by Levine, Nina
Taking the necklace, I lift my chin at her. “Turn around.”
She does as I say and scoops her hair out of the way so I can fasten the necklace around her neck. When I finish, she faces me again. “I think I’ll keep you.”
I arch a brow. “There was never any possibility you wouldn’t. And if it ever crosses your mind, I’m having no part of it.”
She quirks her brow. “You’ll just boss me into staying, I expect.”
“You know me well, Mrs. Scott.”
Taking hold of the hearts, she says, “What if we have another child?”
“Is that on the cards?”
“Well, maybe. I’m not sure I’m ready to stop yet.”
I pull her close. “You know where I stand on this. I’m more than happy to have a soccer team of Scotts.” I brush my lips over hers. “I have something else for you.”
Her eyes light up. “What? You know I love surprises.”
“I’ve been working with Jack on something for a few months now, and this week it was all finalised.” I pull my phone from my pocket and show her an image I’ve saved. At her questioning look, I explain, “It’s the logo for a new fund he and I have established to help children with their education. We’re kicking it off with ten million dollars, and we want you to head it like you do the Willow Street Fund.”
She peers closer at the logo before looking back up at me, her eyes glistening. “The Pearl Winters Fund?”
I nod. “Yes. You’ve told me how your grandmother helped children at her church, and how she believed strongly in an education for every child. Jack and I want to work with you to continue that legacy.”
We always said we’d give back once we made our millions. We always said we wouldn’t become our fathers.
While Lorelei is processing this news, Dana and our two-year-old son, Mason, come running in. “Mummy! The party is starting!” Dana exclaims excitedly. She tugs at her mother’s clothes while Mason wraps his arms around my leg.
My wife is watching me with wonder. It’s the kind of look a man lives his entire life for.
When neither of us respond to Dana, she tugs harder at Lorelei’s clothes. “Mummy! Why aren’t you and Daddy coming?”
Lorelei reaches down and pulls Dana into her arms. “We’re coming in a minute. I promise. Daddy’s just telling me something.”
“What is he telling you?”
Lorelei meets my gaze again, tears streaming down her cheeks. “He’s telling me about something amazing he and Uncle Jack did.”
Our kids wriggle and cling, but I’m completely focused on my wife as she pulls my mouth to hers and kisses me. When she’s finished, she says, “I don’t even have words for how much I love you. You, Ashton Scott, are the very best man I know, and I am blessed to be your wife. I’m blessed to stand by your side and share your life.”
I tighten my arm around her. “All of this is because of you, Lorelei. You’ve shown me how to love and made me want to be a better man. This is me being a better man.”
She kisses me again, grinning through her tears. “That thing I said about keeping you?” At my nod, she continues, “You won’t ever have to boss me into that. I am yours forever.”
NEXT BOOK IN THIS SERIES!
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Thank you for reading Ashton Scott! I hope you loved Ashton’s & Lorelei’s story. You’ll get to see more of them in my next book in this series, JACK KINGSLEY, out in 2021. This is Jack & Jessica’s book!
Blurb:
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Drugs.
Alcohol.
Fame.
Jessica Calvary.
Just a few of my addictions.
It’s time to kick every last one of them because they’re slowly killing me.
I flush the drugs.
Empty the bottles of booze.
Quit the movie I’m supposed to begin filming next week.
I commit career suicide and head to the middle of nowhere to get clean.
They send me a sober companion to hold my hand.
Only problem is, they send my greatest weakness.
Jessica Calvary.
I’m screwed.
_______
Jack Kingsley.
Hollywood royalty.
Hot, cocky and untouchable.
Everyone wants a piece of him.
Everyone but me.
I’ve had my piece of Jack, and it broke me.
Now he’s smack bang in the middle of my life again.
He’s still hot.
And cocky.
But he’s not untouchable.
No, he’s very touchable, and he’s doing everything to get my hands on him.
Pray for me.
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COMING IN 2021
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TURN THE PAGE FOR A SNEAK PEEK!
If you loved this book, please consider leaving a review for it. I appreciate you helping spread the word about my books by reviewing and telling friends about them!
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AND the playlist! Check it out here.
Jack Kingsley Sneak Peek
I make the first trip inside with half of Jessica’s bags and after depositing them in the bedroom she chose, I go in search of her.
She’s in the bathroom.
Bent over, inspecting the vanity cupboard.
I rest my shoulder against the doorjamb and cross my arms, letting my eyes roam her body.
