“I was always told never to wish on the first star at night. If everyone wishes on the first star, how can the star keep up? Rain drops are plentiful and there are thousands. They wash away the filth and carry it to a better place. So when you make a wish, wish on the water and let it carry your fears away.”
Candice-Leigh Carson, a New York City best-selling author, was engaged to one of NYPD’s finest. She was living the dream until she lost her fiancĂŠ, quit her job and moved, leaving behind the only family she ever knew. She left her best friend Jaxson, without saying goodbye. In her quest to find herself, would she ever find love again?
Jaxson Monroe, one of NYPD’s finest, lost his partner when an undercover job went south. After spending a night with his partner’s lover, Candice, she flees into the night. He loved Candice and had promised his partner he would protect her. It was his fault she ran, but he quickly found himself in the arms of another. Would Jaxson ever convince Candice to come home or did he prefer another woman? Would their love survive his betrayal and her abandonment?
Candice Monroe had a fiance Chase Matson who she thought was dead. After his funeral she found comfort in the arms of his partner, Jason Monroe. This new yet old love led her down an aisle as wedding bells sang.Â
Shock and dismay hit as her deceased fiance stood alive and well in the back of the church as she said her vows.Â
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People she thought were dead are very much alive. Love she thought she lost was merely buried under pain. Not being able to grasp the emotional turmoil Candice does what she does best… runs.Â
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Will she ever stop running?
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Which man will she choose?
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Can she be the hero or will she become a victim as the game of rush and roulette began on her life before she even knew it had.
Up and coming author Elizabeth York has been writing for about seven years. Located in the southeast, she spends her days drinking sweet tea on the porch with her laptop in hand. She has devoted her life to her family and her books. With the loss of her Father to cancer in 2010 she makes “Dear Daddy” dedication pages in each book and donates 10% royalties to cancer research.â¨Take the time to get to know the characters and you will love them as much as she does.
Neighbor Dearest is LIVE and on limited-time release sale for $3.99 (Changing to $4.99 after release. This will be the ONLY sale.) A sexy STANDALONE friends-to-lovers story that does NOT have to be read in conjunction with any other book.
A STANDALONE NOVEL that does NOT need to be read in conjunction with any other book.
From New York Times bestselling author, Penelope Ward, comes a friends-to-lovers story with sexy new characters.
After getting dumped, the last thing I needed was to move next door to someone who reminded me of my ex-boyfriend, Elec.
Damien was a hotter version of my ex.
The neighbor Iâd dubbed âAngry Artistâ also had two massive dogs that kept me up with their barking.
He wanted nothing to do with me. Or so I thought until one night I heard laughter coming through an apparent hole in my bedroom wall.
Damien had been listening to all of my phone sessions with my therapist.
The sexy artist next door now knew all of my deepest secrets and insecurities.
We got to talking.
He set me straight with tips to get over my breakup.
He became a good friend, but Damien made it clear that he couldnât be anything more.
Problem was, I was falling hard for him anyway. And as much as he pushed me away, I knew he felt the sameâŚbecause his heartbeat didnât lie.
I thought my heart had been broken by Elec, but it was alive and beating harder than ever for Damien.
I just hoped he wouldnât shatter it for good.
Author’s note â Neighbor Dearest is a full-length standalone novel. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 11-year-old girl with autism and a 9-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode Island.
MIDNIGHT SOUL is here! This amazing fantasy takes place in our world and a parallel universe where fantasies are trueâŚbut perhaps not all you would expect. MIDNIGHT SOUL is the highly anticipated finale to Kristen Ashleyâs bestselling Fantasyland Series. Be sure you check out the excerpt and giveaway below and order the final novel in this amazing series today!
EXCERPT:
~Franka~
I remembered that look.
I relished that look.
Not only on my Antoine but any lover Iâd had (but, obviously, getting it from Antione was far more rewarding).
It was a look I worked toward, putting great energy and imagination into it, losing myself in these endeavors, feeling free of my name, my history, my secrets, my responsibilities, and reveling in my success as if Iâd scaled mountains.
