NO!
He wouldn’t go there. Couldn’t even consider the possibility. Because if he did... and it was true... then he had eviscerated his own soul and shut himself off from the only happiness he’d ever known... for nothing.
The knowledge sent him to his knees.
“Jolie,” he whispered the forbidden name raggedly, and just like that, the emotional door he had welded shut four years prior sprang open. Reece was bombarded by feelings that had become completely alien to him. The numbness that he had worn like body armor disintegrated as memories of love, hope, and joy shattered his granite heart.
Long forgotten images flooded his mind unbidden. Jolie lying naked in their bed, golden hair splayed around her, blue eyes slumberous, the satisfied smile of a woman well-loved. Jolie dancing in the snow, eyes aglow with happiness, the brilliant smile that could brighten any day. His sunshine girl. The only woman he’d ever trusted.
The only woman he’d ever loved.
She had filled his life with joy and taught him how to love. She had been his everything. Until the day she had betrayed his trust and destroyed his world. Reece had cut her out of his life with a ruthlessness that had shocked even him. He had encased his broken heart in ice so thick and glacial that nothing could ever penetrate it again.
And he’d been wrong.
A searing wave of rage, agony, and grief consumed him at the realization. Jolie had not betrayed him. He had betrayed her and destroyed himself in the process. Memories he'd fought like hell to suppress surged to the surface, invading his mind, shredding his heart all over again as he relived his last minutes with her.
The absolute joy on Jolie's face as she'd shown him the ultrasound and announced they were having a baby. The bewilderment and hurt in her eyes when he'd lost his shit and accused her of having a lover. The anguished tears pouring down her face as he'd thrown her out of their home. Her voice calling his name brokenly when he'd had the police haul her away.
The pain. God, the pain was suffocating him. He couldn’t seem to breathe. One trembling hand reached out in desperation, searching for something, anything, to ground him, and met the cold, hard pane of unbreakable glass. Looking up, Reece saw his image in the tinted window. The reflection of a broken man.
God help him, what had he done?
OTHER BOOKS BY TONYA BROOKS
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Rich Ruthless Bastards
The rich, they're ruthless, and they're bastards in every sense of the word.
Heartless Bastard
Ruthless Bastard
The Bad Baker Boys Series
Once upon a time in the small town of Lakeside lived a family of handsome men better known as the Bad Baker Boys. Former Navy SEAL Jed Baker raised his sons Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to be badass alpha males. Sparks fly and passions ignite hotter than sultry southern nights when they meet the women who tame them.
Redeemed
Desperate
Clueless
Tempted
Relentless
Shameless
Welcome To Lakeside Series
Lakeside is not the average small southern town. The residents are unpredictable as hell and romance can be downright deadly. Gossip always runs rampant and is notoriously wrong. Expect plenty of high jinks and ribald humor with unexpected twists and turns. And a goat. On a leash.
Desire So Deadly
REGENCY ROMANCE
The Ashbrook Legacy
You are cordially invited to meet the Ashbrooks, one of the oldest and most revered lineages in England. Despite five hundred years of nobility, the men are notorious rakes, and the women are scandalous at best. Take a delightfully wicked romp through Regency London. Historical romance will never be the same.
Seduce Me If You Can
Nothing Less Than Love
MILITARY ROMANCE
Invictus Security Series
When the enemy targeted their women, the men of Invictus Security retaliate as only a group of badass former Navy SEALs can. Their mission is the complete annihilation of a secret cabal intent on world domination. They'll rain hell to accomplish it because failure is not an option.
FUBAR & Fur Rugs
Steel Balls & Stilettos
Romance Novels & RPGs
Raven's Redemption
PARANORMAL ROMANCE
A Howls Romance
A multi-author series featuring classic romance with a furry twist...
The Big Bad Wolf's Ex
Her Wolf In Shining Armor
Three Matings And A Baby
Her Pampered Pussy
Bad Alpha Dads
Bestselling and Award-Winning Paranormal Romance authors bring the baddest of the Bad ALPHA Dads.
Pussy Whipped
Great Balls Of Fire
F.E.R.A.L. Shifters Series
It's all claws on deck when the F.E.R.A.L. Shifters discover a lab growing genetically modified shifter cubs and torturing them in the name of science. Throw in some unpredictable mates, tons of humor, a few unexpected plot twists, and the fur is gonna fly!
Pussy Whipped
Her Pampered Pussy
Unf*ckwithable (Coming Soon)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tonya Brooks is a teller of tales, a dreamer of dreams, and a weaver of words. Her steamy romances contain action, suspense, and humor with unexpected plot twists and turns. You never know what's going to happen next, hence her catchphrase, It's all smoke and mirrors till... The End.
She lives in Myrtle Beach, SC with her very own bad-boy husband. Most weekends you can find them playing tourist in their hometown, at a festival, or shell hunting on the beach. She's a coffee addict, dark chocolate connoisseur, and lover of all things romance. She loves to read, loathes cooking, has extremely eclectic taste in music, and a wicked sense of humor.
For a complete list of Tonya's titles visit her website:
https://www.tonyabrooksromance.com/
While you're there, sign up for her monthly newsletter to get behind the scenes looks, sneak peeks, and exclusive content: https://www.tonyabrooksromance.com/newsletter
You can connect with Tonya via Facebook and Twitter
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Find out what inspired her books on Pinterest
Listen to the Heartless Bastard Playlist on Spotify
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Heartless Bastard (Rich Ruthless Bastards, #1) Page 18
