Suspended Desires

Suspended Desires The Desired Series Shar Stevens Contents Untitled Suspended Desires Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Acknowledgments About the Author To Kylie, Thank you for being the best mentor a girl could ask for. You have helping me with not just my writing journey but life in general. I couldn’t do it without you. And thank you for being that one crazy friend that dreams of being kidnapped by a hot mafia boss with me. Copyright ©2023 by Shar Stevens Ebook: 978-1-922816-51-1 Paperback: 978-0-6458134-0-1 Cover illustration by Sammi Bee Designs Editing services provided by Kat Pagan – https://www.facebook.com/PaganProofreading This book contains scenes of sexual acts and profanity If any of these are triggers for you, you should consider skipping this read. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. 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. Suspended Desires Blurb: Willow For as long as I can remember, I’ve trained as a trapeze artist. I’m flexible both physically and mentally. I can adjust and go with the flow, until I overhear a conversation that would come to change the trajectory of the rest of my life. And I did what any girl in my situation would do. I ran. When I broke into the deserted mansion, I needed a place to hide. A new identity and a new start. I didn’t expect to find all of that in the man who found me. Tristan Alexander is my salvation in more ways than one. That is, if my past can stay just that. The past. Tristan I shouldn’t feel the way I do for the delinquent girl who broke into one of my properties. I certainly shouldn’t follow through with the fantasies I’m having of her. I’ve never been one to hold back though. And when it comes to Willow Santiago, I’m all in. She isn’t the girl I found bleeding and hiding out. She’s MINE. And anyone who thinks they can take her from me will soon discover how ruthless I am when it comes to protecting what’s mine. Chapter One Struggling to suck air into my lungs, I run for my life. My legs burn, but I keep going. Twigs snap underfoot and branches whip back, hitting my already bruised face as I continue deeper into the dense forest. I’ve lost them. For now. I just need to find somewhere to rest for a couple of hours before searching for a more permanent solution. I had dreams of joining the police force. Of doing something good, helping people. The special set of skills I’ve mastered throughout my life would definitely help with a job like that. Now that I’ve escaped, I’ll do whatever it takes to create a new identity. A new life. To do better. To be better. Slowing my speed, I stumble through the trees, spotting what has to be the biggest house I’ve ever seen. The windows are covered by boards, and overgrown vines climb up the sides, while the most breathtaking statue of a centaur sits in the centre of the unkempt garden. It’s covered with moss but still oddly beautiful and grand. The property was clearly a sight to behold in its prime—something I would have loved to see before it fell to ruin. Looking around, I realise the only way to get inside is through one of the boarded-up windows. So I grip an edge and use all my strength to pull it free. My fingers slip and bleed as little pieces of wood cut through the pads. But I grit my teeth and continue to tug, falling flat onto my butt when the last nail finally pries free. I stand up and dust the dirt off my thighs before removing my jacket and wrapping it around my hand. I take a deep breath and aim my fist at the closest panel. The glass smashes easily. Careful not to cut myself, I pluck the remaining shards from the frame and climb through the makeshift opening. My mind races as I stumble into the house. Willow Santiago, that’s my name. The only one I’ve known my whole life. What will I change it to? I can be anyone now. Anything. I’m free. As I inhale past the scent of dust and mildew, a sense of freedom washes over me. I find an old mattress on the floor in one of the vacant bedrooms and plop down. I just need to rest for a couple of hours, recuperate, and get my bearings. I also need to come up with a plan. I need to become someone else. Gone is the granddaughter of Carlos Santiago. I made a promise to myself that I’d never go back. I don’t care what I have to do. I will not break that promise. I’ve spent the last two years of my life—since my sixteenth birthday to be exact—being groomed for this day. This marriage I’m meant to be part of. Except I wasn’t the dutiful granddaughter I was meant to be. And at the very first opportunity, I ran. I’m resourceful. After all, I’ve spent my life moving from town to town. It’s the way of the carnival people—something I’ve both hated and loved in near equal measure. A lone tear slips from my eye as I imagine what my mother would think of me now. She tried to escape