Review!! Master Of No One by Tricia Owens

Loose Id Amazon

Aleksander is short-tempered, antisocial and though he’s unaware of it, wildly sexy. He’s also a naturally dominant shape-shifting monster who’s sliding into madness. He needs a human ‘grounder’ to submit to him and draw forth his protective human side. Instead he is given two humans: Constance, a fledgling sub with a reckless streak whose intense desire to serve has brought her nothing but heartache, and Kirk, a former NYPD cop who's trying to subdue his own alpha instincts and play submissive in order to fulfill a family debt.

But once these grounders meet their new master, they quickly discover that in order to save Aleksander from himself, they must alter their assigned roles and form a unique triad of domination and submission that goes against Aleksander’s very nature. Constance needs to convince Aleksander he can be gentle and protective, while Kirk wants to show him there is freedom in surrendering to another dominant. The task isn't easy, though: Aleksander fights them every step of the way, and a conspiracy surfaces which not even a creature as powerful as Aleksander may be able to overcome.

The chimeras are real and are living among us since the beginning of time. Powerful creatures who, unbeknownst to humans, have managed to create their own society and live according to well established rules.

Each and every one of them has a precise role.

Aleksander is a poisoner. He’s the one who has to come up with the poison to eliminate those chimeras who have lost control and allowed their beast to take over completely, but ,with every life taken, he loses a little bit of himself.

Living as a reclusive has it’s own advantages but lately Aleks feels his control slip more and more and he’s afraid of what might happen one day.

What he never expected was to find himself with two definitely uninvited guests in his house. Humans, nonetheless. He has no use for them.

Kirk can’t believe what he has to do to keep his brother alive. To live four months at the mercies of a chimera is not something he could have ever imagined it would happen, but there he is.

His job is to ground this Aleksander, whatever that means and he’s not the only one. The beautiful Constance is there as well with a mission of her own.

Things don’t work out exactly the way they want and those three will have to learn to trust and rely on each other because there is so much more going on than what they think.

Aleksander, Constance and Kirk will have to learn how to face their fears, let go of the past and face the future together or be road kill in a game they’re not even aware they’re playing. Tricia did a wonderful job. Just when you think everything is on the right track, something happens and you’re back to where you started.

Master of No One is an interesting blend of M/M Romance, Erotica, Fantasy, Mythology and Mystery, well written and fast paced, so it has a little bit of everything for everyone.

It is the first in a series so, when you reach the end of it, don’t get mad. I’ve been assured there will be a second book.

Happy Reading!!

Happy Release Day: Excerpt & Giveaway!! Master Of No One by Tricia Owens

Loose Id Amazon

Aleksander is short-tempered, antisocial and though he’s unaware of it, wildly sexy. He’s also a naturally dominant shape-shifting monster who’s sliding into madness. He needs a human ‘grounder’ to submit to him and draw forth his protective human side. Instead he is given two humans: Constance, a fledgling sub with a reckless streak whose intense desire to serve has brought her nothing but heartache, and Kirk, a former NYPD cop who's trying to subdue his own alpha instincts and play submissive in order to fulfill a family debt.

But once these grounders meet their new master, they quickly discover that in order to save Aleksander from himself, they must alter their assigned roles and form a unique triad of domination and submission that goes against Aleksander’s very nature. Constance needs to convince Aleksander he can be gentle and protective, while Kirk wants to show him there is freedom in surrendering to another dominant. The task isn't easy, though: Aleksander fights them every step of the way, and a conspiracy surfaces which not even a creature as powerful as Aleksander may be able to overcome.

Kirk needed sleep—in a bed, not in a chair—but lying down and closing his eyes felt like an impossible feat while the sounds of Constance and Aleksander together in the bathroom continued to ring in his ears. He’d gotten up to take a piss and taken a peek down the hallway, just in case. The sight of the open workroom door had led him to investigate, tracking sounds that eventually led him to the master bathroom. There, he had stood, ear to door, hand cupped over his groin, as he listened to something incredible.

