Release Day Launch + Excerpt & Giveaway: Hard to Come By by Laura Kaye

Hard to Come By RDL Banner

We are beyond thrilled to bring you the Release Day Launch for Laura Kaye’s HARD TO COME BY! HARD TO COME BY is the third full length novel in Laura’s Hard Ink Series, published by Avon Romance. As a special treat, through December 2, pre-order Hard to Come By or purchase it during release week, and receive exclusive bonus content! Just fill out the quick form here!

Hard to Come By by Laura Kaye

Hard to Come By by Laura Kaye
Series: Hard Ink #3 (full reading order below)
Release Date: November 25th 2014
Add to Goodreads

Caught between desire and loyalty…

Derek DiMarzio would do anything for the members of his disgraced Special Forces team—sacrifice his body, help a former teammate with a covert operation to restore their honor, and even go behind enemy lines. He just never expected to want the beautiful woman he found there.

When a sexy stranger asks questions about her brother, Emilie Garza is torn between loyalty to the brother she once idolized and fear of the war-changed man he’s become. Derek’s easy smile and quiet strength tempt Emilie to open up, igniting the desire between them and leading Derek to crave a woman he shouldn’t trust.

As the team’s investigation reveals how powerful their enemies are, Derek and Emilie must prove where their loyalties lie before hearts are broken and lives are lost. Because love is too hard to come by to let slip away…

Buy Links:
Amazon • Amazon CA • Amazon UK • B&N • iTunes • Kobo

Now here’s an excerpt from Hard to Come By! ❤

excerpt

Marz was playing with fire. He damn well knew he was. But that didn’t make him want to pull away.

He just wanted more of the heat.

Marz nuzzled the side of Emilie’s face with his nose, his lips. She turned her face toward him and offered her lips. He couldn’t refuse.

Capturing her mouth on a tortured groan, Marz poured every ounce of his longing and confusion and desire into the kiss. They grasped at each other and Emilie turned in his arms. He pinned her against the railing and planted his hands in her hair. She opened to him and accepted his tongue, sucking him in until Marz’s blood ran hot and his hard-on ached. He ground himself against her and devoured every little moan and whimper and gasp she spilled.

Trailing kisses from her mouth to her jaw to her ear, Marz dragged a hand down her body and grasped her breast in his palm. She cried out and her head dropped back, drawing his mouth to her neck, where he licked and sucked and nipped as he kneaded her soft flesh. “You are so damn sexy.”

Her hand flew to his hair and grasped the back of his head. “Touch me,” she said. “Don’t stop touching me.”

Marz pulled away long enough to do a three-sixty scan. The lighthouse cast a dark shadow over them, and the pier was otherwise empty. His heart raced and his pulse hammered. He dove back in, trailing kisses down her neck to her collarbone, which he traced with his tongue. Her nails scratched deliciously at his scalp and her grip urged him down.

Through the thin material of her blouse and bra, he mouthed and flicked at her nipple. He shifted the deep vee of the neckline to reveal a lacy royal blue bra. He tongued her through the lace until she was panting and moaning and writhing against the railing.

“Oh, my God,” she rasped as he shifted her shirt and moved to her other breast. This time, he tugged the lace down to bare the deep pink of her nipple. She tasted and smelled like something fruity and sweet, and it made Marz hunger for more. “Derek,” she gasped. “Yes, yes, yes.”

Her palm cupped and squeezed the bulge of his erection through his jeans. His hips jerked into the touch, craving more of her, all of her. He groaned and it seemed to egg her on, because she pressed and rubbed her hand against his trapped cock until he was panting and imagining taking her down to the ground.

“Jesus, Emilie, you’re driving me fucking crazy,” he said as he worked kisses back up her body to her mouth.

“I know just what you mean,” she said. Her molten hot gaze met his. Eyes hooded, lips shiny and swollen, cheeks flushed, she was a freaking goddess standing under the moonlit sky. He felt the force of her beauty every bit as much in his chest as in his cock.

“You sure about that, babe?” he asked as he took her mouth in a deep, wet kiss. “Because my imagination has me stripping you of those fuck-hot jeans.”

