by Piper Lawson
The businessman in my brain says even if it does, we’re now months behind. We’ll be burning cash, possibly at unsustainable rates.
“None of that is the problem,” I say as I set the book in my lap. “He is.”
The object of my vendetta, the one I was ready to set aside so I could have a life with the woman in front of me. He won’t let me set it aside.
Which means I have no hope of building the future I want, the one Raegan deserves, without stopping him.
“I have to leave LA.”
“Is your insurance in London?” She frowns. “I’m sure they can deal with it from here—”
“It’s not about insurance.”
Her elbow leans on the edge of my bed, and I get a hit of her familiar scent. That, plus her closeness, send a pang of longing through me.
“Okay. I have some shows lined up, but I’ll cancel them if I need to.” She pulls out her phone. “As long as we need to get this figured out…”
I push the phone away. “I can’t take you with me.”
The phone slips out of her hands as she realizes my intention. “What do you mean? You said you wanted to move on. There are other good things.”
“Things like Kings?” I glance down at the book. “He burned it to the ground tonight.”
She grabs my face in her hands, lifts my gaze to hers. “I’ve spent my life hiding from my past. I’m not hiding from my future.” The cuff shines on her wrist. “I know it kills you that you can’t control him—”
“This isn’t a joke, isn’t a game!” I’m shouting now, hoarsely. “This is real life.”
“I know it is. That’s why I’m not leaving.”
I think of the news I got about my parents, that they weren’t trying to escape the Ivanov’s business but to reinvest in it.
I wanted to deny it, but tonight in the ambulance, I felt the tiniest flint spark deep in my chest. The part of me built for survival woke up for the first time in a long time, possibly since my parents died.
If they were something other than the saints I made them out to be, then part of me is, too.
“But I am,” I say finally.
I was never meant to be a man who builds things…
I’m destined to be a man who destroys them.
I’m no better than Mischa Ivanov, only different.
Raegan’s lips part in disbelief. Her eyes work over mine, emotion spilling over, but beneath, she’s resolute. “In Denver, you gave me this, and you told me it meant you’d never go.” She reaches for the bracelet on her wrist, waiting for me to tell her I meant it. That I love her, and that our love matters more than anything else in this world.
“I was wrong.”
The words rip from my chest, and saying them is itself an act of destruction.
I see it on her face, in the way her shoulders tighten.
I’m hurting her. The person I love most is sitting in front of me and I’m destroying her.
The pain in my chest is so sharp, so sudden, I wonder if this is what a heart attack feels like.
Fucking stop this, a voice demands. But I close it in an iron fist.
Something lands on the bed next to me. With a last look, Raegan rises from her chair and speaks to the nurse before starting down the hall.
I can’t breathe again, but there’s nothing the machines can do for me.
My gaze lowers to the shimmering circle next to me on the bed.
The inscription stands in relief against the gold.
My Queen.
This is wrong. All wrong.
One at a time, I pry off the leads attached to my chest, tossing them aside. The machine they belong to emits a single beep of complaint. Next, I shove myself out of bed, the IV tugging itself from my hand.
“Mr. King!” the nurse says from the doorway, sounding alarmed. “You could aggravate your condition.”
“You know nothing about my condition.” I spit out the words as I stalk past her and down the hall, the tile cold on my bare feet.
I don’t care that I’m wearing next to nothing. Don’t give a shit what anyone sees. The wrongness in my gut drives me forward, past the burning in my lungs.
At the end of the hall, I’m breathing heavily.
But there’s no sight of her.
27
Rae
As I step off the plane in Ibiza, the wind catches my hair and whips it around my face.
“My bag?” I ask my driver, a kid who subtly checks me out as he holds the door.
“Already in your car, señorita. Forgive me. You’re Raegan Madani, aren’t you? The DJ Little Queen?”
I take off my sunglasses. “Sure am.”
He leans in, his handsome face eager and so young. “You were ranked seventh on Billboard’s Top 100 DJs list. No woman has ever been that high before.”
“There’ll be a lot more women that high soon.”
I shift inside the car, and moments later, the driver pulls out.
En route, we drive past a familiar venue, my gaze lingering as my stomach heats.
“It’s a famous club,” the boy in the driver’s seat boasts. “The biggest on the island. But you know that.” He flushes.
“I’ve heard,” I say, not unkindly.
The car winds up into the mountains before pulling up to the gates of the villa.
