The Choice Read online

  The Choice

  DOMS OF HER LIFE:

  HEAVENLY RISING (BOOK 1)

  by

  Shayla Black,

  Jenna Jacob,

  and Isabella LaPearl

  THE CHOICE

  Doms of Her Life: Heavenly Rising (Book 1)

  Written by Shayla Black, Jenna Jacob, and Isabella LaPearl

  This book is an original publication by Shayla Black, Jenna Jacob, and Isabella LaPearl

  Copyright 2018 Shelley Bradley LLC, Dream Words LLC, and Tale Spin LLC

  Nook Edition

  Edited by: Shayla Black and Amy Knupp of Blue Otter

  Proofread by: Fedora Chen and Kasi Alexander

  ISBN: 978-0-9911796-2-6

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional. Any similarity to real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by an electronic or mechanical means—except for brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews—without express written permission.

  All rights reserved.

  Dedication

  Of all the relationships in life, sisterhood is one of the best.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Authors’ Note

  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

  About One Dom to Love

  About The Young and the Submissive

  About The Bold and the Dominant

  About The Edge of Dominance

  About More Than Love You

  About Shayla Black

  Other Books by Shayla Black

  About Jenna Jacob

  Other Books by Jenna Jacob

  About Isabella LaPearl

  Authors’ Note

  DOMS OF HER LIFE: Heavenly Rising is a serialized story told over multiple full-length books. This is the second collection in the DOMS OF HER LIFE series. The first, Raine Falling, is complete and can be read for deeper enjoyment of Heavenly Rising, but is not necessary. The timelines of these collections intersect, however. We will refer to events in Raine Falling, but they don’t affect the outcome of anything in Heavenly Rising.

  If you have not read Raine Falling and would like the backstory of those characters, here is the reading order:

  One Dom To Love

  The Young and The Submissive

  The Bold and The Dominant

  The Edge Of Dominance

  Lastly, the events of DOMS OF HER LIFE take place prior to 2018.

  We hope you enjoy the journey!

  Shayla Black

  Jenna Jacob

  Isabella LaPearl

  CHAPTER ONE

  Thursday, March 21

  “Excuse me. Can you repeat that?” Across his small living room, River Kendall stared at her as if she’d lost her damn mind.

  Heavenly Young feared she had.

  Nerves twisting her stomach in a fierce knot, she drew in a deep breath and tried again. “Would you be willing—I-I mean, if it’s not too much trouble—to, um…take me to bed?”

  “That’s what I thought you said.” River shook his head with slack-jawed shock. “You’re kidding, right?”

  She fidgeted. In her imagination, this conversation had been much easier—and less awkward. River had proven he would do any halfway-decent-looking woman. She hadn’t expected him to suddenly need a reason.

  Maybe coming here and risking their burgeoning friendship had been a mistake.

  “Of course I am.” Heavenly stood. “I’ll take my bad jokes and go.”

  “Sit down.” He waited, brow raised, until she complied on shaking legs. “What the hell is going on?”

  She refused to burden him with the ugly truth that she’d far rather have sex with a friend than the odious and inevitable alternative. This “favor” was already asking a lot. “Nothing.”

  “If that were the case, those words would never have come out of your mouth. Why do you want to have sex with me? I’m assuming that’s what you meant since you didn’t mention a nice tucking in with hot cocoa and a bedtime story.”

  Yes, River probably saw her as a kid, far more like a little sister than a lover.

  She felt guilty for compounding an impossible request with a lie, but her options had dwindled to almost none. While convincing him to help her wouldn’t solve all her problems, it might make one of them more bearable. “I was feeling lonely and thought we could…you know…”

  He leaned forward on his elbows and peered at her. “Are you attracted to me, Heavenly?”

  How did she answer that without insulting him? “I like talking to you. We enjoy some of the same TV shows. You’re nice.”

  “Nice? I’m not hot for you, either, by the way.”

  Even better. “Well, I’m only asking for a one-time thing. Since you’re popular with the ladies, I thought maybe I was missing out.”

  “No. Hell no.” He jerked his head. “Double fucking no.”

  In truth, she hadn’t been looking forward to the actual deed with him, just in knowing it was done. But he’d turned her down, so it was time to make her exit.

  She stood again and headed for the door. “Okay. Sorry to have bothered you. Have a good day.”

  River wrapped his hand around her elbow and hauled her back to the sofa. “Don’t Rebecca-of-Sunnybrook-Farm me. You don’t get to ask me for sex, wave toodle-loo, then walk out without a damn explanation. I thought we were friends. Are you in trouble? Do you need help?”

  Heavenly was tempted to confess her situation to River. He would lend a hand if he could. Neither her conscience nor her pride would let her take more from him than an erection.

  “Not at all,” she lied with a smile. “I just thought it would be nice to have some no-strings fun. But you’re not interested, so forget it.”

  His snort told her that wasn’t going to happen. “Let’s set aside the fact that we’re not attracted to each other and that you’re putting me in a really awkward position. I’ll just ask the obvious question: If you want sex, why not go to Beck or Seth? If they aren’t scratching your itch, I’m sure they’d be more than happy to.”

