[Forbidden book 02] Forbidden Rapture Read online

  Forbidden Rapture

  Tales of the Forbidden,

  Book 2

  By

  Jaden Sinclair

  Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2, Jaden Sinclair

  Published by

  Melange Books, LLC

  White Bear Lake, MN 55110

  www.melange-books.com

  Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2,

  By Jaden Sinclair, Copyright  2011

  I

  Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this book are

  products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or

  persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the

  intent of the author or the publisher. No part of this book may

  be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,

  electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or

  by any information storage and retrieval system, without

  permission in writing from the publisher.

  Credits

  Copy Editor: Nancy Schumacher

  Line Editor: Taylor Evans

  Format Editor: Mae Powers

  Cover Artist: Caroline Andrus

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  Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2, Jaden Sinclair

  Forbidden Rapture

  Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2

  By Jaden Sinclair

  Dane Knight never believed that there is one girl out there just for him,

  or that she might walk right past him, until Samara Tabor did just that.

  She is everything he could ever want. She brings out feelings inside him

  that he never knew he had, or could feel for someone.

  Having her summoned to the Compound is the easy part. Showing her

  how right they are for one another, a bit more difficult. But when secrets

  from the past come to haunt them, Dane’s love is tested and he has to

  gather all this strength to fight for the one he loves the most—even if his

  rapture is forbidden.

  * * * *

  Author Website

  www.jadensinclair.com

  Other stories by Jaden Sinclair at www.melange-books.com

  The Proposal

  “Kiss Under the Mistletoe” in Holiday Treats

  S.H.I.L.O.- S.E.T.H.

  Interplanetary Passion

  Outerplanetary Sensations

  Love at First Sight

  SHIFTER SERIES

  Stefan’s Mark

  Claiming Skylar

  Dedrick’s Taming

  The Prowling

  Cole’s Awakening

  The New Breed

  Seducing Sasha

  Draeger Legacy

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  Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2, Jaden Sinclair

  Forbidden Rapture

  Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2

  By Jaden Sinclair

  Chapter One

  Dane Knight sat at the end of the long dining room table,

  across from his grandmother, with yet another dinner guest and

  her mother seated in the middle. He tapped his fingers on the

  table, waiting for his grandmother to initiate the unpleasant

  conversation.

  For the past year now she’d been trying to get him to marry.

  And not just anyone either. Oh no! Berdina Knight wanted her

  grandson to marry a proper lady, not the trash that one of his best

  friends married from the poor side of town.

  Before Devon Noved got married, Dane’s grandmother was

  about to ship Dane’s sorry ass up to the Compound to find a

  bride, but after Devon’s marriage, she changed her mind. She

  didn’t want to take the chance that he might come home with a girl

  unworthy of the Knight name.

  So she’d devised this plan. Great!

  “You haven’t touched your soup.” Dane turned his head to

  look at the young girl sitting to his left. She had to be no more than

  eighteen, and her innocent brown eyes spoke to him of how little

  she knew of what was going on. “You don’t like it?”

  He was about to answer her question when his grandmother

  spoke instead: “You’re being rude, Dane.”

  “Am I?” He waited for her to look up from her soup. Berdina

  had the same blue eyes as him, but hers were so much colder.

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  Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2, Jaden Sinclair

  She was a hard woman, and at age seventy-two, very

  accustomed to getting her way.

  She took him in when his parents disappeared during a trip to

  the everglades. After being gone with no word for over nine

  months, his grandmother had them declared dead and had herself

  named sole guardian. Dane had only been fifteen then.

  But her stern discipline and controlling ways had him instantly

  rebelling. He’d hooked up with Blaine Cedric first. The two of them

  would sneak out at night and go drinking. By seventeen, he was

  hanging out, not only with Blaine, but also Devon Noved and

  Darius Alistair and the four of them raised hell.

  They partied, drank, and womanized like nothing anyone in

  Treece had ever seen. They enjoyed many nights with many

  different girls, not giving a shit if they were from the rich side of

  town or poor.

  The fun lasted three years before the group was broken up.

  Blaine and Darius were shipped off to boarding schools in

  different locations and Dane transferred to another school outside

  of town. Devon was the only one that stayed put and on the

  weekends, when Dane would come home, they’d take the town

  again. Only then, they did it all as discreetly as they could.

  But like Devon told him about a year ago, there comes a time

  when they all must stop and grow up, and it appeared now was

  his time. But he’d be damned if his grandmother was going to

  dictate to him who he should marry. He wanted what Devon had.

