SCANDALOUS HEROES COLLECTION GIVES READER THE KIND OF BAD BOYS WOMEN LOVE—ALPHAS, SHIFTERS, DOMS, BILLIONAIRES, BLUE COLLAR HUNKS AND URBAN HEROES. FEATURING 9 BEST SELLING AUTHORS OF SENSUAL ROMANCE. This collection includes best sellers of USA Today and Amazon Top 100 Authors whose stories reflection the diversity of romance such as contemporary, mafia drama, urban lit BDSM to paranormal and sci-fi. These authors have taken the time to pen new full length and original stories for the readers only found in this collection for a limited time.
LADIES COME GET YOUR MEN! 18+
RALLENTI ~ Sienna Mynx (Amazon Bestseller)
“One word. You must learn it, before we begin,” he traced his finger now across the outline of her lip. “Say it with me. Rallenti.” – Renaldo Cracchiolo
The year is 1993. Life as an enforcer for one of the most notorious crime bosses in Italy isn’t easy. Renaldo Cracchiolo is a Sicilian who takes pride in the oaths of omerta to honor and obey the wishes of his Don. It’s the reason why he was chosen to cross the Atlantic to New York City. However, the woman he meets and the time they share changes his heart and destiny.
Excerpt:
Her breathing went shallow, chopped down after each upward thrust. Oh how she could see herself in love with this big, powerful man. He dwarfed her in everything. Including sex. Her legs could barely wrap around his waist and her ankles could barely reach to connect. Inside of her every ridge of his veined dick was felt deeply. Her tender walls were rubbed with relentless friction. His in and out motion made the sheathed sensation tenfold. Her head smacked against the wall and her mouth stretched with a silent cry for mercy. Her vocal chords couldn’t summon the sound.
It was too much. The safe word? What was it? She couldn’t remember. She didn’t want to remember.
Too powerful.
The orgasm built in her from the sheer overwhelming takedown of all her defences. Tears leaked from her eyes and she held tighter to him. Renaldo kept grooving, he kept loving her, kept showering her face and neck with kisses that each meant something. He made a promise to her body and soul.
At the height of her climax she gave a strangled scream of release with her nails anchored deep enough to draw blood from his skin.
Scalding spurts of his essence jetted up into her in a continual stream. Gradually she came back to her senses. She dropped her face on his shoulder and shuddered. He grunted and shook, continuing to explode deep inside of her.
“I think I’m in love,” she joked.
He stiffened. She felt his entire body go stiff. Kyra lifted her head and he looked her in the eye. With him pinned inside of her the words had meaning she didn’t intend. She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean it literally. I was… it felt nice,” she smiled.
He kissed her. “I understand, Cara,” he said and slowly released her. “Love from a woman like you has to be earned. As it should be.”
She didn’t know if he was discouraged or disinterested. But the words he spoke were so poetic she could say nothing in return. Renaldo rarely showed her any emotion other than the times his defences were down during sex. What was his life like? Day to day was her hired gun, the soldier to a Mafia boss, as attentive and caring with others as he was with her?
SEIGED BY RYM ~ Yvette Hines (USA Today Bestseller)
They picked the wrong warrior cat to abduct. Rym never liked being ordered about so when he discovers his freedom is weighed against his agreement to breed with Krysteena, he practically purrs at the chance to prove to the beauty who’s truly in charge and escape.
Excerpt:
Before they took their next breath they were once again in the throne room of Argona in their normal form. Krysteena was overjoyed to finally be rid of the fur that had covered her body for a year. As if time had not moved, her mother sat regally on the throne, Krysteena stood beside her and Rymingten was on his feet before the queen. The council members were seated at a long table on the side of the room observing.
She’d almost forgotten how handsome and virile he was in the flesh. His short dark-golden colored hair, so different in length and texture from hers, made her fingers itch to touch it. He now wore the open shirt and trousers of his planet and seeing the way the material clung to his great height and the multitude of muscles covering his body made her feel feminine in a way she’d never experienced before. It was similar to the deep ache in her core that she had felt while they were in house cat form.
But greater. That desire that had throbbed through her body and the scent she emitted had been manifested by her mother to taunt Rymingten, it hadn’t been real. However, what was happening to her body now was very real.
It wasn’t only sexual attraction; as an Argonian sexuality was common for them, something they learned to embrace at a young age. On her planet there may not have been males for them to join and breed with, but they did have sex dens with males from different, lesser planets. Non-warrior men. What she was experiencing was something else, something more intense and unfamiliar. It was so powerful she feared it, but as an Argonian female she was taught to fear nothing.
“What say you, Kitcy warrior? I offer you the blessing of joining with my eldest daughter. Live with her in her dwelling and breed with her. Submit yourself to my rule. Her authority.”
