This chapter was inspired by the song *Anywhere Away From Here* by Rag'n'Bone Man & Pink
I felt like I had spun a bottle all my life and its neck had always come to a stop, pointing in the wrong direction. I guess I had unknowingly spun the bottle again, and once more, I'd been pointed in the wrong direction. I wanted to mean something to Torin, not just a passing steamy as fuck night four years ago that I had been unable to forget. I knew he'd cared, and I felt he still did, but he was pushing me away, and I didn't know why. He had been the one; the one I would have spent the rest of my life with—made babies with, but that dream had died the same day as I'd been told he had. I had tried to move on with other men, to forget, but I just hadn't been able to—none had ever measured up, none had lit the spark Torin had. That night in the pickup with Rook on the way to the hospital, I had forgiven Torin of the hurt he induced within me by hiding the fact he was alive. I had spent the last month in his presence. Yet he had never once let on who he truly was, and I didn't unde
Silently, I gave a nod and he slid from the bed, making his way across the room toward his dresser. My eyes followed him, appreciative of his tight ass, the sculpted curve of his back and shoulders. He was absolutely gorgeous. As he turned to face me, there was no denying his arousal, nor the fact he was well endowed, for his cock thrust outward, long, thick and hard. Though I was already wet, I grew more aroused at the sight. Shifting my hips, I drew my knees up, squeezing my thighs together; trying to relieve some of the ache between them.God, I was more turned on than I'd ever been in my entire life. Unable to draw my eyes away from Torin as he climbed back on the bed, I gazed into his eyes, as holding up a necktie, he stated, "I'm going to tie your hands to the headboard, princess. You okay with that?"Holy Mary, Mother of God! He was going to do WHAT?! My breathing began pulling through my mouth like I'd been running a marathon. HOLY—FUCK! I'd had fantasies about him doing t
The realization slammed into me that I needed a friend, someone to talk to, to help distract my mind—my heart.Thirty minutes later, I'd changed clothes, washed my face, and cleaned my teeth. As well, I pulled a brush through my hair. As I did so, I avoided looking into my eyes, for I hadn't wanted to see the pain etched within their depths.~~Over the next hour, as I worked in the bar with Ginger, we girl-talked and knocked back the occasional shot of whiskey. Senseless, non-specific conversation flowed between us, something I was in need of. After a while, she finally broached the subject of me and Torin. "So, I saw you going after Tonya last night, then follow Satan out. How'd that come out?"I gave a shrug, muttering, "We had sex."Shock held Ginger hostage for a second before she gasped, "Come again?"I gave a shrug. "I mistakenly thought he was making love to me through the night. However, this morning he made it clear he'd been doing nothing but fucking.""Wait, hold up. This
The next morning I was again sitting beneath my tree, and as I glanced up from the book Tonya had given me, my breath kicked up at the familiar shoulders of the man walking toward one of the buildings. As I ran my eyes over the length of him, taking in the muscular build of his back, the way his jeans hugged the spectacular curve of his butt, my gaze dropped to his hands—in particular, his fingers.God! What those magical digits had done to me last night and with my thoughts, an ache began between my thighs. My nipples hardened, and I grew damp thinking about the things we'd done. I found, as well, I wanted to do them all again.Standing, I hurried after him, and when I reached him, I grasped his hand. At my touch, he gave a start and jerked his hand from mine, snarling, "What the fuck!" as stopping mid-stride, he whirled around to face me. A smile spread across his lips, and taking my hand back in his, he laughed, "Sorry, didn't know who the hell had a hold of me!" "So, do random wo
An hour and a half later, when the movie came to an end, I lifted my head off Torin's shoulder where it had come to rest at some point during the evening. Torin had dozed off early in the movie, and without moving, he cracked an eye open, husking, "Just stay put." The evening hadn't gone anywhere close to the direction I'd expected it to. Yet, I couldn't deny more snuggle time was damn tempting. Giving in to my desires, I settled back into Torin's arms, and placing my head back on his shoulder, I gave a huge yawn and a contented sigh. Floating in that moment that comes right before the blissfulness of sleep, I heard Torin whisper to himself, "I'm so fucked!"**~TORIN~**I should be sent straight to hell. I had to fucking stop this shit. Out of Marlowe's presence, I had it together, my mind set. But when she was around me…yeah…no, my dick got to sniffing and I followed where the hell it led like an idiot, skipping along with it as if I were its damn sidekick. God, I loved what she
My head jerked up, and I stared at Torin over the bar's countertop. Not fucking again! If this shit kept up, he was going to need to be wrapped in bubble wrap for his own damn protection. Lord help the man! With a shake of my head, I ran around the counter, heading towards Torin; at least he was walking this time, which was a plus. As I neared, he looked in my direction. Then, holding up his hand, he assured me, "I'm alright, Marl." "You don't look alright!" I argued. "There is blood—"Before I could finish, Torin shook his head. "It's not mine, Marlowe."I gaped at him. "Then who the hell's is it?" I exclaimed..Torin just shrugged, then asked, "Does it matter? It's not mine, that's all you need to know."**~TORIN~**I'd hope to make it to my room and change clothes before Marlowe saw me. Yeah, so didn't happen. Now, she gazed at me, her eyes curious. I was making things worse with my evasive answers, and I knew it, but she didn't need to know what had gone down. I'd set out gunn
