Corrupt, an all-new romantic standalone from Jessica Prince is coming September 7th!!

Garrett Wilder is rich, famous, and totally bad for me. After one night that ended with me wanting to punch him in his face, the self-absorbed rockstar has become a permanent fixture in my life…

Whether I like it or not.

Now I’m forced to see him every day, and that shield I put up to protect my heart is quickly crumbling to the ground. I’ve gone from hating him to craving him. And the scariest part is that he feels the same.

He wants to know me.

He wants to own me.

He wants to corrupt me.

And if I’m not careful…

I just might let him.

Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/HEVDpH

 

 

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new, sexy standalone novel.

 It seemed like a good idea at the time. Look up Landon Roderick, that boy from childhood whom I’d never been able to forget—even though he so easily forgot about me—and call him.

Then again, anything sounds like a good idea when you’ve had a little too much wine before bed, right? It was supposed to be just a quick, meaningless, prank call. Instead, I went off on him—unloading thirteen years of pent-up emotions.

I didn’t think he’d call me back.

I certainly could never have anticipated the weeks of sexually tense phone conversations that followed as I got to know the man he’d become.

Turned out, Landon had never really forgotten me, either. That special connection we had was still there. I opened up to him, but there were also things about me he didn’t know. And he had his own secrets.

Over the countless hours we talked on the phone, I wondered what would happen if we actually saw each other. One night, I did something impulsive again. Only this time, I went to the airport and booked a ticket to California. We were about to find out if one phone call could bring two lost souls together or if my drunk dial really was all just a big mistake.

A complete STANDALONE.

Add to Goodreads 

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 (No Amazon e-book preorder. Will go live on/around release day.)

 

 

Copyright © 2017

By Penelope Ward

 

After that evening, I hadn’t heard back from him for a few days.

Then, one night, a text came in from the same phone number I recognized as Landon’s. It was the first time he’d texted me.

I looked down to find he’d sent a photo.

I gasped.

It was a heavily tatted man set against the backdrop of the ocean at sunset. Oh, my. It was him—a selfie.

Fuck. Me. He was beautiful.

I wouldn’t have even known it was Landon were it not for the blue eyes I recognized instantly. The shaggy, caramel hair I remembered from the past was now a darker shade of brown and shorter, cropped closer to his head. His arms and his chest were inked, his body so perfect that if I squinted, it almost resembled carved stone.

I couldn’t stop looking at him. My eyes wanted nothing more than to explore the ridges and valleys of his stunning body.

Was this a cruel joke?

This was not Landon!

But, it was.

With my thumb and middle finger, I kept zooming in and out, examining the details of the ink across his chest and on his arms. There was really nothing sexier than a guy with perfect arms and a full sleeve tattoo.

Even though his lips seemed fuller than I recalled, they still curved into a familiar grin that oozed confidence. The eyes and that smile were the only traces of the boy I remembered. I wished I could’ve leapt through the screen to smell him, touch him.

“Hi, Landon,” I whispered, for a brief moment talking to the boy inside, not the man in front of me.

This Landon was the polar opposite of the Ivy League yuppie image previously in my head. The only thing the man pictured might have majored in was badassery. He looked like a rockstar, a rule breaker, displaying a sense of arousing danger—someone who must have had women from all walks of life drooling over him for the sheer fact that either they couldn’t have him or shouldn’t have him. It suddenly became clear why, as he’d alluded to, a woman might have been begging him for sex. That made me wonder if he had any secret tattoos in spots I wasn’t allowed to see.

God.

A fire was burning inside of me, and I knew it was my crush exploding into a full-blown obsession.

A self-conscious feeling came over me. If I was scared to show him a picture of myself before, now I was really hesitant.

The message that went along with the photo simply read:

Now show me you.

 

 

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling author of thirteen novels. With over a million books sold, her titles have placed on the New York Times Bestseller list sixteen times. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 12-year-old girl with autism (the inspiration for the character Callie in Gemini) and a 10-year-old boy. Penelope, her husband, and kids reside in Rhode Island.

