Lolita backs up toward the door, her terrified eyes never leaving my face. I put out my hand and shove the door closed, crowding her against it. "Who were you with?"
Lolita swallows and stares up at me with huge eyes. She can sense it, too, this power crackling through me. It’s like a hit of adrenaline and a shot of whisky, making me invincible.
"No one."
I slam my fist against the door, and she jumps. "Don’t lie to me." The scent from her body is all warm summer night and fragrant flowers. I’d know, wouldn’t I, if she’s had some man pressed against her? I grasp her chin and turn her head in the light, examining her lips and throat. Her mouth isn’t swollen with kisses. There are no red bite-marks on her creamy neck. The tight band around my heart eases a little.
She yanks her chin from my hand and glares at me. "Get your hands off me."
"In this house, you will obey my rules," I seethe.
"Go to hell."
So that’s how it’s going to be. That’s how she thinks it will be, anyway. I’m glad she’s misbehaved on her very first night. We can get things straight from the beginning. "Say you’re sorry for breaking the rules."
Lolita forces a laugh. There’s defiance in her eyes, but fear, too. She isn’t sure how far I’m willing to take this.
All the way.
I reach down and slowly unbuckle my belt, the black leather sliding through the silver buckle. "Last chance, Lolita. Say, I’m sorry, daddy."
Her voice is a horrified whisper. "You wouldn’t dare."
There’s nothing I wouldn’t dare do right now. There’s a voice whispering in the back of my mind, showing me the way forward. I loop the belt around her neck and draw her to me. “Tell daddy you’re sorry, and I’ll let you off just this once.”
Her eyes flicker with panic, but she doesn’t say anything. I tighten the belt around her throat until she struggles to breathe. "I’ve got all night. You’ve got about a minute till you pass out."
"I’m sorry," she finally chokes out.
"I’m sorry, daddy."
Her face creases with revulsion. I smile a slow, smoldering smile, anticipating how sweet it will sound from her pretty pink mouth.
"I’m sorry, daddy."
Her lips are so close to mine that I could drop a kiss onto them. Her breasts are pressed against my chest. I can smell her innocence, just begging to be consumed.
A delicacy like Lolita is meant to be savored. Slowly, I loosen my hold on the belt, slide it free from her neck and step back. "Daddy forgives you, babygirl."
Lolita takes great, heaving breaths. ‘I’ll tell Mamá what you just did. What you made me call you, you pervert.’
I chuckle, threading my belt back through my pants. "Go ahead. It’s not as if she’ll believe you, you filthy little liar."
Lolita bursts into tears, yanks the door open, and runs from the room. I watch her disappear down the hall, still grinning.
Then the smile dies on my face.
I stagger and clutch the door frame as horror crashes over me. What the fuck was I just doing to my stepdaughter? The righteous anger that sustained me all evening and told me that terrorizing Lolita was the right thing to do has evaporated, and I’m left cold and empty. I hear a faint peal of malicious laughter, and whip around.
‘Who’s there?’
The castel is still around me. The chirping cicadas cut through the night air. I look down at my hands, the ones that so recently held my belt tight around Lolita’s throat, and see that they’re shaking.
Who am I? What am I becoming? I don’t recognize myself from the man I was this morning. The man I was before I met Lolita.
US AFTER YOU by Claudia Burgoa
Release Date: March 5th
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Blurb:
I’m an independent woman.
I’ve learned never to ask for help.
I’ve been on my own for years.
Until my sister leaves me to take care of my niece.
If only they had left her in my capable hands.
Instead, I share custody with him.
Infamous billionaire, Tucker Decker.
He likes his relationships casual and free of commitment. Family ties are at the bottom of his list.
He’s ruthless, impulsive, cold-hearted, and hot as sin.
But when it comes to his former bandmates, he’d do anything for them.
Tragedy demands sacrifice.
We’re forced to move-in together to care for my niece.
He has to learn that there’s more to life than money.
I need to learn how to trust...and how to love.
But when the ghosts of our past come back to haunt us, can we survive them and each other?
Excerpt:
The party runs smoothly. Patrick or Rocco remains close to my sister unless his two friends are around. Thank goodness my parents sent their apologies. They’ll be at the wedding.
It’s past nine when the crowd begins to thin. The caterer and the cleaning crew are bustling around, making sure things remain tidy.
