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Excerpt
“Who is
that woman?” I ask, completely distracted.
He
frowns. “Which one?”
“Pink
dress. Charlotte.”
His eyes
widen, and he chuckles. “Stay away from that one, old boy. She’s out of your
league.”
“And why
would you say that?”
“Every
man in the county is after her and she won’t give any of them the time of day.”
I feel my skin prickle at the challenge. “Really?”
“Yes.
And then you have to get past her father and brothers even if she is interested
at all.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“That’s
her father on the right. If I stand correct, he is the third wealthiest man in
the country. He owns casinos around the world and has connections everywhere.
On the left of her is her older brother Edward. Complete and utter bastard.”
I narrow
my eyes as I watch him. “What does Edward do for a coin?”
“Guard
Charlotte, from what I hear. He doesn’t let her out of his sight. It’s a
full-time fucking job.”
I raise
my glass to him in a silent toast.
He
shakes his head. “Not her, Spencer. She really is off limits. Way too pure for
you.”
Excitement
rolls over me. “The thrill of the chase is alive and well, my friend.”
He
chuckles. “Or the thrill of a death wish. You fuck around with her and her
father will murder you without a second thought.”
I smile
as I turn to watch Charlotte talk to the two men. “Challenge accepted, old
boy.”
He
laughs into his beer and shakes his head. “Next time I see you, it may be your
funeral.”
My eyes
dance with delight. “Give me a good wrap in the eulogy, hey? I’m sure it will
be worth it.”
He
chuckles, and with a shake of his head, he disappears through the crowd.
I stand
on my own simply watching her. She is the most beautiful thing I have seen in a
very long time. At once, she glances up and her eyes fall on me, holding my
gaze. I smile and raise my beer to her in a silent toast. She immediately looks
away and fidgets with her hands in front of her.
I smile
to myself as I watch her.
Run
along, boys.
I want
her alone.
Charlotte.
Mr Spencer
smiles sexily and raises his glass in my direction. I bite my bottom lip
nervously. Is he doing that to me? He’s standing alone in the crowd, a beer in
one hand, his other hand tucked away in his expensive suit pocket. I snap my
eyes away as my stomach flips with excitement.
Stop it!
He’s probably not even aiming it at me.
“Charlotte,
I have someone I want you to meet,” my father says.
“Dad, not
now. I don’t want to meet any of your boring friends.” I sigh.
He rolls
his eyes, and I glance back over at Mr Spencer still staring at me. I glance
back up to my father. “What is it?” I ask with a huff.
“His name
is Evan. I know his family, and he happens to be a lawyer.”
I cringe.
“Father, please,” I moan. “Stop. I’m not dating one of your boring friend’s
sons.”
My brother
Edward looks at my father and scowls. “Yes, please stop. The thought makes me
murderous.”
I roll my
eyes at my overbearing brother. “You, too.”
My father
and Edward fall into conversation, leaving me to glance back over at Mr
Spencer. As soon as our eyes connect, he crooks his finger and gestures for me
to go to him.
Me?
I frown,
look around, and point to my chest.
He nods
with a sexy smile. I look around, instantly filled with some kind of guilt, and
I subtly shake my head.
Oh my God.
My stomach flips over.
He crooks
his finger again, and I find myself biting my bottom lip and dropping my head
to hide my smile.
“Would you
like a drink, Charlotte?” my brother asks.
“Please.” I
smile as I concentrate on not looking Mr Spencer’s way again.
My father
falls into conversation with a man who walks past, and I glance around
nervously. I’m not sure whether to go and talk to Mr Spencer or not. No, that’s
a bad idea. Perhaps I’ll go and get some fresh air instead.
“I’m
heading to the bathroom,” I whisper to my father.
“All right,
love.” He smiles as I put my hand on his shoulder. I walk through the ballroom
and out onto the back terrace and down the steps. Fairy lights are strewn
across the garden giving it a romantic feel. Waiters are circling the garden
with trays of fancy cocktails and champagne. This wedding has been amazing, and
the attention to detail has been impeccable. Every detail is perfect. I walk
along the pathway down to the outdoor bathrooms. Once there, I head inside and
close the door behind me.
Peace at
last.
