Ruined: A Contemporary Bad Boy Romance

by Lisa Lace

  “Thank you for giving me another chance. I promise you, Lily, we’re going to be very happy together. We can do anything we want, go anywhere, be anything. The whole world is ours.”

  I smile. “I only want to paint.”

  “Paint what?”

  “All of it! The city, the skyscrapers, Broadway, Central Park, the people. I’ve painted Rumsey Park from a hundred different angles. I can’t wait to capture a whole new world.”

  “I know a lot of people in the art industry.”

  I smile at him teasingly. “You’re going to use your connections to make me big and famous, huh?”

  He grins and nibbles playfully at my earlobe as he hugs me from behind. “You don’t need my help. You’re talented.”

  I break away from him and cross the room to pick up another item I brought with me, a rectangular package in brown paper. I open the portrait that Ethan painted and turn it toward him, grinning. “You’re not too bad yourself. Where can I hang this?”

  Ethan chuckles. “Wherever you want.”

  “Let’s swap this one out.” I walk over to the far wall where an original Pollock is hanging. “I never liked him anyway. Too messy.”

  “You want to replace Jackson Pollock with Ethan Steele?”

  “This one’s got more heart.”

  Smiling, Ethan helps me take down the original. “I’ll send it back to the gallery.”

  We hang up the portrait Ethan painted. It’s a bit strange to see a picture of myself up on the wall, but I want to see it every day. It’s not because I’m vain, but because I get a happy, fuzzy feeling every time I look at it and know the love that went into painting it.

  “What did Jennifer say when you said you were taking time off to move me in?”

  “She was thrilled. You know Jennifer loves you, and she thinks it’s about time I stopped being a moody bachelor.”

  “How’s she finding the change at work?”

  Ethan smiles. “She’s rising to the challenge, as I knew she would. She and Mitchell are a powerful pair. They’ll have the place running better than I ever could.”

  “We don’t have to go, you know,” I say carefully. “I don’t need you to prove yourself to me again. I’m here, I’m staying. We don’t have to travel the world.”

  “I made you a promise to travel a very long time ago. It’s about time I kept it. Besides, I want to go. For me. There’s a whole world out there, Lily. Let’s go have some adventures.”

  I’m so happy I could burst. It was Ethan who brought up the idea of traveling again. This time, there was truly nothing stopping us. Ethan had started stepping back from Steele Industries before I even came to New York. He’d already decided that he wanted to enjoy life a little more.

  Ethan is still putting everything in place, but then we are going to plan it all. Two around-the-world tickets and a tin of new watercolors to share.

  “I bet it was hard for Chloe to say goodbye.”

  I nod. “But she’s excited to come visit. We’ll have to give her the full VIP treatment. She’ll just die.”

  “She’s welcome anytime.”

  I go to the window and look out over the city. The sun is just starting to set, and it’s beautiful. The skyline has a silhouette made up of hundreds of buildings reaching for the sky. Down below, thousands of people walk quickly toward their dreams, living their own lives. I like to think of their stories, their struggles, their romances. This is a city of a million images, and I want to paint as many as I can.

  I can see Ethan’s reflection in the glass, standing behind me. I run my gaze over his relaxed expression and unruly hair. Ethan is somewhere between the boy I once knew and a man I hardly know. I’m looking forward to getting to know this Ethan. Chloe was right when she said that no couple acts like teenagers forever. I wonder what this next stage of life has in store for us, how we’ll love each other differently now that we’re older.

  Ethan wraps his arm around my waist. “I was starting to hate this city.”

  “And now?”

  “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” He spins me to face him, his hand slipping into my hair. He kisses me. I hold onto his back, pressing my body against his.

  Ethan pulls off his shirt, revealing his firm and toned chest. I run my hands over the length of his broad shoulders, feeling the muscles flex as he reaches down to tear my shirt away, too.

  He puts his hands on my waist, catching me in an intense kiss. His mouth parts mine, his tongue searching. I kiss him back hard.

