Table of Contents
Rescue Me
Copyright
Dedication
Author Note
Other Books by Melody Anne
Prologue
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
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Epilogue
Rescue Me
Baby for the Billionaire, Book Six
by
Melody Anne
Copyright
© 2019 Melody Anne
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Printed and published in the United States of America.
Published by Eternal Dreams
Editing by Karen Lawson
Dedication
This is dedicated to Dr. Kiya Movassaghi. You’re amazing and I couldn’t have completed this journey without you. Thank you so much!
Author Note
I’ve been on a health journey now for several years. One day I woke up and looked in the mirror not recognizing myself. I didn’t understand how I’d stopped caring so much. It doesn’t matter that we’re not perfect, but when I was in my early 30s and couldn’t walk up a single flight of stairs without breathing hard, I knew I had to make some serious changes.
I spent a couple of years trying to do things on my own. I was a bit more careful about what I ate and I began walking. But I’d quickly lose motivation. It’s hard to change your lifestyle when you don’t have others around you wanting to do the same.
So I knew I needed help. The next thing I did was hire a personal trainer. I was lucky enough to have found Emmy McCormak on the first try. She not only became a motivating person in my life who helped me lose over a hundred pounds, but she changed everything for me. We can lose weight and still be unhealthy. It’s not about a number on the scale. I changed my eating habits, my exercise habits, my routines. I still had setbacks, I still do, but I’m far more conscious of how I treat my body. Emmy has become a wonderful friend who motivates me, pushes me, and makes me believe in myself.
The next step in my journey was to fix things I’d permanently damaged on my body. When you put on over 100 pounds of fat, it isn’t kind to your skin. So that’s when I met Dr. Movassaghi. Between having children and gaining a ton of weight and then losing it, I had abused the crud out of my stomach the most. I had a tummy tuck surgery with Dr. Movassaghi and I am IN LOVE with the results. It’s frustrating when you’ve lost a bunch of weight and then you look in the mirror and hate what you see. I now like to buy clothes, and it motivates me to work that much harder.
I couldn’t have done this alone, I needed people to support me on the journey. I’ve also made life changes. I love working out, love weight lifting (most days ), and I have the utmost respect and love for those who’ve helped me on my journey.
So of course I had to write a hero who is a plastic surgeon, and there was no better way to do that than with Patsy Lander from the Titan family. Some people look at plastic surgery as nothing more than vanity. I might’ve looked at it that way twenty years ago. But as I get older, I realize we are all beautiful as we are, but there’s also nothing wrong with doing something that makes us feel better about ourselves. Plastic surgery also gives people their lives back, such as burn victims, accident victims, and heroes who are injured helping others.
I personally did most of the damage to my body myself. First by having children which left a road map of stretch marks over my stomach. My body didn’t like pregnancy and then by doubling my weight. So getting this procedure done gave me back confidence in myself and made me want to work even harder than I had before.
At the end of the day all of us have to decide what’s best for ourselves. No one can make that decision. And I’m so grateful for people like Emmy and Dr. Movassaghi who are there for those of us who want to do something that makes us feel better about ourselves. I couldn’t have done it without either one of them. I also couldn’t do it without my friends coming over and pushing me, encouraging me, and making me feel I can do anything.
