River
Page 15
My teeth sink into my lips to keep my laughter under control.
“Do you ‘get’ a lot of women?”
She makes it sound as if I have them delivered to me, which is not so far from the truth. My chest rocks with a chuckle again.
She keeps her face straight, her eyes brimming with amusement.
I flick my hand up.
“Okay... okay. First off, I am not a rock star. Not in the iconic sense. I love music, and it’s a way of expressing myself, but there was a life before this, and there’s a life after it... My money didn’t come from music, some did, but not the most of them, so I am not chained to this industry. I’m not desperate to belong or fit a mold. If music weren’t an option, I’d make money in other ways. I didn’t do all those things before music, and I’m not going to do them now for validation. Does this answer your first question?”
She nods softly.
“Okay. Now...”
A tell-all smile pushes to my lips. Glancing at my hands, I carefully weigh my words.
“I didn’t get into music to get laid, although I’m not gonna lie... the opportunities have increased... exponentially. ”
A shadow rushes through her eyes, a blush spreading on her face.
“However... despite the options, the odds are stacked against what I like.”
“What’s that?”
Hmm.
She’s fast, but I’m not gonna fall into her trap. I cock my head to the side and stay silent.
“Have you found it?” she asks, nervous.
“I don’t know. Have you?” I toss at her, serious.
“Yes, I have,” she says, without a smile on her face.
Well, that can mean a lot of things.
“That’s good,” I say dryly and push out of my chair.
Without offering anything else, I pull away from her and vanish out the kitchen.
Minutes later, I walk out of the upstairs bedroom, fully dressed. Jeans, jacket, boots. I enter the living room and look for her. I spot her on the patio.
Hunched on a chair, she hugs herself, an expression of doom and gloom on her face. She glances at me, the moment she notices my clothes, a storm of emotions swirling in her eyes.
Every single thing I throw at her takes her by surprise and pushes her into a whirlwind of panic. She slices her gaze to me, darkness rushing through her eyes.
Irritated, she pulls out of her chair and darts into the room.
Calm, I follow her inside.
Obviously making a point, she starts searching for her things, fussy and pissed. I motion to the bed. She grabs her clothes and dashes to the bathroom.
Moments later she emerges, fashioning the whole two inches of her dress.
Bending at the waist, she puts her boots on, unknowingly flashing her minuscule thong. Any other woman, I would’ve smelled a set-up, but not her.
Sunk so deep in her self-inflicted misery she has no idea I stare at the soft arch between her legs, my cock rock hard.
She finally spins around and saunters toward me.
Damn, she’s hot.
As furious as she is, it’s hard not to notice the glow on her face and her smoldering eyes. She looks different now, and I know why.
Pushing back a smirk, I indulge in the sight a few more moments.
It’s all there for me to see.
The way she runs her hand through her hair and slightly sways her hips, the mysterious light enlivening her eyes, and the soft curving of her lips.
“I’m ready,” she grumps as she stops in front of me.
She waits for my reaction–– no more than two seconds, before she spins around and tries to sneak by me. I catch her arm and pull her back to me.
She fights my grip, evading my eyes.
I frame her face.
“Layla?”
She pouts and looks away. I gently nudge her face to me. Her hands slide on top of mine as she finally brings her gaze to my eyes.
“Stop doing that,” I say, serious.
“Doing what?” she asks, surprised, almost on the verge of crying.
“Freaking out, for fuck’s sake!”
“I’m not freaking out. I need to go to back to the hotel,” she says.
“And stop lying to yourself. You freak out over every little thing. Get out of your head once in a while. I’m not kicking you out. We are going to the hotel.”
“We? You mean...?”
“Yes. You and me. I’m checking you out of the hotel. All right?”
A smile lights up her face.
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“What if I need to go back home?”
“You can go home anytime you want, but I have a feeling you don’t want to go home right now. Am I right?” I cut my eyes at her, and she gives me a sweet smile.
“Fine. Can we go now?”
She looks at me, grinning.
Swaying my head side to side, I grab her hand and walk her out of the house.
End of Excerpt
River’s Heart (Steel #4) is available in the store.
Also by Shayne Ford
LOVE IS WAR SERIES
A Dark Mystery Romance
FALLEN (Love is War Series #1)
BROKEN (Love is War Series #2)
TAKEN (Love is War Series #3)
OWNED (Love is War Series #4)
NIGHT OF THE KINGS SERIES
A Billionaire Romance
JAMES (Night of the Kings Series #1)
DARK JAMES (Night of the Kings Series #2)
TAMING JAMES (Night of the Kings Series #3)
ALEXANDER (Night of the Kings Series #4)
HARD LEX (Night of the Kings Series #5)
LOVING LEX (Night of the Kings Series #6)
DARK HEART SERIES
A Dark Romance
JADEN (Dark Heart Series #1)
WILD JADEN (Dark Heart Series #2)
JADEN’S HEART (Dark Heart Series #3)
SHADES OF LOVE
A Billionaire Dark Romance
DARK MCKENNA (Shades of Love #1)
REAL MCKENNA (Shades of Love #2)
MCKENNA (Shades of Love #3)
GOLDEN HEIR SERIES
A Billionaire Romance
SHADE (Golden Heir Series #1)
LOVING SHADE (Golden Heir Series #2)
FOREVER SHADE (Golden Heir Series #3)
WILD HEART SERIES, A Menage (MMF) Romance
JAGGER (Wild Heart Series #1)
LOVING JAGGER (Wild Heart Series #2)
LOVING BRAXTON (Wild Heart Series #3)
WILD NIGHTS (Wild Heart Series #4)
FINDING HOME (Wild Heart Series #5)
STEEL SERIES (A Rock Star Romance)
A Rock Star Romance
Layla’s Story
River Steel (Steel Series #1)
Loving River (Steel Series #2)
River’s Story (Companion Books to Layla’s Books)
River (Steel Series #3)
River’s Heart (Steel Series #4)
About the Author
Shayne Ford writes epic novels. Her stories feature hot-blooded men and adventurous, soulful women. She likes to write Series that are epic, layered, character-driven, have a dash of mystery and a lot of depth. She writes what she likes to read, and people who share her taste, devour her books. Her stories are not the typical romance, nor are they formulaic or fit a mold.
She likes her lead men hot, smart, and honest.
She's a fan of muscle cars, dogs, chocolate, flowers and quiet, starry nights filled with love.
Contact: shayne@shayneford.com
Website: www.shayneford.com
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www.shayneford.com
shayne@shayneford.com
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