Poison Kisses: Part 3 Read online

  Copyright © 2018 Lisa Renee Jones

  Cover photographs © kiuikson/Shutterstock. Cover adapted from a design by Crystal Ben.

  Author photograph © Teresa Lee Photography

  The right of Lisa Renee Jones to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  First published in this Ebook edition in 2018

  by HEADLINE ETERNAL

  An imprint of HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by arrangement with St Martin’s Press

  Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

  All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library

  eISBN 978 1 4722 3816 0

  HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP

  An Hachette UK Company

  Carmelite House

  50 Victoria Embankment

  London EC4Y 0DZ

  www.headlineeternal.com

  www.headline.co.uk

  www.hachette.co.uk

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About the Author

  Praise for Lisa Renee Jones

  By Lisa Renee Jones

  About the Book

  Character Profiles

  Author’s Note

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Have you read the Dirty Money series?

  Find out more about Headline Eternal

  About the Author

  New York Times bestseller Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed Inside Out series, which is now in development for a cable television show to be produced by Suzanne Todd (Alice in Wonderland). In addition, her Tall, Dark, and Deadly series and The Secret Life of Amy Bensen series both spent several months on the New York Times and USA Today lists. Since beginning her publishing career in 2007, Lisa has published more than forty books translated around the world.

  Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at www.lisareneejones.com, or find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorLisaReneeJones and on Twitter @LisaReneeJones.

  Praise for Lisa Renee Jones’s stunningly sexy romance:

  ‘Edgy, brilliant and all-consuming, Dirty Money is THE series of the year! Lies, danger, secrets, and a hero you will fall HARD for. A must read!’ Katy Evans, New York Times Bestselling Author

  ‘Lisa Renee Jones excels at creating powerful men and women who are determined to live life on their own terms, and fans will be immediately drawn to the dangerous world of Brandon Enterprises’ Romantic Times

  ‘High-octane romance set above the glittering lights of Denver is enhanced by the dominance of a powerful man and the cunning sweetness of a woman who isn’t cowed or swayed by his wealth… a fascinating mystery and characters with distinct voices’ Publishers Weekly

  ‘Angst-y, sexy contemporary romance with big emotional and financial stakes set against the backdrop of two dynamic families. Sure to leave readers desperate for the next installment’ Kirkus Reviews

  ‘Holy smokes what a ride! Lisa completely nails yet another kick ass read. I loved this book! It’s the beginning to a new series and I am already nearly begging for book two since the ending of book one was completely effed up! What a cliffhanger! … Once again I’m reeling from another Lisa book and I couldn’t be happier about it’

  Christina Gobin, NetGalley & Goodreads

  ‘Amazing book could hardly put it down. I love how it jumps from character perspective so you get to see things from everyone’s point of view. Emily and Shane are great together the energy and attraction you can just feel it through the book. Completely enjoyed this read!’ Stephanie D’Amico, NetGalley & Goodreads

  ‘This was my first book by this author, and it definitely won’t be my last! I was hooked from the start and ready to drop everything to keep reading’

  Belinda Scott, NetGalley & Goodreads

  ‘Wow!!! This story was like a chess game, clearly waiting for a checkmate move and that created a lot of suspense and the same time keeping your breath for something big to happen’ Nicole Th, NetGalley & Goodreads

  ‘This book is another 5 stars by Lisa Renee Jones. This book is different from the others that I have read and wow I think this is her best of all. You will fall in love with the characters of this book. I can’t to read the next book’

  Elaine Kelly, NetGalley & Goodreads

  ‘This was my first Lisa Renee Jones book but it will not be my last. This book has the mob, the Feds, too many manipulative people to count, lies, deceit, intrigue and a few good people attempting to clean up the mess that is Brandon Enterprises. Jones weaves an intriguing, suspenseful story full of well-defined characters and just the right amount of really hot sex’ Vanessa Romano, NetGalley & Goodreads

  By Lisa Renee Jones

  The Dirty Money Series

  Hard Rules

  Damage Control

  Bad Deeds

  End Game

  Poison Kisses

  Part 1

  Part 2

  Part 3

  About the Book

  Sexy. Dark. Edgy. Part Three of the sexy, thrilling three-part Poison Kisses serial.

  Those you love, know how to hurt you. Those you love, know what to hide, because they know what is unforgivable to you.

  Now that I know what Seth hid from me, I want the secret to be the lie. I don’t want to kill him. I don’t want to leave him. I guess that is why they say there is a fine line between love and hate. I love and hate that man with such passion, that it damn near hurts. But now, as we face down our shared enemies, as we are lead right back to an explosive discovery about my family, and to the night Seth and I parted ways, we will both be exposed in every way.

  And it’s time for me to decide if I plan to love Seth Cage for the rest of my life, or kill him, before he kills me.

  Are you ready to play by the hard rules of the Brandon family empire? Look for the enthralling Dirty Money series: Hard Rules, Damage Control, Bad Deeds and End Game.

