Safe With You: Winter's Rose #1

  Safe With You

  Winter’s Rose - Book One

  Lizzie James

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Dedication

  Prologue

  1. Charlie

  2. Alex

  3. Charlie

  4. Alex

  5. Charlie

  6. Alex

  7. Charlie

  8. Charlie

  9. Alex

  10. Charlie

  11. Alex

  12. Charlie

  13. Alex

  14. Charlie

  15. Alex

  16. David

  17. Charlie

  18. Alex

  19. Charlie

  20. Alex

  21. Charlie

  22. Alex

  23. Charlie

  24. Alex

  25. Addie

  26. James

  27. Alex

  28. Charlie

  29. Alex

  30. Alex

  31. Charlie

  32. Alex

  Epilogue

  Also By Lizzie James

  Copyright © 2020 Lizzie James

  This book is a work of fiction, names of characters, some places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, places or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted or stored in a database in any form, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  This book shall not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent.

  Published by Lizzie James 2020

  Edited by Eleanor Lloyd-Jones at Schmidt Author Services

  Formatted by Scarlet Le Clair

  Cover Design by Eleanor Lloyd Jones at Shower of Schmidt designs

  All Rights Reserved

  Created with Vellum

  Acknowledgments

  A big thank you to my beta team. Your enthusiasm for this story has been amazing and I love how excited you have all been for these characters. Wendy, Jayne, Laura, Lorren, Tracey, Paula and Emma. You girlies rock!

  To my editor and cover designer, Eleanor. Thank you for making such beautiful covers and for being so fabulous to work with.

  To my sprint team – Sienna, Stacy, Alice, Heather and Adina. Thank you doesn’t seem enough but I am grateful for all of your words of encouragement and support in making sure I hit my daily word goals.

  To my partners in crime, Carmel and Scarlet. Your support has been amazing!

  To Susan, my mum. Thank you for being so strong! I’m proud of how far you have come.

  Lastly, to the readers. Thank you for taking a chance on this indie author and I hope you love reading this book as much as I did writing it.

  Remember, reviews are awesome so if you could leave me a review on Amazon, Goodreads or Bookbub, I would be so grateful.

  Dedication

  To my mother, Susan

  Thank you for teaching me how to be strong

  Prologue

  Working for myself, I always had one rule: work hard, play harder and don’t ever be afraid to reach higher. That was the way that I lived my life... until she came along. She tipped my world upside down, shook it until there was nothing left in its right place. She came in like a tornado and destroyed it all.

  Looking back, I realised how much of a fool I was, but at the time, I was a happy fool. If I could go back and change anything, the scary part is, I don't think I’d change a thing.

  And that was the part that wrecked me.

  1

  Charlie

  Being an only child I had learned from a young age that the only person you could count on was yourself. If you couldn’t drag your arse from the hole that you had fallen into, you were pretty much screwed. There were no prince charmings or fairy godmothers. Not in my life.

  Walking into work, I smiled at my colleagues as I made my way to my desk. From my first day working at this corporation, I had learned that a smile could get you through any door. It’s why I always made sure to appear as if I had my shit together. Even when I didn’t.

  I took a seat at my cubicle and plugged my headset in. I worked for a large call centre that offered technical support to several other large companies. I worked in the broadband and software development department, and I loved my job. Some people assumed that you had to be intelligent to be technical but really, you just had to have an interest in how things operated.

  It was my dream to be a baker, though—to have my very own shop and sell delicious, gorgeous treats.

  From a young age, my mother told me I was always taking things apart and then putting them back together again. She said I had a curiosity to learn how things worked. Working here, it was my goal to make it to team leader level. Well, that was until ‘that’ day happened.

  “Charlotte, can I see you in my office, please?”

  I looked up and smiled at Suzie. She was my line manager and someone that I always thought liked me.

  “Of course.” I stood and removed my headset before following her to her office. “Is there a problem?” I asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs facing her rather large oak desk.

  She took her seat behind it before she released a gentle sigh. “I’m afraid I have some bad news, Charlotte.”

  I really hated it when they called me by my full name. I preferred Charlie.

  “I’m sorry, but I am going to have to let you go.”

  Well, that was blunt. “Can I ask why?” I asked. “I thought that I was doing well and I—”

  She held her hand up. “This isn’t personal, Charlotte. We have had to cut some posts and I’m very sorry to report that yours is one of them. If I could keep you, I would, but I just can’t. I’m sorry.”

  She didn’t look sorry. If anything, she looked bored.

  I nodded and slowly stood. I leaned across the desk and shook her hand before leaving her office. I opened the door and froze when a woman came running past me in floods of tears. I guessed she was one of the sacked.

