Tears of Tess
Authors: Pepper Winters
Tears of Tess
Copyright
©
2013 Pepper Winters
Published by Pepper Winters
All
rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles
or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses,
places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s
imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This
book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to
share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for
each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not
purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return
it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the
author’s work.
All music lyrics used in this book are written by Pepper
Winters.
Published: Pepper Winters
6
th
September 2013:
[email protected]
Publishing assisted by Black Firefly:
http://www.blackfirefly.com/
(Shedding light on your self-publishing journey)
Editing:
by
Lindsey from Black Firefly and TJ Loveless from Cliff Hanger Editing.
French Translation:
Google Translate and hubby’s help
Cover Design:
by
Ari at Cover it! Designs:
http://salon.io/#coveritdesigns
Proofreading by:
Robin from Black Firefly
Formatting by:
http://www.blackfirefly.com/
Images in Manu
script
from Canstock Photos:
http://www.canstockphoto.com
This
book is dedicated to all the Bloggers, Facebook Friends, Beta Readers,
Reviewers, and Amazing People around the web. The success of Tears of Tess
belongs to you wonderful people.
A
huge, heart-felt thank you.
T
hree
little words.
If
anyone asked what I was most afraid of, what terrified me, stole my breath, and
made my life flicker before my eyes, I would say three little words.
How
could my perfect life plummet so far into hell?
How
could my love for Brax twist so far into unfixable?
The
black musty hood over my head suffocated my thoughts, and I sat with hands
bound behind my back. Twine rubbed my wrists with hungry stringed teeth, ready
to bleed me dry in this new existence.
Noise.
The
cargo door of the airplane opened and footsteps thudded toward us. My senses
were dulled, muted by the black hood; my mind ran amok with terror-filled
images. Would I be raped? Mutilated? Would I ever see Brax again?
Male
voices argued, and someone wrenched my arm upright. I flinched, crying out,
earning a fist to my belly.
Tears
streamed down my face. The first tears I shed, but definitely not the last.
This
was my new future. Fate threw me to the bastards of Hades.
“That
one.”
My
stomach twisted, threatening to evict empty contents. Oh, God.
Three
little words:
I
was sold.
*Starling*
“
W
here
are you taking me, Brax?” I giggled as my boyfriend of two years beamed his
slightly crooked smile and plucked my suitcase from my hands.
We
crossed the threshold of the airport and nerves of excitement fluttered in my
stomach.
A
week ago, Brax surprised me with a romantic dinner and an envelope. I grabbed him
and squeezed him half to death when I pulled free two airplane tickets with the
destinations blacked out by a marker.
My
perfect, sweet boyfriend, Brax Cliffingstone was taking me somewhere exotic.
And that meant connection, sex, fun. Things I sorely needed.
Brax
had never been able to keep a secret. Hell, he was a shockingly bad liar—I
caught his fibs every time when sky-blue eyes darted up and to the left, and
his cute ears blushed.
But,
somehow, he kept quiet on the whole mysterious holiday. Like any normal twenty-year-old
woman, I searched our apartment ruthlessly. Raiding his underwear drawer, the PlayStation
compartment, and all the other secret hidey-holes where he might’ve kept the
real plane reservations. But, for all my snooping, I came up empty.
So,
as I stood in the Melbourne airport, with a crazy happy boyfriend and nerves
rioting in my heart, I could only grin like an idiot.
“Not
telling. The check-in clerk can be the one to ruin my surprise.” He chuckled.
“If it were up to me, I wouldn’t tell you until we arrived at the resort.” He
dropped the suitcase and dragged me toward him with a smirk. “In fact, if I
could, I’d blindfold you until we got there, so it would all be a complete
surprise.”
My
core clenched as thoughts flared with hot images—sexy, sinful visions of Brax
blindfolding me, taking me roughly, completely at his mercy.
Oh, God, don’t
go there again, Tess. You were going to block thoughts like that, remember?
Ignoring
myself, I gasped as Brax’s fingers grazed my flesh. I shuddered, and my sequined
top became insubstantial.
“You
could do that, you know?” I whispered, dropping my eyelids to half-mast. “You
could tie me up….”
Instead
of pouncing and kissing me like crazy for offering him the chance to dominate,
Brax swallowed and looked as if I told him to slap me with a dead fish.