Tempt Me (Jamie & Ryan: Stark International Novella #3.71)

by J. Kenner

  TANGLED by Rebecca Zanetti

  A Dark Protectors Novella

  HOLD ME by J. Kenner

  A Stark Ever After Novella

  SOMEHOW, SOME WAY by Jennifer Probst

  A Billionaire Builders Novella

  TOO CLOSE TO CALL by Tessa Bailey

  A Romancing the Clarksons Novella

  HUNTED by Elisabeth Naughton

  An Eternal Guardians Novella

  EYES ON YOU by Laura Kaye

  A Blasphemy Novella

  BLADE by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright

  A Bayou Heat Novella

  DRAGON BURN by Donna Grant

  A Dark Kings Novella

  TRIPPED OUT by Lorelei James

  A Blacktop Cowboys® Novella

  STUD FINDER by Lauren Blakely

  MIDNIGHT UNLEASHED by Lara Adrian

  A Midnight Breed Novella

  HALLOW BE THE HAUNT by Heather Graham

  A Krewe of Hunters Novella

  DIRTY FILTHY FIX by Laurelin Paige

  A Fixed Novella

  THE BED MATE by Kendall Ryan

  A Room Mate Novella

  NIGHT GAMES by CD Reiss

  A Games Novella

  NO RESERVATIONS by Kristen Proby

  A Fusion Novella

  DAWN OF SURRENDER by Liliana Hart

  A MacKenzie Family Novella

  Discover the World of 1001 Dark Nights

  Collection One

  Collection Two

  Collection Three

  Collection Four

  Bundles

  Discovery Authors

  Blue Box Specials

  Rising Storm

  Liliana Hart's MacKenzie Family

  Discover More J. Kenner/Julie Kenner

  Hold Me: A Stark Ever After Novella

  By J. Kenner

  Coming May 23, 2017

  Click here to pre-order.

  My life with Damien has never been fuller. Every day is a miracle, and every night I lose myself in the oasis of his arms.

  But there are new challenges, too. Our families. Our careers. And new responsibilities that test us with unrelenting, unexpected trials.

  I know we will survive—we have to. Because I cannot live without Damien by my side. But sometimes the darkness seems overwhelming, and I am terrified that the day will come when Damien cannot bring the light. And I will have to find the strength inside myself to find my way back into his arms.

  * * * *

  Tame Me: A Stark International Novella

  By J. Kenner

  Now Available

  Click here to purchase.

  Aspiring actress Jamie Archer is on the run. From herself. From her wild child ways. From the screwed up life that she left behind in Los Angeles. And, most of all, from Ryan Hunter—the first man who has the potential to break through her defenses to see the dark fears and secrets she hides.

  Stark International Security Chief Ryan Hunter knows only one thing for sure—he wants Jamie. Wants to hold her, make love to her, possess her, and claim her. Wants to do whatever it takes to make her his.

  But after one night of bliss, Jamie bolts. And now it’s up to Ryan to not only bring her back, but to convince her that she’s running away from the best thing that ever happened to her—him.

  * * * *

  Caress of Darkness: A Dark Pleasures Novella

  By Julie Kenner

  Now Available

  Click here to purchase.

  From the first moment I saw him, I knew that Rainer Engel was like no other man. Dangerously sexy and darkly mysterious, he both enticed me and terrified me.

  I wanted to run–to fight against the heat that was building between us–but there was nowhere to go. I needed his help as much as I needed his touch. And so help me, I knew that I would do anything he asked in order to have both.

  But even as our passion burned hot, the secrets in Raine’s past reached out to destroy us … and we would both have to make the greatest sacrifice to find a love that would last forever.

  Don’t miss the next novellas in the Dark Pleasures series!

  Find Me in Darkness, Find Me in Pleasure, Find Me in Passion, Caress of Pleasure…

  * * * *

  Storm, Texas.

  Where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy…

  Nestled among rolling hills and painted with vibrant wildflowers, the bucolic town of Storm, Texas, seems like nothing short of perfection.

  But there are secrets beneath the facade. Dark secrets. Powerful secrets. The kind that can destroy lives and tear families apart. The kind that can cut through a town like a tempest, leaving jealousy and destruction in its wake, along with shattered hopes and broken dreams. All it takes is one little thing to shatter that polish.

  Rising Storm is a series conceived by Julie Kenner and Dee Davis to read like an on-going drama. Set in a small Texas town, Rising Storm is full of scandal, deceit, romance, passion, and secrets. Lots of secrets.

  Click here for more information.

  Anchor Me

  Stark Trilogy Book 4

  By J. Kenner

  Coming April 11, 2017

  Click here to pre-order!

  FROM NEW YORK TIMES AND #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR J. KENNER comes the highly anticipated fourth novel in the fast-paced series including Release Me, Claim Me, and Complete Me. This sexy, emotionally charged romance continues the story of Damien Stark, the powerful multimillionaire who’s never had to take “no” for an answer, and his beloved wife Nikki Fairchild Stark, the Southern belle who only says “yes” on her own terms.

