Hadaen [The Marujan Brothers Series] Book One Read online

  Reese shrugged. "I could ask Brant if he needs another waitress..."

  Amelia gave her friend a once over and tried to hide her disapproval. There was no way in hell that she would be caught wearing a short pleated skirt and 6-inch stilettos. "No offense but I think I'll pass." The look on Reese's face made her feel guilty. "You know short skirts and high heels aren't my thing."

  "Yeah..." She frowned slightly. "But anyway, you could try by Cal's grocery store. I heard he fired that tramp from across the street."

  A laugh bubbled up in Amelia's throat. "I'll check it out."

  "Okay." Reese held up her wrist watch at eye level and squinted. Amelia had always thought she needed spectacles. "Damn... I gotta get back to work. Brant will kill me if I'm late. It’s a full evening; paycheck day." She flashed a giddy white smile. "I'm dying to see which rich bachelor the cat will draw in tonight."

  "I'll see you later." Amelia giggled and shook her head. "Dinner's on me."

  Hadaen watched as the girl jumped to her feet and the clicking of her heels against the marble floors resounded out of the room. He was about to finally confront Amelia when he felt the presence of another person. He slipped deeper behind the shelf and studied the unfamiliar energy. Sighing softly, he swallowed and waited. Whoever it was, he or she was no threat. The energy was neutral with a tinge of grudge. But then again, Hadaen figured it was a natural thing he had observed in humans. In a minute the figure rounded the same corner the girl named Reese had left. Hadaen stilled. It was a man. Scanning his person, Hadaen discovered that the man's name was Mac. Short for Mackenzie. He was maybe a few inches shy of Hadaen's six feet four inches. But not as large...not even close. Mac was an asshole by day...and a bartender by night. Hadaen felt a twinge of anger when he saw Amelia flinch. What did the fucker do to her? Tapping into Mac's memories, he could see him in a bed curled up next to Amelia and whispering softly in her ear. Shutting the connection off completely, Hadaen breathed out steamy rage as the darkness within him threatened to snap. No one touched what belonged to his. And what the hell was she doing in bed with the man? Hadaen vowed to himself that after he fucked her senses back into Amelia, he'd murder that fucking Mac. Feeling satisfied with his intentions, he nodded to himself and listened again.

  "What do you want, Mac?" he heard Amelia say, obviously annoyed.

  "Saw you come in few minutes ago." He dropped himself into the seat next to hers. "Thought I'd come say hi. It's been a while, Lia."

  "It's Amelia," she retorted hotly. "You've said hi so could you just leave me alone now. I'm busy."

  "I heard you're looking for a job." And he just dropped it on her like a bomb. The last thing she needed was for someone like Mac to know her business. She was desperate to hear his suggestion but she knew too well that he'd want some type of repayment. Eyeing him wearily, she stared at the monitor. "Jack's been requesting for some new servers. You could come join the gang." Amelia held her breath. She had seen the uniform that servers wore at that club. It wasn't bad and she'd go for wearing skin-tight leather pants any day over miniskirts. But the mere fact that Mac had been the one to mention it made her angry. The last thing she wanted was to feel indebted to him.

  "And you'd just love that, wouldn't you?" She twisted her face into a scowl.

  Mac grinned and leaned in towards her. "Nothing like getting back to old times." Hadaen stiffened.

  Shrugging him off, Amelia got to her feet and stood akimbo, glaring down at Mac. "We kissed one time, you fool. And it was no Fourth of July either."

  A chuckle came from his lips—it was more like a snort. "Hardly. Sure you don't want to scream for me again?"

  Pointing a finger at the retard, she scoffed heavily. "I was drunk that night, asshole. But not drunk enough not to realize that nothing happened. Getting between my legs would have been the greatest fucking achievement of your sorry-ass life," she muttered, trying to keep her voice low. "So if you know what's good for you, you’d kindly take your pencil dick and go jump off the nearest fucking cliff."

  Hadaen's lips twitched with amusement. Could the woman get any more perfect? Slipping closer behind the shelves, he could feel the anger vibrating through Mac. Amelia's words had cut him sharply but he wouldn't dare strike at her. Not that he could. Hadaen was pretty sure that he'd have the man by the throat and gutting him like a damn fish before he even found the chance to raise a hand. Within a moment Mac uttered a few expletives and stormed from the room.

