First You Dream

Totally Bound Publishing books by Aliyah Burke

Single Books

Through The Fire

Seducing Damian

Code of Honour

A Marriage of Convenience

The Lieutenant’s Ex-Wife

A Man Like No Other

When Stars Collide

In Aeternum

Casanova in Training

Harbour of Refuge

Protected by Shadows

Polar Opposites

Theta Corps

Restitution

Contrition

Vindication

Interludes

Temporary Home

Alone With You

Till We Ain’t Strangers Anymore

The Edge

Called Home to The Edge

Straying to The Edge

Returning to The Edge

Cuffed at The Edge

The Monroe Sisters

Need You Now

Let Me Go

I Won’t Say Goodbye

Heart’s Compass

The Princess and the Marquess

Keeper of the Stars

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Astral Guardians

Chasing the Storm

Highlands at Dawn

Fields of Thunder

Branded by Frost

Driven by Night

Moon of Fire

Family Forever

Don’t You Wanna Stay?

Love and Moonshine

First You Dream

What’s her Secret?

Preconception

A Little Bit Cupid

This Ain’t No Love Story

My Bloody Valentine

Perfect Duet

With Taige Crenshaw

Single Title

Unbreakable Bonds

Kemet Uncovered

Talios

Devi

Linc

Saffron

Taber

Ashia

Family Forever

FIRST YOU DREAM

ALIYAH BURKE

First You Dream

ISBN # 978-1-83943-569-0

©Copyright Aliyah Burke 2022

Cover Art by Kelly Martin ©Copyright February 2022

Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

Totally Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2022 by Totally Bound Publishing, United Kingdom.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.

Totally Bound Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

Book three in the

Family Forever series

A rash decision can become the best ever.

Race car driver Cody Gamino has come from Europe to the United States for one thing—to race with the incredible Xin. Their one night together meant more to him than he expected and suddenly, it’s not just about racing together but being together. Forever.

Racer N’Jelle ‘Xin’ Marx turns to a handsome man she met outside a bar, just to forget for a night. Six weeks and two pink lines later, she is questioning the decision she made that night. When he shows up at her job, revealing to her who he truly is, and snatches her position out from under her, she doesn’t have the fight in her any longer. And Cody isn’t one to give up—when he learns of his unborn child, he digs in even more. Will these two, used to life in the fast lane, learn to slow down and see what’s before them? Will they recognize what they have to lose?

Dedication

Thank you to Totally Bound for allowing me to have another series with them. To my editor here who doesn’t cringe when I come up with something else that may be crazy.

To my readers, thank you, for all the years. I cannot thank you enough for all of your support. As always, to the men and women who protect our country, Thank You for your sacrifice!

Trademark Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Fireblade: Kawasaki Motorcycle & Engine Company

Chucks: Converse

Bluetooth: Bluetooth, Inc.

Cheshire Cat: Lewis Carroll

Chapter One

What’ll it be, love?

The man who asked stared at her as if she were familiar to him and she barely resisted tensing up. She didn’t need to be recognized.

N’Jelle ‘Xin’ Marx craved nothing more than a good hard drink. At least if I can have that I’ll be on my way to forgetting this shitstorm of a day.

Whiskey. Neat. Leave the bottle.

The bartender nodded and had her requested items before her in mere moments. Blessedly, he then left her alone.

The first shot went down smooth and potent. Before the burn had even evaporated, she was pouring another, and chasing it down.

Warning prickles popped up along the back of her neck. That awareness came in handy while she drove on the track. Right now? Not so much.

At least you drink whiskey like a decent human, no froo-froo shit for you.

The slender woman that parked herself on the stool beside Xin looked not all that different from how she’d been earlier that day. N’Jelle sighed, not bothering to keep it quiet either. The other two were there as well.

She didn’t owe them a damn thing and she was irritated as fuck that they’d tracked her down.

Ignoring all three of them, she remained sitting faced forward and poured more liquid into her glass.

Does she think we’ll just vanish if she doesn’t talk to us?

The tallest and roughest of them had spoken this time. Not rough in an ugly way but more of an ‘I can kick your ass and look good doing it’ sort of way.

"She’s, N’Jelle sneered, sitting right here and doesn’t give a damn what you think I may or may not think. I’ve had enough of you today."

Tough shit. The middle-sized one spoke now. She was the one who actually shared a father with N’Jelle. Xandra was her name. You’re my sister now and I don’t know what the fuck you were thinking, that you could just roll up at our event, drop that kind of bomb and walk off.

Turning her gaze to the beauty beside her, Xin snarled. "You what, want me to apologize for not being invited to a family event and getting permission to show up? I don’t want anything from any of you. I had wanted to know why your father couldn’t be bothered with me, but I get it now. He has you and the other two he looks on as daughters—who gives a fuck about the one who was left behind and forgotten."

Her shitty childhood was shoving at her, pushing for her to lose it and make a scene. Draw some blood.

This wasn’t smart—she had to get moving. Getting off the stool, she dug in her pocket for some bills. She tossed them on the bar top and nodded at the bartender. Then she spun to the door.

All three women stepped in front of her, and she snorted.

Really? Grew up on the streets, bitches. Don’t push me. Get out of my way or you’re going to lose your weaves.

Shoving through them, she walked out through the door and stepped into the night. Off in the distance, storm clouds rolled in, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. She requested a ride and kept an eye on the door as she waited. The three women walked out as her ride pulled up.

A leanly muscled man walked up to her from a different direction, his hat pulled down over his eyes.

Where you off to, beautiful?

Yeah, he’ll work. Got any ideas?

He held the car door for her and she got in, ignoring the calls from her half-sister and cousins. She wasn’t their concern. Hadn’t been before. Wasn’t now.

She needed to forget and this man, dressed in black jeans and a tight black shirt, with scruff on his face, seemed the perfect way to go about it.

* * * *

Six weeks later

Surely this can’t be. Xin gulped and rubbed her hands over her eyes, praying for a different result when she lowered them.

Nope.

Still the same.

Two light pink, parallel lines.

Fuck.

Devastating news, and yet it made perfect sense. She’d had no concentration and been completely driving like shit.

For a moment she’d thought about getting rid of the child. She was alone, had no family to speak of. She wasn’t considering the father she just learned about and his other child as family. She only had one person to depend on and that person looked at her when she stared in the mirror.

Me, myself, and I. Just like it’s been for most of my life.

She did have one that she considered family, but heading back to him, and to that life, wasn’t an option.

Now it was her and the innocent growing inside her.

Her phone rang and she jumped, a squeal eking out from between her lips. Trying to calm her racing heart, she answered the call.

Talk to me.

Xin, I…umm, we need you to come in the office.

She sneered at her pregnancy test, tests really. They were just staring at her from the edge of her sink. Gloating.

Did those things gloat? Maybe not if there was a single, but she had more than one there. And the thing they had in common, be it two lines, a plus sign, whatever—they told her she was now officially knocked up.

Preggers. With a bun in the oven.

Honestly, it didn’t matter what phrase she wanted to link to it, bottom line was she was fucked. Royally.

Her thoughts drifted to the man it had been with. The stranger.