Irresistible

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Review:

I’m still reeling from this read! I cannot remember the last time I read a book almost straight through and could not be tempted away from putting down the book! This was a book with feels and I felt everyone one of them!!

Mack and Frannie are the best and I still find I want more from them I didn’t want their story to end! And those 3 daughters are so charming and melt your heart! This was a book I highly recommend and one I can easily see myself picking back up and reread again and again!

review by Lindsey: 3 Amigo’s Wicked Book Review

 

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Kristoff



From USA Today Bestselling Author, Measha Stone, comes a new Dark Romance that is part of BLAIRE’S WORLD.

Stolen and locked away.

My name is Magdalena. I’ve been chasing after a story more dangerous than I realized. And now, they’ve taken me. The Dowidoff family has been the focus of my attention, and now I’m theirs. They’ll keep me locked away until I’m trained, and then they plan to sell me.
Highest bidder wins me; the nosey American girl, and Kristoff has been put in charge of my education.
I can’t give up hope, even when Kristoff promises there is none. Not for me at least. He’s going to break me. He’s going to teach me. And at the end of it, I will be claimed



Measha Stone is an international bestselling author of erotic romance. She’s had #1 top-selling books in BDSM, and suspense. She lives in the western suburbs of Chicago with her husband and children, who are just as creative and crazy as her. Her vanilla writing has been published in numerous literary magazines, but she’s found her passion in erotic romance. She loves reading it, writing it, and living it whenever possible.

Seven Nights

Title: Seven Nights
Author: DL Gallie
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Designer: Tash Drake from Outlined with Love Designs
Publication Date: February 27th, 2019
Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR
Blurb:
It was only meant to be a one-night fling for Bryce and Hayden, but when one night wasn’t enough, they agreed to seven more.
A week was all it took for the shy florist and the ruggedly handsome rig worker to know they needed more.
It seemed simple enough, but the danger lurking in the shadows threatened their future.
They hoped to have forever, but they found out the hard way forever wasn’t as easy as it seemed. 

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DL Gallie is from Queensland, Australia, but she’s lived in many different places all over the world, including the UK and Canada. She currently resides in Central Queensland with her husband and two munchkins. She and her husband have been together since she was sixteen, and although they drive each other crazy at times, she couldn’t imagine her life without him.
Shortly after her son was born, DL began reading again. With encouragement from her husband, she picked up the pen and started writing, and now the voices in her head won’t shut up.
DL enjoys listening to music, drinking white wine in the summer, red wine in the winter, and beer all year round. She’s also never been known to turn down a cocktail, especially a margarita.
Author Links:
Google Play http://bit.ly/2CfBvtX
NEWSLETTER – http://eepurl.com/cW7L1D

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Out of nowhere, I ask my friend, “Danny, do you believe that two people are meant to meet? Like their destiny is written in the stars and all that mushy crap?”
“Mushy crap? Wow, so poetic there, B. But yes, I do.” He pauses and looks at me before adding, “And yes I do think that you skipping out on Hottie McHotterson was a mistake, but because I believe in fate and all that mushy crap, I believe you and he will meet again.”
“You think?” I ask.
He nods his head. “Yep, and you know why?” He doesn’t give me a chance to answer. “Because you, Bryce Dalton, never take risks like you did with him and because you took said risk, the universe is now on your side and you will meet him again.” He walks over to me and grips my shoulders. “And if you skip out on him again, I will kick your ass to Alaska and back. Capeesh?”
With a smile, I nod my head. “Capeesh, and I hope you are right, because I’m kicking myself for being such a moron that weekend.”
“You’re not a moron, babe. You are Bryce-fucking-Dalton, owner of Blushing Buds AND second best florist in Vancouver. You will get your second chance, and this time you won’t sneak out, you’ll ride him like a cowgirl—” I smack him in the arm to shut him up.
“Okay, okay, I get it and I hope you are right…”
“I knew you’d like to be on top.” He winks at me.
“Oh, stop, you fiend. Now pass me the hydrangeas and ranunculus so I can finish this bouquet.”

