Blurb ( Theirs To Keep) Two powerful men: one belonging to the underworld of crime and the other a down to earth and loving man. Both men who are creatures the beautiful ethereal human, Adeline Martelli know nothing about. Adeline's life turned upside down years ago after a raunchy night she spent with a handsome stranger who left her with a child, and no hopes of ever seeing him again. Five years later the ruthless Ashe Lockwood is back: for her and his son which she had hidden so well, but she is about to be married to the soft hearted Jacob Ford. One shock after the other rocks er when she finds out both men are brothers and even worse, they're both estranged Alpha's with hate for each other who are both hiding a secret from her, big enough to tear her apart. Both has to protect her from an evil they created years before her and one that looms over them while trying to keep their identity secret from her. With an unknown twin sister, two secret children, both brothers at loggerheads for her, each not relenting and them wanting to have her no matter the cost, and a ghost from the past back to haunt them, all is not what it seems with the brothers. Adeline lives in total darkness. Who will she choose in this game of love, deceit, hate, desire and betrayal. TITLE: Theirs to keep GENRE: Romance, Family, Arranged marriage,Billionaire husband,mafia TROUPE: Hate to love,Romance, Family THEME: Love, Betrayal, Forgiveness SETTING: Urban, Modern day (California) Adeline Martelli (POV) Female , average height, light skin,red hair , slender, brown eyes, fit. Adeline Martelli is the female lead and the love interest of the male lead. She had a one night stand with a stranger she met at a bar and falls in love with another she met the next day only to be caught up in a web of secret, lies and deceit involving both men. She is hardworking and softhearted. Ashe Lockwood Male, tall, muscular, light skinned, blonde hair, grey eyes. Ashe Lockwood is the male lead and one of the love interest of Adeline Martelli. He saves her from his father when she was a baby, and watches over her till she was grown. After a night of passion with her he feels guilty, and leaves before she wakes up only to find out five years later that she has his son and she was about to Marry his brother. He is dominant and possessive and deals with Loneliness and fear of abandonment. Jacob Ford Male, tall, light skinned, fit, middle aged, black hair, grey eyes Soon to be husband of Adeline, he is the half brother to Ashe Lockwood. He protects her from his father after finding out what his father did to her twin sister. Shocked to see a dead woman at the airport he trails her to find out she was the sister to his father's dead mistress and her sister's daughter was with him. He falls in love with her but keeps this secret from her to protect her and the children. He is softhearted and kind. Carla Devon Female, tall, slender, brown eyes, blond hair, light skinned She is a model and ex girlfriend to Jacob Ford. she is the fake mother to Anna's child and the mistress to Jackson Ford. She helps Jackson to catch Adeline. She is devious and only wants Jacob for selfish reasons. Jackson Ford Male, elderly, black hair, light skinned, grey eyes The father to Jacob Ford, he hates Ashe and blames him for the death of his brother. He is the antagonist of the story. Anna Martelli - Dead twin sister of Adeline Martelli Elizabeth Lockwood - Dead mother of Ashe Lockwood. Anthony Lockwood - Dead father of Ashe Lockwood. Amanda Ford - Daughter of Jacob Ford and Jackson Ford. Andre Martelli - Son of Adeline and Ashe Lockwood TROPE: Romance, hate to love, Arranged marriage, werewolves, mafia. EXPOSITION The female lead Adeline and Ashe is introduced. Adeline and Ashe meet one night at a bar and after a heightened attraction and tension between them, they both have a heated time of passion leading to a one night stand, unknown to her this was not his first time meeting her. Ashe leaves in the morning before she wakes up leaving her heartbroken and pregnant a month later. Alone and pregnant she meets Jacob who helps her navigate her fear of flying and morning sickness on the plane back home, progressively she falls in love with him. Five years later, Adeline is a happy mother and about to be married suddenly, Ashe Lockwood returns for his son and to take Adeline back, there she finds out he is the ruthless boss to a mafia gang and he was willing to do anything to get her and his son back. Another shocker hits her when she finds out Ashe Lockwood is the half brother to her soon to be husband Jacob Ford, after Ashe breaks into their house and both men held each other at gun point the hate between the brother came to light. They were both estranged half brothers who fell off after Ashe killed his father, scattered their family took over the pack and a secret Jacob choose to keep.