He could have guessed that Constance would sound beautiful in the midst of sex. There was a lushness about her and an openness in her responses during conversation that had hinted she would be not only loud in bed, but completely uninhibited. Standing against the door, shamelessly eavesdropping, he’d been glad to be proven right. He hoped he’d get his chance to coax those sounds from her too.

The surprise had been Aleksander. Even now, as he tiredly dragged on a pair of jeans, Kirk didn’t know what to think about his reaction to the noises the chimera had made. At first, he had convinced himself it was Constance alone he was being turned on by. Kirk had watched plenty of porn and learned to block out whatever the male star was doing and saying on screen and focus on the woman. He thought he’d been doing that in this case, until Aleksander emitted a desperate-sounding gasp, his voice nearly breaking, and Kirk’s cock had twitched violently in his hand as if it were a striking snake. After that he’d given up the pretense that he wasn’t listening to both of them, and to his pleasure it had made the experience ten times better.

“So I get off on the sound of a guy having sex with a beautiful woman,” he mused aloud. He shrugged, figuring as far as sexual triggers went, there were worse.

But it was more than that, wasn’t it? When Constance had emerged from the bathroom, flushed and fuckable, Kirk had wanted her, of course, but he’d wanted something more. He’d heard the tell-tale sounds of a blowjob and recognized Constance’s red, puffy lips for the evidence that they were. A hunger had seized hold of Kirk to taste her, but he couldn’t deny that when his tongue delved inside her mouth he’d gone looking for another taste as well. Call it curiosity. And when he’d found that salty, slightly bitter tang he’d felt a lightning bolt of forbidden lust strike him.

What did it all mean? Maybe something. Maybe nothing. Kirk wasn’t one for self-analyzing. Actions spoke louder than thoughts in his world. He’d let this one play out.

He scrubbed at his hair as he headed for the kitchen, planning on a glass of milk before trying to hit the hay again. His body was energized but gradually winding down, as if he’d just completed a long run. He was going to sleep like the dead when he was finally able to shut his eyes and relax.

It wouldn’t be that easy, he discovered upon entering the kitchen.

Aleksander looked up from the tall glass that he’d been contemplating. It appeared to contain a thick shake. His hair was damp. Worse, he appeared to be naked save for the towel wrapped carelessly around his hips. But he looked better, the best Kirk had seen him yet.

“Hey,” Kirk greeted him, pausing with the kitchen island between them. He yawned for effect. “Just getting some milk before I hit the sack.”

“Recent exertions tiring you?” Aleksander asked. There was a wicked gleam in his eyes that Kirk found intriguing.

“Something like that,” Kirk said with a smirk. “You look better.”

Aleksander’s expression washed neutral. “Constance told me you entered my room without my permission again.”

“If you’re asking if I saved your life, the answer is yes.”

He earned a glare for that one, but it was worth it.

“I didn’t ask you to,” the chimera growled softly.

“Maybe not. But Constance would have been disappointed if I’d let you die. Probably a lot of other people and creatures would be too. You’re a popular guy.”

The comment appeared to irritate him, prompting Aleksander to drink from his glass. “Thank you,” he mumbled against its rim.

“Just doing my job.”

Aleksander huffed. “That’s right. You told Michel you’re my grounder. Interesting strategy putting yourself in an immediate position of inferiority against him.”

“Is it inferior? I got the impression a grounder is the only thing that’s going to keep you from falling apart.” Kirk smiled as the other male clenched his jaw. “Seems like a pretty important role, if you ask me.”

“And how do you expect to fulfill your role?”

Kirk idly adjusted the fit of his jeans, hoping Aleksander hadn’t noticed that they’d begun to grow tight in the crotch. Something about Aleksander got him going. Maybe it was the attitude, which seemed to be a prerequisite amongst chimera. It made Kirk want to take him down a peg and stand over him after he’d fallen.

Nothing like some homoerotic imagery there, he chided himself.

“I’m here to help,” he said.

Aleksander traced his tongue across his bottom lip. “As Constance ‘helps’?”

