(trigger warning. This book contains mature themes)

******

"I can't..." she gasped between broken moans, her voice trembling somewhere between pain and pleasure. Every thrust seemed to blur the line between surrender and defiance.

Then she whispered a name between her sweet cries ...it wasn’t mine.

I froze. A slow, humorless smile curved my lips as the sound of his name filled the space between us.

“Raph…” she breathed.

I leaned in, my mouth brushing her ear. Feeling her tremble from touch until my teeth nibbled her earlobes hard enough to make her whimper and her fold to clench around my fingers. 

“Wrong name, Lynn.” I hissed, withdrawing from the warmth of her insides.  I felt her body tense. She clawed at my shoulders, a desperate plea in every touch.

“Don’t…” she whimpered. Those jade-like eyes unravelled me that moment. I could feel the ache in my trousers. A troublesome little viper.

A cruel smile traced my lips hiding my emotions. “You called the wrong name,” I murmured, my voice low, dangerous. “And bad girls deserve to be punished.”

Her glossy eyes met mine... so full of confusion, want, and power she didn’t yet understand. If she only knew how close I was to breaking.

Because the only name she should be calling… was mine.
Lucien.

I craved it as badly as the air I breathe.
******


For better or for worse, till death do us part. That was their vows at the altar, but her husband broke them first..
 
  He claims an open marriage is the solution to their childless marriage and that it's to protect her own interests. But all Braelyn sees is a prison built from guilt and lies.

One heartbroken night, she stumbles into a karaoke bar and into the arms of Lucien. A man shrouded in mystery, rebellion, and danger. His very presence tells her to run but it also gives her the solace she craved.

She never expected to see him again after she ran, forgetting his sinful existence, but life wasn't done making a joke out of her.

Lucien isn't just any man, but one who can destroy everything she believes in. The man she was never meant to meet. Her husband's uncle 

The black sheep of the Volkov dynasty. A man whose desire will ruin her. Lucien knows she can't be his, but he was never a man who respected social norms. He doesn't care about anything but her every sin and touch.
    
All he wants… is her, no matter how sinful it gets.

"If you don't walk away," I said calmly, watching the way her pulse fluttered at her throat, "I'll answer your questions. But it comes at a price. And no, saying I might take your soul isn't far-fetched."


I let the words settle. Let them sink their claws in.


The car went quiet. Not the comfortable kind, this was the silence that hums with quiet anticipation. We stared at each other, our gaze trying to decipher what was on each other's minds.


"So," I added softly, almost kindly, "what is it going to be?"


She unbuckled her seat belt. The click was louder than it should've been, echoing in the car.


Braelyn turned to face me fully then, those emerald eyes were sharp despite the storm behind them being conflicted. She was confused, unable to choose.


"Before I answer," she said, steadying herself, "I have just one thing to ask. Was it all an act?"


Chapter 154 - Cross road