Appealed - Emma Chase

Acknowledgments

I’ve always enjoyed fairy tales. Their timeless magic, their innocent simplicity, the soul-stirring idea that love can overcome any obstacle—vanquish the villain, save the princess, break all the evil spells.

The idea for Appealed began, for me, as a fairy tale. A simple story about a handsome prince, a good-hearted princess, and their sweet love. From there it evolved—and the evolution was really fun. Now it’s hilarious and passionate, a battle of wills—a story of how young love grows into something stronger, something unbreakable.

I love this story. I love these characters—their resilience, their wit, and most of all their laughter. I hope you come to love them too, that their story will leave you with that warm, satisfied feeling and the knowledge that true love really can conquer all, and the dream of happy ever after is within reach for all of us.

I’m so grateful to have been able to work with the best, most talented people on the Legal Briefs series. My editor, Micki Nuding—thank you for helping me see how to make the impossible totally doable. Brainstorming with you is the best! My agent, Amy Tannenbaum of the Jane Rotrosen Agency—thank you for always being in my corner. I’ve said it before, but I really would be lost without you!

My publicists, Kristin Dwyer and Nina Bocci—I adore you both forever—thank you for making work fun and for being so awesome at all you do. My assistant, Juliet Fowler—thank you for staying on top of everything, for your innovative ideas, and amazing energy. So much gratitude to Sullivan & Partners for their impeccable Sustained campaign. So much gratitude to Molly O’Brien for your tireless work and support.

My thanks to everyone at Gallery Books, including Sarah Leiberman, Liz Psaltis, Paul O’Halloran, my publishers Jennifer Bergstrom and Louise Burke—it’s a joy and honor to work with all of you.

I have so much admiration and love for Katy Evans, Jennifer Probst, Kyra Davis, Alice Clayton and Christina Lauren—thank you for your smiles and amazing support!

I’m so very grateful to all the blogs who read and review my work and who make the romance community vibrant and wonderful.

Again, to my lovely readers—thank you for staying on this journey with me, for loving, laughing, and enjoying these characters and their antics just as much as I do! I adore every one of you!

And to my family, thank you for your patience, your ridiculousness, your love—you are my own love story come to life. xoxo

1

“You rotten bastard!”

Kennedy sits up and stares at me like she doesn’t even recognize me. Which is pretty weird, considering we’re bare-ass naked in my bed. Every inch of us is intimately acquainted.

But it’s the tone of her voice that bothers me most—flat with tightly controlled anger and breathy with pain. Like I stole the air from her lungs—like I punched her in the stomach.

The words don’t worry me. Insults are our flirting. Arguing is our foreplay. One time, she was so worked up she hauled off and took a swing at me—and my reaction was a boner that wouldn’t be denied.

It’s not as twisted as it sounds. It works for us.

At least it did up until ten seconds ago.

“Wait. What?” I ask, genuinely surprised.

I thought she’d be grateful. Happy. Maybe offer me a blow job to demonstrate her supreme appreciation.

Her eyes glitter dangerously, and thoughts of letting her anywhere near my dick flee like tiny fish in a big aquarium. Because she’s not a woman to be taken lightly; she’s a force to be reckoned with. A breaker of hearts and a buster of balls.

“You planned this all along, didn’t you? Screwing me silly, lulling me into a false sense of security so I’ll drop my guard and you can win the case,” she hisses.

She moves to hop off the bed but I grab her arm. “You think my cock is powerful enough to turn you stupid? Aw, precious, that’s really flattering, but I don’t need to whore myself out to win my cases. You’re freaking out over nothing.”

“Fuck off!”

I used to have a way with women.

If the word fuck came out to play, it was always followed by me and then words like harder, please, and my friend, more.

Those were the days . . .

She jerks out of my grasp and scrambles off the bed, furiously gathering clothes that are strewn across the hardwood floor. And because she’s doing it naked, bending down, jiggling in all the best places, I have to watch. There are teeth marks on her ass—my teeth