“Yeah?” She rubbed his cock in a long stroke with the heel of her hand. “Mine has us getting a room at the hotel back there. So I’m sure,” she said with a smile.

Marz’s heart hammered against his breastbone and his cock jerked, clearly liking her idea, too. Except, if he took her up on it, he was going to end up buried inside her for as long as she’d have him. And so long as this clusterfuck of a situation defined their relationship, he couldn’t take things that far. Could he?

Praise for Hard to Come By:

“Rough sex and explosive fights power Kaye’s third Hard Ink novel, a thrilling adventure that feels more like an action movie with a romantic subplot than a typical contemporary romance. New readers will head straight for Kaye’s backlist after powering through this installment.” ~Publishers Weekly Starred Review

“TOP PICK! If you’re looking for danger, gritty action, and sizzling passion, then Kaye has just the book and the series for you.” ~RT Book Reviews Magazine

Reading Order: Hard Ink series

Hard As It Gets by Laura Kaye Hard As You Can by Laura Kaye Hard to Hold On by Laura Kaye Hard to Come By by Laura Kaye

#1 ~ Hard as It Gets: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Hard as You Can: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Hard to Hold On To: Ebook • Goodreads
#3 ~ Hard to Come By: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Hard to Be Good: Ebook • Goodreads (March 10, 2015)

about the author

Laura KayeLaura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Website • Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Newsletter SignUp

giveaway

 Signed copy of HARD TO COME BY for 2 winners
$10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card for 5 winners

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day Blitz + Excerpt & Giveaway: The King by Tiffany Reisz

The King banner

Happy Release Day to Tiffany Reisz! The King is LIVE!

The King by Tiffany Reisz

The King by Tiffany Reisz
Series: The Original Sinners #6 (full reading order below)
Release Date: November 25th 2014
Add to Goodreads

Cunning. Sex. Pure nerve. Only this potent threesome can raise him to his rightful place as ruler of Manhattan’s kink kingdom. 

Bouncing from bed to bed on the Upper East Side—handsomely paid in both bills and blackmail fodder—Kingsley Edge is brilliant, beautiful and utterly debauched. No carnal act or chemical compound can relieve his self-destructive apathy—only Søren, the one person he loves without limit or regret. A man he can never have, but in whose hands Kingsley is reborn to attain even greater heights of sin. He plans to open the ultimate BDSM club­: a dungeon playground for New York’s A-list that’ll change the scene forever.

The club becomes Kingsley’s obsession—and he’s enlisted some tough-as-nails help. His new assistant Sam is smart, secretive and totally immune to seduction (by men, at least). She and Kingsley make a wicked team. Still, their combined—and considerable—expertise in domination can’t subdue the man who would kill their dream. The enigmatic Reverend Fuller won’t rest until King’s dream is destroyed. It’s one man’s sacred mission against another’s….

Buy Links:
Amazon • B&N • iBooks • Kobo

Now here’s an excerpt from The King! ❤

excerpt

“How much trouble am I in for getting out of the car without permission?” Kingsley asked.

“None,” Søren said, and Kingsley was wildly disappointed. “Let’s go. We can make it back to school by tonight.”

Kingsley followed him back to the car. The driver opened the door for them. When they were alone again, Kingsley said, “Or…”

“Or what?” Søren demanded.

“Or we could find a hotel and fuck in a real bed for once.”

“We’re not on a date. And here I was wondering where the real Kingsley had gone.

“What do you mean?” he asked as the driver opened the car door for them. He slipped inside and Søren followed. They were on the road again before Søren answered.

“When you were with Claire—I wasn’t sure you were the same Kingsley I know and barely tolerate.”

“Why? Because I like kids?”

“You were good with her.”

“Kids are fun,” he said. What else was there to say?

“I never considered you would like children.”

“Well…I do. So what?”

“Nothing,” Søren said, laughing to himself. “Nothing at all.”

“I know you see me as some kind of pervert,” Kingsley said. “But believe or not, I am a human being. Yes, I like kids. I might want kids someday. I don’t have much of a family anymore. If I want a family I’ll have to make my own. Sometimes I have thoughts that don’t have anything to do with sex. I’m not just your toy, you know. I have feelings and—”

His impassioned “I have feelings” speech ended abruptly when Søren grabbed him hard by the back of the hair and brought his mouth down in a brutal kiss. Kingsley almost pulled away so he could finish his tirade before realizing he wanted the kiss so much more than the fight.

