by Gwyn McNamee
But wondering about the past and what ifs never got anyone anywhere good. It certainly hasn’t served me well. The first few months were excruciating in a way I never knew possible. It was more painful, physically and mentally, than anything Tarek ever did to me.
It took a while for me to realize that Konstandin isn’t gone. Not really.
I will always have this piece of Konstandin. Despite Tarek’s best efforts to destroy him, destroy us, he will live on through this beautiful boy.
“Jade, you ready to go?”
Lorenc’s question draws my attention away from the toddler clinging to my leg and to the man on the steps up to the small plane on the tarmac.
I grin at him and nod. This trip has been a long time coming.
We deserve it. Even though we can never return to the States or Albania, my son deserves to see as much of the world as he can. The money Konstandin left for us will ensure we never have to worry about anything. And with Lorenc always at my back, I know I won’t have to spend the rest of our lives looking over my shoulder.
Starting over…again…wasn’t easy. But looking into the face of this angel every day made all the gut-wrenching awful days manageable.
Lorenc steps down and grabs Pjeter, swinging him up into the air. The squeal of delight brings tears to my eyes. He will never know his father, but Lorenc has given him everything a child could ever need or ask for and has demanded nothing in return from me. He’s a true friend, one who has sacrificed his own life to protect ours.
“You ready, big guy?”
Pjeter giggles and takes Lorenc’s face between his tiny hands. “Yah, Lor, beach!”
A smile spreads across Lorenc’s usually stoic face. “That’s right, buddy. We’re heading to the beach.”
I worry about him, the weight on his shoulders of having to take care of us and ensure we aren’t found by any of Konstandin’s enemies. One thing that man was good at was pissing people off. But I always knew he would come for me, through Hell or high water, destroying anything and anyone in his path.
He may have become Griffin when we left Philly, but he never stopped being Konstandin at his core.
An animal.
A killer.
A mercenary.
A sinner.
I saw through all of it, though. From the first time our eyes met, I knew there was more, buried underneath that dark, dangerous surface. He was nothing like his brother, a man willing to force me into an unwanted marriage and worse.
He was loving, caring, misunderstood.
And I was right. He was someone who would and did move Heaven and Earth to ensure I was safe.
My prayer is that Pjeter will never know the violence and hate that permeated Konstandin’s life.
But looking at him now, I know he is his father’s son.
That may terrify someone else.
Not me.
This world needs more men like Konstandin.
READ THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES
PRIDE: Scott Hildreth
GREED: Geri Glenn
SLOTH: Max Henry
WRATH: Gwyn McNamee
ENVY: Kerri Ann
LUST: FG Adams
GLUTTONY: M.C. Webb
OTHER WORKS FROM GWYN MCNAMEE
THE HAWKE FAMILY SERIES
Savage Collision (The Hawke Family - Book One)
The last thing I expect when I walk into The Hawkeye Club is to fall head over heels in lust. It’s supposed to be a rescue mission. I have to get my baby sister off the pole, into some clothes, and out of the grasp of the pussy peddler who somehow manipulated her into stripping. But the moment I see Savage Hawke and verbally spar with him, my ability to remain rational flies out the window and my libido takes center stage. I’ve never wanted a relationship—my time is better spent focusing on taking down the scum running this city—but what I want and what I need are apparently two different things.
Danika Eriksson storms into my office in her high heels and on her high horse. Her holier-than-thou attitude and accusations should offend me, but instead, I can’t get her out of my head or my heart. Her incomparable drive, take-no-prisoners attitude, and blatant honesty captivate me and hold me prisoner. I should steer clear, but my self-preservation instinct is apparently dead—which is exactly what our relationship will be once she knows everything. It’s only a matter of time.
The truth doesn’t always set you free. Sometimes, it just royally screws you.
AVAILABLE NOW
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/savagecollisionAMZN
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Tortured Skye (The Hawke Family - Book Two)
Falling in love with Gabe Anderson was as easy as breathing. Fighting my feelings for my brother’s best friend was agonizingly hard. I never imagined giving in to my desire for him would cause such a destructive ripple effect. That kiss was my grasp at a lifeline—something, anything to hold me steady in my crumbling life. Now, I have to suffer with the fallout while trying to convince him it’s all worth the consequences.
