We make love in the silence, in the stillness of this place, our bodies communicating our every feeling, loving each other fully and completely. Afterward, I hold her knowing I’ll never let her go again.
The next evening, we sit on the porch, our feet on the rails as we watch the sun set, our hands intertwined, enjoying the beauty of it all.
A moment later when my phone vibrates, I sigh letting her hand go and pull the damned thing out of my pocket, hating that the moment has been spoiled. Then glancing down at it I can’t help but chuckle.
Laney: S-S… Super—Watching that gorgeous sunset with you.
I glance over seeing she’s smiling as she taps her thumbs on her phone before mine vibrates again.
I look back at it and bark out a laugh seeing her text that reads like one of her lease agreements.
Laney: Sucky—Wondering at this dire situation of why we’re not on the floor in front of the fireplace, as you, Sir Thrustalot, display your undying love and affection for me through each powerful and lusty thrust of your hips against mine… Hoping you presently grasp the full gravity of the situation, realizing that the fulfillment of your chivalric duties depends on your immediate and hasty remedy of the circumstances. Yours, Lady Comealot
I stand, and putting one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, pick her up, turning to carry her inside but not before kissing her sweet lips and mumbling against them, “You wanted me to fuck you, all you had to do was ask.”
“Always precise and to the point,” she mumbles right back.
“I love you,” I tell her, taking her inside. “And I’ll fulfill my duties as only a true knight would do, baby,” I say with a snort, shaking my head at our silliness.
“Well, your last name is Noble, you know,” she replies with a chuckle.
I lay her on the rug following her down, positioning myself on top of her to where she cradles my hips with hers. As I gaze down at her, my heart’s suddenly in my throat when I say, “Yours will be too… soon… I hope.”
Witnessing the look of shock then pure radiance on her face is priceless, something I’ll never forget.
She grabs the sides of my face and pulls me down for a hot kiss then suddenly pushes me away looking up at me and suggesting with a giggle, “We should get married on the elevator where it all began!”
I frown as if I’m thinking it through for a moment then shrug a shoulder answering, “I guess we’ll always have our ups and downs.”
She scrunches her face and lets out a groan before wrapping her arms around my neck ordering, “Shut up and kiss me.”
And I do as I’m told.
Harper’s Hot Recs ;)
UnExpected (The Fighter Series, Book 2) by TC Matson
Paige
Turns out he was everything I ever wanted—charming, loving, and super sexy. But I knew being with Levi, the gorgeous MMA fighter every woman wanted, was going to be difficult. Especially since he’s so far away training a beautiful up-and-coming female fighter, teaching the very thing he thrives on. I just didn’t realize how damaging and strenuous this would be to our relationship. With so many twists and turns, unfortunately, we both got blindsided by the unexpected.
Levi
I’m everything she wants and surprisingly, she was everything I needed. Quickly she became my very existence—my heartbeat. Everything around me faded as she became clear in view. And just because I’m affectionate toward her doesn’t mean I’ve changed. Don’t confuse my being in love with weakness. I’m still pretty damn perfect. I knew distance was going to be hard, but hell, this is agonizing.
***UnExpected is a continuance of Blindsided (The Fighter Series Book #1), beginning right where book 1 left off. It’s highly recommended you read Blindsided first.***
The Way Back to Me (The Way #1) by Anne Mercier
She used to be perky, fun, and full of life—everything I hated about girls and their bullshit exterior. People called her bubbly; I called her “fake-as-hell.”
The edgy, dark, lonely girl in front of me was not the Olivia Brennan I knew from high school—far from it, actually. I knew the story—the whole town knew the story, we witnessed it all. It happened in the blink of an eye and the girl we knew was gone.
But I refuse to watch it anymore—I can’t stand it. I’m going to fix it—fix her. It’s time I showed Olivia her way back…Back to the girl she used to be.