Unlike before, when Rymingten’s response was quick and negative, he took his time to glance away from the queen to Krysteena. Those bronze eyes of his locked on her, eyes she’d become used to staring into during their banishment.
She wished her power allowed her to mind read, see what it was that he was thinking, but it didn’t. So, she waited with the queen and the other council members staring at the scene before them. They were most likely wondering how it would play out this time.
“What is your desire, Krys?” Rymingten asked.
My desire? Krysteena wasn’t sure how to respond to that question. This could truly be her out. She could tell her mother that after spending a year with this warrior she had no desire to be with him through galaxy eternity. That she would prefer another be found that was more to her liking. However, as she stared into those majestic eyes, she couldn’t get her mouth to open and make the request to have him banished or sent back to his own planet.
“I am the one making the request here, Kitcy male.” Queen Eyleen leaned forward and shot Rymingten with a piercing look.
Seeming unfazed, Krysteena watched as his gaze slowly left hers and was set on her mother.
“My pardon, Queen Eyleen. Please do not take any disrespect. However, it’s possible your daughter may not be willing to join herself to me. If this is the case I do not believe it is important whether or not I give my consent if she does not wish for the situation to be made between us.”
Not waiting for her mother’s response to his small speech, he once again stared at her.
His gaze was too intense. The heat radiating from the unwavering look he gave her had heat spreading through her breasts and making her nipples draw tight against the standard soft material of her chiton. Tightening her hands at her back, she stifled the urge to place a protective globe around herself to ward off the effect of his gaze. However, she wasn’t even sure it would work in such a manner.
“You may be correct in your assessment. What say you, offspring of my womb? Have this warrior or should I send him to the labor board for work?”
Krysteena knew the custom of her planet that captured males who refused to submit to a joining usually were sent to the harvesting fields to work, but for some reason she couldn’t see such a life for Rymingten. She wanted to harden her heart against the imposing male, but something she truly didn’t comprehend hindered her. Was it possible that the Kitcy people were some kind of emotional sorcerers?
“We wait?”
“What shall you have for my life, Krys…joined to you or the fields?” His gaze may have been intense, but, she noted the small arching of his brow.
Is he funning me? Did he see this all as a joke? Perhaps even now after experiencing the queen’s power he was plotting a way of escape? Hm, he would learn soon if this was his scheme that it was not possible. The boundary of protection around their planet was put there by using all of the Argona females’ powers, it was unbreachable. Impossible for anyone to travel out of it or in it without an inhabitant’s presence aboard a vessel.
However, that wasn’t the situation or an issue at present—her answer was.
“I will join with him. Now your fate lies in your own hands Kitcy warrior…what say you?”
Krysteena was sure if he rejected her mother again, the queen would end his existence. Even if her mother appeared to offer him a choice of labor…she knew what the queen most likely suspected—this warrior would be too much of a risk. He had enough stubbornness and determination that he could incite an uprising with the other males there. So, the best would be for Queen Eyleen to turn him into galaxy dust and release his soul to the gods.
That outcome would sadden her. Even as she tried to imagine what life would be like with him if he agreed.
“Queen Eyleen, I would be honored to join with your daughter Krysteena.”
Unsure of how she felt, or how to respond, Krysteena simply gave a quick nod.
RAW EXPOSURE ~ Aliyah Burke (USA Today Bestseller)
A wealthy playboy and a down-to-earth freelance photographer, will they ever see eye to eye?
Reeve Leighton has just met the one woman who isn’t the least bit impressed by his money. Affrica O’Shea can’t ignore how he turns her head but she has no use for a man who lives like he does. Reeve is used to getting what he wants. He wants her and not even her Navy SEAL brother—or his—will keep them apart.
Excerpt:
Left alone, Reeve scowled at the retreating forms of the trio of men bound together in ways that he and his brother could never be, nor had they ever been. He had always envied his brothers; caught in the middle, Reeve wasn’t special in his mind.
Not the baby like Godric. Nor was he the firstborn, the heir to the Leighton legacy, as Scott was.
Then, there was the fact Godric owned a business, had since he was twenty-four. That was six years ago, and his country club was one of the most prestigious around.
In addition, the firstborn had to go and join the military. Become one of the best. Reeve was proud of his brother, but there were times he missed the closeness they used to share, back before Scott left for Annapolis and a career in the US Navy. The closeness Scott, or Harrier, now shared with the other members of his Team had once been between Reeve and his brother.
Therefore, Reeve was the playboy of the family. Parties, fast cars, and faster women. That seemed to be his motto. For a brief time, he’d sobered up a bit after a scare of being a father with Marisol, but after that got cleared up, he had gone right back to his familiar lifestyle.
He knew Scott didn’t approve of how Reeve was “wasting” his life, but ever since he had seen the way Scott looked at Alexis that first night he met her, Reeve felt something was missing from his own. And no matter how hard he partied, it was still there, mocking him. Daring him to confront it. So he ran hard and partied even harder.
