Corrupt

Informationen zum Autor Penelope Douglas Klappentext "His name is Michael Crist. My boyfriend's older brother is handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. The star of his college's basketball team gone pro, he's more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than me. But I saw him. I heard him. The things that he did, and the deeds that he hid... For years, I bit my nails, unable to look away. Now, I'm in college, but I haven't stopped watching. The things I've seen aren't content to stay in my head anymore. Because he's finally noticed me. Her name is Erika Fane, but everyone calls her Rika. My brother's girlfriend looks down when I enter a room and stills when I am close. While I haven't had her body, I know that I have her mind. That's all I really want anyway. Until my brother leaves for the military, and I find Rika alone and unprotected in my city. The opportunity is too good to be true. Three years ago she put a few of my friends in prison, and now they're out. And now every last one of her nightmares will come true"-- Leseprobe Chapter 1 Erika He won't be here. There'd be no reason for him to show up at his brother's farewell party, since they couldn't stand each other, so . . . No, he won't be here. Pushing up the sleeves of my lightweight sweater, I hurried through the front door of the Crist house and speed-walked across the foyer, heading straight for the stairs. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied the butler rounding the corner, but I didn't stop. "Miss Fane!" he shouted after me. "You're very late." "Yes, I know." "Mrs. Crist has been looking for you," he pointed out. I shot up my eyebrows and immediately stopped, turning around to peer at him over the railing. "Has she really?" I eyed him with mock astonishment. He thinned his lips, annoyed. "Well, she sent me to look for you." I broke out in a smile and leaned over the banister, planting a quick kiss on his forehead. "Well, I'm here," I assured him. "You can get back to your important duties now." I turned and continued up the stairs, hearing the soft music coming from the party out on the terrace. Yeah, I highly doubted Delia Crist, my mother's best friend and the matriarch of Thunder Bay, our small East Coast community, was spending her precious time looking for me herself. "Your dress is on your bed!" he called after me as I walked around the corner. I exhaled an aggravated sigh and powered down the dimly lit hallway, grumbling under my breath, "Thank you, Edward." I didn't need a new dress. I already had several I'd worn only once, and at nineteen, I could definitely pick out my own clothes. Not that he would be here to see it anyway, and if he was, he wouldn't look at me. No. I should be grateful. Mrs. Crist thought of me, and it was nice of her to make sure I'd have a dress to wear. A light spatter of sand covered my legs and feet, and I reached down to grip the ends of my loose jean shorts, inventorying exactly how wet I'd gotten down at the beach. Would I need a shower? No, I was already late. Screw it. Diving into my room-the one the Crists' let me have for when I stayed the night-I spotted a sexy white cocktail dress lying on the bed, and I immediately began stripping. The thin spaghetti straps did almost nothing to hold up my breasts, but it fit perfectly, molding to my body, and it made my skin look darker than it was. Mrs. Crist had awesome taste, and it was probably a good thing that she'd gotten me the dress, after all. I'd been too busy preparing to leave for school tomorrow to bother with what to wear tonight. Dashing into the bathroom, I rinsed my calves and feet of the sand I'd picked up on my walk, and I quickly brushed out my long blond hair and applied a little lip gloss. I scurried back into the bedroom, grabbed the tan strappy heels she'...

Auteur

Penelope Douglas

Résumé
Dreams might be a heart’s desire, but nightmares are its obsession in the first novel of a dark romance series from New York Times bestselling author Penelope Douglas.
 
Erika Fane’s boyfriend's older brother is handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. The star of his college's basketball team gone pro, he's more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than he is with her. But she saw him. She heard him. The things that he did, and the deeds that he hid...
 
For years, Erika bit her nails, unable to look away. Now, she’s in college, but she hasn’t stopped watching him. He’s bad and the things she’s seen aren’t content to stay in her head anymore.
 
Because he's finally noticed her.
 
But Michael Crist knows the hold he has on Rika, how much she fears him. She looks down when he enters the room and stills when he’s close. He knows she thinks only of him. When Michael’s brother leaves for the military, leaving Rika alone and unprotected, he knows the opportunity is too good to be true. 

Three years ago she put Michael’s friends in prison, and now they’re free.  

Every last one of her nightmares is about to come true.

Échantillon de lecture
Chapter 1

Erika

He won't be here.

There'd be no reason for him to show up at his brother's farewell party, since they couldn't stand each other, so . . .

No, he won't be here.

Pushing up the sleeves of my lightweight sweater, I hurried through the front door of the Crist house and speed-walked across the foyer, heading straight for the stairs.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spied the butler rounding the corner, but I didn't stop.

"Miss Fane!" he shouted after me. "You're very late."

"Yes, I know."

"Mrs. Crist has been looking for you," he pointed out.

I shot up my eyebrows and immediately stopped, turning around to peer at him over the railing.

"Has she really?" I eyed him with mock astonishment.

He thinned his lips, annoyed. "Well, she sent me to look for you."

I broke out in a smile and leaned over the banister, planting a quick kiss on his forehead.

"Well, I'm here," I assured him. "You can get back to your important duties now."

I turned and continued up the stairs, hearing the soft music coming from the party out on the terrace.

Yeah, I highly doubted Delia Crist, my mother's best friend and the matriarch of Thunder Bay, our small East Coast community, was spending her precious time looking for me herself.

"Your dress is on your bed!" he called after me as I walked around the corner.

I exhaled an aggravated sigh and powered down the dimly lit hallway, grumbling under my breath, "Thank you, Edward."

I didn't need a new dress. I already had several I'd worn only once, and at nineteen, I could definitely pick out my own clothes. Not that he would be here to see it anyway, and if he was, he wouldn't look at me.

No. I should be grateful. Mrs. Crist thought of me, and it was nice of her to make sure I'd have a dress to wear.

A light spatter of sand covered my legs and feet, and I reached down to grip the ends of my loose jean shorts, inventorying exactly how wet I'd gotten down at the beach. Would I need a shower?

No, I was already late. Screw it.

Diving into my room-the one the Crists' let me have for when I stayed the night-I spotted a sexy white cocktail dress lying on the bed, and I immediately began stripping.

The thin spaghetti straps did almost nothing to hold up my breasts, but it fit perfectly, molding to my body, and it made my skin look darker than it was. Mrs. Crist had awesome taste, and it was probably a good thing that she'd gotten me the dress, after all. I'd been too busy preparing to leave for school tomorrow to bother with what to wear tonight.

Dashing into the bathroom, I rinsed my calves and feet of the sand I'd picked up on my walk, and I quickly brushed out my long blond hair and applied a little lip gloss. I scurried back into the …