beard rubbed my cheek. “What are you doing out here?” he asked, his voice husky with sleep and passion.
“Aside from freezing?” I turned my face toward his for a kiss. When we pulled away, my head felt light, and I was fizzy with happiness.
I leaned back against his chest, letting the poignancy of the moment wash over me. His hands slipped down my body to gently rest on the swell of my belly.
“Are you happy?” he asked.
“Delirious,” I admitted. “You?”
He paused long enough for me to look up at him and arch a brow. Hadrian grinned down at me and placed a kiss at the tip of my nose. “I’m not a poet, aye? Give me a minute to find the words.”
I inclined my head but refused to turn my gaze away from him. His nose had healed, but it was slightly more crooked than before. His body had new scars, but he had survived.
Hadrian Rhys.
Warrior. Lover. Husband.
And soon to be father.
“There’s no amount of wealth that can ever buy what we have,” he said. “Money. Power. None of it matters. Not without you.”
He let me go, but only so he could swivel me to face him. “I had a house, but you made it a home. I had a life, but I wasn’t really alive.”
His hands stole down my body to rest again on my stomach.
The symbol of our love.
“The world is made up of peasants and kings,” he said.
“And you’re an emperor?” I asked with a winsome smile.
“No. Just a man,” he said, his voice raw, aching. “Just a man who was lucky enough to find heaven on earth.”
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•••
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Have you met Barrett and Flynn yet? Read the series the started it all, The SINS Series. Keep scrolling for blurb and teaser!
Sins of a King Blurb
Flynn Campbell is a king among men.
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He plays Manhattan's elite like pawns on a chessboard.
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He's a man you don't cross, but that's exactly what my brother has done.
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Debts must be repaid.
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But it's not money Flynn wants...
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It's me.
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Suddenly I'm thrust into a criminal underworld, full of seduction and lies.
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Ensnared by danger and power, foreign desires burn within me.
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It's time to embrace the darkness...
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And become a queen.
Sins of King Teaser
Flynn sat in the chair next to the couch that faced me. Leaning forward, he stared into his drink. Finally, he lifted his blue eyes to me.
“Your brother has gotten himself into some trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Three-hundred thousand dollars worth of trouble.”
I inhaled sharply. That was a lot. “He owes you money?” I guessed.
“Aye.”
“How? Were you in business together?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t understand. How can he owe you that kind of money?”
“It’s not important.”
“It’s not? It’s not like you guys had a friendly bet on a football game. This is serious money.”
He sighed. “Finish your drink.”
“But I don’t want—”
“Finish it,” he commanded, his voice low.
I did as bid, setting the empty glass down on the table. We’d never gotten around to dinner, and a warm ball of liquor resided deep in my belly.
“Your brother made me an offer,” Flynn said. “Your services in lieu of the debt.”
I blinked. “Sorry. The scotch must be doing something to my brain. Services?”
His jaw clenched and he nodded.
“What kind of services?” I demanded, suddenly understanding what I’d overheard at the restaurant. “You’re not interested in my history knowledge, are you?”
I stood up and began to pace across the living room floor. I whirled on Flynn, who had stood too, but was watching me with an indiscernible look on his face.
“You agreed,” I said in realization. “At the restaurant. Andrew asked if you guys had a deal.” My eyes narrowed. “What kind of man agrees to that sort of thing?”
In two quick strides, Flynn was in front of me, looming and fierce. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“So what is this? I work off my brother’s debt in the bedroom? Is that what you were hoping? Keep me chained and bound and—”
Flynn gripped my upper arms, dragging me close to him so we were nearly nose-to-nose despite the fact that he was several inches taller than me. “If I wanted a woman, I wouldn’t have to pay for it.”
“Then what could you possibly want me for?” I asked, still in shock.
Flynn released me, setting me back down on the floor. I nearly stumbled in my heels, but I caught myself.
He gestured to the couch. “Sit down. And I’ll explain.”
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Click Here & Binge The SINS Series now!
Additional Works
Writing as Emma Slate
SINS Series:
Sins of a King (Book 1)
Birth of a Queen (Book 2)
Rise of a Dynasty (Book 3)
Dawn of an Empire (Book 4)
Ember (Book 5)
Burn (Book 6)
Ashes (Book 7)
The Spider Queen
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Wreck & Ruin: Blue Angels MC #1
Writing as Samantha Garman
The Sibby Series:
Queen of Klutz (Book 1)
Sibby Slicker (Book 2)
Mother Shucker (Book 3)
Sibby’s Spawn (Book 4)
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From Stardust to Stardust
Join Slate’s Sinners, Emma’s Facebook reader group.
About the Author
Emma Slate writes on the run. The dangerous alpha men she writes about aren’t thrilled that she’s sharing their stories for your enjoyment. So far, she’s been able to evade them by jet setting around the world. She wears only black leather because it’s bad ass…and hides blood.
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