Thursday, May 31, 2018

IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME by Kylie Scott - Cover Reveal

We are thrilled to bring you the cover for the next standalone from New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Kylie Scott.

IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME will release on AUGUST 7th!

    "Addictive like all Kylie Scott books, you'll swoon, laugh, ache, put your life on hold, and compulsively read until the wee hours of the night—only to reread the whole thing the next morning. Perfection!" - Katy Evans, New York Times bestselling author Returning home for her father’s wedding was never going to be easy for Adele. If being sent away at eighteen hadn’t been bad enough, the mess she left behind when she made a pass at her dad’s business partner sure was. Fifteen years older than her, Pete had been her crush for as long as she could remember. But she’d misread the situation—confusing friendliness for undying love. Awkward. Add her father to the misunderstanding, and Pete was left with a broken nose and a business on the edge of ruin. The man had to be just as glad as everyone else when she left town. Seven years later, things are different. Adele is no longer a kid, but a fully grown adult more than capable of getting through the wedding and being polite. But all it takes is seeing him again to bring back those old feelings. Sometimes first loves are the truest.      

 PREORDER NOW

AMAZON | AMAZON UK | AMAZON AU | iBooks | B&N | KOBO

      kyliescottimageKylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 & 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. You can learn more about Kylie from http://www.kylie-scott.com/   FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FACEBOOK FAN GROUP | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS        

COVER REVEAL - NIGHT by JESSICA FLORENCE

 

Night, the final book in Jessica Florence's Hero Society Series is coming July 12th!!

   
Night is here.
A time for heroes to fight the darkness.
Esme has always been a healer—whether it was a gift or a curse she could never decide. With every use of her power, she moves closer to death. All she ever wanted was to find the type of love that legends were made of, a seemingly impossible task in a world that was falling apart before her eyes.
Until him.
Dorian is no Prince Charming, and even though Esme knows she’s better off being enemies than lovers, she can’t help who her heart claims.
It’s the heroes’ last stand against the night, and the fate of the world is in the hands of those who are willing to fight.
Will darkness cover the earth?
Or will the Hero Society bring the world of man back into the light?Will they continue to fight the shadows or succumb to the darkness?

Add Night to your TBR - https://bit.ly/2L8perV

     

 Start the Series Today for FREE!

Amazon Universal - mybook.to/HeroSociety
 

About Jessica Florence

Writer of Alpha Males & Fairy Tales Author <3 PotterHead <3 Movie Geek Extraordinaire.
When she's not writing her next invigorating story. You can find her running her own business, and spending time with her husband and daughter in southwest Florida.  

Follow Jessica Florence

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

GENT by Harloe Rae *RELEASE*GIVEAWAY*




Title: GENT
Author: Harloe Rae
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: May 30, 2018



Blurb

Raven Elliot blasts into town like a wrecking ball—striking and devastating.
With a few simple words, my reliable routine crumbles to dust.

“Is this seat taken?”

I could close my eyes and let her voice wrap around me like a lover’s caress.
But this isn’t that kind of story.
And I’m sure as hell not that kind of man.

She hovers in my space, batting her lashes and smiling shyly.
The glimmer in her sapphire eyes is a promise of peace.
But I’m not falling for it.
And Raven doesn't take the hint.

What starts as a battle of wills, explodes into a turf war.
She stands directly in my path everywhere I turn.
No matter how hard I shove, she won’t budge.
Raven seems dead set on driving me insane.
But I was here first.
And I’m not going down easy.

After all, no one ever taught me how to treat a lady.







