Chapter Reveal: Dirty Sexy Secret (Green County #1) by Nazarea Andrews

About the Author:

Nazarea Andrews (N to almost everyone) is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. Which means she writes everything from zombies and dystopia to contemporary love stories.

When not writing, she can most often be found driving her kids to practice and burning dinner while she reads, or binging watching TV shows on Netflix. N loves chocolate, wine, and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids.

She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, spoiled cat and overgrown dog. She is the author of World Without End series, Neverland Found, Edge of the Falls, and The University of Branton Series.

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Chapter Excerpt from Dirty Sexy Money:

Three killers, two cop, and a journalist walk into a bar.
Sounds like a bad joke, right? It's not.
It's the end--dear god I hope it's the end--of the worst two days of my life.
I just hope we all walk out alive.

Chapter 1

Some people say you can't go home again.

And that is a complete pile of bullshit. You can. It just won't be home.

I should know. I did it.

Green County doesn't change. It's been four years since I bolted and six months since I sucked up all my pride and ego and came back. And it still struck me as strange. Green County was exactly the same. Same ridiculous festivals. Same leafy boulevards and parks filled with yoga moms and shrieking children. The same gossips line the coffee shop and eye me when I step in.

They'll chatter my every move to Eli later, cooing over him while warning that I was too skinny, too wild too rude too too too. They did the same thing in high school. It was just as fucking annoying then as it is now.

Nothing changed in Green Co. If you want change you go somewhere else and you let it wrap you up tight and fight like hell to keep from being dragged back.

Eli gets pissy when I say shit like that. But Eli never left Green Co. Never felt the need to get out, to see and shape the world. He's always been more than happy to see and shape the County.

And you know, he was right. He was good at it. I loved that he cared so much about Green Co. That he wanted to save the little Kansas county from itself.

Someone had too.

I flash the ladies a smile as I order two extra-large iced coffees. Cindy grins at me, punching in the order and adding a slice of banana bread and her boxed lunch.

“Long day, Hazel?”

I grin, a half quirk of my lips that passes as a grin these days. “It’s a day ending in Y, Cins. Those are always long.”

She gives me a smirk that tips toward worry. “You need a day off, sugar.”

I make a face, and drop a twenty on the counter as I take my order. “I don’t even know what I’d do with that much free time.”

She arches an eyebrow at me and I grin at her.

“Hazel, my love,” Gabe says, sailing through the door of the coffee shop as I turn away from the counter.

I swallow the grin before it twists into a smirk. “Gabriel,” I say, almost frosty and he laughs.

Smug bastard.

“We should carpool, love, if we’re going to keep meeting like this. Save the planet and all.”

“Because you care so much about the damn planet,” I scoff, and he makes a face, all wounded dignity.

The problem with that face is that I know Gabe. I've known him my whole life.

Gabe is everything I ran away from when I left Green County. Everything I wanted to forget. The smirk that means trouble and the too sharp eyes that sees right through my quick easy lies and watches with concern when I isolate.

Fucking bastard is my neighbor. He's too damn close for comfort and too damn nosy for his own good.

And coming from an investigative journalist, that's pretty fucking nosy.

"I've got work, Gabe. So as much as I'd love to spar," I shift my boxes and nod at the door.

"Hazy," he says, and it draws me up. Because once, we were friends. We were impossibly close. He was my rock, and I threw him away. Because I was so fucking determined. To be more. To get out. I fucked up and I ran, and I left Gabe behind with all my other mistakes.

I always regretted that. Hurting Gabe.

"Wine night?" he asks, slightly pleading, and I flinch, falling back a step.

It's still too soon for that shit. And he sees it in my eyes.

His smile dips, just a little. Just enough that I notice. Because I know him better than he knows himself, and I can read his sadness in the line of his shoulders.

"Maybe next week," I offer, shuffle stepping closer to the door. Aware of all the church ladies watching, and Cindy, standing at the counter, her lips pulled down in a frown, and worry.

And Gabe shrugs it off. Beams at me like a fucking lunatic, and nods.

Gives me the out.

I flash him a quick smile and move toward the door, and he steps to the side, giving me a sardonic smile.

Because he's Gabe.

And this is Green County.

And nothing here changes. Not really.

The door opens and Brandon Archer steps through, all long legs and wide shoulders and a face that’s so fucking pretty it’s almost painful. His green eyes, so expressive and alive find me, and go blank. And I almost drop my bags.

Because if there was ever a mistake I made, it was him.

Eli steps in a half step behind, and a half foot taller, all big smiles and big shoulders and big hands. My brother is big everything.

His eyes brighten when he sees me and he pushes past Archer to wrap me in a hug.

It’s been about twelve hours since I saw my foster brother, so of course he’s tackle hugging me in CinSations. While Archer watches, those moss green eyes probing me. I squeak and Elijah relinquishes me reluctantly. I drive an elbow in his gut. “Dumbass. You spill my coffee, you replace it.”

He doesn’t even blink. He just shoots a quick look at Archer, an eyebrow quirked in question.

Because of course they don’t talk. How silly. Why would they?

See—this right here? This is why I left. Because I can’t handle seeing the epic fucking bromance that is Elijah Beasley and Brandon fucking Archer.

I shift, and Archer smiles, a slow curling thing that I want to smack off his face. “Hazel, sugar, you need a hand?”

My smile feels more feral than sweet, and his eyes are sparkling, that fucking amused she’s so cute light I’ve seen for so many years.

“Thanks, but Gabe is helping me. Right?” I side eye my friend who gives me this extravagant bow that doesn’t say, you just blew me off. Thank Christ for Gabe.

I twist and give Archer a smug smile. “Have a good day, Officer.”

Gabe snorts at that as he takes my bag and one of my coffees. I think I’m in the clear. That I’m safe, and out of the danger zone that is Archer.

And then his hand closes around my arm, and it pulls me to a stop.

He’s always been ridiculously able to pull me to a complete stop with almost nothing. “You can’t hide in that farmhouse forever, Hazel,” he murmurs, and I flush.

Damn fair skin. A blush is too fucking easy to see and he’s always been too fascinated with pulling them from me. I can almost feel the low chuckle he gives as he lets me go, and I fall back a step.

It’s a retreat, and that’s just another reason I scowl at him. “Tell Eli I’m making dinner on Sunday. Mama Nora is coming over.” I push past him and Gabe slips an arm around my shoulder, ignoring Archer’s sharp spike in tension. “You aren’t invited,” I add, all sugar sweet. And then I’m gone.

“Tension between you and Green Co’s finest, love?” He asks, and I should. I know I shouldn’t, but I relax into him, for a moment. Let all the years and time and secrets fall away and let him be my friend. Just for a moment.

“I’m not ready for this, Gabe,” I murmur, and he pushes a blond curl out of my eyes, watching me with those strange honey warm eyes of his. And then he nods.

“Ok. Not now. But we will talk. Soon. I just painted a target on my back and Archer’s never liked me to begin with. You owe me.”

I huff out a breath, and let my gaze dart up to him. Gabe gives me a patient, waiting look and I nod.

Because apparently things do change.

Gabe can grow up, even just a little.

“Ok. Tomorrow.” I say, and he nods. Brushes a kiss over my hair and hands me my bags as I slide into my truck.

And then he stands there, watching, braced between me and CinSations as I drive away. He was my best friend, a lifetime ago before I fucked up everything.

I wonder if maybe he could be again.



Dirty Sexy Secret (Green County, #1)
Adult Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Expected Publication: May 2016 by A&A Literary

Welcome to Green County...

Even when you know better….
There are a million reasons why Hazel Campton is off limits: she’s a journalist. I’m a cop. Oh, and she’s my foster sister.

My secret is I didn’t care. I haven’t stopped wanting her since I slept with her the night before she left.

She’s trouble. Always has been.

It’s hard to resist the thing you’ve always wanted…
Growing up with Brandon Archer means I know him. Good. Bad. Everything in between.

It’s just never mattered.

My secret? That night. The one I stole, that’s kept me from Archer and Green County, for four years. Now I’m home, and nothing has changed. Except me. And not in the way that means a damn thing.

