Leave Me Breathless: The Ivy Collection
Page 1
Leave Me Breathless: The Ivy Collection
Ashley Lane
C.M. Lally
Evan Grace
KL Donn
K.L. Humphreys
Michelle Windsor
Natalie Hill
Sophia Henry
Contents
Introduction
Legend
Synopsis
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
About C.M. Lally
The Change Up
Synopsis
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About Evan Grace
Also by Evan Grace
Command
Synopsis
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
About KL Donn
Also by KL Donn
Saint’s Angel
Synopsis
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
About KL Humphreys
About Natalie Hill
Catching Chase
Synopsis
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
About Michelle Windsor
Faceoff
Synopsis
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
About Sophia Henry
Also by Sophia Henry
Anti-Venom: Vipers MC
Synopsis
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
About Ashley Lane
Also by Ashley Lane
Leave Me Breathless Books
When the daylight fades and time stands still.
The feeling of flying from just one touch.
Moving slowly, kissing softly.
The flash of fever, becoming lost in the flames. Surrendering. Going under.
These are the moments that leave us breathless.
Introducing a brand-new collection of romance books by independently published and USA Today bestselling authors whose words will leave you breathless! The Leave Me Breathless books promise to bring you stories of love, passion, betrayal, and hope...and always a happily ever after!
THE LILAC COLLECTION
The Lilac symbolizes the first emotion. This collection will feature first in series, already publishing, books from HJ Bellus, Kim Loraine, Dakota Willink, Tamara Lush, KL Donn, H.C. Bentley, Lexi Hart, Samantha Morgan, Samantha Lind, Sonya Jesus, A.C. Williams, and DL Gallie.
(eBook only available until December 31, 2019)
THE MOONFLOWER COLLECTION
The Moonflower symbolizes dreaming of love. The collection will feature brand new, never before published, stand-alone books from Heather Guimond, Lexi Hart, Kiersten Modglin, A.C. Williams, Samantha Morgan, Barbra Campbell, Lyssa Cole, and M. Piper.
THE IVY COLLECTION
The Ivy symbolizes dependence, endurance, and faithfulness. This collection will feature brand new, never before published, stand-alone books from KL Donn, Evan Grace, Ashley Lane, C.M. Lally, Michelle Windsor, Sophia Henry, K.L. Humphreys, and Natalie Hill.
THE BLACK ROSE COLLECTION
The darker side of Leave Me Breathless...
The Black Rose symbolizes rejuvenation or rebirth, but it can also symbolize death and farewell. The collection will feature brand new stand-alone books from Dakota Willink, Elizabeth Knox, Sierra Hill, Sienna Snow, Patricia D. Eddy, Sonya Jesus, Cayce Poponea, Crimson Syn, Pepper North, Sin Silverfall, Jo-Anne Joseph.
Watch the trailer premiering on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/khYX8Z8a4OY
Join the Leave Me Breathless Party Room for sneak peeks from the Leave Me Breathless authors!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeaveMeBreathlessPartyRoom/
Please visit http://bit.ly/LMBBooks for more information!
Legend
A Novel by C.M. Lally
Legend
by C.M. Lally
I have it all. Fame. Money. Respect. All a man could want from a pair of golden feet on the soccer field. But one moment
can make or break you. For me, that moment has arrived. I. An. Legend.
Copyright notice: All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
This book is for your personal enjoyment only. Please respect the author’s work by not contributing to piracy and consider purchasing a copy for those you wish to share it with.
Edited by N-D-Scribable Services
Proofread by Lyssa Dawn Author Services
"Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it with use."
~ Ruth Gordon
1
Ian
The judge peers down at me from atop her pristine, cherrywood tower of judgment, and I swallow the dry knot of dread forming in my throat. This tie is too fucking tight, and the silence in the room is torture to my soul, my life, my career. I can hear fingers tapping on laptops and pencils scratching across paper from behind me. No doubt the reporters are itching to get my demise to the media before the gavel stops banging. I can almost read the headlines now.
“Mr. Legend, I know you’re a star athlete who’s both adored and praised by your fans, friends, teammates and coaches alike. Their character references of you haven’t gone unheard in this courtroom. Your accomplishments both on and off the soccer field have been taken into consideration. I fully believe your initial attempts to ease the situation you unknowingly entered into were to be the good Samaritan, but—" Her glasses fall further down her nose, giving her eyes more room to cast scornful daggers at me. “—I cannot allow the blatant disrespect for human life you showed on the night in question. When things don’t go as you expect, releasing your rage—whether it’s on an opponent on the soccer field or Mr. Benson in this case—is not the answer. You have a temper, Mr. Legend. It needs to be controlled or you’ll eventually find yourself trading in a jersey for an orange jumpsuit with a different set of numbers splashed across it. Do you understand me?”