  Hadaen watched her expression as she released a heavy breath and then slumped against a shelf. She looked weary and he wanted nothing but to wrap her in his embrace and bury himself deep within her warmth. Hell, his cock was already straining against his fly. How he wanted to sex her senseless and finally make her his own. But first he needed her to remember herself for who she truly was.

  Amelia, Daughter of Liberty.

  It was 5:30 already. She had already lost most of the day and had barely gotten anywhere with finding a job. At least any she was willing to take, anyway. She was sure about one thing though: her life sucked. She was jobless and completely paranoid. She had felt quite complacent with her lifestyle until he had shown up and ruined everything. And now she was curious about things she never even knew existed. Amelia wasn't a regular drinker but at the moment, she felt for a few beers.

  Tucking her cellphone deep into the front pocket of her jeans, Amelia sighed and headed for the restrooms. She moved by a few heavily stacked bookshelves and down a tiny aisle. A tickling sensation in her gut caused her to stop dead in her tracks. Blinking, she turned around but saw no one. Sweat beaded her nose and she licked her lips nervously. She probably recognized the feeling better than anyone else. Someone was following her.

  "Who's there?" she said. "I know you're there."

  There was a short silence. "Do tell me what gave me away..." Amelia jumped and almost screamed. She knew that voice. It wasn't a sound she could ever forget.

  "Who are you? And why are you following me?" She searched behind the nearest shelves, hoping to locate the stranger before he scared the living hell out of her. Suddenly a strong hand grabbed her from behind, another stifling her inevitable scream. She felt her body being squeezed against a much larger one; a masculine physique that smelt too damn good to be resistible. He shifted behind her and she could feel his erection stabbing into her back. Amelia froze, her arousal by the touch coming as a shock to her.

  "Do not make a sound."

  Amelia nodded quickly and the hand fell slowly from her mouth. In one swift movement she was spun around and brought face to face with the man that haunted her dreams. Well, not exactly face to face since she had to tilt her head all the way back to see up into his countenance. She swallowed. He was wearing dark sunglasses, his mouth pressed into a thin line. His expression was intimidating. Shoving instinctively at his chest, Amelia cursed beneath her breath, shooting him one of her killer glares. She knew many men who would have cowered at that look but this one didn't even move an inch.

  "W-What do you want?"

  The man removed his sunglasses at that point and she wished she had kept her damn mouth shut. He looked wicked straight down to the steely pools of his eyes. A scar slashed through his left brow, adding to the rugged danger that his appearance portrayed. Power and strength reeked from him so intensely, Amelia almost choked on it.

  "My name is Hadaen Maruj," he said. Oh god! "And you belong to me."

  "And this must be 'World's Fuckhead Day', you moron!" she spat before even considering her words and jabbing him in the chest. "You've got some nerve. Now let me go. I don't belong to anyone."

  Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to catch her breath. Damn lunatic! And the jerk only stood there staring down at her and smirking as if he thought she was insane. Shrugging, Amelia was surprised when she found herself escaping his grip. She ran an agitated hand through her hair. The silence between them stretched far longer than she would have liked until she heard him speak lowly.

 
; "You talk very much."

  "Why thank you. It's my specialty. Look, I'd very much appreciate it if you'd just cut the chit-chat and tell me what you want with me."

  "You are Amelia Kunar." He said it with utmost confidence. "Daughter of Liberty."

  She scoffed. Last time she checked she was an orphan. She shook her head at him. "I'm no daughter of any 'Liberty' person. As far as I know, my parents died when I was baby. You've got the wrong girl."

  Half way into pivoting away she was grabbed by the arm again. Amelia glowered at his hand on her arm and then met his eyes angrily. "You have some serious issues with touching, don't you? Let me guess... You haven't had some ass in a while. If you want to talk, we can talk. There's no need to get all friendly. And before you say anything," she said, tilting her head to the side. "If you're some sex-slave freak looking for a toy, I think it's my duty to inform you that I'm one hell of an unwilling participant."