  Yes, but it didn’t matter now. Unfortunately, hearing dreamy Dr. Beckman’s and seductive PI Seth’s names in the same sentence with sex started fires she couldn’t put out. Before she’d met them, Heavenly never imagined burning with need for one man. But these two enemies who had pursued her relentlessly both set her ablaze. Her feelings for them dazzled her, confused her…conflicted her.

  She couldn’t tell either of them she was on the verge of starvation and homelessness, especially now.

  Instead, she’d chosen to ask River for this favor because he was safe. But he was also right. Her proposition would put him at odds with Beck and Seth, who were both his friends. She didn’t want that.

  “It was just a passing thought.”

  “Bullshit. You came to my apartment, speech rehearsed, but you couldn’t bring yourself to look me in the eye while asking me to sleep with you. You blushed like a fire engine the minute I mentioned Beck and Seth. So quit stalling and
talk.”

  The truth was too complicated. “Nothing to say except I overstepped the bounds of our friendship and I’m sorry. I really have to go.”

  Her humiliation would fade sometime in the next century, right?

  When Heavenly wriggled from his grip, River stood and blocked her path to the door, blue eyes pinpoints of confrontation. “Sit your ass down. You’ve BSed me, lied to me, dodged me, and tried to placate me. Let’s try the truth. Why do you want sex, but not from Beck or Seth?”

  She sighed. “You know if I chose one over the other, it might incite nuclear war.”

  “Valid point,” he conceded. “But if they found out I’d done you, all that toxic fallout would rain down on my head. Not to mention the fact that me defiling Raine’s bestie would piss my little sister off.”

  Heavenly winced. She should have thought of that, too. “You’re right.”

  “Why not ask Beck and Seth to do you together? I think they’d bury the hatchet, at least temporarily, for that.”

  She’d fantasized about them touching her together, especially late at night when she let her fingers roam a forbidden path inside her panties. But to believe that would ever happen was absurd.

  “I can’t.” Not after what happened the last time she’d spoken to them.

  “Why not? It worked for my sister. She’s really happy with Liam and Hammer.”

  “Raine is, and they’re devoted to her. They’ll make great parents. But asking both Beck and Seth for a physical relationship wouldn’t stave off the war.”

  “How do you know until you try?”

  Heavenly wished she’d never started this conversation. Since River obviously wasn’t going to give her a quick tumble, she wanted out. Unfortunately, he stood like an immovable mountain between her and the door.

  “You’re missing the point. I want something without attachment. Beck and Seth have both been trying to tie me down for months.”

  A little grin played at River’s lips. “More than you know.”

  Heavenly frowned. Obviously, he found that funny for reasons she didn’t grasp. “So you see my problem?”

  “Let me get this straight.” He shot her a skeptical glance. “You want to fuck? Just once? And never to do it again?”

  When he put it that bluntly, her proposition sounded terrible…but not as bad as the alternative. “Absolutely.”

  “No, you don’t. You’ve never fucked a day in your life, sweetheart.”

  “Why would you think that? I’ll be twenty-three next week.”

  “Uh-huh. And still a virgin, I’ll bet.”

  Oh, time to end this conversation. “Why are you getting so personal?”

  “Because you asked me to get naked and stick my dick inside you,” River quipped. “I think that’s pretty personal.”

  She tried not to wince. “Sorry. It was stupid. I’ll just go.”

  “So you’ll forget this crazy idea of hooking up?”

  Heavenly said nothing. It was better than lying.

  He sighed with frustration. “If you’re going to look for someone else, at least keep me posted so I can be sure you’re safe.”

  “I’ll be fine.” Heavenly was relieved when he stepped away from the door and let her pass. “See you next week at Raine’s.”

  River sent her a quelling glare. “Yeah. I’ll definitely see you then.”

  Saturday, March 30

  Heavenly dodged River’s phone calls and texts for a week, even telling Raine that everything was fine when she’d asked on her brother’s behalf. But she couldn’t avoid him tonight unless she bowed out of the birthday bash Raine was throwing for her. Not only would that raise questions, but it wouldn’t stop River from demanding answers. Problem was, Heavenly still didn’t know what to say. Over the past week, the inevitable had become imminent, so unless he changed his mind, her only choices were to brace for the unthinkable or burn bridges.

  She rang Raine’s doorbell, relieved when her bestie answered with a big smile and a hug. “Come in. I’m glad you’re here. River is dying to see you.”

  Heavenly gulped. “Here I am.”

  Concern lined Raine’s face. “Beck and Seth have also asked about you twenty times. Are you ready to see them?”

  It was going to hurt so bad… “Sure.”

  Raine didn’t look convinced. “Are you doing any better since we talked?”

  “Much,” she fibbed, then glanced down at Raine’s swelling stomach. “Wow, those little ones are growing!”

  “I know. Sometimes I’m not sure if they’re twin babies or twin Godzillas.” She stroked her baby boulder and dropped her voice. “What’s even funnier is, I can’t tell whether Hammer or Liam is more turned on by the pregnant thing. Go figure.”

