by JA Huss
“May I…” She reaches for the screen door handle.
I push it open for her. “Please.”
She steps in, right up next to me, then reaches for the front door and closes it up behind her. “I think you do have stories to tell, Mr. Derringer.” She drags a fingernail down one of the mermaids on my arm. “Beautifully dangerous stories. In fact”—she slips her fingernail up inside the sleeve of my t-shirt, exposing another mermaid tattoo—“I think you’re hiding a lot of stories on this body of yours. Mind if I read them?”
My shirt is up over my head so fast, she giggles. I throw it to the side. “Be my guest, Miss Sunshine. I’m an open book.”
She places one flat hand on my chest and pushes me backwards towards the couch. “I’m glad. Because I have a thing for books. Especially mermaid books.”
“Well, it seems to be your lucky day then, I guess.”
She pushes me hard so I fall backwards into the couch cushions. Then she wiggles her tight skirt up to her hips and straddles my lap, placing both hands on my shoulders. She leans her head down until we bump foreheads. “I’m back. And I know exactly who I am and exactly what I want.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m the girl I’ve always been. Just better.”
“And what do you want?”
“Us, Lonnie. Whatever that looks like. I’m in.”
I lean up and kiss her. Gently. Carefully. “Me too, sunshine. Me too.”
“That’s good,” she whispers. “Because I really am here on business. And you really do need to polish up your storytime skills. Because our siren story just went sideways.”
“Yeah.” I chuckle a little. “It sure did.”
“No, you don’t get it.” She takes my hand and places it on her stomach. “It really went sideways. As in… over, Mr. Derringer. That story has officially been rewritten.”
I look down at her stomach. Then up at her eyes. “We’re…”
She nods. “We have a tadpole in the oven.”
I lean back, my heart beating fast and my body tingling all over. Then I grab her face, pull her towards me, and kiss her like a sailor hungry for the siren calling him home to the rocks.
I kiss her like she’s a sexy librarian with a dirty mouth.
I kiss her like she’s a brave adventurer who just came back to me.
I kiss her like she is my dying wish.
Only I don’t have to die, or live a life alone, to have her.
I kiss her like she’s the mother of my child and we will spend whole lifetimes together from this point on.
I kiss her like she’s my hero and she just saved me from a fuckin’ dragon.
I kiss her the way she was always meant to be kissed.
For the first time in my life... I kiss her as myself.
And now the real story of Tara and Alonzo can finally begin.
P.S. There is a bonus scene for this book about how Alonzo and Tara first meet.
You can find it here.
Next book in the Bossy Brothers Dumas Series is TONY!
Coming April 2020
BONUS SCENE
Wanna read a bonus scene about Tara and Alonzo’s “meet cute”?
CLICK HERE
END OF BOOK SHIT
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Welcome to the End of Book Shit where I get to say anything I want about this book. If you’re new to me—welcome to my dirty world. If you’ve been with me before, you know the drill. These EOBS’s are never edited. I write them just before I upload the book for release, and they can be about anything I feel like talking about.
When I started the Bossy Brothers last summer I knew I was looking for way to write another LONG series like Rook & Ronin. I love the LONG story. I love sprinkling tiny puzzle pieces around in my stories and then, five books later, revealing all the ways in which they fit together. And guess what? We’ve on book five, my unicorn bitches. We’re there and now… now things start to get interesting.
In the beginning, when I first wrote Jesse, I didn’t specifically know if the worlds of Rook & Ronin, The Company, and The Misters would ever connect with the Bossy Brothers. I’m always hesitant to do that because the Rook & Ronin World is already HUGE. It’s massive. Before the Bossy Brothers came along Rook & Ronin Series was 13 books (including The Company) and The Misters Series was 7 books (including Five).
But those are just the obvious tie-ins. The Turning Series is also in the Rook & Ronin world but I have only connected them one time in the Jordan’s Game series. Spencer Shrike and one of the next-gen Sick Boys’ daughters shows up in The Boyfriend Experience. It’s far into the future. Because once Rook & Ronin ended I moved forward in time. Everyone grew up. I needed books about Five and Rory and Oliver so that’s how The Misters happened.
But now we’ve gone back in time. Now we are right back where we started.
Bossy Brothers Jesse BEGINS about 18 months before Wasted Lust, which is the last book (before Happily Ever After) in the Rook & Ronin/Company Series. And I’m not going to say much about the tie-ins because I don’t want to spoil anything for readers who jumped into this world with the Bossy Brothers. But this Alonzo book is taking place the January BEFORE Wasted Lust begins.
So… if you haven’t already guessed, the Boston and Dumas brothers will play a behind-the-scenes part in that Wasted Lust ending. So many things are going to happen to the Boston and Dumas brothers before we finish up their main storyline with the start of Wasted Lust. It’s going to be crazy and fun!
