Beneath Your Beautiful, page 33
“You already know.”
She feigns innocence. “Remind me.”
Ah, she’s not sure if I remember. I do. “You are my person, Honor. The one who pushes me to be better, who calls me out on my shit, and who makes me strive to be enough for you. You are infuriating in the best possible way. You make my world brighter and give me a reason to smile. Despite our short time together, I know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, you are the woman I want to spend my life with. So, Honor, will you marry me?”
She brushes her lips against mine in a soft hesitant kiss, like she’s afraid I’ll break. I drag my teeth over her bottom lip enough to sting, but not bleed. She gasps and pulls away.
“I’m okay, Honor. But I do want my truth.”
“Yes,” she whispers.
“Yes what?”
“Yes, Fox, I will marry you.”
EPILOGUE
HONOR
New Year’s Eve
Six Months Later
Revenge is a dish best served in irony.
Iswallow the knot of anxiety in my throat as I wait for my cue. The phone in my hand vibrates.
Fox
You got this, firecracker. Remember you’ve already won them over.
Honor
Sure you don’t want to swap?
Fox
No, but I will be waiting the second you are off stage to offer my congratulations. Did you wear it?
Honor
Maybe.
Fox
Now that’s all I can think about.
“Please give a warm welcome to the foundation’s founder, Honor.”
I stride onto the stage and squint at the bright lights that shield the majority of the audience from my view. I nod at the man in a tux before coming to a stop in front of the podium. I place my note cards and phone on the stand and smile at the hundreds of people waiting to hear what I have planned.
I clear my throat and glance at my first card. “There’s an epidemic in our country; a silent storm suffocating men, women, and children. Domestic violence can take many forms. Physical, sexual, financial, emotional—each one devastating in its own way. Sadly, many of these cases go unreported. Abusers use fear, guilt, and shame to control, manipulate, and isolate.”
The room is totally silent as the attendees hang on my every word. “The Haven Foundation, funded by my late husband’s fortune, is building a network of safety across America. It is providing care, protection, and relief. Every cent Gideon left is being poured into creating a haven for survivors. It is securing knowledgeable legal services to prosecute the guilty. Day by day, step by step, we will begin to erode this disease. But we need your support, and your guidance and influence to help petition lawmakers.
“When the system is set up to protect the guilty, we have to push back, question everything, and be the change needed to usher our country into a new world.”
My phone flashes.
Fox
They are eating out of the palm of your hand. Go for the kill, firecracker.
I lick my lips and scan the audience. “What gives me the authority, the knowledge, the power to make such sweeping statements? Experience. I am a survivor of domestic abuse, and it is my intention to change the world—starting with the people who helped me when I had nowhere to turn, the people who have already formed a network dedicated to keeping survivors safe, and who now have the financial backing to expand.”
A collective gasp rises from the crowd, and murmurs echo throughout the room. I turn to the side and hold my arm out toward the people waiting in the wings. “Mel and Louise—our joint directors managing a network of safe houses in each and every state.” The women smile at me as they come to stand on my left.
“Tony, our head of security.” Tony strides out and nods at me.
“And Anthony.” My eyes tear up as Anthony hobbles onto the stage with a cane. He didn’t escape unscathed. Mike broke both of his legs, and he’s still struggling with the limp in his right leg. “Anthony is heading up a program where alarms can be raised, much like asking for an angel shot in bars. These will be in key locations where survivors often frequent, like hairdressers.” Anthony stops next to Tony and gives me a big smile.
“The effects of living in these nightmares linger on long after you’ve escaped. Please welcome the two people that saved my life in a spiritual sense. Without them, I wouldn’t be standing here today. Fox and Helen Alderidge.” They both stride onto the stage and stand at my right as a rumble of applause echoes around the room.
“The Alderidges are matching your donations here tonight, so please dig deep and enjoy your evening, knowing you are ushering in the New Year while also fighting suffering. We will claim our power back.”
There’s a pause, and then the room erupts into applause. I nod and turn to Fox as I drag my bottom lip between my teeth. He smirks as I lead the way off stage. The rest of the gang give me hugs and tearful support as we set about using Gideon’s money to combat the very crime he was guilty of. The cat is out of the bag now, and people will draw their own conclusions.
Gillian came forward very quickly with the truth of Mike’s attack and the pressure and threats Gideon put on her to blame Fox. She’s here tonight, an example of how power can influence the world.
After my reappearance, I spent no more than a few hours answering questions about my whereabouts during the months I was gone. I tried to stick to the truth as much as possible by explaining how I had run away due to the abuse I suffered at my husband’s hands. I ended up seeking sanctuary with a kind woman, and I had no knowledge about my husband’s death. He had made plenty of enemies over the years by locking up dangerous criminals, and it was entirely possible one of them was out for revenge.
