Benson Siblings Series: A Dark Romance Boxset

by Sarah Bailey

  “I understand.”

  “Good.”

  He was about to kiss me when his phone rang. I shifted, grabbing his shorts off the floor and digging it out for him.

  “Hello? Oh, hi, yes… He has? That’s unexpected… I see… Yes, thank you for letting me know… Okay. Sure… Great. Speak soon.”

  He hung up and stared up at me.

  “Who was that?” I asked.

  “My barrister.”

  “What did he have to say?”

  “Zach has pled guilty to all charges. All of them. We have to wait for sentencing of course, but it means he’s not getting out any time soon and we don’t have to go to trial.”

  I smiled, wondering if it was my visit that made him do it.

  “We’re free, Liora. I’m… free.”

  “You are.”

  He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into him.

  “Thank you. Thank you for being you and doing something incredibly reckless by going to see him. I love you, Liora. Never forget that.”

  “I won’t. Don’t forget I love you too.”

  Epilogue

  Dante

  I leant against my car, watching her walk towards me. Her hair was braided down each side and tied up at the ends. She looked tired but happy.

  “Hey you, how was your first day?” I asked as she drew near.

  “Tiring, but really good.”

  After a long wait, she’d finally managed to secure a volunteer keeper position at London Zoo. She was hoping in the future it might lead to a permanent position, but for now, she was happy to be working with animals.

  I wrapped my arms around her and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

  “I’m so proud of you.”

  “I’m only a volunteer.”

  “So what? You’re still a zoo keeper now, just like you’ve always wanted to be.”

  She pulled away, grinning up at me.

  “I am.”

  I opened the car door for her and she got in. I shut it and went around to the driver side, getting settled in, starting the car and pulling away.

  “You didn’t have to come get me. I could’ve caught the bus.”

  “I did. You worked hard all day. Tell me, which animals did they let you look after?”

  “I was shadowing this other keeper, Tom. We were with the giraffes and zebras. He’s really nice.”

  “Nice, eh?”

  She looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

  “Jealous much?”

  “Me? Never.”

  I grinned, eying her for a moment before turning back to the road.

  “How was your day?”

  “If you call dealing with buyers all day fun, then my day was fine.”

  One surprise James, the twins and I had was Zach gifting us all the shares to his company. We were now the major shareholders of Bensons. The four of us were working towards restoring the brand’s name in the wake of our family scandal. It’d taken us eight months, but things were looking up now.

  “Was it really that bad?”

  “No, fashion types are just… over dramatic.”

  She snorted.

  “No, really?”

  I ruffled her hair and she shoved me off.

  “Pay attention to the road.”

  I rolled my eyes. We were waiting at traffic lights so it wasn’t exactly like I was endangering anyone.

  I’d let most of my staff go, including my driver. Mostly because Liora and I wanted the house to ourselves. Brent still lived in the basement and we had a maid who came a couple of times a week.

  When I pulled up outside the house, Liora looked like she was dead on her feet as she got out the car. I wrapped an arm around her as we walked up the steps.

  “Too tired to celebrate?” I asked.

  “No… Wait, we’re celebrating?”

  “Mmmhmm.”

  I let go of her to unlock the door and pulled her inside. After she kicked off her shoes, I brought her through the kitchen into the conservatory.

  “Surprise!”

  Brent, James, Fi, Jen, Avery, Aiden, Declan and Liora’s parents were all gathered in the room. I’d been planning this for weeks. Getting her brother to agree to come down was a pain, but he’d finally relented after Heather had told him he had to support his sister. He didn’t like me, but Liora didn’t really give a shit what he thought. And to be honest, neither did I.

  We’d had Avery and Aiden around to dinner several times with James. I’d missed her. I would always see her as my little sister. Even though her husband was sort of intense, he and I got along okay.

  Liora’s eyes bugged out and she looked up at me.

  “What’s this?”

  I dug my hand into my pocket before taking one of hers.

  “Well… they’re here because I wanted to ask you a very important question.”

  Her expression went from confused to shocked in a matter of seconds. I took the opportunity to drop to one knee.

  “Liora, I love you. You’re beautiful, smart and you keep me on my toes. I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else. Will you marry me?”

  I dropped my hand so I could open the box. There sat a platinum band with an oval sapphire surrounded by diamonds. She told me once she loved the colour of my eyes.

  “Dante,” she whispered. “Are you crazy?”

  I shook my head, smiling up at her. She put her hand out to me. I took the ring out and slipped it on her finger. She tugged me off the floor and stared up at me.

  “Is that a yes?”

  “Yes.”

  I leant down and kissed her. She squirmed away from me after a moment, her cheeks going red. She gave me a shy smile before running over to her parents and hugging them. Everyone else came forward to congratulate us. Before I knew it, an hour had gone by and I hadn’t had two moments alone with Liora. I was standing with Avery and Aiden after she’d cornered me.

