Intense: A Dark Billionaire Romance Read online

  Lorraine sighs as they disappear around the bend. “Did you have to hit him?” she asks.

  “Yes,” I say.

  “Well, I can’t pretend like that wasn’t satisfying, but it’s late and I’m tired. Dear?”

  Aria steps toward her. “Yes?”

  “Do you want to stay with Mr. Locks here?”

  “Yes,” she says.

  “And Mr. Locks. Do you want Aria?”

  “Yes,” I say. “Absolutely.”

  “Good. Be nice to each other. Your contract with us is done, Aria. Good luck.”

  “Thank you.” She kisses Lorraine gently on the cheek.

  “I hope I never see you two ever again,” she says happily, then hobbles over to her car. She disappears into the back and then the car drives off.

  We stand there for a moment, Aria and I, alone in the lot. Lorraine’s men are gone too, I can sense them no longer staring at us. I step toward Aria, smiling.

  “What now?” I ask her.

  She shrugs. “I don’t know. We’re free.”

  “We are.”

  “No more money. No more Syndicate. Just the two of us.” She smiles at me, a little uncertain. “Are you sure about this?”

  I grab her hips, pull her against me, and kiss her hard.

  I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I melt into the kiss, hoping she understands that, and knowing she will eventually. I’m going to make a life with this woman. I’ll pay off her debts and make her my fucking wife one day, whether she knows it yet or not.

  That’s all that matters to me. It’ll be us two against the world. But hopefully not. Hopefully it’ll just be us two and nothing else, only joy.

  28

  Aria

  One Year Later

  I can hear the ocean just outside of the balcony doors. I stir in bed, taking a deep breath, and I smile.

  Ethan is already up and outside. I climb out of bed and push aside the curtains. The view is astounding and amazes me every morning just as much as it did the first time. The beachfront town spreads out around us, with the ocean barely a quarter mile away. Sea birds cry out and I blink at the sun.

  “Morning,” Ethan says. “My beautiful wife.”

  I laugh and smile at him. “Morning yourself. Why’d you let me sleep so late?”

  “You looked too content. Couldn’t wake you.”

  I smile and walk over to him. Ethan is sitting at a table eating a modest breakfast and wearing a white shirt open at the chest with white slacks.

  After everything with my father, we got married almost right away. Ethan said he didn’t want to wait, and I wasn’t going to argue. We eloped to France, and when I got pregnant four months later, we decided to stay. We left Jenkins behind, mostly because he hates me, and although I thought that might be tough for Ethan, he doesn’t seem to mind one bit. He’s so much more resourceful than I thought.

  Ethan works remotely now, and most of his duties have been taken over by his subordinates. He’s transitioning away from being the high-powered full-time CEO to being something else, something more domestic.

  I don’t have to worry about debt anymore. Ethan paid it off practically the night Lorraine destroyed my father. And my father never once bothered us, and even signed the contracts as he was told. Whatever was in that envelope scared him straight, and we never heard from him again.

  The Syndicate never bothered us again, either, though I wish I could see Lorraine. She was good to me when I was staying with them, and I even began to think of her as a friend.

  Now though, we live far away in the south of France, and I’m so pregnant I can barely walk around.

  Ethan stands up and kisses my pregnant belly then kisses my lips. “Another perfect day,” he observes.

  “It’s always perfect here, isn’t it?”

  He shrugs. “I guess so. If you get tired of it being too perfect, we can leave at any time.”

  I laugh, shaking my head. I’m still not used to having unlimited money and time and freedom. It’s hard to really understand just how easily we can move around and do whatever we want.

  I feel so content, so surpassingly content. I’ve never been this happy in my entire life. I still feel like that awful junky girl that I used to be, but I’m slowly getting away from it.

  All because of him. We’re a family now, and he treats me like a queen. He spoils me, and I’m still his pet. We’ve been exploring all the different ways he can tie me up, or at least we were until I got too pregnant.

  Once I have this baby, we’ll go back to it. And I can’t freaking wait.

  “What do you want to do today?” he asks me.

  “I don’t know. Isn’t that awful? We can do anything, and I never know what to do.”

  “Horrible problem to have.” He laughs and kisses me again.

  This is how life turned out for me. I don’t know how. Sometimes, it shocks me. But I’m Mrs. Locks, wife of the rich and handsome Ethan Locks, and still his little pet.

  And soon, we’ll be a bigger family. I’ll have my baby and maybe another, and maybe another. We’ll live wherever we want, do whatever we want, and I know it’ll be perfect. There are bad days ahead, of course. Nothing is ever perfect for long. But the good days will always outnumber the bad ones, because I’ll have Ethan with me.

  He’ll protect me. He’ll bring me through anything.

  I’m still that junky girl. But maybe soon, I won’t be anymore. All because of him.

  We’re a family. And I couldn’t be happier. I’ll keep following him forever, as long as he’ll have me, until I can’t follow him any more.

  Bastard SEAL: A Bad Boy Romance

  Prologue: Tara

  It was a dream vacation.

  I’d never been outside the country before. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I’d never been far outside my small town of Dayton, Indiana, let alone to India.