  Ethan reaches around and unclasps my bra. It falls to the marble, and I am exposed, my breasts visible before a breathtaking city view. He bows his head to my throat and kisses me from my collarbone to beneath my jaw, one hand pulling back my hair to expose my neck.

  He’s so handsome. His hair’s longer now, a little stubble on his face, a smile in his eyes. He’s not the boy I remember; he’s a sexy man, just as kind and real as ever before. All mine.

  He lifts me, and I wrap my legs around his waist. He kisses me as he carries me to the bedroom and presses me against the wall.

  I trail one hand over his back, the other sinking into his hair. Ethan bows his head to my chest and sucks at a nipple, biting down gently, teasing sharp, sweet sensations from me. I slip down from his hold and fall to my knees on a soft, thick rug. I unzip Ethan’s pants and drop them to the floor along with his boxers.

  He’s hard for me. I take hold of his thick, throbbing cock, closing my fingers around the base of his shaft. I close my lips around him, take him deeply into my mouth, and suck.

  Ethan groans, his head falling back. I slowly circle my tongue and take more of him into my mouth, sliding back and forth until he starts to shudder on the edge of an orgasm and pull away.

  He picks me up like I weigh nothing, carries me to the bed, and throws me down. There is an urgency in how he moves. I’m wet at the naked, hard sight of him, his chest heaving with aroused breaths. He pushes me onto the bed, my shoulders and back on the mattress, my feet still on the ground.

  Ethan nudges my knees apart and kneels at the edge of the bed. He presses his tongue against my clit and moves it in hard, eager strokes, holding my legs apart when I squirm with pleasure. He slides two fingers inside me as he sucks and licks at my clit. He teases me until I tense and then shudder into orgasm.

  He rises, spins me so my legs are on the bed and moves over me. He kisses me hard; I’m still breathless from coming. His lips are pressed over mine when his cock enters me, and my back arches before my body relaxes against him.

  I push my hips up to his hard, thick erection as Ethan thrusts into me. His cock is deep inside me, sending waves of pleasure frissoning through my body each time he moves against me.

  We roll. Ethan is beneath me. I slide down, letting his cock fill me, and ride him, leaning forward to kiss him as we move. His hands press down on the base of my spine and urge me to fuck him faster. He thrusts deeper into me.

  I lean back as I ride him, my fingers clutching at the black silk sheets. Ethan sits up, wrapping his arms around me, a leg on either side of my body. One arm is around my waist, one hand on the back of my head. He kisses my chest, my throat, my jaw. He kisses my mouth, and I press my lips hard against him, hungry for the taste of him.

  He groans; he’s close. Ethan falls back onto the pillow, his hands settling on my hips and guiding me. I grind against him, rocking with him inside me, drawing him closer and closer.

  Ethan comes with a low moan. I lean forward to kiss him again. His urgent grip becomes gentle and his arms pull me close.

  I roll off him and lay at his side. To my left, the gorgeous Ethan Steele. To my right, New York City.

  “That was amazing,” I say.

  Ethan raises his head, leaning on one elbow, and smiles at me. “And we get to do it all over again every day.”

  Ethan

  Jennifer hugs Lily tightly, then wraps her arms around my neck. When she draws back, her eyes are slightly red. “Okay, you guys, I want
you to have the best time.”

  I grin. “If you need anything at all, Jen, you have my number. I’ll call in every day.”

  She waves her hands in the air. “Forget it, Ethan. We’ll keep this place running. You go and have some adventures.”

  Jennifer turns to Lily with gleaming eyes and a warm smile. “I’m so glad you came back, Lily. Ethan lights up when you’re around.”

  Lily closes her fingers around mine, smiling up at me and then back at Jennifer. “I’m glad, too. At first, I was scared it was too big a leap, but I think this is going to be a good thing, for both of us.”

  “So, what happened to your apartment in the end? Did you sell it?”

  “Lily still has her apartment,” I answer. “That way, it’s still there for her if New York gets a bit too much, or if I’m a bit too much. We’re going to keep it as a place to go from time to time. Lily has friends there, and we both have a lot of good memories.”

