The Reckoning Hard to Resist #2 By S.L. Scott Release Date April 28, 2015 Synopsis Jack Dalton was charismatic. Johnny Outlaw was irresistible. Two sides of the same man, passionate about two things--music and Holliday Hughes. With her intoxicating mix of strength and vulnerability, confidence and sex appeal, he couldn’t get enough of her. Together, love was a storm of chaos and calm. When fame became a force to be reckoned with, could their love hold them together or would their notoriety tear them apart? “This isn’t how our melody goes. This isn’t how we were supposed to play out.” Pre-order Hard to Resist Series Reading Order The Resistance Book 1 NOW ON SALE! ONLY $0.99 Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1yMztdU Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Qg3DMk Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1DJIuDB iBooks: http://apple.co/1Dz4DkO Amazon Audiobook: http://tinyurl.com/q9deomq The Reckoning Book 2 Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Qg02hk iBooks: http://apple.co/1Gge2Vq The Redemption Book 3 Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1Gfue6v Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1aPvzWn Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1PckMVC iBooks: http://apple.co/1ObQLIE About The Author New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author New York Times and USA Bestselling Author, S. L. Scott, was always interested in the arts. She grew up painting, writing poetry and short stories, and wiling her days away lost in a good book and the movies. With a degree in Journalism, she continued her love of the written word by reading American authors like Salinger and Fitzgerald. She was intrigued by their flawed characters living in picture perfect worlds, but could still debate that the worlds those characters lived in were actually the flawed ones. This dynamic of leaving the reader invested in the words, inspired Scott to start writing with emotion while interjecting an underlying passion into her own stories. Living in the capital of Texas with her family, Scott loves traveling and avocados, beaches, and cooking with her kids. She’s obsessed with epic romances and loves a good plot twist. She dreams of seeing one of her own books made into a movie one day as well as returning to Europe. Her favorite color is blue, but she likens it more toward the sky than the emotion. Her home is filled with the welcoming symbol of the pineapple and finds surfing a challenge though she likes to think she’s a pro. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Goodreads Reader Group | Amazon
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Resentment
By Nicole London Release Date Summer 2015 Cover Design: Najla Qamber Designs
Synopsis
Re•sent•ment noun re·sent·ment \ri-ˈzent-mənt\ The act of hating – no, fucking loathing Dean Collins. (Yes, I’m well aware that’s not the actual definition, but it might as well be . . .) It’s been ten years since we've seen each other and the feelings are still as strong. I’m not going to bore you with all the details of how our love was once intoxicating, consuming, and perfect. Because it was . . . until it wasn't. I've been fine without him. I haven’t missed his cruelty, his coldness and his spite. And after the ugliest breakup in the history of breakups, I forced myself to move on. Year by year, the feelings I had for him slowly drifted away, but one encounter with him recently changed everything. One encounter made me realize how the heart doesn't forget shit, and how my mind is going to have to work overtime to make sure I never forget my definition of resentment.
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About The Author
Nicole London is an aspiring author who is currently trapped in a terrible 9 to 5 and wishes Starbucks actually made decent drinks. She recently discovered her passion for writing after reading a ton of amazing indie books, and she's gearing up to publish her first book this summer. Links Website: http://www.nicolelondonauthor.blogspot.com.au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicole-London/708689405836155 Instagram: https://instagram.com/nicole_london_author/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nicolelondonaut/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11881169.Nicole_London
Aflame
Falling Away #4 By Penelope Douglas Release Date April 21, 2015
Synopsis
The tables have turned. Now I have the power—and it’s his turn to beg… Everyone wants to be me. Maybe it’s the sway of my skirt or the way I flip my hair, but I don’t care. Even though their attention is the last thing I crave, I just can’t stop. I dominate the track, the speed rattles my bones, and the wind and the crowd screams my name. I’m her. The girl driver. The queen of the race. And I’m surviving—something he thought I’d never do. They all talk about him. Did you see Jared Trent on T.V? What did you think of his last race, Tate? When is he coming back to town, Tate? But I refuse to care too much. Because when Jared does come home, I won’t be here. Tatum Brandt is gone. I’m someone new.
