This Love Hurts, Book 1

by W Winters

  This Love Hurts

  This Love Hurts Book 1

  W Winters

  Contents

  Also by W Winters

  This Love Hurts

  I. Do You Want Me?

  Prologue

  1. Delilah

  2. Delilah

  3. Cody

  4. Marcus

  5. Delilah

  6. Delilah

  7. Delilah

  8. Delilah

  9. Delilah

  10. Delilah

  11. Marcus

  II. This Love Hurts…

  12. Delilah

  13. Cody

  14. Delilah

  15. Cody

  16. Delilah

  17. Delilah

  18. Cody

  19. Delilah

  20. Delilah

  Also by W Winters

  About W Winters

  Copyright © 2020 by W Winters

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design: Lori Jackson Design

  Also by W Winters

  Read Willow’s sexiest and most talked about romances in the Merciless World

  * * *

  This Love Hurts Trilogy

  This Love Hurts

  But I Need You

  And I Love You the Most (December 2020)

  * * *

  An epic tale of both betrayal and all-consuming love...

  Marcus, the villain.

  Cody Walsh, the FBI agent who knows too much.

  And Delilah, the lawyer caught in between.

  * * *

  A Kiss to Tell (a standalone novel)

  They lived on the same street and went to the same school, although he was a year ahead. Even so close, he was untouchable.

  Sebastian was bad news and Chloe was the sad girl who didn’t belong.

  Then one night changed everything.

  * * *

  Possessive (a standalone novel)

  It was never love with Daniel Cross and she never thought it would be. It was only lust from a distance. Unrequited love maybe.

  He’s a man Addison could never have, for so many reasons.

  * * *

  Merciless Saga

  Merciless

  Heartless

  Breathless

  Endless

  * * *

  Ruthless, crime family leader Carter Cross should’ve known Aria would ruin him the moment he saw her. Given to Carter to start a war; he was too eager to accept. But what he didn’t know was what Aria would do to him. He didn’t know that she would change everything.

  * * *

  All He’ll Ever Be (Merciless Series Collection of all 4 novels)

  * * *

  Irresistible Attraction Trilogy

  A Single Glance

  A Single Kiss

  A Single Touch

  * * *

  Bethany is looking for answers and to find them she needs one of the brothers of an infamous crime family, Jase Cross.

  Even a sizzling love affair won’t stop her from getting what she needs.

  But Bethany soon comes to realise Jase will be her downfall, and she’s determined to be his just the same.

  * * *

  Irresistible Attraction (A Single Glance Trilogy Collection)

  * * *

  Hard to Love Series

  Hard to Love

  Desperate to Touch

  Tempted to Kiss

  Easy to Fall

  * * *

  Eight years ago she ran from him.

  Laura should have known he'd come for her. Men like Seth King always get what they want.

  Laura knows what Seth wants from her, and she knows it comes with a steep price.

  However it’s a risk both of them will take.

  * * *

  Not My Heart to Break (Hard to Love Series Collection)

  * * *

  Tease Me Once (September 2021)

  Tease me once... I'll kiss you twice.

  Declan Cross' story from the Merciless World.

  * * *

  Spin off of the Merciless World

  * * *

  Love the Way Duet

  Love the Way You Kiss Me (May 2021)

  Love the Way You Hold Me (June 2021)

  * * *

  With everything I've been through, and the unfortunate way we met, the last thing I thought I'd be focused on is the fact that I love the way you kiss me.

  * * *

  Extended epilogues to the Merciless World Novels

  A Kiss To Keep (more of Sebastian and Chloe)

  Seductive (more of Daniel and Addison)

  Effortless (more of Carter and Aria)

  Never to End (more of Seth and Laura)

  * * *

  Sexy, thrilling with a touch of dark Standalone Novels

  * * *

  Broken (Standalone)

  Kade is ruthless and cold hearted in the criminal world.

  They gave Olivia to him. To break. To do as he’d like.

  All because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But there are secrets that change everything. And once he has her, he’s never letting her go.

