Unentangled Read online

  Unentangled

  The Tangled Series

  Katherine King

  Published by Katherine King, 2017.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  UNENTANGLED

  First edition. November 23, 2017.

  Copyright © 2017 Katherine King.

  ISBN: 978-1386449188

  Written by Katherine King.

  Also by Katherine King

  The Tangled Series

  Entangled

  Unentwined

  Entwined

  Unentangled

  Unescapable (Coming Soon)

  Undeniable

  Undeniable: Part 1

  Undeniable: Part 2

  Standalone

  One Night Only

  Breathe Again

  Watch for more at Katherine King’s site.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Also By Katherine King

  Unentangled (The Tangled Series)

  Unentangled | Dedication | For every girl out there struggling to follow their own dreams, just get out there and GO FOR IT!. | And to my beauty pug Quinella, our gentle walks together is what grounds me daily. | More by the Author:

  Unentangled | Part 1 of The Tangled Series | By Katherine King

  Emma

  Lucas

  Emma

  Lucas

  Emma

  Lucas

  Emma

  Lucas

  Emma

  Lucas

  Emma

  Lucas

  Emma

  More by the Author:

  Mick

  Maggie

  Special Thanks: | To my amazing and very supportive proof-readers who are some of my greatest fans! Debbie Mahon, Kelly Ann Marshall, Colleen Fowler, Paula Newhook and Darlene Boone – the time you took to not only read but to go back and proofread all of my books to date will never be forgotten. I love you all for your time but most especially for believing in me and standing by me. XO | And to my Street Team, where would I be without you! All of your support in reading, promoting and most especially, sending me little notes of encouragement...I don’t know how I became so lucky to have you all come onboard when we have only met virally. Your unwavering support and dedication of your time makes my heart melt. | Also, many thanks to my hubby Bernie, my biggest fan, who broadcasted to everyone he knew that I was a romance writer while I was still very much afraid to be me. | To the one person in my life, the first person who ever knew about my writing, who changed my life completely for the better - my amazing daughter, Rebecca. As I started my writing journey, she walked in on me early one morning, saw what I was doing and promised to keep it a secret. She not only kept my secret, she convinced me to publish my first book Captivated and taught me how to do it at the ripe, but knowledgeable age of 13. Yes, she is amazing, and I hope when she is of age to read my books, she will be as proud of me as I am of her.

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  Further Reading: Entangled

  Also By Katherine King

  Get Katherine King’s FREE Starter Library which includes 3 of her stories by signing up at www.katherineking2001.com!

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  Plus, more details can be found at the end of

  Unentangled

  Dedication

  For every girl out there struggling to follow their own dreams, just get out there and GO FOR IT!.

  And to my beauty pug Quinella, our gentle walks together is what grounds me daily.

  More by the Author:

  SERIES:

  Captivated Series

  Captivated: Stile Before

  Captivated: Stile After

  The Tangled Series

  Unentangled – Book One

  Entangled – Book Two

  Entwined – Book Three

  Unentwined – Book Four Coming July 28, 2018 Pre Order HERE

  Short Story:

  One Night Only

  Breathe Again

  Stand Alone:

  Undeniable

  Katherine’s Website: https://www.katherineking2001.com/

  Book Trailers: http://www.katherineking2001.com/book-trailers.html

  Unentangled

  Part 1 of The Tangled Series

  By Katherine King

  Chapter 1

  Emma

  Driving along Niagara Falls, I’m dazed by the natural spectacular beauty of the scenery before me. Unable to resist, I roll my window down, absorbing the thundering sound from the falls even though the wind is playing havoc with my hair. Laughing lightly to myself, with a hopeful excitement that this may soon be my new home swirling through me, I continue to follow the road from the popular tourist attraction until it leads me to a quieter area where I see vineyards for miles and miles on my left.

  Secretly, I’m glad I left Toronto early to drive along the falls before my interview.

  It makes me want this job even more. The lure of the water falls, the vast expanses of vineyard after vineyard strikes a cord deep within me.

  And I can already picture myself living here, if only for a few brief years.

  "Prepare to keep left," my GPS squawks, distracting me from the scenery. Forcing my eyes back to the road, I do as directed.

  "Now keep left onto Queen Street," the GPS voice continues with its instructions.

  As I drive along on Queen Street, I’m immediately charmed by the quaint buildings of restaurants and shops. If I manage to land this job, I’m going to love strolling along these streets, getting to know some of these people.

  But for now, I continue to listen to the GPS, my excitement mounting as the scenery changes to nothing but the road and rows, upon rows, of vines as I’m guided to where my interview will be taking place.

  Pulling into the parking lot of Reid Vineyards, I feel butterflies immediately take wing in my stomach as I turn off the car. Exhaling, pushing back the nervousness, I step out of my car and take in my first full view of the restaurant and inn I hope to be managing soon.

