When Andrei Ivanov returns home to clean up his twin's mess, he doesn't expect his stay to be long or eventful. But then his father makes him an offer he can't refuse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one woman he can't stand—Holly Anderson. She's everything he hates in a woman: incredibly spoilt, short-tempered and too damn self-absorbed. And the biggest red flag? She's his frenemy's little sister and comes with a giant warning label. But with the body of a goddess and the untamed spirit of a gladiator, she tempts him beyond measure and makes him want to break all his rules and risk it all… Holly Anderson didn't become a national treasure through talent alone. Hell, she's had to work hard and fight everyone and everything, including all kinds of temptation. So when Andrei walks into her life, dangling a too-good-to-be-true deal right before her eyes, she knows she should shoot him down and send him packing. But down on her luck and dreaming of a big comeback, she throws caution to the wind and signs on the dotted line, jumping headlong into her long-held fantasy… Against the sweeping backdrop of Rock Castle's underworld, smoky boardrooms and awry business deals, what begins as a harmless con soon spirals into stolen moments of fleeting kisses and lingering caresses, taking this unlikely duo down a dark and thrilling path where desire and danger constantly collide and heartbreaking choices must be made.
View MoreA large part of Andrei's morning was spent cycling between reports, presentations and emails. Then, promptly at 11:15 AM, fifteen minutes before he was supposed to leave for his meeting with the family, Monique knocked on his door, grinning like a Cheshire cat as she waved her tablet at him. "Breaking news!" she announced, pausing for dramatic effect as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "For an executive assistant, you sure have a lot of free time, Monique!" Andrei said as he stood up and reached behind him for his suit jacket draped over his backrest. "You are no fun!" She pouted her way to his desk, pausing in front of him to help him fix his collar. For some reason, Andrei found her familiarity with him annoying today. She was too comfortable around him, too much in his personal space. But it was his own damn fault for sleeping with her. Not once, but too many times. "I'm fine!" he said, pushing her hands away. "I know how to fix my damn collar, Monique. Just focus on wh
"That's a lie," Holly whispered as she spun away from Lola. "That's a blatant lie. And don't you dare bring my father into this!" "Did you really think you got promoted because you were brilliant? Did you honestly believe you're actually talented?" Lola snickered, pulling her back violently as she cackled in her face. "Don't touch me!" Holly snapped, yanking her arm away. "Don't you dare touch me!" "Or what?" Lola demanded, stepping a little too close for comfort. Suddenly terrified for her safety, Holly held up her hands and slowly backed away, "That's it, I'm done." But Lola wasn't done; she just had to twist the knife a little deeper, curling her pouty lips in a sneer, "You can run away all you want, but it doesn't change the truth. Your father bought you that role. The same way he bought you a spot on the corps. That talent you think you have is a well-fabricated lie. Of the two of us, everyone knows I'm the talented one. Pity, I don't have a rich, powerful daddy like someon
Trigger warning: self-harmWhen the elevator doors dinged open on the ground floor, Holly headed straight to the restrooms, relieved to find them empty. She dashed for the last cubicle, slammed the door shut, and pulled a fresh razor blade from the pack in her bag. She sat there awhile, listening to the deafening silence as she contemplated her choices and tried to resist her demons. But after her chaotic morning, the maddening urge proved to be much bigger than her. So, like the addict she was, she gave in, relishing the intense sensation of pure agony and pleasure flowing through her body as she slashed the delicate skin on her tummy over and over, stopping only when the door banged shut, and rapid footsteps followed by chirpy voices filled the bathroom. Holly quickly ripped a wad of tissue from the toilet roll holder, grimacing in pain as she dabbed at her fresh cuts. She dumped the used tissues inside the pan and flushed them down the toilet before exiting the bathroom, glad sh
Katherine looked sharp in a hot pink power suit and white sneakers matching her satin camisole. Her ash blonde hair, drawn back from her face into a sleek chignon, showed off her sculpted features in all their glory. A former prima herself, she exuded an air of timeless elegance and grace. She glanced up and smiled, but her sapphire eyes remained cold like glass. Her smile never seemed to reach her eyes. "Please take a seat." Holly dutifully pulled out a chair and sat down, folding her hands in her lap. "How are you feeling?" Katherine asked. Her question would have come across as sincere if it weren't for the blank expression on her face. "I'm fine, thank you," Holly replied with a smile. "I'm sorry I didn't contact you as soon as I was discharged. The medication—" "I know. It knocked you out. You told me!" Katherine waved her along. "So what did Dr Evans say? What's the prognosis?" Reluctantly, Holly filled her in on her chat with Dr Evans about her upcoming surgery. "My