Because I still want him.

Everything can change with a knock at the door…
Secrets. Everyone has them. Archer. Me. This town.

Perfection only runs surface deep in Green County. When there’s a knock at me door, it’s a familiar face all covered in danger, and all those secrets we hide? They’re about to come tumbling out.


The first in a sexy new series about Green County, and the people who serve there.

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Dirty Sexy Secret (Green County #1) Chapter Reveal Arranged By InkSlinger PR.

Chapter Reveal: Possess (The Syndicate #1) by Kaye Blue

About the Author:

Kaye writes hot, gritty, suspenseful romance featuring alpha males and the women who love them.

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NOTE: The following excerpt is appropriate for readers 18 years and older.


Chapter Reveal from Possess:

Prologue
Ten Years Ago…

He stepped over the first body, careful to avoid the blood that pooled around it.

It was best not to make a mess, but as he looked around the room, his disgust rising with every passing second, he was reminded that the man who had come here before him not only had no concerns about making a mess, he reveled in doing so.

He looked around the room again, his face muscles twisting with his displeasure at what he saw. A small, tidy family room, pictures on the wall, a TV in one corner. The TV still played, but the screen was dimmed by the splattered blood that covered it.

He moved deeper into the house and maneuvered around the woman who lay in the middle of the floor. He didn’t have to look closely to know that she, like the man at the door, was dead, so after a brief glimpse at her stiff, glassy-eyed face, he turned his attention to the scene unfolding in front of him.

“Get out here, you little bitch!”

He face muscles twisting even more, he focused on the man who had bellowed those words in a voice that vibrated with rage, menace, and more than a hint of excitement.

Santo Carmelli had centered himself in the narrow hallway, blocking any chance of exit. He was also frothing at the mouth, his entire body seeming to expand with rage—and anticipation—with each breath he took.

No different than usual, except now that Santo had had a taste of the violence he seemed to feed on, he wouldn’t be satisfied until he’d had his fill. And when Santo was like this, the two he’d already killed wouldn’t be nearly enough.

“No more, Santo. Let’s go,” Maxim said, keeping his voice calm, disinterested, and not letting his irritation come through, difficult as it was to hide it.

If Santo heard, he gave no indication, too far gone in the bloodlust that made him so valued by his superiors and such a pain in Maxim’s ass.

Santo let out an animalistic growl and began stomping down the hallway, uncaring of the gore that coated his shoes and hands.

Maxim didn’t follow immediately, and instead debated whether he should just end this now.

Santo, never a reasonable man, had gotten worse. Much worse. And it always fell on Maxim to clean up his messes, a task Maxim had more than tired of, a task made that much worse by Santo’s sloppiness and his inability to think when he was like this.

Maxim lifted his hand to the small but lethally sharp knife he kept in his waistband.

Finally being rid of Santo would be a relief, and would allow him to focus on more pressing issues. Santo was so distracted it would be easy to get close. Two quick slashes, and one of Maxim’s biggest annoyances and biggest potential rivals would be eliminated.

A tempting prospect, but one Maxim disregarded.

He was close, and all the pieces he needed for his takeover were in place. In a few weeks, the Syndicate would be his.

Then he’d deal with the Santo problem.

Until then…

“Santo,” he said, still calm, tone not betraying how close he’d been to ending Santo’s life.

His voice must have penetrated Santo’s blind rage, for he turned and looked at Maxim.

“Fuck off, Maxim. I’m busy,” he yelled.

“I can see that,” Maxim replied. “Busy and too fucking crazy to do this right. Go now, Santo.” He shook his head. “No fucking way. She’s back there somewhere trying to hide from me.” As Santo spoke, he glared down the hallway, yelling even louder. Then, he looked back at Maxim, eyes wild with uncontrolled rage. “You think I’m letting this go? That bitch scratched me!” he said, gesturing at the gouges that marked his arms.

Good for her.

Santo probably hadn’t even felt it, but it was good that she’d fought back. Doing so had only pissed Santo off more, and only made Maxim’s already hard job harder, but Maxim didn’t care. A few scratches were nothing, but Maxim would welcome any victory against Santo, no matter how small and symbolic or how much it inconvenienced him.

“I’ll take care of it, Santo,” Maxim said, holding the other man’s gaze.

They were equals in the Syndicate, at least in name, and Maxim had no real authority to give orders, at least not yet. But while Maxim had no official authority over Santo, he had clout, influence, and support that Santo, despite how valued he was by certain members of leadership, did not. And even when he was like this, caught up in his rage and little else, Santo knew that.

Santo’s breath began to smooth out, some of the minuscule reason he had clearing the rage in his eyes. He finally nodded. “You’re better at this than me anyway. Make it hurt,” he said as he brushed past Maxim and down the hall.

Maxim couldn’t really argue with Santo’s words. He was better, but he wasn’t a mad dog like Santo and he didn’t relish the idea of making someone suffer without good cause, wouldn’t do so simply because Santo had demanded it.

Once Santo was out of the house, Maxim began moving, only barely listening as the others who had entered began to clean the living room, instead focused on the hallway.

Three doors, all partially ajar, darkness spilling out from them.

Two bedrooms and a bathroom, Maxim assumed based on the layout common for houses in this area. This wasn’t the first time he’d been in a place like this, hunting for a person who’d had the misfortune of crossing the Syndicate’s, or Santo’s, path.

A shame, but a part of the job.

Maxim looked down the hall and quickly dismissed the door at the far end. If Maxim was right, and he’d been in this scenario far too many times to be anything else, the person Santo was chasing had planned to slip out behind him as he thrashed through the other rooms. So going to the far door wouldn’t give them the opportunity to get past him.

Which left the second bedroom or bathroom.

Both had merits.

The bedroom offered more places to hide, like the closets people were so fond of. But the bathroom had its own benefits. A window that might serve as an alternate escape, and all kinds of chemicals and cleaners that could do some damage if it came to that.

The scratches on Santo’s arms, the fact that she had gotten away, proved Santo’s prey was a fighter, so Maxim turned into the bathroom and pulled the floral shower curtain aside.

The girl was younger than him, twenty, maybe, and as he’d suspected, clutching a spray bottle of bleach so tightly that her brown fingers were turning white at the knuckles.

Her grip was so tight that it took a moment for her to react, but she did, loosening her hold and then squeezing the nozzle on the spray bottle. Her movements were jerky, panicked, and her aim was off, so the spray flew over Maxim’s shoulder and landed harmlessly behind him.

He glared at her, and her eyes widened but the rest of her body went stiff as she froze in place, staring back at him. Maxim watched her for a moment, two, saw as she debated whether to try to spray him again, saw her fingers twitch around the nozzle as she weighed the consequences of action or inaction.

Saw when she tightened her grip on the bottle.

She met his eyes, and Maxim stared back at her, curious as to what she would do. It felt like the longest time, but in reality it was only seconds. Long enough for Maxim to see that his perception of her as a fighter was true, and long enough for him to tire of their little standoff.

He pried the bottle from her hand and dropped it to the floor, staring at her, considering.

Her eyes were glassy and wet with unshed tears, but tears had long since lost the power to sway him. Maxim couldn’t say for sure if they ever actually had.

He watched her for a moment longer, unmoving. Everything he knew said he should have reached for his knife.

He didn’t.

Instead he grabbed the hand that had been holding the bleach and pulled her out of the shower.

She stared up at him, blinking rapidly, and Maxim could see the beat of her pulse at the base of her throat.

“Are you going to k-kill me?” she asked in a low whisper.

No witnesses. No loose ends. She was both.

The answer was easy.

Yes.

Maxim looked at her eyes again and then shook his head.

“No.”

Possess (The Syndicate #1)
Adult Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Expected Publication: 27 April 2016

No weakness.
Maxim has stayed alive—and on top—for twenty years through a ruthless combination of brains and brutality. He’s grown the Syndicate into one of the world’s most powerful criminal enterprises.

He cares for no one.

Except her.

The woman he never should have saved…the one who holds the remnants of his long-dead heart.

