by Angel Payne
—#1 New York Times Bestseller Audrey Carlan
“A turbulent, emotional ride…I loved every twist and turn and every up and down. The Temptation Court series was excellent and I highly recommend it!”
—Oh My Growing TBR Blog
“What a ride and what a rush!”
—Niki’s Book Addiction
“Heat, passion, desire and angst rule this story. Oh, Cassian is so naughty and alpha while Ella is spirited, innocent, passionate, and sweet. There is intrigue, action, adventure and conspiracy, plus the alpha male who takes what he wants and doesn’t care what is in his way or who. That is why I Love Angel Payne; she writes it as it needs to be written…I must say, this is one of my favorite stories branching off from the Cimarron series and I cannot wait for more.”
—April’s Blog of Awesomeness
“Oh, the power and passion between these two! Their relationship is so steamy, so sensual!”
—Bookalicious Book Babes
“Sighing in abject happiness. There is nothing like getting to read a book from one of your favorite authors, especially when it is one of those books that you just can’t put down. Not for dinner, not for sleep, (juuust one more chapter); not for anything—thus proving that Angel Payne is the Queen of Contemporary Erotic Suspense. She’s truly the top in her genre, which is just one of the reasons she’s always been on my automatic one-click list.”
—Knotty Girl Reviews
“Be prepared to read this book in one sitting—and have the tissues handy if you’re a crier like me. I sat down after dinner to read this, and finished reading my copy at 7am the next day.”
—Kimmie Sue’s Book Reviews
“A hot, passionate read. So steamy, you will be turning the pages as if they are on fire.”
—Socially Awkward Book Nerd
“The kind of read that has smoldering heat along with touching scenes that bring out the feels. The attraction between the two main characters was like a slow burn, building up to something exciting and explosive. I loved Mishella with her innocence and strength. Cassian is sexy with all his secrets. The author did a wonderful job in describing the different worlds and places. It had an almost magical feel to it and I felt transported to a different place. I loved it. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and now I’m a huge fan!”
—Once Upon an Alpha
“I extremely enjoyed seeing the mix of cultures in this book…and as with all of Angel Payne’s books, the subtle pop culture references are awesome. I look for them in all of her books. Being a nerd girl at heart, they just make the book for that side of me. There are several people in my “sister-hood-ship” that I will be sharing this book with—and I will never look at turrets the same way now! Thank the Creator that Angel Payne was inspired to write Cassian and Mishella’s story!”
—Snuggle Books Blog
FOR THE SECRETS OF STONE
(WRITTEN WITH VICTORIA BLUE)
“Blue and Payne have a style that is like smooth whiskey…goes down hot and lingers for a while.”
—The Jeep Diva
“Ms. Payne and Ms. Blue combined to give us a truly well-written story full of everything that every girl dreams of. Sometimes when stories are written in POV’s between the two characters, you have to go back and forth because it is easy to get lost. But with Killian and Claire, these two authors made an easy transition that I found nice because the story was smooth and easy to follow. Ms. Payne and Ms. Blue blended each of their writings into one seamlessly woven tapestry that complimented each other’s style. This story had just the right amount of creativity… hot sex, witty dialogue, and likable characters that not only draw you into their story and lives but are very relatable.”
—Romancing The Book
“Completely sigh-worthy…the heat they generated could have caused fissures to erupt in the earth’s core. An enjoyable read that makes us believe fairy tales very well could come true.”
—The Romance Reviews
“It’s romantic, it’s beautiful, and Mr. Stone is incredibly swoon-worthy. I devoured this book in one night.”
—Shayna Renee’s Spicy Reads
“A whopper of a read. There’s everything in this book to keep the reader hooked, And the description of THAT kiss…ohh, la la!”
—Noble Book Reviews
“Exceeded my expectations. I was surprised at how emotional I became while reading the book. I was able to connect so much to these characters that I was concerned for their welfare. 5 bright and shining stars.”
—A Thousand Lives Book Blog
“An OMG page-turner that will blow your mind. I loved every minute!”
