Bound for Life by Alexis Abbott Bound to the Bad Boy: Book 1 Publish Date: August 1, 2017 Mafia Romantic Suspense Blurb:Bruno:I gave up everything for her, and she never even knew it. When I saved her from the mafia, I traded my freedom for hers. I’ve never regretted it. Never looked back. I cut her out of my life to keep her safe. I did everything I could to protect her from the retribution of the Italian Mafia, but it wasn’t enough. They’re after her again, and all that’s standing between her and the darkest fate imaginable is me. Serena:It’s scary the things you can close your eyes to. Even after I was rescued from men who wanted to do the worst things to me, I went on with my life. I forgot all about the threats of the mafia, about what they forced me to do, and even the man who saved me from them. But now, my hero has returned, and just in a nick of time. Because the mafia is coming for me, and this time, I don’t know if we’re going to get out of this alive. Links:👉 Amazon: http://smarturl.it/AmazonBound 👉 iBooks: http://smarturl.it/iBooksBound 👉 Nook: http://smarturl.it/NookBound 👉 Kobo: http://smarturl.it/KoboBound 👉 Google Play: http://smarturl.it/GoogleBound 👉 Smashwords: http://smarturl.it/SmashBound 👉 Goodreads: http://smarturl.it/GoodreadsBound Giveaway: Win a Signed copy of Bound for Life, and a Bound for Life swag pack! You’ll get a t-shirt, a iphone/Samsung case, a pillow and a mug! Link:http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e05c9015117/?widget_template=564ba55dda573949442dc3a6 Teasers Excerpt: The orange afternoon sun is on my back when I bring my car to a stop about a block away from the well-to-do little store on the corner of the street. When I turn my ignition off, I lean back and just stare at it, letting out a deep breath. How long has it been? The light playing off the glass window panes make it impossible to see inside the shop, but the sign outside is clear as ever: Bathing Beauty. I feel a smile on my face. As many mixed memories as it stirs up in me, there’s something comforting about knowing it’s still there, unchanged as ever. Maybe even a little nicer. All thanks to her. I catch a glimpse of myself in the car mirror. I’ve changed so much over the years. It feels like a lifetime ago that I was just a teenager, freshly landed in America. I kept my hair cut short back then, and my face was clean-shaven. I run a hand through the long locks that hang nearly to my shoulders now. It’s grown out thick and wavy. Even I have to admit it’s unkempt, and the short, coarse black beard on my face matches. My voice sounds different, too. I think back to the thick accent I had in those years that I was still learning English, fresh from the old country. I’m so used to it now that English almost sounds as natural as my native Italian on my tongue. I might as well be a different person. Better that way, I think. When I look into that mirror, I’m not sure I even see myself anymore. What I do see is the face of a man who’s done terrible things. A “made man,” they call us in this country. Mafioso. What are you really doing here, Bruno? My mind flashes back to her face, that gorgeous face that’s kept me going all this time. A bright candle in the darkness. That face doesn’t need to know fear ever again. It doesn’t need to know me. So why am I here, coming to risk dragging the past back? I don’t dare turn the ignition and drive off. I’ve made my decision, and I’m a man of my word. After all, I tell myself, I’m not here just to see her, to remind myself that she’s alive and living happily, that what I did for her was all worth it. I’m here to make sure she’s safe. Author Biography: Alexis Abbott is a USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author who writes about bad boys protecting their girls! Pick up her books today and find yourself transported with super steamy sex, gritty suspense, and lots of romance. She also writes as Alex Abbott for her erotic thrillers and contemporary romance. She lives in beautiful St. John's, NL, Canada with her amazing husband. Social Media: Newsletter: http://alexabbottauthor.com/newsletter/ FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AbbottsAngels FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/abbottauthor/ FB Profile: https://www.facebook.com/alexabbottauthor Twitter: http://twitter.com/abbottauthor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexisabbottauthor/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/badboyromance/ Goodreads Group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/206017-abbott-s-angels Author Links: Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/alexisabbott Follow me on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Alexis-Abbott/e/B013YL5290 Follow me on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5398582.Alex_Abbott Follow me on Bookbub: http://bit.ly/1SlhteN Follow me on Booksprout: https://booksproutapp.com/author/579/alexis-abbott Follow me on Riffle: https://www.rifflebooks.com/profiles/164373 Bad Boy Lovers on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/badboylovers/
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Title: Dr Single Dad
Author: Dark Angel
Genre: Romance
The doctor is in.
