Awaken (23 page)

Lacey looked at her father confused, then realized… “With Joanna Hunt?”

Her dad nodded with a smirk. “I guess she took a liking to me. She asked me if I wanted to meet at her hotel in midtown and grab something to eat before she heads back to Connecticut. I hope that doesn’t ruin any plans you had for us today.”

Lacey quickly shook her head. “No. Not at all.”

“Good,” her dad said. He looked at his watch. “I’m actually running a little late. I was going to tell you last night, but I didn’t want to make it a thing on your big night.” Her father threw on a blue blazer. “I’ll call you later, honey. Let’s grab dinner before I head to the airport.”

“Okay,” said Lacey as she opened the door for him. “Have fun.”

“How do I look?” he asked, a little anxious.
 

Lacey smiled. “Like a million bucks, Pop.”
 

“Good.” He turned and walked down the stairs to the exit.
 

As she closed the door behind her, Lacey shook her head and smiled. Her father and Joanna Hunt were going out on a date.
Unbelievable.
She was happy for him. Her father hadn’t been with anybody since her mom passed away.

Imagine Joanna Hunt being my stepmom. Easy there, Lacey. It’s only a brunch date.

Since her plans for the day had changed, Lacey decided to go into the city with her camera to take some pictures. She missed roaming the streets aimlessly and documenting the world around her.
 

With her Canon 5D strapped over her shoulder, Lacey stepped outside. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Cooper’s limo parked in front of her building. Clyde was standing in front of it.

Lacey took a deep breath and approached him.

“Hello, Clyde.”

“Hello, Miss Winters.”

Lacey peered at the tinted black windows of the car.
 

“He’s not in the car,” Clyde said, reading her mind. “He sent me to pick you up. And to give you these.” Clyde revealed a set of keys.
 

Lacey took the keys from him. She noticed a tag on the keys read Unit 4.

“What’s this?” asked Lacey.

Clyde shrugged. “He just instructed me to drive you to an address in Tribeca. That’s all I know.”

Lacey shot Clyde a skeptical look. He shrugged in response. She jangled the keys in her hands. She could return the keys and tell Clyde she wasn’t going to Tribeca.
But I want to see him. And if I don’t go, I’ll always be wondering…”
she admitted to herself.
I want to tell him about the gallery exhibit. I could see him just one last time and say goodbye. Properly, this time. I owe him at least that.”

Lacey looked at the driver. “Fine. Let’s go, Clyde.”

Clyde opened the back door to the limo and Lacey stepped inside. As the car made its way from Brooklyn into Manhattan, Lacey admired the city skyline. Last night, the Jamesons told her there were several purchases of her prints. They even had a couple of inquiries regarding original commissions. Mark and Cynthia wanted to meet with her later that week to discuss the future. Lacey smiled with satisfaction. It was official. She had made it. And now she was going to see Cooper – the man who had awakened the voice between her legs, so long ago. Cooper may not be the man she would marry, but he was a man she would always be grateful for meeting.

The limo pulled up alongside a six-story building in Tribeca. Clyde opened Lacey’s door.
 

“Now what?” asked Lacey as she looked at the building.

Clyde shrugged. “I don’t know, Miss Winters. I’ve done everything I’ve been asked. The rest is up to you.”

Lacey looked around. No sign of Cooper. She walked to the front door of the building. She pulled on the door. Locked. She tried the keys she had been handed earlier. One of them unlocked the front door. Lacey turned to Clyde.

“I’ll wait here,” he said.

Lacey turned and stepped into the building. She looked again at the tag on the keys: Unit 4. There was an elevator in the entryway. She took the lift to the fourth floor. When she stepped out of the elevator, Unit 4 was right in front of her. Hesitating slightly, Lacey tried the other key on the set. It slid in perfectly. She turned the knob and the door opened.
 

Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside.

Lacey walked into a huge open loft space, probably seven times the size of her place in Brooklyn. Sunlight streamed through large windows, casting a warm orange glow. Large white columns were spread throughout the open layout. The loft was completely empty.

Lacey marveled at the sunlight filling the space as she walked across the hardwood floors. She noticed a black box, resting on the floor, centered in the middle of the room. She walked toward it. Puzzled, she picked it up.

She lifted the lid off the box and was surprised to see a mask inside – the Master’s mask, the one Cooper wore during his shows at Nectar.

“What do you think?” she heard Cooper ask, without warning.

Lacey whirled around. He was leaning against one of the white columns, staring at her, dressed in one of his perfectly fitted suits, looking gorgeous as ever.

“About the space?” asked Lacey.

Cooper nodded and walked toward her.

“It’s amazing.”

“Good,” said Cooper, his eyes fixated on her. “Because it’s yours.”

“I don’t understand…” said Lacey, baffled.

“I bought it for you. For you to use as a photography studio. I stopped by your gallery exhibit. I was very impressed. And now that your opening was a success, I suspect you’re going to be quite busy. You’ll need a bigger space.”

“But, I didn’t see you there.”

“I called Mark and Cynthia and arranged a private viewing before the opening. I didn’t want to show up when everyone else was there. Last night was about you, not us.”

“I can’t accept this,” said Lacey, looking around at the huge loft.

“Yes, you can,” said Cooper. He was now standing close to her, staring affectionately into her eyes. As she returned his gaze, Lacey realized she missed everything about him – his voice, his scent.
 