Chapter 1 Prologue
He's tall.
Very tall, but not bulky. Even beneath his clothing, I could tell his body was fucking lethal.
Lean, but packed with muscle. His suit jacket clung to his body, showing off his broad shoulders, thick arms, and trimmed waist.
God, he could crush me if he wanted to, I thought to myself amidst the loud music in the bar.
His hand in his glass looked big enough to cover the entirety of my face. Or wrap around my neck.
I shook the thought away, but goddamn this stranger sitting next to a drunk me was fine and handsome.
I bit my lip, contemplating if I should talk to him or do something to get his attention.
Tonight I was a peacock seeking some attention from this man, unashamed.
As if hearing my thoughts, he cocks his head slightly to my side and his eyes met mine. I should be looking away but I don't, instead I return his fixated stare.
Intently, I watch him slowly angle his body to the side. And ever so slightly, he raises his chin, the soft light of the club revealing his plump cherry lips, a sharp jawline and heightened cheekbones.
I huddle deeper into the my chair and turned away, unable to keep up with what I started but I could still feel his eyes on me. Maybe he would take that as a hint of rejection and go back to his drink, I thought.
Yet somehow, I could still feel his gaze piercing me anyway, Like little, sharp knives grazing my skin before digging inside me, and so I turned again.
Just as I felt, he was still looking at me and sipping his drink but when his glass dropped on the counter then he smiled at me, his mouth stretching into a wicked smirk. My breath hitched, and my lungs filled with fire.
Oh, this is funny to you, handsome stranger?
Before I can process what to do and what I'm feeling he stood up and starts walking my way, when he got to me his broad chest covered my view of him face, but I decided to not to look up at him again.
Slow and purposeful, as if he doesn't have a care in the world he lowered himself into the seat right next to me.
The first few seconds no words were said as he carefully raked me from every corner of face to my bare chest.
The intensity in his eyes held me in place as he leaned closer to me and touched my hair, his hand brushing against my cheek and my arm as it ran down the length of my hair.
He smelt like leather and cinnamon and it is intoxicating.
He's intoxicating, I no longer knew if it was the drink working it's way in my system or him.
"Hi" I said in my best seductive voice.
He doesn't answer, but he does grin a slow, sinful twist of his sweet looking lips that sends sparks skittering down my spine.
Suddenly his hand comes up to my face again and this time he applies some pressure to force my chin up slightly, the gold ring on his pinky finger sliding on my skin.
The slightest curl to his lips stalls the breath in my lungs. The act speaks of something daunting. Something condemning.
"You're even more beautiful up close," he murmurs, his sinful eyes devouring my face." He said, his voice husky and smooth at the same time.
I smile and he lets go of my chin.
Before I could say something to cover up for the silence, he picked up my glass cup and his tongues darted out to lick the rim of the glass where my mouth had just been.
"Margarita" he said nodding and his tongue caressed his bottom lip in licking it.
A sinful smirk tugs at his lips when he looks up and saw my eyes fixated on his action.
After dropping my glass he leaned in more closer this time, "I'm staying at the grand. Come with me, there you can drink me in and eye fuck me as much as you want. No disturbance, just silence and us" he said way too close to my ear, it tickled my ear drums and I covered my mouth from giggling.
"I can't....." I started to say but he interrupted me.
"I won't bite" He said.
"I don't know you" I tried to find reason.
"I know. Come with me and stop following the rules" he said and I looked around.
The rule: never go somewhere unknown with a hot stranger you met in the bar.
Will another girl be stupid enough to leave her with another stranger tonight? Because I did.
I swayed on my feet, halting my quick momentum before I crash right into his waiting arms.
He held my waist as I relaxed and fell into his chest.
