Cover Reveal – DISHONOR THY WIFE by Belinda Austin

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for 
DISHONOR THY WIFE
DISHONOR THY WIFE
Belinda Austin
Releasing June 13th, 2016
Cover by Cover Couture


A Sexless Marriage. A Dangerous Game. A Suspenseful Thriller. A Hot Romance.

After six years of a sexless forced marriage, Ronni finds she enjoys her husband spying through the keyhole of her bedroom door. She begins to perform for him, even remembering his past violent outbursts, because Brad returned home to Austin from a Philadelphia business trip a changed man.

Once Ronni has a taste of forbidden passion, she is addicted until Brad begins acting like a Jekyll-Hyde.

She believes Brad may be bipolar, never realizing that something far more sinister is going on.

What happened at a Philly medical convention sets off a chain of events that begs the question, does a woman really know the cracks beneath her husband’s skin?

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Belinda is a former Software Engineer and Web Developer. She is a Zumbaholic. Belinda loves to create novels with twists and turns, and love stories that will squeeze your heart. Her goal is to entertain and touch you by making you laugh, cry, get angry: go through the emotional experience that makes us all human and by doing so humanize her characters.

Her aim with her books is to grab the reader by the shirt collar and drag him or her into the novel, and not let go until the end. She hopes that the reader will not just read her story, but experience it, with chills, blood pounding, brain bursting, etc.

Belinda was born in the Los Angeles area and lives in Texas.

Release Blast – CUFF ME by Lauren Layne

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CUFF ME
 New York’s Finest #3
Lauren Layne
Releasing on March 29th, 2016
Forever: Grand Central

Vincent knows he’s not the most charming of the Moretti brothers. He prefers brooding to flirting, reading to talking, and he sure as hell isn’t about to give into his mother’s insistence that he ‘settle down with a nice girl.’ Luckily, Vincent’s gig as one of the NYPD’s top homicide detectives keeps him busy. As does his long-time partner, Jill Henley–a tough-as-nails cop with the face of an angel and smart mouth that makes Vincent crazy in all the worst ways.
After six years of working the homicide beat with the tight-lipped Vincent Moretti, Jill figure she knows him better than anyone. Which is not at all. But when their most recent case points to a potential serial-killer situation, the higher-ups send them on a rare undercover mission to a place no NYPD officer dares go: the Upper Eastside.
Now the bureau’s most antagonistic set of partners is posing as Mr. and Mrs. Brooks of Park Avenue. Spending 24/7 in the suspect’s territory brings them closer and closer to their killer . . .and closer to each other. Soon Vincent and Jill are playing good cop/bad cop in and out of bed, and Jill’s falling hard. But can she convince Vincent to give her a shot as partner in life, as well as at the bureau?
 
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Lauren Layne is the USA Today Bestselling author of more than a dozen contemporary romance novels.
Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. A year after moving from Seattle to NYC to pursue a writing career, she had a fabulous agent and multiple New York publishing deals. 
Lauren currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and plus-sized Pomeranian. When not writing, you’ll likely find her running (rarely), reading (sometimes), or at happy hour (often).

 
Want More Moretti’s?
Frisk Me
(New York’s Finest #1)
STEAL ME
(New York’s Finest #2)

Release Blitz – LOGAN KADE by Tijan

logan kade release blitz

logan kade it's live

Logan Kade is FINALLY here!  #sexmachine #fallencrest #logankade

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Blurb

You think you know me?
Manwhore. Partier. Fighter.
You know what? You’re right. I’m all those things. F*ck with what’s mine and I’ll f*ck you ten times harder. Suspensions. Arrests. You think I care?

So yeah, I may fit the bad boy image, but there’s so much more you don’t know.

I’m loyal to a damned fault. I’ll never leave your side. The real Logan Kade isn’t a manwhore. When I love, I love hard and completely.

Taylor saw that side of me. Inside of me. She saw my darkness and pain, and the second she did, she owned me.

You may think you know me…
…but she’s the only one who sees me.

 

A fit young man wearing a hoodie over his head posing for the camera

EXCERPT

“Get Logan,” someone yelled.

Another girl asked, “Where is Logan?”

I heard other people saying the same thing, but I focused on the girl.

She raised her chin, and a warning flashed in her eyes. “Touch me. I dare you.”

