HAZEL STYLES POV
"Let go of her, or I'm going to tase you, " Lena screamed, her eyes wide like saucers.
I and Riven's gaze locked in on hers from the sofa where he'd pushed me unto after taking out the brush I'd stabbed into his arms.
Lena let out a shrill scream, then slapped a hand over her mouth. I could totally understand her reaction. There was paint all over us since I'd tried to run for my life and ended up tripping on something and knocking up the bucket of paint mix.
The whole studio looked like a nightmare and so did we.
Riven regarded her, his eyes curious. "Are you really going to do that? I don't believe you"
Lena's gaze moved to mine, the question in her eyes easy to understand. I mouthed that he was insane and her eyes widened further.
"If you don't let go of her, I am really going to use this and it's going to hurt. You'll probably become Impotent too, 'cause I am going to aim for your dick," she got out shakily, her grip on the taser unstable.
"Lena, what the hell?" I gasped out, and her gaze cut to mine.
"What. That's the only part of him that's really going to hurt, no? He's like a mountain"
Riven let go of me and then slowly got to his feet. He yanked his shirt off all of a sudden, and Lena's eyes widened, her mouth dropping open, and the taser almost falling out of her hand.
"Holy mother of..."
"Snap out of it, Lena!" I yelled because I knew just how fast Riven was. I got to my feet, my heart beating hard in my chest, and then I rushed to stand behind Lena, who was still holding the Taser like the ultimate weapon of mass destruction.
"Keep your hands where I can see them, and no funny business" Lena got out and swallowed hard as her eyes roamed over his chest.
She was right to ogle him. Riven was fit.
Riven snickered and then did as he was told. "This is interesting. It almost feels like I am being arrested by a cop. Are you a cop, Lena"
"How do you know my name" she asked, her brows dipping.
"I know everything about Hazel here. We were going to make out but then she got a little kinky. She stabbed me with a paintbrush," he said, pointing to the puncture between his arm where I'd stabbed him.
Lena's gape whipped to mine and that was all Riven's needed.
Jerking forward, he snatched the taser from her and then smiled widely as Lena's mouth dropped open in shock.
"Oh my gods! What In the..."
"Do I get to issue the orders now... Keep your hands where I can see them type of shit?"
Lena laughed nervously, her grip digging into my wrist as she met my eyes. "Please, tell your one-night stand I was just joking," she gritted for only me to hear, and I frowned.
"He's not my one-night stand," I gritted back, then met Riven's gaze.
He sighed, then threw the taser at the wall. "I am done playing Hazel, but since I have other things to take care of, I guess we can do this another time. I'll send you the contract. Try to sign it when you get it. I won't take no for an answer."
He said then walked out, while I and Lena tried to stay as far as possible from him.
Lena let go of me once she made sure he was really gone.
"What the hell was that about? Are you cheating on Liam now... I mean, I know that guy is insanely hot and you might have found it difficult to resist, but cheating is not..."
"Lena! Oh my god! I do not have anything to do with that guy. That was Riven Blackwood"
Lena gaped at me, then scoffed. "Stop fucking playing around... If I threatened Riven with a Taser, do you know what that means? It means I'll be dead by tomorrow morning"
I crossed my arms, then stared at her pointedly until her eyes widened comically.
"Please tell me you are joking" she pleaded.
I shrugged and pursed my lips.
"Oh my God Hazel. And you just stood there while I threatened to tase his dick. Do you have any idea what kind of trouble I am in right now? Riven's probably going to hunt me down tonight... " She wailed, then paused, her mouth pulling up. "I mean, it won't be a bad way to go, judging from all that... "
"Lena, are you serious right now?" I got out incredulously, and she rolled her eyes.
"What's done is done, I might as well say what's on my mind before I meet the Lord"
"He is not going to kill you"
"Says you who was rolling around with him. What the hell happened with Liam? I thought you two were meeting up for dinner. Didn't he propose? Is that why you are with Riven"
I sighed, then dragged my hand through my hair. "Liam broke up with me"
"He did what?"