  It’s a new chapter in the life of Nikki and Damien Stark …

  Though shadows still haunt us, and ghosts from our past continue to threaten our happiness, my life with Damien is nothing short of perfection. He is my heart and my soul. My past and my future. He is the man who holds me together, and his love fuels my days and enchants my nights.

  But when tragedy and challenge from both inside and outside the sanctity of our marriage begin to chip away at our happiness, I am forced to realize that even a perfect life can begin to crack. And if Damien and I are going to win this new battle, it will take all of our strength and love …

  Chapter One

  I look out the window at the beautifully manicured yards that line the wide street down which I am traveling in the sumptuous luxury of a classic Rolls Royce Phantom. A car so sleek and magical that I can’t help but feel like a princess in a royal coach.

  The road is shaded by parallel rows of massive oaks, their branches arcing over the street toward their counterparts to form a leafy canopy. Morning light fights its way between the leaves, creating golden beams in which dust sparkles and dances as if to a celebratory melody, adding to the illusion that we are moving through a fairy tale world.

  All in all, it’s a picture-perfect moment.

  Except it’s not. Not really. Or at least not to me.

  Because as far as I’m concerned, this is no children’s story.

  This is Dallas. This is the neighborhood where I grew up. And that means that this isn’t a fairy tale. It’s a nightmare.

  The branches aren’t stunning—they’re grasping. Reaching out to snare me. To hold me tight. To trap me.

  The canopy doesn’t mark a royal corridor leading to a castle. It leads to a cell. And it’s not The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies that fills the air. It is a requiem for the dead.

  The world outside the car is lined with traps, and if I’m not careful, I’ll be sucked in. Destroyed by the darkness that hides behind the false facades of these stately houses. Surrounded not by a bright children’s tale, but by a horror movie, lured in by the promise of beauty and then trapped forever and slowly destroyed, ripped to pieces by the monsters in the dark.

  Breathe, I tell myself. You can do this. You just have to remember to breathe.

  “Nikki. Nikki.”

  Damien’s voice startles me back to realit
y, and I jerk upright, calling upon perfect posture to ward off the ghosts of my memories.

  His tone is soft, profoundly gentle, but when I glance toward him, I see that his eyes have dipped to my lap.

  For a moment, I’m confused, then I realize that I’ve inched up my skirt, and my fingertip is slowly tracing the violent scar that mars my inner thigh. A souvenir of the deep, ugly wound that I inflicted upon myself a decade ago when I was desperate to find a way to release all the pent-up anger and fear and pain that swirled inside me like a phalanx of demons.

  I yank my hand away, then turn to look out the window, feeling oddly, stupidly ashamed.

  He says nothing, but the car moves to the curb and then rolls to a stop. A moment later, Damien’s fingers twine with mine. I hold tight, drawing strength, and when I shift to look at him more directly, I see worry etched in the hard angles of that perfect face and reflected in those exceptional, dual-colored eyes.

  Worry, yes. But it is the rest of what I see that takes my breath away. Understanding. Support. Respect.

  Most of all, I see a love so fierce it has the power to melt me, and I revel in its power to soothe.

  He is the biggest miracle of my life, and there are moments when I still can’t believe that he is mine.

  Damien Stark. My husband, my lover, my best friend. A man who commands an empire with a firm, controlling hand. Who takes orders from no one, and yet today is playing chauffeur so that he can stand beside me while I confront my past.

  For a moment, I simply soak him in. His strength, apparent in both his commanding manner and the long, lean lines of his athletic body. His support reflected in those eyes that see me so intimately. That have, over the years, learned all my secrets.

  Damien knows every scar on my body, as well as the story behind each. He knows the depth of my pain, and he knows how far I have come. How far his love has helped me come.

  Most of all, he knows what it has cost me to return to Texas. To drive these streets. To look out at this neighborhood so full of pain and dark memories.

  With a small shiver, I pull my hand free so that I can hug myself.

  “Oh, baby.” The concern in his voice is so thick I can almost grab hold of it. “Nikki, you don’t have to do this.”

  “I do.” My words sound ragged, my throat too clogged with unshed tears to speak normally.

  “Sweetheart—”

  I wait, expecting him to continue, but he’s gone silent. I see the tension on his face, as if he’s uncertain what to say or how to say it—but Damien Stark is never unsure. Not about business. Not about himself. Not about me.

  And yet right now he’s hesitating. Treating me like I’m something fragile and breakable.

  An unexpected shock of anger cuts through me. Not at him, but at myself. Because, dammit, he’s right. In this moment, I’m as fragile as I’ve ever been, and that’s not a pleasant realization. I’ve fought so hard to be strong, and with Damien at my side, I’ve succeeded.

  But here I am, all my hard work shot to hell simply because I’ve returned to my hometown.

  “You think coming here is a mistake.” I snap the words at him, but it’s not Damien I’m irritated with, it’s me.

  “No.” He doesn’t hesitate, and I take some comfort in the speed and certainty of his response. “But I do wonder if now is the right time. Maybe tomorrow would be better. After your meetings.”