 

Connect with Penelope Ward

Facebook Fan Group | Facebook | Website |Twitter | Instagram

 

 

Other standalones from Penelope Ward:

Mack Daddy:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2kWzE1S
iTunes: http://apple.co/2iNrIPj
B&N: http://hyperurl.co/aiypfj
Kobo: http://hyperurl.co/r3hv19

Neighbor Dearest:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2aWvypX
iBooks: http://apple.co/29mC6L8
Nook: http://bit.ly/2akQ2aq
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2axt1SY

Stepbrother Dearest:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1mFNMeg
iBooks: http://bit.ly/YER0mT
Nook: http://bit.ly/1taMFjG
kobo: http://bit.ly/1fJaaBs

RoomHate:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/294lIeT
iBooks: http://apple.co/1PgsvE7
Nook: http://bit.ly/1PLGnSL
kobo: http://bit.ly/1POvSnW

Mister Moneybags: (co-written with Vi Keeland)
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ny7GhN
iBooks: http://smarturl.it/3y1tuq
Nook: http://smarturl.it/kx7h8m
Kobo: http://smarturl.it/qqf5ho

Playboy Pilot: (co-written with Vi Keeland)
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2dbetFA
iBooks: http://apple.co/1Wb06Cf
Nook: http://bit.ly/2c9vRdV
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2ctb6dv

Stuck-Up Suit: (co-written with Vi Keeland)
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1S3LnpZ
iBooks: http://apple.co/1Qbwy57
Nook: http://bit.ly/29vrQhV
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/stuck-up-suit

Cocky Bastard: (co-written with Vi Keeland)
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1MvHLg2
iBooks: http://apple.co/1PffE2J
Nook: http://bit.ly/1EjxNpY
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1UxCSUO

Sins of Sevin:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1F9tbc3
iBooks: http://apple.co/1K8mzGg
Nook: http://bit.ly/1hTKAKE
kobo: http://bit.ly/1OaGY3D

Jake Undone (Jake #1):
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1dJrHBC
Nook: http://bit.ly/1obAwJ6
iBooks: http://apple.co/1fJayQ8
kobo: http://bit.ly/1SPKl0M

Jake Understood (Jake #2):
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1GFdves
Nook: http://bit.ly/1FwJC0z
iBooks: http://apple.co/1DQQwgC
kobo: http://bit.ly/1LQ7Fvk

My Skylar
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1obOG2F
iBooks: http://bit.ly/SLNOTR
Nook: http://bit.ly/SLO1qi
kobo: http://bit.ly/1kNrtAB

Gemini:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1vgk1SE
Nook: http://bit.ly/1KfmLHD
iBooks: http://apple.co/1QTaONj
kobo: http://bit.ly/1BGJ2wu

 

Taming Mr. Flirt, a sexy all-new standalone from A.M. Madden & Joanne Schwehm is coming September 12th!

 

Here’s a tip: never say never.

 

It all started in a barn, rolling around in the hay with a hot brunette. When I hooked up at my best friend’s wedding with the bride’s best friend, I had hay in places it should never be. And how my bowtie ended up around my dick was an entirely different story. I’ll give you a minute to consider the possibilities.

 

That first romp set the tone, and each sexual encounter with her that followed became more intense. The fact that all my fantastic orgasms were coming at the hand of one woman baffled me.

 

A lifetime of observation taught me that monogamy equated to boredom. Variety was the spice of life, in and out of the bedroom. I enjoyed the company of a sexy, smart, confident woman. It was my kryptonite. I was a master flirt, and my sexual skills were unrivaled.

 

Until her.

With this woman, I had met my match.

 

Her carnal appetite a perfect match for mine, and she also taught me a few things along the way.

 

She called me Mr. Flirt, and could bring me to my knees at every turn.

 

Lesson learned: Sex always trumps sanity.

 

Preorder on iBooks: https://goo.gl/XEtjZV

 

Preorder the Paperback Today:  http://amzn.to/2tK2qHu

 

Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/hVjyTL

 

Wild Card by Karina Halle
Release Date: August 15th
Genre: Contemporary Romance

 

Wild Card, an all-new contemporary STANDALONE by New York Times Bestselling author Karina Halle is LIVE!!!

Wild Card is a standalone novel and the first book in the North Ridge Trilogy about rough and rugged Canadian mountain men, the Nelson brothers. Canada’s never felt so hot.

She swore she’d never go back home.

She swore she’d never see the man who broke her all those years ago.

