Title: Twist
Series: Off Balance #4
Author: Lucia Franco
Genre: Forbidden Sports Romance
Release Date: November 20, 2019
Blurb
Rocked to her core, Adrianna is faced with an incurable illness. She's aware of what she's up against and is willing to risk whatâs left of her for what she loves. With one last chance, and despite her doctor's orders, Adrianna struggles harder than ever to achieve her dream.
Tired and torn, Kova embraces his flaws as he watches Adrianna reach her breaking point. Unable to stand by as she continues to endanger herself, he surrenders to what he wants most, even if it means losing himself in the process.
As Adrianna fights for her life, Kova battles for them both. No one is left unscathed as they succumb to their darkest hunger. Passions reignite and their actions grow bolder, creating an endless link between them. Once is a mistake. Twice is reckless. Three times is a choice. But this time they may have gone too far.
Purchase Links
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU Free in Kindle Unlimited Also Available
Free in Kindle Unlimited
Free in Kindle Unlimited
Free in Kindle Unlimited
Author Bio
A competitive athlete for over ten years, Lucia Franco currently resides in sunny South Florida with her husband and two boys. Paranormal romance was her first love, but she has a soft spot in her heart for small-town and reunion romance stories.
When Lucia is not hard at work on her next novel, you can find her relaxing with her toes in the sand at a nearby beach.
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Title: The Unexpected Connection
Series: The Unexpected Series
Author: DL Gallie
Genre: Contemporary Romance Novellas
Release: November 24, 2019
Could an unexpected connection change your life?
They say good things come in two’s but for Blair and Keeton, good things come in three.
For as long as they’ve know each other, their weekends were occasionally a triangle of kinky fun and come Monday morning, it went back to business unusual. That was until they met Faith Robinson.
Faith unleashes something within them and love blooms in a spectacular way. When the numbers start to no longer add up, things get messy, especially when Faith’s past enters catches up with her.
Little did they know, this unexpected connection was just what they all needed.
“Nice to meet you both.” Her voice is soft yet rough and raspy at the same time. I’ve never been attracted to a woman like this before. It’s making me nervous. “Can I buy you boys a drink?”“Boys,” I tease, “We are more than boys, Sweetness.” I wink at her and grin, Keet shakes his head but from the amused smile on his face, he likes the banter between Faith and I. “How about we buy you a drink?” I ask, placing emphasis on the word we, reiterating again we are a package deal.She raises her glass. “Thanks but I already have one.”Reaching out, I take the glass from her hand and throw back what was left. “It seems you need a drink now.”
3.5 Heart Review by Ashley
DL Gallie has stuck again with this super steamy and read. Have a fan nearby as you read The Unexpected Connection because Faith, Keeton and Blair were hot hot hot!!
DL Gallie is from Queensland, Australia, but she’s lived in many different places all over the world, including the UK and Canada. She currently resides in Central Queensland with her husband and two munchkins. She and her husband have been together since she was sixteen, and although they drive each other crazy at times, she couldn’t imagine her life without him.
Shortly after her son was born, DL began reading again. With encouragement from her husband, she picked up the pen and started writing, and now the voices in her head won’t shut up.
DL enjoys listening to music, drinking white wine in the summer, red wine in the winter, and beer all year round. She’s also never been known to turn down a cocktail, especially a margarita.
Release Date: November 25, 2019
Cover Design: Crystal Lacy
SynopsisIt’s a vacation none of them will forget. Amazon UniversalGoodreadsAvailable NowFake Out (Fake Boyfriend Book 1) Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2pnjh27 Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2FWRFtY Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2phmXSD Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2pjyJv9 Amazon Universal: https://geni.us/EFFOFBBK1
Trick Play (Fake Boyfriend Book 2) Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2tvwkR0 Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2Ks0XAi Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2tEc4f7 Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2KrmoP2 Amazon Universal: https://geni.us/EFTPFBBK2
Deke (Fake Boyfriend Book 3) Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2FiecAd Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2Hwz9tR Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2W7KWlA Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2JfNDQe Amazon Universal: https://geni.us/EFDFBBK3
Blindsided (Fake Boyfriend Book 4) Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2UIogrN Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2CppHEg Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2TgLHGP Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2HB4tHV Amazon Universal: https://geni.us/EFBLFBBK4
Hat Trick (Fake Boyfriend Book 5) Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2pQ5oNd Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2NKivrg Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2JUGmDr Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/33z2M4I Amazon Universal: https://geni.us/wFiz0 Giveaway$25 Amazon Gift Card Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b1257f8d555/?
