DARLENEMy ears rang in the silence that followed after Laura told me what she’d seen on the guest list, the foamy sponge of my brain skirting around the information so that I deliberated a moment before giving the dark-haired woman a puzzled look.“What do you mean you saw Kayla Storm on the guest list? Mrs. McKenzie just said it was by invitation only!” I croaked, trying to tamp down on the heat that was rising in my chest as I felt my breathing shorten to shocked gasps.We’d had a brief tussle in his office, his eyes darkening the second I shut the door so that he pulled me farther into the dimly lit expanse of his office.“What the hell Darlene? What was that? What's wrong with you?” Alexander whispered hotly, his eyes flashing with annoyance as he stared down at me, the hard barrel of his chest rising and falling with a quickness I hadn't seen before.Oh, I knew sure as hell he did not just try to pin this on me! I felt my teeth clench as I marched right up to him, stabbing the n
ALEXANDER MCKENZIEI felt the truck fishtail sporadically, away from the line of guards who had jumped away as I swerved the steering wheel into the forested path, only just missing the beam of my brother’s headlights up ahead.“Shit,” I cursed under my breath, my eyes darting off the road so I could slap the hades music off before I lifted my gaze back to the stretch of asphalt, swerving wildly to avoid the signpost that the car had been leaning toward.Green almond-shaped eyes met my cautious gaze in the rear view mirror as I watched the manor’s security team run into the brightly lit street, with some of the hump-chested men stomping their feet on the granite angrily and the other suit-clad protocols appearing to shout into their phones.We’d done it, stolen the shipment from right under their noses. Duke Chabok was not going to like this, Not Stephan McCoy either, No siree. I could tell the bastard had been gunning to outbid us if his plan to outs us hadn’t worked back at the Chab
DARLENE BERNARDO“I don't mean to sound like a broken alarm clock Darlene but uh, Mrs. McKenzie kinda said to take care of the interior decorations tonight,” Laura chimed, wringing her hands in front of her and biting her lips furtively.And that was how close I was to shooting a damn harpoon needle up my freaking ass!I squeezed my eyes shut, heaving a long-suffering sigh and greasing the throb in my temples again.Workers around the manor were always a hassle. The missus seemed to have a particular knack for picking just about some of the worst uptown snobs, she could find.Dammit, Darlene, what now?I eyed the eager-looking woman eagerly, the itch that had been scratching at my spine pressing even harder now as I leaned heavily against the door frame.Perhaps?“Laura?” I rasped, my chest heaving with shaky breaths as I watched the line of her midnight-black eyebrows scrunch up almost imperceptibly.”Yeah?” The woman breathed, holding her hands to her chest as though I were a doctor
ALEXANDERThe fire from the shipment truck had been slow and climbing at first after Fredrick had flicked the match on the gas trail he made as the lick of flames followed to where it would meet the open tank of the white van.“Get in goddammit, hurry!” I gritted when the maverick began to tussle his strawberry-blonde hair in the side mirror first, instead of trying to flee the scene, as any reasonable man with a good head on his shoulders would.”Just making sure my frizz is still intact,” My brother huffed as he got in and I rolled my eyes, resisting the strong urge to bop him over the back of his head.Damn rat sounded like I was the one ruining his style.“The hair implant treatments not paying off?” I quipped and saw the man’s shocked face whip to me from the corner of my eyes, biting my lip at the exaggerated look of shock on his face, before it fell away and he snickered wordlessly.The din of the explosion sounding out behind us had me snapping my eyes to the rearview mirror w
DARLENEMy eyes moved to the gun my husband was gripping tightly in one shaky hand, gulping reflexively with some measure of relief when I saw that his fingers were loose on the trigger.HE HAD A GUN? Think Darlene! THINK!“Alexander,” I whispered hoarsely, my tongue darting out to lick my lips before I trailed off, keeping my eyes trained on the hand that was fisting the gun.He was walking towards me now, with slow, deliberate steps. Saints, what was I going to do?I felt around the wall behind me as my heart beat a jagged rhythm in my chest as an icy, bottomless terror opened in my stomach.Why did I have to be backed against the stretch of wall with no hooks? Stupid, stupid Darlene!I was almost certain, that this was how I was going to die, backed up against my husband's office wall with nothing to my person but a demure slip dress that did nothing to match my hair, before I saw him place the gun carefully on the table.“Wait, you're- your’e not gonna shoot me?” I croaked as the
DARLENEMy eyes were swimming when I managed to stand, immediately regretting it when my legs turned to water under me and I fell face-first to the sharp, marbled end of the table.“Woah, easy there sonic the hedgehog,” Alexander’s throaty rasp chuckled in my ear as he caught me just in time before I could spear myself on his office desk, the thick length of his arms brushing against my exposed nipples sweetly so that I leaned back into him.“Fuck you,” I moaned, flashing my teeth at him and letting my eyes drift closed as he nibbled on my ear, a bolt of excitement making my core swell until I could feel the puffy lips of my clit press into each other deliciously and I moaned again.“The things you do to me Darlene, fuckkk,” My husband groaned, his whispered baritone sending shivers through me that made me arch my back and spasm reflexively against his cock that had gone hard again on my back.A wave of heat had me grinding my ass against the thick mushroom head of his shaft like a bi
ALEXANDER“I’ll see you later,” Darlene whispered before she stood on her pink-polished tiptoes to press her soft lips to mine.Her short dark hair was tousled and wavy from my hands dragging and pulling through it, her lips appearing fuller in that after-sex way so that my heart swelled with pride as I laced my hands possessively around the small of her back and forced my tongue in her mouth, kissing her hard.My wife was breathing hard when I broke away, her chest rising flush against me before she shimmied from my hip, nodding and looking away distractedly as she walked out the room, only stopping briefly at the door to give my brother a lingering look he returned.I was about to speak up, but something in me hesitated when I saw the way his body was turned toward Darlene, looking down at her like she was holding up the line at his favorite food mall, until she snapped her head away and headed out, disappearing out of sight and making me chuckle briefly.No one ever won a stare-dow
DARLENEI shouldn't have stood at the door to my husband’s study like that, trying to stare his twin brother down after he’d just caught us having sex.Ugh! I couldn't believe the nerve of that man! And that I’d looked away first! What in the devil’s earth had I been trying to prove? “Ugh! What a freaking asshole!” I growled, slamming my clenched fists on the red silk of rustic-themed wallpaper that covered the hallway walls, just as my eyes fastened on a group of wide-eyed maidservants who had seen my display, watching me open-mouthed, their food trays hefted demurely on their hips as frightened alarm creased their foreheads.Great! Now the maids probably thought I was a complete balloon case. God freaking dammit.I cleared my throat, my spine straightening as I nodded in greeting, allowing them to shoulder past me wordlessly.Talk about a walk of shame.The padding of the carpet changed into a red fur as I switched wings to transverse to my room, pressing my palms against the wall