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FALL AWAY SERIES
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1DC2vMi Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1FZajpZ B&N: http://bit.ly/1Q87fzV Kobo: http://bit.ly/1IvNhcX iTunes: http://bit.ly/1CgwbQq BAM: http://bit.ly/1G9BpNA
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About The Author
Penelope Douglas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Fall Away series. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master of Science in Education from Loyola University in New Orleans. Penelope lives in Las Vegas with her family. Links Website: http://www.penelopedouglasauthor.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PenelopeDouglasAuthor Twitter: https://twitter.com/PenDouglas Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/penelopedouglas/ Tsū: https://www.tsu.co/PenDouglas Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7139136.Penelope_Douglas
Asa
Marked men #6 By Jay Crownover Release Date April 21, 2015
Synopsis
Jay Crownover’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling Marked Men series continues with the much anticipated story of southern charmer and certified criminal Asa Cross. Starting over in Denver with a whole new circle of friends and family, Asa Cross struggles with being the man he knows everyone wants him to be and the man he knows he really is. A leopard doesn’t it change its spots and Asa has always been a predator. He doesn’t want to hurt those who love and rely on him, especially one luscious arresting cop who suddenly seems to be interested in him for far more than his penchant for breaking the law. But letting go of old habits is hard, and it’s easy to hit bottom when it’s the place you know best. Royal Hastings is quickly learning what the bottom looks like after a tragic situation at work threatens not only her career but her partner’s life. As a woman who has only ever had a few real friends she’s trying to muddle through her confusion and devastation all alone. Except she can’t stop thinking about the sexy southern bartender she locked up. Crushing on Asa is the last thing she needs but his allure is too strong to resist. His long criminal record can only hurt her already shaky career and chasing after a guy who has no respect for the law or himself can only end in heartbreak. A longtime criminal and a cop together just seems so wrong . . . but for Asa and Royal, being wrong together is the only right choice to make.
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Excerpt
I pulled the Nova to a stop in front of a duplex that had clearly seen better days. It wasn’t a rusted-out trailer in Kentucky, but it might as well have been. I turned off the ignition and sat back in the seat so I could turn to look at Ayden. She was watching me carefully and I could see how frustrated she was with the entire conversation in the way her shoulders were tensed up and the way her hands had curled into tight balls on her lap. It was the way she used to look whenever I got into trouble and she had to do something desperate and drastic to get me out of it. I reached out a hand and put it on top of her fists. “I died in that hospital, Ayd. There were no angels playing harps. There was no redemption and repentance. I died and it was very clear that I was going to get exactly the kind of fate I had been courting with all the messed-up shit I had been doing to other people. All I could see was every wrong I had ever committed and every bad decision I had ever made exploding all around me. For once I could see how all of that affected you. I was dying, and I knew what was waiting for me on the other side, yet I couldn’t go knowing that was all you were going to have to remember me by. I had to come back and give you something else to hold on to, some kind of good memory to go with the endless miles of bad I laid at your feet. I wanted to have the chance to show you I could be the kind of brother you deserved all along, so no, I didn’t save myself—you saved me. Just like you’ve always done for my entire life.” I saw her bottom lip tremble until she snapped her teeth around it to keep it still. Her fists unclenched below my palm and she curled her shaking fingers around my hand and her already husky voice rasped with even more emotion when she told me what I think I had needed to hear from her all along. “I have always been proud that you’re my brother, Asa. Yes, there have been times in the past I would have gladly fed you to the wolves, and it’s no secret that I had to leave home because I didn’t know what to do to help you anymore, but we both made it out alive and are better people for it. I know you’re sorry for the way things went down when we were younger, but I need you to open your eyes and take some credit for the way you have turned it around to make things the way they are now. I’ve long since come to terms with the Asa from my childhood. What I want to do is love the Asa that’s here with me now. You need to let go of those boulders weighted with all the bad things from past that are dragging you down before you get crushed under them.” It was eerily similar to what Royal had been telling me the deeper and deeper I sank in with her. I don’t think I was ready to let any part of those stones go just yet, but a sexy redhead was slowly and surely eroding bits and pieces of the rock the more and more time I spent with her. By the time she was done, maybe she would be able to carve out something that was worthwhile, something that didn’t eviscerate me to look at. I leaned over enough that I could kiss Ayden right on the center of her forehead between her midnight eyebrows and I felt her let out a shuddering sigh. “I’m never going to let you down again, Ayd. That is the one and only thing in the entire world that I can promise and know it’s a promise I will keep.” We stared at each other for a long and silent moment. The seriousness of the words I had said to her and the fact that I could see that she understood that I really, truly meant them finally worked to absolve me of some of the guilt that seemed to suffocate me whenever I thought about the things she had done to keep me safe.
