John "Savage" Reid lives up in the woods and works at the local mine where he started working 12 years ago when he was 18. He has kept to himself since his wife died 5 years ago but he has a great relationship with the owner of the mine, Ben.
Jane is 18 years old and is the new Human Resources Assistant at the mine until she is able to complete her schooling. Her dad, Ben, owns the mine and she is looking forward to working for him during the summer.
When Jane sees Savage she knows she wants him but as much as he wants her back, her age difference and his closeness to her dad makes him pull away.
Yet their attraction to each other can not be denied and they begin a secretive relationship but when secrets get out will they have a chance?
This is the first book written by the author and it was heavy in the lust and I felt like it needed more character development. This is solely my opinion.
Savage was an interesting character. He loves his solitude and keeps to himself other than when he is at work but he doesn't socialize with the other guys he works with. He is attracted to Jane but he believes she is off limits due to her age and who her father is.
Jane wanted Savage and was ready to do whatever it took to convince him to give her a chance. But keeping their relationship a secret from everyone, including her best friend Meg began to cause some issues.
The road trip was a complete disaster and you knew that it was going to blow up big time and it definitely did! I wasn't surprised at what ended up happening after that I completely understood why Savage needed space.
I liked the talk that Jane had with her mom and how everything got resolved.
I found the book lacked dialogue between all the characters and so much seemed to go on in the mind of the character and not said out loud. There was so much instant lust and it seemed to be an insta-love book that seemed to lack some development.
3 Stars
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Friday, June 29, 2018
Release Day Blitz - Wild For The Mountain Man by Harlow Hart
Savage
Retreating from civilization was the best decision of my life, the only next step to avoid more tragedy to people around me. After all I’ve gone through, my boss’s summer move to the cabin next door should be easy enough. He’s also my best friend. He and his wife are the only real sense of family I have left. The only people who braved this mountain over the years to make sure I was okay.
Then I discover their move is a package deal with their daughter Jane, who has a new summer intern job at the mine where my boss and I work.
I haven’t seen Jane since what feels like forever.
When I do, everything changes.
She has a body built to bring a man like me to my knees.
I keep my distance for as long as I can, but the longer I stay away, the more my desire grows, the more she consumes me.
And when she saunters into my cabin claiming she wants only me, I have to have her.
She my boss’s daughter, my co-worker. And barely legal.
But none of that matters. She’s going to be mine.
Author’s note: this book is sinful, dirty, and thoroughly naughty for your entertainment.
Retreating from civilization was the best decision of my life, the only next step to avoid more tragedy to people around me. After all I’ve gone through, my boss’s summer move to the cabin next door should be easy enough. He’s also my best friend. He and his wife are the only real sense of family I have left. The only people who braved this mountain over the years to make sure I was okay.
Then I discover their move is a package deal with their daughter Jane, who has a new summer intern job at the mine where my boss and I work.
I haven’t seen Jane since what feels like forever.
When I do, everything changes.
She has a body built to bring a man like me to my knees.
I keep my distance for as long as I can, but the longer I stay away, the more my desire grows, the more she consumes me.
And when she saunters into my cabin claiming she wants only me, I have to have her.
She my boss’s daughter, my co-worker. And barely legal.
But none of that matters. She’s going to be mine.
Author’s note: this book is sinful, dirty, and thoroughly naughty for your entertainment.
I didn’t invite her into my cabin or to my bedroom, but I sure as hell won’t ask her to leave. Not now. Not when she’s begging for it. Not when she’s spent the last two weeks reminding me with just her eyes that she and I have unfinished business.
I glance across the room and my eyes land on the trail of clothes she peeled off her body on her way from my bedroom door to the side of my bed. Under the dim moonlight shining in through the sliver of open space between the heavy curtains of my bedroom windows, every flowery item of clothing seems feminine and out of place in my room. From her silky panties and bra to the tank top and short shorts she had on when I saw her at the edge of the woods a few hours ago. I follow the dim stream of light to where it falls on her body, making her creamy skin seem even mysterious and inviting. I can stare at her for hours, but fuck, tonight I won’t. I need to feel every square inch of this woman. I’ve held off for years before I met her, and although I’ve avoided her for only two weeks, I can’t bear to go without her that long. Waiting another second feels like fucking torture. Before I met Jane, I had grown used to being alone in my own world out here in the woods. I was celibate by choice for years, didn’t want another woman after my wife passed away five years ago. But since the second Jane showed up, everything changed. Now, every minute that I push down the temptation to fuck her causes my fixation on her to grow more urgent.