I can hear
the music in the distance as I stare at my reflection in the mirror and reapply
my fuchsia lipstick. My thick shoulder-length blonde hair is down and pulled
back on one side behind my ear. My pink strapless dress fits perfectly and
clings to my curves. I roll my lips as I stare at my reflection. Eventually, I
exhale heavily and snap my lipstick back into my silver clutch.
Most
eligible bachelor in London, an appalling rake.
Great. The
first man I’ve been attracted to in forever and he’s a womaniser. Typical.
For once, I
would like to meet an honourable man who is actually appealing.
Why does it
have to be one or the other? Who made this god forsaken rule that any man who
is a tad interesting must be a player? And why are all the good men as boring
as hell? God must definitely be a man.
With one
last look at myself, I head back out into the garden and make my way up the
path towards the party.
“Charlotte,”
a deep voice calls from behind me.
I turn and
falter, taken aback. It’s him.
It’s Mr
Spencer.
He smiles
sexily and his eyes hold mine. “Hello.”
My heart
rate spikes. “H-hi.” I smile nervously.
He steps
towards me and takes my hand in his, and I inhale sharply. He holds my hand up
in the air and nods, as if bowing. “Forgive me for following you, but I had to
come and meet the most beautiful woman in the room tonight.” He kisses the back
of my hand tenderly, and I raise my brows. “My name is Spencer.” He smiles
against my skin.
Oh, he’s
really quite…
I pull my
hand away sharply. “I know who you are, Mr Spencer.”
He smirks harder, and his mischievous eyes hold mine. “You do?” he asks
smoothly with a raise of his brow.
I clasp my
hands nervously in front of me. “Your reputation precedes you.”
His smirk
breaks out into a broad smile. “Ah, you can’t believe everything you hear, now,
can you?”
His voice
is deep and permeating. It somehow sinks into my bones when he speaks.
“Can I help
you with something?” I ask. What the hell does he want?
“I hope
so.” He smiles and picks up my hand again. “Would you do me the honour of
dancing with me?”
I swallow
nervously, and he smiles and drops his lips to the back of my hand to kiss me
softly. His sexy eyes stay fixed on mine.
Okay, hell…
he’s good. Really good.
“I…” I stop
talking because I really can’t concentrate when he’s touching me.
He’s so
forward.
“Charlotte?”
he repeats, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I shake my
head in a fluster. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He turns my
hand over to gently kiss the inside of my wrist. I feel his touch deep inside
my stomach.
“Why not?”
He gently licks my wrist and my knees nearly buckle out from underneath me.”
Oh, for the
love of God!
“My father
and brother…” I frown as my voice trails off. How in the hell am I supposed to
string two words together when he’s doing that to me?
He steps
forward and takes me into his arms. “We’ll dance here then.”
What?
He pulls me
close to him, takes one of my hands in his, and he smiles down at me as he
begins to sway to the music. “You’re a wonderful dancer, Lady Charlotte.” He
smiles mischievously.
I smirk at
his sheer audacity. “Does this routine work on every woman you meet?”
He smiles
his first genuine smile and I feel the effects of it hit me deep in my stomach.
“Please don’t talk about other women. I’m in the courting zone, concentrating
on you and only you.” He spins me around, and we both chuckle at his
ridiculousness.
He lets me
go and holds one hand up, and then he spins me in his arms and pulls me back to
his body at force until we come face to face.
I stare up
at him, my heart skipping a beat. “I have to go,” I whisper.
“Why?” his
intoxicating breath washes over my face.
“My father
will be looking for me.”
“How old
are you, Lady Charlotte?”
“Too young
for you, Mr Spencer.”
He smiles
softly. “I have no doubt.” He bends down and softly kisses my lips.
My chest
constricts.
He kisses
me again, soft and tenderly, hovering his lips over mine. Unable to help it, I
smile, and that’s when he kisses me again but this time more urgently, his arms
curling around my waist and bringing me to his body.
I’ve never
been kissed like this.
His tongue
sweeps through my open mouth and our tongues dance together.
For three
whole minutes, I drink him in as we kiss like teenagers.
“Jesus
fucking Christ, Charlotte,” he gasps as he kisses me again.
I lose
control and my hands go to his hair, and then I feel something hard up against
my stomach.
Is
that…?
