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A Marriage of Convenience As real as it gets
Joan insisted that we stay there for the evening, and to be honest; I was spent. Between the lingering pain and the cocktail of medications that she’d given me, I wasn’t sure I’d make it through the car ride.James carefully laid me on the twin sized bed in the spare bedroom, covering me with a thick quilt, “Get some sleep. I’ll be out on the couch if you need anything.”I reached out, grabbing his wrist, “Don’t leave. Please.”James’ lip curled into a lopsided grin as he nodded, “Okay.”I scooted over, ignoring the protest of my aching ribs. When he didn’t take the hint, I glanced over my shoulder, “You’re not going to hurt me. I promise.”He sighed softly before climbing into the bed, careful not to jostle me. His arm carefully draped over my body, sending tiny jolts of electricity through my body.“That’s the bond, isn’t it?”James strummed his fingers lazily across my arm, “Isn’t it beautiful?” His voice was a low whisper, but full of so much emotion, my heart stopped beating.“Do
A Marriage of Convenience Loose-lipped (James POV)
“What do we do now?” Rosa stared up at the sky through the sunroof.We’d spent the last few days hiding out at Dante and Joan’s house, but I was desperate for my own space. I love my aunt, but she was overbearing… Especially with Rosa. And she didn’t hesitate to remind me that everything that happened to her was my fault.“We’re going to start with breakfast. And then we’re going to go home and spread out in my very soft, enormous bed,” I winked at her, causing a flush to creep up her neck, landing on the tips of her cheekbones. “Everything else can wait until tomorrow.”“I suppose you’re right,” she let her head fall lazily to the side. The cocktail of pain meds that Joan has been forcing on her have kept Rosa in a constant state of high, but the fact that she’s not in pain is worth every second.The bruises on her ribs have gone from a deep, angry shade of purple to yellows and greens. She doesn’t flinch with every movement, and for that; I’m grateful.Guilt has planted itself deep
A Marriage of Convenience From bad to worse
My entire body deflated as I stared at the screen of my phone. The tiny blip of relief I felt when James told my mother off dissipated almost instantly the second photos started popping up on my screen.“I don’t even want to look,” I groaned, placing my forehead against the cool, linoleum tabletop. If my mother was calling; It wasn’t good. The only time she ever called me anymore was when it had something to do with the Red image.James snatched my phone from the table and I watched his anger turn to shock and then back to anger.“It’s bad, isn’t it?”Personally, I don’t care at the moment about my image. The meds that Joan has been giving me have kept my pain at a minimum and my mind and body loose as a goose. My mind is ingrained with the need to please my mother, but I don’t have the energy to do it today.“This is fucking ridiculous,” James roared, his voice moving between a shout and a deep growl.“What does it say now? I’ve turned to stripping because my husband is walking out o
A Marriage of Convenience Charges
“Mrs. Red,” Edward sighed, “I’m inclined to inform you that this is not a good look for you given everything else that has come to light in recent days. Your father is concerned, and rightly so.”I pinched the bridge of my nose, staring through the one way glass where James sat handcuffed, “Are you going to take on his case? I can’t get another lawyer in here until tomorrow, and I can’t stand the thought of him spending a night in jail.”I was basically begging at this point, but I didn’t care. Caden had pushed James and now he wants to press charges because he’s an asshole who didn’t get what he wanted. Every one of those sharks is the same. They’d do anything for a story and everyone else is just collateral damage. “Your husband tried to pay me millions of dollars to disappear,” Edward removed his glasses, giving me the same look I’d see from my father, “A word of advice?” One of his bushy brows arched, waiting for me to agree to hear him out. Chewing the inside of my cheek, I no
A Marriage of Convenience Punish me
“That fucking prick!” James spoke through gritted teeth. “You shouldn’t have agreed to a damn thing, Rosalind. He’s a snake.”I flinched at his tone, but steeled my spine and leveled my voice, “I made the decision because he threatened you.”“I don’t care what he does to me,” James growled, “I don’t want you alone with him. I don’t trust him.”“You don’t have to trust him to trust me.”I didn’t tell James about the photos that Caden claims to have or the anonymous tip. He’d end up right back in a holding cell given the way he’s reacting now to me striking a deal to get him to drop the charges.“That doesn’t work for me,” he whipped open the rear door, ignoring Mr. Green’s head nod and thrusting his hand towards the opening like I was an obedient dog. His eyes swirled with the brighter green of Onyx’s, and I knew he was present.In our brief meeting, I realized that he was far more dominant than James. Which is hard to believe, but I suppose I should have expected it.A man like James
A Marriage of Convenience Own me
I felt as if I were shedding the shell of the old Rosalind. The girl who was afraid to speak up when it was needed most. The girl who allowed those around her to pull the strings like a puppeteer. The girl who lost her voice but found it in the most unlikely of places. James has allowed me to find myself within him. His raw vulnerability when it could have cost him everything showed me that being yourself isn’t a bad thing, and the people who matter will stay because you are you. He’s become my safe place. My home. “I’m not so sure you can handle this side of me,” the blend of James’ voice with Onyx caused goosebumps to explode over my skin. The pain in my ribs was a distant memory once I felt his calloused hands graze the skin. “You are still healing,” his voice was softer this time. Fear laced his words as he dipped down, brushing his nose against mine.“Your touch makes it better.”He gripped the hem of my shirt, slowly lifting it from my head while never breaking eye contact.
