A Hurt So Sweet: Complete Dark Bully Romance Series Box Set: Elite of Eden Falls Prep

by Isabella Starling

  Not everything is perfect.

  Nothing can ever be perfect - it's one lesson I've learned since I was nineteen and lusting after a girl I wanted to hate. The girl, who is now a woman, sitting by my side and watching me with love in her eyes.

  I'd do anything for her.

  I will do anything for her.

  "Pandora." I speak up, and she turns to face me, the ghost of a smile making her face prettier than ever. "Are you happy?"

  I can't help but ask her that, all the time, any chance I get. I need her to tell me this is what she wants. I took everything from her when we were younger. I tortured her, made her life a living hell. It's a wonder these days, the only thing that matters to me is her happiness.

  "I'm happy, Dexter," she whispers in response. "I'm happy because of you."

  It's all I needed to hear, and a reluctant, rare smile pulls at my lips as I watch them.

  Reign, my son, my best friend's last legacy for Eden Falls.

  Adaline and Flora, my beautiful daughters, innocent, sweet and pure.

  And my wife - Pandora.

  All those years ago, she came into my life and taught me everything I needed to know to be a better man. She made me who I am today. She loved my punishing touch, and even though she resisted it in the beginning, she came to love it, crave it. And now she can't live without it, just like I can't live without her.

  My soulmate. My happiness, personified.

  "I'm happy, too," I tell her calmly, and she grins before turning back to our children.

  I close my eyes. There's a glass of my father's scotch in my hands. I only allow myself to drink it on days like this. When everything's perfect.

  I lift the glass to my lips and sip the amber liquid, remembering my parents again.

  They would be happy to see me here, like this. I hope they are resting in peace now, knowing I'm happy with the right woman, the right life.

  I toast to the ceiling, imagining them looking down on me.

  "What are you doing, Dad?" Reign asks.

  "Remembering someone, son," I tell him with a smile. One day, I'll tell him everything about the sordid history of my life. Today is not that day though. Today is a day for making new memories, beautiful memories that will make me a happy man. "Come on, let's join your mother and sisters."

  We all sit down on the carpet in front of the fireplace, reading from the twins' book in funny voices. I'm laughing along with my family, wondering how I got so lucky.

  I don't deserve this happy ending. I was a bully, a monster, a dick. And to be honest, I'm still all those things.

  My eyes devour Pandora with hunger and lust.

  But somehow, I found the woman who wants my cruelty as much as she wants my love. Pandora lives for my punishing touch, craves it as much as she does my warm embrace, the sweet kisses I leave on her lips. They're a sharp contrast to the spankings I still give her, to the sting of my belt against her pale skin. Somehow, I found the woman who wants both sides of me.

  The dark, twisted, cruel nature I can never escape.

  And the light, kind, softness only she and my children awaken in me.

  I thought I was a man when I first met Pandora Oakes.

  But the truth is, she made me a man. Her relentless talking back, her bravery, her willingness to turn the pain I give her into something beautiful.

  An ache develops in my chest, not because I'm unhappy, but because I have everything I've ever dreamed of.

  My heart swells with the love I feel for all of them, mixing with hopes and fears for our future. We'll be okay. We're a family. We can take anything life throws at us. The pain, the pleasure. It doesn't matter. We've been through worse before, and we lived through it.

  All that's left is our happily ever after.

  THE END

  ∞∞∞

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  Tyrant Stalker

  Stolen Bride

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  An Ache So Tender

  Chapter One

  Brazen

  All eyes are on Minnie today. This is supposed to be my birthday party, but nobody gives a shit, not when she's around. The maid looks like a vision with her silvery blonde hair, pale skin and striking blue eyes. Even I can't resist watching her move around the garden, carrying trays with champagne glasses and pretending not to notice the entire party ogling her as she moves through the crowd.

