by Koko Brown
“Well damn, counselor. I guess I’m not the only one in this relationship who plays hardball. Okay, you don’t have to answer, but let’s say that you did have something to do with how that all played out. I would have loved to hear that conversation. If you were as kickass as you usually are in court, Hall didn’t stand a chance. You my dear are definitely the queen of getting what you want.”
Journey smiled. “Yeah and I’m afraid that over the past month or so, you might have rubbed off on me.”
“Good to know,” he said, smiling before he turned serious. “I can guarantee you this.”
“What’s that?”
She squealed when he flipped her onto her back and hovered above her. “Our relationship will never be boring.”
“Oh?” She traced his lips with her finger. “And how are you going to guarantee that?”
“Well, I can show you better than I can tell you.”
“In that case, show me, baby.”
He flashed that sexy grin that made her immediately wet and used his knees to spread her legs.
“Oh, I plan to.”
Journey didn’t know what the future held for them, but she knew she’d enjoy the ride.
THE END
ABOUT SHARON C. COOPER
Award-winning and bestselling author, Sharon C. Cooper, is a romance-a-holic - loving anything that involves romance with a happily-ever-after, whether in books, movies, or real life. Sharon writes contemporary romance, as well as romantic suspense and enjoys rainy days, carpet picnics, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She’s been nominated for numerous awards and is the recipient of an Emma Award for Romantic Suspense of the Year 2015 (Truth or Consequences), Emma Award - Interracial Romance of the Year 2015 (All You’ll Ever Need), and BRAB (book club) Award -Breakout Author of the Year 2014. When Sharon is not writing or working, she’s hanging out with her amazing husband, doing volunteer work or reading a good book (a romance of course). To read more about Sharon and her novels, visit www.sharoncooper.net
www.sharonccooper.wordpress.com
OTHER TITLES BY SHARON C. COOPER
Jenkins & Sons Construction Series (Contemporary Romance)
Love Under Contract
Jenkins Family Series (Contemporary Romance)
Best Woman for the Job (Short Story Prequel)
Still the Best Woman for the Job (book 1)
All You’ll Ever Need (book 2)
Tempting the Artist (book 3)
Negotiating for Love (book 4)
Seducing the Boss Lady (book 5)
Love At Last (Holiday Novella)
Reunited Series (Romantic Suspense)
Blue Roses (book 1)
Secret Rendezvous (Prequel to Rendezvous with Danger)
Rendezvous with Danger (book 2)
Truth or Consequences (book 3)
Operation Midnight (book 4)
Stand Alones
Something New (“Edgy” Sweet Romance)
Legal Seduction (Harlequin Kimani – Contemporary Romance)
Sin City Temptation (Harlequin Kimani – Contemporary Romance)
A Dose of Passion (Harlequin Kimani – Contemporary Romance)
Model Attraction (Harlequin Kimani – Contemporary Romance)
A Passionate Kiss (Bennett Triplets Series)
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HIS FAVORITE
EVE VAUGHN
His Favorite
With one taste, an addiction is born.
Tamryn Smith is a survivor. She knows the mean streets like the back of her hand. She has what it takes to get out of a tough situation. She’s even willing to kill to stay alive. But when she’s faced with a new threat in the form of a tall, dark and dangerous Irish bad boy, she may have finally bitten off more than she could chew.
Seamus Haggerty was hardened by the life he was born into. Having faced dangerous enemies for most of his existence, he never thought his biggest challenge would be the very thing he swore off: love. But when he lays eyes on Tamryn, he has to have her. And he will.
But what happens when one taste becomes an obsession?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’d like to dedicate this story to all the readers who love bad boys and the bad boys who love them back.
ONE
Blood.
There was so much blood. It coated the walls, her clothing and even marinated her skin. Some of it belonged to her, but most of it was his. That sickening coppery smell infiltrated her nostrils, making Tam nauseous. She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. Her hands began to shake and a chill ran down her spine. She’d seen death before but had never been responsible for it.
As that thought entered her head, the temporary paralysis that had taken over her body slowly dissipated. She needed to get away from this place and from the body that stared lifelessly at the ceiling. Tam scooted away from the corpse unable to bear the sight of it. She wanted to shower and wash away the stench that now clung to her skin. Suddenly, someone pounded on the door. She froze.
It couldn’t be housekeeping because it was too late in the day. Besides, a place like this wasn’t that diligent in keeping things tidy, as evidenced by the cockroaches casually scurrying across the floor.
“Open the motherfucking door. We know you’re in there.” The owner of that voice made it clear that his request wasn’t to be ignored.
Frantically looking around the room for other means of escape, Tam realized she was trapped, unless… Galvanized into action, she managed to scurry to her feet and headed to the bathroom. Once inside, she quickly locked the door behind her. The window seemed big enough for her to wiggle out of but upon closer inspection, she noticed that there were bars on the other side blocking her escape.