There were three of them, all tall and, not to be stereotypical, but they looked like preppy douchebags. Each was good looking, with bodies built like they rowed every morning for hours. They looked like money. It practically dripped from their clothes. Their jawlines were rigid enough to form glaciers.

Their eyes were icy, too, as they stared back at the girl. They weren’t backing down.

I broke from the crowd, planning to go stand next to her. But before I could move, the crowd broke in half. An actual opening formed, and Logan Kade strode forward.

My foot jerked back into its spot, stepping back as he brushed past me.

Kade stopped beside her, and the three guys turned their attention to him. They didn’t move or say anything, but the air shifted. It’d been dark and ominous before, and I still felt a battle brewing.

“Kade starts fights, and he finishes them.”

A low tingle went through me, warming me. I remembered what Jason said and the nerves/anger/excitement took on a whole other feeling. My mouth was almost watering. I wanted to see what would happen. I wanted to see this Logan Kade in action, and for some reason, I was thirsting to see this fight.

“Kade,” one of them grated out his name.

Kade glanced at the girl, and then settled back on the spokesman. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s a party. We were invited.”

“And that’s why you’re facing off with Sam?” He moved forward a step.

“We weren’t facing off…”

Samantha folded her arms over her chest. “Yeah, right. You were just walking past me? That’s why you wouldn’t let me get past you to the car. We just ‘happened’ to block each other and you didn’t hear me when I told you to move.”

A little laugh slipped from me.

Kade threw me a sideways look.

I should’ve clamped a hand over my mouth. I should’ve let them know I wasn’t involved, because really, I wasn’t. I didn’t know this girl. It wasn’t my place to say anything or join in, but I didn’t. A dark part of me had opened up, seeing that this girl might need help. I wanted something to happen. I was almost egging it on in my head and as Kade watched me, his eyes lingering, the dark part grew into something else. My body grew warm and my pulse started to pick up. It was like he knew what was going on in me, and I swallowed over a lump, because that wasn’t right. He couldn’t know. He didn’t even know me…

But I felt like he did. I felt like he knew exactly what was going on in me, and a flash of anger flared up in me. I turned away. He could see inside of me, and that was too much. I didn’t want that so I slipped back into the crowd. As I pulled further away, enough so I wasn’t on the front line, my insides were still charged up.

logan kade teaser 3

 

Author Information

tijan

I didn’t begin writing until after undergraduate college. There’d been storylines and characters in my head all my life, but it came to a boiling point one day and I HAD to get them out of me. So the computer was booted up and I FINALLY felt it click. Writing is what I needed to do. After that, I had to teach myself how to write. I can’t blame my teachers for not teaching me all those years in school. It was my fault. I was one of the students that was wishing I was anywhere but at school! So after that day, it took me lots of work until I was able to put together something that resembled a novel. I’m hoping I got it right since someone must be reading this profile! And I hope you keep enjoying my future stories.

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Book Blast – THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY by Ava Claire

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THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY
An Alpha Billionaire Romance
Ava Claire
Released January 27th, 2016
It was supposed to be the best day. I was marrying the love of my life–and nothing would ever be the same.
And then he left me at the altar.
Five years later, I get a job offer I can’t refuse. The trouble is, the boss just so happens to be the one who got away…
 
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Ava Claire is a sucker for Alpha males and happily ever afters.  When not putting pen to paper or glued to her Kindle, Ava likes road tripping, watching an unhealthy amount of Netflix, karaoke and vintage fashion.
 

Review Tour – JACKSON’S TRUST by Violet Duke

RT-JacksonsTrust-VDuke_FINAL

Jackson's Trust_Duke

Jackson’s Trust
Fourth Down #1

By: Violet Duke

Releasing March 8th, 2016
Loveswept

Blurb

New York Times bestselling author Violet Duke kicks off her fun and sexy new Fourth Down series with a heartwarming friends-to-lovers romance between a no-strings-attached sports analyst and the hottest damn tomboy he’s ever met.

It’s no secret that sports analyst Jackson Gray doesn’t do relationships. What is a secret, however, is the reason why. Jackson’s life is . . . complicated. And it doesn’t help that his current hands-off “friendship” is with the cute-as-hell new sideline reporter he’s assigned to train. Turns out, not only is the woman damn sweet, she also knows as much about football as he does. Like it or not though, Jackson has to remind himself that sex is the only thing he has to offer . . . until now.