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About The Author
Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men series. She also introduced the dark and sexy world of The Point that started with BETTER WHEN HE's BAD and is currently working on her newest series The Saints of Denver. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs. Website ** Blog ** Facebook ** Twitter ASA Goodreads ** Jay Crownover Goodreads ShutterGirl By C.D. Reiss Release Date May 20, 2015 Synopsis I am not hurt. I don’t need a second chance with him, or a life I thought I had. While he was out forgetting me to become a movie star, I was building a career out of nothing. A career as a paparazzi, but a career. For a foster kid who bounced around every home in Los Angeles, that wasn’t easy. This camera is all I have. He’s nothing to me. Every time I take his picture and sell it, I remind myself that I did it all without him or his approval, his cinnamon smell or his clear green eyes. He lights up the screen like a celestial body, but he’s nothing but a paycheck to me. He can throw my camera off a balcony, and nothing has to change. We can stay king and queen of the same city, and different worlds. Except this is Hollywood, and here, anything can happen. Author Note If you know me, you know my Submission and Corruption books. This is different. This is about love and loss, ambition and talent, and our commitments to ourselves and each other. I don't close the door on the expression of love, but this is not the usual dirty pleasure. Add the Hollywood Project aka ShutterGirl to your TBR at: http://bit.ly/1IpYCv7 ShutterGirl Book Trailer About The Author CD Reiss is a USA Today and Amazon bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn’t pick up, she’s at the well, hauling buckets. Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master’s degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere, but it did embed TV story structure in her head well enough for her to take a big risk on a TV series structured erotic series called Songs of Submission. It’s about a kinky billionaire hung up on his ex-wife, an ingenue singer with a wisecracking mouth; art, music and sin in the city of Los Angeles. Critics have dubbed the books “poetic,” “literary,” and “hauntingly atmospheric,” which is flattering enough for her to put it in a bio, but embarrassing enough for her not to tell her husband, or he might think she’s some sort of braggart who’s too good to give the toilets a once-over every couple of weeks or chop a cord of wood. If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine. Stalk Her: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram
The Exposé 3
By Roxy Sloane Release Date April 20, 2015
Synopsis
My secret is out — and the stakes are higher than ever. One night with Dax Ryan and my cover is blown, but I can’t walk away. It’s not just the incredible, filthy things he does to my body; I’ve betrayed his trust, and I need to make it right. But each new question only gets me in deeper. And every sexy encounter with Dax makes me want him even more. This is dangerous. Thrilling. And I can’t stop.
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Giveaway
About The Author
Roxy Sloane is a romance junkie with a dirty mind. She lives in Los Angeles with her hot ex-military hubby and her two kids. She loves writing sexy, complex stories about pushing the boundaries and risking it all. Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roxysloaneauthor Twitter: https://twitter.com/Roxy_Sloane Newletter: http://eepurl.com/S-rWz Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8178850.Roxy_Sloane
Retribution
By Mandy Lou Dowson Release Date: May 4, 2015 Cover Design: Tell Tale Book Covers
Synopsis
Three people irrevocably linked. A remorseless killer. A shady businessman. A woman caught in the cross-fire. Braxton Alexander is a beast without remorse; a vessel filled with hate. Imprisoned for the murder of the one girl who loved him, now he is free, and hell bent on taking all of his pent up rage out on one person in particular. Brycen Cole knows he must stop Braxton from taking everything he has and turning it to ash. Gemma Woods has loved Brycen for years, but ever so slowly the happiness she once felt in the arms of her lover has turned to fear and resentment. Braxton has one goal, one thought, and one mission – destroy Brycen Cole, by any means necessary. He will not stop. He will not fail. Like a juggernaut, he will keep coming, destroying everything in his wake. Brycen runs a successful corporation and provides a lot of pay-checks; he also has a shady past and a dark talent for hiding things. Gemma spots the wolf in sheep’s clothing but cannot stop gravitating towards him again and again. What happens when the lines between good and evil become blurred? What happens when the one you love is the one you should fear? What happens when the one you fear becomes the only one you can trust?