The door of the kitchen swings open, I’m expecting to see Grams who was going to help Gramps go upstairs. Instead, it’s him.
My cells buzz with excitement, which I don't quite understand. He’s not my type. I like clean shaven, laid back, trustworthy guys.
“Need any help?” he asks.
“Why would you ask? Is this some kind of outreach program? One kind act to make up for your daily shit?”
He lifts his eyebrows and studies me.
“What is it?” I ask. “You keep watching me.”
He smiles, extending his hand. “Let’s start again, Tucker Dean Decker.”
The contact of his skin against mine sends a fluttering sensation along my extremities and my stomach. My breath quickens. I have the need to run away from him.
Those eyes have turned warm, and for some reason, he prolongs the grip longer than he should. I feel the warmth of his skin. Suddenly, I’m too aware of his closeness. For a moment, I look at his big calloused hand, swallowing mine. I enjoy the electric pulses that his touch creates.
Scared of how I feel, I tug my hand out of his grasp, taking a step back.
“Is it the haircut or the five-thousand-dollar suit?” he asks. “There has to be a good reason why you don’t like me.”
“Maybe both,” I reply. “Tell me, Dean, is that name strictly to pick up women?”
He shakes his head. “It’s a way to keep undesired attention. Introducing myself as Tucker Decker is…something I stopped doing a long time ago.”
I laugh. “Your ego has been pumped that much that you think women will throw themselves at your feet?”
“Baby, I don’t need a bunch of women to stroke my ego to know when a woman is attracted to me. The question is, why are you fighting it?” he says boldly.
“You’re full of shit,” I say, blowing out some air, before I smack him.
“Tuck, the jet is ready. We promised to meet Nana for brunch,” Ethan says.
“Is Rocco coming?”
Ethan steps inside, shaking his head. “Nope, and it’s for the best, Zeke isn’t going to take the new Patrick well. At least the fiancée is sweet.”
“You’re judging her without knowing her,” I declare.
“If you knew Rocco, you’d know why we’re cautious,” Ethan says. “I can’t apologize for watching over my friend. Aren’t you concerned that your sister is dating a rock star?”
A pit of hopelessness opens in my stomach, should I be concerned? “I…”
“He’s a good guy,” Tucker says. “Trust takes time, and I’m sure it’s both ways. We don’t expect you to welcome him with open arms.”
“I trust my sister,” I say.
“Maybe we don’t trust Rocco and that’s the root of it all,” he tells me and winks, leaving without letting me ask any questions.
Who are you marrying, Sienna Heywood?
About the Author:
Claudia is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author.
She writes alluring, thrilling stories about complicated women and the men who take their breath away.
She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and her youngest two children. She has a sweet Bichon, Macey, who thinks she’s the ruler of the house. She’s only partially right.
When Claudia is not writing, you can find her reading, knitting, or just hanging out with her family. At night, I like to binge-watch shows with his equal geek husband.
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AFTER THE FALL (The Fallen Men #4) by Giana Darling
Release Date: March 13th
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Blurb:
I was settin’ up to live a good life, the kinda life I’d fought hard to deserve.
With a good woman––the best woman––at my side, a degree under my belt, and the whole world at my feet, I was livin’ the kinda happily ever after usually denied the rebellious and the criminal. I’d turned my back on that kinda life, thinkin’ I needed that clean, wholesome kinda happy.
Then the devil came dressed in the wings of an angel and took someone from me.
And I realized I was wrong.
There was no clean and wholesome for a man like me with poetry in his heart and outlaw in his blood. The life I’d been livin’ was only purgatory, holding me over until the time came for me to descend into Hell and pick up the tarnished crown that awaited me.
I was condemning my woman to a life of violence, blood, and heartache, but I had to hope she’d step up and finally be the rough and tumble queen to my Fallen MC king.
After the Fall can be read as a stand-alone romance, but you first meet the couple in Lessons in Corruption (The Fallen Men, #1)
About the Author:
Giana Darling is a USA Today Bestselling Selling Canadian romance writer who specializes in the taboo and angsty side of love and romance. She currently lives in beautiful British Columbia where she spends time riding on the back of her man's bike, baking pies, and reading snuggled up with her cat Persephone. She loves to hear from readers so please contact her at gianadarling[at]gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.
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