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  He shrugged. “It can’t be helped.” Salim turned to Bowen. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

  “Perfect.” Bowen got to his feet. “Let’s go, lovely McKenna Lacey.”

  She heard the words but couldn’t make herself move. She couldn’t budge. Her brain and limbs had given up, shut down. She sat and stared into place, crying silently, tears rolling down her cheeks. Impatient fingers gripped her elbow, yanked her to her feet.

  “Come on.” Bowen’s fingers gripped her way too tight, but she couldn’t even make herself flinch away. “Wave good-bye.” Pressure increased as he maneuvered her out of the restaurant. She wasn't even aware of walking out. One minute she was inside and the next a blast of winter air hit her in the face, freezing the breath in her lungs.

  A limousine screeched to the curb in front of them, and the back door opened from inside.

  “Come on.” Bowen pushed her in and climbed in to settle beside her. Her ass hadn’t hit the black leather before the car pulled off, tires squealing.

  The motion knocked her out of her paralysis, and McKenna caught him off guard, punching him the throat.

  “Fuck!” He grabbed her hand and twisted it behind her back. For some reason his hold wasn’t as brutal as it should have been. “Damn, calm down.”

  “Fuck you!” she shouted. “Who the hell are you? Let me out!” She flailed. “Let me out.”

  “Calm down, damn it!” He yanked her backward when she lunged for the door handle. “Sit still for a second and I’ll explain.’

  Explain. Explain what? That once again she’d been fucked good and proper by Salim? Explain that she’d been sold—not even sold, bartered more like. The fight left her. She slid back on the limo seat. Her body trembled uncontrollably, but her throat felt dry, parched.

  Maybe she was all cried out because the tears were no longer there.

  “Look at me,” Bowen said.

  She ignored him and threw her head back, eyes closed. Maybe it was a dream. A very, very bad dream, but she knew better. She always knew better.

  “Look at me, McKenna. Now.” There was an “or else” missing there in his command, and if she had the heart for it, she’d point it out. Instead, she let out a sigh and turned her head. As she watched, he took off his sunglasses and held her gaze. Waiting. She squinted. What was he waiting for?

  “Look at me,” he coaxed softly. “My eyes. Have you seen them before?”

  “What the hell kind of question is that?” she lashed out. “I’d know if I ever came across someone as heartless as you. I’d damn sure recognize you if I—” His eyes were green. A light minty green with flecks of gold and—she knew those eyes.

  McKenna gasped. “Who are you?”

  He smiled. “So you recognize my eyes?”

  She narrowed her gaze. “I asked you a fucking question. Who are you?”

  “Carter Bowen. Ren’s brother.”

  “Fu-fuck.”

  “Yeah.”

  She looked at him, really looked at him. He had the same jaw as his brother, the same cheekbones. Why hadn’t she seen it before? Now that she knew, she saw it, saw the similarities. Carter’s hair was the same color as Ren’s and just as short.

  “You guys have the same last name?”

  Carter nodded. She heaved a sigh. That made it, what? One or two things she knew about Ren?

  “Where is he?” She had to ask, but she shouldn’t have. Carter’s expression shut down. To his credit he didn’t look away when he answered.

  “He’s had to deal with some things.” His mouth twisted.

  She could only imagine what that meant. Maybe he’d fallen into the arms of the woman he’d been searching for all those years. That thought hurt, a sharp sting in her chest. She breathed through it.

  “He had me do this so Salim could let you go.” Carter dropped a thick envelope in her lap. “Everything you need to start over is inside.”

  She stared at him blankly.

  Carter snapped his fingers in front of her face. “Pay attention. What are you going to do?”

  What was she going to do? The events of the past hour hadn’t even sunk in yet. She thought she was being sold to a stranger, then she found out she was free. It was too much to take in. Too much to deal with at once. Ren had come through for her, hadn’t he? He must care. Though not enough to come back. Obviously he didn’t care to give her what she wanted.

  She had to start over. Begin anew. Did that mean a new name, a whole new identity? She liked being McKenna. At least once upon a time she had.

  “McKenna?”

  She looked up at Carter, into his eyes eerily identical to those of the man she loved. “I’ll need to stop by the house,” she said softly. “Get a few things.”

  Relief flooded his face, and Carter nodded.

  One last stop then she was on her own for the first time. Starting a new life by herself. She was terrified, but she actually looked forward to the challenge. Couldn’t be harder than what she’d already faced. That was for damn sure.