Purchase Links

99c for a limited time!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited





Excerpt

“Listen, babe—”
She holds up her hand like a stop sign and for some reason, having her interrupt doesn’t bother me.
“Did you just babe me?” Her question is all sass.
“Sure did, sweetheart. Call ‘em like I see ‘em. Don’t pretend to be offended. We both know why you’re over here talking to me.”
Her face turns an adorable shade of pink. “First, stop with the nicknames. Second, are you for real? What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I don’t see any issue. You’re the one disrupting my quiet evening.”
“What the… I mean, seriously? I want to sit down and this is the only available spot. You honestly think I came over here to hit on you?”
Her ridiculous question doesn’t deserve a response. My glare matches hers as I silently explain my opinion on the matter. My expression must tell her everything she needs to know.
“Wow, you’re an asshole.”
“You’re the third woman to call me that tonight. Be careful, I might get a complex.”
“Aw, poor baby. I’d hate to dent your fragile ego,” she snips with a curl in her lip.
“There’s nothing fragile about me. Don’t worry. I’m hard and solid. Wanna feel?” I ask and pat my abs.
She nods to my hands. “No, thanks. I’d hate for you to rub off on me.”
“Does the grease under my nails bother you? Princess is afraid of getting a little dirty?”
“Do you get a rise out of being mean?”
I lean against the bar and cross my arms. “I don’t get many complaints. You’re not from around here, so I’ll fill you in—the ladies love me.”
“Pretty sure I saw Barbie McCleveage storm off after chatting with you. She didn’t look too satisfied.”
“Now who’s using nicknames? Jealous much?”
“Hardly,” she huffs.  
I smirk before checking out her rack, being extremely obvious about it. Pushing her buttons takes away the tension from earlier, replacing it with a surprising ease. Fighting with her is the most nonsexual fun I’ve had with a woman in a long time. Wonder how she’d react if I called her ma’am.
“All right, all right. You’ve broken me down. I was set on not having any company tonight, but for you, I’ll make an exception. If you insist on standing here, blabbing away, I’ve got far better uses for that luscious mouth. My place isn’t too far away,” I suggest while waggling my brows. My behavior is over the top, but what can I say? She’s bringing out the best in me.
Her lips part in shock. This stranger just stares at me, and I’m sure she’s about to turn away… or slap me. Either way, mission accomplished.
But this chick is full of surprises.






Also by Harloe Rae


FREE for a VERY limited time!!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Always free in Kindle Unlimited






Author Bio


Harloe Rae is a Minnesota gal with a serious addiction to romance. She’s always chasing an epic happily ever after.

When she’s not buried in the writing cave, Harloe can be found hanging with her hubby and son. If the weather permits, she loves being lakeside or out in the country with her horses.

Harloe is the author of Redefining Us, Forget You Not, Watch Me Follow, and GENT. These titles are available on Amazon.


Author Links

FACEBOOK PROFILE / PAGE 

Blog Tour: ROUGH EDGE by CD Reiss

Rough-Edge-SBPR-BT-Banner.jpg

“This series grips you by the throat and refuses to let go—and you’ll be begging for more the entire time.” Sierra Simone, USA Today Bestselling Author

rough-edge-one-final
"𝑼𝒏𝒛𝒊𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕."
You married a decent man.
A rock solid, arrogant war hero who knew exactly who he was and what he wanted. He wanted you, and you gave yourself to him.
You are his only desire--the only woman in his orbit--but the intensity of that desire is turning dangerous.
Love may be the death of both of you.
NY Times Bestselling author CD Reiss brings dark intensity to a couple so in love, they'll make the darkest of sacrifices to save each other.
rough-edge-available-now
Grab Your Copy Today!
Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/RoughEdge
Google Play: https://bit.ly/2pQwIHf
Add to GoodReads: https://bit.ly/2vhJ68W
Destroy us both.jpg   CUTTING EDGE_FREE IG.jpg
Read the prequel, Cutting Edge FREE today!
Exclusively on iBooks: https://apple.co/2Ia9q6U
Excerpt:
In the dark, during the fundraising video, she leaned into me, taking my hand. “What’s going on?” “Nothing.” “Caden.” My name was more than a statement. It was a comment on how well she knew the animal, and how well she loved it. If eyes could listen, hers did, gazing at me in the darkness. I couldn’t lie to her for much longer. The entire invite list was watching the video. The bar was empty. The hallway lights were dimmed. The kitchen staff moved constantly and quietly to set up the buffet. I laced my fingers in hers. She had a gold band we’d gotten out of expediency. No big sparkling rock. No sign I’d ever courted her properly before marrying her. My father always said a man didn’t skip steps if he wanted to do something once. I slid my cheek to hers and whispered in her ear, “I want to destroy you.” Her hand tightened in mine so tightly I could feel our bones. Her glands must have fired, because the apples and the perfume melded and became something so uniquely her my balls ached—but not for simple release. For something more. An agreement of ownership. Waiting wasn’t an option. Pulling her by the hand, I headed for the hallway. “Caden,” she said when we were away from the event, “slow down.” I didn’t. I couldn’t. I pulled her down the carpeted steps to the lower level, stepping over a velvet rope at the bottom. The lights were out in the hall. Three doors led to three empty event rooms. “What’s with you lately?” she asked. “Are you saying no?” “I’m asking a question.” I backed into one of the rooms and pulled her in. It was dark but for light coming from under the doorways on each side. I walked in deeper, eyes adjusting quickly enough to avoid the tables and stacks of chairs on wheeled dollies. “So am I.” I faced her. “Are you saying no?” “What are you hoping I’ll say yes to?” “I’m going to pull that dress up until I can get to these hard nipples.” I pinched them through the dress and she gasped. “Then I’ll bend you over one of these tables and fuck you so hard walking’s going to hurt. Are you saying no?” “I’m not. But I want to know what’s going on with you.” “Pull your dress up before I shred it.”
About the Author
CD Reiss is a New York Times bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn't pick up she's at the well hauling buckets. Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master's degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels. She's frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn't ever gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood. If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine. _21A6258_pp-fb
Connect with CD Reiss:

