"I really am sorry." "I know. Now lift your skirt for me," he demands, standing behind my sprawled out figure on his desk, rolling up the sleeves of his button up. I feel my face flush, and I lift my cheek from its position on the solid wood desk to where I knew they were standing, waiting. I lock my wide eyes with pale green ones, knowing Sebastian's my best chance at avoiding punishment. All I receive in return is a slow, smug grin, and then a shrug, telling me I'm all out of luck. I watch as he gets comfortable, leaning against the dark wood walls and sliding his hands in his now slightly creased pant pockets. My eyes flicker over to Nik and Oliver, who moved to take up the leather armchairs at each corner of the desk, each with wicked gleams in their eyes, feasting on my vulnerable position. I shiver as I feel Elijah's cold hand run up the back of my thigh softly, only to pinch the goosebump-covered skin just under the curve of my ass, jolting me into awareness. "You know I don't like waiting, pretty girl," he chides, leaning into me so I can faintly feel his even breaths whisper along my neck. I lift my hands and reach behind me to pull up my fitted skirt so that my panty-clad bottom is hit with the effects of the slightly too-high air conditioning. I shiver in anticipation of Elijah's hard hand, knowing that despite my fear, I'm also more excited than I've ever been. His hand suddenly reaches into the side of my underwear from behind and he slides his fingers through my soaking folds, leisurely stroking my clit. I inhale a sharp gasp of air, electricity flowing through my pussy at his mere touch. "You're such a good cunt for us, aren't you, sweetheart? Are you going to take your punishment like a good girl now?"

This is book 2 in the "Beautiful Destruction" series. You MUST READ "Theirs to Claim" first in order to understand this one. ____ When I was ten, my father told me that all of my dreams would one day come true. Naively, I believed him. I may have grown up in an environment rooted by hate, dishonestly, and fear, but it wasn't until I was sixteen that I felt true pain. Years later at the age of twenty-three, I felt it again, only this kind of hurt was built on entirely different evils: love, secrecy, and revenge. Alec, Caleb, and Xavier were the most beautiful of beginnings and destructive of heartbreaks, but nowhere in our story is there room for an end. Yes, when I was ten my father told me that all of my dreams would one day come true, but what he forgot to mention was that nightmares were also dreams. One lie, one night. It cost us everything, leaving us here, three-hundred and seventy-six days later. ____ Even with the overarching mystery of who's responsible for the death of Heidi Adams, there are new conflicts that have arisen within New York. With the weight of carrying the title as Don, Xavier, Caleb, and Alec battle between what's expected of them, and regaining the trust of the women they feared they'd lost. When Madelyn receives a series of anonymous cynical threats, she's left with the choice between facing the world on her own or risking the one thing she's spent months creating shields around: her heart. Apart, the four of them are dangerous, but together, their force is lethal. Only time is strong enough to reveal where their stories cross, however it's love, power, and revenge that threatens to burn everything to the ground. What was once a fight against each other turns into something that's far more daunting-something that has the ability to either unite two enemies or destroy what's already breaking. Getting even. ____ This book contains mature content including violence and sexual themes. Read at your own discretion.