Kirk resisted the impulse to laugh and play it off. It would be a nervous tell and he wasn’t about to give Aleksander the satisfaction. “I was thinking more along the lines of being a friend who helps you let off steam. Physically.” When the chimera’s lips twitched, he quickly added, “I mean like boxing. Or sports. Whatever it is you do to keep in shape.” He motioned vaguely at the other male’s body. “Do you run, or workout or—”

“You couldn’t last with or against me, little human. You’re no use to me in that way.” Aleksander panned down Kirk’s body. “Though you’re fit and...large for your kind.” A crease appeared in his forehead and he resumed staring into his glass.

Fit and large? If you only knew, buddy.

Kirk sensed he’d gained some ground, even if it was only a few inches. “I can hold my own against you, Aleksander. You’d just have to pull your punches so you didn’t kill me. Maybe that’s what you need. Someone to help you practice restraint.”

“I can control myself!” the chimera hissed.

“I don’t doubt it. You’re just out of practice, that’s all.” Kirk spread his hands in offering. “That’s why I’m here. Come on,” he cajoled when Aleksander didn’t respond, “don’t you want to hit me? Just a little bit?”

A grudging smile played over Aleksander’s lips, quickly wiped away. It was a victory. No one could convince Kirk otherwise.

“Then how about some wrestling? Mano a mano?”

Wow, that couldn’t be gayer, Kirk thought. But he glimpsed interest on Aleksander’s face. Maybe the chimera was so old that wrestling was as common to him as playing football or basketball was to Kirk.

“You wouldn’t stand a chance,” Aleksander muttered, dismissively.

The chimera was talking smack? Kirk had to hold back a hoot of triumph. He played it cool, crossing his arms and returning the other male’s skepticism.

“I think you’re just saying that because you’re so weak right now. You couldn’t stand on your own two feet not twelve hours ago.”

He knew that would motivate Aleksander like a cattle prod up the ass.

“I think you heard exactly how weak I am,” Aleksander snarled, shoving back his chair and standing. “You should have opened the door, little human, and added yourself to the fray.”

Kirk’s face flushed. “Just because you’re a screamer doesn’t mean you did any of the work. It was all Constance.”

Aleksander’s eyes actually bulged, making Kirk have a hard time remembering that the other male wasn’t human even if he could look like it.

“You want to suffer? It will be my pleasure to indulge you.” Aleksander shoved past him, his bare shoulder slamming into Kirk’s and knocking him back a couple of paces. He was reminded, quite violently, that the chimera was built differently, was so solid Kirk had had trouble lifting him. How the hell was he going to wrestle against that?

Tricia has been writing m/m fiction since 2002 when she opened her fiction website JuxtaposeFantasy to great success. She later partnered to create Joyboy Island. After a decade of writing for the sites, Tricia decided business demands were distracting her from producing novels, so she closed the sites and now writes at her leisure. An avid traveler, Tricia has visited over 60 countries and tries to include aspects of her global experience in her books.

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Release Day Blitz: Excerpt & Giveaway! Carmel's Choice by Doris O'connor

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Genre: Adult, Ménage Erotice Romance

It’s just one night of kinky sex. What could possibly go wrong?

When the birthday present from her Master is one night of no holds barred kinky sex with his ex-army buddy, Carmel Blythe doesn’t know what to think. A good subbie obeys her Master’s wishes, however, and there is no denying the instant connection she has with this experienced Dom.

Topping Gideon’s gorgeous wife is the least Nash Jonas can do to repay the debt he owes the man. After all Gideon took the bullet aimed at Nash—the very one that cost the other man his army career, and put him in a wheelchair. If only Nash could keep those pesky emotions out of the deal. 

Gideon cannot stand to see the sadness in his wife’s eyes, nor the restlessness in his best buddy’s soul. Pushing the two people he loves together, will surely satisfy everyone’s physical and emotional needs.

Carmel’s choice may well change everything…

Carmel's Choice Excerpt © Doris O'Connor 2015 

“Such beautiful feet you have, but you’re not giving Gideon a show. Lift your skirt and show him how wet you are for us, pet.”

Carmel drew her gaze away from the sight of Nash’s dark head at her feet and sought out her husband’s. Sitting in his wheelchair next to them, the hungry way he looked at her made her comply with Nash’s words immediately. She yanked the hem of her dress up, and Gideon drew in a sharp breath. Nash surprised her by lifting one of her legs over his shoulder and turning slightly so that Gideon got a full-on frontal view of her cunt.