About the Author
Eden Finley is an Amazon bestselling author who writes steamy contemporary romances that are full of snark and light-hearted fluff.
She doesn't take anything too seriously and lives to create an escape from real life for her readers. The ideas always begin with a wackadoodle premise, and she does her best to turn them into romances with heart. With a short attention span that rivals her son's, she writes multiple different pairings: MM, MMF, and MF. She's also an Australian girl and apologises for her Australianisms that sometimes don't make sense to anyone else.
Connect with EdenNewsletter Sign Up: http://bit.ly/2owAsgY Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/2GMjfag Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2t1KqM4 Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/2ouFzya Twitter: http://bit.ly/2HQnyCv Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2EV9Roi BookBub Author Page: http://bit.ly/2ouhBDq
Title: Credence
Series: The Mobster Files, Book 3
Author: Skye McNeil
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: November 23, 2019
Alliances are tested in the final installment in Cameron and Joci’s love story when mobsters and lawyers collide.
Cameron Shearer’s life as a police officer is put on hold when the Del Rossi mob demands restitution. One last job with the mob then he’s done for good. Too bad for him his ex-girlfriend—and sister of his mafia boss—isn’t on the same page. Thrown into a life of heists, arrests, and his past, Cameron must walk the line of good and evil.
When Cameron is forced back to his mobster ways, Joci must face a potential future without him. Juggling two law firms, a family, and the mob is harder than she could’ve prepared for. Just when she thinks life falls into place, something disrupts their future.
Will history repeat itself or will their love find credence?
Skye McNeil began writing at the age of seventeen and has been lost in a love affair ever since. During the day, she moonlights as a paralegal at a law firm favoring criminal law.
Skye enjoys writing romantic comedies and cozy mysteries novels that leave readers wanting more and falling in love over and over. She writes contemporary and historical novels ranging from sweet and sassy to steamy and sultry.
Her constant writing companions are two cats and two dogs. When she’s not writing, Skye enjoys spending time with family, photography, volleyball, traveling, and curling up with a cup of coffee and reading.
Title: Faking It in the Kitchen
Author: Emily James Genre: Romantic Comedy
Release Date: November 21, 2019
Blurb
Unemployed actress, Hannah Brooks, is applying for a waitressing job when her luck changes. Mistaken for a chef, she's offered a position at twice the pay, but there's a slight problem. She can't cook, but she can act.
Tom Hadleigh is determined to make a success of the restaurant he inherited from his father, despite attempted sabotages against it and his reputation. Tomâs a hothead and not looking for love but when Hannah walks into his restaurant, he canât help but turn his head. With so many problems in his life, is she the answer?
When their worlds collide, will their passion ignite, or will the heat force them out of the kitchen?
FAKING IT IN THE KITCHEN is a standalone, romantic comedy, suitable for readers aged 18 or over, due to mature content and sexual themes.
Purchase Links
99c for a limited time!
Free in Kindle Unlimited
Author Bio
Emily James is a British author who lives on the south coast of England. She loves to travel and enjoys nothing more than a great romance story. On the rare occasions that she hasnât got her nose in a book, Emily likes to spend time with her beautiful family and friends.
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♦ ♦ ♦
He was everything I needed when I thought I had it all…
As front man for the band everyone’s eyes are on me.
I bask in the spotlight
Because it hides the flaws.
Everyone has secrets.
Mine will ruin everything I’ve built.
My career, my music, my life…
But keeping this secret?
It’s breaking my heart.
I knew how we would end before we started
And still I can’t resist him.
Not everyone will understand.
But I do.
It’s simple.
He’s the man I’m meant to love.
How long can I deny who I truly am?
Should I keep my secret or risk it all?