  Heavenly didn’t know how to respond. “That’s…great. I never thought you’d be this happy when we first met. You were in such a dark place.”

  Raine’s face turned solemn. “Thank you for being there that day at the hospital. And thank you for being my friend since.” She sniffled suddenly, her big blue eyes filling with tears. “And if we don’t stop being mushy, I’m going to sob like a hormonal mess and ruin my makeup.”

  When she laughed again, Heavenly joined in. “No more mushy, I promise. I’m just glad to see you.”

  “Me, too. Wine?”

  She rarely imbibed, but she’d probably need the liquid courage tonight. “Please. Is it in the kitchen?” When Raine ambled in that direction, Heavenly stopped her. “I’ll get it. You sit.”

  “Oh, not you, too. Liam and Macen say that constantly. I’m pregnant, not helpless.”

  “There you are, love. I’ve been looking for you,” Liam crooned behind Raine, his Irish lilt sounding happy as he wrapped his arm around her, giving her gently distending belly a rub. “Heavenly is right. Time to get you off your feet. The obstetrician says you need rest.”

  Raine groaned. “I’ve only been upright for three minutes. It’s a party…”

  “Which means it will be a long evening, and you should pace yourself.” Liam spoke the words as if they were a suggestion, but Heavenly had the distinct impression otherwise. “I’ll get her wine.” He turned in her direction. “Good to see you, little one.”

  Before Heavenly could reply, strong fingers wrapped around her arm. “Don’t trouble yourself, Liam. I’ll get her a drink.”

  River.

  She had to face him sooner or later. And if she could think of the right white lie, maybe things between them would go back to normal. Ish, anyway.

  “Thanks.” She faced Raine’s brother. “I’d like something white and fruity. As soon as I visit with Raine, then—”

  “Let Liam settle her in the living room first.” River’s grip tightened. “You come with me.”

  The Irishman nodded, sending her one of those unnerving stares. “A grand idea.”

  River hauled her to the kitchen. What was it with these men? Every single one of them was bossy. Beck and Seth were the worst—powerful and larger-than-life. Bold. Sexual. Determined. Way beyond her experience.

  Gosh, she really had to stop thinking about them.

  Out the kitchen window, she glanced wistfully into the backyard and spotted the pair of them standing with Pike, Dean, and a few other guys she knew in passing, holding brews and laughing. Thank goodness Beck and Seth were occupied. Nothing would be worse than them overhearing River ask her embarrassing questions.

  With a guiding hand, Liam led Raine to the sofa. When they reached a waiting Hammer, the men situated her in the middle of a cushion and fluffed pillows under her feet.

  River dragged Heavenly to a quiet corner near the refrigerator and snatched the nearest bottle of wine. As he poured, Liam passed through on his way to the backyard. Then she and River were alone.

  Raine’s big brother shoved a glass of thick red vino in her hand. “So, did you find someone to fuck your brains out?”

  She recoiled. If she gave him an equally blunt answer, would he stop this mortifying inquisit
ion?

  “Yes. It was easy.” Heavenly punctuated her lie with a bright smile.

  River glowered. “Tell me Beck or Seth finally manned up.”

  “He’s someone you don’t know.”

  One of River’s dark brows shot up. “Where did you meet him?”

  “Um…around.”

  “What does that mean? A park? A bar? A grocery store? A swingers’ club?”

  “Why does it matter? I found someone and it was lovely.”

  He looked skeptical. “Lovely? That’s how you describe meeting a stranger, losing your clothes, and banging him?”

  Heavenly bristled. “How would you describe a hookup?”

  “Hot, sweaty, messy. Mind-blowing. Spine-melting. Earth-shattering.” River snorted. “Never lovely.”

  “Sweaty?” She shuddered. “That sounds unpleasant. It was nice. I…tingled.”

  “Tingled?” He scowled. “Did your pussy fall asleep because he couldn’t find your clit? Maybe you should have given him a map.”

  She nearly choked on her wine. “I found the experience perfectly satisfying.”

  “Sweetheart, you don’t know squat about satisfaction.” Raine’s brother leaned in and peered at her, eye to eye. “Here’s what I think happened: You haven’t so much as flirted with another man. You don’t understand why ‘lovely’ sex is bad because you’ve never had it. In fact, not only did you not have sex with this mysterious ‘stud,’ you haven’t offered the virginity you asked me to take to anyone else.”

  “What. The fuck. Did you say?” Beck growled suddenly.

  Heavenly glanced over her shoulder. Both Beck and Seth glared from across the kitchen. Oh, no.

  “Get out,” Seth snapped at River, hauling ass across the room. “Now. While you can still walk.”

  Dread burned her veins. She didn’t have to wonder how much they’d overheard. Obviously, it had been more than enough. Tonight had just gone from mortifying to catastrophic.

  River backed away, hands raised. “Hey, just so you know, I turned her down because I like my balls where they are.”

  “That’s the only reason you’re getting to keep them,” Beck insisted. “Seth told you to get the fuck out.”