It was my greatest talent outside, of course (as any good Drakkar would excel), honing in on any vulnerability and manipulating it for the greatest possible gainâcoin, jewels, furs, favors, silence, information, or simply for amusement.
Seeing the look on Noctorno at that moment, I knew Circe too had performed well (admirably well, I might add, considering her dismal past).
I also recognizedâfocusing on it keenlyâwhat Circe might have missed, or perhaps what Noctorno hid from her understanding, or simply just sensing, how she came to him.
He was not done.
Oh no.
If she had not given indication she wished him out of her bedchamber, heâd still be in it.
Indeed, he might be in it all night, and not to sleep.
He might have been in it, perhaps, for days.
As these thoughts flitted in my mind, I became aware heâd fully entered the room, was stopped not far from my chair, and was standing, chin tipped down, eyes regarding me with a scrutiny that I found so uncomfortable I actually shifted in my seat.
I ceased this reaction the instant I became aware of it, appalled at myself.
Giving something away so easily? Especially something like discomfiture?
Youâve ruined me, I snapped silently at Antoine.
My dead lover had no rejoinder.
âYou okay?â Noctorno asked.
âAm I what?â I asked in return.
His head gave a slight twitch before he went on, âYou okay? All right?â His voice lowered. âItâs been a tough day, babe, for all of us. Including you.â
I looked beyond him to the fire, lifting my wine to my lips but not sipping it until after I murmured, âIâm perfectly fine.â
âYeah, right,â he stated, and the disbelief veritably dripping from his tone made my gaze flick immediately back to him.
This meant I watched as he sauntered right in front of me to the chair accompanying mine, threw his lengthy frame in it and reached for the wine at the table that separated our seats.
He also reached for the extra glass.
These were seats, I shall add, that were turned at corners to each other with a small, round table in between, so my knee was nearly touching his.
He poured.
It was on the tip of my tongue to share that I had not invited him to attend me.
Alas, I became distracted by his long fingers, and the words died in my mouth.
MIDNIGHT SOUL Synopsis:
Against his will, Noctorno Hawthorne, an undercover vice cop, finds himself embroiled in magic, mayhem and parallel universes. Too late, he meets an amazing woman only to find sheâs destined for his identical twin in another world.
And things arenât going real great there.
Noc is recruited to help save that world.
What he doesnât know is his destined love resides there.
Franka Drakkar wears a mask. A mask she never takes off to protect herself in a world of malice, intrigue and danger.
When Franka meets Noc and he discovers her secrets, convinced she carries a midnight soul, having shielded herself from forming bonds with anyone, she struggles with accepting his tenderness and care.
When Noc meets Franka, over wine and whiskey, her mask slips and Noc knows itâs herâonly herâand he has to find a way to get her to come home with him.
Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA and nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadnât taken her first breath!). Her mother said they took Kristen away, put her Mom back in her room, her mother looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). Kristenâs Mom remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning.
Nothingâs changed.
Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus, sheâs blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. They all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. She grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).
Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.
And as she keeps growing, it keeps getting better.
Notorious celebrity playboy A.J. Morgan has more emotional baggage than notches on his well-used bedpost, but bleached blonde, silicone-enhanced three-ways and excess of whiskey are all the therapy he needs.
Live to indulge, indulge to fill the voids.
Those are his rulesâŚ. until he meets cunning financial analyst-slash-sexy club singer Lisa Embry, a woman whose heart is surrounded by more barbed wire than a high-security prison.Â
Rules? What rules?
One lust-filled romp with his female alter-ego turns A.J. into an addict in need of his next fix and heâll pay any price for another hit.
But he soon finds out Lisa has her own rules⌠ones that can never be broken.
Iâm a starving man. Get your delicious ass over here so I can feast on you.