  “So, marriage, eh?” she said.

  “What? It’s been over a year, not like you two tying the knot after, what was it, six months?”

  She stuck her tongue out at me, curling her hand around Aiden’s waist.

  “You know why that was.”

  I nodded slowly. She’d told me a while back a lot of the real story behind the scandal involving her family. We’d swapped stories. What with Avery growing up with us, she already knew enough about Zach as it was. I suppose I had something in common with her husband having both grown up with abuse surrounding us. In that respect, Aiden and I had an understanding. A past marred by violence except we’d dealt with it in very different ways.

  “Besides, everything worked out for the best, didn’t it?” she continued. “Say, James will kill me for telling you this, but he’s seeing someone.”

  “He is?”

  “Mmmhmm, her name is Cassie.”

  Hold on, she’s not talking about Cassie from Accounting? She’s way out of his league.

  “And does Cassie happen to work with us?”

  Avery grinned and gave me a wink. I looked over at my brother who was deep in conversation with my sisters.

  “Well, who’d have thought. My brother, the dark horse.”

  She laughed, shaking her head when I turned back to the two of them.

  “Don’t you go telling him I told you.”

  I put my hands up.

  “Your secrets are safe with me. Anyway… have you two come up with a name yet?”

  Avery looked up at Aiden who reached out and put his hand on her small bump. She’d only just started showing.

  “No, but we have decided her middle name.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “If I had my way, she’d be called Afie Elizabeth Lockhart,” Aiden said.

  “And you don’t agree?” I said, nodding at Avery.

  “Someone is taking the A theme too far,” she replied, grinning up at her husband.

  �
�Well I like Afie, but I suppose you’ll have to see when she arrives.”

  “See, it is a good name,” Aiden said, rubbing her stomach.

  “If you’re going to start with the PDA, then I’m backing away.”

  Avery gave me a sharp look, but she knew I was only teasing. The two of them were still all over each other when they thought no one was looking. It was cute but a little sickening how in love they were. Even I wasn’t that bad with Liora, which reminded me, I should check on her.

  I looked around and found her talking to Brent. Giving Avery and Aiden a nod, I went over to her and took her hand. Winking at Brent who rolled his eyes, I pulled her away into the kitchen. She looked so radiant. Her green eyes were shining with happiness. Cupping her face, I smiled.

  “Are you sure you want to marry me?”

  “I love you, Dante. I’ve told you a million times, you’re the one. And this ring is so beautiful. I can’t believe you got me a sapphire. Honestly, I didn’t think you were paying attention when I said they remind me of your eyes.”

  “You wound me. I always pay attention when you’re talking to me.”

  She grinned, going up on her tiptoes so she could kiss me.

  “How long is everyone staying?”

  “Well, your family is staying here, but I don’t know about everyone else. I was going to order an Indian in a minute. Why?”

  She wrapped her arms around my neck, rubbing her nose against mine.

  “I was wondering if anyone would notice if we slipped away upstairs.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “I thought you were tired.”

  “That was before you asked me to become your wife. I want to celebrate with you in private.”

  I looked over at our guests. No one had noticed we’d left the room. I pulled her arms down and took her hand.

  “If we sneak away now, I think we have half an hour tops before someone comes looking for us.”

  “Well, we better make the most of it then.”

  She tugged my hand, checking the conservatory before we hurried out of the kitchen. I looked down at her as we ran up the stairs. Liora had just agreed to become my wife. I couldn’t think of any better way for us to celebrate than in the playroom.

  As I stared down at her after we’d made love, I knew I’d never be happier than when I was with her.

  “Liora, you’re my one too.”

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you so much for taking the time to read this book. Where do I even start with these two? The journey to tell Dante and Liora’s story has been a long one for me. I started their book when I was writing Sacrifice for Aiden and Avery. I wanted to tell the Benson’s story having had Avery and James drop clues throughout the Corrupt Empire trilogy. So when Dante started talking to me, I dived right in so I could learn more about him and his love interest. This helped me shape James’ background whilst I was writing Sacrifice and Revenge. And gave me scope to give a glimpse into Avery and Aiden’s future together as well.

  This story took me on an unexpected journey and I wouldn’t say it was easy to write these two characters at all. Dante was such a complex character for me. All he wanted was to protect those he loved even if it cost him everything. His backstory blindsided me and ultimately writing it was absolutely heart breaking.

  I’m firstly going to thank all my readers for joining me on this journey with these characters. Thank you for sticking with me and taking a chance on my books.

  Thank you to my Twitter family (Sean, Jordan, Gil, Katie, Kenny, Paul and Corry) and everyone who supports me across my Social Media platforms. You guys make every day easier and remind me of what I’m working towards. This has been a really tough road for me so having that support is appreciated.

  A hugely special shout out to my Twitter ladies – Elle Linder, Rebecca Hefner, Carmen Adams, Jess Shaut, Brittany Kelley, Marla Machado, J.C. Paulson, Mikki Noble, Lotte R. James, Jennifer Nichole and so many more (sorry if I’ve forgotten anyone, but you are loved). You all give me life!

  Huge enormous thank you to my Savage Slytherin Sister – Sabrina. You encouraged me to write this story and breathe life into Dante and Liora. I can’t do without you in my life!

  And last but not least, thank you to my husband for putting up with me writing all the time. You made this all possible and words cannot express my gratitude.

  Promises

  Benson Siblings

  Book Two

  Sarah Bailey

  Promises Copyright © 2019 by Sarah Bailey

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Please note the spelling throughout is British English.

  Cover Art by V Designs

  Published by Twisted Tree Publications

  www.twistedtreepublications.com

  info@twistedtreepublications.com

  To the amazing Elle Linder

  Thank you for all the laughs

  For the support and friendship

  And for knowing exactly what I mean by unruly book kids

  Chapter One

  James

  I often think it’s funny how life never seems to go your way even when you do everything in your power to forge your own path. Life has never given me anything I wanted. Perhaps for a fleeting moment, but it all gets ripped away sooner or later. That’s just how I feel. I guess it’s different for other people. Those who already have all their happiness in the palm of their hands.

  I shouldn’t be thinking about these things today. I was meant to be paying attention to the ceremony. Liora looked beautiful. Then again, she always does. And she loves my brother. Dante isn’t an easy person to love. Not after everything that happened to him. To all of us really. He had the worst of it. Despite the years of us hating each other, it’s all in the past now. We’ve laid it to rest.

  I never expected Dante to get married, but here we are. He didn’t ask me to be his best man, but I couldn’t begrudge him that since Brent was his closest friend. They looked so happy, holding each other’s hands whilst they recited their vows.

  I looked around the assembled guests. There weren’t many of us. Liora and Dante wanted this part to just be friends and family. Avery and Aiden were next to me with Afie in her buggy beside him. I never thought I’d see a soft side to Aiden even if Avery always assured me he had one. The way he doted on that little baby girl was fucking astounding. His gaze kept falling on her, making sure she was okay even though she was fast asleep.

  Afie already looked a lot like Avery, but she has Aiden’s grey eyes. And me? I was her godparent along with Gertie. Not that I was complaining, but I’m not so great with kids so if anything ever happened to them, Gertie would be the better fit.

  I felt Avery lean her head on my shoulder and put a hand on my arm. The contact made my skin prickle.

  “Don’t they look perfect?” she whispered.

  “Yeah,” I whispered back.

  I glanced at Aiden because even though we were good with each other, sometimes I wondered if he still hated how close we were. They’d been together for three years, so I guessed he had time to get used to it. Maybe I should’ve invited Cassie to this as a buffer between us. We weren’t really an official thing, but I think she wanted more. I was such a dick. I should’ve just ended it with her because, at that point, I was just stringing her along.

  You’d think three years would be long enough for me to get over this shit, but it’s never been easy. Nothing is when it comes to Avery. The problem is… m
y heart has belonged to her since we were kids. Perhaps it was stupid of me to have a fantasy of us ending up together. Like some kind of fairy tale. Fairy tales don’t exist. The day she told me she was getting married to Aiden, my life as I knew it was over. She’d only known him six months and whilst I had nothing against him, it broke my heart. I mean literally, ripped it into tiny pieces and it’s been shattered ever since.

  Internally shaking myself for my stupid wandering thoughts, I turned my attention back to the service. My brother looked like he’d just died and gone to heaven. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy for Dante. He deserved this. Liora had made him into a better man. They had this weird dynamic. She was always deferring to him. I knew her as someone strong and fearless. She’d gone to see our father in prison and told him to plead guilty. I’d been surprised when Dante told me about it and even more shocked that our dad had actually gone ahead with it. Who knew if it was because of Liora, but the four of us, Dante, Jen, Fi and me, were grateful the whole thing never went to trial. Rehashing our childhoods was never going to be fun. It was enough we’d all had to make lengthy statements in the first place.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss your bride,” the registrar said which brought me back into the room just in time to see them embrace each other.

  I was such a fucking shitty sibling. Not even paying attention to the one day that was supposed to be all about Dante and Liora. Here I was thinking about my own sorry lot in the world.

  Depressing much?

  Whilst they were signing the registry book, my eyes were drawn back to Afie. It was stupid of me to feel jealousy, but I did. That was her baby with Aiden. I’d always imagined it would be us as parents. And now it was them. Her and Aiden with their girl who was the cutest baby I’d ever been around. Although, honestly, I wasn’t around them much except when Aiden’s best friend, Ben, was visiting with his two little ones, Josh and Sadie.