by Rachel Angel
Break Me Not
Heartbreak Falls #2
Rachel Angel
Break Me Not (Heartbreak Falls #2)
Published by Romance On the Go, an Imprint of Sparklesoup
Copyright © 2020 Rachel Angel
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Do NOT post on websites or share this book without permission from copyright holder. We take piracy seriously.
All characters and storyline is an invention from Rachel Angel/Kailin Gow. Any resemblance to people alive or dead is purely coincidental.
For information, please contact:
www.Sparklesoup.com
First Edition.
DEDICATION
This series is dedicated to Fin and Ian, my muses.
SERIES BLURB
With a name like Heartbreak Falls, one didn't expect to find love at the new town I had moved to courtesy of my new stepfamily aka Mom's new husband and his sons.
Something was up with my new rich stepfather, his sons, and what happened to their last stepmother. Something was up with the entire town, which my stepfamily seemed to run. Along with the school where my stepbrothers reigned as cruel princes. All 3 of them were known as The Heartbreakers. Two were twins and my age, and then there was Tristan, the oldest. Gorgeous but god-awful hateful to me. What was up?
I was about to find out...if I lived long enough.
**Heartbreak Falls is a RH Dark Bully Romance and mystery for 18 and up. It is YA/NA and has themes of bullying and rough sex. If that's fine with you, then dig in! Break Me Not is book 2 of 5 and contains a cliffhanger.
Author’s Note
Thank you for picking up Break Me Not, the second book in the Heartbreak Falls Series. This book contains scenes that may be triggers such as bullying and violence.
This is a dark romance and while it takes place in high school, the sexual scenes are between 18+ and above characters.
This is also a Reverse Harem, which means the main female character will have three or more love interests.
Finally, this is a bully romance which means enemy to lover romance. By no means do we promote or advocate bullying of any kind, but seek to prevent it in real life. If anyone is facing bullying in real life, there are resources and help out there.
Prologue
Haven
Heartbreak Falls.
When you mention a small cozy town with a name like that, you wonder about the story behind the name.
It was explained to me by the Terrible Twins, Drake and Dillion, my two hot stepbrothers, on the very first day that I met both of them along with their brother, Tristan. They told the tale in a romantically rosy way, divulging the mystery behind the name of my new home, a relocation forced upon me in order to live with my mother and her new husband -- a fabulously wealthy and handsome man bearing the name Triton.
“Our ancestor found this town because he had just lost his lady love to a rival, stopping by the waterfall on his way home from visiting her parents’ home where he was about to end it all by drowning himself in the waterfall, but stopped when he saw something shiny in the water,” explained Drake, who was a hot-as-fuck walking encyclopedia of family histories.
“It was gold,” Dillon, his twin exclaimed. “A motherlode of it. It made our ancestor rich. His name was Josiah Triton, but he named the area where he set up camp and started mining for gold, Heartbreak Falls, as a marker for him to remember where the motherlode was.”
“And he guarded the territory, growing it bigger and bigger so he could mine more of the surrounding area. Over time, the area grew into a town, and his mine turned into a fortune,” Drake said.
“All because of his heartbreak,” I said, smiling. “What a story.”
But when Megan Bradshaw of the Bradshaw family tried to warn me about them, she ended up dead. Stabbed in the heart by a homeless person during a stop on her way from Heartbreak Falls to New York. The report says it was random, but something inside of me…call it intuition or spidey senses that immediately shot a warning signal through me.
I was beginning to think Heartbreak Falls was not just named after Josiah Triton’s lost love story, but because of the tragedies the founding families, especially the new family Mom married into, The Triton’s own tragic family history.
Were the tragedies mere coincidences or were they planned and tied into a more sinister plot? Why weren’t any of these murders ever solved or heard about for such a prominent family?
First, Emma Triton, who was Terrence’s sister, was kidnapped and then murdered.
Then Rose Bradshaw, who was Terrence’s first wife and the mother of Tristan, Drake, and Dillon. She was kidnapped and then murdered.
And the Triton’s last stepmother, Penelope Hills, who died just about a year ago. Drowned in Heartbreak Falls, the waterfall, itself. She was a strong swimmer, but it was hard to swim under the falls during stormy weather. Her death was deemed an accident. But it was suspicious.
Then this last murder. Max’s cousin Megan, who was this wild child heiress that suddenly became a friend of mine who wanted more as she was into women and men. I still was in shock over her death. She had been attacked and robbed, since her purse was missing. All the contents of her convertible car were taken, including her laptop and bag. They said a homeless person attacked her and left her for dead. I didn’t care. I just knew that I lost a friend who wanted to warn me about the Tritons.