Flipping his car keys in his hand, he opened the door to the house that had become the permanent home of his brother and sister-in-law and walked out into the comfortable autumn afternoon. His gaze immediately honed in on the woman who was talking with a taxi driver as the man put her bags in the trunk.
As she tossed her head, her gaze turned back to the house, and a glower settled over her features.
“Let me explain,” Reeve said as he realized his feet were heading him in her direction.
The driver got into the vehicle, and Affrica leaned against the cab, one arm over the open back door.
“What do you want?” she snapped.
“I want to apologize for—”
“For assuming I was stealing something?” Affrica butted in.
“Well, I didn’t know who you were.”
Her brown eyes made him want to jump in and see where they took him. It looked like she had flecks of dark gold in them, when he peered nearer. Moreover, he wanted to peer as closely as he could.
“I didn’t know who you were either, but I didn’t make the wrong assumption.” Her gaze raked over his body. “I was right on the money about you.”
“Meaning?” Reeve stepped closer, dwarfing her body with his larger, much stronger one.
“I figured you were a rich, arrogant asshole.” A smirk filled her face. “I was right.”
Reeve lowered his face to hers and inhaled her subtle fragrance. “You forgot something,” he mumbled, using the voice he knew women thought of as a sexy baritone.
“What’s that?”
“How incredibly handsome I am.” He moved two lean fingers to twirl around a thick curl. He couldn’t believe how soft her hair was. Reeve wanted to bury his hands into the hair on the sides of her head and see if she tasted as sweet as he believed she would.
A decidedly less-than-feminine snort escaped Affrica. Leaning in, her fingers trailed over the edge of his silvery shirt, just tantalizing his skin as her lips moved within millimeters of his own. “I see handsome men all the time, and trust me…I dinna forget it. I dinna think it worth mentionin’.”
She stepped away from him and into her waiting cab.
VASILY’S REVENGE ~ Latrivia Nelson (Amazon Bestseller)
Vasily’s Revenge Synopsis Vasily Kavlov is head of security for the most feared and revered Russian mafia organization in the free world, The Medlov Crime Family. A quiet henchmen with no family, no love life and unyielding loyalty to his bosses, the thirties something bad boy is all work and no play. However, his past quickly comes back to haunt him, when the woman he nearly gave his life for ten years ago is threatened once again by an old enemy. Going to Lilly Rasputin’s aid won’t just be a journey down memory lane, it’s also a jolt to the system when he learns that he’s the father to her child.
Will changing everything in his life, give him new lust for it? And can he trust a woman who was the cause of his near death before?
Excerpt:
Lilly bounced off the side of the bed and grabbed her clothes from off the floor. “Yes, honey. I’ll be out in a minute,” she called out in the sweetest tone that she could manage. Dressing as fast as she could, she whispered to Vasily, “How am I going to explain this?”
“Tell him the truth,” Vasily asked, slipping on his gym shorts.
“Which part? That you’re his father or that we’re seeing each other?” She let the words slip out of her mouth before she had time to craft them.
“Wait. We’re seeing each other?” he asked, slipping a white cotton t-shirt. He closed the dresser drawer and looked back at her for a response.
The question stunned Lilly. Mouth flying wide open, she swallowed down a caught breath. Fearing she would stutter if she spoke, she said nothing at all.
Vasily couldn’t help but smile. Casually, he walked over to her and kissed her on the crown of the head. “What’s the matter? You don’t know when I’m joking?”
She had to literally hide her exhalation. “No,” she said, blinking hard. “I don’t know when you’re joking. You’ve never joked. Not since the day that I met you.”
“I joke from time to time,” he said with a shrug.
“What? Like once a decade you crack a joke?” she asked with a faux-frown on her face.
“I’m a funny man. People think I have a wonderful sense of humor,” he defended.
“What people? Do you joke with them right before you shoot them so there are no witnesses?”
Even he had to laugh at that.
He walked over to the door and waited for her to make sure that she was fully dressed before she opened it.
“Well, there was this one guy,” he said with a wink. Seeing that she was as ready as she would be, he opened the door and looked down at his son, who was waiting patiently. “You’re up early,” Vasily said, motioning for him to come in.
“I’ve got plans with Anya,” he said as he strode in. He looked around suspiciously. “Mom, did you spend the night in here?”
Lilly sat on the end of the bed. “Um… ” she looked over at Vasily. “Mommy, stayed up all night talking to Vasily,” she lied. “We talked in here so that we wouldn’t wake you.”
Dylan didn’t seem the least bit bothered by the idea. He did, however, correct her. “Vasily said that I shouldn’t call you Mommy anymore, just Mom. He said that big boys don’t use that word. And I’m a big boy,” Dylan explained, trying to seem as mature as his 70 lbs. would allow him to be.
Vasily smirked.