  I went to my desk and grabbed my handbag, not even bothering to finish the rest of my shift. I know it would have been the mature thing to do but I just couldn’t be bothered. I was gutted and right then, all I wanted to do was to go home and sulk.

  Walking through the streets of London, I tried not to get too upset but I couldn’t help it. If I didn’t get another job—and soon—it would be likely that I’d have to go back to Wales. I really didn’t want to think of doing that because I loved London. London had it all: museums, bookshops, tourism, shows... No matter where you came from, there was something for everyone.

  Going back to Wales would feel like a step backwards.

  After taking a train through several tube stops, I was relieved to finally be home. Sliding the key into the lock, I toed my shoes off, making sure to be extra quiet. I lived with my roommate, Addie, who was a dancer at a burlesque club. She was single and had a bigger shoe obsession than a supermodel. Addie usually didn’t get in until gone two am, so I always tried to be extra quiet in the mornings. She’d usually wake up around noon looking refreshed as ever. Deciding to hide in my bedroom until then, I crawled into bed and snuggled up, trying to block out my morning.

  Getting sacked was an experience I didn’t think I was going to get over anytime soon.

  I closed my eyes, determined to get some sleep until Addie woke me up when I was jostled from the side by her tiny body joining me in bed.

  “How come you’re home?” she asked. Addie didn’t have an inside voice. She only knew one volume and that was loud.

  “I got fired,” I admitted sulkily.

 
“Oh, Charlie!” She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me from behind. “I’m so sorry.” She kissed the side of my head and squeezed me tighter. “What are you going to do now?”

  “I don’t know, Addie.” I reached down and held her hand. “I don’t want to go back to Wales.”

  She was shaking her head before I had even finished talking. “That won’t happen.” She stood and came dancing around to my side. “I have an idea. Let’s go out tonight.” She was being too enthusiastic.

  I pulled the blanket over my head, attempting to hide from her. “I just want to hide.”

  She yanked the blankets down and cocked her eyebrow at me. “Come on! I have an idea. Come to Alex’s with me for a few drinks before my shift tonight.”

  “I thought I would check the job advertisements first and I…”

  This time she raised both her eyebrows at me. “And you what?” she asked in a sweet tone. “Before I try and push you on to the hot sexy barman that has been interested in you since the moment he saw you?”

  “No, he isn’t!” I denied, feeling embarrassed. I rolled my eyes at her. “It’s just…” I looked at the floor, not really sure how to bring it up. How did I tell my best friend that things had been strange since David?

  David was my boyfriend—well, ex-boyfriend rather. I’d met him when I first moved to London. He was an engineer and we had been happy. We were together for about six months and at the time, I’d thought it was a perfect six months. Well, as perfect as we could have been until I’d walked in on him screwing his receptionist on his desk. The relationship had quickly ended for me, but he was having trouble letting go. In the last couple of weeks, I had seen him hanging around my office building during his lunch hour.

  I looked back up at her. “I’ve just never been sacked and I…”

  She rolled her eyes and took a seat next to me. She reached over and placed her hand on mine. “It’s David, isn’t it?” She dipped her head to look at me. “You haven’t been the same since you guys ended and…” She sighed. “I just want you to see that you’re better off without him.”

  “I know that.” I smiled at her, trying to ease the worry I could see in her eyes. “I’ve just never been fired before. Or cheated on.” I hated that tears leaked out over my eyes. I should have been stronger than this.

  She pulled me into her side and stroked the hair back from my face. “It’s okay, sweetie. It’s going to be okay.” She rocked me for a few moments until my tears stopped. “Now, how about we go out tonight, have a few drinks, maybe some laughs and we can handle the job vacancies tomorrow. And maybe we can perv on a sexy bartender or two.” She held her hand out to me. “Deal?”

  I grasped her hand and giggled when she yanked me to my feet. “You win.” I allowed her to drag me from my room and into the kitchen where I cooked us some lunch and she filled me in on all the drama I had missed on the Italian soap drama she had recently become obsessed with.

  Sitting at a high table in Alex’s bar with Addie, I laughed. We’d had a few cocktails and it was so nice to just hang out together—just me and her. I watched Addie stretching her legs down to reach the floor. We were sitting on tall bar stools and she was way too short.

  She grabbed her jacket and slid her arms through. “Do you want me to walk you home?”

  “No, I’m okay.” I looked over to the bar and saw that Alex was still working. “I think I’ll hang out here for a bit longer and then head home.”

  She grinned at me before she pulled me into a hug. “Go sit at the bar.” She gave me a wink. “Alex hasn’t been able to take his eyes off of you all night.” She gave me a little wave and left me, leaving for her shift at her club.