The scrape of a shoe had my head jerking up, and my gaze traced the length of the legs standing before me upward until my eyes collided with the green ones gazing back. After a few seconds, Torin stated, "Let's go for a ride."Fifteen minutes later the rumble of a bike engine filled the air. The wind was warm as it brushed across my arms and tugged with a gentle caress at my clothing, gliding across my skin like a lover's touch as we traveled at a sedate pace down the road. Torin seemed to enjoy the wind as well and was in no hurry it appeared to be any particular place. The road he had chosen was vacant of other vehicles, and with a contented sigh, I laid my head against his back, feeling the bunching and tightening of his muscles beneath my cheek. The night whispered to us, calling out a siren's song as it seduced with its beauty. The moon shone down on the scenery beneath it, flushing everything within silvery lighting and the breeze weaved through tree branches that danced at its
The next morning arrived with another nearly sleepless night passing as my thoughts were centered on Torin. After we'd made love, he'd become distant, avoiding any eye contact. Climbing on his bike, he'd helped me climb on behind him, Then with a small shake of his head, he'd started the engine and we'd headed back toward the compound without another word passing between us. The longer the silence grew between the more used I'd felt. When we'd reached the compound, he'd brought the bike to a stop. Remaining seated, he'd offered a hand to help me dismount. Afterward, he growled, "I fuckin' screwed up. I should have never been with you," then shifting the bike into gear, he roared off, leaving me shredded and pissed off.My anger carried me through the rest of the night and most of the next morning, his words reverberating over and over within my head as I tended bar.After splashing whiskey into a tumbler, I pushed it at Houseshoe, then, setting the bottle back in its place, I hissed
Within minutes, I stood on the porch, my chest heaving, and my vision darkening around the edges, alerting me of the quickly approaching panic attack. “Not now,” I groaned. Drawing slow breaths, I filled my lungs with a breath of fortitude, and raised my head, at the same time reaching for the knob. Afterward, pushing at the double oak doors, I stepped inside, suddenly feeling as if I were on display as everyone within the room turned and looked in my direction.Beneath their gazes, I felt like the elephant in the room. Michelle Chastain, one of the more popular girls throughout school, and her flock of nasty, stared, their snide remarks immediately staining the air."Who let the trash in?" Michelle asked nastily. Several snickering bells of laughter followed her comment. Then, the queen of the bitch-squad continued, “Oh wait, it’s Catriana. I should’ve known. She’d slum it anywhere to get noticed."The words cut deep, but I had enough self-control not to let them show on my face. In
At Rook's words, I placed my hands on his chest, whispering, “Please, just let it go, Rook.”He stared down at me, then finally hissed disbelievingly, “Let it go? You want me to let it go?”Nodding, I breathed, “Yes, I want you to just let it go.”Minutes passed as the tense silence stretched and grew between us, indecision clearly at war within Rook as he pulled away and paced back and forth, repeatedly running his fingers through his hair, then coming back over to stand before me, and voice gruff, he stated, “I don't know if I can.”Seeing the tears that had begun to slip down my cheeks, he reached out, gently wiping at the moisture as it trembled on the curve of my lip.Unable to stop my actions, as having denied myself any form of affection for over a year now, I found myself suddenly beyond denying the comfort of Rook's touch, unaware until this moment of needing it so badly that I ached with it, I turned my face into his caress.I gave into the weakness for only a few seconds th
Description:Catalina "Cat" Denilli is a strong-willed and independent young woman who has recently moved back to her childhood home. Cat and her stepbrother, Rook, a former mafia and biker, now turned bar-owner, had shared a deep bond and a fiery chemistry that had simmered for years. Their lives take a dark turn when, on a seemingly normal night, Cat's traumatic past comes to the forefront during a heated misunderstanding and what emerges, no one had suspected.Book 2 is a supernatural dark romanceTriggers: Adult language, dark scenes, explicit sexual scenes, sexual assault, violenceChapter-01~CAT~Without warning, I was on the wrong end of a tackle that, in one swift move, had me sprawled full out on the floor on my back, with Rook sitting on top of me in nothing but his underwear. My head rested between his hands, that with one twist, would have ended my life.Suddenly stilling, he peered down at me in the moonlight shining in through the kitchen windows, as eyes huge and round