"He said he was done with me. He has a new girlfriend too. I totally went crazy and tried to break a vase over his head but ended up smashing it Into Riven's head instead"
"Oh my goodness, it keeps getting worse the more I listen. That fucking bastard. How dare he break up with you after everything you did for him. He's the one we should be tasing his dick"
I laughed, the tension easing a bit. "He would deserve it"
"Girl, all you've got to do is say the word and I'll destroy him. I mean I'll destroy him either way"
"Forget about it. He's not worth it"
We stood in silence for a few seconds.
"So what was that about with Riven? Did he try to hurt you because of what you did? He said you stabbed him too"
"It was an accident. He invaded my space all of a sudden and I panicked"
"Do you think he's going to come back?" Lena asked... "Also what was that about you signing a contract"
Letting out a heavy sigh, I shrugged. "I don't know Lena. Today has just been a very shitty day"
Lena took out a pepper spray from her bag and pushed it into my hand. "This is all I have for now, but trust me, it is very effective. If he shows up again, just spray while you scream, then when you are done screaming, you run, got it"
I nodded and clutched at it.
"Do you want to drink and cry while talking about everything that happened today"
"That sounds like a good idea," I agreed, and she pulled me into a warm hug.
******
Something bright was shining on my face. Was it the sun? And what the heck was pressing down on me?
I blinked my eyes open, then frowned when I met the familiar russet-colored gaze of the man I least expected to see when I woke up. Riven was kneeling over me again.
"Good morning, little rabbit" he grinned.
My hands reached for the pepper spray and I brought it up to his face.
"Get out of my life, you freaking psychopath," I screamed, then pressed down on the sprayer.
HAZEL STYLES POV There was screaming alright, but it wasn't from Riven whatsoever. It was me as my face burned. My klutzy ass freaking sprayed myself in the face. I gasped as a searing, burning sensation exploded across my cheeks, nose, and eyes. My eyelids felt like they were being sliced open, and as tears streamed down my face, the pain only got worse."Oh God, I am going to die" I choked out and struggled against Riven who was trying to hold my flailing armsMy lungs burned, and trying to fight Riven's hold even though I couldn't see for shit made every breath I took feel like I was inhaling razor blades. Why the hell was he trying to pin me down when I was freaking dying. Why won't he just leave me alone?"Calm the fuck down, or it's going to get worse," Riven roared, and I stilled in shock at the fury in his voice. I was dying and he thought I could calm down. What the hell was his problem? This was all his fault. I wouldn't be all hysterical and dying if he hadn't broken i
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV "What do you think you are doing," she asked as I stalked toward her. Her throat moved as she swallowed nervously, and my gaze dropped to her slender neck before moving back to her expressive wide eyes. She drew her hands up, her dainty fingers forming into fists. "Don't come any closer or I am going to punch you in the face. I'm really going to do it" she warned, her hands trembling a little.She looked so comical that I couldn't help a chuckle escaping my lips. She stared at me incredulously, her hazel eyes wide as saucers. "Do you think I am joking" I put my hands up in the air in mock surrender "Oh, I can tell you are very serious. It's just the whole paste on your face didn't give you the intimidating look you were going for."Her lips pursed angrily and I grinned because she looked like a pufferfish. The smile on my face seemed to aggravate her further and she swung at me. I caught her hand midair and she gaped at me, the pulse at her neck thumping wildly.