But you don’t always get to choose your path.

And sometimes that path is as wild and rugged as the heart.

Rachel Waters thought she saw the last of the small mountain town of North Ridge, British Columbia, when she left six years ago. But while her advertising career blossomed beneath the skyscrapers of Toronto, her mother’s sudden illness has the 26-year old returning to North Ridge to care for her, putting her career on hold while dealing with family secrets, regrets and unresolved goodbyes.

Shane Nelson has always been a bit of a wild card. The youngest of three brothers, Shane’s spent most of his life being underestimated and misunderstood. With his quiet intensity, classic good looks and thoughtful demeanor, he’s an enigma on horseback, managing his father’s sprawling ranch on the slopes of North Ridge.

But while Shane remains the quintessential brooding cowboy, complete with an arsenal of inner demons, all of that changes when Rachel steps back into his life.

She was the girl he pushed away.

Now she’s the girl who wishes she could leave.

Despite the odds, Shane will do everything to convince Rachel he needs a second chance that he doesn’t deserve but when the two of them head off into the wilderness together in search of lost cattle, more than just their hearts are at stake.

Whether it’s love or lives on the line, one thing is for sure: always bet on the wild card.

Read Today!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2fG5PnV

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2fGzpcM

iBooks: http://apple.co/2vgLICr

Nook: Coming Soon!

Kobo: Coming Soon!

Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/6WuDjh

Meet Karina:

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Root Literary and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Connect with Karina:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkarinahalle/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2vo9pq4

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorhalle/

Join her Reader Group: https://goo.gl/wpCBSS

Stay up to date with Karina by signing up for her newsletter here: https://goo.gl/Ve4eCh

http://authorkarinahalle.com

 

 

 

The Meat Market

By: S. Van Horne, Riann C. Miller, Winter Travers, Trinity Rose, Mary B. Moore, Tracie Douglas, Gwyn McNamee, ML Rodriguez, Sarah O’Rourke, Mayra Statham

An Anthology to Support Prostate Cancer Awareness

Genre: Romance

Release Date: August 15th 6, 2017

Cover Design: SK Designs

 

 

When Jason Somers inherited the family butcher shop, he had no idea he was taking the helm of a sinking ship. With the help of his younger brother Jaxson, a plan emerged to save The Meat Market.

 

What better way to earn some extra cash than to target one of their biggest customer group’s most basic needs.

 

All they needed were some willing men and some clever marketing.

 

The Meat Market is now the go-to place to order prime cuts of meat, both for human consumption and companionship.

 

The women of Chicago know where the best cuts can be found.

 

Come into The Meat Market and order whatever looks appetizing.

 

 

                            AMAZON US     AMAZON UK     AMAZON AUS     iBOOKS     NOOK     KOBO

 

I love these anthologies — not only are they short stories that you can read in a full clip, but each one ends in a HFN. Plus, the Meat Market anthology has a feel-good aspect to it, as it’s to bring awareness to prostate cancer.

Admittedly, I wasn’t sure at first how I was going to like the fact that every one of these guys were escorts. But for the most part, they won me over. A few of the stories stood out to me more than others, and I will definitely give those a read when they are expanded to full-length novels:

KC Strip — cute second chance romance, complete with the one who got away and a secret baby.

Prime Rib — I loved how Evan and Nora helped one another get over the baggage they were carrying around. It was a sweet story.

Filet Mignon — I think this one was my favorite, because the H/h know each other in a professional setting apart from the Meat Market. When their two worlds collided, I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

Butcher — Jason saw all of his meat drop off and partner up one by one. By the time it was his chance to get the girl, I was cheering him on.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

 

S. Van Horne was born and raised in the small town of Belton, Missouri, which is a part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. She’s from a very large family and is the oldest of six. Growing up, she didn’t have the easiest life. She learned quickly that family means everything, even if it’s the type that you get to pick for yourself.

She met the love of her life at the early age of twenty and was married just after nine months of meeting him. Shortly after marriage, her husband rejoined the U.S. Navy and they moved from Kansas City and started their journey together. Currently they have two amazing children, a boy and a girl, and are still enjoying the Navy life.

She spends her days being a wife, mom, reading books, writing her latest novel, watching her beloved Kansas City Chiefs or Kansas City Royals, watching movies, hanging out with family and friends and having girls’ day at least once a month.