Waiting for Love (Waiting #2) by Dawn Stanton
Professor Garrett Hanlon -
Fantasies about him have consumed me since the first day of class. The fact that he’s my professor doesn’t seem to matter at all. There’s something between us, an attraction so powerful, so intense, that I can’t seem to keep my distance, even though I know I should…even though I know, he wants so much more from me than I’m willing to give. Is being with him worth ruining my entire academic future?
Jeff Walsh - We have a “friends with benefits” relationship, and it’s been working well for us…until now. He’s the quarterback of the university’s football team, and we’ve known each other since the first day of sophomore year. We have a lot of fun together, but is it fair for us to continue this way when all I can think about is Professor Hanlon and the way he sets my body on fire with a simple touch?
I feel as though I’m on the verge of something special, something amazing, something that comes along once in a lifetime. If I could only find the courage to choose….but what if I take the chance, make the choice, and it brings me nothing but heartache?
Is falling in love really worth risking it all?
Friction (Oath Keepers MC Book 5) by Sapphire Knight
Twist
Gone.
I lost my mind that day.
I arrived home, to my wife’s sweet color, stripped. Her body motionless, slain in a puddle of blood, her delicate skin, riddled with multiple stab wounds. The brutality of the rape was horrendous. My precious little girl lay in the middle of the floor, pillow securely duct taped on her face. Her tiny body, left unmoving. I’ve never screamed so savagely, wishing I was dead, before in my life.
Hope.
I’ve long given up on any light in my life, jaded. I wasn’t expecting to be blinded with friction, by a fucking ray of sunshine.
Sadie
Confused
I had no idea what to do with my life or my baby’s. I trusted the wrong man, who turned out to be a ghost, disappearing, leaving me scattered. I head to my brother’s club, in hopes of leaning on the only shoulder I’ve ever known.
Strength
What I find instead, is a hunter. A fiercely loyal, broken man, just waiting for his next kill.
Acknowledgments
To my fantastic beta readers, Franca, Mel & Sam, Thank you for everything!
To Amy & the Hellbenders, I love you guys! You make everything so much more fun (and crazy) since you’ve come into my life! Keep being the awesome lovelies that you are! <3
TC Matson, Without your encouragement I think I’d be in the fetal position… on the floor… in the corner. Thank you for being the best cheerleader ever! You’re an amazing friend and I can’t wait to laugh at your baby hands and feet in person some day :P Yeah, yeah, spit & shin kick away ;) Lobe you gobs xo
Anne Mercier, Thank you for always making time for me. You’ve got to be the busiest person I know but you’re always willing to help a gal out. Love ya! Dallas 2016 or bust! <3
Dawn Stanton & Janelle Schindler, Thank you for not only promoting my books but also checking in every now and then to make sure I’m still alive and kicking. I’ll return the favor on your next book ;)
Amy Dunlap, Thank you, thank you, thank you, woman! You’re the best PA ever! You get me & know how to keep me going. I’m wondering what I did before you *snorts* Love ya gobs & heaps!
Erin Spencer, Thank you for always hooking me up at the last minute. I’m thinking you’re starting to figure out my MO now so I’m past the shocking you stage. Thank you for being supportive with your
sweet voice on my messenger : ) Love you tons!
To the many bloggers who’ve spread the word about my books, thank you x a zillion. Know that you are appreciated GOBS!
And to the readers, this is all for you. Thank you <3.
Gable (The Powers That Be, Book 1)
Chapter 1
Summer, two weeks before class:
You know that feeling you get when you meet someone and feel as if you’ve known them for a lifetime? As if you’re just connected in some way?
Yeah, that didn’t happen the first time I met Gable Powers. Matter of fact, I didn’t like him one bit.