  The restaurant sits, sprawling and elegant in its all glass design, overlooking the vines that are the definite main attraction with the rooms to the inn off to the left. The description of the setting from the phone interview I had underwent prior to this face to face interview had enticed me to give this a try, and now that I’m here, I’m not disappointed.

  Smoothing my skirt and then re-pinning my hair up that had come undone from my careless decision to enjoy the scenery on the way here with the window rolled down, I reach back into the car to take my purse before locking it.

  Taking another deep inhale and then an exhale, knowing without a doubt that I want this opportunity more than any other job opportunity that has come my way, I stride confidently into the lobby of the restaurant where I see an electrical contractor meeting with the construction foreman.

  Glancing around, I can’t help but wonder what the final interior layout will be.

  A lady, who looks to be about sixty, approaches me with a wide, welcoming smile as she says politely, "Please excuse the mess. We’re still very much in the construction stages on this level. Are you here to meet with Mr. Reid?"

  Returning her smile easily, I extend my hand as I respond, "Yes, I have a 2:30 appointment. My name is Emma Ivany."

  "Nice to meet you, Emma," she replies warmly as she grasps my hand. "I’m Martha, Mr. Reid's office assistant. His office is right this way," she continues as she turns to lead me up a set of stairs to our left. Reaching the top of the stairs, I am greeted by another large bank of windows,
the view of the vineyard stretching out before me, completely breathtaking.

  Martha takes a right, leading me down a short hall where she instructs me to wait for a moment outside a closed door. As she disappears inside, I try to temper my excitement, to focus on landing the job first before I let my excitement carry me away.

  "Emma, Mr. Reid is ready to see you," Martha says, as she opens the door moments later, signaling for me to enter.

  "Thank you, Martha," I reply, my easy, professional - job interview - smile back in place, as I navigate past her through the doorway.

  I momentarily lose my composure, almost twisting my ankle in the process, when I turn my attention away from Martha and my eyes immediately connect with the most intense and penetrating blue eyes I have ever seen. I know immediately, this man is the owner and my potential employer.

  And he is the most sexually stimulating male I have ever met.

  Damn, - I silently curse to myself, as my stomach bottoms out and I quickly drop my eyes from his for a moment, only able to focus on placing one foot in front of the other as I try to give myself time to regain my professional poise. When I feel in control, convincing myself that he surely isn’t as sexy as I had made him out to be, I lift my head again and meet his gaze straight on.

  While he doesn’t flinch, my mind admits with silent awe, - He’s beautiful, - as my body flushes, seeming to respond to his sheer male, rugged beauty despite me firmly instructing my body to obey.

  With dark, shoulder length hair, a strong and chiseled handsome face with a tall, well-defined muscled body...he is the stuff of dreams. That he is wearing jeans, a white button up shirt with the top four buttons left undone instead of wearing a suit, only makes him even more attractive.

  So sensually alluring.

  I swallow thickly as the butterflies pick up in the intensity of their flapping, making me I feel as if I have lost my calm confidence that I always ensure I exude in interviews.

  You’ve got this, - I finally - silently - remind myself to repeat, as I usually do in an interview.

  "Ms. Ivany," he murmurs, his eyes assessing me, dissecting me, as he stands extending his arm to shake my hand, "I'm Lucas."

  The confidence in this man exudes from his pores and I can feel myself responding to it.

  Stepping forward to grasp his hand, I silently tell myself that I’m strong and confident, that I’m back in control of my scattered thoughts, but as soon as I touch his calloused hand, my mind wanders - without warning - as I silently contemplate what it would feel like cupping my breast.

  Shocked and surprised at my thoughts, I inhale quickly, release his hand, and immediately drop my eyes from his.

  I feel off-kilter. Floundering...

  "Won't you have a seat, Ms. Ivany?" Lucas continues in his murmured, professional tone.

  I gratefully, but cumbersomely, sink into the chair.

  So much for first impressions, - I scathingly chastise myself silently.

  Swallowing thickly, I raise my eyes back to his to watch unabashedly as he lowers those beautiful blue eyes to the top of his desk, watching his strong hands, silently coveting them – wanting them to touch me to satisfy my curiosity about how they would feel against my skin, as he picks up my resume. I watch, unable to speak, as he scans it quickly.

  "You have quite an impressive resume, Ms. Ivany," he says quietly, before bringing his eyes back up to mine.

  His eyes probe into mine, interrogating me again, like he is trying to figure me out, to see into my brain so he can figure out my thoughts. I feel a mental wall slip firmly into place as I resolutely push him away. I feel my confidence return as I hold his gaze.

  Sitting straighter in my chair, finally feeling my professional backbone back in place, I begin the professional blurb about myself that landed me a job in every place I had wanted to work before.