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About The Author
she's pretty sure the town won't let her leave. Family is a huge deal to Mandy. She has three wonderful children (most of the time), and two Siberian Huskies who are each as naughty as the other – in fact, she's sure they egg each other on in silly cartoon voices when nobody is looking. ~ “Climb out the window and get covered in mud.” “No, I did it last time. You do it!” “R'uh, r'oh, here SHE is. Shhh.” ~ When she's not writing, reading, or plotting her next book -- or, you know, world domination – , she likes to relax with a few glasses of wine and some karaoke. You can usually find her procrastinating on social media of some sort, chatting to fans and talking nonsense. Mandy started reading at quite a young age and her appetite for the written word has only increased with time. It would not be at all surprising to find her reading anything and everything from shampoo bottles to Edgar Allan Poe. She is the author of three different genres of romance books. The Moon Bound series, which is in the Paranormal Romance genre, and is gathering rave reviews, and the Taboo series, which is Contemporary with a hint of the forbidden, the first of which has gathered very mixed reviews across the board, from one extreme to the other. She has also made a foray into Dark Romance recently, with her first title in the genre, Retribution, releasing in Summer 2015. Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLDowson Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoldyFecknLocks Blog: http://mandyloudowson.weebly.com/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8450633.Mandy_Lou_Dowson
Wait!
Oxley College Saga #2 By Stacey Nash Release Date April 20, 2015
Synopsis
Jordan Hays knows just how precious life is; that’s why he has his own mapped out. He’ll work to pay his way through university while he studies hard, regardless of the constant distractions. Because when it comes to becoming a nurse, he’s deadly serious. He won’t fail to save someone again. But Hex Penton is way too similar to the sister he lost, and even though the only thing more fun than stupid dares is the crazy girl who sets them, Jordan needs to make a choice. Hex believes every moment is important; every opportunity must be taken, because you never know when the world will be yanked out from underneath you. With the foundations he’s based his life on shaken, Jordan must discover what’s more important: making sure Hex’s life isn’t wasted, or remembering how to live his. It’s time to play truth or dare.
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Shh!
Book 1 US: http://amzn.to/1yzTGUi UK: http://amzn.to/1E9XTk0 AU: http://bit.ly/1PYeWZx B&N: http://bit.ly/1zte30y KOBO: http://bit.ly/1EdMEaj iBOOKS: http://apple.co/1EdMFLh
Giveaway
About The Author
Stacey Nash writes adventure filled stories for Young Adults in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. She loves to read and write books that have a lot of adventure, a good dose of danger, a smattering of romance, and KISSING! Hailing from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, she loves nothing more than immersing herself in the beauty and culture of the local area. Author of the Collective Series and the Oxley College Saga. Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StaceyLeeNash Twitter: https://twitter.com/staceynash Website: http://www.stacey-nash.com/ Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/staceylnash/
Little Moments
Second Chances #2 By Madison Street Release Date Spring 2015 Cover Design Lindee Robinson Photography
Synopsis
Think. Think back to the exact moment when you fell in love for the first time. That split second. That precise moment. Can you remember it? I can remember the day as if it were yesterday: from the light blue dress she wore, to her golden locks curved along her shoulders, down to the shocking tingle when our fingers touched. It was the happiest day of my life, and yet she didn’t even know I existed. What if you had the chance to relive those moments? Would you take it? I’ve waited almost ten years for her and my time has finally come. This split second, this precise moment will change her life forever.
Excerpt
Holding on tight against my chest, I fight through the pain as the heated flames burn. Reaching the stairwell, I jet up the stairs keeping balance as the building continues to tremble. Jumping for the top of the stairs, I land on the platform. The boy cries out as fear exudes from his face. Panic swarms my thoughts but I push them out. We are going to make it. A loud explosion bellows from beneath us and a fiery blast erupts. The blast blows me off balance sending me straight into the wall. The boy slips from my grasp as I fly through the air slamming into the wall. The impact knocks the wind out of me as the dizziness clogs my head. Debris from the sixth floor crumbles onto the stairwell as the bannister starts to break away from its hold. I search for the boy, noticing him on the ground unconscious, still wrapped in my jacket. Coughing profusely I hoist him back in my arms, sealing the mask back on his face. The SCBA beeps again, notifying the three-minute mark. Scanning for the hall window, a sliver of moonlight illuminates the hallway. Hosting us off the ground, one arm holds the boy, while my other grabs hold of the radio. With