No limits.
Senna doesn’t know why Maxim spared her all those years ago, or why he’s kept her by his side. But she does know that nothing—not his beautiful cruelty, not the black void where his heart should be—can stop her from loving him. Wanting him.

Even though she shouldn’t.

No turning back.
Years of obsession sharpen to a knife’s edge when Senna begins to crave her freedom. And when an old rival discovers her existence, Maxim must fight to keep her alive, even as he battles his need to possess her completely…no matter the cost.

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Possess (The Syndicate #1) Chapter Reveal Arranged By Ardent PRose.

Chapter Reveal: Booty Call (Forbidden Bodyguards #2) by Ainsley Booth

About the Author:

Mom by day and filthy romance writer by night, Ainsley is super grateful for caffeine, banana and blueberry muffins, and yoga pants.

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Chapter Reveal:

—one—

FEBRUARY
Alison
Happy birthday to me.

I’m supposed to be having an epic shop-a-thon with my sister in SoHo, but now we're stuck at the Apple store because Hailey needs someone to fix her phone. Her fiancé Cole will have a fit if she’s off the grid.

God forbid. It’s not like she isn’t being shadowed everywhere by her bodyguard—big, brooding Scott Mayfair, of the dark, dirty looks and annoyingly consistent hands-off-Alison attitude—for our “girls weekend”. But her phone stopped working at lunch, so now Hailey’s waiting for a so-called genius to help her fix it.

Me? I’m going to take advantage of the fact that Scott can’t leave Hailey’s side and go buy myself a present.

“I’m just heading around the corner,” I murmur to my sister. She knows where I’m going. Every time we come to the city, I visit the Mercer Street Agent Provocateur. It’s become my little ritual.

Alison Dashford Reid, all grown up and secretly wearing something naughty beneath her studious university student uniform of yoga pants and hoodies. Although that’s not what I’m wearing today—while it works for Washington…New York City, not so much. Not at the level that Hailey and I are playing at this weekend.

I’ve got my Jimmy Choo fuck-me boots zipped over my skinny Sevens, and a wool jacket over a silk camisole, because it’s February and there’s only so much cold my nipples can take in the name of fashion.

I sling the skinny strap of my purse across my body and join the flow of Saturday afternoon shoppers. New York is unlike any other city in the world, and SoHo might be my favorite neighborhood in my favorite city. Narrow shops and cobblestone streets. It brings out the girly girl in me, and I indulge that lucky bitch with pretty underwear.

Inside, Agent Provocateur is glossy black lacquer and sparkling crystal chandeliers. A sea of silk and lace. Black ribbons and satin cups. It oozes feminine power and celebrates all things sexy.

My private collection of lingerie is one step in the direction of claiming more of that attitude for myself.

One day soon, I’m going to be this woman.

I sigh. Maybe not soon. I have to keep my head down until I’m done school and can leave Washington. Leave the toxic world of my parents behind and just be myself.

Be Alison, girl with silk panties. Girl with an easy, breezy attitude toward sex and men and life.

“Can I help you?” A smiling salesgirl approaches, and I’m glad I dressed up. I look the part of the rich socialite, and all afternoon I’ve been getting that treatment. Not normally something I care about one way or the other—and if pushed, I lean toward other. Because seriously, being rich just gives people the excuse to be depraved fucks.

And then have children, and ruin their lives with the depravity.

I shudder inside.

But on the outside, I just smile at the salesgirl. “I’m going to look around a bit. First time in a while since I’ve been in the store.”

First time since all the weird shit went down with my sister last year. Now I can’t just get on the train and come to New York for the weekend. Now when I suggest a girls’ trip, it’s a full-on thing, complete with Scott tagging along if Cole is busy.

We made that mistake once in the fall. Ugh. Totally un-fun, although it did beat a totally awkward family Thanksgiving.

This trip wasn’t my idea, even though it’s my birthday weekend. But Hailey’s got a gleam in her eye about a wedding dress, which means Cole’s finally won their non-stop battle over whether or not to get married.

Well, not that there’s a battle over getting married. Just a battle over the actual “getting hitched” moment. As in, Hailey doesn’t want a wedding. Not one our mother can ruin.

So I bet they’ll elope, which is totally fine.

After all the shit she’s been through, Hailey deserves to be happy.

And if she wants to buy a non-wedding dress for a secret wedding that she’s not telling me about just yet, I’ll suck up a totally un-fun trip to the big city.

After all, when I get bored, I can always ditch the bodyguard and sneak into a lingerie shop.

I smirk to myself—which of course is when karma decides to punish me.

“Something funny, Miss Reid?”

Damn it. I sigh and roll my eyes to the sparkly chandelier, keeping my back to Scott. My sister’s bodyguard. My secret crush. My totally off-limits, no-fun babysitter for the weekend, apparently, since he’s followed me, and not for any fun, dirty reasons. “How did you find me? Do I have a tracking device implanted under my skin?”

Scott laughs quietly and circles around the display until I’ve got face full of cotton dress shirt and black suit jacket. Both fitted and stretched across strong shoulders.

A wide chest.

Probably a hard set of abs, but I’ve never gotten close enough to test that theory.

I don’t look up at his face. Instead, I pretend to look at the panties on the far side of the table, right in front of his hips.

His package is pretty substantial, too. Definitely stretching the fabric there.

I blush, but I don’t duck my head further.

I’m totally fine with Scott knowing that I’m thinking about his cock.

He’s not fine with it, but that’s his problem.

He clears his throat and crosses his arms, swinging a collection of our shopping bags in front of his body to hide what I hope is a monster reaction to me. “Your sister suggested I might find you in here.”

“And you left Hailey alone to come find me?”

“Cole showed up. Turns out he had business in the city after all.”

Of course he did. Which meant that our girls’ weekend just turned into me being a third-wheel on a romantic getaway.

Fuck.

“Then I might head back to D.C.” I say quietly. I’m not trying to hide the fact I’m disappointed. It’s my birthday. I can be fucking disappointed if I want.

I can swear like a fucking sailor and pretend I’m not a Dean’s List, finishing-school Good Girl, because it’s my twentieth birthday and I can’t even buy lingerie without my sister’s drama intruding.

And since that drama won’t let me check him out… yeah, I’m pouting.

“You can head home. If you want.” His voice is…is…

I jerk my eyes up to his face.

He’s mocking me.

Outrage surges through me, unexpectedly, at the barely contained laughter in his voice. I can feel my face turning red, twin dots of heat burning on my cheekbones. I pick up a complicated thong, with bonus straps that do nothing but torment the person looking at the wearer, probably, and I hold it up between us. “You don’t think I should do that, Scott?” I put my own mocking spin on his name. “What should I do instead? You think I should stay here in the big city, and buy these panties, maybe wear them out tonight under a little black dress? Knowing full well there’s not a chance in hell I’ll get peeled out of them at the end of the night by a hot guy? Happy birthday, Alison. Here’s to another year of bodyguard-enforced virginity.”

I’m being a whiny brat. I don’t care. It’s been months of this rock star treatment, and seriously, it’s overrated. We grew up in a wealthy family, so having private security isn’t totally out my realm of understanding, but Hailey’s relationship with one of Washington’s top crisis management guys—and getting tangled up in a human trafficking ring—has taken shit to a whole new level.

It actually doesn’t affect my everyday life. I go to school. I even have my own apartment now, having moved out of my parents’ estate at

Christmas time because there’s only so much fucked-up drama one can handle and still stay on the Dean’s List.

But it does affect every “sister thing” I want to do with Hailey.

Including celebrating my birthday.

So I stare at Scott, daring him—fucking daring him—to tell me that I can do anything I want, of course I can.

Because I can’t.

He stares back, his face unreadable.

“I don’t think Cole is planning on going out for dinner with you two, if that's your concern,” he finally says gruffly, but I’m still pissed off. Anger sizzles under my skin and now I’m just thinking shit that’s not fair and doesn’t really matter. But that’s the thing about feelings, right? Once you have them, you can’t just un-have them.

Tears prick at the back of my eyelids, and no, that is not happening. I pinch the inside of my palm with my fingers and slowly roll my eyes back to the ceiling, exhaling as I tell myself to pull it together.