Expecting Ty’s Baby

Expecting Ty's Baby Banner
EXPECTING TY’S BABY BY EMPI BARYEH

Author: Empi Baryeh
Series: From Ghana With Love #2
Stand-Alone: yes
Publisher: Black Opal Books
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Multicultural
Heat Level: Sensual
Cover Artist: Kim Killion
Expected Publication Date: March 23, 2019

ETB Teaser 1

#WTMOETB

Abandoned by her father at a young age, beauty therapist, Patricia Owusu, has learned the hard way that men can’t be relied on. She’s determined to make it on her own without falling into the cultural trappings of marriage. However, when she finds herself pregnant after a torrid love affair with African-American financial consultant, Ty Webber, she discovers one man’s resolve to stick around.

When Ty discovers Patricia is carrying his baby, he offers marriage; because real men take responsibility for their actions. He isn’t prepared for Patricia’s stubborn determination to make it on her own. But nothing will prevent him from claiming his child or the woman he considers his.

Can Ty convince Patricia to take a chance on him to help provide a loving home for their baby, or will Patricia’s mistrust lead her to miss out on true love and rob her child of the type of father she never had?

Add (Expecting Ty’s Baby) to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43980274-expecting-ty-s-baby

COVER REVEAL VIDEO:

MISSED BOOK 1 IN THE SERIES?
Grab it in ebook, paperback or audiobook formats (+ meet Ty and Patricia from book 2): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007PV4COM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3

Book 1: Chancing Faith

ETB Book 1

HE DIDN’T DO SHORT-TERM RELATIONSHIPS…
American ad exec, Thane Aleksander, doesn’t date co-workers either—until business takes him to Ghana, West Africa, and he meets Naaki. Now he’s at risk of breaking all the rules. Can he stop this headlong fall before it’s too late?

UNTIL HE MET HER!
Naaki Tabika has a burning need to prove, to herself and others, that she’s more than wife and mother material. To do so, she’s prepared to give up everything for her job. Meeting Thane, however, makes her want to get personal. But falling for her boss could destroy her career. Will she be willing to risk it all for the one thing that can make her truly happy?

Two divergent cultures, two different races, two career-driven professionals, only one chance at true love—will they find the faith to take it, or will their hearts be sacrificed on the altar of financial success?

#FromGhanaWithLoveSeries #FGWLseries #ExpectingTysBaby #ChancingFaith

ABOUT EMPI BARYEH

Empi Baryeh is the award-winning author of Most Eligible Bachelor (Book of the year, 2017 Ufere Awards). She writes sweet and sensual African, multicultural and interracial romance, which happens to be her favourite genres of romance to read. Her interest in writing started around the age of thirteen after she stumbled upon a YA story her sister had started and abandoned. The story fascinated her so much that, when she discovered it was unfinished, she knew she had to complete it. Somehow the rest of the story began to take shape in her mind and she’s been writing ever since.
She lives in Accra, Ghana, with her husband and their two lovely kids.

CONNECT WITH EMPI
​Website: https://www.empibaryeh.com/
Blog: https://empibaryehauthor.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empibaryeh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/EmpiBaryeh
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/empibaryeh
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Google+: https://www.google.com/+EmpiBaryeh
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Cadence Defined (The Cadence Series Book 2)

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Cadence Defined (The Cadence Series Book 2)
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by Dakota Willink

ORDER NOW – AVAILABLE ON KINDLE & AUDIO!
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#DakotaWillink #TheCadenceSeries #FitzQuinn #CadenceRiley #Hot #MustRead #Audiobook #ReadersFavorite #Duet2 #TheDahliaProject

One love. One destiny. But it only takes one person to bring the house of cards tumbling down…

Seventeen years ago, Fitz Quinn stole the heart of Cadence Riley. He took her innocence, then left her broken. When a twist of fate brings them back together again, she quickly learns even time couldn’t dim their chemistry. Fitz was sexier than ever—successful and provocative. He became the man she always knew he would be, and the heat between them quickly became unbearable. Despite the promise she made to herself, she felt the walls to her heart start to crumble and began to fall all over again.
However, things aren’t the same as they once were. Cadence is the driving force behind a non-profit organization where she handles each case with the determination of a shark. Fitz is known as Washington’s fixer. He is the CEO for a public relations firm—one that represents the politicians who fight against everything Cadence stands for. What do they say about opposites attract?
Finding themselves at a crossroads, Fitz needs to decide if going against his father is worth pursuing a second chance with Cadence. One wrong move and his reputation could be obliterated. For Cadence, she needs to let go of her secrets and forgive Fitz for leaving her alone all those years ago. But more importantly, she needs to decide if sacrificing her values is worth being with the only man she has ever loved