He's gonna inject me with his love medicine. And I don't think I'll be able to walk tomorrow. 8 pack abs. A rugged face with deep, soulful eyes. The most defined V I've ever seen. All leading to a magic stick that you gotta see to believe. Too bad I can't have him. He just moved his billion dollar practice next door and bought my building, along with my business. Which means I see him everyday. I feel his eyes on my @$$ as I walk by. I get wet thinking of his hands on my body. Ripping my clothes off. Bending me over. Spreading my legs and...taking my temperature. That's it. Eric may be the doctor. But it's time I make the house call. In his bed. *** Come join Dark Angel is the first foray into the dark world of single dad romances. Filled with brooding billionaires and the women who love them. No cheating or cliffhangers, but there are scorching scenes with pleasure probes. HEA guaranteed***
Dark Angel is actually two dirty angels who got together to write some filthy words. Lana Angel, who writes under the Naughty Angel umbrella, writes dark romance under her own pen name as well as Dark Angel. Alexis Angel, writes erotic contemporary romance under a variety of names - she's forgotten them all at this point. They both write under Naughty Angel publishing and wanted to create a pen name to provide exclusive content with much more mature themes than the happy go lucky hot stuff found under the other pen names! To receive a free dose of filth from the archives, sign up for the Naughty Angel newsletter a thttp://eepurl.com/cO1k7D
Title: The Biggest Licker
Author: Alexis Angel
Genre: MFM Romance
Move over Thursday Night Football. It's time to crown The Biggest Licker.
So you think you can dance? You think you got talent? Well, there's a new title in TV Land. It's called The Biggest Licker. The show is simple. Put 7 virgins in the same house with 7 eligible, lip smacking, red-hot, billionaires looking to seduce them. If a billionaire conquers a virgin she gets kicked out and he chooses one of the other billionaires to leave the house as well. Whoever lasts till the end gets the prize - $2 billion dollars and a dream apartment in the heart of New York City. Sound fun? Well it was until this season. All of a sudden, because of an immunity challenge, we have Tristan and me as the last two billionaires chasing after one lone virgin. But Megan Wright is something entirely different. Every inch of her makes my blood boil. Her curves tempt me to desire. Her body teases me to madness. And it's all live on prime time. But she's doing more than arousing lust. She's making me experience thoughts and feelings I never thought possible. And she's doing it for both of us. We both want to claim her as ours individually. But what happens when we join forces and take her together? Well, America...open wide, because I guarantee you ratings won't be the only thing exploding here... Tune in to this full length standalone romance from Alexis Angel! No cheating or cliffy's but it's a scorcher that will fry your signal in the most delicious way! HEA? You know it, babe
Alexis Angel writes steamy contemporary romance about bad boys for the bad girl in all of us. She is still single at 30, in case anyone is interested to know, and still very much looking for love. Her favorite things in the world are flowers, chocolate, lingerie, high heels, lipstick, perfume, and the credit card award miles that she gets from buying all that. Prior to writing, Alexis used to be a financial analyst in New York City. She quickly decided that working for a faceless corporation run by men was not her dream job. So she began to write. And as she began to write, she began to use those credit card award miles to travel all over the world. Alexis is still single, in case you forgot from above. She spends winters in California, fall and spring in New York City, and summers in Europe.
Title: Bought By The Billionaire Brothers
Author: Katy Nixon
Genre: Menage Romance
Auctioning off my innocence isn't the craziest thing I've ever done. Well, it was, until the high bidder turned out to be not one, but TWO billionaire brothers.
One's a smooth devil in a business suit, and the other is a devil-may-care bad boy. Their smirks, their voices, their touches make me feel intense, unfamiliar urges, conjuring up wild fantasies that shouldn't make me shiver--but they do.
So... in for a penny, in for a pounding, I decide!
Dominic and Jacob Stone will pay off my crippling student loans (and then some), but there's a catch. They want to catch me, and start a family!