  * * *

  Forget Me Not (Standalone novel)

  She loved a boy a long time ago. He helped her escape and she left him behind. Regret followed her every day after.

  Jay, the boy she used to know, came back, a man. With a grip strong enough to keep her close and a look in his eyes that warned her to never dare leave him again.

  It’s dark and twisted.

  But that doesn’t make it any less of what it is.

  A love story. Our love story.

  * * *

  It’s Our Secret (Standalone novel)

  It was only a little lie. That’s how stories like these get started.

  But with every lie Allison tells, Dean sees through it.

  She didn't know what would happen. But with all the secrets and lies, she never thought she’d fall for him.

  * * *

  You Are Mine Series of Duets

  * * *

  You Are My Reason (You Are Mine Duet book 1)

  You Are My Hope (You Are Mine Duet book 2)

  Mason and Jules emotionally gripping romantic suspense duet.

  One look and Jules was tempted; one taste, addicted.

  No one is perfect, but that’s how it felt to be in Mason’s arms.

  But will the sins of his past tear them apart?

  * * *

  You Know I Love You (November 2020)

  You Know I Need You (December 2020)

  Kat says goodbye to the one man she ever loved even though Evan begs her to trust him.

  With secrets she couldn’t have possibly imagined, Kat is torn between what’s right and what was right for them.

  * * *

  Small Town Romance

  * * *

  Tequila Rose Book 1 (Feb 2021)

  Autumn Night Whiskey Book 2 (March 2021)

  He tasted like tequila and the fake name I gave him was Rose.

  Four years ago, I decided to get over one man, by getting under another. A single night and nothing more.

  Now, with a three-year-old in tow, the man I still dream about is staring at me from across the street in the town I grew up in. I don’t miss the flash of recognition, or the heat in his gaze.

  The chemistry is still there, even after all these years.

  I just hope the secrets and regrets don’t destroy our second chance before it’s even begun.

  * * *
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  Contemporary Romance Standalones

  * * *

  Knocking Boots (A Novel)

  They were never meant to be together.

  Charlie is a bartender with noncommittal tendencies.

  Grace is looking for the opposite. Commitment. Marriage. A baby.

  * * *

  Promise Me (A Novel)

  She gave him her heart. Back when she thought they’d always be together.

  Now Hunter is home and he wants Violet back.

  * * *

  Tell Me To Stay (A Novella)

  He devoured her, and she did the same to him.

  Until it all fell apart and Sophie ran as far away from Madox as she could.

  After all, the two of them were never meant to be together?

  * * *

  Second Chance (A Novella)

  No one knows what happened the night that forced them apart. No one can ever know.

  But the moment Nathan locks his light blue eyes on Harlow again, she is ruined.

  She never stood a chance.

  * * *

  Burned Promises (A Novella)

  Derek made her a promise. And then he broke it. That’s what happens with your first love.

  But Emma didn’t expect for Derek to fall back into her life and for her to fall back into his bed.

  * * *

  Valetti Crime Family Series:

  A HOT mafia series to sink your teeth into.

  * * *

  Dirty Dom

  Becca came to pay off a debt, but Dominic Valetti wanted more.

  So he did what he’s always done, and took what he wanted.

  * * *

  His Hostage

  Elle finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. The mafia doesn’t let witnesses simply walk away.

  Regret has a name, and it’s Vincent Valetti.

  * * *

  Rough Touch

  Ava is looking for revenge at any cost so long as she can remember the girl she used to be.

  But she doesn’t expect Kane to show up and show her kindness that will break her.

  * * *

  Cuffed Kiss

  Tommy Valetti is a thug, a mistake, and everything Tonya needs; the answers to numb the pain of her past.

  * * *

  Bad Boy

  Anthony is the hitman for the Valetti familia, and damn good at what he does. They want men to talk, he makes them talk. They want men gone, bang - it’s done. It’s as simple as that.

  Until Catherine.

