Ivie Davis’s seemingly perfect life is not quite so perfect thanks to a stalker who is determined to hurt her in every way possible.
The guy she falls for is forbidden.
Malicious intent is around every corner she turns.
She runs…for a while.
When she returns home to piece together the puzzle of her past, she finds herself working painfully close to the one man she knows she can’t have.
Her heart has other plans.
Sterling Brigg is a rancher by blood, detective by choice.
He is driven by a need to find the truth.
He fell in love with Ivie, even though he knew better.
Years later, he still searches for the answers to her past.
Now that she’s back in his life, he has no intention of letting her go again.
Together, they vow to find the truth, and in doing so, they will have to decide if the truth will bring them together or be the barrier that keeps them apart forever.
I open my wallet and pull out a tattered photograph of Ivie. She’s smiling at the camera and lying in a hammock wearing a black dress. The photo’s black and white, and she’s holding a yellow and orange flower that’s in color. It was a picture that Lucy gave me after she left all of us in the dust.
She knew I had feelings for Ivie. I suppose she thought the picture would help me. It did and it didn’t. When I needed to see her face, I pulled it out and stared at those mesmerizing eyes. Other times it served as a reminder of heartbreak— something I wanted so badly but could never have.
I’ve tried to throw the picture away many times over the years but could never bring myself to do it. I put the photo back in my wallet.
I never told her that I was becoming an officer, much less that I was doing it to protect her and to try to help her find answers. I remember the night she said goodbye. She’d been avoiding my calls for weeks after her attack. Then she pulled up at my house, car loaded down, to say she was leaving.
“No sense in dwelling on the past,” I tell myself. I give my room a onceover. “Camden Springs, Alabama, here I come.”
I turn off all the lights and I get into my personal rig, a black Dodge diesel 2500, and pull out of my garage. I see my partner on the ranch and close friend, Tate Marks, and stop to tell him I’ll be gone for a few days.
“Okay brother, you know I’ll be here. I’ll call if I need anything, but you know me, I can run this place in my sleep.” His confident words are punctuated with a wink and a theatrical yawn.
“Thanks, Tate. I’ll be back soon.” He smiles and heads back toward the stables as I turn the wheel to head down the drive. Tate’s family to me; he grew up spending most his summers here. He’s the brother I always hoped I’d have.
Darkness falls as I head toward the interstate. Ivie Davis is in for one hell of a surprise, and hopefully she can give me some answers as to why she left Greendale Valley in the first place, not to mention whatever’s going on now.
I hit the interstate and think about how much I loved her. I’ve never felt that way about anyone else. There’s just something special about her. Sure, I date women. But I’ve never settled down, never gotten serious. There are a few who would like to, but it’s just not in my plans. I’m too involved in my cases, in my work. And then there’s the ranch. A fling here and there is about all I’ve ever had since Ivie left. No one’s ever made me feel the way she did. I doubt anyone ever will.
My GPS says I should be there in a couple hours. So, Ivie left Tennessee, but didn’t go so far that she couldn’t easily come back home. I wonder what she’s been up to. The thought occurs to me she probably has a boyfriend. She’s way too beautiful not to. A prickle of jealousy surges through me, but I squash it. What I had with Ivie is ancient history, and this is strictly business. This case literally landed on my desk. I didn’t go looking for it— although I’d still do anything to keep her safe. Nevertheless, once this case is closed, and maybe helps find who attacked Dean, the past can be left there, in the past. I flip on my radio and set it to shuffle the playlist on my phone. As I continue down the interstate, the tires hum under me, and something floats to the surface in my mind I haven’t really allowed myself to think in a long time. We did love each other once. She never said it, but I think she did. I felt it. She had to know I did. Maybe she’ll forgive me for finding her. She was adamant she didn’t want to see me anymore. Then again, maybe she won’t forgive me. We’re about to find out. She left me with more questions than answers, that’s for sure. Maybe, just maybe, I can get some of those answered tonight.
A.B. Medley lives in Tennessee with the love of her life and two sons. Her husband stole her heart when she was sixteen and their relationship is one of those meant to be love stories you find in magazines and novels.
She is a dental hygienist who loves to read and has always dabbled in writing. When she’s not making people’s smiles shine, she enjoys belting out songs with her boys, dancing, raspberries, baseball, and anything vintage. Like any proper Tennessean, Sundrop is her drink of choice.