Mmm, yes. The come hither text. Pun intended. Exactly what Lisa needed⌠a few steamy hours with Dannyâs hot body plastered on top of her writhing one. It was a necessary diversion to close the book on this week. And after that? Vodka. Anything to numb her mind. Sheâd tried to focus, holed up at the office, crunching numbers until her eyes grew bleary and bloodshot, all with the hope she could ignore the painful reality that reared its ugly head every time her mother established contact.
Sex was about the only thing she was willing to offer since her emotional state was about as stable as a one-legged elephant walking a tightrope. Her story wasnât unique â deadbeat dad took off with a busty blond mistress, leaving his wife and daughter to pick up the jagged pieces of their once-happy lives. Yep, relationships equated to devastation, and carnal urges always trumped romance.
Ding!
The elevator door creaked open and she almost choked on her next breath. Holy crap on a cracker. The tiny enclosure was graced by the presence of a single passenger who could only be described as Eros personified. She allowed her eyes to rake the length of his muscular body with the ferocity of a tiger stalking its prey. Danny who?
Tall with thick, dark hair, sinful lips, and an amazing ass â that last observation courtesy of the mirrors flanking him on all sides. A tight, white T-shirt clung to his broad chest and her fingers tightened around the handle of her laptop bag, itching to trace every last ripple. Sweet Jesus, she needed to get laid.
His gaze never left the phone in his hand as she stepped inside. And damn, it was a huge, powerful hand. The other one was tucked into the front pocket of his low-rise, hip-skimming black jeans but good Lord, it would feel so nice burrowed somewhere else.
Her pulse throbbed as the car sailed toward the lobby much too quickly for her liking. A few more seconds and Adonis would wander out of her life forever, not that it mattered. His face was a mask of indifference; it never once shifted, nor did his eyes wander in her direction. Must be a model, and a gay one at that. Sheâd run into more than her fair share on this very elevator since one of the top agencies on the West Coast occupied a floor of the building. But sheâd still give her right arm for another few seconds to indulge in the X-rated fantasies looping through her lust-tinged mind. Maybe her left arm, too.
A sudden and powerful lurch rocketed her against the back wall. She gripped the handrail, heart thundering in her chest. The lights flickered tauntingly until everything faded to blackness. What the fu–?
She blinked a few times, eyes struggling to focus. Shallow breaths escaped her lips. They were stuck in a metal box that weighed hundreds of thousands of pounds, suspended by cables that could snap at any secondâDammit! Why hadnât she taken the stairs? Another jerk made her stomach clench. âOh my God, oh my God,â she whimpered, clutching the rail. âI donât want to die. Not tonight.â
âBig plans?â
âDonât talk! Youâll use up all the oxygen.â A lump formed in her throat, each gulp of air harder and harder to pull into her lungs. Beads of perspiration formed on the back of her neck, chest tight. What if they didnât know there were people in the elevator? And how would they get help? It was too dark to see the alarm buttonâ
She let out a bloodcurdling scream as the car dropped what felt like a hundred feet before it yanked back upward. Elevator cables werenât like bungee cords. There was no slack. They just snapped.
A small bright light revealed a lazy smile and deep-set eyes that could singe her insides under normal circumstances, when she wasnât a few feet away from meeting certain fiery death at the bottom of an elevator shaft. âRelax. Just hit the alarm button.â
Teeth chattering, she shook her head. âIâm too scared to move.â
He jabbed the button and nothing. No response, except the palpitations that assaulted her heart.
Tears formed in her eyes, her breathing ragged. âItâs not working. Weâre going to die in here. Theyâll be too late to save us. Nobody knows weâre even in here!â She clutched her chest, squinting in the light emitted by his phone. âIâm having a fucking heart attack. Iâm going to die in an elevator. God only knows if theyâll be able to recognize our mangled bodies after the crash.â The golf ball-sized lump morphed into a grapefruit with the pass of each agonizing second. âWhy arenât you talking?â she shouted.
