Salt Kissed Love (a Tomb of Ashen Tears Book 1)

by Kailee Reese Samuels

  “I love you, Angel…more than words…”

  Curling into my embrace, Iris rambles, “I love you, Lucy.”

  Minutes later, I hear her breathing—asleep.

  Flipping through my phone, I check my mail and the Juliet site as the words from the wedding transpose in my sheer burnout.

  A night to remember, a day never to forget.

  I am bothered by my mind twisting the words into a labyrinth, but I attribute it to nothing more than tiredness. I stay awake as long as I can, hoping that Jaid will text my ass back. She never does and I find it peculiar and slightly off, but it doesn’t take long before I succumb to the slumber with my sleeping, fucked up Angel.

  SAL

  My eyes flash open as the Glock presses to my temple. And I am caught in the moment, memorizing everything. I have never had a gun actually touching my head. Seems to be worth a mental snapshot.

  Unfortunately, all I can see is the ruffle of the white sheets and the singular stray red hair on the pillow. I know who holds the gun. And I have no doubt, she seriously considers firing it.

  When faced with the possibility of execution after a night like we had or letting her go, a moment passes where the cost may not be worth it. A price I have never deemed worth paying for me. I cannot do that. I am not programmed to check out. “Angel?”

  “You are my intended target,” she whispers, not moving the gun and kissing my cheek. “If I stay with you now, I die. If I leave, we both have a fighting chance. I’ll see you on the flip side, Nero.”

  “Don’t go,” I beg as the reality sinks in, “We can figure it out.”

  “We cannot make pieces for a puzzle we don’t even have though,” she argues as I close my eyes and think briefly that maybe she should just kill me. Because I cannot imagine her breathing and not being by her side. “I flipped out last night. I am dangerous for me—for you.”

  “Yes, but you cannot just go,” I whisper, rolling over as she moves the gun and I notice the shiny silver hoop still on her finger. “You don’t just get to check out.”

  “That’s where your wrong,” she counters as I see her for the first time. She helped herself to the gift boxes in the back of my truck. Under the fedora, I notice she has bleached her hair a platinum blonde. I rub my finger over the large white pearl and gold buttons on the white coat I bought from the thrift store and note the vintage lingerie, peeking out from underneath. “Everything has a price, Sally.”

  Shifting my body, I place my hands on either side of her hips and note the time on the clock—2:34. I am not sure why I slept so long. “You cannot just run…”

  “You cannot keep me safe anymore. I have done things. Things you don’t know about and things you will never forgive.”

  “I am in love with you, Iris,” I stress, not believing the reality of the nightmarish hell, bubbling to the surface in my world. “Every little flaw in you is a drop of perfection in my hands.”

  With a blink, she whispers, “On Cesario Raniero’s orders, I killed Angelo Gennaro, Agent Raniero.”

  The gravity hits as the earthquake of unimaginable magnitude rumbles the ground beneath me.

  My fists clutch the sheet as the monster rises up from abyss and the tide surges angrily. “How?”

  “It doesn’t really matter,” she says, biting her lip. “You want to know who is running La Morte? I am running La Morte. The band of merry thugs is mine, and I will do whatever it takes to get the job done. I have the focus; I am the focus.”

  The walls in my mind collapse as the boxes fall and open, spilling their contents in a landslide. The papers of the past fly and soar—Chance, Kaci, Bertrand, Cesario, Gennaro, the Pony Girl, the Butterfly, Dom, and even Miss Chicago.

  Taking a cigarette out of my pack, Iris lights it with a match from Highlandale before dropping it onto my painstaking work of six years. I want to yell, but I am too in shock.

  Her red, heart-shaped lips exhale a cloud of nicotine above my head as she raves with a smirk, “Thanks for the cash, Raniero.”

  “You wouldn’t…” I warn as thunderclouds erupt in my psyche. Lightning flashes, paralyzing me as it strikes willfully and haphazard. I stare solemn as everything I built burns to the ground.

  “You know,” she boasts, pocketing my gun. “They say keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but what I believe is to keep your fucks,” she taunts, laying her hand on the sheet at my cock, “Deep inside your pussy, down your throat, or hell, maybe even up your ass.”

  “You cannot just go,” I plead, sitting up and grabbing her wrist. The rage fires in my mind like an inferno of our history books turning to cinders as her diamond cuffs sparkle under my grasp. “I love you…”

  “That’s kind, sweetheart,” she acknowledges, writhing out from beneath my hand. “But this is about one thing—survival.”

  Her lips press against mine in a solid, goodbye kiss. Our mouths align and open up with a passion lashing in the hollow. The sensual intimate kiss urges with desperation as I garner enough strength to give a full-on-Raniero-tongue-lashing. I know she is leaving as I can taste the farewell on her tongue and I cast a glance at my rosary, dangling delicately from her neck.

  “Trust me, Lucas,” she moans into my lips, luring with her blinking sapphires and gripping my hands. The clock comes into focus as the reality barrels under my nose. This is the end—our breakup—and the moment I fear most. Shattering my emeralds, I close my eyes, shut. “I’ll see you on the other side. Remember to chase the butterflies.”