Leila Hart’s fast-growing friendship with Jackson is something she’d never risk, no matter how unbelievably seductive the reward. Becoming an NFL sportscaster has always been the goal, and thanks to Jackson’s fierce support and mentoring, it all finally seems within reach. Problem is, a girl can only take so much of that sexy-as-sin voice whispering dirty, filthy football stats in her ear before she loses all self-control. A workplace romance with Jackson is a disaster waiting to happen, especially for someone with big dreams . . . and secrets of her own.

Advance praise for Jackson’s Trust
 
“Violet Duke’s writing jumps off the page and grabs you from the first sentence!” — New York Times bestselling author BELLA ANDRE, #1 bestselling author of The Sullivans series

“Hot, sweet, and filled with tender moments, Violet Duke writes heroes that make me swoon!” – New York Times bestselling author KENDALL RYAN

“A delightfully fresh read…Violet Duke delivers it all!” — New York Times bestselling author JEN MCLAUGHLIN

“Emotional, heart-wrenching, and oh-so-sweet…Violet Duke has me hooked.” — New York Times bestselling author L.P. DOVER

“Well-written kindred souls…Jackson and Leila are a couple you don’t want to miss! New York Times bestselling author HEIDI MCLAUGHLIN

“I love this hotter side of Violet Duke…still sweet & emotional, but with a bit of extra sizzle.Jackson’s Trust is a must-read.” — New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett

Goodreads   *   Goodreads Series

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Excerpt

“My life is . . . complicated.” Jackson broke his gaze away from her. “A relationship would be doomed to fail from the start.”

He sounded genuinely disappointed. Almost wistful. The way her grandmother had sounded years ago when her doctors told her she had to change her diet to cut out sweets, her favorite thing ever.

His eyes found hers again. “Funny thing is that I used to be one of those guys who figured he’d have a kid or two by now. Cute hell raisers who’d help me spoil their mom on Sunday mornings, that sort of thing.” Doting affection filtered into his tone. “And vice versa. A partner in crime who’d help me plan surprises for the kids that would be so stinkin’ adorable that I’d max out the memory on my phone taking photo after photo.”

Good grief, she was pretty sure one of her ovaries just fainted.

Leila had the sneaking suspicion that she was going to fall for this man. Hard. “So because of your secretly complicated life, you only date women who want . . .”

“Sex.” His eyes stayed glued to hers as he dropped the one word like a bomb. “Just sex. At their place, not mine.  Occasionally, with lunch or dinner as well, but never breakfast.”

Wow.  That was the very definition of just sex, alright.

“That honest enough for you?”

Yep. That worked. Did it settle her curiosity at the moment? Unquestionably. Did it get her to want to widen the number of spaces between them on the game board?

Not so much.

She watched him watch her reaction to his answer, and gave him the smile she knew he wasn’t expecting. Along with the follow-up she knew he really wasn’t expecting. “So you flirting with me earlier was you picking up on some sex-only, no-breakfast-in-bed vibe I have going on?” she teased. “That’s a pretty powerfully accurate gift you got there, Skippy.”

Aaand they were back to standing on the same square on the game board.

“Sunshine, why do I get the feeling you don’t really have a boyfriend?”

* * * * *

Jackson found his palms flat against the wall on either side of her shoulders before he could stop himself. And yet he did nothing to remedy what was surely a bad decision on his part, work-wise. Instead, he just watched her, and waited for an answer.

Leila’s gaze pulled away from his a moment later, and dropped down to his tie. While her teeth sank into that lush lower lip he’d been fascinated with since yesterday, she reached out her free hand to straighten and smooth out his tie.

Oddly, the unbidden action was a penetrating fist to his chest. He hadn’t been lying about having had more than a few passing thoughts of a wife and kids to spoil. And this tie-straightening? It belonged right there in the vault with all the other untouchable daydreams for his life.

When her lips parted then, instead of an answer, he got another question. “Why do you insist on calling me sunshine?”

“You don’t like it?”

“I’d rather you call me by my name.”

Exhaling slowly, he admitted, “Me too. Which is why I’m sticking to sunshine.”