  Character Profiles

  Amanda Skye—31, blonde, used to be brunette. Former CIA agent and scientist. Her poison of choice is . . . poison. She’s the Poison Princess. Seth’s former lover and undercover partner. Has been on the run for three years until the CIA and Seth find her to track down a terrorist, Franklin Ross. Amanda is the only scientist left in the world who can deconstruct the toxin that Franklin works with. During their undercover operation, Amanda gets word from her mother that there is a kill order on her and her parents’ heads which may have been ordered to Seth, “the Assassin.”

  Seth Cage—“the Assassin”—35, blond, close-cropped hair. Former CIA agent, now head of security at Brandon Enterprises. He is on contract for the CIA to go after Amanda, his former partner in an undercover op where they fell in love. Seth was betrayed by Amanda when she ran from him, and inadvertently caused their handler Danny’s death.

  Franklin Ross—Former CIA agent, turned terrorist. He works with chemical agents to destroy who he sees fit. Amanda almost took him down in China years ago, but when she failed, he fled. He is now back on the CIA’s radar
and is about to launch a massive toxin attack through the US water systems.

  Danny—Seth and Amanda’s handler in that fateful operation three years ago. When Amanda ran from Seth, she was the inadvertent reason for Danny’s death when he was captured by the bad guy (Ming) on the mission. Seth was told that if Amanda didn’t show back up and reveal everything that was known about Ming’s operation and plans Danny would die. Amanda didn’t come back . . .

  Bear—35, goatee, built like a linebacker. Seth and Amanda’s handler on their current mission going after Franklin.

  Author’s Note

  Dear Reader:

  This is Poison Kisses Part Three, which starts the moment after Part Two ended. First, let me recap Poison Kisses Part Two.

  A lot has happened between Seth and Amanda since they rekindled their romance in the heat of this operation to take down the ex-CIA agent, turned terrorist, Franklin Ross. When Amanda confronted Seth about the voice mail her mother left for her insinuating that Seth aka the Assassin held the kill order for her and her parents, his brutal and almost begging honesty called for a truce between him and Amanda. No more not-so-veiled threats of killing one another until they could get to the bottom of everything: Franklin’s endgame, why the kill orders were issued, and who held the contracts to kill Amanda and her parents.

  Seth and Amanda landed in Dallas, greeted by Bear. But can they really trust him? He’s the one who fed Seth what little information he could find about the kill orders, and even then they didn’t get the full story. So as a repercussion of their truce, Seth and Amanda fall back into their old habits, trusting each other above all else, and with that somewhat easy camaraderie comes the passion and intensity that has never gone away. They can’t ignore and fight the chemistry the sparks between them, nor does it seem do they want to. It’s all too easy for these two incredibly guarded agents to fall back into the love they thought was lost. But among those stolen moments, blistering kisses, sinful touches, and love/hate declarations are cautious steps taken to find out where and how Franklin will be administering this toxin. This leads them to the Reynoldses. John Reynolds is a real estate broker who oversees the warehouse district leases; said warehouses are owner by Eduardo Chavez, who is a thought-to-be partner of Franklin’s.

  After recon of the property, Seth is convinced they need a meeting with Reynolds under the guise of him and Amanda needing their own warehouse lease for their fashion line. The game is on, the traps are set, and Amanda and Seth sink deeper and deeper into the world surrounding Franklin Ross. But as more players are pulled in, and the stakes are raised, the past keeps nagging at both Seth and Amanda for different reasons. As Amanda keeps repeating the turn of events three years ago, she’s not all that certain her parents are dead. They said ghost protocol. That means disappear, and since there’s no evidence to disprove they didn’t do just that, she can’t help but wonder if they could still be alive. Seth can’t help but need and demand to know what actually happened that fated night three years ago. As he’s coming to embrace his feelings for Amanda once again and fall for the woman that never truly left his heart, he needs to know who was after her and who killed her parents. It’s closure, but it’s also loose ends that need tying up. So as Seth and Amanda are set to meet with the Reynoldses the next day, Seth demands Bear find, beg, steal, or borrow the information he needs to put his and Amanda’s questions to rest. But while Seth leaves Amanda on his phone speaking with Karen Reynolds and keeping up appearances, he steps out to reconvene with Bear about the case. Bear tells him to check his phone . . . his second phone, that he had just left Amanda with . . .

  And this is where the story has taken us. To the part readers have wondered about and demanded to see. Amanda’s point of view in this crazy mess she and Seth have found themselves in. And while Amanda has just seen the photos from her mother’s death scene, she is thrown back in time to what preempted that scene . . . That fated night that was wonderful and daring and hopeful, only to turn terrifying, disastrous, and heartbreaking . . .

  Chapter One

  Amanda

  Three years ago, the day Seth became my would-be assassin . . .

  Seth and I stand in the gardens of the fifty-million-dollar Davenport family penthouse in Manhattan, mimosas in our hands, a good twenty people around us. And while the people we’re forced to mingle with are quite stuffy, the females in the crowd certainly don’t turn a blind eye to Seth. And I must say, he’s oozing an exceptional amount of alpha hotness today, his short blond hair accenting his strong and intense blue eyes. His fitted, ridiculously expensive navy-blue suit is matched with a tie that is also that same shade of blue. It had replaced his first choice, which had been silver. Said silver tie is now tied to the bedpost, in the apartment where we’ve played Mr. and Mrs. for three months. I, too, had been tied to that bedpost only an hour ago, with Seth’s mouth doing insanely wonderful things to me.