This is a steamy, first time, MFM menage, BBW and billionaire, military single dad, marriage of convenience, not-so secret baby romance novella, with a happy ending and no cheating.
Mister Stone—Dominic—had insisted we meet first in the lobby, as a kind of show of good faith and safety. Meeting in a public place, he’d written, was a good idea for all parties concerned in this potential transaction. With dozens of people floating in and out of the elevators of the thirty-story building, it couldn’t be much more public.
With a sigh, the guard reached for the phone. “Have a seat.” He gestured towards a leather bench.
No, thank you. I needed to stand. I needed to move. My nerves were getting the better of me, my hands cold and a little shaky despite the summer heat. If I stood, my sleeveless red sheath dress wouldn’t wrinkle. When I got up that morning, I had no idea what one wore to an interview as a… what? Mistress? No—that sounded too committed. Hymen vendor? Ugh. In the end, I decided to dress as though going to work, which was kind of true.
My heels clicked on the polished stone floor as I walked over to an abstract metal sculpture on display. It stretched nearly twenty feet in the air, shining in the morning sun bending through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“What do you think?” a man asked behind me.
It was a beautiful piece. “Kind of delicate.” It looked like it could fall over any minute, like metal pick-up sticks piled up dangerously high.
“There’s over a thousand wire coat hangers there.”
I looked closer. “Huh.” So there was.
“You’re Evie, correct?”
Swallowing hard, I turned to the voice. And looked up.
Dominic Stone stood before me, his tall, dark and handsome figure like a shadow in the sunlit lobby.
He was even hotter in person. Even if his charcoal suit came from a discount store—which it clearly didn’t—his attitude would be enough to command my attention. All those fanciful words, like charismatic, magnetic, and imposing, were all very appropriate when describing Dominic Stone.
My three-inch heels barely took me to his shoulders, and I wobbled a little as his gaze ran over me. Just when I was about to turn my ankle, his hand shot out. The feel of his muscular forearm under my fingers had the exact opposite effect of steadying me.
“Thanks.” My face burned, but I forced myself to look him in the eye. His eyes were rich, dark brown, as heady as strong coffee and gave me a similar jolt. When he tilted his head and his lips curved at the edges, I couldn’t tell if I amused him or he was just being polite.
“You are Evie, right?” His eyebrows came together in a frown.
“Yes!” I squeezed his arm, like subconsciously I thought he’d run away. But instead of shrugging me off, he used his other hand to tug my fingers down his wrist to end in a warm, tingling handshake. Both his hands were around mine, and he didn’t let go. I didn’t mind.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said smoothly. “Shall we?”
Shall we what? I blinked at him.
“Go up to my office?” He nodded toward the elevator bank. “Unless you’d feel better staying here? Or we could go get a coffee or something.”
I stared at him, the ridiculousness of this dawning on me. And then my big smart mouth got ahead of my brain. “Coffee? Does my virginity come with an espresso and a muffin?”
His laugh sounded like a sharp bark, echoing off the stone floor. My face probably matched the crimson of my dress by then. With his hands still wrapped around mine, he pulled me closer. I shivered as his warm breath caressed my bare shoulders.
“No, Evie, I’ll pay extra for the coffee. But I like it sweet and milky, not dark and bitter.”
It could have been five minutes or fifty before the car finally stopped. His ravenous kisses had depleted me of oxygen; his caresses stripped me of sense.
“We’re here.”
I looked out the window at the underground parking lot. Fluorescent lights glinted off luxury cars and allowed for no dark corners.
The car door opening startled me, piercing our hazy bubble of backseat lust.
Jacob Stone leaned his head in, his arm braced against the roof of the limo. “We’re here,” he echoed his brother’s announcement.
My mouth fell open. “Were you there the whole time?”
He smirked at me, his blue eyes blazing. “Define ‘there.’”
“Or ‘the whole time,’” Dom muttered, making my head whip around to look at him. “Out you get, Evie.”
My gaze swiveled from Dominic to Jacob. What did this mean? Both of them? Again? My insides flipped at the idea, but not in a bad way. “Out I get,” I repeated faintly.
