Page 39 of Fallen Roses

Ana’s eyes widen when I say roughly, “In her husband’s company.”

“Her husband?”

“Yes, Ana, I worked for the man while screwing his wife on the side and rose through the ranks until I was promoted as the CEO of The Rose Foundation.”

Ana’s gasp of horror is well deserved and I hiss. “The woman was Adele Kenricky, and our arrangement is still in place.”

CHAPTER 21

ANA

Not much shocks me, but this is worse than I thought possible. I stare at James in horror and the fact he looks down in shame causes me to grasp his hand and say angrily, “This is not on you, James. Do you hear me? You were groomed, exploited, call it what you like, but it wasnotyour fault!”

“But she still controls me, Ana. What the hell does that make me now? It’s been more than a decade and I still need the beating she gives me once a month. I am ruined and you should run and not look back.”

“No, James.”

I fix him with my fiercest expression. “This ends now and I’m not talking about us. We will break this cycle and do it together for no other reason than it’s the right thing to do.”

“This isn’t your fight, Ana.”

“Then call it payment for information. Call itanything you like because one thing’s for sure, that woman is going down and I will not stop until I push her over the edge myself.”

I am seething. The rage inside me is swirling like dark vengeance, and I couldn’t hate that woman more if I tried. My mind is racing as I plot her downfall and if I was Adele Kenricky right now, I would be very worried indeed.

“Leave it with me, James. Revenge is my speciality.” I say softly, and James shakes his head.

“Ana, no!” He smiles through a worried frown.

“It’s my battle, and one I should have addressed years ago. I’ll resign my position and tell her I’ve discovered anomalies and can no longer cover them up. I’ll step away and who knows, it may be the making of me.”

As I stare into his eyes, I know he’ll be okay. James is a strong man, despite what he’s been through, and with my help, he will soon find a position. My family owns many businesses and it won’t be difficult to find him a job, but I’m guessing James wants—no needs—more than that. He must make his own way and yet an idea is forming in my mind and curling around my black heart. Yes, I can help him, but he can help me too and between the two of us, we can wrap Adele and Charles Kenricky into one neat package and tie it up with one big black freaking bow.

I wakethe next morning wrapped in James’s arms. It takes me a moment to remember what happened yesterday and as it all comes rushing back, I remember falling asleep in the early hours. We talked long into the night and ended up curling up in James’s bed to sleep, nothing more and yet I wouldn’t have changed a thing of what happened last night because it brought us closer together. Our demons have been released and they are desperate for revenge.

Just how I like it.

He stirs beside me and whispers, “This is a bad idea.”

“You think?”

He reaches up and strokes my face with a soft gleam in his eye and whispers, “I have a habit of making them.”

“Well, I don’t.”

I lean forward and kiss him softly on the lips and whisper, “This is the first time in my life that I have woken up beside a man.”

A slow grin spreads across his face and he pulls me closer and says huskily, “Perhaps we should celebrate that in a fitting way.”

His hard cock presses against my stomach and I reach down and curl my fingers around it and sigh. “If only we had the time. I must shower and get to work because my boss is a bastard and I can’t be late.”

He moves fast and spins me onto my back and before I can react, he pushes his cock deep inside me and growls, “I’ll deal with that bastard personally.”

My breath hitches as he fills the whole of me,touching places that I never realized existed could give me so much pleasure.

As he moves, he stares deeply into my eyes and holds my face, his expression almost loving, definitely intimate, and I return the favor. I can’t get enough of him—enough of this. For the first time in my life I’m not alone and I like it.

So many sensations are crashing through me right now and all it takes is one final thrust before I’m falling apart, riding an orgasm that is caused more by thoughts than feelings this time. I cling on tightly to the man responsible because when he opened his heart to me last night, he gave me the greatest gift possible.

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