Kingsley returned the kiss with equal and greater passion. Søren yanked Kingsley’s jacket off him and threw it on the floorboard. Kingsley pulled his own shirt off and rolled on to his back on the bench seat. He’d remember the sensation of leather on his bare back all his life.

“Have you ever had sex in the back of a Rolls Royce?” Kingsley asked, trying not to rip Søren’s shirt in his rush to unbutton it. He needed Søren’s skin on his skin right now.

“No,” Søren said. “But ask me that question again in an hour.”

Before Kingsley could respond to that, Søren grabbed his wrists, pinned them over Kingsley’s head and kissed him again—deeper, slower, but no less punitive. Kingsley groaned, and Søren slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Quiet,” Søren said into Kingsley’s ear. “We aren’t alone, and I’ll gag you until you choke if I have to. Understand?”

Kingsley nodded against Søren’s hand. A curtain and partition separated them from the driver. He couldn’t see them, but if they were loud enough, he could hear them. He’d disobeyed Søren’s orders to stay in the car, he’d yelled at him and talked back. He was going to get it this time.

Good.

Søren kissed him again. Kingsley kept his sounds of pleasure to a minimum even when Søren reached between their bodies, unzipped Kingsley’s pants, and stroked him hard. Every muscle in Kingsley’s stomach tightened. He sucked in his breath sharply from the shock of pleasure. It took every bit of self-control not to moan audibly.

“You like this?” Søren asked.

“God, yes, so much,” Kingsley said, lifting his hips against Søren’s hand. He spoke in French and English. He was about to lose control of more than his language skills if Søren didn’t stop touching him like that.

“I think you like it too much.” Søren rose up on his knees and looked down at Kingsley.

“I don’t. I really don’t. I like it exactly as much as you want me to.”

“You’re pathetic when you’re turned on.”

“I am so pathetic right now.”

Reading Order: The Original Sinners series

The Saint by Tiffany Reisz The Angel by Tiffany Reisz The Prince by Tiffany Reisz The Mistress Files by Tiffany Reisz
The Mistress by Tiffany Reisz The Saint by Tiffany Reisz The King by Tiffany Reisz The Virgin by Tiffany Reisz

#1 ~ The Siren: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Angel: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Prince: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3.5 ~ The Mistress Files: Ebook • Goodreads
#4 ~ The Mistress: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#5 ~ The Saint: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#6 ~ The King: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#7 ~ The Virgin: EbookPaperback• Goodreads (March 31, 2015)

about the author

Tiffany Reisz

Tiffany Reisz is the author of the internationally bestselling and award-winning Original Sinners series for Mira Books (Harlequin/Mills & Boon). Tiffany’s books inhabit a sexy shadowy world where romance, erotica and literature meet and do immoral and possibly illegal things to each other. She describes her genre as “literary friction,” a term she stole from her main character, who gets in trouble almost as often as the author herself.

She lives in Portland, Oregon. If she couldn’t write, she would die.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon Page

giveaway

Tiffany Reisz Surprise

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day Blitz + Excerpt & Giveaway: Unraveling You by Jessica Sorensen

Unraveling You banner

Happy Release Day to Jessica Sorensen! Unraveling You is LIVE!

Unraveling You by Jessica Sorensen

Unraveling You by Jessica Sorensen
Series: Unraveling You #1
Release Date: November 25th 2014
Add to Goodreads

Lyric Scott has always had a good life. Outgoing, spunky, and musically talented, she’s constantly surrounded by family and friends, yet she still feels that there’s something missing.

Then she meets her new next-door neighbor Ayden Gregory. Mysterious, sweet, and sad, Ayden is the exact opposite of Lyric and exactly what she needs to fill the void in her life.

Ayden Gregory has been through more than most people and believes his life is always going to be rocky, so when he’s suddenly adopted, he’s thrown for a turn. But even with a new, loving family, he still finds himself haunted by the memories of his old life. The only true breath of fresh air is when he’s with his best friend, Lyric Scott.

