But wanting Taylor for himself? Christ. “Dad, I never had a thing for Taylor.” The thought of being a second-hand dad to her boys petrified him.
He wanted out for a while. He’d worked for the family outfit since he was old enough to load the scrap left behind after a job. Over half his life. The last three years had been the worst, since Lou died and keeping the family together fell on his shoulders. On his watch, they’d damn near crumbled beneath the weight of Lou’s passing. He sucked at being the eldest.
His dad was still giving him the eye. David felt the need to repeat himself.
“I’m happy for them. I don’t have any hidden passion for Taylor. And I’ve made my decision.”
His dad’s lips flattened. “I don’t know how I’m going to tell your mom. She’s going to be heartbroken.”
He should have known Dad would play the guilt card. David took a deep breath, then let it out long and slow.
“Mom’s going to be fine, and you know it.”
Arthur Jackson sighed, and resignation eased the tense line of his jaw. “She should hear it from you. She’ll want to be sure you’re happy with this move.”
“I planned on dropping by to tell her tomorrow.”
“And you’re coming to the barbecue on Sunday or she’ll think you’re mad at us all.”
He was thirty-four years old yet his father still seemed to think he needed to be told how to handle a delicate situation. It wasn’t a dig, it was just his dad, but he’d never heard his father remind Lou about the basics.
David hadn’t handled the situation well on the day he found out about Taylor and Jace. In fact, he’d been way out of line. He’d apologized to both of them for the shitty things he said. But something changed that day, as irrevocably as life had changed the day Lou died.
He no longer felt a part of his family, and he’d step away until he could figure out why. He’d leave before he let loose with something even more damaging than what he had already said to his brother.
Meet all the Jacksons
Somebody’s Lover, Book 1
Somebody’s Ex, Book 1
Somebody’s Wife, Book 1
Have you ever wondered about past lives, reincarnation, life after death? Did you love the film Dead Again? If you’re a fan of contemporary romances with a dash of paranormal, then try Jasmine’s new Reincarnation Tales, sexy stories about love that never dies.
Twisted by Love
Reincarnation Tales Book 1
Copyright 2012 Jasmine Haynes
Cover design by Rae Monet Inc
A love that spans lifetimes, an evil that has followed them through the ages...
Bern Daniels doesn’t believe in ghosts, UFOs, or reincarnation, but when he sees Livie Scott, it’s as if he’s known her forever. Now he can’t get her out of his mind. He wants her in his bed and in his life. For keeps. He’s even starting to believe they’ve lived past lives together.
Will jealousy out of the past come back to destroy their future?
Livie is unaccountably drawn to the tall, dark stranger. He literally sweeps her off her feet. And she’s oh so willing to let him. But her sister Toni is planted firmly in her path to happiness. Livie has been forced to choose between a man and Toni before; is she destined to play the same twisted game with her sister over and over?
Livie and Bern soon discover there are shadows lurking from their past, past lives that is, which threaten everything they believe in, everything they want. And even their lives.
Excerpt
Livie buried her arms elbow deep in hot, soapy water. She enjoyed doing the dishes by hand. The water warmed her down to her toes. She loved a clean kitchen. She loved order and neatness and everything in its proper place. She loved an established routine and—
Something hit her on the cheek with a splat, slid down her face, and landed with a plop in the water, sinking before she actually saw what it was. She brushed her cheek with a wet hand, soap suds settling close to her eye. She wiped them off on against shoulder, then skimmed her hands through the water searching for what had struck her.
Something slimy slithered across her fingers and skittered away. She jerked, suds splashing over the edges of the sink. In the kitchen doorway, her sister giggled, a girlish giggle laced with malice. Another watery splat, this time on the back of her head, and the thing, whatever it was, slid down her neck into her blouse.
Just then, the one in the sink poked its head above the water. A snake, a slimy, horrible, fat snake with huge fangs that sank into the soft flesh between her thumb and forefinger.
Livie started screaming when she felt the snake down her blouse wriggle and slither all over her...