Eyes still glued to his tie, she resumed her distracting lip biting, looking as reflective as she did amused. “So does that mean I shouldn’t call you Jackson?”

Holy shit, he liked the sound of his name on her lips. Too damn much. “Call me Jackson.” It wasn’t a reply to her inquiry. It wasn’t even a request. It had edged over to a demand

JT3

debbiesreview

I couldn’t wait to read Violet Duke’s Jackson’s Trust.  Duke’s Fourth Down series kicks off with a winner.  I loved Jackson and Leila.  The chemistry is hot and keeps you turning the pages.  Duke knows how to pack the emotions in a page turner.  I couldn’t help but laugh out loud and smile while reading Jackson’s Trust.  I’m looking forward to the next in the series.  If you haven’t read Violet Duke, don’t wait any longer.

RatingSystem-5

Author Info

NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY bestselling author Violet Duke is a former professor of English Education ecstatic to now be on the other side of the page writing wickedly fun contemporary romances filled with strong, unique heroines and memorably romantic heroes. With just under a million books sold to date, since becoming an author in 2013, Violet has appeared on the USA Today bestseller list thirteen times and the NYT bestseller list three times, with the additional honor of charting in the Top 10 across the major eretailers both in the U.S. and internationally.

When she’s not feeding her book-a-day reading addiction, Violet enjoys tackling reno projects with her power tools, trying pretty much anything without reading the directions first, and cooking impossible-to-be-duplicated ‘special edition’ dishes that laugh in the face of recipes. A born and raised island girl, she spends her days in Hawai’i chasing after her two cute kids (daughter Violet & son Duke) and similarly adorable husband (their ringleader).

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Virtual Tour – Review and Giveaway – BLACK LISTED by Shelly Bell

VT-BlackListed-SBell_FINAL

BLACK LISTED cover

Black Listed
Benediction #4

By: Shelly Bell

Releasing March 22, 2016
Avon Red Impulse

 

Blurb

She sacrificed everything to keep him safe…

Five years ago, con artist Lisa Smith broke the first rule of hustling when she fell in love with—and married—her mark, billionaire Sawyer Hayes. The erotic nights spent acting out her darkest fantasies with her husband and Master were the happiest of her life. But when her ruthless father demanded she kill him and take his money, she had no choice but to disappear without a trace…or lose him forever.

He’ll risk everything to have her again…

Now Sawyer has found her, and he has an indecent proposal: submit to him for seven nights and he’ll grant her the divorce she desires. Forced to pretend she no longer loves him, each night spent in his arms is exquisite torture as they reignite their intense passion through role play and ménage. But when a deranged killer out for revenge targets Lisa, she must finally trust Sawyer with the secrets of her past…or neither of them will live to see the future.

Warning: Scenes depicting BDSM, fisting, MMFMM, consensual non-consent, and references to abuse

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Excerpt

As long as Lisa had the ability to inherit Sawyer’s estate, he was in danger. Now that he was back in her life, there was one more thing she could do to ensure his safety.

She squared her shoulders. “If I did you a favor by leaving, then you won’t mind giving me a divorce.”

He flinched, the first crack in his armor that she’d witnessed tonight. “That’s what you want?”

Her breath stalled in her chest. “Y-yes.”

A divorce was the last thing she wanted, but it was what they needed. She should have done it years ago, but she couldn’t be the one to file since she would be required by law to give her address.

A slow grin appeared on his face. “What will you give me for the divorce?”

She’d gotten butterflies every time he’d smiled at her in the past, but this time, a lead weight filled her belly. “Give you?”

He toyed with the ends of her short brown hair, his fingers restless. “You took that money from me. Even though legally you had every right to it, you played me to get it. You owe me. And I’m here to collect.”

“I told you, I don’t have the money. You saw it yourself. I own nothing. There’s no way I can repay you.” She took a deep breath, trying not to let his nearness affect her.

His hands framed her face. “I don’t want money. There are other more pleasurable ways to collect on the debt you owe me.”

“What are you suggesting?” she asked, afraid of his answer.

“Seven nights. Same soft and hard limits from five years ago.”

Her heart sped up, making her breathless. Out of all the things she expected him to say, that wasn’t one of them. “So if I make love to you for seven nights, you’ll grant me a divorce and forgive the debt I owe you?”