She let out a whimper of frustration and clasped her hand over her mouth. There was nowhere she could go. Her only hope was if they went away but just in case, she turned off the light and climbed into the tub and arranged the shower curtain to conceal herself. Pulling her knees against her chest, Tam went as still as she possibly could.
She nearly jumped at the explosive sound of the room door crashing open. Tam bit her lips to keep herself from screaming. She hadn’t been this scared since the time when she’d hide in her closet in hopes that her mother’s boyfriend would be too drunk to look for her there.
Once she started shaking, she couldn’t stop. Tears stung her eyes. Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse for her, they did…times ten.
“What the fuck?” she heard someone say from the other side of the room. A man. And from the sound of it, a very big one.
“Who do you think did this?” Another person asked.
“Don’t know, but the boss won’t be happy when he finds out. I could have sworn I heard movement in here. The culprit couldn’t have gotten far. Let’s check the bathroom.”
Tam’s heartbeat sped up until she thought the organ would burst from her chest.
When one of the men wiggled the door handle, she let out an involuntary cry and immediately slapped her hand over her mouth. She ignored the taste of blood that now coated her lips as tears ran heedlessly down her cheeks. She was so scared, Tam feared that she’d piss herself.
And when the bathroom door burst open, she did exactly that. Her humiliation and shame were now complete. The light flicked on and she realized it would only be a matter of seconds before she was discovered.
She slightly prayed that death would be quick and painless. Closing eyes shut she waited. Sure enough, the curtains were yanked off the shower rod followed by a thundering, “Who the fuck are you?”
Tam slowly opened one eye at first and then the other before looking up to see two goons who barely fit in this tiny space. They were roughly the size of sumo wrestlers but more muscular. They looked a lot alike in their dark clothes and slicked back hair except one of t
hem had a full beard.
She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.
The one closest to the tub grabbed Tam by the arm and yanked her to a standing position.
“Holy shit, she pissed herself.” The clean-shaven one grimaced in disgust.
“I asked you a fucking question.” The bearded one tightened his grip on her arm. Tam’s instinct was to yank herself out of his vice grip but realized her attempt was futile by the way he held on to her.
“I-I, please, I didn’t mean to do it but—”
“I didn’t ask for your damn life story. I asked who the fuck you were.”
“Tam,” she whispered.
“Who do you work for?”
She shook her head. “What do you mean?”
Beardy gripped her by the other arm and started to shake her until her teeth rattled. “Who the fuck do you work for?” he asked once he was done.
Though he’d stopped shaking her, Tam’s head still felt as it was spinning. She felt like she was going to throw up. “Nobody. I swear. I didn’t mean to kill him. He was going to hurt me and so I fought back. He was choking me and I pulled the box cutter from my pocket. I only meant to cut him, not slice his throat open. I’ve never killed anyone in my life.” She burst into loud, body-shaking sobs.
Tam could still feel the weight of Rico’s dead body pressing into her. She’d been living on the streets on and off for the past several years and she’d seen her fair share of corpses, but until now, she’d never been the reason they were dead.
“I think she’s telling the truth.” The clean-shaven one spoke.
Beardy shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t matter, once the boss finds out, he’s going to lose his shit. He’s been looking for Rico for weeks and it’s going to piss him off when he finds out he didn’t get his money.” He turned his attention to Tam and looked her up and down. He stared at her with his lip snarled as if the very sight of her disgusted him.
“Think Big D is going to kill her?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care. That’s none of our business. But I’m sure D will be interested in meeting the bitch who’s responsible for offing the motherfucker he’s been hunting for weeks.”
Tam had barely escaped Rico with her life, she didn’t want to take a chance with Big D. Her survival instinct kicked in and she brought her foot down hard on the bearded one’s foot. Her action must have caught him by surprise because he loosened his grip just enough for Tam to break free. She barreled past the other goon and headed to the door. Freedom was waiting for her on the outside, but by the time her hand gripped the doorknob, something heavy came down on the back of her head, causing what felt like an explosion within her skull. And just like that, her escape attempt was over almost as quickly as it began when darkness took her and she felt herself falling.
Seamus Haggerty had had enough. Even though he’d severed ties with many of his former business associates, problems continued to crop up. Problems that could lead back to him and that was something he couldn’t afford. Despite the subtle warnings he’d sent through the network, people still continued to test him. Maybe they thought because most of his business pursuits were now legit that he’d gone soft and that he was afraid to get his hands dirty. That was one of the issues dealing with these underground types. Sometimes the only thing they respected was a show of strength. And if that’s what was required to get what he wanted, then so be it. Like his father had always drilled into him from an early age, if he wanted something done right, he would need to do it himself, which brought him to a part of town he hadn’t visited in years.
Most of the people he now rubbed elbows with wouldn’t be caught dead in these parts, nor would they last long without either getting robbed or beaten for being on the wrong block at the wrong time. Seamus, however, had no fear of this place. Even though he wore tailored suits that cost what most people made in a year and drove an expensive car and lived quite comfortably, he was no stranger to the streets. His father had tried to keep him out of the life but at the age of ten, he was taken by one of his father’s enemies. He’d been beaten, starved and tortured. His father’s men had finally tracked him down and rescued him. Although those goons hadn’t killed him physically, they’d managed to snuff out what was left of his innocence.
