Titus: Luna Lodge #2 Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Title Page

  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

  Thank You

  Author Bio

  Also By

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents depicted in this work are of the author’s imagination or have been used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, locations, or events is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright 2014 Madison Stevens

  No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Titus (Luna Lodge #2)

  by

  Madison Stevens

  Kate Walker has had her fill of men. Her ex only used her to get to her best friend, and now her new boss seems to go out of his way to tick her off. It doesn’t help that he’s drop-dead gorgeous and built like a god. She just can’t deal with his hot and cold attitude.

  As the leader of the genetically engineered hybrids of Luna Lodge, Titus knows getting too close to mouthy Kate isn’t really a good idea. Too bad he can’t seem to get away from her or get her out of his head. Everything about her keeps drawing them together, and his ability to resist her is weakening daily.

  Their shared attraction is put to the test when the dangerous Horatius Group makes its latest move against their former property, Titus and his fellow hybrids. When Kate is caught in the struggle, Titus will have to face a living nightmare or risk losing her forever.

  Chapter One

  Titus sighed and stopped the feed on the TV. There was no point continuing when he could hear Kate from clear down the hall. The click of her heels grew louder as she closed on him, each step sealing his inevitable doom.

  "Don't even think of getting in my way, Jenna," she said firmly, just outside his door. "We may be roommates, but I have no problem putting you in your seat."

  Titus chuckled as he heard his new little secretary scurry back to her chair. Despite being Major Carter’s niece, she was about as different as could be from her hard uncle.

  "I know you can hear me in there." Kate banged on the door. "Open up, or I'm coming in."

  Titus sighed and swung the door wide open. Just like every other time he saw her, she looked amazing. Dressed to kill, she had on a sleeveless blue dress that dipped low into her cleavage, the swell of her breasts rising and falling as she breathed. The thought of the other men seeing her like that just pissed him off. Not that she was his, but her looking like that would only cause trouble for the men.

  He breathed in her sweet floral scent deep into his lungs. It was the same smell every time he saw her and only seemed grow the more they were together. The longing he felt was so overwhelming some days that he tried to avoid her as much as possible.

  He knew his eyes must have flashed yellow for a moment when her breath hitched, and her heart sped up. The scent intensified, and he took a step back.

  "Always a pleasure to see you, Kate," he said through gritted teeth. "How can I help you?"

  She narrowed her eyes at him, walked in and slammed the door behind her.

  "Cut the crap," she said. "Why are you vetoing my home office?"

  Titus sighed and took a seat at his desk, glad to put some distance between him and Kate.

  “As I detailed in the email,” he said. “This isn’t standard protocol. If I did it for you, I’d have to do it for everyone that asked."

  He watched her pretty face scrunch up in annoyance.

  "Don't give me your protocol crap. I'm not one of your men." She leaned over his desk, giving him the perfect view down her dress. "I get the feeling you don't really have a reason other than wanting to piss me off."

  "That's not true," he said, tearing his eyes away from her chest. "What about Jenna? She's your roommate. This has to bother her."

  He nearly laughed when she rolled her eyes. "Jenna stays once in a blue moon and besides," she locked eyes with him, "I was just going to put it in the dining area. It’s not like I'll be eating there."

  Titus frowned at her.

  "You aren't eating?" he asked.

  She gave him a funny look. Titus wasn't sure if she was going to hit him or laugh.

  "I eat," she said slowly. "Not much point in having a table if it's dinner for one."

  "You should eat at the table. That's what it's there for."

  His eyebrows shot up in surprise when she threw her head back and laughed.

  "I'll get right on it." She gave him a smile. The glint in her eye made him nervous. She leaned over. "Maybe I'll just ask one of your men if they'd like to come over," she said in a husky voice.

  He found it difficult to swallow. The words that wanted to come out earlier just rumbled in his chest.

  She hitched a brow.

  "No home office and no teasing my men," he said.

  Kate stood up slowly and stared him down.

  "Funny, I didn't think I was teasing your men," she said.

  Without another word, she turned on her heels and stomped out of his office.

  Titus leaned back and sighed. Being around her could be so trying at times. She had been an invaluable asset to them, but dealing with her outbursts was becoming increasingly difficult. A part of him realized that the leader in him just wanted to put her in her place and teach her who was boss, but he had a feeling that wouldn’t go over so well.

  He smirked. It would be fun to see the look on her face, though.

  The phone at his desk rang, and he sighed. The last few months hadn't been easy on him. With the constant protests and media hounding him, he was lucky to get any sleep. During the day, it was constant. That was the whole reason he’d even decided to take on Jenna. Major Carter insisted that Titus needed an assistant, and he knew just the person.