Forty minutes later, the driver sped past the security booth of Morningside Mews, a private gated community east of Rock Castle. It was home to the twenty members of the Royal Dance Institute's corps de ballet, a handful of soloists and two principal dancers, including Holly. Located a stone's throw away from the Institute, the quaint village was once a thriving strawberry farm. With the passage of time, however, the land had changed hands several times and slowly lost its charm, morphing into the monstrosity of cookie-cutter townhouses that it was now. Boasting an onsite hi-tech gym, a smattering of recreational spaces and a convenience store, Morningside Mews touted itself as the pinnacle of luxury living when, in reality, it was just a glorified dormitory. The driver turned into a peaceful tree-lined street, passing rows of double-storey bungalows with manicured lawns and single-car driveways. As soon as they came to a complete stop in front of her unit on a quiet cul-de-sac,
"He likes his woman warm-blooded!" Holly snorted as she mulled over Andrei's words. "Excuse me?" the Uber driver said, glancing at her in the rear-view mirror. "Nothing," she replied and stared at her hands. What the hell did that even mean? Did Andrei really believe she wasn't warm-blooded and passionate? What the hell was she then all these years if she wasn't passionate?Every damn night when she glided on stage, she was passion personified. Was the man blind? Couldn't he see he'd never find another woman like her, a more passionate woman? And why, oh why, did his words cut her so deeply?Holly knew Andrei despised her. He'd never hidden his disdain for her and her family. So when it was all said and done, last night was her own damn fault. She should have stayed home and put up with everyone's pity. She should never have gone to Crush, let alone run to Forrest Creek in the state she was in. But her biggest mistake was swiping right on Andrei's damn Hot Connexions profile. No
Holly was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at her hands, when Andrei came in a second later. He stalked off to his end table, grabbed her black card, and stuffed the IOU note in his pocket. "Here, take your damn card. I'm not selling this place," he said, throwing the credit card at her. "Why do you have this?" Holly asked. "Are you serious?" Andrei arched his brows, crossing his arms over his chest. "You really don't remember much about last night, do you?" Holly shook her head, a look he could only describe as mortification flashing in her eyes as she held his gaze. "Last night," she said after a moment or so of tense silence. "I'm sorry I came here uninvited. It won't happen again. I drank way more than I should and took a bunch of other stuff." "Other stuff like?" Andrei asked, alarm bells going off in his head. He'd figured it was more than just alcohol. But drugs? Heavens— "Doesn't matter!" she replied. "What other stuff, Holly?" "It's not your business!" she
Andrei did fall asleep, and when he finally opened his eyes sometime after 7:00 AM the following morning to the hustle and bustle of traffic twelve stories below, he was refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to take over the world. Until he felt a warm, soft, feminine body beside him on the bed where his gun should have been, and last night's nightmare came rushing back. "Holly!" he growled as he roughly pushed her away from him. "What?" she whined and rolled away, taking the bed covers with her. She wasn't just a nuisance but also a blanket hogger, Andrei thought bitterly, sorely tempted to shove her off the bed. "Wake up! Wake up right now!" he rasped as he jumped out of bed and strolled to the en suite bathroom to piss. When he came back and found Holly still snuggled under the covers, his irritation crept up exponentially. He stalked to the bedside stand, grabbed the remote, and drew the blinds, sending unbearable sunlight flooding in. Holly sat up, grumbling as she covered h
"Ivanov!" Andrei rasped into the phone. "This is a collect call from Pollsmoor Prison for inmate 368929. Will you accept the call charges?" Did he have a fucking choice? "Sure!" he barked his response. A moment later, his twin came on the line, sounding awfully happy for someone looking at three more years in prison, prattling away about life behind bars—from the uncharacteristically warm weather for this time of the year to his hour-long gym time outdoors. In that excruciatingly long five minutes, Andrei also learned his twin often spent time in the library, poring over law textbooks, because for some inexplicable reason, Aleksei had decided that helping other inmates with their legal woes was his calling now. "Leks," Andrei sighed, silently cursing his string of horrible bad luck today as he added two more minutes to the timer on the microwave, oddly comforted by the beep of the buttons. "Can you tell me what this is about? I have a ton of shit on my plate. I need to find a
"Absolutely not! We've talked about this, Papa!" Andrei Ivanov grunted irritably as he lowered his towering frame on the burgundy camelback sofa in the den of his ancestral home in Glen Eagles, north of Rock Castle. Surprisingly, Pavel, the Ivanovs' longtime butler, dressed in a dark suit and not a hair out of place, remained unfazed by the tension in the room. The same way Andrei's father, Nikolai, sat unperturbed behind his vintage desk as he gazed back at him, "Yes, you will cancel your flight." Massaging his temples to stave off a looming headache, Andrei explained—yet again—why he couldn't cancel his flight the following evening, citing every excuse he could think of. When that didn't work, he doubled down and lit a cigarette, taking long, deep puffs before addressing his father again in a much firmer tone, "You've known about my move to Moscow for a while now. It's happening, with or without your approval. I suggest you get on board fast!" "I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Ni
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