You can find S here:

http://authorsvanhorne.com

 

 

 

Riann C. Miller lives in southeast Kansas and writes steamy contemporary romance stories. When she’s not reading or writing, she spends time with her friends and family or you might catch her watching a baseball game with a beer in her hand.

You can connect with Riann here:

Website:www.riannmiller.com

Goodreads:http://bit.ly/1OUfX3S

Facebook: http://facebook.com/authorrainnmiller

Twitter:https://twitter.com/rianncmiller

 

 

Winter Travers is a devoted wife, mother, and aunt turned author who was born and raised in Wisconsin. After a brief stint in South Carolina following her heart to chase the man who is now her hubby, they retreated back up North to the changing seasons, and to the place they now call home.

Winter spends her days writing happily ever afters, and her nights zipping around on her forklift at work. She also has an addiction to anything MC related, her dog Thunder, and Mexican food! (Tamales!)

Winter loves to stay connected with her readers. Don’t hesitate to reach out and contact her.

www.facebook.com/wintertravers

Twitter: @WinterTravers

Instagram: @WinterTravers

 

 

 

Trinity Rose (AKA Jamie Cercone) was born and raised in southwestern New York. Never in her wildest dreams did she see herself become an writer, but with one sentence you read that shit some much you should just write it!” from her hubby the rest is history. Now this devoted wife, mother of two awesome kids and RN writes about alphas, strong willed women and badassery. When she’s not writing, playing mom, performing her wifey duties or saving lives you can find her surviving on Nutella, Halloween, purses and reading.

Go and stalk Trinity Rose at the follow social media and drop her a line:

www.facebook.com/authortrinityrose/

www.facebook.com/groups/365487050468779

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01M4GQ6II

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16056186.Trinity_Rose

 

 

I’ve always been an avid reader and writer, so when my best friends (three males who drive me closer to insanity daily) dared me to publish, in fact triple dared with no returnseys, I couldn’t say no – the forfeits are always painful. Deciding to shelve all of the work I’d ever done and to start with a new project was my best idea though, at least I think so. After being on the brink of insanity many times, I’m delighted to confirm that I came out of it with my dignity still intact…just!

 

I’m the daughter of diplomats who has lived all over the world and you’d be hard placed to figure out where my accent was from – it’s a Heinz 57 variety accent. My poor child has also picked up my accent and vocabulary, which is predominantly American I guess. We should really be classed as having United Nations accents.

 

My projects so far are a contemporary romance series called the Providence Series, an MC series which I love called Luther’s Vengeance and also a paranormal series. In Luther’s Vengeance, I’ll be using my background to make it as ‘real life’ as possible, never let it be said my childhood was boring.

 

For now though, it’s going to mainly be about the romance…lots of romance!!

You can find Mary B Moore at:

https://www.facebook.com/author.marybmoore/

 

 

Surviving on caffeine most days, Tracie Douglas lives in Southern California with her husband, two children, two dogs and one really fat cat. She spends her days chasing children and fur babies, all while maintaining the illusion of sanity.

Her nights are spent toiling away at the keyboard, creating a world filled with hot men and strong women. She loves to read and write all types of book but tends to lean on the darker side of the spectrum. She’s pretty handy with a crochet hook too.

Tracie loves to hear from her readers!

Facebook:www.facebook.com/authortraciedouglas

Reader’s Group:http://bit.ly/2t7iPIr

Amazon:http://amzn.to/2t7wGyl

Goodreads:http://bit.ly/1RuenWm

Email: traciedouglas.author@gmail.com

 

 

Gwyn McNamee is an attorney, writer, wife, and mother (to one human baby and two fur babies). Originally from the Midwest, Gwyn relocated to her husband’s home town of Las Vegas in 2015 and is enjoying her respite from the cold and snow. Gwyn has been writing down her crazy stories and ideas for years and finally decided to share them with the world. She loves to write stories with a bit of suspense and action mingled with romance and heat.

When she isn’t either writing or voraciously devouring any books she can get her hands on, Gwyn is busy adding to her tattoo collection, golfing, and stirring up trouble with her perfect mix of sweetness and sarcasm (usually while wearing heels). An admitted shoe whore, Gwyn’s closet rivals Carrie Bradshaw’s and is constantly expanding.