Let him think I’m a haughty bitch. I don’t care.

“Miss Reid,” he starts, and I drop my gaze, staring past him as I twirl the panties on the tip of my finger.

“I’m not a child. You can call me Alison, or Ms. Reid. Or nothing at all. That would be my preference.” I swing past him and hold out the lace and ribbon scrap of nothing to the sales girl. “I’ll take these with a matching 32C bra, please.”

I shake my head when she asks if I’ll need to try anything on.

While the thought of making Scott sit outside a change room would usually make me achy and wet, right now I’m not in the mood to play the tease.

Not when it’s not going to get me anywhere.

I’m not a child. I told him that. I told my parents the same thing when I moved into my own apartment.

One of these days, I’m going to start believing it for myself.

And until then, I’ll fake it.

I’ve been doing that my entire life. I’m a pro.

After I pay for my purchases, I head for the door. Scott stands back, letting me move past him, but even though he hasn’t said anything, I still feel unsettled. Like maybe I haven’t had the last word. He doesn’t get to do that to me.

I am not a child. I won’t be handled.

I stop and meet his gaze head-on. “Call the restaurant and change our reservation. Cole can join us. And you can, too.”

“I’m fine at the bar…Ms. Reid.” His jaw clenches, but that’s the only reaction.

“I understand that.” I lift my bag and wave it in the air. “But since my future brother-in-law won’t let me wear this for anyone else, tonight

I’m wearing these for you. Whether you like it or not.”

Booty Call (Forbidden Bodyguards #2)
New Adult Contemporary Erotic Romance
Expected Publication: 23 February 2016

I know what I’m doing when I text Scott at four in the morning.

He knows what I’m doing, too.

That’s why he shows up twenty-three minutes later, freshly showered with a condom in his pocket and a barely dissolved breath mint on his tongue.

I smirk as he looms over me. “You are such a dirty old man.”

“We need to stop doing this.”

“Why?” “Because you’re twenty and I’m not. Because I want to take you on a f***ing date and you won’t. Because we wind up yelling at each other half the time.”

“But the rest of the time you’re inside me and it feels so good, right?”

His eyes darken and I don’t need to look down to know he’s hard for me.

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Check out the trailer for Booty Call HERE.

Booty Call Chapter Reveal Arranged By Ardent PRose.

Chapter Reveal Blast: Fatal Beauty by Nazarea Andrews (@InkslingerPR @NazareaAndrews #FatalBeauty)

About the Author:

Nazarea Andrews (N to almost everyone) is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. Which means she writes everything from zombies and dystopia to contemporary love stories. When not writing, she can most often be found driving her kids to practice and burning dinner while she reads, or binging watching TV shows on Netflix. N loves chocolate, wine, and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, spoiled cat and overgrown dog. She is the author of World Without End series, Neverland Found, Edge of the Falls, and The University of Branton Series.

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Click HERE to read Chapter 1 of Fatal Beauty



Fatal Beauty
Adult Contemporary Thriller
Expected Publication: 6 October 2015

Charlotte was a good girl. Sweet and innocent, a debutante with her Daddy’s credit card and a fiancée who doted on her.

She was destined for a perfect picture life in Charleston.

Until everything goes wrong.

EJ grew up with everything she could ever want, and bored as hell. Nothing surprises her and nothing ever changes, and she wants out—whatever it takes.

Getting involved with Anthony Jacobs is probably the worst idea she’s ever had—and that makes it irresistible.

Until Charlie needs her.

New Orleans. Los Angeles. Vegas.

Beautiful girls who know just how to get exactly what they want.

It’s all fun and games, sexy nights and wild parties.

But you can only manipulate your way out of so much, and when their past catches up, not even a pretty fucking smile will get them out of trouble this time.

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Fatal Beauty CoverChapter Reveal Arranged By InkSlingerPR.

Chapter Reveal: Before and After by Nazarea Andrews

About the Author:

Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.

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Click HERE to read the Prologue and Chapter One of Before and After.

Before and After
Adult Contemporary Romance
Expected Publication: 30 July 2015 by A&A Literary

Rike and Peyton fell in love in college.

A boy from the wrong side of the tracks, covered in ink and crooning in a bar is the last person a straight laced girl with a art major should fall for, but his rough edges made her jagged, alive, shaving away the coddled southern princess and revealing a soul wild and brilliant.

They fell in love, despite her family and his past and all the reasons why it wouldn't work--and with their best friends, they made a life. Everyone was supposed to live happily ever after.

They, more than anyone, knows that life doesn't go according to plan.

Rike and Peyton fell in love in college. A boy with a guitar, and a poet's heart, and a girl with freckles dusted over her nose, a perfect fucking fairy tale. But what happens when the fairy tale doesn't fall apart--but is forgotten?

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Chapter Reveal: Beautiful Little Fool by K.K. Hendin

About the Author:

KK Hendin’s real life ambition is to become a pink fluffy unicorn who dances with rainbows. But the schooling for that is all sorts of complicated, so until that gets sorted out, she’ll just write. Preferably things with angst and love. And things that require chocolate.

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AUTHOR NOTE FROM KK HENDIN:
Just a little warning when reading Beautiful Little Fool.
Don't trust anyone.
Don't trust anything.
Don't assume anything.
Don't hope too hard.
You may be disappointed.
Good luck reading.




CLICK HERE TO READ THE FIRST CHAPTER OF BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOL!



Beautiful Little Fool
Adult Contemporary
Published: 22 June 2015

Eighty seven billion dollars.
One dead New York business mogul.
No heirs.
No wives.
No relatives.
Eighty seven billion dollars.
Not hers yet.
He doesn’t deserve them.
He doesn’t know what to do with them.
She does.
She always has.
Eighty seven billion dollars.
He’s overwhelmed.
She’s prepared.
That will should have had her name.
Not his.
Eighty seven billion dollars.
His looks are a bonus.
Her looks are her weapon.
He’s fighting a losing battle against his heart.
He doesn’t know it yet.
Eighty seven billion dollars.
She gets everything she wants.
He’s what she wants.
Love has nothing to do with it.
To get to where you’re going, sometimes you need to step on a few people to get there.
Good thing her heels are sharp.

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Beautiful Little Fool Chapter Reveal Arranged By InkSlinger PR.

Chapter Reveal: Scorch (Delirious #3) by Clarissa Wild (@ClarissaWild)

About the Author:

Clarissa Wild is the USA Today Bestselling author of FIERCE, a college romance series, but she's best known for the dark Romance novel Mr. X. She is also a writer of erotic romance such as the Blissful Series, The Billionaire's Bet series, the Doing It Series and the Enflamed Series. She is an avid reader and writer of sexy stories about hot men and feisty women. Her other loves include her furry cat friend and learning about different cultures. In her free time she enjoys watching all sorts of movies, reading tons of books and cooking her favorite meals.

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WARNING: This book contains very disturbing situations, strong language, drugs and alcohol, dubious consent, and graphic violence. Discretion is advised for readers under 18 years of age.