Title: Cadence Defined
Author: Dakota Willink
Genre: New Adult, Romance
Published: February 26, 2019
ASIN: B07KXZBD9J

Synopsis

One love. One destiny. But it only takes one person to bring the house of cards tumbling down…

Seventeen years ago, Fitz Quinn stole the heart of Cadence Riley. He took her innocence, then left her broken. When a twist of fate brings them back together again, she quickly learns even time couldn’t dim their chemistry. Fitz was sexier than ever—successful and provocative. He became the man she always knew he would be, and the heat between them quickly became unbearable. Despite the promise she made to herself, she felt the walls to her heart start to crumble and began to fall all over again.
However, things aren’t the same as they once were. Cadence is the driving force behind a non-profit organization where she handles each case with the determination of a shark. Fitz is known as Washington’s fixer. He is the CEO for a public relations firm—one that represents the politicians who fight against everything Cadence stands for. What do they say about opposites attract?
Finding themselves at a crossroads, Fitz needs to decide if going against his father is worth pursuing a second chance with Cadence. One wrong move and his reputation could be obliterated. For Cadence, she needs to let go of her secrets and forgive Fitz for leaving her alone all those years ago. But more importantly, she needs to decide if sacrificing her values is worth being with the only man she has ever loved.

Order Links
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Q2fqXg
iTunes: https://apple.co/2DtN3ea
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B&N: https://bit.ly/2Pj5Xuj
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Audible US: https://www.audible.com/pd/Cadence-Defined-Audiobook/B07N8H6C1K

Cadence Defined Excerpt

As if on a cue, the band changed songs and a male vocalist took the mic. I instantly recognized the steady drumbeat and synthesizer as it rippled across the room. A high, sustained guitar was soon followed by the lyrics to With or Without You by U2.

I looked down at Cadence, studying her face. Her eyes were wide and glassy. She blinked rapidly, almost as if she were fighting back tears.

“That was one dance, Fitz. Thank you, but I have to go now,” she all but whispered and pulled away.

“Wait,” I said, reaching out to her. She didn’t pull away again but let me guide her slowly back into my arms.

“Just one more,” she whispered the warning like she didn’t really mean it. She knew what I was feeling—she felt it too.

The moment, the song, it was all too real. It brought me back to another time and another place. It was reminiscent of all we once shared together—the sunsets, the slow and tender touches, the mixed tapes we listened to for hours on end. Even the smell of her was the same— that vanilla scent I’d never forget. A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed it back, wanting to beat myself for wasting so much time. Too many years had passed.

“Do you know how many times I thought about finding you? I went to your parents’ house once. It was right after Bethany died. Your father answered the door. I begged him to tell me where you were, but he said I’d had my shot. He told me you were happy and had moved on with your life.”

She sucked in a sharp breath.

“I never knew.”

“I left the house thinking it was for the best. I was trying to deal with the mess Bethany left behind, my business, and Austin. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Years passed and I tried to forget you. It didn’t work. I never should have left you in the first place. I’ve spent my whole life regretting that decision, but you have to know I’m not the same man I was then. I was twenty-two years old with more baggage than I knew how to carry.”

“Shhh…please don’t. I can’t. Don’t ruin this moment by talking about the past.”

We fell silent and moved to the music, her body moving with ease against mine. The song began to come to a close all too soon, and I didn’t want to let her go. When she began to pull away for a second time, I didn’t hold her back. She had a job to do and it was wrong of me to get in her way.

“U2 revived the Joshua Tree tour,” I said offhandedly, trying to break the intensity in the air. “They’re playing FedEx Field. I should see about getting tickets for us.”

“Yeah, maybe,” she said so quietly, I barely heard her over the final guitar riff from the song. She took another step back. “That was two dances, Fitz. I really need to go work on lighting up that flower.”

She stared at me for a beat, her expression unreadable. Then without another word, she turned and walked away.

I must have stood there like a fool for another three minutes at least, stunned by the connection I still had to this woman. I shouldn’t have been surprised. It had always been there, but now it was burning brighter than the sun. I shook my head, forced myself to leave the dance floor, and made my way over to the bar. I needed a fucking drink.

