Twisted Rogue (The Twisted Love and Rogue Love Collection)

by Grey, Ophelia

  Blake pursed his lips and then started to say something, but I interrupted him, the words tumbling faster and faster from my lips.

  “I love you Blake. I know you have your demons; I know you will have to deal with them and so will I, for as long as I’m with you. And I want to, because I love you and want to help you. I believe that you will love me despite my demons as well. Daniel couldn’t.”

  I stopped and looked up at Blake through the dark fringe of my eyelashes. I could see the struggle playing out on the contours of his face as he thought through everything I had just said.

  “What exactly are you talking about, Grace?” he finally asked in a soft voice, reaching his strong hand under my chin and tilting my face up towards his. He looked deep into my eyes and I could feel his love and his concern for me.

  So I told him. I told him how my pastor had molested me for a year when I was still a child, and how he had justified it by saying it was what God wanted. I told him how I had kept that secret for so long and how Daniel and my parents had refused to believe me.

  “That bastard! Those assholes!” He finally spat out when I finished my story. He was seething with rage, his face contorted. He took my hand in his and pressed his warm lips against my cool skin. “I want to kill that man. You never deserved such a horrible thing, Grace. I am so sorry.”

  “Thank you,” I replied quietly as tears sprang to my eyes. This time, they were happy tears. “Thank you for believing me.”

  “Of course I believe you!” he exclaimed, wrapping his strong arms around me. “Why would you make something like that up? I’m sorry your family can’t see how messed up they are, but I promise that I am here to protect you now. I understand that I can’t shut you out, just like I never want you to shut me out.”

  I smiled up into his gorgeous, angular face, finally feeling that I was home. Blake pressed his warm soft lips to mine in a kiss that was chaste, and sweet, and comforting. I kissed him back harder, letting my tongue wander to the space between his lips.

  “You know, Grace,” he said softly and dangerously in my ear. “I bought you some new lingerie that’s arrived from Paris. Would you like to try it on for me?”

  I blushed, feeling the warm flush in my cheeks move down my body and settle into my core, burning white hot. I nodded shyly, trying to hide my desire to jump right on him without delay. I knew that waiting, teasing, would only make it hotter.

  “I would love that,” I replied, batting my eyelashes innocently as Blake stared at me with those dangerous emerald eyes.

  Rogue Love

  By Ophelia Grey

  Copyright 2014 Ophelia Grey

  All rights reserved.

  Rogue Love

  Book design by Ophelia Grey

  All characters are based on the author’s own imagination.

  Any resemblance to real persons is entirely coincidental.

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  Prologue:

  The music thumped a heavy beat that vibrated through my body as Liam held me against him. I could only barely make him out in the dim, smoky light of the club and the occasional flashing strobe light on made it harder for my eyes to adjust.

  “Don’t think so much. Just let go and move your body to the music,” he whispered huskily in my ear. The music was loud, but his words were clear. His warm breath against my neck sent shivers through my body.

  “I don’t know how,” I said back, but he couldn’t hear me.

  I realized that he was right, I was still holding on, afraid to let go. My held felt fuzzy from the succession of rum and diet cokes that I had just downed to calm my nerves. Unfortunately, my body wasn’t used to alcohol and reacted quickly and strongly to the foreign substance. My vision was hazy and my mind felt slow.

  It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that I was here, with Liam. I felt the warm press of his body against mine, his hard muscles pressed up against me, flexing with every small movement.

  I let the music lead me and closed my eyes, feeling it wash through my body. I let my hips start to sway, and Liam placed his hands gently against them, gently easing my movements against him. I let the swaying movement travel through my body, from my hips up to my waist and chest, moving my body to the thumping beat.

  Liam pressed his warm lips to my forehead as he swayed against me, his hands gently grazing my arms and back, moving closer and closer to the curve of my ass. I willed him to move lower, hold me tighter.

  It might have been due to the alcohol, the heat, or even the music, but I felt desire coursing through my body with an intensity I had never even imagined was possible. It was an entirely new sensation and it was both wonderful and horrible at the same time. The aching in me grew and grew as I pressed my body harder against Liam’s strong, muscular physique, trying to fill the void growing inside of me.

  Liam pressed back, grinding his body against mine in time to the quickening beat of the music. I could feel the hard bulge in his jeans growing harder and larger against my hip as we swayed faster.

  I could feel the hot, sticky sweat coating my skin, and I realized that all I wanted in that moment was to feel the warm press of Liam’s sweaty, naked body against mine. I wanted to trace every hard band of muscle with my tongue, feel his hands touch me in paces that no one had ever seen.

  “Let’s get out of here,” I whispered desperately, standing on my tiptoes to reach his ear.

  Liam looked at me and his baby blue eyes flashed with dark, hungry emotions that mirrored mine. Then he nodded.