I focused on getting out of the car without flashing anyone, before realizing that it was immaterial. The butterflies in my belly fluttered wildly as I walked between them to the elevator bank. As we rose, the weightless sensation in my body was not just due to the speedy ascent. I squeezed my thighs together. The heat of the brothers’ bodies on either side of mine both stifled and comforted me.
We were all silent as the elevator door opened directly into a massive apartment. Dom took my hand and led me into the marble-floored foyer.
“Shoes, Jake!” he reminded his brother. Jake rolled his eyes before toeing off his shoes.
I stepped out of my heels, my feet immediately soothed by the cool, hard floor.
Immediately I felt more delicate, uncertain—as though my shoes had boosted my confidence as well as my height. When I tilted my head back to look up at Dom, his large hand cradled my jaw, brushing my apprehension away with every sweep of his thumb.
Tingles. Sizzles. Vibrations. I felt them all inside me, like a fizzing candy dissolving on my tongue. Then, when Jake’s hand landed on my lower back, I reflexively arched into it.
“We got you,” he assured me as he swept my hair off my neck and dropped a kiss there.
Oh my god. I stumbled forward a little. “I can’t—not for the first time—”
There was crazy, and then there was just outright insane. No matter what secret fantasies I might have, or what smutty stories I might read in secret, I never expected my first time to be with more than one person. In the back of my head, I thought to myself, “If my daughter asks someday about my first time, I can’t tell her I got a two-for-one special!”
Jake clapped his hand over his mouth as he barked out a laugh. Oh crap. I said that part out loud. Dom glared over my head at his brother and took my hand. “You don’t have to.”
My head spun.
“Look at me, Evie.” I did. “It’s just us right now, okay? No expectations.” At my raised eyebrow, he chuckled and added, “Okay, there are some expectations, but I will never hurt you. I promise you that.”
I believed him.
Thirteen steps took us into a cavernous living room, where Jake flopped onto a modern leather couch. With my hand still in Dom’s, another seventeen took us down a hallway to a large bedroom filled with dark wood and creamy fabrics. The massive bed was unmade, and the curtains wide open to let the starlight in.
“I left the bathroom light on,” Dom murmured to himself. The strip of light from his ensuite stretched across the light carpet like an arrow pointing to the bed.
“Do you want to turn it off?” I asked shyly, hoping for a little more darkness to hide my body.
“Not a chance, beautiful.” He squeezed my hip. “If I had my way I’d put on every light in the place so I could see every inch of you.”
A squeak escaped me.
“But I won’t, because I want you to be comfortable.” We both smiled as our eyes met. “Well, as comfortable as this situation allows, anyhow.”
“Then keep touching me, Dom. Please touch me.” His hands made me nervous but his gaze excited me, his admiration swelling my confidence.
“Oh baby, this is just the beginning.”
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Title: Filthy
Author: Michelle Horst
Genre: Dark Romance
Cover Designer: RBA Designs
Fractured. Unwanted. Filthy.
I'm only good for sex. That’s what I've been trained for my whole life. I'm a puppet. I only know how to be your perfect fantasy. It’s the only life I’ve ever known … until him. I’ve been replaced, discarded like trash. Beaten, damaged, treated like an animal, I’m forced to leave the only home I’ve ever known. With a warped perception of what life is really like, no dignity, and no one to call my own, I’m on the verge of giving up. But then he saves me. For the first time in my life I’m given a choice. I can stay and have a purpose again, or I can leave and face the unknown on my own. I choose to stay. I choose to belong. I choose to become something more than damaged goods. Hope. It’s the one thing that kept me going. At first I hoped that I would be the perfect slave, but now I hope to be the perfect woman. He’s my damaged hero. I want him to see me. The woman. The survivor. He gives me strength. But all I want is his heart. ** A Stand Alone Romance. Not recommended if you don't enjoy dark romance with sensitive scenes. +18 Only **
Michelle Horst is a Bestselling Romance Author who likes her books hot, dirty, and with a touch of darkness. She loves an alpha hero who is not scared to fight for his woman.