After ordering a Jamison’s neat, I scanned the crowd until I spotted Cadence. I watched her work the crowd for a while, completely in awe of her ability to move efficiently around the expansive ballroom, never lingering too long with one guest before moving on to the next. She was beautiful—the whole package—and not just in appearance. It was her whole persona and the way she presented herself. There was so much goodness in her, and I wondered if she even knew it. I always saw greatness in her, and tonight was proof.

DAKOTA WILLINK

Dakota Willink is a contemporary romance writer and editor, and the author of The Stone Series. She is an associate member of Romance Writers of America and a two-time Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards winner.

Dakota has always had a passion for reading and writing. From the time she was an adolescent, she enjoyed curling up with a good paperback, reading genres that ranged from thriller and fantasy, to mystery and romance. She always dreamed of one day writing her own book, but had put her aspirations on hold to focus on her family and a career that would pay the bills. However, her heart continued to be with fictional characters – whether they belonged to a favorite author or if they were just stories that she made up in her own head.

In 2013, Dakota gathered enough courage to turn her dreams into a reality. In between playing chauffeur to two very busy children and working her job during the day, Dakota began to put words on paper. Eventually, she began to describe her life as a book. Everything she saw or heard throughout the day, intertwined with her imagination for the creation of future writings. By 2014, with the support of her husband and two children, she gave up the security of a steady paycheck and began working on her first novel full time.

Her first novel, Heart of Stone, was published in December of 2015. Less than a year after its release, the Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards recognized Heart of Stone as the 2016 Bronze Medalist in the romance category. In September of 2017, Readers’ Favorite announced Stepping Stone as the Gold Medal winner in the Contemporary Romance category.

Dakota resides in the Western New York area, where she enjoys spending time with family, her two Labrador Retrievers, and her spoiled rotten cat. During the summer months, she can often be found soaking up the sun on the Great Lakes with her family.

Official Website: http://www.dakotawillink.com
Newsletter Sign Up: http://www.dakotawillink.com/subscribe.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DakotaWillink/
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dakota-willink-7bb34410b

Irresistible

Irresistible, an all-new sexy standalone from USA Today bestselling author @melanie_harlow is available now!

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

http://bit.ly/2DQpyJV

#Bookstagrammer #amreading #booklove #booksofinstagram #bookblogger #availablenow #KindleUnlimited #bookstagram #bookworm #socialbutterflypr #Irresistible #MelanieHarlow #CloverleighFarmsSeries #bibliophile #IGreads @socialbutterfly_pr

Joker’s Wild: A Mafia Romance

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This is about how Alpha male, Junior Tacone who decides that the only way he will be able to save his Brother is by taking a Nurse that he trusts to make sure he lives. So Junior who is the head of the family orders her to be taken outside of her work. He has always had his eyes for her but didn’t want to corrupt her with the family business.

Desiree Lopez is a hot headed nurse who was Junior’s mom’s nurse when she needed her help.
She had fantasies for Junior when she would see him treating his mom. She is Sassy and says what is on her mind.

These two have some amazing chemistry together and do they ever get hot between the sheets.. This book was entertaining and packed the hotness up a notch.. I would have liked to have it be a tad more.realistic. I feel Desiree could have held off more with Junior who had kidnapped her. I feel she let him off way to easy even though she had feelings for him. I don’t think anyone would fall into bed feelings or not if they were taken against their will. I would have like to see it be a bit more realistic.
With that being said it was still a good book and it did entertain me. This was the first book I’ve read from this author and I will continue to read her books..

I give it 4 stars
3 Amigo’s Wicked Book Reviews Written by Teresa (ss)
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Amazon : https://amzn.to/2NmJvfT

 

This Ain’t Love

This Ain’t Love
by AJ Love

(book #1 in the Harry Dukes Series)

Release Date14th February

Genre: College Romance/RomCom

#ThisAintLove #AJLove #ReleaseBlitz 

Goodreads

Synopsis

Blake Riley has a crush that needs to be ripped out of her.

Then buried.

Then set on fire.

And she needs it to happen yesterday.

Cameron Jackson doesn’t care about crushes.

Or that the girl he wants to bang is doing everything she can to fend him off.

He wants to hook up.

