4.5 Fantastic Stars!
Can I tell you that I LOVED this book! It was steamy, and suspenseful and snarky and angsty. All the best elements combined in this batter of emotions that made for an exquisite read.
Sloan has loved Killian since she was a young girl of 17 trying to seduce him in her tiny bikini. Six years older than his next door neighbor, he assures her that they are meant to be together and if she still feels that way in 6 months, after she turns 18 and is no longer "jail bait"� he will act on his feelings.
Fast forward 4 ½ years; Sloan lives with her uncle Stephen and his bitch of a wife, Celine in what is essentially a prison. She has little freedom, no access to her own money and too many restrictions to name. She has lost everything; her father is dead, her home is gone and most of all Killian hates and despises her. They rarely interact, and the few times that they did, he spouts out his venomous hatred for her.
That is all about to change. She will turn 22 in a few weeks, gain access to her inheritance and move the hell out. Freedom is so close she can taste it. Her only confidante is her best friend Demi and her parents. At a boring dinner party that she is required to attend for her aunt, in walks Killian who makes a beeline straight for her. In spite of Demi's best efforts, he strong arms Sloan into leaving with him. Being a man of few words, he dumps her in his car and drives to her house, where he has a moving van in her driveway. He tells her they are here to get her things. She assumes somehow he has control of her home and is dumping her ass out of it. She couldn't be more wrong.
"I'm not kicking you out, Sloane. I'm buying you." Whatever I thought before? It was all too generous. Killian just turned my life upside down with nine life-changing words. It hangs out there between us as I gape at him while I try to formulate a response. "Buying me...? This proves that you're insane! I'm not a commodity. What exactly can I do for you, Killian? Be your maid? The look he gives me is a lot like a warning and instinctively I know that whatever he says next isn't going to be good. "No, you're going to be my lover."
He is blackmailing her, using her love for Demi's family to make her come to him. He has paid off her uncle and aunt, will get her late father's company out of debt- all for the small price of her body. Money is no issue for him, he is a millionaire many times over, being a tech genius with multiple companies. He plans on taking her to Florida until he decides where they will go next. He owns her for the next year. She knows he wants revenge, but she has never understood why.
My plan is far from honorable, but it's damn good. Fu*# that-it's not just good-it's the perfect deception.
She has little choice and complies with his emotional blackmail. He has tight security on her, but she assumes this is because he is a very wealthy man and it is for him. He hasn't touched her yet, when will he claim what he considers to be his? One night she hears noises outside her bedroom-she opens the door and let's just say Killian is quite the alpha male ordering an older female to get on her knees and obey his commands Sloan is fascinated, hurt, jealous and repulsed all at the same time. Killian sees her, dismisses the woman and tries to talk to her, she refuses to speak to him. She plays it cool and won't let him see how much he hurt her.
This situation implodes and Killian finally takes what he considers to be his-having found out she is still a virgin, he acts out of character and is tender and considerate of her initiation into passion. Once these two start, there is no end to the physical intimacy for them.
"It's no secret-I've fu*#ed a lot of meaningless women. Hell, before now, it's never meant anything to me emotionally. I've always gone at it for the physical release. I can't turn back the clock on that. It happened and nothing can change it. But you know what? You're not in that category and never will be. Whatever came before doesn't hold a candle to five seconds of being inside of you. Even when I was telling myself that I was hate-fu*#king you, it still meant more."
But always he leaves her after, showering and going to another room. If he thinks she is remotely interested in someone else, he is furious. No one touches what is his!
There are many secrets about his family, her family and what caused him to change. Little by little the truth is coming out, but Sloan is so hurt she is almost numb. She can't stop her body's reaction to Killian, but she shuts off her emotions. He can't handle this, he doesn't want only her body. Can they ever break down their barriers, and why is she so heavily guarded?
This book has an element of suspense to it, and intrigue. At times I wanted to throat punch Killian, especially when he was having oral sex with the cougar. He likes his sex rough and there is some mild kink in the story. But that just adds to the deliciousness of it! And the epilogue! Sweet jezus, how I loved it!
"There's been so much ugly between us," I blubber. "I just want us to have a new beginning without misunderstandings, lies, and secrets."