Want to be up to date with what’s happening in Michelle’s world? Sign up to receive the latest news on her alpha hero releases, sales, and great giveaways → https://goo.gl/N8vS10
Titel: Zane (Tattoo Bruderschaft)
Autor: Jo Raven
Von der "New York Times" und "USA Today" Bestseller-Autorin JO RAVEN
Sie nennen mich Zen-man, den Besonnenen, den Beschützer. Ich kümmere mich um alle, nehme sie auf, suche ihnen ein neues Zuhause. Sie halten mich für einen ruhigen und gelassenen Kerl; jemand, der sich seiner Sache sicher ist, der weiß, was zu tun ist. Sie glauben, mich so zu sehen, wie ich bin. Sie glauben, mich zu kennen. Aber sie liegen alle falsch, denn in meinem Inneren ist etwas zerbrochen. In meiner Seele klafft ein großes Loch, das ich nicht schließen kann; eine anschwellende Finsternis. Ich habe die tiefsten Abgründe der Hölle gesehen und niemand kommt von dort unbeschadet zurück. Das Leben in Pflegeheimen hat mich schwer geschädigt und ich werde einzig und allein von einem dünnen Faden zusammengehalten. Also schlafe ich wild in der Gegend herum und gehe nie mit jemandem aus, halte die Bräute auf Abstand. Denn eines Tages wird der Faden bei mir reißen und wenn es soweit ist, kann ich niemandem garantieren, nicht zusammen mit mir ins Unglück gestürzt zu werden. Und dennoch ist da dieses Mädchen, das sich nicht vertreiben lässt. Dakota. Sie ist heiß und ich kann nicht leugnen, dass ich sie will. Aber sie kommt immer wieder zu mir zurück, lässt nicht locker, versucht mich zum Reden zu bringen, dass ich mich ihr gegenüber öffne. Sie hat keine Ahnung, dass sie mit dem Feuer spielt. Wenn die Dämonen an die Oberfläche gelangen, sollte sie besser so weit wie möglich von mir entfernt sein, genau wie alle anderen.
Zane ( Inked Brotherhood)
*** USA Today Bestseller - New Adult Contemporary Romance***
From USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Jo Raven comes the third installment in the Inked Brotherhood series which began with ASHER. They call me Zen-man, the cool-headed one, the protector. I keep an eye out for everyone, take them in, find them homes. They think I’m the calm and collected one, the self-assured one, the one who knows the way. They think they see me. They think they know me. But they’re all wrong, because inside I’m broken. I have a jagged hole in my soul I can’t fix, a festering blackness. I’ve been to the pits of hell, and nobody comes back unscathed. Life in foster care fucked me up, and now a thread is all that’s holding me together. So I sleep around and never date, keeping chicks away. One day I’ll snap, and when I do, there’s no telling who I might take down with me. All the same, there’s this one girl who won’t be scared away. Dakota. She’s hot, and I won’t deny I want her. But she keeps coming back, pushing me, trying to get me to talk, to open up to her. She has no idea she’s playing with fire. When the demons come, she’d better be far away from me, just like everyone else. Standalone novel. No cliffhanger. *Warning: this book contains graphic language, sex, and violence. Mature readers only. Not intended for young readers.* Inked Brotherhood Series: Five boys brought together by fate. Five young men trying to overcome their troubled pasts. Five tattoos marking them as a brotherhood built on tragedy. Will they find understanding and rise above the pain? Five girls tied by friendship. Five young women fighting their own demons. Five lives laced with sorrow. Will they be strong enough to save the men they love and make them happy? The series comprises five interconnected, stand-alone novels: Asher, Tyler, Zane, Dylan and Rafe. Kiss me Goodbye, a short prequel to ASHER, is now FREE!! DYLAN, book 4 in the series,
Jo Raven schreibt erotische New Adult Romane. Sie liebt sexy Bad Boys und willensstarke Heldinnen, ihre Zeit widmet sie sowohl dem Schreiben als auch dem Lesen. Wenn sie nicht gerade neue Geschichten ausheckt, werkelt sie in ihrer chaotischen Küche herum und träumt von Reisen nach Indien und Japan.
Jo Raven writes New Adult erotic romance. She loves sexy bad boys and strong-willed heroines, and divides her time between writing and reading. When not cooking up plots, she putters in her cluttered kitchen and dreams of traveling to India and Japan.
Title: Sugar
Author: Misti Murphy
I’m just a girl, standing in front of a display case, trying to decide between chocolate and cupcakes.