And he wants it to happen everyday.

She’s one girl.

Stuck in a house with five guys.

Like the opening credits of a 90’s porno.

Only not.

The porno would be better.

So much better.

Buy the Book Today!


Universal link: mybook.to/ThisAintLove

Meet the Author

AJ Love has been writing since she was a little girl, never leaving the house without a notebook. As a corporate stooge and single mother, she spends all of her free time reading, writing and drinking too much coffee (wine). AJ has a strong passion for the literary world and before writing her book, spent all of her time reviewing others. She also enjoys talking with all that read her book(s), her philosophy being that readers and authors are all part of the same world – a world where they are all enthusiastic about words.

Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AJLoveAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anniebean91/?hl=en

Joker’s Wild: Chapter Reveal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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HE KIDNAPPED ME. HELD ME PRISONER.
I knew Junior Tacone was dangerous.
I worked for him once taking care of his mother.
I thought when the job was over I’d be safe.
Out of his awareness. Out of his reach.
But his brother took a bullet and Junior picked me to be his nurse.
So I’m his prisoner, trapped in his beautiful house, subject to his rule.
And it seems he’s developed a thing for me.
Which means he may never let me go…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: This steamy stand-alone romance is the fifth in USA Today bestselling author Renee Rose’s Vegas Underground series. No cheating, no cliffhangers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Junior

It’s supposed to be a civil meeting after dark at Caffè Milano.
Trouble is, you never know when you’re dealing with Russian mafiya. Fucking unpredictable feral bastards.
We’re here today to talk territory. They’ve been encroaching on our neighborhoods. Moving drugs. Working prostitution with females I suspect are enslaved.
I don’t give a shit what they do anywhere else, and fuck knows we don’t have much business in our old neighborhoods anymore, but I consider it a Family obligation to keep them clean. Keep the fucking Russians out of them.
We meet in the open, at a sidewalk cafe in Cicero. We  call it the old neighborhood, kinda like how my father’s generation used to refer to the Old Country.
We’re in the business of lending money, same as always. It’s legit, unless you count the beatdowns that come with not making payments on time. These days, business has grown to huge proportions and we’re now living in mansions in the suburbs. Which doesn’t mean I don’t care about what happens in my territory.
I see one of the younger bratva sitting at a table—Ivan, I think. Vlad, their leader, doesn’t seem to be there.
Cazzo. I don’t like the way this is going.
My brothers, Gio and Paolo, and I get out of the Range Rover, along with our soldiers, Mario and Luca. We’re all armed, although we don’t make a show of it by openly carrying weapons.
“Where’s Vlad?” I ask Ivan. Gio comes with me, the other three hang back, as arranged.
Ivan shrugs, looking bored. “Coming.”
The girl working the counter—a slouchy millennial in skinny jeans and a fitted top comes out.  I recognize her but I don’t know her name. She’s the granddaughter of the original owner, Luigi Milano, my father’s friend.
“Mr. Tacone.” She greets me but her face is anything but friendly. In fact, her lips are drawn in a thin line and a muscle jumps in her jaw. She darts a glance at the Russian and back at me like she’s afraid of having both of us in her place at the same time.
I named Caffè Milano as the meeting location because I consider it friendly territory for us, but I wonder if, with the new generation, things have changed. Maybe they’ve made deals with the Russians.
