She's the One: COunting on Love, Book 1 (37 page)

Allie pulled her phone from her pocket and thumbed through her contacts. Gavin was the first G. She pressed his name and
Call
and waited for it to ring. She didn’t even know if this was still his number.

It went to voice mail. But it was definitely his voice mail.

His deep, familiar voice swept over her and she felt like crying.

Then the beep sounded and she got mad again. It was the middle of the night and she was calling him. Shouldn’t he at least be
curious
? If he’d called her she would most definitely be curious. She’d pick up for sure.
If he was screening her calls, she was going to be pissed. Not that she would know. But still…

“Gavin,” she said. “This is Allie. I want you to know that you should be here. That’s what I need. You to be here. And I just thought you should know that. And you should know…all the other stuff too.” She felt like she was trying to see through fog. Nothing was clear. She wanted him to know…something. Something about…someone. Who? Crystal? No, he didn’t know Crystal. Maybe it was about her. Yeah, probably. “I want you to know that…” She frowned, wracking her alcohol-soaked brain. The next song started and Whitney Houston’s voice floated over her. Oh, she loved this song. It was old, but it was a classic love song. She started to sway, the phone still against her ear. She pulled the phone away and stared at it. Gavin. She’d called Gavin.

The man she wished was here, the guy she wanted to be at the end of the aisle tomorrow.

Her eyes welled with tears. He wouldn’t be, and she couldn’t call him again after she married Josh. This was her last chance to tell him what she really felt.

She started to sing along. “And I…will always love you…”

It was amazing how much she sounded like Whitney, Allie marveled. Really amazing.

Being bad never felt so good…

Born to Be Wild

© 2012 Elle Kennedy

Welcome to Paradise, Book 3

Bree Lockhart was always the good girl—on the surface. During her senior year of high school, however, her inner bad girl was lured out to play by reckless, carefree Jake Bishop. Her parents’ worst nightmare, and the man she she’s never forgotten.

Twelve years later, she’s home for a charity event and up for auction. The highest bidder? Jake. This time around, he wants more than a wild ride—he wants it all. But she’s not about to risk her heart on another fling that’ll just leave it in pieces.

Jake once reveled in showing Bree how good it is to be bad. But convincing her he can be good for her is going to take some very special tactics…

Warning: This book features a bad boy soldier determined to chip away at a good girl’s resistance with hot sex, hot sex, and…more hot sex.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Born to Be Wild:

Stepping into the ballroom, Bree searched the crowd, needing to get this over with as soon as possible. So what if her body had been consumed with heat when she and Jake had made eye contact? She wasn’t a horny teenager anymore.
She
controlled her hormones now, not the other way around.

Sighing, she weaved through the throng of people, then came to a standstill when she caught sight of Jake by the refreshment table.

God, he looked good. Really, really good. A white dress shirt clung to his broad chest, black trousers encasing his long, trim legs. And his face—man, he’d grown even sexier with age. Ruggedly gorgeous features, gray eyes smoldering with seductive heat. The man oozed sex and masculinity. He always had, and probably always would.

When their eyes locked, that same surge of desire she’d experienced on stage made a reappearance. Steeling herself against his potent maleness, she strode over to the drink table and managed a faint smile. “Hey, Jake,” she said, keeping her tone light.

“Bree,” he said in that husky voice of his. His stormy silver eyes swept over her. “You look good.”

She swallowed. “So do you.” So good that her nipples were already hardening against the front of her lacy bra.

Damn it. Twelve freaking years later, and her libido still kicked up a notch in the presence of this man.

“It’s been a long time,” he added.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “How’s military life?”

Something indecipherable flashed across his chiseled face. “Same as always. How’s lawyer life?”

“It’s great,” she admitted. “I love my job.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Was he? Because as she recalled, he hadn’t seemed too concerned when he’d persuaded her to skip the SATs so they could spend the day in bed.

Your fault, not his
.

Fine, there was some truth to that. Jake hadn’t forced her to miss the test. She’d done that all by herself. So wrapped up in his sexual spell that she’d been willing to drop everything for just one more second with him.

God, back then she would’ve done anything for Jake Bishop. He was the guy who’d shown her how much fun life could be, that under the surface she was a good girl just waiting to be bad. And lord, she’d been bad. Not just in exploring her sexuality with Jake, but neglecting school, rebelling against her parents.

But she was older now. Wiser. A successful lawyer, the proud new owner of a beautiful bungalow in Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood, a woman who was completely happy with her life.

Yet as she looked into Jake’s hypnotic gray eyes, she realized that no matter how happy she was, her life still lacked one thing: Passion. She’d slept with other men since Jake, but she couldn’t remember the last time a man’s mere proximity made her heart gallop like a racehorse. Or when the simple sound of a man’s voice brought such a delicious ache to her core.

Only Jake managed to evoke that response in her, which was really freaking annoying.

“So…” She cleared her throat. “You didn’t have to spend a thousand bucks to have dinner with me, you know. If you wanted to catch up, we could have done it over breakfast at the diner, free of charge.”

“Is that what you want to do tonight? Catch up?” His voice held a mocking note.

Bree’s heart did a little flip, but she caught herself before her pulse sped off into oblivion. “It would be nice,” she said noncommittally. “I’d like to hear what you’ve been up to all these years.”

“Really?” He edged closer and his masculine scent grabbed hold of her senses. Soap and spice and something woodsy. “So you want to listen to my anecdotes and share life stories?”

“Y-yes.”

He chuckled.

