Filed to story: The LORDS Series Free PDF by Shantel Tessier
He remains silent but turns up the radio, and “I Hate everything About You” by Three Days Grace drowns out anything I could possibly say.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I let out a huff and watch the trees fly by as he speeds down the road. It only takes me a second to realize he’s headed to my house. Now I’m really concerned. If he wanted to go to my house, then why didn’t he just let me drive my car? I could have followed him. Well, okay. A quick look shows he’s going almost a hundred miles an hour. I speed but, damn, not that much.
My body jerks when he slams on his brakes in my driveway. He gets out, slamming his car door. I get out much slower but start running up the stairs when I see him entering the house.
“Sin, what in the fuck are we doing?” I bark out, taking the stairs two at a time to catch up with him. He’s much taller than me, so I can’t get there as fast. I enter my room, and he’s pulling a suitcase out from under my bed and starts opening drawers, tossing stuff into it. “Are you kidnapping me?” I ask, as somewhat of a joke, laughing it off. Because that’s ridiculous, right? But my pulse accelerates at the thought. A rush of adrenaline makes my pussy clench. That’s another fantasy in my diary. And I know he’s read some of at least one of them.
He stops what he’s doing and stalks over to me. My breath catches at the look in his eyes. He did not find that funny. Coming to a stop, he reaches out and cups my face. My lips part on their own, and he runs his thumb over them. “Is that what’s about to happen, Elli? Going to make me drag you out of this house against your will?”
“No.” I’d go anywhere with him. But the question is, why the urgency? Why now? Where are we going?
Leaning in, he gently gives me a soft kiss on my forehead and then pulls away. “Help me pack your bag.”
_______________
AN HOUR LATER, we’re pulling up to the house of Lords. I’ve been here before. They have a lot of big parties. But I’ve never been here with an actual Lord. Just Kira. We dance, get trashed, and Uber home.
He parks his car and gets out a lot slower this time. Popping his trunk, he grabs my suitcase, then opens my door for me. “How long are we staying here?” I ask. I haven’t spoken to him since he threatened to drag me out of my house. But he packed a lot of my things, enough for more than one overnight stay.
“You’ll live here with me.” He grabs my hand and drags me up the stone steps.
I give a rough laugh. “Live? Sin, I can’t live here.” With him? Since when did we become a couple just because I let him fuck me? I mean, he did read my diary, so he knows how I’ve felt about him for years. But that doesn’t mean he feels the same, right?
“Well, you’re not staying there,” he argues with a clipped tone.
“Where? My home?” What the hell is he talking about?
We enter the house that I’m pretty sure was once an elaborate hotel, and it’s fucking chaos. Men and women everywhere. The house smells of weed and sex. You can tell they had a party last night due to the beer cans and empty glass bottles of liquor. Trash bags sit up against the walls in the hallway that are already full but haven’t been taken out yet.
He comes up to a door on the first floor and pushes it open. I step inside and look around as he closes it behind us. It’s got a single bed that to my surprise is made with white sheets and a duvet. Two white pillows to match. One dresser and a door that he walks into and drops my bag. It makes me wonder when he stayed here last. Does he bring women here? Or does he stay at their place?
“That’s the bathroom,” he says, exiting.
I nod my head and walk in there, trying to figure out what in the fuck I’m doing here and how long I will willingly stay. Because if there’s one thing I know about Sin-if I decide to leave, he’ll tie me to that bed and make me stay. And honestly, that doesn’t sound too bad.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
SIN
NO WAY IN hell will she stay at her house. Her mother has brought another evil man into their lives. Now, I’m not sure it’s her fault. She probably doesn’t know that Lincoln is using her to climb the social ladder within the Lords.
What I can’t figure out is how he was able to pull it off. To get the Lords to agree for him to marry her? A Lord doesn’t always need permission to marry who they want. Usually, it’s set up through the families. By the time we graduate from Barrington, our weddings will already be planned. But it’s different when you’re a Lord’s widow. The Lady very rarely gets to choose the Lord she is re-gifted to. Mrs. Asher looked to really be in love with Linc, which makes me believe that he’s been winning her over for the past two years. Women are easy to manipulate. Especially a grieving woman who lost her second husband. It makes her vulnerable and needy to anyone offering her any type of attention.
