Title: Branded
Series: Savage Men Series
Author: Clarissa Wild
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: February 4, 2019
She was supposed to be my forever.
Instead, I became her worst enemy.
I fell for the one girl I could never have…
And it destroyed us both.
I did a bad, bad thing.
But she isn’t exactly innocent either.
When I’m faced with the ultimate choice – Let her die or save her – I grab her and run.
She calls me a monster. The devil himself.
No one will take her from me.
She’s mine to punish.
Mine to keep… forever.
Suddenly, something touches my shoulder, and I freak out.
I shriek, but my voice is blocked by a hand covering my mouth.
Adrenaline fills my veins, panic bubbling to the surface. I try to spin on my chair, but can’t, because someone’s holding me down firmly. Strong arms with a scent that reminds me of … soot.
“It’s me, don’t scream,” he whispers.
It’s Brandon.
He leans back and I immediately stand up and turn to face him. “Brandon! Jesus.”
“Sorry. Didn’t wanna scare you,” he says, a little too loud.
I close my eyes and let out a sigh. “God, could you’ve been anymore creepy?”
“I could … If I wanted to,” he says, raising one brow, mocking me.
I narrow my eyes, but my body remains rigid. Tense. It’s like my brain has already decided for me that I can’t trust him. At least, not after what happened at the bonfire. “What are you doing here?” I whisper, still upset that he jumped on me like that. And even though he says I shouldn’t be scared, my skin still prickles where he touched me.
“I just wanted to see you, that’s all,” he says with a way too cocky voice.
“Shh …” I say. “Quiet. We’re close to the farmhouse.”
He shrugs. “So?”
“I don’t want my dad to hear us. He’s in there with my brothers.”
“Ahh …” He takes a step towards me. “You’re afraid he’ll find us here … together?”
“Duh. You shouldn’t be here,” I say, leaning back, as if I instinctively know not to let him get close. I don’t know why, but … it feels different. Like I’m playing with fire and I don’t wanna get burned.
When he tries to caress my cheek, I turn my face slightly. He pauses. “Are you … afraid of me?”
Maybe. I don’t know the answer. I feel like I should. What he did was wrong. Horrible.
But I know why he did it.
After all those years of Derek tormenting Brandon, he was bound to explode. But I never expected it to be this uncontrollable, this explosive. This … dangerous.
“Should I be?” I ask, licking my lips.
The half-smile that forms on his face has my heart skipping a beat. Fuck. I shouldn’t. I really shouldn’t. Not when he’s like this … so volatile and aggressive … and sexy.
“I can’t answer that for you,” he says after a while. He places his hands on the workbench, trapping me inside. “I don’t want you to be, though.”
“That’s easy for you to say …” I whisper, looking down at my feet. Jesus. Why am I such a pussy when it comes to him? I should speak up, for fuck’s sake. Stop being a fucking whimpering virgin who can’t handle a little touchy feely.
“Hey …” He tips up my chin with one finger. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”
I nod softly, as if he just asked me whether or not I believe him. I’m not even sure I do. I just know I want to, for my sake … and for his.
“But … what happened at the bonfire …” I mutter.
I don’t know how to begin my sentence or how to end it. Just like I don’t know where we began and where we should end.
Maybe now.
Maybe never.
Shit.
Why do I feel this way around him?
Why is it that when a guy loses control, I want him even more?
Am I that obsessed with bad boys? Jesus, help me.
I shriek, but my voice is blocked by a hand covering my mouth.
Adrenaline fills my veins, panic bubbling to the surface. I try to spin on my chair, but can’t, because someone’s holding me down firmly. Strong arms with a scent that reminds me of … soot.
“It’s me, don’t scream,” he whispers.
It’s Brandon.
He leans back and I immediately stand up and turn to face him. “Brandon! Jesus.”
“Sorry. Didn’t wanna scare you,” he says, a little too loud.
I close my eyes and let out a sigh. “God, could you’ve been anymore creepy?”
“I could … If I wanted to,” he says, raising one brow, mocking me.
I narrow my eyes, but my body remains rigid. Tense. It’s like my brain has already decided for me that I can’t trust him. At least, not after what happened at the bonfire. “What are you doing here?” I whisper, still upset that he jumped on me like that. And even though he says I shouldn’t be scared, my skin still prickles where he touched me.
“I just wanted to see you, that’s all,” he says with a way too cocky voice.
“Shh …” I say. “Quiet. We’re close to the farmhouse.”
He shrugs. “So?”
“I don’t want my dad to hear us. He’s in there with my brothers.”
“Ahh …” He takes a step towards me. “You’re afraid he’ll find us here … together?”
“Duh. You shouldn’t be here,” I say, leaning back, as if I instinctively know not to let him get close. I don’t know why, but … it feels different. Like I’m playing with fire and I don’t wanna get burned.
When he tries to caress my cheek, I turn my face slightly. He pauses. “Are you … afraid of me?”
Maybe. I don’t know the answer. I feel like I should. What he did was wrong. Horrible.
But I know why he did it.
After all those years of Derek tormenting Brandon, he was bound to explode. But I never expected it to be this uncontrollable, this explosive. This … dangerous.
“Should I be?” I ask, licking my lips.
The half-smile that forms on his face has my heart skipping a beat. Fuck. I shouldn’t. I really shouldn’t. Not when he’s like this … so volatile and aggressive … and sexy.
“I can’t answer that for you,” he says after a while. He places his hands on the workbench, trapping me inside. “I don’t want you to be, though.”
“That’s easy for you to say …” I whisper, looking down at my feet. Jesus. Why am I such a pussy when it comes to him? I should speak up, for fuck’s sake. Stop being a fucking whimpering virgin who can’t handle a little touchy feely.
“Hey …” He tips up my chin with one finger. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”
I nod softly, as if he just asked me whether or not I believe him. I’m not even sure I do. I just know I want to, for my sake … and for his.
“But … what happened at the bonfire …” I mutter.
I don’t know how to begin my sentence or how to end it. Just like I don’t know where we began and where we should end.
Maybe now.
Maybe never.
Shit.
Why do I feel this way around him?
Why is it that when a guy loses control, I want him even more?
Am I that obsessed with bad boys? Jesus, help me.
Clarissa Wild is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of Dark Romance and Contemporary Romance novels. She is an avid reader and writer of swoony stories about dangerous men and feisty women. Her other loves include her hilarious husband, her two crazy but cute dogs, and her ninja cat that sometimes thinks he's a dog too. In her free time she enjoys watching all sorts of movies, playing video games, reading tons of books, and cooking her favorite meals.
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