And now she’s right here.
In my cabin of her own free will.
After I chased her away.
Without my asking.
And fuck, I’m ready to break every rule for her.
She tilts her head toward me and gives me a thoughtful smile. Just as she does, she parts her legs wider, showing me more of her pink, glistening pussy, inviting me without words. I plan to invade her, possess her and leave my mark on her with my mouth, tongue, teeth, hands, my cock and my seed. I’m already hard as steel but just one look makes my dick harder and causes my balls to tighten. They’re in overdrive, filled and ready to burst, so much so that I can feel some pre-cum leave the tip and soak through my boxers to a spot on my dirty work pants.
Seeing her in my bed, in my space, lying there on my bedsheets she looks so comfortable. It’s as if she’s always been here, and well, maybe this is where she belongs. I just hope she understands what this means for the both of us.
I’ll hold her to the promise she just made.
I glance across the room and my eyes land on the trail of clothes she peeled off her body on her way from my bedroom door to the side of my bed. Under the dim moonlight shining in through the sliver of open space between the heavy curtains of my bedroom windows, every flowery item of clothing seems feminine and out of place in my room. From her silky panties and bra to the tank top and short shorts she had on when I saw her at the edge of the woods a few hours ago. I follow the dim stream of light to where it falls on her body, making her creamy skin seem even mysterious and inviting. I can stare at her for hours, but fuck, tonight I won’t. I need to feel every square inch of this woman. I’ve held off for years before I met her, and although I’ve avoided her for only two weeks, I can’t bear to go without her that long. Waiting another second feels like fucking torture. Before I met Jane, I had grown used to being alone in my own world out here in the woods. I was celibate by choice for years, didn’t want another woman after my wife passed away five years ago. But since the second Jane showed up, everything changed. Now, every minute that I push down the temptation to fuck her causes my fixation on her to grow more urgent.
And now she’s right here.
In my cabin of her own free will.
After I chased her away.
Without my asking.
And fuck, I’m ready to break every rule for her.
She tilts her head toward me and gives me a thoughtful smile. Just as she does, she parts her legs wider, showing me more of her pink, glistening pussy, inviting me without words. I plan to invade her, possess her and leave my mark on her with my mouth, tongue, teeth, hands, my cock and my seed. I’m already hard as steel but just one look makes my dick harder and causes my balls to tighten. They’re in overdrive, filled and ready to burst, so much so that I can feel some pre-cum leave the tip and soak through my boxers to a spot on my dirty work pants.
Seeing her in my bed, in my space, lying there on my bedsheets she looks so comfortable. It’s as if she’s always been here, and well, maybe this is where she belongs. I just hope she understands what this means for the both of us.
I’ll hold her to the promise she just made.
Tossing It by Rachel Robinson
RELEASE BLITZ
Title: TOSSING IT, A Navy SEAL and Secret Baby Romance
Author: Rachel Robinson
Release Date: June 29, 2018
Add to your TBR: http://bit.ly/2sxZYVj
PURCHASE LINKS
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SYNOPSIS:
Leif Andersson knows a lot of things. How to hunt terrorists, where to hide from his neurotic, overbearing sisters, when to make a reasonable judgement call, and why he’s never settled down with a woman. When a SEAL base opens in the small, coastal town of Bronze Bay, Florida, Leif knows it’s the perfect situation to shake things up after years of fighting a monotonous, global war. A simple place, to build a simple life turns out to be anything but when he meets and falls in love with her.
Dementia stole Malena Winterset’s mother. It also took her father. He abandoned them both a decade ago when the mental illness grew to be more than he could bear. As the primary caretaker for her mother, Malena spends her days planning parties and working at the Bronze Bay General Store. Her nights are spent at home, wishing for something more. When a SEAL base opens, a new, handsome face in town makes his presence known, but his affections come with rules.
1.) Two forms of birth control
2.) Never leave stuff at his place
3.) Be content to never meet his family
4.) Don’t fall in love with him.