♦ ♦ ♦♦ ♦ ♦“I just want to talk to you,” he whispers. His lip brushes the edge of my ear, and I can’t help the full-body shudder that results from the contact. “Please.” I nod because I can’t find my voice. Since the day we met the only thing I’ve wanted is Adam opening up to me. Trusting me enough to expose all the dark corners. Allowing himself to be vulnerable and know I’d never exploit that vulnerability. “Before I met you, I thought I’d found the perfect balance. My life was neat, tidy. I’d found a way to have my cake and eat it too.” He rakes his teeth down the taut tendons on the side of my neck. I inhale sharply and muscles low in my stomach tighten. This is what he does to me. I lose myself in him, his touch, his words, in the porcelain heart that is insanely beautiful yet intensely fragile. He licks a path back up to my ear and my breath stutters out of my lungs. I reach down, clasping his thigh in a tight grip, trying to ground myself. Breathe Seth. He’s a solid warm anchor at my back, and I revel in the subtle contact of our bodies. “But you wouldn’t stay in the box.” He chuckles, his warm breath raising the fine hairs on the back of my neck. “The weird part was I didn’t want you to. You’re the first and only man I’ve ever wanted to spend the night. The only one I’ve ever invited to hang with my family. The fact I wanted that—wanted you—so badly scared me.” His hand drops from the door frame, and I watch fascinated as his long, elegant fingers trail down my arm to link with mine. “It still fucking scares me. Even when you’re gone, you’re never far away, at least not up here.” The fingers of his other hand tap his temple. “I tried leaving you alone. I really did. But then you showed up here. So untouchable,” he mutters, his tentative hands delving under my shirt to stroke down my chest with an uncertainty, like at any moment he expects me to turn away. “So self-contained. So fucking perfect and nothing was going to keep me away. Not from this door, this moment with you.” “We have to stop this. You don’t want what I want, and I can’t accept the little bit you’re willing to give me. Not anymore.” “I want you,” he whispers emphatically. I turn in the cage of his arms, bringing us face-to-face, my hands landing on either side of his waist. I need to look in his eyes when I tell him no, but the words don’t come out. He traces the contours of my face with the pad of one finger. The three inches that normally separate us in height is nonexistent. His eyes are right in front of mine, and in their depths I’m reading guilt, desperation, possession, longing, and . . . love. More than his words, or his kisses, the love shining in his eyes demolishes the wall I’ve spent the last year constructing between his heart and mine. It’s maybe the only thing that could. Adam Beckham loves me. The realization is bitter on my tongue, the juice of an unripe lemon that if given just a little more time and the right recipe would be so sweet. “And you want me.” He leans in, his lips hovering over mine for the barest second before dropping down. My pulse jumps in response, reminding me it’s been over three hundred and sixty-five days since I’ve had those lips on mine. They’re still just as full, just as skilled, just as sweet as I remember. “Of course I want you. But it’s deeper than that,” I say, wrapping my hands around his forearms. “Exactly.” He presses his forehead to mine. “We are deeper.” “Than what?” I demand brokenly. “Your career? Your fears? What is deeper than that because from where I’m standing everything with you is on the surface. And I . . . I can’t.” I turn my head away from his earnest pleading in a last-ditch effort to remain detached. “Someday I’ll make it up to you. I’ll work at it every minute of every hour.” He cups my chin, brining my face back toward his. “I swear.” He moves forward until his features blur in my vision. The first kiss is hesitant, light, seeking permission. When I don’t object, his hands curve around the back of my head, urging me to open to him. He weaves a sensual spell that tugs my body toward his. On a moan, I open, inviting him in. Our tongues are frenzied, wild. Our touches both eager and anxious. We pull apart, panting, eyeing each other warily. “Invite me in,” his gruff voice requests. I turn back toward the door, twisting the key in the lock. Looking at him over my shoulder, I reach back grasping his hand in mine. Together we walk into the darkness. ♦ ♦ ♦Read the First Chapter HERE !♦ ♦ ♦Enter the Release Day Giveaway HERE !♦ ♦ ♦
M. Jay Granberry is first and foremost an insatiable reader. Among her favorite things are classic fairy tales, smutty books where characters have heart, old lady sweaters (preferably chunky knit), gift baskets (giving not receiving), and charcuterie trays (green olives, smoked cheese, and Genoa salami). She is a true Las Vegas native, the one in Nevada not New Mexico, and to answer the most frequently asked questions about growing up in Sin City…
♦ ♦ ♦
The Guy on the Left by Kate Stewart is almost here! This is a standalone contemporary romance packed with all the feels! Add it to your TBR today!
Contemporary Romance/Romantic Dramedy
Blurb:
It started with a lie. A night of blurred lines between a teacher and a student.
I wasn’t her student, yet it was the single most defining night of my life.
I’ve never been the man she thinks I am.
Most people have no idea about the life I’ve lived or the words that ring true when it comes to me—still waters run deep.
But you’d be hard-pressed to find a coed on the TGU campus who knows otherwise…because I’ve never corrected them.
The clock is ticking down, it’s Fourth and Inches with the ball inside the one-yard line and the focus is on me, The Guy on the Left. I’ve never felt like a football god, inside I’m…just Troy.
It’s time to set the record straight.
For my son, I‘ll find the strength.
In her eyes, I’m determined to gain redemption.