I should be angry by the thought, but it registers as a low buzz, hardly an interest.
“Can I bring you anything? An espresso? Cannoli?”
“Get lost,” the Russian snaps and she visibly jerks, and when her gaze swivels back to me, there’s pleading in it.
Fuck.
Whatever the Russians are doing here, she’s not down with it.
Which means I still have a problem.
“Espresso,” I say, wishing I could think of her name. I remember her running around here as a little girl back when my dad used this as a meeting place. Marissa? Faith? Fuck, I have no idea.
She stands there a second longer—way too long for a normal server, and now I’m positive there’s a problem.
“Get. Lost.” The Russian looks dangerous.
She throws one last glance my way and heads inside.
Gio’s elbow presses subtly but firmly against my arm. He’s telling me something, too. I sense Paolo shift behind us.
Fanculo, this thing is going sideways. It’s a trick. An ambush.
I glance through the large plate glass window. Every seat near the window is taken. Unusual for this time of night. Caffè Milano is more of a daytime deli. They stay open until evening, but people aren’t usually hanging around. I notice every customer in the place has his head bent as if to obscure my view of his face.
Ivan stands up and my hand inches toward the Walther PPK at the back of my waist. “Let’s go inside.”
“I don’t think so,” Gio answers for me, whipping out his gun.
And just like that, the thing explodes.
Shots ring out from fucking everywhere. Some come from inside the cafe, shattering the glass. Some come from our guys behind me. Gio and the Russian on the sidewalk fire at each other.
I throw the table through the glass, shattering it with explosive force to clear the view, then aim and shoot at a wounded Ivan at the same time he hits Gio.
Gio grunts and staggers backward, clutching his gut.
No. No! Not Gio. Fuck!
Things go slow-motion for me. I grab Gio’s gun from his hand and shove him into Paolo and Mario. “Get him to the car!” I shout as I aim at the heads ducked down below the window. I pull the triggers.
One. Two. Three dead. I’m shooting with both hands like I’m in a motherfucking movie.
I slam my foot into the door to kick it open and walk through. Four. Five down. I swing the guns around, looking for movement. Luca enters behind me, gun drawn, late to the show.
Something moves behind the counter and I pivot the muzzle of my Beretta. Luca aims too. It’s the Caffè Milano girl.
Fuck. Can she be trusted not to squeal? I hold the gun steady as I make my decision.
“She’s a witness,” Luca murmurs, like I don’t already know. But we don’t kill the innocent. My mind spins on how loyal her family was, and whether that bond still holds.
Her eyes fill with tears. “Mr. Tacone…”
Merde. I shove both guns in my pockets. She’s loyal. She wanted to warn me, I’m sure of it.
“No, not Tacones,” I tell her firmly. I sweep a hand around the room. “Russians.”
“Right,” she nods shakily. “All Russians.”
Smart girl.
“Give me five minutes before you call 911.”
“Got it.” Her head’s still wobbly on her neck.
I back toward the door. “I’m good for the damages.” I jerk my head toward the window, the bullet-riddled interior.
Tears spill down her cheeks as we leave and jump into the running car.
Paolo takes off, driving fast but easy-like. Not squealing tires or calling attention to us.
“Gio. Gio? Talk to me.” I sit beside my brother, pressing my hand over his where he holds the wound.
“I’m hit.” Gio’s slumped in the back seat, blood soaked through his shirt and jacket.
“I know. Just hang in there. You’re gonna be okay, you hear me?”
“Where to, Junior?” Paolo shouts from the front seat.
“My place. Then you three go pick up Desiree Lopez.”
“Ma’s nurse?”
“That’s right. She owes me a favor. She’s works in Trauma at Cook County. If she’s not at work, she lives on 22nd in Humboldt Park. Find her and bring her to my house. ”