Seriously decadent, panty soaking, melt in your mouth chocolate. The ultimate love drug. Or... The cupcake with its smooth, sweet icing, its gooey center, and cream that spurts out when you... Wait! You thought this was actually about sweets? Well kinda, but it’s also about men. Two of them. Gabe and Dylan. Friends. Business partners. One charming chocolatier, one brash baker. I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to want either of them. After all, I moved to Reverence to escape gossip and mend my broken heart. But I do want them. Both of them. How am I supposed to choose between two hot guys who are determined to win over this quiet kindergarten teacher? Indulging my sweet tooth is out of the question. Falling off the wagon can only end in pain. But like any addict, one taste isn’t nearly enough. Can a girl really have her cake, and fall in love with two?
Misti Murphy is a sadistic b*tch who loves to emotionally torture fictional people. If she did that in real life she’d probably end up in prison or a psych ward so she prefers to create dirty talking alphas and the sexually frustrated women who fall into their beds. And if someone needs to be smacked upside the head before f*cking turns to love then that makes her very happy indeed.
She’s a huge believer in flaws making us human, and that not everyone likes bacon. She’s also addicted to chocolate and scared of the effects of the coming shortage. She swears like a f*cking trooper, and thinks that graphic smuttiness should be as real in fiction as it is in real life.
When she’s not writing she’s the perfect housewife and mother. Ha bloody ha! When she’s not writing she’s hiding in a cupboard with her kindle, scoffing chocolate, and stalking facebook.
Title: Beard Up
Series: The Dixie Warden Rejects MC #6
Author: Lani Lynn Vale
Genre: MC Romance
Ghost [gohst] noun: the soul of a dead person, a disembodied, vague, shadowy spirit wandering among or haunting living persons; a mere shadow or semblance; a trace. That noun sums up Ghost and what his life has become with painful precision. He is barely living, merely existing but never thriving. There wasn’t much that could pull him from the darkness he willingly inhabits…except one thing. Her. She is the reason he’s done what he’s done, and his life has become what it has become. He haunts his former life, lurking in the background, surviving on occasional glimpses of the only thing good that is left in his miserable life. The horror he has inflicted upon her is nothing compared to the terror that waits for her when someone moves in to take her from him. The thing about being stuck in the past is that it is like walking through life backwards. She is always looking back, so she doesn’t see what is happening in front of her. Unfortunately for her, it turns out that the ghosts of the past aren’t nearly as terrifying as the monsters of the future. They say that true love is like a ghost, something that many talk about but few have seen. It’s a good thing for that, too, because he’ll need that element of surprise to protect her. Hopefully when the dust settles, he’ll be able to resurrect more than just himself.
Title: The Rhubarb Patch
Author: Deanna Wadsworth
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Release Date: July 24, 2017
City boy, sci-fi novelist, and recovering pushover Scott Howe doesn’t know what to expect when he inherits his grandmother’s house outside the quaint village of Gilead, Ohio—but it isn’t an enormous bald man in nothing but tighty-whities and orange rubber boots shouting at him to keep his weed wacker away from the rhubarb patch.
Scott has never met anyone like Phineas Robertson: homesteader, recluse… Republican. A tender—if unlikely—friendship grows over the summer while Phin and his schnauzer, Sister Mary Katherine, teach Scott about life in the country and the grandmother he never knew. Opposites attract, but widower Phin worries his secret will send Scott running faster than his politics, and Phin isn’t convinced he deserves a second chance at romance.
Scott is convinced—rural life, and his one-of-a-kind, older neighbor, is the future he wants. Before he can settle in, his mother drops a bombshell that strains their already tenuous relationship, and a cousin who believes he is the rightful heir to the property puts Scott in danger. It’ll take a lot of compromises, and even dodging a few bullets before they’re out of the weeds, but nurturing something as special as true love always takes hard work.
Chapter One
“What the…?”
A big, bald man in nothing but orange rubber boots and tighty-whities streaked across the yard toward Scott Howe, waving his hands and shouting.
The high-pitched whir of the weedwacker shredding through the grass and thick, leafy weeds growing along the edge of the small barn went silent when Scott released the handle. Popping out his earbuds, he blinked hard, unable to believe his eyes.