âYou told me not to.â
âSo why did you listen? Iâm clearly hysterical!â
âClearly.â
Her hands grew clammy, sweat now drizzling down her back. This was it. No sex. No vodka. Just impending death. âI need to get to a hospital,â she choked. âIâm too young to survive a heart attack. I wonât make it!â
The phone light faded and they were once again immersed in blackness.
Lisa let out a gasp. âWhat happened to theââ
Soft, yet demanding lips pressed against hers, extinguishing all coherent thought. Sweet, sugary, bubble gum flavored lips. Strong hands caressed the sides of her face, stroking the loose strands of hair now matted to her neck. Tiny shivers danced across her damp skin as the coiling warmth of his tongue probed and plundered her eager mouth. Oh Lord, they must already be dead because this was heaven⌠a better one than sheâd ever dreamed.
Minutes passed. Or maybe hours. Overhead light illuminated the elevator car, the motor roaring back to life. But his mouth was so insistent that she could do nothing other than comply with its very wanton wishes. Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling him close, longing to feel hisâ
Ding! It was the one sound that could break the intoxicating spell. He ran a hand through his tousled hair and strode through the elevator doors as they opened without so much as a backward glance. No effing way. Lisa Embry was not one to be ignored.
âHey!â she sputtered as she followed, still breathless. âWhat the hell was that? You canât just go around assaulting random helpless women!â
âYouâre far from helpless. Besides, I didnât hear any complaints when I had you pinned against the wall. Maybe you need to have a chat with that tongue of yours⌠and some of the other body parts that were edging in on the action.â He turned, a wicked gleam reflected in his alluringly deviant eyes.
âWhaat?â Her stilettos clicked on the marble floor as she stomped toward him. âYouâre a disgusting pig. I panicked, you saw an opportunity and took it.â Two could play that insidious little game. Standing down, her lips curled into a smirk. âPoor thing. Are you really that desperate?â
âThatâs supposed to be a rhetorical question, right?â
Her fists clenched at her sides, twitching, aching to knock that smug look off his beautiful face. âYouâre a real asshole. Who the hell do you think you are?â
A cocky smile appeared, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. âI just prevented a heart attack. Call me God.â
Kristen Luciani is a self-proclaimed momtrepreneur, beauty product junkie, and romance author with a penchant for Christian Louboutins, Silicon Valley, plunging necklines and grapefruit martinis.  As a deep-rooted romantic who prefers juicy drama to fill the lives of anyone other than her, she tried her hand at creating a world of enchantment, sensuality, and intrigue, finally uncovering her true passion. No pun intendedâŚ
DAX ANDERSON has always been the one to keep it all together.Â
~ His family~
~ His friends~
~ His band~
His heart is huge, but guarded. Heâs the best friend. The protector. The shoulder to cry on. But heâs never been able to protect his own heart or himself. Lies from his not-so-distant past have destroyed his outlook on love – until he meets her.
GISELLE ANDREWS is confident and happy, but cautious. Sheâs learned to overcome many obstacles despite her past. Sheâs fiercely loyal and loves beyond measure. When sheâs reminded of her past and the pain that she lived through, will her perfect world begin to crumble?
What connects Dax and Giselle, and will the EPIC LIES that theyâve lived through destroy their future?
EPIC LIES is the second book in the EPIC FAIL series and can be read as a STANDALONE novel.
This series is a spinoff of the FOREVER FAMILY series.
My cheeks flush, and Iâm not sure if itâs from the wine or his proximity to me. His presence does something to me that I havenât felt in a very long time. My pulse quickens, and I remember how I felt the night he came to my house, when I thought he was going to kiss me. How much I wanted him to. Now I want it more than ever.
I lick my lips and taste remnants of wine and strawberry Chapstick. âDax?â
His gaze falls to my lips, and I lick them again, nervously.
âFuck,â he mutters and exhales harshly.
âWhat?â I ask. My God, what is he waiting for?
âYouâyouâre beautiful. And I donât know why, but I canât get you out of my head. I havenât been able to since that day. And I want to say so much, do so much. And Iâm restraining myself. But youâre here. Why the fuck are you here?â His rambling is confusing me. He just said so much but nothing at all.
