Cut So Deep

by Stasia Black

  And then I hear it—the wet noise of fingers sliding in and out of what must be her soaking sex. She’s that wet— Godfuckingdammit—

  Bryce goes on about relationships with contractors and manufacturing plants and how he wants to share his connections with me.

  Even distracted as I am, my bullshit detector goes off. “And you’d just hand them over?”

  Bryce smiles affably as he nods and then he spits some more bullshit that’s too good to be true.

  Even if it wasn’t, nothing on earth could ever make me get into bed with this bastard again.

  Enough.

  I’ve seen what he wanted, sat through his bizarre show, now it’s time to get out of here. As alluring as she is, the woman is not my problem.

  “I was never interested in military applications.” I shake my head. “And I stopped playing your games a long time ago, Bryce. You said if I sat through this meal, I’d get CQ-9.” I fold my cloth napkin and place it beside my plate. “I’m not in the mood for dessert. I fulfilled my end of the bargain.” By focusing just on Bryce and not letting myself look at Callie, I’ve even managed to tame my hard-on.

  Right as I move to stand, though, Callie stiffens and lets out a small cry. She grabs the tablecloth and I can’t help staring as her whole face transforms in unbridled ecstasy.

  I’m immediately rock hard again.

  It’s not just a flash in the pan either. It goes on and on, shudders wracking her body as her back arches up off her chair.

  When it finally ends, she takes a huge gulp of air and her eyes open.

  And then she looks utterly mortified.

  Her eyes and mouth both pop open wide, not in pleasure, but total horror at knowing that I obviously just saw her climax and knew what was happening all along.

  Then her eyes flash to Bryce and her face absolutely crumbles. Her eyebrows drop and her mouth closes. Her shoulders fall and I’ve never seen anyone look more defeated. I’d swear I just watched her realize something, and whatever it was, it was soul-crushing.

  It’s not just a guess anymore.

  Bryce is up to his mind-fuck mastery as always, and this woman is his latest victim.

  Bryce comes over and holds out a hand for me to shake. I don’t miss the fact that it’s the hand that was just inside her. I take it and grasp his hand in a finger-crushing grip.

  His smile never wavers.

  “Don’t forget I know you,” Bryce says. He leans in. “You might be number one in the US, but if you want CubeThink to be internationally competitive, you need an edge. I’m offering it to you. Why don’t you mull over the opportunity and get back to me?”

  He pulls me forward and gives me another hard pat on the back. Then the fucking bastard slips a thong in the front pocket of my jacket.

  By the way Callie cringes and turns away, her face coloring with humiliation, I have no doubt it’s hers.

  “Perhaps after you’ve had some time for further consideration, I could have Miss Cruise send over more proposal details.”

  Bryce holds out an arm for Callie. She takes it, shoulders still hunched, face to the ground. She doesn’t look back at me.

  When the fucker puts his hand on the small of her back to guide her out of the room, it’s almost too much. The image of a wolf leading a lamb to the slaughter stays ingrained in my mind long after they leave.

  Thirty minutes later, I was still sitting there, my food long gone cold.

  The waitress finally came back and apologetically explained that she needed to clear the table for another party.

  As I strode out of the restaurant, I’d already made up my mind. I touched the screen on my phone and call the lead private investigator I’ve got looking into Bryce.

  “Get me everything you can on a woman named Calliope Cruise. ASAP.”

  I may not have been able to save that girl so long ago. God, because of Bryce, I was even the main participant in her destruction.

  But God help me, I’ll save this one.

  Famous fucking last words.

  Because here I am, all these months later. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what that evil bastard motherfucker did to her.

  That you didn’t stop him from doing to her.

  I look around the park. Parents playing with their children. It hurts seeing it. I wanted that with her. Wanted it all. Marriage. Kids. She was my forever.

  No. Not was. IS.

  She is my forever.

  If she’ll have me. If I can ever atone for my sins.

  I’m not good enough for her. I’ve known that all along. But after everything, I’m a selfish motherfucker, and if she’ll have me, I’ll worship her till the day I die.

  I shoot up off of the park bench. Sitting here wallowing isn’t doing anybody any good. Action. It’s what I’ve always been best at.

  Because before we can have our happily ever after, we have to cut the head off a snake.

  The epic conclusion to Callie, Jackson, and Bryce’s story can be found in BREAK SO SOFT, available now.

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  Also by Stasia Black

  MARRIAGE RAFFLE SERIES

  Theirs to Protect

  Theirs to Pleasure

  Their Bride

  Theirs to Defy

  STUD RANCH STANDALONE SERIES

  The Virgin and the Beast: a Beauty and the Beast Tale (prequel)

  Hunter: a Snow White Romance

  The Virgin Next Door: a Ménage Romance

  BREAK SO SOFT SERIES

  Cut So Deep

  Break So Soft

  Acknowledgments

  First and foremost, I have to thank my amazing husband, probably in every book I’ll ever write. You give me the support and love and cheerleading that keeps me going. Love you, babe.

  My Minnesota writer’s group gals helped this book get off the ground. Thanks so much, I miss you fabulous ladies! Then I had a group of tremendous beta readers for this book that gave me amazing feedback: Karina (love that you’ve read all my books, past and present, hugs babe!), Belinda Donaldson (your quick feedback was SO amazing!), Amanda (the very first person to read Crush Me, thank you so much!), Lindsay Johnston (gah, your feedback was so super duper wicked helpful!) and last but not least, Kristin Leigh Jones (you always kick my butt in the best way!).

  Thank you to Nicki at Swish Design and Editing for her proofreading pass.

  And thank you, beautiful readers! Without you literally none of this would be possible. Thanks for taking a chance on a new author :) If you want to continue discovering sexy romantic stories that ride the motherf#@ing edge, I’ve got several more books coming out in the coming months.

  About the Author

  Stasia grew up in Texas, recently spent a freezing five-year stint in Minnesota, and now is happily planted in sunny California, which she will never, ever leave.

  She loves writing, reading, listening to podcasts, and has recently taken up biking after a twenty-year sabbatical (and has the bumps and bruises to prove it). She lives with her own personal cheerleader, aka, her handsome husband, and their teenage son. Wow. Typing that makes her feel old. And writing about herself in the third person makes her feel a little like a nutjob, but ahem! Where were we?

  Stasia's drawn to romantic stories that don't take the easy way out. She wants to see beneath people's veneer and poke into their dark places, their twisted motives, and their deepest desires. Basically, she wants to create characters that make readers alternately laugh, cry ugly tears, want to toss their kindles across the room, and then declare they have
a new FBB (forever book boyfriend).