Pawn (Ironclad Bodyguards 1)
Page 22
She leaned forward and silenced his blathering with a kiss. When she drew back, tears glistened in her eyes. “I wondered when you were going to ask me. Because...” She swallowed hard. “I’ve been looking for a family again, since Zeke died. And I know he liked you. He would have liked you becoming part of our family.”
Sam thought Zeke would have liked it too. He brushed away her tears and kissed her cheeks, and held her fingers so he could slide on the ring. “It’s a perfect fit,” he said.
“Like Cinderella’s glass slipper.”
Sam laughed. “Does that make me your prince?”
“No, you’re my knight,” said Grace. “Remember? My knight in shining armor. You keep me safe.”
“I’ll always keep you safe. I’m going to work on that for the rest of my life.”
“You know what’s good?” she asked, looking down at the ring. “We already have the wedding dress. It’s a little sandy along the hemline, but that’s okay, don’t you think?”
The sun reflected in her eyes, just like it reflected in the mist and the facets of the ring’s diamonds.
“It’s perfectly okay, Gracie,” he said. “I’d marry you in anything. After all, how many people get a chance to marry someone who’s changed the world?”
She looked sheepish. “Have I really changed the world?”
“I think you have. You’ve definitely changed my world.” He embraced her, thinking how lucky he was. Pinky-shake lucky.
After Dubai was finally here, and it was worth the wait.
THE END
A Final Note
I’ve always loved bodyguards for what they represent: strength, protectiveness, honor, capability, professionalism. Oh, and muscles! When I wrote Liam’s story in Waking Kiss, I knew I would have to write more about Ironclad’s bodyguards, and a contemporary erotic romance series seemed just the thing.
If you liked Grace and Sam’s story, be sure to visit annabeljoseph.com and sign up for my newsletter, so you can be in the loop for upcoming Ironclad Bodyguards books. I have some interesting stories in mind! I also write BDSM romance as Annabel Joseph, so if you’re into the kinky stuff, you might want to try those too.
Thanks as always to my editors, Audrey K., and Lina Sacher of Lina Edits, my beta readers Leslie, Theresa, and Doris, and my cover artist Kati at Bad Star Media. I owe special thanks to Marisa for helping educate me about Argentina (and for helping me pick Renzo’s name). I also owe thanks to Lina for help with Russian, and to Aussie Lisa and Theresa for help with the Arabic translations. I tried to be sensitive in my portrayal of Arab issues, both in the U.S. and certain areas of the Middle East. No offense was meant in my depiction of the various characters.
A final thank you to Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov, whose rivalry in the 1980’s sparked my fascination with the world of competitive chess, and to Tim Rice, Benny Andersson, and Björn Ulvaeus, whose musical Chess further tickled my imagination. There’s a world of information online if you’d like to learn more about this complex and widely-played game.
And yes. There’s a Chess for Dummies book too.
Coming Soon: DIVA: Ironclad Bodyguards 2
In his years at Ironclad, Ransom has built a reputation as a hardass bodyguard. He reels in the perverts, wrangles the mangled, and controls celebrities who are notoriously out of control. He’s the person agents and managers turn to when a client is...difficult. Ransom doesn’t put up with difficult. He brings them into line.
So when a world-famous DJ starts slipping into risky habits, he’s hired to keep her on track during a multi-million-dollar tour. He figures he’ll just knock the diva down a few pegs and scare her straight. Problem is, Lola isn’t easily frightened, and “difficult” doesn’t begin to describe their contentious relationship. The only thing more annoying than their daily fights and power struggles is their intensifying emotional connection.
Ransom’s determined to save her...even if she doesn’t want to be saved.
Also Available: The Edge of the Earth by Molly Joseph
Charlotte Rowe organizes messes for a living. She’s darn good at it, but her orderly and controlled life leaves her wanting more. When an aged linguist contacts her, needing her assistance to save her grandfather’s dying language, Charlotte sees an opportunity for adventure. But as soon as she meets Dr. Will Mayfair, the other linguist on the project, she realizes she’s in over her head. Her research partner is far younger and sexier than she’d been led to expect. As if that isn’t enough to shake her up, they are forced to work in a remote Caucasus village where local political tensions are on the rise.