I will have them both, even if I have to take my eye off the ball.
*The Guy on the Left is a stand alone novel in the Underdogs Series. This is Troy's story.
About the Author:
USA Today bestselling author and Texas native, Kate Stewart, lives in North Carolina with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. She pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance, as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense. Kate's title Drive was named one of the best romances of 2017 by The New York Daily News and Huffington Post. Drive was also a finalist in the Goodreads Choice awards for best contemporary romance of 2017. Her works have been featured in USA TODAY, BuzzFeed, and translated in five languages.
Kate is a lover of all things '80s and '90s, especially John Hughes films and rap. She dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity, and on occasion, does very well at whiskey. Contact Kate- Email-authorkatestewart@gmail.com Website Facebook Group Facebook Author Page Newsletter signup Twitter Instagram
Title: Love Worth Saving
Series: Saved by Love #2.5 Author: Sarah Stevens Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 26, 2019
Blurb
After whisking his extended family off on a trip to Maldives, Jackson finds himself feeling more alone than ever. Jax is beginning to fear his chance at love has passed him by, when fate intervenes in the form of his childhood crush.
After learning her fiancé was cheating on her, Marissa has no regrets about leaving him at the altar or hopping on a plane by herself for a luxurious honeymoon in Maldivesâalone. She is through with love forever, until she sees...him. Jackson was her first love, the boy she never forgot.
Unfortunately, the circumstances that drove them apart havenât changed, and being together might threaten the safety and security of everyone they care about. Is a second chance at love possible when blood ties stand in the way?
During lifeâs darkest trials, battered hearts can only be saved...by love.
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Excerpt
I walk down the path to the main resort and as I pass by one of the villas, I see one of the attendants leaving and the most gorgeous girl standing in the door. Her blonde hair glows in the sunlight as her slender frame barely take up any space in the doorway. She seems to have a sadness about her, but how can anyone be sad in a place like this? Oh yeah being lonely and having no one. Thatâs me, but why is she looking so sad. When I glance in her direction, I notice she lowers her head, but I see her eyes raise just enough where she is still looking in my direction. I smirk to myself and continue walking by.
I find the bar by the pool get my whiskey from the bartender and find a seat in a quiet corner where I can see everyone and have no one behind me, the curse of who I am I always make sure I have my back to a wall for my own security. I see the target before they see me.
This place is beautiful, tropical and buzzing with sexuality with the sun setting and the dim lighting and Iâm alone. I donât even want to think about whatâs going on in the villa with the others.
A little while later I glance up over the rim of my glass and notice the girl from earlier walking in, not paying any attention to her surroundings while walking up to the bar. Like she was there on a mission. With glass in hand, she turns to look around and spots me in my corner. When she notices me looking at her, she turns away from me, finishes her drink, gets another one and walks out of the bar. There is something that draws my attention to her, beyond the desolate look on her face. Something familiar.
Also Available
Free in Kindle Unlimited
Free in Kindle Unlimited
Author Bio
Sarah Stevens is a New Adult Romance author.
Sarah started writing her first novel The Night He Saved Me in her free time while being a stayÂ-atÂ-home mom. Then one day, it started to flow, and she was writing "The End" in a matter of two months. When she isn't writing, she is enjoying the southern life with her husband, three kids, a Saint Bernardâwho is still adjusting to the southern summers and Bruno a rescue dog. She can't go a day without her coffee in the morningâand a few more cups during the day and her late nights writing. She enjoys reading Contemporary or New Adult Romance and going to the pool or beach as much as she can. She loves all things Disney and collects Disney mugs to drink her beloved coffee in.
Author Links
Title: Confess
Author: Isabella Starling
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Release Date: November 15, 2019
You have been brought before me, before God, because of your sins - sins that you will now atone for.
You may fool the people around you into thinking you're a sweet, innocent young woman, but I see right through you.
I see you for the harlot you are, little sinner. And now, it's time to pay for all of it.
Your beauty. Your body. Your filthy, despicable mind.
I will do everything it takes to break you.
The sins you carry are heavy and so shall the punishment be.
It's time to confess, Carlotta Moretti.
And Father does not forgive.
Confess is a full-length novel with a dirty priest straight out of your fantasies... or nightmares.
This is a captive dark mafia romance.
Dark, dirty and taboo is what Isabella Starling is known for.
An Amazon top 25 bestselling Author, Isabella is a self-proclaimed sexy gif addict and always looking for her next forbidden story.
