The first thing Shania became aware of was the deep, borderline unpleasant ache of her body. She frowned and twisted a little before coming fully awake. With a moan, she shoved herself into a sitting position and tried to reach back to touch one of the aching stripes that marked her back. As the heavy quilt fell away from her naked body, she became aware that she wasn't in that horrible room Khalid had taken her to last night, nor was she in her own room. The heavy, dark furniture came into focus and she realized she was in the penthouse. His room. She tried to think of how she got there when a scraping noise caught her attention. Khalid was sitting in the chair against the corner wall watching her intently. Shania blushed and pulled the blanket back up her body. "It won't happen again." She knew right away what he meant. His voice, deep with regret, assured her of his honesty. She dropped her eyes as the memory of his beating swept over her. It hadn't hurt nearly as much as she
Khalid stared down at the thick envelope on his desk without seeing it. His thoughts were all for the curvy, baffling woman that currently occupied his penthouse. The smile she had given him this morning after he offered to take her into the city for a meal was like a punch in the gut. He had thought just having her would be enough. Now, he wanted her smile too. He wanted to own her happiness and take her heart. He had no idea how a mobbed up son of a bitch like him was going to get a woman like Shania to fall for him. The task seemed insurmountable. He had learned work ethic from a young age, clawing his way out of the gutters of Kabul and making a name for himself in this section of America. He had fought tooth and nail for the respect of his soldiers. He had embarked on countless successful ventures, both legal and illegal. But he had never wooed a woman. Hadn't had the time or inclination. He had always fucked his women and then left them behind. He thought that was how he was bu
His words sounded so sinister. She doubted anyone in his life disappointed him, or at least they weren't allowed to disappoint him for long. She wondered how much longer she could go up against him before he lost his cool and denied her freedom completely or kicked her out of his life. She didn't know which she feared more. "You keep taking my choices from me!" she said, pressing back against the seat to escape his scorching eyes in the dim light of the limo.??? "Get used to it!" he snarled, reaching across the distance of the back seat and taking her arm in a punishing grip. "You belong to me, Shania, and I'll be damned if my woman is going to stay married to another man." She gasped when he jerked her off the plush seat and onto the floor in front of him. She put her hands up, onto his thighs to steady herself, her red dress swirling seductively around her body. He took advantage and yanked her in closer between his spread legs. He watched, lust and anger sparking in his eyes.
Khalid watched Shania, obsessed with the way her body moved smoothly through the warm water of the pool. She hadn't noticed him when he came searching for her and stopped in surprise and awe upon discovering the woman that owned his every thought swimming naked in his pool. At first he had been angry and nearly demanded she get out and explain to him why she would swim nude when Ash could potentially walk in and see her. Then he remembered that she had been there for his conversation with Ash when he'd asked the other man to cover a high stakes table for the evening while he attended to business. He was relieved that she wasn't being careless, but also a bit disappointed. She knew he was unlikely to be home, so wasn't putting on a show for him either. No, she was simply enjoying the naughty, luxurious feel of the water caressing her lovely skin. Khalid hungrily traced each wet line of her body under the moonlight as she moved. His cock leapt to life and demanded he interrupt her sw
Shania grinned at the sight of big, tough Ash ladling soup into a bowl for an elderly woman and then leading her to a table. He pulled the chair out for her and made sure she was comfortable before stalking back to his station on the lunch line. His presence as a "volunteer" had at first raised a few brows among the staff at the shelter, but they quickly accepted that having Shania back meant accepting the hulking presence of her constant shadow. What was surprising was how easily and without complaint the big man had thrown himself into the work. He'd quickly proved himself very useful and willing to help. Approaching him, Shania said quietly, "Thank you for taking good care of Evelyn. She finds it hard to get down here with her reduced mobility. It's nice for her to be able to take a warm meal once in a while and chat with some of the residents. I don't think she gets the proper nutrition on her own at home." Ash grunted in acknowledgment and asked, "Why can't she get down here
Shania wrinkled her nose in disgust as she entered the living room. All of the furniture was gone, because she had sold it to pay off Aiden's debt. In its place was a blanket and pillow surrounded by booze bottles, ashtrays and trash. Aiden released her arm. "Welcome home, Shania." She stared at him. "Why have you brought me here?" "I wanted to see you, baby. I missed you," he said. "And I know you missed me too. I'm sorry about what happened. I figure we can spend a little time together, get reacquainted and then talk about the casino." Shania shook her head. "That makes no sense, Aiden. Didn't you get the divorce papers?" Aiden shrugged as though it didn't matter. "Yeah, that rich bastard had his lawyer track me down. I don't blame you though, Shania. I know you didn't have a choice. A guy like that would want to keep his toys to himself." Shania hated the way he talked about her relationship with Khalid. "He didn't force me to sign those papers, Aiden. I can't stay married
"Where's Ash?" Khalid demanded, approaching his wife of three months with a fierce frown. Shania turned to him, her arms laden with boxes. Khalid reached out and plucked them from her. Dropping them onto the couch, he pulled her into his arms and nuzzled his favourite spot between her neck and shoulder. She always smelled so fresh and sweet. He licked the spot, enjoying the feel of her pulse speeding up against his tongue. "I sent him on an errand to the shelter. Now that you've made me cut my hours back, he and I worry about Evelyn getting enough of her meals at the shelter. He's going to pick her up and take her himself this afternoon and then drive her home afterward." She tilted her head to the side, giving him better access. "Now, can we talk about the absurd amount of gifts you've sent up? I mean, seriously? I thought you had an empire to run, how do you find the time to buy out all the baby boutiques in town?" Shania wished she was exaggerating, but the staggering amount o
Book Two: Fight or FlightSweat dripped into Ash's eyes, momentarily obscuring his opponent. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs from the last punch he took. He ducked another jab and hit his opponent with a series of strikes to the side and back that brought grunts of pain from his opponent. Van Koslov, otherwise known as The Brick, went down onto one knee, panting. Grinning, Ash jumped back, giving the other man room to recover and get up. Ash was having too much fun to end things now. The match hadn't lasted nearly long enough and this guy was supposed to be one of Sitnikov's best. Ash needed to put on a good show if he was going to attract another sponsor, and sponsor's tended to enjoy long fights with plenty of dirty hits and blood. So far, neither of them has started spontaneously bleeding. Ash's gaze swept the warehouse, searching out some of the bigger players. He was pleased to see Tyson King, one of the city's most prominent businessmen with a penchant for illegal fig