Darius began his accent, pinning her to the back of the couch, her legs trapped against the high-backed piece of furniture, his arms caging her in. Desire flooded through her, causing her breath to deepen and her tongue to drift out and moisten her lips.
His eyes narrowed in on the movement before slowly lifting upward and connecting with her gaze.
“I will get my vengeance, Alannah! Revenge against your best friend and all her relatives. You see, you were my ticket in because of who you knew. When your father called, I wanted nothing to do with him. I know the kind of man he is, but when I found out who you associated with, I figured it was my lucky day. I want them comfortable around me, thinking they’re safe and sound. They may have no trouble sleeping at night, but I know the truth about the Jackson family… The whole family. I know who they really are,”
Darius pulled back as he tried to regain control over his body. He was frustrated. He’d just told her everything of his past, something he’d never shared. He was angry at his mother, his relatives…He told her about the pain he’d gone through. He didn’t know any other way to reign in the pain other than by taking control. He had to get control, needed it more than he needed the air in his lungs. He had to push away the vulnerability. As Darius pushed Alannah, he noticed the flush to her skin, that her eyes were dilated. She wanted him and he had to take her, had to push away the past. As he focused on desire, he was able to push the ill feelings away, forget about the Jacksons and his revenge. Everything in him pushed him to move forward, claim her as his own and ease the pain inside.
‘You are such a slut… I was always right about you, Alannah. You’re just like mother.’ She was on the ground… And the pain was excruciating… She was feeling the life leaving her body… she was feeling so drained.‘You allow this man to screw you… and to dispose of you like the trash you are,’ her father continued and kicked her in the gut a couple of times.‘Stop… Father… stop…’ she whispered and tried to push him away so that she could pull herself up from the dirty, bloody ground. ‘I love him… I love Darius… And he’s going to come for me… You’ll see…’‘He took what you gave him and he moved on! He’s never wanted to keep you in his life. You are a filthy whore and he has no use from you anymore. Neither
“What do you want to know?” Darius finally asked as he sat next to her and grabbed a cracker and a slice of cheese.“Everything.”“That’s a little vague, Alannah.”“You’re avoiding the subject, Darius. You expect me to turn on my best friend, the only person who’s always been good to me, and you’re not willing to give me any details. I hate to tell you this, but you must not have any friends if you think I’d do that,” Alannah countered, refusing to break their eye contact. Instead of anger, he gave a sheepish smile. The almost unguarded expression on his face sent her heart into overdrive. Wow, he was stunning when he didn’t look so angry.“Actually, I do have one friend… My best friend since… well, since I was a kid. Brit is my best friend and she’d have my hide if she knew anything ab
He was beyond stunning… Darius was absolutely mouthwatering in his tux which fit him to perfection. She couldn’t take her eyes off the man as he stopped and chatted with various people at the fundraiser. As she gazed at him, Alannah knew she was in love… hopelessly, infectiously in love with him. She could tell Darius was starting to feel the same way about her. Alannah didn’t know how it had happened, but she’d been living with him for about a month, ever since that first night in his home. He’d changed. He hadn’t brought up his vendetta against the Jacksons. Alannah found the man she’d met who’d been seeking revenge, and the man making love to her every night were two completely different people. For the past month, Darius had put Alannah to wo
Darius’s eyes scanned the crowd for the twentieth time in twenty minutes. He hadn’t seen Alannah since she’d been looking over the auction items, and he was getting ready to seek her out. He knew he didn’t have to be with her twenty-four-seven, but he was concerned her father may have snuck back in. He didn’t trust Edwin Miles… not one single iota. There was strong security present, but still, Darius felt better having her in his sights. Darius excused himself from the conversation, then turned around only to find Paul and Martin Jackson approaching him. Years of pure, unadulterated hatred brewed instantly to life as he eyed the men walking so casually toward him. His heart started to pound pretty hard. He too