“Oh, yes, look at how wet she is for us. Her hole is clenching, and when I do this…” He abruptly pushed two fingers into her pussy hole and curled them up until she saw stars and ground herself against his hand in an effort to seek the release just hovering out of her reach.

“Oh, fuck, she is squeezing my fingers, so eager to come, but we won’t let her yet, will we, Gid?” Nash bit down hard on the inside of her thigh and then withdrew his fingers. The loud, wet sound as her pussy tried to hold on to them should have embarrassed Carmel, especially as she could feel her feminine need trickle down the inside of her thighs, but Gideon’s approval left no room for that. Only heated arousal in the presence of her men. Nash’s cock looked huge as it strained against the material barely holding it in, and she licked her lips, desperate to taste him, but Nash shook his head.

“Not this time, baby. I want to come buried in your ass while your husband fucks your cunt.” Carmel gasped, and her breasts grew heavy, the nipples aching in need to be touched, to have both her men take her.

“How?” she whispered, and Gideon laughed.

“Bring her over here and let’s show her. Besides I want to taste my wife. You’ve monopolized her long enough, Nash.”

Nash smirked and, grasping her wrists behind her back, marched her across the short distance that separated her from Gideon. He kicked her legs apart once she was standing in front of her husband, and Gideon leaned forward and ran just the tip of his forefinger along her puffy labia. Carmel groaned, and both men laughed.

“Oh, yes, she is very naughty girl indeed, isn’t she, Nash? So swollen and wet already, so needy.” He blew across her slit, and Carmel’s clit clenched in desperate need. Her internal muscles, too, tensed and released as yet more of her juices coated her pussy lips.

Gideon grinned, a smile of pure evil that meant he intended to torture her some more, and Carmel moaned.

“Please, Sir”

He flicked an amused glance up to Nash, who had pulled her hair to one side and rubbed his stubbly jaw up and down her neck. His hard cock dug into the small of her back, and his harsh breaths puffed along her skin. To know that he was as affected as she was, to feel the heavy, hot evidence of his need prodding her, was a very heavy aphrodisiac indeed.

“Play with her nipples, Nash. Pull them out and let me see our girl’s tits.”

Still maintaining a hard grip on her wrists, he used his free hand to pull first one, and then the other of her breasts out of the neckline of her dress. It forced her boobs upward as the neckline dug into her breast tissue. It would mean the dress was stretched beyond repair, but the sweet pain was worth it, as was the look on Gideon’s face as he feasted his eyes on her exposed cleavage.

 Even though she wouldn’t have thought it was possible, her nipples hardened even more, and she whimpered her need in incoherent sounds and moans as Gideon resumed his one-fingered inspection of her pussy. Up and down her cleft, right up to her anus, he worked that finger, taking care to stay away from her clit. The slight pressure he used was slowly driving her insane, and she shut her eyes and let her head fall back against Nash.

“Hmm, yes, beautiful. Pinch her nipples for me, Nash.”

The sweet pain as Nash did just that made her knees buckle, and Nash swore. He released her wrists, and grasping her ass cheeks, lifted her straight off her legs.

“Hold on to me, baby. Let’s give your Sir a proper view of that cunt, shall we. I want you to come all over Gideon’s face, and I want you to scream when you do so.”

When Gideon grasped her hips, Nash lifted her legs over his shoulders and then slid his hands up her breasts and squeezed the heavy globes. She locked her hands behind Nash’s neck, and her whole body drew taut at the first lick of Gideon’s tongue against her cunt. He murmured his approval as she gushed into his mouth while Nash’s and Gideon’s combined strength kept her hovering in the air. The sound of Nash’s breathing in her ear, his clever fingers twisting and pulling her nipples—an action that sent shard after shard of pure pleasure straight to her clit—meant she screamed the first of her orgasms.

 Gideon’s fingers dug into her skin as he continued to eat her out with earth-shattering finesse and pushed her into several more heart-stopping orgasms. By the time he finally let up, Carmel’s arms screamed their distress at her from having been in their elevated position for this long. Dimly aware of being lowered to the floor, and then Nash’s deep rumble in her ear as he picked her up and carried her through to Gideon’s bed, Carmel gave up the fight in keeping her eyes open.

