I had enough on my plate. Getting involved with a notorious playboy was not on my agenda. Which is why he was perfect. He didn’t do relationships and I didn’t have time for one.
He’d been stoking my fire all weekend. Whispering dirty promises in my ear. Weaseling his way under my skin. And I was ready to combust.
He agreed to my terms. Probably because I was naked, he was caught off guard, and judging by the tent in his shorts, thinking with the wrong head.
I should have known better than to take him at his word.
Two days. That’s all he lasted before he showed up at my door begging for more.
More than I had to give. More than I was willing to part with.
My time. My body.
Most importantly, my heart.
And when I said no, he persisted until I caved. Not that he had to work very hard to wear me down. He was too tempting to ignore, and I craved another taste.
The only way to protect myself from getting hurt… rules. Some to keep him at a distance, others to keep him close.
Like rule number eight… no other sexual partners. The only dorm room I wanted him sneaking in and out of was mine.
I knew I was in over my head. That what we were doing was going to blow up in our faces as soon as our friends found out. But in the moment, I couldn’t bring myself to care about any of it. Consequences be damned.
Rachael Brownell is an International Bestselling author of new adult romance.
She lives in Michigan with her husband, son, snuggly dog, and hateful cat. She moonlights a few days a week (her excuse to get out of the house and socialize) and writes almost full time. Her first book was published way back in 2013 and since she’s released more than 30 additional titles.
When she’s not writing her next novel, you can find her hanging out with her family, watching her son play baseball, or running on the treadmill at the gym (though she skips more days than she goes). She also enjoys golfing but is still learning, so if you see her on the course… stand back.
The whiskey swirls aroundin the cup as I sit at my desk. It’s well past three in the morning but my mind is wide awake. The knowledge of the call I have to make sits heavy on my chest, making it hard to breathe.
I wanted to leave her out of this, not only for me but for Silas. If he knew what I’m about to do, he’d kill me himself— his relationship with my father be damned. He was right when he told me there is no part of her that belongs in this world.
She’s too innocent. Too perfect. Too good to be tainted by all of this.
And yet I have no choice but to drag her into it—kicking and screaming, I’m sure. There used to be a time when I would imagine another life for myself. One where I wasn’t the leader of one of the most powerful organizations in the world. One where a family was in the cards for me. One where she wasn’t the most forbidden thing in my life.
I used to close my eyes and live in that false reality for as long as I could. But it was exactly that.
A daydream. An imagination. An impossible outcome for how my life will go. And after I do this, I’m only sealing that fate. But as much as it pains me to admit, Nico was right. This is our only option at this point. I will not lose everything my father worked so hard to achieve.
I grab my phone and down the rest of the glass as I dial the number. It rings three times before a voice comes through the other side. Sleep laces Beni’s tone as I pull him out of a peaceful slumber.
“Boss?” he asks. Closing my eyes, I utter the words and kick into action a plan I’d hoped would always be theoretical. “Execute Plan S. Let me know when it’s done.”
Kelsey Clayton is a USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary Romance novels. She lives in a small town in Delaware with her husband, two kids, and dog.
She is an avid reader of fall hard romance. She believes that books are the best escape you can find, and that if you feel a range of emotions while reading her stories – she succeeded. She loves writing and is only getting started on this life long journey.
Kelsey likes to keep things in her life simple. Her ideal night is one with sweatpants, a fluffy blanket, cheese fries, and wine. She holds her friends and family close to her heart and would do just about anything to make them happy.
Alyssa Day is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than a million books sold –all filled with kissing, laughter, mystery and magic. Alyssa’s paranormal series include the Vampire Motorcycle Club, Poseidon’s Warriors, and Cardinal Witches paranormal romances and the Tiger’s Eye Mysteries paranormal mysteries. In an Alyssa Day book, the good guys (and gals!) always win and happily ever after always prevails!
Alyssa’s many awards include Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® award for outstanding romance fiction, and the RT Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Paranormal Romance novel of 2012. Her books have been translated into a zillion languages but she’s still holding out for Klingon.
Before she became a full-time writer, Alyssa graduated summa cum laude from law school and practiced as a trial lawyer in three different states for more than a decade. She is a past president of Romance Writers of America.
Please visit her online at http://www.alyssaday.com to sign up for her newsletter for news of releases, free stuff, and pictures of her dogs and her baking. But not of her dogs baking, because that would just be wrong.