I instantly
pull out of the kiss and step back, panting for breath.
He reaches
for me again, but I step back farther. “Don’t touch me!” I whisper sharply,
holding my hand up in defence.
“What?
Why?”
I shake my
head. “I’m not the kind of girl you are used to, Mr Spencer.”
He scowls
hard. “And what kind of girl is that?”
“I’m not
one of those high society sluts. Y-you should go back inside and find someone
else to… entertain you,” I stammer.
“I don’t
want anyone else!” he snaps. “If I overstepped the line, I apologise. I never…
I mean…”
He’s
tripping over his words, trying to right the situation.
I step back
again, creating more distance. “You have stepped over the line… by a lot.” I
glance up and I can see my father is out on the terrace looking for me. “I have
to go.” I brush past Mr Spencer, walk up the path and up the stairs. My father
smiles the second he sees me.
“Are you
ready to leave, Charlotte?”
“Please,” I
say quietly. My eyes fall back down to the garden where Mr Spencer stands.
My father
puts his arm around me and we walk around to the front of the house to get into
the back of his Bentley. His driver shuts the door and I peer out just in time
to see Mr Spencer appearing from the shadows next to the house, watching me
leave.
He smiles
softly and blows me a kiss, and I drop my head at once, gripping my clutch on
my lap.
“That was a
great night, wasn’t it?” My father smiles as the car slowly pulls out.
“It was.” I
force a smile. My fingertips rise to brush my lips which still tingle from Mr
Spencer’s touch. I smile to myself softly.
No wonder
he’s the most eligible bachelor in London.
He’s
perfect.
And he’s
trouble.
Author Bio
Will I ever stop hurting the one person who’s never hurt me?
I’ve done things I can never undo.
No matter how much I wish I could, sometimes the wounds I inflict are too deep, too catastrophic, too septic to heal.
As I look into the eyes of the only man I’ve ever loved I know I’ve gone too far. I’ve finally crossed the line.
Even if he knew my reason for doing this, he’d never forgive me.
He always puts my needs before his own.
Now it’s my turn to protect him.
None of that matters though because the betrayal and disgust in his eyes comes from deep within his soul. There’s no coming back from this.
He will forever be tormented by what he’s seen, and he will never forgive me.
The last fragment of my heart to hold out hope that we’d share a future, withers and dies.
ADD TO GOODREADS
Coming face-to-face with my past changes EVERYTHING.
I’m at the top of my game. All my struggles have finally paid off. Life should be great.
I mean, life is great.
Except for the fact that I can’t stop thinking of her. The woman who mangled my heart into a bloody pulp and never looked back.
If I could free myself of our shared memories, my future would be golden.
There’s only one way to move on—I have to confront the past, so I can move into the next chapter of my life in peace. Which means confronting her for the final time.
I had no idea that knocking on her door that day would turn my life upside down.
ADD TO GOODREADS
ABOUT ELISABETH GRACE:
USA Today Bestselling author, Elisabeth Grace, has a soft spot for romance novels with happily ever afters and a hot spot for alpha males! She currently lives outside Toronto, Canada with her hubby and two small children. Life is busy, but never too busy for a good story and to share her love of reading and writing with others.
For more of the lowdown feel free to visit her author website at http://www.Elisabeth-Grace.com
ABOUT MICHELLE LYNN:
Michelle moved around the Midwest most of her life, transferring from school to school before settling down in the outskirts of Chicago ten years ago, where she now resides with her husband and two kids.
She loves all thing romance and cries at happy endings!
Visit her at www.michellelynnbooks.com
Owen Shaw and his “brothers” lost everything, their entire existence erased. Science had robbed he and all the Lost Boys of their memories and their past, but not their future. Hunted by every intelligence agency in the world, they are focused on two goals: find a cure for what was done to them and ensure that the technology that ruined their lives doesn’t get out into the world. Rebecca Walsh might be the key to achieving both. Owen has been studying her closely, living in her building, and he cannot resolve how such a beautiful, giving woman could have helped design the evil process that destroyed his past.
