Dirty Little Secrets (Lover's Secrets Book II)
Dirty Little Secrets
**The follow-up book to The Secrets We Keep** Freya Harmon was a lost soul to the world. Kidnapped as a young child by a Grigori who tortured and killed her mother, she finally finds freedom when he suddenly disappears, escaping the abandoned asylum where she was held captive for fourteen years. But the outside world is vast and foreign to Freya, and she quickly realizes that to survive, she'll need to find someone she can rely on. That is when she meets Stefan LaCross. Handsome, rich, and powerful, Stefan is every woman's dream, though he hides his own dark secret of being a Grigori. As Freya is drawn deeper and deeper into Stefan's world and desires, she begins to wonder if she's finally found the one she truly belongs with. But not everything is as it seems, and Stefan is hiding more than one dirty little secret when it comes to her. Will she find a way to break the cycle of lust and death that threatens to consume her, or will she become completely enveloped by the deepest desires within her soul? **Available on Inkitt but will soon be moving to Galatea (all but first three chapters)**
Excerpt
The car was nice and warm as I got inside, and I made sure to put on the seatbelt as the man put it in drive. I sat back in the leather seat, looking at him. The radio was on but turned down low, so I decided to see if he’d tell me what he might want in return for helping me. “Thank you for this,” I spoke up. “There’s no need. I know you’re grateful,” the man responded, “I’m Stefan LaCross. Do you have a name?” “Yes. It’s Freya Harmon.” I answered. “How old are you, Freya?” Stefan inquired. I thought about it, “I’m not that sure. I think I’m eighteen.” “You don’t know your age?” “I’m sorry. I don’t know for sure. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a birthday or anything like that. I just know how the seasons would change since I was little and judged by that.” I explained. “Do you know where you are right now?” the man probed. “No. I stayed at a place way out here for a long time, but I can’t remember exactly where this location is. I hadn’t gotten to leave that place since I came there. At least, until now.” Stefan looked forward as he drove, though he made a small sound in his throat, almost like he was contemplating what I was saying. “Incredible. How did I end up with such luck after all of this time?” he muttered. I took this as a bad sign, and quickly continued, “I promise I won't cause you any trouble, and you don’t have to deal with me if you don’t want to. I just don’t have any place to go, and all I want is to try and figure out what to do about that. I’m not sure if you’d even believe me if I told you where I came from, but I really could use at least a little bit of help, even if you drop me off somewhere and act like you never saw me." “I have the idea that most wouldn’t believe your backstory, but I’m not like most people,” Stefan responded. He pulled over and put the car in park as he faced me, “However, I also don’t have a problem with helping you thrive now that you’ve found your freedom. It works very well in my favor too. If you’ll hear me out, I believe you'll like the offer I’m going to extend to you.” I sat still in the seat, wringing my hands a little in my lap. Something about this felt strange, like this familiarity nagged at the back of my mind. Had I heard these words before? “I guess. What kind of offer is it?” I meekly asked him. Stefan casually leaned his arm over his seat, “It’s pretty simple. It’s very obvious to me what’s happened here, and that you’re going to need a lot of help to get where you need to be in this world. Simply taking you to the police or hospital wouldn’t get you very far. You’d probably end up left out on the streets or in some halfway house after the investigations are done. As for me, I’ve felt the sting of loneliness in a lot of ways for quite a while now, so what I’ll propose to you could solve both of our problems. I’ll give you everything you’ve ever needed and dreamed of, but you will have to stay with me and please me however I wish.” “You mean you want sex in exchange for taking care of me.” “That would be part of pleasing me, though I have no intentions of simply keeping a live-in whore. I’ll also make you my wife, along with giving you everything your heart could desire. My only stipulation would be that you never leave me, no matter what comes.” I wasn’t sure of what to say. Even with where I’d come from, it seemed like such a weird arrangement, especially with him saying that he’d make me his wife. We hadn’t even known each other for ten minutes. What could he possibly be planning with something like this? “It’s not that I’m saying no, but I don’t get it. You just found me out here. Why would you want to go through all of that trouble just to keep me for sex?” I asked him. “I see no trouble in it. I want what I want, and I knew as soon as I set my eyes on you that you are what I wished for the most.” I remained still as he leaned toward me. That was when his dark brown irises began to glow with golden light. They were brilliant, shining like a ray of sunshine through the clouds. That was when it hit me. That familiar feeling I'd had as soon as I'd laid eyes on him was just like when I was around Quinton. There was no mistaking eyes like that. Stefan was a Grigori, just like he had been. "You're a... you're...” It was hard for me to speak with how memorized I was just by looking at those beautiful glowing eyes. Everything about this Grigori was gorgeous, far more than even Quinton had been. “Are you frightened?" Stefan continued, "I wouldn’t imagine you would be. I'm certain you knew what Quinton was. That bastard never would’ve hidden it from you simply to spite me, just as I’m sure he enjoyed you once you were developed enough as a woman,” He ran his fingers through my messy dark hair, “But no matter. I’ve finally found you, and I’ll finally be able to call you mine. Trust me, my beautiful Freya, I am not the same as him. I will give you everything your heart desires, and you in return will give me all of you. It’s a fair trade, isn’t it?” If I had been raised with a normal life, then I would’ve understood everything wrong with this situation I was currently in. But after spending the majority of my young life with a Grigori, I couldn’t say that I knew anything else. What Stefan was saying was more than fair in my mind. He’d give me whatever I wanted and even make me his wife, and in return, I’d give him whatever he wanted from me. “Yes, it is fair. You'll also keep your end of the deal forever, right?” I verified. “I’ll keep it faithfully to you, and you will forever be my only one,” Stefan promised. A smile graced his lips as he touched mine, “What do you say, beautiful? Will you agree to be mine?” I managed to nod, “Yes. I would rather be yours than be all alone in this big world.” I meant every word of that. Even though I thought I wanted freedom, it was also incredibly scary to me. My life had been under Quinton for so long, even if it was an awful existence as his strangely beloved prisoner. It couldn’t have been any worse with Stefan. Or, at least, I hoped it wouldn’t be. Stefan looked very pleased as he heard my answer, “Good girl. I’ll make sure to take excellent care of you from this moment forward,” he stated. The next thing I knew, he'd grabbed my chin and pulled me forward, pressing his lips to my own. I let out a soft moan as his tongue forced its way into my mouth, caressing my own. My hand went up behind his head, feeling his soft hair as I eagerly returned his kiss. He pulled away after a minute, a pleased smile on his face as he took in my flushed one. His eyes flashed their golden glow one more time as he sat back in his seat. As for me, my heart was racing in my chest as I tried to catch my breath. I never thought I could be so excited by a kiss. Quinton had kissed me like that plenty of times before, and it hadn't left me like this. I didn't know if it was a good or a bad omen for what was to come. "That's my girl. I do love seeing such a heated reaction from you even from such a simple gesture," He pulled the car back out to the road to continue driving, “But let us keep it at that for now. We need to get home. It’s already very late, and we’ll have much to do come tomorrow.” I didn't doubt that as I obediently sat back in my seat, still trying to slow down my excited heartbeat. All of this promised to be a new beginning in my life, at least with how he was making it sound. But would it be the romantic if erotic love story I was starting to hope for, or just another type of prison? All I knew for certain was that only time would tell.