HAZEL STYLES POV Riven was crazy and so was the way he switched in an instant. One minute, he was smooth and charming, and the next, he was cold as ice. I didn't know how to react to the change.His words about my art still rang in my head. I didn't know how much I needed to hear that until he said it. My heart had taken a fucking nosedive, and up till now, I still couldn't breathe through the exhilaration of hearing that my art was good.But he was a bad person, and I just couldn't forget those words he said at that scene of the accident fifteen years ago. Did he know it was me? The girl he left to die. If he knew and apologized, would I be able to forgive him? Would he deserve it? My head was messed up. This was all Liam's fault. That bastard. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have crossed paths with Riven, and this wouldn't be happening right now. When this was all over, I was going to fucking hunt him down for what he did to me.His finger grazed my chin, and I flinched hard, my
HAZEL STYLES POV I felt trapped under his gaze. Was he really going to kiss me? Was I going to let him? He took a step closer, his piercing eyes making my heart beat frantically in my chest. "Riven," I called on a breath, my hand coming up to push at his chest, but he didn't budge. Why was he so ridiculously strong, or was it just me who didn't push hard enough? "Interesting" he murmured as his finger grazed my chin. "Do you really not want a kiss, Hazel?" He asked and I sucked in a breath. "Your eyes tell me you're conflicted, so why don't you just leave it all to me? Let me decide, Hazel. Let me give you what you want" He was so close, his warm breath danced across my face making my heart stutter. My gaze dropped to his chest, the proximity messing with my head. I flexed my hand against his skin, the rhythm of his heartbeat against my palm almost matching mine.He sucked in a breath and my gaze jerked up to his. There was a fire burning in their pits and it was consuming.His
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV "I apologize, Victor. We were negligent and that led to you losing a lot of money, but rest assured, we will make sure to compensate with more than that which you have lost" The old man grimaced, the lines on his face deepening and making him look much uglier than before. I knew the words he was about to utter were going to piss me off, so I steeled myself."And why should I wait around to be compensated when I can take the matter into my own hands and find some other supplier? A more reliable supplier. Do you know what this means for my business? Do you know how much I am losing because of this" he got out, the anger in his voice palpable. I let out a sigh and raked my fingers through my hair. His narcotics order had been hijacked so I was sure he was beyond pissed, but he needed to watch his mouth.It was aggravating to listen to him whine, but Victor Vex was a major client and one of Father's close allies. Losing him wasn't going to be good for business. "Br
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV "And you're so sure Hazel is going to fall for you" I grinned then turned to leave. "You can't go back just yet. Father wants to have dinner together tonight" I groaned. "Why?"Ethan shrugged. "How would I know? Maybe he heard about what happened with Victor's package, or maybe he just wants to have dinner""Does he have to do this every other night, though? If he has something to say, why does he not just use the goddamn phone he's always carrying around"Ethan gave me a tired smile as he walked past me. "Stop whining like a little boy, even though that's what you are"I grinned and bumped his shoulder. "Just because you're a year older than me doesn't mean I won't punch you in the face, Ethan""Like you did over Keira when Father made you the second in command and she commemorated it by letting me bend her over. You gave me a scar too," he said, pointing to where I'd slashed his face with a dagger. The scar was barely visible. That was because I hadn't cut as
HAZEL STYLES POV "Are you still getting creepy messages from that number?" Lena asked as we strolled through the clothing aisle. "Oh my, these dresses are gorgeous" "They are, aren't they?" I said as I felt the texture of a particular ivory-colored dress. "And no, I haven't gotten another message" Lena stopped in front of me. "You don't have to worry so much about it then. It was borderline stalkerish but since they already stopped, maybe they decided they were creepy after sending you that message" "I hope so. I really can't deal with any more problems. Riven is already plenty enough" Lena grinned. "True, but he's a hot problem," she said, adding a wink, and I shook my head."I see you've forgotten just how hard he tied you up the last time" Lena giggled. "I didn't forget, but since he's so generously offered you such a good deal, I think we should forgive him" "I still don't know his motive tho""I think he likes you and that's why he's doing all these. You said he told you h
HAZEL STYLES POV My gaze locked on those of Liam and he smirked, his smile stretching as he pulled the girl at his side closer, his hand splayed on her waist possessively. "Hi, Hazel. Fancy running into you here. Wait, don't tell me you're having one of your shopping episodes or did you miss me and decided to relieve old memories" "You mean those horrible shitty memories you ugly ass..." "Lena," I called warningly, and she glared at me. "He's the one being a dick" Lena pouted, her brows dipping in a frown."It's fine. I don't care, and you shouldn't either," I said, then took a deep breath. "We should go, or we are going to be late," I said, deciding to ignore him. I had been good to him but I could see that didn't mean shit to him. He wanted to hurt me. It was plain and simple. I was not going to give him the satisfaction."You don't have to be in a hurry to leave Hazel; you're just going to go back to your little prison, right, or to your therapist... You'll probably have a dr
HAZEL STYLES POV The sounds of waves crashing against the shore pulled me out of the dark fog I was in, and I slowly regained consciousness. My eyes opened, then I glanced in the direction the sound was coming from, but I was only met with a thick black curtain. Where the hell was I? I blinked hard to clear away the fogginess from my eyes, then slowly pulled myself into a sitting position.I winced, my head hurting all of a sudden. "Ugh. What the hell happened to me. Did we get into an accident or what" I muttered to myself, my gaze darting around the room I was in. I couldn't really see much because aside from the table lamp that looked like it was running out, there was no other source of lightning in the room.Where the hell did Ethan take me for me to be able to hear the sound of the waves so close?I grabbed my head, trying to recall what had happened and how I got here but it was all blank. "Ethan" I got out, my voice scratchy. I waited for a few seconds but no answer came.