Fox’s big hand splays at the base of my spine as he urges me through the room. We stroll through the conservatory, admiring the stunning plants at The Botanical Gardens, who agreed to host the charity event tonight to launch the foundation.
Fox holds my hand and drags me deeper into the unoccupied area, the sounds of chatter and laughter diminishing behind us. “Where are we going?” I ask.
“I can’t wait. Not with you looking like my every fantasy in that red dress.” He spins me into his arms and crashes his lips on mine, stealing my breath. “What are you wearing?” he murmurs as he backs me up against a tree.
“The black,” I whisper.
He drops his forehead against mine and breathes me in. “You smell like peaches and coconut. It’s fucking intoxicating, and knowing what I’m going to find when I peel off your panties is destroying my self control.”
I quirk a brow. “I’m not wearing any panties.”
He growls and drops to his knees before me. He inches the flirty below-the-knee skirt of my dress up and groans as he finds me bare. His tongue darts out and flicks against my clit, making me gasp as my core floods. My head smacks the tree as my breathing falters as he works me into a frenzy. He tugs on the butt plug in my ass, and I grit my teeth to stop from screaming.
He leaps to his feet and kisses me, letting me taste myself on his lips.
“You are so fucking beautiful, it hurts to look at you,” he rumbles. “Now turn around and grab the tree. Don’t let go, firecracker.”
I turn, giving him my back. It’s not something we’ve done before, but he somehow knows this is a difficult position for me. It’s why I’m so blessed to have Fox in my life. He just knows.
“You ever been fucked in heels, Honor?”
“No,” I whisper.
He kicks my legs apart, lifts my dress, and puts pressure on my spine to push my ass out. He pulls on the plug, then pushes it back in, repeating the process until I’m pushing back and making sounds of desperation.
I hear his zipper undo and he lines himself up against me and grips my hips. “This is going to be intense,” he utters. “Try not to scream.”
“Aren’t we cocky tonig—”
He slams home inside of my body, stretching me impossibly full. Full of him, full of love, full of joy for the future. Rain patters on the glass above us, each drop a promise of freedom and the many memories waiting to be made.
“Behave,” Fox says against my ear as he holds himself inside me. I squirm beneath him, desperate for him to finish what he started. “I want my truth.” The plug makes his piercings rub against me in a maddening way.
“What truth?” I gasp out.
“Your name.”
A smile stretches across my face. “What’s it worth?”
He slides out of me and inches back in, making us both groan. “You decide.”
“My name is Honor Alderidge.”
“Never fucking forget it.”
Interested to see where Ghost and Hunter’s story goes?
Preorder here.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
I hope you enjoyed Honor and Fox’s story. Honor is fighting against society, power, pressure, and a screwed up system that needs to be rebuilt. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in the book, please feel free to reach out to me or the support groups listed below.
To keep up with my latest news, please sign up to my newsletter here:
www.adalinewinters.co.uk
Support Groups
I’ve included groups for the areas covering most of my readers. For the rest of the world, please seek help using your local services.
UK
Refuge
Tel - 0808200247
USA
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Tel - 1.800.799.7233
Text - 88788
AUSTRALIA
SARC
Tel - (08) 6458 1828
CONTENT LIST
Beneath Your Beautiful is a dark romance. The main character is subject to domestic violence and abuse. This includes sexual assault, physical assault, and emotional abuse.
Specifically—suicide references, forced oral sex, non-con, dub-con, somnophilia, body shaming, forced medical procedures, food restriction, emotional manipulation, and financial dependance.
This is inflicted by the antagonist, not the love interest.
However between the MMC and the FMC, there is coercion and stalking/possessive behavior.
There are explicit scenes meant only for readers aged 18 and over.
Beneath Your Beautiful features:
Stalker
Bodyguard
MF romance
Hunted FMC
Possessive over-the-top grumpy Hero
Enemies to lovers vibes
Standalone
Dual POV
Pierced MC
Touch her and die vibes
Anal play
Breath play
A HEA
STANDALONE: A Dark Romance, standalone, full-length novel.
WARNING: 18+ only. Please read responsibly. THIS NOVEL CONTAINS DARK THEMES.
ALSO BY ADALINE WINTERS
The Hope Legacy
(Completed)
Seducing Hope
Surrendering Hope
Surviving Hope
Cora Roberts
Whispers of the Dead
Shadows of the Soul
Serpents of the Dawn
Legends of the Hallows
Wicked
Adaline Winters, Beneath Your Beautiful
Thank you for reading books on Archive.BookFrom.Net
Share this book with friends
She feigns innocence. “Remind me.”
