SILK Volume Four Read online

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  Books by K.M. Scott

  Heart of Stone Series

  Crash Into Me (Heart of Stone #1)

  Fall Into Me (Heart of Stone #2)

  Give In To Me (Heart of Stone #3)

  The Heart of Stone Trilogy Box Set

  Ever After (A Heart of Stone Novella)

  A Heart of Stone Christmas

  Club X Series

  Temptation (Club X #1)

  Surrender (Club X #2)

  Possession (Club X #3)

  Satisfaction (Club X #4) COMING SOON

  Silk Series

  Silk (Volume One)

  Silk (Volume Two)

  Silk (Volume Three)

  Silk (Volume Four)

  **Add them to your Goodreads shelf today!**

  Love sexy paranormal romance? K.M. writes under the name Gabrielle Bisset too! Visit Gabrielle’s Facebook page and her website to find out about her books.

  Books by Gabrielle Bisset:

  Vampire Dreams Revamped (A Sons of Navarus Prequel)

  Blood Avenged (Sons of Navarus #1)

  Blood Betrayed (Sons of Navarus #2)

  Longing (A Sons of Navarus Short Story)

  Blood Spirit (Sons of Navarus #3)

  The Deepest Cut (A Sons of Navarus Short Story)

  Blood Prophecy (Sons of Navarus #4)

  Blood & Dreams Sons of Navarus Box Set

  Love’s Master

  Masquerade

  The Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy

  Ian and Kristina’s love has been tested over and over, but now one final test may be too much for them to overcome.

  The only part of his life other than Kristina that meant anything to Ian—his career—lays in shambles. Now he’ll have to decide if he can forgive the woman he loves for betraying his most important secret.

  Kristina will do whatever it takes to get Ian back, and this time it won’t be easy. But their love means too much for her to give up now.

  And just when they think they’ve finally found happiness, their love will be challenged one last time.

  This serial is not meant to be a complete story in each volume, so expecting a happily ever after at the end of each part is a mistake. SILK is a continuing story involving one couple, Ian and Kristina, and this is their story. There will be a happily ever after at the end of the entire serial, however. Also, four volumes will be all there is to SILK. This is not a story that’s meant to go on after those four parts.

  SILK is meant to be erotic, and while it has a story in addition to the sex, that story is one of addiction and obsession, both sexually and non-sexually. Ian and Kristina are flawed and broken, and their story is one of mad and desperate love.

  I stand at Ian’s door knocking until my knuckles hurt, but he’s gone. I feel it as much as I feel the emptiness inside me from sending text after text and never hearing from him. I’ve ruined his livelihood, but even more, I’ve betrayed what we had together. He loved me, and I let that all slip away because I couldn’t handle a few weeks of loneliness.

  Looking down at my phone, I look for a text from him but see nothing. I have to try again. I can’t let this be the end.

  Ian, please let me explain. He meant nothing to me. I love you. What we have can’t be over. I won’t let it be.

  I wait for him to reply, to say something even if it’s that he hates me and never wants to see me again, but he says nothing. His silence is worse than anything he could possibly say.

  Please answer me. Tell me this isn’t the end. Tell me you can forgive me like I forgave you. Just say something.

  He doesn’t answer and by the time I reach my apartment, I know this time he won’t just let me come back. I’m going to have to fight for him.

  But I don’t know where he is and just as I think I might be able to figure out where he’s gone, the thought of him slipping back into his old addictions stops me cold. If he goes back to doing drugs because of what I’ve done, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.

  I have to find him before he does anything, but how?

  His agent will be able to tell me where he’s gone, but all I know about her is her name is Sheila. I flip through the back pages of Caligula’s Dream, but all I find is information about Ian’s other books. That doesn’t help, but maybe I can find something online that will.

  I search for any information about Ian Anwell, and the first site that comes up is his website. I’ve visited it dozens of times and never read anything about his agent, but then again, I wasn’t looking either. Clicking on the About Ian page, I read about him growing up in upstate New York, attending Cornell University and majoring in history, and living in New York City. Nothing about who represents him.

  Not knowing what to do next, I google Ian’s name along with the name Sheila and hope for something to come up in the search. It’s worth a try. Unfortunately, some woman named Sheila Josten seems to have a very unhealthy obsession with the man I love and every link on the first page of search results sends me to her blog where she spends a lot of time talking about Ian’s books.

  I move to the next page and find more of his scary stalker and her love of all things Ian. Scrolling to the bottom and after reading what could best be described as a love letter from her to him, I finally find a link to an article from The Post mentioning Ian’s agent, Sheila Rogers.

  After searching for another few minutes, I find a phone number for her, but before I can call her, my phone rings. Excited that Ian might have finally realized we could work this all out, I answer it but it’s Cilla, not Ian.

  “Sweetie, I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Sienna told me what happened. I really am sorry.”

  “How could you do that to me, Cilla? You’re supposed to be my friend.”

  “I didn’t think all of this would happen. I swear I didn’t.”