  * * *

  Those Boys Are Trouble (Valetti Crime Family Collection)

  * * *

  Collections of shorts and novellas

  * * *

  Don’t Let Go

  A collection of stories including:

  Infatuation

  Desires in the Night and Keeping Secrets

  Bad Boy Next Door

  * * *

  Kisses and Wishes

  A collection of holiday stories including:

  One Holiday Wish

  Collared for Christmas

  Stolen Mistletoe Kisses

  * * *

  All I Want is a Kiss (A Holiday short)

  Olivia thought fleeting weekends would be enough and it always was, until the distance threatened to tear her and Nicholas apart for good.

  * * *

  Highest Bidder Series:

  * * *

  Bought

  Sold

  Owned

  Given

  From USA Today best selling authors, Willow Winters and Lauren Landish, comes a sexy and forbidden series of standalone romances.

  * * *

  Bad Boy Standalones, cowritten with Lauren Landish:

  * * *

  Inked

  Tempted

  Mr. CEO

  Three novels featuring sexy powerful heroes.

  Three romances that are just as swoon-worthy as they are tempting.

  * * *

  Forsaken, (A Dark Romance cowritten with B. B. Hamel)

  Grace is stolen and gifted to him; Geo a dominating, brutal and a cold hearted killer.

  However, with each gentle touch and act of kindness that lures her closer to him, Grace is finding it impossible to remember why she should fight him.

  * * *

  View Willow’s entire collection and full reading order at willowwinterswrites.com/reading-order

  * * *

  Happy reading and best wishes,

  W Winters xx

  This Love Hurts

  USA Today best-selling author, Willow Winters, brings you an all-consuming and breathtaking romance you won’t soon forget.

  * * *

  Some love stories are a slow burn. Others are quick to ignite, scorching and branding your very soul before you’ve taken that first breath. You’re never given a chance to run from it.

  That’s how I’d describe what happened to us.

  Everything around me blurred and all that existed were his lips, his touch…

  The chase and the heat between us became addictive.

  Our nights together were a distraction, one we craved to the point of letting the world crumble around us.

  We should have paid more attention; we should have known that it would come to this.

  We both knew it couldn’t last, but that didn’t change what we desired most.

  All we wanted was each other…

  * * *

  Do You Want Me, the prequel of this epic tale of both betrayal and all-consuming love, is included.

  * * *

  “The emotions Willow evokes in this are on another level. This small glimpse into the world of Marcus is thrilling, chilling, a little bit sweet and a whole lot of just wow. You won’t want to miss this one.” - Ky Reads Romance

  I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a group of women who inspire me and keep me moving forward always. I have blatantly taken quotes from these wonderful people regarding the way they talk about my heroes and placed them right in the books.

  * * *

  “I would gladly live in hell with him.”

  * * *

  “I need a word that means more than love.”

  * * *

  I love you all both for the encouragement you give me and simply for the people you are.

  I hope I can give you even a piece of what you’ve given me.

  Lots of love and kisses.

  * * *

  Now, buckle up! I promised you a wild ride with a tempting tick, tick, tick all the way up until we fall down this gripping roller coaster.

  He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. ~Friedrich Nietzsche

  Part I

  Do You Want Me?

  Prologue

  Delilah

  * * *

  His gaze is sharp; he has the most piercing blue eyes I’ve ever seen. As I freeze where I’m standing in the middle of the aisle, the faint noise of dull music mixed with the sound of carts rolling by fades into the background. It all blurs together in aisle four of the grocery store as my grip on the loaf of bread I’m holding turns so clammy that the plastic slips.

  The pitter-patter of my racing heart and my blood rushing in my ears is all I can hear.

  Nothing else matters. I can feel his eyes on me. Every time I blink, I see them, surrounded by shadows.

  I take my time, placing the items from my cart back on the shelves with trembling fingers. There are only four things seeing as how I just got here, a bag of rice being the first item to go back on the bottom shelf before I slowly and meticulously roll my cart to the end of the only aisle I’ve been down.