“Really?” she frowned. “Well, I’m sort of partial to Mommy.”
He turned to his father. “What now? She likes Mommy.”
Despite the small confrontation going on, Lilly couldn’t help but stop and admire the two standing in front of her. Dylan looked so much like Vasily. Their stances gave them away. Both of them crossed their arms across their chests when they talked, and they both made the same facial expressions though they had not been around each other at all. Plus, more and more, she could see the connection happening between Vasily and Dylan all on its own. She didn’t have to push it. It was just happening naturally.
After work, Vasily always found his way to where Dylan was so that he could talk to him. They had hour-long conversations about nothing. It seemed that Vasily was trying to soak up as much as he could learn from his son, and she didn’t blame him. It was horrible that she had to keep him away from Dylan for so many years, but she was also glad that he understood.
Her mind drifted off to what it would have been like to have been able to raise Dylan with Vasily, while the two stood in front of her discussing the wording of her title. And in truth, she was in bliss.
“Mom,” Dylan said, turning to Lilly.
She snapped back into reality, concluding that Mom was here to stay and Mommy would be retired, at least until thunderstorms and nightmares came up.
“Yes, baby,” she said, reaching out for him.
DOUBLE TROUBLE- Men of 3X CONStruction~ Erosa Knowles (Amazon Bestseller)
Blaine and Donald had no idea they have not one, but two sons from Belinda, the one woman who ever came between them. Seeing her again test family ties as they fight to rescue their son and reclaim the only woman they ever loved.
Excerpt:
Belinda looked up as the curtain moved. How could she have forgotten Donnie and Blaine were a few feet away? Her gaze remained on Adam. How to do this? How to introduce him? Her doctor had told her there were recorded incidents of twins being fathered by different men. One of the men standing behind her was Adam’s father. A heady warmth filled her cheeks as she moistened her lips.
“Who are you?” Adam asked as his gaze flicked over her shoulder before settling on her with a confused frown.
Exhaling, she swallowed her pride and pushed back her embarrassment. “Adam, this is Donnie and Blaine O’Connor, two old friends of mine. They rode over here with me from the library.”
Adam’s frown deepened as his gaze left hers and stared over her shoulder. Her heart raced as she tried to think of something else to say. But her brain blanked and she had nothing. Moments crawled as the tension in the small space increased.
“Nice to meet you, Adam. I’m Blaine.”
“I’m Donald, good to see you’re on the mend.”
Belinda watched Adam’s frown deepen before he tore his gaze away and looked at her again.
“Mom?
Who…who are they?”
Her mouth opened and then closed. Numerous witty comments flew through her mind but none were appropriate for the situation. Denial was also not an option. Her throat tightened as she forced the words through them. “Your father.”
Adam’s eyes widened at the bald statement and then his face reddened as he glared at the men. “I don’t…. I don’t have a father.”
“Yeah, yeah you do, Adam. I’m good, but there was only one person born without a father, or a human father that is,” she said, trying to inject some humor into the situation. No one took the bait.
Silence filled the room.
“I had a sperm donor, Mom. Not a father. That’s what I mean.”
She nodded, not looking behind her. Despite what their father did, Adam had a point. Neither man had been a father to her sons. Nodding, she patted his hand, hoping he would wait until she came up with an explanation that wouldn’t make her sound…well, like a woman who slept with two men around the same time.
“Okay… okay. We’ll talk about it later, after you get some rest.” Releasing a pent up breath she wondered where was the doctor, she had a few questions.
“I don’t want to talk about them. Not now or later. I want them to leave.”
Belinda’s head snapped up at the petulance in Adams’ voice. Her son had a strong will, both of them did, but he wasn’t cruel and that statement had to hurt. “Adam,” she said in a mild warning tone.
He turned his face away from her. “Please Mom, get them out of here. They haven’t been here for the past 16 years I don’t want them here now.”
Stunned by the anger she heard in his voice, she looked over her shoulder and caught the flash of pain on Blaine’s face. Donald stood with his arms crossed, staring at Adam before meeting her gaze.
He nodded and turned. Before he stepped out he spoke. “Feel better, Adam.”
Blaine nodded at her as well. “There are reasons we were not here Adam, I hope you’ll give us a chance to explain.” And then he left the curtained area.
Adam faced her slowly. “Mom?” he whispered.
Fearing his questions, she took her time meeting his gaze. “Hmm?”
“Us? That guy said us. Which… which one is my… my father?”
The day had been too long and she had no desire to get into her complicated relationship with the O’Connor twins. When she was younger, dating both of them seemed right. But looking into her son’s eyes right now, she wasn’t so sure. She made a quick decision based on wishful thinking.
“Blaine. The one who asked for a chance to explain.” Sending a prayer of forgiveness and hopefulness that she was right, she nodded as his shoulders dropped a bit.
“He’s big.”
