by Sabre Rose
“Good.”
I get to my feet and start pacing the floor. “I know that would be the sensible thing to do, find someone nice, someone who doesn’t remind me of the nightmare I went through. But here’s the thing. I don’t want someone who doesn’t know that part of me, that could never understand Sebastian, who never witnessed what we did. I want you, Ryker. Only you. These last few months it hasn’t been the memory of Sebastian that’s haunted me, it was you. You drown him out. You, Ryker. No one else could ever do that for me. Only you.”
“No.” He shakes his head, lowering his gaze to the ground. “I don’t deserve you. I don’t—”
Walking over to him, I lift his chin, forcing him to look up at me. His eyes are a storm of torment.
“You deserve so much more.” There’s pain in his voice.
“But I only want you.” I lean down, lowering my mouth to his inch by inch until we’re breathing each other. “I want the man who was ordered to keep me locked up, but in the end, risked everything to free me. I want the man who held me all night when I was in pain. I want the man who sets my heart on fire, who sets my skin blazing in desperation for his touch. Please, Ryker. Don’t make me beg. I want you.”
Getting to his feet so we are face to face, he cups my cheeks between his hands, threading his fingers into my hair. The grooves of his forehead are deep. His eyes flick between mine.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” It comes out as a breath.
“Can I kiss you?”
I laugh, pure delight rippling through me. “Yes.”
And then he does. His mouth crashes onto mine and it feels like heaven. We devour each other. Fingers thread into hair. Mouths are desperate and hungry. He lowers himself to the bed and I climb into his lap, my mouth never leaving his. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me closer, pressing his body against mine.
I become feverish with desire, tugging at his shirt. He leans back from me, allowing me to strip it from him, and then my hands are on his skin, tracing over his tattoos, skimming over his scar, all the while trying to pull him closer, trying to climb into him and lose myself within his body.
“Mia.” His words are mumbled as he drags his lips down my neck. “Mia.” He looks at me. “I don’t want to hurt—”
I press my finger to his lips. “Shh. You won’t. I want this. I want you, us.”
He groans and adjusts me on his lap, pushing his hardness into me. I grind my hips into him as he lifts his hand to the hem of my sweater. As he lifts it slowly and tosses it to the floor, the sounds that slip from his mouth cause a sharp pang of desire to coil within me. His head lowers to the curves of my breasts and the softness of his lips teases my flesh. Threading my fingers back through his hair, I pull him closer, needing and wanting him to lose control, to make love to me with no hesitation, no memory of the past.
Just him and me.
Alone.
Together.
Brushing my lips against his ear, I whisper, “I dreamed of you. I dreamed of the time when you would kiss me again, when you would bring me to orgasm with the stroke of your tongue, when you would lose yourself in me.”
“Fuck, Mia.” Ryker stands, holding me in his arms. One hand trails up the skin of my back and flicks the clasps of my bra. I slide the straps from my shoulders and fling it aside. Ryker tosses me on the bed and climbs over me, his hands cupping my breasts, gently playing with my nipples as his mouth crashes back to mine.
I scrape my nails down his back, arching my chest toward him, urging him on. His mouth slides down my body as his fingers tear apart the buttons of my jeans. I lift my hips so he can peel them from my legs, taking my underwear as well so I am naked before him.
He falls to his knees between my legs and then his tongue laps the inside of my thigh, taunting and teasing the sensitive flesh. His hands slide beneath me, cupping the cheeks of my backside and lifting me closer to him. And then his mouth is on me, sending wave after wave of pleasure through me so I have to dig my fingers into the folds of the blankets, needing something to cling onto.
I gasp, coming so close to orgasm and wiggle away from him.
“I want you,” I pant when he lifts his head. “I want to feel you.”
Getting to his feet, he tears at the buttons of his jeans, shoving the material over his hips and tossing them aside. I have to draw in a breath at the sight. The reality of him is better than my dreams. His chest and shoulders ripple with tattoos. It’s as though they are alive as he stalks toward me, sliding over his skin with the movement of his muscles. The ridges of his stomach are hard and taut and the furrows that dip down to his groin almost undo me. I long to touch them. Run my tongue along Adonis’ belt.
Ryker climbs onto the bed, settling himself between my legs. His hardness pushes against me and I squirm, desperate for him. But he just stays like that, so close, yet not close enough. Winding his fingers into my hair again, he looks at me, those ocean-blue eyes so clear they are almost transparent. He strokes his finger down the side of my face, then rubs his thumb over my bottom lip, his eyes darkening.
“I love you,” he whispers. “I was prepared to give you up. Prepared to accept my fate, knowing that you might not—that you shouldn’t love me. But here, with you ly—”
I can’t resist him any longer. Grabbing the sides of his face, I pull him to me and press my lips against his. Our kiss is desperate and long and is only broken by my moan as he pushes inside me. He’s so slow, so deliberate with his movements, I hold my breath, my eyes rolling back in my head, relishing the feel of him inside me. I hold him close, our bodies slick and sweaty, pressed together with every exposed inch of skin.
“I love you too,” I half whisper, half pant into his ear.
