Page 1 of Bonita Brynne

Prologue

Brynne

The emotion and desperation in his kiss stole my breath away. Of course, I loved him. Yes, I wanted him with every cell in my body and needed him with every breath I drew in.

But Joseph had betrayed me and lied.

I was so damn hurt and angry. Joseph deceived me for months. He knew my mom was alive, and he was my stepbrother.

How was I to trust him again?

How could I be with him?

“I love you, Bonita. I love you so fucking much. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I don’t know, Joseph. I’m scared.” Damn him. The sincerity in his voice made me almost believe him. I should believe him, right?

Stop it, Brynne. Where is your grit? Your backbone?

Shut up. I love him!

“I know, baby. Just don’t say we’re over. Don’t cut me out of your life.” He held my face in his hands firmly yet gently. My original intentions were dwindling. I’d planned to put the brakes oneverything. How could I, though? He was my person. “Give us a chance, Brynne. We can go slow. We can start fucking over if that’s what you want but give us a chance. For you. For me. For our baby.”

For our baby…And I was done. “Okay. But on my terms.”

“Anything you say.” He kissed me again, and I allowed myself to melt.

In his arms, I felt safe and loved. The hurt would heal when enough time passed, and I could fully trust him again. My mom had assured me Joseph would do anything to prove himself, which was why I’d agreed to see him. If his tender kiss were a sign of how much he cared about me, we would be okay—more than okay.

Suddenly, we froze at the sound of the burner phone ringing in my bag.

“No, it can’t be.” I bolted for my duffel bag, plucked the device out, and dropped it like it was covered in poison.

Joseph snatched it off the floor and put it on speaker. “Who’s this?”

“Well, hello.”

My heart seized when I heard Dorian’s haughty voice. How did he get the number? Was it possible my dad had given it to him? That had to be it, so maybe my dad was still alive.

Joseph reeled me in close, like preparing for an attack. “What do you want, Dorian?”

“It’s good you know who I am, Track. I wanted to let you know I still need my girl.”

“She’s not going anywhere with you, you sick son of a bitch.” His arms tightened possessively around my waist.

“Then I’ll need to cause a lot of problems for you, your club, and Tina. The only way to stop my retaliation is to give me Brynne.” Dorian sounded cocky and confident, as always. This was very bad.

“Never. You give it your best shot, asshole.”

I shook my head, my throat constricting. Challenging Dorian was the wrong thing to do.

“I thought you might say that. The first wave of problems is coming.”

1

Brynne

Sirens sounded off in the distance, and yelling ensued downstairs. I fisted Joseph’s shirt and stared into his dark eyes, feeling as though he was about to be ripped out of my life. Similar to how I had felt when Dorian carried me away from my mother’s grave…

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