  He wanted to be happy with a girl that was just right for him.

  “Funny, I thought you were the one being rude,” Dane

  remarked, getting the reaction he was hoping from his

  grandmother.

  She dropped her spoon and motioned for the servants to

  come and take the soup away. Next course was coming, and as

  much as Berdina Knight put on the act that she wasn’t affected by

  what he said, he could tell differently. She hated defiance, and if it

  was done with witnesses, she hated that even more.

  “How long are you going to play this little game?” He sat

  forward in his chair, both elbows on the table, chin resting on

  hands. “How many young girls do I have to inspect before you

  give it up?”

  “You need a wife,” his grandmother stated, glaring at him.

  “And until the right one comes along, I guess we’ll just keep

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  Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2, Jaden Sinclair

  having guests for dinner.”

  Dane narrowed his eyes on her before turning his attention to

  the young girl. He saw, out of the corner of his e
ye, how her

  mother watched him closely. “It’s Katie, right?” She nodded. Tell

  me something, Katie, do you want to marry someone like me? I

  mean, I’m sure your mother really doesn’t want you to and all. I

  have a somewhat torrid reputation.”

  “Dane—” there was a warning tone in Berdina’s voice.

  “Are you still a virgin?” Katie’s face turned beat red and her

  mother gasped.

  “Dane!” Berdina snapped.

  Dane tossed down his napkin, pushed away from the table,

  and stood up. He glared at his grandmother before turning and

  walking away. As far as he was concerned, dinner was over.

  He made it to the hallway with the intent of heading for his

  room to pack a few things for the weekend. The last thing he

  wanted right now was to stay here as his grandmother ranted over

  his behavior during dinner.

  “Dane Richard Knight,” Berdina’s sharp voice caused him to

  pause. On the heels of his feet, he turned to face her. “How dare

  you embarrass and disrespect that young lady. You come right

  back and apologize to her.”

  “Grandmother, I’m tired of this game. If you want me to marry

  then let me do it my way,” he sighed.

  “And let you bring home trash like Devon did?” she huffed

  back. “You are better than that and I refuse to let you degrade our

  name.”

  “Degrade our name!” he heaved in disbelief. “Do you even

  listen to yourself? I’m twenty-nine years old, not fifteen. You don’t

  get to run my life and tell me who to date anymore.” She opened

  her mouth to speak, but he held up his hand. “Enough. I think it’s

  time that we part ways. We just don’t see eye to eye or get along;

  not that we ever did.” Once more he turned and headed for the

  stairs.

  “And where do you think you’re going? You’re definitely not

  going to go see those hooligans you call friends.”

  Dane was halfway up the stairs before stopping again. “Those

  hooligans, as you call them, have been the only ones who were

  there when I needed them. Now excuse me, I’m going to pack.”

  He didn’t wait for a response. Two at a time he took the stairs

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  Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2, Jaden Sinclair

  and walked as fast as he could to his room.

  For the past few months he’d been moving things from his

  room to his home. All he had left was maybe a couple bags of

  clothing. It took several months of moving his belongings behind

  his grandmother’s back, and a couple years to build himself his

  own home, but now it was time for him to take the reins of his own

  life.

  His house was about thirty miles from Devon’s. In fact, all four

  of them built homes close to each other. Dane kept his home a

  secret, as did Darius. Dane did it because he didn’t want his

  grandmother trying to hinder his plans. No one had a clue as to

  why Darius wanted it kept quiet.

  He just finished putting his last bit of clothing in the suitcases

  when his cell buzzed. He had a message.

  Not going to believe this. Blaine is in town and wants to see

  us. Meet you at his place. Devon.

  Now that was somewhat of a shocker. Blaine, back in town?

  Boy, there was going to be some money-hungry mothers out there

  looking to hook him up with their daughters.

  Dane waited until he heard his grandmother slam her

  bedroom door. With a smile, he left his room with the two large

  suitcases in hand. As quietly as he could, he went down the stairs

  and out the front door.

  His car was just where he had parked it this morning. Dane’s

  ride was a black ford mustang convertible with black leather

  seating. The top was down, so Dane put his bags in the back

  seat, jumped over the door to the driver’s seat, turned the key,

  and peeled out of the drive. For the first time in years, he felt free

  and it was a feeling he wasn’t going to let go of for a very long

  time.

  The drive to Cedric Manor took almost an hour due to its

  location deep in the woods. Cedric Manor was one of the first

  homes to go up in Treece, but after Blaine’s father passed, Blaine

  had it completely gutted. Dane didn’t know what the place looked

  like now, but recalled it being dark and broody feeling the last time

  he was there.

