Keeping Her: A Dark Romance (Keep Me Series Book 1)

by Angela Snyder

  Hesitantly, I wrap my arms around her, pressing and holding her deliciously naked body against mine. And this suddenly feels…real…too real. It's as if the circumstances of our situation no longer exist. We're just a normal couple making love for the first time, and nothing else and no one else in the world fucking matters.

  "Fuck, Adeline," I growl against her neck, no longer being able to tell which way is up. I'm so fucking confused and blissed out of my mind on her. She's like a drug that I can't stop craving more of.

  I slowly and methodically piston my hips against her over and over again; my entire body feeling like it's on fire. I'm so close, so fucking close. But I want to feel her come one last time.

  When I feel her tight walls gripping me like a glove and the needy rocking of her hips, I know she's close too. I pull back a few inches to look at her devastatingly beautiful face, and our gazes stay locked as I drag one last orgasm from her. Adeline clutches to me as if I'm her lifeline, her body flush with mine as she shudders and cries out my fucking name.

  Hearing my name mixed in with her moans drives me over the edge.

  The last waves of her orgasm clench around my length, milking my cock as bright, hot pleasure crashes over me, sending burning sparks down my spine. I come with a shout, thrusting erratically into her three more times before completely stilling inside of her.

  Groaning, I close my eyes and lick my lips. My arms shake as I struggle to hold my weight off of her. I've never come so hard in my entire life, and the feeling is euphoric, almost surreal.

  I open my eyes and stare down at her green orbs, which are studying me. I take in every feature of her beautiful face, etching it into my memory. Our time together is almost up, and I desperately want to remember this moment forever.

  The thought of not having her again almost guts me.

  And it's in that moment that I realize for the first time ever…I don't want to let her go.

  CHAPTER 19

  ADELINE

  I STARE UP at Lucien as he hovers over me, breathing harshly. His eyes are transfixed on me as I quake underneath him from the aftershocks of what felt like my millionth orgasm. Groaning, he closes his eyes and licks his full lips that I suddenly want to kiss.

  What just happened between us is indescribable. I wouldn't be able to describe it even if I wanted to. Something shifted between us, and he became so much more than my captor.

  He became my lover.

  And for one miniscule second, I allowed myself to play into the fantasy, holding onto him like I never wanted to let go of the dream.

  My euphoria is short lived, however, because Lucien's warm gaze suddenly grows icy, and the ever-present scowl that I've become used to appears on his face once more. Without so much as a word or a caressing touch, he pulls out of me, leaving me feeling cold and confused.

  He tosses the condom into a small trashcan by the nightstand and begins to quickly get dressed. Mumbling to himself, I can see the emotions as they play out on his face.

  Satisfaction…confusion…apprehension…and…regret.

  The last one hits me hard as his dark gaze finally meets mine. A few minutes ago, he was making love to me like I was the most precious thing in the world to him.

  But now…now it's almost as if he's looking through me. Like I don't exist. Like I'm some discarded, little plaything.

  Hastily, I wrap the sheets around my nudity, suddenly feeling very vulnerable and exposed.

  Lucien reaches into his pants pocket for a bottle I instantly recognize. He squirts a large amount of the sanitizer all over his palm before hurriedly scrubbing his fingers, hands, wrists and muscular forearms.

  Tears fill my eyes as I watch his ritual. Does he think I'm…dirty? Is he disgusted by me?

  I can't stop the self-deprecating questions from bombarding my mind. And then I quickly tell myself I don't care. I shouldn't care. Not about this. Certainly not about him.

  Lucien let me touch him even though I told him I wouldn't. Keeping my hands on the bedframe proved to be more than difficult when he tore through my virginity. The pain was sharp, but, thankfully, quick. And before I knew it, my hands were roaming all over his sculpted chest, arms and shoulders.

  When I moved my hands to his muscular back, however, I felt numerous scars marring his flawless skin. I couldn't help but run my fingertips over the jagged grooves as he moved inside of me. The scars somehow made him more…human, in my mind.