When the unthinkable happens, and three of the rules are shockingly, and accidentally broken, lives are changed forever.
At least Malena never left her toothbrush in his bathroom…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Robinson grew up in a small, quiet town full of loud talkers. Her words were always only loud on paper. She has been writing stories and creating characters for as long as she can remember. After living on the west coast for many years, she now resides in Virginia with her husband and two children.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/racheljeanrobinson/
Rachel's Racy Readers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1681603638791568/
Rachel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelrobinsonauthor/
Rachel's website: www.racheljrobinson.com
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Thursday, June 28, 2018
Warning Part Three Release Blitz with USA Today Bestselling Author, AD Justice
Title: Warning Part Three
Author: A.D. Justice
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Editor: Silently Correcting Your Grammar
Cover Designer: Designs by Dana
Publication Date: June 28th, 2018
Hosted by: Lady Amber's PR
Blurb:Just when I thought I had everything figured out, life blew up in my face without warning. The missing pieces of the puzzle weren’t clear, and the stakes were too high to merely hope for the best.
Absolute facts I’d believed my entire life turned out to be lies and the truth was harder to accept than the family ever realized. Protecting my loved ones was my only priority. Any threat had to be eliminated—no matter the consequences.
How deep did the treachery go? Only one way to find out.
A.D. Justice is the USA Today bestselling author of the Steele Security Series (Wicked Games, Wicked Ties, Wicked Nights, Wicked Intentions, Wicked Shadows), the Crazy Series (Crazy Maybe, Crazy Baby), the Dominic Powers series (Her Dom, Her Dom’s Lesson), the Immortal Obsessions series (Immortal Envy) and a few stand-alone romance novels, such as Completely Captivated, Just One Summer, Envy, and Intent.
When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with her own alpha male character in their North Georgia mountain home. She is also an avid reader of romance novels, a master at procrastination, a chocolate sommelier, a twister of words, and speaks fluent sarcasm. An avid animal lover, A.D. Justice has three horses, one dog, and two cats.
While the primary focus of her books has been romantic suspense, she has expanded into different sub-genres of romance. Stay tuned to read what she has in store for you!
Author Links:
Buy Links:
Warning Part 1: http://amzn.to/2pbawYQ
Warning Part 2: https://amzn.to/2J1Afv8
Warning Part 3: https://amzn.to/2ttHJ3F
My review of Wolf by Bella Love-Wins
Rose Adams was 7 years old when her parents were murdered and now she and her grandmother, Pearl, have started a new life away from their past.
Thorne Pierce is known as The Hunter, a mercenary and former soldier who has been given his next targets, Rose and her grandmother. But soon Thorne realizes that there is more to the situation than he could have imagined.
As Thorne discovers the truth about Rose what is he willing to do to keep her safe? Will he put his own life and reputation on the line?
This was a great short story that is action-packed from start to finish!
I really liked Rose and I loved that she was tougher than what people thought. She was smart and had things in place in case she and her grandma were ever found. I thought it was awesome how she managed to keep those close to her safe and I admired her for that.
Thorne starts off as a guy on a mission but as he begins to watch Rose he realizes that there is so much more going on than he could have imagined.
I really enjoyed seeing the trust between Rose and Thorne grow and how they had to trust each other to survive what they were up against!
The end was great and I look forward to more!
4 Stars
Thorne Pierce is known as The Hunter, a mercenary and former soldier who has been given his next targets, Rose and her grandmother. But soon Thorne realizes that there is more to the situation than he could have imagined.
As Thorne discovers the truth about Rose what is he willing to do to keep her safe? Will he put his own life and reputation on the line?
This was a great short story that is action-packed from start to finish!
I really liked Rose and I loved that she was tougher than what people thought. She was smart and had things in place in case she and her grandma were ever found. I thought it was awesome how she managed to keep those close to her safe and I admired her for that.
Thorne starts off as a guy on a mission but as he begins to watch Rose he realizes that there is so much more going on than he could have imagined.
I really enjoyed seeing the trust between Rose and Thorne grow and how they had to trust each other to survive what they were up against!
The end was great and I look forward to more!
4 Stars
Blog Tour - Wolf (Tall, Dark and Dangerous Book 2) - Bella Love-Wins
I found her so she's mine.
Thorne Pierce
They call me the Hunter;
A cold-hearted predator with the killer instinct.
