by Sierra Hill
6 months later - Roman
I fidget with my ten-thousand-dollar, diamond-encrusted watch, a gift from the groom, as I wait impatiently for my brothers, West and Faron, to arrive.
I’ve been waiting in the anterior room of the old Gothic cathedral in the heart of Paris now for over fifteen minutes, while the groom and groomsmen got ready down the hall.
I chose to wait, already having come dressed for the occasion, in a room so dark and medieval, the stone walls practically screaming of stories untold of dungeons and knights locked deep within its confine; filled with centuries of weddings, baptisms, and funerals that have occurred inside these cathedral walls.
All related to death in my opinion.
My tuxedo and cummerbund feel abnormally stifling, much like the cloistering effects of the small room, even though I frequently wear this suit to black-tie affairs. But today it chokes my breath and my throat constricts every time I try to swallow.
You’d assume the panic clawing up my spine is the stress related to my own wedding day. A day that equates to the loss of freedom and a future filled with only one woman for the rest of your life. The day you’re shackled with the proverbial ball-and-chain.
But no, it’s not my sentencing day. It belongs to my older brother Faron, who is marrying his fiancée, Gemma. The woman he met under the strangest of circumstances and who we ended up holding for ransom in order to get the jewel we’d been promised by her father.
Ironically, in a strange turn of events, her father double-crossed us, and then ended up being murdered. Not by our hands, although if we’d had it our way, my brothers and I would’ve done the deed ourselves. Because that’s what you do to protect someone you love. And Faron truly loves his Gem.
I suppose my actions could be construed as similar based on what I did to protect Serene the night her life was in jeopardy. The night a very powerful man thought he could have her without her permission.
Without my permission.
That’s the kicker in this bizarre and twisted tale. Until that night, I hadn’t even realized that I was in love with Serene. I didn’t grasp just how deep my attraction for her really went and how far I would go to save and protect her.
With her gorgeous brown skin, luminous silver eyes, and a body that made any man in her vicinity beg to have her, there’s no question I wanted her the minute I laid eyes on her.
But I didn’t beg. I made her beg.
Which she did on her own volition many times over the past year. She begged for me while on her knees before I would fuck her mouth with my cock. Or while on her back with her legs spread wide, each ankle tied to the posts on the bed, her luscious cunt dripping with arousal as she cried out for me to take her hard.
And holy fuck, she was the best I’ve ever had. No one else since has even come marginally close to what Serene did to me. She is an ever-constant reminder of what I can’t have and it’s for her own good that things happened the way they did.
I reassured myself it wasn’t love. Love was only an illusion and didn’t exist in my world. It was simply a dark, haunting lust. A deep, passionate, spine-thrilling lust that kept her in my thoughts every waking moment of the day. And every long, sleep-deprived night without her.
Then one night the unthinkable happened and I did the only thing I could to protect her. To save her from the world I’d created for her. The world where my actions and the people I associated with finally unveiled what a monster I’d turned into.
And to redeem myself, I had to remedy the problem.
What I did to save her was the right thing - even though it caused irreparable harm and severed our connection.
Even after moving her out of the club for her own good and into a secure location as Faron’s assistant, providing her a protected workplace, she hates me for it. She no longer looks me in the eyes. And when and if she does, her silvery-luminescent gaze is filled with fiery disgust and hatred toward me.
Can I blame her?
What I did had to happen to save her from further harm. To save her life and keep her from being taken from me. Things had to be done to ensure my precious beauty would always be near.
“Hey, you got the rings I gave you?” Faron interrupts my self-loathing thoughts as he steps into the room, wearing a similar tux and a blue flower on his lapel. Weston files in behind him, looking uninterested and bored – his normal expression.
I pat my front pocket and nod. “Of course. I wouldn’t let anything happen to these precious gems.”
Faron, my older brother, looks pleased with my efforts and squeezes my shoulder. “Thanks. And how about the flask?”
Chuckling, I waggle my brows and extract the small sterling silver flask from the inside of my jacket, unscrewing the top and handing it to him.
As he takes a healthy swig, I make sure to get my jabs in now before the processional begins. “You know you still have time to back out if you’re that nervous. Or sign the prenup.”
This was a sticking point between me and Faron in the weeks leading up to this day. I was opposed to the fact that he didn’t require a prenuptial contract between him and Gemma. It made no sense to me knowing we’d built this empire as a family and now Gem could easily take it away from all of us with just the click of a pen.
It’s not that I don’t like Gem or trust her, but she’s an outsider. An American jewel thief who didn’t have a dime to her name before she met us. She lived under her criminal father’s thumb, and they’d already shown us the lengths they’d go to in order to get what they wanted. Although her father is no longer with us, the wounds are still fresh, and for me they haven’t yet healed over completely for me to feel one hundred percent comfortable with Gem. But we’re getting there.
However, Faron wouldn’t listen to my concerns. He’s given his heart to Gemma and trusts her implicitly. He has found the woman who he loves enough to marry, and therefore says he will honor her with his trust. And his fortunes.
Faron stares me down with a mutinous glare. “Enough with that shit, Rome. We’ve gone over this, and it’s done. Today is about love and celebration.”
“And lots of fucking,” chimes in West, who lifts his head from his phone with a smirk.
We all laugh at the truth in West’s statement. In fact, I’m pretty sure Faron has already indulged in some pre-marital fornication earlier this morning with his bride-to-be, the insatiable fucker. The look of satisfaction is written all across his face.
