“I already ate.” Her stomach growled, and her eyes dared him to mention it.
“Then tomorrow night.”
“I already have plans.”
Her quick response gave him pause. Maybe it wasn’t just Todd he had to worry about. He tightened his hands, balling them into fists. Fine. He had asked; she had answered. He stepped away, giving his lungs time to recharge, to recover from the erotic impact that was Julia Campbell’s scent. He heard her on the phone, and looked up when she finished.
“My friend’s picking me up.”
He answered without thinking, his words careless, given her volatile state. “A guy or a girl friend?”
She threw her phone at him, a pathetic throw, and one he avoided easily. He laughed, her temper entertaining, and watched her eyes glitter; her body tightened with fury as she picked up the phone, then marched over to the driveway and headed back to the front of the house.
He controlled his laughter, jogging up to her, her heels skittering on the cobblestone drive, his arms catching her twice when she stumbled. She forged on, ungrateful for the saves, her focus on the front porch, which she flung her butt down on without a second glance at him.
He moved in front of her seated form, her arms tight around her legs, her face stubbornly avoiding his.
“Look, I’m sorry I said anything to Todd. That wasn’t my place.” The words caught in his throat, then wormed their way through his vocal cords and out of his mouth. He didn’t know why he was apologizing to this woman. He should be back inside, in the cool air of his home, banging the shit out of the blonde in his bed. He wasn’t sorry for speaking to Todd. She had no business going out with him. No business wasting her time on a child. And, if he could have it his way, she wouldn’t waste her time with anyone but him.
“And to Bob.”
“And to Bob. Though I didn’t really say anything to Bob.” No, that weakling had run out of her life with one stern glance from Brad.
She grumbled through her purse. “No, you just sucked all the air out of my office and stared him down like he was a rogue agent.”
Brad sighed and sat down on the step. He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her. For no other reason than he felt like an ass and she was there. Despite his personal attraction to her, he shouldn’t have spoken to Todd—should have let their possible relationship play out, and stayed on task, continued working. Then he wouldn’t have opened this box, wouldn’t have her at his house, a foot away, her presence invading and wiping his brain clear of rational thoughts. Reminding him of what he didn’t have, and couldn’t control.
She spoke again, her words taking a new direction. “And you told Todd that fraternizing with coworkers was bad business? What about fucking clients? Did you include that in your business advice? And you can’t even talk about fraternizing with coworkers! Seriously, did you choke on your own bullshit?”
His jaw tightened, anger flooding through him. “Okay, Julia, you’ve made your point—I’m an asshole. I was out of line. I have apologized. I’m not going to sit here and have you chastise me like I’m a child. I’m not used to not getting what I want. I’m not used to being told I can’t have something. I’m sorry if it pissed me off to see someone else getting you so easily.” He stood up. Fuck this. Fuck this girl who made bullshit come from his mouth. Fuck her small body following him, grabbing his arm, her proximity making him hard.
“I’m not a fucking object! I’m not something that you can choose to have, or choose to toss away. Does it even matter to you what I want?”
He looked down at her hand, which gripped his bicep, wanting to remove it, to break the hold that she had on him. Then he looked at her eyes, the mere connection with them causing his breath to catch, weakness to clutch his heart and squeeze it tight.
“What is it you want?” he asked, emotions he didn’t know he had coming through his voice. “What do you want from me? You want me to spend a weekend with you, have you naked against me, your smile, your laugh, and then just cut you off? Kiss you goodbye and then let anyone else have you? You want me to sit in my office and watch Todd ask you out? I’m not engineered that way. Maybe I am a territorial slut, as you put it. That might seem fucked up, but it’s who I am. I take what I want, and I own what I have. I’m just trying to figure out what you want.”
He despised the words leaving his mouth, hating the way they made him feel. Exposed. Open. By a girl who didn’t weigh more than his cock. A girl who stared at him with intensity, who pushed buttons he didn’t know he had, and had wormed her way inside a part of him that should be closed.
“I don’t want a fuck buddy, much less to be owned by one.” She released his arm and stepped back, heading to a jeep that idled by the curb.
He said nothing, letting her go, hoping against his heart that he would never see her again.
He strode inside, letting the door bang shut, taking the stairs two at a time. Pulling his shirt over his head as he walked through the bedroom, into the bath, he yanked open the shower door, glowering at the wet blonde who stood inside. “On the bed. Now,” he ordered, jerking the band of his shorts and dropping them on the floor. “I need to fuck right now more than I need to breathe.”
the problem
He fought the thought of her. Fought it the next morning as he told Todd Appleton to fuck the hell out of her if he wanted. Fought it as he pulled in each day and avoided looking at her car.