A deadly threat to anyone who becomes my prey.
I'm pulled off of an existing job to watch a new target and her grandmother until I'm issued the order. I see her for the first time from the edge of the woods. Rose Adams. Silky red hair flowing down past her waist, soft curves, a sassy mouth, and that body that's made for sin.
I tell myself shes just another target, but I'm dead wrong.
Little Red beats me at my own game.
She sets her sights on me and everything changes.
I shouldn't feel a thing. Haven't for years.
But I do.
When it's time to finish the job, I take her and we run.
Forget the rules; I'm going to follow the only law that matters.
The law of the wild: Possess my prey.
*Author's Note: Wolf is a Standalone Romance with a guaranteed HEA ending and no Cliffhanger. Each story in the Tall, Dark and Dangerous Series can be read in any order.
Thorne Pierce
They call me the Hunter;
A cold-hearted predator with the killer instinct.
A deadly threat to anyone who becomes my prey.
I'm pulled off of an existing job to watch a new target and her grandmother until I'm issued the order. I see her for the first time from the edge of the woods. Rose Adams. Silky red hair flowing down past her waist, soft curves, a sassy mouth, and that body that's made for sin.
I tell myself shes just another target, but I'm dead wrong.
Little Red beats me at my own game.
She sets her sights on me and everything changes.
I shouldn't feel a thing. Haven't for years.
But I do.
When it's time to finish the job, I take her and we run.
Forget the rules; I'm going to follow the only law that matters.
The law of the wild: Possess my prey.
*Author's Note: Wolf is a Standalone Romance with a guaranteed HEA ending and no Cliffhanger. Each story in the Tall, Dark and Dangerous Series can be read in any order.
“Let me go right this instant!” I scream, struggling to break free. “Or just kill me right now, because if you don’t, I’ll be the one after you, you big bastard.”
“If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t need to watch you for days or weeks before I actually do it. You’d be six feet under a week ago, long before you had a chance to figure out that I’m watching you.”
He wedges me against the wall with the weight of his body, and his free hand runs slowly up my arm.
“Stop that right now!” I shout.
Ignoring me, his hand moves up from the curve of my hips and past my waist. “Fuck, all these curves in this tiny body are enough to make me want to do more than just this weapons pat-down,” he whispers at the whorl of my ear. He stops over my breasts, massaging the flesh for a moment before slipping his hand past my collarbone and across my neck.
“Please stop,” I say as his straying hand comes to rest with his fingers buried in my long hair. This time I’m begging, but I hear the weakness of my voice and can’t help but become angry at myself. His touch ignites my body, sending heat and need to places I’ve never known could feel this hot.
“Make me,” he dares, and tugs my hair back, immobilizing my head, probably so I don’t reverse head-butt him in the face. I feel his lips at my ear and his hard cock at my back, and when his hips rock forward, I know it’s intentional, to make me fear for what he’ll do next, to show me that I’m at his mercy.
Reaching back with my arms, I catch fistfuls of his shirt and try to move him away, but it only makes him lean more of his body weight into me. I use one foot to back-kick his shins, but it’s no use. I have zero leverage.
“If you’re not going to kill me, let me go,” I ask again. A faint whiff of his woodsy cologne hits my nostrils, and I swear my body reacts with a tremor. Then I feel his mouth at my earlobe. He tugs the flesh with his teeth, and his lips slide down to my neck, sucking one spot so hard I’m sure it’ll leave a mark. I curse myself as my hips push back into him, getting a firmer feel of his dick on me. I want to resist. I want to fight with everything in me, but I have to admit, I also want to stay and find out what else he’ll do to my body. I should be ashamed for feeling this way about the man who’s been shadowing me all week. I just can’t help it.
“I’ll let you go, Little Red,” he growls. “But just remember. You might’ve found me, but I’m the one who marked you. Be grateful that I don’t follow my urge to fuck the fight out of you. Right here against this wall.”
“If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t need to watch you for days or weeks before I actually do it. You’d be six feet under a week ago, long before you had a chance to figure out that I’m watching you.”
He wedges me against the wall with the weight of his body, and his free hand runs slowly up my arm.
“Stop that right now!” I shout.