“Yeah.” She crossed her arms around her waist and bit her lip.
“So is he Abe’s dad?...”
Clearing her throat, she looked over his head at the beeping equipment as heat rushed to her face. “No, Donald is his father.”
Adam frowned as he stared at her. “But we’re twins…and they’re twins.”
Unable to utter a word of explanation or in her defense, she nodded. His quizzical look did nothing to ease her embarrassment.
“You… you dated both of them? Aren’t they brothers?” The shock in his voice robbed her of speech and filled her with shame. His look of surprise cut her to the core. How to explain?
She coughed and met his gaze. Thankfully there was no disgust, only curiosity, which made it easier to swallow with the small ball of humiliation lodged in her throat. “Yes…er, yes they are twins and I dated both of them.”
“At the same time?” he asked with a bit of incredulity in his voice.
“During the same timeframe, not on joint dates or anything like that.”
“And they went for that? I mean they had to know since they're brothers.”
Exhaling, she reined in her memories from the past and the long discussions she'd had with her lovers regarding their dating arrangements. “Yes…yes, we all knew and agreed that I would date each one.” For someone who didn’t want to discuss his father, her son had delved into the heart of the matter rather quickly. If this was a normal talk, she would tease him about it.
He stared at her.
Clasping both hands tightly in her lap she waited for him to say something. Seconds ticked by before he spoke. “They just showed up? Today? Why? What happened?”
Trembling with relief, she shrugged. “I’m not sure, I bumped into them at the library and they came with me here.”
“What were they doing at the library?” he asked, frowning.
The question stumped her. “I don’t know. I was so surprised to see them I didn’t ask and then I rushed here to see about you.” Desperately needing a reprieve, she waved down his next question. “I want to get you home, plus I only want to explain all of this once. And that will be with you and Abe, so hold your questions… and comments for later.”
“But Mom –”
She held up her hand. “I said later.” Standing, she looked around the small space for the jacket he had worn that morning. Spying it in the corner, she picked it up and cringed at the large rip surrounded by blood. She must have stared at it too long because Adam sought to comfort her.
“It looks worse than it was, Mom. I’m okay. For real. Just bruised a bit. Did you love them? Both of them?”
The question hadn’t fully settled into her mind before her heart answered. “Yes, very much.”
TATTOOED MOON ~ Tiana Laveen (Amazon Bestselling)
Julian Savant is a gifted tattoo artist, free spirit and business owner, who has set his keen eye upon conservative accountant, Milan Parker. When the two meet during a dark time in Milan’s life, they begin to draw from one another, painting their mutual attraction and desires cerebrally and in the flesh. Little does Milan know, Julian draws more than just her attention and skilled designs upon her body. As his needle works its way into both their hearts, they find fulfillment and healing in ways neither of them imagined.
Excerpt:
The man was right. She hadn’t even noticed that, as he continued to speak to her over the music, she’d heated a bit to his touch.
She cleared her throat. “You said anything worth having is painful, or something like that. What did you mean by that?” she asked as she glared at him in the mirror.
“I mean, the good things in life sometimes hurt at first. Like childbirth. The end result is wonderful. And like…oh, never mind.” He smirked and stuck his head closer to her, as if trying to hide himself.
“No,like what?” she begged, still needing the distraction.
“It’s not something that would be appropriate for me to say to a customer, so let’s just move on and—”
“No.”She shook her head. “Come on, you can tell me. I want to talk. I need to talk or I am going to go crazy.”
Julian sighed, his shoulders slumped as if she’d asked him something deeply personal,yet his eyes gleamed with mischief.
“Alright.What I was going to say, it is kind of like the first time a woman has sex, her first time being penetrated.” He turned away, avoiding her gaze, as if slightly shy about his own admissions, though he said it with confidence.
“Mmmm.” She smirked and shook her head. “Never thought about it like that.”
“Well,there are similarities. Like, the needle going into your body is a type of violation.That first time you felt the needle hit your skin, it hurt, but now, look, ten minutes later, you’re okay, riding the wave of pain. Once it is all over, your first lover or, in this case, your artist — if he is any good and cares about you and the quality of his work — will make sure that though aspects of this experience may have been unpleasant, you are pleased and satisfied in the end.The final product is your completed tattoo, your climax, so to speak.
“Some people believe you can’t have pleasure in the midst of pain, but that’s not true. The same nerves are being used to deliver either message to your mind and that is why a very thin line separates sensations of pleasure and pain. Our brains tell us which feeling we are receiving, but with a few adjustments,pleasure and pain can turn into their total opposite and what may hurt one person, may make another person feel completely euphoric. Additionally, should you decide to get any future tattoos, you’d want to return to me…as your first tattoo artist, to do it again and again and again.”
“And why would that be?” she egged him on, feeling even more relaxed the longer he spoke. She could feel her eyes hooding as he lulled her away somewhere illicit and wicked.