He withdraws slowly, lifting his head to watch me as he moves in and out. The intensity of his eyes overwhelms me as he increases his movements, harder and faster until we both come.
I call out his name and clutch onto him, nothing but a quivering mess.
After a few moments of clinging to me, his heavy breaths combining with mine, his mouth lazily pressing light kisses to my skin, he rolls off and lies beside me, staring up at the ceiling.
“Do you think we’re going to be okay?” he asks.
I thread my fingers through his. “I know we are.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
RYKER
The lights dim and she steps onto the stage. Around her there is nothing but a halo of light. She smiles and waves at the small crowd, but I know she’s nervous. I know her smile is tainted with memories she’d rather forget. But she never will. Neither of us will. They are part of us now, but a part we can face together.
“Thank you all for coming,” she says into the microphone.
Roxy lets out a whoop and the crowd laughs.
“Tonight, I want to sing for no other reason than I have a voice. It’s a song someone here introduced me to. A Metallica song, in fact.” The crowd chuckles at that. “Ryker, this song is for you.”
She lifts her hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the light and scans the crowd. She smiles. And it’s all for me. Her dark hair frames her face and falls over her shoulder. She’s so beautiful under the halo of light that it takes my breath away.
Somehow, for some reason, she chose to forgive me. Somehow, for some reason, she chose me. Every day I am grateful. Every day gives me the chance to earn that love. To make up for the mistakes of my past.
It’s taken her nine months since escaping the clutches of the Attertons to pluck up the courage to sing again. This is the first time and she chose this time, this situation to do it. She sees it as a way to shake her fist at the memory of Sebastian. As a way to reclaim her old life before leaving it forever.
Tomorrow, she and I leave for the city. The trial starts in a few days and we are both required to be there, so we took the opportunity to start over. Start fresh. New memories to overshadow the old.
She’s enrolled in teachers’ college. Roxy’s
father has managed to get me a job as security at one of the city’s casinos. It’s not something I want to be doing for the rest of my life, but it’s a start.
As she opens her mouth and the first note floats into the air, the world falls silent. Her voice is so pure and flawless, filled with such emotion. She wavers on one of the notes, the melody so low, and her eyes seek mine through the darkness. I stand, locking my gaze on her and letting her know that I’m here.
I always will be.
Surrounding one of the tables, Abigail and Samuel watch Mia with tears in their eyes. They hold each other’s hands so tightly you can see the white patches on their knuckles. They’re saying goodbye to their baby girl tonight. But it’s only for a while. No doubt there will be countless visits. Everly and Lily sit beside them. My mother looks over at me and smiles.
The Attertons took my family from me. They denied me the life I should have had, in order to feed their selfish desires. Mr Atterton was a collector, but he destroyed things rather than making them whole. He kept them locked up, away from the light they needed to shine.
When the last note graces the air, Mia jumps down from the stage, pushing her way through the people until she reaches me, throwing her arms around my neck and pushing her lips to mine.
The Attertons tried to destroy my family but they didn’t succeed.
And now, I get to choose my own.
I choose Mia.
And she chooses me.
Nothing else matters.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you for venturing along this journey to the dark side with me. I hope you enjoyed Mia’s story. I want to thank the awesome team of people who helped shape this story. You all know who you are, and I am eternally grateful!
I also want to say thank you to you, the reader. You are the reason I write. You are the reason these stories keep popping into my head and I’m so grateful for each and every one of you.
Each of my stories are going to be different and I can’t wait to share them all with you. So if you’d like to keep up to date with news regarding my books, please sign up for my newsletter by clicking on the link below:
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SONGLIST
Part One
“Like Everybody Else” – Lennon Stella
“Hush Little Baby” – Traditional Lullaby
“Moonlight Sonata” – Beethoven
Part Two
“O Fortuna” – Carl Orff
“Phantom of the Opera” – Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice
“La vie en rose” – Edith Piaf
“Iris” – The Goo Goo Dolls
Part Three
“Nocturne, opus nine, number two” – Chopin
“Clair de Lune” – Debussy
“Hate” – Lucas King
“Canon in D” – Pachelbel
“Creep” – Radiohead
“Phantom of the Opera” – Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice
“Lady Greensleeves” – Traditional 16th Century Melody
“Piano Concerto number two in C minor, opus eighteen” - Rachmaninoff
“Nothing Else Matters” – Metallica
ALSO BY SABRE ROSE
Thornton Brothers
This steamy contemporary romance series follows the lives of the Thornton Brothers as told by the women who love them.
- Lauren -
Instead of walking down the aisle, I was starting over.
New home. New job. New life.
Broken memories. There was no other choice.
Gabe was nothing more than a fantasy.
Young. Irresponsible. Charming.
I wasn't looking for anything, too busy licking my wounds.
Nothing could happen. Nothing should happen.
But it did . . .
You Ruined Me
You knew me but I didn’t know you.
To me you were a stranger.
A random person in the crowd.
No one.
If I could go back, if I knew what I know now, I would have run.
But I can’t go back.
And I didn’t know better.
Not then.
I didn’t know you would ruin me.
Ruin me with lies.
With lust.
With longing.
Just look at me now in this world without you.
I have nothing.
This is not a love story. It is a story of obsession.