Victorious (Quantum Series Book 3)
Page 27
“We all saw you kiss her. We saw her eyes light up with surprise and joy that you finally did something.”
“It was just a kiss.” I keep my tone intentionally nonchalant even though I feel anything but. “Nothing to go crazy over.”
“Except she is going crazy because you gave her hope! I swear to God, Hayden, if you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”
Flynn is one of the few people in this world who I genuinely love. But right now, I want to smash in his movie-star face. “Thanks for the warning. Can I go now?”
“Hayden… If you aren’t in this, really in it, you can’t. You absolutely cannot.”
I keep my voice down, lest Flynn and I be all over the tabloids tomorrow for “fighting” at the Vanity Fair party. “Do you think I need you to tell me that?”
“Either go all in or hands off,” he says through gritted teeth. “I mean it.”
“You’re a fucking hypocrite, you know that?”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Remember when I told you that you had no business getting involved with Natalie?”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“Isn’t it? Isn't it exactly the same thing? A nice girl who deserves better than us?”
With industry people and press in and out of the room, neither of us can afford to let this “conversation” get out of hand. So as much as we might like to let loose and go at it, we know better.
“It’s not the same. Addie is—”
I raise a brow in inquiry. “Special? Is that what you were going to say? And Natalie isn’t?” It’s never a good idea to drag a man’s wife into an argument, but I need Flynn to acknowledge his own double standard. Before he can pounce, I do. “Leave me alone, Flynn. I’m not going to touch her—and I’m certainly not going to hurt her. Why do you think I’ve kept my distance all this time? I don’t want to hurt her.”
I start to walk away, but he grabs my arm, spinning me around to face him. “Give me your word.”
I look into the eyes of my oldest and closest friend, my business partner, one of the few people I genuinely love. “Fuck you.” I rip my arm free of his hold and leave the room before I make the huge mistake of punching him.
Get Rapturous, here!
Get Book 5, Ravenous, Jasper and Ellie’s story, here!
Thank you for reading Victorious and the initial Quantum Trilogy! I hope you enjoyed reading Flynn and Natalie’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you wish to talk about Victorious and the other two Flynn and Natalie books with other readers—with spoilers allowed and encouraged—join the Victorious Reader Group. And remember to join the Quantum Reader Group.
And now for the thank-yous! To my HTJB team: Julie Cupp, Lisa Cafferty, Holly Sullivan, Isabel Sullivan, Nikki Colquhoun and Cheryl Serra, thank you for all you do to make it possible for me to do almost nothing but write. And to my husband, Dan, who runs our lives so I am free to write as much as possible. To my kids, Emily and Jake, who are so endlessly supportive of my career—you guys are the light of my life, and I love you to the moon and back. Thank you to my son Jake, who was my car consultant for the first three Quantum books and chose all of Flynn’s cars for the various occasions—without reading the books.
Thank you to my beta readers Anne Woodall, Ronlyn Howe and Kara Conrad. To my copy editor, Linda Ingmanson: thank you for always making time for me when I need you. And to my proofreader, Joyce Lamb, you’re the best, and I love having your eagle eyes on my books before they go live. Joyce did an amazing job helping me to keep all the details straight, and I appreciate her so much! To Sarah Spate Morrison, family nurse practitioner, thank you for your assistance with medical details.
And to my lovely, wonderful, amazing readers who have changed my life so completely, thank you so much for taking this wild ride with me. I’d be nowhere without each and every one of you, and I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
xoxo
Marie
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Other Books By Marie Force
Love Always Boxed Set, First Books in Four of Marie’s Bestselling Series
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About the Author
Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, including the indie-published Gansett Island Series and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books. In addition, she is the author of the Butler, Vermont Series, the Green Mountain Series and the erotic romance Quantum Series. Duchess By Deception is the first in her new historical romance Gilded Series, that will continue with Deceived By Desire in September 2019.
Her books have sold more than 8.5 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list 30 times. She is also a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller, a Speigel bestseller in Germany, a frequent speaker and publishing workshop presenter as well as a publisher through her Jack’s House Publishing romance imprint. She is a three-time nominee for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award for romance fiction.
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.