“If you get caught with this, you’re on your own,” Cora Hass said in German to her former boss, Rex Busch, as he approached her near a corner shop on the outskirts of Brixton.
I’d followed her for over an hour without her suspecting or noticing. This screamed that the exhaustion from running had finally taken its toll.
Well, fortunately for me, I’d finally captured my prey.
Cora Hass, or should I say Lillian “Lilly” Lennox, would end the day knowing fate had placed her in the path of the very man she should hope she never met again.
Why she’d picked this area of London for the drop-off surprised me. There had to be a reason. No one without backup would dare venture into this neighborhood.
Hell, my team had eyes on me right now.
“I know the drill,” Rex responded, taking the gift box from her and opening the container. “And how the business works.”
She adjusted the hat over her ears and studied his appearance, and I couldn’t help but smirk at the disgust on her face. She should have warned him to dress a little more casually for the drop-off.
If they were in Berlin, he could have passed himself off like any other well-to-do man in his late thirties. But in this neighborhood, he stood out like a sore thumb.
Lilly, Lilly, Lilly. You should know better than to work with dumbasses.
Then again, said dumbass probably thought he was the cream of the crop when it came to the spy game.
Fucker had no idea we’d watched him for years and waited. Or maybe that was her plan—she wanted people to notice him. Make him stand out. Let the locals see he was an intruder in their midst.
She, on the other hand, fit right in. She wore well-used, nondescript clothes, slightly on the dirty side, with her formerly blond hair covered in a large cap. And if I wasn’t mistaken, a pair of black or brown contacts. In this area, being recognized was a bad thing.
“I want to make sure you understand that all consequences are on your shoulders.”
“Understood.” He studied the device wrapped in cotton, nodded, and smiled. “Amazing how such an inconspicuous thing can cause so much chaos.”
“That’s the story of my life.”
“Sometimes, a little chaos is just what the doctor ordered.” T his man was so full of shit. He hated Lilly on a good day. The sheer fact he was meeting with her today said he was beyond desperate.
And from the flattening of Lilly’s lips, she was well aware of it but would go along with the charade until the payment hit her account.
Busch had a knack for underestimating her intelligence. One day, he’d regret it. Then again, he’d left the comfort and security of his office at the BND in Germany to meet with Lilly.
He had no idea how much trouble he’d just landed in by crossing international borders.
God, I couldn’t wait to get him into an interrogation room.
The second this drop ended, my team waited to collect the asshole.
“Flattery will get you everywhere.” She lifted her wrist and tapped the display on her watch. “Invoice sent.”
He pulled out his phone and typed something. “Payment transferred.”
A few seconds later, an alert appeared on her watch screen. She promptly typed in a code and inclined her head. “Device activated. As always, it’s nice doing business with you.”
As she shifted to pass him in the direction of the London Underground, he said, “I could give you ten times more work if you returned to Berlin.”
“I don’t need the work,” she responded and then added with a tinge of bitterness, “Besides, I can never go back. You made sure of this. Did you forget I have a target on my head? Or that you tried to kill me?”
“What if I said I have the means to clear your record as a way to apologize?”
“The last thing I would do is believe a word you have to say, Rex Busch.”
“You need to listen to my full offer.”
She cocked her head to the side, giving him a look of such disdain that Busch would have no doubt about her feelings toward him. “I don’t need to do anything.”
“Why did you come today?”
“Because I love to see desperation on a man’s face. It soothes the senses. I may need to bottle it.”
Busch grabbed her arm in what looked to be a painful hold. “You’re a bitch, Cora Hass.”
“Yes, I am. But you’re the one who contacted me through back channels that could get you in a lot of trouble, handed me money from a fund that shouldn’t exist, and then flew to another country to procure my product. I’m the bitch you thought was disposable and now need in order to keep your illegal world of information trade going.”
Oh, Lilly, you do know how to hit a man in the balls, especially Rex Busch. His weakness was his ego. The last thing he wanted was a reminder that he was as much a criminal as she was. Actually, even more so. Was Lilly even aware her former boss was also a sex trafficker? I highly doubted it. Men like him kept those kinds of things hidden away, especially from women like her.
Inspired by her years working in corporate America, Sienna loves to serve up stories woven around confident and successful women who know what they want and how to get it, both in – and out – of the bedroom.
Her heroines are fresh, well-educated, and often find love and romance through atypical circumstances. Sienna treats her readers to enticing slices of hot romance infused with empowerment and indulgent satisfaction.
Sienna loves the life of travel and adventure. She plans to visit even the farthest corners of the world and delight in experiencing the variety of cultures along the way. When she isn’t writing or traveling, Sienna is working on her “happily ever after” with her husband and children.
Amy Harrington is struggling to readjust to life at home in Ireland after the cosmopolitan buzz of London. Sick of being the only singleton on the shelf, she longs to find the right man, but the second any potential candidate realises who her famous rugby playing brother is, they spend more time worshipping him than her.
Irish rugby player Ollie Quinn is newly single and ready to mingle. When he meets a brunette in the players’ lounge, he promises to show her Ireland can be every bit as exciting as London, before realising she’s Eddie Harrington’s little sister. Despite the explosive chemistry between them, it’s one promise he can’t keep – everyone knows messing with your friend’s sister is forbidden.