If you pick up a Starling book, you can count on a bad-mouthed, bossy man who will dominate his woman with a rough hand.
Add just a sprinkle of taboo, a touch of BDSM and a pinch of suspense, and you're all set for a story you won't forget.
Title: Exquisitely Hidden
Series: Sin City Tale #2
Author: M. Jay Granberry
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 26, 2019 Blurb
He was everything I needed when I thought I had it allâ¦
As front man for the band everyoneâs eyes are on me.
I bask in the spotlight
Because it hides the flaws.
Everyone has secrets.
Mine will ruin everything Iâve built.
My career, my music, my lifeâ¦
But keeping this secret?
Itâs breaking my heart.
I knew how we would end before we started
And still I canât resist him.
Not everyone will understand.
But I do.
Itâs simple.
Heâs the man Iâm meant to love.
How long can I deny who I truly am?
Should I keep my secret or risk it all?
Purchase Links
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
Excerpt
Prologue
Adam
I let my weight sink into the cushions of the chaise lounge as I eye the backyard. Trimmed hedges line the brick fence, towering palm trees rest in the corners. Wicker patio furniture with bright blue cushions decorate the covered patio and to round it off, is the infinity pool that overlooks the Las Vegas skyline.
Itâs perfect.
Sometimes, I have the urge to pinch myself because I still canât believe that this is my life.
The heat from the sun warms my skin, soaking into muscle and bone relaxing me to the point of senselessness. I take in the view behind mirrored sunglasses as a big body breaks the waterâs surface. Sethâs lithe form cuts through the water, smooth and deliberate. His last stroke short as he nears the side. Instead of turning for another lap he places both palms on the edge of pool and lifts himself out.
And I canât help but to stare. Even now, when I know that body as well as I know my own. Iâve caressed every sinewy inch, memorized every peak, kissed every valley but Iâm still in awe of all things Seth Cody.
He walks toward me, eyes unblinking, chiseled jaw clenched, and I fight not to fidget under his gaze. He doesnât stop walking until heâs right in front of me. Lowering, his solid weight settles near my hip and a soft pair of cool lips brush along the whiskers on my jaw in a slow tease before moving across my mouth.
Seth leans into me, beads of water glisten on his tan skin and roll forward to splatter on my chest and arms, nimble fingers remove my sunglasses and I stare into sad eyes the color of aged whiskey. His hands move into my hair as he angles my head licking up the center of my lips asking permission before his rough voice whispers a demand.
âKiss me.â He says.
But I shouldnât.
Last night we had words, spoke like two sensible adults, no yelling, no cursing, no tears. I made it clear that I donât do relationships. Even when every fiber of my being is begging me to reconsider. I let him know that I have no intention of picking up the mantle and becoming a representation for gay men anywhere, let alone in the music industry. Regardless of the fact when I look into his eyes I see forever. I told him that being in Las Vegas, trying to get custody of my sister, being the leader and the glue for my band is more important than our fledgling relationship. Although the idea of never touching or kissing or simply being with him, really connecting as two human beings with lust and something that could be love is killing me.
I try to turn my head away from the sweetest temptation but the hand in my hair hampers my halfhearted escape.
âYou want me, Adam. Iâm right here.â He nibbles on my bottom lip. âRight in front of you. Take me.â He pleads. And this time when our lips meet, I let him in. I revel in the pressure of his mouth and the heady taste I get when his tongue finally breaks the barrier of my lips to twist with mine.
I ache for him. Always for him. Only for him.
I groan into his mouth and curl a hand around the back of his neck pulling him into me. If this is the last time. I might as well make it count, right?
Iâm a glutton for this man. A whore greedy for his lust and desires. So, I take what heâs offering and plunder his mouth. I kiss him like itâs the last time, because it is. I kiss him like heâs precious and like Iâll miss him, because he is, and I will. I own his mouth the way I want to own his body, deep and sweet with the sting of pain.
We part on a breath, and I look up into those pretty, pretty brown eyes and for the first time since I told him we were over. I regret it.
He deserves better than me.
He deserves a man that can love him out loud and in front of world. One he can build a life and a future with.
I chose my path at seventeen and claiming a man for my very own has never been part of the plan. I have the music and my band, my family. I always knew fame would demand its due. Itâs the way this world works
I trail my fingers across the thin red material of his swim trunks. His shaft twitches under my touch and air hisses from his lungs at the contact. I smile because I love that his body is so expressive, reacting to the softest touch. I work my hands under the waistband of his shorts and pull them down his hips. I see nothing as I kiss down his chest, but unfettered inches of honey kissed skin and a long thick dick lined with veins tapered to a flared crown.