—Paranormaly Yours Reviews
“Payne and Blue have taken the traditional fairy tale romance and made it perfect for our generation to dream and strive for. Thank you for a Cinderella we can all be proud of and a prince to rival all princes!”
—The Book Fairy
“WOW. This book. Part of me doesn’t have words. I really enjoyed this.”
—Twin Opinions Reviews
“This book is fantastic! Blue and Payne play off one another so well. The sex is off the charts, the banter is awesome; I couldn’t stop reading.”
—Niki’s Book Addiction
“GREAT read!”
—Book Boyfriend Hangover
“A MUST READ. Total hotness right from the start. This story had me laughing and crying; prepare your emotions for a ride. Highly recommended.”
—Radical Reads Book Blog
“I will be thinking about this story long after I put it down.”
—Sizzling Hot Books
“A can’t-put-it-down read…well-written with suspense, humor, and lots of dirty bedroom talk. It won’t let you go!”
—DRC Promotions Blog
“Very well-written…great chemistry…a book that will leave you wanting more.”
—Battery-Operated Book Blog
“Sweet. Funny. Quirky. Angsty. Sexy. A different change of pace…but easy to follow.”
—Renee Entress’s Blog
Chapter One
‡
“Hot. Really hot. And hard.”
“No way. Slow and sexy.”
“Girl, please. Look at his posture.”
“Looking.”
“And that says ‘slow’ to you…how? That man likes being large and in charge.”
“Can’t we just wish he prefers both? A lot of both?”
“Maybe he’ll let one of us explore the issue further.”
“After we’re done with the dog-and-pony show tonight.”
“You mean after Tracy’s done with it?”
That was it. The banter between her two closest friends finally made Tracy Rhodes choke on her “soothing” cup of tea. She set the cup down on the dressing table, swiveled in the high makeup chair, and unloaded two rounds of exasperation at Gemini Vann, aka her Chief Counsel, and Veronica Gallo, her Media Secretary. At the moment, however, they were distracting thorns, numbers one and two. “Not helping with the ‘relax’ segment of the schedule, girls.”
Relax. If that were possible. Down the hall, an army of Las Vegas Convention Center staffers readied a hall that would soon seat thousands. In a little over an hour, all those seats would be filled—with people waiting to hear what she had to say. About a subject she knew all of three damn things about. Okay, two and a half. She needed all the help she could get.
That officially nixed relaxation.
Calm. Maybe calm was achievable—though that depended on getting five minutes of deep breathing. Time sure as hell laughed at that one. Sound check was in ten minutes, followed by half a dozen this-can’t-wait phone calls then a meeting with local schoolchildren. And space? Fifteen people in a twelve-by-twelve dressing room might be someone’s idea of space, but she wasn’t that someone.
There were a lot of “someones” she never thought life would turn her into by now.
Widow.
Single mo
m.
Entrepreneur.
Vice President of the United States.
Annnnd there went the possibility of calm.
Before her nerves could start their usual run with that, Gemini came to the rescue, holding out a bottled water. With eyes half a shade lighter than hers and the same somewhere-between-blonde-and-brunette hair, many mistook Gem as her sister. Neither of them refuted the claims. Why bother when it might as well have been truth?
“Better to ask forgiveness, right?” The woman’s blue-silver gaze sparkled. “So…errrmm…sorry, boss?”
Tracy took a second to think of a good zinger as comeback. It was all the opening needed for the strawberry blonde poised at the other end of the mirror. Veronica, actually looking like a Veronica instead of the shortened version of Ronnie she preferred, pointedly cleared her throat. “You mean ‘sorry, Madame Vice President’, right?”
Gem snorted. “She was my pinky-swear bestie long before she was DC’s darling. She’ll be the same long after they’ve moved on to the news cycle’s next favorite flavor. Still,”—she nodded Tracy’s way—“sorry, Madame Vice President.”
Tracy stifled a chuckle. “You’re forgiven, Madame Counsel to the Vice President.”