  We’ve come to Texas not so that I can torture myself by driving through my old neighborhood to visit my estranged mother, but because I’m vying to land a contract with one of the top web development companies in the country. It’s looking to roll out a series of apps, both for internal use among its employees and externally for its clients.

  I’d submitted a proposal and am now one of only five companies invited to come to Dallas to pitch, and my little company is by far the smallest and the newest. I suspect, of course, that part of the reason I got the invitation is because I’m married to Damien Stark, and because my company has already licensed software to Stark International.

  A year ago, that would have bothered me.

  Not anymore. I’m damn good at what I do, and if my last name gets me a foot in the door, then so be it. I don’t care how the opportunity comes because I know that my work is top-notch, and if I get the job, it will be on the merits of my proposal and my presentation.

  It’s a huge opportunity, and one I don’t want to screw up. Especially since my goal for the next eighteen months is to build up my receivables, hire five employees, and take over the full floor of the building that houses my office condo.

  I’d worked on my business plan for months, and was a complete nervous wreck the night I handed it to my master of the universe, brilliantly entrepreneurial husband for review. When he’d given it the Damien Stark seal of approval, I practically collapsed with relief. My plan to grow my business doesn’t hinge on me getting this job—but landing it will mean I can bump all my target dates up by six months. More importantly, winning this contract will put my business firmly on the competitive map.

  My shoulders sag a bit as I meet his eyes. “You’re afraid that seeing Mother is going to throw me off my game. That I’ll flub tomorrow’s meetings and hurt my chances of landing the contract.”

  “I want you at your best.”

  “I know you do,” I say sincerely, because Damien has never been anything but supportive. “Don’t you get it? That’s why we’re here. It’s like a preemptive strike.”

  His brow furrows, but before he can ask what I mean, I rush to explain. “Just being in Dallas messes with my head—we both know that. She haunts this town. And having you here with me now makes it so much better. But you can’t always be with me, and before I make my pitch, I need to be certain that I can travel back and forth between LA and Dallas without being afraid I’ll see her around every corner.”

  The pathetic truth is that lately I’ve been seeing my mother around all sorts of corners. I’ve imagined seeing her in Beverly Hills shopping centers. On Malibu beaches. In crowded streets. At charity events. I have no idea why this woman I’ve worked so hard to block from my mind is suddenly at the forefront of my imagination, but she is.

  And I really don’t want her there.

  I draw a breath, hoping he understands. “I need to lay all these demons to rest and just do my work. Please,” I add, my voice imploring. “Please tell me you understand.”

  “I do,” he says, then takes my hand and gently kisses my fingertips. As he does, his phone rings. It’s sitting on the console, and I can see that the caller is his attorney, Charles Maynard.

  “Don’t you need to take it?” I ask, as he scowls, then declines the call.

  “It can wait.”

  There’s a hard edge to his voice, and I wonder what he’s not telling me. Not that Damien keeps me informed about every aspect of his business—considering he pretty much owns and operates the entire planet and a few distant solar systems, that would require far too many updates—but he does tend to keep me in the loop on things that are troubling him.

  I frown. It’s clear that he’s not telling me because I already have plenty on my mind. And while I appreciate the sentiment, I don’t like that—once again—my mother has come between my husband and me.

  “You should call him back,” I say. “If he’s calling on a Sunday, it must be important . . .”

  I let the words trail away, hoping to give him an opening, but all he does is shake his head. “Don’t worry about it,” he says, even as his phone signals an incoming text.

  He snatches it up, but not before I see Charles’s name flash on the lock screen again, this time with a single word: Urgent.

  Damien meets my eyes, and for just a moment his frustration is almost comical. Then he snatches up the phone and hits the button to call Charles. A second later, he’s saying, “Dammit, I told you I can’t be bothered with this right now.”

  He listens to the response, the furrows in his brow growing deeper. Finally,
he sighs, looking more frustrated than I’ve seen him in a long time.

  Cold foreboding washes over me. Damien isn’t the kind of man who gets frustrated over business deals. On the contrary, the harder and more challenging the deal, the more he thrives.

  Which means this is personal.

  “I hear you, Charles, but I’m not paying you for your advice on this. I’m paying you for those resources you’re so keen on touting. So use them, dammit. Pull out all the stops and get me some answers by the time I’m back in LA. Fine,” he adds after another pause. “Call me if you have something definitive. Otherwise I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

  He ends the call and slams the phone back down. I open my mouth, intending to ask him what’s happening, but before I get the chance, he pulls me roughly to him and closes his mouth over mine. The kiss is hard, brutal, and I slide closer, losing myself in the wildness. And for this moment at least, I forget my apprehension and his problems. There is nothing but us, our passion a raging blaze that clears away the debris of our lives, stripping us to the bone until there is nothing left but the two of us.

  I’m breathing hard when we break apart, my lips bruised and tingling, my body burning. I want to turn around and go back to the hotel. I want to strip off my clothes and feel his hands on me, his cock inside me. I want it wild. Raw. Pain and pleasure so intense I get lost in them. Passion so violent it breaks me. And Damien—always Damien—right there to put me back together again.