Oh, I know about all the Powers boys now. I actually knew about them by the first day of school since it seemed as if every woman on campus couldn’t stop talking about how each brother was just as gorgeous as the next, and things like, “Omigod! The Powers brothers are so hot!” or “Aren’t they just the cutest you’ve ever seen?” were proclaimed almost everywhere I went the entire first week of school. From listening in on these chicks wax rhapsodic over these brothers, if they were anything less than Nick Bateman clones, well, then I’d be highly disappointed. But from their conversations, I learned the Powers were from Seattle, all of them went to Hallervan, Zeke was a senior who played on the football team, Lochlan was a freshman who was some kind of computer genius, Ryker was a sophomore wrestler and Gable was a junior. I had yet to figure out what his superpower was, but I can honestly say that when I first met him, I couldn’t have cared less.
My up-close-and-personal with Gable Powers left me less than thrilled, and when I finally figured out who he was and said something later about it to my new roommate, I got a stare of disbelief which made me roll my eyes.
So here’s how it all went down.
I’d answered an ad in the Seattle Times for a roommate. On my way to meet Amy (fellow sophomore who’d eventually become my new roomie), I’d had a flat tire and had to pull over in an area of the city I was unfamiliar with—hell I was unfamiliar with the entire friggin’ place—and, of course, it’d been raining. As a farm girl, I knew how to change a tire, had no problem changing a tire, but per Dad’s instructions, I called AAA and stayed in my car waiting for someone to show up, kind of feeling like a wuss for doing so. I knew I could’ve done it and been on my way in no time but I decided to let Dad parent me for a change. Not that he wasn’t a good father; it’s just that I was majorly independent.
Needless to say, I was a little surprised when a black pickup truck stopped behind me and a guy got out, almost immediately after I’d hung up with the auto service. I mean, I’d heard AAA was fast, but come on. The guy had come to the driver’s side and when he’d tapped on the window of my little Honda, I’d seen the full sleeve tattoo on his muscular arm and my eyes had bugged out.
See, I’m from a small town in Idaho where everyone thinks tattoos are Satan’s markings, which I know is ridiculous and is one of the many reasons I couldn’t wait to leave that shitty little place, but I regret saying that when I’d seen his arm, I’d been a little on edge. The guy had stood there in the pouring rain while I contemplated what to do as I checked out the rest of him. He appeared to be over six feet tall and his entire body was ripped. Dang. I could see his abs all bumpy and defined through the wet white t-shirt that clung to him, and his rain-soaked jeans were stuck to what appeared to be muscular thighs. I’d then felt bad for ogling him as he stood there getting drenched, so I finally rolled my window down an inch and he’d bent to ask if I needed help.
And, my God, was he beautiful.
I stared at him as rain dripped from his straight nose to the ground. It drizzled down his high cheekbones where it met his strong, stubble-covered jaw, trickling to his chin before finally slipping off. The long curls of dark hair that framed his tanned face were dripping wet also, but it was his light brown eyes that held my attention, so expressive and soulful, lined in long, sooty lashes that were spiked from the rain. Damn. He was a total friggin’ hunk.
“I’ve called Triple A, so no, thank you,” I’d yelled over the rain through the cracked window.
He’d given me a sexy half grin, which made butterflies bounce off the walls of my stomach. “I could probably have it fixed before they even get their truck started.”
I’d twisted my mouth to the side not really knowing what to do. I mean, if I agreed to let him fix it, I may as well just do it. “Uh, that’s okay.”
“Seriously. You wouldn’t even have to get out, Rebecca. Just pop the trunk and I’ll take care of it. You won’t even have to lift one of your pretty, little fingers.” The smug look he’d given me made me frown. A lot.
“Rebecca?” I asked wondering what he was talking about.
“Of Sunnybrook Farm. You know, all clean and wholesome. Prissy,” he’d replied with a twinkle in his eye as he grinned fully now, his straight white teeth making him even more attractive.
What the hell? I’d grown up with two older brothers and I was anything but prissy. I could drive a tractor for chrissakes! “No, really, it’s fine,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Oh, c’mon. Can’t have a helpless little lady like yourself out here all alone, you know. What are you, like fifteen?”