As Lyric and Ayden grow closer, the lines of their friendship start to blur. But when Ayden’s past unexpectedly pushes its way into his new life, their friendship and newfound attraction will be tested.

Purchase:
Amazon

Now here’s an excerpt from Unraveling You! ❤

excerpt

When he grows silent again, I crack an eyelid open. He’s dazing off over my shoulder with undiluted pain in his eyes. The realness of him causes my heart to stutter, and my fingers yearn to jot down unwritten words.

God, what has he been through to create such a look?

When his focus lands back on me, his eyes burn fiercely, as if he’s terrified out of his damn mind. “Shut your eyes,” he whispers, almost horrified.

I do as he says without question, trusting him completely, even though his intensity is enough to make the calmest person in the world feel disconcerted.

He sticks the earbud in my ear and the gloomy, unhurried beat of Radiohead’s “How To Disappear Completely” soaks through my wounded soul.

“You picked the perfect song,” I mutter as the music engulfs me. “This is exactly what I—”

His lips brush mine, stealing the words right from my mouth. My breath catches in my throat and my first instinct is to pull away. But I don’t want to pull away. I want to stay. Let him erase that last few hours from my mind.

I keep my eyes shut, too afraid to open them as his lips timidly start to move against mine. Just a whisper of a graze. A heart-stopping brush. A soul-drowning taste. He does it again and again, taking his time, erasing all the ickiness from tonight. As I absorb each soft graze, his tongue slowly follows, slipping into my mouth. I gasp, but still don’t open my eyes. I barely move. Can hardly think. And when he pulls back, gently biting at my bottom lip, I stop breathing all together.

That burn songs promise.

Blazes in me.

Hot and scorching.

So sweltering and mind-numbing.

I feel it in my veins.

Liquid fire.

Passion.

Driving me insane.

And the bar set so high.

Ayden has soared over.

Past the heavens.

And captured me eternally.

“Go to sleep, Lyric,” he whispers, his breathing ragged.

I nod, still terrified to open my eyes. Terrified I’ll lose this moment.

A moment I know I’ll be able to fill pages and pages with the most powerful lyrics I’ve ever written. All about him and that kiss.

Unraveling You is a spinoff of The Secret series – it features Ella and Micha’s daughter and Lila and Ethan’s son from The Secret Series!

Reading Order: The Secret series

The Prelude of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen The Forever of Ella and Micha Jessica Sorensen
The Temptation of Lila and Ethan by Jessica Sorensen The Ever After of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen Taking Chances by Jessica Sorensen Ella and Micha- Infinitely and Always by Jessica Sorensen

#0.5 ~ The Prelude of Ella and Micha: Ebook • Goodreads
#1 ~ The Secret of Ella and Micha: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Forever of Ella and Micha: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Temptation of Lila and Ethan: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ The Ever After of Ella and Micha: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4.5 ~ Lila and Ethan: Forever and Always: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4.6 ~ Ella and Micha: Infinitely and Always: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

about the author

Jessica SorensenJessica Sorensen is a #1 New York Times and USA Todaybestselling author who lives with her husband and three kids in Idaho. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

Social Media Links:
Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

giveaway

5 ebooks of Unraveling You

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day Blitz + Release Day Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: Hitched by Karpov Kinrade

Happy Release Day to Karpov Kinrade! Hitched is LIVE!

Hitched by Karpov Kinrade

Hitched by Karpov Kinrade
Series: The Red Shoe Memoirs #1 (full reading order below)
Release Date: November 23rd 2014
Add to Goodreads

He called me “wife.” This man standing naked in front of me. Tall. Dark. Sexy as sin… He’s my husband?

Disjointed images from the night before, the night I can’t entirely remember, float into my mind. Meeting him in the bar. Sharing tidbits of our lives. I own a company that plans bachelor parties. He’s a pediatric heart surgeon. We both live in Las Vegas, but we come from very different worlds.

And then I remember that kiss. The way his lips brushed against mine, gentle at first, then harder, deeper, with more urgency. Sex in the elevator. Hot, forbidden, delicious.

I remember the way he made me feel. The way our bodies fit perfectly together. But I don’t remember marrying him. And now, he won’t let me go. Dr. Sexy who saves children for a living. He wants the summer to prove we are meant to be.

