Saturday, September 30, 2017

Book Review: True Colours by Mandy Lee


You Don't Know Me Trilogy (Book 2)

I enjoyed reading this book a lot. But I have to say that there were some bits and pieces I was not really happy about. Even though the story and writing had a good flow, it sometimes felt a bit repetitive, as if in need of some page-fillers it got dragged out too much for my liking.
This sounds worse than it was actually because I really liked the book whatsoever. I just think some things could have dealt with sooner for shortening the story a bit.
It's like every few pages Maya discovered a new secret of Dan and confronted him. And before she had the chance to ran away, he grabbed her and grudgingly spread some breadcrumbs for her, just enough to made her stay. This went on for a few times and like I mentioned before, this could have been lessened. Other than that there were some nice twists and turns of the story.

We didn’t get to see Lucy a lot in this second installment; it's mainly just Maya and Dan. I loved Beefy, and Clive still let my heart beat faster =)

The ending wasn’t as much a shocker as I would’ve loved it to be. I kind of saw it coming. Anyway this book took me on an emotional roller-coaster but the emotions changed every few pages and that’s not something I really like that much. I enjoy being heavy in an emotion for a while, even if it's painful and sad. I don't like to be pulled in all kind of directions in just one chapter, and definitely not going on like this in a whole book.

Enough of bad words. I liked the good and the bad parts and I really want to know how the story continues. (Even though I have an inkling on how it will end). I WANT THE NEXT BOOK!! NOW!!!... sorry.. Pretty please =P

The Story:
After discovering some dark secrets at the end of the first book, Maya learns that Dan doesn’t give up on her that easily. Maya and Dan have to sort through a lot of things because they both had a hard past and every ugly little detail is coming to its surface. They both have to decide how to deal with it and if their love can survive it.

Things I liked and disliked:
Maya annoyed me in the first half of this book a lot. She behaved like a child at some parts and I wanted to smack her. But it was fine after a while. Or I got used to it. Anyway, I related to her fear of heights, storms and flying. I am the same when it comes to flying. I don't dare to move because I strangely believe that if I don't move, the plane will not start shaking. Stupid, I now, but still. And when it still does shake, I press my eyes shut and imagine it’s just a car-ride on a bumpy road and when it's a lot of shaking, I pray. Even though Maya's just a fictional character, I feel like I am not alone. That hopefully will help me in the summer when my bf is dragging me onto a plane again.

I loved her passion for painting. I enjoyed reading about it a lot. I would love to see her paintings in real, especially the triptych.

Dan really is a creep but he does everything within his power to keep Maya safe. I kind of love him for being protective but also hate him for not being honest with Maya. And even with his best intentions I honestly would have been furious with him after discovering that he lied that often. I would definitely have broken up with him a few times already during this book.

-- I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. --

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Friday, September 29, 2017

Book Review: You Don't Know Me by Mandy Lee

You Don't Know Me Trilogy (Book 1)

I adore this book. I really like the writing, it has a good flow.


The Story:
Maya, a young artist that hasn’t painted in the last few years, has to take on a job as a secretary in a construction company to pay her bills.
As soon as her boss lays his eyes on her, he's determined to get her into his bed and even though Maya tries her best to shake him off, there is no chance for him to let her go as soon as he takes a hold on her. With each day Maya spends with Daniel, her feelings grow for him and as her heart begins to play a part in it, she notices that she doesn't even know this guy. How can she even have feelings for someone she doesn’t know? Maya has to decide if she can trust Daniel and if she wants to be pulled into his dark and mysterious life.

Thoughts:
I love this book, especially because after some first similarities to FSOG and Crossfire it turned into something of its own. I wouldn’t say that it’s bad to start a story that’s similar to other books because you kind of know beforehand what sort of story this probably is and the best stories are those that turn into something of their own, just like this one.
So this is a book I recommend to readers who enjoyed FSOG and Crossfire.
I see similarities of books like a road. It’s like traveling on the same road but on another lane and then there is an exit and you take it onto another street. Sometimes the street is not far off from the one before and sometimes it goes in a complete different direction.

Now, to get me back on tracks of this book, let me tell you that I marked so much in this book and wrote down so many notes that I would love to discuss them all with you but it would be too much and there would just be spoilers. So you have to get on without them, but I will list a few down below. =))

The ending:
At first everything in this story moved too fast for my liking but at the end everything made much more sense to me.
And then I was just WTF? Noo! Don’t leave a reader like me hanging like this!! I need to know how it continues!
Oh gosh. I knew something was up but I did not see this coming until almost at the end of the book.  I’m so curious about how they will go on after everything that happened and that’s revealed.

