My thoughts were consumed with Noah as I drove home. I had never seen Noah so distressed. I hadn’t been scared when the children swarmed around me during snack time, but it was as if Noah had been frightened for me. Paulette had been so quick to shift and take Noah away, and I knew that was likely to avoid the risk of Noah biting a human child and causing a big media mess, but I wished I’d had the time to try and help him. I hoped the incident—being taken away for shifting to protect me—wouldn’t hinder or damage him in any way. I didn’t like the thought that he might associate shifting with punishment. I heaved a sigh as I turned down my street. I had to trust that Bratt would take care of his son and make sure Noah didn’t feel bad about himself. After parking in my driveway, I got out of my car with my things. I scanned my thumb with the biometric scanner and realized suddenly that it was the first time in a while that I hadn’t felt scared or had that sensation of being followed.
BrattThe kiss blew me away. It was strangely intense in its slowness.Her lips were soft and pliant, opening just enough for me to seize her lower lip between both of mine. She tasted of wine. I wanted more of it, more of her, as I traced my tongue along the curve of her full lower lip.Marley’s sigh crested sweetly out of her throat, and I swallowed it. The sound awakened a sharp hunger in me that I hadn’t felt before. My pulse hammered in my neck. I wanted to pick her up and wrap her legs around my waist and—I tore my mouth from hers, breaking the kiss.“Marley,” I said in a gentle, chastising tone. “I came over to apologize for Noah’s behavior.”She shrank away from me, dropping back down to her heels.“I’m sorry,” she squeaked.“Don’t be. I want to do more of that. Hell, I want to do more than that. But I just… I told Noah we need to be careful about expecting too much from you before you really even get to know us, and…” I trailed off, going against my own words as I stroked a
Aroused Bratt was so unlike what I was used to. When Wyatt and I made love, it was always so aggressive and demanding. He threw me around like I was a toy for him to play with. But when I pulled my shirt off and revealed myself to Bratt, it was like I was a painting in a museum that he was trying to interpret.His brows were low and heavy, his lashes almost shining in the low light. He stared for so long that I almost felt the need to hide myself away from him again. I almost did, lifting my arms from my sides to cover myself in a show of modesty. Even though I was still protected by my bra, I felt like he was staring right through me.“No. No,” he muttered. He reached up, circling my wrists, drawing them away from my breasts and pinning them to my sides. “Don’t you dare hide away from me, Marley. Don’t tease me that way.”“I’m just… worried that I… didn’t look right,” I said.“You look exactly right. There’s not a single thing wrong about you.”The intensity of his gaze was overwhelm
Bratt.My night with Marley carried me through the rest of the week in a blissful haze. Everything about her was tantalizing, adorable, and sexy. I didn’t know it was possible for a woman to be the whole package, but Marley definitely was.What made my week even better was the date I had to look forward to. A real date, not just another weird crisis that somehow led to me kissing Marley. We were going on an honest-to-God date. And about damn time.I couldn’t tell who was more excited about the date—me or Noah. He’d asked me about the carnival every day, asking again and again about Marley coming with us. When Saturday finally rolled around, I was just about getting exasperated about Noah’s constant barrage of questions. I got him buckled into his car seat, both of us suitably dressed for a day out when he asked again.“Is Miss Cage still coming with us, Daddy?”“Yeah, champ. We’re going to go get her right now,” I said. “We want to make sure Marley has a lot of fun today, too, okay? S
Bratt sank down to the grass next to me, stroking my back. “You saw him?” he asked me. “What did he look like? Are you sure it was him?”“Oh, I’m sure,” I sputtered. I hated that I couldn’t get a grip on myself. “I think I’m sure. H-his hair is a little shorter, but he’s still getting that stupid tan and—and…”I rubbed my shoulder where the pain had suddenly become overwhelming, a searing heat that had sensed his arrival.“I was watching you guys have fun on the ride. Everything was fine, and then it was like I felt him—my shoulder started hurting. When I turned, he was standing ten feet away.”“Did he see you?” Bratt asked, barely contained rage lacing his every word. “Did he come after you?”“I don’t know. I don’t think so. I was so afraid that I didn’t think. I just ran as far and as fast as I could,” I said.“Marley.” His voice was steady but cold. “I have to ask you a question, and I don’t want you to jump to conclusions before I explain everything.”The sudden intensity, the see
Noah was more than eager to spend more time at the carnival with his Uncle Travis, Lana, and Paulette. I could vaguely hear Travis asking Bratt if I was okay, and Bratt, thankfully, kept his answer vague enough that I didn’t have to feel too embarrassed about my outburst and by my fleeing.When that was handled, Bratt held me close and walked me back to his car. He made sure I was situated safely in the passenger seat before rounding the car to get in the driver’s seat. Before long, we were on our way to his house.When we were a few minutes away from his house, a question popped into my mind and nagged at me until I had no choice but to ask.“Bratt, did Wyatt ever ask about me?”Bratt’s jaw worked for a moment. He kept his eyes on the road as he spoke. “Not outright, but he had his way of getting information out of me when we met up. Marley, I didn’t even tell him your name. I promise you.”I nodded, trying to unravel the mysteries surrounding my life.“Do you think he’s serious abou
