Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72233 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72233 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Some adventures lead to happily ever afters. Others lead to ruin.
Wendy Darling is desperate to escape the gilded cage of her childhood, but her parents’ obsession with wealth and status has her trapped. Suffocated by their expectations and starved for freedom, she runs off with the duplicitous billionaire Peter Pangbourn to the Never Lands—an exclusive playground for the lawless elite. But once there, Wendy finds herself stranded and at Peter’s mercy—powerless to get home.
When pirates storm the island, Wendy is kidnapped by the cruel and vengeful Captain James Hook. James has waited a lifetime to punish his brother, Peter, and he plans to use Wendy’s innocence to exact his revenge.
Dark secrets are revealed in a battle of wills, and a dangerous obsession ensues between Wendy and her ruthless captor as his dominance is met with stunning surrender. While Hook is determined to dominate and destroy Wendy, she is set on saving his dark soul.
“Fans of Haunting Adeline and Twisted Love will devour this enemies-to-lovers, dark billionaire romance! Hush Darling sizzles with taboo degradation as Wendy, a virgin captive, faces off with one of the most vengeful and villainous pirates alive.”
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Prologue
BOYS AND MONSTERS
James disguised his fear as the police car drove them further away from the only place they had ever called home. Rail thin and hungry, he watched the uniformed officer with a mixture of skepticism and frail trust. He’d seen too much evil in his thirteen years to hold any space for hope. Now that their mother was out of the picture, he presumed they were among the hopeless.
The dilapidated city warehouses that lined the fringe of London’s lowest districts gave way to wide-open highways and foreign bridges he’d never crossed. Sitting beside James, Peter fidgeted, his slight body unable to see past the window as their grey, familiar world faded away.
James reached for his little brother’s small hand, offering silent support as they waited to see where they were taken next—two aimless ships left to float without a rudder or a sail in a rather dark night.
The fresh bruises on Peter’s arms tinged his fair skin a yellowish green. Fresh anger stabbed through James’ gut like a steel blade. He should have done something sooner. He should have protected Peter better. He had a duty to protect his brother that went beyond protecting himself.
James had welts, too, but, at the moment, he felt nothing beyond his fury toward the men who hurt Peter. That, and his worry over what would become of them now.
Turning away from the proof of abuse they survived, James glared out the window. His dark eyes reflected in the glass like two fathomless holes leading them into the unknown future. They could only move forward now because they were never going back there again. Their mother was going away for something called neglect, and the men that hurt Peter, well, James could only hope they eventually got what they deserved.
The radio of the squad car chirped as a static voice squawked from the speakers. According to the faceless voice on the other end, they were heading to Saint Mercy’s Home for Orphaned Boys.
The officer driving the car had not been the one to rescue them. It was a female who found them. She smelled like roses, and her hair was soft like cotton. She told them they were safe. Then the house was swarming with men in uniforms, each wearing a copper badge and carrying a gun.
James had already forgotten the female agent’s face, but he held onto her promise that they would be safe. She said there would be food and clothing and plenty of warm beds for him and Peter. There was a gentleness about her, something the male cops lacked, something James and Peter knew little about but both innately craved.
Peter was too young to understand what was happening but not too old to sense the finality of the day’s events. Even at four, he knew enough to fear the unknown. He’d been hysterical when they pulled Mother away and put her in cuffs. Too young to fully understand, he assumed the men in blue uniforms and copper badges were a threat, so he kicked and screamed when they loaded them into the back of the squad car.
James shut his eyes as the vision replayed. He’d wanted to kick and scream, too, but at thirteen, he was old enough to know that sort of behavior would change nothing. At least now, they would have regular meals, baths, and maybe even stories to help them sleep.
A soft sniffle caught his ear, and he glanced at Peter. His pale blond hair hadn’t been washed in weeks, and there was still blood crusted around his nose.