Ignoring me, his hand moves up from the curve of my hips and past my waist. “Fuck, all these curves in this tiny body are enough to make me want to do more than just this weapons pat-down,” he whispers at the whorl of my ear. He stops over my breasts, massaging the flesh for a moment before slipping his hand past my collarbone and across my neck.
“Please stop,” I say as his straying hand comes to rest with his fingers buried in my long hair. This time I’m begging, but I hear the weakness of my voice and can’t help but become angry at myself. His touch ignites my body, sending heat and need to places I’ve never known could feel this hot.
“Make me,” he dares, and tugs my hair back, immobilizing my head, probably so I don’t reverse head-butt him in the face. I feel his lips at my ear and his hard cock at my back, and when his hips rock forward, I know it’s intentional, to make me fear for what he’ll do next, to show me that I’m at his mercy.
Reaching back with my arms, I catch fistfuls of his shirt and try to move him away, but it only makes him lean more of his body weight into me. I use one foot to back-kick his shins, but it’s no use. I have zero leverage.
“If you’re not going to kill me, let me go,” I ask again. A faint whiff of his woodsy cologne hits my nostrils, and I swear my body reacts with a tremor. Then I feel his mouth at my earlobe. He tugs the flesh with his teeth, and his lips slide down to my neck, sucking one spot so hard I’m sure it’ll leave a mark. I curse myself as my hips push back into him, getting a firmer feel of his dick on me. I want to resist. I want to fight with everything in me, but I have to admit, I also want to stay and find out what else he’ll do to my body. I should be ashamed for feeling this way about the man who’s been shadowing me all week. I just can’t help it.
“I’ll let you go, Little Red,” he growls. “But just remember. You might’ve found me, but I’m the one who marked you. Be grateful that I don’t follow my urge to fuck the fight out of you. Right here against this wall.”
About me: I'm a Wall Street Journal (Begging for Bad Boys, April, 2017) and USA Today (Begging for Bad Boys, Alpha for the Holidays, Shifters in the Snow: Bundle of Joy, Shifters in the Shadows) Bestselling Author.
I love reading and writing steamy, high-action romance stories about firefighters, billionaires, and alpha males who know what they want and aren't afraid of laying claim to the women who catch their interest. I love a happy ever after ending. I enjoy reading, hiking, the countryside, and traveling to destinations unspoiled by commercial tourism, like Las Vegas... :)
Like so many characters in my novels, I enjoy action, romance and unexpected love connections that take your breath away. For the next while, you'll find me plotting and writing about my latest stories on my Macbook.
VALLEY GIRL WARS by Cherime MacFarlane
Southwest of Homer, Book 2
by Cherime MacFarlane
by Cherime MacFarlane
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Whiskey Girl by Adriane Leigh
universal buy link:
adrianeleigh.com/WhiskeyGirl
direct links:
US: https://amzn.to/2ym5QpK
UK: https://amzn.to/2ymohef
CA: https://amzn.to/2yo7Hub
AU: https://amzn.to/2M3Uvwz
B&N: http://bit.ly/2M3LNOR
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2t9yRA2
iBooks: https://apple.co/2JWVgHm
US: https://amzn.to/2ym5QpK
UK: https://amzn.to/2ymohef
CA: https://amzn.to/2yo7Hub
AU: https://amzn.to/2M3Uvwz
B&N: http://bit.ly/2M3LNOR
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2t9yRA2
iBooks: https://apple.co/2JWVgHm
Goodreads Link: https://bit.ly/2JrnhGq
genre: contemporary romance
release day: June 26
((blurb))
She was the one thing holding him together. Until she was gone.
And then there was whiskey.
Fallon Gentry has spent the last decade reliving one dark night in his head. The moment he lost the woman he loved when a single blink cascaded into a series of events that stole both of their lives. Now his nights are spent playing music in Southern honky-tonks and nursing the memory of her the only way he knows how—at the bottom of a whiskey bottle.
A brief stint in Nashville, a hit song, and a brush with Hollywood couldn’t bring him closer to God, but when the ghost of Augusta Belle Branson appears in his corner of another lonely dive bar well after dark, he’s forced to confront everything he thought he knew about that fateful night…and a few things he didn’t.
He’s her contradiction. She’s his salvation.