Bratt.My weekend was euphoric, filled with love, laughs, and amazing sex.Really amazing sex.Marley was an active and generous lover, taking an interest in what I liked and what I didn’t care for. Though, that second list was growing shorter and shorter by the day. I was starting to realize that many of the things I thought I disliked were only because of Olivia’s piss-poor attitude when it came to pleasing me.I derived a good portion of my enjoyment of sex from making it good for my partner, so it had never been a deal breaker when Olivia wanted to be a pillow princess—but I’d vastly underestimated the enjoyment of sex with a partner who cared about my experience as much as I cared about hers.I woke on Sunday tangled in Marley’s perfect, naked body. I didn’t move, simply admiring her until she woke.She couldn’t stay long, citing the need to go to Paulette’s house to work on lesson plans and make calls regarding a field trip to the library at the end of the next week. She seemed
The problem with only feeling safe when Bratt was nearby meant that ninety percent of my life was still woefully devoid of him.I’d spent the week looking over my shoulder. I’d thought the comfort and intimacy I’d shared with Bratt would be enough to make me feel invincible against Wyatt. But the more time I spent away from Bratt, the less I was able to calm myself down.I had been jumpy all week. Whatever time I didn’t spend trying to control my urge to text and call Bratt every waking moment, I spent examining every shadow in the corner of my eye and checking all my locks too many times to count.Part of me wanted to ask Bratt if I could stay at his place again, if for nothing else but to get a good night’s sleep. But things were still so new, and I didn’t want to confuse Noah and risk him telling the other children at school about his dad and the teacher being boyfriend and girlfriend. Not only that, but part of me feared that coming on too strong too fast would make it so that he
CILLIAN “You sure you wanna be doing this?” AP asked as he snuffed out the cigar in the ashtray. “I mean, this is kind of permanent.” “It’s already set in stone for me, AP,” I said as I chuckled at his disgruntled expression. “But marriage? Isn’t it enough that you two marked each other? Why you gotta go and get all traditional? Oh, wait, never mind. That’s just who you are.” “What’s the matter, AP? You don’t like my sister?” Aiden asked as he stood before the mirror, fumbling with his bow tie. “You all know what she did to me in tenth grade,” AP grumbled. I laughed. “Still can’t get over the fact that she kicked your ass, huh?” I laughed. “Ciara didn’t kick my ass,” AP insisted. “She cheated. There’s no way a girl of her size could fit that many pies in her little stomach. Losing that contest ruined everything for me.” “Didn’t you end up with Malia a few months ago?” I asked as I stared at myself in the full-length mirror. “Yeah, but I’m not one to settle. Everyone knows tha
“This is nice, isn’t?” Laya asked as we waited outside the Picasso. I couldn’t help but smile as Laya looked over the menu posted on the wall. “Really, when was the last time we got to do this with just us girls? It seems like we’re always stuck with one of the guys, you know?” “Never,” Sam said as she checked her watch. “Do we know when Melody and Kenzie are going to get here? I’m starving,” I said as my stomach started to grumble. “Kenzie said she’d be here around six thirty the last time I talked with her,” Sam said. “Isn’t that them over there?” Daisy asked. I turned my attention toward the walkway and smiled as Kenzie and Melody stepped off the escalator. “Hey!” Melody shouted as she rushed through the crowd. “What took you so long?” Laya asked as Kenzie threw her arm around my neck and gave me a tight hug. “Traffic,” Melody answered. “But damn, this place is nice.” “Wait five minutes and the Bellagio fountains will start,” I said as I released Kenzie to hug Melody. “I’m
CILLIAN “Holden,” I snapped. “Yeah, I heard,” Holden said as he scrambled to disconnect from the system. I pulled him away from the system and shoved him toward the door. We did not need to get arrested for trespassing. “AP, Laya! Torque, Hatchett!” I called over my shoulder, hoping they heard me. I spotted AP and Laya rushing around from the back of the house. Their shadows bobbed through the broken windows. “We’re right behind you,” Torque called. I took a moment to glance over my shoulder and take one last look at the destruction. Everything was so surreal. It was as if the place had been in a war zone. The stench of death lingered in the air, but I knew it had nothing to do with the Corpse Lily. I was smelling what remained of Colleen and Tippy. “Pick up the pace,” Torque snapped as he rushed by me with Hatchett on his heels. We made it outside, and I glanced to the west. The clouds of dust coming off the tires grew as my heart drummed violently in my chest. “Take the back