âWhy are you mad at me?â The vibe thatâs coming off of him isâintense. Heâs frustrated and seems angry. âI swear to God I didnât follow you here.â Tears threaten to spill out of my eyes. Get a grip, Giselle.
âWhat?â He looks at me and his eyes soften. âNo. No, Iâm not mad at you at all. And I believe you, I donât think you followed me. You couldnât have possibly known I was coming here. Iâm not even checked into the hotel under my real name,â he mutters.
âOh.â Iâm still confused. His demeanor is constantly contradicting his mood swings. I canât tell if he wants to kiss me or strangle me. âThen why are you acting this way?â
âIâm not good at this,â he answers.
âGood at what? Talking to someone?â I press.
âRestraining myself,â he says, and I tense up, my pulse racing.
âJesus, Dax. Then donât.â
Trudy Stiles is a USA Today Bestselling Author, writer of New Adult Romance, mom to two beautiful children, and married to the love of her life. Sheâs the author of the bestselling Forever Family series including Dear Emily, Dear Tabitha, and Dear Juliet. Epic Sins and Epic Lies are the first books in the Epic Fail series and will continue with at least two more standalone novels, Epic Love and Epic Holiday. She plans to write many more stories about some of the characters youâve already met, and maybe a few new ones. Emily will get her own story, Sincerely, Emily, to be released in 2017.
Sheâs also a contributing author to the USA Today Bestselling anthology, F*cking Awkward, a hilarious group of short stories sure to make you cringe, laugh and everything in between. All proceeds from this project benefited The Bookworm Box and its charities.
Trudy is a music junkie and youâll know that sheâs writing when you see her plugged into her laptop with her earbuds in. Her playlist is unique and is a must for her writing sprints.
When sheâs not writing, sheâs carting her children to their various activities while avoiding any kind of laundry or housework. She also loves to run along the boardwalk of the beautiful New Jersey shore.
Synopsis: New to the Big Apple, the last thing Lexie Bloom needs is to fall for two guys at once. Especially when she canât have either. One is her personal trainer, an Adonis way out of her league. The other? A Brit Lit professor her svelte boss insists she woo for herâvia text message, no less. Little does she know, the two are the same manâŚ
Matthew Hennessey is intrigued by his shy new client at the gym. But before he gets the chance to ask her out, he discovers sheâs the one crafting the flirty texts sent to him by a woman who wouldnât know Lord Byron from Lady Gaga. To get to know her better, he allows Lexie to play her role. She may have given up on the idea of romance, but Matthewâs bound and determined to show her love is alive and well in New York City.
This book reminded me a little of You’ve Got Mail, with an updated twist since this is via text not email.
Lexie has just moved to NYC, gotten a job as an assistant and living for herself – her dreams that her father’s death convinced her to shoot for. Â In the building of her new job is a gym with a gym membership as part of the company perks. Â It’s at this gym that she meets Matthew – adonis personal trainer who is WAY out of Lexie’s league – or so she thinks.
Matthew is wildly attracted to Lexie and is willing to set about teaching her that all guys aren’t untrustworthy. Â Except he’s the guy she’s text-flirting for her boss and he knows it but she doesn’t…
4.5 stars!
ABOUT JOLYSE BARNETT
Jolyse Barnett is a country girl living her happily-ever-after in suburbia with her real-life, hunky hero, two offspring aptly nicknamed Thing One and Thing Two, and a cuddly cat that sleeps 23-7. When sheâs not tapping away at the keyboard or with her nose in a book, Jolyse can usually be found in her backyard dreaming about tropical escapes.
They assume things about me because of the way I dress and my tattoos.
I am so much more.
I thought you saw that.
So, I let you in.
You made it easy to fall for you.
Turns out I was the only one falling.
I hope you’re happy.
No, that’s a lie and you’re better than I am at telling those.
New York Times & USA Today bestselling author with 13 books out and many more to come. She was born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia. Ever the mild-manner citizen, Carey spend her days working in the world of finance, and at night, she retreats into the lives of her fictional characters.