#

Desiree

I barely notice my surroundings as I walk, keys in hand, to my old but running fourteen-year-old Honda Civic. I don’t see the shiny black Range Rover parked a few spaces down.
My instincts don’t warn me.
Maybe they would’ve if I hadn’t just worked a twelve-hour shift in Trauma. Maybe I wouldn’t have just plodded out to my parking garage, brushing off the security guard’s offer to walk me to my car.
Not until two big guys in trench coats get out of it and come right for me.
Oh God. This is it. I’m about to be raped and killed.
I freeze for one second, heart pounding, then dart forward, racing to jump in my car before they can reach me.
“Hold it!” One of them yells and they both lunge, one blocking my driver’s side door, the other coming after me. “Desiree Lopez?”
My brain can’t even compute how they know my name. I open my mouth to scream, but the guy claps a hand over my mouth. “Quiet.” His terse command comes out deep and scratchy. He smells of cigar smoke. He takes my purse from my shoulder, pulls out my wallet and looks at my I.D. “Yeah, it’s her.”
Adrenaline pumps through my veins. I know what they say. If someone drags you to a car, you’re not going to come back alive, so fight for your life. I elbow my kidnapper, turn my head to bite his hand.
But it’s useless. He mutters a curse in some other language and tightens his hold. All my weight thrown around, all my twisting and writhing is nothing to him. He picks me up and carries me forward.
His buddy comes up behind us and presses a gun to my ribs. “Enough with the struggle. Get in the car.” They haul me into the back of the Range Rover, sandwiched between the two men. One of them strips me of my purse as the vehicle takes off.
A bag drops over my head and I renew my fight, but they control me easily, each one taking a wrist and pinning them down by my sides.
“Yeah, we got her,” one of them says. At first I think he’s talking to the driver, stating the obvious, but then I realize he must be on a phone. “See you there.”
“Wh-what’s going on?” I warble.
No one answers me.
The phone call gives me pause. They wouldn’t call someone to say they had me if their intent was to rape and kill, would they?
They would if they’re devil worshippers who require a virgin sacrifice.
Not that I’m a virgin. Or that my theory is likely.
“I don’t know what you want, but, please. Please let me go.”
Again, no one bothers answering.
The Range Rover drives fast—and the way it only briefly slows, I’d bet they are rolling through stops or red lights, making me plow into the men beside me when it turns.
We drive long enough for me to get good and scared. For my breath to shudder in and out on silent sobs. No tears, though. I must be too afraid to let go.
And then we stop. The asshole on my right drags me out of the car, and I stumble for my footing, the blackness of the sack over my head stealing my sense of balance as well as my sight.
The surroundings are quieter—not a city street anymore, but still a sidewalk under my feet.
“What the fuck are you doing?” An angry male voice demands in a low voice, drawing closer with each word. “I told you not to hurt her.”
“She’s not hurt, just scared.” The voice beside me is low, too. We must be someplace people would hear us if they raised their voices. A neighborhood?
“Let her go.” The bag flies off my head.
I open my mouth to scream, but the sound dies on my lips when I blink up at the pair of sharp, dark eyes above the stubbled masculine line of a powerful jaw belonging to my former employer.
Junior Tacone.
Shit.
My galloping heart slows, reverses direction, takes off again.
“Junior.” I call him by the name his mother used when I worked in her house, forgetting the “Mr. Tacone,” forgetting to show respect.
And then, because I had actually been attracted to this man last time I saw him—had thought maybe he had a thing for me, too—and I just had the shit scared out of me, I slap his face, hard.
The men beside me growl and grasp my arms again.
“Let her go.” He takes my forearms instead, pulling me into him. Through his long wool coat, the firmness of his large body presses back at me. His dark gaze is commanding. Intense. “I’ll let that slide, this time. Because they scared you.”
A shiver runs up my spine. He’ll let that slide.
This time.
Like ordinarily, there are consequences for slapping the mob boss.
Of course there are.
“Now, come inside, I need your help.”
I look up the sidewalk at the huge house illuminated by streetlights. It’s not his mother’s Victorian brick where I worked for three months as a home healthcare nurse after her hip surgery.
Must be his?
I try to pull my wrist from his grasp. “No. You can’t just, just… kidnap me and tell me to come inside because you need my help.”
He shifts his grasp and tips his head toward the house. “Let’s go.” He doesn’t even bother answering my argument. And I suppose that’s because I’m dead wrong. He can just kidnap me and demand my help. He’s Junior Tacone, of the Chicago underground. He and his men have guns. They can make me do whatever they damn well please.
The relief that trickled in when I saw his handsome face ebbs back out. I may still never walk out of here. Because whatever awaits me in that house isn’t going to be pretty. Or legal.
Someone’s hurt and they need a nurse. That’s my best guess.
And now I’ll be a witness to whatever they’re trying to hide.
Is one of their members hurt?  Or are they torturing someone? Need me to keep him alive so they can get something out of him?
I have no choice but to go in. I may have spunk, but I’m not willing to find out what happens if you defy the kingpin of Chicago. I fall into step beside him, hurrying to match his long strides.
He slides his grip from my wrist to my hand. His large hand warms my icy one and has a protective quality, like we’re on a date.
Like I’m not his prisoner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR RENEE ROSE is a naughty wordsmith who writes kinky BDSM novels. Named Eroticon USA’s Next Top Erotic Author in 2013, she has also won The Romance Reviews Best Historical Romance, and Spanking Romance Reviews’ Best Sci-fi, Paranormal, Historical, Erotic, Ageplay and favorite couple and author. She’s hit #1 on Amazon in multiple categories in the U.S. and U.K., is often found on the list of Amazon’s Top Author list. She also pens BDSM stories under the name Darling Adams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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