Ruined (A Dark Alpha Billionaire Romance) (15 page)

“This went on for about a year, with him touching me and telling me to keep it a secret between us and God. When I was twelve, I finally was able to convince you guys to let me stop working there and the abuse stopped. He never said anything about it, so neither did I. I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me.” My voice trailed off as I looked up into the three faces staring back at me with shocked expressions.

“Gracie…” Daniel put his hand under my chin and tilted my face up to his. He looked down at me with a gentle, loving expression that flooded me with relief. I had been so stupid to keep this secret from him all these years. “Honey, you’ve been through a lot recently. I know you must have experienced some horrible things out there. It is no wonder your head is all messed up. You’ll get better though, with our help.”

“What?” I yelled, pulling my chin back from his grip. “You don’t believe me?!” I turned to look at my parents with a pleading expression.

“Jesus will help you find your way again,” my mother said in a matter-of-fact tone that held no hint of sympathy.

“It is the devil that causes you to make such evil accusations, Grace. We can all pray for you and keep you away from the horrid place that put such ideas in your head. We’ll pray for you to find the goodness of God once again.” My father nodded and looked to Daniel, having made his decision that the conversation was finished.

Anger danced with despair in my heart as I saw the three faces looking at me with disdainful pity. Pity. Scornful pity, not for the abuse I had suffered, but for what they believed was the evil that would cause me to manufacture such a story. I wanted to scream and rage at them, call out all their hypocrisies and self-righteousness and let them know just how low they were. But I didn’t. I silently turned on my heels and walked right back out the front door to where Blake Harrison’s driver was still parked.

“Take me home, please,” I told him, climbing back into the back seat.

“Yes ma’am,” he replied, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

Chapter 12.

Even though I had just spent most of the day sleeping in the car on the way to Mercy River, I felt exhausted as we pulled back onto the highway. I realized that the driver had not slept the entire time either and was probably exhausted as well.

“We can stop for the night if you’re tired,” I said, trying unsuccessfully to stifle my own yawn.

He laughed. “No ma’am. I was in the military. I can go for up to three days without sleep. I should be able to get us back no problem.”

I sat back and looked out the darkening window, contemplating the rollercoaster of emotions and decisions that I had just experienced. All those years I had guarded my secret, afraid that no one would believe me. It turned out that I had been right. Would it have made any difference if I had told my parents the truth when I was eleven instead of waiting until now?

I shook my head, realizing that my heart already knew the answer. My parents would always trust the church and Pastor Rick over their own daughter. They could not comprehend a man of God being capable of such evil. The most painful part was finding out that Daniel was just like them. I had always held some hope in my heart that Daniel was different than the other folks in Mercy River. I thought he could be capable of seeing into my soul and loving me for all my faults. I could have forgiven his other failings, but not this. No, there was only one man who could understand my pain and could love me for all of me. I needed to get back to him.

Somewhere along the way, I fell asleep curled up on the long leather seat. The driver must have covered me with his coat when we stopped for gas, because I woke up with the first rays of the morning sun, curled up under his thick wool coat. I yawned, stretching out my sore limbs and looked out the window as the first rays of light bathed the scenery. The houses we passed were large and fancy, and the lawns were perfectly manicured. I realized we were almost there.

“How close?” I called up to the driver, who still appeared remarkably alert for having driven through the night.

“Only about twenty more minutes,” he replied. “I thought about stopping for breakfast but figured you would rather make it back as soon as possible.”

“Thanks.” I wanted to ask how he could read me so easily, but instead I looked out the window, watching as we drew closer and closer to the Harrison Estate.

It didn’t take long for us to reach the private road and drive down the familiar driveway that lead to Blake’s secluded mansion. I stepped out onto the familiar turf, allowing the fresh, chilly morning air to run over me, making me awake and alert for the conversation to come.

I thanked the driver hastily, but my guilt got the best of me and I quickly ran back to give him a big, warm hug before rushing to the door. I was freezing, but more importantly, I needed to find Blake and bear my heart to him.