Supporting her all the way are her husband, three sometimes-adorable children, their nine-pound attack Yorkie and their needy Ninja cat.
Aubry Kaiser doesnât like peopleâactually, thatâs not right. She loathes people. With her crippling anxiety, thereâs no way she can demo her favorite video game at a convention with five thousand other people. Maybe if she brings someone to act as a shieldâŚ
But the only person available is the sexy cowboy she canât stand.
Quinn Baldwyn is in a mess of his own. Heâs been dodging his wealthy familyâs matchmaking attemptsâand life adviceâfor years, but with his sisterâs wedding on the horizon, he needs of a shield of his own.
He and Aubry can barely hold down a civil conversation, but in bedâŚfireworks. And the closer they get to Quinnâs sisterâs wedding, the more he realizes that he might actually like Aubry.
Now itâs up to him to convince her she might actually like him, too.
Excerpt
She pinched the bridge of her nose. âIf I say youâre right, am I ever going to live it down?â
He didnât answer, and she opened her eyes. Their reflection was slightly distorted in the passenger window, but even she could see he had a seriously tense look on his face. She belatedly realized that they were pressed together, her back to his front, and that he wasâŚ
Oh my God. She couldnât resist leaning back into him, just a little. Yep, thatâs not a micro penis. A shiver worked its way through her, leaving goose bumps in its wake, and her nipples perked right up, showing through the thin fabric of her T-shirt. There was no way he didnât feel her reaction, not with his arm creating a band across her ribs, his forearm against the underside of her breasts.
Even as she noticed, he started to release her, his hand sliding over her stomach, but he stopped when he hit her hip, his pinkie finger dipping below the waistband of her shorts, just a little. It wasnât anywhere near anything vital, but that little intrusion made her moan all the same.
âFuck.â The word was barely audible, but she felt it in the way his body tensed behind her.
She shivered again, torn between telling him to back off and getting the top button of her jeans all undone for him. If she didnât make a decisionâand fastâhe was going to back off again. It was written all over the tension she could feel emanating from his body.
Aubry started to reach for his hand, still undecided on whether she wanted to encourage or threaten him, but he moved, bending down to brace one hand on the truck in front of them, the other still on her hip. The move brought his mouth against her ear, and his harsh exhale made her shake.
She arched against him. She couldnât help it. Her body took over, a primal part of her knowing he could give her all the pleasure she could handle, and was only too happy to extend an invitation by rubbing her ass against his hard length.
His grip on her hip tightened, but he didnât try to stop her. âYouâre playing a dangerous game.â
She knew. They had to stop for so many reasons, the least of which was that they were on the side of a freaking highway and it was only a matter of time before a car drove past.
But she didnât want to stop.
New York Times & USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Katee Robert learned to tell stories at her grandpaâs knee. Her favorites then were the rather epic adventures of The Three Bears, but at age twelve she discovered romance novels and never looked back.
Though she dabbled in writing, life got in the wayâas it often doesâand she spent a few years traveling, living in both Philadelphia and Germany. In between traveling and raising her two wee ones, she had the crazy idea that sheâd like to write a book and try to get published.
Her first novel was an epic fantasy that, God willing, will never see the light of day. From there, she dabbled in YA and horror, before finally finding speculative romance. Because, really, who wouldnât want to write entire books about the smoking-hot relationships between two people?
She now spends her timeâwhen not lost in Far Reach worldsâplaying imaginary games with her wee ones, writing, ogling men, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
From NYT & USA Today bestselling author comes a new Bleeding Stars stand-alone novelâŚ
She is his strength and he is her weakness. And this time he wonât let her go.
Edie Evans is gorgeous.
Sexy.
Kind.
Sheâs also the definition of off-limits.
But that didn’t stop me from sneaking into her room to comfort her at night.
But guys like me? We destroy everything, so it should have been no surprise when I destroyed us, too.