Prologue
Accompanying song: "I'm Dying" by VAST
Ashley
June 20th, 2013.
Flames engulf me. They lick my skin, fill me to the brink with fear. I’m trapped with no way out. My eyes can only see darkness as black as my body will become if I stay here a second longer. My vision is clouded by smoke, the rooms and hallways turned into a ghostly scene. Screams come from all directions, whines and loud bangs following suit. I don’t know where I’m going, but anywhere is better than here. I have to escape this sea of flames. A torrent of fire scorches the walls, blazing through the doors. I jump over fallen rubble and molten wood, running through any visible gaps I can find. It’s here, it has to be here. The door to freedom … it’s supposed to be here. Fire follows me everywhere, like a trail set to destroy me, but I won’t let it burn me. I chose this path. I was the one who set this chain of events in motion, and now I must find a way out of this hellhole before it swallows me whole. It’s either this fire or this facility that will be my undoing, and I’d rather be turned into a crisp than spend one more second in this place. Everything I did was for my own freedom, and I won’t let anything ruin it, not even a fucking burning building. Right now, I don’t care about anyone else but me. I did it all for me. That’s right, I chose to only follow my own instincts so I could benefit from it. I’m a selfish motherfucker, but I don’t regret a thing. For once I deserve a little peace. Forever do I deserve justice. No one more than me deserves to get out of this place. But this fire is catching up with me quickly, and I don’t know if I can outrun it. My lungs burn as I suck in the last viable breath, trying to stop coughing. The smoke is killing me, but I won’t give up. I won’t stop running, won’t stop fighting, won’t stop screaming until I gave it my all and then some. I won’t go down without reason. I won’t. I fucking won’t! Adrenaline fuels my body as I rush past falling debris, crisscrossing through the hallway until a door comes into sight. Hope zings through my veins, giving me a rush as I make a sprint toward freedom. I jump over fire and lunge at the door, pulling it open as I go. There’s another door just up ahead. The exit sign is the only light that shines down upon me as I close the door behind me and try to open it. The door is locked. I jerk it a couple of times, but it won’t budge. Panic rolls through me, making all the hairs on my body stand up, as I jerk the door again and again. “C’mon,” I say. “C’mon you worthless piece of shit!” I punch the door, but it’s no use. Nothing I do works. I cry out as I pull on the door as hard as I can and ram my feet into the wood in an effort to break free. Fire has consumed the hallway behind me, and I can smell the smoke rising up from the hole underneath the door. It won’t be long until it enters this room and when it does I have to be out. “Why won’t you fucking open?” I scream at the door. If this damned door would open, I would be out of here by now, but it seems to be made of pure cement or something. Nothing I do works. I can feel the heat of the fire penetrating the walls, creeping in from underneath the door behind me. As I look over my shoulder the small gap is lit like the sun. Oh God, it’s so close, I can almost feel it. There’s no escape now. I can’t turn around and find a different exit. I’m trapped and the fire has come for me. And this fucking door won’t open, no matter what I do. Salty tears enter my mouth as I yell and kick the door in a futile move to free myself. Nothing I do works. Nothing. After a while, I sink to the hard floor, burying my face in my hands. I’m done for. This is it, this is the end. I was the only one who could save me, who could get me out of here. This was my last chance and I blew it. What ifs float through my head. What if I hadn’t listened to him? What if I didn’t let him use me for his own pleasure? What would have happened if I didn’t let him into my heart? Would I have made the same choices? No, but I doubt I would’ve come as far as I have now. Which terrifies me even more. All the choices I made or could have made would’ve led to only two outcomes. I would either remain here or in another facility as their sex puppet or I’d flee and probably die. I guess I got what I wanted after all. In the end, I realize it’s what I asked for. I should’ve listened when he said there was no escaping this place … and him. The only way out is death itself. I should accept my fate with the last shred of dignity I have left, but I can’t fight this dread creeping into my soul. After all that planning, all that work, all that lying, cheating, stealing, and betraying, I ended up alone and trapped in a room as small as a fucking closet. I exchanged my body for a little bit of hope, and what I got was a miserable end to my suffering. What a horrible way to die.