A Marriage of Convenience Exposed
He quickly stands from the bed, discarding the remainder of his clothes and leaving my mouth watering at the sight of his nude body. I’ve stolen glances over the years of his muscular chest and broad shoulders. I’ve given myself a reason to ask him something mundane in the gym just to see the way his corded arms flex with every movement. But all of him is otherworldly.James grabs my ankle gently, lifting it to his mouth so he can press a trail of hot kisses down the length of my inner thigh before moving to do the same on the other side. The moment he moves towards my core, he presses his lips against my clothed clit, blowing hot air through the fabric, and making me shudder. Our eyes meet and his pupils are blown out like an addict. And it’s all for me. Because of me. Without breaking eye contact, James slowly pulls my leggings free from my body, leaving me completely exposed beneath him. For once in my life, I feel beautiful. The way James is looking at me like I’m some masterpi
A Marriage of Convenience Nowhere you can go that I won't find you
He didn’t finish the sentence as I nodded, knowing what he was about to say. The two of us never had that conversation, not that it should have been necessary, but given the look in his eyes now… It’s clear that it mattered to him. “Shit,” James spoke through gritted teeth. “I’m so sorry, Rosalind. If I had known,” I shook his head as his eyes closed, “I would have been gentler with you.”His fingertips shakily wiped away the tears before his hand tenderly cupped the side of my face. Our bodies remained glued together, but neither moved a muscle. “I’m so fucking lucky,” James’ lip curled into a lopsided grin. “The luckiest man on the planet.”My mouth was dry, and no matter how much I tried to swallow down saliva to coat my esophagus; It remained like a desert. “I’m glad it was you,” I croaked out, feeling the emotions bubble to the surface once more. I felt his cock twitch inside of me, and a soft whimper left my lips just as his came down, “I’m going to go mad if I don’t start m
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A Marriage of Convenience Guilt
“I’ve increased security and will be checking in hourly. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” James held my annoyed stare, knowing that nothing was getting in or out of these walls without him knowing.He held up his hands in mock surrender, “Fine. FINE. I get it,” he stepped towards me, his large frame crowding my space. My butt hit the counter and my crutches fell to the ground. James lifted me with ease and placing me atop the cool, granite countertop. A shiver rolled through my body as the chill seeped into my skin, “I’m allowed to worry about you, you know?”“Worry all you want, but don’t stop letting me live. Please. I’ll be fine and I trust that all of the additional security measures you’ve put in place will keep me extra safe,” I pecked his lips, attempting to pull away quickly, but he grabbed my face, crashing our lips together in a searing kiss.James held me there until we were both breathless, and my chest ached from the lack of oxygen.“The office can wait,” he growled
A Marriage of Convenience The Perfect Mate
James assisted me into a house, where the smell of bleach assaulted me the moment I walked through the threshold. A crew of cleaners froze as we walked inside, but a single look from James had them scurrying back to their jobs.The glass had been removed and the blood no longer stained the white porcelain. A new pane of glass shimmered beneath the midday sun, and I found myself frozen as I stared at the picture-perfect home.“It feels weird to see looking how it was before,” I whispered, still feeling the fear of that night swim through my veins. The large floor to ceiling window overlooked the forest in the backyard, and I silently wondered if that fear would multiply once the sun went down and the shadows of the night came out to play.James pressed his lips to my temple, “I replaced the glass from before with something graded to be bullet proof. Nothing will get through those windows again.”A shiver rolled down my spine. Either James replaced the window with bulletproof glass to m
A Marriage of Convenience Something is off
I was finally cleared to go home from the hospital, but I’m not quite sure how to feel about it. On one hand, I missed my bed and the comfort of my own home. On the other, I didn’t know how to feel about being there after the attack.Not to mention my mind has been running in circles since Marina showed up here yesterday.James came shortly after she left, but something seemed off, and I wanted to dissect everything that Marina had said before confronting James about it. But even more confusing was the fact that she’d specifically said a wolf bite, when she shouldn’t have known that small fact.She couldn’t have known that unless she orchestrated it or James had told her about it, but I was leaning towards her orchestrating the attack.“How’s Ahmed?” I glanced up at James as he wheeled me out to the awaiting car.“He’s awake and recovering. I’ve placed him on paid leave and instructed his wife to come to me if they need anything at all,” James’ voice held an edge to it, but I didn’t c
A Marriage of Convenience Cops(James POV)
