by Shayla Black
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Tessa Lawrence is alone in the world…except for her newborn baby, and she’s determined to survive without anyone’s help. Then Zy walks through her door. Fiercely protective yet tender, he’s everything she wants in a man, lover, and father for her daughter. But he’s totally off-limits. If she falls for him, she’ll be fired.
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When a teammate is captured and the enemy predicts their every move, it’s clear they’ve got a mole. The bosses task Zy with discovering their traitor, and all clues point to the woman he’s losing his heart to. With danger lurking, he’s caught in a tangle of unquenched need and searing betrayal. Will their love be the greatest casualty of all?
EXCERPT
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January 26
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Chase Garrett, known to most as Zyron, stepped off his bike and locked up his helmet. His hands fucking shook. On the long walk up the shadowy path to the familiar front door, he let out a slow breath. Calm wasn’t happening.
He’d waited forever for the right to touch Tessa Lawrence. He’d been her friend, her co-worker, and her protector. But most of all, he wanted to be her lover.
Today, everything had changed. So tonight, that might finally happen.
Night enveloped him, chilly, still, and clear. Stars winked in a vast midnight sky. The world seemed to have stopped, as if it held its breath in anticipation. Or maybe that was just him, working to keep his lungs functioning and his head screwed on straight. Thoughts of Tessa made him hungry and desperate. Always had. He’d never craved a woman the way he did her.
Would she finally say yes?
At the front door, he knocked and told himself he wasn’t making a mistake. He wanted to do this. Yeah, but he had to do this. His bosses hadn’t left him any choice.
It took a minute, but the porch light came on. He sensed Tessa on the other side, saw a shadow pass in front of the peephole. Finally, she eased the door open. Her face was bare, her blond hair in a messy bun on top of her head. Her bottom lip was rosy and puffy, as if she’d been chewing on it in worry. She wasn’t wearing anything fancy, just a plain set of long-sleeved cotton pajamas in a muted green with a simple satin trim, but they hugged every curve of that body he’d craved for ten seemingly endless months. They also told him she wore nothing underneath.
All his blood rushed south. He started to sweat.
“Zy.” She sounded surprised, but she looked as if she’d half been expecting him. “What are you doing here? It’s getting late. Are you okay?”
“Did you really think that, after today, I wouldn’t come?”
“No.”
“Is Hallie asleep?” he asked of her infant daughter.
“She fought some, but I got her down about thirty minutes ago.”
He enjoyed spending time with the little girl, but she was a distraction they didn’t need tonight. “Good. Can I come in?”
She hesitated. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Did you get a new contract today?”
Another hesitation before she nodded. “Joaquin emailed it to me.”
“Did you sign it?”
“Zy…” She bit her lip again, this time as if she tried to stop herself from answering.
He wasn’t letting this go. He’d waited for her. He’d wanted her. And he intended to take her. “Did you?”
She sighed. “Yes.”
“So did I, first thing this morning. The restrictions keeping us apart are gone.”
“They are, but—”
“There are no more ‘buts’, Tessa.”
Finally, she nodded. “How did you know?”
“The bosses told me.”
“Why?”
She wasn’t asking why they’d rewritten the employment contracts and rescinded the clause that had prevented them from having any non-work contact of a sexual nature. No doubt the trio of bastards they worked for had fed her some story. They were good at that. Probably why they were successful. No, Tessa wanted to know why they’d told him about her contract.
Because they want me to get close to you, to fuck you, and find out if you’ve been selling us out. Right now, I hate my goddamn job…but I want you more. “Because when they changed mine, I asked about yours. You know why.”
“I do.”
Good. “Can you think of a single reason I can’t come in, strip you down, and make love to you? Tell me right now.”
Even by the vague lights of the porch, he saw color flush her cheeks. “Did you mean what you said on Christmas Eve?”
“Every word.”
Tessa dragged in a shaky breath as she stared at him with big green eyes. Finally, she stepped back, her baby pink toe nails a soft splash of color against the white tile of her foyer. “Then there’s no reason at all. Come in.”
LET’S GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER!
* * *
Shayla Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than eighty novels. For over twenty years, she’s written contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances via traditional, independent, foreign, and audio publishers. Her books have sold millions of copies and been published in a dozen languages.