She doesn’t move. “Are your eyes going to be on my ass this entire visit?”
“Currently, they’re not on your ass.” They’re getting lost in the tattoo running down her arm. The thin line of text she got inked while we were in Scotland years ago. The text that I also have in the exact same position on my body.
Straightening and turning to face me, her gaze meets mine as I bring it back to her face. I know from the look flashing in her eyes that she’s aware of where mine have been.
Raising her hand at me, she shakes her head and says in a very Jessica-bossy way, “You need to stop whatever thoughts are running through your mind right now. I’m here to make sure you stay sober. That’s it.”
Keeping my shoulder right where it is, and my arms right where they are, I let my mouth curl up into the grin it wants. “You know I’ve never been good at stopping any of my thoughts. I don’t see that changing any time soon.”
“Jack,” she starts, a warning in her tone.
I cut her off. “If we’re done like you think we are, my thoughts won’t change a thing. So you do your thing and let me enjoy my thoughts. Fuck knows they’re the only good thing in my head these days.”
Her eyes search mine for a long moment. I wish I could read her like I used to be able to, but somewhere along the way she figured out how to close herself off to me and I let her. Hell, I let her do a lot of things I didn’t want, but I did them because I love her.
The thing with not choosing yourself in life?
The choices you make come back to haunt you, and the choice I made five years ago to let Jessica go so she could find happiness away from the harsh spotlight of Hollywood has haunted me for too fucking long.
I’ve done my best to push it away.
I tried like fuck to stay away from her.
But here I am, more in love with her than ever, and I know if I don’t make a choice for myself this time, my addictions will continue owning me.
How can they not, when half the time I’m letting them simply so I can avoid the pain of losing the one woman I’ve never stopped loving?
“You need to find new thoughts, Jack. Ones that don’t involve me.”
With that, she moves past me and exits the bathroom.
I let her go.
I’m in no hurry here.
I’m going to go slow with this and do it right this time.
By the time we leave here, she’ll be mine again.
She has no idea what she’s in for.
* * *
COMING 2021
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Sign up for my Alpha Escape email to receive an alert when Jack goes live!!
* * *
Add Jack Kingsley to your Goodreads TBR
Acknowledgments
Ashton Scott has been a labour of love for over two years. What started as a fun project for me to work on in an effort to find my writing mojo again turned into a serial that many of you guys followed along with and supported me in. Thank you for that support and encouragement. It truly did inspire me to finish this book, especially after Mum passed away and I wasn’t writing very much. I knew you were hanging for more Ashton, so I continued writing him.
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For my Levine’s Ladies, there were quite a few of you girls who really made a point to check in each Monday with me and let me know you loved that week’s episode. That meant the world to me. I’d love to thank each one of you here, but I’m afraid I might miss someone and I would hate to do that. But you girls know who you are - thank you!
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Jodie, I know I say this all the time, but really, for this book, it is truer than ever - I could not have made Ashton and all these characters who they are without you. Remember those Monday nights two years ago when E had ice-skating and Mondays were a mad blur of getting the episode finished, beta read, formatted, emailed out etc etc. They were hectic days for me, but you made them fun and achievable. And remember that Monday at like 10pm when you rang me and said “Umm, no you can’t send this one out, it isn’t good” and then I had a mental breakdown (okay, well maybe I’m exaggerating a little ;) )… I love you more for being honest with me each time rather than letting me think something is up to my standard when it isn’t. Yes, even that Nash chapter you made me rewrite when I didn’t want to do any more rewrites. Even that time! But I digress… thank you for all your hard work on Ashton. You truly are a goddess <3
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Becky, you know I love you. Like, a freaking lot! You come through for me every single time. And your edits have taught me how to be a better writer. But let’s not get too excited, I still suck at commas and ellipses and compound whattayacallthem… ;) #DontEverLeaveMe Thank you <3
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Dana, I didn’t write that scene you wanted, but I did name one of Ashton’s girls after you. Thank you for your support, babe <3
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To all my readers, thank you for reading my books. Some of you have followed me from bikers to rockstars to bartenders to tattoo artists and now to billionaires. I love that you get my humour and my Aussie ways! I never planned to write all Aussie characters because I didn’t think readers worldwide would embrace them, but I am so glad I did, because I found you guys to love them <3
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To my bloggers, reviewers, Levine’s Ladies & Team Levine - thank you for all of your support. For reading and reviewing. For sharing my books with your friends. For mentioning my books in your book clubs. For forcing my books on your mum and sisters… lol, just kidding ;) (but secretly, many of you have told me that you do, so thank you!). Just, thank you. I so appreciate every share and every word of encouragement <3
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To my family & friends, thank you for giving me the space to stare at my computer for many hours on end. Also, for giving me a few hours at each deadline to cram the words in. ;) I love all of you.