  I try to control my anger at her, but just hearing her lame excuse makes it rush to the surface. “You didn’t think that website would run an article about me cheating on my boyfriend? Are you kidding?”

  Cilla’s silent for a long moment, and then she quietly says, “No, that I knew. I just didn’t realize you cared so much about him. I had no idea you were dating Ian Anwell and no idea that they’d bother with him at all.”

  “Bother with him? You told them I cheated on him, and then they dug up who he is under a pen name. Do you have any idea how much hurt you’ve caused?”

  “Well, actually it was the other way around, but it doesn’t matter now. I’m so sorry, Kristina. I didn’t know they would do that. I figured they’d focus on you and then it would die down. You know, like it did with John.”

  “Like it did with John? I was devastated when I found out he cheated on me with that waitress. You knew that! How many days did I stay locked away in Sienna’s house because I was so broken up over that? It didn’t just blow over, Cilla. Just because the tabloids stopped talking about it didn’t mean it ended for me.”

  “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I just needed money and I didn’t know what to do.”

  “You could have asked me. I would’ve given you money. I would have given anything to make sure Ian didn’t find out. Now he won’t even talk to me and all because you wanted to find a way to get some quick money.”

  “I’m sorry. I mean that.”

  “You just don’t get it, Cilla. You saying you’re sorry doesn’t fix anything. Go tell someone who actually believes you.”

  I can’t listen to her weak apologies anymore. Wishing I could slam the phone down and let her hear how furious
I am with her, I click END and throw my phone onto my couch. Her I’m sorry’s mean nothing to me.

  My chest hurts at the thought that Ian is feeling how I felt when I found out John cheated on me. I remember the betrayal hurting so badly that I wasn’t sure I could ever trust anyone again. I was ashamed I’d ever believed he could truly love me, and for a long time I didn’t think I’d ever be strong enough again to care for someone.

  And then I met Ian and for as broken as I was, he showed me I could love again and believe not only in a man but in myself too. Now with my stupid mistake, everything we’d been through and everything we were lay in ruins.

  How would I ever convince him that I love him and would do anything to have him back?

  First, I had to convince his agent to tell me where he is. Dialing her number, I get past her assistant, but I can tell by Sheila’s tone that she’s not a fan of mine after what’s happened.

  “What can I do for you, Miss Richards?”

  “Sheila, I know you saw the whole mess on that website, but I need to find him. I’m worried he’s going to fall back into the drugs because of this. I don’t want that to happen, and I know you don’t want that either.”

  “I can’t help you, Miss Richards. I told Ian to leave the city with you, but clearly he believes that rag like I do. He’ll return when all of this dies down. In the meantime, I’ll be working to do my best to save whatever’s left of his career your foolishness has decimated.”

  “I swear I didn’t tell anyone anything about Ian writing under that pen name. I wouldn’t do that to him.”

  Sheila snorts in disgust. “You’d just cheat on him while he’s in the fight of his life to get that heroin monkey off his back.”

  “I’m not going to deny I made a mistake, but if you’ll just tell me where he is, I’ll show him that it meant nothing and hopefully stop him before he starts back up on the drugs. Please, I just want a chance to make things right.”

  I hear nothing for a long time, like she’s considering what I said, but her tone remains icy when she finally says, “I can’t help you. I just hope Ian isn’t so devastated by what you’ve done that he falls back into his bad habits. He’s too talented an author to be sidelined by nonsense like this.”

  I want to say to her that the love we share isn’t nonsense, but what’s the use? The only person I need to defend myself to is Ian, and she won’t help me find him. She hangs up on me before I can try to convince her again, so I call Joanne. If anyone can help, it’s her.

  “Kristina, I know I told you more publicity would be a good idea, but I never thought you’d give me something this fantastic. I swear I’ve gotten more calls and emails about you today than I’ve gotten for the past nine months.”

  “Joanne, I need your help finding Ian.”

  “The boyfriend?”

  “Yes. I need to find him. He’s left the city because of this mess, and I need to find him.”

  “Have you tried his agent or publicist? They probably know where he’s gone off to.”

  Sighing in frustration, I explain who his agent is and how she refuses to tell me where he is. I know Joanne well enough to know she’ll see this as a challenge, so I exaggerate how Sheila refused to help me and hope my publicist will be able to drag the information out of her.

  “Give me a few minutes. I’ll find out where your Ian Anwell has run off to. Just promise me if this turns out all happily ever after that you’ll be sure to let me coordinate the PR campaign.”

  “Fine. Just help me find out where he is and I’ll promise you anything.”

  I hang up with her and collapse onto the couch where he and I sat that first night. All I can hope is that Joanne is able to get through to Sheila. Not exactly the most subtle person, I can’t imagine how she’ll do it.

  All I know is if anyone can, Joanne can.

  So much has happened since that night Ian and I met and came back here so he could sign my copy of Caligula’s Dream. How infatuated I’d been when my manager contacted me to ask if I’d like to meet Ian. To have a New York Times bestseller and one of my favorite authors want to meet me seemed too incredible for words, but he’d assured me the offer was a real one. As I sat there in that booth at Jax’s waiting for him to arrive, I hoped he’d see me as intelligent and accomplished like he is. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined we’d begin a love affair that would change our lives forever.