Gwyn loves to hear from her readers!

She can be found here:

Facebook –https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGwynMcNamee/

Twitter –https://twitter.com/GwynMcNamee

Instagram –https://www.instagram.com/gwynmcnamee

FB Reader Group –https://www.facebook.com/groups/1667380963540655/

Newsletter –www.gwynmcnamee.com/newsletter

Website –http://www.gwynmcnamee.com/

 

 

A proud Texan, ML Rodriguez resides in Bavaria, Germany with her husband, two children, and their dog–Bolt. When she’s not writing, she loves to drive her husband crazy, laugh at the hilarious things her children come up with, or enjoys curling up on her couch with her Kindle.

You can find ML at:

BookBub:http://bit.ly/2os4nUV

Website:http://bit.ly/1Rb2F3W

Facebook:http://on.fb.me/1lqHj7B

Twitter:http://bit.ly/1KYhpDL

 

Goodreads:http://bit.ly/1EQg0Xw

 

 

Sarah O’Rourke is actually TWO besties who live three states apart and write at all hours of the day and night! Born and raised in the Southern United States, they are overly attached to their one-click accounts, can’t make it through the day without copious doses of caffeine, and spend way too much time on the phone with each other.

 

Between them, they have four children and eighteen years of marriage…one to a super soldier and the other to egomaniac engineer. They hate empty chocolate wrappers and writer’s block, love to talk to readers…and oh, by the way, they write about strong, kick-ass women and hot alpha heroes!

Sarah loves to connect with readers and you can find them here:

https://www.facebook.com/sarah.orourke.503

 

 

Mayra Statham resides in southern California with her three kids and husband. When she isn’t writing or hanging with family, you can probably find her hidden behind a romance novel while having a highly caffeinated iced drink.

You can find Mayra here:

https://www.facebook.com/mystathamwrites

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thousands, Book Four in the Dollar Series by Pepper Winters, is LIVE!!

Thousands by Pepper Winters
Publication Date: August 15th, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance

 

“Love had been stolen from me for reasons entirely my fault. But then a miracle happened, and Pim gave me something I thought was lost forever. She gave me a love I’d earned. Love that ruined me. Love that made me hopelessly hers…”

Once upon a time, I didn’t think I’d ever be normal.

Now, I’m talking and trusting, and it’s all thanks to Elder.

He gave me my life back, and I gave him my heart, but love stories like ours are never simple.

I did something to protect him.

He did something to survive me.

We screwed up.

And now, it’s no longer just about us.

It’s about safety, sanctuary, and sin.

Read Today!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2vIT9n3

Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/5fomwm

iBooks: https://goo.gl/6RTvNY

Nook: https://goo.gl/T1N4Za

Kobo: https://goo.gl/oBWHjD

Google Play: https://goo.gl/r7Rvw1

Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/E4qfte

Start the Series Today!

Pennies

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2oFempN

Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/tCyMXe

iBooks: https://goo.gl/UCGNWF

Nook: https://goo.gl/i9eKvE

Kobo: https://goo.gl/Wsiiv3

Google Play: https://goo.gl/6KR31V

Dollars

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2pf7h3e

Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/U6PTex

iBooks: https://goo.gl/9BA0N2

Nook: https://goo.gl/otDgeQ

Kobo: https://goo.gl/ccukqg

Google Play: https://goo.gl/ts0uIS

Hundreds

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2qpKEqV

Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/zYyYZt

iBooks: https://goo.gl/RrFtIl

Nook: https://goo.gl/aUV1uB

Kobo: https://goo.gl/Tp0RsK

Google Play: https://goo.gl/ZyN89S

Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/Smzq6J

 

About the Author:

Pepper Winters is a multiple New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today International Bestseller.

After chasing her dreams to become a full-time writer, Pepper has earned recognition with awards for best Dark Romance, best BDSM Series, and best Hero. She’s an multiple #1 iBooks bestseller, along with #1 in Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, and Erotica Thriller. With 19 books currently published, she has hit the bestseller charts twenty-six times in three years.

Pepper is a Hybrid Author of both Traditional and Self-published work. Her Pure Corruption Series was released by Grand Central, Hachette.