  I see a couple men sneak a feel, grabbing her when it isn't necessary. Hands around her waist, hands on her wrist, long, drawn out conversations that piss me off because I know these men are after one thing and one thing only. But I'm not letting them have her, and despite the promise I made to stay away from the maid's daughter, my gaze follows her around the room, looking for an opportunity to cut into her time and steal her away.

  One of the men gets too brave and grabs Minnie's ass. My jaw tics with displeasure and walk over there, barking at him, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

  The man whom I recognize as one of my father's business partners, grins widely at me. "Ah, young Oakes. Where's your father, young man? I want to talk to him about borrowing this little maid of yours. I got a special treat for her, if you know what I mean."

  "My father is out of town. Everyone knows what you mean," I hiss at him before prying his hand off the maid's back. She exhales a sigh of relief, but is still frozen to the spot in fear. "She's not fucking available to you or anybody else."

  "Oh, claimed her for yourself, did you?" The man chortles jovially. "Come on, young Oakes. She'll be good for a spin or two, then I'll give her back. Just bruises, no broken bones. How's that?"

  "Get the fuck off her." I approach him, my eyes burning with angry fire as I glare into his eyes. "If I so much as see you glance in her direction again, I'm going to fucking kill you. You got that?"

  "What?" he chuckles nervously. "You can't be serious. Your father wouldn't-"

  "My father isn't here right now," I growl. It's true - Father is away today, which gives me one of not very many opportunities to spend time with his favorite maid. "And I'm the head of the house while he's away. So you'd better keep your fucking hands off her unless you want me to chop off a few offending fingers."

  "Jesus, calm down, Oakes," the man grumbles, raising his arms. "I'll stay away. Jeez."

  I glare at him some more for good measure before ordering Minnie to go to the kitchens. While she walks, I take her platter away from her, noticing how badly her hands are shaking. I carry it the rest of the way and put it down in the kitchen before locking us in one of the supply closets, locking the door twice and glaring at the pretty maid.

  "Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?" I hiss at her.

  "What?" Minnie pales. "I'm just doing my job."

  "Why didn't you tell him to stop touching you?"

  "Because I don't want to get in trouble," Minnie mutters, and my heart and head both fucking hurt at the sound of her saying those words. I don't want this to be real life. I don't want Minnie to have to endure the abuse of these assholes just because she's of a lower social standing. But there's nothing I can fucking do. Not unless I want to uproot the entire town, burn it to ash, and start the fuck over.

  "I'll keep a better eye on you," I mutter, watching as she reaches up with a shaky hand to tuck a stray of pale hair behind her ear. That's when I see it, the faint hint of a bruise on her wrist.

  "I thought he wasn't hurting you anymore," I hiss at her. "Did you hide it from me?"

  With a pale face, Minnie tugs down the sleeve of her dress. "It's nothing."

  "It's fucking something. How bruised are you?" She doesn't answer, so I pull her against my body. Minnie puts up a fight but I'm stron
ger and she doesn't stand a chance against me. I wrestle her arm into my hands and pull up her sleeve. Her entire arm is covered in bruises, some from fingers and knuckles, some from being hit with an object. With disgust, I let her go. "Why didn't you tell me?"

  She rubs her wrists and pulls the sleeve down again. "Because I knew you'd lose it and I didn't want to get you in trouble with your father."

  "I don't give a shit about him," I hiss. "You're the only one I care about. Does your mother know about this?"

  She shrugs, but I know well enough by now to realize that means she does. Belle doesn't seem to give a damn that my father, her employer, is abusing Minnie. She's just happy she's not the one getting beaten. I fucking hate the bitch. But then again, I'm just as powerless as she is when it comes to protecting her daughter.

  Minnie doesn't answer, taking a deep breath before saying, "We should really get out of here before someone thinks it's weird you locked us in together."

  "Let them think whatever the fuck you want," I hiss. "Besides, you shouldn't be working bruised like this. Aren't you in pain?"