The inside of the house looked like a massacre. Tiny shards of glass decorated the floor like snow. Some of the larger bits were painted with a deep, blackish crimson from the dried blood, and the smell was nauseating.‘These were definitely rogues,’ Onyx spat through gritted teeth, his anger blending with mine the more we assessed the scene.Through it all, I could smell Rosalind’s blood, and the thought of them hurting her while I was off chasing some ignorant lead on Marina made my blood boil with anger. But the anger was directed at myself.I should have been here. I should have been the one to protect her, and Ahmed did his best, but one man against multiple wolves just didn’t succeed.Rainwater had flooded most of the evidence, causing it to spread before drying. The cops wouldn’t be able to pull anything from this mess. Not anything concrete anyways.I’d learned the hard way how easily evidence can be destroyed. If you’re not on the scene within a tiny window of time, your succ
A Marriage of Convenience Our. Home
“Rosalind,” Chris shouted, shouldering through a group of nurses who were conveniently gossiping about James. They still couldn’t believe he was married to a woman like me. Sure, I was a doctor, but that wasn’t anything special when the most eligible, billionaire bachelor in Georgia was in the running. He was like a God around here. And me? Well, I was simply an average looking woman who also happened to be a doctor. My status as a Red didn’t mean a damn thing, because I wasn’t a hot man who also happened to have enough money to buy the entire United States and not blink an eye. “What the fuck?” Chris muttered; eyes wide as he stared at my elevated leg. Blood had seeped through the bandages because they couldn’t seal the wound and for someone who doesn’t see this kind of thing on a regular basis, it was pretty disgusting. “Close the curtain,” I whispered, and he did quickly, rushing back to my side.“Was that,” he pointed at my injury, “From one of them.”“We are one of them,” I n
A Marriage of Convenience Cross me(James POV)
Pure, unfiltered rage didn’t even begin to describe the poisonous feeling flooding through my veins. The anger feels like a living, breathing thing.Like a Goddamned snake slithering its way beneath my skin, releasing toxic poison in the form of fury that bleeds into every square inch of my body.I want the heads of every single person who stepped foot on my property last night. I don’t give a shit who they were or what they were doing there. If they accidentally stumbled upon the forest at the back of the property…. I’m going to find them and make them pay.Since my driver is now fighting for his life in the hospital with Rosalind, I’m forced to call and wait for a driving service to offer me a temp replacement for Ahmed.A few painstaking minutes pass while I pace a hole in the cement out front of the hospital, sweating from the sweltering, humid Georgia heat before the damn driver finally shows up.‘He is clearly incompetent,’ Onyx spats in my head, ‘Ahmed would never keep us waiti
A Marriage of Convenience No one in or out
“Rosa,” James’ voice filters through the darkness, “Rosalind, baby.”My body shakes softly on my shoulders and my eyelids flutter. The lashes on my left eye are stuck to my face, and after a few attempts, they tear free.Bright lights above my head blind me as I blink away my disorientation.The sound of multiple different voices has my eyes panning around the room. EMS workers move quickly, rushing inside the small space and focusing their attention on Ahmed. I recognize a few of the faces rushing around me, but a relieved sigh falls from my lips as I finally focus on James.“What’s going on?”My voice sounds foreign and gravelly.“Are you injured?” James rushes out, coming back to my side and ignoring the emergency personnel shouting at him to back up.“My…” I start, trying to move the leg that had gotten bit, but it felt numb and stiff, “My leg and my ribs.”“What happened here?” The gold flecks in James’ eyes glitter beneath the harsh lights of the elevator, and his eyes soften as
A Marriage of Convenience Creatures
A loud noise jars me awake and my eyes struggle to focus in my disoriented state. The sky is nearly black and rain pelts against the floor to ceiling windows at the rear of the house.The television remains on, but the show I’d been watching has long ended. Glancing at my phone, I blink away the sleepiness seeing that somehow, I’d managed to nap for the last five hours.Another loud crack startles me as the sky lights up with a flash of lightning. A few seconds later, the power goes out, causing complete darkness to blanket me. The storm raging outside is the only sound I hear, and I quickly grab my phone, illuminating the flashlight as I walk towards the rear windows.The backyard leading into the forest looks eerie blanketed in complete darkness. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and the feeling of being watched envelopes me as I squint my eyes, trying to see anything through the heavy sheets of rain.Another flash of lightning illuminates the sky, and I swear I saw someth
A Marriage of Convenience Liar
James left early this morning for work and forbade me from going into the hospital. I called in with a family emergency, and there was no questioning. They knew if I was taking off, it was necessary, even though it didn't feel that way. Chris remained passed out on the back patio, and I’m not sure if I should force him awake or let him sleep off the shockwave that was yesterday. I still don't even know if I've managed to brush off the reality that I've been a werewolf my entire life and everyone I loved kept it from me..... and I've had weeks to process it.My phone buzzing against the countertop startles me, and I glance over to see that my father is calling.Begrudgingly, I grab the phone, hesitating as my finger hovers over the small green button. I’ve been avoiding talking to either of them. Since my meeting with my father and my mother’s explosion over the scathing interview I did with Mr. Arden; I’m not sure they even consider me a member of the Red family.“Hey dad,” I finally