“Because it would have gotten good to you...” He paused and looked at her through the mirror, as if trying to read her mind. “…And you know I’d be happy to give a repeat performance, hopefully better each and every time…”
Her fucking groin was quaking. Did this joker really have to compare what he was doing with sex? And he did it so damn eloquently...
EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING ~ Pepper Pace (Amazon Bestseller, Top 100 Fiction Author)
In1977 Vanessa is 12 years old and lives just out of reach of the projects that both scare and entice her. It’s the year that she meets Scotty Tremont; 14 and one of the few white boys to live in the ghetto. Initially afraid that Scotty intends to beat her up because her cousin called him white trash, Vanessa soon learns that although Scotty is a ‘Trick Baby’ and will probably be a dope boy just like his brother, he’s somehow managed to be compassionate. Scotty is learning something as well; that his path has not been laid out before him and that Everything isn’t necessarily Everything. This 2 part series begins in the 70s where it explores the music, the style, the ghetto and Pepper Pace’s own twist on life and love.
Excerpt:
Vanessa waited fifteen minutes after her mother left for work just in case she came back. Sometimes she did that, came back because she had forgotten something or other. Once she felt enough time had passed she grabbed some Barbies, a jump rope and then headed outside. Vanessa didn’t do this often. For one thing she was afraid that someone would tell on her, but mostly because her mother’s schedule in the evenings was unpredictable and she might dash home for dinner and then run right back out or she might be extra long at the bar and not return until after 2 a.m.
It didn’t take long for Vanessa’s toys to draw the attention of the neighborhood kids, who played with her because she had the best toys ever. Playing with the toys soon led to games of tag and Mother May I. Vanessa and the other children laughed and ran through the parking lot, but never going further than that because even though Vanessa’s mother wasn’t present, she knew that the parking lot was her safe zone and beyond that bad things could happen.
The streetlights flickered on a short time later and the little girls ran off to their homes yelling goodbye.
Vanessa smiled happily and then gathered up her toys and went back into her house. She ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and had a glass of milk for dinner. She turned on the stereo and played the Jackson 5 until she got tired of dancing and singing ABC and I Want You Back and her all time favorite; Ben. She didn’t care if it was a song about a rat. One day she was going to marry a man named Ben and sing that song to him.
She was carrying her Barbies upstairs when she remembered that she hadn’t brought her jump rope into the house.
Vanessa’s eyes widened. If her mama saw the jump rope outside…She dropped the dolls to the floor and dashed down the stairs. She pulled back the drapes and squinted out the window to see if mama’s car was making its way up the hill. Not many cars came up this way; generally just the people that lived up here.
There weren’t any stores or schools or anything else but townhomes in Garden Hilltop.
Vanessa took a deep breath and then unlocked the door and dashed out into the night. There were different levels of wrong. Yes it was wrong to go outside during the day when her mother wasn’t home. But it was definitely wrong to go outside at night when there was absolutely no one around to help her if something ‘bad’ happened. Bad was a word that caused her to think of the dead little girl in the building down the hill...
She quickly scanned the ground outside of her house, already nervous but not just because her mother might find out, but because it was dark outside. Not seeing the rope on her stoop, she considered that one of those little heffas had stolen it. And then she saw a gleam of color in the grass at the edge of the parking lot. Now she remembered dropping the jump rope, with its yellow plastic handholds, there when they started playing tag. In relief she crossed the parking lot, and sure enough there was her jump rope, partially concealed by the weeds and grass.
But Vanessa didn’t immediately pick it up. Her mouth parted as she took in the sight of the starlit sky above her and the twinkling artificial lights of the homes below her. She forgot to be scared as the beauty of the velvety night began to take the place of her fear. The moon sat like a huge light bulb above everything and the magnitude of her place in the universe struck her. She was just one little girl standing in one parking lot in one city of her country on one world among many planets and stars that made up the Milky Way which was just one galaxy in the entire universe...
The idea if it was overwhelming. She stared into the sky as she tried to fathom the concept that she was…nothing. Insignificant. A speck.
Movement caught her attention and in alarm she saw the familiar bike rapidly approaching from the winding hill that led from Winton Terrace. She squealed in alarm and darted back across the parking lot and towards the safety of her house. She was half there when she remembered that she didn’t have the jump rope. Vanessa stopped and indecisively did a dance that took her one step back to the rope and then a hop towards the safety of her home before she repeated it.
She had to get the rope! Someone would steal it or mama would see it and that would be it for her. She turned just as Scotty Tremont’s bike entered her parking lot, alarmed at how quickly he had arrived but terrified when she realized that he was heading toward her!
Another squeak of fear escaped her lips as she dashed back to the edge of the lot, running faster than she had ever run before—even faster than she would run past that building. She snatched at the rope at the same time that her body changed position to make the sprint back in the opposite direction. She looked like she had just been passed the baton in an Olympic race. Now she could hear the smooth metallic sound of bike pedals and she risked a glance in that direction.