  I’m in the same prim white dress that had landed me on the bed, tied to that bedpost, after Seth had given me one of his intense blue-eyed stares and told me that I looked prim and proper and that he needed to taste the woman beneath that façade. I’ve decided I really like this dress. As for the man, I really love him, and I do so despite knowing that a CIA agent should never dare such frivolous emotions. It’s a reality proven by my father, who has told me often that love kills, saying it while right in front of my mother.

  Shoving aside that unwelcome thought, I refocus on our mission: convince this snobby group of guests, that we’re worthy of “The Circle.” The Circle being an elite group of investors that look out for their wallets, and not always with the best interests of America in mind. One particular Chinese entity is of special interest to the agency, and therefore to us.

  “How many more of these events do you think we’ll have to attend before the Davenports decide we’re worthy of ‘The Circle’?” I ask, wisps of my long brunette hair, which I’ve piled on top of my head after he’d tangled it into a mess, fluttering with a welcome breeze.

  “I have a good feeling about today,” he says. “And my feelings are always right.”

  He’s confident, and has proven he has reason to be, but sometimes, my Mr. Jones needs to be brought down a notch. “So you always say. Care to place a bet?”

  He steps closer to me, that cedar and spice scent of him teasing my nostrils. His voice is low, seductive. “Does it include a tie and a bedpost?”

  “I was thinking more of the museum,” I say, knowing quite well that he prefers to watch paint drying on wood. “If you lose,” I add, “you have to go with me and actually try to like it.”

  “As long as I also get the bedpost and the tie.”

  My lips curve. “It will be a hardship, but I’ll endure.”

  “And if I win the bet?”

  “Name your prize,” I say, quite flippantly by intent, the inference being that he will lose.

  Those sexy, brutal, wonderful lips of his curve. “I get to spank you.”

  My rejection is instant. “I don’t do spankings.”

  “I get to spank you,” he repeats, his hand on my hip as he pulls me closer. “I’ll make you like it. Just like I know you’ll make me like the museum.” His eyes brim with mischief. “Take the bet, Mrs. Jones.”

  “All right,” I say, not about to back down. I even smile. “I agree to your terms.” But my smile fades with the realization. “If you’re right, you might not get a chance to complete the terms. We’ll be split up for new assignments.”

  “No,” he says, his voice firm. “They won’t split us up.”

  “They will. The same way they brought us together.”

  He reaches up and swipes wayward strands of hair from my eyes. “I have a plan to stay together that we’ll talk about tonight.”

  * * *

  Hours later, Seth and I arrive back at our apartment by way of a driver, having finally escaped the Davenport luncheon, and not without a win. After months of earning the couple’s trust, we’ve received an
invitation to their private whiskey club tonight, as well as a promise that we’ll meet someone important. That someone, we hope, is Ming, an elusive man who approves all Circle members, the man who the CIA wants to control, and we’ve been given certain damning information to do just that.

  In other words, I lost the bet.

  The spanking is now my debt to pay.

  Side by side, Seth and I walk through the lobby of our high-rise apartment building, where we have lived all of the past three months as the characters we played at the Davenports, Mr. and Mrs. Jones, and we do so with an erotic charge between us. And while we don’t need much to stir such a charge, today comes with a little extra sizzle by way of a bet and a spanking. I don’t do spankings. I don’t do anything that gives someone else control, but then again, I don’t do love, and I fell in love with Seth.

  The car doors open and we enter the elevator, and while Seth punches in our floor, I intentionally go to the opposite wall from him, leaning against it. Facing him. He leans on the opposite wall, a lethal quality to him always, but when he’s dressed like this, it’s magnified, and he is lethal, in fact, deadly, but to any woman that sees this man, to me, he is pure sex.

  His pale blue eyes meet mine, and just that easily I feel him everywhere I wish he were touching me. And when those eyes slide down my body, it’s as if his hand is on me, scorching me with such heat that I swear my thin white dress might just incinerate. “Do you know what I’m thinking about right now?” His gaze is seeking mine again, capturing it, and me, like a bird playing in the wind, caught in a fierce gust that it never had a chance to escape.

  Not that I want to escape.

  Not from this man.

  “Do you want me to guess?” I ask. “Or are you going to tell me?”

  “Your adorable backside all rosy and pink from my palm.”

  I feel those words with a forceful impact, heat rushing over me that defies reason. I like control. I need control. It keeps me alive and he’s suggesting—no, I’ve agreed to—an act that steals that away. And yet, with that rush of heat, my sex clenches and my nipples tighten. I am wet. I am aroused. And I have only one explanation. I trust Seth Cage. Completely. Like I have never trusted another person in my lifetime. To me, this is bigger than the “love” word we said weeks ago. His eyes narrow in on me, and I realize now that he knows this. He wants my trust. The truth is, I want his, too.