I can give him a summer. But can I give him a lifetime?

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas…or it changes your life forever.

WARNING: This book has lots of sex and lots of swearing. Now go enjoy it.

Buy Links:
Amazon • B&N • iTunes • Kobo

review

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Hitched, because hello, look at that blurb! Maybe I’m a sucker, but I always end up reading these types of books where the main characters accidentally get married. Hitched wasn’t quite what I expected, but I still enjoyed it. It was sexy, flirty, and fun. Anyone wanting a quick, light-hearted, hot read should definitely check out Hitched!

Our heroine Kacie wakes up hungover and not remember anything from the night before… which means she has no clue how she ended up married to the sexy doctor Sebastian Donovan. Sebastian is literally sex on a stick, and add in the fact that he saves children for a living just makes him a total package. He’d be the perfect guy to end up accidentally married to, right? Well… Kacie’s not exactly looking to get married, not even to her attractive husband. But Sebastian sees the potential the two of them have, and they strike a deal. Kacie will get her annulment if she agrees to spend the entire summer spending time with and getting to know more about Sebastian.

“We’re from two different worlds. It would never work. What could a girl with a business degree who plans bachelor parties possibly have in common with a fucking pediatric heart surgeon?”
He throws his arm over my shoulder. “I don’t know. But there’s no harm in finding out, right?”

And by getting to know Sebastian, I mean Kacie and Sebastian get hot and heavy A LOT. Maybe a little too much, but only because the book isn’t very long. Still, Kacie and Sebastian do start getting to know each other better outside of the bedroom. It’s easy to see that Sebastian loves Kacie, maybe even since the beginning, so Kacie’s the one who holds back between the two of them. She’s not sure how to juggle a blossoming career and marriage. She’s worried she might have to give up one or the other, so she’s afraid to commit to spend her life with Sebastian, no matter how much she wants, and eventually loves, him.

Hitched was short, sweet, and sexy. I didn’t get hooked onto this book as much as I expected, but I definitely enjoyed it. It did get cheesy at times, and things seemed to be too easy for the characters, but I was able to overlook that for the most part. I’d recommend Hitched to anyone in the mood for a fun (and hot) read!

3 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Now here’s an excerpt of Hitched! ❤

excerpt

As I sink into the luxurious heat, my body breathes a sigh of relief. The tension and stress from the last few days drains out of me, and I close my eyes and lean back, enjoying the music, the sips of wine, the calm.

But it doesn’t take long for my mysterious future ex-husband to creep into my mind, undoing my reverie with memories of our torrid night together.

His hotel room had an extra large bath, one we used to full avail.

He undressed me slowly, his long fingers and strong hands caressing my body with each movement as I stood still, breathing deeply, taking in the moment. I stood naked before him while he was still fully clothed, and the disparity between us sent waves of erotic charge through me.

As I pull this memory up and view it like a movie in my mind, my hand dips under the soapy water and between my legs. I spread my labia and tease my clit, slipping a finger inside of me as I remember him doing the same that night.

His hand over my mound, finger exploring my wet center, my pussy aching for more of him. I could see his cock through his slacks, hard and demanding, and I wanted to free him from that constraint, but I also wanted to continue enjoying this moment as he worshiped me with his eyes and explored me with his body.

I rub at my clit, fingering myself as I use my other hand to tease my nipples. I want this to be him touching me, his fingers, his hands, his tongue and mouth. His cock. But I settle for the memories as I bring myself closer to climax.

He knelt in front of me, his mouth positioned at my pussy as he flicked a tongue out and lightly licked my clit. My body shuddered, knees weak as he pushed his tongue deeper into me, fingers digging into my hips, holding me tightly against his mouth. My hands fell to the top of his head, to his thick dark hair as he pleasured me beyond reason. The bath filled with water as I came hard in his mouth. He finally let me undress him, just before lifting me up and placing me in the steaming bath. He got in beside me, then pulled me onto his lap, impaling me on his hard cock.

My wet pussy took him in greedily, eagerly, and our bodies rocked together in the water, his hands exploring my breasts, waist, hips, his fingers finding my sensitive, swollen clit and sending me over the edge again, quickly this time, as I came on his cock.

