“Wait. You hang glide, too?” That was news to her.
He smiled widely. “No. I want to try it, though. But I know the sports worry you. I’ll give it up for you.”
Her eyes widened with shock, and her heart beat wildly as she soaked in the knowledge that he would give up something he loved madly for her. “You’d do that for me?”
He nodded, no questions asked. “I would. I don’t want to cause any more stress in your life. I don’t want you to live with that kind of fear.”
Happiness rained down on her. Bliss spread from her chest to the tips of her fingers. The fact that he’d offered thrilled her. It delighted her to the ends of the earth and back. But she shook her head. “No. I don’t want you to quit. I want you to go for it. I want to cheer you on. I want to be the first person you see when you cross the finish line at your triathlon later this month.”
He exhaled deeply and smiled like she’d given him the greatest gift in the world—permission to do what he loved without fear. She’d still worry about him, but it wasn’t her place to hold him back. She ran her hand over his hip. Though he was clothed, she liked tracing the outline of his phoenix tattoo. For new beginnings. Like this one. “In fact, I was going to ask if you’d be interested in starting a climbing or kayaking group for the boys at the center. They never get to go, and I bet some would like to.”
He arched an eyebrow. “I already took Rex yesterday. He loved it.”
She nudged his elbow. “See? You don’t have to give up something you love to be with me.”
“I’m glad I don’t have to, but I would,” he said, running his hand through her hair then pulling her in for a quick kiss. “And I can’t wait to cross the finish line and see you.”
“I’ll always be there.”
EPILOGUE
Hot. Sweaty. Exhausted. Aching.
And elated.
Add in thrilled as the finish line came into view that hot Saturday afternoon in August, and he saw where Elle waved and cheered him on. He was overjoyed as he put one foot in front of the other, ceaselessly running until he nearly collapsed in her arms.
Nearly. But didn’t.
He finished this one the way he wanted to, and even though every muscle screamed, and his throat cried out for water, he was flying high. So high, he lifted her up in his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him.
“You did it!”
“I did it.”
There was no medal. There was no prize. There was no ranking. There was only this—the satisfaction of a job well done and the love of a good woman.
That was everything, and he wanted to share it with his family the next day. The crew joined him for a celebratory dinner at his house—Brent and Shannon, Ryan and Sophie, Elle and Alex, Michael and his grandparents, as well as Marcus, Rex, and Tyler. The boys seemed to travel in a pack, and Colin was glad that Marcus had such good friends—friends who were also good guys.
Marcus had more than that. He had his new family, too, and he’d been spending more time here at Colin’s house, crashing from time to time at night when he had class the next morning, since his school was nearby. But he hadn’t been himself for the last few weeks. Not since they’d visited their mom in Hawthorne. He’d seemed remote, nervous even, spending more time clutching his phone as if he were waiting for a dreaded call to arrive.
Colin had asked a few times about his mood, and if he wanted to talk. Marcus always shook his head and said no. Colin tried again that evening after everyone left and the two of them were straightening up in the kitchen.
“What’s going on? College harder than you thought?”
“No. It’s fine,” Marcus said as he loaded a plate in the dishwasher.
“Is it work?”
His phone rang. With the speed of a cheetah, Marcus whipped his cell from his back pocket. He glanced at the screen and answered immediately. Colin didn’t even see the name or the number.
“Hey.”
A pause. Colin tried to tune in to the conversation, though he knew he shouldn’t. Still, he was damn curious, especially since the caller sounded a hell of a lot like Detective John Winston.
“Holy shit. That’s fucking amazing,” Marcus said, and the sullenness vanished. It was replaced by something that looked and sounded like jubilation. Marcus ran a hand through his hair and exhaled like he’d been holding ten thousand breaths. “Tonight? You arrested him tonight?”
Colin straightened, set down the dishtowel, and mouthed who? Anticipation barreled through him as he zeroed in on Marcus.
“Yes. I can talk. I’m at Colin’s house.” Marcus covered the phone and said, “Can John come over?”
“Um. Yeah. Obviously,” he said, then made a rolling gesture with his hands. Hurry up and tell me.
When Marcus hung up, Colin parked his hands on his hips. “What’s going on? Who was arrested?”
“Kenny Nelson.”
Colin punched the air. “Yes. Fuck yes!”
“The cops have him in custody now,” Marcus added, and he’d become the very embodiment of relief. Then his expression shifted once more. “But it’s not over. T.J. Nelson is still at large.”
“They’ll find him, too,” Colin said as excitement consumed him. This was huge. This was a big break, and he couldn’t wait to tell his brothers and sister and grandmother…
Wait.
“Why did John call you? Why is he coming over here?” Colin asked, curiosity taking over. Something didn’t add up. Some piece was missing.