* * * * *
Toni parked her car on the street and let herself into Livie’s condo on the fifth floor of the building. Toni preferred apartment living, where she could pick up and move whenever it suited her. But Livie liked roots and ownership, even if it was a tiny condo in a big complex in Belmont.
What a day. She felt like crap, and she looked like last month’s leftovers.
Where was Livie? It was after nine. Toni threw her overnight bag on the bed, hung up tomorrow’s skirt and sweater so they wouldn’t wrinkle, tossed the stuff she’d borrowed this morning in the hamper, then set her cosmetics out on the counter in Livie’s bathroom. Her sister used the cheap stuff, which couldn’t be good for her skin.
Livie was pretty, but, without a conceited bone in her body, Toni knew she was prettier. It wasn’t conceit to admit to better bone structure and curvier curves. She also knew how to best enhance what God gave her. Her hair, for instance, was a honey-gold which went much better with her coloring than plain old reddish-brown. Livie should live a little and dye a little. Not to mention that contact lenses changed muddy irises to a brilliant jungle green, or anything else a girl wanted. What the heck, Livie was Livie. She didn’t care much about her appearance as long she was considered neat and professional. She would never have purchased that short dress and hot pink blazer she’d worn this morning if Toni hadn’t goaded her into buying it months ago. It still had the tags, for God’s sake.
Now, what would Livie have in the refrigerator besides low-fat yogurt and fruit? Toni was starving. She hadn’t been able to eat all day over that terrible episode with Reese. She’d picked up the phone a thousand times to call him, but really, a man had to learn how to crawl a little when he’d made a mistake, especially since he hadn’t answered any of her messages from yesterday. She wasn’t done with him yet. She knew the man had huge potential in bed, and she would make sure she got him there. Oh yeah, she’d make him beg first, but she’d definitely take him back when she felt he’d shown the proper contrition.
A key jiggled in the front door.
Livie already had her jacket off and folded over her arm. She’d dropped her keys on the entry table and set her briefcase and purse on the floor before she saw Toni standing in the kitchen doorway.
“Hey.” After a moment’s pause and not a single expression on her face, Livie headed into the living room, a shopping bag dangling from her fingers. “Feeling better?”
“Yeah.” Toni shrugged and leaned against the wall. “I didn’t want to be alone. You don’t mind, do you?”
Livie draped her jacket over the back of the sofa without turning around. “Of course not.”
She probably did, but Livie wouldn’t say. Which was usually a good thing for Toni. She got away with murder if she acted first and asked later. “What’s in the bag?”
“A book. I ran out of things to read.” Livie pulled it out, set it on the coffee table, and wadded up the bag.
“What is it?”
“The Fountainhead.” She examined the receipt in her hand. “Someone at work mentioned it, and I’ve never read it. It’s some sort of classic written in the forties.”
Sounded boring. Weird that Livie was late because she’d stopped to buy a book. Ah, but Livie loved to read in the tub. It relaxed her. Tonight, though, she had Toni to e
ntertain instead. What fun for them both.
“Did you eat?” Livie slipped past her into the kitchen and bent to peer into the refrigerator.
“I was hoping you’d feed me.”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Livie answered without turning.
“Then what have you got?”
Shuffling a few things around, Livie surveyed the contents. “How about scrambled eggs on toast?”
Great comfort food. Their mom used to scramble eggs on cold winter nights when Dad was out of town. They got to eat in front of the TV and stay up an hour later than usual. Of course, there’d be a ton of carbs in the toast. Comfort, carbs, comfort, carbs? Comfort won. “Yeah. That sounds great.”
Livie put the eggs on the counter, then pulled out bread, margarine and milk. From the drawer beneath the oven, she retrieved a frying pan and set it on the stove. “I’ll change, then start dinner.”
“You want me to break the eggs or anything?”
“No, I’ll do it.”
“Thanks, Livie, you’re great.”
Livie smiled and patted Toni’s cheek as she passed, grabbed her discarded jacket, and headed into the bedroom.