He laughed. “What we’ll do could never be classified as ‘making love.’ We’ll fuck. I set the scenes. And you can do what you do best.” His expression turned cold once more, while his eyes seared into her. “Pretend.”

It shouldn’t hurt as much as it did. Like Sawyer had reached inside her chest cavity and squeezed her heart in his hand.

She could barely get the words off her tongue. “Role play.”

“If you hate me so much, why do you want to fuck me again?” she asked. “I would think a divorce is exactly what you’d want. At Benediction, you have an entire sex club of women at your disposal.”

The idea of him with another woman twisted her insides, but it would be much harder to take him inside her body again and not show him how much she loved him.

She wasn’t that good of an actress.

“I already have an entire sex club of women at my disposal. Didn’t Rachel and Logan tell you about their time at Paradise Found?”

Rachel had mentioned she and Logan had hid at Paradise Found, Logan’s friend’s club in Las Vegas, and Rachel had described to her at length the sinful things she’d seen there. “You own a sex club?”

“Why does that surprise you? You know better than anyone how much I enjoy a good fuck. Once you left, I considered myself a free agent.” His lips tightened into a straight line, his eyes flat. “You didn’t actually think I’d wait for you, did you?”

“No,” she whispered. “Why would you? You were right. Our marriage vows meant nothing. You had every right to sleep with as many women as you wanted.” She looked him straight in the eyes. “And I had the right to sleep with anyone I wanted as well.”

He didn’t give her a warning before slamming her up against the bookshelf. If there had been any change in his eyes, anything other than the coldness still lingering, she would’ve believed he was jealous.

His scent and heat wrapped her in an embrace even as she tried to resist the spell he held over her.

She thought about what Rachel had told her about Paradise Found. She’d mentioned that Logan’s friends were into ménage. Did that include Sawyer? While she had remained faithful, had he been indulging in wild sex parties and threesomes?

Sawyer braced a hand over her head, looming over her as he boxed her in. “For the next seven nights, you belong to me. You don’t fuck anyone else. You don’t even think about fucking someone else. Your nights are mine. Your body is mine. Do it and I’ll grant you a divorce and forgive your debt. You won’t ever have to worry about me again.”

Seven nights. It should be so easy to get him out of her system. But despite what he thought, she’d worry about him for the rest of her life. For the next week, the pleasure he’d bestow would be a living hell for her. It was punishment for her sins. It was no less than what she deserved.

She gave a sigh of resignation. “It’s a deal.”

debbiesreview

Black Listed is the fourth in Shelly Bell’s Benediction series.  Lisa and Sawyer’s story can be read as a standalone but the previous books provide stories of characters found in Black Listed.  Bell packs a punch with plenty of action and sexy, hot scenes.  I was hooked with the married con artist and billionaire, I couldn’t wait to see what happened with their seven day deal.

Black Listed is my first Benediction story but not my last.  I’m looking forward to getting the previous books in the series to catch up with Bell’s characters.  I can’t wait to see what more Shelly Bell has in store for her readers.

RatingSystem-4

Author Info

Shelly Bell, color photoA sucker for a happy ending, Shelly Bell writes sensual romance often with a bit of kink and action-filled erotic thrillers with high-emotional stakes for her alpha heroes and kick-ass heroines.

She began writing upon the insistence of her husband who dragged her to the store and bought her a laptop. When she’s not working her day job, taking care of her family, or writing, you’ll find her reading the latest smutty romance.

Shelly Bell writes the Benediction series for Avon Red Impulse and the forthcoming Forbidden Lovers series for Grand Central Forever.

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Release Blast – ONCE BURNED by Lisa B. Kamps

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ONCE BURNED
Firehouse Fourteen #1
Lisa B. Kamps
Released March 21st, 2016
Michaela Donaldson had her whole life planned out: college, music, and a happy-ever-after with her first true love. One reckless night changed all that, setting Michaela on a new path. Gone are her dreams of pursuing music in college, replaced by what she thinks is a more rewarding life. She’s a firefighter now, getting down and dirty while doing her job. So what if she’s a little rough around the edges, a little too
careless, a little too detached? She’s happy, living life on her own terms–until Nicky Lansing shows back up.
Nick Lansing was the stereotypical leather-clad bad boy, needing nothing but his fast car, his guitar, his never-ending partying, and his long-time girlfriend–until one bad decision changed the course of two lives forever.  He’s on the straight-and-narrow now, living life as a respected teacher and doing his best to be a positive role model. Yes, he still has his music. But gone are his days of partying. And gone is the one girl who always held his heart. Or is she?