Over the next few days, we were like two animals trapped in a cage, fighting our instincts and our fears. We talked little, our communication mostly in the form of touch, of love-making that was both fierce and desperate.But as the weeks went by, our anxiety lessened, becoming more a shadow in the background of our lives, than the monster it had been.Though bound to the house, under the circumstances of the cartel actively seeking us, I tried to make the best of it. Torin getting nerves had become commonplace, but under it all, I knew the cause and tried to maintain.However, though the fear receded greatly, for me, it had never completely left. I couldn't speak for Torin, as he had always kept everything close to his sleeve, and in our time together in the safe house, that hadn't changed.After awakening one morning and nursing a cup of coffee, my phone rang, and picking it up I saw it was Casey."It's over," she told me. "You can return to your old lives."I sat for a moment stunn
Over the next few days, we were like two animals trapped in a cage, fighting our instincts and our fears. We talked little, our communication mostly in the form of touch, of love-making that was both fierce and desperate.But as the weeks went by, our anxiety lessened, becoming more a shadow in the background of our lives, than the monster it had been.Though bound to the house, under the circumstances of the cartel actively seeking us, I tried to make the best of it. Torin getting nerves had become commonplace, but under it all, I knew the cause and tried to maintain.However, though the fear receded greatly, for me, it had never completely left. I couldn't speak for Torin, as he had always kept everything close to his sleeve, and in our time together in the safe house, that hadn't changed.After awakening one morning and nursing a cup of coffee, my phone rang, and picking it up I saw it was Casey."It's over," she told me. "You can return to your old lives."I sat for a moment stunne
~MARLOWE~I wasn’t sure how the hell it had come to this. Witness Protection! Oh my God! Never in my life had I thought I’d ever be in this position. But dammit, that's exactly where I had found myself! I’d done everything I could to adjust. It just hadn't happened. The first few days had been awful. I'd run to the window every time I'd heard a vehicle, a motorcycle, even freaking voices!They’d told me that I had to cut all ties, leave everything behind, even my name. I'd assumed the name Rachel Peters, a young widow who had moved to a small town to start over. I'd felt like I was in a fictional crime novel, except it was real---all too real.Now though, just as I was beginning to get comfortable being Rachel Peters, Casey shows up in my living room, her voice grim, she immediately starts tossing out orders. "We have a problem and we're going to need to move you."Panic set in. Well fuck me! I couldn't help thinking."What's happened?" I asked, immediately setting about gathering my t
As the days went by, the boredom of the safe house began to drive me crazy. I had nothing to do. Thankfully, Casey kept me up on the progress they were making with the data on the USB.I was happy for the information she gave, but it wasn't enough. I needed to hear about Marlowe. However, no matter how many times I asked, the only thing I was told was that she was being protected. What the fuck did that even mean? Was she in witness protection, or not?A few more days had passed when, finally, Casey entered through the front door, her face unreadable. "The DA's ready to see you," she stated. "He's going to offer you immunity if you give him your full cooperation.""When do we leave?" I asked, more than ready to get this entire fiasco behind me."Now," she stated, "But one wrong move and the deal is off the table," she told me."Don't worry" I told her, bracing myself for whatever was coming.Minutes later, as we drove to the DA's office, I played over every situation that could possibl
I'd dealt with Casey quite a few times over the years and she always had a way of making me feel like I was the most dangerous man in the room, even when she had a whole squadron of cops at her back. When she finally pushed through the locked door leading from the offices and into the lobby, her eyes scanned me like a hawk eyeing its prey."What do you want?" she asked, not bothering to hide her disapproval."I got some information you'll be interested in," I told her, holding up the USB for her to see.Her gaze flickered to the thumb drive, then back to me. "What kind of information?" she asked, her voice suspicious.I hid a grin, knowing she didn't trust me. "The kind that will take down the whole Cartel operation," I replied, holding the thumb drive out to her. "Everything my uncle had on all his enemies, his partners, his dirty dealings."Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't reach for it. "What's the catch?""There isn't one," I replied. "Just take them down."Casey's eyes searched mi
~TORIN~I watched the chaos unfold from a distance, my bike idling between my legs. The flames coming from the warehouse lit up the night-sky, but I felt no remorse for the body inside being consumed by the fire. It was done, and the mother fucker had deserved his death.As I easily dismissed my uncle's life, my thoughts turned to Marlowe. I had played a dangerous game, yes. But the outcome had ensured her safety—even if it had meant losing her. I was ready to rest, but before I could, I knew I had one more matter to take care of…Lucien.The fire grew, a beacon of destruction and I knew it was only a matter of time before the police and fire department arrived; we had to move.Placing the toe of my boot on the shifter, I placed my bike in gear and Burdock and I began moving forward. In the distance I could already hear the wail of sirens approaching and I felt a smug satisfaction knowing the evidence of my uncle's crimes would soon be nothing but ash.We turned a corner, and the adrena