“I poured my soul to him and he just… left. He abandoned me after I told him I loved him…” Alannah said, her voice quiet, her body almost numb. “After everything that happened to me, I thought loving Darius was a gift, the most beautiful experience of my life. Why does it hurt so bad? Why I can’t shake this sadness away? Why do people choose to do this over and over again? I don’t understand how they can bare it…” She hadn’t seen Darius in two weeks. The first week she’d cried so much she thought she might die of a broken heart. Her face was all puffy and her eyes were red. Finally, the tears had stopped and a deep sense of numbness had set in, thankfully. She didn’t smile, didn’t cry, she just sort of existed.“Oh, sweetie… I promise it will get better, Lanah… I know this answer sucks, but just give it some time. H
Cam choked on her final words as tears welled in her eyes. Darius was horrified. She told him the truth… Alannah was really in love with him… But she couldn’t be, because she never would’ve betrayed him if she was.“Where is she, Camryn?”“You don’t need to go there and upset her all over again. I swear if you hurt her again, Darius, you’ll have to deal with me!” Cam threatened. Darius looked at the petite girl before him, not standing more than a couple of inches over five feet, weighing less than half of him, and he realized she actually thought she could harm him. The thought was so absurd it made him smile, which was apparently the wrong move on his part. He jumped when the heel of her shoe slammed down on his foot.&ldqu
“I’m sorry, Mom, but you let me down. You lied to me my entire life, preventing me from having a family who loves me, and you almost cost me everything. You did cost me years… many years of happiness. You used your hands as punishment, you cut me down, and still, I loved you. I tried my best to honor you. What I’ve come to realize in the last three months, is that you didn’t deserve my honor or respect. I won’t come back here again. What you did to me was unforgivable. I hope you’ve found happiness wherever you are… I truly do, but I’m done with your burdens.” Darius stood over Charlotte King’s grave, a solitary flower in his hand. He’d come to say goodbye. For the last three months, he’d slowly gotten to know the men he’d vowed to harm, the cousins he’d thought were so evil.&
Alannah looked up into Darius’s intense face, his features so familiar, so stunningly handsome. He was wearing his tux, looking even better than she remembered. Her breath hitched as her body reacted. She felt herself wanting to fall into his arms and stay there for eternity. Without giving her a chance to refuse him, Darius pulled her into his arms and started moving in a slow circle, his hands positioned on her hips, his fingers caressing the sensitive dent of her back. Goosebumps appeared on her skin as his breath whispered across her face and he looked into her eyes, his own filled with intensity. The room faded away until it became just the two of them, the sound of the music guiding them along. When he started singing the words of the song while still loo
“I’m sorry, Mom, but you let me down. You lied to me my entire life, preventing me from having a family who loves me, and you almost cost me everything. You did cost me years… many years of happiness. You used your hands as punishment, you cut me down, and still, I loved you. I tried my best to honor you. What I’ve come to realize in the last three months, is that you didn’t deserve my honor or respect. I won’t come back here again. What you did to me was unforgivable. I hope you’ve found happiness wherever you are… I truly do, but I’m done with your burdens.” Darius stood over Charlotte King’s grave, a solitary flower in his hand. He’d come to say goodbye. For the last three months, he’d slowly gotten to know the men he’d vowed to harm, the cousins he’d thought were so evil.&
Cam choked on her final words as tears welled in her eyes. Darius was horrified. She told him the truth… Alannah was really in love with him… But she couldn’t be, because she never would’ve betrayed him if she was.“Where is she, Camryn?”“You don’t need to go there and upset her all over again. I swear if you hurt her again, Darius, you’ll have to deal with me!” Cam threatened. Darius looked at the petite girl before him, not standing more than a couple of inches over five feet, weighing less than half of him, and he realized she actually thought she could harm him. The thought was so absurd it made him smile, which was apparently the wrong move on his part. He jumped when the heel of her shoe slammed down on his foot.&ldqu