She loves her family and friends fiercely and believes in always chasing your dreams.
Deception in the Truth is her debut novel—but now she’s hooked, and there’s more to come!
Infamous treasure hunter Emma Castleton desperately wants to find the Lost Treasure of Romeo. Emma’s been labeled a fraud and she’s determined to fix her reputation.
She’s also been promised that when she finds Romeo’s Lost Treasure, she’ll finally find her soul mate. But Emma knows that’s a lie. Her true love died ten years ago on a devastating treasure hunt in Central America.
Former street kid Andrew Santiago loved Emma with all his heart. That is, until she shattered his life, betrayed his trust, and left him for dead. Now Andrew’s back, wealthy and powerful, and determined to take his revenge on the woman who broke his heart. But as Andrew and Emma hunt for Romeo’s Lost Treasure they uncover secrets of the past, buried artifacts, and ever-present danger. Soon, they’re confronted with a choice, what is the greater treasure – true love or revenge?
Author Sarah Ready writes contemporary romance and romantic comedy. Her books have been described as “euphoric”, “heartwarming” and “laugh out loud”. Her debut novel The Fall in Love Checklist was hailed as “the unicorn read of 2020”. She loves to write fast-paced, emotionally compelling romances about quirky, smart women and the men who love them.
Before writing romance full-time Sarah had lots of fun teaching at an Ivy League. Then she realized she could have even more fun writing romance. Her favorite things after writing are adventuring and travel. You’ll frequently find her using her degree at a dino dig site, crawling into a cave, snorkeling, or on horseback riding through the jungle – all fodder for her next book. She’s lived in Scotland, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and NYC. She currently lives in the Caribbean with her water-obsessed pup and her awesome family.
Sticks and stones will break his bones, but floggers, whips, and canes excite her.
Dash came to Ohio to serve as interim vice president and help fix their recruiting problem. But when the longtime president dies, their territory is in jeopardy.
Between the stress of a dwindling chapter and the reluctance to institute the planned regime change, Dash sought a club woman for comfort. However, when his tastes became a little too much, she declined. Further frustrated, he turned to the internet and flirted with an aptly named woman: GINGERSNAP.
Getting back in the saddle after her self-imposed exile, Liz “GINGERSNAP” Martin takes a chance with him. He seems like everything her ex wasn’t—confident, dominant, and most importantly not a criminal—or so she thought.
Two out of three ain’t bad, right?
Their scenes can light the world on fire. He brings out her submission and makes her feel safe. But Liz struggles with the risks of trusting him.
Dash knows keeping her around means exposing her to the dangers of biker life. It’s his role to protect her, even if that means from himself.
Victoria Jayne is the epitome of a Jersey Girl. She doesn’t [know how to] pump her own gas, enjoys pork roll, and grew up on the Jersey Shore.
She’s lived throughout the state of New Jersey and remains there with her sports journalist husband and two darling daughters.
When not writing, Victoria enjoys baking with her daughters, rooting for the New Jersey Devils, thinking of home improvement projects, and staying up far too late chatting on Discord.
Title: Takedown Author: Evelyn Sola Genre: Contemporary Romance
I was not a gambler. No way. I’ve built an existence free of risk and adventure. From my career to a small life with my closest family. I was not going to do anything to jeopardize my heart. But when my neighbor and number one menace to my safe plans showed up in Vegas, I did what every adventurous (not!) woman would do. I got drunk and married the man.
ADAM Then, I went and married Mellie Dupree. That woman I’ve been chasing for two years is now my wife. She claims she doesn’t remember our wedding, but I was there, and I know she’s not telling the truth. Then again, neither am I.
A Boston native, wife, mother, and wine enthusiast. If she’s not writing, thinking about writing, you will find Evelyn with a book in her hands. While a new publisher, she’s been writing for years, and she will continue to write for many years to come.
Evelyn is obsessed with assertive and confident men who will stop at nothing to get their woman. Her stories are filled with love, passion and humor.
She currently lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters.
In a city where image is everything, Gabriella turns heads for all the wrong reasons.
The marks that slash across her neck and face turn people away. But I see the beauty that lies beneath, feel a kinship to her pain.
I regret the way she found me—mugged and left for dead. I should walk away, follow the rules, but I can’t. I want to see her again. There’s only one problem.
My brother convinced her I’m gay.
