I ask him quietly as the kids play together.
“I was.” Logan lounges out beside me, his huge body taking over most of the blanket. He wriggles to get comfortable. I would’ve missed his sigh if I wasn’t looking for it.
“Everything good?” I raise a brow. He knows better than to keep bad news from me.
“It’s fine. I went over the latest numbers from the New Rome labs. St. James is happy.”
“That’s good.” When I first learned of the deal Logan worked out with a shadow investor, I was skeptical. It seemed too good to be true. Unlimited funding for our full-time research? Logan wasn’t sure either. “A deal with the devil,” he called it.
But so far, it’s worked out well. Just ask the other Battleman’s patients who are in remission. Yeah, we have to have regular infusions, but we’re able to live healthy, normal lives.
“St. James sends his regards. He’ll be at the gala. No plus one.” Logan grins suddenly. “I told him we’d help him find a date.”
“You didn’t.” I can’t imagine joking or teasing someone like St. James. He’s my age, but so intimidating. “Maybe we should introduce him to Rachel. Whenever I call her, she complains she’s too busy running Belladonna to have time to date.”
Logan snorts. “They’d kill each other.”
“Probably.” I shake my head, imagining them meeting. I’m about to joke about it when a few drops of water hit my arm.
Isabella runs up to us. “Mommy, it’s raining.”
“You grab her, I’ll get Nathan and the blanket.” Logan kisses me and we triage, racing inside ahead of the heavy summer downpour.
An hour later, Logan finds me in my mother’s old room, which I’ve converted to my study. It has the best view of the gardens. I stare out the window, letting the rain lull me to peacefulness.
“Kids are asleep,” my husband whispers in my ear.
“I was going to check the latest test results,” I murmur. “But I might have a few minutes.” I turn and ease up to tiptoe to twine my arms around his neck. “What do you think, Dr. Wulfe? Will this only take a few minutes?”
His answer is a growl. I laugh as he pounces. We make love under the open window until the storm recedes, leaving only the sound of dripping leaves and the heady fragrance of roses.
Dear reader,
Our characters live with us, even after the book is finished! We thought you’d enjoy this peek into Daphne and Logan’s life, six years later…
Get A Rose by Any Other Name NOW!
Hungry for more dark romance from Lee and Stasia?
Find out what happens when Marcus, the king of the criminal underworld who always gets what he wants decides to capture the beautiful, innocent Cora, in his web. He’ll give her all that her heart desires. Except for one thing. Her freedom. She’s his to keep, and he’s never letting her go.
One-click INNOCENCE now!
And for a limited time, get these two exclusive books not available anywhere else ABSOLUTELY FREE when you subscribe to Stasia Black’s and Lee Savino’s newsletter, Indecent by Stasia Black and Royally F*cked by Lee Savino.
Also by Stasia Black
Dark Contemporary Romances
Breaking Belles Series
Elegant Sins
Beautiful Lies
Opulent Obsession
Inherited Malice
Delicate Revenge
Lavish Corruption
Dark Mafia Series
Innocence
Awakening
Queen of the Underworld
Innocence Boxset (Boxset)
Beauty and the Rose Series
Beauty’s Beast
Beauty and the Thorns
Beauty and the Rose
Billionaire’s Captive (Boxset)
Love So Dark Duology
Cut So Deep
Break So Soft
Love So Dark (Boxset)
Stud Ranch Series
The Virgin and the Beast
Hunter
The Virgin Next Door
Taboo Series
Daddy’s Sweet Girl
Hurt So Good
Taboo: a Dark Romance Boxset Collection (Boxset)
Freebie
Indecent: A Taboo Proposal
Sci-fi Romances
Marriage Raffle Series
Theirs To Protect
Theirs To Pleasure
Theirs To Wed
Theirs To Defy
Theirs To Ransom
Marriage Raffle Boxset (Boxset)
Draci Alien Series
My Alien’s Obsession
My Alien’s Baby
My Alien's Beast
Freebie
Their Honeymoon
Also by Lee Savino
Contemporary Romance
Beauty & The Lumberjacks
After this logging season, I’m giving up sex. For…reasons.
Her Marine Daddy
My hot Marine hero wants me to call him daddy…
Her Dueling Daddies
Two daddies are better than one.
Innocence: dark mafia romance with Stasia Black
I’m the king of the criminal underworld. I always get what I want.
And she is my obsession.
Beauty’s Beast: a dark romance with Stasia Black
Years ago, Daphne's father stole from me.
Now it's time for her to pay her family’s debt…with her body.
Paranormal romance
The Berserker Saga and Berserker Brides (menage werewolves)
These fierce warriors will stop at nothing to claim their mates.
Draekons (Dragons in Exile) with Lili Zander (menage alien dragons)
Crashed spaceship. Prison planet. Two big, hulking, bronzed aliens who turn into dragons. The best part? The dragons insist I’m their mate.
Bad Boy Alphas with Renee Rose (bad boy werewolves)
Never ever date a werewolf.
About Stasia Black
STASIA BLACK grew up in Texas, recently spent a freezing five-year stint in Minnesota, and now is happily planted in sunny California, which she will never, ever leave.
She loves writing, reading, listening to podcasts, and has recently taken up biking after a twenty-year sabbatical (and has the bumps and bruises to prove it). She lives with her own personal cheerleader, aka, her handsome husband, and their teenage son. Wow. Typing that makes her feel old. And writing about herself in the third person makes her feel a little like a nutjob, but ahem! Where were we?
Stasia’s drawn to romantic stories that don’t take the easy way out. She wants to see beneath people’s veneer and poke into their dark places, their twisted motives, and their deepest desires. Basically, she wants to create characters that make readers alternately laugh, cry ugly tears, want to toss their kindles across the room, and then declare they have a new FBB (forever book boyfriend).
Join Stasia’s Facebook Group for Readers for access to deleted scenes, to chat with me and other fans and also get access to exclusive giveaways:
Stasia’s Facebook Reader Group
Want to read an EXCLUSIVE, FREE novella, Indecent: a Taboo Proposal, that is available ONLY to my newsletter subscribers, along with news about upcoming releases, sales, exclusive giveaways, and more?
Get Indecent: a Taboo Proposal
When Mia’s boyfriend takes her out to her favorite restaurant on their six-year anniversary, she’s expecting one kind of proposal. What she didn’t expect was her boyfriend’s longtime rival, Vaughn McBride, to show up and make a completely different sort of offer: all her boyfriend’s debts will be wiped clear. The price?
One night with her.
Website: stasiablack.com
Facebook: facebook.com/StasiaBlackAuthor
Twitter: twitter.com/stasiawritesmut
Instagram: instagram.com/stasiablackauthor
Goodreads: goodreads.com/stasiablack
BookBub: bookbub.com/authors/stasia-black
About Lee Savino
Lee Savino has plans to take over the world, but most days can’t find her keys or her phone, so she just stays home and writes smexy (smart + sexy) romance. She loves chocolate, lives in yoga pants, and looks great in hats.
For tons of crazy fun, join her Goddess Group on Facebook or visit www.leesavino.com to sign up for her mailing list and get a free book.
Website: www.leesavino.com
Facebook Goddess Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeeSavino/