Spark

by J Marie

  Darren nodded, knowing full well the second reason he was here was much

  better than the first. “You’re welcome,” he said, his eyes narrowing in on me.

  “And I also wanted to let you know,” I began again, my heart suddenly beating

  out of control. “That … I think I’m ready to leave the island.” There, I said it.

  Darren’s head turned to the side a bit as he raised his brow, regarding me

  carefully. The intensity of his eyes had my nerves quaking and my body heating up.

  “You think?” he asked, his arms crossing over his chest.

  “I am,” I said more confidently.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, all too cocky. Fuck, he was so close now; I could feel

  the heat radiating from his body.

  “Yes,” I said, almost glaring back at him to compete with the intensity of his

  gaze.

  With one final step, Darren closed the distance between us and slowly brought

  his hand to caress my cheek. He gently tucked my hair behind my ear before sliding

  his index finger under my chin to lift my face up.

  “You know what happens when we go back home.” It wasn’t necessarily a

  question, though I didn’t really want him to reveal the answer. But the look in his

  eyes was all the answer I needed because I immediately recognized that look

  —hunger.

  “I have a pretty good idea,” I breathed, my heart pounding so loud I swore he

  could hear it.

  With a slow torturous pace, Darren gently eased his face down to mine, his lips

  barely grazing over my own while his warm minty breath tickled my skin.

  “I guarantee … it pales in comparison.” And then his mouth was on mine.

  The moment our lips connected, it was like gasoline on fire. I wrapped my arms

  around his neck while his clung to my hips, pulling me closer to his massive body.

  Darren’s tongue dove into my mouth, entangling with mine and eliciting a quiet

  moan from my mouth. God, for someone so awful, he tasted so fucking good.

  A few short moments later, Darren lifted me up, allowing my legs to wrap

  around his hips while his hands supported my ass, squeezing and teasing. Our

  mouths still interlocked in an aggressive, desperate kiss, Darren carried me over to

  my bed, nearly slamming me down in a hurry. Liquid heat pooled in my core as his

  hands traced down my arms, setting my skin on fire.

  “I like this dress,” he said, finally breaking our kiss, his voice strained with lust.

  “But I like it better on the floor.” And then he ripped the damn thing off me. For

  like, the millionth time.

  “Hey!” I shouted as I watched the poor garment tossed to the floor in shreds. “I

  actually kind of liked that one.”

  Darren just gave me his sexy shark-like grin, and his snarkiness only aggravated

  me more. So I grabbed his short and forced it open, tearing it slightly and causing

  the buttons to fly off.

  “You’re not the only one who can rip clothing,” I sneered back.

  Darren’s mouth lifted in a knowing smile. “That was a four hundred dollar

  shirt,” he drawled as his lips moved closer to my mouth.

  “Buy another one,” I said and grabbed his tie to yank him down to my mouth,

  which he eagerly obliged.

  Clutching his tie tightly in my fist, I kissed him with as much force as I could,

  wanting him to know that I was there and unafraid. He kneeled over my body; both

  hands on the bed on either side of me to hold up his weight, while one foot

  remained on the floor and his other knee planted right between my legs. Darren’s

  lips owned mine in every way until I felt a small twinge of pain as his teeth latched

  down on my bottom lips, sending the jolt right to my clit.

  “Is my princess trying to take control?” he breathed against me. I couldn’t tell if

  it was a warning or an invitation.

  “Let’s experiment,” I replied, my lips still connecting with his. “You might find

  you like it.”

  A barely-there chuckle rolled up his throat as he kissed me.

  “Well then,” he said, grasping my hips. He then shifted his weight and pulled

  me on top of him so that I straddled his lap. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

  I smirked.

  I brought my mouth down to claim his, pulling his shirt and jacket away while he

  rolled his shoulders in compliance to remove the clothing. Tossing his tie to the

  side with my tattered dress, I raked my nails down his bare chest while he gripped

  my hair and jerked my head to the side, exposing my neck. Pulling me forward,

  Darren feasted on my throat while his fingers dove into my slickness, causing my

  skin to tingle all over while my nails dug into his muscular shoulders. He stroked

  my clit back and forth, creating the most delicious friction while I bit my lip to keep

  from moaning too loud.

  “You’re cheating,” I breathed huskily as I worked to keep my body from shaking

  from the pleasure he was giving me.

  “Should I stop?” he asked against my neck as he bit down.

  “Don’t you dare.”

  And then he bit down harder, marking me with his teeth and causing me to cry

  out. Darren then laid all the way down on the bed, pulling my hips with him to

  place my aching slit over his mouth. His tongue eagerly began to lap away at my

  clit, sending my blood rushing through my veins as my hands dug into his hair.

  “Oh, fuck, Darren,” I moaned, unable to control it any longer. I was so close to

  oblivion I could almost taste it.

  Darren’s hand then smacked my ass hard enough to grab my attention as I

  gasped in response at his reminder. Still no cussing.