  This formidable, unapproachable man, who personified perfection, suddenly became flawed.

  There is a reason Lucien is the way he is, and perhaps that knowledge of knowing there's a deep meaning behind all of this is keeping me from freaking out right now.

  "So what happens now?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady, but failing miserably.

  "Jax will arrange everything for you to return home," he says in a cool tone, shooting me wary sidelong glances. He's detached and so much unlike how he was just a few moments ago with me.

  Growing angrier by the second and feeling dejected now that the afterglow of my first time has evaporated, I ask him, "So you're going to let me go and just kidnap another girl to have sex with?" My tone is dripping with acid, and I hate that the thought of him with another woman makes me suddenly jealous.

  He turns and looks at me, momentarily stopping the lathering of sanitizer on his hands.

  Before he can answer me, I decide that I need to ask the question that has been in the forefront of my mind since day one.

  "Why me?" I ask, and my voice is barely above a whisper. When he cocks his brow in confusion, I clarify. "Why did you choose me? Out of all the girls in the world, why did you choose me?"

  His thick brows pinch together over his dark, intense eyes as he says, "I didn't choose you. You were chosen for me. Your handler didn't explain any of this to you?" he asks, and I can hear the frustration in his voice.

  His words are not making any sense. I was chosen? By whom? And what in the hell is a handler? Someone who kidnaps poor girls off the street to sell them to rich perverts, who then in turn steal their virginity?

  The way he's talking and acting…it's like I should already know all of this and what I've gotten myself into. As if I had a choice.

  "You keep talking about a handler. Is that what you call the man who kidnapped me?" I can sense the anger starting to roll off of him in waves, but I can't seem to make myself shut up. "I don't know who chose me for you. In fact, I don't know anything about this deal you supposedly have with these people. I was kidnapped at gunpoint while I was walking home with Giovanni, my fiancé," I tell him honestly.

  My words seem to visibly wound him, and he takes a step back as if their force is too much to bear. His eyes narrow for a moment before he shakes his head, a flash of irritation crossing his face. "You're lying," he hisses.

  Now it's my turn to be hurt by his words, and they cut me straight to the bone. "Why would I lie about this?" I ask, my eyes shimmering with tears and blurring the man before me, who is starting to look more like a monster every second that passes. "Giovanni and I had just left a restaurant and were walking home when a group of men in ski masks showed up out of nowhere. A man with a gun grabbed me and knocked me out," I say, gently brushing past the spot on my temple that is still sore from the brunt force. "That's the last thing I remember…before waking up here."

  Lucien's hands clench into fists at his sides as he glares at me. How could he be mad when he orchestrated it all?

  Unless he didn't.

  And then realization slowly dawns on me.

  Lucien said I was chosen for him, so what if this is all one giant mistake? What if they kidnapped the wrong girl? Maybe I wasn't even supposed to be here in the first place.

  Before I can say anything else, Lucien walks to the door, inputs the code and leaves, slamming the door behind him. I stare at the door for a while, expecting him to come back in, but he never does.

  Tears stream down my cheeks as a sob tears from my throat. Everything that
has happened in the past hour and a half hits me like a ton of bricks.

  What have I done?

  If this was all a mistake…then I just gave my virginity to someone who has no reason to keep me here, who might have released me once I explained to him what had happened to me.

  Feeling disgusted with myself, I jump out of bed and run to the bathroom. I barely make it to the toilet in time before I'm retching and throwing up the contents of the dinner I shared with him.

  Feeling weak and nauseated, I slowly stand up and turn the hot water knob for the shower. When I get in, the scalding water pelts my skin, but I can barely feel it. Fisting the soap in my hands, I vigorously scrub away any remnants of our time together.

  When my skin is red and rubbed raw and I can no longer take the scorching water, I turn off the shower and dry off. Not bothering to dress or do my hair, I simply wrap another towel around myself, return to the bedroom and collapse onto the bed, pulling the sheet and comforter up around me and sobbing into the pillow.