Chapter 1
Accompanying song: "Better With You" by Of Verona
Ashley
February 12th, 2013.
Gray. Everything is gray. Not black. Not white. Not clear or unclear. Not good or bad. Just gray. I’m gray. I’m not angry or sad. Not happy or depressed. I’m in the middle where there are no decisions and no emotions. Nothing. I’m nothing. Feeling nothing, worth nothing, doing nothing, staring into nothingness. And I don’t care. Not even a little bit. My legs are cramped, but the pain soothes me. I wobble up and down … up and down … forward and backwards. My nails dig into my skin as I hold my knees close, staring at the wall in front of me. I watch the cracks, feeling like they’re changing in shape. I know each and every one of them from the head, but somehow this one particular crack seems unfamiliar, and it makes me curious. Tempted, I lean forward and place my index finger on the wall. The nakedness of the structure creates goose bumps on my skin as I touch something for the first time in hours. I love the texture, how different it feels with each stroke. Each bump and each indent are like a map to me, I’ve studied them all. I know exactly where every nook and cranny is. Except this one. It’s not familiar to me at all, which holds my attention like nothing else. Was this crack always here? I wonder, and yet that’s not possible, because I know this cell better than the back of my own hand. Maybe I am really losing my mind. As they say, surrounding yourself with crazies makes you fucked up too. The thought makes me smile. It wasn’t always that I believed I was crazy, that I was losing it, but now that I’m in here, I know the true meaning of going nuts. It suits me well. There aren’t a lot of things that I’ve taken with me when I came here. Whoever I was before died the night they kidnapped me. They … the men who used me like I was some kind of whore. Like I was theirs to abuse. As if I wasn’t a person. They said I should be glad I’m still alive … I say they should be scared that I’m still alive. In my corner, I wobble up and down, my eyes skimming the walls and ceiling for any new cracks that I might have overlooked. It’s important to keep track of any changes in my environment; who knows, it might come in handy someday. Like, for escaping. Or, I don’t know, smacking someone over the head with some fallen rubble. You never know. I say I don’t feel anything, but maybe that’s a lie. A lie I tell myself so I can keep living and stay sane while I reside in pure insanity. There is only so much a human can accept and live with. I’m not going to claim I can take it all. I can’t, but at least I know the truth. That has to be worth something. In this prison I seem like a girl who’s lost everything. And I can’t say I don’t agree. I have lost everything that I once deemed mine. My body, my freedom, my mind. But no matter the sacrifices, they will never own my heart or soul. Those are two things that remain untouched, two things I will use to destroy everything. Yes … in this place where I sit like a dog in a corner, bumbling to myself like a lunatic I scheme … I scheme to betray all that is good in order to escape. And then I will have vengeance. I won’t die before they do. And if I do, so help me god, I will pull them down this hellhole with me. *** Five hours later ... “Hey!” A loud banging noise pulls me from my wobbling trance. “Are you even fucking listening?” I glance over my shoulder, snarling at the guard who rams his baton on the glass. I give him a squinty growl and then return to my sulking. No use wasting energy on dimwits who can’t or won’t help me. Nobody in here will help me, which is exactly the reason why I should focus on my own plans. And my plans are to survive … and then kill. Every bang is another reminder of the noise inside my head, the screams, the pain that I bury. Their faces haunt me, and I lick the memory of their viciousness like a tiger licking its wounds. It feeds me, the rage … it keeps me alive, so that one day I can do the same to them. “Whore …” My nose twitches. Don’t react, Ashley. Don’t show them any emotion. Don’t give into their taunts. It’s what they want, what they need, and I won’t give it to them. If this is my final sliver of power, I’ll fight to keep it. “Hey, see this?” he says. “Fuck you. Suck my dick.” He stomps the glass. “Don’t you fucking ignore me, you piece of shit.” I swear, this is how they talk to patients in every normal psychiatric hospital. It’s normal. I roll my eyes. “Oh, fuck you. You don’t even deserve to live. Sad, worthless girl.” He laughs. “Pathetic …” He stomps the glass a final time before he’s ripped away. I turn around to see if he’s gone, but a hand on the glass draws my attention. The door clicks open. My ears perk up. A shiny, black boot steps in. Nobody’s stepped foot in here. Not since I arrived. Something’s about to change. Big time. I turn around and face the wall. Can’t show any interest. Curiosity is weakness, and weakness gets you killed. I don’t plan on dying just yet. I know how dangerous this place can be. Even when I’m trapped in this pretentious building, I know who runs this place … who decides what happens with me. Those men who used me keep me captive here like a dog. The slightest action I take will be on camera, and then shit’s going to hit the fan. I’d rather pretend to be meek and easy. It makes it easier to stab everyone in the back later. “Leave us.” His voice is stern, authoritative. Confident, but not too cocky. Probably a higher-up, but not in a way that gives him any real power. The door slides open and he steps further in. The sound of his clicking shoes draw my attention, and the way he closes the door again, very softly, gives me the idea he likes to think he’s in control. No one can control me. No one. A metallic sound ensues. Something is placed on the small table in the middle of my cell. And then he directs his attention toward me. “Your name.” I don’t answer. There is no reason nor motivation for me. He steps forward. I smash my lips together as I watch his shadow grow on the wall. The bright light emanating from the door is a little frightening when it lights him up like this, as if he’s a stalker creeping up to his prey. “I said, your name.” His voice has gotten darker, more menacing. I won’t allow myself to get scared. Not in here. He stands behind me and I watch his shadow on the wall, waiting for him to make a move, waiting for him to explode. Except he doesn’t. What he does instead makes me swallow away a lump in my throat. He pets me. With his hand on my head he makes soft strokes through my hair, sliding down toward my neck, and then back up to the top of my head. It’s eerie as well as totally unnerving that this man is touching me like this. Does he want me to resist? Or does he want me to fight? What is he expecting? “You’re not quite the listener, are you?” he says. I frown, but don’t answer him, and keep my eyes on the wall. I won’t give him an ounce of myself. “That’s okay … I have plenty of time.” My lips part, but then I shut them again. Goddammit. I’m almost tempted to ask questions, but it would only give him more insight into who I am. I can’t give them that luxury. “Oh my dear pet …” He chuckles. “You have no idea what you’re in for.” “What?” Shit. I shut my mouth the moment I realize I spoke. Fuck! He laughs again. “Don’t worry, I’ll be good for you, as long as you’re good for me.” “What the fuck?” “Don’t try to understand. You can’t,” he says, continuously petting me like I’m a dog. My muscles tense from his fingers suddenly curling into the base of my neck. “I know you know what happened to you. I know you remember everything.” He pinches my flesh. “You know why you’re here.” Yes, I do. I remember vividly what those men did to me, and for that I must be punished. I can’t be controlled, I can’t be made to think I’m insane, and that makes me a liability. That makes them want to put me in here. There is no mercy in this world. So I answer, “To be silenced and locked away forever.” “Exactly.” I sigh, trying not to feel threatened or angry by this admission, but it’s hard to ignore the bubbling rage. “Stand up,” he commands. His voice is unforgiving, to the point of me actually standing up. That’s a mighty feat. It’s not because I’m scared … more because I’m interested in why he has come to tell me news I already knew. “Turn around.” I slowly spin on my feet, my face completely blank as I face the man who came into my space. His longish, dark-brown hair falls beside his eyes like curtains darkening his narrow face. He has a cleft in his chin and strong cheekbones. His pitch-black eyes make me shiver. There is a slight smile on his thin lips. On his jacket is a peculiar pin button, one that I haven’t seen before. It’s one of the doctors, but not one I’ve seen before. They’re not all really doctors; some are, but most are fakes, meant to keep the patients in check. That’s all they do here; put up a show so nobody makes a scene, so everybody behaves. Everybody but me, that is. That’s why they put me in this concrete cage. “You are mine now,” he says. “I am no one’s possession, just a prisoner,” I snarl. He straightens my shirt which hangs slightly askew across my shoulders. I like it better that way. It’s my way to rebel in a place with so little possibilities to fight. “You are a prisoner and I am the one who holds the key to your cage.” I muffle a laugh. “So? That doesn’t make me yours.” “It will. Sooner or later.” He smiles. “You’re my pet now. There’s no reason for either of us to pretend you will ever believe our words or forget what you know.” “I won’t,” I interject. “But I’m not going to be a toy for you either.” He squints. “You don’t have a choice.” “Like you do. They are the ones keeping me here, not you. You don’t have me, they do.” “They gave you to me.” “What?” Gave? Like I’m some sort of gift? The idea makes me want to hurl. “I doubt that.” “They don’t have time to deal with difficult girls.” “Good,” I say, swatting his hand away when he tries to grab a strand of my hair. “I’ll be even more difficult then.” He laughs again. “I enjoy a challenge.” “Is that why they gave me to you? I’m not some lion you can tame.” “Your claws are sharp, though,” he muses. I can’t stop the twitch in my nose. Goddammit, I want to kill this guy. “Like I said, you’re mine now, and I intend to make you … less annoyingly difficult.” “How?” I say. “That’s going to take a lot of effort. Annoying is my middle name.” I snort. “You’ll see how.” The grin on his face makes me want to slap the living shit out of him. For a second, I contemplate on doing just that, but then I remind myself there is a camera in the left corner and someone behind is must be looking, waiting for me to bite. And then they can do even worse things to me. I won’t let it happen. “Complicated cases are handed to me. Impossible ones even. Girls who refuse to bend.” He walks to the table and then turns around to face me again. “I break them.” I study him for a moment. “Who are you?” He cocks his head and points at the chair in front of him. “Sit.” Of course, he won’t answer me. My eyes narrow. “Why?” “I will tell you if you listen to me.” Taking a deep breath, I take the chance and slump toward the table. Sitting down isn’t my style, I prefer throwing my ass into the chair. Just a little defiance keeps me going. Only now do I spot the plate of food on the opposite end of the table. My mouth instantly begins to water. “You can have it … if you behave.” He sits down on the table, in between me and the view of the food. I immediately look up at him, probably with the face of a troll. Right now, I’m too hungry for anyone to stand in between me and my food. I lunge forward to grab it, but he’s so much faster than me, grabbing my wrists and jamming them to the table. “I said, behave.” “Fuck you. I don’t owe you shit.” “You do if you want to live.” Sighing, I sit back, sulking in my chair. Goddammit, I’m fucking hungry. They haven’t fed me properly since I came here. Small amounts of porridge and dry bread don’t get me through the day. They’re so fucking cheap, I sometimes wish they had just killed me instead. “What do you want?” I say. “You.” The way he says it, so sure of himself … so sure that he’ll get what he wants, makes my skin crawl. “Why? Why me?” He glances behind him and points at the camera in the corner. “I’ve been watching you for some time.” “Pervert.” He smiles. “You probably don’t even realize how accurate that is.” Oh my god. He has to be kidding … right? He leans in and I lean back in my chair to get away. “You can’t escape this place, Ashley.” My eyes widen at the sound of my own name. “Yeah, I know what you’re called,” he muses. “Did you think I asked you because I didn’t know? Or because I wanted you to speak?” he growls. “You wanted me to give you what you want.” “Exactly.” He cocks his head again. “You’re beginning to understand.” “Why on earth would I do what you want?” “Oh, I have plenty of reasons, but an important one in particular.” He’s so close now, I can feel his breath on my skin. He whispers, “I can help you be free.” That word makes me choke up. “Why … why would I trust you? You can’t promise me anything.” “You can’t, but you don’t have a choice. Either you listen to me and do what I say, or you stay in here … forever.” Those words make me want to scream, but I don’t. It’s what he wants, I can see it in his eyes. That glint of amusement at his own victory. It’s the ugly truth. “What do you want from me?” I ask. “Why did you come here? Why now, after all those days?” He shifts his position on the metal table which creaks. “You’re separated, so you could calm down and we could observe your reaction to the environment.” “I’m a Guinea pig.” “Not entirely. You were just one of the few who didn’t go into full denial.” “I would die before I would forget what those monsters did to me!” I yell, suddenly overcome by fury. His eyes flare with excitement. “Hmmm …” “Do you even know?” I ask through clenched teeth. “Do you realize what you’re doing?” “I do.” “Then you’re just as bad as they are.” I avert my eyes. He suddenly leans forward, grabs my chin, and forces me to look at him. “I am not like them, and do not for a moment suggest that I am.” He releases me with a slight twitch of his hand. Clearing his throat, he says, “For your own sake it would have been much better if you’d simply forgotten what you’d experienced, but unfortunately for the both of us, that isn’t the case.” He looks me straight in the eyes. “Now, if you wish to live, you will listen and do as I say. You know how they are … if you’re difficult, we have no other choice but to–” “Kill me.” He seems caught off guard by my comment. “Yeah, I know what they’re like. Are you like that too?” I ask, leaning forward with my elbow on the table. “Because that makes you just as evil.” For a moment, his eyes narrow slightly, and his tongue quickly darts out to wet the side of his lip, but it disappears as quickly as it came. He turns his head and gazes at the food. “I think we’re done talking.” He jumps off the table and fetches the food before I have time to react. He doesn’t give it to me, instead, he holds it in his hand and walks to the door. “Where are you going?” “If you’re not going to behave, why do you think you deserve this?” “Because I’m fucking hungry, and I need it. Jesus Christ, I haven’t eaten a proper meal in days!” I shout, scooting the chair back. “Sit. Down.” His voice echoes against the door. I grind my teeth. “Give it to me.” It’s quiet for a second. “Ask nicely.” I sigh out loud. “Goddammit, can I please have it?” He glances over his shoulder. “Is that your nice side?” “As nice as it gets with me.” I fold my arms. He laughs like he’s really amused by that. “We’ll have to work on that then.” He turns around and walks toward the table again. I breathe a sigh of relief as he puts the plate back on the table and slides it to my side. “This is because I’m nice now.” He smiles. “Not because you deserve it.” I growl, but don’t respond, because I don’t want him to take this away from me. I immediately grab a fork and start gobbling up the mashed potatoes like a starving homeless girl. “You see? Do as I say, and you get what you want. Simple,” he muses. “I’ll take care of you. I’ll bring you better food. I’ll make sure you’re left alone.” “In exchange for what?” I ask, spooning up some applesauce. He grins. “You’ll know soon enough.” The way he says it sends chills up my spine. So eerily dark, laced with poison. “What’s your name?” I ask. “Why do you want to know?” “Because I’d like to know who keeps me captive here. Who comes into my room every single time and makes me remember that I’m a prisoner to the sickest men on earth.” He raises an eyebrow only slightly. “You want to know who takes care of you in here …” he muses, to prove his own point. Pathetic. “No,” I say, holding my fork tight. “I want to know so I remember the name of the man I’m going to kill first.” His eyes widen, and his lips part, but no sound comes out. Ha, gotya, motherfucker. It’s not a lie. I am going to kill him someday. I don’t care how, but I will, with whatever means necessary. And then I’ll murder the rest of them. After a stare down of almost a minute, I continue eating. “My name is Sam Bailey,” he says. “And when I’m done with you, I’ll be the only guy on this planet you won’t be able to kill.”