A firestorm of emotion consumes them when they come together after ten lost years, every moment more revealing, more unpredictable, more intoxicating than the last. Until the only reckoning left for Fallon is the one he must make with himself. But this time, fate may have left an afterburn too bitter to swallow. This time, he may lose his whiskey girl for good.
((early reviews))
“6+ cliff diving, whiskey shot, hung over for days stars! Leigh reached out and grabbed me from the very first line, and never let go. The writing was beautiful and captivating, the characters were perfectly imperfect, and the story… well, it was flawless. Fallon and Augusta Belle’s story is one that will be with me forever—it was heart breaking, intense, swoon worthy, and raw—everything I love in a story.” – AR Myles, Amazon Bestselling Author
“Whiskey Girl is like a slow sensual song, you sway along with the words and end with a happy contented sigh.” –Goodreads Review
“As smooth as the whiskey in the title and a sweet read!” – Goodreads Review
“Whiskey Girl is like the drink itself. Smooth with a bite, but when all is said and done you have an appreciation for the drink as well as the book… Woven together with whiskey and music references, it was swoony and sweet with an ending that put a big ole’ smile on my face. A perfect summer read.” –Goodreads Review
“A bit of darkness, sadness, tears (so many tears), hope and happiness. And the surprise twist in the story, very nearly took me under. I found myself angry and rooting for this couple. So be prepared, I highly suggest a bottle at hand to help you sooth and celebrate Whiskey Girl.” – Goodreads Review
“Like poetry and lyrics to a song that stays stuck with you forever. Leigh knows how to weave a tale that will leave you open and raw and so emotional!” – Goodreads Review
“A slow-burning, heart-pullin’ second chance story I couldn’t put down.” – Goodreads Review
CHAPTER ONE
Fallon
The first time I met Augusta Belle Branson, she was fixin’ on killin’ herself.
Said the minute I’d walked up, she was tryin’ to decide if jumpin’ off the bridge in the center—where the water was deep and the current stronger—would be a swifter end, or if she should jump near the edge, where jagged limestone slabs anchored the slow-moving current.
Certain death for sure.
I replayed the split second when the Indian summer sun burst through the orange oak leaves, a halo of warmth enveloping her.
Like an angel. Stardust sparkling straight from heaven, ploppin’ her in my path.
And then she turned, the most startling shade of liquid amber eyes breathing something real and alive, like fire, into my soul.
That same something I’d been runnin’ from—or chasin’, dependin’ on how you looked at it—just about every day since.
I settled myself on the lone wooden stool that awaited at center stage, my thoughts drawing back to the present. My head swam, but the old familiar chords floated on through the current of whiskey in my blood, and I strummed the first few notes of a song I wrote a lot of nights ago by an act of sheer muscle memory.
Old acoustic guitar resting on my knee, my first and third fingers in position on the strings, the opening chords of “Whiskey Girl” bled from my fingers.
Every chord, another dagger.
Every whispered lyric, my undoing.
I still ’didn’t know what the fuck had overtaken me the night I’d written this song in a fevered rush.
Well, the booze might have played a part, but I happened to think my best shit came out of uninhibited states.
I’d just had a fuckton of uninhibited states recently.
And the harder the liquor, the more she haunted me.
Whiskey Girl.
My poisoned lullaby.
The crowd of a few hundred erupted into a standing ovation when I ended with the final, emotion-charged words.
The irony of this song was it was the one that’d launched my career. The first single to hit radio waves and then the top spot on the Billboard charts, and brought reporters, music executives, long-lost family members I wasn’t even really sure I was related to, and too much other scum with an end game that carried dollar signs to my front doorstep.
I’d moved to Nashville a rising star and left two years later, middle finger in the air as I tossed my once-promising music career out with last night’s liquor bottles in favor of the open road.
Chasing something.
Not finding the one thing I needed.
Playing local honky-tonks for a fraction of the money I could have made.
But the truth was, the road was the only place I could find my happy.
A familiar ball of pain formed in my throat as I stood, pushing my guitar over one shoulder and bowing deeply. I couldn’t see a single face behind the glaring stage lights, but still, some part of me pretended she could be out there, that I was singing to her.
That she would hear her song and find her way back to me.
After hundreds of faceless crowds and too many bottles of Tennessee whiskey to bother counting, I still felt the pull inside me to travel to every town in America if that’s what it took to find her.