  Now I’d lost him because of my stupid mistake, and I planned to do whatever I needed to bring him back. If Joanne could find out where he went, I’d brave hell, high water, or whatever obstacle the world threw in front of me to get to him.

  As I silently promise Ian I’ll do everything in my power to get him back, my phone rings. Lunging for it, I grab it from the other end of the couch and see it’s Joanne calling back.

  “Did you find out where he is?” I blurt out without even saying hello.

  “I did. That agent of his wanted to guard the secret like it was gold in Fort Knox, but I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be. You can thank me later. For now, you need to find a way upstate. That’s where your boyfriend is hiding out.”

  “Upstate? Where?” He’d never talked about anywhere upstate, other than where he’d grown up, but none of family still lived there, so I can’t imagine where he’s gone.

  “He’s at a cabin he owns in Hunter about two and a half hours north of the city. How are you going to get up there?”

  “I don’t know, but I have to get there. Text me the address. I have to find a way to get upstate. And Joanne, thanks. I owe you big.”

  “Damn right you do. I’ll send that over right now. Be careful driving up there, Kristina. It’s the middle of winter and they get a lot more snow than we do down here.”

  “I promise I will, but don’t worry about me. I’m a Midwest girl born and bred. I learned how to drive in the snow, unlike you city folk. I’ll be fine.”

  I hang up with Joanne feeling better than I have since I woke up next to Ian this morning. Now all I need to do is find a car, and I know just the person to help me.

  Quickly I press four on my speed dial. “Sienna, it’s Kristina. I need you to let me use your car.”

  “The Benz?” she asks, not missing a beat. Only Sienna could get a call from someone asking to use her car and not ask why in return.

  “No, the Range Rover. I might run into some snow, and I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

  “Okay, but can I ask where you’re going? After the day you’ve had, I’m worried about you and you asking to take my car makes me wonder what you’re up to.”

  “I found out where Ian is. He’s at a cabin he owns upstate, so I’m going up there and I’m not coming back until I’ve convinced him to forgive me.”

  Sienna chuckles. “You must be in love, Kristina. I’ve never heard you so intent and confident.”

  “I am and I’m not going to let him go without a fight.”

  “That’s my girl! Okay, the Range Rover is yours for as long as you need it. Do you need anything else?”

  Packing my suitcase, I throw some clothes in and say, “Nope. I have everything I need now that you’re letting me borrow your car. I won’t forget this, Sienna.”

  “It’s okay. I’m happy to help since I feel partly to blame for everything that happened. Cilla told me she called you to apologize but you weren’t willing to let her off the hook. I don’t blame you.”

  “She ruins my life and now she wants me to be satisfied with her apology because she didn’t think it would be that bad. I can’t forgive her for telling that website what I did not because it hurt me but because of what Ian’s going through.”

  “I wouldn’t forgive her if she did it to me, so you won’t hear me telling you to kiss and make up.”

  I zip my suitcase shut. “She has her money they paid her for the story. That’s all she cared about.”

  “Well, you’re going to find Ian and convince him to forgive you, so don’t even think about her. When everyo
ne finds out it was her who betrayed you, she won’t have a friend in the world. That money better be enough.”

  I prop my suitcase up against the wall at my front door. “I’m done packing, so I’ll be at your place in a little while. Thanks again, Sienna. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “It’s no biggie. I’m an incurable romantic. This is just the kind of thing I like to be involved in. I love the idea of you driving up there to win the man you love back. It’s like one of your movies.”

  “Leave it to you to think that,” I say with a giggle. “I just hope it works out like that and he lets me in. I’m worried he won’t even talk to me after what’s happened and I’ll be stuck outside in the snow and the cold talking through a closed door trying to convince him to forgive me.”

  “No way. This has all the hallmarks of a great love story, Kristina. Now go get your man! And I’ll be expecting details when all this dies down since you know you can trust me.”

  “Got it! Thanks again, Sienna. See you in a few.”

  I pick up Sienna’s Range Rover at her building and after she wishes me luck, I’m on my way. I have a little over two hours to think of what I want to say to Ian to convince him that I love him and he loves me enough to forgive me.

  As I drive north out of the city, I feel like I’m leaving all the madness of this day behind me. The bare trees along the sides of the highway are strangely beautiful and calming in their starkness, and the lightly falling snow makes me think of a snow globe my grandmother gave me when she visited Sea World once when I was a child.

  By the time I’m an hour into the drive, the snow begins to fall much harder and faster, covering the roadway. I’m not worried, though. I’d drive through a blizzard for the chance to prove to Ian that I love him and what we have deserves a second chance.

  I just hope he feels the same way.

  The cabin I bought years ago before I even had my first book published gives me a place to hide out while I lick my romantic wounds. I toss my bag onto the bed in the master bedroom and head out to the living room to start a fire. Thankfully, I made the decision to hire a caretaker who’s been more than diligent in his job and left me enough firewood for at least a week.