They wanted him to be sexually active. They wanted the repercussions of pregnancy—

His hand landed on the neckline of my dress. The delicate fabric gave in to his fierce tug, sliding down my shoulder and baring the top of my breast.

“Wait—” I panted against his hard mouth.

In answer, his fingers tightened in my hair. His lips softened just a little. His eyes flashed open, checking to see we were still being watched, before a low growl rumbled in his chest and he gathered me painfully close.

I gasped as he crushed me.

I moaned as he hurt me.

His tongue speared past my parted lips, plunging deep into my mouth.

And the world ruptured.

He might’ve kissed me for show but...his tongue.

His taste.

His heat and power and violence.

I snapped.

Digging my nails into his waist, I stroked his tongue with mine.

His reaction was instantaneous.

The pantomime shattered, exploding into reality as he snatched me up and kissed me.

Properly.

Passionately.

With all the pain and pleasure we suffered.

His hand gripped my nape as his mouth opened wide and devoured me.

He went from a man vowing never to touch me, to a beast intent on eating me alive.

His need and breath and fury tangled into one impossible collision. The world spun; the maple leaves blurred to blood-red streaks. My pulse drummed against his, two wild hearts in sync for one treacherous moment.

The impact of his kiss stole the air from my lungs and left my pulse thrashing in my veins. I moaned as he angled his mouth, kissing me deeper, harder, trying to pour pain directly into me.

The orgasm he’d given me wasn’t enough.

That had just been a tease—a temptation to the real violence of how much I needed him.

My very existence shrank to the slick, hot slide of his tongue, the press of his body, and his small, involuntary groan.

He set fire to my out-of-control heart.

He kissed me messily, madly—as if this was yet another first for him just like it was a first for me.

And that knowledge—the history of why I was the only girl he’d ever kissed or touched or trusted threatened to break down all my walls.

My fingers found his shirt collar, fisting it and holding on for dear life, all while pulling him into me and begging for more.

I licked him.

His breath caught, a shudder quaking down his spine.

He kissed me harder.

We lost ourselves as the heavens opened.

Rain crashed over us.

There was no rhythm, no mercy—just heat and tongue and the brutal scrape of teeth.

The drones didn’t matter. The storm didn’t distract us. There was only this madness. This crazy, chaotic consummation.

Something inside me cracked open, flooding me in molten waves.

My fingers clawed at his shirt, his neck, needing, needing, needing.

He growled into my mouth, low and helpless.

My stomach tangled. My core clenched.

And—

Then he was gone.

Staggering backward, he panted hard. His hand slapped over the disc on his heart, bending forward as if it had dosed him with a brutal punch of pain. For a heartbeat, he just stared at me—his lips glistening, chest heaving, pupils blown wide like he was seconds away from throwing me on the ground and fucking me.

Time hung suspended between us.

Gritting his teeth, he stood to his full height, battling agony and weakness, before reaching into his pocket. His eyes shuttered with unreadable curtains, snuffing out the fury, the lust, the yearning.

Tripping into me, he grabbed my hand and smacked the dagger into it before wrapping my fingers tightly around the hilt.

I looked down, dazed and horrified.

The weight of the knife was familiar and dreadfully sharp.

Comprehension slammed back into me.

I went to drop it but he whisper-snarled, “Let go of it and I’ll snap your neck right here.”

My gaze shot to his. “What...what do you expect me to do?”

His gleaming wet lips twisted into a sneer.

He broke the very same heart he’d just kissed half to death as he ordered, “Kill me, of course.”

To be continued in BURNING BLOOD...coming out in a few weeks!

PREORDER HERE

Thank you so much for reading Lucien and Rook’s tale. I’m so grateful for the time you took to read this story, considering there are so many other amazing books out there. I truly hope you enjoyed it and that you’re looking forward to the rest of their romance...

They’re about to catch fire.

In a big way.

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I hope you have a wonderful day and all your wishes come true.

xx

Acknowledgements

I’m ever so grateful to those who helped me edit, cover, and publish this book!

Thank you to my beta readers: Laura, Linda, Charli, Betül, Danielle, Selena, Rochelle, Rowan, and Melissa.

Thank you to the artist, Rachel from Christley Creatives who just NAILED them.

Thank you to Christina for your final proofreading eagle-eyes.

Thank you to Danielle my amazing friend and helper.

Thank you to Alexa and Noah for bringing them to life in audio.

Thank you to Kiki and the Next Step PR for all their help.

Thank you to everyone who read an ARC and shared this release.

I couldn’t do this without you.

Nor could I do this without you, dear reader.

THANK YOU

xxx

Other work by Pepper Winters

Pepper currently has over forty books released in nine languages. She’s hit best-seller lists (USA Today, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal) almost forty times. She dabbles in multiple genres, ranging from Dark Romance, Coming of Age, Fantasy, and Romantic Suspense.

https://pepperwinters.com

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STEAMY STANDALONES

Texting Dr Stalker

(Green-flag Stalker Romance)

One Dirty Night

(Erotic Romance)

Destroyed

(Grey Romance)

Can’t Touch This

(Romantic Comedy)

Unseen Messages

(Survival Romance)

DARK ROMANCE

The Jewelry Box Series

Ruby Tears, Emerald Bruises, Sapphire Scars, Diamond Kisses

Monsters in the Dark Trilogy

Tears of Tess, Quintessentially Q, Twisted Together, Je Suis a Toi

Goddess Isles Series

Once a Myth, Twice a Wish, Third a Kiss, Fourth a Lie, Fifth a Fury, Jinx’s Fantasy, Sully’s Fantasy

Indebted Series

Debt Inheritance, First Debt, Second Debt, Third Debt, Fourth Debt, Final Debt, Indebted Epilogue

Dollar Series

Pennies, Dollars, Hundreds, Thousands, Millions

Fable of Happiness Trilogy

Fable of Happiness Book One, Book Two, Book Three

FORBIDDEN, EROTIC, COMING OF AGE ROMANCE

The Luna Duet

Lunamare and Cor Amare

The Ribbon Duet

The Boy & His Ribbon, The Girl & Her Ren

Spinoff Standalone to The Ribbon Duet

The Son & His Hope