It was for the best that it hadn’t gone anywhere. He needed to think of it as an interesting experiment, one he was lucky to get through unscathed. But she had gotten under his skin. Worked her sassy way under and settled in, pulling on his heart strings like a master puppeteer, whenever her easy grin and confident eyes felt like it. He needed a distraction, and selected one with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes, bubbly and perky enough to pull his head away from Julia and put it back where it belonged. On work, on bachelorhood. On his life as he knew it, without the disruption or headache of a relationship. Because a relationship wasn’t what he, his heart, or his peace of mind, needed. Fuck what he wanted.
But the blonde didn’t work, his thoughts comparing every curve, every moan to Julia, and coming up short, the sex ended abruptly, his cock making the decision with which his mind still struggled. This was a serious problem, one he didn’t seem to be able to fuck his way out of. Whether Julia needed it or not, he needed closure. He needed to know what the hell was going through her mind and what she wanted from him.
This hell needed to end. And her body, the curve of her mouth, the flash in her eyes—that seemed to be the only thing capable of bringing his life back under control.
This novella highlighted bits and pieces of Brad and Julia’s initial story, told entirely from Brad’s point of view. To see Julia’s side of the story, and where the events in this book led, please read Blindfolded Innocence.
Coming Soon:
Masked Innocence: the next chapter in Brad & Julia’s story
Available everywhere February 25, 2014.
Available for preorder now.
The End of the Innocence, the final book in the Innocence series
Available everywhere March 25, 2014.
For a look at Masked Innocence, and other works by Alessandra Torre, please advance forward in this ebook.
The Dumont Diaries is available as both a full-length novel, or as a four part miniseries. If you would like a taste of the story, Part 1 is currently free here.
Lust is a dangerous thing. It can make you believe things that are not real. It can seduce your mind and lead it blindfolded to the cliff that will be its demise.
Poor planning is what got me here. A run-down strip club ten miles outside of town, with a net worth barely over three figures. Swinging around a dented pole while truck drivers toss me greasy dollar bills.
When salvation comes in the form of drop-dead-gorgeous, complete with a limo and a thick wad of cash, my stilettos run happily out the door to freedom. Freedom with one stipulation: marr
iage.
So I take his offer: A life of luxury as the high-profile trophy wife of Nathan Dumont, sex and photo ops my only obligation. But sex with Nathan... is complicated. Hot, steamy, and complicated. And those days spent alone in his house? I am finding secrets. Secrets and ulterior motives that reveal my husband is holding things back. That his intentions are far from pure.
At this point, I don't know what is more in danger. My heart, my sanity, or my life.
Disclaimer: The Dumont Diaries contains a strong alpha male, super hot explicit sex, and twists and turns that might cause unnatural heart palpitations. For readers uncomfortable with public sex or a dominant male lead, please be forewarned. This book does not contain BDSM elements.
Available on Amazon Now!
I haven't touched another human in three years. That seems like it would be a difficult task, but it's not. Not anymore, thanks to the internet.
I am, quite possibly, the most popular recluse ever. Not many shut-ins have a 200-member fan club, a bank account in the seven-figure range, and hundreds of men lining up to pay for undivided attention.
They get satisfaction, I get a distraction. Their secret desires are nothing compared to why I hide... my lust for blood, my love of death.
Taking their money is easy. Keeping all these secrets... one is bound to escape.
What if you hid yourself away because all you could think of was killing? And what if one girl's life depended on you venturing into society?
Enter a world of lies, thrills, fears, and all desires, in this original thriller from A. R. Torre.
Available on Amazon now!
The man was sinful. It wasn't just the looks that made him dangerous, it was the cocky confidence that dominated every move, every touch. And the frustrating yet ecstatic fact about the whole package was that he could back it all up…
Julia Campbell never knows what to expect with win-at-all-costs Brad De Luca. And she's starting to like it that way. She gave up safe, conventional relationships when she let the elite divorce attorney seduce her into his world. Now that he's determined to strip her naked of every inhibition, she's in danger of falling too deep and too fast.
But their affair begins to feel even more dangerous when a murder leaves a trail of suspicion that points straight to the mob…and Brad. Trusting a man with a bad reputation and a past full of secrets seems like a mistake. But when she's forced to make a choice, the consequences will take her further than she could ever have imagined.
Available for Preorder Now!
Acknowledgements & More
This book would not be possible without the support of Harlequin HQN, specifically the fabulous firecracker that is my editor, Kate Dresser. She was kind enough to allow me to release this pre-sequel, as well as give it an editorial overview. Thanks also goes out to Madison Seidler, who – as always – did a fabulous job fine-toothing this book and saving me from editorial embarrassment. And a big hug to my Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads families – you guys have been huge in spreading the word and cultivating interest. Thank you so much for your continuing interest and passion for my books.
Twitter is my crack, Facebook my midnight snack and Goodreads my IV. If you avoid social networking, you can get regular updates and information on my blog: alessandratorre.com/blog/
Table of Contents
the block
the child
first sight
the chase
the city of sin
the path to hell
dangerous ground
the parting
competition
the fight
the problem
Acknowledgements & More
The Diary of Brad De Luca Page 4