Her books have garnered foreign interest and are currently being translated into numerous languages, including already released titles in Italian and Turkish. Audio Books for her entire back-list will be available in 2017.

Connect with the Author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pepperwintersbooks/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lLHxdG

Twitter: @PepperWinters

Facebook Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1511645192400372/

Never miss an update! Sign up for Pepper’s newsletter today!

http://www.subscribepage.com/www.pepperwinters.com

https://pepperwinters.com

 

BLURB

PURCHASE TODAY

About L.P. MAXA

Follow L.P. MAXA

Toying with Her by Prescott Lane
Release Date: August 17th
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Toying with Her, an all-new standalone from Prescott Lane is coming August 17th!!!

 

No one said finding love was easy, but when you invented the world’s best selling vibrator, it’s near impossible.  Yep, that’s right.  That little toy hidden in your bedside table is my brain child.  It’s aptly named Woman on Top.  And you know what they say . . . it’s lonely at the top.

So I’m headed home to my Southern roots.  It’s supposed to be an extended Summer vacation — nothing more.  But Rorke Weston has other plans for me.  Plans that not only involve me being on top, but also underneath him.   

It’s been said you never forget your first.  For me, that’s definitely true.  No night has ever lived up to the one I spent with Rorke.

He’s turned into quite a man.  Tan from the Southern sun, and stubborn as the day is long.  And there’s nothing sweeter than the swipe of his tongue.

Rorke wants his chance.  The one we never had.  But that was a long time ago.  When I still believed in Prince Charming and Happily Ever Afters.  Even ten years later, I feel a pull.  And it’s not simply Rorke yanking down my panties.  

Do second chances really happen?  Or is my heart simply toying with me?

 

Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/G7qAFh

 

Excerpt:

 

Hammering the nail with one hard pound, I mutter, “Friends?”

That should be a cuss word, especially coming out of her full, pink lips.  I toss the hammer aside, scanning the mostly-converted barn.  Yep, I live in a barn.  Well, not any barn.  The barn where Sterling and I lost our virginity.  I know just the spot.  It’s the spot where my bed is now.

I didn’t plan it that way.  In fact, I didn’t even really think about it until she showed up in town the other day.  I came home, walked in, and realized I’ve designed this place around her.  Crazy, but true.  That woman has burned herself into the deepest parts of my soul.  Deeper than even I realized.  She was my first, a memory.  I thought it was over.  I thought we’d only ever get that one night.  She had her life, and I had mine.  I didn’t see this coming.  

This old barn sits on the edge of my parents’ property.  It sucks to be almost thirty and still living on my parents’ land.  Technically, I’m not living at home, but sometimes it feels like it.  Unfortunately, buying my own house on my teaching salary isn’t in the cards, so a few years ago, I started converting one of the old barns.

Every nail, every piece of wood in here has been touched by me.  And it’s almost done.  It’s wide open, designed that way mostly because it’s less work than putting up a bunch of walls.  The only room with any privacy is the bathroom.  I left the distressed rafters from the ceiling exposed and just refinished them.  The original sliding barn doors have been replaced with new ones.  Almost one whole wall houses my personal library.  The only thing left to finish is the kitchen.  The upper cabinets are in, but my only appliances are a refrigerator and microwave.  So any real meals I eat come from the main house — my parents’ house.  My plan is to use part of my summer vacation to finish it up.

I look over at the bed.  My subconscious must have taken over with that decision.  Sterling is etched into the fiber of this place.  Maybe that’s the reason I haven’t ever brought a woman to see this place before?  Who knows?  The subconscious is a tricky bitch.

But the memories of that day and night are so vivid.  It’s all flooding back now that she’s back.

I remember a buddy of mine had rushed me home my freshman year of college, making the two-and-a-half-hour drive from New Orleans in just under two.  But I was too late.  I wasn’t here when Levi took his last breath.  Those few days are a blur.  Everything is a blur until the moment I stood up at his funeral to speak; her green eyes were the only thing I saw, her whimpers the only ones I heard.  I hadn’t expected her to be there.  I hadn’t expected her to fly home from college to say goodbye to my brother, but she had.  And I didn’t expect her to find me at my parents’ house after the funeral.  I swear, there were hundreds of people there, and it was the loneliest day of my life.  I had to get out of there and started walking.  I’m not sure if it’s just me, but when I need to think, I tend to walk.  That day, Sterling was by my side.  We didn’t talk, roaming around the fields until we ended up at this old barn.  It was the place that Levi and I escaped to.  As little kids, we’d used it as a fort, a clubhouse.  Later, it held our bikes and four wheelers.  