Glutton for punishment would be a good description for Doris…at least that’s what she hears on an almost daily basis when people find out that she has a brood of nine children, ranging from adult to toddler, and lives happily in a far-too-small house, cluttered with children, pets, dust bunnies, and one very understanding and supportive husband. Domestic goddess she is not.

There is always something better to do, after all, like working on the latest manuscript and trying not to scare the locals even more than usual by talking out loud to the voices in her head. Her characters tend to be pretty insistent to get their stories told, and you will find Doris burning the midnight oil on a regular basis. Only time to get any peace and quiet, and besides, sleep is for wimps.

She likes to spin sensual, sassy, and sexy tales involving alpha heroes to die for, and heroines who give as good as they get. From contemporary to paranormal, BDSM to F/F and Ménage, haunting love stories are guaranteed.

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Book Promo: Excerpt & Giveaway! Guarding Nadia by Lainey Reese

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Genre: Adult, Erotic Ménage Romance

Nadia has been an erotic author of BDSM novels for years. She is no stranger to her work bringing out the crazy in some people. However, she was not prepared for a stalker and had no idea the lengths he would go to in order to have her.

Desperate when the police are unable to help, Nadia turns to a highly rated security team for protection. Although they looked more like GQ models than bodyguards, Nadia puts her trust and her life into their safekeeping.

From the moment she walked into their offices, Caleb and Jonas knew that there was nothing they wouldn’t do to keep Nadia safe. Upon discovering the type of books she writes, they are floored because she has no idea that they are active members of not one but two BDSM clubs and had both reached Master status long ago. 

As the two men guard her body and strive to win her heart there is one out there who will stop at nothing to claim what his twisted mind has convinced him is his. Including the murder anyone who stands in his way.

**Guarding Nadia is a Novella and comes with THREE never before Published (in a book) scenes from Lainey’s New York series.**

Excerpt from Guarding Nadia © Lainey Reese

Two hours later, Nadia was frumped out in baggy sweats and a ratty tee, with fluffy socks on her feet that were- unbelievably- resting in Jonas' lap.  When she'd come down from her bath, the men had the popcorn popped and a selection of candy and drinks spread out that she knew didn't come from her kitchen.  She'd smiled and gratitude filled her when she realized that one of them had made a run to the store.  It was a small thing to most people, but for her the gesture was huge.  They were here to protect her from harm, not to coddle and entertain her.  She knew that this was a rare occurrence on their part, and she was touched deeply by it and them.  The contract that she'd signed in their office two days ago had outlined in minute detail what services they provided, gummy bears and foot rubs had not been on that list. 

"I still can't believe you picked Die Hard to watch,"

 Jonas commented as he dug his thumbs into the arches of her feet with deliriously wonderful results.  She moaned and replied; "Hey.  Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I have to watch chick flicks.  I love action movies.  Die Hard is a classic and Bruce Willis is a freaking stud."

"I agree with the classic part."  Caleb said.  "No comment on the stud part.  He's not my type."  Nadia chuckled and cranked her head to look up at him. 

When she first sat down tonight, she'd been seated between them like a proper lady, with both feet on the floor and her back resting against the cushions behind her.  Before the first preview had even finished, Caleb and Jonas pounced.  Jonas had grabbed her feet and tugged them into his lap, while Caleb took her by the shoulders and adjusted her until she was reclining against him with her head comfortably nestled on his chest.  His elbow was on the couch back, and his fingers had been playing in her curls nonstop. 

There was something in his expression as she gazed up at him that was different.  If she didn't know any better, she would call that look he was giving her 'intent'.  Part of her said she was being fanciful, and it was just the wishful thinking of her long neglected hormones running away with her.  The other part of her said she was right on track.

They had her spread out between them, and had been touching her nonstop since she'd sat down. Yes, they were here on a job.  However, the familiarity of their touch had left the realm of professionalism the moment she'd clung to Caleb and cried earlier.  She'd made the first move.  Breached the lines and took things beyond professional.  Could they be acting on that, and letting her know in a not so subtle way that they were open to being more than just her bodyguards?

