Page 89 of Deep (Chicago Underground 8)
A single kiss at the core of my body, and then he was gone.
No longer between my legs.
No longer caressing my body.
I moaned in protest.
“Shh,” he murmured, pulling something up from the side of the bed. A small box, unmarked, a deep red. He held it out to me.
I opened it to reveal a necklace, a delicate chain of gold, the pendant some kind of shimmery stone. I touched the uneven surface, feeling a million tiny facets that reflected the afternoon light. There was a spare elegance, an effortless strength.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed.
“A diamond,” he said gruffly.
My eyes widened. “Wow. Philip. I can’t…”
I looked back at the rough, opaque surface of the heavy rock. It wasn’t anything like the straight-edged, translucent stones I had seen in jewelry store commercials. This was hard and fierce and a little bit wild, carved out of nature and left in its natural state—a dirty little secret. No one would know what was inside here, unless they knew to look. Unless they dug deep.
It honored me, this gift—the curiosity that had brought us together.
And it reflected him as well, this man with so many facets, encased in a dark, glittering exterior. No one would know what was inside him. That wou
ld never change.
I knew what was inside him, and that was enough.
*
Thank you for reading Deep. I hope you loved Philip and Ella’s story!
If you’re new to the Chicago Underground series, meet Colin and Allie for free in the first book Rough or read their long, complete story in the boxed set Rough Hard Fierce.
Shelly and Luke’s forbidden, star-crossed love story is next, and you can read that full story in Wild Dirty Secret. This is where Shelly saves Ella and goes to Philip for help.
Rose and Drew find love and desire in Sweet, which is where Philip goes off the rails.
Be sure you sign up for my newsletter so you can find out when I have new books!
You can also join my Facebook group, Skye Warren’s Dark Room, to discuss Deep, the Chicago Underground series, and my other books.
I appreciate your help in spreading the word, including telling a friend. Reviews help readers find books! Please leave a review on your favorite book site.
If you love the Chicago Underground series, you’ll love the dark and dangerous Stripped series. New York Times bestselling author Pepper Winters calls it “captivating.”
Click here to download Tough Love for free!
Excerpt from Tough Love
THE MOON SITS high above the tree line. Somewhere beyond those woods is an electric fence. And beyond that is an entire city of people living and working and loving each other. I may as well be on the moon for how close I am to them.
A guard walks by my window at 10:05 p.m. Right on time.
I wait a few minutes until he’s out of earshot; then I flip the latch. From there it’s quick work to push up the pane with its bulletproof glass. I broke the lock a year ago. And almost every night since then I’ve sneaked down the ornate metal trellis—like a thief, stealing a moment to myself.
The grass is still damp from the rain, the ground beneath like a sponge, sucking me in. I cross the lawn, heart beating against my chest. I know exactly where the guards are on their rounds. I know exactly where the trip wires are that will set off the alarms. My father is too busy in his office to even glance outside.
The office I broke into this morning.
