Chapter 1 Betrothed
A petite Asian girl, dark hair pulled back, a black and white argyle sweater with a white dress shirt underneath, small string of pearls beneath the sharp points of the collar, black slacks with a crease in the front, white socks, and penny loafers.
"What do you like to do for fun, Wren?" I asked, my tone a little too accusing.
"Oh, I guess I like to feed the birds." She didn't seem sure of her answer.
"I fucking hate birds."
Chapter 2 The Happy Couple
Hot sludge oozed in my chest. It tightened into a knot followed by a strong urge to grab her, force her to tell me everything, and then spank her innocent ass. I'd mess up her hair and smear her lipstick. Put a different kind of pearl necklace around that delicate neck.
Chapter 3 Courthouse Stairs
“But if he knew you were sitting on the steps of the Beverly Hills Courthouse crying in the rain in your pretty dress, your face all twisted in pain, I'm sure he'd want me to stand in for him today."
Chapter 4 Blind Union
He opened his lips slightly and I opened mine, and in that space, there was magic. Fireflies and sparkling dust floated between us. I wanted to dive into it and live there.
Chapter 5 The Six Sands on Topanga
"I'm getting tired of repeating myself, little bird, so tell me what's going on now and save us both some trouble."
Chapter 6 Honeymoon Confession
"Try to relax now. You're safe here. I need you to promise me you'll tell me the truth right away if anything else happens."
Chapter 7 Protected
"Talon's going to have a crew install cameras and security today. New doors and locks Monday." He motioned toward the glass doors at the front of the bakery.
"New doors?"
"Your doors are shit." He hunched forward and shook his head like the doors were an insult to him. We'd had those same doors since I was a kid, and no one had ever said they weren't safe.
Chapter 8 Shattered Glass
I knew he was tending to my wounds, but an intoxicating heat exuded from him. It was like he came to life with the rush of danger and his warrior mode had been activated.
Chapter 9 Hot Stick of Beef
My happy place had been attacked. My routine was shot. I didn't even have any clothes. My husband was still missing, and my brother-in-law was a tempting hot stick of beef.
Chapter 10 Skin Care
"You ever dated a Black dude before Gavin?" My thumb worked the lotion in small circles. She had such delicate wrists, and I hated that they felt good in my hands, like I was holding something precious and fragile.
Her gaze raked slowly up and down my chest and torso. Her eyes flared and locked on the trail of hair above the waist of my pants. I chuckled and rubbed it with my hand.
Drink it in, baby. Looks tasty. Don't it?
Chapter 11 Support Arrives
His hand slid higher, digging into my hair, his fingers clenching and scratching my scalp. "F***, baby." The deepest, most gravelly voice I'd ever heard hummed in my ear. Something round and hard pressed gently between my b*** ch****. "You gotta sleep without p*****s, so I can have my choice between your a** and your p****."
Chapter 12 The Invitation
This girl had us fighting over pastries and donating to homeless shelters. She was f***ing incredible.
"There's no clues in her bathroom shit. You could've put it in a separate bag or something. She doesn't need her dinosaurs."
"They're not dinosaurs," Wren said quietly. "They're dragons."
Chapter 13 Mexican Hot Chocolate
"Mexican hot chocolate," he said. I stared in shock as he poked his finger in the soft foam and then stuck it in his mouth. He popped his finger out and smirked. "A little hot. Watch out." He winked. "Spicy. Not sure if you can handle it."
Chapter 14 Entering My Red Era
"Okay, okay. I hear you. Don't worry. Stella is here now. Your girls are here for you. We got your back."
Chapter 15 The Trance
An Asian guy with big shoulders, a thick brow, some pock marks on his cheeks, and really intense dark eyes. "Kanekoa Makiloku," he said with either a Hawaiian or Polynesian accent. "Kane for short," he added without the accent. Wow. He was really impressive.
Chapter 16 Revenge
"I want to k*** Tommy."
"You can't, baby."
"I want to."
"How you planning to do that?"
"I don't know."
Chapter 17 Making It Clear
"Do you really have sex with women in their back door?"
Jesus. "Dear God, help me." I growled and fisted my hands at my side. "I did not say that."
But if I did want to do that to someone, and she'd made it clear she's open to it." God, this was difficult to discuss with her. "Yeah, I'd take it."
Chapter 18 The Cheater
I was going to take this girl and ruin her. Force my c*** in her m***h and make her cry. Pull her hair and sp*** her a** till she begged for mercy.
It's against the rules. You're my brother's girl, and we both know we're not pretending. We both know this is dangerous, and we're playing with fire. I'm not a cheater, and I don't lie to people, even myself."
Chapter 19 Validity
"Did Mag give you a nickname?" Stella asked.