Considering who she was and what she did for a living, the erotic images that immediately sprang to life in her brain had her muscles loosening and her pulse rabbiting.  Then reality smacked her in the head.  Stuff like that only happened in books.  No way could this be anything more than what it was.  She was deluding herself if she thought that anything even remotely close to what she was fantasizing about would happen.  Threesomes were things that only reckless and drunk college students did.  People in the real world, with careers and families didn't have wild sexcapades on the job.  Or off for that matter.  This was just stress and loneliness making more out of their kindness than what was there, and she needed to get a hold of herself before she ended up looking like an idiot.

Caleb touched his finger between her brows.  "What's caused this?"

"What do you mean?" She asked him.

"You were smiling a minute ago and now there's a frown here.  What thought caused that?"  His finger was still on her brows, gently tracing them and it was doing amazing things to her insides, even as his question caused her to flush uncomfortably.  She ducked her chin and broke eye contact as she tried to think of something to say.

"Hey."  Jonas squeezed at the foot he was rubbing and she looked at him.  "Honest answers only between us.  No half truths or dodging either."  His expression grew intense.  "On any subject.  No matter what it is."

Nadia felt as if she were in an alternate universe.  Everything felt unreal, as though she were in one of her books after all.  Could it be that these two unbelievably sexy and intense men were thinking the same thoughts that she was?  Did she dare tell them the truth that they demanded?  What if she did and then she had to suffer through the humiliating let down speech?

What if she did and they took her up on it?

All Nadia's life she'd lived as a responsible, sensible young lady.  She never smoked or partied as a teen.  Never snuck out of the house at night to meet up with friends or a boy.  She didn't have her first drink until her twenty-first birthday.  On top of that, despite what she wrote, sex for her had always been one on one.  In the dark.  Boring.  No fuss, no frills, no kink...no fun.

Nadia had always believed that was the reason she wrote what she did.  There was so much pent up inside of her that it had to have an outlet somewhere or she'd combust. 

As she tore her gaze from Jonas and looked back up at Caleb, she thought to herself that they might say no,  but, they might just say yes. God help her but she didn't want to miss out on what would happen if they wanted her, and if there was even a small chance that they did, it was worth the risk.

"I was thinking that this was very intimate and sexy at first.  Like something out of one of my books right before things get wild and kinky.  Then I told myself to snap out of it.  This wasn't a book, and that wild and kinky didn't happen in the real world."  She swallowed before adding; "At least not to me."

"Bruce."  Caleb said.

"What?"  She was confused.  His look was back to being intense, and she would swear he was about to kiss her, so she had no clue why he would say something like that.

"Bruce." He repeated.  "That's your safe word.  Say, yes sir, if you understand and agree.  If not say, Bruce and we stop here and now."

"Holy shit."  Nadia was dumbstruck. 

"That wasn't one of your options, sweetheart."  Jonas' chuckle was as seductive as a caress.  

Lainey lives in beautiful Washington State. She's the youngest of five and has always wanted to be a writer. Her first novel, -A Table for Three- was nominated for best debut novel of 2010 by the Romance Review and marked a dream come true for Lainey.

With her third published release -Damaged Goods-, Lainey saw another of her dreams realized when she took a leap of faith to become a full-time author and left the safety net of a day job behind. Now she spends her days writing, with her dog at her feet and a cat curled in her lap, and asks herself a dozen times a day; how'd I ever get so lucky?

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Book Blitz: Excerpt and Giveaway! Three Two One 321 by J.A. Huss

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ONE GIRL

Battered, barefoot, and huddled under a bookstore awning in the pouring rain, Blue only knows one thing. After fifteen months of captivity, finally… she is free.

TWO FRIENDS

Self-made millionaires JD and Ark are not out to save anyone when they stumble upon a wet and shivering girl one early Sunday morning. But when you sell sex for a living and salvation rings your bell… you answer the call.

THREE SOULMATES

After years of searching, love lifts the veil of darkness, and three people—with three very big secrets—find themselves bound together in a relationship that defies the odds.

