A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Elite of Eden Falls Prep Book 4)
Page 16
It's all I needed to hear, and a reluctant, rare smile pulls at my lips as I watch them.
Reign, my son, my best friend's last legacy for Eden Falls.
Adeline and Flora, my beautiful daughters, innocent, sweet and pure.
And my wife - Pandora.
All those years ago, she came into my life and taught me everything I needed to know to be a better man. She made me who I am today. She loved my punishing touch, and even though she resisted it in the beginning, she came to love it, crave it. And now she can't live without it, just like I can't live without her.
My soulmate. My happiness, personified.
"I'm happy, too," I tell her calmly, and she grins before turning back to our children.
I close my eyes. There's a glass of my father's scotch in my hands. I only allow myself to drink it on days like this. When everything's perfect.
I lift the glass to my lips and sip the amber liquid, remembering my parents again.
They would be happy to see me here, like this. I hope they are resting in peace now, knowing I'm happy with the right woman, the right life.
I toast to the ceiling, imagining them looking down on me.
"What are you doing, Dad?" Reign asks.
"Remembering someone, son," I tell him with a smile. One day, I'll tell him everything about the sordid history of my life. Today is not that day though. Today is a day for making new memories, beautiful memories that will make me a happy man. "Come on, let's join your mother and sisters."
We all sit down on the carpet in front of the fireplace, reading from the twins' book in funny voices. I'm laughing along with my family, wondering how I got so lucky.
I don't deserve this happy ending. I was a bully, a monster, a dick. And to be honest, I'm still all those things.
My eyes devour Pandora with hunger and lust.
But somehow, I found the woman who wants my cruelty as much as she wants my love. Pandora lives for my punishing touch, craves it as much as she does my warm embrace, the sweet kisses I leave on her lips. They're a sharp contrast to the spankings I still give her, to the sting of my belt against her pale skin. Somehow, I found the woman who wants both sides of me.
The dark, twisted, cruel nature I can never escape.
And the light, kind, softness only she and my children awaken in me.
I thought I was a man when I first met Pandora Oakes.
But the truth is, she made me a man. Her relentless talking back, her bravery, her willingness to turn the pain I give her into something beautiful.
An ache develops in my chest, not because I'm unhappy, but because I have everything I've ever dreamed of.
My heart swells with the love I feel for all of them, mixing with hopes and fears for our future. We'll be okay. We're a family. We can take anything life throws at us. The pain, the pleasure. It doesn't matter. We've been through worse before, and we lived through it.
All that's left is our happily ever after.
THE END
You’ve reached the end of Dexter and Pandora’s story. Next up, I have Pandora’s Wildwood sister, Andie! Pre-order Andie’s story here!
Prefer standalones? Like ugly cry books? Check out my dark romance Pet. You won’t regret it!
What’s next?
Thank you for picking up a copy of A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four! Enjoyed it? Please leave a review - it’s the best way to help authors you love.
Want to keep talking about the world of Elite of Eden Falls Prep? Join us in my reader group Good Girls Love Bad Boys.
Next up, pre-order the story of Pandora’s Wildwood sister, Andie, Boys That Smirk.
Blurb for Boys That Smirk
The release date for this book will be brought forward.
My first mistake was agreeing to the dare.
My second was picking my ex best friend as the victim.
Sleep with her before the school year ends, and break her heart.
Sounds easy enough - if she didn’t hate my guts.
Unfortunately for her, I love a good hatef**k…
Boys That Smirk is a STANDALONE college age bully romance with dark themes.
Preorder Boys That Smirk!
Also by Isabella Starling
LORDS OF WILDWOOD
Boys That Tease
Boys That Read
Boys That Smirk
ELITE OF EDEN FALLS PREP
A Hurt So Sweet Volume One
A Hurt So Sweet Volume Two
A Hurt So Sweet Volume Three
A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four
STANDALONES
Pet
Peep Show
Confess
His Brat
His Doll
His Muse
Teach Me Daddy
Daddy's Girl
Daddy Dearest (FREE)
Sugar Plum
Mistletoe Kisses
Wrath
Envy
Collaring Cinderella
Breaking Belle
ROSE & THORN SERIES
Blush Pink Rose (FREE)
Blood Red Rose
Pure White Rose
Last Broken Rose
GILDED CAGE SERIES
Entrapment
Ensnarement
Entanglement
Enticement
THE DAZZLING COURT SERIES
Rich Man's Toy (FREE)
Dark Castle
Wicked Prince
About the Author
Isabella describes her books with three words: dark, dirty and forbidden.
If you pick up a Starling book, you can count on a bad-mouthed, bossy man who will dominate his woman with a rough hand. Add just a sprinkle of taboo, a touch of BDSM and a pinch of suspense, and you're all set for a story you won't forget.
Wanna stalk me? Here are my links!
Website
Newsletter
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Contents
Also by Isabella Starling
Author’s note
Blurb
1. Pandora
2. Dexter
3. Pandora
4. Dexter
5. Pandora
6. Dexter
7. Pandora
8. Pandora
9. Dexter
10. Pandora
11. Pandora
12. Dexter
13. Pandora
14. Dexter
15. Pandora
16. Dexter
17. Pandora
18. Dexter
19. Pandora
20. Dexter
21. Pandora
22. Pandora
Epilogue
What’s next?
Also by Isabella Starling
About the Author