Marian
“Socks?”
I dug through my suitcase. “Got them.”
“Toothbrush? Toothpaste?”
I pointed. “Right here.”
“Panties?”
“Yep.”
“Vibrator?”
I went to point, snapping my attention to my best friend, Penelope, as she burst out laughing.
“What? You’re going to be gone for two weeks. That’s a long time. You really don’t want to forget your toys. Then again, we’re talking about Miami. That place is going to be crawling with hot guys. Hot. Tanned. Muscular—”
“Okay, it’s time for you to go back to your own room.”
My teasing tone had her laughing, only for the smile to fall.
“I’m really going to miss you. Are you sure you have to go?”
“I leave all the time. I’m always bouncing around for work.”
Her bottom lip pouted. “Never for two weeks, and never so far away. This time feels different. I don’t like it. Take vacation and stay here with me. You pretty much run your family’s companies. You’re the boss. Stay.”
“And miss the convention? Penny…”
She let out a long groan, collapsing to my bed. Dark hair splayed over my white comforter making her pale skin stand out even more against her dark blue eyes.
“I forgot about the convention. You’ve been so excited to go. I think it’s the main reason you even decided to meet with your rival.”
“It is.” I smiled. “But not my rival for long. Dodge Corp can either sell to me, or I can destroy them. It’s simple.”
“You’re a shark, and I love it, Marian LaRoe. Savage, dangerous—”
“Shark,” I said, jumping on the bed next to her to lie down. “Sharks are bad. I know this. But I’d rather be a shark than a scared mouse.”
“I’m a scared mouse.”
I turned towards Penny, hearing the shift in her tone.
“You’re allowed to be a scared mouse. You’ve got a shark protecting you. You’re safe now.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “Do you really think so? You gave me a job. You’ve given me a bedroom in the most stupidly expensive building in London.
We have Elliot, your bodyguard.” She paused.
“It’s been almost a year. Yet, I can’t stop looking over my shoulder.
I see him everywhere, Marian. The mask. The blood.
” I reached for her arms hidden under the oversized sweater, forever covered in his scars.
“I—He’s waiting for me. He’s going to find me and try to take me again.
I saw too much when he killed my parents. He won’t stop.”
My head shook. “It was a bluff. A fear tactic. You heard the agents. You heard my friends. They’re looking for the man who took you, and they’ll never stop hunting him down for what he did.” I wiped a single tear that raced over the bridge of her nose. “Besides, shark, remember? I’ll protect you.”
She reached for my hand. “I can’t thank you enough for taking me in. Katia, the lead agent—I know she’s your friend. I know you were doing this as a favor to her, but you have no idea how much this means to me.”
“I trust Katia. She saw something in you, Penny, and I see it too.”
“Weakness?”
“More like strength. It’s there. You’re more of a shark than you know.
You’re just still healing inside, and that can’t be rushed.
We have all the time in the world.” I squeezed her fingers, drawing back my hand.
“And that’s great for me. Maybe not so good for you.
I’m afraid from here on out, you’re just stuck with me. ”
She smiled as the fear retreated. “But not for two weeks. I’m so jealous.
I want to meet what’s-her-name. That fancy author you’re always reading.
She has to be good with how often you’re glued to those books.
I know you’ve used the term dark romance before, and you’ve warned me and explained the sort of content the stories have, but I was going to ask if I could—”
My lips parted as I shot up. For seconds I studied her calming face. She was turning giddy as she pushed the past away. I pulled her to stand. “I shouldn’t be this excited, but oh my God.”
“See, that’s why I want to read them,” she laughed. “Your reaction is addicting. You love those fictional worlds. I want to feel that, Marian. I want to feel something other than fear. I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I’m curious. I want to give it a try.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I want you to read them but—"
“I’ll be okay. The parts you’ve told me about seem a bit scary, but I want to at least try. I need to face this fear. It seems like starting in a book is the best place. Besides, I need this. Like, really, really n—”
I was pulling her to the library before she could finish.
“I get it. I swear I do. You want to start with—No. Not the beginning of the series. We’ll start you with the beginning of the universe. It’ll be perfect since the darkness increases over time. You can adjust. If it’s too dark, you can stop.”
“Dark? I’ve lived the dark, Marian. This can’t be darker than that.”
