Authors: Lynetta Halat
Freed (29 page)
Handing it off to me, she pulls her hair up so that I can fasten the thin strap of chocolate leather around her neck.
She covers it with her hand before turning her lips to mine. “I love it. Thank you,” she whispers. “I’ll never take it off.”
“Promise,” I insist. She nods and gives me another sweet kiss.
“Oh, let me get yours,” she rushes out, hopping off my lap and jogging toward Pete’s room. If she only knew what she looked like with that little, red nightie bouncing against her sweet ass … on second thought, I’m sure she knows exactly what she’s doing to me.
She’s back in record time with a rather large box. “I knew we’d be back here at some point, so I asked Pete if I could hide this in his room.”
Once I’ve got the box opened, my laughter echoes off the walls. My girl knows me so well. “That’s a lot of eight-tracks.”
“Well, we need lots of music, seeing as how our late night drives are my new favorite pastime. Oh, you’ll take me back to the hot springs, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
She gets a devilish look in her eye, waggling her eyebrows. “I wanna go skinny dipping this time.”
“Run for my money,” I murmur, scrubbing my hand over my head.
“Did you see this?” she asks, producing a gift card from the box. “I know you like your playlists too. Old-fashioned with a twist?”
“That’s me,” I agree.
I join her on the floor and spend a few minutes admiring her fantastic taste in music. Opening my mouth, intent on telling her how lucky am I, I find myself asking instead, “Will you come home with me tomorrow?”
She nods her head. “I go where you go. You are my home.”
And as I consider what the future holds for us, I know never has a statement been so true or felt so right. My hand drifts up to cradle the nape of her neck, squeezing in silent agreement. Then, it just hangs out there and teases the soft skin since I can’t stop touching her.
“Karen wants to see you.” With everything she’s been dealing with, I realize I hadn’t told her the latest news. “I told you she’s in remission, but I didn’t tell you that she’s dating. Well, I don’t know that
dating
is the right word. It seems bigger than that.”
“Edwin?” Denver asks, shocking me.
“How’d you know?”
She gives a secret smile. “I saw them kissing, but it didn’t seem like your mom wanted it to go anywhere. I hope you’re not mad that I didn’t tell you, but I didn’t want to betray her confidence. I could tell he wasn’t out to hurt her, though. If I had suspected that, I would have told you right away.”
“It’s OK. I’m not mad, baby. I trust your judgment,” I say, making her eyes go bright again. I can tell she wants to ask me if I’m sure about that, but she tamps down the urge. I couldn’t be prouder of my little fighter. Her newfound self-confidence grows every day, and she wears it well. “Anyway, she told me that they had only been together about a month when she got her initial diagnosis, so she called things off. His wife died from cancer, and she didn’t want him to feel cheated. She told me how relentless he’s been since then, and she asked my advice.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Same as I told you all those months ago: Know when to rein it, or go all in.”
“I know I’m all in,” Denver murmurs, before giving me a soft kiss.
“And I’ll be here helping you know when to rein it in,” I promise.
Denver gives a sudden hoot of laughter, and I can tell she’s up to no good. “I can’t believe I took John Ransom’s virginity.” She smiles, shaking her head. “I feel
so
very naughty,” she muses playfully.
A growl rips from my chest, and I launch myself at her, pinning her under me while her mouth is still startled into that “O” shape. Lacing my fingers through hers, I keep her arms pressed out to the side. I brace myself on my elbows and barely scrape my chest against her breasts, feeling her nipples pebble instantly. She squirms under me, desperate to get more friction. “Now who’s being cocky?” I tease lightly before arching a brow and saying in my sternest voice, “You are
so
getting a spanking for that.”
_____________
Read below for
an excerpt from the #1 New Adult Romance VERY BAD THINGS by Ilsa Madden-Mills.
Book Description:
Born into a life of privilege and secrets, Nora Blakely has everything any nineteen-year-old girl could desire. She's an accomplished pianist, a Texas beauty queen, and on her way to Princeton after high school. She's perfect. Or is she?
Leaving behind her million-dollar mansion and Jimmy Choos, she becomes a girl hell-bent on pushing the limits with alcohol, drugs, and meaningless sex.
Then through a chance encounter, she meets her soulmate. But he doesn't want her.
When it comes to girls, twenty-five-year-old Leo Tate has one rule: never fall in love. His gym and his brother are all he cares about...until he meets Nora. He resists the pull of their attraction, hung up on their six year age difference.
