“In the small hours
we are unadorned
our psyche
naked
in death
no more veiled intuition
we know who we truly are.” ~Sebastian Nox
At last, the highly-anticipated conclusion to William and Rose’s story is here!
When William Thorne meets the unassuming but beautiful Rose (Victoria) Wellington, he begins to unmask the true man he has buried for years under hired personal assistants and obsessive work behavior fighting the tobacco industry. But after another tragedy shakes him, all his demons resurface, awakened with ferocity. This time, he will leave Rose behind to protect her, and he will embrace the William that has kept him stable all these years.
With a confession about to go public in seeking atonement for his past deeds, deeds that very likely will land him in prison, William marvels at his Rose’s growth personally but saddens as she moves on in her love life and her career without him. He, too, tries to move on by hiring a beautiful, submissive personal assistant to fulfill all his salacious needs. Each time he sees Rose, his fight to stay away from the beauty becomes unbearable, but his impending future leaves little to change it.
The Thorne Series is a sensually erotic and deeply emotional story with twists that will make you go back to read from the very first page of the series all over again.
I placed the cool cloth against Rose’s forehead and she moaned, opening her lips slightly as Katie danced the ice into the opening. Rose’s eyes fluttered open and she pushed herself to get up, her eyes darting from me to Katie. She took the cloth in her hands from her forehead. “What happened?” she asked, embarrassed. “Sorry…I…I need to go. I was just…I will be going…”
“Sssssh,” I said. “Lie back down. Let us take care of you.”
“Us?” Rose said with unease. “So, you two are…an us?” Tears started rolling down her cheeks, and I felt my stomach turn. I didn’t want to see her in any more pain ever again. God. Did I have to keep doing this to her over and over?
Katie looked at me, asking for permission to speak and I shook my head no.
“Rose,” I said sternly. “There is no us here. Katie was starting as my PA today. But guess what?”
Katie began to wipe Rose’s tears from her eyes and Rose looked at me, confused, emotional.
“William.” Rose sucked in her breath to stop the tears. “I need to go. This is too much, William. Please. I can’t handle seeing you…the two of you…oh my god…this…”
“Rose, stop it, and listen. The only us is you and me. I’m not going to fight it anymore. I can’t. I won’t.”
“But,” she started. “You clearly have fought it. You have clearly moved on.”
“Yes. I tried. But I can’t. I realize that now. I’ve always known it. I love you, Rose.” I kissed her lips, cold from the ice, and Katie hung her head.
“I’m sorry, Katie.” I said finally. “I will pay you in full.”
She looked up at me with pleading eyes. “Let me serve you.”
“I can’t, Katie. Not now. I can’t hire you. I was forcing something that I knew wasn’t right. You are lovely. Truly. But I can’t.”
I placed the water at Rose’s lips so she could drink and when she had finished, Katie sat at the top of the bed, Rose’s head on her lap. She stroked her hair back and looked at me. “Let me help before I go. That is what I wanted to ask you earlier. If I could please stay and help you. Serve you.”
I smiled and looked at Katie, her need to please me the only thing she cared about. I looked down at Rose and began to unbutton her dress. She trembled at my touch, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. “William…what…what are you doing?”
I rolled her nipples in between my fingers, now free from the confines of her bra. I had plucked her breasts to sit atop the lacy fabric. I was going to have my way.
“Oh god.” She moaned.
Katie continued to stroke her hair to relax her, and I unbuttoned the rest of her dress to reveal her body, still slightly glistening from the heat and her exhaustion.
“Lift up,” I ordered and removed her underwear.
“William, please…what are you doing?” she asked again.
“What am I doing?” I said with a sarcastic tease. “I am going to make you feel good. And you are not going to stop it unless you use your safeword. You remember it, no?”
Her eyes shut and a tear slipped out.
“Hey. Sssssh. Let us make you feel good. Let me love you the best way I know how.”
“Oh, William. I can’t…No…this isn’t right…I can’t…”
“Ssssh,” I said again. “Safeword or nothing. But you can use it. Otherwise, give in, just as I am giving in. I love you.”
I nodded at Katie and stood up to get some bindings. One thing I knew about Rose: she would struggle to stay still and to accept the sensations.
I threw some double handcuffs over to Katie.
“Put those on her wrists. Then secure them to the bedpost with the other half.”
“Yes, sir,” Katie said, all too eager to please.
I looked down at the slightly trembling Rose and knew that even though she was nervous, she was aroused. “Take off all your clothes, Rose.”
She shook her head and I laughed. “Is that a safeword?”
She squeezed her eyes shut again.
Katie lifted her back and removed the dress. I removed the bra fully and nodded again to Katie to secure her wrists. I began to tie the rope around Rose’s ankles.
“William,” Rose whined, but the lust could not be denied. “I’ve missed you,” she said, surprising me.
I drew myself over her and kissed her. Hard. She began to cry again as her tongue pushed its way into my mouth. “I love you,” she managed to say as the force of her kiss broke for only a moment.
“I want to torture you right now, Rose, to bring you to unimaginable pleasure. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
She nodded.
“If it’s too much, use your safeword. I am starving for you.”
Living in the bustle of the Windy City, I have at my disposal the scenery for inspiration. Though born and raised in the very heart of this great country, Kansas City will always be my home. 
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Barbara Freethy is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of 60 novels ranging from contemporary romance to romantic suspense and women’s fiction. Traditionally published for many years, Barbara opened Fog City Publishing in 2011 and has since sold over 7 million books! Twenty-three of her titles have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Lists, including one title, SUMMER SECRETS, which hit #1 on the NYT. In 2014 Barbara was named the Amazon KDP Bestselling Author of all time! She was also the first Indie writer to sell over a million books on Barnes and Noble.
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