  What have I done?

  Giovanni will never forgive me.

  CHAPTER 20

  LUCIEN

  AFTER A LONG and arduous shower, which left my skin raw and bleeding, I flee to the sanctity of my office, locking myself inside.

  My mind runs a million miles a minute as what Adeline confessed to me repeats over and over again in my mind like a broken fucking record.

  She had told me that she'd been kidnapped at gunpoint and that she's engaged --- fucking engaged --- to a man named Giovanni. The name still has me reeling as I sit down in front of my computer and bring it out of sleep mode.

  Scowling, I begin to pore over the notes I have on Giovanni Morello. Even though his emails are always encrypted and he attempts to cover his tracks, his offshore account to where I wired his money was easy enough to trace. Thus, providing me with a plethora of information on my supplier.

  I frown when I don't find what I'm looking for in my files. I only have intricate details about his business dealings, contacts and activities, but nothing on his personal life. But then again, why would I? Why would I care about who he's fucking?

  But now I'm intrigued. Now I must know everything and see if Adeline was really telling me the truth. I find it hard to believe that her fiancé is the same man who sold her, even if they do share the same first name. That idea in and of itself is so fucked up that I refuse to believe it until I see proof.

  As I'm bringing up all my safeguards to keep me from being tracked by anyone while I search the web, I think back to the email Giovanni had sent me when we began this transaction. There was something that should have stuck out to me like a flashing beacon of light on dark waters in the middle of the ocean.

  You will receive the goods once I receive the cash.

  And I expect her to be released once you get what you paid for.

  He never requested that the prior four girls be released; clearly having not given a shit what happened to the girls before Adeline. Someone must have informed him that I release the girls after I'm done with them. Perhaps one of the girls went back to Giovanni and told him what happened.

  I start with the simplest of ways to garner information --- a Google search. Typing in the name Giovanni Morello and Adeline, a few hits pop up right away. Numerous photos come up under the images tab, photos that were taken at some kind of charity event. And when I see her last name in one of the captions, alarm bells start going off in my head.

  Valenti.

  Adeline is the youngest daughter of Salvatore Valenti, the mafia king of the east coast and the man I'm planning on taking down with a vengeance. As I change my search criteria and add the last name Valenti, my worst fears come true --- Adeline is engaged to her father's right-hand man, Giovanni Morello.

  The bastard sold me his fiancé.

  I sit back in my chair, trying to make sense of it all. What in the fuck would possess Giovanni to sell his boss's daughter to me? I'm pretty certain that Valenti would have no qualms about killing his future son-in-law if he knew the truth.

  And then I begin to question all the possible motives behind selling Adeline to me. Was Adeline sent here to spy on me? Does she have a tracker on her that could lead them right to me?

  Shaking my head, I think back to Adeline's confusion when she first arrived. Unless she's a trained actress or a pathological liar, there is no way on earth she knows who I am or what she's doing here. Besides, Jackson always does a thorough check for any foreign objects imbedded in the girls' bodies. And before they even get on the plane, one of my men removes any personal effects the women may have. I have too much to lose if anyone would find me, so I don't take any chances.

  No. I think Adeline was kept in the dark about this whole thing, and that makes me angry. Giovanni knows the fucking rules. I want the girls to come to me willingly. I'm offering them a lot of money in return for what I want, what I need. And many girls are willing to offer me that. I've never had to take it by force.

  That would make me truly a monster, just like the ones who hurt me in my past.

  I search through article after article, digesting every piece of information I can on Adeline Valenti. She's a socialite, but also considered a recluse, only coming out of her white castle for social events run by her father.

  Salvatore Valenti likes to put on airs frequently, and it looks to me like Adeline is more like a prized possession than his daughter. He likes to show her off and throw money around. He has so many crooked cops in his back pocket that he doesn't need to worry about the consequences of showcasing his wealth. In fact, he thrives at being able to brag.