Gem glanced across the room again. “Just for that, I’m ogling the new guy again.”
“Not if I beat you to it.” Ronnie snuck in a long stare at the cluster of men near the door—“men” seeming the worst ration of a word for the sight. At least ten better definitions came to Tracy’s mind for the dark-suited group.
Giants.
Fighters.
Leaders.
Alphas.
Rulers.
Annnnd that did it. She was now a member of the gawk-a-thon too. And that was a surprise…why? With the turn her life had taken in the last year, there’d barely been time for a little self-induced fun in the sheets, let alone activities like—gasp—a date. And if she could even find the time for that? What then? One couldn’t trade small talk about the job over dessert and coffee when most of that information was classified. One couldn’t invite a guy up for a nightcap when Secret Service was opening the car door, and the street address was One Observatory Circle.
Even if that wasn’t the case, she had to consider Luke.
Like she did in every decision she made. In every breath she took.
Well. Speak of the handsome devil now.
No. Not a devil. Despite the glints in his eyes and the cant of his grin, her son would always be her perfect gift from heaven. A little extreme? Of course. A thought process she’d have to revise one day? Definitely. But not today and not now, even if staring at Luke meant she had to keep looking at the suited hunks, now engaging him in caveman-worthy fist locks and shoulder bumps. The lump in her throat swelled bigger as she watched his attempts at reciprocation, all gangly limbs and fifteen-year-old bravado, clearly worshipping the warriors who joked around with him—
Until he locked gazes with the new arrival to the gang.
The one who made the others, even with their linebacker shoulders and towering thighs, look like his wimpy kid brothers.
The one who still had Gem’s and Ronnie’s tongues dragging on the floor.
The one who turned her kid into a speechless slab.
Especially the next moment, when he turned and gripped Luke in a thoroughly masculine handshake. With their hands locked, the man’s fingers stretched halfway to Luke’s elbow.
“Holy shit.” Gem rasped at the sight.
“Holy something,” Ronnie seconded.
“Sssshh,” Tracy admonished. “He’s talking.”
And she didn’t want to miss a second of it.
Because his voice was the most alluring thing about him.
Dear. God. That. Voice.
Deep as his dark, watchful eyes. Formidable as the shoulders straining at every stitch of his jacket. Warm as his caramel-colored skin but cool as his control. It was the kind of voice she could imagine in the front lines of battle—but also at the pulse points in her neck. And other places on her body…
Holy. Cow.
Well…holy something. Cows weren’t exactly at the mental forefront at the moment. Stallions, maybe. Or mambas. Maybe even werewolves.
No, no, and no.
Pumas.
Dark ones.
Ding, ding, ding. When the metaphor fits…
She really did need to make a date with the electric boyfriend soon.
“It’s Luke, right?” the hulk was saying. “Good to meet you, man. I’m John. How’s it jammin’?” The query came with a nod at the phone into which Luke’s ear buds were plugged, drawing her attention to the extreme skull cut of the guy’s ink-black hair—another element of utter hotness. “Yeah,” he murmured, stepping closer to study Luke’s playlist. “That’s some beatin’ stuff.”
Okay, forget about playing coy. Tracy escalated her gawk to an open ogle. John the hulk had to be part wizard or druid or sorcerer—whatever the hell Luke’s video-game-of-the-month was calling them—to entrance her son into revealing the hallowed contents of his playlist.
Not a druid.
Maybe a god.
He sure as hell looked like one.
Moved like one too. She looked on, certain she added drool to her gawk, as he greeted Sol Wrightman, who’d entered and made a beeline for him. They clasped hands then butted shoulders, making her notice John the hulk was taller than the agent in charge of her Secret Service detail, who was no small man. The bigger difference was in their demeanors. Sol was a constant dervish, full of jagged energy. John’s movements were just as powerful but fluid in their force, flowing from one action to the next, backed by the strong surety of all those muscles. No, she couldn’t see them. But she damn well knew they were there.