  Chapter 1:

  “Fear no temptation if the lord is your guide.”

  Pastor Rick’s sermon this week was not particularly inspired, but I still listened closely, my hands folded primly in my lap as I sat between mother and father in our small, wooden church pew.

  It was the middle of August and the summer heat had reached its most oppressive level. The fans blowing from the edges of the room did little to stop the hot, sticky trail of sweat that wandered down my back. I was tempted to reach back and lift of my long mess of blonde hair to give my neck some relief, but I knew that would result in a stern look from mother.

  As Pastor Rick’s unnaturally high, nasal voice ruminated on how a heart open to Jesus was closed to temptation, I tried to pay attention and make mental notes on how to improve myself in the week ahead. I couldn’t help a small glance to my right though, where the Martins were sitting in their pew. It looked empty, without my friend Grace sitting next to her parents.

  When we were younger, she would sometimes make silly faces at me during serious sermons when no one else was looking. I would have to hide my laughter behind fake fits of coughing. I would always scold her later, but she knew that I loved the way she could make me smile, even when no one else could.

  Mercy River felt empty now that she was gone. She had left only a few weeks ago, suddenly taking a job out east and leaving in the early morning without saying goodbye to me. I tried to ask her boyfriend Daniel about it, but he had squirmed under my questions, saying that it was a private matter but that she would return home to him soon.

  Pastor Rick finally stopped talking and the silence was filled with rustling as everyone started to gather their belongings and stand up. I had missed the end of the sermon and started to feel guilty for not paying closer attention.

  “Mary! Are you coming?” My mother was standing in the aisle, looking back at me with a stern face.

  I jumped up quickly and followed her to the door as my father ambled along behind us. My little sister, Sarah, had already run ahead to meet her friends by the door. I could see her small, bright blonde head nodding furiously at something her friend whispered in her ear. She reminded me of myself, when I was twelve. She was so happy, innocent, and friendly that everyone loved her. Being good didn’t take much effort. Of course, I had always had my friend Grace whispering in my ear. I wondered if any of Sarah’s friends were secretly wild and rebellious, like Grac
e had been.

  We reached the front door and I breathed a sigh of relief as a cool breeze blew through the crowd, ruffling the long skirt on my heavy cotton dress just enough to provide some relief to my long, sweaty legs. I peeled away the part of the skirt that was sticking to me and turned to find my family who had wandered off into the crowd.

  “I could always tell that girl would be trouble. I even heard she tried to seduce that sweet boy, Daniel. Can you imagine? His brother says he set her straight and even still wanted to marry her, but she still had something of the devil in her.”

  The loudly whispered voice behind me stopped as I turned around, but I could see Mrs. Marsh’s face shaking disapprovingly. I knew that people would gossip about Grace now that she had left, but I felt a fierce sting of anger and betrayal at the fact that Daniel had apparently been adding to the gossip. He was supposed to love her and protect her from the world, not turn the town against her.

  My cheeks grew pink as sharp anger rose in me, but I turned away and clasped my hands in front of me. Anger was not becoming of a young woman, I reminded myself. I needed to get away from these people as soon as I could so I wouldn’t be tempted to tell them off for gossiping about my friend.

  I turned and searched through the thinning crowd for my family. My sister was still with her friends and my parents were chatting with the Hendersons by the square hedges. I slipped up next to them and listened as Mrs. Henderson prattled on about her roses. My mother always loved talking gardens, but the heat seemed to be wearing on her and luckily she excused us after a few minutes, when the sweat started pouring down her forehead.

  I turned and caught Sarah’s eye as she was laughing with her friends. Seeing her happy made me smile, but I knew father would be cross if she didn’t hurry so I waved her over. She came running over quickly, her long blonde braid bouncing against her back as she turned and waved to her friends.

  I took her delicate little hand in mine as we walked behind mother and father down the road to our house. We only lived about a five-minute walk from the church, and father insisted that we not use the car when we had perfectly capable legs to carry us.

  By the time we reached our house, we were all drenched in sweat and more excited for the fans blowing inside than for the hot dinner sitting in the crockpot. Our little yellow house looked like it was wilting in the heat, just like the flowers in mother’s gardens. Mostly, it was just the small cracks in the paint that gave it that impression. Usually, father would pay one of the neighbor boys to help paint the trim and the fence around our small yard, but things were tight ever since Sarah had to have an emergency appendectomy last year.

  “Girls, please set the table while I get dinner fixed,” mother called out as she walked into the kitchen. Sarah and I were just about the sink onto the couch for a moment of relaxation and respite from the heat, but we both jumped up and hurried into the kitchen to grab the dishes.

  Once we had set the table, the whole family sat down for grace. Our father started us off like usual, thanking God for all the blessings in our lives. I bowed my head and listened quietly.

  “And finally, thank you Lord for two godly daughters who follow your word. We pray for the Martins and their wayward girl.”