EARLIER ETHAN BlACKWOOD POV I got to my feet, my eyes bulging as I stared at David."What the hell are you talking about? What do you mean you got intel that Riven is going after Julian.""Exactly what it means, boss; I have a feeling that Riven has been keeping an eye on you, boss. It's no coincidence that he found Julian so soon after he escaped our hideout""Or maybe he has been keeping an eye on Ksar," I said, refusing to believe that he knew that I had been planning to betray him. "I told him to look into Ksar after the whole kidnap." "That could be the case but we can't rule out the possibility that Riven already knew everything before now and was just bidding his time to attack""I refuse to believe that. Riven would have had me killed if he knew what I'd been planning. Family means nothing to him, and what he despises the most is betrayers—" David's face was a grim mask. "—Except, this was all a game to him," I stated, realization dawning. He found out that I was planning t
JULIAN STYLES POV "You chose such a shitty place as a hideout, Julian; I had more faith in you," he said, his eyes darting around the room. He looked disappointed. "You should have just stayed where Ethan was keeping you," he said, and I met his gaze. How the hell did he know that Ethan had been keeping me? Was it just a guess to see how I would react?If he was just baiting, he wasn't going to get anything from me. Yes, Ethan fucking betrayed me, but if Riven killed me, then he would be the only one left that could take him out. Dying sucked but I guess I would be able to rest easy knowing that Riven would be joining me soon enough. He would die at the hands of his own brother."What the hell are you going on about, Riven?" I let out a breath, my injuries flaring as my heart pumped hard in my chest. "If you're going to kill me, just do it"He smirked. "We will get to that part Julian, you don't need to be in such a hurry"I stared at him, my hands clenching at my side. If only I h
JULIAN STYLES POV "You look like shit," Ksar said, the scar on his face bunching as his face scrunched up in disgust. "I can't believe you let that bastard get the best of you"I groaned, my face furrowing in pain as the wound on my stomach pulled when I tried to sit up. "Don't move around too much, or you're going to get infected," Ksar warned then came to sit in front of me. "How are you feeling? You've been passed out for two days"I glanced around the sparsely furnished room. "Where am I?""A shitty motel" he answered, then smirked. "You lost everything, so you don't get to be picky." "Fuck off, Ksar"He smirked. "So, Hazel is in charge of the company now, huh?" he said, then scoffed. "I mean it was hers in the first place, so I guess this was just everything going back to its proper place""Are you going to be like this?" I asked and jerked when he suddenly leaned close."I'll be however I want to," he growled, then pulled back, his narrowed eyes digging into me. "So, how are
ETHAN BlACKWOOD POV "Home sweet home," I got out as I stumbled into the house and hit the light switch. Light flooded the whole space, the painting of Hazel I'd bought catching my attention from where it hung on the wall.I walked toward it, stopping when I got close enough."So beautiful," I said and started to trace the vivid colors with my fingertips."Today was so shitty Hazel. I had to sit and watch you and Riven be together and as if that was not enough, I had to deal with that crazy woman. Can you believe she threatened me? She threatened that she was going to tell Riven that I have feelings for you," I groaned, suddenly feeling sick. Hunching over, I took in a deep breath and stumbled to the floor as I lost strength in my legs. A wave of nausea washed over me, cold chills breaking out all over my body."Fuck, I shouldn't have drank so much," I groaned, waiting for the horrible feeling to pass. Seconds ticked by, and once I felt more steady, I pushed myself to my feet. "This