The sullen Marcus briefly resurfaced, but he let go of it in seconds, pushing past it. “I’ve been helping the detective for two weeks now. Helping him with the case.”
“How?”
Marcus squeezed his eyes shut then opened them. “My father.”
Colin tensed all over. “What about him?”
“He was involved.”
His jaw dropped. His blood chilled. “How? How was he involved?”
Marcus swallowed then words rained forth. “There are things I know about my dad. He is a piano teacher. But he’s much more. So are the Royal Sinners. They’re a street gang, but they’re powerful. They have friends in high places. And my dad is one of them. He’s so far inside that hardly anyone knows who he really is, or that he’s starting to lose control of some of his men. Like Kenny and T.J.”
“Your dad works with them?”
“My father is the head of the Royal Sinners.”
THE END
Stay tuned for the final novel in the Sinful Nights series—SINFUL LOVE! Michael Sloan’s love story will take your breath away in the stunning conclusion to the Sloan family saga! SINFUL LOVE releases in March 2016 and can be preordered now!
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COMING SOON!
After Sinful Love, I have many more books for you! Here’s a sneak peek at other new releases in 2016! Big Rock, Mister Orgasm and The Sapphire Affair!
BIG ROCK
A sexy, dirty standalone novel coming in 2016
It’s not just the motion of the ocean, ladies. It’s definitely the SIZE of the boat too.
And I’ve got both firing on all cylinders. In fact, I have ALL the right assets. Looks, brains, my own money, and a big cock.
You might think I’m an asshole. I sound like one, don’t I? I’m hot as sin, rich as heaven, smart as hell and hung like a horse.
Guess what? You haven’t heard my story before. Sure, I might be a playboy, like the NY gossip rags call me. But I’m the playboy who’s actually a great guy. Which makes me one of a kind.
The only trouble is, my dad needs me to cool it for a bit. With conservative investors in town wanting to buy his flagship Fifth Avenue jewelry store, he needs me not only to zip it up, but to look the part of the committed guy. Fine. I can do this for Dad. After all, I’ve got him to thank for the family jewels. So I ask my best friend and business
partner to be my fiancée for the next week. Charlotte’s up for it. She has her own reasons for saying yes to wearing this big rock.
And pretty soon all this playing pretend in public leads to no pretending whatsoever in the bedroom, because she just can’t fake the kind of toe-curling, window-shattering orgasmic cries she makes as I take her to new heights between the sheets.
But I can’t seem to fake that I might be feeling something real for her.
What the fuck have I gotten myself into with this…big rock?
To be notified when Big Rock becomes
available, please sign up for my newsletter.
MISTER ORGASM
Just call me Mr. Orgasm. No, really. I insist.
Orgasms are my specialty. Delivering them. Administering them. Giving them in multiples. Then doing it again for an encore. I’m like the superhero of pleasure.
But before anyone gets all up in a lather about my “manwhore ways,” remember this. You probably didn’t even look at me years ago. You likely didn’t give me the time of day when I was the quiet geek bent over his notebook drawing cartoons about a caped crusader bestowing orgasmic pleasure to womankind.
Now, that I’m creator of the hottest animated TV show in the world — The Adventures of Mr. Orgasm — everything has changed. The women have lined up. The checks roll in. And the life I’m living is gooooooood — looks, talent, and a masterful dong have gotten me far.
There’s only one thing in my way — the woman I took home last night has turned out to be my new boss.
Oops.
Looks like the Adventures of Mr. Orgasm have only just begun…
To be notified when MISTER ORGASM becomes
available, please sign up for my newsletter.
THE SAPPHIRE AFFAIR
The Sapphire Affair is a two-book series about a sexy, high-end bounty hunter hired to find stolen jewels, and the only thing in his way is a gorgeous and adventurous woman who’s after them too…
Both books should be available for preorder soon! Get ready for a sexy, witty, suspenseful, contemporary romance with shades of mystery and crime — Seductive Nights meets the Thomas Crowne Affair.
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Check out my contemporary romance novels!
The New York Times and USA Today
Bestselling Seductive Nights series including
Night After Night, After This Night,
and One More Night
And the two standalone romance novels,
Nights With Him and Forbidden Nights, both
New York Times and USA Today Bestsellers!
Sweet Sinful Nights and Sinful Desire,
the first two books in the New York Times
Bestselling high-heat romantic suspense
series that spins off from Seductive Nights!
Playing With Her Heart, a USA Today
bestseller, and a sexy Seductive Nights spin-off
standalone! (Davis and Jill’s romance)
21 Stolen Kisses, the USA Today
Bestselling forbidden new adult romance!
Caught Up In Us, a New York Times and
USA Today Bestseller! (Kat and Bryan’s romance!)
