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Obsession
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RED HOT Obsession
Because being in Kingston’s debt was something Ava wasn’t sure she’d survive.Her parents absolutely adored the young man they’d taken under their wing, which unfortunately infuriated their own son. Kingston was respectful. Serious. Highly intelligent. The prefect model of a college graduate with a model-perfect face and body. Having graduated with honors from the exclusive and private Bitter Springs University, he was waiting for the fall semester at Harvard Business School to begin.Surviving on periodic allotments from his father’s estate, Kingston lived in a dingy apartment on the bad side of town. He’d refused Garrett’s offer to move in but frequently stayed over at their house. He dressed impeccably. Dress slacks, button-downs, and an occasional suit were his preferred attire. Ava doubted he even owned a pair of shorts or flip-flops.The thought of Kingston Vaughn Winter wearing flip-flops caused Ava’s lips to twitch with a reluctant smile.But everything would change after tomo
RED HOT Obsession
Her chaos is sweet.Kingston tilted his head back, staring up at the blue, cloudless sky.Fuck, this is torture.Gathering his composure, he scooped up his overnight bag and followed Ava into the house.He stayed a few steps behind as she ascended the stairs. The guest room was only a few doors away from her own bedroom.Thirty-two steps, to be precise.“It’s all ready for you.” Ava stepped aside so he could brush past her. “Of course, you know where the bathroom is and where we keep towels and stuff.”Throwing his bag on the bed, Kingston deliberately raked her form with a hard stare. “Unless you plan on offering turndown service, you can go now.”Ava’s lips tightened at his rudeness. “Make yourself at home. Like you usually do.”She fled down the hall, slamming her bedroom door in an uncharacteristic show of temper.Kingston grimaced.If Ava was his, he would haul her back into his room and spank her sweet ass until it was scarlet. If she was his, he would snuff out that surprising
RED HOT Obsession
She grinned. “You shouldn’t have done this, Mom. You know how hard I’m fighting this freshman fifteen. I swear, I just look at food and gain five pounds.”Jocelyn affectionately tweaked her daughter’s nose. “You’re gorgeous, no matter what. Now, blow out the candles before all that delicious icing is ruined by melting wax.”“Those things are going up in flames faster than your mom’s golf score,” Dad added with his usual booming laughter. Extra lines of fatigue etched his features, the result of working himself half to death on Kingston Winter’s behalf over the past two years. He was still cleaning up messes for Kingston.Whenever Kingston visited their home, his dark blue eyes were shuttered yet piercing. He watched Ava as if considering how he might make use of her. Every time their gazes clashed, Ava looked away first. He scared her now more than ever although she couldn’t place a finger on why. He seemed… darker somehow. As if violence and evil had finally caught up to him.It was
RED HOT Obsession
“The night is still young, dude. I see you talked her into coming.” Judd’s eyes traveled Ava’s form and he smirked. “Let’s get the birthday girl a drink. You brave enough to try something stronger than lemonade?”Ava nearly rolled her eyes in exasperation. They might be college graduates, but Carson and his buddies still shared the immature bully persona.“Pinot Grigio, if you have it,” she bit out, determined not to be intimidated. She’d have a drink, let Carson mingle for that half hour, then insist he take her home.“We’ve got some of everything.”Ava took the red plastic cup Judd handed her and downed most of it. The wine was both sour and sweet. It had none of the crisp acidity she’d experienced when Mom allowed her the occasional glass.Obviously, the host of this party couldn’t afford the good stuff, although the house and furnishings indicated a higher level of wealth. Was this Judge Vanderhoff’s house, Ava wondered.Judd confirmed it, leaning closer. “Sorry. Cheap wine. My pa
RED HOT Obsession
Ava drifted.Then landed.Someone is holding me down.Tugging her arms free was a futile endeavor. It was as though thousand-pound stones anchored her wrists.Hands. Rough and brutal.“Fuck. She’s already coming out of it.”“I didn’t want her completely knocked out. It’ll be hard enough getting her out of here if she’s dead weight.”Ava focused on the second voice. The one she knew. The one belonging to someone who should be protecting her.Carson.She opened her eyes as a flash of lightning lit the shadowy bedroom and screamed in terror… a soundless cry that echoed in her head and threatened to explode inside her chest.“Shh, Ava. Relax and enjoy it,” Judd whispered, laving the tip of her exposed breast with his hot tongue. “Doesn’t this feel good?”Ava struggled, her gaze zeroing in on her brother. He stood by the door with his back to the bed.“Carson,” she sobbed. “Carson, help me! Make them stop.”“Don’t fight them, sis,” Carson advised, glancing over his shoulder at the men hold
RED HOT Obsession
“You’re blackmailing me?” The realization was not surprising.“Not just you. Those guys, too. They’ll pay to keep that video from going public. Especially Judd. He’s on the fast track into politics. Hella awkward if this pops up later.”“Mom and Dad won’t ever believe the filth you spew,” Ava insisted, but did the video contain a sliver of truth? Guilty, disgusting sensations twinged in her lower belly as she recalled those hazy, confusing moments. Mouths sliding across her body. Sharp teeth and slimy tongues tasting her flesh. Hands restraining her. Forcing submission.What if Kingston Winter was the one holding me down? Would I have fought or kissed him back?The answer frightened her so much, she shut down that thread before it completely unraveled her mind.The truth that she felt something during the assault, something caused by the drugs they’d given her, was unavoidable. Figuring it all out in her current state of mind was impossible. The emotions and trauma were too overwhelmi
RED HOT Obsession
Ava had taken refuge behind a huge oak tree, silently watching people depart the cemetery.“My deepest condolences, Miss Blue.”She stiffened at the sound of his voice, and Kingston could think of little else but gathering this sad, lost girl into his arms. Would she resist an offer of comfort? Or melt into his embrace?Ava dabbed her eyes with a bedraggled tissue. “I can’t seem to stop crying.”Kingston’s fists clenched. The forlorn sorrow in her voice was so different from Carson’s annoyed tone.“That’s to be expected,” he murmured. “You’ve lost people whom you loved very much. I know you’re heartbroken.”Ava turned to him, eyes red-rimmed and puffy but still so damned beautiful it nearly took his breath away. “Did you cry when you lost your father and stepmother?”The blunt question surprised Kingston, dredging up memories of Rebecca and how he both loved and hated her.Rebecca tricked him into providing the instrument of her death. There could be no forgiveness for that betrayal,
RED HOT The Heat
TOAD::When exposed to the brutality and horror of war, a man’s mind must decide how to process the terrifying experiences so the memories may be carefully filed away into the chosen portion of the frontal cortex of the brain; saved for long-term recollection. Some men seem to dwell on the horrific events, and allow them to chisel away at their life for all of the years which follow. Others become somewhat immune to the events of their past, or any similar circumstances which may present themselves in the future. I don’t believe the decision to either lose sight of the past or allow it to inhabit our mind is a conscious one, but more a matter of a person’s chemical assembly. The men who don’t seem at all bothered by their exposure to the atrocities of war are often perceived as evil, immoral, depraved, or wicked.Hardened.I’ve heard some describe me as hardened. I couldn’t say I enjoyed what I witnessed in combat, nor could I accurately describe it as something I found to be horri
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