!!! spoilers ahead !!!

Things I loved and stuff I didn't like so much:
Maya's a sweet character but she let Daniel get away with everything. She always turned into pudding when he's around. She often thought about fighting him and to tell him no but as soon as he laid eyes on her or touched her, she melted and couldn’t even say anything against what he wanted to do to her or with her.
He always had stupid reasons to get her to tell him what he wanted to know and he never took no for an answer. I was not a huge fan of him forcing his will onto Maya all the time.
And Maya gave up way to often or rather always and much too soon when she asked him something and he didn’t want to answer her. I got really frustrated with her and wanted to yell in her face because why he is always allowed not to answer but she is forced to answer, I don’t know. He always either spanked or fucked her until she spilt the beans.

He slowly brings her into submission without her noticing what she is getting herself into. I really hated that about him. Compliance, control, defiance, punishment. Did she ever agree to it? He says that it’s all part of the deal. I say its bullshit.
When he spanked her for doubting him, I was furious and in the end I just thought, what irony.

But when Daniel wasn't commanding her for once I think he's really sweet and I really enjoyed reading this book especially at around 60% when she jumped out of his driving jag.
Clive has grown on me then at the Seven Dials scene and I loved his character as well as Lucy’s and Norman’s.

Oh and I loved the scene before Maya and Daniel started strolling to the office when he looked at the couple passing by and holding hands and he looked at his hand before he took her hand in his. I really wanted to know what he was thinking there when he was looking at his hand. His POV would be so interesting. I would definitely read it.

What creeped me out:
When Daniel suddenly woke her up in her bed in the middle of the night after she told him that he scares her and she doesn’t want to see him again. He was so full of himself. He just woke her to have sex with her and force her to be with him again.

And why was he always shushing her?? I got so angry at him all the time. And is it just me or is the word capiche not a nice word? I hate this word because it accepts no answer. It’s the worst word of all words.

He always told her that if she doesn’t want to do something, they didn’t have to do it. But when she said no he still did it. I know that she had a safeword and could have used it but still, a no is a no.


-- I received an ARC of this book from the author through the Fifty Shades Support Group on Goodreads in exchange for an honest review. --

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Release Blitz: Redemption by Michelle Horst

Redemption
by Michelle Horst
Series:
Men of Honor #2
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: September 27th, 2017 
 

Blurb:

She barged her way into my life and demanded that I be her friend. That was the best day of my life. The day Quinn took one look at my sorry ass, and decided I needed her.

She was right. I can’t live a day without her smile. She’s my heart and soul. I’ve become her shadow, always threatening any guy that dares to even look at her.

I’ve fallen for my best friend. I wish I’d told her sooner how much I love her.

I was only five minutes late. That’s all it took for him to take her.
He ripped the sun right out of my life.

In the darkest of nights, even your shadow leaves you.
Those are the only words she’s spoken to me since that night. They haunt me, a constant echo in the emptiness left behind.

Because of him, she now fears me. But I’ll be patient with her.
I’ll get my sunshine back once I’ve dealt with him.
He’s had a taste of her and just like me, he’s addicted.
He’ll come for her again and when he does, I’m going to make him suffer.

I’m a Jackson. I’ve learned from the best. He’s a dead man walking and I’m the Grim Reaper.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35125561-redemption


Buy now:


ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE MEN OF HONOR SERIES:

Predator
by Michelle Horst
Series:
Men of Honor #1
 
 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29287144-predator
Buy now:
99c for a limited time
US: http://amzn.to/2wdEKQo
UK: http://amzn.to/2x4kJZQ
CA: http://amzn.to/2f9XKrs
AU: http://amzn.to/2eZ0eWd
#Free in Kindle Unlimited


 
About the author:

Michelle Horst is a Bestselling Romance Author who likes her books hot, dirty, and with a touch of darkness. She loves an alpha hero who is not scared to fight for his woman.

Want to be up to date with what’s happening in Michelle’s world? Sign up to receive the latest news on her alpha hero releases, sales, and great giveaways → http://eepurl.com/cUXM_P

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Giveaway:

Cover Reveal: Crave: Part Two by E.K. Blair

Crave: Part Two
by E.K. Blair
Series:
Crave Duet #2
Genre: New Adult Romance/Coming of Age
Release Date: October 16th, 2017

Blurb:

Weeks became months, and months became years. Each day nudged Kason deeper into his addiction. Each memory of the girl destroyed fed the craving for what he could never have again.

