Page 94 of Lost & Found

This was not what I was expecting on any level. She said lifestyle, and my mind immediately went to BDSM. This was classic Isabella.

She examined her fingernails, pretending disinterest. “It practically screamed at me.”

I narrowed my eyes as her toes wiggled. Little fucking tease.

“Keep reading, it gets better.”

“From the moment Lev saw McKenzie—” I paused again, rolling my eyes while she tried and failed to hide her grin.

She bit her lip. The name was close enough to Kinsley to make me chuckle.

“From the moment Lev saw…go on,” she prompted.

I cleared my throat. “From the moment Lev saw McKenzie, he wanted her.”

She burst into laughter.

“But McKenzie was promised to another. What’s the second-in-command to the Malenkov Bratva to do?” I read on.

“What indeed will he do?” she mocked dramatically.

I continued reading, “Steal her, of course. But now that he has her tied to his bed…oh, okay this got interesting. Now…he will do anything to keep her.”

I glanced up. She was watching me, lips curved, eyes gleaming like she’d just handed me a loaded weapon.

“There is more,” she challenged. “Kenzie has a whole section, too.”

Once more I turned my attention to the back of the book. “All McKenzie wanted was to feel cherished, his lips on hers. His arms around her. But she gets off teasing him. The stranger with dark eyes and tattoos consumes her.”

I stopped for a fraction of a second. Dark eyes. Tattoos.

“She has one big problem, though,” I drawled. “She’s promised to another man. And now that Lev has ruined her, her family will wage a war to get their princess back.”

“Ruined her? You don’t say. I wonder how.” Isabella laughed.

Before I could respond with one of my more than ready, heavily-laced innuendos I was famous for, her foot pressed forward. Again. She was pushing her luck big time. My body reacted before my brain could catch up. I sucked in a breath and immediately tossed the book aside before she registered what she’d done. I caught her ankle and dragged her feet back into my lap.

“You’re a menace,” I muttered, massaging her arch with soft pressure.

She blinked innocently. “What? I was just stretching.”

“Yeah, your aim is way off, princess.”

Her lip twitched as she shrugged. She reached for the discarded book, flipped it over, and propped herself up on one elbow.

“You skipped the best part,” she said. “The real reason I picked it up.”

“Go ahead, then. Read it.”

She grinned as she read, clearly enjoying every second of this.

“His death is the only revenge the family will accept. As the two forbidden lovers’ passion ignites, they must confront the dangerous forces determined to keep them apart. Prepare to be swept away by a tale of passion, betrayal, and undying love in this dark mafia romance.”

The room felt quieter after she finished. Death. Revenge. Family waging war. For a split second, the teasing blurred with something uncomfortably real. Her brother’s voice echoed in my head.

If you cross the line…

The threat hadn’t been theatrical. It had been sincere. And here I was, reading about a Russian second-in-command who steals a promised girl and ruins her. A full circle moment if I’d ever had one. Life imitating fiction.