a raspy voice, “Almost there Cap.” “The ladder is waiting for you guys. Step on it!” With careful steps, I make way to the window. In an instant, the building rumbles around us. Flames from inside the apartment melt the walls and bursts into the hallway. The boy yells out as I tighten my grip around him. Large amounts of debris falls behind us and crashes into the ground, creating gaping holes in the floor. Violent tremors shake the wooden frames as I struggle to keep balance. A shining light blinds through the hall window as it blasts open with Carter peeking inside, “Roman!” The sound of the cracking floor creeps around me and I look down to see it’s completely tearing apart. My heart beat stops as I lay eyes on the child and then Carter. In a split, I rip the mask off the boy and hoist him up, readying to toss him into Carter’s arms. As the ground starts to disappear from underneath me, I use all my strength to hurl the boy, tossing him into Carter’s grasp. A smile curves along my lips as Carter catches him. And with the sight of the boy safe, the floor gives way and crumbles beneath me. The roaring plea of Carter’s voice is the last sound I hear as I fall into oblivion. Copyright 2015: Madison Street
Little Things
Book 1 “Intense. Mind-Blowing. Emotional. Haunting. Shocking. Twisted.” Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1EVWCfd Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1n1vZuZ BN: http://bit.ly/1bCz5o7 Kobo: http://bit.ly/1HYU1Q4 iBooks: http://apple.co/1lP8UgM
Giveaway
About The Author
Madison Street was born in New York City and was raised in the Bronx, where she resided until she was 17 years old. After 9/11, Madison joined the United States Navy to serve her country. During the deployments, Madison constantly wrote short stories and she discovered her passion for writing. You will find Madison always on the computer, whether she's on Facebook, designing websites, messing with Photoshop, or writing for her blog. Besides writing, her second passion is music and dance. Even though she's a terrible singer, she’ll still belt it out in the shower, especially if the song is her jam! She currently resides in Virginia with her husband of 8 years, 2 children, a dog, and a cat. She is so excited to start this amazing journey and is honored to be part of such a compassionate and loving community. Links Website: http://madisonstreetbooks.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madisonstreet Twitter: https://twitter.com/madisonstauthor Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7536753.Madison_Street Instagram: https://instagram.com/madisonstreetauthor/
Unrequited
Woodlands #4 By Jen Frederick Release Date April 13, 2015
Synopsis
Winter Donovan loves two things: her sister and her sister's ex boyfriend. She's spent her whole life doing the right thing except that one time, that night when Finn O'Malley looked hollowed out by his father's death. Then she did something very wrong that felt terribly right. Finn can't stop thinking about Winter and the night and he'll do anything to make her a permanent part of his life, even if it means separating Winter from the only family she has. Their love was supposed to be unrequited but one grief stricken guy and one girl with too big of a heart results in disastrous consequences.
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CHAPTER ONE
March WINTER I didn't know which one of us looked more surprised when Finn O’Malley walked into the Riverside Café at about ten minutes before midnight. The café was experiencing a lull in the post-late night, pre-bar closings time period, and there were only two customers: myself and a man in his fifties over by the counter. And now Finn. “Winter,” he said, his tone a cross between disappointment and disbelief which I understood immediately. He’d come to this run down café—far from where he lived and worked—to…well, I wasn’t sure what he’d want other than get away from anyone who might know him. And there I sat. The girl who’d had an enormous, unrequited crush on her older sister’s high school boyfriend. And said older sister might have been the worst girlfriend he’d ever had. If my speeding heart was any indication, my crush was far from dead. “Finn. Good to see you.” He looked terrible—or as terrible as Finn could ever look. Tall with dark hair set against ivory skin and the lean, muscular build of someone who did manual labor for a living. Finn would never look bad. But grief had hollowed out his cheeks, and his shocking blue eyes were bloodshot. His inky black hair stood in clumps around his head as if he’d run his fingers through it multiple times. He wore a gray T-shirt that hugged his strong frame but had dirt smudges all over it. His worn jeans displayed dust and grime. He worked in construction—or more accurately, he flipped houses, the last I’d heard. Not that I kept up on the doings of Finn O’Malley that much. His eyes shifted around the restaurant, as he probably wondered how he could take a seat away from me and not appear too rude. I solved his dilemma by grabbing my purse and library book and sliding out of the booth. “I was just going,” I said. He licked his upper lip and I about died on the spot. But I was an adult now. All of twenty-two years. Crushes might have made my heart squeeze and my knees shake, but they didn’t paralyze me. Giving him a tight smile, I walked