  This is over.

  We are through.

  And this is what death feels like.

  As if in slow motion, the clocks ticks, and the woman I love and no longer know spins away as she tosses the fedora. Her pretty blonde strands whoosh through the air as she steals my Bolle sunglasses off the dresser and adds them to her ensemble.

  I cannot breathe. I cannot think. Everything is such a fucked-up mess as the years disintegrate into nothing more than ash. The globule rolls into a massive boulder of nothingness as the high waves threaten its very existence.

  Tears stream down my cheeks as I touch my bare neck. Her leaving destructs in an instant, the massive gale swooping in and sucking up everything in her wake. She extinguishes my blaze in her siren monsoon. And it’s my own damn fault as I have given my all without care or regard to my own safety—my own protection—my own salvation overlooked for the sake of keeping one—my Angel.

  The door shutting draws my racked, naked body out of bed as I chase after the floating holy celestial being. I run fast over the embers without a care. So, fast the hot coals singe my skin and char my flesh from my bones.

  Opening the door, I ignore the gathering and roar at the black SUV in the distance, whipping up in a cloud of dust. “No!!!”

  She is gone.

  Iris is gone.

  She left me.

  I want to keep you and give you my all. I need to love you. Please come back. Come back and give me one more chance. Please rewind it all. This isn’t happening. None of this is real as I make deals with the devil in God’s house here in the middle of nowhere.

  “Lucas Salvatore Raniero?”

  “Yes, Sir?” I say to the men in uniform as the pulsing globule explodes in my hands.

  “You are wanted for the murder of Lydia Kettles,” he declares, spinning my body around and shoving me into the wall as my fury reignites, sparking into a fight. Flurrying through my dusty mental map, I rummage through the remnants to find Iris’ mother—Lydia Kettles—the last one connected to Daddy Gennaro and the only one I forgot to stash. Struggling against the men, I push and pull against their boundaries as they impose their threatening stance upon me. “You have the right to remain silent…”

  The rest of the words blur as the Miranda Rights clutch a noose around my neck and a new Dominant takes control of my world. The silver cuffs cinch tight around my wrists as the rings tether my insidious monster.

  “It’s a beautiful day,” I snicker, “And
this isn’t fucking over…”

  Ms. Samuels Notes

  SALT KISSED LOVE…

  Where to start?

  The idea for this book arrived right after I started writing Juliet. I expected this to actually be book two of The Juliet Collection at the time. However, after traveling the SOS journey and RIDE series, I just felt that would be a complete injustice to not only Sal & Iris, but so many of the other characters that you have told me you love—Jack, Tank, Serene, Mierne, Kate, Anna, and Bertrand just to name a few.

  So, I made the decision quite recently to isolate Sal & Iris’ story in a tomb of Ashen Tears and have Juliet continue on as a separate entity. Expect Juliet Book 2 in 2018 and I anticipate that within the course of the Juliet books, Sal and Iris will continue to be mentioned though their roles are more supporting from Juliet Book 2 onward.

  Because obviously, if you have made it this far—things are pretty fucked up. Expect TAT Book 2 in 2018 as well. If we’re lucky, maybe 2 and 3 as well as some other random genre-hopping goodness.

  When I approached Coach about this book, I was warned if I went into first person with Sal’s head that I needed to be careful and not get lost because “it is a dark place.” Every word she said was spot on. Sal Raniero ended up showing me some things even I never imagined over the course of these pages.

  Sal continues to be a driving force behind most of my work and despite what happens in 2018, never forget that. I will not leave his story dangling. Mama don’t roll that way. At the same time though, I think stretching my writing abilities across some other genres will be an excellent study for me as a writer.

  Iris Kettles. Let’s just leave this alone.

  I am teasing. I think Iris’ evolution from Juliet to now is almost as impressive as Sal’s only she didn’t get a whole set written about her. (SOS) And yes, I am pondering that idea. Maybe. She is at times darker than Sal and in ways more menacing because I never see it coming until it’s on the page.

  I would like to mention Jaid. Only because I think she is often overlooked, but her scenes in this book were some of the most entertaining to write.

  One of my favorite scenes in the whole book hits back to my favorite scene in Juliet at Ella Hemsworth’s hotel suite with Sal and Iris. I love the whole pre-scene in the truck leading up to the sex on the window panes. I also love the early scene at the cemetery with Sal and Iris. The damn winter white coat three times over. Sal felt so bad.

  I have been told to thank individual people, but the problem with that is I will inevitably end up leaving someone out. And far be it from me to ever be rude! I would like to thank all of the fangirls at Sami’s Sinners, Street Squad, and Arc Army who work tirelessly to promote my ass—with your fuel, we are managing together to build a dream and I cannot ever thank you enough! My team and inner circle have busted their asses to keep my head above the water with this book and I cannot thank you enough. To my crew out at the farmhouse, I am forever indebted and love you all…more than words.

  I want to thank everyone for your continued support.