  I gather numerous pictures of her, pulling them from Facebook and various gossip magazine sites, and I stare at them for what seems like hours. Adeline is beautiful. No. She's painfully fucking gorgeous with long brown hair, jade-green eyes and a body that supermodels would envy. With a perfect smile and full, plump lips, she is a fucking wet dream, and the cameras love her.

  However, the one thing that stands out the most in the photographs of Adeline is that she rarely smiles.

  Judging on her expensive clothes and jewelry, her world may seem like a fairytale to most, but I have a feeling it's nothing more than a carefully crafted façade. Jackson had told me about the bruises covering her body.

  Was Morello or Valenti hurting Adeline? I desperately want to find out.

  The fierce need to protect her grows stronger by the minute, and I have to rein in these foreign emotions that are suddenly bombarding me.

  After spending hours searching and finding everything I can about Adeline Valenti, I make copious notes about her in a Word document that I can print out and save for my files.

  Her father is a scumbag. He deals in everything from drugs to guns…to the flesh trade, buying and selling women and children with no remorse for his actions. The latter is why I have been trying to gather enough evidence to bring his entire empire down.

  I just have to wonder if Adeline knows what kind of a man her father truly is.

  No. I doubt she knows her father's true dealings in the dark underbelly of society. He probably plays off his work as strictly moving money around, never revealing the true sources of his power.

  Something strikes me as I glance over everything I uncovered. There are no articles about Adeline being missing. Her disappearance would most likely make headlines…or there would be some kind of inkling somewhere.

  After more digging, I discover that Salvatore Valenti had booked a flight to California the morning of the agreed upon date that Adeline was to be brought to me.

  One of the lines from Morello's email hits me hard once again.

  And I expect her to be released once you get what you paid for.

  What if Giovanni was desperate? And what if Adeline's father isn't aware of our dealings? Maybe this was all done without his knowledge. I do not believe that Salvatore would let his daughter be sold…especially the daughter who he clearly keeps under lock and key.

  All
signs are pointing to one fact --- Giovanni sold his fiancée to me, and he wants her back soon…before her father finds out she was ever missing.

  CHAPTER 21

  LUCIEN

  JACKSON WALKS INTO my office the next morning with a puzzled look on his face. He's dressed in a light blue long-sleeve shirt and dark jeans, looking bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and all that crap --- the exact opposite of me.

  "You look like shit," he tells me, never one to pull any punches. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

  I shake my head solemnly. After I learned the truth about my little captive, I couldn't shut my brain off long enough to even get a wink of sleep.

  And as if not sleeping wasn't enough punishment, I ambled into the state-of-the-art gym on the first floor and ran for hours on the treadmill, my feet pounding away until my mind and body were devoid of anything but pain and exertion.

  Jax shifts from one foot to the other nervously. I'm sure he has a lot of questions on his mind, but he's not going to ask them. He knows better. Instead, he says, "You didn't say anything about getting the plane ready today."

  I simply shrug, not really wanting to talk about the inner conflict I'm having about sending Adeline away.

  "Well, you slept with her last night, so ---."

  I narrow my eyes at him. "How do you know we slept together?" I demand.

  "Luc, relax. My bedroom is right down the hall. I could hear…everything," he says with a knowing smirk.

  The fact that my cousin was privy to hearing Adeline's pleasure-filled cries angers me beyond belief. I stand, my hands curling into fists. "From your room…or from right outside the door?" I ask him calmly even though I'm anything but calm right now.

  It wouldn't be the first time Jax has overstepped his boundaries and been a voyeur.

  It's kind of his thing.

  He stares down at the floor, and I immediately know the answer. Swiping a hand down my face, I shake my head and say, "I would tell you that you have a serious problem, but we both know who the more fucked-up man in the room is." I flash him a sardonic smile. "Your…fetish is nothing compared to what I'm dealing with up here," I say while tapping on my temple.