“I can’t tell, or it won’t come true,” she whispers.
“I see.” I smile. “Let me tell you my wish.”
“No,” she protests but I can hear the curiosity in her voice.
I shrug. “Alright, I won’t.”
Disappointment tugs her lips into a frown but she tries to hide it. “Well, good.”
“Unless you really want to know,” I say.
“No,” she quips.
“Okay.” I drag the word out, teasing her.
Finally, Verity nudges me with her shoulder. “If you whisper it to me, maybe it won’t count as telling,” she suggests playfully.
I tug her to me and press my lips to her ear, tickling her. She shivers as my breath caresses her ear, and she curls into me. I let my lips hover over her, tantalizing her, until the right moment. When her nails dig into my chest and I feel her lifting her head towards my neck, I speak. "My wish," I breathe, and she stills, "Was not a wish at all. You're everything I want."
“Cheat,” she murmurs, but I hear the smile in her voice.
I pull away and kiss her forehead lightly with a smile. “I couldn’t tell you anyway, I wouldn’t want it to not come true because of you.”
“Hey!” Her brows raise as she laughs. She takes my hand, tugging me towards the main hall and the stairs to our room. “Come on, I’ll show you my wish.”
“Wait.” I pull her back into me, draping my arm over her shoulder. “Just a little longer.”
Verity is quiet as we stare out into the night. She rests her head on my shoulder and I feel a wave of peace and contentment. I smile softly. For the first time in a long time, everything feels right.
And it’s perfect. She is perfect.
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Bailey Dark is obsessed with all things dark, hot, and supernatural. From Fae to Aliens, her heroes are thoroughly alpha and pure raw masculinity. When she’s not writing (which is hardly ever) she’s busy watching every movie in the marvel universe, or binging supernatural on her couch. So come along, and enter her dark world. . . .
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The Beast King’s Bride - Warlords of Farian Book 1
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Chapter One
Daphne
“Mm-hmm,” Vania said through a mouthful of avocado toast, crumbs tumbling to the tabletop. I rolled my eyes at my best friend. “That would turn me on, too.”
“Oh, gawd, that’s not what I meant. I wasn’t saying seeing him beat the shit out of Rhone would rev me up. I just meant—”
“Oh, you just meant you would melt in his arms and do anything he wanted after he bashed your boss’s face in. And, I mean, anything, Daphne…” Vania grinned and flicked a baby carrot at me. I caught it deftly and popped it in my mouth. I slowly grinned as a slight breeze from the courtyard garden ruffled my blonde hair. My best friend’s brown curls were a bit messy from the debauchery of the night before…she had made that walk of shame all the way to work on time.
“All right, maybe I would be a little more willing to explore, if he was, you know, detail-oriented…” We giggled. I sighed. “It’s just been so hard. Rhone is incredibly difficult. I had to stay at work late every day the last two weeks, and I am still running behind on the deadline for the Flores account.”
“Rhone is such an asshole. Why can’t you just tell him off?”
“Are you kidding me? I know you have never seen him, but there’s just something…scary…about him…” Rhone was a towering figure in my office doorway far too often. He was over six feet tall, with the broad shoulders of a swimmer or climber, clothed only in high-end designer suits. His facial hair was finely groomed, his black hair slicked in a wave around his piercing black eyes in a starkly pale face. I shivered, imagining how he could skewer me with just a look. “He takes private martial arts classes, you know.”
Vania sat up straight, setting her tea down hard. “Do you think he would ever actually harm you?”
“Of course not!” My protest was without hesitation, but a tiny thread of doubt trilled through my body. No…no, of course not. He will never actually hurt another person. He just enjoys the intimidating aura he has. Over his employees, over his clients, even over the bike messengers. We are all just caught up in his Rhone-sphere.
“Ok.” Vania took another bite of her lunch. “So, tell me more about this super-hot, super-suave boyfriend that will come to your rescue and then rev your motor, gladiator-style. If he doesn’t show up soon, you can always ask Sean to confront Rhone for you.”
I rolled my eyes again. “Sean is a mess.”
“I know you’re afraid to lose this job, since you’re paying for your brother’s loans, but really, Daphne. This job is killing you. Does Sean make things easy on you ever?”
“He never has.” My stepbrother had always been a little too impetuous for life to treat him fairly. He was always chasing his next inspiration, be it a girl, business, bike, college, or real estate. “I love him, regardless. I really think this next brilliant idea of his will take off—”
“Just make sure it isn’t your money on the line, this time.” Vania’s green eyes were serious.
I consented with a nod. “I just think—” My cell phone rang. I picked it up, groaned, and looked up at the clear midday sky, taking a deep breath. “Hello, Rhone, how can I—?”
“Get your ass back to work. You weren’t supposed to take lunch today. I need that Flores report.”
“I am almost done, Rhone. I will be back at the office in ten minutes.”
“I know
