Table Of ContentTears of Tess
Copyright © 2013 Pepper Winters
Published by Pepper Winters
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including
electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the
products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away
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you for respecting the author’s work.
All music lyrics used in this book are written by Pepper Winters.
Published: Pepper Winters 2013: [email protected]
Publishing assisted by Black Firefly: http://www.blackfirefly.com/
Editing: by Lindsey from Black Firefly and TJ Loveless from Cliff Hanger Editing.
French Translation: Louise Pion
Cover Design: by Ari at Cover it! Designs: http://salon.io/#coveritdesigns
Proofreading by: Robin from Black Firefly
Formatting by: http://www.blackfirefly.com/
Images in Manuscript from Canstock Photos: http://www.canstockphoto.com
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Tweny
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Epilogue
About Pepper
Other Books
Acknowledgements
Playlist
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T
hree little words.
If anyone asked what I was most afraid of, what terrified me, stole my
breath, and made my life flicker before my eyes, I would say three little words.
How could my perfect life plummet so far into hell?
How could my love for Brax twist so far into unfixable?
The black musty hood over my head suffocated my thoughts, and I sat with
hands bound behind my back. Twine rubbed my wrists with hungry stringed
teeth, ready to bleed me dry in this new existence.
Noise.
The cargo door of the airplane opened and footsteps thudded toward us. My
senses were dulled, muted by the black hood; my mind ran amok with terror-
filled images. Would I be raped? Mutilated? Would I ever see Brax again?
Male voices argued, and someone wrenched my arm upright. I flinched,
crying out, earning a fist to my belly.
Tears streamed down my face. The first tears I shed, but definitely not the
last.
This was my new future. Fate threw me to the bastards of Hades.
“That one.”
My stomach twisted, threatening to evict empty contents. Oh, God.
Three little words:
I was sold.
Starling
W
“ here are you taking me, Brax?” I giggled as my boyfriend of two years
beamed his slightly crooked smile and plucked my suitcase from my hands.
We crossed the threshold of the airport and nerves of excitement fluttered
in my stomach.
A week ago, Brax surprised me with a romantic dinner and an envelope. I
grabbed him and squeezed him half to death when I pulled free two airplane
tickets with the destinations blacked out by a marker.
My perfect, sweet boyfriend, Brax Cliffingstone was taking me somewhere
exotic. And that meant connection, sex, fun. Things I sorely needed.
Brax had never been able to keep a secret. Hell, he was a shockingly bad
liar—I caught his fibs every time when his sky-blue eyes darted up and to the
left, and his cute ears blushed.
But, somehow, he kept quiet on the whole mysterious holiday. Like any
normal twenty-year-old woman, I searched our apartment ruthlessly. Raiding
his underwear drawer, the PlayStation compartment, and all the other secret
hidey-holes where he might’ve kept the real plane reservations. But, for all my
snooping, I came up empty.
So, as I stood in the Melbourne airport, with a crazy happy boyfriend and
nerves rioting in my heart, I could only grin like an idiot.
“Not telling. The checkin clerk can be the one to ruin my surprise.” He
chuckled. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t tell you until we arrived at the
resort.” He dropped the suitcase and dragged me toward him with a smirk. “In
fact, if I could, I’d blindfold you until we got there, so it would all be a
complete surprise.”
My core clenched as thoughts flared with hot images—sexy, sinful visions
of Brax blindfolding me, taking me roughly, completely at his mercy. Oh, God,
don’t go there again, Tess. You were going to block thoughts like that,
remember?
Ignoring myself, I gasped as Brax’s fingers grazed my flesh. I shuddered,
and my sequined top became insubstantial.
“You could do that, you know?” I whispered, dropping my eyelids to half-
mast. “You could tie me up….”
Instead of pouncing and kissing me like crazy for offering him the chance
to dominate, Brax swallowed and looked as if I’d told him to slap me with a
dead fish.
“Tess, what the hell? That’s the third time you’ve quipped about bondage.”
Rejection crushed, and I dropped my gaze. The tingles between my legs
popped like dirty bubbles, and I let Brax shove me back into the box where I
belonged. The box labelled: perfect, innocent girlfriend who’d do anything for
him, as long as it was in the dark and on my back.
I wanted a new label. One that said: girlfriend who will do anything to be
tied, spanked, and fucked all over rather than adored.
Brax looked so disappointed and I hated myself. I need to stop this.
I reminded myself for the three-hundredth time, that the sweet, wonderful
relationship I had with this man was far more important than a bit of sexy play
in the bedroom.
I mumbled, “It’s been too long. Almost a month and a half.” I remembered
the exact date when the lacklustre sex, in good ole missionary, took place. Brax
worked overtime, my uni course demanded a lot of brainpower, and somehow
life became more important than a roll beneath the sheets.
He froze, looking around us at the hordes of people. “Great time to bring
that up.” He guided me to the side, glaring at a couple that came too close. “Can
we talk about this later?” He ducked his head and kissed my cheek. “I love you,
hun. Once we aren’t so busy, then we can have more alone time.”
“And this holiday? Will you take me like the girlfriend you adore?”
Brax beamed, enveloping me in a hug. “Every night. You wait.”
I smiled, letting anticipation and happiness dispel my angst. Brax and I
wanted different things in the bedroom department, and I hoped, prayed, got on
my knees and begged, that I didn’t ruin what we had because of it.
My blood simmered for things entirely not sweet. Things I didn’t have the
courage to say. Downright sinful things that amped my blood to lava and made
me wet—and it wasn’t chaste kisses.
Standing in his arms, in a public place, with that sexy smirk on his mouth,
and hands on my waist, I trembled with a cocktail of need. This trip would be
exactly what we needed.
He brushed his lips against mine, no tongue, and I had to squeeze my legs
together to stop the vibrations threatening to overtake me. Is there something
wrong with me? Surely, I shouldn’t be this way. Maybe there was a cure—
something to take the edge off my desires.
Brax pulled back, smiling. “You’re gorgeous.”
My eyes dropped to his shapely mouth, breathing faster. What would Brax
do if I pushed him against the wall and groped him in public? My mind turned
the fantasy into him pushing me hard against the wall, his thigh going between
my legs, hands pawing, bruising me because he couldn’t get close enough.
I swallowed, battling those far too tempting thoughts. “You’re not so bad
yourself,” I joked, plucking his baby-blue t-shirt that matched his eyes so well.
I loved this man, but missed him at the same time. How was that possible?
Life wedged between us: the university course stole five days a week, not
to mention homework, and Brax’s boss landed a new building contract in the
heart of the city.
Each month trickled into the next, and lovemaking became second fiddle to
Call of Duty on PlayStation, and architectural sketching for the extra credit I’d
signed up for.
But all of that would change. Our life together would improve, because I
was going to seduce my man. I’d packed a few naughty surprises to show Brax
what turned me on. I needed to do this. To save my sanity. To save my
relationship.
Brax’s fingers squeezed my waist and he stepped away, ducking down to
grab the suitcases again.
If I wanted to seduce him, wasn’t it best just to go for it? Planning and
dreaming seemed wrong when he stood right in front of me.
I dropped my shoulder bag and grabbed the lapels of his beige canvas
jacket, yanking him into me. “Let’s join the mile-high club,” I whispered,
before crushing his mouth with mine. His eyes flashed as I leaned forward,
pressing my entire body against his. Feel me. Need me.
He tasted of orange juice and his lips were warm, so warm. My tongue tried