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Scorch (Delirious #3)
Adult Contemporary Dark Erotica
Expected Publication: 3 March 2015

Sweet revenge keeps her alive … and drives her to kill.

I am the forgotten one, the girl who was left for dead.

In this mental hospital I call prison I plot my revenge.

I remember everything.

Their faces. Their touch. Even their smell.

What they did to me was beyond cruel. I’m going to return the favor.

In here I survive by using someone just as they used me. One of them wants to claim me as his own. A man without mercy, without a conscience, craving the wickedness inside me. But I won’t be a puppet for his desires. I will play his strings like a puppeteer and use him to escape.

And when I do … I will kill them all.


This is Ashley's story and the final book in the Delirious Series. This is a full-length novel. These books should be read in order.

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Check out the rest of the Delirious Series on Goodreads HERE.

Chapter Reveal: Seize (Delirious #2) by Clarissa Wild (@WildClarissa)

About the Author:

Clarissa Wild is the USA Today Bestselling author of FIERCE, a college romance series, but she's best known for the dark Romance novel Mr. X. She is also a writer of erotic romance such as the Blissful Series, The Billionaire's Bet series, the Doing It Series and the Enflamed Series. She is an avid reader and writer of sexy stories about hot men and feisty women. Her other loves include her furry cat friend and learning about different cultures. In her free time she enjoys watching all sorts of movies, reading tons of books and cooking her favorite meals.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Chapter One:

Big River Management Area. Greenwich, Rhode Island – June 2nd, 2013, night

Lillith

“Sebastian, behind you!”

The shot fires the moment that he turns around. My scream isn’t as fast as the bullet approaching us. A quick shove and Sebastian has me tumbling to the ground. He grunts and roars as the bullet tears through his shoulder. He slumps, reaching for the wound.

That bullet was aimed at me, not him. He saved me from being killed by taking the bullet himself. Still, his eyes are on me, focusing solely on me. “Run. Now.”

I scramble to my feet, grasping the opportunity to flee. Without looking back, I make a run for it. I don’t know where I’m going or what is happening, but I know that I have to get out of here. Some part of me is worried about Sebastian and another part wants him to be killed. I don’t know which side to pick.

It’s then that I hear them yell at each other.

“What the fuck, Lewis!” It’s Sebastian.

“Sorry, but you moved! I was aiming for her.”

“Fuck you! You fucking shot me! And now she ran again!” Sebastian yells. “Goddammit, I had her.” “Well, you should’ve taken her when you had the chance.”

“I told you that I could handle this. Now let me do it before I shoot a fucking bullet at you, too.”

“Fine, but if she gets away, you know it’s your head that’s on the line, not mine.”

Their voices grow fainter and fainter, and I can’t help but notice how Sebastian weaves his way out of this like nothing happened. He wanted me to run, and yet he tells Lewis a very different story. Something’s not adding up.

My breathing is loud and rampant and my legs are shaking, but I keep on running. After a while, I sink to my knees, unable to suck in another breath. It takes me a while to breathe. When I stand up and try to walk again, I’m tackled to the ground.

I squeal, fighting my attacker.

“Shhh!”

“Get off me!”

I wriggle until I’m facing him. Only then do I notice that it’s Sebastian.

I try to slap him. “Asshole!”

I only get one hit in before he grabs both of my wrists and pins them down on my chest. “Stop. Listen to me.”

“No! First, you shoot at me. Then he shoots at us, and then I hear you yell at each other that you’re both hunting me? I’m not going to spend any second longer with you!” I push him away. Surprisingly, he flinches and backs off. That was too easy.

He frowns, grinding his teeth. “Don’t fucking run from me. Run away from them, but not from me. Not anymore.” He grabs his gun from the ground and points it at me.

“How can I trust that you won’t just use me and then kill me somewhere in the woods anyway? Somewhere no one can find my body?”

“Because I fucking need you,” he snaps. “And yes, I will kill you if you don’t come with me. I will not let anyone else have you. Ever.”

I swallow as he gets off me. He helps me up from the ground, too, even though he’s making a face while doing it. The muscles in his arm are weakened. Red stains darken his coat. He watches me with raised gun, pinpointing my next movement, which I don’t even know. All I hear are his shallow breaths and groans.

“You’re hurt.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does.”

“Not now,” he growls. “We have to get out of here.”

“Right.”

I turn around, trying to walk away, but he grabs my arms and holds me down again.

“I didn’t say you could go without me.” He pushes the barrel of the gun into my back.

“But why? Why do you care? You’re one of them!”

“Not by choice.”

“So, you’re not out to kill me?”

“No.”

“But you are one of them. So then, you call them and tell them to stop.”

“No, I can’t, and it won’t help one bit. Once they have something in their minds, they have to do it. It’s in their nature.”

I groan and sigh. “What do they want with me then?”

“Either they kill you or they take you with them. You jumped from the train when I told you not to. This is what happens when you don’t listen to me.”

“They’re coming after me? For running away from you?”

“Exactly, and neither of us wants you in their claws,” he says. “Now, are you going to come with me quietly, without a fight, or do I have to shoot you in the leg and carry you over my shoulder? Because, by God, I will do it if it means that you’ll come easily.” He takes the barrel away from my back as I let out a big breath.

I nod.

“Good.”

He hauls me with him, and I almost tumble over from the ferocity in his stride.

“Jesus, I can’t believe you’d go that far to keep me away from them.”

“If there’s a problem, I solve it. You were the problem, and I solved it.”

“With a gun? Are you insane? You could’ve called after me instead of shooting.”

“And you would not have believed me if I had told you the truth. Trust me, I’ve tried before.”

He’s not tried it with me, so I’d rather not think about what it means instead. I can’t even fathom the fact that he was helping them do this to us, let alone doing it to other women.

“I’d rather hurt you myself than let them do it. They’d hurt you in ways that you can’t imagine, and I will not let them touch my property.”

“I am not your property!” I tear myself away from his grasp.