Ah, she’s not sure if I remember. I do. “You are my person, Honor. The one who pushes me to be better, who calls me out on my shit, and who makes me strive to be enough for you. You are infuriating in the best possible way. You make my world brighter and give me a reason to smile. Despite our short time together, I know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, you are the woman I want to spend my life with. So, Honor, will you marry me?”
She brushes her lips against mine in a soft hesitant kiss, like she’s afraid I’ll break. I drag my teeth over her bottom lip enough to sting, but not bleed. She gasps and pulls away.
“I’m okay, Honor. But I do want my truth.”
“Yes,” she whispers.
“Yes what?”
“Yes, Fox, I will marry you.”
EPILOGUE
HONOR
New Year’s Eve
Six Months Later
Revenge is a dish best served in irony.
Iswallow the knot of anxiety in my throat as I wait for my cue. The phone in my hand vibrates.
Fox
You got this, firecracker. Remember you’ve already won them over.
Honor
Sure you don’t want to swap?
Fox
No, but I will be waiting the second you are off stage to offer my congratulations. Did you wear it?
Honor
Maybe.
Fox
Now that’s all I can think about.
“Please give a warm welcome to the foundation’s founder, Honor.”
I stride onto the stage and squint at the bright lights that shield the majority of the audience from my view. I nod at the man in a tux before coming to a stop in front of the podium. I place my note cards and phone on the stand and smile at the hundreds of people waiting to hear what I have planned.
I clear my throat and glance at my first card. “There’s an epidemic in our country; a silent storm suffocating men, women, and children. Domestic violence can take many forms. Physical, sexual, financial, emotional—each one devastating in its own way. Sadly, many of these cases go unreported. Abusers use fear, guilt, and shame to control, manipulate, and isolate.”
The room is totally silent as the attendees hang on my every word. “The Haven Foundation, funded by my late husband’s fortune, is building a network of safety across America. It is providing care, protection, and relief. Every cent Gideon left is being poured into creating a haven for survivors. It is securing knowledgeable legal services to prosecute the guilty. Day by day, step by step, we will begin to erode this disease. But we need your support, and your guidance and influence to help petition lawmakers.
“When the system is set up to protect the guilty, we have to push back, question everything, and be the change needed to usher our country into a new world.”
My phone flashes.
Fox
They are eating out of the palm of your hand. Go for the kill, firecracker.
I lick my lips and scan the audience. “What gives me the authority, the knowledge, the power to make such sweeping statements? Experience. I am a survivor of domestic abuse, and it is my intention to change the world—starting with the people who helped me when I had nowhere to turn, the people who have already formed a network dedicated to keeping survivors safe, and who now have the financial backing to expand.”
A collective gasp rises from the crowd, and murmurs echo throughout the room. I turn to the side and hold my arm out toward the people waiting in the wings. “Mel and Louise—our joint directors managing a network of safe houses in each and every state.” The women smile at me as they come to stand on my left.
“Tony, our head of security.” Tony strides out and nods at me.
“And Anthony.” My eyes tear up as Anthony hobbles onto the stage with a cane. He didn’t escape unscathed. Mike broke both of his legs, and he’s still struggling with the limp in his right leg. “Anthony is heading up a program where alarms can be raised, much like asking for an angel shot in bars. These will be in key locations where survivors often frequent, like hairdressers.” Anthony stops next to Tony and gives me a big smile.
“The effects of living in these nightmares linger on long after you’ve escaped. Please welcome the two people that saved my life in a spiritual sense. Without them, I wouldn’t be standing here today. Fox and Helen Alderidge.” They both stride onto the stage and stand at my right as a rumble of applause echoes around the room.
“The Alderidges are matching your donations here tonight, so please dig deep and enjoy your evening, knowing you are ushering in the New Year while also fighting suffering. We will claim our power back.”
There’s a pause, and then the room erupts into applause. I nod and turn to Fox as I drag my bottom lip between my teeth. He smirks as I lead the way off stage. The rest of the gang give me hugs and tearful support as we set about using Gideon’s money to combat the very crime he was guilty of. The cat is out of the bag now, and people will draw their own conclusions.
Gillian came forward very quickly with the truth of Mike’s attack and the pressure and threats Gideon put on her to blame Fox. She’s here tonight, an example of how power can influence the world.
After my reappearance, I spent no more than a few hours answering questions about my whereabouts during the months I was gone. I tried to stick to the truth as much as possible by explaining how I had run away due to the abuse I suffered at my husband’s hands. I ended up seeking sanctuary with a kind woman, and I had no knowledge about my husband’s death. He had made plenty of enemies over the years by locking up dangerous criminals, and it was entirely possible one of them was out for revenge.