  But there I was, surrounded by dizzying color. I climbed off the bus and turned toward Lindy, grinning hugely. “Isn’t it amazing?” I asked her.

  “And hot as hell.” She fanned herself with a brochure, smiling. “But paradise.”

  I laughed as we were ushered with the other guests into the front of the large resort and hotel where we’d be staying for the next ten days.

  I couldn’t afford this place, and neither could Lindy, but on some totally freak whim, I’d decided to enter an essay contest at school. The topic was why we needed to be more global, and the grand prize was two tickets to an actual Indian resort.

  Somehow, I won. Maybe the readers that day were really busy and just grabbed me at random, but I had really won. I’d never won anything in my entire life, let alone a free trip to paradise.

  But as we followed the porter across the marble floor and through the dim but beautiful hallways, I knew it was for real.

  The hotel itself was huge and split into three sections. We were staying in the middle section, which boasted its own restaurants, pool, bars, and more. I planned on posting up next to that pool for the next ten days and doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and swimming. There was also the ocean, of course, though my pale skin didn’t do great in direct sunlight.

  Lindy tipped the porter as he opened our door and placed our bags inside. The room itself took my breath away. Marble floors, big closets, a flat screen TV, and a balcony. Two big beds and an enormous, modern bathroom just ensured that I could never complain about anything this whole trip.

  Lindy collapsed onto the bed. “I am so tired, but all I want to do is dance,” she said.

  I laughed. “Already?”

  “Already!” She squirmed on her bed as I began to unpack. “I can’t stop myself.”

  I opened up an information packet from the hotel and began to skim. “Looks like there’s a club here,” I said. “Opens at ten. Think you can make it?”

  “Of course I can make it,” she said. “I’ll just take a little power nap now and then be fresh at ten.”

  She was
fast asleep in ten minutes flat.

  I smiled to myself as I finished unpacking. Lindy was my best friend from college, a girl I’d met my freshman year. It was now the summer before senior year, and we’d both just turned twenty-one. We had high hopes for the upcoming year, incredibly high hopes. Lindy said it was supposed to be our year of one thousand hunks, which I think meant that I was finally going to lose my virginity.

  It had been too long. I wasn’t really waiting for any specific reason, mostly just for a guy that felt right. But I could finally drink legally, so I should probably work on finding that right guy.

  I sighed and stretched out on my bed. Lindy was snoring pleasantly beside me.

  Just a quick nap and then we’d explore paradise together.

  The club’s music boomed through my ears. I yawned, completely exhausted. Lindy was drinking half heartedly next to me, and I was basically sipping my wine like a machine.

  We’d both overslept of course. When I woke up, it was already eleven and Lindy was drooling on her pillow. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of waking her up, and of course she had to make us get dressed and head down to the club.

  It was surprisingly nice, despite how exhausted I felt. It was packed with tourists of all ages, but a surprising amount of young men. They were probably there on a group vacation, though I didn’t have the courage to ask. The lights were dim and the music pounded as people danced, their bodies gliding together.

  Meanwhile, Lindy and I sat at a table, sipping our drinks.

  “Come on,” she called out. “We can’t just sit here. We’re in India!”

  “I know,” I said, “but I’m so tired. I don’t think I could dance even if I wanted to.”

  She made a face. “We’re wasting a night!”

  “Get out there then,” I said. “I’ll wait here for you. Promise.”

  She pouted. “Come on. Please?”

  “I can’t. I’ll fall over and embarrass everyone.”

  “Fine.” She hopped up. “I’m going to put myself in the middle of that crowd of young, eligible men and see which one takes me back to his room.”

  I laughed. “Okay. Just tell me if you’re leaving.”

  She waved and headed off to the dance floor. Lindy was pretty and knew it. She was short, a bit shorter than me, and where I had pale skin and brown hair, she was tan and blond. Guys seemed to like her bright blue eyes and big boobs too, though I wasn’t so bad myself in that department.

  I watched as she disappeared into the crowd. I sipped my drink, not thinking, just staring off into the middle distance.

  I wasn’t really a club girl. It just wasn’t my scene, and I definitely never thought I’d end up inside one out in India.

  My wine was delicious and cold at least, and the place really was beautiful. Marble columns and bright tapestries covered the walls; it was what I imagined the Taj Mahal looked like on the inside. The staff was friendly and the people all looked like they were having fun, so it was hard for me to be in a bad mood. I was in paradise for free, after all.

  As I took another sip of my wine, he caught my eye. In the sea of tourists, he somehow stood out. Tall and broad, with sexy stubble on his face, his piercing blue eyes took my breath away as he lazily looked toward me.

  I quickly looked away, shocked at how fast my heart was beating in my chest. The man was handsome, incredibly handsome. I’d never seen a man like him before, and I quickly took another sip of my wine to cover up my embarrassment.

  But that didn’t last long, because as soon as I looked up again, he was coming toward me. That tall, handsome stranger was walking right to me, and I didn’t know what to do. I quickly looked around for Lindy, but she was nowhere in sight. The man got closer, and this cocky smirk crossed over his face as he stopped near my table.

  “What’s your name?” he asked over the music.

