by Alexis Anne
“I like the scruff,” I said, brushing my fingers against my chin.
His eyes narrowed on my fingers, then flicked up to meet mine. Whoa. I had assumed the speakeasy was a bizarre concoction of late night, booze, and fun. That I’d imagined my attraction to Theo Sutherland. I’d been absolutely certain that if I ever ran into him again I would not feel the same way.
I was very wrong.
My heart was pumping blood south at full speed. This man turned me on like no one else I’d ever met. All without trying. It was just him.
He cleared his throat. “I like to change things up sometimes.”
“It suits you.” Very well. I imagined in a couple of weeks that beard would be thick and manly in a way few guys could actually pull off. I tried to keep my breath steady, but I was failing miserably, and in a tiny elevator filled with silent men, I was quite certain every single one of them could hear the tremble of each breath I took.
Luckily the elevator slowed to a stop.
“Have a good day at work, Allison. I hope I didn’t make you too late for your meeting. I’ll send Margie an email saying it was my fault.” He had a mischievous look of delight on his face. Which was so very different from the man I danced with the other night, and yet just as restrained. I liked the teasing, though. It was better than the confusion.
“That won’t be necessary. I slept late all on my own.”
He coughed, but I didn’t think it was because of a cold. No, I was quite certain that an image of me in my bed had just caught him by surprise. “Have a good day,” he murmured as I stepped out.
“Watch out for dangerous ladies looking for rides in elevators. I’m not sure your security detail can handle it.”
That earned me a laugh. A nice, deep belly laugh. I threw a smile over my shoulder, catching his eye just as the doors slid shut.
I was going to see Theo again. I knew it.
“Shut the front door. Did you just make a joke with Theo Sutherland?” Bethany, our receptionist was staring past me with her mouth hanging open and the phone to her ear.
“Yes.” And it felt damn good.
A voice came squawking through the phone. I was pretty sure it was Margaret.
“Yes, she’s here now, I’ll send her right in.” Bethany hung up the phone and frowned at me. “I want details over lunch. Get to the conference room.”
“There isn’t much to say. I rode in an elevator that happened to have the building’s owner inside it.”
Bethany snorted. “Allison… Mr. Sutherland is almost never seen out in the wild. He does not smile and he most certainly does not laugh.”
My heart raced as I hurried toward the conference room and my impending lecture on lateness. Mr. Sutherland most certainly does not laugh.
I made him laugh.
I also made his breath hitch.
For a mysterious man who never made appearances, everyone sure seemed to know an awful lot. It looked like I needed to acquaint myself with the local gossip columns. If I was going to keep running into Theo in strange places, it was high time I armed myself with information.
I needed to know what I was getting myself into before it was too late to run in the opposite direction.
Because that was the last thing on my mind now that I’d seen him twice.
And the chemistry simply explodes from here! You know you need to read Tempt now!
Or grab the first four books in the series in the The Tease Series Box Set (Books 1-4) and start binge reading now!
-BE A FRISKY FRIEND-
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Night Games has a lot of Nate and me in here—the jumping in the deep end without looking, the split second life altering decision making skills, the big, big personalities—but I snuck in a few special things from my grandparents as well. The really fun Easter egg came at the end with L.S.
That is the actual name of one of my grandparent’s cats from when I was a kid. I think it gives you a little bit of insight into their personality! It was a lot of fun to include things like this into a story I loved writing so much.
I’d like to thank my HBIC Nation for their constant support. I don’t know what I’d do without the love and friendship of co-founders Julia Kelly, Mary Chris Escobar, Alexandra Haughton, Lindsay Emory, and Laura von Holt, or the extended support of the larger nation! Unicorns and mermaids and dreaming, doing, and dominating! <3
Alexandra Haughton did the cover. Can we all give her a round of applause? That feather is hot stuff!
I need to send flowers and hugs to Lindsay Emory and Heather at L. Woods PR for the blurb! Writing these is the death of me and what you two created out of my babbling is magical! Thank you!
Thank you so much to Heather for joining my team and taking care of the promo push for Night Games! This is a crazy new experience for me but I’m loving it!
We moved right smack in the middle of writing this book. And not across the street or across town. We moved from Florida to North Carolina! It was a big move and a lot happened between starting this book and the scramble to the end. There is a lot of blood, sweat and tears hidden in these pages. And not just mine, but Nate’s and the boys, too. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for your constant love and support of my dream career!
And finally, to my fans. You guys are incredible. Thank you so much for reading, for the notes of encouragement, and for continuing to pick up my books. I love you!
xoxo
-Alexis
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Former archaeologist Alexis Anne (who also writes romantic suspense as Alexis Sykes) has worked as an oral historian, GIS specialist, field archaeologist, college professor, and small business owner, before deciding that working from home and writing books was a lot more satisfying. She writes steamy, sexy romance with one half of her brain and romantic suspense, action adventure, and children's books with the other half.
Growing up she traipsed through the islands of the Gulf Coast, camped in the Everglades, dove the Keys, and generally felt more at home spending her days outdoors with a good book. She currently lives in a home filled with wild men (otherwise known as her extremely extroverted husband, The Sexy Editor, and their two kids), a husky, and a superhero guinea pig.
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https://alexisannebooks.com/
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Praise for The Storm Inside
—The Storm Inside Series—
Copyright
Foreword
Dedication
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
Thank You
Excerpt from When Lightning Strikes
More from Alexis Anne
Welcome To The World Of Tease
Excerpt From TEASE
Excerpt From TEMPT
-Be A Frisky Friend-
Acknowledgments
About the Author
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