In the past eight months, through festivals and gigs from Sydney to Tokyo to Paris, my career has exploded in the best way.
I shift out of the car and start up the steps of the villa. The door opens before I can knock.
I expect to find a doorman, but I’m instantly accosted by a familiar face and body. One that has every muscle in me screaming.
“You’re the last person I expected to see at the door of my villa.”
If I thought Mischa Ivanov would look the same as I remembered, I was wrong. He’s leaner, as if the past year has taken a toll on him.
Like a stray dog, he doesn’t look weak. Only hungry.
“Then it’s your lucky day.”
His surprised eyes flash, cold in the Spanish heat surrounding us. “What would your lover say if he knew you were here?”
“Former,” I correct, though I have no doubt he knows that. “And because he’s former, I don’t give a shit what Harrison would say.”
I fold my arms behind my back, my thumb and forefinger lightly encircling the opposite wrist, pressing on the tattoo there.
Habit.
“Now is when you invite me in,” I say.
He stares at me in disbelief, stunned the woman he hit wants to be invited into his home.
But I guess I’ve changed in the last year too.
I hold his gaze, unflinching.
Finally, he opens the door wider and motions with a jerk of his head.
I follow him.
Thank you for reading BEAUTIFUL SINS! I hope you loved diving deeper into Harrison and Rae’s world.
Harrison and Rae’s intense, addictive, emotional story concludes with a bang in BEAUTIFUL RUIN!
ONE CLICK BEAUTIFUL RUIN NOW >
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P.S.: By reading this story, you trusted me with your time and your heart. I will never take that trust for granted.
Harrison and Rae’s story went to a darker place than some of my other books, but it felt necessary.
Sometimes, life takes us to that place. What happens to us doesn’t matter—cannot matter—as much as who we choose to be in those moments, and the million moments after.
If you’re feeling a little raw after this book, take comfort knowing we’re in this together.
I promise Harrison and Rae will get everything they deserve.
This king and his queen have grown so much, and they’ll need every ounce of the trust they’ve built to conquer one last challenge.
Beautiful Ruin drops August 11.
So bring your lucky headphones, grab a billionaire Brit or two, and get ready to flip your mid
dle fingers in the air.
This is going to be one helluva show.
Love always,
Piper
THANK YOU
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Piper
Books by Piper Lawson
ENEMIES SERIES
Beautiful Enemy
Beautiful Sins
Beautiful Ruin
RIVALS SERIES
Love Notes
A Love Song for Liars
A Love Song for Rebels
A Love Song for Dreamers
A Love Song for Always
WICKED SERIES
Good Girl
Bad Girl
Wicked Girl
Forever Wicked
MODERN ROMANCE SERIES
Easy Love
Bad Love
Twisted Love
PLAY SERIES
PLAY
NSFW
RISE
TRAVESTY SERIES
Schooled
Stripped
Sealed
Styled
Satisfaction
About the Author
Piper Lawson is a USA Today bestselling author of smart, steamy romance! She writes about women who follow their dreams (even the scary ones), best friends who know your dirty secrets (and love you anyway), and complex heroes you’ll fall hard for (especially after talking with them). Brains or brawn? She’ll never make you choose.
Piper lives in Canada with her tall, dark and brilliant husband. She believes peanut butter is a protein, rose gold is a neutral, and love is ALWAYS the answer.
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Acknowledgments
This story wouldn’t have happened without the support of my awesome readers, including my ARC team. You ladies provide endless enthusiasm, cheerleading, and help spreading the word. I could NOT do it without you, and it would be a lot less fun to try.
An extra shoutout to Suzanne, Anna and Beth for reading early! You guys are awesome.
Thank you Regina Wamba for the perfect image. This couple has been inspiring me for more than a year.
Becca Mysoor, thank you for your story genius. Cassie Robertson and Devon Burke, thank you for questioning, polishing, and catching all the little things.
Thank you Dani Sanchez for your sage advice and for helping my stories find their way to the right readers.
And Annette Brignac and Michelle Clay… I would not be able to get these books to the people who matter most without you. Don’t ever leave me.
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. The best part of author life is having YOU in it.
Love always,
Piper
Copyright 2021 by Piper Lawson Books
Content editing by Becca Mysoor
Line and copy editing by Cassie Roberston and Joy Editing
Cover photography by Regina Wamba
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locations are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.