  She gives me a non-committal shrug that makes my fucking blood boil. "I'll be fine. It doesn't hurt that much, I've had more painful bruises."

  "No." I shake my head vehemently. "You're done working for tonight. You need to get some fucking rest."

  "How am I going to do that?"

  "Just leave it up to me." I fire off a quick text before unlocking the door of the storage room and motioning for her to come with me. "Follow me, I know exactly what to do."

  Meekly, she falls in step behind me as I take her up the stairs and into my bedroom. It consists of three rooms - the actual bedroom, a salon, and a bathroom with a claw-foot tub.

  "I shouldn't be in here, Brazen," Minnie manages fearfully. "Your father wouldn't like it. Please don't make exceptions for me, it will only get me in more trouble."

  "I don't give a shit, and I'll make sure you don't get hurt. Make yourself at home. Take a bath or something. I'll have some food sent up for you. Just try to relax today."

  She shakes her head, unable to meet my eyes. "This isn't right, Brazen."

  "Let me deal with everything. Besides, Father isn't back until tomorrow. You just relax today and let me deal with the party. We have enough servants so you won't be missed."

  She hesitates, taking a hopeful look around the room. The help's quarters are not this nice and I know at least a small part of her is tempted to take me up on my offer and lie down for a few moments.

  "Please, Minnie." I take her hand in mine, ignoring the electric current passing from me to her when we touch. Our eyes meet and my heart swells with pain. I can never have her. "Just take some time off. I'll be back as soon as the party's over and until then you can lock the doors and nobody will disturb you. Do it for me. Please."

  "Okay," she whispers, giving me a tentative smile. "It will be nice to rest a little."

  "Good girl." I ignore the obvious shiver when she responds to my words and grin at her. "I'll be back in a few hours. Nap, take a bath, lie down for a while."

  "Thank you," she nods with a small smile.

  With regret, I pull my hand away from hers and walk away. A moment later I hear the key turning in the lock, grinning to myself as I walk away.

  I've always had a soft spot for Minnie, but the only person who knows about it is my half-sister, Pandora. And with her living at the Booth Mansion these days, I don't have anything to worry about. My other sister, Tianna, would never say anything to Father, and our mother is too pilled up to even notice. The only real threat now is Belle, Minnie's mother. But slipping a couple hundred-dollar bills into her apron will work wonders.

  My skin prickles with excitement. I never get time alone with Minnie - Father's made fucking sure of it. Yet now I can't stop myself from dreaming about all the possibilities. A full night with her in my bedroom...

  No. Fuck. I can't let myself go there. Father would never allow me to be with her. She's nothing to him, a poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks that means nothing in Eden Falls. When I marry, I will marry for influence and money, and to strengthen the bloodlines of the richest pricks in this town. Father doesn't give a damn about love. All he gives a shit about is getting a male heir to the Oakes dynasty. And Minnie won't be able to give me one of the proper quality, as Father would put it.

  Gritting my teeth together, I force myself to head back to the party. I mingle, laugh, schmooze the right people. The whole time, my mind is with Minnie, alone in my bedroom. I think about the ugly bruises my father put on her pretty pale skin. I wouldn't hurt Minnie, not like that. She's too gentle, too timid to be hurt the way he's hurting her. My father is a fucking brute. And there's nothing I can do to stop him from hurting whoever the fuck he wants in this town. I couldn't change shit with Pandora, and I sure as hell won't be able to change Father when it comes to the help.

  By the time the party is finally fucking over, I'm exhausted. I've bribed Belle with some money and hopefully she'll know to shut the hell up about what her daughter is up to in front of her employer. I head back to my bedroom, my hands trembling as I knock on the door. There's no answer.

  "Minnie," I hiss. "It's me, Brazen. Open up."

  Moments later, I hear the key turning in the lock and she lets me in. I quickly close the door, not wanting to risk anyone else overhearing, and lock it again once I'm inside.