*Reveal* The Naked Truth by Vi Keeland

TNT_Title_Black
A Standalone Second Chance Romance Novel
By: #1 NY Times Best Selling Author, Vi Keeland
RELEASE DATE: Monday, July 23, 2018
Synopsis: It was just a typical Monday. Until the big boss asked me to make the pitch for a prospective new client. After two years on shaky ground at work because of my screw up, an opportunity to impress the senior partners was just what I needed. Or so I thought… Until I walked into the conference room and collided with the man I was supposed to pitch. My coffee spilled, my files tumbled to the ground, and I almost lost my balance. And that was the good part of my day. Because the gorgeous man crouched down and looking at me like he wanted to eat me alive, was none other than my ex, Gray Westbrook. A man who I’d only just begun to move on from. A man who my heart despised—yet my body obviously still had other ideas about. A man who was as charismatic and confident as he was sexy. Somehow, I managed to make it through my presentation ignoring his intense stare. Although it was impossible to ignore all the dirty things he whispered into my ear right after I was done. But there was no way I was giving him another chance, especially now that he was a client…was there? TNT_FullCover

TNT_FrontCoverPhoto/Cover Details

Photo Credits: Mondadori Portfolio/Paolo Stella ARTeProduction/Jonathan Segade Model: Simone Bredariol - D’men - www.dmanagementgroup.com Cover Designer: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative
**Watch out for a special excerpt sneak peak of The Naked Truth on July 18th!!**
PURCHASE LINKS
ibooks: https://apple.co/2xliFQZ Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2kuv7V6 **No Amazon ebook preorder. Will go live on Amazon on release day. Sign up for Vi’s mailing list and/or text alerts now and be the first one notified when it goes live! https://www.subscribepage.com/i6h3o5 - Text the word BOOKS to 77948

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2H0XH9p 
  TNT_NameBar91FFBs19XQL._UX250_ About the Author: Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles have appeared in over ninety Bestseller lists and are currently translated in twenty languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.

Sign up for Vi’s mailing list: https://www.subscribepage.com/i6h3o5

Do you like texts better than email? Receive text notices of Vi’s new releases by texting the word BOOKS to 77948 You will ONLY receive a text when a new book goes live - no other messages at all!

Find Vi here

Facebook Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ViKeelandFanGroup/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Vi-Keeland/435952616513958 https://www.facebook.com/vi.keeland Website: http://www.vikeeland.com Twitter: @vikeeland - https://twitter.com/ViKeeland Instagram: @Vi_Keeland - http://instagram.com/Vi_Keeland/ Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6887119.Vi_Keeland

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Release Blitz* ALL NIGHT LONG by J. Kenner

SBPR-ALLNIGHTLONGAll Night Long, an all-new sexy standalone by #1 New York Times bestselling author J. Kenner, is LIVE!

9 - September - All Night Long
I wear designer suits on my body by day and gorgeous women on my arm at night. Some might call me arrogant, with my chiseled jaw and my dark blue eyes. Add in my money and I can get any woman I want.
Now, I want her.
The night I spent with Selma has lived in my most erotic dreams. And ever since she swept back into my life, with her flashing eyes and delicious body, I want nothing more than to make sultry new memories.
But with an election coming up, and an office I want to fill, it isn’t the right time to get involved with a free-spirited girl with a wild streak. A girl who doesn’t abide by the rules. A girl who could get me noticed in all the wrong ways.
A girl who makes me crazy … in all the right ones.
Now I’m going to have to decide: Walk the straight and narrow? Or have the hottest, wildest affair of my life with the sexiest woman I’ve ever known?
**All Night Long is part of a binge read series by New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and #1 International bestselling author of the million copy Stark series, J. Kenner.
Each book in the series is a STANDALONE novel with NO cliffhanger and a guaranteed HEA!
ALL NIGHT LONG_AN

Read Today!

Add to GoodReads: https://bit.ly/2wGtBs4
ANL_TEASER_3-2_V2.jpg

Start the Series of Standalones Today!

Down On Me
Amazon Universal: myBook.to/DownOnMe
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2iNkziM
Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2jd6hs6

About J. Kenner

J. Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and #1 International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres. Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal mommy lit. JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swoon for them.” A five time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy). Her Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series (as Julie Kenner) is currently in development with AwesomenessTV/Awestruck. Her books have sold over three million copies and are published in over twenty languages. In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats. jkenner

Connect with Julie:

Website: www.jkenner.com

FOOL FOR LOVE by Marie Force - Paperback Release


Today we are celebrating the mass market paperback release of FOOL FOR LOVE by Marie Force. This is the second title in Marie's bestselling Gansett Island series. Check out the links for the book below, along with other books in the series.

PURCHASE FOOL FOR LOVE NOW!

 

FOOL FOR LOVE (Gansett Island #2) by Marie Force

Now Available in Mass Market Paperback!

Book Blurb:

Sometimes you have to rock the boat . . . Joe Cantrell, owner of the Gansett Island Ferry Company, has been in love with Janey McCarthy for as long as he can remember. And for just as long, Janey has had a boyfriend—now fiancé— doctor-in-training, David Lawrence. But when things go terribly wrong and the engagement is broken, Janey decides that a few days on the mainland with Joe—who she calls her “fifth brother”—is just what she needs before she goes home to the island to face her family with the bad news . . . Loving Janey from afar was tough enough on Joe, but having her in his house is pure torture. Will he keep himself in the friend zone? Or will he take advantage of this opportunity to show Janey what they could have together? And what will his best friend—Janey’s protective older brother, Mac—have to say about it? Now Joe will finally have to decide if it’s time to leave safe waters and set his own course . . .

Check out Marie's website for a huge release giveaway!

Praise for Marie Force and her novels “With the McCarthys of Gansett Island, Marie Force makes you believe in the power of true love and happily ever after. Over and over again.” —Carly Phillips, New York Times bestselling author of the Serendipity series “Force excels at creating characters readers can identify with and care about.” Booklist

 

An Official Military Spouse Book Club Pick

OTHER MASS MARKET PAPERBACK TITLES IN THE GANSETT ISLAND SERIES

PURCHASE MAID FOR LOVE!

Available Now!

PRE-ORDER READY FOR LOVE NOW!

Coming June 26

-------------------

CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE GANSETT ISLAND SERIES



AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 contemporary romances, including the Gansett Island Series, which has sold more than 3 million books, and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books, which has sold 1.5 million books. In addition, she is the author of the Butler, Vermont Series, the Green Mountain Series and the erotic romance Quantum Series, written under the slightly modified name of M.S. Force. All together, her books have sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide! Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news. Join Marie's mailing list for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter @marieforce and on Instagram. Join one of Marie's many reader groups. Contact Marie at marie@marieforce.com.  

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Newsletter | Goodreads

Join Marie's Reader Groups
InkSlinger Blogger Final

Monday, May 28, 2018

Darkest Sin by Ashton Blackthorne *Cover Reveal*




Title: Darkest Sin
Author: Ashton Blackthorne
Publisher: Butterfly Publishing House
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Book Cover Luv
Release Date: June 14, 2018



Blurb

Ash

Ruthless. Unstoppable. Sexy.

I was the ultimate Wall Street player until my fiancé, Amber captured my heart.

For years, I’ve struggled with the secrets of my past, paying for the sins of my father. When I met my brother, Ayden he nearly destroyed everything I loved.