“What’s this?” Lacey probed, referring to the box and the mask inside.

“I want to start over,” said Cooper. “If you’ll let me. No more Master. No more Nectar. Just you and me.”

Lacey shook her head. “I don’t want to change who you are, Cooper.”

“But I do,” he said. Cooper finally came clean. He divulged the details about his relationship with Julia. And how he created the Master as a means to shut himself off emotionally, to prevent getting hurt again. “But after meeting you, Lacey, I realize how much I’ve been missing in life. I don’t want to waste any more time.”

Lacey couldn’t believe it. “Are you sure?”

Cooper nodded slowly. “More than anything.”

He moved in closer.
 

“What do you say, Lacey? Will you give me another chance?”

“That depends,” said Lacey as she stared into his warm eyes.
 

“On what?”

“If you agree to my terms,” she replied with a coy smile.

Cooper eyed her curiously. “Which are?”

Lacey shrugged and shot him a sexy smirk. “We have to have sex on your private jet.”

Cooper laughed. “That can be easily arranged.”

“Good,” said Lacey. She wrapped her arms around Cooper’s neck. “Now kiss me, you fool. I’ve been deprived of those lips for far too long.”

Cooper leaned forward and with a warm smile, he kissed his love.

Epilogue

For somebody who had just spent twelve hours in labor, giving birth to two beautiful twins, Emma looked radiant. But as Cooper and Lacey approached her hospital bed, she commented, “I must look awful right now.”

“Not at all. You look amazing,” said Lacey. She looked at the two twin girls – one sleeping in Emma’s arms, the other being cradled by Matt.

“Have you decided on names?” asked Lacey.

“Nancy and Stephanie. After both our grandmothers,” said Matt with a smile.
 

Emma spotted the ring on Lacey’s finger. “Wow,” she said. “And I thought my engagement ring was impressive. Jeez, Cooper, you don’t hold back.”

“Not when it comes to her,” said Cooper with a grin as he wrapped his arm around Lacey’s waist.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to get married before we do,” complained Emma to Lacey.

Lacey shrugged. “Maybe,” she confessed. “We’re actually thinking of eloping.”

“Why?” asked Emma. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re stinking rich, Cooper. You could create a fairy tale wedding.”

Lacey turned to Cooper and smiled.
 

“We don’t want to waste anymore time,” he said. “I want to start a family with this beautiful woman as soon as possible.”
 

Emma looked at the two of them and grinned. The twins started to whimper.
 

“If that’s the case,” said Emma as she soothed her baby. “I know just the place. You must consider Parakeet Bay. You won’t be disappointed.”

Lacey’s eye glimmered as she visualized herself standing on a secluded beach, with no one but the man of her dreams.

If you liked
Awaken
, read this excerpt from Ozlo & Priya Grey’s best-selling contemporary romance,
Healing Melody.
Here’s what readers have been saying:
 

"A real page turner, it's heartbreaking, soul mending and steamy." Peggy,
Reading Keeps Me Sane Book Blog

“Every now and then a book comes along that makes you sit up and take notice. This was that book for me. Read it and judge for yourself.” Patricia,
Amazon Reviewer

“Any book that can bring out my emotions this intensely will always get 5 Stars from me, and Healing Melody wrecked me completely! The off the charts chemistry, and SIZZLING sexy scene goodness should never be read in public.” Jennifer,
The Power of Three Readers

“This story just grabbed my heart and wouldn’t let go…I laughed, I cried and I got angry. This story hit all the right notes!”
 
Diane,
Nerdy, Dirty & Flirty

“This one gets ten stars…a good balance of romance, drama and suspense. I was so wrapped up in the characters and their story at the end that I was grinning and crying happy tears. I read a lot, and that is rare.” Karli,
Amazon Reviewer

 
Keep reading and discover why…

I wake up frantically. My cellphone is ringing. My face is wet. Fuck, was I crying in my sleep? I wipe my eyes and reach for the nightstand. I glance at the time stamp on my phone: 2:00 a.m.. Then I notice the number. It’s a call from the website. If I don’t pick up, Shane will know. He monitors everything on the site. I sigh and answer.

“Hello. This is Kade.”

Silence.

“Hello?” I repeat. “Anybody there?”

 
I’m annoyed. If you’re going to call me at 2 a.m., you better have something to say.

Then, she finally speaks.
 

“Hi…I…uh…I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

I rub my eyes. I decide to be honest.

“Yeah. It’s all right though. I was having a nightmare.”

“Oh,” she says. There’s a long pause. Then she finally speaks. “I’m sorry… I don’t… I think I’ve made a mistake.”

Like I said, Shane has someone monitoring the site. And he hasn’t been too pleased with the number of customers I’ve booked this month. I owe him a ton of money. And with my lackluster sales rate, it’s going to take me
two
lifetimes to pay him back. I have to keep this girl talking and
hopefully
have it lead to an actual meeting.
 

“How can you be so sure?” I blurt. “We haven’t even talked yet.”

Another long silence. I can hear her breathing.

“I’ve never done this before?” she admits.

“Called somebody at two a.m.?” I say, trying to be light hearted. It doesn’t come naturally to me, but Shane says I need to get better at it so clients feel at ease.

“You know what I mean,” she replies. “I’ve never used a website for this sort of thing.”