Charlotte and Will race to translate a rare document, but their work is stymied by the subtext of attraction whispering beneath every word they say. Then war breaks out and a tragic ordeal sends both their lives into a tailspin. Like the hero of the mythological tale they study, they are forced to battle for love and healing, and make a perilous journey back from the edge of the earth.
The BDSM Ballet series by Annabel Joseph
Waking Kiss… A stranger in the wings, a traitorous pair of toe shoes, and a traumatic turn dancing with The Great Rubio… For ballerina Ashleigh Keaton, it’s been one hell of a night.
But it’s not over yet. When Rubio drags her to a private party at his friend’s house in the ritzy part of London, she meets Liam Wilder, a lifestyle dominant and frighteningly seductive man. Liam pursues Ashleigh, attracted by her strength and talent, but she has secrets—an abusive past and a crippling fear of intimacy that prevents her from connecting to anyone, especially a playboy reputed to be legendary in bed.
Eventually he wins her trust and sets out to heal the troubled dancer, awakening her to a world of sensual abandon in a series of BDSM “sessions” at his home. But how pure are his motives? Is he helping her or endangering her fragile soul?
Fever Dream… Petra Hewitt’s the top ballerina in the world, and The Great Rubio her obvious counterpart, so why does she want to strangle him whenever he’s around? He’s haughty, abrupt, demanding—and alarmingly sexy. Petra knows Rubio is dangerous to her heart, to her peace of mind, and worst of all, to her career, but his rough flirtation compels her. When she gets a chance to play with him at a BDSM party, their professional partnership takes a feverish left turn.
But as they enjoy their sensual games of dominance and submission, career pressures mount, and an overzealous fan brings dangerous tension to their relationship. Soon, the dream gives way to the stark reality of her vulnerability. Maybe, just maybe, some risks are too terrifying to take.
BDSM Ballet series is:
#1 Waking Kiss (Liam and Ashleigh’s story)
#2 Fever Dream (Rubio and Petra’s story)
The Comfort series by Annabel Joseph
Have you ever wondered what goes on in the bedrooms of Hollywood’s biggest heartthrobs? In the case of Jeremy Gray, the reality is far more depraved than anyone realizes. Brutal desires, shocking secrets, and a D/s relationship (with a hired submissive “girlfriend”) that’s based on a contract rather than love. It’s just the beginning of a four-book saga following Jeremy and his Hollywood friends as they seek comfort in fake, manufactured relationships. Born of necessity—and public relations—these attachments come to feel more and more real. What does it take to live day-to-day with an A-list celebrity? Patience, fortitude, and a whole lot of heart. Oh, and a very good pain tolerance for kinky mayhem.
Comfort series is:
#1 Comfort Object (Jeremy’s story)
#2 Caressa’s Knees (Kyle’s story)
#3 Odalisque (Kai’s story)
#4 Command Performance (Mason’s story)
About the Author
Molly Joseph is the “vanilla” counterpart of New York Times and USA Today bestselling BDSM romance author Annabel Joseph. Annabel and Molly both love to explore deep and complicated relationships on the pages of their books, except that Annabel’s couples have BDSM dynamics, and Molly’s couples don’t.
You can learn mor
e about Annabel (and Molly) by visiting annabeljoseph.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter to stay current on upcoming releases. You can also find Annabel/Molly on Facebook (Facebook.com/annabeljosephnovels), and Twitter (@annabeljoseph).
You can write to either Molly or Annabel at Annabeljosephnovels@gmail.com.
Other books by Molly Joseph
The Edge of the Earth
Books by Annabel Joseph
Mercy
Cait and the Devil
Firebird
Owning Wednesday
Lily Mine
Disciplining the Duchess
Fortune series:
Deep in the Woods
Fortune
Comfort series:
Comfort Object
Caressa’s Knees
Odalisque
Command Performance
Cirque Masters series:
Cirque de Minuit
Bound in Blue
Master’s Flame
Mephisto series:
Club Mephisto
Molly’s Lips: Club Mephisto Retold
Burn For You
BDSM Ballet series:
Waking Kiss
Fever Dream
Properly Spanked series:
Training Lady Townsend
To Tame A Countess
My Naughty Minette
Under A Duke’s Hand