  I found myself nearly riding his face as he feasted on me like a man starved.

  Every lick, every lap of his tongue drove me closer and closer until I was right on

  the edge.

  “Oh, God, I’m there,” I breathed. And then Darren didn’t just nudge me over the

  edge, he fucking flat out shoved me.

  His tongue dove deeper, harder, increasing the pressure on my clit until I was

  screaming in ecstasy; my orgasm powerful enough to cloud everything else around

  me. But before it was even over, Darren lifted me off him and speared me right on

  to his hard waiting cock. I groaned aloud as a new wave of pleasure rolled over me. I

  hadn’t even realized he had somehow managed to shimmy out of his pants while I

  was on top of him.

  Darren groaned as he wrapped an arm around my waist, strained lust in his eyes

  as he fucked me with everything he had. My hands gripped his shoulders as I

  worked my body to sustain his pace, my core squeezing his cock for more. Darren

  clutched my hips in an almost painful grip, and he slid me up and down his cock,

  the force almost too good to handle.

  But I knew Darren wouldn’t remain in that position for long.

  Before I even realized what he was doing, Darren had me on my back. He stood

  over me, fucking me with such force that if he hadn’t been holding my hips, I would

  have been on the other side of the bed on the floor by now. But fuck if I didn’t feel

  absolutely amazing.

  Gripping the sheets beneath me, I kept my legs wrapped around Darren’s waist,

  feeling the rush again as the pain from his thrusts collided with my pleasure, and I

  screamed out as an agonizingly amazing second o
rgasm hit me. As my core

  violently contracted, it gave Darren the final push he needed to fall over the edge

  with me, his groans and animalistic growls penetrating my ears as he finished

  inside me. Collapsing on top of me, Darren’s mouth rested against my ear as he

  held the bulk of his weight up to avoid crushing me. He was breathing heavily,

  enough to cause me to smirk inside. I always gave him a run for his money.

  Before he was even relaxed, Darren crooked a finger under my collar and yanked

  me toward him.

  “You are so. Fucking. Mine,” he growled, and a knot suddenly formed in my

  stomach. His dark words of possession always scared me a little on the inside.

  Sealing his words with a rough kiss, Darren lifted himself from me and picked up

  his pants from the floor.

  “So much for experimenting,” I murmured, sitting up.

  Darren gave me an odd look before gracing me with that sexy grin. “I didn’t stop

  now did I?”

  “Pft, like you’d ever stop on my accord.”

  Darren chuckled at me as he zipped his pants up. “You’re right. You’re too

  goddamn gorgeous for me to ever stop.”

  I shrugged. “It’s a curse.”

  On a grin, Darren finished getting dressed, gathering his ripped clothing before

  leaning over my still naked and flushed body for a long goodbye kiss.

  “I’ll arrange for us to leave in a week. Right now, I have too much shit to do,” he

  said getting up to leave. “I expect you to be asleep in my bed in less than twenty

  minutes. Understand?”

  “Yes, Darren,” I answered, trying to hide the annoyance in my voice and nearly

  failing.

  “Good girl,” he said and then shut the door behind him.

  Once he was gone, I stood up and stretched my body, hoping to loosen my limbs

  a little from the strain they’d just experienced. I then cleaned myself up, washed

  my face, brushed my teeth, and changed into a little silk nightie before knocking on

  my bedroom door. Blondie answered, only cracking the door enough for me to see

  his face.

  “I’m ready to go up to Darren’s room now.”

  Blondie nodded, opening the door further so I could slip through. My bare feet

  padded against the wooden floors as we walked through the halls and up the

  carpeted stairs to Darren’s room. Exhaustion hit me the moment my head hit the

  pillow, and I was out like a light.

  Two hours later, I walked through my bedroom door, exhausted as fuck, but

  everything I had just been dealing with instantly melted away the moment I saw

  Jaden curled up in my bed. Her glossy red hair was splayed out all around her head

  while she hugged the pillow to her chest. God, she was so fucking beautiful and so

  fucking mine.

  Stripping out of my clothes, I pulled the sheets down to get in beside her only to

  find she was still in her little nightie. Clenching my jaw, I furrowed my brows in

  irritation. Jaden knew better than this.

  As carefully as I could, I pulled the nightie up her body, peeling it over her head

  before she finally woke, allowing me to remove the damn thing fully.

  “What are you…” she said sleepily, but I just shh’d her.

  “You know the rules,” I said, tugging her thong down her legs.

  “My bad.” She yawned, closing her eyes.

  When she was as she should be, fully naked, I pulled her small body onto my

  chest and eased into a comfortable position, pulling the sheet over her shoulders.