  Chapter Eleven

  Six Months Later

  “Night, McKenna. See you tomorrow.”

  Looking over her shoulder at her coworkers at Sally’s Hair Place, McKenna smiled and waved. The salon door closed behind her, the tiny bells trilling. A short walk across the street brought her to her car, nothing fancy, just something to take her from point A to point B. She’d settled in Burlington, Vermont. A nice, quiet college town, not too big, not too small. The ideal place to start over.

  She’d done that, got herself an apartment, a job as the receptionist at Sally’s, and even a few friends to hang with on the weekends. That had been one of her goals—make friends. She kept her secrets, of course she did, but she was a lot more open. There was no con to protect. Her mother was long gone, her ashes scattered along the banks of Lake Champlain, so McKenna didn’t have to worry about hurting her feelings by getting close to other people.

  She was on her own. Free.

  Some days she liked it. Others she didn’t. The latter often came when she closed her door at night and crawled into bed. Those were the times her mind drifted back to that one night. That’s when she pondered the what-ifs.

  After that day when Carter Bowen liberated her from Salim’s slimy clutches, she hadn’t seen or heard from him or his brother. She hadn’t changed her name so if Ren wanted to find her he could. He didn’t. Six months was a long time to sit around and wait, hoping he felt more than lust in that one night. She hadn’t even considered dating anyone. She hadn’t been actively looking, but maybe she should start.

  That would be the only way to get over Ren, to get his taste out of her mouth, and the memory of the rough slide of his hands on her out of her mind.

  She’d do it.

  Keisha, one of the hair dressers, already wanted to hook her up with her brother. Tomorrow McKenna would give her the go ahead. Onward and upward. A new start and all that jazz. Despite what she felt for Ren, he didn’t feel the same or he’d be with her. He’d have at least made contact. Right?

  No, time to put herself out of her misery.

  After parking in her allotted space, she let herself into her two-bedroom apartment and kicked off her shoes. She’d shared a late dinner with the girls at work so all she needed was a shower and horizontal surface to rest her aching feet. She liked her job, but it was hard on her ankles. She took a quick shower then poured herself a glass of red wine she’d bought earlier that week on her food run. Naked except for the robe she’d shrugged on, she plopped down in the bed and turned on the TV.

  “He’s been declared persona non grata, and our sources tell us we can expect Mr. Najal to be expelled from the US later today.”

  What the fuck? McKenna vaulted upright, knocking over the glass at her elbow. It tipped over, red spreading quickly across her white sheets. She ignored it and stared at the twenty-four hour news channel, jaw slack. Salim was on TV. Flanked by burly men in official-looking garb as they ushered him into an SUV wit
h tinted windows. Cameras flashed.

  What the hell was going on? The crawl underneath said an anonymous someone had tipped off the authorities to Salim’s illegal activities which included sexual abuse, embezzlement, and bribery. They had him? They caught him but couldn’t touch him because of his immunity so he was being packed off to his home country of Saudi Arabia.

  Oh God. She bit her fists as her entire body trembled. It was well and truly over. She’d thought she was free before, but this… She could breathe, and that’s when she realized she’d been waiting. Waiting for Salim to pop up and take away her sense of security. She’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  Well, it had, and she bet she knew who’d let it fall. Had Ren done it for her or for the other woman? Did she care? As long as Salim was gone, it was a win. But she still didn’t have Ren. If she’d had anyway to contact him, she’d do it, make the first move. Pride had to fall to the wayside. She needed to know if she should give up on him.

  She didn’t want to, not by a long shot. He remained the only good thing in her life, their time spent together the only thing not tainted. That shit felt good. She ached to get that back again. Falling back against the pillows, she sighed. Obviously, she had to move on.

  Ren had already made his choice.

  She clicked off the TV and pinched the bridge of her nose. Tears burned her eyes. Letting go was painful but necessary if she wanted to move on. She had to do both.

  A sound rustled outside. She sat up, head cocked as she listened. It came again, a knock on her door. Who the hell could be at her door? She didn’t have visitors. Bolting off the bed, she tightened the robe and wiped her eyes. Must be the next-door neighbor. The guy had locked himself out of his place twice already since she’d moved in.

  She checked the time—just after nine p.m. Sheesh.

  At the door she leaned forward, habit ingrained in her, and peeked through the peephole.

  She gasped.