Dr. Rebecca Walsh has dedicated her life to researching the secrets of the mind. Her atmospheric rise in her field was fueled by the horror of watching her mother’s agonizing journey into madness at the hands of a disease with no cure. She vowed to never rest until she finds it. But obsession takes a heavy toll, and when Owen moves into her building she realizes how much of her life she has missed out on. Owen opens her eyes to a whole new world, filled with joy, laughter, and possibly love.
Owen and Rebecca grow closer, unraveling more about each other and the mysteries surrounding her connection to Hope McDonald. As the sinister forces working against the Lost Boys descend on Toronto, secrets long buried are uncovered that could shatter the bonds holding the Lost Boys together and cost Rebecca her life.
“Becca.” Owen’s voice was low. “Concentrate on me, on our conversation. You’ve done incredibly well. You’ve been able to hold it off, but this has gone on far longer than you ever should have been expected to handle it. This elevator is tight. I feel it, too, but we can hold off the anxiety together.”
She doubted very much the man in front of her was anxious. He looked solid, like the kind of man who took whatever came his way and simply dealt with it. He wouldn’t have needed two freaking years to figure out what he wanted. He would have signed his divorce papers and moved on, not hiding in his work.
It struck her forcibly that she might never have met a man like Owen Shaw. Her childhood had been fairly sheltered. She’d constantly been surrounded by intellectuals, men and women who were far more concerned with their work than anything else.
The ground beneath her shifted and the elevator dropped what felt like ten feet, but she knew in her head it was mere inches. Her heart rate tripled, and she grabbed on to the closest thing she could—him.
His arms went around her, holding her up, and she heard it. He was so tall that her head naturally rested on his chest, and she could hear his heart beating in rapid time.
He was nervous.
The phone rang and Owen cursed, reaching out to grab it. The shaft was so small, he didn’t have to let her go to grasp it.
“What the bloody hell is happening, Colin?”
She could hear his voice over the line. “Sorry. So sorry. We had to lower the shaft the tiniest bit. I should have warned you. It’s not going to fall. Just needed to reposition to get to the problem. Not long now. Another half an hour or so and I’ll have you right out of there.”
“If you do that again, do you know what I’m going to do to you, Colin?”
There was a pause over the line and she could practically hear Colin’s gulp. “Write my father a tersely worded letter of complaint?”
“No, I’m going to pull your heart out through your throat and then I’ll shove it back up your arse.”
“You sound very much like Liam Neeson in that movie.”
“Liam Neeson is Irish. I’m a Scot. I assure you what I’ll do to you will make you run into Liam Neeson’s arms and beg him to save you.” He reached back and hung up the phone with a resounding clang.
His arm went back around her. “It’s going to be all right. They’ll move faster now. So you’ve taken a sabbatical from men.”
She breathed him in, loving how he smelled. Were men supposed to smell so good?
She could feel herself relax as he held her. She’d known him for three hours. She shouldn’t let him hold her like this.
And why the fuck not? Because it wasn’t smart? Because he might think she wanted something she shouldn’t?
She was human. Why shouldn’t she want him? Because society told her that good girls didn’t make out with guys they’d just met in an elevator?
Society sucked, and she wasn’t a good girl. When her husband had tried to put his name on her work, she’d told him to fuck off and write his own paper. When he’d cheated on her, she’d walked away.
She was single.
God, was he single?
She stepped back.
“What’s wrong?” Owen asked.
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
His lips curled up in the sweetest grin, as though he knew exactly why she was asking that question. “No, love. I don’t have a girlfriend and I don’t have a wife.”
He was single. She was single.
The moment lengthened between them.
He stepped back. “I’m sorry. I’m coming on way too strong.”
He wasn’t. He’d been gentlemanly, friendly. Up until the last couple of moments, he hadn’t put a hand on her or leered. She could feel his attraction. It was there in the warm way he looked at her, in the set of his shoulders, relaxed earlier and tense now that he’d touched her. He was thinking about the same thing she was.
“I’m very nervous, Owen. My logical mind knows that it’s far more likely for me to die getting hit by lightning than in an elevator, even one that’s stuck.” Unfortunately, her logical mind was slowly losing control of her dumbass lizard brain.
“Will talking help?” Owen asked. “Because I’m willing to do that. Or whatever you need to take your mind off things.”
There was a wealth of promise in those words. Dirty and sweet at the same time. They’d shared her wine, passing it back and forth between them, her lips touching the same place his had been moments before. When she’d drank after him, she’d thought about kissing him.