  I stiffened as he finished grace and mother started to ladle food onto all of our plates. I knew that many people in town were gossiping about my best friend, but I thought my parents would be different. They knew that we had been like sisters growing up and that Grace was a kind and intelligent young woman.

  I pushed my meat and vegetable around my plate, finding that I had absolutely no appetite. The mixture of the heat and my repressed anger at everyone turning their backs on my best friend turned my stomach.

  “Father, you have known Grace her whole life. Do you really think she is a bad person?” I asked carefully, looking up at him as he carefully chewed a piece of roast.

  “The devil can find his way through any crack in godliness,” my father said, finally swallowing his food. “Grace opened the way for him. I know she was your friend, but you need to forget about that now. She is no longer who she used to be.” He nodded decisively, picking up another forkful of food. My mother and sister carefully avoided my eyes and picked at their own plates.

  “I’m not feeling well. May I be excused? I think some fresh air would help.” I jumped up and pushed my chair in, rushing out of the room before I could say anything I would regret.

  “Mary!” I heard my mother call out, but the door slammed behind me and I started running down the long dirt road.

  Chapter 2:

  I stopped running when my lungs started to ache. In truth, I wasn’t much of an athlete. I never had been, despite my long, lanky legs. I trudged along the road until I reached the end of the main stretch and then turned left to wards the river for which our town was named. Evening was starting to fall and the repressive heat had finally subsided into a warm breeze.

  I reached the edge of the river and realized there was nowhere else for me to go. Mercy River was small, just like the town. It was also an ugly, muddy brown and smelled a bit like sulfur. Nevertheless, it was somehow peaceful to sit on the grassy bank and stare out over the water, pretending that I was sitting on the edge of an ocean.

  I was pulled out of my reverie by the roar of an engine approaching on the small dirt road. I jumped up and shaded my eyes with my hand, but all I could see at first was a small cloud of dust approaching me.

  It wasn’t until he was almost on top of me that I realized it was a muscular, tattooed man on a motorcycle. He pulled up right in front of me, planting his feet on the ground in a seamless dismount that was strangely graceful for a man of his hulking stature.

  I stared at him, not sure if I should be afraid. He looked like something that should scare me. The man was tall and broad chested, with tattoos snaking up his arms into the fitter black t-shirt that stretched around his biceps. His jeans and boots looked worn and dirty, but his hair looked freshly washed. It was a dark, luscious brown and fell in long locks into his piercing eyes. Once I looked at them, I couldn’t tear my gaze from his eyes. They were a pale blue, somehow piercingly sharp but also soft and sweet all at once. I couldn’t look away.

  “Hi there,” his smooth, deep voice intoned. “Sorry if my bike startled you. Are you from around here?”

  I stepped backwards, my head suddenly buzzing with all the warning that my parents and Pastor Rick had drilled into me. Men like this were bad news. They only wanted one thing from a young woman like me.

  “I…I’m not alone here.” The words tumbled out of my mouth in a half pleading, half accusation.

  The man tilted his head, eyeing me with those strange, beautiful blue eyes that stood out so sharply against his tan skin. A small smirk played at the corner of his lips, causing my heart to beat thunderously in my chest.

  I took another step back and stumbled over a small rock. Pain shot up my ankle as I tumbled into a graceless pile on the grass.

  The man rushed forward and I closed me eyes, hoping to shut out the inevitable. To my surprise, he gently placed a hand on my shoulder and reached out the other to take my hand and help pull me to my feet. Despite his size and muscle mass, he was surprisingly gentle.

  “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, sounding genuinely contrite. He let go of my hand and stepped back as if to prove his point.

  “Yeah, I’m alright,” I replied, testing my ankle. “I just, I thought…I guess…I’m sorry for making stupid assumptions.” I blushed as the words flew out awkwardly from my mouth.

  “Yeah, I’m not a big, bad wolf, honey. But I understand why you made the assumption, given my bad boy look.”

  I blushed again, but his smirk seemed playful.

  “I’m sorry,” I said again. “It is just that Mercy River is such a small town that we don’t get many unexpected outsiders passing through.”

  “Is there anywhere to stay?” he asked.

  I nodded, realizing sudden
ly that I didn’t want him to leave. He was the most interesting thing that had happened in Mercy River since Grace left and I wasn’t ready to head back home to my parents and their judgment right away.

  “Yeah, there is a small Inn in the center of town and a motel closer to the highway,” I told him. “But if you’re hungry, I can show you to the café or grocery store first. There isn’t much variety here,” I added apologetically.

  “Grocery store and motel would be perfect,” the stranger said with a big grin. “I’m Liam, by the way.”

  “Nice to meet you Liam,” I replied shaking the strong hand he offered me. His name felt nice on my tongue, rolling off smoothly. “I’m Mary.”