âAdam it doesnât have to end here. We⦠ahhhhââ
The words die on his lips as I open my mouth wide and moan around his length as it slides along my taste buds to the back of my throat. His hands cradle the back of my head, his hips involuntarily rolling with pleasure.
I suck him down like I mean it with succulent sounds and fuck me eyes. I suck until he haunches forward and my nose settles in the soft hair at the root of dick. I suck him until the muscles in his thighs shake and his shaft becomes impossibly hard and starts to pulse.
âDonât stop. Iâm almost there. Just a littleâ¦â
I grip him in a tight fist my hand now working in tandem with my mouth. His eyes never leave mine as he shutters and releases deep in my throat.
Seth pulls himself free and those pillow soft lips immediately find mine. He tastes like chlorine and summer and something I recognize as uniquely him.
When he pulls back his eyes are glassy with unshed tears as he studies me.
âSo this is goodbye then?â He asks.
âThis is goodbye.â I parrot.
A couple of tears leak from the corners of his eyes, but he squeezes them shut cutting off the flow.
âAw, baby...â I say. My thumb swiping over the ridge of his cheekbone. Youâre breaking my fucking heart. He leans forward again kissing me one last time before he stands. His movements are slow and methodical. And there is a slight tremor to his hands when he pulls up his shorts. I see him start the process to morph into the ideal body guard and the elite soldier. His eyes lose their innate softness and his jaw sets in an unforgiving hard line. He pulls in all that emotion and stuffs its somewhere far away from the surface and a little part of me hurts that Iâve caused this.
âSethâ¦â
âDonât. No explanation necessary I understand. I do. Letâs justâ¦â he rubs the back of his neck. âLetâs just take it for what it isâ¦I mean was.â He wonât look at me as he speaks and when I sit up, naturally leaning toward him, my hand coming out to rest the back of his knee, he skirts my touch immediately backing away.
âI gotta go. Sin gets in today. I have to get to the hotel and make sure everything is ready.â He still refuses to meet my gaze as he steps into the house. Slipping quietly through the door.
I drop back on the lawn chair with a thud. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuuck! I punch my hands into the air and slam my head on the thick padding of the chaise. Iâve never been a romantic. Thatâs my best friend Sin, not me. But dammit just this once I wish I was. I wish I had it in me to give him an epic kind of love. The kind that fills the pages of a notebook and inspires hit songs.
Fifteen minutes later I catch a glimpse of his broad shoulders, now encased in layers of fabric, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder, radio piece in his ear, gun clipped to his belt. Those gorgeous brown eyes covered with dark sunglasses and those soft lips I kissed what now feels like forever ago are pressed tight into a thin stoic line. The sound of his boots beat a steady cadence on the wooden floor as he passes in the hallway.
I stand just outside the open sliding glass door, hands pressed on either side of the metal frame.
âSeth?â I whisper.
His footsteps pause halfway to the front door, but he doesnât turn around.
âIâmâ¦â Terrified that when you walk out that door, youâll take piece of me. A giant piece that Iâll never get back.
âIâm sorry.â I say instead. His shoulders rise and fall with one big heaving breath before he continues toward the door. He doesnât look at me or acknowledge my unbefitting apology.
I let my head drop forward until it hangs heavy and the muscles between my shoulder blades pull tight. I canât watch him walk out. Even though itâs the right thing. Possibly the best thing, I canât watch it. I wonât. My heart starts to beat faster as the footsteps move away. I hold my breath when the door opens, and when it closes, I exhale a long-frustrated stream of moist air.
So, this is what a real goodbye feels like? Like someone just placed my heart in a blender and pulverized it.
Yep. This sucks!
Also Available
99c for a limited time!
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
Author Bio
M. Jay Granberry is first and foremost an insatiable reader.
Among her favorite things are classic fairy tales, smutty books where characters have heart, old lady sweaters (preferably chunky knit), gift baskets (giving not receiving), and charcuterie trays (green olives, smoked cheese, and Genoa salami).
She is a true Las Vegas native, the one in Nevada not New Mexico, and to answer the most frequently asked questions about growing up in Sin Cityâ¦
M. Jay earned a degree in words and stories, and after fifteen plus years of doing everything other than writing, she penned her first novel.
Giving a voice to characters, that are strong yet fragile, that are sometimes uncomfortably real, that express love in dirtiest ways with the sweetest sentiments is honestly a dream come true.
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