SeraI blinked awake in my airplane seat and found Killian still dozing next to me. He’d sworn up and down he didn’t need comfortable clothes for the flight, that he was used to flying in a suit, but I’d made the right call forcing him to change. The T-shirt rode up, exposing a sliver of his toned stomach, and the thin shorts left little to the imagination. Desire stirred within me. I’d wanted to wait until our proper honeymoon, our new life together, started. I’d wanted to christen the villa with our first married sex. I glanced out the window and saw nothing but dark water. We’d left America.Our honeymoon had definitely started by now.I ran my hand over Killian through his shorts, and his eyes opened almost immediately.“I thought we were waiting.”I smiled playfully. “I’m done waiting.”He growled and stood then lifted me out of my seat and carried me to the bedroom at the back of the plane without another word. I craned my neck to kiss him, and he didn’t even pause. The door sli
PaigeI floated back to consciousness and the definite feeling I was moving. My head ached. I was warm, and a little sticky, and the goddamn zipper still dug into my side. I remembered the bouquet, Tom’s smile, and then…nothing.“Why the hell is the world moving?” I groaned with my eyes still closed.Tom chuckled from nearby. “We’re on the jet.”“What?” I shot up and opened my eyes, then winced. Headrush. We were definitely on the jet, though. Plush leather seats, seatbelts, overhead compartments. But the night sky outside didn’t give me any further details.Tom rubbed my back. “I brought spare clothes for you if you want to change. And there’s coffee. We’re landing before too long now.”“Where the hell are we going?” I demanded. “I can’t remember.”He smiled indulgently. “You can’t remember because I’m not telling you.”My mouth fell open. “Why not?”“It’s a surprise.” He kissed the corner of my mouth. “I’d say you agreed to stop asking, but I don’t think you’d believe that.”“Damn r
SeraJim Harrison. Tall, blond hair, big baby blue eyes. And dimples that showed off every time he flashed his dashing white smile. Everything about him screamed American Dream—broad shoulders and a finely defined jaw, well-fitting Levi jeans, and the kind of face that made me envision a life where we got married, bought a condo in Jersey, and adopted a Golden Retriever named Buddy. Jim would train him to heel, sit, and stay. I’d let him sleep at the foot of the bed. We’d argue about it, but Jim would eventually forfeit and lose a quarter of his half of the bed. Buddy deserved the best. I’d been crushing on Jim on and off for the better part of a year, but so had every single other teacher in the Ardmore, Pennsylvania district. Yet, somehow, on a sunny Thursday afternoon in October, Jim walked me out to my car after our students left for the day and started flirting with me. Reality turned to sand, running between my fingers.Finally.“Sera?” He laughed, waving a hand in front of my
SeraBreathe Sera.Fingers fisted my hair and pulled upward, forcing me to look up at the man who’d just pulled a bag from over my head. He wore a suit and mask, both so black in color they seemed to suck the light right out of the room. There were no designs on the full-faced mask. It was just a void, a black hole, a vacant space where his face should have been. His hands were bare, and in the light of a huge crystal chandelier above our heads I caught the glint of the gold ring he wore on his right ring finger.I sucked in my breath as my focus locked on the ring and the insignia woven across the golden band.Il mio sangue scorre per la famiglia.My blood runs for the family.The Marino family motto.Hot, uncontrollable tears blurred my vision as my body trembled with terror. I stole a glance around the room, seeing nothing but gold trim and gilded wallpaper that brought a fresh wave of tears to my eyes. I knew where I was. I knew this place. Worst of all, I knew what was rumored to
KillianIt’d been years since I last stepped foot in Sala delle Rose, the grotesquely enormous mansion situated on the Jersey coast. I avoided this place if I could help it. Grecian columns lined a long foyer as I walked toward the ballroom. Yes, a fucking ballroom. Riccardo Marino’s grandfather had built this place back in the early nineteen thirties and had apparently thought of everything when it came to what his descendants might get up to when he was six feet under and nothing but a mural on the wall.The Marinos were once the family—the ones calling the shots and ruling over practically the entire east coast. But Riccardo’s rise to power some thirty years ago saw the end of their reign. Now, the man threw his fancy parties and sat on his throne, which was exactly that: a big golden chair with red velvet cushions that overlooked the entire ballroom.I smirked as I entered and looked around.“Your mask?”I turned, looking Riccardo’s son Niccolò in the eyes. His pupils widened befo
SeraBright lights momentarily blinded me as Niccolò shoved me onto the stage. I’d been fighting him the whole time, screaming in terror at the top of my lungs as he dragged me through a narrow, dimly lit hallway. He’d cuffed my hands behind my back and slapped his hand over my mouth, threatening to beat me within an inch of my life if I didn’t shut up.“I’ll keep you alive,” he’d rasped, “only because killing you would be a merciful act compared to what will happen to you after the auction.”Now I stood on a stage practically naked. A black chemise two sizes too small hugged every curve and was so tight on my breasts that the silken fabric did nothing to hide the hardened peaks of my nipples. It was freezing, but I couldn’t tell if my teeth were chattering because of the cold or only the sheer, paralyzing panic I felt.My knees bit into stone as I looked up at the crowd through the thick tangles of curls falling over my face. They were all wearing masks. Some people tilted their head
Sera“Who are you?” I whispered to the man who’d just bought me for a million dollars.He was not handsome. He was not young. His eyes were bright and blue and cruel.“You know me, bella,” the old man crooned as he ran a finger down my cheek and along my jaw, pressing under my chin so I had to look up into his eyes. “Say my name.”“Gabriele de Luca,” I said, my voice a strained whisper as he smiled.“I do love the sound of that on your tongue.” He clucked, patting my cheek with his warm, clammy hand. He was my father’s age, maybe a little older. I didn’t know for sure.But what I did know was that they were enemies. Was this why I was taken? Was I kidnapped and sold so he could use me up and then kill me, returning what was left of my body to my father’s doorstep when he was done?I gagged at the thought, and gagged even harder as he slid his thumb into my mouth and over my tongue. I tasted copper, leather, and tobacco.“You better be worth the money I spent on you,” he warned, pressi
KillianThe petite, almost fragile-looking woman shivering like a wet cat in front of me was Delaney Lombardi. Her name rolled off my tongue as I tapped her shoulder to get her attention, but she was wide-eyed and in some kind of terrified trance.Tommaso sighed heavily, giving me an exasperated look as I snapped my fingers at her. “Raise your arms up,” my right-hand man told her. I glanced at Tommaso, shaking my head, as Delaney started sobbing between us. We were standing in a small alcove somewhere in the back of the mansion, three of my best guards forming a semi-circle around us to shield the girl from watchful eyes as Tommaso pulled a large sweatshirt over her head. It was his, and it swallowed her up so much that the length of it brushed against her knees.“Better?” Tommaso asked as Delaney glanced between us with wide hazel eyes filled with nothing but fear and confusion. That was a natural reaction, I supposed, but also a predictable one. Boring. “Pretty cold in here, huh?”S