Torque

by Skye Callahan

  “We don’t merely get a story though, we get James’s thoughts and feelings on everything that happened.”★★★★ Lorie, Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews

  “I just finished Bend, Don’t Break and what a way to finish this story! I just loved it…. ”★★★★★ Beggin (Shay) from Mommys a Book Whore

  “Loved them in Irrevocable and fell even harder for them in Bend, Don’t Break.”★★★★★ Vicki

  Chapter 1: Alive

  “How many women did you have sex with while you were there?”

  It was the third time Dr. Combs had asked me that question. And for the third time I wanted to avoid it.

  I had just gotten out of that hell, and I still had the bullet hole in my chest to prove it, but it didn’t stop my boss from pushing the psychiatric evaluation. What he expected it to accomplish right now, I had no clue—I was tired, cranky, and I didn’t give a damn about getting my old job back.

  Dr. Combs cleared her throat, and my jaw clenched. Some things were left unspoken—better suited to the imagination of nightmares and horror movies than to be discussed openly with any other living person.

  I didn’t even want to admit the number of women to myself even though I could see every one of the girls in my mind.

  Kat, the red-headed braggart who thought she owned every man who walked into the retreat.

  Gabby, the indignant curly haired brunette.

  Raini, a gorgeous but frail girl who was transferred in right after I went undercover. I had feared that one more night in Ross’ bed would kill her before her first week was up.

  Alley, a blond sweetheart who belonged to Miles, my unconventional friend.

  Silver, the girl who simultaneously ruined and saved me.

  She was the only reason I was alive, and the only reason I had what was left of my soul—except she wasn’t real. Like my undercover alias, Kirk, she was forged from necessity and determination. Now she was gone, and that missing piece was more painful than the hole the bullet had ripped through my side.

  That crazy, obstinate woman wouldn’t back down. During the raid on the “sex retreat”, Ross had turned the gun on me, but she knocked him off balance and I ended up with a graze along my left side rather than a hole through my heart. The bullet splintered two ribs in the process, and left a long and bloody gash, but they’d managed to clean it up in surgery, and so far it was healing without complications.

  Now, somewhere out there Rose was learning to live her own life again.

  At least that’s what I hoped. The day after I was shot, my superiors had me transferred to another hospital and put under protective custody until they were sure I was “safe”.

  I was fairly positive they were more concerned that any real threat to my life would come from me since there were very few people who knew of my undercover involvement in the operation.

  The only company I was allowed was Dr. Combs, my new shrink. I didn’t want a shrink. I wanted the woman who saved me—the only person who stood a chance of bringing me any kind of peace.

  The woman I could never have.

  All I wanted to do was close my eyes and wait for the doctor to leave. But that would put me in a worse situation since she’d just report me for being difficult.

  One fucking week.

  I still had a hole in my fucking side for Christ sake.

  “I want to talk to Trent—this no visitor thing is bull shit.”

  “It’s for your own safety, and we can’t do anything until you cooperate.”

  “Don’t preach to me about cooperating.” One of the machines next to me screeched and a stabbing pain radiated through my arm, but I’d felt much worse. “I gave up my life to do what was asked of me and I succeeded.”

  “You need to relax,” she warned, reaching a hand toward me.

  I shook it off as best as I could in my current condition. I didn’t fucking want to relax. I wanted what little I had of my life back.

  And, most of all I wanted someone I had no right to want.

  “James.”

  She was just going to stand there and keep yammering.

  “With all due respect, Doctor. Fuck off.”

  “I’ll have to compile my preliminary evaluation before we can move forward. That’d go much smoother if you’d help me out.”

  Help. I guess as far as not listening—even for my own supposed good—I could give Silver a run for her money. I waited in silence as a nurse adjusted and silenced the beeping machine. Quiet moments of solitude ticked away—my respite from being expected to answer questions, but it didn’t last.

  “I don’t want to talk about the women,” I said when the door closed again. The steady stream of medication weighed down my body and softened my voice, so I didn’t sound as menacing as I intended. “I don’t much feel like talking about anything, but can we just skip the women and the fucking?”

