“They probably knew these women would be afraid to go the police.” I set the papers on my desk. Reaching forward, I hooked my fingers around the back of Becca’s neck and tugged her face to mine.
Our lips met in what was supposed to be a quick kiss, but as always, it turned hot and needy fast. Once again, I was reminded that no desire for revenge could ever match the hunger I felt for this woman.
And if I had to spend the rest of my life fighting whatever demons haunted her, I’d do it happily just to see her smile.
Pulling back, I slid my fingers under her chin and tilted her head backward. “We’ll make them pay, princesa. Every single one of them.”
About A.K. Macbride
About A.K.:
Author of romances that leave you with ALL the feels.
She likes her coffee big and strong and her chocolate sinfully dark.
Living in a small town in South Africa, she’s afforded the luxury of being surrounded by mountains and waking up to birds singing their morning songs.
In addition to her coffee and chocolate obsession, she can’t say no to cheesecake or pastry.
When she is not creating emotional reads that tug on heartstrings, she’s busy being a wife to her best friend and a mom to a sassy little girl (whom she wouldn’t want any other way).
She just so happens to love stalkers, so visit her website www.akmacbride.com to see all the different ways you can get your stalk on.
Books by A.K.:
Instant Heat
Shattered
Broken Roads
Deviant
Cassia Brightmore
Prologue
Obsession holds a seductive energy; a pull so strong it snaps morals and rips away layers of decency. When dark desire mingles with unbridled lust, there’s no telling the lengths a person might go to in order to possess the object of their greatest affection.
In a battle of wills, innocence isn’t guaranteed to survive and malice isn’t obliged to obey the rules of polite society.
Deviance shall always have its day.
Chapter One
A slight gust of wind rustled Lola Petersen’s dark hair as she followed the dirt covered path that wound along the trail. The scent of apples and pumpkin faintly permeated the air, a familiar reminder that the season was changing. The leaves had begun their transition from the mossy green colour of summer to a rusty orange in yet another tell-tale sign that fall would be upon them sooner than they thought.
With a smile, Lola tugged on the leash of her chocolate lab, signalling to him that his time stuffing his snout into the pile of leaves and dead grass he’d happily discovered had come to an end.
He looked up at her with pitiful eyes as they continued their walk, a master manipulator when it came to puppy dog expressions of longing.
“Oh, Barkey, cut it out,” she told him with an eye roll for added dramatic effect. “It’s not like you won’t find an equally interesting tree or bush to sniff in the next thirty seconds.” Barkey swung his head around and let out a breath, as if he somehow was unimpressed with her accurate description of his antics.
She’d had him since he was a mere twelve weeks old, and now, at the ripe old age of four, he was still as rambunctious as the day she’d brought him home. A wriggling puppy with big brown eyes slightly too large for his face, and an infectious bark that seemed to be never-ending. It was obvious he knew his own name before she did, and as an instant sucker for his adorableness, he was appropriately named Barkey. He’d been her best friend since day one, a constant companion as she navigated the struggles of high school. Now that she was close to graduation, the freedom to take him on the long hikes he loved opened up while she spent time deciding which of several university offers to accept.
It was her dream to become a registered nurse. It’d been a lot of hard work and extra school courses to ensure she was set up for the option to get into the best universities once she finished high school. She’d spent many sleepless nights and endless hours doubting if she was making the right decision stepping into the medical field. But at the end of the day, it was her dream to help people, and she’d make it a reality no matter the sacrifice.
She already knew what hospital she wanted to work at when she finally got her diploma as a nurse. Lincoln Hospital was one of the most prestigious in the country. If successful, she’d have the opportunity to work in one of the most competitive cardiac programs, complete with access to state of the art research and medical equipment. The oldest seventeen year-old she knew, with her goals firmly in place, it didn’t leave much time for a social life, but that didn’t bother her in the slightest.
A loner at heart, it wasn’t as though she was worried about missing out on a romantic relationship. She’d yet to date anyone seriously, no one had expressed interest. She’d had crushes, sure, but her shy nature held her back from acting on them. That, and the fact that both her older brothers went to the same school. It would be so embarrassing if she dated one of their friends. Instead, she kept her circle small — her best friend, Marti and the few friends they shared. At times, she’d observed the way her brother, Oliver, and step-brother, Beckett embraced their easy popularity, and longed to have the same sort of life, but something always held her back. It might have been the fact that she and Oliver were adopted at a young age. She didn’t quite feel as though she always fit in, or would be accepted as she was. She