  The drive came into view, and right off Dane saw the

  changes. The ground was immaculate. The trees had been

  trimmed, flowers were in full bloom, and a coat of fresh, crisp,

  cream yellow paint had been added on the house.

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  Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2, Jaden Sinclair

  Two cars were parked in the drive, one belonging to Devon,

  and the other Blaine’s. Dane parked right behind Devon’s, turned

  off the engine, and got out.

  The front doors were opened by a man dressed in a tailed tux.

  “Good evening, Sir.” He looked to be in his fifties, but didn’t have

  many wrinkles on his face. His tux was spotless, and he even

  wore white gloves. “I’m Randal. Mr. Cedric is waiting in the dining

  room, if you’ll please follow me.”

  Construction was still going on inside. Walls were being

  knocked down, floors redone, and other walls painted.

  The house had many different levels with stair cases in the

  middle. The lower level was a large library and ball room with a

  wrap around stair case going down. That was definitely new, and

  it was now tucked behind the grand staircase. In the back, straight

  forward from the front door, up a short flight of stairs, and past

  double doors was a large dining room.

  “You son of a bitch,” were the words that came from Dane’s

  mouth upon seeing Blaine sitting at the head of the table with his

  feet resting on top. “I don’t know if I want to sock you one or hug

  you.”

  Blaine stood up with a smug grin on his face, walked right up

  to Dane, and made like he was going to shake hands with him.

  When Dane extended his hand out, Blaine took it and jerked him

  into a tight hug.

  For years Blaine had been banned by his father for his wild

  ways. At one time, they were all known as the “playboys of

  Treece”. This was the one and only reason Blaine was sent away.

  To his father, Blaine was a disgrace to the family with his whoring

  ways and diminutive respect for women. With the heart of the

  group gone, as Dane, Devon, and Darius’s family thought, it was

  easier for Devon’s family to bring him into line, Dane’s

  grandmother to seize control of his life, and Darius to be shipped

  off also.

  Dane still messed around, only he learned how to be secretive

  about it. He made extra sure his grandmother knew nothing of

  what went on in his personal life, or who might end up in his bed.

  Having done an exquisite job of keeping his social life a secret, he

  was now bored.

  “It’s good to see you, too.” Blaine strolled back over to the

  table, looking more like a beast in a grand house than the lord of it
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  Forbidden Rapture: Tales of the Forbidden, Book 2, Jaden Sinclair

  with his long dark locks fanning out behind him as he walked.

  “Now, where the hell is Darius?” He picked up two large tankers

  filled with, what Dane suspected, was his father’s best brandy, the

  drink that Blaine’s old man had said he would beat Blaine for, if he

  ever touched it. He handed one to Dane, “I don’t have all fucking

  year.”

  “You would if you plant your ass and stay longer than a night

  or two.” Dane took a sip of his drink, grinning at the dark look he

  got from Blaine. “Really? Would it kill you to stay longer?”

  “And be the next model for the poster boy husband?” Blaine

  took a long drink, hissing as it went down. “No thanks. I like my

  single life.”

  Dane smiled, showing his bright white teeth. After Devon was

  married and his wife informed them that Blaine was in town, Dane

  went searching. He tracked down his old friend and gave him an

  earful for not talking to them. He also gave him a nice right hook.

  When Blaine mentioned how he had been in town many times for

  business only, Dane sucker punched him again. Now, whenever

  Blaine came to town, whatever the reason, he let them know and

  they all got together.

  Blaine was the oldest, followed by Devon. At twenty-nine,

  Dane was very used to being a bachelor. He stood at six foot

  even. His set of baby blue eyes could melt any girl’s heart at one

  glance. Adding to his charm, he had soft blonde hair that was cut

  short on the back of his neck with long locks on top that, when

  tousled, resembled a wheat field blowing in the wind.

  “Well, when she comes along, I sure hope I’m there to see it.”

  Dane grinned. “I’d love to shake the girl’s hand that brings you

  down to those golden knees of yours.”

  Blaine pulled out a thick cigar and lit it. He blew the smoke at

  Dane before flipping him off.

  “Darius isn’t coming.” Devon came into the room, tugging his

  jacket off and looking as if he was ready to kill him. “And to top

  things off, no one can seem to find a trace of Cameron. So Kera’s

  on my ass to find him ASAP. She thinks he’s going to come back.

  Darius refused to tell me why he won’t come back. Argh! I swear