Or does it?

Love. Lust. Sex. 

This trinity might be perfection… but not everything should come in 3’s.

WARNING: This is a STANDALONE non-traditional M/F/M ROMANCE with a non-traditional ending.

I walk quietly over to the door and press my ear against it to listen. I can hear the clicking of a computer keyboard, then the rolling wheels of a chair. Finally soft footsteps as he pads towards the doors. I back away, afraid of being caught. But he doesn’t slide them open. Instead, the lights flick off and then his footsteps retreat. I hear the crack of a beer bottle being opened, and then a sigh.

I slide the doors apart, just enough to peek inside.

There’s a large monitor on the desk sitting on front of a wall of windows. And on the screen are the images he took of me this morning. Of JD and me. And of the three of us out on the terrace. They flip by, hundreds of them, at least. Maybe thousands. I look over at the couch where he’s sitting with a beer propped up on his leg, staring at me.

“You can look at them if you come in here to do it.”

I don’t know how he wants me to respond, so I’m unsure if I want to look at them or run back to JD’s room and hide.

“I’m sorry about that,” Ark says, clearing his throat. “It’s just… JD stopped thinking about her, ya know? It took him so fucking long to stop thinking about her. And now here you are with a clue. And…”

I step into the room.

“And he’s gonna go looking for shit again, I just know it.”

I take another step towards him and Ark pats the space on the couch next to him. “I love these pictures. Come look at them with me.”

I take two more steps, and then I’m within arm’s reach and he slips his hand in mine.

My body shivers from his touch, but I let him pull me the rest of the way, and take a seat as he lets go. My butt is barely perched on the cushion, my hands in my lap, my body on high alert in case he wants to hurt me.

But he doesn’t. He surprises me by scooting away, propping his back against the armrest, and stretching out his legs behind me. They are long and in the way, so now I can’t lean back. 

He takes a swig from his beer. “I saw you this morning. God, has it only been one day?” I know what he means. It feels like I’ve been in their house forever. “And answers were the last thing on my mind, Blue. I mean, fuck. I’d given up, just like JD. I gave up a while back, actually. Just accepted that this was the way things were. The way my life was gonna go. But fuck.” 

I don’t know what any of that means, but I take that it’s not good by the way he finishes the beer and then throws it across the room, where it lands cleanly in an open-top trash can near the desk. “Get me another one, will you?”

I look down at him and squint.

He stares back. His eyes are bleary, and red, and now that I look closely, tired. Not tired like he needs sleep. But tired in a way I can relate to. The kind of tired where your body feels heavy and your mind feels empty. “Never mind,” he says in a soft voice that I’ve never heard before. He says it, but he doesn’t stop staring.

“What?” I ask, getting uncomfortable.

“Why’d you come in here?”

“I was…” I was looking for my money so I could leave. But this guy. These guys… they are pulling me towards them somehow. JD and his charm. Ark and his distance. And despite the fact that they take advantage of girls for a living, they feel very… vulnerable. It feels precarious. Like the whole thing might come crashing down at any moment. Like they are held together by some invisible thread. And not some mental connection or shared experience, either. Although I have no doubt they have all that too.

Held together by a thread that’s invisible because it’s nearly gone. 

We are alike, then. Aren’t we?

Three people brought together by the early-morning rain.

Two of us clinging together, trying to stick it out. Ride the wave until it crashes, and then help each other up to start all over again.

One of us already dead. Still walking, but not living. Waiting to be saved. Or maybe wanting to be the one who does the saving.

JA Huss is the USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty romances. She likes stories about family, loyalty, and extraordinary characters who struggle with basic human emotions while dealing with bigger than life problems. JA loves writing heroes who make you swoon, heroines who makes you jealous, and the perfect Happily Ever After ending.
You can chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AuthorJAHuss), Twitter (@jahuss), and her kick-ass romance blog, New Adult Addiction (www.newadultaddiction.com).

If you’re interested in getting your hands on an advanced release copy of her upcoming books, sneak peek teasers, or information on her upcoming personal appearances, you can join her newsletter list (http://eepurl.com/JVhAr) and get those details delivered right to your inbox.

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