Yeah, Livie was great. And guilt was a beautiful emotion. Hmm, was it actually an emotion? Whatever. Livie had it in spades, and Toni didn’t mind playing on that guilt when she really, really needed to. She deserved a little payback after the terrible things her sister had done to her.
If you enjoyed this excerpt, look for Twisted by Love, Reincarnation Tales, Book 1!
Here’s a taste of Jasmine’s steamy Open Invitation series.
Invitation to Seduction
Open Invitation, Book 1
Copyright 2012 Jasmine Haynes
Cover design by Rae Monet Inc
Previously published in 2006 in the Open Invitation anthology
Here’s your invitation to The Sex Club, elegant, classy, sexy, every woman’s fantasy, every man’s desire...
When her best friend drags her out to a bachelorette party, Debbie Carter knows one thing for sure—this will be the last time she'll try to attract the opposite sex. She's learned the hard way that she isn't desirable anymore. But when she flirts with a man at The Sex Club, she gets far more than she bargained for, and the game she plays soon turns to obsession for the fire in one man’s touch. Will she have to choose between the love of her life and her secure, safe, yet intolerable existence.
Stephen Knight enters the club looking for the woman he has fallen for over email and through her art work. She's everything he's ever dreamed of and seeing her in the flesh makes him desire her physically as well. As her passion comes to life in his arms, Stephen's lust turns to love. Wanting far more from her than a few nights of seduction, can he make her believe in forever?
Excerpt
“It’s a veritable mansion.” Virginia, seated in the backseat, rolled down her window. For the outing, she’d worn a peach silk suit, the skirt covering her to her knees. Next to Stacy, and Debbie in her sexy borrowed skirt and blouse, Virginia looked like a maiden aunt. Yet this place had been her choice, though Debbie thought The Sex Club was way out of character for Virginia.
Set amid a grove of eucalyptus at the end of a long, sloping drive, with the moon providing the only illumination, the house looked like something out of a Vincent Price movie. A hulking behemoth over three stories high, with dormer windows at presumably the attic level. No lights filled any of the windows. No valet parking attendants swarmed about the wide stone porch. Not a single living soul moved; not even a curtain flickered.
“It’s so quiet,” Virginia said, “it’s almost creepy.”
Stacy huffed. “It’s private. And exclusive. What did you expect, floodlights and a marching band?”
Debbie didn’t find the mansion creepy. Excitement rippled through her at the sight of it. The Sex Club’s mystery made her blood pump faster and her nipples harden. Moisture gathered between her thighs. The darkness beckoned, promised seduction, secrecy, and fantasy fulfillment. Just fantasy, she didn’t have to do anything. Observe, pretend for a little while. Jaywalk over to the wild side for a night. The clingy black top and skirt Stacy had loaned her, the high heels and stockings with garter belt, even the truly outrageous shade of vermillion Stacy had painted on her nails, all fit her blossoming mood. She’d walked out of her home with the promise to herself that something spectacular was going to happen. Something that would make her feel alive. This was a night for magic and a house that invited it.
Some gorgeous man was going to seduce her with nothing more than a look. Of course, she wouldn’t act on it, but she would believe, for one night, that she was gorgeous, sexy, and desirable. She wanted to add to her store of fantasies that could be put to good use when she was going mad for an orgasm.
Stacy maneuvered the car into the parking garage—which turned out to be under the house—pulled into a spot, and turned off the engine. Porsches, Jags, and BMWs dominated in the underground lot. Sex appeared to be for the rich, at least here.
“Virginia, the invitations, please.” Stacy waggled her fingers, her French manicure gleaming in the shaft of overhead light falling through the windshield.
Virginia pulled the stack of cream-colored envelopes from her purse. Stacy took them with a flourish. “Now, ladies, here are the rules. It’s invitation only the first time. After that, women are allowed in without it. Or sometimes a woman might be sent an invitation by a very special someone.” She arched a brow and smiled, which made Debbie think Stacy’d been honored with a special invite at one time or another.