“I slowed, my eyes narrowing through her flash of anxiety.
“You say you need this. I haven’t been through anything like you, but I do know pain. This does help. A lot. And the stories… Penny, you have no idea how much you’re going to love them. Once you start, you’ll never want to stop. That’s okay, just don’t say I didn’t warn you. You asked for this.”
She laughed as I pushed open the door. I headed to the far-left bookshelf, stopping and freezing as I stared at the spine of an all-too-familiar book. A coldness crept over my skin, and air was almost impossible to take in. For the life of me, I couldn’t reach for it.
“Marian?”
“You’re taking me to a bookstore? I thought you said you were taking me on a date?”
Drayton’s smile broadened. “Would you rather go to dinner?”
“No way,” I laughed, pulling him to the building in the distance. The line waiting to get inside had me glancing up at him puzzled. “Why are they so busy? Is it not open yet?”
He pointed. “It’s open, but we won’t be joining them through the main door. We’ll be going in through the other one.”
“But…” I looked between the main entrance and the side door. “That’s the private signing room. For VIPs.”
“I know.”
More, he smiled as he pulled me into a jog. By the time he was sweeping me inside and presenting our tickets, I could barely contain myself. The banner in the distance. The buzz of excited squeals. The name on the banner.
“You didn’t. Oh my God, you didn’t.” I jerked to a stop, smoothing down my hair and straightening the dark green dress I wore. “It’s her. How do I look? What if I forget to speak? What if I make a fool of myself? I forgot my book!”
Drayton’s smile grew as he eased the tote from my shoulder. “Open it. I slipped Slade inside when you weren’t looking. And you’ve been wanting the newest edition, plus the rest of the series. We’ll get those for you too. Happy Birthday, Marian.”
I didn’t open my bag. I launched myself into Drayton, wrapping my arms around his neck as I pressed my lips into his.
Surprise only lasted a moment. The kiss he returned was scorching.
His tongue pushed into my mouth, and his fingers dug into my back.
I was holding to him so tightly, lost in the way his tongue was massaging into mine.
Had that been my first real kiss? Our first kiss?
It hadn’t felt like it in that moment. I was made to kiss Drayton.
I was perfectly in sync and at home with him.
“…Marian? Earth to Marian?”
I blinked hard, shaking my head.
“Are you okay?”
My mouth would barely move as I nodded, dazed. “Yeah. Wow. Memories.” I grabbed Slade, pulling the paperback free. I couldn’t bear to open the book and look at the message or signature. I had it memorized.
“To Marian and Drayton, the cutest couple I’ve ever seen.”
“Start here.” I handed it over, not missing the sickness that took me over when I did. “Just… protect that book with your life, Penny. To the death.”
“I will. I promise. You should probably get going.”
“Yeah.”
It was all I could manage as I turned and headed back for my room.
Penny hovered in the background, but I couldn’t stop seeing that smile.
Those eyes. The… happiness Drayton held.
I ruined that. I ruined him. Hell, who was I kidding?
I ruined his entire family, just like my mother said I would.
The Penningtons hadn’t been the same after that night.
For a long time after that, they were looked down upon.
Fallen… because of what happened. What he did because of me.
His cousin was dead. Others in our circle had been hurt.
He was lucky he hadn’t gone to jail. He should have.
We all knew he should have paid for that accident.
Or… me. Maybe I should have been the one to pay for his crimes.
That accident hadn’t been the first in his downward spiral, and it was all my fault for what happened.
“Marian, are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m great.”
I zipped up my suitcase, turning as I pulled it from the bed.
How long had it been since I visited the US?
Five years? More? I never stayed long. I couldn’t for fear that I’d see Drayton.
But I knew I wouldn’t. He’d left Chicago behind for California.
Hollywood, to be exact. That’s who he was now.
He wasn’t the Pennington heir anymore. He lost that title because of me, and he gained a new one in its place.
One meant to shame him. Too bad it was fitting for the devil he’d become.
He was every bit the suave bad boy he portrayed to the public.
To the celebrities he governed. Good looking.
Sly. Tempting. Evil. Sinn or Mr. Sinn is what they called him.
Mr. ‘owner of the most elite club in the world’.
Drayton was the fallen. The scandalous. He was, The Devil of Hollywood.