  I blinked. “Tara,” I said.

  “Tara.” He sat down in the chair next to me. “I’m Emory.”

  “Good to meet you.”

  “Just get here?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “How can you tell?”

  “You have that look,” he said, grinning. “Wide eyed and a little tired.”

  I laughed. “You’re exactly right.”

  “I know. I’m very good at reading people.”

  “What about you? Are you just in?”

  “No, actually,” he said. “This is my last night.”

  “That’s a shame,” I said.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Going to miss me already?”

  “No. I mean, it’s a shame you have to leave. It’s nice here.”

  “It is nice here,” he said. “Beats where I’m going.”

  “Where’s that?”

  He grinned at me and ignored the question. “Are you here alone?”

  “With a friend.”

  “Where’s she?”

  “Dancing.”

  He moved slightly closer. I couldn’t help but stare at him, at his muscles straining against his perfectly fitting, white button-down shirt. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing tattoos snaking up his muscular forearms.

  “Pity. She left you alone.”

  I nodded. “She did.”

  “Do you need someone to keep you company?”

  I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know this man, and he was by far the most attractive person to ever talk to me, let alone want to spend time with me.

  “Okay,” I said.

  He smiled. “Good.” He gestured at a waitress and she brought over two more drinks for us. “To a good night in paradise.”

  We clinked glasses.

  I should have gotten up and walked away, but I couldn’t. He was magnetic, enticing, and incredibly attractive. He knocked back his drink and leaned in toward me, smirking big. “You know why I came over to you?” he asked.

  “No,” I said honestly, “I don’t.”

  “It’s because I find you attractive.”

  I blushed. “Oh. Thank you.”

  “I got one look at you and wondered what it would feel like to have those thick lips wrapped around my cock.”

  I gaped at him, shocked. I couldn’t believe he had just said that.

  “Or maybe I’d rather taste your nice little pussy. I can’t tell yet.” He leaned back in his chair, grinning at me.

  “You’re a little forward, aren’t you?” I said, laughing slightly.

  “I am when I know what I want.”

  “Well, I’m not sure you’re getting what you want tonight, Emory.”

  “Don’t be so sure, Tara,” he said, leaning back toward me. “You might be making a big mistake.”

  I laughed. This guy was unreal. “Why do you think that?”

  He stood up suddenly. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

  “I’m not going back to your room.”

  He shook his head. “Let’s dance.”

  I opened my mouth, but he took my hand and pulled me along behind him. I didn’t know what the heck I was doing following a guy like him, a guy that said those dirty things to a complete stranger, but my heart was racing in my chest.

  I couldn’t say no, I realized. I couldn’t say no to him even if I really wanted to. He stopped in the middle of the dance floor and pulled me close against him. Our hips began to sway together, moving in time to the beat, and I completely forgot about anything but him.

  Emory, that cocky grin, his hips moving against mine. Thrills and waves of excitement washed over my spine as his hands roamed my lower back, my hips, flirting with my ass. I should have stopped him, but I couldn’t, and I didn’t want to. It felt too damn good to be pressed against this tall, muscular, attractive man, even if he was arrogant as hell.

  I was totally lost, pulled into him. We danced like that for what felt like hours, hips rocking together, his lips near my ear to tell me what to do, how to move against him. I’d never felt so incredibly good, free, and excited in my life. I forgot all about Lindy, all about the people s
urrounding us. There was just me and Emory, his confident smirk pulling me along behind him.

  Song after song, beat after beat. I felt his fingers trail down my back and chills ran along my skin.

  “Come back with me,” he said finally.

  I looked up and realized the club was closing. The song had just ended, and I was in such a trance, so high from his body, that I completely forgot about time.

  “Okay,” I said instantly, not sure why.

  He took me by the hand and led me out of there. I followed him, smiling stupidly, marveling at his body as he moved. He was wearing light brown boat shoes and khakis that fit him like a glove. His ass was taut and his legs were strong as I followed him up a flight of stairs.

  We emerged on the second floor. He quickly moved me down the hall and stopped outside a door. He swiped a keycard and pushed it open.

  I followed him in. This complete stranger had me in his web, and I wasn’t getting out, didn’t want to.

  His room was neat and orderly. In fact, I didn’t see any luggage at all. Otherwise, it was the mirror image of my room, except he only had one bed in his.

  He turned on the lights, opened the mini refrigerator, and handed me a miniature bottle of wine. He opened his and we clinked bottles, drinking.

  He set his aside. We hadn’t said a word this whole time, and his eyes locked with mine, those piercing blue eyes.

  When he took me and pulled me against him, I knew it then and there. I was ready, beyond ready. When pleasure and excitement rushed through my body as he kissed me, his incredible taste making my lips buzz with electricity, I knew I was making the right decision.

  He took my clothes off, slowly at first, but soon with a hunger that even surprised me. His lips lingered on ever inch of my skin, his fingers pressed against my swollen clit, sending pleasure careening around my skull.

  I could barely think as he took off his own shirt and pants, revealing lines of ink all along his skin. He pressed me against the bed, his fingers pressed deep inside me. My back arched and I moaned.