I’m nearly there, the memory of him inside me tipping the scale as I come to thoughts of him, alone in my bathtub.

And I realize then that getting him out of my mind is not going to be as easy as signing a few papers.

Reading Order: Red Shoe Memoirs series

Hitched by Karpov Kinrade Whipped by Karpov Kinrade

#1 ~ Hitched: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Whipped: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Stripped: Goodreads (release date TBA)

about the author

Karpov KinradeKarpov Kinrade is the pen name for the husband and wife writing duo of bestselling, award-winning authors Kimberly Kinrade and Dmytry Karpov.

Together, they write all things sexy in romance, mystery and paranormal that will get your blood boiling and keep you turning pages.

Look for more from Karpov Kinrade in the Call Me Cat trilogy, the Seduced Saga and the Forbidden Trilogy. Read all about their extensive book list at www.readKK.com.

They live with three little girls who think they’re ninja princesses with super powers and who are also showing a propensity for telling tall tales and using the written word to weave stories of wonder and magic.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Newsletter

giveaway

10 HITCHED fabulous swag packs (poster + bookmark + postcard + red shoe keychain)
*US/CANADA*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal + Excerpt: Blindsided by Emma Hart

Blindsided by Emma Hart

Blindsided by Emma Hart
Series: In His Game #1
Release Date: January 12th 2015
Add to Goodreads

From Emma Hart, the New York Times bestselling author of the Game series, comes a brand new series where the game is realer, the tension is tighter, the sex is hotter, and the stakes are the highest of all…

Two people. Two agendas. Two games.

What happens when the out-there It-Boy of football meets the secret It-Girl of fashion?

As the daughter of Hollywood’s sweetheart, Leah Veronica can’t even buy a coffee without finding her face on a magazine stand, so it’s no wonder she’s launching her first fashion line in secret. With it debuting at New York Fashion Week in just under a month, extra time in the spotlight is the last thing she needs.

The son of the best quarterback the league has ever seen, filling legendary shoes as the L.A. Vipers’ quarterback was inevitable for Corey Jackson. So was meeting Leah Veronica—the first girl to hand him his ass without putting a hair out of place.

Getting the handsome, prickly blonde into his bed becomes his number one goal. But getting the sexy, over-confident footballer the hell away from her becomes Leah’s—at least until she realizes the best way to do that is to give him what he wants.

If only it was that simple.

When Corey discovers who she is, and private photos of Hollywood’s finest find their way online, everything they thought they knew is thrown into disarray.

And when secrets are exposed and hearts are shattered, they have to figure out if they’ve been blindsided by love or reality, and if it’s worth running the extra yard to win the game they never meant to play.

Now here’s an excerpt from Blindsided! ❤

excerpt

Leah’s Great Aunt Ada has been staring at me all night. I’m hovering somewhere between cute and creepy, because she has the most adorable little grin she shoots my way whenever I catch her looking. Crow’s feet appear at the corners of her eyes, and her cheeks flush just a little.

I think she might have a crush on me.

Again, hovering between cute and creepy.

“Aunt Ada. Will you please stop looking at him like he’s dessert?” Leah sighs, taking Ada’s plate from in front of her.

“Stop hooking up with Bert? Whoever is Bert?” Ada replies, looking genuinely confused.

I quirk my eyebrow, and Grace leans across the table. “Hearing aid, Ada.”

The old woman blinks, then slips her hand into her pocket. She pulls out a small, nude-colored device and fits it to her ear. “Now, Lele, what was that you were saying about hooking up with Bert?”

Lele?

Leah catches my eye and gives me a death stare. “I didn’t say anything about Bert. I asked you to stop looking at Corey like he’s dessert.”

“He isn’t?”

I cough into my hand.

“Ada, it’s late. I think you should, perhaps, go to bed now.” Grace winks at me and stands.

“But we haven’t danced.”

“People don’t dance at dinner now, Aunt Ada,” Leah tells her. “They eat, they drink, they go home.”

“Well, how boring. You young’uns don’t know how to have a good time.”

Grace swoops Ada out of the kitchen with her still muttering about ‘kids today.’