Sol was accompanied by another man, whom she recognized from their brief introduction from the day before. The guy’s name also began with an S but that was all she could remember, despite how his bold bone structure, expressive lips, and endless legs seemed better fitted for an underwear ad model than a top-shelf Vegas security advisor.
“Ready to go, champ?”
She swung her attention toward the source of the challenge, wondering how he’d snuck into the room. Had the hulk smoked over her attention so thickly, she hadn’t notice Dan Colton’s own entrance?
Not a question to which she wanted a real answer.
“Well hey there, runt.” She pushed to her feet and pulled the polished businessman into a hug that’d leave bruises. She was fully justified, especially since the man’s wife, Tess, looked on with a laugh of approval. “Gah,” she muttered, pulling back to slap his well-defined jaw. “It’s so unfair.”
Dan shook his head, freeing his penny-colored waves out of his piercing blue eyes. Since officially stepping away from the CIA to head Colton Steel, he’d let the locks grow into some trendy asymmetrical look, longer on top and shaved at the sides. “What’s unfair? You don’t like the dressing room? Is everything okay at the villa?”
“Everything’s great at the villa.”
“So says the girl who can make the nastiest news smell like roses. I don’t give a crap about the roses, Trace. You’re doing me a huge favor here, so if The Bellagio isn’t cutting it, I can—”
“I’m fine with the villa.” She chuckled. “It’s gorgeous.” A fold of her arms emphasized the point. “I’m not fine with the fact that you’re hotter now than you were in high school.”
She expected her friend’s beat of discomfort. Dan was hotter than he’d been at fifteen, but the only person who didn’t get that was Dan at thirty-three, courtesy of the mottled burn tissue along the left side of his face. Because of it, his features would never be Ken doll perfection again, but he was still here after a mission that should’ve taken his life. Instead, it’d made him a hero. Regrettably, the man hadn’t seen it the same way. His self-pity party had been in full swing until Tess came along and walloped well-needed sense back into him.
“Yeah, we
ll,” the man muttered. “Who’s now just a schmuck trying to make a buck, and who’s the fucking vice president? And fuck, there goes my mouth again. Fuck.”
“Guess what, runt? The fucking vice president has a teenage son. She’s heard the word a few times before.”
Dan snorted. “Don’t remind me of that, either.” His gaze swung over to Luke. “Who gave him permission to grow up?”
Tracy raised both hands. “Don’t look at me, mister. I’m clingin’ to the saddle and hangin’ on for the ride.”
“Fuck.”
Dan’s encore of the word felt more like a new curtain rising. His cocky growl was gone, replaced by a rasp as if he’d seen a ghost. His expression conveyed the same thing—as his stare jumped from Luke to the hulk. In less than a second, her old friend jolted forward, tackling the man in a brutal bear hug.
“Well hello, beautiful.” That caramel baritone sounded even better when infused with a laugh. “What’s a pretty spook like you doing in a joint like this?”
“Not pretty or spooky anymore,” Dan countered. “I could ask you the same question, ground pounder.”
“Not pounding so much ground anymore, either.”
The guy could’ve jammed Dan’s finger into a light socket and shocked him less. That didn’t concern Tracy as much as the hulk’s open discomfort. He clearly didn’t like the feeling and refused to wear it well. Nevertheless, he gave Dan a follow-up through tight teeth.
“Got back from the mission in Kaesong and brass called me in. Said they ‘thought it best’ that I cash out early on my billion years of stored-up leave.”
Quietly but quickly, Dan’s demeanor turned as dark as his friend’s words. “You have more than a billion and they know it.”
“Knew it.”
“You also made the right call on that mission—and they know that.”
The man grunted. “Right.”
Dan chuffed. “Usually am.”
“Pffft.” The man attempted a subtle shrug. Not easy with shoulders the breadth of football fields. “Somebody’s gonads had to get smashed for it, brother. They went for the simple choice.”
Dan shook his head. “Dragon, neither your name or family jewels belong in the same sentence with ‘simple’.”