  Minnie has barely touched all the food I sent up for her, but she always did eat like a bird. She's wearing one of my shirts. It's huge on her, hanging off her thin body and swallowing her up. She looks fucking incredible, apart from the bruises that I'm now noticing are all the way up her legs too.

  "I'm sorry, I borrowed this," she whispers. "My uniform was dirty and I took a bath like you said... But I'll wash it, dry it and iron it later. I'll put it back."

  "You can keep it."

  "Oh no, I couldn't, I..."

  "I want you to," I grin. "In fact, I insist."

  A slow smile stretches over Minnie's full lips. "Thank you, Master Brazen."

  I groan at the sound of her words. As much as I fucking love hearing her call me Master, I want her to be less formal with me. "It's just Brazen, Minnie. Remember?"

  "I'm sorry, Sir," she chirps.

  "Minnie. Say it with me. Brazen."

  "Bra..." She flushes, smiling at me shyly. "Brazen."

  "That's right." I can't help the smile that makes its way on my face. "Now let's do something about your bruises."

  Her eyes widen in fear. And as much as I hate myself for it, it gets me fucking excited and my cock throbs in my pants looking at this innocent ingenue wearing nothing but my crisp cotton button-down.

  Chapter Two

  Minnie

  Being so close to Brazen is terrifying. I've spent a lifetime trying to stay out of his way as per the boss' request, but now that Emilian is away, I can't help the magnetic attraction between his son and me.

  I should know better than to let Brazen help me. One of us will pay for his transgression, and it will more than likely end up being me. The oldest Oakes hates it when people so much as talk to me, and my absence at the party surely won't go unnoticed. Someone's bound to tell him about Brazen and me - I'm sure he has eyes and ears throughout the Estate. The walls have eyes here, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were cameras all over the house, too. It's the control freak in Brazen's father - he needs to keep all of us under his influence.

  And yet I can't bring myself to walk away from Brazen as he enters his quarters. I took advantage of my time alone just like he told me to, taking special care to wash up and take a long bath that relieved me of the pain from my many bruises. I ate some of the food he sent up and had a hot cup of tea and I already feel so much better. But at the same time, guilt threatens to swallow me up whole.

  Brazen Oakes doesn't owe me anything, but I owe him a whole lot. Especially now he's done all this stuff for me. What if he expects me to pay him back?

  Would t
hat be so bad?

  I shake my head to get the traitorous thought out. I've spent the past few years fighting the attraction between us. I know Brazen wants me, because the same passion burns deep within my chest, wanting to be his, to belong to him, to give him everything we've both ever dreamed of. But there's no way Emilian will let that happen. He's jealous, possessive and cruel, and he would fucking kill any man who dared put his hands on me.

  That's why he can never find out Brazen is trying to help me. He'll never let it go, even the offending man is his son. It will only piss him off more.

  “Let’s apply some salve to your bruises,” Brazen suggests.

  My heartbeat quickens thinking about his hands on me, making me all better.

  "No, that’s okay. I should probably get going," I mutter, attempting to walk to the bathroom to change back into my dirty uniform. "My mom will be wondering where I've gotten to."

  Brazen stops me with a firm hand on my forearm, where there luckily aren't any bruises. Still, I wince as I look up at him fearfully.

  "You're not going anywhere," he tells me, and I can't help my heart jumping in anticipation. "I already sorted it with Belle, I told her you'd be away until tomorrow morning."

  "But..."

  "No buts, Minnie," Brazen cuts me off. "Let me take care of you."

  I shake my head, staring at the hardwood floor in his salon. "You shouldn't."

  "Why not?"

  "Because you know as well as I do your father will use it against you. To punish you."

  "I'm not afraid of him."

  "Maybe you should be," I mutter. "Please, just let me go."

  "Never." I look up into his stormy eyes as he goes on. "I can't give you up. Not now when I finally have the chance to be around you. Minnie, I'm sure you know, but I..."