When Amy lands her dream job, physiotherapist to the rugby team, the two are forced to face the growing chemistry between them. Injuries on the pitch seem minimal compared to what Eddie might do if he discovers their dalliances.
Is it simply the temptation of tasting forbidden fruit? Or will forbidden turn into forever?
Perfect romantic reading for fans of Lyssa Kay Adams, Tessa Bailey and Sally Thorne.
‘I’ll show you everything I know.’ His wink is weighted with promise. I slap his arm in a flirtatious feminine fashion that I had no idea I was capable of.
‘If only.’ I don’t even try to deny my attraction to him.
‘You want it, you know you do.’ It’s become our mantra.
‘I never denied it. But what I want, and what I can have are two entirely different things. As you very well know.’ I arch my eyebrows at him and take the kettlebell he offers.
‘I could give you another workout. One which I guarantee will have all of your muscles trembling.’ He stands a foot behind me, both of us watching ourselves in the immaculately polished glass. Strong hands grip my waist, angling my bottom backwards, just inches in front of his groin. I freeze as he traces the length of my spine. His hands settle gently on both my shoulders, before encouraging my body to drop downwards.
‘Squat,’ he whispers seductively in my ear.
The way his darkening eyes focus intently on my figure, exuding a hunger that no food could satisfy, sends my thighs bending and my ass dropping into the slowest, lowest squat of my life. The Lycra covering my backside slides against the soft cotton covering his front. Rising upwards again, I inch further back to brush against him a little harder. His eyes finally leave my body, locking into mine in the mirror – the heat from our stare could melt Antarctica in seconds.
When I reach a fully standing position again, his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows hard. His deep raspy breath tickles my ear as he whispers, ‘Again.’
Lyndsey Gallagher is the kindle bestselling author of six contemporary romance novels, with many more on the way! An unashamed romantic, forever in search of the next happy ever after, her debut novel The Seven Year Itch was inspired by the weekend she met her husband. Lyndsey lives in the West of Ireland overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. She enjoys long walks, deep talks and the occasional G & T!
What do a fake client, an attempted abduction, and a decade of secrets have in common?
Apparently everything.
I don’t remember the shadow realm, but the land recognizes me as someone it once knew.
The lost heir, worshipped and adored… She’s painted on the sides of buildings like some demonic vigilante waiting to accost you in the nearest alleyway.
I’m surrounded by an onyx cloak; from the demons I befriended in my sanctuary to the creatures I grew up with inside the castle walls. Now, even the strangers who desperately need me bring a cloud of darkness to aid in my fight.
The men in my life are spine-chilling monsters, but I might be the worst one of all.
We drifted through the crowd, working our way to the entrance. Hestos bumped me with his elbow, nodding upward.
“Does the pull intensify when you see her?”
I followed his line of vision to see Tezni grinning, his arm wrapped around a petite woman with navy hair that shone more than the searchlights. The mate bond slammed against my chest, possessiveness overtaking me before I could think it through.
Hestos shoulder-checked me, power crackling in his voice, “Don’t. Tez would never hurt Ebony. And he has no intention of crossing the line with our mate. I know you feel the bond, but you’re not the only one. Control yourself. You’re frothing at the mouth right now; you look fucking rabid.”
“I don’t like him touching her.”
“What are you going to do when I touch her?”
“Nothing,” I hissed. “We’ve known we would share a mate for years. I’ve had time to adjust to the ideas of—”
“What if she has another mate?”
I jerked my head back, glaring at the smirk on his face. “We’ve never run into anyone else who—” I growled to myself. “I didn’t think that far ahead.”
“Be rational, Zolren. We might not be her only mates. She could be in there with a boyfriend or a girlfriend who isn’t her mate. She could have a mate and think that’s the only one. Or she can feel this pull right now and not comprehend what it is. Just because we’ve had time to learn and understand, it doesn’t mean she has. Keep that in mind.”
“You’re supposed to be the rational one,” I griped. “I’m reckless and fueled by emotions, diving headfirst into the fray without a care. That’s what I do. Then you come in and shave my ass.”
Hestos shoved me. “I hate it when you do that.”
“Do what?” I blinked innocently, exaggerating the flutter of my lashes.
“Say something stupid while I’m trying to be serious.” He breathed deeply, searching for his patience. “I’m asking you to care about her feelings. Don’t get all hissy and push her away before she even tells us her name.” “But I already know her name, Hes. And so do you.” I squeezed his shoulder as we approached the front security, keeping my voice quiet, my lips nearly touching his ear. “She’s the painted warrior, the lost heir, the Shadow Queen. That’s Onyx Costa, Hes. If you thought we were going to stay out of this war, you’re sorely mistaken.”
M.F. Adele resides in the outskirts of the Rocket City in Alabama. She lives in her overactive imagination, often fueled by caffeine and no sleep. When she isn’t writing, M.F. is outdoors with her family, obsessing over spicy margaritas and cigars, or reading books by her favorite authors.
If you’re looking for M.F. Adele, you can find her on social media in her group:
M.F. Adele’s Hellacious Hybrids.
M.F. loves to interact with her readers, hear character theories, and share embarrassing stories.