Thanks for the love and support,
Other Books by Melody Anne
THRILLERS
Confessions:
Dance in the Dark - Novella - July 18th, 2017
Book Two - TBA
ROMANCE
Billionaire Bachelors:
The Billionaire Wins the Game
The Billionaire’s Dance
The Billionaire Falls
The Billionaire’s Marriage Proposal
Blackmailing the Billionaire
Run Away Heiress
The Billionaire’s Final Stand
Unexpected Treasure
Hidden Treasure
Holiday Treasure
Priceless Treasure
The Ultimate Treasure
Baby for the Billionaire:
The Tycoon’s Revenge
The Tycoon’s Vacation
The Tycoon’s Proposal
The Tycoon’s Secret
The Lost Tycoon
Surrender Series:
Surrender - Book One
Submit - Book Two
Seduced - Book Three
Scorched - Book Four
Forbidden Series:
Bound -Book One
Broken - Book Two
Betrayed - Book Three
Burned - Book Four
Unexpected Heroes:
Safe in His Arms - Novella - Baby, It’s Cold Outside Anthology
Her Unexpected Hero
Who I am With You - Novella
Her Hometown Hero
Following Her - Novella
Her Forever Hero
All I Want for Christmas - Novella
Becoming Elena:
Stolen Innocence
Forever Lost
New Desires
Taken by a Trillionaire:
Taken by a Trillionaire - Book One
Xander - Ruth Cardello
Bryan - J.S. Scott
Chris - Melody Anne
Virgin for the Trillionaire - Book Four - Ruth Cardello
Virgin for the Prince - Book Five - J.S. Scott
Virgin to Conquer - Book Six -
Melody Anne
Finding Forever Series:
Finding Forever
Finding Each Other
7 Brides for 7 Brothers (Multi-Author Series):
Luke - Book One - Barbara Freethy
Gabe - Book Two - Ruth Cardello
Hunter - Book Three - Melody Anne
Knox - Book Four - Christie Ridgway
Max - Book Five - Lynn Raye Harris
James - Book Six - Roxanne St. Clair
Finn - Book Seven - JoAnn Ross
YOUNG ADULT / FANTASY
The Midnight Series:
Midnight Fire: Book One
Midnight Moon: Book Two
Midnight Storm: Book Three
Midnight Eclipse: Book Four
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Prologue
It was time for a change.
But instead he felt empty.
It wasn’t that he didn’t love his job. He’d known from the time he was ten years old this was the line of work he’d pursue. He loved looking at a person as a blank canvas waiting for his magical touch to make it everything they wanted it to be . . . and so much more.
But he was missing something in his life. If only he knew what that was maybe he wouldn’t be drifting out to sea without a way to come back to shore.
Maybe it was because of his job, but he could no longer see beauty in the world. His life was empty. He’d pulled away from his family years earlier, hardly speaking to them, and then one morning he’d suddenly woken up to realize his friendships were all fake.
It was time to change all of that.
Standing on his back deck, he looked out at the view of the California coastline of endless beaches and bikinis, and knew he was done with it all. It was time to go home. He missed his family. He missed who he used to be.
He had no regrets walking away from this life. None at all. He just wasn’t sure what was in store for him next. Maybe he’d find himself again, or maybe he’d discover this was it. He’d never know, though, unless he changed his life.
He’d never know unless he took that first step.
So he did.
Chapter One
“Eeyore, get back here!”
There was no way this would end well.
Patsy Lander watched her hundred pound German Shepard take off in a determined sprint as a Frisbee whizzed over the top of their heads. Her normally well-behaved animal must have snuck into the kitten’s catnip because he wasn’t acting like himself at all.
Taking off as fast as her sandals would allow, Patsy attempted to catch her overgrown puppy . . . but it was hopeless. There was a group of shirtless men with their backs turned to her rapidly approaching dog, and shock and horror kept Patsy from calling out a warning. When she needed to have a voice it seemed to have disappeared.
Though Eeyore was normally calm, loving his naps more than he liked chasing a ball—which was how he’d obtained the name—today he seemed to have forgotten he was lazy. Eeyore leapt into the air as the Frisbee made an arc toward one of the men who was reaching up to catch it.
In horror, Patsy watched her huge dog use the man’s beautifully muscled back to launch himself into the air and snag the Frisbee before the man could get his hands on it.
A grunt sounded from the man as he stumbled forward, barely managing to stay on his feet. He did catch himself at the last minute and she watched as his head arched back, watching her dog easily soar overhead to deliver a perfect landing in front of him.
Eeyore, appearing more than proud of himself, sat a few feet in front of the man, the Frisbee in his teeth, his mouth turned up in what appeared to be a satisfied grin. It appeared her very naughty dog wanted to be praised for his impressive catch. Patsy tried to screech to a stop, but her forward momentum apparently was too much for her sandals, and, much to her horror, and the poor fate of the man who hadn’t dealt with enough crazy for the day, Patsy stumbled right into his solid back.
He barely moved forward as she bounced off him and flew backward, landing ungracefully hard on the ground, pain instantly flaring in her butt as tears sprang to her eyes.
The man turned sideways, looking incredulously from her to her dog then back to her. Patsy wanted to bury her head in her hands and pray for a freak thunderstorm that would send every single witness of her misery scurrying for shelter. If a few of them were struck, that would be okay, too.