toward the door. He didn’t move, and unless I was going to walk around a table or two, I’d have to brush by him. So I did. And smelled him. And suddenly I couldn’t leave. The sour, sweet stench of alcohol was so strong I wondered if he’d poured a bottle of vodka over his head. It was a familiar fragrance because my sister had been wearing it regularly for the past ten years. Her alcohol addiction, among other things, was a reason Finn and she were exes when many people had thought they’d get married out of high school. I backed up. “Did you drive here?” The side of his mouth quirked up—not quite a smile, more of a wry acknowledgment of my thought process. “I’m not drunk,” he said. “I…it’s a long story.” “I’ve got time.” I started back toward the booth. “Come sit with me. My book was boring anyway.” Good manners drove him to follow even if he didn’t want to. He dropped into the opposite bench, and I pushed my water glass toward him. “Thanks.” He drained it in three gulps. I was way too fascinated with the motion of his throat and the way that his Adam’s apple signaled every gulp. He set the glass down carefully as if almost surprised by his own sudden thirstiness. Due to his long arms, his folded hands reached halfway across the table. I kept my arms locked by my side so I wouldn’t accidentally on purpose touch him. My role was friend, not girlfriend, no matter how many inappropriate fantasies I’d dreamed up when I was a girl. The waitress came out and delivered another glass of water and refilled my now empty one. “I’ll have a burger. Plain. Order of fries,” Finn rattled off without looking at the menu. He pointed at me. “You want anything?” I shook my head. “I’m good.” The waitress left, and Finn stretched his long legs out and leaned back into the booth, looking completely wiped. If I moved my legs, even a little, I’d brush against him. I stayed still because I wasn’t sure what I would do if I touched him. Something embarrassing, no doubt. “What are you doing here?” Clearing my throat, I managed to form a coherent answer. “I just got off work. Closed tonight.” Surprised, his eyebrows shot into his forehead. “What are you doing that has you working until midnight?” “I work at Atra, the ink shop two doors down.” “Oh,” he started and then stopped. “I thought you were working at a marketing firm.” A tendril of pleasure sprang to life at the idea of Finn keeping track of me. We may have been friends once, but my sister was the connecting thread. And when she’d snapped their tie, Finn and I had drifted apart like florets from a blown dandelion. He’d floated one way and I’d floated another. We’d lived in the same city going on three years now—since he got back from attending an out of town university—but the first time I’d seen him since he and Ivy had broken up had been at his father’s funeral a month ago. “No, I was downsized but I still do freelance design work for them and a couple other companies, but my primary job is commissioned artwork at Atra. I also help around the shop, doing bookings and stuff. Tonight I had a late consultation with a friend of Tucker’s. He owns the shop,” I explained and then shut up, not wanting to ramble. Finn nodded as if he found this interesting. “Sounds like you are putting your talent to good use. I always thought your work was tremendous.” “Thanks. So what brings you here?” He looked around. The man hunched over his coffee at the counter hadn’t moved. “I just got off work too.” “I thought you were flipping houses?” “Like you, I had a change in jobs.” His voice was grim. It didn’t take a genius to guess the change wasn’t a good one like mine was. Or maybe he was just angry about life right now, which he had every right to be. “I know this sounds like a stupid Hallmark card, but it does get better.” I couldn’t hold myself back any longer. I placed my hand over his folded ones. “I promise.” He tilted his head back, and his eyes fluttered closed, his ridiculously long lashes feathering across the top of his cheeks. Was he shutting out the pain or me? Or everything? After long moments of silence, so long and so quiet that I could hear the hum of the refrigeration unit that held bottles of soda and beer behind the cash register, he spoke. “When I was thirteen, my dog Hunter died. Dad and I had bought him when I was four. He’d developed some kind of doggy liver disease, and we had to put him down. That was the worst kind of pain, I thought. But that was like a pin prick, while Dad’s death is like a dull knife dragging itself across my body one painful inch at a time.” I bit down on my lip so I didn’t cry in front of him. I remembered that pain, and hated that someone I cared about had to suffer it too. “I’m not going to say it’s easy to get over a loss like that; only that it does happen—eventually.” He snorted, a rough and unhappy sound. “I have been drinking. Not going to lie about that.” His eyes opened halfway, which was probably for the best. The piercing blue came off as too beautiful to be real and too mesmerizing to look away. “But not tonight. Tonight I decided to throw my bottles against the wall instead of drinking them, and because I’m a stupid fuck, I failed to realize I was standing in the splash zone.” The food arrived before I could respond. He pulled a napkin from the tabletop dispenser and shoved half his fries onto it. “Eat or I won’t be able to.” Obediently