“I poured my soul to him and he just… left. He abandoned me after I told him I loved him…” Alannah said, her voice quiet, her body almost numb. “After everything that happened to me, I thought loving Darius was a gift, the most beautiful experience of my life. Why does it hurt so bad? Why I can’t shake this sadness away? Why do people choose to do this over and over again? I don’t understand how they can bare it…” She hadn’t seen Darius in two weeks. The first week she’d cried so much she thought she might die of a broken heart. Her face was all puffy and her eyes were red. Finally, the tears had stopped and a deep sense of numbness had set in, thankfully. She didn’t smile, didn’t cry, she just sort of existed.“Oh, sweetie… I promise it will get better, Lanah… I know this answer sucks, but just give it some time. H
Darius’s eyes scanned the crowd for the twentieth time in twenty minutes. He hadn’t seen Alannah since she’d been looking over the auction items, and he was getting ready to seek her out. He knew he didn’t have to be with her twenty-four-seven, but he was concerned her father may have snuck back in. He didn’t trust Edwin Miles… not one single iota. There was strong security present, but still, Darius felt better having her in his sights. Darius excused himself from the conversation, then turned around only to find Paul and Martin Jackson approaching him. Years of pure, unadulterated hatred brewed instantly to life as he eyed the men walking so casually toward him. His heart started to pound pretty hard. He too
He was beyond stunning… Darius was absolutely mouthwatering in his tux which fit him to perfection. She couldn’t take her eyes off the man as he stopped and chatted with various people at the fundraiser. As she gazed at him, Alannah knew she was in love… hopelessly, infectiously in love with him. She could tell Darius was starting to feel the same way about her. Alannah didn’t know how it had happened, but she’d been living with him for about a month, ever since that first night in his home. He’d changed. He hadn’t brought up his vendetta against the Jacksons. Alannah found the man she’d met who’d been seeking revenge, and the man making love to her every night were two completely different people. For the past month, Darius had put Alannah to wo
“What do you want to know?” Darius finally asked as he sat next to her and grabbed a cracker and a slice of cheese.“Everything.”“That’s a little vague, Alannah.”“You’re avoiding the subject, Darius. You expect me to turn on my best friend, the only person who’s always been good to me, and you’re not willing to give me any details. I hate to tell you this, but you must not have any friends if you think I’d do that,” Alannah countered, refusing to break their eye contact. Instead of anger, he gave a sheepish smile. The almost unguarded expression on his face sent her heart into overdrive. Wow, he was stunning when he didn’t look so angry.“Actually, I do have one friend… My best friend since… well, since I was a kid. Brit is my best friend and she’d have my hide if she knew anything ab
‘You are such a slut… I was always right about you, Alannah. You’re just like mother.’ She was on the ground… And the pain was excruciating… She was feeling the life leaving her body… she was feeling so drained.‘You allow this man to screw you… and to dispose of you like the trash you are,’ her father continued and kicked her in the gut a couple of times.‘Stop… Father… stop…’ she whispered and tried to push him away so that she could pull herself up from the dirty, bloody ground. ‘I love him… I love Darius… And he’s going to come for me… You’ll see…’‘He took what you gave him and he moved on! He’s never wanted to keep you in his life. You are a filthy whore and he has no use from you anymore. Neither
Darius pulled back as he tried to regain control over his body. He was frustrated. He’d just told her everything of his past, something he’d never shared. He was angry at his mother, his relatives…He told her about the pain he’d gone through. He didn’t know any other way to reign in the pain other than by taking control. He had to get control, needed it more than he needed the air in his lungs. He had to push away the vulnerability. As Darius pushed Alannah, he noticed the flush to her skin, that her eyes were dilated. She wanted him and he had to take her, had to push away the past. As he focused on desire, he was able to push the ill feelings away, forget about the Jacksons and his revenge. Everything in him pushed him to move forward, claim her as his own and ease the pain inside.