I use that lie to my advantage, persuade her to be my pretend girlfriend, to help protect my fake-sexual identity from my judgmental family. But what starts as a shameless excuse to be near her leads to crossed lines and midnight confessions.
I’m not who I led her to believe. I’m sin wrapped in silk. Betrayal masked by beauty. And she’s not the only one with scars…
JB Salsbury, New York Times Best Selling author of The Fighting Series, lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband and two kids. She spends the majority of her day lost in a world of battling alphas, budding romance, and impossible obstacles as stories claw away at her subconscious, begging to be released to the page.
Her love of good storytelling led her to earn a degree in Media Communications. With her journalistic background, writing has always been at the forefront, and her love of romance prompted her to write her first novel.
Since 2013 she has published six bestselling novels in The Fighting Series and won a RONE Award.
Title: Blue Author: L.E. DeLano Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fiction
When Blue Mancini’s mother picked her name, it ended up being a self-fulfilling prophecy.
A year ago, Blue’s brother, Jack, was involved in a car accident that killed the father of her classmate, Maya Rodriguez. Luckily for Jack, he got out of a manslaughter charge and into a plea bargain thanks to the top-notch lawyer hired by Blue’s wealthy parents.
The fallout is now affecting Blue as Maya returns to school determined to carve out a pound of flesh from the only member of the Mancini family she can reach. On top of that, Blue has a demanding mother, a father who’s never around, a drama-addicted best friend, and a secretive new guy who’s determined to make Blue his own personal cheer-up project. It’s a perfect storm of misery.
When Maya’s social media taunts and in-person digs finally push Blue to retaliate, they find themselves in afterschool detention and forced into a project meant to foster cooperation and civility. As the layers of their tangled drama unravel, Blue learns more about Maya’s life—and her own sense of privilege—when secrets are revealed that cast a new perspective on everything in Blue’s world.
This is her fourth and another thing and it’s about three more than I have the patience to hear.
“I don’t think you realize how lucky you are, especially since this is a second offense,” she says, sloshing her energizing smoothie out of her glass as she gestures.
“It wasn’t as bad as everybody’s making it sound,” I grumble.
“You threw her to the ground!”
“She shoved me first!”
Mom sucks in a deep breath, shoves her manicured hand through her hair, shoots my Dad a look and goes on.
“They’re willing to let you both off with a week of full suspension, followed by eight weeks of after-school detention since you and Maya are both honor students.”
“And since you and Dad make significant donations to the school,” I point out.
Mom pulls in another breath and closes her eyes as if she needs a minute to keep from screaming at me. Like she ever would. My mother is not a screamer. She’s a salesperson. Right now she’s trying to figure out how to turn this entire situation into a lesson for me that will yield a net result of me living my best, most radiant life because that’s a win for her.
Dad, who has been sitting quietly all this time, letting her have the spotlight, clears his throat and finally speaks.
“Being a donor is a definite advantage in this situation,” he agrees. “But you’re not going to buy your way out of this. You’re serving detention with the Rodriguez girl—and the school counselor.”
“But I’ve got two AP classes!” I protest. “And a job.”
“You’re going to have to back off work. Realign your priorities,” Mom says.
“We told you before to stay away from that girl,” Dad reminds me. “Why don’t you just avoid her? I should think you wouldn’t want to stir anything up, anyway.”
“She’s been harassing me from the day she came back.” I tell him miserably.
Dad’s eyes narrow. “Make me a detailed list of everything—all the social media, all the comments in the hallway—anything else she’s done to deliberately harass you.”
“Why?”
“I assume the school has a bullying policy. If I get Hazleton and Farr involved, we may be able to get her removed.”
I swallow hard. Hazelton and Farr is the law firm we have on retainer. “Like, get Maya expelled?”
“It doesn’t have to be that ugly,” Mom says, tapping a finger on the table as she muses. “I’m sure the school and her mother will come to some sort of understanding that doesn’t reflect too badly on her record.”
I shake my head and something in my stomach turns over. “Then everyone will just talk about how my rich parents and their lawyer ran Maya out of school. Just like they talk about how my rich parents and their lawyer got my brother out of a manslaughter charge.”
Dad’s mouth tightens into a thin line. “When you hear that sort of talk, you need to bring it to the teacher’s attention.”
“Absolutely.” Mom nods her head. “We’re not paying them good money to let gossip drag our family name through the dirt.” She turns to Dad, puts a hand on his arm. “Maybe you should talk to Jerry.”