I put a fry into my mouth and watched him dig in. Grief or no grief, he was still eating, which was a good sign. And he didn’t seem drunk. No slurred words, no inappropriate comments. “Sorry I jumped to conclusions,” I said after polishing off another fry. “Don’t be. With your past, I can see why you’d be concerned,” he said between bites. My past. He was referring to dealing with my sister’s addictions, which had spiraled out of control after our parents died when she was nineteen. “She’s better now,” I said. “If you were wondering.” “Really?” Disbelief was clear in every long drawn-out letter. “Really. She hit a bad place shortly after her release, but she’s been clean for…” I counted in my head, “almost thirty days.” “That’s good. Good for her and for you.” He popped the rest of the burger into his mouth and washed it down with the entire glass of water. “Did you chew that or inhale it?” I laughed, remembering the days he’d linger in our kitchen eating anything and everything Mom would cook. “I haven’t eaten since noon so if I could have just pressed it into my face and absorbed it via osmosis, I would have.” We shared a laugh, just a small one, but I was breathless by the end. His smile was too much for me, and it was the first one I’d seen from him for so long. It lit up his eyes and revealed the deep creases on the corners of his mouth and his even, perfect white teeth. “No burgers on the west side of the city?” I joked to disguise my growing and uncomfortable desire for him. Now was not the time nor the place. He was not ever to be mine. His grin grew wider. “Why do you think I’m here? Trying to avoid being seen by my roommates. I don’t know if you met them at the funeral?” I shook my head. I’d only had eyes for Finn. “I live with four of them. Adam Rees is one.” Adam was a friend of Finn’s from high school. He had a famous father. That was about all I remembered, but I nodded anyway, and he continued. “Their idea of helping me cope is to get me involved in increasingly dangerous activities.” “What have your roommates made you do?” “What haven't they made me do is the question. I've been to strip clubs, paintballing, ATVing, a firing range, rock climbing, fishing." Finn tapped a finger on the table to punctuate each activity. “I've got two former Marines living with me, and I think they’re planning to push me out of an airplane. So I can't go home." “You can stay with me,” I said with a nonchalant shrug. His eyes drifted around my face, lingering on my lips and then dropping lower. I could feel my unbound breasts tighten under the cotton of my T-shirt. I hated bras and was small and perky enough I could get away without wearing them. The only problem was I had fat, eraser-sized nipples, and right now they were pointing directly at Finn. He stared at them for what seemed like an eternity. “Is that right?” His voice was husky. The air in the room disappeared, and I barely had enough breath to croak out, “No, Ivy’s there. She and I live together now. Have for—” I paused, not wanting to bring up her recent incarceration, “—for a couple of months,” I finished awkwardly. He made a noise in the back of his throat, one I couldn’t decipher. “So have you been seeing anyone?” I didn’t know what to make of that. Why was he at all remotely interested in my love life? “No, not recently. Not since—”—” I broke off again. “Not since Ivy got out of prison,” he said dryly. “You heard?” “I heard.” He was done with the subject of Ivy and that was okay with me. It made me uncomfortable to talk about her while I was perving on her ex-boyfriend. Anxious to change the subject, I asked, “What about you?” “I don’t think what I’ve been doing constitutes as seeing anyone. Not since my dad died. Not feeling it.” His blue gaze pinned me against the booth. I heard what he wasn’t saying out loud. He had been sleeping around and from the interested way he was eyeing me, the suggestion was I could be next. “I’ve been trying not to feel for a while but tonight? Maybe tonight should be different.” It wasn’t a question; it was an invitation. And all the teenage feelings of longing and lust rushed over me until I was dry mouthed and full of want. He looked out the window, considering something, and then back toward me. “You had a crush on me for a long time. Am I taking advantage of you?” I didn’t pretend I was confused about what he was asking, even though it was a bit mortifying to be confronted by my unreciprocated feelings. I shook my head. “No. I think it’s the other way around.” “It’s not. Why don’t we get out of this place?” He stood and threw two twenties on the table and waited for me to lead the way out. I was acutely aware of his large frame behind me as I walked carefully across the tiled floor to the entrance. The heat of his body nearly burned me as he pressed against my back to reach around me with a large, work-roughened hand to push the glass door open. He placed a hand on my lower back and guided me to his truck. It was a monster of a thing with big black tires and a menacing silver grill. “You really expect me to climb into this thing?” He opened the door and in one swift motion lifted me onto the seat. “I forgot what a bitty thing you are.” “I’m not small. You’re just very tall. With a very large truck.” His hands didn’t release my waist; instead, he moved closer. I opened my legs to make space for him. “Don’t worry, Winter. Everything’s going to fit fine.” With a firm hand on my neck, he drew my face down to his. I heard his lips part before I felt them press against mine. A thousand thoughts tumbled in my head. Would Ivy be okay with this? Should I really be taking advantage of a grief-stricken man? How were his lips soft and firm at the same time? Could I have an orgasm from just kissing? Was this what love felt like? His mouth took mine in a firm possession—no hesitation. He wanted this if not me. And I took what he gave me because when did a girl ever get to kiss the boy she’d crushed over for years? Hardly ever. Only in the movies. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and dug my hands into his hair, giving into every desperate desire I’d always tried to stomp down. He groaned and pulled me tighter to him, the seat somehow perfectly situated at groin level so I felt the strong, heated evidence of his desire through our jeans. He rubbed his tongue along the edges of mine. He outlined my lips and then stroked the flat of his tongue against the roof of my mouth. Even if I hadn’t had a crush on him, I would have been weak-kneed. Finn O’Malley knew how to kiss. He wasn’t just thrusting his tongue into me, he was exploring me, learning me, tasting me. A large hand cupped one breast and squeezed it tightly. I cried out, part in pleasure and part in surprise at how the slight pain felt so good. “Too rough?” he asked, pulling away. I shook my head. He gave a half smile and yanked down the vee of my T-shirt until my bare breast popped out. The overhead light had gone off in the truck, but there was enough moonlight that anyone coming out of the café could probably see what we were doing. But any concern I had ended when he placed his mouth over my ripe nipple. With the same lavish care he took kissing me, he explored every inch of my breast. The top received a dozen wet kisses and tiny nips. The areola he licked thoroughly, and the nipple was sucked on so hard and with such long draws that I felt as if a string connected my nipples to my pussy. A string I hadn’t known existed. While he sucked, he made low growls of delight that fueled my lust. I squeezed my legs around his hips, drawing him closer, drawing him inside where only he could relieve the painful ache between my legs. “Fuck,” he rasped, breaking our connection and backing away. The cool spring air made my taut nipple tighten even more. “Not here.” He gently straightened my T-shirt and then tucked me inside the truck. We drove a short distance to a chain link fence that opened upon a press of a remote. “What is this place?” I tried to catch my breath. Peering out the window into the dimly lit night, there appeared to be nothing but bare land filled with machinery and surrounded by fences. Beyond it was the river. “My new job. Left to me courtesy of Mr. Sean O’Malley.” There was a faint twinge of bitterness. “Dad wanted to stamp his signature on the city and chose this downtown revitalization project. But then he died and left it to me, so I don’t know whether to love or hate him.” “It’s okay to feel both. Love and hate,” I clarified unnecessarily. “I suppose you’re right.” He stopped the truck in front of a trailer. “You can cry you know. I did a lot of that.” “I like to have my emotional release come a different way.” “Like what?” He shifted in the truck seat to look at me. His hand reached out to cup my face. “You’ve grown into a very beautiful woman. I’d very much like to take you inside the trailer and fuck you against the wall.” “That’s kind of a coarse invitation.” His thumb ran over my lower lip, using some of the moisture of my mouth to wet my lip. I shivered, and a grim but knowing smile spread across his face. “It’s the only kind I’ve got in me. All the tender emotion has been eaten up by my dad’s death. I want to lose myself in you, Winter.” He got out of the truck and opened my door, giving me an expectant look. Was I in or out? I knew what he was saying. It wasn’t that he loved me, wanted to date me, or wanted me to be his girlfriend. He’d probably be disappointed if he saw me next to him tomorrow morning. He’d lie awake wondering if he had to chew off his own arm to escape. He was offering a hard fuck in his trailer, not lovemaking in his bed. I knew all of this and still wanted him. Maybe the sex would burn away his mystery, and I wouldn't internally sigh when I heard his name. Maybe it wouldn't. But it was a risk worth taking, and I planned to get my money's worth. “How many condoms do you have?” I answered boldly. His eyes glittered in the moonlight. “How many do I need?” “Depends on your stamina and recovery time.” “Honey, you're going to have a hard time walking out of the trailer when we're done.” My heart ached at his words, but I took his hand and followed him inside.
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About The Author
Jen Frederick lives with her husband, child, and one rambunctious dog. She's been reading stories all her life but never imagined writing one of her own. Jen loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at [email protected]. Links Website: http://jenfrederick.com/blog/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenFrederick Twitter: https://twitter.com/jensfred Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/p3ptasx |
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