Gone - Anna Brooks Page 0,86
little shake. “Hear me, Brody. Take all the time you need, and we’ll be here for you. I promise. But dude… hurry up.”
Continue reading for previews and excerpts!
Previews and Excerpts
Preview of Surface
Wondering where it all started? You can read book 1 in the Guarding Her series now!
“I’ve had eyes on you all night, and ain’t nothin’ gonna change that, precious. This dress…” His fingertip slides across my bare belly, and I sway. “It shows so much skin, and all these horny little fuckers are just waiting to make their play for you. Nobody’s gonna touch this body while I’m around.”
I can’t move. Can barely breathe. It’s not like this is the first time he’s touched me… but it is the first time he’s touched me like this.
I jump when his hand touches my outer thigh. “So much skin. They’re dyin’ to get between your legs and see if the rest of you is just as soft.”
“Royce.” I… what? Beg, cry, whine. I don’t even know.
“Yeah?” His scruffy face rubs against my neck, and his lips caress the shell of my ear. “Say my name, baby.”
“Royce.”
His throat rumbles, and then he’s gone, leaving me a shivering mess. My throat tightens, and I put a hand to it, feeling my pulse throbbing against my palm. When I turn around, he’s closer than I expected. I don’t know what to say or even what I’m feeling. He dips his head and aligns our eyes but doesn’t speak. I can’t take the intensity, so I whisper, “Royce.”
His pupils flash, and his lips part. “That’s why I’m here.”
“What?”
He stands straight, over six feet of muscled man, and motions at my body. “‘Cause someone gives you a little bit of attention, and before you know it, you’ll be face down, ass up.”
I raise my arm to slap him, but he grabs my wrist. I try with the other one and end up with the same result.
“You don’t wanna hit me, Paisley.”
I struggle with him, but he’s so strong. “Yes, I do.”
“You hit me, and I’ll bend you over my knee.”
I gasp at his admission and lose any struggle I had. I drop my head so he won’t see the tears welling in my eyes. He releases my arms, and I shove him before I turn around and make my way back to the house. Just as I touch the doorknob, he reaches me.
“Shit, fuck. I’m sorry.” He stands right behind me, much like he did on the sidewalk.
“Just leave me alone.”
“Wish I could,” he whispers. Reaching around me, he pulls open the door, and just as I make my way into the house, he says, “It’d help if you weren’t so fuckin’ beautiful.”
I stop dead in my tracks and put my hands on my hips, then glare at him over my shoulder. “Yeah? Well, it’d help if you weren’t such a jerk.”
He has the nerve to show me his dimples. “Can’t wait for you to grow up, precious. It’s gonna be so good.”
* * *
Curious about Brody’s brother Baker? You can read more about him in their brother Beau’s story here.
The one girl I could never have was the only one I ever wanted. She made it clear I was beneath her and she didn’t want my hands on her… until she needed them for protection.
And then she left.
Now ten years later, she’s back and looking for redemption. She thinks all she needs to do is aim her baby blues at me and tell me she’s sorry and I’ll forgive her for what she did.
Well, she’s right.
But her returning home comes with consequences, and this time, I’ll do more than protect her body. I’ll also guard her heart.
* * *
If you like angst, you’ll love Justifying Jamie, book 1 in the Reason to Ruin series.
Enjoy this excerpt:
His arms around me are warm, strong. His scent calms me. His heartbeat steadies me. His body cushions me. But his words cut. They slice through my skin like a knife through butter; fast and sharp, hit my veins, and drain the life out of me… whatever life I had left in me after the way he destroyed me.
God, he’s a jerk. I still wake up some nights thinking those horrible things he said to me were just a dream because it’s almost impossible to believe the same guy who promised me heaven so ruthlessly put me through hell.
What am I doing? I push off him, and his arms tighten before he lets up.
I stumble backward, and he jumps up,