The night I sent her running, I thought Iâd never see her again.
Until I saw her standing like a vision in the crowd.
Austin Stone is dangerous.
Alluring.
Tempting.
He broke my heart and I refused to give him the chance to do it again.
Itâs been years since Iâve seen him, and now I canât do anything but stare at the gorgeous, tattooed man playing onstage. I should run. I know I should. But like a fool, I run straight back to him.
Our desire is overpowering.
Our need unrelenting.
She is my hope.
He is my weakness.
We should have known a passion this intense would burn us right into the ground.
I gripped the railing as if it might propel me forward. Instead, my footsteps faltered and slowed. I stood facing away, my back heaving as his consuming presence swarmed over me from behind.
âPlease.â This time it was a whisper. A plea.
Sincere.
Slowly I turned.
Drawn.
Heâd always been my weakness.
Austin stood at the end of the walkway, just outside the reach of the lights, his body obscured in shadows.
Even larger than Iâd imagined when Iâd first seen him up on stage.
So foreign.
So familiar.
My heart ached. Because I was looking at the boy whoâd been my best friend. The one person who Iâd thought would completely understand. One who wouldnât judge or make it hurt more than it already did.
Heâd been my safety.
My haven.
Until heâd dragged me right back into hell.
âWhy are you here?â My words cracked. âH-h-howâŚhow did you find me?â
I saw the shake of his head, and he took a single step forward, out of the shadows and into the glow of the single lamp attached high on the exterior wall that lit the way.
It hit him like a spotlight.
The boy was so beautiful.
It was a threatening kind of beauty, a whorl of mystery and pain, sharp lines and corded muscle.
It almost dropped me to my knees.
He fisted his hands at his sides. The question was strained, hard as it pressed from his mouth. âYou believe in fate, Edie?â
Old grief Iâd bottled for so long burst. It came out as some kind of maniacal cry. Incredulous. Oozing disbelief. âAfter everything that happenedâŚthatâs what youâre going to ask me?â
âEdieâŚIââ
âDo you have any idea how badly you hurt me?â I cut him off, my own hands fisting as I took a single step forward. âThe damage you caused? Careless words, Austin. So fucking careless, thrown out there without a single thought to the repercussions, without any consideration of how they would affect me. How they would change my life. You promised.â My brow twisted with the accusation. âAnd now you have the nerve to stand there and ask me if I believe in fate?â
I swallowed hard, shook my head. âYou can go to straight to hell, Austin Stone.â
He laughed, but there was zero humor behind it. âCome on, Edie. You can do better than that, canât you? Considering you know hell is where Iâve been all along, and you and I both know I deserve so much worse. And yeahâŚthose words were reckless, but you know they werenât heedless. You couldnât expect me to just stand there. Not with him. Not with what he was saying. Implying. I couldnât.â The last cracked on the emphasis.
I felt as if every cell in my body was being crushed. Squeezed so tight there was no chance but for everything to implode.
âAnd because you lost it, I lost it all. You. My home. My future.â
His big hands fisted. âI know. IâŚI fucked it up, Edie. Warned you, I always fuck it up.â
But what he failed to say was heâd promised he wouldnât fuck it up with me.
I couldnât tell if I was relieved or terrified when Jed suddenly rounded the corner. His sister, Blaire, was hot on his heels.
âEdie,â Jed gushed out in relief when he saw me. He came to a stop a few steps behind Austin.
As if heâd just stepped into the bristling intensity and it tripped up his feet.
The stand-off.
The war.
Austin standing there? I knew thatâs exactly what this was going to be.
âWhat the hell is going on here?â Jed demanded. His voice twisted into a threat. He glared at the back of Austinâs head, worried eyes flicking to me, hardening when they snapped back to Austin.
Blaire tugged at his arm. âJedâŚI told you to give her a minute. Sometimes you need to let people sort out their own issues.â
Jed just grunted and shrugged off her arm.
Refusing to budge.
