Tainted Deception

TAINTED DECEPTION LITTLE HAVEN BOOK 1 KAY RILEY Copyright © 2023 Kay Riley 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 permission in writing from the publisher, except by reviewers, who may quote brief passages in a review. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. And any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, locales, or actual events is purely coincidental. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book. ISBN: 979-8-9878988-1-9 (Ebook) 979-8-9878988-2-6 (Paperback) Cover Design by: Dark Ink Designs Edited by: Editing by Gray Proofread by: VB Proofreads Formatting: Dark Ink Designs Maps Made By: Whomst Artworks CONTENTS Note to Readers Book Playlist Pinterest Book Aesthetic Prologue 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 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 To be continued… Author’s Note About the Author Also By Kay Riley NOTE TO READERS Tainted Deception is an enemies to lovers dark college romance. This is book one of a series and ends in a cliffhanger. It is why choose, meaning the female main character will have more than one love interest. This story is in the same world as my other series, and there will be cross-over characters, but all can be read independently. This is a dark romance and contains dark themes; for more information on content, please go to the author’s website. https://www.kayrileyauthor.com/content-warnings For all the readers who love the broody bad boy. There are three of them in this story. BOOK PLAYLIST https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0giPpzPIhCWdzdTtQUAuia?si=8aaa6530e20b4f8a PINTEREST BOOK AESTHETIC https://www.pinterest.com/kayrileyauthor/little-haven-aesthetic/?invite_code=620f03e7954e499baad7b45460ab81a6&sender=1136525793372024474 PROLOGUE EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD He wanted to fuck me. If he knew what I was really doing, he’d want to kill me. “Stay one more night,” Kian rasped in my ear, his lips closer to my skin than they had been all summer. A shiver rolled through me before I could stop it. I wanted him as much as he wanted me, but I hadn’t let myself cross that line. And I wouldn’t. I wasn’t sure I could handle the guilt of what I was about to do if I let myself fall into bed with him. I’d come here with one goal in mind. How the hell was I supposed to know that the guy I’d come to scope out would be hot as sin and have a laugh that made my stomach flutter? I hadn’t planned on getting caught up in feelings. I kept my stare on the ocean as we stood on the pier, leaning against the old wooden railing. The wind blew my brown hair into my face, and I pushed it out of my eyes. His shoulder pressed against mine, but he didn’t initiate anything else. For a bad boy, he was sweet to me, and that made this that much harder. The sky was a brilliant orange and pink as the sun set, and I calmed my nerves before meeting his green eyes. “I can’t.” I gave him a small smile. “I told you I needed to leave tonight.” “To go where?” “Can’t tell you that.” “Fuck,” he muttered, annoyance in his voice. “You show up out of nowhere, won’t give me your name, and now you’re just going to disappear again?” “You know my name.” “Shadow is not your real name.” No, it wasn’t. But I’d never tell him a name that would make it easier to find me once I left his city. I’d come to Pacific Point to do a job. I’d gotten the intel I wanted, and now it was time to go. “I haven’t hidden how much I want you,” he said, tugging on my arm until I was facing him. “Ever since I saved your ass from getting caught shoplifting, you’ve been seared into my brain. And every day that we’ve spent together, I’ve only wanted you more.” He didn’t know that I’d planned it. Him running into me wasn’t a coincidence. I needed to be on his radar without raising any red flags. I wondered how long it would take him to put two and two together once I was gone. I dropped my gaze to his forearm. “You know I won’t get involved with anyone who’s in that life.” He scowled as I lifted my eyes from his Grimrose tattoo. He’d been part of the gang since he was in high school. Even before that. He was raised in it. Which was the whole reason he was my target. I never expected to actually enjoy spending time with him. I sighed, pulling out of his hold. “I have to go.” “Why did you come here this summer?” he asked curtly. “Because I needed an escape. But it’s time to go back.” “Stay,” he urged, grabbing me again. “Fuck the life that hurt you. Start new here. With me.” My eyes went cold when he talked about my past like he knew anything about it. “No. Let me go, Kian.” He didn’t listen, and I caught his wrist, showing him a hint of my skills for the first time all summer. In a quick move, I twisted his arm at an odd angle, causing him