Claimed | Boss Billionaire Romance Book 2

Claimed concludes The Boss Billionaire: Spencer Blackstone duet with a high-stakes romance of power, danger, and devotion. Spencer and Jada’s forbidden attraction turns into a battle for love against betrayal, secrets, and the ruthless world that threatens to tear them apart. A dark billionaire boss romance filled with passion and redemption.

Christmas Eve
Spencer and I stand outside my parents’ front door. Cars are crammed along the circular drive—probably dinner guests, most of them my parents’ colleagues.
I take a deep breath, vaguely registering the changes to the front of the estate. The fountain in the center of the driveway is different. There used to be a fat, stone cherub spouting water from his mouth, surrounded by perfectly trimmed shrubbery. Now, there’s a cluster of geometric shapes—squares, triangles, circles—stacked on top of each other. Water cascades through them. I tilt my head, studying the display. It’s a very contemporary choice for my parents, who’ve always had classic tastes.
My shoulders rise and fall with another breath. That one settles me.
“Are you ready?” I ask Spencer, meeting his gaze. His eyes look more pensive than usual.
His smile is tight, the same expression he’s worn since before we boarded our flight to California. I feel the corners of my mouth dip, wondering if maybe we need to talk before we walk in. He’s been distant—barely speaking during our private flight from Jackson Hole to Santa Barbara. Last night, he didn’t even come to bed after spending the entire day in the crawlspace beneath the ranch house, chiseling at a cement wall.
I didn’t see him until an hour before we were set to leave. For a while, I actually thought he might have abandoned me. I even considered booking a separate flight. Once we were seated side by side on the plane, I asked—for probably the tenth time—if he was okay.
Spencer wrapped an arm around me. “I’m fine. I’m just disturbed by something.”
Relief bloomed in me. He was finally opening up. “Does it have to do with what’s under the house?”
“Yes.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
His lips were parted as he stared deep into my eyes. Finally, he swallowed. “Yes.”
I could sense his grief, and that feeling made my insides constrict. “Are you ready to tell me what you found?”
He kissed me on the forehead. “Soon enough.”
“Why not now?” I asked, annoyed by my whining tone.
“I need to wait. It’s important I not make mistakes.”
I felt my eyebrows pull some more. “What sort of mistakes could you make?”
His eyes narrowed just a bit. Then he removed his arm from around my shoulders and scratched his temples. “I want to keep this to myself for now. I need you to respect that decision.”
We stared at each other for a long moment. I loved his sincerity and how respectfully he asked for things he wanted from me. I acquiesced by nodding gently. We kissed again tenderly. Spencer lifted the armrest between us, and I pressed my head to his chest. Since I’d hardly gotten any sleep during the night, worrying about why he wasn’t joining me, I was out like a lamp. I closed my eyes and didn’t wake up until the plane had landed and we were ready to disembark. 
A hired car drove us to my mother’s house. Spencer spent the entire ride texting on his phone. Whatever conversation he was having, it made him look more miserable with each response. I asked him whether he was texting about the business beneath the ranch. 
“Yes,” he said, then kissed me tenderly. When our lips parted, he warmed me with a reassuring smile. I needed that. I need this day to go smoothly, even though the odds are against it. Patricia won’t allow it.
Why did I bring Spencer here in the first place?
Regardless, after that kiss, I thought he was fine. But now, standing on my mother’s patio, he looks sour again, and it worries me. We’re already at a disadvantage—my mother hates that we’re together. If she senses even a hint of trouble between us, she’ll pry at the crack until she tears us apart.
Spencer cups my chin and leans in. “Let’s have fun,” he whispers against my lips.
His words spark something warm and electric inside me, and for a moment, I believe him. “Okay.”
He kisses me harder this time. His tongue brushes mine, making up for last night’s distance.
“Hello, Jada,” my mother’s voice blares through the front porch like surround sound.
Spencer and I break apart. I look around, startled. He’s staring at the doorbell.
“Please come inside already,” she says.
Then I spot the camera mounted in the upper right corner of the veranda. That’s new. My parents never had cameras when I lived here. But back then, my mother wasn’t the Senate Majority Leader. A lot has changed—she has changed the most.
Spencer opens the door for me. I walk past him, raising my brows in a silent warning: brace yourself. Tonight will be insane.
The way he smiles tells me he got the message. That calms me. Slightly.