“Oh, they do,” Leah murmurs, loading the dishwasher. “They just don’t invite old people along.”

I grin. “Do you need any help?”

She shakes her head instead of answering me verbally. She hasn’t said a fucking word to me since she rebuffed my offer of a date. Even through dinner, she managed to contribute to the conversation without directing a single sentence at me.

And it’s slowly starting to really, really piss me off.

I watch her scrape the plates into the trash then bend over and put them in the dishwasher. Her dress rides up her legs, the hem hovering at the very top of her thighs. If she bends over another half an inch, her underwear will be fully exposed to me. So will her ass, and if she’s that kind of girl, maybe her pussy, too.

My cock twitches at the thought. Fuck—I want to go over there and see. I want to flick that stupid fucking dress up and see what kind of underwear she wears, and if that doesn’t make me hard imagining it…

“Are you staring at my ass?” she asks, her words slicing through the silence easily but sharply.

“On a scale of one to ten, how honestly do you want me to answer that?”

“Very honestly.”

My eyes coast over her smooth skin. “About a fifty.”

She slams the dishwasher shut and turns. “Seriously? Is me telling you to cut the crap an open invitation to ogle me?”

“No, but you wearing a dress that short and bendin’ over is.”

Her lips thin. “And you wonder why I won’t go out with you.”

“Maybe I’m not bothered.”

“Yeah?” She rests her hands flat on the table opposite me and leans over. “So why’ve you been looking at me all evening like I’m a math puzzle you can’t figure out?”

“Because you confuse the fuck out of me.” I hold her gaze. “One night you don’t want me. The next, you’re in my arms, fucking whimpering into my mouth. Then not even twenty-four hours later, you’re tellin’ me where to go. That’s why I keep looking at you.” My eyes drop to her tits. “That and you’re hot as hell.”

She stares at me until I bring my eyes back up to hers. “Wow. And that right there is why I just told you ‘no’ when you asked me out.”

She pushes off the table and stalks away from me.

“What the hell are you so mad for?” I get up and follow her out to the back yard. “You’re the one sending me more messages than I can keep up with!”

“Then this is the last one!” she yells, turning to face me. “No. That’s the message, Corey, all right? I can’t go out with you. I cannot be seen in public with you. I do not need the media craziness that will come with being associated with you.”

“You’re Grace Veronica’s daughter. They photograph you getting a coffee, for fuck’s sake!”

“And that’s why I don’t need more attention!” She runs her fingers through her blonde hair. “I just don’t, okay?”

“Why? It makes no sense.”

“It does to me.” Her eyes soften and she wraps her arms around her waist. “It’s dangerous for me, okay? I can’t explain why, so you have to accept that as it is. You have to take my no for a no and just leave it alone.”

“See, that’s where the problem is. I can’t,” I say, moving closer to her. She doesn’t move. “I wanted you the moment I saw you in the bar. I wanted to fuck you, Leah. I still do. I’d love nothin’ more than to have your body beneath mine right fuckin’ now. But you turned me down with that sassy mouth of yours, and now I’m intrigued by you.”

“Intrigued by me? There’s nothing to be intrigued by. I’m pretty boring.”

“You’re wrong,” I mutter, dipping my face close to hers without touching her. “I want to get under your skin, darlin’. I want to consume you. Even if it’s only for a night. I want to finish what I set out to start when I walked up to you in that bar.”

“You can’t.” She swallows.

“I can and I will,” I echo her words from earlier. “I won’t leave you alone, Leah. I will pursue you until I get what I want. Until I get you.”

“You won’t. Get me.”

I cup her jaw and brush my nose along it. “I want you, Leah. And I always get what I want.”

about the author

Emma HartBy day, New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Adult author Emma Hart dons a cape and calls herself Super Mum to two beautiful little monsters. By night, she drops the cape, pours a glass of whatever she fancies – usually wine – and writes books.Emma is working on Top Secret projects she will share with her followers and fans at every available opportunity. Naturally, all Top Secret projects involve a dashingly hot guy who likes to forget to wear a shirt, a sprinkling (or several) of hold-onto-your-panties hot scenes, and a whole lotta love.

She likes to be busy – unless busy involves doing the dishes, but that seems to be when all the ideas come to life.

Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Website