I remember being embarrassed bringing Sterling inside.  It was old and filled with our junk.  The only place to even sit was an old, beat up sofa.  We made good use of it, though.

I’ve never been as unprepared for something as I was that day.  Unprepared to put my brother in the ground, unprepared to lose my virginity, unprepared to let her walk away.

I chuckle remembering exactly how unprepared I was when our naked bodies first touched.  My brain thought “condom.”  But I didn’t have one.  My dick promised it’d pull out.  But I had no idea the kind of willpower that would take.  I swear to God, I had every intention of pulling out.

I thought for sure that she’d kill me, and quickly launched into the lamest apology in the history of the universe.  Just thinking about it makes me cringe.  I was never so thankful for anything in my whole life as when she kissed me to shut me up, whispering she was on the pill.  

Some might think it’s a dick move to be banging a girl the day you bury your twin brother.  But it wasn’t like that at all.  It wasn’t cheap.  I didn’t think of it as a one-night stand, even though technically it was.  It’s impossible to explain.  It was us clinging onto life, onto each other.  Emily Brontë wrote, “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”  And after that night, our souls have been forever linked.

Every single second of that night is burned into my mind, my heart, my skin.

After that night, we stayed in touch for a long time — email, phone calls.  But we were thousands of miles apart.  And our paths never crossed again.  If I was at home on break, she wasn’t.  It just seemed like it wasn’t meant to be.  She is the one that got away.  We never got our chance.

Now she’s back, and she thinks we can be friends?  I spent my entire childhood and teenage years being “friends” with her.

She wants to be friends?  That’s fine.  I’ll be her friend.  But I’ll be damned if that’s all I am.

 

About the Author:

Prescott Lane is the Amazon best-selling author of Stripped Raw. She’s got seven other books under her belt including: First Position, Perfectly Broken, Quiet Angel, Wrapped in Lace, Layers of Her, The Reason for Me, and The Sex Bucket List.  She is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and holds a degree in sociology and a MSW from Tulane University. She married her college sweetheart, and they currently live in New Orleans with their two children and two crazy dogs. Prescott started writing at the age of five, and sold her first story about a talking turtle to her father for a quarter. She later turned to writing romance novels because there aren’t enough happily ever afters in real life.

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http://www.authorprescottlane.com

 

 

Beard in Mind, an all new standalone in the bestselling, romantic comedy Winston Brothers Series by Penny Reid, is available NOW!

All is fair in love and auto maintenance.

Beau Winston is the nicest, most accommodating guy in the world. Usually.

Handsome as the devil and twice as charismatic, Beau lives a charmed life as everyone’s favorite Winston Brother. But since his twin decided to leave town, and his other brother hired a stunning human-porcupine hybrid as a replacement mechanic for their auto shop, Beau Winston’s charmed life has gone to hell in a handbasket.

Shelly Sullivan is not nice and is never accommodating. Ever.

She mumbles to herself, but won’t respond when asked a question. She glares at everyone, especially babies. She won’t shake hands with or touch another person, but has no problems cuddling with a dog. And her damn parrot speaks only in curse words.

Beau wants her gone. He wants her out of his auto shop, out of Tennessee, and out of his life.

The only problem is, learning why this porcupine wears her coat of spikes opens a Pandora’s box of complexity—exquisite, tempting, heartbreaking complexity—and Beau Winston soon discovers being nice and accommodating might mean losing what matters most.

 

Excerpt:

 

She’d taken the sofa, in her own house, and given me the bed. That didn’t make a lick of sense.

I crouched next to her, threading my fingers into the silky hair at her temples. “Honey.”

“Mmm.”

I bent to whisper, “Shelly.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m going to carry you to your bed. I’ll take the sofa.”

“Mmm.”

I grinned at her soft noises, at the untroubled expression on her face, and how her brow—even in sleep—still looked regal and stern.