  “It’ll be somewhere we can go for a weekend getaway,” Lily adds. “And it’ll help keep us grounded. I think it’s important we both remember where we came from.”

  “I’m incredibly happy for you both. You deserve this.”

  “We’ve got a six-month trip planned, and then we’ll be back. Are you sure you’re going to be okay for that long?”

  Jennifer nods. “There’s a good team of people here, and Mitchell has a good head on his shoulders. I trust him to make any calls I can’t.”

  “Good. And if you need me urgently, please call. Or email. I won’t just vanish completely. If there’s an emergency, I can always come back.”

  “There won’t be any emergencies. Business is going well, Ethan. We’ll keep things ticking over until you get back. Have a good time. I can’t remember the last time you took a break. Where are you going first?”

  “Thailand!” Lily exclaims, then giggles at her own excitement. “I’ve never left the U.S.”

  “Last month, you’d never even left Arizona.”

  “I know. It’s all happening very quickly! I feel like life has started all at once.”

  “I think it’s wonderful,” Jennifer says, beaming. “Childhood sweethearts brought back together, about to go on the adventure of a lifetime. Have you both had all your shots?”

  I chuckle and lay a reassuring hand on Jennifer’s shoulder. “Lily sorted all that out.”

  Jennifer’s eyes fill with tears again. “Looks like you’ve got another woman in your life now. I’ll have to learn to step back. It feels like the end of an era!”

  “Only the beginning of a new one,” I say.

  I look down at Lily. She’s smiling from ear to ear, already wearing the floppy sunhat she bought for the trip. Our bags are packed, and soon, we’ll be on our way.

  Looking around the offices, I’m completely free to go. Everything I’ve built will still be standing when I return. Nothing is stopping me from seeing the world with Lily at my side. What’s more, I haven’t thought once about Vincent or the defense contract. Life is too good to wonder about how things turned out for him.

  Whether he makes a billion dollars or the whole thing blows up in his face, I know I’ve already won my own prize. Lily is mine—for good this time.

  Abduction

  A Science Fiction Alien Romance

  Chapter One

  “Be sure to take the long route!”

  “Sure, ok.” Bethany pulled her backpack over her shoulder. She closed the door behind her, grimacing as the wave of heat hit her. She glared at their car, wishing she could somehow shame it into starting up. Sighing, Bethany resigned herself to the long walk to town. She went over the list of things they needed in her head.

  She got to the fork in the path and paused. Her mom always reminded her to take the long way, and she always did. After all, her mom was right – the shorter route may be more convenient, but it was also more dangerous. There were rumors of slavers who frequented that route, always disappearing when a patrol came by, but always at the ready to snare unwary travelers.

  Bethany hesitated, knowing she should go right, the safe way. But it was so hot, and it was such a long walk. She was sure she’d be fine and headed left at the fork.

  If she made good time, she could be home before her father returned from work. Lost in her thoughts, Bethany walked at a measured pace; this was hardly the first time their car had broken down, so she was well used to walking.

  A sound made her glance up, frowning. Deciding it had been nothing, Bethany turned her eyes back to the path, but quickened her pace just the same.

  Without warning, a huge ship rose from behind a small hill in front of her. Bethany screamed and leaped back, her eyes frantically searching the ship’s sides for a sign of some official seal, showing who it belonged to. There was none.

  Two men wearing masks leaped out and came straight for her. Bethany didn’t stop to ask questions, she simply turned and ran.

  The sound of a gun firing preceded a sharp pain in her leg, and she collapsed as her whole left calf went numb. The slavers loomed over her, waving their stun guns threateningly.

  “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” It was the only warning she would get.

  “Please – please just let me go. I won’t tell anyone I saw you, I swear.”

  The man laughed harshly. “Always the same. Come on. You’re young enough, we’ll get a good price for you.”

  The other squinted at her. “She may be young, but she’s old enough for marriage; what you say?”