But wait, there’s more!
Because Creeping Beautiful (Releasing February 19) also takes place in the Rook & Ronin/Bossy Brothers world. Also behind the scenes. And while that crew of people do not directly play a part in the end of Wasted Lust like the Bossy Brothers do, there is a whole other story going on behind the scenes that you’ve never read before.
I only say this now, in this End of Book Shit, because while Chek and Wendy are enigmatic side characters in this Bossy World, they will be leading characters in the Creeping Beautiful world.
Wendy’s story is coming.
And side note for you super fans – Angelica was named in Wasted Lust. But we only saw her at the end of her struggle and journey. The Creeping Beautiful series will give her whole back story.
So all these worlds are about to collide.
And that collision will happen simultaneously in the two current series: Bossy Brothers and Creeping Beautiful.
This is probably confusing to new fans so let me simplify it for you:
If you approach each series as a standalone and do not worry about how they connect until you’ve read them all, you will be fine.
At no point is it critical for you to understand all the ways these worlds connect.
I cannot stress this enough. Each series is a SEPARATE STORY.
Rook & Ronin can be read as a standalone series. You will get a very satisfying ending to that part of the story once you finish Happily Ever After.
The Company (now one book simply called the Company) can also be read as a standalone series. If you only read The Company and not Rook & Ronin or Meet Me in the Dark, or Wasted Lust, you will get a very satisfying ending.
The Misters can be read as a standalone series. If you only read The Misters and nothing else, you will be 100% satisfied with the end.
The Bossy Brothers is the same way.
If you only read the Bossy books, I promise. You won’t feel cheated when we get to the last book. It will have an ending that encapsulates ALL the Bossy Brothers in this part of the world.
The same applies to Creeping Beautiful. If you only read those books you will not miss out on anything.
I tell you this with 100% confidence because I wrote each series as a standalone series.
I planned it this way.
Just because I connect them all up later doesn’t take away the fact tha
t each series in this massive world has a beginning and an ending.
However, if you do choose to read all the books you’re in for a treat. Because they connect in hundreds of small ways and dozens of big ones. And after I’m done with the Bossy Brothers I will be moving on to the Sick Boys. (AKA – Vann Vaughn and his tattoo-shop brothers). If you’ve read Rook & Ronin you already know the Sick Boys. They don’t play a major role in R&R, but their sister, Veronica, does.
I get it.
This kind of complicated world building isn’t for every reader.
I’m OK with that.
Because this kind of complicated world building is for this kind of writer. i.e. – ME.
And if you want to take the ride with me, I’d love for you to come along.
If not, enjoy the standalone books and series by themselves.
There’s nothing wrong with that at all.
Bossy Brothers: Alonzo isn’t meant to tie everything together. It’s just one small part of the bigger world. One simple story about two people with secrets who come together as a team.
This one theme: One simple story about two people with secrets who come together as a team can describe ALMOST EVERY SINGLE BOOK IN EVERY SINGLE SERIES in the massive Rook & Ronin world.
Each couple-thriple-fourple’s story in the Rook & Ronin “World” is just one part of the whole team.
But we have more than one “team”.
There is a Rook & Ronin Team
There is a Company Team
There is a Mister Team
There is a Bossy Brother Team
There is a Creeping Beautiful Team.
And there will be a Sick Boys Team too.
They all have separate stories that can be enjoyed individually.
And if your next question is…
When will the story end?
Well, stories don’t really end, do they?
Unless people die.
And even then, that’s not always true.
Nick Tate, anyone?
And now I’m going to stop because I think I’ve said too much. :)
Anyway, I hope you’re enjoying the ride.
If you’re the kind of reader who hates this “kind of thing” i.e. – long, interconnected standalone stories or series – well, I’m not going to apologize.
Everyone likes different things. Every reader has different preferences.
I get that.
But I would ask you to give me the same consideration.
Every writer has different worlds, and characters, and stories burbling up inside their heads.
This ‘kind of thing” just happens to be inside mine. All I’m doing is writing them down.
Thank you for reading, thank you for reviewing, and I’ll see you in the next book!
Julie
JA Huss
P.S. – I made some notes about which characters first show up where, if you’re just looking for a specific storyline.
Rook and Ronin Series
The entire Company beginnings start in this series. But each series is its own entry point. You can jump in and read them out of order as long as you follow the specific series reading order.
Tragic
Manic
Panic
Ford – Sasha Cherlin (age 12) and Merc first appear here
Spencer – James Fenici first appears here – Five is born
The Company - Rook & Ronin Spin-off – new entry point into the series
The Company – James and Vincent Fenici age 28, Sasha Cherlin age 13, Nick and Harper Tate age 18.