Faron has certain appetites and proclivities that his once virginal fiancée has become very fond of. Before they were engaged, I even got in on some of the fun, because that’s how we roll in our family. West, on the other hand, is a bit more reserved with his preferences. And that’s okay. More for me.
But lately, Faron and Gem have kept their sex life a bit more private, away from the exposure our club offers lovers who enjoy the thrill of sexual exhibition.
A knock on the door sounds the warning that the ceremony is about to begin. “It’s time,” says the clergy assistant as he peaks in the crack through the door.
Faron heaves in a deep breath and returns to the flask to me. I take a large gulp and offer it to West, who casually shakes his head. Recapping the lid, I slide it back into my inside jacket pocket and smack Faron on the back.
“Well, although you didn’t heed my warnings, I still love you, brother, and I’m behind you one hundred percent. Now let’s go get you hitched.”
West opens the door and walks out in front, followed by Faron and then me. We head down the long, marbled hallway to a small arched doorway leading into the chapel where the priest is already in waiting.
The pews are filled with hundreds of friends and business acquaintances, mostly those we know, as Gem has no family or friends here in Europe or Paris, specifically.
However, she has grown friendly with Serene. In fact, Serene is her only bridesmaid and maid of honor today. My entire body tightens at the knowledge that I’ll be sharing the evening with the elegant beaut
y tonight, which I hope might lead to a rekindling of sorts later.
Maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll find a way to get her alone, push her up against a wall in one of these low-lit alcoves, slip my hand underneath her silky dress and bury my cock deep inside her.
One can always hope.
The music of the processional begins, filling the rafters with the sounds of a pipe organ and drowns out my internal porn reel, as the double doors open for the wedding party to enter the sanctuary.
Closing my eyes against the flood of emotion, I steel myself against what I know will have a profound effect on me, as I watch Serene walk down the aisle toward the pulpit. Breathing in my resolve, I open again, and in a flash I’m assaulted by her elegant beauty. Like a goddess or princess. An ethereal angel.
Her lavender silk gown drapes over her lush curves, exposing her dark, flawless smooth skin. Her hair is done up in a fancy chignon, a sparkling barrette clasped on the right side. Her cheeks glow with a pinky color, her silver eyes outshining even the brilliance of the diamond necklace that falls between her breasts.
And then she lifts her eyes and finds mine, latching on as if we’re tethered together as she walks forward in her graceful strides. My breath falters, as if lightning has struck my heart with a flash of the future and steals every doubt that has been buried within me.
A future where I’m not the best man and she’s not a bridesmaid.
A future in which she doesn’t despise me for ruining her life.
A future where it’s just the two of us together in this moment, where we’re not the ones standing up at someone else’s wedding.
Acknowledgments
To Arti Nihalani – my Bollywood dancing, Zumba queen and Precious Treasures jewelry store owner extraordinaire friend. Your schedule was crazy and packed with travel all over the world, but I appreciate you taking the time to share your insights with me on the jewelry and gemstone wholesale business. It was fascinating to learn about the process, and even though I only used a small portion of the research notes, it fueled my imagination to help craft this story. Thank you!
To Julie Kuykendall and Bryan Burgmaier for connecting me with a local jeweler. Thanks for your continued support of my writing endeavors, my friends!
To Christine Yates, my proofreader with Piece by Piece. Your advice and suggestions are always appreciated. Love you, girl.
Lastly, to my readers. This book was a new venture for me. A little darker, a bit suspenseful and definitely different from my normal writing style. I hope you enjoyed it and I appreciate you giving it a read. Sometimes we have to step out of your normal routine and try something new – which is exactly what I did with the Precious Gems story. It challenged me to think in a different way and to write outside my comfort zone.
I hope your interest is piqued and you’ll want to learn more about Roman and Serene in the upcoming book, Precious Beauty (The Blake Brothers #2).
About the Author
Sierra writes new adult and sizzling hot contemporary romance. She’s written and published 24 novels, including the award-winning college sports series, Courting Love and the twice award-finalist erotic ménage serial, Reckless – The Smoky Mountain Trio.
Her latest new adult/college romance series, Change of Hearts is available NOW only on Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
Sierra lives with her husband and dog in the Seattle area. She is a sucker for cheap accessories, loves anything dark chocolate, and enjoys rocking out at live concerts.
Subscribe to her email list here: www.sierrahillbooks.com
Also by Sierra Hill
Change of Hearts (A Standalone College Campus Series)
Game Changer (Single Dad/Nanny)
Change in Strategy (An Office Romance)
Courting Love (A College Sports Series)
Full Court Press
The Rebound
Pivot
Fast Break
Jump Shot
Reckless – The Smoky Mountain Trio
(Menage serial)
Reckless Youth
Reckless Abandon
Reckless Hearts
Reckless – The Smoky Mountain trio boxset
The Physical Series (An Erotic series)
Physical Touch
More Than Physical
Physical Distraction
Physical Connection
Standalones/Flirt Club
One More Minute With You
Character Flaws
His Fairytale Princess
Whipped: A Second Helpings Story
Resolution: Road Trip (A Resolution Pact Story)
The Waiting Game (A Friends-to-Lovers Story)
Spring Break Navy Seal (A Spring Breakers story)
Her True Blue (A Fireworks Series)
Cowboy’s Kiss
Finding Her Way boxset
Santa’s Special Delivery (A Sleeping with the Scrooge Short Holiday Romance)
The Slope King
Stepbrother X2
