She was trapped in a gilded cage, trying to break free. And she finally did, but what she didn’t know was she wouldn’t get far.
Snow was mine even if she didn’t know it yet.
She’d run. I’d follow.
And once she was mine I wasn’t letting her go. And once Snow White was back I’d show her where she belonged…with me.
Warning: This might be a modern day twist on a classic fairytale, but the heat is extra hot with this one. If you like a safe read with a HEA and possessive hero staking his claim, this one is for you.
I knew she felt my presence before she even turned around and looked at me. It was in the way her body tightened, her back straightening. The wind whipped by and blew her hair over her shoulder and my fingers itched to touch those strands. I stood a few feet behind her, my body strung tight.
What I wanted to do was lift her up and haul her over my shoulder, spank that sweet little ass of hers and tell her she wasn’t ever going to run away again. Despite the fact maybe she didn’t actually run away–that I knew where she was–I needed her by my side always.
“It’s time to come home, Snow.” It took her a few seconds before she finally stood, her back still toward me as she stared out at the ocean. When she did finally turn around and looked at me I had to curl my hands and keep them at my side so I didn’t reach out and pull her in close.
“Says who?” she asked softly, her defiance turning me on.
She was so small compared to me, vulnerable and innocent against my ruthlessness. But I had to be this way in order to make sure she was safe, in order to make sure nothing happened to her.
“I’m tired of being locked away in a gilded cage, Hunter.” Her voice was low, distant. I took a step toward her, inhaling the sweet scent of vanilla that always seemed to surround her. It mixed with the salt in the air, the ocean breeze. “I’m not going to be kept away because my father’s afraid of losing me as well.”
Although I wasn’t surprised that she was tired of the life she led, that her father did have a tight rein on her because of his fears, she needed to know that I wouldn’t let her go on her own. I couldn’t, not for my own sanity and not for the sake of letting her live her life.
I wanted her as mine. I could admit I was obsessed with her, possessive of her. The very thought of seeing her with another man infuriated me. I had waited a long time to make Snow mine, and I wouldn’t deviate from that plan. I’d saved myself for her. She belonged to me and me alone.
I didn’t respond to what she said, just needed her to come with me so her father knew she was safe–so I could keep her that way.
“We can discuss this when we get back to the house and your father knows you’re okay.”
“He knows I’m safe because he knew you’d come after me. And you knew exactly where I’d be.”
I held my hand out to her without responding. She stared at it for long seconds before slipping her much smaller one against my palm. Her skin was warm, her fingers fragile. I curled the digits around hers and pulled her in a little bit closer. Although our bodies didn’t touch I could feel her heat seep into mine.
“He has to understand I’ll leave at some point. I can’t be by his side all the time. I have to live my life.”
I stared into her eyes. “I know.”
Mila Crawford is a book lover and has been around them one way or another her whole life. She is a fan of happily ever afters, sassy heroines, over the top alphas, and most of all safe reads.
Aria Cole is a thirty-something housewife who once felt bad for reading dirty books late at night, until she decided to write her own. Possessive alpha men and the sassy heroines who love them are common, along with a healthy dose of irresistible insta-love and happily ever afters so sweet your teeth may ache.
For a safe, off-the-charts HOT, and always HEA story that doesn’t take a lifetime to read, get lost in an Aria Cole book!
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She was trapped in a gilded cage, trying to break free. And she finally did, but what she didn’t know was she wouldn’t get far.
Mila Crawford loves romance, especially dirty short stories that are safe and have a happy ending. So she decided to start writing her own.
Aria Cole is the pen name of USA Today bestselling author Adriane Leigh. A fan of traditional tropes and old school Harlequin romances, Aria Cole novellas feature possessive alpha men and the sassy heroines who love them, along with a healthy dose of irresistible insta-love and happily ever afters so sweet I promise your teeth will ache.
Cait's Creatures 