Patrick Haggerty had never been one to let even the slightest of insults slide without some form of retaliation, so of course, the man responsible for hurting his son had to pay. But once Seamus’s tormentor had been found, Patrick had left it up to Seamus to decide what punishment should be doled out. He’d explained to his son that there was no point in shielding him from the world that he’d tried to keep Seamus away from anymore in light of what had happened.
Seamus clearly remembered standing in the dank warehouse with his kidnapper tied to his chair with two black eyes. The smell of piss and shit soiled the air because the man had lost control of his bowels as he cried like a little bitch. Patrick had placed a .45 in Seamus’s hand and gave him a choice. If he chose to pull the trigger, there would be no turning back. It was a heavy burden for a ten-year-old, but seeing the same man beg for mercy when he’d given Seamus none had sealed his fate.
It had been Seamus’s first kill, which led to several more. And judging by a certain former associate’s actions, apparently, the killings weren’t done. It wasn’t that he took any real pleasure in taking a life. If it needed to be done then so be it.
But since most of his business interests were now legit, some people believed he wouldn’t retaliate. They thought he wouldn’t do what he had to do to protect his interests.
By the time he was standing in front of what appeared to be an old abandoned building, Seamus had already made up his mind. Someone was going to get seriously hurt or die if for nothing else other than him having to make this trip. He pushed the intercom button and waited for a response.
“Who is it?” a gruff voice asked.
Seamus knew never to leave his actual name when it could be recorded by any number of people. Sloppiness had been the downfall of many in the underworld. “Tell Darrius that I’m here to see him and I suggest you not keep me waiting.”
He was certain someone on the inside would be able to see him. An operation of this nature didn’t run well without some kind of surveillance equipment. He was greeted with silence on the other end before finally, the door opened.
“Come in. I didn’t realize it was you Mr. H—”
Seamus held up his hand. “Just take me to see your boss. No further conversation is necessary.”
His burly escort looked as if he wanted to say something but thought better of it. He simply nodded and led Seamus down a long dark hallway up some stairs until they reached an office that was gaudily decorated.
A big oak desk that seemed out of place in such dingy surroundings seemed to overwhelm the room. Sitting behind it in a large leather chair that almost seemed too small for his abundant frame was Darrius Johnson, who went by the moniker of Big D.
He’d started out as a small-time hood, selling drugs and had eventually moved to human trafficking and small arms dealing. But the problem was, he wanted to expand and he was using Seamus’s name to do it.
Standing on either side of his desk were two men the size of linebackers, similar in appearance, dressed in all black, except one had a neat goatee. Protection. Darrius would definitely need it after Seamus was finished with him.
A whimper from the corner of the room caught his attention. A girl with her knees drawn to her chest rocking herself back and forth. She was covered in blood. But when she lifted her head just long enough for their eyes to meet, he was temporarily lost for words.
It was her. The little thief.
He wasn’t sure if she recognized him but he certainly remembered her. How could he forget? There was so much blood that it couldn’t have all been hers or else she would have been dead by now at the sheer loss of it all. He glanced at Darrius, whose white polo shirt was stainless. The bodyguards were also clean,
so he couldn’t figure out what happened. It didn’t matter. He’d come for one thing. To settle business.
Darrius leaned back in his seat as he showed off large teeth almost as white as his shirt, probably recently capped. “If it isn’t the Irish Demon himself? Thought someone like you would be too busy rubbing elbows with all those rich snobs downtown than to visit this area again.” He reached into his desk and pulled out a cigar box. “Want one? They’re Cubans. The good stuff.”
The very fact that Darrius dared call him that old moniker to his face told Seamus that he had no idea how close to death he was. “I’m just going to get straight to the point. You’re going to stop trying to connect with my old business contacts. If you’re looking to get a bigger score, you do it without using my name to do it.” It had come to his attention weeks ago that Darrius, instead of just dealing guns to local street thugs, wanted to get into the international arms race, which Seamus was still loosely connected to. For the past several years, however, Seamus had made painstaking efforts to separate his legitimate business venture from the illegal ones by greasing the right palms, and laundering his money in ways that it could never be traced. He had slowly built a reputation as a respectable financier and he’d be damned if he allowed this two-bit hustler to destroy it.
Instead of responding right away, Darrius made a big show out of cutting and then lighting his cigar. He took two exaggerated puffs before meeting Seamus’s gaze. Seamus allowed the other man the luxury because it would be his last. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Haggerty.”
“Oh, but I think you do. But I’m not going to argue the point with you. I had originally thought to send one of my former associates down here and take care of this, but I wanted to look you in the eye first before…” He broke off as a smile titled his lips. It was clear Darrius didn’t think he had anything to fear.