As they struggle to stay away from each other, secrets will be revealed, tempers will flare, and hearts will be broken.
Welcome to Briarcrest Academy...where sometimes, the best things in life are
Very Bad Things.
Excerpt:
It took fifty-three seconds for him to appear beside me in the bar.
I sensed the anger pouring off him before he even sat down. “Not drinking today?” he said in a low voice.
“No fake ID,” I said, putting my hand on his inner thigh and caressing the taut muscles there. “You seem tense. Is there anything I can do to help you relax?” I asked, my lips curving up.
He stared at my stroking hand and swallowed, but didn’t move away. “I just came over to see how you’re doing,” he said with a stone-like face, not giving anything away.
I scowled and pulled my hand back. “Why? Because you feel bad for the poor little rich girl with all the problems?”
He looked away from me.
Yep.
I said, “Let’s go in the bathroom and fuck.”
He exhaled heavily and stood up from the stool.
“No?” I said, feeling all at once ashamed for the words coming out of my mouth, yet completely powerless to stop them. “You know, one of my favorite books has this sizzling, hot chapter where the main characters go to lunch together. And even though it’s a first date, they end up in a bathroom stall, because they can’t wait to get at each other. He just bends her over and gives it to her, hard and fast. I’d like to reenact that scene.” I took a hasty sip of water and got my nerve up. “All we’d have to do is pick the biggest stall, and then you flip my dress up and take me from behind. Or I could get on my knees for you? I’d suck you, if you like.”
He paled and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You don’t want me, Nora. I’ll fuck you, and when I’m done, I’ll leave you.”
At the thought of him leaving me, all the air was taken out of me and a pain squeezed my heart so hard I thought I might cry out. “Well if not you, then someone else will do,” I said with a shrug, looking around the bar. “Who should I choose? There’s the young guy over there in the corner with the power suit and buzz cut who’s been trying to catch my eye since I sat down . . . although I think I see a wedding band on his hand. He’s out, I suppose. Even I have standards. And, there’s the fortyish-looking guy sitting across from me. He’s been staring at my breasts.” I smiled and waved at the gentleman in question, and he waved back, a hopeful look on his face. “Oh yeah, definitely interested.”
I opened my purse and pulled out a pen and wrote my name and number on a bar napkin. I pushed it over to Leo. “Do me a favor? Take this over to him and tell him what a great girl I am. How good I am. How you know I’m not really bad.” I stared at the bulge in his pants. “Maybe tell him how hard you get when I talk about fucking.”
Very Bad Things
is a complete standalone novel without a cliffhanger.
Ilsa’s website:
http://www.ilsamaddenmills.com/
FB:
https://www.facebook.com/authorilsamaddenmills
___________________________
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed what I consider to be a book all about the healing and growth of our beloved characters from
Used
. Thank you for joining me on this wild ride. The fact that you take chances on me and allow me to tell you the stories of the people who surprise me, inspire me, entertain me, and mess with my mind means the world to me.
Hearing from my readers, makes my day. And I have been known to gush over them from time to time. Message me at
Lynetta Halat on Facebook
or email at
[email protected]
Wanna make me ridiculously happy? Pretty please, leave an honest, respectful review. Watch me get real fired up when you sign up for
the mailing list
. I promise not to SPAM you, only new release information, free scenes, and interesting stuff like that.
Thank you for reading!
Love,
Lynetta
About the Author
Since the dawn of time, Lynetta Halat has lived to read and has written innumerable stories and plays. A lover of good books, bad boys, and kickass heroines, she'd always dreamt of penning books that people could connect with and remember. She also has a secret penchant for wringing the emotions out of unsuspecting readers, and she collects reader's tears in much the same way that wine connoisseurs collect their favorite vintage.
Her first novel,
Every Rose
, was the perfect catalyst to launch her into the world of publishing, effectively burrowing her way into the hearts and minds of readers throughout the world.
Everything I've Never Had
was her follow-up adult romance novel. Now, she has penned
Used and Freed
, new adult romances that she hopes sinks their teeth into you and don’t let go.
Her love of the English language prompted her to pursue a Master's degree in English from Old Dominion University in Virginia, where she also minored in snark and interpretive dance. She lives somewhere along the Mississippi Gulf Coast with her adorable husband, two amazing sons, and two loveable dogs. When she's not writing riveting stories, she likes to focus on her macramé art and her scouring of eBay, where she buys locks of hair from her favorite rock stars, most especially Bret Michaels and Dave Grohl.
For more information about Lynetta and her books, visit:
Acknowledgements