“You were mine the moment that you stepped into my building. Now, come with me. Unless you want to die.”

I stare him down, contemplating if I could ever trust him again. I should’ve never trusted him in the first place, so why should I now? How do I know what’s the right choice?

“Sebastian!”

My eyes grow wide at the sound of a shrill and harsh voice calling out Sebastian’s name. Sebastian halts, his eyes skimming the forest like a hunter on the lookout for potential game.

“Who was that?” I whisper, following his gaze. “Is that the same guy from before? I recognized him.”

“Lewis. One of them.” He directs his attention back at me and holds out his hand. “Come here. Now.”

The way he talks to me, like I’m some sort of pet that he’s commanding, makes me seethe, but I hold my tongue and grab his hand. Right now, getting out of here alive is more important than prying information out of him, but I will definitely come back to this topic. I’m not done with him. Far from it. He has a lot of explaining to do, and I won’t stop asking questions until I find out the truth.

I struggle to keep up with his pace as he drags me along. We push our way through the dense forest, avoiding stumps and small rocks whenever possible but inevitable scrapes and cuts happen. Short bursts of pain to my legs and feet from running make me cringe, but I try to ignore them. Only the moon lights our path, but Sebastian seems to have adjusted quite well. His movements are hasty, without error, and I find myself questioning whether he’s done this —whether he’s hunted girls in the dark before.

However, now is not the time to think about things like that.

After what seems like an hour, we finally reach the road, but it’s midnight and there’s not a soul in sight. It’s then that Sebastian releases my hand and lowers his gun. “Stay here.” He fishes his cell phone out of his pocket. “Don’t move.”

I nod, wrapping my arms around my cold body. Shivering, I gaze at the trees behind us, expecting someone to appear at any moment.

“We’re here,” Sebastian grumbles into his phone, and then he checks a peculiar device that hangs from his neck, which I didn’t notice before. “Division road. The coordinates are 41.64 latitude and -71.59 longitude.” He puts his phone back into his pocket then sets his scorching gaze back on me. With a grunt, he grabs my hand and starts walking.

“Where are we going?”

He doesn’t answer as we keep walking down the road. Out of nowhere, a car seems to be racing toward us. For a second, I believe it’s coming straight at us for a hit and run, but then it stops and the car door opens.

“Get in,” Sebastian says as he hauls me to the door.

I step into the car as Sebastian walks to the other side and slides in. “Thanks, you’re a lifesaver.”

“Anything for you, Sir,” the man behind the wheel says. “Let’s get out of here,” Sebastian urges. The driver nods and closes the blinds between us.

Suddenly, I’m aware of the fact that I’m alone in the backseat with the man who just tried to shoot me. I swallow away the nerves as he sets his gaze on me. The air between us grows thicker as the seconds tick by. I try to ignore it, but once he slips closer to me, it’s useless.

“Tell me where you’re taking me,” I demand, pressing my hands down on my lap as if it would keep him at bay.

I feel vulnerable, threatened, and stripped of everything that makes me human. Freedom has been taken away from me, but by God, I will fight to regain it. At the bottom of the well, there is only one way to go up, and that is by clawing your way out. I’ll do whatever is necessary to get back to my own life and help Ashley.

Anxiety storms through my head, causing irrational thoughts to take the upper hand. The urge to flee becomes too great. I move my hand to the door and start pulling on the handle. It won’t open, so I slam the window. “Let me out.”

“Calm down,” Sebastian says, placing his hand on my leg.

I swat him away. “Don’t touch me.”

He winces from the way I say it. No wonder. I feel grossed out and dirty that he touches me the way he does. As if he’s some sort of disease. It does feel like I’m surrounded by death. “Stop,” he says calmly. “It won’t help you.”

“Just let me go then.”

“I can’t do that and you know why.”

“I can take care of myself just fine. I have two legs, a healthy set of lungs, and I can run like hell, so I’ll get myself to safety just fine.” “No, you won’t.”

His fingers return to my leg and dig in, squeezing me. “Your legs are strong, perfect for fleeing, but they’re still no match for men with rifles who know how to shoot from a distance. You’d be easy prey. The only one who’s ever allowed to hunt you down is me.”

His touch becomes lighter again, softer, as he starts rubbing my leg, warming it up and creeping me out at the same time. It feels like he’s petting me.

“I want you to be safe,” he says, “to be okay. That was always my plan.”

I turn my head toward the window and look outside. Now that I know the full truth, it’s like I have even less of a chance to get my freedom back. I can’t give up. I just can’t.

So I force myself to continue ravaging this car, kicking and shoving, pulling out everything I have, just to make a point. I will not fucking give up on my life or on Ashley. The strong Lillith is back in full glory and I’ll be damned if I lose that part of myself again.

“You had to go and resist …” Sebastian grumbles, and then he grabs me by the waist and pulls me toward him. Something sharp is pointed at my neck. His knife.

“I told you what would happen if you kept on fighting me,” he whispers in my ear. The blade is painfully sharp, and I can feel it cut into my skin. I squeeze my eyes shut. “Stop!”

“No, not until you stop fighting and let it go.” “I won’t.”

“Then I don’t have any other choice.”

With the knife, he creates a line down the base of my neck and onto my shoulder. I yelp from the sharp pain, but gasp when I feel his hot mouth press down on my skin. He sucks, his tongue dipping out to lick me. He hums against my neck, holding the knife close to my vein as he kisses the blood off my skin.

“Hmm…” He groans in such a dirty way, it sounds as if he’s going to come. “Delicious.” A red mark is left on my skin as he retreats.

Licking his lips, he says, “As expected.”

“You’re disgusting …” I murmur.

“Disgustingly aroused,” he says, biting his lip. “I want another taste.”

He dives in again, but I manage to push him away. “No!”

“Yes …” He keeps coming, biting my shoulder, and I squeal. “Please!” “What?” He kisses my skin and then bites me again.

“Please … stop,” I say, blinking away the impending tears.

“Oh, but that’s impossible now that I’ve tasted your blood. You are so deliciously riveting … I’ll never have enough.”

I’m so sick to my stomach that I could throw up. Although I’m not sure whether that’s because of him or because of the fact that I just faced death.

“Please … I don’t want this,” I say, feeling humiliated for having to beg him again, but I want this to stop. I need this to stop.

“But I do … and that is where I hold the power and you don’t,” he says, twisting the blade in his hand.

“Just stop … let me be … for just a few minutes,” I plead. “Just let me sit here in peace.” “And you will stop fighting? Stop trying to trash my car?” His tongue darts out again to lick my skin, sending shivers up my spine.

“Yes.” I sigh, moving as close to the window as I can manage, far away from him.

“Good.”

Suddenly he slides away again, back to his own seat. Fazed, I turn my head and gaze at him, then at the wound on my shoulder, which is still oozing blood. He just bit me and now he’s suddenly done? This was all a trick to get me to be quiet. “Now we’re both bleeding,” he muses.

From his corner, he smiles at me. He brings his finger to his face and swipes up a drop of blood left on his chin, brings it to his parted lips, and licks up my blood from his finger like it’s a lollipop and he’s savoring the taste.

I cringe a little.

“Now be a good fairy and sit still.”

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WARNING: This book contains very disturbing situations, strong language, drugs and alcohol, dubious consent, and graphic violence.


Seize (Delirious #2)
Adult Contemporary Dark Erotica
Expected Publication: 30 December 2014

True darkness has only just begun …

She thought she could run, but there´s nowhere to hide. My bad side is coming out to claim what belongs to me. This hunter has found his prey, and he’s hungry for more. She’s mine now, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep her to myself. You think I’m the monster?

Think again.

When the choices you make decide your fate, the line between good and evil blurs. In order to live, I do what must be done.

Freedom is the price she pays for her safety.

She wants the truth? I’ll give her the truth.

In order to play this game, sacrifices must be made.

I will start with her.


This is Volume 2 in the Delirious Series, which contains 3 volumes and a prequel. This book is a full-length novel. These books should be read in order.

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Check out the rest of the Delirious Series on Goodreads HERE.