  Titus had a feeling it had more to do with the recent death of Jenna’s mother, Major Carter’s sister, and wanting to keep an eye on her. Not that it bothered him. She was sweet, efficient and didn’t give him shit like a certain someone else.

  The phone rang a few more times before he answered.

  “Titus,” he said into the phone.

  “One more thing,” Kate purred into his ear. “It’s not nice to stare at a woman’s tits if you don’t plan to give in.”

  His face flamed when he heard the click on the other end. No question about it, the woman pushed him to the very limit.

  * * *

  Kate slammed the phone down. That damn man pissed her off to no end, and she’d even tried her sure-thing move. More than a time or two, that technique had gotten her out of a ticket or a free drink.

  She slumped to the seat in her office and grimaced. The sound of hammering and gunfire cut through the air. Her eyelid twitched at the noise.

  Kate hadn’t even wanted to break out the big guns on Titus, but she was desperate. If she had to listen the cacophony for one more day, she might just lose her mind. She chucked her pen across the room and watched as it bounced off the wall.

  She was convinced Titus was to blame. She was certain the bastard had picked the office in the midst of construction
and shooting practice just to drive her crazy. At the moment, he was just lucky she didn’t know how to shoot, or she might have given him first-hand understanding of the hell he was putting her through.

  He had no idea what it took for her to do her job. She wasn’t just making a few calls, she was trying to create an image for the hybrids, one that made them acceptable to a number of different people without going overboard. Not that anyone understood that.

  For them, if it wasn’t guns or working out, it wasn’t important, which only made her job that much harder. Making the public see them as something other than genetically engineered super-warriors was almost impossible when that’s exactly what they were.

  When her phone rang, she scowled at it. He wasn’t getting the best of her.

  “What?” she said sharply into the receiver.

  Her friend Erica’s sweet laugh in response caused her to let out a sigh of relief.

  “I take it the meeting didn’t go well?” Erica said into the phone.

  “I even let him have a peek at the goods, and he still didn’t go for it,” Kate said. “Maybe he’s gay.”

  Erica laughed hard into the phone.

  “Titus is not gay,” she said.

  Kate threw another pen against the wall in protest. “How would you know?”

  Erica sighed. “Because I’m not blind. The man has it bad for you.”

  Kate sighed. Sure, he was amazing to look at. His Native American roots gave him great cheek bones and a tan that he never had to work at. She loved his black hair but was a little surprised when he cropped it off, claiming the longer hair fit into what people looked for from a tribe leader. With their identities exposed, he didn’t have to maintain that facade anymore.

  It didn’t seem to matter how bad he had it for her in the end. They certainly didn’t see eye to eye on nearly anything, and he wasn’t providing any indication that he wanted to pursue anything with her. In fact, more than once he made it seem like feeling anything for her was the last thing he’d ever want.

  Not that she wanted him to like her. He pissed her off too much.

  “Whatever.” Kate scrunched up her face. “If that man ends up with a flaming pile of crap on his front porch, you know where it came from.”

  Erica laughed again. “You do that and I want pictures.”

  “I do that and I’m pretty sure I’d have to take pictures.” She smirked. “If anything just to see the look of surprise on his smug face over and over again.”

  “Is it really that bad?” Erica asked.

  Over the last few months, Kate had seen a change in her friend. Pregnancy had made Erica far more emotional than Kate could have ever guessed.

  “No,” she said reluctantly. “He’s just so stuck in his world of giving commands and having them obeyed. I don’t even know where to begin with all this. It’s just so…so man here.”

  “Hmm,” Erica said. “It’s not all bad though, is it?”

  “Don’t get me wrong.” Kate leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on the desk, so she could look out the window. Several of the men were working on new housing. The barracks they were originally set up wouldn’t meet their needs for long, and the men already seemed to be itching for space. She assumed that’s why so many had volunteered to start building. “There are some advantages to being here. The view certainly is nice.”

  She grinned as a few looked over to her and then quickly away. Their damn super-hearing could sure be fun at times.

  “Are you teasing the men again?” Erica chided her.

  Kate frowned.

  “You never let me have any fun.” She sighed. “Well, I had better get off if I want to get anything done today.”

  Erica sighed into the phone. “Yeah,” she said quietly.

  Kate brought her feet off the desk and leaned over, trying to muffle her speech.

  “You still homebound?” she asked.

  “Yup,” she said. “I know it’s just until we go to the trial. At that point, we won’t be able to hide the fact I’m pregnant.”

  The trial. Kate had been avoiding thinking about the fast-approaching date. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing her crazy ex-boyfriend. What’s more, she wasn’t looking forward to what Erica was going to have to relive. The idea of her friend having to talk about the near rape just ate at Kate.