  "I started working in the food service and hospitality business at a young age as my parents owned a small inn and restaurant from the time I was born. I was fortunate enough to grow up working in the family business, and at the age of fourteen, I started as a dishwasher. Once I started, I was hooked and I took it upon myself to learn the ropes of my family’s business, from the dish pit to the day to day operations. When I graduated from high school, I knew what I wanted and I immediately left my home town to attend college to obtain my Hospitality Management and Co-op Diploma. My work term took me to The Autumn Hotel in Toronto. They liked my work ethic and offered me a job as soon as I completed my diploma. I worked hard and I quickly moved up the ladder."

  He is silent for a moment as his eyes continue to scan my face.

  Searching...

  Probing...

  "Why would you leave the prestige of a five-star hotel and restaurant in Toronto to come here to work in my small, by comparison, operation?" he asks, his voice still at a murmur, his eyes taking in every shift of my body, assessing me.

  Forcing a smile, I respond with the vague truth, "I need a change. I love Toronto, love my job but having the experience of helping to start a business, a restaurant and inn such as yours from the ground up, will help me to grow my career." I leave out any mention of my future past Reid Vineyards. Unless he asked, I know it’s in my best interest to keep that bit of information to myself.

  "And you think this is the area for you?" he continues with his probing, his gaze dissecting.

  Nodding, I admit, "I took the scenic route to come here today. The more I saw, the more I wanted to live here."

  His eyes scan me one more time before he says, "As we are nearing the end of construction, I would need you to start within the next month or two. When would you be available?"

  I swallow thickly.

  Is he offering me the job, here and now? - I wonder to myself, my mind whirling.

  "Out of respect for my current employer, I will have to give at least a month notice and then I can be here within a day after I finish," I respond.

  Nodding, he drops his eyes back to his desk, and I breathe a sigh of relief. His eyes absorb me, making me feel open...exposed.

  "We would need you here to oversee the rest of the build, to help with the layout of the kitchen," he says, his eyes thankfully remaining on my resume.

  I nod, feeling stupid as I know he can't see me.

  Raising his eyes back to mine, he continues, "The restaurant and inn is a new venture for me. I only know what being a winemaker entails. I will need to learn a lot from you to run this place but in return I’m sure you can learn a lot from me about the winemaking process, if you are interested."

  Nodding, excitement bubbling up despite my over-reaction to him, I respond with a wide, falsely confident smile, "I’m sure we will work well together."

  With his eyes running over my face one more time in speculation, he says quietly, "I’m sure we will."

  His quiet words instinctively cause my nipples to swell.

  I feel a blush start and I silently will it away.

  What is it about this man that makes every word he murmurs seem sexual? - I silently berate myself.

  "Ms. Ivany, I would like to propose for you to start in four and a half weeks’ time. I believe the salary was already discussed in the phone interview?" he inquires, his tone moving from the quiet, observant and speculative tone from only a few moments ago to purely business.

  Nodding, with his business tone putting me at ease, I allow the excitement to secretly flow through me, as I respond in an equally professional tone, "Yes, the salary was discussed and I’m certainly available to start then."

  "If you need help in finding somewhere to stay, Martha can help you out. She seems to know everyone in the area," he says as he stands, effectively ending the interview.

  Shooting to my feet, I nod enthusiastically, and reach forward to grasp his hand. As his hand envelopes mine once again, we lock eyes across his desk.

  I feel a pull to him unlike any I have ever experienced.

  It's indescribable.

  It’s startling.


  It’s forbidden – I silently warn myself.

  Slowly withdrawing my hand from his, I mentally scold myself to maintain a distance between us. As of only a few short minutes ago, he's now my new employer, meaning hands off. I have never become romantically involved with anyone in the workplace and I wasn’t about to start now.

  Especially with my boss.

  No matter how sexually sensual he was.

  Clearing my throat, I reply, "I will be looking forward to returning in four and a half weeks."

  He nods, his eyes back to scanning me yet again, once again speculative but this time I see something that I can’t describe in his gaze.

  Turning quickly, wanting to break away from his speculative gaze, I say over my shoulder as I open the door, "Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Reid. You won't be disappointed."

  "I'm pretty sure I won't be," is his quiet reply, causing heat to flood between my legs.

  As I shut the door behind me, I whisper a quick, "Thank you," to the higher being as relief flows through me that the interview is over. I don't know how much more I could have handled of Mr. Reid and his sexy, probing eyes.

  Just how are you going to handle working with him? - my mind silently teases me. Giving my head a gentle shake, chalking up my response as normal to such a beautiful man, I descend the stairs to where Martha greets me.

  “I’m thinking from the smile on your face that it went well?” she asks, her gaze one of genuine happiness for me even though I’m a stranger. It’s one of the things that I like about small towns. The people are always so open, friendly and welcoming.

  Smiling widely in response, I reply excitedly, "He hired me!"

  The smile spreads wider across her friendly face as she says, "Wow. Congratulations Emma! Lucas always knows right away what he is looking for so consider that a compliment that he hired you so quickly."