Fox’s big hand splays at the base of my spine as he urges me through the room. We stroll through the conservatory, admiring the stunning plants at The Botanical Gardens, who agreed to host the charity event tonight to launch the foundation.
Fox holds my hand and drags me deeper into the unoccupied area, the sounds of chatter and laughter diminishing behind us. “Where are we going?” I ask.
“I can’t wait. Not with you looking like my every fantasy in that red dress.” He spins me into his arms and crashes his lips on mine, stealing my breath. “What are you wearing?” he murmurs as he backs me up against a tree.
“The black,” I whisper.
He drops his forehead against mine and breathes me in. “You smell like peaches and coconut. It’s fucking intoxicating, and knowing what I’m going to find when I peel off your panties is destroying my self control.”
I quirk a brow. “I’m not wearing any panties.”
He growls and drops to his knees before me. He inches the flirty below-the-knee skirt of my dress up and groans as he finds me bare. His tongue darts out and flicks against my clit, making me gasp as my core floods. My head smacks the tree as my breathing falters as he works me into a frenzy. He tugs on the butt plug in my ass, and I grit my teeth to stop from screaming.
He leaps to his feet and kisses me, letting me taste myself on his lips.
“You are so fucking beautiful, it hurts to look at you,” he rumbles. “Now turn around and grab the tree. Don’t let go, firecracker.”
I turn, giving him my back. It’s not something we’ve done before, but he somehow knows this is a difficult position for me. It’s why I’m so blessed to have Fox in my life. He just knows.
“You ever been fucked in heels, Honor?”
“No,” I whisper.
He kicks my legs apart, lifts my dress, and puts pressure on my spine to push my ass out. He pulls on the plug, then pushes it back in, repeating the process until I’m pushing back and making sounds of desperation.
I hear his zipper undo and he lines himself up against me and grips my hips. “This is going to be intense,” he utters. “Try not to scream.”
“Aren’t we cocky tonig—”
He slams home inside of my body, stretching me impossibly full. Full of him, full of love, full of joy for the future. Rain patters on the glass above us, each drop a promise of freedom and the many memories waiting to be made.
“Behave,” Fox says against my ear as he holds himself inside me. I squirm beneath him, desperate for him to finish what he started. “I want my truth.” The plug makes his piercings rub against me in a maddening way.
“What truth?” I gasp out.
“Your name.”
A smile stretches across my face. “What’s it worth?”
He slides out of me and inches back in, making us both groan. “You decide.”
“My name is Honor Alderidge.”
“Never fucking forget it.”
Interested to see where Ghost and Hunter’s story goes?
Preorder here.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
I hope you enjoyed Honor and Fox’s story. Honor is fighting against society, power, pressure, and a screwed up system that needs to be rebuilt. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in the book, please feel free to reach out to me or the support groups listed below.
To keep up with my latest news, please sign up to my newsletter here:
www.adalinewinters.co.uk
Support Groups
I’ve included groups for the areas covering most of my readers. For the rest of the world, please seek help using your local services.
UK
Refuge
Tel - 0808200247
USA
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Tel - 1.800.799.7233
Text - 88788
AUSTRALIA
SARC
Tel - (08) 6458 1828
CONTENT LIST
Beneath Your Beautiful is a dark romance. The main character is subject to domestic violence and abuse. This includes sexual assault, physical assault, and emotional abuse.
Specifically—suicide references, forced oral sex, non-con, dub-con, somnophilia, body shaming, forced medical procedures, food restriction, emotional manipulation, and financial dependance.
This is inflicted by the antagonist, not the love interest.
However between the MMC and the FMC, there is coercion and stalking/possessive behavior.
There are explicit scenes meant only for readers aged 18 and over.
Beneath Your Beautiful features:
Stalker
Bodyguard
MF romance
Hunted FMC
Possessive over-the-top grumpy Hero
Enemies to lovers vibes
Standalone
Dual POV
Pierced MC
Touch her and die vibes
Anal play
Breath play
A HEA
STANDALONE: A Dark Romance, standalone, full-length novel.
WARNING: 18+ only. Please read responsibly. THIS NOVEL CONTAINS DARK THEMES.
ALSO BY ADALINE WINTERS
The Hope Legacy
(Completed)
Seducing Hope
Surrendering Hope
Surviving Hope
Cora Roberts
Whispers of the Dead
Shadows of the Soul
Serpents of the Dawn
Legends of the Hallows
Wicked
Adaline Winters, Beneath Your Beautiful