Austin swung his head to look behind him. When he did, his face shifted to the side, all those hard, beautiful lines exposed in profile, his expression winding into a bitter sneer. âNah, man. Allâs good here. Just telling an old friend hi. Isnât that right, Edie?â
Aggression curled between them.
Alive and raging.
Jed was a burly, beefy, hulk of a man, a full beard covering most of his face, his brown hair cut short at the sides and longer on top.
Had I ever imagined him and Austin going toe to toe, I would have put all my money on Jed.
Now I wasnât so sure.
Jed lifted his chin, as if for the moment he was standing down, turning to me as his tone softened. âYou okay, Edie?â
I nodded. âYeah, Iâm okay.â
Lie. Lie. Lie.
I was shaken to my core.
âI just want to go home.â It left me on a desperate breath.
Jed pushed around Austin and stalked my way. âAll right, letâs get you out of here.â
As she passed by Austin, Blaire cast a searching glance in his direction, before her attention flickered over to me, a ton of worried questions moving across her expression.
Questions I didnât know if I had the strength to answer.
With an arm wound around my shoulder, Jed spun me, breaking the spell Austin had me under, and tucked me into his side.
Protecting and shielding.
He began to lead me away, down the planks and toward his car waiting in the parking lot out front.
With each step we took, I could feel the heat of Austinâs stare. That burning intensity I wasnât sure I could ever escape.
The hurt and hatred.
It was a hatred I couldnât tell who it was directed at.
If it was aimed at him or me or the rest of the world that had threatened to choke the life out of us.
The world we were supposed to take on together.
Just as we started to round the corner, I paused because I just couldnât stop myself, turned to look back at the man who stood there staring back at me.
Emotion gripped his expression just as tight as the clench of his fists.
Hard and tortured.
As if I was the one inflicting the pain.
I choked down the sorrow that rose like a cyclone, spinning and spinning, whipping up the old affection that longed for that soft, understanding boy to take me in his arms and sing in my ear.
Dangerous.
I searched inside myself for the shelter that secured my heart. The flimsy cover I wore that just barely kept me together. I forced myself to speak the words I knew would drive him away, as much of a lie as they were. âAnd for the recordâŚno, Austin, I definitely donât believe in fate.â
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.
Her bestselling series include THE REGRET SERIES, CLOSER TO YOU, as well as the newest BLEEDING STARS novels. Watch for the next installments, WAIT and STAY, coming in 2016.
If sheâs not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.
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I knew I should have stayed away from Rhett Johnson. Captivating, beautiful, talented not to mention a UFC prize fighter, and a man who knows what he wants and he wants ME.Â
Who am I? Scarlett Parker. A maid in a luxury Vegas hotel. Iâm damaged, broken and running away from the darkness around me. I donât believe in happily ever after. The attraction between us is like a drug, one we both dangerously need. Wounds break open as my past returns. Is this my happily ever after or is this a disaster waiting to happen?
SO much happens in this book! Â Scarlett is just happy with her life, housekeeping at a hotel in Las Vegas, one night stands randomly, and living with her best friend. Â Until Rhett. Â Scarlett & Rhett – go figure :-).
Rhett is a UFC fighter who is almost struck dumb when he sees Scarlett. Â He is immediately enamored of her and wants a date – or more. Â Scarlett doesn’t DO relationships or dating and that’s exactly what Rhett wants.
This is quite the battle of wills between these two. Â Add in previous events that still affect them today and you’ve got quite the story!
4 stars!
About the Author:
Pavan Kaur is a wife and a mother of two boys. She was born in Birmingham, England.
She finally decided to publish her first story from the Moving Series, Moving On.
She writes Romance books, as she believes everything should have a happy ending.
In her spare time Pavan loves to bake with her children, and spending time with her family as they are the moment important people in her life. She loves watching TV anything from Criminal Minds to The Big Bang Theory.
You can always drop her an email at dreaming083@gmail.com
About Kristen Ashley:
From NYT & USA Today bestselling author comes a new Bleeding Stars stand-alone novelâŚ
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.