  He stood in profile, but she knew that face anywhere. Knew that stance and the curve of his lips, the scar on his cheek. She yanked the door open.

  His lips curved. “Hello, Kenna.”

  “Ren.” She whispered his name. It broke. Her pulse raced, too fast. He moved, came closer. She watched his actions in slow motion. He lifted a hand, cupped her cheek, and she trembled at the familiar touch. “Ren.” Tears blinded her.

  “Did you see the news?”

  She nodded. The tears fell, rolling slowly down her cheek. “Thank you.”

  Wiping at a tear with his thumb, Ren shook his head. “It was long overdue.”

  She stared up at him, couldn’t stop staring. Ren was here, at her door. He’d come, but—“Why are you here?” She clenched her fists and waited.

  Heat flashed in his one uncovered eye. He bent his head. “You’re here,” he whispered against her neck. “It’s where I want to be. With you.”

  “The other woman?” Because she needed to know.

  “Was never an issue.” He shrugged. “She’s not you.”

  A low cry escaped her. She stumbled backward into the apartment. Ren followed, closing the door behind them and pulling her into his arms. His mouth covered hers, kissing her with familiar command and hunger. McKenna clutched his shoulders and gave in, gave up, gave over to the feeling of the man she loved. He was back in her arms.

  She broke the kiss long enough to beg, “Don’t leave. Never leave.”

  “Never,” he vowed. “I’m here to stay.” He took her mouth again, a claiming she allowed as he did the same, owning him as he owned her. Rough, impatient hands caught her robe, pushing it off her shoulders. The belt came loose, and the robe dropped to the floor, pooling at her feet. She didn’t get a chance to speak because Ren pressed her up against the door and plunged two fingers into her already soaked cunt.

  She cried out, clenching around him.

  He groaned. A belt buckle sounded. A zipper hissed.

  Face pressed into the door, McKenna clawed the smooth paneling, ass tipped upward, pushing back. She needed him, needed to feel him, hot and hard and perfect inside her. That way she’d know this wasn’t a dream. She’d know he was real and all hers.

  “Missed you, Kenna.” His breath sent shivers racing down her spine. The fingers in her pussy pushed deep, knuckles pressing hard and taking her nearer to orgasm. “Missed you so fucking bad.” His fingers disappeared, soon replaced with the smooth, hot length of him.

  “Ren.” She moaned his name, forehead banging on the door. “Ren.” The pleasure spiraled through her, climax rushing up to yank her down like quicksand.

  “Yeah.” He pulled out then slammed in, a repetitive, punishing pace that had her sobbing for more, begging him to go deeper, all while her knees buckled and her nails scratched the white paint off the door.

  Their sweat and sex perfumed the air, potent and thick. She took it into her lungs, getting high on it, wanting more of it. Ren grunted at her ear, fingers painful where he clutched her hips. She pushed back on him, rising on her tiptoes to get him deeper still. His teeth sank into the soft flesh of her shoulder, sparking a fire that flared bright in her lower belly and cunt. She spasmed and screamed when the orgasm slammed into her. For a second, she couldn’t hear a thing but the blood rushing in her ears. She didn’t see a thing but bright white light.

  By the time she came back to herself, caught her bearings, the only thing keeping her from sliding to the floor was Ren’s hold on her hips, his hard body pressed so tightly to hers. Slick warmth teased at her and she realized he’d also reached climax. He panted in her ear, nuzzling her neck. They leaned against the door, Ren locked inside her. One of his hands came up, fingers twisted around hers where it lay flat on the door.

  Words weren’t necessary. His presence said it all.

  When he finally shifted and pulled from her, she gasped. His seed flowed out and down her thighs. She moaned and parted her legs. Ren moved back. She glanced over her shoulder in time to see him drop to his knees.

  “Ah, fuck!”

  He licked his way up the inside of her thighs, alternating, cleaning her as he made his way to her core. McKenna covered her mouth with a palm and rolled her hips as Ren ate her, hungry swipes of his tongue, sharp scratches of his teeth against her folds, fingers digging her out, until she was clean.

  A touch on her hips made her turn around. She looked down at him, at his face all slick with his cum and her juices. Cupping the back of his head, she chuckled brokenly.

  “You’re a nasty little fucker, aren’t you?”

  He licked his lips then bared his teeth in a wolfish grin. “Take me to your bedroom and I’ll show you just how nasty I can get.”

  The End

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