Hell, maybe she was happily married with a few kids, a dog, and a fucking minivan by now.
I nodded my head, giving one last wave to the crowd in the dark beyond, then left the stage, taking the steps two at a time and angling past the curtains to head for the tiny-ass dressing room this dive bar provided. Heading for another chug of amber gold before packing my shit into my truck and hitting the road.
I pushed a hand through my hair, thinking maybe a shower would be in order before I bailed, when a curvy little thing backed right up into me.
My palms landed on her shoulders, warm blond waves falling in a cascade over one side. The heady scent of peaches and honey filled my nostrils. My eyes slammed closed and brought me back to summer nights under a giant oak, fireflies melding together with the stars above like a painting.
“Sorry, I just dropped my phone.” The sweet-scented creature spun, brilliant smile falling from her face when our eyes made contact for the first time.
Every coldhearted memory slammed into my chest like a pallet of bricks.
I narrowed my eyes, gaze tracing the familiar yet unfamiliar angles of her porcelain face.
She was thinner now, cheeks sharp slashes of bone that highlighted her always-devastating round eyes and full lips. It was her, all right. I’d know this woman anywhere.
“Hi, Fallon.” I’d been dreamin’ of this moment for the better part of a decade, and still, my heart wasn’t prepared for those two words. My name on her lips left me with a toxic reaction.
My whiskey girl.
My damnation and my salvation.
“I need a fucking minute.” I dropped my hands from her shoulders, her skin still haunting my fingertips, and walked straight down the narrow hallway, pushing the rusted back door open so hard the hinges protested.
Warm night air filled my lungs, replacing the empty feeling seeing her again had left.
“Fallon…” Hell, she’d followed me out.
And hell if wanted her to, but I didn’t notwant her to either.
The emotions bombarding my mind were just a-fucking-bout unbearable.
“I said I needa fucking minute.” The sentence came out as more of a growl than I intended. Before she could reply, I stomped across the potholed parking lot, aiming for my heavy-duty Ford.
I yanked the door open, digging behind the driver’s seat for a fresh bottle of my favorite recipe.
I couldn’t be bothered to retrieve the half-full bottle I’d left in my dressing room. I had to get as far the fuck away from her just to clear my head and process what her being here even meant.
My hands circled the neck of the bottle, and I opened it in a flash, chugging back the first warm bite of pleasure I’d been craving.
I tossed the cap on my dash and fished the keys out of my pocket, about to climb into the cab and make hay, when fingertips painted a dark navy filtered into my vision and back out again, my goddamn truck keys hanging from one finger.
“Fuck,” I bit out, crawling out of the cab and swiping for the keys.
My reactions were a helluva lot slower than I thought they were. How much of that bottle had I drunk before the show?I shook the thought from my head, realizing this was probably about close to my average state of play on any given day. Runnin’ away from the life Augusta Belle and I’d had took something out of me. Something only whiskey could fill.
“I don’t care what your stupid ass does on your own time, but you’re not dying on mine, Fallon Gentry.”
My head pounded then. A whole fucking sentence out of her pretty pink lips, and my body’s old dependable reaction to her infuriating every cell of me.
I’d never been in control when it came to Augusta. Shouldn’t have been surprised it was no different now.
“As irritating as ever, I see,” I said, swiping for my keys one more time and missing before I stumbled off around her, whiskey bottle clutched in my hand and hell on my mind.
Augusta was back, and there wasn’t enough whiskey in the state of Tennessee to help me deal.
((author bio))
Adriane Leigh is an Amazon Top 25 and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and erotic romance.
Raised in a snowbank in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, she was born with a book in her hand and won her first Young Authors award by the age of ten. She finished her first romance novel at 14, and hasn’t stopped playing with words since. She earned a literature degree, co-founded and organized international book conventions with RARE: Romance Author & Reader Events, and has written more than 45 independent titles.
Married to her own Prince Charming, she now lives among the sand dunes of Lake Michigan, and plays mama to two sweet baby girls. She’s a romantic rebel and word junkie that believes wanderlust is life, strives to be a part of the #goodvibetribe, and wishes she had more time to read and knit scarves to keep her cozy during the arctic Michigan winters. Yoga pants, puppies, and mac and cheese also help.
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