What was the connection?
Would Mom or I be a target too? So far, it seemed only female Triton family members were killed.
Up to now, I had played my hand as a willing and sex-crazed participant…not that I didn’t find pleasure in it…to protect those who I loved, mainly Mom.
Judge me all you want. Slut-shame me all you want, self-righteous bitches who dare criticize me for going along willingly with all the sex I’m getting….a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s got to do to gain the trust of the Triton Heartbreakers, to get them to fall in love with me, and to win their hearts so I have the upper hand.
Men do it all the time. Use sex to gain power.
Why not women?
Because, Heartbreakers, you may have painted me as the town slut…from that private charity auction you put on with me as the grand prize, but in reality…who are the ones using sex as power?
The Twins use it to control the cheerleaders at Heartbreak Falls High. Then the cheerleaders use it to control the rest of the football players. And so on and so on.
Apparently, there is more to it than what meets the eye.
Megan, for instance, had used it in a way that got her killed.
For you to understand that, dear readers, you’ll have to read along.
I didn’t think that when Mom married into the Triton family, I’d be making history, but when you become a Triton, everything you do becomes part of the history of Heartbreak Falls.
So…let’s make history.
Chapter 1
Haven
“How do you live in a house so massively huge all by yourself?” I asked Max.
Max’s eyes were a little red from crying. “I didn’t,” he said, going through the closet and pulling designer dresses out. “As you can see from the mass amount of clothing I’m retrieving from this closet, someone else lived her
e besides me…who wore dresses in a size much smaller than mine.”
“Maybe you’re into wearing dresses?” I joked. “No matter how small they are.”
“Funny, Haven,” Max said. “I can admire a well-made and beautiful garment for what it is…but as a guy, you wouldn’t catch me wearing a dress no matter how much I admired it.”
“With your blonde hair, big, baby blue eyes, high cheekbones, and gorgeous lips; I bet you’d make a pretty girl,” I teased.
“Hmm, you think I’m ‘pretty’?” Max asked.
“You’re the definition of a pretty boy,” I said. “Long lashes that any girl would envy. Your lips…”
Max gave me a smoldering look, and said, “You’re making me sound like one of those European pretty boy models.”
“But you do look like one,” I said.
“If I were into fashion… I might consider it, but I’m not,” Max said. He took out a dress. “Such a shame,” Max said, looking at a barely worn Oscar de la Renta beaded black sequin and tanned laced cocktail dress. “From the look at all these dresses, she didn’t even wear any of them.”
I took a peek inside the walk-in closet which was the size of a bedroom itself. Megan apparently had the taste of a socialite. I pulled out one silver Chanel sleeveless gown. Gorgeous. Never worn. “Did she just like to collect designer clothes to have them?”
“That’s the idle filthy rich for you,” Max said.
“Why don’t you keep them here?” I asked. “Megan’s stuff belongs here.”
“It’s in her will,” Max said. “Megan wanted her collection of designer clothes, purses, shoes, and jewelry donated.”
“That’s a small fortune right here,” I said, my eyes widening.
“That’s why I have you helping me sort through this,” Max said. “I know designers, but I can’t tell if any of this is worth keeping. Or which ones. Since you know all the designers and fashion labels, having been at Red Carpet events, perhaps you can help me figure out which ones could be auctioned off for charity, which ones go to museums, etc. for display, and which ones you can keep.” He smiled at me.
I gulped. “You pretty much just opened up the candy store for me and said ‘go ahead and take whatever you want’, Max.”
Max grinned. “Megan really liked you, and the will she made was before she met you. She probably would have given you all of this. There is no one else she would have left this to.”
I shook my head, almost feeling chills, as I looked around the large room that Megan stayed in while growing up. As much as Max acted like he couldn’t stand her, he seemed close to her.
“What 19-year-old would have a will already?” I asked.
“A 19-year-old with much wealth and possessions,” Max said. “Megan was an heiress and she was loaded. Out of all the living Bradshaws, she somehow inherited most of the Bradshaws’ fortune.”
My mouth almost dropped open. Why Megan and not Max and his mother?
Max looked at me and said, “I know what you’re thinking, Haven.” He dropped the Oscar de la Renta dress onto the four poster oak bed in the middle of the room before turning to me to hold onto my shoulders so he could look into my eyes. “Why Megan?”
I nodded.