Guilt overwhelms me—over what I’ve done, the lives I’ve taken, and more than anything, over my feelings for Skye Hawke. Craving my best friend’s little sister is insanely self-destructive. It never should have happened, but since the moment she kissed me, I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind. If I take what I want, I risk losing everything. If I don’t, I’ll lose her and a piece of myself. The raging storm threatening to rain down on the city is nothing compared to the one that will come from my decision.
Love can be torture, but sometimes, love is the only thing that can save you.
AVAILABLE NOW
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/torturedskyeAMZ
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Stone Sober (The Hawke Family - Book Three)
Stone Hawke is precisely the kind of man women are warned about—handsome, intelligent, arrogant, and intricately entangled with some dangerous people. I should stay away, but he manages to strip my soul bare with just a look and dominates my thoughts. Bad decisions are in my past. My life is (mostly) on track, even if it is no longer the one to medical school. I can’t allow myself to cave to the fierce pull and ardent attraction I feel toward the youngest Hawke.
Nora Eriksson is off-limits, and not just because she’s my brother’s employee and sister-in-law. Despite the fact she’s stripping at The Hawkeye Club, she has an innocent and pure heart. Normally, the only thing that appeals to me about innocence is the opportunity to taint it. But not when it comes to Nora. I can’t expose her to the filth permeating my life. There are too many things I can’t control, things completely out of my hands. She doesn’t deserve any of it, but the power she holds over me is stronger than any addiction.
The hardest battles we fight are often with ourselves, but only through defeating our own demons can we find true peace.
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 26, 2017
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2yXgxdT
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Building Storm (The Hawke Family - Book Four)
COMING 2018
GWYN MCNAMEE WRITING AS D.P. PAYNE
The Supernatural Love Stories in the Absurd Series
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2wLofKT
All other retailers: https://www.books2read.com/u/3J0VPA
A wendigo. An ancient cursed pharaoh. A haunted brothel.
There's something for every paranormal romance lover in each of the first three books in the Supernatural Love Stories in the Absurd series.
If you want to laugh, cry, and need to change your panties, check out these unique paranormal love stories.
Parched (Book 1)
After wandering the Earth for over 4,000 years, I, Waylon Blackman, thought I had seen it all…then a black aura crossed my path. As a wendigo, my life has been about nothing but greed and living with my curse, but the mysterious aura and the woman it belongs to send my world into a t
ailspin from the first second we meet. She gets under my skin and hypnotizes me with her sexy, adventurous, willing, and kinky nature, so much so, I almost let myself forget I know nothing about her. Thinking with the wrong head can certainly get a man in trouble, but for me, it could mean an end worse than my curse.
Cursed (Book 2)
When I stepped into the dank depths of the Egyptian ruins, I didn’t expect to find something I’d been searching for my entire adult life—the tomb of the mysterious pharaoh, Nebtawyre Mentuhotep IV. And, I certainly didn’t expect the sexy pharaoh to step out of his sarcophagus very much alive. Lust soon overpowers reason as I fall down the rabbit hole with Wyre. He claims me completely—my mind, body, and soul. We only have three days to break a 4,000 year-old curse placed on him by his crazy ex. If we don’t, he’ll return to his tomb and take my heart with him.
Spirited (Book 3)
Buying and renovating the old plantation house seems like a great idea. The fact that it’s supposedly haunted by the ghost of a murdered prostitute is a minor oversight. I don’t believe in that crap anyway. But after a late night rendezvous with a sexy spirit elicits a very real nocturnal emission from me, I have to rethink my belief in poltergeists…and love. The intoxicating woman who has been trapped here for over a century casts a spell over me with her humor, courage, and sexual talents. I know I have to do something to free her from her ethereal prison. But will my actions break the metaphysical chains holding her here, or will they release something darker into my new home?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gwyn McNamee is an attorney, writer, wife, and mother (to one human baby and two fur babies). Originally from the Midwest, Gwyn relocated to her husband’s home town of Las Vegas in 2015 and is enjoying her respite from the cold and snow. Gwyn has been writing down her crazy stories and ideas for years and finally decided to share them with the world. She loves to write stories with a bit of suspense and action mingled with romance and heat.
When she isn’t either writing or voraciously devouring any books she can get her hands on, Gwyn is busy adding to her tattoo collection, golfing, and stirring up trouble with her perfect mix of sweetness and sarcasm (usually while wearing heels). An admitted shoe whore, Gwyn’s closet rivals Carrie Bradshaw’s and is constantly expanding.
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