  Hadaen snarled. The First surely had a master sense of humour. If this woman was truly his intended mate, the first thing he'd do was calm that tongue of hers. Her attitude and talkativeness was bound to drive him fucking crazy. And she was only making him angry...and damn horny at the same time. Grabbing her by the chin, Hadaen pulled her up to him so that she had no choice but to look straight up at him. Her eyes widened to saucers and he fed on her sudden flood of fear. He then tightened his grip just a bit, not to hurt her but just to let her know how serious he was.

  "Listen to me, Amelia. You're damn mouth is pissing me off and I can guarantee to you that you do not want to get on top of my nerves. So I suggest you shut the fuck up...listen and speak when I want you to. Got it?"

  Amelia frowned obstinately, looked away for a couple seconds and then squeaked out reluctantly. "I'm all ears, tough guy." Hadaen released her momentarily. As much as it killed him to be rough with her, it was necessary if he ever wanted to get anywhere with his plans.

  Hadaen followed her as she moved towards the seat she had occupied earlier and then pulled up a chair before her, straddling it. Amelia glanced at him. It was the first time she managed to look him all over. He was dressed in snug black jeans, the thick bulge behind the fabric causing her to blush. Over a black T-shirt, he wore a matching leather jacket. She looked down to his feet and could have sworn she saw her reflection on his leather boots. Reese would have been doing backflips if she were there. And if Amelia wanted to admit it to herself, she'd always thought there was something sexy about bad boys in leather. She wondered if he had some crazy sick tattoos she couldn't see or a big bad motorcycle parked outside. For an instant, she felt the strongest urge to run to the nearest window but the cold stare he was currently giving her kept her rooted in her seat. Amelia cleared her throat.

  "Are you quite done?" he said, roughly.

  "Like I said, I'm all ears."

  "Good," he muttered and then quirked an eyebrow at her. "The Harley is parked across the street, by the way." Amelia blushed and decided to stare at the spine of a random book instead. She felt oddly assaulted. She knew she hadn't said anything about a motorcycle out loud. Who was he? Hadaen's lips turned up into a half smile. "Now... do you know of a place called Maruj?"

  "I don't know," she muttered nonchalantly, picking at her nail buds. "Read an article about it a few minutes ago. Didn't say much."

  Hadaen frowned at her. He could sense that she was holding back something from him. But somehow he was barred from her mind...again. He listened with his inner ear to see if anyone was nearby. Someone was definitely shielding her. But who was it? He needed to know because whoever it was, they were very strong. It took someone very powerful to be shielding someone else from an obviously far distance. However, he found interest in that she had been researching Maruj. That could only mean that she had remembered something.

  "Who told you about Maruj?"

  "No one. I don't get it; why is this such a big deal?"

  "Just answer the damn question."

  Amelia rolled her eyes. "I dreamt about it, alright?"

  Hadaen stiffened and moved in closer. Amelia stilled. "When? Tell me about the dream."

  "Last night. And you were there. I called you 'Lord Hadaen' or something like that. There was a lady there too, I don't remember her name. I was sitting in a garden." She then glowered at him. "You basically told me you wanted to fuck me and make me yours, mentioning something about an initiation." She saw his eyebrows raise and she smirked. "That's right. And I guess it's only a nightmare since you had only scared the shit out of me a few hours before."

  Hadaen tried to control his breathing. What he was hearing surely did please him a lot. He smiled at her genuinely and spoke softly. "Listen to me carefully, Amelia, and believe this. That was no dream. It was a memory. A memory we shared seven hundred years ago."

  Amelia stared at him for a long time. Then a giggle escaped her lips and she laughed hard at him. Covering her mouth to stop the laughter, she exhaled sharply and opened her mouth again to say something when the tears finally clogged her eyes and she started to laugh again. Holding up a hand at him, she held her belly with the other and hiccoughed another giggle. "You are one crazy dude, I'll tell you that."

  Hadaen but looked her, angry and wondering how she could laugh at anything he had just said. He wanted to shut her up but somehow he found himself liking the sound of her laughter. He had never heard her laugh in Maruj… at least not while she was aware of his presence. Rising to his feet slowly, he returned the chair to its original position with one flick of his wrist. He then glanced at his watch and snapped his finger s at her. "Get up and let's go. I need to show you something."

  "What? I'm not going anywhere with you!"

