Claiming the Crown: A HIGH SCHOOL BULLY ROMANCE : A Loving Summer Spin-Off Series (Hidden Falls High Book 3) Read online

  Claiming

  the Crown

  Hidden Falls High Book 3

  kailin gow

  Loving Summer Prequel Spin-off

  3 Years Before Loving Summer Book 3

  Summary

  Dante Black

  How do you stop a storm that has already been brewing, set in a path to wipe out all that stands in its way?

  Dante Black

  It's time to make my move. I've shown the princess some mercy. Instead of hitting hard on her, I diverted the attention of the Inner Circle to another. Now they have issued an order for me to move or they will send someone else who won't hesitate to finish the job.

  My own father, Cole Black.

  If you think I'm a monster, then you will think he's the devil. He once killed me off, only to resurrect me into his own likeness, but without a human heart which was replaced with a metal one.

  Summer was the one who brought my metal heart back to life, though.

  Too bad, she's also the Princess I was sent to destroy.

  ***Claiming the Crown is the third book in the USA Today Bestselling New Adult Contemporary RH Dark Romance Series, Hidden Falls High, a prequel series from the Loving Summer Series

  Prologue

  Dante Black

  “To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.”

  ― Sun Tzu.

  “Dante,” Father said, “It’s time.”

  Inwardly I cringed. Even over the phone, the man had the ability to affect me.

  “You do have the balls to do it, don’t you, Dante?” his gruff and raspy voice asked. “Or are you just a little pussy brat that I’ve always seen you as?”

  I went still as my father berated me, calling me all kinds of names to put me in my place, to make me feel small, useless, and totally in his control.

  For a second, my mind went back to that dark place when I was a child. I could have sworn I grew up with the devil when Cole Black was not only angry, but drunk or high. He would take all of his hate and anger out on me. With his fists pummeling me or his leather belt whipping me and ripping through my flesh with the metal buckle until I was a bleeding mess.

  All I ever did to deserve such treatment from dear old dad was to be born.

  “Son,” Cole Black’s voice said, “You hear me? Now’s the time to complete your mission. Then you can come back to England, back to our estate.”

  “I don’t want to go back,” I muttered under my breath.

  “What? Did I hear you say something, son?”

  I took a breath before answering, “I said I still need time before I can go back.”

  “Well, you don’t have much time, Son,” Cole Black said. “We need you to complete the mission or the Inner Circle will send someone else. Maybe me, and you know how I like to see my foes suffer before I end them. Just part of the reason why I would ever personally get involved myself.”

  Before meeting Summer in person, I couldn’t care less about anyone, especially my targets. They were only targets. Nothing more. Nothing less. And I was just doing my job. Taking them out because they were my targets, meant nothing. I couldn’t care. I didn’t care. But now, I was hesitating. Now…I was conflicted.

  I wanted to reach through the phone to strangle the man who was making me do this.

  “You know what you have to do, Dante,” Cole Black said.

  I did.

  “Make sure you do it soon…”

  “I will,” I said with a cold as steel tone.

  “Good,” Cole Black said. “That’s the son I know. Not some whipped ass crybaby pussy who is getting all sentimental and soft because of a girl.”

  Summer. He was talking about my girl, Summer.

  “Do what you must, Son,” Cole Black said. “Remember how she is the key to your revenge…how she is the key to getting those we want, out. Get rid of her, then you’ll have them by the balls.”

  I gulped. All I can see at this moment was Summer’s beautiful happy face, smiling at me, making me feel all kinds of things and dream all kinds of dreams as I couldn’t stop staring into her happy kind eyes.

  “You only have one week, Son. Or we send in the Butcher, the Undertaker or worse, I’ll have to do the job my son is too pussy to do. Then of course, that means I’ll have to deal with you, too.”

  Fuck. If I don’t end Summer, my father will do it himself. And he’ll even kill me for it.

  Things were about to get crazy soon…

  Chapter 1

  Summer

  “Dante,” I said, looking over the plans he had given me. “This is so extensive. I mean, steel reinforced wall coverings, thicker glass…bullet-proofed glass for the windows…”

  Dante gave me his cute smile and a shrug as he took a sip of coffee at my Aunt Sookie’s Malibu Pad small kitchen table. It was Saturday morning, and Aunt Sookie was out this weekend at a yoga retreat.

  Of course, Dante decided he wanted to have a yoga retreat of his own at the Pad, when he surprised me with a visit last night, showing up at the front door, with a bag full of groceries. I was still angry at him for what went down with River so Dante had been making it up. River knew I wasn’t exclusive with him, and Dante was already making his moves on me. Dante was a go-getter and have shown that when he wanted something or someone, like me, he would go after it without hesitation. River missed his chance, although I’ve given him several chances.

