Christian
By: Imani King
Christian: A BWWM Romance Novel
He wants a baby, not a wife. She was hired to do a job, not to heal his heart. They’re locked together for nine months with only one rule: Don’t fall in love.
At one time, international sex symbol and infamous race car driver Christian Corbett seemed unstoppable. But after a tragic accident left him scarred and broken, he barricaded himself in his country estate. For two years, only his personal staff and family were allowed to see him.
Until now.
All Liana wants is her freedom. Becoming a surrogate for the reclusive billionaire will give her enough money to escape her dark past for good. Sure, the media may call him a “Beast,” but Liana has faced worse…or at least that's what she thinks until she meets him.
The man is incorrigible, arrogant, and dangerous, so why can’t Liana stay away? Christian knows she’s is hiding something, but every time he tries to figure it out that saucy mouth of hers distracts him. But some secrets are too big to stay secret. When Liana’s past catches up with her, will Christian be able to protect his baby and the strong woman who has claimed his heart?
***
Prologue
Liana
Womanizer. Adrenaline addict. Dangerous.
With his billion dollar inheritance, Christian Corbett could have easily led a safe and comfortable life.
He decided not to.
Oh, he kept the money. The man was no fool, and his outrageous behavior left no doubt in anyone’s mind that he thoroughly enjoyed the finer things in life. Though he was the most decorated race car driver since…well, ever…Christian moved even faster in the bedroom than he did on the track.
Yes, the man had everything: money, looks, swagger. No beauty could tie him down and other men could only hope to imitate his brilliance. He was a living legend at the top of his game.
Which is exactly why his marriage to Margaret Wistow shocked the world.
The press might have called it a Cinderella story if the bride hadn’t been a billionaire in her own right. Still, their whirlwind courtship and obvious devotion to one another had everyone agreeing it was a perfect fairy tale.
Or at least that’s what they’d thought up until the accident.
Accidents happen in fairy tales too, of course. People do unspeakable things to one another and make mistakes they can never take back. But at the end of every fairy tale there’s a lesson learned or a chance for redemption. The children outsmart the witch. The knight saves the maiden and frees the land from the evil king’s curse. Everything is made right by true love’s kiss.
But unlike in a fairy tale, the depth of Christian’s love for his princess could not bring her back to life.
The story played over and over for weeks. It wasn’t just the fact that they were America’s golden couple, though they were. Nor was it only because the story was shocking, though it was. I think that it was because it was a car crash, and that added an irresistible layer of irony to the tragedy.
I still remember the moment I first heard. Each bullet point of the story hit me like a sucker punch to the stomach: 2am. Coming back from the airport. Snow and ice. Hit by a drunk driver. Christian was driving. Margaret Corbett was killed.
As more details were uncovered in the coming days, I realized that despite all the shit I was dealing with, I did have something to be thankful for. Millions of strangers weren’t privy to my dirty laundry. All my failures and sorrows belonged to me and no one else.
Christian wasn’t so lucky. There was only one way he could get away from all that scrutiny, so who could blame him for what he did next? There were no exclusive interviews with the grief-stricken widower. No sightings in his hometown. Even the news helicopters and paparazzi could only offer the public pictures of his home in the mountains. After the accident Christian Corbett—sex symbol, bad boy, media darling—became a recluse. He barricaded himself in the fairytale mansion he’d built for his wife and refused to come out.
For two years, only his personal staff and family were allowed to see him.
Until now.
Until me.
Chapter 1
Christian
Far in the distance, the dark gates open. A black SUV pulls into the road leading up to the manor. And for the first time in three hours, I exhale normally.