Max brought his arms around me to pull me tight into his muscular chest. “I’m wondering why her too? Why did the homeless man choose to rob her? How did such a thing ended up killing her?”
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head.
He laid his head on top of mine and said, “It’s so senseless. I’m still trying to recover from the shock. She was like a sister to me. I know we joked around and played pranks on each other all the time, but that’s what siblings do. But now, as you just pointed out, I am now more alone than ever.”
I hugged him back and looked up into his face. My eyes fixated on his lips, wanting to kiss him and his sadness away. I wasn’t kidding about him looking like a male model. His lips were full and pouty like pillows, the kind rock stars could dream of, and his blue eyes grew darker with desire as he gazed back at my blue eyes.
“God, Haven,” Max said, “You’re so beautiful.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” I said, reaching up to touch my lips on his. Lightly, gently while still gazing back into his eyes. “You know, Max, you’re not all alone. You have me…”
“I wished,” Max said. He tightened his hold on me before claiming my lips with his. His kiss was hot. “I want more of you,” he whispered as he pulled me to the bed.
His mouth was on mine again, kissing me passionately, with his tongue meeting mine. He laid me on the bed before removing his t-shirt, revealing his tanned muscular chest. It was the first time I had seen him shirtless. He was gorgeous, perfect muscle tone everywhere. As perfect as the Heartbreakers’ bodies. I didn’t expect him to be that perfect, but he was. Max was hotter without his clothes on than I could imagine.
“All of these weeks, we only made out. We didn’t go any further because of you-know-who always keeping watch over you…but now we’re here alone at my house. Just us two.”
“Yes,” I said.
“Yes?” Max asked, his eyes growing wide with happiness. “I’m so going to devour you, Haven.”
He reached under my dress to roll down my panties. “Oh my,” he said. “You’re into silk and lace. My favorite combination.” He raised my dress and bent down to lick me. “Wow, Haven, you taste like honey. I could eat you all day.”
I grimaced. “You don’t have all day. I don’t, I mean…”
Max frowned and said, “I know. So I’m not wasting any more time sorting out Megan’s things. I’m letting you have it all, and you can do what you want with it.” He bent his head down, and what his mouth did to me, along with his fingers…
“Oh, Max,” I moaned, closing my eyes. “Oh Max,” I clenched my teeth from screaming out in pleasure as he quickly brought me to a climax.
When I opened my eyes, Max was staring at me with such hunger. He was standing, and his jeans were hanging halfway down his hips, letting me peek at his smooth and hard stomach down to the root of his rock-hard dick.
“Max,” I panted, taking him all in with my eyes. Damn he was hot. “How did you do that? Your tongue, your mouth…your fingers…”
He groaned, “There’s more to Max than just good looks.” He smiled wryly but looked at me with regret. “It could have been much more enjoyable, Haven. Believe me. For the both of us.”
“I’m sorry, Max,” I said. “I can’t go further with you than this.”
“I know, Haven,” Max said. “Somehow I get the feeling someone in your harem wants to be the only one in the harem…”
“Yup,” I said.
I knew exactly what Max meant, and it wasn’t what I wanted.
So…I was going to change that. The woman needs to be in charge of the harem, after all.
Chapter 2
Tristan
“Come on!” I called out to the two numbskull brothers of mine. “We have to get back to Heartbreak Falls now.”
I pulled out my other phone to check on the CCTV feed we tapped into for the cameras placed at the entrances going up to the penthouse suite we were in. All clear so far.
But I wasn’t going to take any chances. We need to get out of this suite now.
What’s taking those two so long? They have one job to do…
“Tristan,” Drake’s voice called out from the bedroom. “I think you need to take a look at this.”
I rushed through the large lavish living room to the master bedroom, also decorated in simple but lavish elegance in crystals, mirrors, and silver.
Judging from the décor itself, unless she just went with her decorator’s taste, the owner of the suite had more to her than she pretended to be.
I entered the bedroom to find Drake and Dillon going through an old hatbox. Drake was holding an old black and white photo in his gloved hands, while Dillon was holding an old diamond tiara and diamond bracelets, earrings, and e
ven a square cut 5-carat diamond ring in his gloved hands.
I walked over to take a look at the photo. A beautiful young lady about the age of 19 was standing in the photo, wearing the tiara and jewelry in Dillon’s hands. Her short black hair was cut chin-length along with bangs that went straight across her forehead, highlighting big doll-like eyes. Her glittering dress was fashioned in the flapper 1920s style.
“Who is she?” Dillon asked.
“Question is why would Megan Bradshaw have this?” I asked.