Sliding my arms under her legs and shoulder, I picked her up. And, unfortunately, that woke her up.

She jerked in my arms. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking you to the bed.”

“Don’t do that.”

“I don’t mind, I’ll take the sofa.” Our mouths were just inches apart, and hers was distracting.

She squirmed. “Put me down.”

Sighing unhappily, I did. I set her on her feet next to the couch. The blanket pooled at her feet and I stepped back to give her some space. It was dark, but I could see her just fine, and that meant I had to force my eyes to remain above her neck. The woman was wearing two pathetic scraps of fabric as pajamas. A thin little tank top and shorts. That’s it.

I set my jaw and turned to the side, waiting for her to walk past.

“Where are you?”

I glanced at her and realized she couldn’t see at all. She didn’t have a hand out, but the way her eyes were moving about the room gave away her blindness.

“I’m here.” I didn’t touch her, because if I did, I wouldn’t want to stop.

Shelly turned her head in my direction and took a deep breath. Still she didn’t reach for me. I didn’t know the specifics of what to expect after her Friday session, but I recalled Dr. West saying something about Shelly doing self-guided ERP exercises over this week.

“Can you see?” She licked her lips, her voice sandpapery. “Because I can’t see at all. It’s so dark.”

“I can see.” Unbidden, my eyes dropped to her body, to the swell of her breasts, the panel of bare stomach, the curve of her hips. Pinpricks of heat raised over my skin and I curled my hands into fists.

She shuffled forward and I caught her before she bumped into me, setting my hands gently at her waist.

“Let me take you to your room.” My voice was rough, for obvious reasons.

Saying nothing, she brought her hand to my forearm, her body gently colliding with mine. And then her hand on my arm slid up my bicep to my shoulder.

“Shelly.” I was running out of breath.

“I like this.”

“What?”

“Touching you.”

Oh fuck.

I held still and endured her hands moving over my body, down the front of my shirt, stopping at the hem, then pushing it up.

“Take this off.”

I did. I pulled the T-shirt over my head and let it drop to the floor.

We stood there, facing each other in the dark, not touching. Despite the session on Friday and the progress that had been made, I realized she wasn’t quite there yet. Dr. West was right, Friday was just a step, the first step. Shelly wasn’t able to initiate contact. Not yet.

Her hands balled into fists and she swayed forward, her breath struggling little puffs.

If anything was going to happen tonight, I had to initiate it. I had to be the one to touch first.

God, how I wanted her. How I wanted her above me, beneath me, surrounding me. But how could I?

“I know why I hesitate,” her voice was breathless, “but why do you hesitate?”

“Lots of reasons.”

“Give me one.”

“I don’t want to you use you.”

“I wish you would.”

That pulled a laugh from me, just a small relief from the mounting tension. My eyes moved over her body, an undeniable impulse to devour the sight of her, her legs, stomach, chest, then up her neck to her lips.

“You asked me on Saturday if sex was a big deal for me, or if it was you. The answer is both.”

She held very still, and I got the sense she was holding her breath, straining to listen.

“You are a big deal to me. I don’t want a fling. I don’t want a flirtation. I want promises.”

“What can I promise you?”

That you’ll love me. That I’ll be your priority.

She shifted her weight from foot to foot. A spike of anxiety that she might leave me like this had me acting without forethought. I lifted my hands to her waist again and immediately, her fingertips skimmed over skin of my lower stomach in response, making my muscles tense in hot anticipation. She grew more assertive as she caressed my sides, abdomen, ribs, chest, shoulders, and then back down.

Shelly stepped closer, a hint of thrilling contact between her breasts and my torso, and all the words and worries melted from my mind, died on my tongue, suffocated by the feel of her body, and the possibility of this moment.

Her finger hooked in the waistband of my jeans. “Take these off.” Her hand turned, her fingers and palm cupping me over my zipper.

Instinctively, I pressed myself into her touch even as I grabbed her wrist.

“Beau, I promise—”

She didn’t get to speak, because I kissed her, hard and wild, unbuttoning and unzipping my fly with one hand and bringing her palm inside my boxers with the other.

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Meet Penny Reid:

 

Penny Reid is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. When she’s not immersed in penning smart romances, Penny works in the biotech industry as a researcher. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

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