The sound sent a shiver up her spine.

“Come on, Bree, we both know conversation isn’t on the agenda for tonight.”

Indignation hardened her jaw. “We haven’t seen each other since high school, Jake. Did you honestly think I’d take one look at you and fall into bed with you again?”

“Yes.”

Cocky bastard.

But damn if her thighs didn’t quiver at the thought.

You’re not a bad girl anymore. You never were.

She lifted her chin, gathering up her resolve. No matter how gorgeous Jake was, no matter how much her body responded to him, she wouldn’t sleep with him tonight. That ship had sailed a long time ago, and falling back into old habits—bad habits—wasn’t something she could afford to do right now. She had an important lawsuit about to go to trial, a house she was still in the process of decorating, a life that didn’t include Jake Bishop.

Or sex with Jake Bishop.

“Sorry to disappoint, but the only thing that’s on the table is dinner,” she said firmly.

The sultry heat of his silver eyes penetrated her body. “What happened to the Bree Lockhart who used to be up for anything?”

“She grew up.” Bree rolled her eyes. “Evidently, you haven’t.”

He flashed her a grin, that crooked badass grin that never failed in making her melt. “Growing up is overrated, sweetheart.”

“If you say so.” She slanted her head. “So, dinner?”

He shrugged. “Dinner it is.” He looked around the crowded ballroom, focusing on the auction in progress. The bachelors were taking their turns on the stage, but Jake didn’t seem the slightest bit interested in the festivities. “Wanna get out of here now?”

Her heart skipped another beat and she had to chastise herself for getting excited. This was nothing more than dinner. Dinner between old friends. Old lovers. Just because Jake was eyeing her like he wanted to get her naked didn’t mean she’d let him. She was thirty years old, for Pete’s sake. A strong, resilient woman who could surely fight off the advances of one Jake Bishop.

Right?

“Sure,” she agreed. “But I’m serious, Jake, this is
dinner
.”

He reached for her arm, and the warmth of his touch seared her skin and sent shockwaves of desire through her body. “Of course,” he assured her. The wolfish twinkle in his eyes totally betrayed his casual tone.

“I mean it,” she insisted.

“Uh-huh.”

Bree gulped and followed him out of the ballroom.

She will never be free to love…until she finds the courage to heal.

Sins from Her Past

© 2013 Jules Bennett

Scandalous, Book 1

After her parents’ deaths, Evelyn Banks endured a living hell for nearly two years at the hands of her godfather’s son. She couldn’t tell anyone…not her brother, and certainly not the godfather who took them in.

Now she is twenty-five—and still trapped in silence. After all the time, no one would believe her. And any revelation of her shame could halt her godfather’s political aspirations. But what she can do is take her design firm to the next level with a project for her brother’s best friend. Handsome, sexy hotelier Vincent Hawk.

Vin has always had a thing for Evie, but kept his hands off out of respect for her brother. Now that they’re traveling together, though, keeping his distance is tearing him apart. Except every move he makes to get close is met with not just mere resistance, but with a fear-whitened face and trembling body.

Evie can’t deny she’s falling for Vin, but accepting their future means facing her past…a past that could destroy everyone she loves.

Warning: This book contains a heroine who fights to get past her demons, a hero who’s more than willing to help, a few emotional scenes that may require a tissue and some steamy love scenes guaranteed to make you fan yourself.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Sins from Her Past:

Oh mercy.

Was the man purposely toying with her? She would not be a cliché and fall for her boss. Technically they were friends first, but right now he was her boss.

“How about if we turn the tables and discuss the woman behind the new design business?”

She laughed. “Okay, Vincent, I’ll let you dig deeper into my professional life for a bit.”
But not too deep.

The water bottle popped as he squeezed it a bit too hard, so he settled it into the cup holder and screwed the cap back on. “What can you offer me?”

Tremors raced, one after the other, through her body. She knew he meant business but, mercy, his words had a whole other meaning. Almost sexual and for the first time, she wanted to explore that underlying passion, but that damn fear kept her from doing so. Still, she was thankful and almost relieved at these normal feelings of desire.

Evelyn ran a finger over the stones of her single-strand diamond bracelet. “I have an eye for details and am a perfectionist. I take the work off my clients so they can relax and enjoy the process.”

“From working with you and the team at Marshall’s I can see how much you love your work.”

“Every minute.”

“That’s what will set you apart from the rest.” His eyes held hers, his tone softened. “When you love something it comes through without any effort.”

Smile frozen in place, Evelyn eyed him with a tilt of her head. “Don’t tell me you love your work. Money clouds the vision.”

“There you go assuming you know the business side of me,” he corrected. He glanced out the side window, then quickly back at her. “Yes, money is nice, but I love what I do just as much as you do. I wouldn’t be in this business if I didn’t. You know how hard I work. Money is a side benefit of doing something I love.”

“Didn’t mean to lump you into the category of rich snobs,” she told him, batting her lashes.

“Oh please. You love knocking me down a peg.” He laughed. “Seriously, I won’t let the money change me.”

“It hasn’t,” she assured him, taking in his faded jeans and black, fitted T-shirt. “I promise to smack you back to reality if it does.”

“I’m afraid you’d like smacking me a little too much,” he told her.

Yes, he owned a jet and two homes, but the man was generous with his time and money and constantly donated to children’s charities and women’s shelters. While he never bragged or boasted about it, Evelyn had witnessed firsthand the people whose lives he’d touched with his generosity. And he didn’t just donate money—often he donated his time.