Copyright © 2018 by Nina Levine
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Editing by Becky Johnson at Hot Tree Editing
Cover Design by Letitia at Romantic Book Affair Designs
Cover Image by Wander Pedro Aguiar
Steal My Breath
Steal My Breath
A grumpy boss standalone romance from USA Today bestselling author Nina Levine.
* * *
This bossy alpha is about to cross a line he knows he shouldn’t. But Callie St James isn’t a woman he can say no to any longer.
* * *
Callie
* * *
Luke Hardy is the bossiest man I know.
Moody too.
But I’ve had a thing for him since we met.
I spend half my time arguing with him, and the other half drooling over him.
I’m screwed now, though, because I just slept with him and I’ve decided I want a whole lot more than sex.
Only problem is, Luke has a secret I never knew.
The kind of secret that messes everything up.
* * *
Luke
* * *
Callie St James likes to argue with me over everything.
It irritates the hell out of me.
She also turns me on like no other woman ever has. There’s only one problem with that.
I can’t date her.
And now I’ve gone and messed it all up by sleeping with her.
* * *
"This story has it all—tension, angst, suspense and heartbreak. I've smiled, laughed, cried and was angry at some point wanting to shake them both. It is not often I feel so connected to the characters, but Nina has accomplished just that." - Goodreads Reviewer
To Eliahn
* * *
Thank you for teaching me to own my truth.
Prologue
Callie
I never used to understand what people meant when they said life wasn’t black and white, because to me it was. Things were black or white, wrong or right. There was no in-between space or spectrum of colours.
Then I met Luke, and he taught me that we do exist in shades of colour. He also taught me that although we inhale light through this rainbow of brilliance, we also exhale dark. The colours of life can give us the best of times just as easily as they can crash us into the darkest days of our lives.
Luke will be forever etched into my heart.
This is our story.
Part I
1
Callie
I’m not getting any sex tonight.
I know my three-month sex drought is going to continue the minute the guy sitting across from me says, “I love that shade of pink you’re wearing. I have a tie that would match it well.”
No man should wear a pink tie.
In the history of ever.
I pick up my glass of wine and drain it before standing. “I don’t think we’re compatible, Rick. And while it’s been fun learning about all the puzzles you put together and the pink tie you own, I’ve been on so many dates lately that I just don’t have it in me to sit through another hour or more knowing we’re not going to see each other again.”
A pang of guilt hits me when his mouth drops open, but the sex-starved woman inside me screams, “Don’t do it! He’s not the one who will make your vagina happier than you can.” So I stand my ground and offer a quick apology, “I’m sorry I’m being so rude, but you’ll thank me when you do finally meet the one for you,” before making a hasty exit.
Fifteen minutes later, I enter Elixir, the bar that’s my home away from home, and exhale a long sigh of relief.
“You look like you’ve just dodged a bullet,” Avery, one of the bartenders, and my best friend, says as she reaches for the vodka she knows I’m going to ask for.
Slumping onto the barstool, I nod and rest my elbows on the counter. “Yep, I just had another date that was a complete waste of time. How many men do you think I’m going to have to go through to find the right one? Hell, at this point, I’d just settle for a guy I thought could offer me some hot sex for the night.” I take the vodka and Coke she passes me and drink nearly half the glass in one gulp.
Raising her brows, she says, “Tonight’s dude didn’t fit the bill for hot sex?”
“God, no. Not unless you’re into nerds who love to do puzzles and hardly ever go out except to Sunday lunch with their mother.” Seriously, the guy had almost put me to sleep.
“Online dating sites mostly. I’ve told you about them.” I watch the judgemental look flit across her face and mutter, “Don’t you judge me, Miss I-Never-Struggle-To-Get-Laid, we can’t all be as lucky as you.”
Her lips curl up into a smile, and when she laughs and draws the attention of every man in the bar, I want to slap the sexy out of her. But I love her like a sister and never begrudge her anything, especially because she’s had a hard life and as far as I’m concerned she deserves every good thing that comes her way.
She holds her hands up in a defensive gesture as a grin settles on her face. “No judging, promise.” Nodding at my glass, she says, “Finish that and I’ll make you one on me.”