Breathless & Bloodstained (The Chicago War #4) (45 page)

“Another baby.”  

“We’re still
working on that, babe. Here and now seems like a damn good time.”

Tommas’ hand found
Abriella’s lower back, and the closest door was pushed open. He shoved her
inside what looked to be a storage closet of some sort. Abriella heard the
jingle of keys in the dark before a light flicked on.

Silently, her
husband locked the door.

“Where did you get
those?” she asked, breathless and laughing.

Tommas didn’t
answer her. He started pulling her dress up, making her spin to face a row of
shelves.

“Tommas!”

“Hush.”

Abriella turned to
face her husband again, glaring playfully. “Where did you get those keys?”

“Paid off a guy
downstairs when you were checking in your coat.”

Huh.

“Sneaky,” she
murmured.

“I had plans.”

“I can see that.”

“Well, you surely
will.” Tommas flashed his teeth in a sinful smile as he popped open the button
on his slacks, pointed at the floor, and said, “Get down on your knees, open
wide, make me good and hard, and then I’ll bend you over and get a start on
those plans.”

Abriella didn’t
even hesitate to drop down like he’d told her to. She winked up at him from
below. They were a little bit dirty—wicked in the best ways. She loved them
best like this, because when he took the time to drag her into some dark room,
promising something sinful was waiting behind a closed door, it made her feel
forever young.

“I love you,
Tommy.”

First thing in the
morning.

The last thing at
night.

Tommas’ hand found
the underside of her jaw. “I love you, too. Now, open your pretty fucking mouth
and show me how much.”

Gladly
.

Acknowledgments

The Chicago War series was a project that
began with just Tommas and Abriella’s story in Breathless & Bloodstained.
And then it grew to become four couples divided by misplaced loyalties, family,
and bad blood. The people who encouraged me to tell this series as it should be
told, as it deserved to be told, should get all the credit for this series
becoming what it was, truly. Without them telling me to write it, I would have
written Tommas and Abriella, and nothing else. I don’t think the series, or the
final book, would have had the impact it did without the previous stories.

To my family who went without me for
sometimes days while I penned these novels out over the last six months, thank
you. I am the luckiest woman in the world to have people in my corner who give
me the chance to be this insane, creative person that I am.

To Jay Aheer … I know you thought I was
crazy for the ideas I had banging around in my head for this series and the
covers. I know you were worried, and unsure, and wondering what I must have
taken to come up with something like the War covers. You’re unexplainably awesome.
Your talent is immeasurable. I am so incredibly proud to have your artwork
representing my books, characters, and words. Thank you for indulging my idea,
and going for it. All my love and respect.

To Eli, you’re invaluable. Really, you
are. Your advice and time has been imperative to this series. You’ve pushed me
through the blocks that popped up, so thank you.

Tracy, from the bottom of my heart, thank
you for being my best friend in this publishing world, and for being one of my
biggest fans. Thank you for taking the time to proof, pre-read, and help me.
All my love.

Sheila and Dominique, thank you for your
work editing, proofing, and pre-reading with this series. You both helped to
make it so much better.

And to the fans … my God. My readers, the
ones who loved all these War men, for every message, every teaser you made, and
the time you took from your life to give to me while you read this series,
thank you. My readers are my greatest success. And it would not be half the fun
without you.

--Kris

About the
Author

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover
of much, and mother to three very young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small
town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always
called home. With her boys under her feet, a snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a
spouse calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something ...
when she can find the time.

Find Bethany-Kris at:

Her website
www.bethanykris.com
,

or on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/bethanykriswrites
,

on her blog at
www.bethanykris.blogspot.ca
,

or on Twitter - @BethanyKris.

Sign up to Bethany-Kris’s New Release
Newsletter here:
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Coming Soon

Donati Bloodlines

A Trilogy

Thin Lies – Thin Lines – Thin Lives

Calisto Donati & Emma Sorrento

They’re not star-crossed.

They’re impossible.

 
Other Books
in this Series

Deathless & Divided, Book One

Reckless & Ruined, Book Two

Scarless & Sacred, Book Three

Find more on Bethany-Kris’s website at
www.bethanykris.com
.

Copyright
© 2016 by
Bethany-Kris. All Rights Reserved.

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution
of this copyrighted material is illegal and punishable by law. No parts of this
work may be reproduced, copied, used, or printed without expressed written
consent from the publisher/author. Exceptions are made for brief excerpts used
in reviews.

eISBN 13: 978-1-988197-09-8

Editor: Dominique S.

Proofreaders: Eli P. & Sheila K.

Cover Design © Jay Aheer

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places,
organizations, corporations, locales and so forth are a product of the author’s
imagination, or if real, used fictitiously. Any resemblance to a person, living
or dead, is entirely coincidental.