Shania wrinkled her nose in disgust as she entered the living room. All of the furniture was gone, because she had sold it to pay off Aiden's debt. In its place was a blanket and pillow surrounded by booze bottles, ashtrays and trash. Aiden released her arm. "Welcome home, Shania." She stared at him. "Why have you brought me here?" "I wanted to see you, baby. I missed you," he said. "And I know you missed me too. I'm sorry about what happened. I figure we can spend a little time together, get reacquainted and then talk about the casino." Shania shook her head. "That makes no sense, Aiden. Didn't you get the divorce papers?" Aiden shrugged as though it didn't matter. "Yeah, that rich bastard had his lawyer track me down. I don't blame you though, Shania. I know you didn't have a choice. A guy like that would want to keep his toys to himself." Shania hated the way he talked about her relationship with Khalid. "He didn't force me to sign those papers, Aiden. I can't stay married
"Where's Ash?" Khalid demanded, approaching his wife of three months with a fierce frown. Shania turned to him, her arms laden with boxes. Khalid reached out and plucked them from her. Dropping them onto the couch, he pulled her into his arms and nuzzled his favourite spot between her neck and shoulder. She always smelled so fresh and sweet. He licked the spot, enjoying the feel of her pulse speeding up against his tongue. "I sent him on an errand to the shelter. Now that you've made me cut my hours back, he and I worry about Evelyn getting enough of her meals at the shelter. He's going to pick her up and take her himself this afternoon and then drive her home afterward." She tilted her head to the side, giving him better access. "Now, can we talk about the absurd amount of gifts you've sent up? I mean, seriously? I thought you had an empire to run, how do you find the time to buy out all the baby boutiques in town?" Shania wished she was exaggerating, but the staggering amount o
Book Two: Fight or FlightSweat dripped into Ash's eyes, momentarily obscuring his opponent. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs from the last punch he took. He ducked another jab and hit his opponent with a series of strikes to the side and back that brought grunts of pain from his opponent. Van Koslov, otherwise known as The Brick, went down onto one knee, panting. Grinning, Ash jumped back, giving the other man room to recover and get up. Ash was having too much fun to end things now. The match hadn't lasted nearly long enough and this guy was supposed to be one of Sitnikov's best. Ash needed to put on a good show if he was going to attract another sponsor, and sponsor's tended to enjoy long fights with plenty of dirty hits and blood. So far, neither of them has started spontaneously bleeding. Ash's gaze swept the warehouse, searching out some of the bigger players. He was pleased to see Tyson King, one of the city's most prominent businessmen with a penchant for illegal fig
He'd had enough of her teasing. Time to put her mouth to better use. He moved so quickly she barely had time to blink as he lunged across the shower room for her. She was closer to the exit door and whirled around to run. He chased her, dripping across the change room and caught her right as she reached the door. Grabbing her arm, he swung her around and slammed her back against the lockers next to the door. Anya gasped and tilted her head up to stare at him with wide, frightened eyes. He had no intention of hurting her, but he was glad she was taking him a little more seriously. She had made a stupid move, following a champion cage fighter into a dimly lit change room alone and then questioning his ability to tame her. That kind of challenge could only end one way. He hunched his naked shoulders and dropped his head down into the crook of her neck, under her jaw. Water dripped from his hair down her neck, trailing into the neckline of her hooded sweater. Inhaling her sweet fruit
What had she been thinking? Anya shoved the door to her favourite midnight coffee haunt open with a huff. Honestly, teasing a cage fighter and then taking off, leaving him with a dick that could pound wood. She hadn't meant to make out with the guy. He was just so arrogant and masculine, with a body built like a tank and a deep voice that probably made panties drop everywhere he went. Who could blame a girl for getting a little carried away? Anya dropped into a chair, crossed her legs and tried not to squirm. Just the thought of Ash running naked through that change room after her had her body amping back up again, ready for more of those delicious orgasms. She had never felt anything near this level of attraction before and she wasn't certain she liked it. "Thanks babe," she said absently, when her friend Claudia placed a steaming cup of hot chocolate in front of her. Claudia raised her eyebrow, sensing something was off with her usually chatty, sarcastic friend. Claudia's abi
Anya cast a wicked look over the top of her hand, blew on her dice, and tossed them onto the table. She waited breathlessly. Everyone else watched to see how the dice would land, but her eyes were sweeping the casino for any sight of the spiky blond giant she'd come for. "Pair of fours," said the dealer. Anya grinned and accepted congratulations from the tipsy cowboy who had glued himself to her side early in the evening. She had been steadily winning at the craps table, but not so much at her goal for the evening. Ash hadn't made an appearance yet. She was beginning to wonder if he'd seen her and decided to ignore her, or if his boss had sent him on another errand. Khalid had many interests in the city. Ash could have been at any of those other establishments, acting as the boss man's enforcer. Anya felt a hand slide under her very short skirt and squeeze her nearly bare ass. She sighed and, without turning, said as calmly as she could, "You're going to want to remove that hand,
The explicit request coming from those perfect lips of hers was too much. Ash swung her back around on the stool, picked her up by the waist and set her ass on the counter. He kicked the stool away and forced his way into the warmth of her body. He yanked her tiny spaghetti strap shirt down, revealing small breasts that were, to his surprise and intense pleasure, not confined by a bra. "Fuck yeah," he growled, immediately palming one of her breasts in a huge hand. "I'm going to make you come so hard, it'll make the locker room look like child's play." She moaned and tipped her head back, the vibrant blue tips touching the counter top. Her silken skin filled his rough hands. The way her body moved against him, expressing her pleasure, made his head swim and his dick grow so hard against the zipper of his jeans he thought he might explode in his pants. "Can't wait, baby," he mumbled, reaching under her skirt and yanking her panties down her legs. They caught on her boots. He pulled
Ash wanted to punch something but managed to refrain, not wanting to break casino property, which his scarred fists were entirely capable of. He followed her into the elevator looking like the lethal killer he knew he was. Anya looked at him out of the corner of her eye, some of her annoyance fading to be replaced with fear. It wasn't his intent to scare her, but he wanted answers. Like why the fuck did she keep showing up where he was, the epitome of his fantasy woman, twitching her little tail and then running when things got serious? "What's with you?" he asked, stepping in front of her, crowding her. "Why are you leading me on and then pretending there's nothing between us? I know you feel it, feel whatever this connection is." He could tell she was seriously considering not answering or pretending she didn't understand. Then she did the worst thing he'd seen her do so far. She collapsed a little, her small shoulders slumping, and her blue eyes looked at him with fear and vul