  “All of the women?” Dr. Combs asked, with her usual flat exaggerated calm. “Or is there someone in particular you don’t want to discuss?”

  I figured pointing out that she was still talking about what I’d asked her not to—regardless of my answer—would be a waste of breath. “You know there is. How about you let me talk to her and I’ll answer any damn question you like?”

  I didn’t even have to glance over to know she was scowling. They wouldn’t let me see Trent, my best friend and contact during the investigation, I knew they sure as hell wouldn’t let me see Silver… Rose. I didn’t even know what the hell I was supposed to call her. She’d made it perfectly clear the few times I’d pressed about her past or used her real name that I had no role in that life.

  “She’s fine,” Dr. Combs assured me. “But I don’t think it would be in the best interest for either of you to see each other. You put yourself in a dangerous situation with her.”

  Put myself? Last I checked I wasn’t the one to drag her into the Retreat. “I kept her alive and slightly less broken than she would have otherwise been.”

  “The two of you adapted to a horrible situation, found comfort in each other—”

  I didn’t want to hear it.

  Stockholm Syndrome.

  I wondered if the captor could get it, too. Was I even the captor? It seemed like I’d lost control of the situation long ago.

  But I’d still been the one to beat her, rape her, bend her will.

  Just like she’d bent mine.

  Continue reading: Amazon US, CA, UK, AU

  BDSM Romance

  Out of Bounds, Book 1

  Release date: March 24, 2014

  Goodreads

  Lena is about to discover pleasure in the things she can’t control.

  To get even with her roommate for dragging her to a sports bar on a Friday night, Lena begins flirting with the handsome stranger who sits at the bar next to her. Their anonymous conversation leads to a shared cab ride, but Lena’s conscience puts a damper on the evening—leaving the near-fling to become a memory. Until she finds him roaming the halls of the school where she teaches.

  Will she submit to his desires?

  Eric’s only reason for returning to his hometown is to care for his recently orphaned nephew. He knew the return would involve dredging up his past with family and friends, but he didn’t expect a lone girl to capture his interest and offer an escape within his new life.

  Will his binds be enough to keep her?

  Note: This book contains explicit sexual content (including BDSM themes), graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: M/f anal play, bondage, spanking, exhibitionism.

  “This book really touched on some aspects that pull at my weaknesses. Non-traditional families, family values, humor and realism, are just some of the things about this story that I loved loved loved reading about! This book definitely pulls all that in and nails it! That and of course theHot and Steamy Sex Scenes!!!”★★★★★ Bad Dirty Books

  “The writing is so well done that I found myself getting lost in the words and pages.”�
�★★★★ Summer’s Book Blog

  “Skye Callahan toed the line perfectly with shock value vs realistic BDSM, emotional vs sexual and calm vs chaos.”★★★★★ Robin, Book Reads and Reviews

  “I was riveted the entire time that I was reading. Although it touches on some serious issues, it was written in a tasteful and intriguing manner.”★★★★★ The Reading Cow

  “This story was more than just BDSM and everything along that road it was about two people finding that they really needed each other for more.”★★★★★ Johnnie, Whispered Thoughts

  Chapter 1: Lena

  This was the last place Lena wanted to be on a Friday night. The smell of beer stung her nose while some sports game blared on the screen over the bar. At least the bar wasn’t completely packed, Diggers was one of those edge-of-the-town sports bars that usually only drew in a few loyal locals. All of whom were paying more attention to the game than the lone young woman sitting at the bar with a black cherry mojito.

  And as far as Lena was concerned that was fine. She wouldn’t have come in the first place if her roommate, Jeremiah, hadn’t insisted that she needed to get out of the house and have some fun. And now he was off at the other end of the room striking it up with some old friend.

  Swirling her drink around, she wished she had dug in her heels and refused to leave the house. To which, Jeremiah would have probably responded by swinging her over his shoulder and throwing her onto his bike.

  He wanted her to let go and move on, and that was fine, but Lena in a sports bar wasn’t moving anywhere. Crowds, noise, and the smell of booze didn’t spell a good time; it just forced her further into her own head.

