I’d been lying in.
“Ava,” I said her name, and it sounded strange. Throaty. Like a word I shouldn’t be saying.
Her eyes popped back open at her name, or the way I’d said it, or both, and I had to fight off every nerve in my body that was demanding I jump into the bed beside her.
“There’s plenty of room, Mr. Grumpy.”
It sounded like an offer. An offer we both knew that I wasn’t going to accept. She patted the bed behind her as if to reemphasize her point.
“You won’t even know I’m here,” she continued.
There was no way I was climbing into that bed. Just as there was no way I wouldn’t know she was there. But when I moved toward the bed, her lips curled up in a sly smile as if she actually believed I'd join her. I reached over her to grab a pillow.
“Sleep good, drunkard, because tomorrow your sweet little ass is out of here.”
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The second, standalone Anchor Novel is FORGED BY SACRIFICE. It’s Mac’s political, military romance with just a hint of suspense. That story is on Amazon now, and it’s FREE in Kindle Unlimited. https://amzn.to/2oU2NAY
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Here’s a little taste:
“I’d really like to kiss you,” he said quietly.
I looked into his eyes that were the color of the sky and the sea all rolled into one. His face was so gorgeous, with its day-old stubble and square planes, that it was like looking at a piece of art you’d never expected to see up close in person.
“I’d really like you to kiss me too. But let’s face it, it isn’t a good idea,” I answered back, unable to deny the attraction that existed between the two of us from the moment we’d met in my salon two years ago, regardless of the relationship I’d just left behind.
His head inclined in silent agreement. It wasn’t a good idea. Disappointment curled through me even as I knew it was better this way.
His hand moved to caress my cheek. Gently. Soothing.
“Can I ask why you think it’s a bad idea?” he inquired.
His voice had turned a notch deeper in blatant desire, making my heart pound against my chest in a heavy beat that denied my words. I ached to kiss him. To feel those almost too-perfect lips against my own. To feel the strength that poured from him, in muscle and character, reaching out to touch my soul.
“Ava and Eli,” I said quietly. “Awkwardness later.”
He nodded again, that new and unfamiliar feeling of disappointment reaching up into my throat at his action. My body didn’t want him to nod, but my brain was still ruling my movements.
“One kiss,” he muttered, a finger traveled to my lips, caressing the bottom one with a gentle touch like the one he’d used on the tomatoes the day before. Surprising. Sexy. My breath escaped in a gasp that sounded almost like a moan.
And then his lips were on mine, just like the touch, gentle and yet full of heat, longing filling us both, desire escaping from us and mingling in an excursion that felt like heartbreak and loneliness and promises that would never be. The gentleness gave way to a fierceness that was as unexpected as the gentleness had been. His hand went to my lower back, pulling me toward him tighter so that our bodies and curves joined in a way that felt like opposite ends of magnets finally clicking together. Parallel forces drawn, as if by physics itself.
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In DAMAGED DESIRES, you get Nash and Dani’s standalone HEA and a look at Brady O’Neil’s stalker, Fiona. Nash and Dani’s frenemy, brother’s-best-friend, military romance has a suspense angle you might not want to miss! See why reviewers call it, “A roller-coaster of emotions,” and say it’s full of “Chemistry, heartache, family, love… soooo much love.” https://amzn.to/2Ikz8HC
Here’s a little teaser for you:
“Kiss me,” she said, another dare. Her eyes held mine. The challenge laid out.
I bit back another groan. Trying not to touch her. My fingers clenched into fists on either side of her on the table. Not moving. I could sit in the same position for hours―days―if I needed to.
“No,” I