Leaving a life-altering first love behind, Adaline tried moving forward to find love and trust and happiness. Pain eventually faded, wounds slowly healed, yet scars were forever left behind.

But some scars feel like kisses.

When the shattered pieces of their hearts are forced to meet again, the two of them must decide how much pain their love is worth enduring.

This is what happens when one person loves beyond the craving and the other craves beyond the loving.
 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34929095-crave


Pre-order here:



ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE CRAVE DUET:

Crave: Part One
 by E.K. Blair
Series:
Crave Duet #1 
 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34929050-crave


 

About the author:

E.K. Blair, takes her readers on an emotional roller coaster with her dynamic and intense writing style. Noted for her ability to create fleshed-out characters that will evoke a realm of reactions, you can be assured that her stories will linger with you far beyond the last word.

A former first grade teacher with an imagination that runs wild. Daydreaming and zoning out is how she was often found in high school. Blair tends to drift towards everything dark and moody. Give her a character and she will take pleasure in breaking them down, digging into their core to find what lies underneath.

Aside from writing, E.K. Blair finds pleasure in music, drinking her Starbucks in peace, and spending time with her friends. She’s a thinker, an artist, a wife, a mom, and everything in between.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / BookBub

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Book Review: Heartless by Michelle Horst

I really wanted to love this story like so many others did but despite all the good parts and it being unputdownable I just wasn’t able to. =( It was really different to all other books that I’ve read by this author and I did enjoy this read but there was just too much that bothered me.

This kind of rating is actually a first for me and I feel really bad because I absolutely enjoyed and liked lots of the book and parts of it were even better than some other books of hers but I just couldn’t give more stars even if I wanted to.
You wanna know why I had to rate it so low? Keep on reading.

The Story:
Della isn’t like all the other girls. She doesn’t date and she sure as hell doesn’t need any boys to screw around with. Her focus is on studying and to provide a better life for her sister. In order to do that, she has to pass all the exams and there’s no time for any kind of distraction. Though in the end, she can’t resist Carter Hayes and his charm. Although he isn’t always the nicest, he sure as hell pushes all her buttons and sets her heart on fire. But what will happen after college when she leaves and all of this is left behind her?
But there’s one thing she takes with from her time with Carter and when he steps into her life again years later, it’s just a matter of time until everything will come together.

‘It’s really confusing liking someone you don’t like.’

Thoughts:
So, first off, it was a fast paced story and that’s not even exaggerating. From start to finish, so many years passed, it was hard to keep up. Anyway, we got all of the good stuff you want to read in a book but it felt like all the things in between were missing. Like important conversations of characters getting to know each other or just random stuff about college or work or just life.

Don’t get me wrong. The story was exciting and I couldn’t put the book down because there was always something going on and it jumped from one thing to the other. It was like fast forward on their lives.

There were some things that bothered me a lot. For example of how low the heroine thought about all the girls falling for the boys and wanting to be screwed by the screw crew. She wasn’t one of those girls and she didn’t understand why they were all gooey around the guys. And then, all of a sudden, she wasn’t any different than the girls she just thought derogatory about. It’s safe to say that I didn’t like her that much.

I didn’t like that the group of boys was called the screw crew when they later turned out to be really nice guys. Kind of anyway because apart from at the beginning, there wasn’t any hint on them screwing around that much. So I had a hard time placing them because one second I hated them and the next I liked them. It was weird and got me all confused.

What’s his name? Oh, yeah, Carter. I already forgot. Anyway, I didn’t know what to think of Carter because he was such a heartless as**ole in the beginning. The things he did. Oh man. He did nice things here and there but as the rest of the group, I never knew what he came up with.

I could go on and on here. Me telling you what I didn’t like could be never ending but I don’t want to rant about the book. It sounds so crazy when I tell you that it was really entertaining and fun to read no matter how much it pissed me of at the same time.

This story’s just as unreal as it could get without it being supernatural. I felt like being in a love/hate relationship.

If you usually don’t like the boring parts of books where there are lots of details and explaining and whatnot in life, then this is the perfect book for you! Because it’s filled with all the good stuff. You just have to imagine the rest of it.

-- I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. --

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Release Blitz: Drawn to Him: A Romance Collection

Drawn to Him: A Romance Collection
by A. Zavarelli, Jade West,
Isabella Starling, K. Webster, K.L. Kreig,
L.J. Shen, M. Never & Willow Winters
Genre:
Romance Anthology/Romantic Suspense
Release Date: September 19th, 2017

Blurb:

There are some men who make you helpless.

You know the kind. They steal the breath from your lungs and make your heart beat a little faster with a single look. You can’t stop staring, but the moment they pin those gorgeous eyes on you, you’re done for.

The kind that’s too hard to resist.

This is a collection of men just like that.

Handsome, confident and all for you. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35650390-drawn-to-him



Buy now:

Monday, September 18, 2017

Cover Reveal: Scandalous by LJ Shen

Scandalous
by LJ Shen
Series:
Sinners of Saint #3
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 29th, 2017
 
Blurb:

They call him The Mute for a reason.
Hard, cold and calculated, he rarely speaks.
When he does, it’s with disdain.
When he does, his words aren’t meant for me.
When he does, my stomach flips and my world tilts on its axis.
He is thirty-three.
I am eighteen.
He’s a single dad and my father’s business partner.
I’m just a kid to him and his enemy’s daughter.
He’s emotionally unavailable.
And I am…feeling. Feeling things I shouldn’t feel for him.
Trent Rexroth is going to break my heart. The writing isn’t just on the wall, it’s inked on my soul.
And yet, I can’t stay away.
A scandal is the last thing my family needs. But a scandal is what we’re going to give them.
And oh, what a beautiful chaos it will be.

https://goo.gl/rBwXhs
 
 
 
START THE SERIES OF STANDALONES TODAY!

Vicious
by LJ Shen
Series: Sinners of Saint #1
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30839185-vicious
Buy now:
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2xdCsQ6
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2jzngb4
Free in Kindle Unlimited

 
About the author:

L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.
Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.
She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

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Release Blitz: Treading The Traitor's Path: Out Bad

Treading The Traitor's Path: Out Bad
by MariaLisa deMora
Series:
Neither This, Nor That, #2
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: September 18th, 2017
Cover Photography: wanderaguiar; Cover Model: JamesClippinger; Cover Artist: Debera Kuntz

Synopsis:

Fate is a fickle mistress. No matter a man’s desires, she tends to give with one hand, and take with the other. Good or bad, it doesn’t matter to her, as long as there’s balance.

Ralph Lewis, otherwise known as Po’Boy, made one decision that changed the trajectory of his entire life. On the losing end of a schoolyard fight, he’d been on his back in the dust, glaring up at the boy who’d flattened him. Had watched unbelieving as that same boy stretched out his hand, offering to help Ralph to his feet. Against every instinct, he had accepted.

In that instant, he went from friendless pariah to having a partner and ally. For the first time in his life, he was respected ... and feared. Po’Boy spent the next decade defending his position at his best friend’s side. Life was good. Fate has a way of taking back the reins, though.

A long-ago action places him directly in the crosshairs of their enemies, and circumstances force Po’Boy’s hand. Members of motorcycle clubs, men like him who live an outlaw’s life don’t treat kindly with traitors, and in their world, that is what Po’Boy has become.

With events threatening to pull him away from everything he holds dear, he’s made to walk a careful line to keep those he loves safe. Bound by silence, for his brothers’ sake, he’ll suffer through the worst thing that can happen to a man who lives and breathes the brotherhood. Out Bad.
 
http://tinyurl.com/OutBad-GR

 
Buy now:
 
 
 
Excerpt:
 
From Chapter Five
Po’Boy opened his eyes a slit to see a figure looming over him in the darkness. The flaring light from the bonfire was barely enough to let him recognize an ally, Wrench. A CoBo member who had known Penny her entire life. One who had a thing for her once, giving way when Twisted staked his claim. Wrench was looking down at Po’Boy, and he was about to sit up and greet him when the expression on the man’s face caught his attention.
It was avid. Hungry.
Wrench’s gaze was trailing along Po’Boy’s form, pausing at his chest, then moving down to his crotch. His nostrils flared, and the muscles in his jaw tensed, jumping as he ground his teeth together.
Aroused.
Po’Boy’s cock twitched, and the movement must have been visible because he watched as Wrench’s tongue came out in a languorous swipe across his bottom lip. What the fuck?
A sound from by the bonfire pulled Wrench’s gaze away, and he took a step backwards, then two, before turning and stalking into the darkness.
What. The. Fuck?
Copyright © 2017. MariaLisa deMora. All Rights Reserved.
 