This is the full story of the “Santa Barbara Incident” where Adam and Donovan’s fathers die.
(MAJOR TIE-IN with Creeping Beautiful)
Meet Me In The Dark – Merc, Sasha Cherlin age 21, Sydney Channing (Company Girl like Indie and Sasha)
Three, Two, One – STANDALONE BOOK – Jax Barlow first appears
Wasted Lust – Sasha Cherlin, age 24, with Jax Barlow. (MAJOR TIE-IN with Creeping Beautiful)
Nick Tate, age 29, plays a major role and the rest of the Company characters also show back up.
First appearance of Angelica Fenici and “other Adam”.
First appearance of Max Barlow and “Madrid”.
Wasted Lust takes place DURING Creeping Beautiful. Specifically when Indie is 15 years old and the “Company falls” and when Nick meets Adam in Daphne, Alabama.
The Mister Series – Rook & Ronin/Company Spin-off – new entry point into the series
Mr. Perfect
Mr. Romantic – First appearance of the Silver Society – i.e. The Company
Mr. Corporate – First appearance of “Five”
Mr. Mysterious – Spencer’s daughters
Mr. Match – All the Rook & Ronin Kids come back to play.
Mr. Five (or just Five) – Ford’s son and Spencer’s daughter
Mr. & Mrs. – Ford and Spencer show back up with all the kids
The Bossy Brothers Series
Rook & Ronin/Company Spin-off – new entry point into the series
In to Her – STANDALONE BOOK – Logan first appears
Bossy Brothers: Jesse – First appearance of The Way – i.e. The Company
Bossy Brothers: Joey
Bossy Brothers: Johnny – Logan shows back up, Indie first appears at age 14, Chek’s first appearance
Bossy Bride: Jesse and Emma – Chek and Wendy mentioned
Bossy Brothers: Alonzo – Chek and Wendy have a plot point. Angelica Fenici’s back story starts. Max Barlow mentioned and “Madrid” appears.
Creeping Beautiful – Rook & Ronin and Company Spin-off – new entry point into the series
The complete story of Nick Tate, James and Vincent Fenici, “Wendy”, “Chek”, Indie Anna Accorsi, Angelica Fenici, Adam Boucher, Donovan and Carter Couture, Core McKay, and Nathan St. James.
Creeping Beautiful (book 1 2020)
Pretty Nightmare (book 2 2020)
Gorgeous Misery (book 3 2020)
Lovely Darkness (book 4 2021)
P.P.S. Johnathan and I are about to start a new book together! Yes. Finally. We will be starting The Circle, Book Three in the Shape of Love Series, very soon!
No release date as of yet, but I expect it will be late spring, 2020.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Find Julie at her website
www.JAHuss.com
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JA Huss is the New York Times Bestselling author of 321 and has been on the USA Today Bestseller's list 21 times in the past five years. She writes characters with heart, plots with twists, and perfect endings.
Her new sexy sci-fi romance and paranormal romance pen name is KC Cross and she writes novels and teleplays collaboratively with actor and screenwriter, Johnathan McClain.
Her books have sold millions of copies all over the world, the audio version of her semi-autobiographical book, Eighteen, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award and an Audie Award in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Her audiobook, Mr. Perfect, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award in 2017. Her audiobook, Taking Turns, was nominated for an Audie Award in 2018. Five of her book were optioned for a TV series by MGM television in 2018. And her book, Total Exposure, was nominated for a RITA Award in 2019.
She lives on a ranch in Central Colorado with her family.
ALL BOOKS BY JA HUSS
CREEPING BEAUTIFUL
Creeping Beautiful
Pretty Nightmare
(May 2020)
Gorgeous Misery
(August 2020)
Lovely Darkness
(January 2021)
BOSSY BROTHERS
Bossy Brothers: Jesse
Bossy Brothers: Joey
Bossy Brothers: Johnny
Bossy Bride: Emma & Jesse
Bossy Brothers: Alonzo
HAREM STATION
Booty Hunter
Star Crossed
(Free everywhere)
Big Dicker
Lady Luck
Prison Princess
Veiled Vixen
STANDALONE BOOKS
Wild Thing
Pretty Thing
Sweet Thing
The Dirty Ones
Three, Two, One
Eighteen
Sexy
Rock
In To Her
ROOK AND RONIN SERIES
Tragic
(Free everywhere)
Manic
(Free everywhere)
Panic
Ford
Spencer
The Company
Merc
Sasha
Happily Ever After
THE MISTER SERIES
Mr. Perfect
Mr. Romantic
Mr. Corporate
Mr. Mysterious
Mr. Match
Mr. Five
Mr & Mrs
THE TURNING SERIES
Taking Turns
