Sinful Secrets Box Set: Sloth, Murder, Covet Read online

  Sinful Secrets Box Set

  Sloth, Murder, Covet

  Ella James

  Sloth, Murder, & Covet

  Sinful Secrets Romance Box Set

  Ella James

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ©2015 - 2019, Ella James. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Ella James.

  Formatting by Jamie Davis

  Contents

  Sloth

  Summary

  Letters

  October 2, 2011

  October 17, 2011

  October 31, 2011

  November 11, 2011

  November 23, 2011

  December 1, 2011

  December 19, 2011

  December 26, 2011

  January 8, 2012

  January 20, 2012

  February 2, 2012

  February 15, 2012

  March 1, 2012

  March 11, 2012

  April 26, 2012

  May 24, 2012

  June 16, 2012

  October 7, 2012

  November 3, 2012

  January 10, 2013

  April 1, 2013

  May 30, 2013

  August 7, 2013

  September 4, 2013

  November 21, 2013

  December 16, 2013

  January 25, 2014

  March 9, 2014

  April 1, 2014

  April 28, 2014

  July 10, 2014

  April 9, 2014

  Part I

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Part II

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Part III

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Epilogue

  Sloth Bonus Scene

  Murder

  Summary

  Prologue

  Part I

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Part II

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Part III

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Epilogue

  Covet

  Part 1

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Part I

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

&
nbsp; Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek

  Author’s Note

  Follow Me

  Ella’s Bookshelf

  Sloth

  This book is the first standalone in a collection of books, each inspired by a sin and centered on a huge secret.

  sloth: disinclination to action or labor; indolence; spiritual apathy and inactivity

  Summary

  Dear A. –

  I am writing to express my gratitude for your gift. There are no sufficient words, but please accept my sincerest thank you.

  Yours,

  R.

  She writes me back.

  I didn’t expect that.

  She tells me she’s a lover of chicken pizza and video games, a hot sorority girl with the nickname Sloth. She wants to know something about me in return. She says I owe her.

  This is how she saves my life. She doesn’t even know it. We’ve never even seen each other. But I need a reason. Just one reason to continue. She becomes mine.

  The anonymity is good. She doesn’t need to know me, but I need her kindness. We both live our lives: a letter here, a post card there. For three years, I escape my demons. And then one day I’m pulled back in.

  I’ve resigned myself to what I know is coming. Until the girl I’m spanking gives her safe word: Sloth.

  And then the lie I’m living starts to unravel.

  To Jamie Davis–

  For Much Slothing

  Letters

  October 2, 2011

  Dear A. –

  I am writing to express my gratitude for your gift. There are no sufficient words, but please accept my sincerest thank you.

  Yours,

  R.

  October 17, 2011

  Dear. R. ~

  I hope you don’t mind me writing back. I don’t mean to be an asshole, but I guess I was a little…disappointed by your letter. I have accepted your sincere thank you and have folded it into an origami sparrow that I wear around my neck. Just kidding. I don’t wear anything around my neck except my trusty sloth necklace. Why a sloth? It’s my nickname. It suits me because I’m slow-moving, and I like to sleep. Also, sloths are fucking adorable and weird. What better combination? I promise I am not a stalker, at least not in my real life, but the truth is, I would love to hear a little bit about you.

  ~Sloth

  October 31, 2011

  Sloth -

  Please don’t waste your time writing to me. I am not interested in befriending you. We are close enough already, don’t you think? In any event, have a wonderful life.

  R.

  November 11, 2011

  R.,

  Yeah, I guess so.

  For what it’s worth, I’m a Georgia peach with a Final Fantasy obsession and a never-ending appetite for chicken pizza. (That’s pizza with chicken on it. FABULOUS.) I hope my Sloth-ly traits haven’t rubbed off on you too much.

  Have a wonderful life yourself.

  -S.

  P.S. Are you male or female?

  November 23, 2011

  Sloth,

  I am male. And surprised you had to ask.

  -R.

  December 1, 2011

  R.-

  I can’t believe you paid the postage on that. You must be a very interesting person. Interesting = weird. Remember, though, I like weird. Are you near my age? I’m 18. I turned 18 this past April, but I’m only a senior in high school. Weird, right? See…I have secrets too. I think I’ll hoard them until you cough up some of yours. You might say you owe me?

  Too much?

  Too soon?

  Please don’t report me.

  I swear, I’m not as weird as I seem on paper. I’m just bored and curious. And sealing this into an envelope now, so I don’t get tempted to throw it into the fire.

  -Slothfully Yours

  December 19, 2011

  Sloth-

  You have a fire in Georgia? Hmm. Are you anemic?

  -R.

  December 26, 2011

  R. –

  Are you inquiring about the quality of my blood? Believe me, if blood was money, I’d be king.

  The fire was a bon fire. The night I wrote that letter, my friend Bentley and I went to a field party. It was cold, for here. I think like 43 degrees. Have you ever been to a field party? A kegger? A rave? I’d like to think so. Somehow I imagine you behind a desk, in a suit or something. Might I ask your age, sir?

  -Sloth

  P.S. Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah—or both!

  January 8, 2012

  Sloth-

  Why not a queen? You think a king is superior? How very un-feminist of you.

  You might ask my age. If you did, I might or might not tell you.

  Forty-five degrees is not cold. Where I am, it’s 9 today. I went outside and got icicles in my nose.

  I don’t do suits. Try jeans, a ratty old jacket, and boots.

  Age is just a number. My number isn’t far from yours.

  I’ve been to a few house parties. Vaped a little. I don’t drink much but like vodka—top shelf.

  Is that enough to pay my debt?

  -R.

  January 20, 2012

  R. ~

  Vape, you say? What is it to vape? Is it vaping? Vape-ing?

  You owe me no debt. That was a rude thing for me to say. I’m sorry.

  How not far from my number is yours? Are they side by side? Or a few seats away from each other? What do you do every day? Are you a wood-chopper? I am now picturing you in flannel and work boots. I think I kind of like that look.

  Are you in New York? Somewhere else? Are you living with family?

  I’ve got stalker tendencies, okay? So sue me.

  I’m getting really tired of school. I can’t wait for college!

  -Sloth

  February 2, 2012

  Sloth-

  I am in New York state. How did you know?

  This seems like the right time to reiterate my thanks. I’m sorry it was so…stiff originally. Yeah, I said stiff.

  Vaping is something one does with marijuana. It’s like…smoking from a bong, but the impurities are removed via…some process. It involves a lot of heat. That’s all I know. It’s been a while.