  Love & Light. Enjoy the ride!

  XO,

  kailee

  I would like to personally thank Kim Campbell Jones for her Salted Caramel Brownie recipe in the Sami’s Sinners Bake-Off Competition.

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  IRIS & SAL

  FOREVER ALWAYS

  Also by Kailee Reese Samuels

  Juliet

  Kinky Sex Magic - An Author’s Cut Novella

  Salt Kissed Love

  The SoS (Story of Salvatore) Series

  The Initiation

  Tea for Two

  Grunt

  Hopechest

  The Ride Series

  Fluff

  Bounce

  RAW

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  kaileereesesamuels.com

  Juliet

  To have and hold, love and cherish, til death do us part…

  When an unexpected twist of fate hands Iris her worst nightmare, the world spins out of control. As she falls apart, Iris finds comfort in her unpredictable behavior. With mysterious clues hidden by her husband, Iris drives away from her life to uncover the world he kept hidden for years.

  Small town Sugargrove, Texas is unlike anything Iris has ever experienced. Foreboding, dark, and sensual, the enchanting Juliet academy lures Iris with hopes of discovering who she really is. Making friends and meeting people, she delves into the treacherous world of her surrender. But when she encounters Salvatore Raniero, the sexy alpha male ignites her in unimaginable ways, haunting her every thought and showing her a new kind of high.

  As she learns Sal is more than the mischievous sexual provocateur of Juliet, revealing a composed and thoughtful side, Iris wonders what else is hiding behind his mesmerizing ebony, emerald eyes. Pushing her into an even deeper erotic journey, Iris soars with her newfound freedom in the collar.

  The secrets unfurl as the web of lies continues to grow, and Iris realizes she is not the girl she once was. Trapped between a lonely past and an unknown future, she is left with the daunting task of deciding what she truly desires and who she wants to obey.

  A love story doesn't always go the way it should, sometimes the path to forever is a twisting, spiraling, and flying ride.

  JULIET is Kailee Reese Samuels full-length debut novel.

  Kailee Reese Samuels

  JULIET

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  An excerpt from Juliet:

  “You aren’t going to show well if you don’t relax. Think of it this way; no one is going to want to spank you or fuck you for that matter if you look stiff as a corpse. You have to relax,” Sal instructed.

  Walking behind her, Sal rubbed her shoulders. “You have to loosen up. Trust me, I have been doing this for six years. I may have never been in comp, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been to them. Stressed, tense corpses don’t get gold, babe,” Sal boasted, sounding like a know-it-all.

  He winked at her with his oh-so-fucking-perfect white smile, but all Iris wanted to do was slap his smirk off his gorgeous face. Her academic competitive nature kicked her in the ass, and she took his help as a criticism. From the fire raging in her heart, Iris didn’t handle it well at all. Her jealousy of Sal had become toxic, and Iris didn’t even know why.

  “Why are you even bothering to help me?” Iris sassed, her words scathing over him with snide hint.

  “Because you have the potential—a lot of potential,” Sal admitted, running his finger along her collar bone to her neck. “And I’d hate to see it go to waste,” Sal whispered.

  He walked away to finish cleaning up, when Iris dared to ask, “You are looking at me like a top…”

  “I’m looking at you like someone who cares about you,” Sal snapped, spinning around.

  “Isn’t that what a good Dom is?” Iris smarted off, questioning the submissive in him.He continued picking up, acting like he had given up paying attention. When in reality, he didn’t know how to respond. So he did what he did best and came up with a dangerou
s little flirt for Iris to chew on or finger herself to, whichever she preferred.

  “If you want me to be your Dom, then I will be that for you. But in return, you have to be willing to get on your knees for me,” Sal pushed, cocking a dirty grin her way.

  Wizard’s words—play the game—ran through her mind, she needed to say something, anything. And she had to do it fast. She had to do it now. Opening her mouth, Iris couldn’t believe the words, spilling tantalizingly from her lips. “As soon as I can get on my knees, I will.”

  Sal stopped—stunned, shocked, and awestruck—all at once. Iris spoke his native tongue without a translator. And he about fell over when she finished it with a “Sir.”

  Kailee Reese Samuels

  JULIET

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  Kinky Sex Magic

  Sex is sex. Love is love.

  When Sal Raniero is contracted to find incriminating information on his former Mistress, the only payment he requests is the whereabouts of his best friend Iris Kettles. The friendship by day twists and turns into a turbulent love, but at night she craves his seduction.

  Like a rogue eclipsed in the shadows, he stands guard, ready to attack. He’s following Iris, watching her eat and sleep, flirt and f@#k. Protecting and stalking, Sal keeps his submissive safe.

  Fearing never deserving or earning his love and respect, Iris accepts her fate. She cannot let go with Sal. So she runs, unable to stop and face the truth in Sal’s eyes. His love unequal, he will always be there, chasing her down with relentless devotion. Pushing further away, Iris enters a dangerous game, confronting the men who want to hurt her body and hating herself for knowing the Master she truly needs to completely surrender.