“Davis?” Dad rubs his chin. “I supposed he could speak to the principal.”
“Who’s Jerry Davis?” I ask.
Mom waves a hand. “He’s on the school board. He golfs with your father.”
“Ugh. No.” My voice comes out a little too loud. “Just let me deal with this, please.”
“But you’re not dealing with it,” my mother points out.
“Stay out of it.” The words come out through gritted teeth. “You’ll only make things worse. Harder.”
Mom raises her brows and turns her head to share a look with my father. He shrugs in return and she narrows her eyes at him, clearly hoping for a stronger response.
“Look,” I let out a sigh. “You said we have to learn to deal with each other. So let us do that. In our own way.”
“Very well,” she finally agrees. “But any more shenanigans, and we’re getting involved. I guarantee you won’t like it.” I push to my feet. “I don’t do shenanigans. Nobody under the age of forty does shenanigans.”
L.E. DeLano comes equipped with a “useless” Theatre degree that has opened doors for her in numerous ways. Though mostly raised in New Mexico, she now lives in Pennsylvania with two adventurous kids and two ridiculous cats. When she’s not writing (which is almost never), she’s binge-watching Netflix and planning road trips.
Her debut novel, TRAVELER was selected as a Keystone To Reading Secondary Book Award finalist for school year 2018-19 by the Keystone State Reading Association (KSRA) and also voted one of The 20 Most Beautiful Books in the World for 2017 by MTV UK.
Lou My life is great. Perfect really. I mean, I’m thirty-two and I live with my dad… All right, let me say this a different way. I have the best job in the world. I get to painstakingly renovate old houses—diamonds in the rough—until they’re polished gems. What woman can say that? I work alone most of the time and I like it that way. Okay, maybe I wish I could find someone nice to work alongside me, a partner in life, or better yet, someone tall, dark, and sexy, like the guy who waltzes into my latest project uninvited. Sadly for him, he ends up with wood stain all over his face and shirt. What? He startled me.
Chase I can’t resist stopping into the huge old Queen Ann house in the town off the highway. Sure, it’s late, but I knocked. I did. I heard someone inside singing badly at the top of their lungs. And when I get a look at her from behind, with her hands in the air singing like her life depends on it, well, I couldn’t help myself. I had to meet her. She turns out to be a surprise. A beauty wrapped in flannel and a tool belt. She’s nothing like the women I’ve met or even dated before with her affinity to early-bird dining and meatloaf covered in mashed potatoes. No, she’s nothing like the women I’ve known. And I’m okay with that. More than okay. It’s too bad I’m only in town for a few days. I could get used to Lou Hamlin.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Velma Lou. Here we go again.”
At the mention of my name, I glance up from my drawing of the new kitchen layout I’ve been fretting about for days to my father, Kip. It’s not like him to use Jesus and Mary like that. I mean, the guy probably says six words a day and right there was his quota.
“What?”
I stare as his head slowly lifts from the small-town newspaper he’s reading, The Zodiac Hills Gazette, and turns until our eyes meet. “They’re making that goddamn show again.”
Well, sadly, that’s not enough information. He’s going to have to give me a bit more. “What show?”
“That show.”
Still not enough. “Dad. What show?” It hits me. “No.” I say it in a breathy, shocked way that tells him everything he needs to know. That I’ve figured it out. “Reruns?” I squeak.
Please say it’s only reruns. We’ve been through those before with only minor repercussions.
“Worse.”
“Worse than reruns?” What could be worse than reruns of the 1980s show, 1985 to be exact, that put my little town on the map and ruined a whole lot of lives. Well, not a whole lot. Several. It ruined several lives. Like mine and my dad’s.
A few people actually got lives thanks to that show, but that’s neither here nor there, because the show Dad is talking about, Love in Zodiac Hills, turned my little town of Zodiac Hills, Nebraska, upside down and sideways. Granted, I was a young when it first aired, but I know, firsthand, the impact it had on the people here.
“They’re re-making it. So it’s new.”
“Re-making it? Who’s doing that?” Please don’t say Netfilms, because that company is huge. So big that everyone has that particular streaming service.
“That Net thing you always watch on your computer.”
“Shit.”
Dad gives me his best scowl. He doesn’t care for my curse words even though he too cusses when it’s warranted. But “Do as I say, not as I do” is one of my father’s favorite sayings.
“Sorry,” I say with very little remorse.
“It says here, it’s coming out this April.”