It had been too long. Two years was way too long to go without sex.
They had a half an hour or so. At least that’s what Colin—who might be murdered soon by Owen Shaw—said. She even thought his name was sexy.
What exactly would it hurt if she did kiss him? If she touched him and let him touch her? Hell, what would it hurt if she fucked him? They were both single, both a little needy. They had some time to kill. They’d done everything else.
“I would like to kiss you.” If he didn’t want her to, he could say no and they could find something else to do. She wasn’t going to be embarrassed because some guy didn’t want her. Some stunningly gorgeous guy. Some really funny, sexy guy. After all, she wouldn’t see him after this. She’d never seen him before. He’d told her he was moving in, but she went into work early and came home late. He was a bodyguard, so he likely worked odd hours and traveled a lot.
He was safe. She could open that door, enjoy herself, and then close it again. Owen Shaw could be her first really good memory in a long time, the start of many because it was time to get serious about finding some joy and balance in her life.
But only if he wanted some joy, too.
He moved back, placing his back against the elevator wall, the sweetest smile lighting up his face. “You have no idea how much I want you to kiss me. I’m right here, love. Do your worst.”
He was letting her make the first move. And probably the second. And the third. He was obviously a careful man. It would be easier if he took over, but he was right. This needed to be her choice, and she had to make the move.
She’d been the girl who’d told her parents at the age of five that kindergarten was boring and she wanted to move through the grades until she found something challenging. When they’d told her they wanted her to slow down and enjoy her childhood, she’d gone on strike until the teachers at her school begged her parents to let them move her up.
She was the girl who’d put it all on hold to take care of her mother, too.
She wasn’t the girl who didn’t take what she wanted, and she wanted Owen Shaw.
“It’s been a long time since I did this.” But her body was already heating up. Her body remembered. Her marriage might have sucked, but the sex had been fairly good. It had been the reason she’d married him. She’d gotten used to regular, good sex.
She’d get used to it again, just on her terms this time.
“Somehow, I think you’ll remember,” he said. “You play all you like. Stop when you want to.”
She’d been right about him. He was a careful man. “And if I don’t want to stop?”
“Then you should be happy I’m a man who believes in being prepared.”
Behind the "lights, camera, action" of Hollywood lies a world of deception, love, and seduction.
Are you ready for Hollywood Royalty?
Kellie
An Oscar, a Tony, an Emmy, a Grammy—she has them all.
She's the most sought-after woman in Hollywood.
Even if her rise to fame was a fluke, you can't deny the camera loves her.
The problem is so does everyone else, and she's about to leave on the biggest concert tour of her life.
Headlining for the first time in five years.
Around the world in ninety days. Should be a piece of cake.
Until her new security detail walks in the room and she’s looking into the eyes of the only man who didn’t fall for her charm.
It's only a matter of time till he falls for Hollywood's Princess.
When her nose isn't buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she's in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It's a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn't listen to her...
Ghosts are real.
Well, technically speaking, maybe not. But the ones that haunt a man’s soul? Those are very real. So real, in fact, that there are times when Castiel would rather silence them forever in the worst way possible than to go on living with them haunting his every step.
All it took was one single second in time for his attention to drift, and everything changed.
Life as he once knew it, is over.
Now he’s struggling to make sense of the pieces that are left, and he’s fairly sure at least half of them are missing.
He’s living for three things now.
His club—the Bear Bottom Guardians.
His work as a police officer for Bear Bottom Police Department.
And the occasional glimpse of a girl that makes his spirit feel free.
Despite the ghosts that haunt him, he’s not willing to present them with another target. Which is why he has to stay away from her. He can’t touch her. He can’t talk to her. He can’t get anywhere near her.
Not and live with himself afterward.
The only problem is, Turner doesn’t care what Castiel wants. She also has a solution for his ghosts.
You may call her Ms. Ghostbuster.
Lani Lynn Vale is a USA Today Bestselling Author of over thirty titles. She is married with three children, two dogs, two cats, a donkey, and a couple (a couple also meaning over twenty) chickens.
When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in her favorite chair reading.
Lani is married with three children and lives in the Great State of Texas.