“Stop! Stop!” the man in his underwear shouted. “You’re killing the rhubarb!”
Instinctively, Scott placed the weedwacker in front of him, wielding it like a knight brandishing a sword against an attacking dragon.
At five eight, Scott wasn’t exactly a small guy, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
“Stop, dammit!” The man flailed his arms above his head.
Then Scott registered his words.
Keeping the weedwacker in front of him with one arm, he raised the other in truce. “I stopped!”
Scott divided glances between the crazy man and the bits of grass and dark green leaves. All kinds of weeds grew around his late grandmother’s property, making the yard look like crap. Whether he decided to stay or sell the place, it needed a major spring cleanup.
“What the hell are you doing?” The man came to a halt, all but shoving Scott out of the way. He knelt on the ground and began pushing aside the grass. “Dammit, you probably killed this one!”
What’s he talking about?
Scott took a step away as the man in his underwear and orange garden boots hopelessly muttered under his breath, gently picking up the curly green weeds.
“Hey, man, I’m sorry.” Scott brushed his arm across his forehead before sweat ran into his eyes. “I didn’t know this was your property. The realtor told me my property line was five feet past this barn.”
The man stared, bright blue eyes scrunched with incredulity. “It’s not my property, but it is my rhubarb. Nancy and I’ve been growing it for years.”
Scott flinched. “Oh, you knew my grandmother?”
“Yes, she was my best friend, and you just killed some of our rhubarb.” His voice hitched, a twinge of desperation in his eyes.Not in anger but a deep, profound sadness that a hot wash of shame down Scott’s back.
“I’m sorry, but….” He paused, not wanting to sound like a stupid city boy coming out to the country. “But what’s rhubarb?”
Still on his knees, the peculiar man sat back on his haunches. Scott glanced at the guy’s lap, then darted his gaze back up before he noticed the faux pas—but not before taking note the guy was packing some real heat in those less-than-brand-new underwear.
The man gestured to the shredded weeds. “That’s rhubarb. Well….” He pursed his lips. “It was rhubarb.” His broad shoulders slumped, the golden hairs of his chest sparkling a little in the morning sunshine.
“I’m sorry,” Scott said again. “Are you sure I killed it?”
He shook his head and flicked at the plant waste. He straightened a few curly leaves hidden among the shredded ones, but they collapsed. “This one’s done for.” He glanced down the twenty-foot length of the barn. “Thank God I saw you before you killed all of it.”
Getting a little annoyed at this hulk of a man, Scott leaned on the weedwacker, his other hand on his hip. “Hey, I’m sorry you planted stuff on Nancy’s property. But how was I supposed to know? I just inherited this place, and I don’t even know what rhubarb is.”
Those piercing blue eyes scoured Scott from head to toe, then back again. “I suspect you’re Scott.”
He knows my name? “Yes, I am.”
“Well, Scott, I’m Phineas Robertson.” He flipped a thumb over his big shoulder. “That’s my house, and this here’s my rhubarb patch.”
“Hello, Phineas.” He gave the man a courteous nod, wondering if he should’ve called him Mr. Robertson, though he couldn’t be much older. But the guy had a big presence, an authority about him—even in his underwear—that could not be denied.
When Phineas remained quiet, Scott grew awkward. “I’m sorry I weedwacked your rhubarb. Are there any other plants of yours growing on my property?”
Shit, that sounded kinda snotty.
Phineas put his hands on his hips, his fur-dusted belly rounding out. “No, just the rhubarb.”
Feeling bad for sounding like a jerk, because Phineas was clearly distraught about the plants, Scott nodded. “Okay, so maybe you could show me what I can and can’t trim out of this section.”
Hopefully the offer would create a neighborly truce.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Phineas fixed his gaze on the shredded rhubarb, though to Scott it all looked like weeds.
I’m gonna have to google rhubarb.
Phineas climbed to his feet. “Here, let me show you what parts you can pull. I haven’t gotten around here to trim it up, what with the funeral and everything.”
So Phineas had attended Nancy’s funeral. Well, that was more than could be said for Scott.
Phineas towered a good six inches over Scott, and almost all of that burly frame was bare and exposed. Scott gestured to his state of dress—or lack thereof. “You sure you don’t wanna put on some pants first?”