  Wrapping my arms around her soft skin, Jaden settled into me quickly without

  protest, her cheek resting on my shoulder while her tiny hand flattened on my

  chest. Placing my hand over hers, I focused on obtaining that inner peace that she

  brought me when she was quiet and cute like this. It was moments like these that I

  craved—moments when my world finally came to a standstill because Jaden’s slow

  rhythmic breathing was the only thing that had my attention. Moments when I was

  deep inside her, and she was screaming my name while she erupted around me, and

  I could get lost in all her pleasure. Moments when I could burn myself in the hateful

  fire of her amber eyes and relish in the pain. Because it was her. Because she was

  mine. And no one would jeopardize that. Ever. Anyone who tried to stand between

  her and me would meet an end so brutal it would take days to clean up.

  And I could feel that jeopardy rising. I still hadn’t located my snitch, and it was

  aggravating the shit out of me. Another warehouse had been hit, and the moment I

  found the little fucker, I was going to tear him apart. Slowly. I knew it wasn’t

  Weldimer or his little gang. I hadn’t heard a peep from those fucks, and according

  to Ronald, the transaction had gone through very smoothly. This warehouse was in

  Chicago, and though the attackers were easily killed, they left no indication of who

  they worked for. The protocol was to keep one of them alive for questioning, and

  obviously, that hadn’t happened, so there was no one to retaliate against. I had no

  leads. Nothing. Their guns had been purchased illegally with no serial number for

  tracking. No wallets, no form of identification, not even a single tattoo to reveal

  their loyalties.

  Scouts had already been planted among my ranks and all over my warehouses to

  sniff out the little fuck divulging information that didn’t belong to them. Sooner or

  later, I always found them. It wasn’t the first time someone thought it was a good

  idea to betray me, but I’d make damn sure it was the last.

  Jaden released a quiet sleepy moan, her eyes wincing as she fidgeted. Bringing

  me back to reality, I realized I had been squeezing her hand a little too tightly.

  Instantly loosening my grip, Jaden relaxed against me, exhaling deeply through her

  nose as she settled once again. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear,

  feeling the silky strands between my fingers and appreciating how beautiful her

  angelic face was when she slept.

  Closing my eyes, I eased myself back into the pillows and allowed myself to bask

  in the comfort of knowing Jaden was safe and peacefully asleep in my arms.

  Sometimes, it was the littlest of things that allowed me to sleep at night. Jaden was

  one of them.

  18

  BAIT

  F or the next few days, I continued my usual routine with Holly and the occasional

  Scott, proving every day that I was beyond over this shit. I wanted off this

  godforsaken island even though I knew my situation wouldn’t be much better when

  I returned to the mainland. If I thought I was isolated on the island before, I was in

  for a real treat when we got back to the estate. But I had to keep telling myself to

  bite the bullet and deal with it. I had earned those consequences, and they were still

  fucking worth it knowing Jason and my mom and brothers were out of Darren’s

  clutches.

  “Come on, Jaden, just one more,” Holly said, almost sounding bored. I furrowed

  my brows as I finished my last one-arm push-up and stood on my feet.

  “You okay?” I asked as I tried to catch my breath.

  “Fine,” she replied dismissively.

  I looked at her and cocked an eyebrow, knowing full well something was up.

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. Let’s go for
a run.”

  “Okay,” I said a little taken aback by her tone.

  I followed her out of the gym, Blondie and Hank in tow as we made our way to

  the beach. Leaving our shoes on the grass, we took off at an easy jog. I couldn’t help

  but glance at Holly every now and then as we kept an even pace along the shore.

  She was acting completely out of character. She was quiet, which was completely

  unusual, and her eyes kept gazing off as if she were deep in thought about

  something.

  “Holly, what’s wrong? Are you upset we’re leaving the island soon?”

  She shook her head. “No, Jaden. Just something Mr. Davis said to me this

  morning.”

  I stopped in my tracks, grabbing her arm to halt her to a stop as well. With Hank

  and Blondie a good twenty feet behind us, we could conceal the conversation with

  how loud the damn waves were.

  “What did he say?”

  Holly shook her head. Looking down at the ground, she locked her lips together

  to keep from spilling what she so obviously desperately wanted to.

  “Holly,” I warned, narrowing my eyes at her.

  She sighed, dropping her shoulders as she looked on to the ocean.

  “He thanked me for my services, said I’d done wonders with you, and that … he

  couldn’t wait … for your mother to see how much you’ve improved.”

  I felt my heart stop as Holly regarded me closely.

  What. The. Actual. Fuck.

  Darren had told her my mother had died in the “car accident” I was supposed to

  have been in, explaining the cause of my injuries. Why would he fuck up his own

  lie? It wasn’t like him to contradict himself, and I doubt he forgot what he had told

  her.

  Holly’s eyes remained on me as she stared me down like she had more to reveal.

  “So, as you can imagine, that left me very confused because after I had left his

  office, I remembered being told your mother had perished in that car accident you

  were in and was to never bring it up since it was too traumatic for you to talk

  about.”

  My stomach twisted in knots as Holly’s eyes grew angry.

  “So I did a little digging and went through your medical records, which

  happened to be very easy for me to access, by the way. There was no mention of a

  car accident nor was there any mention of other injuries that would coincide with a