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Raised an only child, Shayla occupied herself with lots of daydreaming, much to the chagrin of her teachers. In college, she found her love for reading and realized that she could have a career publishing the stories spinning in her imagination. Though she graduated with a degree in Marketing/Advertising and embarked on a stint in corporate America to pay the bills, her heart has always been with her characters. She’s thrilled that she’s been living her dream as a full-time author for the past eleven years.
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Shayla currently lives in North Texas with her wonderfully supportive husband and daughter, as well as two spoiled tabbies. In her “free” time, she enjoys reality TV, reading, and listening to an eclectic blend of music.
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Other Books by Shayla Black
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
WICKED & DEVOTED
Wicked as Sin (Brea & One-Mile, part 1)
Wicked Ever After (Brea & One-Mile, part 2)
Wicked as Lies (Zyron & Tessa, part 1)
Wicked and True (Zyron & Tessa, part 2)
Coming Soon:
Wicked as Seduction (Trees & Laila, part 1) (March 15, 2022)
* * *
REED FAMILY RECKONING
SIBLINGS
More Than Want You (Maxon & Keeley)
More Than Need You (Griff & Britta)
More Than Love You (Harlow & Noah)
BASTARDS
More Than Crave You (Evan & Nia)
More Than Tempt You (Bethany & Clint)
FRIENDS
More Than Pleasure You (novella) (Stephen & Skye)
More Than Dare You (Trace & Masey)
More Than Protect You (novella) (Amanda & Tanner)
Coming Soon:
More Than Possess You (A Hope Sisters crossover novella) (Sept 28, 2021) (Echo & Hayes)
More Than Hate You (Fall 2021) (Sebastian & Sloan)
* * *
FORBIDDEN CONFESSIONS (Sexy Shorts)
FIRST TIME
Seducing the Innocent
Seducing the Bride
Seducing the Stranger
Seducing the Enemy
PROTECTORS
Seduced
by the Bodyguard
Seduced by the Spy
Seduced by the Assassin
Coming Soon:
Seduced by the Mafia Boss (August 17, 2021)
* * *
THE WICKED LOVERS (Complete Series)
Wicked Ties
Decadent
Delicious
Surrender to Me
Belong to Me
Wicked to Love (novella)
Mine to Hold
Wicked All the Way (novella)
Ours to Love
Wicked All Night (novella)
Forever Wicked (novella)
Theirs to Cherish
His to Take
Pure Wicked (novella)
Wicked for You
Falling in Deeper
Dirty Wicked (novella)
A Very Wicked Christmas (short)
Holding on Tighter
* * *
THE DEVOTED LOVERS (Complete Series)
Devoted to Pleasure
Devoted to Wicked (novella)
Devoted to Love
* * *
DOMS OF HER LIFE
(by Shayla Black, Jenna Jacob, and Isabella LaPearl)
Raine Falling Collection (Complete)
One Dom To Love
The Young And The Submissive
The Bold and The Dominant
The Edge of Dominance
* * *
Heavenly Rising Collection
The Choice
The Chase
Coming Soon:
The Commitment (Spring 2022)
* * *
THE PERFECT GENTLEMEN (Complete Series)
(by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake)
Scandal Never Sleeps
Seduction in Session
Big Easy Temptation
Smoke and Sin
At the Pleasure of the President
* * *
MASTERS OF MÉNAGE
(by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake)
Their Virgin Captive
Their Virgin’s Secret
Their Virgin Concubine
Their Virgin Princess
Their Virgin Hostage
Their Virgin Secretary
Their Virgin Mistress
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STANDALONE TITLES
Naughty Little Secret
Watch Me
Dirty & Dangerous
Her Fantasy Men (Four Play Anthology)
A Perfect Match
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THE HOPE SERIES
Misadventures of a Backup Bride
Misadventures with My Ex
Coming Soon:
More Than Possess You (A Reed Family Reckoning crossover) (September 28, 2021)
* * *
SEXY CAPERS (Complete Series)
Bound and Determined
Strip Search
Arresting Desire (novella)
* * *
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
STANDALONES
The Lady and the Dragon
One Wicked Night
* * *
STRICTLY SERIES (Complete Victorian Duet)
Strictly Seduction
Strictly Forbidden
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BROTHERS IN ARMS (Complete Medieval Trilogy)
His Lady Bride
His Stolen Bride
His Rebel Bride