Not stopping to say hello to any of the staff, I rushed up the stairs and down the hall towards Blake Harrison’s office. I knocked loudly three times, but there was no response. Gingerly, I tried the doorknob. It didn’t budge. I took off down the halls again and followed the long stairwell up to the next floor. I saw the gleam of light under the door leading to his suite.

“Blake?” I called out, rapping my knuckles against the solid wood door. “Are you in there? It’s Grace. I need to talk to you.”

There was a long silence, and I started to worry that he planned to ignore me until I went away. Just as I was about to knock again, the door opened and Blake stood there shirtless, with only a pair of jeans to cover him.

I found myself staring at his golden, sculpted chest, his perfect abs that were hairless except for a tiny trail leading down from his belly button into the fly of his fitted jeans. The man was really a perfect, masculine Adonis and it was incredibly difficult to concentrate on what I wanted to say when he was standing in front of me without a shirt.

“Hi,” I finally managed to squeak out. “You look good.”

I saw a small smirk play at his mouth before the serious mask of concern replaced it. “What are you doing here, Grace?” he asked, his voice low and smooth. “You are supposed to be home in Mercy River with your boyfriend Daniel.”

“No!” I stamped my foot childishly. I was tired of being told what to do. “Mercy River is not my home, and Daniel is not my boyfriend. Blake, I don’t need to be protected or coddled. I belong here with you.”

Blake pursed his lips and then started to say something, but I interrupted him, the words tumbling faster and faster from my lips.

“I love you Blake. I know you have your demons, I know you will have to deal with them and so will I, for as long as I’m with you. And I want to, because I love you and want to help you. I believe that you will love me despite my demons as well. Daniel couldn’t.”

I stopped and looked up at Blake through the dark fringe of my eyelashes. I could see the struggle playing out on the contours of his face as he thought through everything I had just said.

“What exactly are you talking about, Grace?” he finally asked in a soft voice, reaching his strong hand under my chin and tilting my face up towards his. He looked deep into my eyes and I could feel his love and his concern for me.

So I told him. I told him how my pastor had molested me for a year when I was still a child, and how he had justified it by saying it was what God wanted. I told him how I had kept that secret for so long and how Daniel and my parents had refused to believe me.

“That bastard! Those assholes!” He finally spat out when I finished my story. He was seething with rage, his face contorted. He took my hand in his and pressed his warm lips against my cool skin. “I want to kill that man. You never deserved such a horrible thing, Grace. I am so sorry.”

“Thank you,” I replied quietly as tears sprang to my eyes. This time, they were happy tears. “Thank you for believing me.”

“Of course I believe you!” he exclaimed, wrapping his strong arms around me. “Why would you make something like that up? I’m sorry your family can’t see how messed up they are, but I promise that I am here to protect you now. I understand that I can’t shut you out, just like I never want you to shut me out.”

I smiled up into his gorgeous, angular face, finally feeling that I was home. Blake pressed his warm soft lips to mine in a kiss that was chaste, and sweet, and comforting. I kissed him back harder, letting my tongue wander to the space between his lips.

“You know, Grace,” he said softly and dangerously in my ear. “I bought you some new lingerie that’s arrived from Paris. Would you like to try it on for me? I would love to ruin them with you.”

I blushed, feeling the warm flush in my cheeks move down my body and settle into my core, burning white hot. I nodded shyly, trying to hide my desire to jump right on him without delay. I knew that waiting, teasing, would only make it hotter.

“I would love that,” I replied, batting my eyelashes innocently as Blake stared at me with those dangerous emerald eyes.

Acknowledgements

A big thank you to all my fellow writers who helped me hone my writing and gave me lots of fantastic advice. You guys are the best.

Thank you to my best friend for your constant support and your editing help. I couldn’t have done it without you.

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Check out my previous book,
One Night Stand
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Synopsis:

ONE NIGHT.

It was only supposed to be one night... How did it turn into so much more?

Emma Waterhouse
doesn't have time for guys. College classes and fun with her roommates are more than enough to keep her busy. But when her roommates drag her out for a night of drinking and dancing, she's ready to let loose for one night and break all her own rules.

