Pretty Wicked Secrets

PRETTY WICKED SECRETS RUTHLESS HEARTS BOOK #2 CALLIE ROSE Copyright © 2023 by Callie Rose All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. * * * For updates on my upcoming releases and promotions, sign up for my reader newsletter! I promise not to bite (or spam you). CALLIE ROSE NEWSLETTER CONTENTS 1. Riley 2. Dante 3. Riley 4. Riley 5. Riley 6. Maddoc 7. Riley 8. Riley 9. Logan 10. Riley 11. Riley 12. Riley 13. Riley 14. Dante 15. Riley 16. Riley 17. Logan 18. Riley 19. Maddoc 20. Riley 21. Riley 22. Riley 23. Maddoc 24. Riley 25. Riley 26. Riley 27. Riley 28. Riley 29. Riley 30. Riley 31. Riley 32. Riley 33. Logan 34. Riley 35. Dante 36. Riley 37. Riley 38. Maddoc 39. Riley 40. Riley 41. Riley 42. Riley 43. Riley 44. Riley 45. Logan 46. Riley 47. Riley 48. Riley 49. Dante 50. Riley Books by Callie Rose 1 RILEY My whole body is buzzing with pleasure, betraying me just as ruthlessly as these fucking Reapers have. That last orgasm was so intense that the afterglow feels almost radioactive—and all from a man I fucking hate. Something twists inside my chest as Maddoc’s cock pulses inside me again, his muscled body pressed against mine in the aftermath of our heated, rough fuck. Maddoc Gray. Leader of one of Halston’s most dangerous gangs. A man I was stupid enough to start to believe in. To count on. To… care for. I try to focus on something else besides the anger and hurt crawling through my veins like poison. Anything else. The way the edge of the counter he just fucked me on digs into the backs of my thighs. The silence in the kitchen that tells me my distraction worked, that my sister got away. “Shit,” he breathes, the sound dragging out on a slow exhale. “I’ve imagined this way too many times. But this was better.” He nuzzles my neck, and my skin crawls. I have to get out of here. I can’t fucking be here anymore. Chloe is long gone by now, I’m sure of it. She’s free. But I never gave any thought to how I might get out after she escaped. All I cared about in the moment was covering for her so that she could get out of the house without being seen. As Maddoc lifts his head and smooths my multi-colored hair back, his eyes warm and his face flushed, my gaze drops to the gun he left on the counter. Moving in a flash, I wrap my fingers around the cool steel, gripping it tightly. Before I can stop to consider what I’m doing or second guess myself, I lift it to Maddoc’s temple. He stiffens, the warmth in his expression turning to shock. He pulls back, just far enough to look into my eyes… and rolls his hips just enough to remind me that his cock is still buried inside me. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, butterfly?” he asks, his voice eerily calm as he narrows his eyes. I grit my teeth and press the gun harder against his skin, grinding it into his temple. “What I have to,” I bite out. “What you made me do. You forced my hand when you betrayed me.” My finger curls around the trigger, my pulse racing. Maddoc’s nostrils flare as he senses the movement, and tension crackles in the air as he holds my gaze, his gray eyes churning like storm clouds. Then he moves. It’s so sudden and smooth that it catches me by surprise, one muscled arm shooting up and knocking into my forearm with bruising force. The gun flies out of my gasp, and he jerks away from me, his cock slipping free as he dives for it. Fuck. No! I push off the counter and land on him with a grunt, grappling for control as we both reach for it, my hands sliding on his naked, sweat-slick skin. The gun goes skittering across the floor, and I cling to his back as he lunges for it, then scratch and claw at his face, digging my fingers into his hair and yanking his head back to keep him from reaching it. He’s a better fighter than me, stronger and more well-trained, but I’m running on pure adrenaline and a primal, bone-deep will to survive. I lash out with everything I have, managing to land a lucky blow against the back of his head with my elbow. He grunts, going down to the floor, and I scramble forward and grab the gun. The second it’s in my hands, I roll onto my back, holding it with both hands this time as I aim it at him. Maddoc freezes, already up on one knee with an arm extended toward me. “Don’t. Fucking. Move,” I bite out. Slowly, he lowers his arm to his side, shaking his head. “Whatever you’re thinking about doing, butterfly, I promise you, it would be a mistake.” “Don’t call me that. And my only mistake was trusting you,” I say. I’m panting as hard as I was while he fucked me, but now it’s from adrenaline and fury. “This whole goddamn time, you three assholes have been after Chloe for your own gain. I heard you and Dante in your office. You lied to me. You want to use her for something that will benefit you. Rescuing her was never about helping me.” My voice cracks on the last part, and something shifts in his eyes, his expression hardening. A part of me is still waiting for him to tell me I’m