  Hadaen seriously could not be bothered with her obstinacy at the moment. He needed to get rid of the stupid hardon he was currently facing. So the sooner he got her to understand her fate, the better. He refused to die from blue-balls. Hell, he'd already suffered for seven centuries. And much as he had gotten more sexual offers than he'd wish to admit to over the years, he had never found the desire to accept them. He'd been too busy searching the globe for her. No woman had ever made him feel so riled up before and he promised himself that he'd have her no matter what. And when he did, he did not intend on just tasting; he'd savour her sweetness down to the very last drop. Amelia had better be prepared to be ravished!

  Without giving her the slightest notice, Hadaen grabbed her up into his arms and flung her over his shoulder like a light sac. He heard the gasp that spurted from her lips and smiled. She had better get used to the fact that he always got his way.

  "Put me down, you son-of-a-bitch!" And he only laughed as she stiffened at the sound of the librarian's bell and the expected 'Shhhh'. Ignoring the blows she was sending to his back and hips, he moved quickly out of the library and past the dozens of eyes that followed his movement. Some persons even had their phones out ready to dial, looking worried. Others just whooped, presumably thinking that they were some loving couple caught up in a little quarrel.

  Dumping her to her feet, Hadaen steadied her before she fell over. She breathed raspingly and shoved him only in vain. Her attempt hadn't even shifted him. He then crossed his arms and stared down at her, amused. Her hair now stood in wild spikes on her head, ruffled and disheveled. And her shirt had ridden half way up her abdomen. "Are you okay?" he asked, knowing the type of reply he'd get.

  "Bite me." She patted at her hair, combing her fingers through it and then straightened her clothes.

  "Trust me sweetheart, I've got plans on that." And his lips curved into a sly smile.

  Amelia's head shot up immediately and her eyes widened. He did not just say that. She then narrowed her eyes at him, sizing him up. "So you've got a sense of humour now, do you? Don't get your hopes up, Dean."

  "It's Hadaen."

  "Like I give a fuck."

  "You'd better. You'd do well to remember it while I pound into that sweet pussy of yours."

  Amelia gulped as warm liquid slithered
downwards, soaking her panties. She tried to find the perfect words to assault his manhood but only found herself choking on her saliva. Eyeing him beneath hooded eyes, she pursed her lips and muttered, "I thought we were headed somewhere."

  Throwing her a wink, Hadaen chuckled and turned towards his motorcycle. "We'd better get to it then."

  Amelia glanced at him and then at the huge motorcycle. She'd never ridden on one before but the urge had always been there. She supposed she could just enjoy the ride for the night and then move to an isolated island somewhere off the Pacific. She surely had no intention of seeing or remembering when she woke up in the morning. "How do I know you won't try anything?" she mumbled, standing akimbo. "You could just be a rapist or some psycho-murderer for all I care."

  Hadaen removed the helmet from the handle bar and tossed it at her without even turning around. "If I was a rapist you wouldn't be standing here right now with your clothes on, trust me." He then turned around, his face dark as death. "As for me being a murderer,” he said slowly and with purpose. “That I can't tell you for sure."

  Amelia frowned and tossed the helmet back at him. "Then I hope I fall off and break my neck." Moving past him swiftly, she then gestured him to get on with it. He eyed her with a hint of fire in his eyes and then straddled the bike.

  Hadaen waited until she got on behind him and then handed the helmet back to her.

  "You dying is the last thing I'd want right now, sweetheart," Hadaen slurred, grabbing her arms from behind and wrapping them around his waist. He felt her tremor straight down to the base of his cock. "It would mess with all my plans for ravishing you."

  And he sped off down the busy street, dodging vehicles and chuckling softly as her sizzling words flew past his head and dissolved into the heavy breeze.

  Chapter Three

  Water dripped from his beautiful dark hair and down the powerful contours of his chest. Her gaze had no choice but to move over his sculpted abdomen and fall at a stop—disappointedly—at the waist of his very low-riding faded jeans. Amelia swallowed down the heavy dam of saliva that had gathered in her mouth. She was sure that if she looked down she'd see her mouth hanging there too. Slamming her mouth shut she blinked the trickle of tears from her lustful eyes. She had been staring for far too long. He must have noticed.