Awareness of being clad only in underwear and orange garden boots dawned bright across Phineas’s face. Glancing down, he gave a rather sheepish smile, which made him very appealing all of a sudden. “Yeah, I should probably do that.” He stood there for another moment before taking a few steps away. Then he paused, pointing at Scott. “Don’t cut anything until I get back.”
“I won’t.”
Then he stomped off rather proudly in his underwear and boots, tossing out over his shoulder, “If you weedwack the asparagus along the fence, you’ll regret it.”
Scott shook his head and laughed.
While Phineas walked away, Scott surveyed the three-acre property that had literally fallen into his lap.
Feathery clouds streaked the pristine sky as if an artist’s brush had smeared a blue canvas with a wash of white. Everything was greening up with spring. The cute white farmhouse he’d inherited looked cheery, though it needed some work. It was connected to a one-car garage by an overhang, and the peaked roof with two dormers gave the two bedrooms upstairs odd slanted ceilings. Not in the best shape, nor the worst. Flowers already popped up in the mulched beds around the house and garage--a sign of brighter things coming my way, maybe?
Smiling to himself, Scott flipped over a dirty old five-gallon pail by the corner of the barn. He took his iPhone out of his pocket and sat down. After unlocking the screen, he opened the Facebook app.
Nobody will believe this.
Since moving into the house three days ago, he’d been entertaining his Facebook friends and fans online with Country Updates. That was the only writing he was getting done these days, much to his editor’s chagrin.
Country Update #4: You guys will never believe what just happened! I was weedwacking at the farm and suddenly I see this big, bald guy wearing nothing but his white skivvies and big rubber orange garden boots barreling towards me! LOL I guess he’s my neighbor. He’s been growing rhubarb along the barn, but I just weed whacked some. Whoops! LOL Now will somebody tell me what the hell rhubarb is? #truthisstrangerthanfiction #cityboyinthecountry
Deanna Wadsworth might be a bestselling erotica author, but she leads a pretty vanilla life in Ohio with her wonderful husband and a couple adorable cocker spaniels. She has been spinning tales and penning stories since childhood, and her first erotic novella was published in 2010. She has served multiple board positions at her local RWA chapter and is the current President 2017 for Rainbow Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing books or brainstorming with friends, you can find her making people gorgeous in a beauty salon. She loves music and dancing, and can often be seen hanging out on the sandbar in the muddy Maumee River or chilling with her hubby and a cocktail in their basement bar. In between all that fun, Deanna cherishes the quiet times when she can let her wildly active imagination have the full run of her mind. Her fascination with people and the interworkings of their relationships have always inspired her to write romance with spice and love without boundaries.
Title: Bang ( Club Deep #3)
Author: Penny Wylder
Genre: Romance
Club Deep is my new addiction.
If you combine my dry spell in the dating world with a cute guy name dropping a place I've never heard of, you'll discover all the pieces that led to me wandering into a wild place like Club Deep. It blows my mind that a perverted world like this exists. It's even crazier that... after spending some time here... I kind of love it. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the cute guy I met—Hudson—is one of the owners. He gives me a tour; it isn't a very professional one... but I don't mind one bit. What I do mind is how interested he is in my real life. If gets to know me outside the club, he'll discover how different I am when I'm not being tied to a wall, shivering in ecstasy. I'm... boring. Ask my family, they'll agree—and they never agree with me. The only good thing in my life is Hudson and Club Deep. If he sees the real me... I'll lose everything. So I have to keep my distance. I have to separate my dirty fun from my drab life. And I think I can do it. Until Hudson knocks on my front door and changes everything. Don't miss out! Bang also contains an EXCLUSIVE bonus novella, the Billionaire's Revenge! Bang is part of the Club Deep series-- all standalone novellas, all set in the filthiest, most taboo place around. Feeling daring? Then come on in... P.S. Like my other books, these contain NO cheating, tons of heart throbbing heat, and the best kind of happily ever afters around.
Penny Wylder writes just that-- wild romances. Happily Ever Afters are always better when they're a little dirty, so if you're looking for a page turner that will make you feel naughty in all the right places, jump right in and leave your panties at the door!
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