Now he’s made amends. Together with my true love, Amber, by my side Ayden and I found our sister and together as a family we have set out to uncover all the secrets of the past and to make a brighter future.

But what Ayden doesn’t know is how far our sister will go to achieve her fiendish plans. And how far will we go to protect the women we love from our darkest sins?

Ayden

I’m not your typical bad boy.
Sure, I’m a muscle bound tattoo covered guy who loves to f**k like a beast.
But my past is dark….
How dark you ask?

I’ve committed unspeakable acts. Sins so vile, so dirty they are without redemption. I thought I was beyond saving until I met her-Reese.

Beautiful, sexy, and enticing. Her body sends passion coursing through my veins. In her, I’ve met my fated soulmate.

But just as I found myself shedding the burdens of my troubled past, another secret comes to light threatening to destroy my newly found love and everything I’ve ever wanted.

The only way to save myself is to destroy the thing I love the most…

Her.







Author Bio


Ashton Blackthorne.

Ruthless. Unstoppable. Sexy.

My gorgeous secretary calls me a bad boy in a good suit. I’ve built up quite a reputation over the years women have dubbed me "So so bad" and men have called me the biggest, baddest shark on Wall Street. They say I’ve been everywhere, done everything…
And it’s all true.

I get what I want when I want it.

Now I'm sharing the most intimate details of my sordid life in my books based on actual events.

Broken, a dark alpha male romance is my first novel and Shattered, the sequel is a bad boy romance both based on my life.

I love hot action and even hotter women. And I will share with you ALL of my naughty, sordid exploits in my books.

Be the first to read my new releases and get to know me FREE by joining my mailing list.


Author Links


Saturday, May 26, 2018

Cross by Adriana Locke *Release*

Title: Cross
Author: Adriana Locke
Series: The Gibson Boys #2.5
Cover Designer: Kari March at www.karimarch.com
Release Date: Friday, May 25, 2018
Live Release on Amazon and in KU



Questions you might have:
This novella was originally released in the Team Player Anthology last winter. It has been updated a bit with a few new chapters to round out the story. 
Two Gibson Boy short stories involving characters from this series, Nora, Kip, and Blaire, are included in the back for reader enjoyment. 
This is a standalone novella. However, it technically takes place after Craft, which is why it’s numbered #2.5. Reader do NOT have to have read Craft to enjoy Cross. 
Reading Order:
Crank - https://amzn.to/2L7b0sa
Craft - https://amzn.to/2k4eXS0
Cross – live release on Amazon & KU on 5/25
Crave (coming Summer 2018)



Blurb:
Cross Jacobs was a screw-up.

Everyone knew it, especially him, and the point was hammered home when Kallie Welch drove herself right out of his life. 

But, she’s back. 

Seeing Cross wasn’t on Kallie’s to-do list. She didn’t think she could avoid him forever but trying never hurt anyone. One minute she’s standing by herself and the next she’s accosted by a rich, velvety scent that could only belong to one man: Cross. 

At face value, he’s divine. All rugged and confident with a smile that melts her right where she’s standing. It doesn’t take long to find him to be charming, witty, and the owner of a few legitimate businesses. Not at all like the mischievous boy she left. 

He laughs and her heart flutters. With a touch of his hand, she’s dizzy. She’s fairly certain she’s going to die when he pulls her into an embrace and touches his lips to her forehead. 

It feels right. It feels so right. 

But is it?