I glance at the calendar. “Next month?”
“The fifteenth. They’re gonna call it Return to Zodiac Hills.”
“You read that in the paper?” The local paper.
Dad nods. “Which means, everyone will know.”
Which also means, the town is going to go apeshit crazy. It also means we’re going to get split in two. Again.
As soon as Dad heads off to work, I reach for the abandoned newspaper. I need to read it for myself. Scanning the front page, I see nothing about the show. Weird because, to me, this is front-page news. Opening our small-town paper, I search pages two and three. Since it’s a weekly paper, it’s usually only four or five pages long. I mean, how much news can a town with the population of over three thousand people generate in a week? Finally, I find the article on the second to last page.
Well, article isn’t the right word. It’s a paragraph posted in the part of the paper called Kitty’s Korner. Katherine “Kitty” Standish has been writing what she refers to as “her column” for a century. Just kidding. It’s been years and years, though. She’s got to be in her seventies by now. You can’t tell her age for sure, though, because she’s rarely seen during the daylight hours. Some speculate that she’s a vampire due to that fact, but Dad says it’s not true. According to him, “She’s a night owl. Always has been.”
I believe my pops. He’s a no-nonsense kind of man. What he says, he means, and what he means, he really means. Also, don’t piss him off, because he’s a grudge holder of epic proportions. Just ask my mom.
Well, I would ask her if she ever came back to Zodiac Hills after she ran off with that Capricorn.
But that’s a story for another day.
Lifting the paper, I read Kitty’s Korner.
Hear ye! Hear ye!
She always starts off announcements like she’s a town crier. I usually laugh but not this time.
People of Zodiac Hills, hold onto your hats!
She does that too—makes archaic references like that. I mean… who wears hats nowadays? Well, lots of people wear baseball caps, I guess.
But I’m getting off track.
Starting this April, that big movie-streaming company called Netfilms will be showing a brand-new version of Love in Zodiac Hills. (For those of you young’uns out there, that was a show they had on television in the ’80s. Sort of like that other show, TheLove Boat, only it was on land.) Anyhoo, it was a program about people finding their one true love all based on their birthday which is ridiculous because what does that have to do with anything?
They’re calling it Return to Zodiac Hills.
Which means, you’d better get ready because… they’re coming.
Kayt enjoys writing steamy love stories about curvy Heroines (big H) and brawny Heroes. Sometimes they’re all about that instant-attraction, sometimes the stories are more of a slow burn. Either way, they’re hot.
Someone once said that if you talk about the devil, he’s bound to appear.
Most would keep silent, hoping that they’d never be found by such a monster, but I prayed for his touch every night.
I knew the devil when I was a child and fell in love with him the first time he taught me that I wasn’t as damaged as I was led to believe that I was.
He cared for me, helped me learn how to smile, and see the world in a different way even though he didn’t realize that he had done so.
But they feared him; hated him.
So seventeen years ago, they ripped him away from me.
What they didn’t know was that he had already created a monster in his very image.
I thought I’d never see him again—I finally resigned myself to that. But then he came back, just like he promised he always would through that smile of his.
We’re together again.
And now, no one will be able to keep us apart ever again.
Yolanda Olson is a USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author. Born and raised in Bridgeport, CT where she currently resides, she usually spends her time watching her favorite channel, Investigation Discovery. Occasionally, she takes a break to write books and test the limits of her mind. Also an avid horror movie fan, she likes to incorporate dark elements into the majority of her books.
A WWII love at first sight romance with dual timelines, codebreaking war heroines, and prisoners of war.
People always asked Faye why Will called her Moxie.
It started with a dare at a dance in 1942 that ended in a kiss. Will loved that story.
But there’s more to the story than that. Much more . . .
Gretchen knows this story well. Her grandfather told it over and over while he was alive. But when Gretchen goes home to Jersey to be by her grandmother’s side one last time, Grandma Faye tells a different version of the story.
She knew the moment she saw him, they were meant to be together. Her girlfriends may have dared her to kiss him, but she would have anyway. Then the war got in the way. Faye thought she’d never see Will again. Until that night he took her breath away.
Will may have given Faye the name, but he’s the one with all the moxie.
Michelle Cornish is a recovering CPA with a passion for stories. Writing mostly romance and women’s fiction with strong female heroines, Michelle’s books often include nods to her former life as a CPA. When Michelle’s not writing, she’s hanging out with her two boys and husband in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada.