Pretending He’s Mine, a Barnes & Noble and
iBooks Bestseller! (Reeve & Sutton’s romance)
Trophy Husband, a New York Times and
USA Today Bestseller! (Chris & McKenna’s romance)
Far Too Tempting, an Amazon
romance bestseller! (Matthew and Jane’s romance)
Stars in Their Eyes, an iBooks bestseller!
(William and Jess’ romance)
My USA Today bestselling
No Regrets series that includes
The Thrill of It
(Meet Harley and Trey)
and its sequel
Every Second With You
My New York Times and USA Today
Bestselling Fighting Fire series that includes
Burn For Me
(Smith and Jamie’s romance!)
Melt for Him
(Megan and Becker’s romance!)
and Consumed by You
(Travis and Cara’s romance!)
TEASER OF EMERALDS
Dear Readers:
I am thrilled to share a teaser from Emeralds by K.A. Linde. I’m loving this series, and I hope you get a chance to check out this new book, now available everywhere!
Xoxo
Lauren
* * *
Freedom was the sound of the subway whisking through the tunnels and screeching to a halt at Trihnity Hamilton’s stop in Greenwich Village. It was walking off the train and emerging onto the busy streets of Manhattan above. It was knowing that, in three months’ time, this would be her life.
Trihn sighed happily and maneuvered the busy streets with practiced ease. Her sister, Lydia’s, apartment was right around the block, and Trihn would be moving in at the end of the summer to attend fashion design school. She was already visualizing where all the new things she had purchased would go when she moved in.
With her head in the clouds, she traipsed up the stone stairs to Lydia’s building. As she was punching in the code to enter, the door violently swung open. Trihn yelped as it crashed toward her. She jumped backward, just barely missing getting hit in the face.
“Jesus Christ!” she yelled.
The door hit the wall and ricocheted back toward the person who had thrown it open in such haste.
“Why don’t you watch what you’re doing?” she asked.
She picked up her dance bag where it had landed on the stairs two steps below the entrance. She hadn’t even realized she had thrown it, and now, her shoulder was throbbing. Great.
“Oh, shit! I’m sorry,” the guy said. He roughly grabbed the door in his hand and eased it back open.
She rolled her shoulder back and cringed. If she didn’t have the use of her shoulder, she was going to be fucked at ballet later tonight. She could not have this two weeks before the Senior Showcase.
“Yeah, well”—Trihn shifted her dance bag to the other shoulder and winced—“be more careful next time.”
“Sorry. I will. Are you all right?” he asked, taking a step toward her.
Her eyes drifted upward, and she forgot all about her hurt shoulder.
This guy was hot. She’d seen all manner of gorgeous men while modeling during the past two years, but this guy was different—less of a pretty boy with no coifed hair, oil-slicked body, or perfectly waxed…everything.
He wore a fit NYU T-shirt and running shorts that accentuated his muscular physique. He had sandy-blond hair that wasn’t flawlessly groomed. Some of it fell into his electric-blue eyes when he looked at her. Concern was written on his face, and she felt her body humming to its own tune when he smiled at her.
“Um…yeah. My shoulder. Dance.”
Am I even coherent?
He smiled wider. “Sorry about that. I didn’t know anyone was on the other side.”
She cleared her throat and shrugged her dance bag higher. Why is his smile so disarming?
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Seriously, are you sure your shoulder is all right?”
She dropped her bag and then dramatically rolled both shoulders to show him that she was fine. But then she flinched, ruining the effect. “Actually, I’m not sure. We’ll see how it goes.”
“Well, let me give you my number, and if you need to see a doctor or anything, you can give me a call.”
Trihn ignored the flutter in her stomach. “Sure. I don’t think I’ll have to go but just in case.”
Right. Just in case.
Trihn handed over her phone, and he punched in his name and number. Before she could take it back, he clicked the Send button.
He smiled at her again. “Now, I’ll know it’s you,” he explained.
Yeah. Definite flutters.
She glanced down at the screen. “Pr
eston.”
“That’s me. And you are?”
“Trihn.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you so much to all the fabulous people who played a role in this book getting in your hands. I am immensely grateful to Sarah Hansen, Steph Bowers, Jesse Gordon, Kara Hildebrand, Kelley Jefferson, KP Simmon, Jen McCoy, Kim Bias, Helen Williams, and Lauren McKellar, among many others. Thank you to the amazing bloggers and reviewers who spread the word and share their love, to the readers who make everything possible, to my author friends who keep me sane, and to my family who I love dearly. Thank you to my dogs! Love, hugs and kisses to all of you. You are beautiful.
CONTACT
I love hearing from readers! You can find me on Twitter at LaurenBlakely3, or Facebook at LaurenBlakelyBooks, or online at LaurenBlakely.com. You can also email me at [email protected].
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