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Chapter 53
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Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 54
BOOK FOUR: DEFENDING HIS HEARTMalaga, Spain - Five Months AgoThe air smelled like oranges. That's what Sloane Dillon would remember most about this place - how every breath tasted of that sweet, citrus tang, how it filled her up with that bright flavor of pure life.She stood on a small balcony only just wide enough for a single person, her hands clasped gently around the wrought iron rail as she looked down at the street below. This wasn't her first time in Spain, but it was her first time here in the port city of Malaga, and part of her felt like she'd come home. She'd always had restless feet, but something in this place whispered for her to stay."Stay."The deep voice behind her filled her with so many twisted feelings - hope and sorrow, regret and longing. But it was that last emotion that swelled through her now, bolstered by that bright-sweet scent of life carried on the Mediterranean breeze. She felt so light, so buoyant, that her very skin tingled with it. And so she t
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 55
London, England - The Devil's Set Headquarters - Present DayOne hundred and eleven days. That was how long it had been since Donovan Kruger had spoken to Sloane. Since any member of the Devil's Set had spoken to her, or heard even a whisper of where she might be. One hundred and eleven days since she'd disappeared without a trace, and instead of hunting for her, he was being forced to deal with this bullshit.The platinum-haired woman sitting in front of them crossed one leg over the other, a smug smile on her red lips. She was almost aggressively polished from head to toe, from her airbrushed face to her designer shoes. "Well? Don't you boys have any response to what I've just told you?"Donovan glanced over at his teammate. Leonardo "Leo" Moretti was mostly a level-headed fellow - or at least he had been, before chasing a girl around the Caribbean and getting shot a couple of times - but even he looked unsettled by their surprise visitor. They'd been the only ones here at the Set
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 56
The Hadrian's Wall Trail, just outside Chollerford - Northumberland, EnglandSomeone was following her.Sloane felt it like a tickle on the back of her head, like a shiver at the base of her spine. It had been with her for some time now - that creeping sensation of someone watching her, that dancing little awareness of some other presence, always just beyond her sight.You're paranoid, she told herself as she trekked across a muddy pasture, her shoes sinking into the damp earth. It's probably just a cow.She'd seen dozens - no, hundreds - of cows over the past few days, and just as many sheep. In fact, there were at least five cows watching her right now, their jaws working in hypnotic, circular motions as they chewed and stared. Beyond them, the crumbling ruins of Hadrian's Wall rose from the crest of the hill, silent and still.One of the cows gave a low, almost-annoyed moooooo.What did you expect? she thought, hiking past their dull-eyed gazes. You're intruding on their break
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 57
Donovan hurried down the slope. After all the weeks - the months - of searching, Sloane was finally in front of him. Finally within reach, and he was afraid that if he blinked she'd disappear again, proving herself simply a phantom of his fevered imagination.But Sloane didn't disappear, though her face went as white as a ghost. She'd been nearly that pale the first time he'd ever seen her - like she'd never been out in the sun before, like Roth had found her buried in the corner of some dusty old library. Which probably wasn't that far from the truth.She'd looked so delicate, so timid that first day - a young girl with mousy hair tied in a messy bun, her hazel eyes hidden behind a pair of tortoiseshell reading glasses. In fact, she'd looked almost frightened to find herself among the Devil's Set, and more than one of them had questioned why Roth had brought her on.That was a far cry from the woman who stood below him now. Her hair probably hadn't changed much, and even her glasse
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 58
"I'm sorry, miss, but we're booked up for the night." The gray-haired woman behind the desk adjusted the lavender acrylic glasses perched on the end of her nose. "But there's a settee in your room. Perhaps he can sleep there." The elderly woman's eyes traveled up Donovan's body, and she gave an appreciative nod before adding, "I can bring you some extra blankets and pillows."Sloane frowned. The last thing she wanted was to spend the night in the same room with Donovan - she knew better - but she'd promised him he could stay here at the inn tonight. Her plan had been to get up well before dawn and sneak back onto the trail before he'd even tumbled out of his blankets, but that was going to be impossible now."There's another inn about ten minutes down the road," the innkeeper told them. "I can call over and see if they have something for you.""That would be great," Sloane blurted, just as Donovan said, "That won't be necessary."She glared up at him. He returned her stare with one
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 59
You've done your job, Donovan reminded himself when they were back in their room later. You've found Sloane and she's agreed to come back to the Set. Tomorrow, they'd be heading back to London. He'd done what he'd set out to do - so why did it feel like the battle was still ahead of him?Because you're still thinking with your knob, you bloody idiot. Because having Sloane here, close enough to touch, made it impossible to ignore the urges that she inspired in him. He'd already risked everything once to act on that hunger. If Roth or the rest of the team ever found out what they'd done, that he'd broken the oath they'd all taken, then he'd be on his own again. He refused to let everything be stripped away from him like it had before. He had a life with this team - one that actually gave him purpose and meaning again - and the risk was too great.If only his body would remember it. He'd felt like a rutting stag from the moment he'd laid eyes on her, and with every minute he spent in he
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 60
Heat.That was the first thing that entered her awareness when she woke - the warm embrace of heat all around her.The second thing that hit her was an all-too-familiar scent, one that pulsed through her senses like a shooting star.And then the hard, muscled body wrapped against her back, the legs twisted through hers, and the arm slung across her shoulder, holding her close.Oh, and the hard, unmistakable shape pressed against the curve of her bottom, reminding her of the night she'd been desperately trying to forget.Her first reaction was panic. Then outrage. Then confusion when she realized she hadn't pulled away yet, that a part of her didn't want to pull away.Where's the pillow? she thought desperately. She'd put up the barrier for this exact reason - because she didn't trust him not to move toward her in his sleep.No, she corrected in her mind, I didn't trust myself. I knew that if I invited him into this bed we'd end up like this. She'd always been a snuggler, and she
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 61
Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island, AzoresThe wind whipped at Donovan's jacket as he stepped out of the taxi. Having grown up in London, he was used to gray, blustery weather, but this was something else entirely. The sky was the color of slate, the wind coming off the sea as sharp as a blade. But they were essentially in the middle of the Atlantic, so he wasn't surprised to find the climate so tempestuous.He reached back to help Sloane out of the car. She was still a little green in the cheeks - their plane had hit some turbulence on the landing - but behind her glasses her eyes were eagerly drinking everything in. Between the two of them, they'd visited over eighty countries and dozens of territories, but neither of them had ever been here before.Neither had that damned cat of hers, who seemed less than pleased by his new surroundings. The furry demon sniffed at the air before burying itself in the folds of Sloane's jacket, out of the wind and misty rain."This is where we're me
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