His chest rumbled as he chuckled at my uncontrollable self. "You clumsy beautiful woman"
"Hey" he snapped his fingers at the bartender "Give me a bottle of water" he ordered the guy.
"Yes boss Ashe" the bartender said
Boss?, who was this man?
"Ashe" I repeated his name and he looked down at my face, since he towered my face.
"If you keep calling my name like that we might not make it to my room". he whispered in my ear and I looked up to find his eyes.
"Tell Sebastian to re schedule my meeting with Ford, I do not feel like strangling anyone today" he said to the bartender who was standing next to a phone.
"What?" I looked up at him as I heard the word "strangle"
"It's nothing to be worried about sweet girl" he said and tucked my hair behind my ear.
After all I had seen in this short period of time, was I supposed to still follow this man back to his room?
But I will, because how would I think otherwise when he was looking at me like that.
He was handsome, strikingly handsome.
You could not miss his face in a crowd.
"Don't kill anyone please" I said drunkly
"I won't be, pretty" he said and kissed my forehead as we waited for the water. "Not tonight anyways" he said and I chuckled.
"S'kay" I nodded my head drunkly and rested back on his chest as our world moved slowly.
"Ford wasn't coming anyways. News about him going back to New York by noon tomorrow came in" the bartender said and came back with a bottle of water.
Who was this Ford?
"I feared so. Fuck that bastard" he muttered
"Come baby" Ashe said and passed dropped the water on the counter.
Ashe's hands rested on either sides of my thighs, his hand touching my bare skin because I was wearing a very short mini skirt.
"We're in public" I said to him smiling. My sense of reasoning flying over my head.
"It don't matter baby. I own here" He said and his hands went up my thighs painfully slow. He reached the hem of my skirt and hike the soft material way up, my ass might start showing.
He owned here? My mind rang with this question again. Who was this handsome stranger?
He snuck his hand under and my skirt with eyes still trained on me and distracted me from the thoughts of knowing his identity.
"You have no patience darling" I drawled and chuckled.
"I'm afraid not" he chuckled and felt the curve of my ass before squeezing the soft flesh and pulling his hand away as quickly as it went there.
"Aww baby" I slurred and sighed
"Patience my dear" he chuckled, leaned down and picked me up as though I weighed nothing.
Ashe strong hands on my my thighs widened them and on cue, I set each leg on either sides of his waist.
"That's it honey" he said in my ear and gave it a small lick which made me giggle.
His palms went round to my ass and covered it while the remaining length of his arm held my thighs up.
"I'll be going through the back door. Inform them to flank me on every side tightly, I don't want anyone seeing what's mine. Also inform Sebastian to stay on my tail. And about Ford, keep me posted and don't stop tracking him" he gave out some strings of information.
"Yes boss" the bartender said.
The rest of the journey to his car and his hotel room went in a haze, the time I opened my I was in an elevator still in his arms, my head on his shoulders.
I heard a small ping and turned to see a door, we were finally in his room. But...
The door opened to a penthouse.
My mouth widened with the view in front of me.
We were high up, the big windows overlooking the city and the gloomy sky, I was sure by noon you could see the clouds.
Ashe made a sound and I turned to me, he had been watching me gawk at his room.
"Eyes on me baby. Do not look anywhere but me" he said and it felt like I was being hypnotized because my eyes became trained on him.
He started to take off his clothes, slowly and in a tease. I badly wanted to see what all that clothes packed underneath.
Soon enough I was blessed with the sight of his body, he was naked and he came closer to me.
"The way you look. Makes me want to claim you right now as mine" he says in my opinion ear, his bare and long girth rub against my belly and I feel it through the fabric of my clothes.
Claim me?, hell yeah! I thought to myself.
I wanted him to take me tonight and have me to himself, different ways before the weekdays started and I went back to my normal life away from here.
It felt like he heard what I said because he stepped back, his eyes never leaving mine as he walked to the bed, naked and laid down on his back.
Still staring at me, my tongue farted out to lick my lips hungrily and that action made him smile.
"Take off your clothes" He commanded.