  “Tall Smithwicks,” said a male voice.

  She looked up to see a tall, dark-haired man taking the bar stool next to her. He glanced in her direction once, but turned his attention to the beer as soon as the bartender slid it across the wooden bar. The bartender nodded, then moved back to the other side of the bar where a couple of college students were getting rowdy over empty shot glasses.

  She tried not to stare at the new guy sitting just inches away, but he was invading the small bit of territory she’d laid claim to. Although, it could have been worse. At least he wasn’t a member of the loud and rowdy college crowd.

  You’re such an old lady, she told herself. Always more interested in curling up on the couch to watch old movies or read than join in with people her age.

  But she still couldn’t manage to keep her eyes to herself, and to give him his well-deserved credit, he was handsome. He wore a black T-shirt with faded sports cars splashed across the front, and dark jeans. Both just tight enough to leave no doubt that there was a well-built man underneath the layers of material. As he downed half of his drink in a few gulps, Lena wondered how anyone could be that fond of beer. She always thought it tasted like mildewed wood, but as she watched him, she felt strangely tempted to give it another shot.

  He glanced in her direction again, and she turned her gaze to the sports game, hoping that he hadn’t noticed her watching him. But there was no passing off the excess of blood warming her face as casual.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him turn slightly on his stool to face her. Busted.

  “You always hang out at the bar alone?”

  She kept her eyes on the TV. “That all you got for an opening line?”

  “I’m rusty.” He took another long swig of beer, but his eyes remained trained on her.

  “Rusty, eh? Nice name.”

  He chuckled, sliding the empty glass to the back of the bar. “Unless you want to know my real name.”

  Lena pursed her lips to keep back a smile. “Let’s stick with Rusty, for now.” Straightening her back, she met his gaze—she could play this game.

  “What should I call you, loner?”

  “That works.”

  Rusty winked, then nodded toward the television. “You a fan?”

  “Not really.” She realized the implication of her admission a little too late. Now, he’ll wonder why you were staring at the screen.

  “Then, you’re in the wrong place tonight, sweetheart.”

  “Glutton for punishment I guess.”

  Rusty’s eyes narrowed, but he snapped his gaze away and towards the screen, wincing what she guessed was a bad play.

  “You like the white-shirts?” Lena asked. She had no idea who the teams were or where they were from and didn’t care to find out.

  “White-shirts? You’re really not a sports fan. And yeah, I, guess I’m a glutton for punishment, too.” He motioned for the bartender, who was still caught up in some heated debate at the other end of the bar. Rusty lifted his empty glass, and a few minutes later, it was replaced with another, full of deep amber liquid.

  The bartender turned to Lena, “He is bothering you?”

  Caught off guard, Lena glanced between the bartender and Rusty, her mouth hanging open without a response as they both watched her.

  “Thanks Cade, I was having a nice conversation until you scared the lady.” Rusty said, reaching over the bar to punch the bartender in the shoulder. “Good to see you again, too.”

  The bartender chuckled, “Welcome home, man. This beer’s on the house, I hear you could use it.”

  “Then how about you throw in another drink for Loner, too.”

  “I…” Lena felt her face flush as both sets of eyes fell on her again. “Fine. If it’s on the house, I’m game.”

  “But not if I bought it?” Rusty asked as the bartender walked away to prepare Lena’s drink.

  “Nope.”

  He groaned, smiling as he turned back to the game. “I see how it is.”

  “See how what is?”

  Rusty simply lifted his eyebrows and swigged away at his drink.

  Lena tried to take a deep breath without drawing attention to herself, but despite her better judgment, he was getting to her, and she was egging him on. After the bartender delivered her drink and promised to intervene if Rusty got out of hand, they were left alone at the corner of the bar.

  “What’s wrong with letting a guy buy you a drink?” he asked, setting his hazel eyes on her again.

  Continue reading: Amazon US, CA, UK, AU

  More information and purchase links available at:

  http://skyecallahan.com/books/