Scotty Tremont was staring right at her and instead of coasting the circumference of the parking lot like he normally did he was peddling faster, his legs pumping rapidly as he closed the distance between them.
She yelped in terror and then immediately tripped over the looped end of the rope and went skidding across the gravel parking lot. Face down, palms down, knees scraping she felt the sting of her skin being peeled back and a teeth clattering moment later her mouth slammed to the ground and pain exploded at the exact moment that her two front teeth ran through her bottom lip.
For just one second the world was quiet and still around her. She didn’t even hear the bike and rider approaching her, she didn’t see the stars or the small rocks that were now buried in her palms and knees. She didn’t taste the blood that filled her mouth nor the pain that would soon be nearly unbearable at her chipped and loosened teeth. The world was just an infinite place where nothing meant anything—not even a little girl lying on a parking lot in a city within a country on this world called earth, which was apart of the many other planets that made of the galaxy, which crowded the universe.
But the next second her cries of pain filled the night, the clatter of a bike dropping to the ground and the rapid footfalls of sneakered feet hitting the pavement was Vanessa’s new universe…and of course pain.
A hand reached for her arm and she cringed, only the touch wasn’t rough and it didn’t bring pain. Two hands helped to lift her into a sitting position and she held up her bleeding palms but didn’t otherwise look at them, she just stared fearfully into Scotty Tremont’s blue and grey eyes.
~***~
Scotty’s brow gathered as he stared at the gruesome sight of the bloodied girl. She was pretty scraped up but wasn’t crying. She was just staring at him in shock. What in the hell was she doing out in the night wearing just pajamas?
As he took in the sight of her bloody palms his expression calmed. It was pretty bad. Hiding his grimace he took one of her hands and gently removed small rocks that were embedded in the heel of her palm. When he thought he’d found them all he reached for the other hand and did the same.
When he was finished he met her eyes again and the little girl was watching him in surprise. He looked at her knees and masked the look of disgust at the sight of the layers of skin, which had been scraped away to reveal blood-coated flesh. She surprised him when she didn’t make a sound as he picked out the gravel burrowed in her flesh. He scanned her for more injuries and then suddenly frowned.
“You are in so much trouble.” Vanessa tensed and her heart slammed against her narrow ribcage. She shied away from him. “There is no way that you’re going to hide this from your mother,” he continued and Vanessa’s eyes widened as she realized the truth of those words. Those words cut through the fear that she had only a short moment ago felt for him. Yet despite the sudden awareness that she was destined to be in trouble for sure and should be darting back to the house to hide the evidence of her crime—she just had to know.
“How do you know me?”
Scotty stood and headed back to his bike. “Your mother drives a white Cadillac.” He climbed back on his bike and continued his circuit around her parking lot. She sat there and watched him until he headed up the smaller hill to the second parking lot. He turned his head swiftly and looked at her.
“Go in the house Vanessa.” And then he was gone.
Slowly she made it to her feet despite the pain that settled into her scrapes like knife wounds. She wanted to be in the house before he came back down the hill. She wanted to understand why Scotty hadn’t beat her up or run her over, but more importantly she wanted to know why he knew her name just because he knew that her mother drove a white Cadillac.
LAST CALL ~Bridget Midway (Amazon Bestseller)
Eminence Dutton has to make some crucial decisions about work, her struggling love life, and an invitation from a former friend. The only thing that would complicate her life more would be to see her old high school boyfriend.
Keys “Tank” Tanksley thought he had gotten Eminence Dutton out of his system. Now a BDSM Dom, this man does not plan on letting this woman go without being heard or without her experiencing the sting of his whip.
When Tank tries to rekindle the relationship with Eminence, she has to wonder what’s important: her dream or her heart
Excerpt:
Damn Tank for succumbing to his primal urges. As soon as he got in a room alone with Eminence, he’d forgotten that he wanted to make her suffer like she’d done to him. When he kissed her, time reverted back to the very last occasion he’d been with her. He didn’t remember her lips being as supple. Her breasts had gotten bigger, firmer.
Please, God, don’t let them be fake.
When he slipped his tongue into her mouth, Eminence pushed him back. Too much, too soon, too bad.
“What the hell?” She reared her hand back and delivered a solid smack across his face. “You see me in the store this week and barely say two words to me. Now you want to shove your tongue down my throat? And why don’t you sound the way you did that night?”
“I’ve been fighting a cold this week. I’m much better now.” Tank hoped Eminence thought the same thing. He’d become more than just a jock from high school.
“Really? We’re still making out in a dark room. Not much has changed.”
Tank didn’t say anything, mainly because he didn’t register what Eminence had said. Internally, he battled against wanting to tell her off and stripping her down and fucking her raw.