One freak accident brings these two opposites back together. Is ten years long enough to heal the physical and emotional wounds from the past? Can they reconcile who they were with who they’ve become–or will it be a case of Once Burned is enough?

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Lisa B. Kamps is the author of the best-selling series The Baltimore Banners, featuring “hard-hitting, heart-melting hockey players” (USA Today), on and off the ice. ONCE BURNED is the launch title
of her much-anticipated new series, Firehouse Fourteen, featuring hot and heroic firefighters.
Lisa grew up with an overactive imagination, strong encouragement from her parents, and an insatiable infatuation with the Peanuts gang. That infatuation—along with an impatience she has yet to outgrow—jump-started her love of writing. After all, why should she be forced to wait a whole week to read the stories of her favorite characters when she could create stories for them whenever she wanted?

That love of writing continued to grow, along with all those voices in her head, even during her assorted careers: first as a firefighter with the Baltimore County Fire Department, then a very brief (and not very successful) stint at bartending in east Baltimore, and finally as the Director of Retail Operations for a busy Civil War non-profit.

Lisa currently lives in Maryland with her husband and two sons, one very spoiled Border Collie, two cats with major attitude, several head of cattle, and entirely too many chickens to count. 

 

Release Day Blitz – COLLARED by Nicole Williams

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AP - Synopsis.jpg

When a seventeen-year-old girl vanishes,

A community is shaken.

Parents turn desperate.

Friends hold vigils.

And the boy who loves her searches.

 

When a year goes by,

The community is recovering.

Parents feel hopeless.

Friends feel helpless.

And the boy who loves her continues his search.

 

When ten years go by,

The community has forgotten.

Parents cling to the past.

Friends move toward the future.

And the boy who loves her . . .

Brings her home.

 

Jade Childs spent ten years in captivity, but now that she’s back, the real battle for survival begins. The media shadows her. Flashbacks haunt her. Her old life evades her. Her so-called new life rejects her. She spent too many years in the dark to recognize the light. She spent too long repressing her feelings to remember how to express them. She spent a decade abandoning hope and cannot dare letting it back into her life. Jade’s not just defined by what happened to her—she’s collared to it.

 

When the twenty-seven-year-old woman is found,

A community wants to know the story,

Parents want to forget the story,

Friends want to be a part of the story,

And the man who still loves her faces the greatest challenge yet: letting her go.

 

AP- Excerpt.jpg

He exhales like there’s some war being fought inside him. I don’t think he’ll answer. He has a right to keep his secrets—god knows I should be able to empathize with that.

His hand dangling over the steering wheel curls into a fist. “The woman I wanted to spend my life with was gone. I wasn’t in the mood to find a backup.”

My chest does that thing again—contracting like someone just hit me in the ribs with a hammer. When Torrin glances at me, it looks like someone’s swinging a dozen hammers at him too.

I can’t keep looking at him watching me like that. I know we’re feeling the same thing—the ache of what could have been. The pain of accepting it never can be again.

I find myself focusing on the dashboard. I don’t notice it right away, but when I do, I touch the bright coral smear running down the front of it. “You never cleaned it.” I trace my finger down the dried nail polish, reliving the moment like it was happening right now.

“I could never bring myself to.” Torrin’s eyes land on the stain from the bottle I accidently spilled when I was painting my toenails on a drive to the beach. “I couldn’t bring myself to just . . . erase it.”

I don’t know a tear’s slipped out until it falls onto my arm that’s still reaching out, touching the stain. It’s only one tear, no more are coming, but Torrin doesn’t miss it.

He sighs and clenches the steering wheel a little harder. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. How to act around you. I don’t think I’m doing anything right.” His knuckles are white when we exit the freeway. “This is all very surreal. What happened. You being back. I’m totally lost.”

I don’t know why he’s apologizing. The only time I’ve felt like life hasn’t siphoned every last drop of emotion out of me is when I’ve been with him.