 
 
ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE NEITHER THIS, NOR THAT SERIES:

This Is The Route Of Twisted Pain
by MariaLisa deMora
Series:
Neither This, Nor That, #1
 
Blurb:

Legends are born from moments like these. Folktales spun around a single point in time so perfect, you can almost hear the click resonating through the universe as things align.

George Bell, aka Twisted, knows the odds are against him. Have been all his life. Born in a Louisiana bordello, raised around the rough and rowdy men of a motorcycle club, he’s never been the lucky type. But he believes luck can change, so when fate gives him a glimpse of breathtaking beauty, he’s more than willing to roll the dice. Chancing upon what could be the woman of his dreams, he’s prepared to push this streak as far as he can.

Penny Dane’s background gives her an edge in the life she’s chosen to lead. Raised in a can-do family, she’s resilient, rolling with life’s punches and landing on her feet. But, when the past holds painful secrets—when a single misstep can turn deadly—can she trust the passion this man stirs in her?

On the surface, Bell and Penny don’t work. Their mismatched worlds are too different. But like a backwater bayou, what you see is not the whole story, there are mysteries buried underneath. Penny is the red-haired beauty caught up in a web of lies. Bell is like no one she’s ever met before. The problem is, he knows it.

18+ due to explicit content.
 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30171930-this-is-the-route-of-twisted-pain
 
 
 
 
About the author:

Raised in the south, MariaLisa learned about the magic of books at an early age. Every summer, she would spend hours in the local library, devouring books of every genre. Self-described as a book-a-holic, she says “I’ve always loved to read, but then I discovered writing, and found I adored that, too. For reading … if nothing else is available, I’ve been known to read the back of the cereal box.”

A hockey fan, hiker, gamer, and single mom of a special needs son, she embraces her inner geek and has been working in the tech field for a publishing company for a couple decades.

Music is a driving passion, and she says, “I love music of nearly any genre — jazz, country, rock, alt rock, metal, classical, bluegrass, rap, hip hop … you name it, I listen to it. I can often be seen dancing through the house in the early mornings. But I really, REALLY love live music. My favorite thing with music is seeing bands in small, dive bars [read: small, intimate venues]. If said bar [venue] has a good selection of premium tequila, then that’s a plus!”

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Friday, September 15, 2017

Release Blitz: In Too Deep by Lexi Ryan

 In Too Deep
by Lexi Ryan
Series: The Blackhawk Boys #5
Genre: Sports Romance
Release Date: September 15th, 2017


Blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Lexi Ryan brings readers a sexy NFL player who’s pulled out all the stops for one more chance with the love of his life.


***

I have four months to make my wife fall in love with me or let her go forever.

I loved Bailey Green long before she watched her loser ex take his last breaths. I held her while they lowered his coffin into the ground, stilled her shaking hands when the nightmares would tear her from sleep. I waited for her through her grief. But while she was always willing to let me in her bed, she refused to let me in the one place I longed to be—her heart.

Tired of playing second string to a dead man, I let her go. I moved to Florida to begin my NFL career and tried to pretend my perfect life didn’t leave me empty. I’d almost given up. Until one drunken night in Vegas, we stumbled down the aisle and said, “I do.”

In exchange for the divorce she wants so badly, she’s agreed to remain my wife until the end of the year. She has no idea the favors I’ve called in or the lies I’ve told to get her here, but if I succeed, none of that matters.

My secrets always seemed justified, but Bailey has her own—secrets that explain why she always pushed me away, secrets that make me wonder if I should have let her. Now we’re in too deep and I might lose the only girl I’ve ever loved and the best friend I’ve ever had.

In Too Deep is a sexy and emotional novel intended for mature readers. It’s the fifth book in the world of the Blackhawk Boys, but can be enjoyed as a standalone.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35595618-in-too-deep

Buy now:

