Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
The Marino name stretches past the walls of Golden Prep and even the city. It was a last name I was proud to have. Until I saw the fear it put into her eyes.
Kinsley Blake is intelligent, quiet, reserved, and endearingly clumsy. Most of all, she's hellbent on avoiding me. Too bad for her; while she was studying hard for her future after Golden Prep, I spent those years studying her. Learning every single detail I could.
Now it's time to put all that knowledge to use. I don't care what rules or codes I have to break. Even if they're my own family’s, and I'll use the skills they taught me to do it.
It's time to set a trap for my bunny, and I know just the bait to get her to come out and play. I might have to lie and deceive to do it, but in the end, it will be worth it. By the time she discovers who the true predator is, it will be too late for her to get out of the trap I put in place.
I thought I had it all figured out. What I didn't account for was how being so close to her would have me sinking further into my obsession with her. So much so that she’s become my very reason for breathing. My thoughts have turned far from rational when it comes to her being mine.
When people start to take notice, they think they can take her from me or use her as a tool against me. Little do they know how unhinged I’ve become. I’ll burn down this entire world to bring her back, consuming everything around me, the same way she’s consumed all of me.
This is the first book in a brand new series. No cheating, no OW drama, and an HEA is always guaranteed! Each will be standalone.
It features a possessive alpha male, heavy stalking, obsession, steamy scenes, a witty heroine, and a criminal empire
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
JAX
Igrit my teeth when my brother Damon smacks me on the back of the head. Today is not the right morning for his bullshit. I barely got any sleep last night in anticipation.
I’m about to swing on him when he lets out two short, low whistle blows, letting me know that someone is coming. I quickly shut my laptop, getting up from the desk in my bedroom. Damon winks at me, then drops down onto my bed and starts playing with his phone, appearing bored but relaxed. His school uniform already has wrinkles in it. Did he fucking sleep in it so that he could get a few extra minutes of shut-eye? Likely.
A knock hits my door before Mom pokes her head in with a giant smile on her face.
“First day of school.” She steps into the room, giving an excited clap, then her face goes serious, and we know what is coming. It’s Phoenix’s, who we all call Nix, first day of high school. It’s safe to say all of us are overprotective of our baby sister. She and Mom could be twins, and because they are so much alike, I’m confident my sister can take care of herself. I mean, Mom has stabbed a man or two in her day.
“We know, Mom. We got her. We’re about to head out.” I start to move across the room, but Mom is on me, messing with my hair. “Mom,” I grumble but don’t stop her. It doesn’t hurt to let her fuss, at least that's what Dad says.
“I’m making it better. For all you know, you’ll be meeting the love of your life today.”
Damon snorts a laugh, and not because Mom is dead-fucking-wrong. Nah, it’s because she’s right, like usual. The only thing different is that I’ve already met her. I’ve been in love for years with a girl who pretends that I don’t exist. But this is it; it’s my year to shine, and I don’t mean on the football field.
We don’t have a ton of rules, but my dad had one I’m not sure my mom knows about. Don’t fuck with females until you’re an adult. He doesn’t ask for much, but this one has been rough to stick to, and I have—well, kind of. It depends on how you slice it.
“Ma, the only game Jax has is on the field.”
“Whatever.” Mom rolls her eyes. “I see how the girls stare at you when you’re on the field. I don’t think Jax needs game.”
That’s where Mom is wrong. When it comes to Kinsley, I’m in over my head, but hey, I suppose that happens when you set your sights on not only the prettiest girl in school, if you ask me, but also the smartest. I could make a list a mile long about all the things I love about her.
Starting with the way one of her glares can unman a person. There’s also the cute expression she wears when she's concentrating really hard on whatever is in front of her. Her top lip tends to curl up, exposing part of her teeth like she's a bunny. It never fails to make me smile. I don’t think she’s aware she does it, but that only makes me love it that much more.
“So?” Mom asks, making me realize I got lost in my thoughts for a second.
“Are we taking Nix with us?” I ask my own question to hide that I missed what she said.
Mom isn’t a giant fan of all of us being in the same car. I’ve had my license for a few years at this point, and we have driven gators and four-wheelers our whole lives practically.
We all live on what the family calls the farm. It’s a giant stretch of land right on the edge of the city. There are multiple houses on it. The land has been in the Marino family for generations.
My oldest uncle and head of the family, War, lives in the original family home. The place is massive with whole wings, and at one time we all would stay in it when not in the city, but as we kids got bigger, Mom decided to build another house on the land. My other uncle, Ronan, did the same. We’re a tight-knit family. You have to be. That’s how you trust each other, and in this gray world we live in, trust is everything. Without it, people end up dead.
“Nope.” Nix comes bursting into my bedroom. Since my older brother Eros isn’t around as much anymore, now all my siblings have the annoying habit of hanging out in my room. “Not trying to be labeled a dork on my first day.” She smirks.
“Too bad,” Damon tells her. “Mom, we’re taking her. It’s for the best.”
“No!” Nix starts to protest. My brother and I know the real reason she doesn’t want us to take her, and it has everything to do with people knowing she’s connected to us. Does she forget we all have the same last name?