Igasped and shot up. The room was pitch black, and my heart pounded fiercely in my chest. “Hey, you okay?” Cillian asked as he shot up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Relief came over me when I realized I wasn’t dreaming anymore. I was safe and all was well. “Yeah,” I said. “Just a strange dream.” “Come here,” Cillian said as he lay back down. “Come sleep on me. I promise I’ll protect you from those bad dreams.” A smile drifted over my lips as I scooted down into the nook of his arm. He was so warm and comforting, it amazed me that he could banish the bad thoughts in my mind so easily. “What did you dream about? Or do you not want to tell me?” Cillian asked as he played with the tips of my hair. “It was weird. I was back at the sacred oak tree, and it looked sick, like it was dying.” “That’s not a good sign,” Cillian whispered. “But then the red fog came through and I was rescued by Preacher in a chopper.” “What, I don’t get a cameo in your dreams?” Cillian teased as he h
CILLIAN The gentle knock on the hotel door roused me from my sleep. Pins and needles plagued the arm Ciara was sleeping on. Carefully, I slipped my arm out from under Ciara’s head and nudged her to the pillow. It had been more than a rough night, and I couldn’t bear the thought of having the maid wake her. Slipping the sheets off me, I let my legs fall over the edge of the bed. Ever so slightly, I got up, keeping one eye on Ciara and praying she wouldn’t wake. As quickly as I could, I moved to the door and peeked through the crack. “Housekeeping,” the woman said. “We’re good,” I answered. Before she could say another word, I closed the door and exhaled. Ciara stirred, and I held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t wake up. She had been through so much; I just wanted her to get some sleep. “Cillian?” Ciara’s voice was tired and muffled. For a moment, I wondered if she were asleep or awake. Tiptoeing to her, I craned my neck to spy on her as she slept. A sensation of peace washed over m
Cillian growled in my ear, drowning out the clinking and clanging as we moved through the casino. It was amazing that we got anywhere at all with the way he refused to let me go. Every fifth step, I found myself caving to Cillian’s needs. “What if I took you right here and now?” His lips brushed against my neck as he spoke. My skin tingled as his hot breath caressed my skin. “You just want the hot waitress to watch us, don’t you?” I asked as Cillian pinned my arm over my head and kissed me. “No,” he growled and pinned my arm against the slot machine. The old woman playing at the machine gasped as she sent us a disapproving look. I flashed her a smile, wondering if she had ever experienced the kind of passion I had. “You’re the only one I need,” Cillian said. “The only woman who could ever sate me. Don’t you know that it’s only ever been you?” With my free hand, I grabbed his hair and jerked his head back. A small whimper escaped his lips, and it pleased me to hear his soft seduct
CILLIAN “Are we ready?” I asked as I walked into the Las Lobos Cantina where Torque and Blue were chilling at the bar. It seemed as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Of course, I knew where they stood when it came to Colleen’s safety, but I’d figured they’d be more excited now that we were so close to finally getting rid of the Raze. “Easy there, tiger,” Torque said as he patted the empty chair next to him. “Have a drink. We can’t do anything until we get word from Hatchett. He’s doing recon for us and will be back any minute.” I exhaled sharply, trying to ignore the itching in my limbs. It seemed as if a storm was coming with how much electricity was coursing through my veins. Sitting around and waiting had never been my strong suit. Frustration bubbled and brewed within me, but I wasn’t on my turf anymore; I couldn’t call the shots. “Fine, I’ll have a drink,” I conceded and marched over to join Blue and Torque. “What’s your poison?” the woman behind the bar asked. I tilt
Ilet out a heavy sigh as I stepped into my old office. It seemed as if it been forever since I was last here, yet everything was exactly as I remembered it. There were papers stacked on the desk that I hadn’t looked at in months, and a thin layer of dust covered the bookshelves. I moved around the office, reminiscing about all the things I had collected here. My heart drummed in my chest as I caught a glimpse of the picture I had of Cyrus. The pain nearly crippled me as I plucked the picture off my desk and stared at it. It was like it was another life. Everything from who I dated to what I did had changed. I was no longer Sia—that girl had died the second I decided to go back to Moon Valley. I just hadn’t realized it until this very moment. I moved around the desk and sat down. Running my fingers over the mahogany wood, I couldn’t help but think of all the times I had given orders here. How many lives had been saved because I had created this company? It was a noble cause, and some
CILLIAN The tension in my shoulders that had only just vanished returned in an instant, bringing with it a hellish headache. Just when I thought we were in the clear… I should have known something was going to happen. The echo in my bones rattled my consciousness. Ciara and I couldn’t get a moment’s respite. “What’s going on, Sam?” I asked into the walkie. “It’d be best if you came to the Crescent Falls Motel,” Sam said in a grave voice. “We’ll be there in five,” I answered and clicked the button three times before setting it down. “Well? How do you feel about checking this out?” All the color had drained out of Ciara’s face. The worry etched on her brow filled me with a murderous rage, but it was the devastation in her gaze that really ripped me to shreds. “I promised Colleen nothing would happen to her. I put her in the most secure room we have,” Ciara said. “How did this happen?” “The only way to get answers to that question is by going to the motel,” I answered as I grabbe