But contrary to most days in Seattle, Washington, the sun remained sunny, and as she looked around the crowded park, she had no doubt she and her dog had gained a lot of attention. Finally, Patsy’s voice came back and her mouth gaped open as she tried not to stare at the enticing sheen of sweat on the man’s muscled chest.
“I’m so sorry. I have no idea what just happened,” Patsy said, her voice coming out too high in her rush to apologize.
Just then Eeyore let out a happy bark and trotted over, his prize Frisbee still secured between his teeth. He lay down next to her and gazed at the man, no apology at all in his happy eyes. Apparently he believed the Frisbee was now his.
“Looks like you got shown up by a dog,” a guy yelled, laughter coming through loud and clear in his tone.
“Yep. Looks like it,” the man replied.
Patsy’s stomach clenched at the deep baritone of the stranger’s voice. With the adrenaline of the moment dying down, Patsy let her gaze travel up the muscular calves of the man in front of her to the hem of his shorts . . . and higher. What she saw made her mouth go dry as she realized she was checking him out in a very unladylike manner.
Her cheeks heated with color as she shifted her gaze back to the man’s worn tennis shoes. At least this was Seattle, and the chances of her running into the man again were pretty much zilch. She only had to get through this awkward moment, then she could be on her merry way.
He dropped to the ground, the muscles in his thighs shifting as his face came into view. Hot damn! Her dang dog would have to climb up the back of one of the sexiest men she’d looked at in a while. And considering she was a plastic surgeon resident, that was saying a lot.
The man was giving her his full attention, and those deep brown eyes seemed to see right into her soul. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had looked at her so intensely. It made her already rapidly beating heart practically thump out of her chest.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Patsy had flashes of a storm returning, but this time she was envisioning the entire park clearing out except for the two of them. The instant lust was so shocking she didn’t know what to think or say. She’d been in medical school for so long she hadn’t had time to sit down and eat, let alone think about men.
But now she was starting a new job and was finally going to feel like an adult instead of a child constantly doing homework. She didn’t want, or need, to ogle men. Her career was important to her. Besides that, her brother-in-law, Ryan Titan, seemed to find it his personal life mission to make sure men didn’t so much as glance at her. He still thought of her as the child she’d been when he’d married her sister, Nicole, and saved them both.
Patsy would be furious with Ryan if she didn’t love him so dang much. But Ryan was the last person she wanted to think about as lustful thoughts toward a stranger in a park filled her mind.
“Did yo
u hit your head?” the man asked, and Patsy realized she hadn’t answered him, telling him she was fine.
He reached out and placed his large fingers against her scalp and though there was no thunder, lightning certainly struck as fire shot through her veins. The man’s skin was olive, his body solid, and his eyes so dark she thought she could get lost in the abyss . . . and not care to come back.
“I’m fine. I’m sorry,” Patsy finally managed to squeak out. She was trying to remind herself she was a sophisticated doctor; she’d been hired by one of the best hospitals in the Northwest, and she didn’t need to stay sprawled on the ground like a fool.
“Are you sure?” the man asked, clearly not convinced by her answer.
“Really, I’m fine. My dog has never done that before. I’m so sorry,” she said again. She finally managed to rip her gaze from the man’s piercing brown eyes to glare at her dog, who looked a bit sleepy as he laid his head down, finally releasing his prized Frisbee. It appeared the game was over, and he was perfectly comfortable taking a nap.
Patsy snapped on his leash to make sure he wasn’t planning to run off again, but if he was determined enough, he’d pull it right out of her hands, so she wasn’t sure what she would do about it.
“That was an impressive catch,” the man told her as he flashed a smile that showed his straight white teeth and made her lick her parched lips. Damn, the man was entirely too good-looking to be released to an unsuspecting public. He should most certainly come with a warning label. “What’s his name?”
It took a second for her to realize he was looking at her dog while still grinning. At least it didn’t appear as if he was holding a grudge for being used as a launch pad.
“Eeyore,” she mumbled.
The man turned and looked at her incredulously before he began laughing, the rich sound better than any music she’d ever heard. She wished she could pull out her phone and record it, just to listen to it over and over again.
Right as she had that thought, Patsy realized she needed to get a hell of a lot more sleep because her brain was most certainly fried to be having such immature and ridiculous thoughts.