He arrives all dressed in black. Diamond cufflinks. A watch on his tanned wrist that cost more than we would ever see in a lifetime of work. He carries a single red rose for my mother.
Months later, Tiernan Morelli lays red roses on my mother’s grave. That same day, he tells me that he is my new guardian.
I should have known from the very start that he had more in common with the thorns than the rose. Now I know the truth: I’m a pawn in his dangerous game of revenge. I was too young and naive. Now it’s too late to save myself from his clutches.
“Can I help you?” I snapped, irritated and tired and beneath it all so sad I didn’t even think a good cry would release the sorrow in my bones.
“I was just thinking exactly that,” he finally said, raising his right thumb to rub it across his plush lower lip in that way he had that made my mouth go dry and other, secret, parts of me go wet. “Unfortunately, I doubt you have the ability to live up to my expectations, let alone exceed them.”
“Good thing I don’t give a crap about your expectations,” I said with a pretty grin. “Everything I do, I do for my brother. Whatever is left? That’s for me and me alone.”
His smile was quick as a lightning strike and just as terrifying up close. “Oh, little thing, that is where you are entirely wrong.”
I glared at him, my heart beating like a death march in my throat. “You might be used to pushing people around because they’re scared of you. Because you’re mean and ugly inside and out but rich enough to get away with bad behavior. But I’m not one of your underlings and I’m not cowed by your wealth.”
A long, sinuous hum rose from his throat as he considered me, head cocked and eyes narrowed like a predator trying to decide how best to approach his prey. After a moment, he pushed off the door and stalked slowly toward me. Each step matched that death-march pulse thrumming in my neck.
I tried not to move, not to flinch or blink. It would be far worse to show weakness in front of a man like him. I felt sure he would enjoy it.
I felt sure I would too if I allowed myself to give in to the warmth pooling slowly between my legs. To be studied so intently, to be stalked with single-minded focus was oddly and powerfully sexual.
Finally, he reached me, the toes of his shiny Italian loafers pressed to my bare, chipped-polish toes. That pale green gaze like a serpent was locked on me, pinning me in place even though the primitive urge to flee from him lurched through my limbs.
“You misunderstand the nature of my guardianship over you,” he said, his voice soft and quiet, a direct contrast to the cruel tip of his scarred mouth and the hard words they formed. “I am not interested in coddling you, or tucking you in at night and wishing you sweet dreams. In fact, I am not interested in you at all beyond what you can do for me.” His fingers reached out to run lightly down my cheek before they grasped my chin in a powerful grip. “I am going to put considerable time and money into transforming you from this boring little thing into a woman worthy of the McTiernan household. I am going to send you to the best school, give you the best clothes, and teach you to be a lady and not this pathetic little girl. I am going to make your wildest dreams come true, Bianca. And in return? You are going to obey my rules.”
“What rules?” I whispered, embarrassed by my husky tone.
He was too close, that palpable power and ruthless energy emanating off his body like heat waves, buffeting me again and again until I felt light-headed. When I swayed slightly toward him, the hand tattooed with the rose clamped hard over my hip to steady me.
The bite of pain shouldn’t have sent tingles down my spine straight to my sex, but it did.
It did and I almost hissed with the pleasure of it.
“Oh, they’re simple even for a little girl like you to follow,” he promised, his eyes cold enough to burn my skin while his hands on my flesh felt like fire. “One. You do everything I say as soon as I say it without hesitation or attitude.”
I snorted, then winced as the fingers on my chin flexed tighter. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I think your name has confused you. You are not a lord and I am not your vassal.”
He bent closer until I could count every one of those thick black lashes, see the darker emerald ring of green around the pale irises. I held my breath, from fear or to block the assault of his sinful scent on my senses, I wasn’t entirely sure. “For all intents and purposes, I own you. So, if I tell you to make me breakfast, you do it. If I command you to wear a certain dress to a specific ball, you do it.” His voice dropped deeper, a vibration I felt conducted through his hands on my body straight into my bloodstream. “If I order you to your knees, Bianca? You get on your knees, and you do it with a gracious smile.”
Giana Darling is an USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Top 40 Amazon Best Selling Canadian romance writer who specializes in the taboo and angsty side of love and romance. She currently lives in beautiful British Columbia where she spends time riding on the back of her man’s bike, baking pies, and reading snuggled up with her Golden Retriever puppy, Romeo.