But I know everything I need to know after he threatened Elli. And I won’t leave her at that house for Linc to take what’s mine. Willingly or by force.
Elli is very fragile and can easily be manipulated. I know because I’ve done it. And I won’t stand by and let Linc have his way with something that is mine. I’ve waited too long to get her where I want her. And no one will stand in my way. Especially not some fucking low-level Lord on a power trip.
My bedroom door opens, and I look up to see a woman enter. She’s got her long dark hair up in a high ponytail. Her makeup is caked on like she’s about to do a photo shoot of some kind, and she’s wearing the tiniest bikini I’ve ever seen. Two little triangles cover her fake tits and an even smaller one covers her pussy. She’s dressed in a pair of heels and clearly has not been swimming due to the fact that she’s still dry.
Amelia Lane Cleary stands in my room, hands on her hips, and her injected lips smiling.
“Get the fuck out of my room.” I point at the door.
Instead, she steps farther inside, closer to me. “You’re lucky I’m not the jealous type. Otherwise, I’d be insecure that you didn’t show for our vow ceremony.” She places her hand on my chest and cocks her head. Her tongue pokes out to run across her red lips. As if she truly thinks that’ll do something for me. It doesn’t.
I grab her upper arm and yank her toward the door.
“Sin-“
I stop and turn to see Elli has stepped out of the bathroom. Her gorgeous eyes go from mine to the half-naked girl in my grasp.
“She was just leaving,” I growl through gritted teeth, hating that I have to explain myself but also knowing I need to defuse the current situation that Amelia has put me in.
Pursing her lips, Elli goes back into the bathroom and grabs her bag. “No, I was just leaving.”
I let go of the bitch on my arm and step in front of Elli. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Her narrowed eyes tell me she’s going to run out of here, and I’m going to have to make her stay. Good, it’ll give me a reason to chain her up.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” Amelia says from behind me. “You’re not a chosen.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. One problem at a time. I let go of Elli and turn to face Amelia. I pull her out of the room and slam the door shut behind me. Once in the hallway, I yank her to me. “Stay the fuck out of my room.” She’s lying. Any woman can be here at any time. She’s just trying to piss off Elli, and it’s working.
She huffs. “Lincoln called me. Said you wanted to see me. But here you are.” She rolls her eyes so hard I hope she’s having a seizure. “With her,” she adds with a huff.
Of course, he put her up to this. He’s fucking with my life.
“Have you told her?” she goes on.
My jaw clenches, refusing to answer that question.
“She’s going to find out, Sin. Sooner or later. I don’t mind if you play with her for now, but the time will come when you have to let her go.”
Looking at my door, I think of my options. I have to pacify Linc for now. Running a hand through my hair, I say, “I’ll call you.” Then I turn, giving her my back, but she grabs hold of my arm and yanks me to a stop.
“Promise?” Her eyes drop to my jeans and slowly run up to meet my eyes, pushing her body into mine.
My fingers curl around her upper arms, digging them into her skin, and she whimpers, her knees buckling, but I keep her upright. “I said I’ll fucking call you. Now go be a good little bitch and run along until I need you.” Shoving her away, I turn and enter my bedroom only to find it empty. “Elli?” I bark out but get nothing. The bathroom is also clear. “Fuck.” I hurry through the house, wondering how she got by me, and out the front door to see her getting in my sister’s car.
“Elli?” I bark out, but she ignores me, falling into the passenger seat before Kira takes off. “Goddammit.”
ELLINGTON
THIRTEEN YEARS OLD
I HOLD MY diary close to my chest as I walk down the hallway. I see the door open, so I step inside the room.
“Elli.” James looks up at me from behind his desk. “Come. Have a seat.” I sit down on the black leather couch, and he gives me a soft smile. “What did you learn today?”
My stepdad found out last week that I’ve been listening in on my mother’s sessions. He said he promised he wouldn’t tell on me, but in order for him to keep my secret, I had to take notes and share them with him. “Age play,” I say softly.
“Oh,” he says excitedly and gets up, coming around his desk to be closer to me. He sits down on the couch. “Go on.”
“Mr. Robbins likes to be his wife’s daddy.”
“How so?”