  She couldn’t help but feel that if she had exercised a little judgment, her friend would have never had to have suffered. Erica had never liked Mark, but Kate had been oblivious to his true nature. Maybe she was just as vapid and cold as he thought her to be.

  “How about I come over with a bottle of wine later?” She looked at the clock on the wall. She’d have to really push it if she wanted to get things finished.

  “You know I can’t have wine,” Erica replied.

  Kate grinned. “Who said the bottle was for you?”

  Erica laughed.

  “I’ll make dinner,” she said. “Maybe I can kick Sol out for a bit, so we can talk about things more privately.”

  Kate nodded. One thing they could all do a bit more with was privacy.

  “Sounds good to me,” Erica said. “See you later.”

  Kate smiled when she hung up the phone. Luna Lodge was certainly turning out to be interesting. She had to admit, there hadn’t been a dull moment since she had moved in.

  Maybe that had more to do with sharing a place with two other women. It hadn’t really been the ideal situation, but it was certainly interesting. Living with Rachel, the resident doctor, and Hannah, the social coordinator, made for some unusual situations. It wasn’t that she didn’t like them, but it was more like being dunked in a hot and cold tank. Just weird.

  When the chance to move into a little two bedroom on the outskirts of the complex came up, she jumped on it. So far things had been working out well. Jenna was a quiet woman who was rarely even at the house. From what Kate could tell, she stayed with her uncle more often than not, helping him keep things in order at home.

  It worked out well for Kate, although it was a little lonely at times. Still, it was also nice to have some quite after the sort of days she was having to endure at work.

  Her face scrunched up again as the thought about the asshole denying her the chance to actually get anything done.

  “Protocol my ass,” she mumbled.

  He might have thought it was over, but there was no way she was letting it go. As long as they were going to be doing construction, she needed a real solution. She glanced back out the window and watched the men as they loaded various boards to make another wall.

  She stood when one got a little closer and smiled. That just might be the solution.

  Kate dashed out her office and through the back door just a few feet away. The ground was a bit uneven, but if she was right, her plan just might work.

  “Excuse me,” she called to the man closest to her.

  He glanced up and seemed more than a little shocked to see her standing among the debris.

  The man was tall like the others but somehow more intimidating. She had a feeling that had more to do with the massive amounts of muscle and deep scars on his face than anything. His buzzed hair didn’t help matters.

  “Yes?” he said and stood in front of her.

  She swallowed. He had been at Erica’s wedding to Sol, but his name escaped her.

  “I don’t know if you remember me,” she started.

  “You’re Erica’s friend,” he said briskly. “I’m Lucius.” He nodded.

  “Hi.” She smiled. “Kate.” She faltered when he stared at her expectantly. “I was just wondering if those worked.”

  He frowned when she pointed to his yellow headset.

  “The noise cancelers?” He shrugged. “I guess. It’s protocol.”

  Her lip twitched when he mentioned protocol.

  “Could I try them?” she asked.

  He gave her a funny look and took them off. She put them on, and the sounds of the outside switched off. Kate s
ighed. They were perfect.

  She took them off.

  “How do I get a pair like this?” She held them up.

  Lucius stared at the headset.

  “You don’t,” he said.

  She groaned loudly. “Look, I work in that office right there.” She pointed to her window and sighed. “I can’t even think it’s been so loud, and Titus the Tyrant won’t let me work from home. Please,” she begged. “How do I get a pair?”

  He glanced from her to the office and sighed. She jumped when he shoved the headset back into her hand.

  “Take it,” he said gruffly.

  She beamed up at him. “Thank you.”

  He turned away, clearly embarrassed.

  “Just don’t come out here in those shoes again,” he said sternly. “Last thing I need to for someone to break an ankle on the site.”

  She didn’t care that he was getting on to her. There was no way she wasn’t coming back.

  Kate turned around and skipped happily back to work. For once in the last few months, she’d be able to get some actual work done without being horribly distracted.

  Chapter Two

  “Thanks to you, I’ve been kicked out for the evening,” Sol said as he came around to the back of Titus’s house.

  “Me?” Titus put down the beer he was nursing. “What the hell do I have to do with your woman?”

  Sol sat next to him on the back deck. The sun was just dropping below the trees. It was his favorite place to sit after a shitty day at work. Maybe it also had something to do with a certain someone being just across the way. On a good night, he could catch a faint scent of her or see her sitting on her porch

  Titus pulled out a beer and handed it to Sol.

  “Kate,” Sol said and popped off the top.

  Titus’s hand tightened around the bottle. She was everywhere, infiltrating all aspects of his life.

  “What are they doing?” he bristled.

  Sol took a drink and sighed. “Eating my dinner.”

  He glanced at his friend from the corner of his eye before laughing loudly.