I blinked at how rude he was being which was when Kim Kardashian, Jr. had walked up holding an umbrella and wearing the shortest shorts I’d ever seen. The crop t-shirt she wore had so much cut off that I could see her braless boobs hanging out from under it and couldn’t help but gape at how provocatively she was dressed. Then she’d whined, “What’s going onnnnnn, Gable? God! These helpless little Daddy’s Girls are so annoying! I could’ve changed the tire by nooooow! Leave the rich bitch alone and come onnnnnn!”
And that was the precise moment I think steam had shot out of my ears. I reached down and jerked up on the trunk release because fuck that. Then I’d thrown open my door and saw the guy jump out of the way. I walked to the back of the car, raised the trunk, pulled back the carpet and removed the jack then went to the side where the tire was flat, put the jack down and started loosening the lug nuts with the tire iron.
“Whoa! What do you think you’re doing?” Jerkface asked, having come around to the side of the car where I was.
“Well, Prissy Rich Bitch here is changing her tire if you haven’t figured it out,” I muttered glaring up at him. And my eyes got great big when I saw that both his arms were covered in tattoos. Whoa. And why that made him even hotter, I had no idea.
That was when Kim, Jr. huffed and called the guy an asshole (with which I couldn’t disagree), then she called me a stupid cunt (with which I totally took offense) and my mouth fell open as I watched her stomp back to the truck in her strappy wedge sandals, her ass cheeks totally hanging out from under her shorts. Wow. Classy babe.
“At least let me help you with that,” Tattoo Guy said, ignoring his girlfriend.
The glare I’d given him had him holding up his hands to his sides in surrender, his eyebrows raised as he grinned at me. I know I must’ve looked like an idiot with my long, blond hair soaked and hanging in my face, my cute, white cotton romper, which was sticking to me everywhere and was now probably ruined as I’m sure were my very awesome, white ankle-high gladiator sandals, but I’d be damned if I was going to let him help me now after he’d made me out to be some helpless female.
When he hung around, I muttered, “Go away,” as I positioned the jack and twisted the handle. Once I got the car jacked up, I realized he still hadn’t left so I stood and turned to him, putting my hands on my hips. “What?”
The perusal he gave me made the butterflies kick up again. Stupid fucking half grin. I frowned at him then moved back to the tire and proceeded to take off the lug nuts. When I went to remove the tire itself, he stepped in, took it off the wheel and rolled it to the trunk as I followed, telling him I had things under control and that he should just leave now.
“Can’t have you getting yourself all dirty, now can we?” He’d looked me up and down appreciatively and that’s
when I realized he could see everything through my outfit.
Shit! I hadn’t bothered wearing a bra because the romper had a built-in shelf bra, and I’m sure I was giving him quite the show, knowing my nipples had gotten perky at his heated gaze. But now I had to own it. So taking a deep breath, I leaned into the trunk to remove the spare, but he pushed me aside gently and reached in for it. And, God, he smelled good, all fresh rain and hot man. Damn it.
“I can handle it. Really. Why don’t you and Luscious take off?” I mumbled.
He set down the tire, appearing confused, then asked, “Luscious?”
“Your girlfriend. Isn’t that her stripper name?” I smiled sweetly at him hoping that’d make him mad and he’d finally leave, but instead, he’d barked out a laugh then proceeded to roll the tire to the front. I sloshed through the rain behind him then watched as he finished changing it, none too happy about it.
“That’s it,” he said when he finished, putting everything back in its place in the trunk. Then his eyes landed on me, once again moving up and down my body making me want to cover myself with my arms but refusing to do so, and after wiping his hand on a rag held it up for me to give him a high five. “Nice working with you.”
A high five? Really? Maybe he did think I was fifteen. “Uh, yeah,” I replied moving my hand slowly up to touch my palm to his.
He ended up grabbing my hand during the high five, and I swear, this is so cliché, so stupid chick lit banal, but I honestly felt a damned jolt go through me when we touched. I think he felt it too because he looked at our hands, scowled for a second before scrutinizing me closely then let my hand go.
The Fighter (The High Rise, Book 1) Page 18