“But men,” Stacy went on, “must always have an invitation or they don’t get in. That excludes horn-dog frat boys who don’t know a clitoris from a hole in the wall and aren’t willing to spend the time to learn. We don’t use real names. We do use condoms. They have bowls of them all over the place. Like candy dishes. We say no to whatever we don’t want, and we say yes to whatever we do. If somebody bugs you, you tell an attendant, and the offending party bites the dust. Got it?”
With all the talk about clitorises and condoms, Debbie glanced back at Virginia. She was getting married tomorrow in Las Vegas. Was she out simply for a night of titillation before settling down? Or did she plan on something more? Titillation, Debbie decided, or Virginia would have chosen a more provocative outfit than the peach suit.
Stacy flipped through the gold-labeled envelopes in her lap. “This one’s mine. Serena.” She put a hand to her sequined chest. “I look like a Serena, don’t you think?” Serena could do anything she wanted, she had that kind of feminine power.
She handed the second invitation to Virginia. “Regina.”
Virginia wrinkled her nose. “I was going to say something about that earlier. It reminds me a little of vagina.”
Stacy smiled. “Depends on how you say it when you introduce yourself, darling.” Then she got to the last envelope.
Debbie held her breath.
“Desiree.”
Debbie held the invitation lightly in her fingers, the name embossed in gold. Desiree. Desire. “I like it,” she whispered. “So this is the name we give if anyone asks?”
Stacy gave her the once-over. “Everyone’s going to ask. No real names, remember.”
Debbie traced the raised lettering. “This place must cost a fortune to get into. You haven’t asked for any money.”
“The first time, you’re a guest.” Stacy held her gaze.
“The first time?”
“Almost everyone comes back.”
Debbie felt the challenge in the statement. For a moment, she got the distinct impression that Stacy knew her entire marital history, even the months and years between lovemaking. She’d given herself away somehow, though she couldn’t remember even hinting at her problem.
Stacy turned in her seat. “We can stick together or we split off. But we’ll meet back in the lobby at midnight.” She checked her thin gold watch. “That gives us three hours.”
Virginia just smiled, a se
cretive smile Debbie could swear she’d never seen before.
Stacy yanked on her door handle. “Well, ladies, let’s see where the night leads us.”
If you enjoyed this excerpt, look for Invitation to Seduction, Open Invitation, Book 1. Then comes Invitation to Pleasure (Virginia’s story) and Invitation to Passion (Stacy’s story).
More Erotic Romance by Jasmine Haynes:
Revenge Sex, West Coast, Book 1
Submitting to the Boss, West Coast Series, Book 2
The Boss’s Daughter, West Coast Series, Book 3
Kinky Neighbors
Kinky Neighbors Two
Double the Pleasure, Prescott Twins, Book 1
Skin Deep, Prescott Twins, Book 2
Take Your Pleasure
Take Your Pick
Anthology: Beauty or the Bitch & Free Fall
Past Midnight
What Happens After Dark
The Principal’s Office
Yours for the Night
Hers for the Evening
Mine Until Morning
The Fortune Hunter
Show and Tell
Fair Game
More Than a Night
The Max Starr Series by Jasmine Haynes
Dead to the Max, Book 1
Evil to the Max, Book 2
Desperate to the Max, Book 3
Power to the Max, Book 4
Vengeance to the Max, Book 5
About the Author
Jasmine Haynes, Rita Finalist for Somebody’s Lover, plus two-time Holt Medallion and National Readers Choice Award winner, is the author of over 30 classy, erotic romance tales. Look for the final book in her popular DeKnight series, The Principal's Office. In 2013, she'll be starting a sexy new series for Berkley Heat, and there will be more in the West Coast series. Of course, she’s also the author of the award-winning Max Starr psychic mystery series. And don’t miss her writing as Jennifer Skully, KOD Daphne award-winning author of contemporary romance, bringing you poignant tales peopled with hilarious characters that will make you laugh and make you cry. Visit her website at www.jasminehaynes.com and her blog at www.jasminehaynes.blogspot.com
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