GHOSTI unclipped the red-striped tie that had been pressed firmly against my Adam's apple, allowing me to breathe deeper.“It wouldn't do to make a habit of strangling myself like this,” I whispered to my blurry reflection in the dirty mirror of the bar’s private restroom, turning my head this way and that to catch familiar hints of the rugged-looking man in the mirror.I had gotten my hair slicked back, the long forest of obsidian silk locs brushing unnervingly against the nape of my neck before I raised my fingers to scratch through the stubble that had covered the sharp line of my jaw.My heart rate had gone back to normal, thudding fully in my chest the way it had been just before the Umbrella man waltzed through the doors of the bar where I had been sitting with the purple-eyed man.I felt my brows furrow with concentration as i thought back, had that been me inhaling sharply? Had the ring chief heard? It has been one of the rare moments where I was caught off guard, I had blan

FREDERICKI watched the ring chief’s bow-shaped lips curve into a menacing smile, his silver-speckled violet eyes twinkling with insidious delight.My hands shook where I had hung them beside me, cold, as I blinked slowly, trying to reason through the panic that made the blood pound hotly in my head.How had he found us? Did the Umbrella man know he had been watching the whole time? Curse this purple-eyed bastard!“What is this Prince Charles? Are you threatening me in my own city? Mighty wise that is if you ask me.” I gritted through the spaces in my clenched teeth, squinting my eyes so that it resembled a tight smile when it was more like a baring of teeth, a come-on for his veiled threats.I risked a glance at the table to see that there were two wine glasses on the black formica. He had company! The thought alarmed me more than it should have.Who the hell had he been watching me with?“But it’s not your city anymore Frederick chan, is it now?” Prince Charles muttered, batting his

DARLENEI was still naked on the bed, the crackle of orange flames burning low in the stone hearth of our master bedroom inside the McKenzie Manor.I shuddered, drawing the pink silk chemise that had been lying discarded about myself and scooting off the foam to stand on shaky legs as I watched the rigid hanger of my husband’s broad back.Alexander was still naked, standing with his legs splayed so that I took a moment to admire his hot body.The tug of desire in my sex was overshadowed by something else, something about the way the beast of a man stood. One hand hanging loosely by his sides, only inches from the tight, round globes of his butt.“Xander?” I whispered breathlessly, moving ever so slowly to stand beside him and feeling my gut clench when I could finally see his face.“Who is that?” I whispered again, watching the way his brows were furrowed in concentration, his lips tightened as his chest rose and fell with frantic breaths.I tugged at the hard shaft of meat between hi

DARLENEThe sound of the large bronze door creaking open as it gave under Alexander’s fingers was enough to send ice-cold chills down my spine.My fingers had turned to stone on my husband’s burly bicep as I watched his face for any signs that would reveal what he was seeing inside, before he moved, the action tugging me to follow him in, however much I wished to remain in the open, where it was safe...where we could run.‘Come on Darlene, keep your head in the game, eyes sharp! Your husband needs you!’ I muttered inwardly, steeling myself as the dimly lit foyer of the living area came into view, my eyes roaming over the black cushion seats sitting idly in the wide space as though they were regarding us as much as we were regarding them.“It’s empty, there’s no one here,” Alexander’s voice snapped me out of my stare down with the sofas and I turned to stare up at him, shocked to find that he had slipped my grip and was standing a few feet away from me, his hard chest rising and fallin

FREDERICK“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I bellowed, knocking my hand into Ghost’s stunned face and watching his head whip back to crack against the wall in satisfaction.“How fucking dare you?” I ground through clenched teeth, the bitter feeling of bile rising in my throat as I watched the gray-eyed man rub his hand over his face before staggering up to flash me a bloody grin.“Geez Ricky, calm the fuck down, will you? I was only sightseeing, heard a lot about your manor here, and wanted to come to see for myself,” He chuckled evilly, glancing up at the staggering mass of the manor behind me as I clenched and unclenched my fists, aware of the harsh rise and fall of my chest.I felt the rage bubble so hard in my chest that I shuddered, remembering how I had caught the bastard peering into my parent’s room clapping a hand around his mouth and marching him to my room with freezing hands.I would have dropped him then and there, put a tidy 22’ caliber bullet in the back of his head i