Chapter One
Cross

“Where have you been in that thing?” Machlan shouts.
The roar of his muscle car’s engine winds down and he clicks the transmission into park. The purplish-black paint shines in the early afternoon sun. 
Having just backed out of a parking spot onto Main Street, I check my rearview mirror. No one is coming. “Bluebird Hill,” I tell him. “After all that rain last night, I figured I’d test the new tires Walker put on my truck last week.”
“You’re a fuckin’ kid.” He laughs. 
“Says the man driving that,” I tease, pointing at his ride.
“I’m not sure what your point is. This car is the baddest thing in town.” He punches the gas, the motor roaring like a banshee.
Glancing around at Doc Burns’ office with two cars in the parking lot and the Linton County History Museum across the street that only opens for the Water Festival once a year, I grin. “That’s not saying much.”
“Go to Hell.” His hand slips through his dark hair and over his chin. The amusement in his features evaporates as I watch … and cringe. 
I know this look. I know all of his looks, actually, a by-product of being his best friend as long as I can remember. Many of them concern me and a lot of them worry me. But this one? It’s a flashing red sign with Vegas-inspired lights. 
The thing is, I can’t just ignore it. When this look comes, so does the topic of my sister and, even though I love the both of them, I wouldn’t mind seeing them in a padded room until they fix whatever it is between them that is so broken. 
With a sigh, I jam my truck into park too. “Yes,” I say, answering the question he’s yet to ask. “Hadley called and isn’t coming home this weekend. She said maybe next week.”
His jaw works back and forth as he stares down the street. “Why?”
That single word is spit with a lifetime of emotion. Machlan has loved my sister since the day she moved to Linton with our father and me when our mother died. She was fourteen and innocent and he was fifteen and infatuated. Through the years, they were off and on and together and not—at least officially. Everyone knew Machlan and Hadley were one and the same. 
I’m not sure why she moved away from here. Being both her brother and his best friend precluded me from certain information, which is for the best. They both drive me nuts without having the details. 
“Not sure,” I reply. “She left a voicemail last night saying she wouldn’t be home today. She didn’t pick up when I called her back.”
He flips his gaze to me. “You didn’t talk to her after that?”
“She’s a big girl, Mach,” I mock. “I’m sure she had shit to do.”
“Yeah.” His fingers regrip the steering wheel as his jaw goes back to work again. 
“I’m gonna go wash this before I head back to the gym—”
“She’s all right, though. Right?” he interrupts. His face is stone-cold sober. “I mean …”
“She’s fine.”
He waits. Blinks. Re-grips the wheel again. “That’s it?”
Popping my truck into drive, I blow out a breath. “Yeah, that’s it. You want to know more? Call her. What a fucking amazing concept.”
“Yeah. I’ll get right on that,” he snips back. 
“You should. Then you could quit this whole thing.”
“Got nothin’ to quit, man. Just being a decent guy.”
A decent guy. It’s my turn to turn my knuckles white on the steering wheel. 
Machlan isn’t a decent guy. He’s a fucking great one … much better than the guy Hadley is seeing now. A guy I haven’t mentioned to Mach since I got home a couple of weeks ago from visiting her. I’m not mentioning him, either. I’ll save the boyfriend an ER bill and myself the bail money. 
I can’t blame him. It has to be hard to see Hadley with another guy when, in Machlan’s mind, she’s his girl. 
My stomach twists like it always does when my mind goes down this road. At least my girl didn’t bring other guys back with her. Hell, she didn’t even come back at all. 
“Here comes Kip,” Machlan says, bringing me out of my reverie. Nodding toward the road in front of him, he laughs. “I’m not moving.”
I twist in my seat to see the sheriff coming toward us. He blares the siren twice as if to get us to move. We don’t. 
Machlan pokes his head out of the window. “Need somethin’?” he shouts. 
Laughing, I watch Kip’s car slide carefully between Machlan’s and the curb on the other side. 
“You can’t park in the street!” Kip yells.
“What are ya gonna do about it?” I holler.
“Take ya both in.”
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Machlan asks. “Someone to protect and serve? Or service, if I know you?”
Kip shakes his head as Machlan flips him the bird. The sirens come on again before Kip hits the gas and speeds off down the street and vanishes over the hill. 
When I look back at Machlan, his attention is on his phone. 
“What?” I ask, curious about the smile on his face. 
He looks at me and laughs. Sticking the phone in the cup holder, he shrugs. “Nothing. But can you do me a favor?”
“No.”
“I need help moving a couple of things at Crave. Come help me. Just for a few.”
“What’s in it for me?” I ask. 
“A beer?”
Throwing the truck in neutral, I rev the engine. It barely sounds before his is screaming over top of mine and we jet off in opposite directions. I get to a stop sign at the end of the street and do a quick one-eighty to head to Crave. 




USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own.
She resides in the Midwest with her husband, sons, and two dogs. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You can find her outside if the weather’s nice and there’s always a piece of candy in her pocket.
For sneak peeks, giveaways, and more, please join Adriana’s Facebook Group, Books by Adriana Locke, or her Goodreads group, All Locked Up.

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