  Now Dante was with me, smoothing things over with us, convincing me how much I meant to him. He sat me down at the living room sofa while he cooked up a full 3-course dinner.

  After dinner, he took my hand in his and led me to my bedroom where he made love to me all night, even working me into positions he said were yoga moves. It didn’t matter what they were, in the end, Dante had positioned and moved my body every which way to get me to experience the most mind-blowing orgasms I’ve ever had.

  Too exhausted, I fell asleep in Dante’s arms, where he held me all night, kissing my temple, my forehead and cheeks while he gazed into my eyes. The way he looked at me, I felt like the most important person in the world, and the way he held onto me, I felt like he was trying to hold on to me forever.

  This morning, he surprised me again by making breakfast for me.

  “Summer,” Dante said, “I don’t know what your aunt has been feeding you, looking at the sorely lack of food you have in your pantry and fridge, you need to eat more proteins and gain more muscles,” he eyed me and said, “Not that I don’t love how your body is now, but I know you can get a stronger, more fit body than you have.” He kissed me before I bit into my breakfast.

  “Why are you suddenly interested in whipping my body more in shape?” I asked, taking a bite of the spinach, mushroom egg-white omelet he whipped up. “Oh, this is delicious,” I said.

  “Because, Baby,” Dante said, “I want to take care of you. I want you to be able to take care of yourself, too. By having a stronger body, you will be more capable of it.” He smiled, “Plus, I want you to be able to keep up with me…I have all kinds of things in mind that I want to do to you, and I want you to be awake while I do them. It’ll be much more enjoyable for both of us.”

  I pointed my fork at him and said after swallowing a mouthful of superfood salad. “This is so good,” I said. “And you, I knew you had an ulterior motive to get me into shape… and it has to do with sex.”

  Dante laughed. “You figured me out. Guilty as charged.”

  He l
ooked down at my almost-empty dish and said, “I see you couldn’t stand my cooking. I’ll have to improve on seducing you with it.”

  I laughed, gulping down a mouthful of coffee. Even the coffee he made was delicious. “Is that what this is all about? Seducing me?”

  Dante took my hand in his before kissing my knuckles. “Everything I do is meant to seduce you, Summer.”

  “It’s working,” I said.

  He kept looking at me, his eyes soft with tender emotions. I’ve never seen Dante like this… almost vulnerable, not in charge, almost at a loss. Something was up, and my heart grew full as he kept kissing my hand.

  “Dante?” I asked. “Something wrong?” I leaned over to hug and kiss him. “You can talk to me about anything. You know that, right?”

  Dante gave my knuckles one last kiss before he dazzled me with his golden boy smile. “Just thinking how lucky I am to be with you, Summer. Out of all the guys who love you, I feel like I’ve won the prize being with you here today.”

  “Oh, Dante,” I hugged him close and took his face in both my hands before kissing him. “I’m the one who’s lucky. You can have any girl, but here you are with me.”

  “That’s because,” Dante said, kissing me back more passionately. “I’ve never felt anything before for anyone else, Summer.”

  “Your heart,” I said. “I’m so sorry about it. How did you get a mechanical heart? What happened?”

  Dante nodded. “I don’t even remember what happened. All I know was that I was in a terrible accident when I was a kid, and I woke up in some hospital in Europe with a new heart. Not human, but mechanical.”

  “Wow, that’s stranger than fiction,” I said. “A mechanical heart…” I grinned. “So cool and amazing. You’re even cooler than I thought. You’re a real life steampunk/bionic man.” I lifted his black t-shirt to feel his chest. His pulse was at a steady beat as I moved my other hand down to gently stroke him under his boxers.

  “So you think having a mechanical heart is cool?” Dante said, looking at me with hooded eyes. “What other part of mine do you find cool?”

  I glanced down briefly and said, “Well…I can’t seem to keep my hands off one part.”

  “I’m glad you can’t keep your hands to yourself then,” Dante said. “But if you continue being all handsy with me, you will have to suffer the consequences.”

  “Oh, and what is that?”

  Dante suddenly stopped my hands from stroking him and reached over to lift me by the waist, carrying me to the sofa nearby. Instead of depositing me on the sofa, he bent me over face down, pushed down my pajama pants and palmed my butt before spreading me. Without hesitation, his now rock hard cock thrusted deep into me, pushing me forward.

  I moaned, “Oh Dante, yes, I like how you are punishing me for being so handsy.”

  “It’s the only punishment I have, reserved for you, Princess,” he said as he pushed into me again and again. His fingers rubbed on my core while he punished me some more before we both yelled out our climaxes.