My lawyer elbows me, bringing my thoughts back to this room. I raise my eyes from the gold nameplate nailed to the wood in front of her, Judge Melinda Carmichael, to see a flicker of her irritation and impatience with me.
“Yes, your Honor,” I reply dryly.
“Since Mr. Benson was himself in the act of committing a heinous crime against another person, I’m dismissing the aggravated assault charges. Therefore, in consideration of your celebrity status, I’m ordering you to complete anger management classes of no less than fifteen hours. In addition to that, you will serve one hundred hours of community service to underprivileged children in your city of residence. There’s no time limitation for completion, but the sentence is to start no less than twenty-one days from tomorrow. This will give the court time to find acceptable resources for you to carry out your full sentence. The court will be in touch. That is all. Case closed.” Her delicate hand reaches for the wooden gavel and bangs it once.
That’s it? That can’t be it. It’s too easy.
My lawyer extends his hand, and I shake it, confusion clouding my face. “What am I missing?”
“What do you mean?” he asks, raising a quizzical eyebrow. “You’re missing the two to eight years she could’ve locked you up for. You got lucky.” He claps his meaty hand on my shoulder and grips it tightly.
“So that’s it? I just go back to Chicago and live my regular life while completing my sentence? How does that make sense?”
“Ian, this is only the beginning. Your regular life is about to change dramatically. They could release you from the team. You could lose your endorsements? You’ve fallen in the public eye. There will be lies told and gossip spread. The media will hound you for your side of the story. This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”
We walk out of the heavy courtroom doors into chaos I never imagined I’d be a part of. I mean, I’ve seen it on TV but wasn’t really sure if that was sensationalized for the media coverage. My teammates, or at least the ones who bothered to show for support, gather around, forming a wall. A heavy throng of reporters converge on us, pushing us all together like a wave rushing to the shoreline as we walk through the crowded hallway. It’s surreal.
One reporter shoves a microphone in my face, hitting another reporter’s microphone trying to get as close to my mouth as possible. One of them hits my nose, and I forcefully push them away while different people shout my name and tug at me from the left and right.
My attorney just keeps repeating, “No comment,” as we make our way to the front door.
Outside, more reporters run at us to get a piece of the story. My stride gets smaller as the crowd pushes us tighter together. I’m suffocating in a sea of arms all trying to drown me in the scorching Florida sun.
“Take a deep breath, Ian. Don’t let these people get to you,” my buddy, Mikael, grumbles in my ear.
I nod in understanding. My head spins, trying to look at each person addressing me, but I can’t pinpoint any one face in particular. I’m suddenly dizzy with sweat dripping down into my eyes. Fuck, this is worse than scrambling for the ball just before the clock buzzes.
We eventually make it to the curb, and I’m shoved inside a waiting SUV.
“What the hell was all of that?” My voice thunders in the quiet of the car.
“Those were piranhas wanting to take a bite out of you,” Todd says. He snaps his pointy teeth at me and growls just like they did. Todd is my baby brother and my best friend. He’s been my wing man since I taught him how to walk, run, and then kick a soccer ball. He’s been my biggest fan and my most brutal reality checker, always keeping me honest and grounded.
“Well, one got my nose with that damn microphone.” I rub it gently, still feeling the slight sting of the metal against my cartilage.
“There will be more where that came from, so prepare yourself…and your family. Your celebrity status will protect you from most of it, but if they find out where any of your family lives or favorite places to go, they’ll track you down like the hounds of hell sniffing out a lost soul,” my attorney warns.
George Asher is the attorney assigned to my case by the Chicago Fire Soccer Club. I met him two days after I was initially arrested, and we’ve met five times in total since that day to go over my case. We aren’t friendly, and I hope to never be. It’s not that he’s a bad guy. I just don’t ever want to need him in my life.
“I think we can cut down on the dramatics here,” Todd replies over his shoulder from the driver’s seat.
“Mark my words,” he chastises, shaking his finger in the air at us.
Todd rolls his eyes in the rearview mirror, and we both start laughing.
“Laugh all you want, but I know what I’m talking about.” He sits back in his seat and glares out the window, giving us the cold shoulder.