Lorenzo Romano
is the hottest guy Emma has ever seen and he seems to only have eyes for her. Is he too good to be true? What can one night hurt? One night of hot, mind-blowing action with Lorenzo will be enough, right?

Things take a turn when Emma realizes she's in over her head. There's more to Lorenzo than meets the eye. And one hot night has left her in a world of trouble. The innocent little college girl just fell for the heir to a mafia fortune and a new threats lurks around every corner. She should turn her back on Lorenzo and everything he represents…but how can she ignore her burning need for him?

Read on for a preview….

PART 1:

Seduced

“No!” I protested as Ava and Riley yanked on my arms, pulling me from my pile of textbooks until I was reluctantly standing in front of them.

“Emma, you are coming out with us. You’ve been buried in books all semester and you need to let loose,” Ava said in that tone of voice she got whenever she took charge, which was all too often. There was no use fighting her when she had made up her mind. Ava was a force of nature, with her wild red curls and boisterous personality.

“Alright,” I agreed in defeat. I was pretty much the opposite of Ava. I preferred to blend into the background and go with the flow so I could avoid conflict as much as possible. Riley said it was the middle child in me that made me a people pleaser. She was probably right, as usual.

Ava was already riffling through my drawers and Riley looked on in amusement. We had been roommates for three years now and all notions of privacy and personal space had long since been discarded.

“Perfect!” Ava squealed, holding up a tight, short red dress that she had managed to find in the depths of my drawer. “You won’t look like our chaperone tonight. You need to show off that hot bod!”

“Oh, come on. I don’t even think I can fit in that dress anymore,” I replied, eyeing it dubiously. To be honest, I had only ever worn it in the dressing room, when my friends and I went shopping and I had to be talked into buying it.

“You’ll look incredible,” Riley assured me. “Let me do your makeup and I promise you’ll be the most stunning girl in the club.”

I nodded and sighed. There was no use in arguing with my roommates.  Plus, I hadn’t had a good night out in ages and I needed to get my mind off of Economics and History for at least one night.

Less than two hours later, we were ready to go. I looked at my reflection dubiously as my roommates squealed in glee.

“Are you sure I don’t look like a massive slut?” I asked, eyeing the way my slender curves looked almost pornographic in the skimpy red dress that clung to me like a second skin.

“You look freaking hot!” Ava replied and Riley nodded in agreement.

I had to admit, that I did look pretty amazing with my hair styled in long, loose waves that added depth to my thick, dark tresses. Riley had worked her magic on my face with a dark smokey eye and red gloss that made my lips look exceptionally pouty.

“Let’s go drink!” Riley sang out, doing a little twirl so her dress swished out around her legs and her long, straight blonde hair swirled around her. She was a classic knockout and lots of fun, but unlike your typical party girl she was also really smart and a great friend. I was really lucky to have such amazing friends, but sometimes I felt mousey and unimpressive when I stood between them.

We showed up at the club just as the music and dancing was really starting to pick up. It felt good to be surrounded by so much life, music, and dancing. We made a beeline for the bar and pushed our way through the crowd until we caught the bartender’s eye.

“What would you ladies like?” he asked, eyeing us up and down.
Perv
. He was old enough to be our father.

“Three vodka sodas, please,” I shouted over the loud music.

“It’s on me,” said a deep voice to my left.

I turned and laid eyes on the hottest guy I had ever seen.  He was tall and completely ripped, with dark hair and a mischievous smile that told me he was used to getting his way with girls. I couldn’t exactly blame them; my mind immediately wandered to how it would feel to have his strong body pressed against me, those manly hands wandering over my naked skin. I dug my nails into my palm to steady myself and wipe away the dirty thoughts that kept invading my brain.

“Thank you,” I finally managed to stammer.

Ava and Riley were smirking and exchanging knowing looks beside me. “Yes, thank you,” they added, a little too sweetly. I knew their thoughts were anything but angelic.

“I couldn’t let such a beautiful girl buy her own drink tonight,” he replied in the deepest, sexiest, manliest voice ever. I felt myself melting at the sound. He was too good to be true, and he would never go for a girl like me. I turned away so he wouldn’t catch me staring, but I didn’t miss the quick wink he gave me.
I’m probably imagining things
, I told myself. My hormones must be out of whack.