“You’re treating me exactly like you used to.” My fingers fall away from the dash. The good memories have turned to painful ones, a spilled bottle of nail polish included. “I’d rather have you act like nothing happened and I’m the same person you remember than have you second-guess everything you say and do.”

           His knuckles loosen around the steering wheel. He rolls his fingers, popping them.

“Just do what comes naturally to you.” I turn in my seat to face him. “I’ll do what comes naturally to me, and maybe things will get easier.”

We’re stopped at the light leading to the zoo, and he looks at me. His forehead is folded into creases. “What comes naturally to me?” He doesn’t pause long enough for me to reply. “I’m not sure that would be helpful to either of us.”

It’s not my chest that hurts when he says that—it’s my stomach. It’s not really pain though—it’s something else. I haven’t felt it in a long time, and I know I shouldn’t feel it right now.

I can’t let that look in his eyes keep doing this to my stomach. I can’t let the way his chest is rising and falling harder now affect mine.

The light changes, thankfully, and his eyes move from me to the road. The air inside the cab takes a while to clear though despite the cracked windows.

“That’s when I started to fall in love with you—after my dad died and you acted the exact same around me. You treated me the same as you had every day before. Still rubbing it in my face when you scored higher on a test. Still knocking on my door and seeing if I wanted to shoot hoops. When everyone was understanding of me wanting to lock myself in my bedroom, you got me to play basketball.” He smiles at the windshield like he’s watching the twelve-year-old versions of us playing a game of Around the World. “You brought me back . . . when everyone else just kind of left me behind.”

I find my eyes drifting back to the nail polish stain. “And when did you finish falling in love with me? When I finally let you win a game of one-on-one? Or was it the night we . . . you know?” Thinking about that night makes me blush. Talking about it makes me shift.

Torrin glances at me for a moment. “I’ll never finish falling in love with you.”

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Nicole Williams is the New York Times and USATODAY bestselling author of contemporary and young adult romance, including the Crash and Lost & Found series. Her books have been published by HarperTeen and Simon & Schuster in both domestic and foreign markets, while she continues to self-publish additional titles. She is working on a new YA series with Crown Books (a division of Random House) as well. She loves romance, from the sweet to the steamy, and writes stories about characters in search of their happily even after. She grew up surrounded by books and plans on writing until the day she dies, even if it’s just for her own personal enjoyment. She still buys paperbacks because she’s all nostalgic like that, but her kindle never goes neglected for too long. When not writing, she spends her time with her husband and daughter, and whatever time’s left over she’s forced to fit too many hobbies into too little time.

Nicole is represented by Jane Dystel, of Dystel and Goderich Literary Agency.

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Book Blast – REUNITED WITH THE REBEL BILLIONAIRE by Catherine Mann

Enter to Win a Print Set of Bayou Billionaires (Bks 1&2)
HIS PREGNANT PRINCESS BRIDE & 
HIS SECRETARY’S SURPRISE FIANCE
REUNITED WITH THE REBEL BILLIONAIRE
Bayou Billionaires #3
Catherine Mann
Releasing on April 1st, 2016 (Digital) 
and April 5th, 2016 (Print)
Harlequin Desire 
Is it a real reunion, or one for the cameras? It’s a second-chance romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Catherine Mann! 
Football star Henri Reynaud won’t let his career go down without a fight. If the only way to win is to reconcile with his estranged wife, he’ll do what it takes. But spending time with Fiona Harper-Reynaud isn’t just some ruse. The sultry beauty belongs in his bed.
Fiona doesn’t know where her sexy husband’s public act ends and his real feelings begin. Can she afford to fall a second time for the man every female wants? One thing is undeniable—their attraction has never flared hotter!
 
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USA Today bestseller and RITA Award winning author Catherine Mann writes contemporary romance for Berkley, Harlequin, Sourcebooks and Tule. With over sixty books released in more than twenty countries, she has also celebrated six RITA finals, an RT Reviewer’s Award finalist, three Maggie Award of Excellence finals and a Bookseller’s Best win. Catherine and her flyboy husband live on the Florida coast where they brought up their 4 children – and still have 5 four-legged, furry “children” (aka pets). Catherine is an active volunteer with an animal rescue, serving on their Board of Directors and fostering over 200 puppies, ill dogs, and dogs with service/working potential.

Don’t Miss the First Two Titles in 
The Bayou Billionaires Series