"Actually, he calls me Rebel. And sometimes Little Bird."
Chapter 20 Princess Cut
I had been transformed.
From the little bird who hid behind the counter at the bakery to a beautiful red dragon with claws and cat eyes.
Chapter 21 I Shield You
"I will always shield you, baby. A spotlight comes at you, I'll shield you. Shattered glass, I shield you. A bullet, I shield you."
Chapter 22 Changing the Playing Field
I wanted to shed this dress like a winter jacket. I wanted dirty things that weren't okay in public, but I didn't care at all. Nothing else mattered but climbing inside of Magnum and disappearing into this kiss.
Chapter 23 A Room with a View
"We're newlyweds and it's Valentine's Day. I don't see nothing wrong with sneaking away with my lovely bride to share some private time."
Her fingers flexed uselessly on the glass. "Really? I thought you didn't like astronomy at all."
I paused. How did she not know? "Oh, I do. I'm obsessed with everything about it. I thought that was obvious."
"I didn't have a clue."
Chapter 24 Survival and Evasion
"Run, Rebel. Don't get caught for ten minutes. Stay in the concrete areas."
Chapter 25 Sentimental Softie
I wanted to encase these roses in resin and hang them on the wall above my bed so I could always remember the night I was Magnum's fake wife and he was a sentimental softie.
"Don't let go," he said, but I didn't have a choice. I was holding onto him like his d*** was a pommel of a saddle and I was about to fall off a bucking bronco.
Chapter 26 The Big Easy
"Watching you throw beads at Mardi Gras stirred somethin' in me. Made me want to take you all over the world so you could do every stupid tradition known to man.”
Chapter 27 Mindfuck
"Listen. I don't know you, and I'm not sure why you're talking to me, but if you were lucky enough to spend time with Magnum, and he happened to be mean to you, and not only did you not put him in his place, you liked it, then maybe you should seek out a therapist for your messed up head instead of approaching strangers in the middle of Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras."
Chapter 28 Fallen Soul
“I want to be the one that gives that to you, imperfect as it is, because I can't stand the thought of it being anyone but me."
"Give what to me?" I could barely speak as he took my face in his hands and lowered his head so our lips were a breath apart.
"My broken heart," he angled his chin down like he was pointing to his heart. "This scarred body," he pressed a soft kiss to my lips, "and my fallen soul, if you'll take it."
Chapter 29 Beauty
I'd been a saint. I'd waited with the patience of a thousand suns and very dutifully protected the virtue of a woman who was my brother's girl once but was clearly mine now.
"Are you sad?" I wrapped my arms behind her back to draw her close. If I'd ruined this for her…
"I can't believe how beautiful it was."
I breathed out a huge sigh of relief. "Me either, babe. F***ing gorgeous."
Chapter 30 Beignets
"I want the good, bad, the ugly. I want it all." It was true. I was tired of hiding from ugly things. I didn't want to be protected anymore. I wanted to be involved and help in making decisions on how to handle the mess we'd created.
Mag's lips pressed together, and he looked me up and down. The hardness in his eyes softened. "Fine."
Chapter 31 Fine As Hell
"I'm in love with her. She's mine. That's my ring she's wearing, and I'm protecting her from Kenny. She will be part of this family, but she'll be mine.”
"Damn, bro. She's fine as hell."
"Don't I know it.”
"I blew it."
"You did."
Chapter 32 Get Over It
I propped my hands on my hips and leaned forward. "Get over it."
Chapter 33 Get Undressed
"Get undressed, stand behind the couch facing the window."
Chapter 34 Red Smoke
The red smoke swirled around us as my vision darkened. "Mag, I love you."
If I died, I wanted him to know he was my everything.
Chapter 35 On The Move
"What the hell was that?"
"Let's go to the library," I said, sardonically.
"Your cover's blown?"
Chapter 36 Take Your Shot
"Can I kill him?"
"No."
"Please."
"This is survival not revenge."
"Right. Right. Okay. I'll be quiet. Sorry."
Chapter 37 Marina Del Rey
"We're looking for a boat called the Illusion. Big enough to hold thirty to fifty passengers. They got a head start of fifteen minutes out into the marina. "
Remy nodded and adjusted some controls on his instrument panel. "And what will you do when you find it?"
"How much rope you got?"
He paused and then grinned. "One rope, four harnesses."
"That'll work."
"Shit."
Chapter 38 Betrothed Redux
"The last time I did this, it was fake. But I didn't want it to be. I wanted it to be as real as it is now. I was a ship adrift at sea in a violent storm and you are my anchor."
Epilogue
"I give you this ring as a symbol of my unending devotion and to declare that I have chosen you above all else now until the end of time." He cleared his throat, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "You belong to me."