We took our drinks and wandered over to an open space on the dance floor so we could get our bodies moving while we sipped the alcohol.

“You should have asked him to dance,” Ava berated me once we were out of earshot of the handsome stranger.

“I’m pretty sure he would have preferred to dance with one of you two,” I replied, sneakily glancing over to see if the stranger had moved on to another pack of girls.

Instead, he was sipping a drink and leaning against the bar, while looking directly over at my friends and me.
He is probably looking at Riley
, I reminded myself. With her long blonde hair and model-perfect body, men usually swooned over her.

“Nope, he definitely only had eyes for you,” Riley said with a laugh. “In fact, I think he is still checking you out. You should wave him over.”

“No, stop!” I swatted down Ava’s arm as she reached over to wave at him. “You two are incorrigible. He’s out of my league.”

They both grinned at me and shook their heads. “Not true. It is obvious you want him,” Ava laughed, taking a swig of her vodka soda. “You were practically drooling when you saw him at the bar.”

“I was not!”

“Were too!” Riley added. “But come dance with me now. I bet he would like a show.”

I couldn’t resist dancing with my friends. The alcohol was starting to make my thoughts fuzzy and my body wanted to move to the music. I nodded and downed the rest of my drink, following my friends into the middle of the room. We moved our hips, letting the music take over as we gyrated and twirled. I was having so much fun I almost forgot about the sexy stranger. Almost.

“Emma sandwich!” Ava called out, and came up behind me pressing herself against my back as she danced. Riley danced up against my front, making sure to run her hands over my curves to show them off.  I laughed and almost fell over as my friends danced against me pornographically.

“Let’s get another round,” I called out as the song changed.

“Best idea you’ve had all night.” Ava grabbed our hands and pulled us to the bar, where the sexy stranger still stood, his dark hair falling in his face just perfectly as he watched us with amusement.

“Would you ladies like another round?” he asked.

“Yeah, but you don’t have to buy them for us,” I responded as my friends shook their heads at me.

“It would be my pleasure,” he said, his green eyes twinkling. “A beautiful lady should never pay for her own drink.”

As he ordered our drinks, I tried not to stare at his perfectly chiseled jaw and the way his shirt showed off the sharp cut of his muscles. The man looked like my fantasy of a perfect sex god brought to life and I was having trouble concentrating on anything but him.

“I’m Riley, this is Ava, and our beautiful friend here is Emma,” my roommate offered as I stared dumbly at the man.

“Pleased to meet you,” he replied to all of us, but his eyes remained focused on me. “I’m Lorenzo. I would like to get to know you better, Emma.”

“Thanks for the drinks. We’ll leave you two alone now,” Ava added with a big wink as the bartender handed us our second round.

I blushed, and tried to hide it by taking a swig of alcohol. It didn’t work.

“Ignore my friends. They can be less than subtle sometimes,” I muttered, looking up at Lorenzo’s tanned, angular face over the edge of my glass.

“I think they noticed me staring at you all night,” Lorenzo replied in his honeyed voice, giving me a smile that was an intoxicating mix of cocky, mysterious, and sensual. I could feel my core melting at the sight.

“Why were you staring?” I asked innocently.

I wasn’t usually one to fish for compliments, but I needed to hear Lorenzo say he actually wanted me. Otherwise, I would never believe it was true. The man looked like he could have any girl in the club. Why was he staring at just me?

“I couldn’t keep my eyes off your delicious body and sweet, pretty face,” Lorenzo whispered, leaning in so I could feel his hot breath on my ear. He tucked a rogue strand of hair behind the ear, then ran his fingers lightly over my lips. “I just keep thinking of all the incredibly filthy things I would like to do to you.”

“Oh!” I gasped in response, feeling my knees weaken in response to his touch.

“Would you like that, Emma? Would you like to come back with me and let me fuck you in every way imaginable?”

“Yes!” I squeaked out. “Yes, please.” My body was feeling light and shaky. I needed to feel his hands on me again.