ETHAN BlACKWOOD POV "You shouldn't have pulled a stunt, Keira. You just ended up making yourself Riven's target and don't think he's not going to come for you just because you two used to date"Keira's hands clenched around the drink she was holding. "Shut your fucking mouth, you coward," she gritted out, then downed the shot in her hand, slammed the glass on the table, and screamed like a mad woman, her hand banging against the counter repeatedly."You're going to fucking hurt yourself" I snapped and tried to grab her hand. She shoved at my arm hard, her chest heaving from her outburst."Don't fucking touch me! We had a deal. You were supposed to be on my side but when it came down to it, you couldn't even stand up to your brother, you fucking coward."I was so done with her. "If you stuck to the plan maybe I would have kept to my end of the deal. You were supposed to pretend that we were back together, but what did you do? You let your stupid jealousy get the best of you," I said a
HAZEL STYLES POV "I'm sorry about tonight. It wasn't supposed to go like that"I turned to face him, my eyes lingering on his face. "I actually expected a little bit of animosity you know. I would have been very worried if everything went too well," I said, meaning it. He grinned, then took my hand and pressed a kiss to it. We walked in silence, the cold air comforting."You looked so hot asking her to leave, you know," he said, meeting my gaze. "I wanted to fucking kiss you""You did kiss me" I reminded him. After Keira had left he'd turned to me and kissed me without a care that his father and Ethan were watching.He grinned. "Well, I want to kiss you again," he said and yanked me close all of a sudden, his hands tangling in my hair.I drew my head back, my eyes widening. "What are you doing?""What do you think" he said, his breath fanning my face, his scent seductive. Ugh, why was it so hard to resist him.I shook my head and pushed at his chest but he didn't budge an inch."Ar
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV I cocked my head, my icy stare fixed on hers."Am I late? I made sure to set my alarm, so I'll be here on time."There was no way she was doing something so daring. "What are you doing here, Keira?" I asked, and she crossed her arms, her head tilting to the side, the sweet smile on her lips stretching."I came for dinner. Ethan invited me," she said, and my gaze cut to Ethan. Him again? God, everyone was testing my patience these days. It didn't take much for me to spiral out of control; they knew that, so why were they acting out all of a sudden?"Did you invite her, Ethan?"The corner of his mouth twitched. "I mentioned it in passing; I didn't actually think she would come,"Keira rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a coward Ethan. You wanted me here, and that's why you invited me."Father cleared his throat and smiled at her. "Well, we made a feast, so you're welcome to join us since you are already here. The more the merrier right"I glanced at Hazel, hating tha
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV THREE DAYS LATER "Are you nervous?" I asked as we stood in front of the door of my father's mansion.She glanced up at me, her smile faltering for a moment. "Shouldn't I be? I don't think your father is a big fan"I cupped her chin, my thumb grazing her cheek. I loved the way the simple contact had my heart racing."Well, you're mine, so he has no choice but to be a big fan. Besides anyone that does not like you must have some sort of brain disorder or something, because you're the most lovable person I know"She chuckled, the sound of her happiness making my heart twist. God, she was perfect, and I couldn't help but fall in love with her all over again."That's so reassuring," she said and slowly pulled her face away from my grip. I missed the contact almost instantly. It was hard to be in the same place with her and not touch her. She was like a magnet, always pulling me closer and closer, and no matter how many times I touched her, it never seemed to be enoug