His to Protect
Book 1 in the Bound to Him series
Sandra Antoni
Contents
Title Page
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
Prologue
Chelsea
Sam and I had broken up. I was okay with that. It was a mutual break up. We had both agreed that we were not getting what we needed from the relationship. I was always working, and he was always going on the road with his weather team. The bigger the tornado or hurricane the better, and he was always so excited to leave. Sometimes, he seemed too excited to leave.
I thought that I had gotten used to it, but finally realized that I hadn’t. Two days after our breakup, when I saw his pictures online of him and a woman whom I had once called a close friend, I realized then that he was not worth shedding any tears over.
That had been over four weeks ago, and here I was alone in my bed crying tears over him once again. I was being pathetic, and I knew it, but sometimes, a girl just needed to cry. Actually, what this girl needed was a vacation.
I had not had a proper vacation since I had lived at home with my parents before I started college, and the thought of taking one now lightened my mood considerably. It would give me something to think about other than Sam.
Suddenly having a new purpose, I quickly stood from the bed. I pondered where I wanted to go, and I smiled when I realized that I could go wherever I wanted. I was an adult, and it was my money. This was going to be fun. I was not great with flying, so it definitely had to be somewhere in the continental U.S.
The Midwest got too cold in the winter, and it was the end of November, so maybe I should go somewhere south. I did not mind cold, but a negative windchill was not my idea of fun. I wanted to go somewhere that would have more sun than here, and somewhere that I could spend a lot of time outside.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I would have several weeks before Christmas. I definitely did not want to get stuck with all the holiday travelers, and I wanted to be home for Christmas anyway. My parents would expect me to be at their house bright and early Christmas morning.
I left my bedroom and walked into the living room. Picking up my laptop from the coffee table in front of the couch, I walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. I had three weeks of vacation time, and I had not used any of it. It would not be feasible at my job to take it all at once, but maybe I could get away for two weeks.
Checking my planner for appointments in December, I saw that the best time for me to go would be December 3 through the 17th. Putting in the request form for time off, I started researching destinations that were much farther south than Kansas City.
Thanksgiving was a huge thing with my parents, even though it was just the three of us. There was always enough food to feed a small army, but cooking was one of my mother’s favorite things to do. I had gotten my appreciation of the art from her as well. We stood side by side in the kitchen getting the food ready to take to the table.
“Mom, I wanted to talk to you about something. I have decided to take a vacation,” I told her, waiting to see what her response would be. She did not say anything for a long time.
“Is someone going to go with you? Dad and I could go. We haven’t had a family vacation in quite a while,” she said, but I could hear the anxiousness in her voice.
“No, mom. This time I need some time away. I need to do this on my own, although, I would not mind taking a vacation with you and dad sometime. We always talked about seeing Mount Rushmore, but never got there. However, I wouldn’t want to do that in December,” I replied, and she smiled over at me.
She might have a smile on her face, but I knew that she was not happy about what I had just said. My parents had always been overprotective of me, however, they had good reasons. It didn’t make it any easier on me though. I just dealt with it. It was easier than having to listen to them.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents. But sometimes, they could be a little much. Or a lot more than just a little. I sighed and turned and looked at my mom. Then I threw my arms around her and hugged her. She squeezed me tightly in return.
“Mom, I’ll be okay. I’m going to Arizona. I want some sun, and I want to do some hiking. The resort I found had amazing views of the mountains, and I’m excited to visit the desert. It’s just what I need,” I told her gently.
She leaned back and patted my cheek. I put on a brave face, knowing that she was searching for any signs of doubt. I had told her the truth. This was something that I had to do on my own. I needed to get away, and I needed to go by myself.
“You will call every day, right? You know that we worry about you, and your father and I love you. If you need this time, then I will try to be happy for you. But you must call every day,” she said adamantly.
I had expected nothing less and I smiled down at her. I was tall for a woman, but my mother was barely five foot. It had been a long time since my mother had looked down at me, and I