“You know, once you were my friend,” I say. “And maybe that’s what I miss most about us. Maybe instead of judging me for my decisions, you could try being my friend again.”
He puts his glass down on the table, his eyes locking on mine before he slowly stalks toward me.
I lift my chin, refusing to back down, because dammit, I shouldn’t have to apologize for wanting Mason’s friendship. Is that so terrible?
But my defiant stance doesn’t faze him and he keeps coming, one step at a time, until he’s finally up against that bubble he prefers to keep between us. He takes another step and he’s inside it, but still not nearly as close as I want him. He takes another, and if I had the courage, I could reach out and touch him. Another step and he’s so close that he has to bend his head down to maintain eye contact. So close that if I lift onto my toes, I could brush my lips against his.
I almost do, if only because fighting with him makes me feel as if there’s something broken in me, and I want it to be over. I miss the soft stroke of his lips against mine. I miss the sound of his sweet murmurs as he unbuttoned my pants and slid my underwear off my hips. I miss the sex, but more than that, I miss the way he’d hold me after. He held me in a way no one else had ever bothered to. Not even Nic. Mason would pull me against him, my back to his chest, and he’d snuggle against me until I could feel the warmth of his breath against my bare shoulder.
I want all of that again, and what breaks my heart the most is if I’d known when I took that deal—if I could have seen into the future and gotten a glimpse of exactly what I was giving up—I still would have done it. I did what I had to do.
Mason’s eyes drop to my mouth. “I don’t want to be your friend, Bailey.”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “You’re making that really clear. All or nothing, am I right?”
His jaw hardens, and I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but he moves even closer. My back’s against the sliding glass door, and his body presses into mine. He shifts until his thigh is between my legs, and then he lifts a hand to my hair, sliding his thumb up my neck until he’s cupping my jaw. I want to melt because I’ve missed this so damn much. I’ve missed him so damn much.
“I’ve never wanted to be your friend,” he says, shaking his head. And it’s a blow to the heart I’m not sure I’m strong enough to endure. When I told him we could be lovers but nothing more, we were friends…best friends. Then he moved down here and shut me out.
“I’m sorry my friendship was such a burden.” Fuck, even my sarcasm sounds weak, but this whole conversation has me vulnerable.
“It wasn’t a burden. It was a daily reminder of what I couldn’t have. I thought that if I quit fucking you it wouldn’t hurt so much that you refused to be mine.” His thumb traces my bottom lip, and I tremble. “I thought if I could get the memory of your taste out of my head that maybe I’d be okay with being your buddy.” He sneers the word, his face twisting in disgust, but when the sneer falls away, it leaves raw need in its wake. “But I was wrong. I don’t want to be your friend, because that means you’re only giving me part of yourself, and I am the spoiled bastard you say I am. What was your word? Privileged?”
He dips his head down and turns his face to the side, sweeping the tip of his nose over the tip of mine. “I don’t want your friendship unless it comes with your body. And I don’t want your body unless it comes with your heart.” He dips a little farther and brushes his lips so softly against mine that I almost wonder if I’m imagining it. Maybe he isn’t touching me at all. Maybe the sensation is nothing more than air passing between our mouths.
He’s chipping at the walls I keep erected around my heart. And what happens when they’re gone? What happens when he sees me for who I really am?
“You say you want to be my friend,” he says, “but friends don’t lie to each other. They don’t hide their pasts.” His hand falls from my hair. I brace myself for his retreat, but he doesn’t back away. Instead, he finds the hem of my dress and slides up my thigh, then between my legs until he reaches my cotton panties. “Is this it, then? Is this all you want from me?”
His knuckles skim across my center, and I should stop him. Fuck. I should stop him. I know what he’s trying to do, what he’s trying to say, and how I’ll feel when this is over. But all I can think is how I feel right now. How it finally feels to have him this close—his heat, his touch.
All I can think is that if the rest of my life is going to be some sucky, lonely series of if-onlys and what-ifs, dragging from one day to the next, I just want this moment for as long as it can last. Maybe I’ll wrap it up and hold on to it. Keep it for later when I can untuck it and examine the heat of his breath against my neck or the gentle graze of his fingertips along the lace edge of my panties.
He nips at my ear with his teeth, and I moan. His breath has gone shallow, and I can feel the tension building in him—that push and pull of wanting and knowing you shouldn’t want. It’s easy for me to recognize, because I’ve lived in that limbo for almost four years.
© Lexi Ryan, 2017




ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE BLACKHAWK BOYS SERIES:

Spinning Out
by Lexi Ryan
Series: The Blackhawk Boys #1
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29547264-spinning-out 
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Rushing In
by Lexi Ryan
Series: The Blackhawk Boys #2
 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29547285-rushing-in
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Going Under
by Lexi Ryan
Series: The Blackhawk Boys #3
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29547292-going-under
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Falling Hard
by Lexi Ryan
Series: The Blackhawk Boys #4
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33014673-falling-hard
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About the author: 
 
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of emotional romance that sizzles, Lexi enjoys reading, sunshine, a good glass of wine, and rare trips to the beach. Lexi lives in Indiana with her husband, two children, and neurotic dog. You can find her at her website: http://www.lexiryan.com/

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