire.

  When he stepped out of that car, I thought I died and went to heaven, because damn, is he gorgeous. No, that’s not a word I would use to describe him…panty-melting? Orgasm-inducing? Those seem more appropriate. His jet-black hair is expertly styled and his suit screams CEO, but those eyes…those brown eyes promise something so much darker, and sexier. He’s huge, at least six three and for a second I wonder if he’s that big everywhere…

  Get your mind out of the gutter JJ!

  “You want to go with me to this party…even though you have no idea who I am? I don’t even know your name.” I shake my head because this is ridiculous. This whole scenario is insane. The desire coursing through me is foreign and unexpected. All I want to do right now is to pull his lush mouth to mine and find out if he tastes as good as he smells.

  “It’s Liam.” He smiles, holding out his hand for me to shake. Of course he would have a hot guy name. Of course.

  “Josephine-Jade, but you can call me JJ.” I take his hand in mine, and before I know it, he brings it to his lips.

  “It’s nice to meet you, JJ.” The way my name falls from his lips as they lightly brush against my skin makes me want to know what it sounds like in the throes of passion.

  “So what do you get out of this?” I blurt out because really, what would make a fucking god of a man want to hang out with someone like me all night?

  “Do I need to get something out of it? Maybe I just want to spend some time with you,” he says, smirking, and I can’t help the flush that rises as his eyes travel over me. I love that feeling. I haven’t felt this attuned to someone since…well, never. Not even with Derek. “Okay. You want to make this even?” he asks and I nod, needing this situation to ground itself in reality, otherwise it doesn’t make any sense.

  “Yes. Please.”

  “Okay, if I’m your date tonight, then you have to be my date for my parents’ Christmas party.” My eyes furrow and I wonder why he would think I would want to meet his parents.