  I gave a sneaky look over to the bar and cringed when I saw Alex standing there. He was cleaning a glass and was staring over at me. Before I could look away, he nodded his head at the empty stool at the bar. I drained the last of my cocktail and placed the glass down. I slid myself off the bar stool. I walked over, trying to keep my cool but I could feel the nerves creeping up my spine.

  Alex was the owner of this bar, and he and I had never really hung out together. Any time I had ever seen him, I had always either been with Addie or David. He was over six feet tall and had gorgeous brown eyes and dark hair and always had stubble on his cheeks and his arms were inked with tribal designed tattoos. He was also sexy as hell.

  “Hi.” I greeted him with a small smile and placed my purse on the bar. “It’s nice to see you, Alex.”

  His eyes trailed down to my chest where I had a bit of cleavage showing before making a slow pass back up to my face.

  I was a little embarrassed with the way that he was staring at me. When I’d decided on my jeans and this low-cut top, I hadn’t been imagining anyone looking at me the way that he was. Especially not him. I pulled my red hair forward to cover some of my cleavage and looked back to him.

  “Take a seat, Charlotte.” He nodded his head at the empty seat and placed his hands on top of the bar. “What can I get for you?” He gave me a sexy grin and I knew that I was probably blushing from it.

  I lifted myself up into the chair and opened my purse. “I’ll have a vodka and cranberry, please.”

  Before I could slide my cash across to him, he held his hand up.

  “It’s on me.” He filled my glass and placed it on a bar mat in front of me. “You look a little down.”

  “I got fired today.” I stirred the straw, mixing the cranberry juice in and took a sip.

  “Are you going to go back home?” He raised his eyebrows at me. “Or are you going to look for another job?”

  I nodded my head. “Addie is going to help me look at the vacancies tomorrow. I don’t really want to go back to Wales.”

  He nodded his head. “You, uh…” He scratched the back of his neck. “I have a spot next door if you want it.”

  My eyes shot up to his. “Next door?” Now I was confused.

  “I own this building and the one next door. Addie spoke to me earlier and told me how you’ve always wanted to be a baker. To have your own place one day.”

  I widened my eyes at him. “Are you serious?” I shrieked in surprise.

  He laughed. “You can pay me rent when you’re up and running and see where we go from there. Maybe stock my menu with some tasty treats?” He grinned at me. “So, what do you say, Charlotte?”

  I hated it when people called me Charlotte but when he said my name… It just made me want to climb him like a tree. I stared at him, trying to figure him out. He and I hadn’t spoken much before this besides friendly chatter, and now here he was offering me a job—not just any job but my dream job.

  “Why are you offering me this?” I asked. “I mean, I’m not…”

  “I know how it feels,” he said. “This place…” He waved his hand around to indicate the bar. “This place didn’t happen overnight. I got here by asking for help when I needed it.”

  I looked at him, trying to imagine him asking for help. I couldn’t see it, though. The man in front of me seemed so confident and sure of himself. It was difficult to imagine him ever being weak or vulnerable.

  “Can I think about it?” I asked.

  His face fell before he slowly nodded. “Sure.” He pasted a fake smile on his face. “Take all the time you need.” He walked away and headed toward some customers further down the bar, leaving me alone to my vodka and thoughts.

  As I drained the last of my drink, I grabbed my purse and gave him a small wave and made my way to the exit. I couldn’t help but look back at him, still remembering the way that his face dropped when I asked if I could think about his offer. I shook my head at myself when I saw he was being chatted up by some beautiful blonde woman who was now sitting in my seat. I don’t know why I was disappointed. I’d never have a chance of keeping a guy like that interested.

  I turned left and made my way down the street. As I got closer to my building with only one small block left to go, I looked over my shoulder, hating the feeling of ey
es on me. It was a stupid feeling. David had really messed my head up with his hanging outside my workplace, and now I felt like his eyes were on me whenever I was out of my building on my own.

  Walking through the main door, I let out a sigh of relief when it clicked shut behind me. David had never meant to be mean or nasty to me when we’d been together, but being followed made me feel paranoid. Being watched was never a nice feeling.

  After locking the door to my apartment, I toed off my shoes and changed into my pyjamas before crawling into bed. The way that I was feeling right now, I hoped that tomorrow I would feel better.

  I closed my eyes and drifted away to the thought of seductive, chocolate brown eyes and the promise of a better world.

  2

  Alex

  That woman killed me. She had no idea how beautiful she was and no clue how much she owned the room when she was in it. She was sexy without even trying.

  I’d first met Charlotte when she’d been in a relationship with that knob, David. That fucker had had no idea how lucky he was to have a stunner like her in his life, and it had made me so fucking mad when I would see him sneaking around behind her back with other women. She hadn’t had a clue and it aggravated me that I’d never said anything to her, but I’d known that if I had told her, she would freak.