  The first slaver eyed Bethany. “Perfect.” His eyes glinted with pleasure that made Bethany’s blood run cold.

  They grabbed her and shoved her roughly into the belly of their ship. Bethany screamed and kicked, but they simply laughed and slammed the cargo hold door behind her.

  Hands reached for Bethany and she jerked away.

  “It’s ok.” Bethany couldn’t see who the voice belonged to in the darkness of the cargo hold, but she could hear breathing. She knew she wasn’t the only one here. “Come on, sit in the corner here and hold onto one of these pipes. You’ll get bruised black and blue when we take off otherwise. There aren’t any seats back here.”

  Bethany obeyed the voice, letting the hands guide her until she was sitting, clutching at a pipe for dear life.

  Bethany trembled. “What’s happening?”

  “What’s happening is we’ve been taken by slavers.”

  Bethany groaned. She’d known before she’d asked, but was hoping to be proven wrong. “Slaving is illegal, they can’t do this.”

  Another voice cautioned her from the darkness. “Quiet, these guys aren’t exactly slow to anger.”

  “How long have you been here?” Bethany dropped her voice to a whisper.

  “Just over a week. They’ve been flying around, trying to get a good haul for the auction tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” Bethany’s voice rose in panic. “We’re being – being sold – tomorrow?”

  No one replied, confirming Bethany’s worst fears.

  She clutched tighter to the pipe as they took off, barely managing to stop herself being thrown against the hard metal wall of the ship.

  The ride seemed to go on forever. Finally, the ship landed, the door opened, and a silhouette gestured impatiently.

  “Let’s go, bathroom, make it fast.”

  The woman next to Bethany rose immediately. “Come on, if you don’t go now, you won’t get another chance until tomorrow.”

  Bethany got up and followed, blinking in the sudden light. She was followed by a woman around her age, another slightly older, and three just younger than her mother.

  She stumbled as the slavers directed them to a truly disgusting little bathroom. Bethany believed that she wouldn’t get another chance and forced herself to do what was necessary.

  They were shepherded back into the ship and the door was closed again.

  “Where do we sleep?” Bethany sounded fearful.

  “Right here. These guys don’t
have a base, they work from the ship. It helps them avoid detection, I think.” She put a hand on Bethany’s arm. “Don’t worry dear, you’re young. I’m sure someone will take you as a bride.”

  The other woman whimpered. “You say that like it’s a good thing?”

  “Better than taken as a pleasure object, as they call us. Those who won’t make bride are used and thrown away.”

  Bethany sputtered uncharacteristically. “But – but – I didn’t apply to be a bride, not for anyone. TerraMates is supposed to be a service that connects willing brides and grooms…”

  “It’s supposed to be. If these guys are caught, they’ll no doubt be executed, but some buyers don’t care. Some don’t even know.”

  The younger woman sounded breathlessly terrified. “We’re going to be eaten alive. Do you know what Evions do to their brides? They suck the life out of them – some say they even suck out the soul. Imagine, being without your soul. I’d rather die.”

  Bethany had to agree there. Her stomach dropped as she wondered who would buy her. What would her parents think when she never came home? She should have listened to her mother -- why hadn’t she just taken the longer route?

  Bethany’s urgency was apparent. “We need to escape. If our options are death or having our souls stolen, we can’t just sit here.”

  “If we try that, we’ll be killed for sure. At least if we’re alive, we have a chance to be chosen as brides -- not so if we’re dead. I don’t want to die.”

  A few of the others murmured their agreement. Bethany wished she could see their expressions. The two women said nothing. Well, Bethany wasn’t going to sit and do nothing. She wasn’t going to let herself get sold into slavery, not without a fight.

  She started working on the pipe right next to her, twisting and pulling, trying to loosen it.

  One by one, she heard her companions lie down on the hard floor and their breathing evened out as they fell asleep.

  Though her eyelids were drooping, Bethany forced herself to stay awake and keep working on the pipe. Her fingers were aching by the time it started to loosen, but she kept going.