  Then he laid me out on the sofa, facing me as he kissed his way down from my mouth to my core. “I’ll never get tired of punishing my princess,” he groaned as he licked me.

  When I came again, Dante laid down next to me and kissed me. “You’re the only person who knows about my heart being mechanical. Other than my father. How did you know?”

  “Your heartbeat,” I said. “I was just testing it out now. Even when you’re aroused,” I smiled, looking down at his still hard cock, “Your heartbeat was the same as before, while everything else about you was clearly turned on.”

  Dante laughed. “You’re amazing, Summer. So smart. Nobody ever noticed.”

  “I sure hope not,” I said. “I mean I sure hope no one tried arousing you like I did just to see how your heartbeat was like.”

  “Nobody ever got that close to me to find out,” Dante admitted.

  I reached out a finger to touch his nose, “Then it’ll be our little secret,” I said.

  Dante beamed then, lighting up his entire face like a little boy who was given the very toy he wanted and wished for from Santa for Christmas. “I’d like that, Summer,” he said. “I’d love to be able to share the most intimate part of me with you.”

  “Dante,” I grinned, touching his cheeks with my palm, “Thank you for trusting me with your secrets.”

  He kissed me then and kept kissing me until a phone call caused him to break off. He looked down at his phone and sighed. “Looks like I have to get this.”

  I got up and walked into my room, finally changing out of my pajamas.

  When I turned around, Dante was standing at the doorway, watching me change, his face still and full of desire. “I can’t stop wanting you,” he said. “Even when I shouldn’t.”

  “What’s the matter?” I asked, rushing over to him and hugging him tightly.

  “Summer,” Dante said, “I wish I could tell you.”

  “But if you did, you’ll have to kill me,” I joked.

  Dante gave me a small smile then and said, “Something like that.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I won’t pry. But know that I’m here for you no matter what. You mean so much to me, Dante.”

  Dante hugged me tightly and whispered into my ear. “You mean so much to me, too, Summer in such a short period of time. You have no idea how much.”

  Chapter 2

  Dante

  6 Months Earlier

  The takeover of the entire modern contemporary high-rise with a black mirrored exterior was a success. My bid for the building was much lower than other bids, but I offered them an offer they couldn’t refuse… so now the building overlooking the ocean, the Malibu coastline, Hidden Falls, and some wonderful Los Angeles skyline was now the new Black Biotech Enterprises’ US headquarters.

  It was instrumental in how Black Biotech Enterprises Global would move into the U.S., establish roots in the glitzy capital of entertainment, and then dominate the world of beauty, fitness, self-help, and longevity. As well as technology.

  But that was only if, no scratch that, when, we get rid of our major competitors.

  “Son,” Father called me at my office at the Black Towers, the UK office’s two twin towers that served as our headquarters. “Are your plans in place?”

  “Getting there,” I said. “Just acquired the building where we will run Black Biotech US,” I said.

  “Good, but you are moving a bit slower than we like. We can do this the hard way or the easy way. I’m letting you choose since you were once friends with our target.”

  I gritted my teeth. No one, including my father, should ever question how I have always had a 100% completion on my assignments. “I’ll get the job done,” I said.

  “Okay,” Father said. “Just remember, you are not the only one I have to leave my kingdom to.”

  That reminder should have felt like a slap across my face, reminding me he didn’t care enough for me as his child to rescue me in time to save my punctured heart, which was replaced with a mechanical one, or to save my mother in time. She died, and I grew up isolated, shut out like a monster at one of my family’s estates while I watched and heard about my father’s new family and children getting spoiled, going on family trips, being photographed as his children and family in all of the newspapers.

  To the entire world, I was dead. Killed in the same accident that killed my mother.

  But secretly, my father assigned his brute of a bodyguard to raise me cruelly without a hint of love and affection to be a killer. My father’s secret dark horse assassin and monster…the one who got the dirty work done for him. Because he believed I could since I had no real heart, just a mechanical one.

  He had me do what no human could because even the cruelest of humans have an ounce of feelings. Pain, fear, sadness even.

  I didn’t. Gone with my heart were my feelings.

  As I signed the papers to get the ball rolling to put the Black Biotech Enterprises sign on the new building, get o
ur UK Director to head over to the US to begin setting up, I had no doubt that I could get everything accomplished before my half year was up in the US.

  I was going to set up the headquarters, infiltrate into the culture and world there, including immersion into the lives of the children and heirs of Black Biotech’s competitors’ families. Then when they least expected it, I’d strike.

  I had already taken down others before the Inner Circle had tasked me with my missions. Now this one, wouldn’t be any different.

  That was before I met her. Before my black hollow heart felt anything….