Eminence planted her hands on her hips and shook her head. “Now I get it. You and Jordie are still
together.” She snickered. “Should have figured.” Then she snatched her purse from the desk. “I hope the two of you have a great life together.” She turned to the door.
Seeing Eminence walk away from him again snapped Tank out of his lusty haze. As a scared kid protecting a friend, he’d let Eminence disappear from his life once. As a man who had had his integrity questioned, the hell if he would let that happen again without speaking his mind.
“No, you don’t.” Tank leaned against the desk as he spoke behind her. “You’re going to listen to me.
And don’t interrupt me.”
“You don’t know me to—”
Unable to contain himself, Tank stood from the desk, took a few steps to approach her, framed her face in his hands, then pressed his lips onto hers. She tried pushing him off, but he wouldn’t budge. As he kissed her, he walked her back to a corner in the office. He blocked her path by planting his arms on either sides of her.
“You have false imprisonment started on your list of charges. Keep racking them up.” Defiant as always, Eminence crossed her arms over her chest again and pursed her full lips.
Mistake. If she didn’t want to be kissed again, she should definitely draw her sexy lips back.
“What are you, a lawyer now?” He attempted to gain eye contact, but Eminence kept her gaze moving around, from the ceiling to the floor to over his shoulder.
“If I were, you would be in deep shit.” She propped one foot against the wall in order to jut out her knee to keep a barrier between them.
“I don’t know what you thought you saw between me and Jordyna that day.” Tank lowered his voice.
“I’ll tell you what I saw. I saw my former best friend trying to fuck my man, and my man did nothing to stop her.” Eminence poked Tank’s chest with her index finger.
He noticed that she peered down at her hand and that she felt his chest again as though trying to check its legitimacy. To encourage her to feel more, Tank flexed his chest muscles.
Eminence swallowed hard, peered up at Tank, then drew her hand back while she thrust her chin out again.
“That’s not what happened. Jay came to me as a friend to talk about something personal. I was comforting her when you walked in.”
“Comforting? Is that what you kids called it?”
To silence her, Tank kissed Eminence again. She didn’t stop him, didn’t struggle. Perhaps she started to succumb to him. Surely he started to fall under her unintended spell.
When he pulled back, he said, “Nothing else happened. I hugged her. That’s it.”
With a shaky voice, Eminence asked, “If that’s the case, why didn’t you come after me and tell me all of this right there and then? You let me go.”
Tank gritted his teeth and remained silent as he glared at her. Not going after Eminence that day had been the biggest regret of his life. He had a fragile friend to soothe. With what she told him, he couldn’t leave her. At the time, he thought Eminence would wait for him, that he would have time to explain, that she would trust him.
The fact that she left and wouldn’t talk to him revealed Eminence’s true nature. After all these years, he just wanted time to tell her the truth. Time had escaped him. She wouldn’t escape him now. Even if nothing happened between them, Tank would finally be heard.
“What she told me wasn’t for me to share. If you want to know what happened, you’ll have to ask her yourself.” Tank fought against looking into Eminence’s eyes, but she had him caught.
“But—”
When Tank arrested her mouth with his, he managed to slide his tongue into hers. This time she didn’t pull away. Her body melded to his. She lowered her foot and welcomed his body.
When she placed her hand on his shoulder, she started to push him back. Then she curved her hand behind his arm and pulled him forward. It wasn’t until she allowed a small moan to creep through her throat that she sobered to the situation.
Eminence turned her head. “So that’s sexual assault to be added to your charges.”
“Really?” Tank lowered his hands to grasp her thighs. “Then I had better make this good. I would hate to go to jail for nothing.”
When he stood, he slid his hands under her miniscule skirt.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Eminence asked the question in an indignant manner, however she didn’t stop him. She rested her hands on top of his forearms as though encouraging him to do what he’d planned on doing next.
“Checking to see if you’re still a thong girl.” He hooked his fingers into the sides of her panties.
“Just tell me later.” He pulled them down, then pressed her back against the wall.
THE WRATH OF MICHAEL ~ Serenity King
Michael Alesi is not looking for anything other than a good time. He works hard and plays even harder. But after being summoned to the home of his cousin, Michael is blindsided by the feisty, Kendra Washington.
Kendra is beautiful and sassy, and she seems to want nothing to do with Michael. That is fine with Michael—he doesn’t do relationships and he has plenty of business and social opportunities to keep him busy. Then he witnesses Kendra’s life being put in danger by a nasty crime. He comes to her rescue and, as he gets to know her, he decides that maybe a committed relationship isn’t so bad after all.
Just as they are feeling their way toward a relationship, a whirlwind of deadly events sends life spiraling out of control for both Michael and Kendra. Will they be able to find shelter in each other’s arms, or will the demons of both the past and the present keep them apart forever?
