by BJ Harvey
“If we keep this up, you won’t get to eat your breakfast I brought you, let alone make your lunch reservation, and I won’t get time to deal with the few meetings I have today. And that will cut into our nighttime activities which include more of this . . .” He leaned down and kissed me hard and fast and hot. “And stop me from taking you out for dinner again tonight.”
My heart continued to thump against my chest as if I’d run a marathon, struggling to recover from the sensational make-out session we’d just had on the hotel suite’s couch. I felt an uncharacteristic giddiness in my stomach at knowing he wanted to take me out for another date.
The man continued to surprise me, always doing the unexpected or unanticipated. If he wanted to keep me on edge, he was succeeding tremendously.
“Are these prior engagements of the consultant-type variety?” I teased, squeezing him playfully with my legs that somehow found themselves wrapped around his back.
“Yes, they would be,” he replied with a laugh that turned into a groan when he rolled his hips against mine, playing me at my own game.
“That backfired, didn’t it?” I said breathlessly.
“Worth it, though.” He grinned widely before he dropped his head down and brushed his lips against mine. “I take that as an acceptance to my dinner invitation?”
“Would you consider room service?” I asked almost hesitantly. I may be a sexually confident woman, but just as he had ever since the moment I’d locked eyes on the man, Barrett had me feeling slightly vulnerable, and I couldn’t for the life of me work out why.
I could not deny that I found his confidence and determined pursuit of me attractive. Then there was the raw masculine energy that radiated from him in everything he did—every word, every look, every touch. All of that defined him and drew me in.
He kissed the dear life out of me, silencing any uncertainties I might have had. Stopping too soon for my liking, he lifted himself off me. I watched as he bent down and handed me my discarded bagel bag from the floor with a huge knowing grin on his face. With a wink and a smirk, he turned around, picked up his own white bag and walked toward the door, stopping to place what looked like a business card on the side table. Then he was gone, disappearing from sight and leaving me in need of a cold shower and counting down the hours until I could see—and touch—him again.
“You’re looking so good, Alyssa,” my mum cooed in my ear as she hugged me.
“You too, Mom.” I tightened my arms around her as I realized just how much I had missed her. “We should see each other more often,” I said, pulling away but still holding on to her arms.
“You’re right, we should.” She smiled brightly at me, her eyes still wet from her happy tears. “You know you’re always welcome.”
“I know, Mom. But with everything going on with the company right now, I can’t get away.”
“I’m very proud of you, sweetheart. Your . . . father would be too,” she added, her voice cracking at the mere mention of my father.
After arriving at Sovereign’s Signature restaurant, I was escorted straight to Gavin and Mom’s table where she proceeded to scream in surprise.
It was after the appetizers, before the main meals, when Gavin made his move.
Without an inkling of what was about to happen, my mother went stock still when “My Girl” started playing over the speakers. Gavin lowered himself down onto one knee and reached one hand into his pocket, pulling out a black velvet box from his pocket. He grabbed hold of my mom’s hand and held out the most beautiful princess cut diamond ring I had ever seen—and the biggest—between them.
“Rosalie, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met, and it would be an honor to call you my wife. Forever and always. Will you marry me?”
That was my cue to start crying, and never had I been more thankful for the handkerchief I had stashed in my purse.
Mom just sat there as her eyes switched between Gavin and the ring.
“Mom, you need to put the man out of his misery,” I said quietly from beside her.
“Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes!” she cried, before launching herself into his arms, the two of them hugging and kissing on their knees in one of Las Vegas’s most acclaimed restaurants. It was a moment I knew I’d never forget.
Once they had recovered and returned to their seats, the restaurant manager delivered a bottle of Champagne to our table and then toasted with us to celebrate Gavin and Mom’s engagement.
Halfway through our main meal, Gavin’s phone rang, and he politely excused himself, walking out of the restaurant and out of sight.
“So tell me,” Mom started, “have you been dating anyone?”
“I haven’t had time to date,” I explained. “But I did meet a man on the flight. I went to dinner with him last night in fact.”
“Oh, now I know there has to be a story there. Tell me all about him.”
“His name is Barrett Matthews, and he’s here on business.”
“And where does he live?” she asked in an almost singsong voice, her tone brimming with excitement. She was probably already planning our double wedding in her mind.
“He’s based in Seattle.”
“Oh, how nice. Where did he take you for dinner?”
“Yes,” I said slowly, “last night on the Sovereign’s rooftop.”
“Oh my lord, how on earth did he manage that?”
“Apparently, he knows people,” I said with a laugh.
“Is he handsome?”
“You have no idea, Mom. He’s smart and thoughtful, but with an air of mystery and intrigue. Every time I’ve seen him, I’ve been left wanting more,” I said. When Mom stifled a giggle, I felt my cheeks heat with embarrassment when I realized what I’d implied. With a shrug, I conceded, “Well, that too.”
“Amen to that,” Mom said, raising her glass in the air and clinking it against mine when I mimicked the gesture.
I stood up, taking my purse and phone with me. “I’m just going to go to the restroom,” I said, excusing myself. Mom nodded at me, and following the signs, I made my way to the back of the restaurant.
Opening my messages on my phone while I walked, I brought up Barrett’s number. The business card he’d left in my hotel suite had his work and private cell numbers on it, which I had taken as an invitation to use them.
Since he was on my mind, and he’d left me in quite a state that morning, I decided to give him a dose of his own medicine.
Me – For dinner tonight, I’ve decided it’s my turn to treat you. My suite, seven p.m. Clothing optional.
With a smile, I slipped my phone in my pocket and made my way down the short corridor where the ladies’ bathroom was, only to stop when I heard a phone chime to my right. Turning my head, I stopped when I saw—and heard—Gavin talking loudly to a man I couldn’t see because his back was turned away from me.
“You’re supposed to be working, not sleeping with her.”
“How do you know what I’ve been doing?” the man asked in an angry, accusatory voice.
“I protect my investments and since you’re costing me a pretty fucking penny, I did my own investigation into you and your work practices. You do whatever you have to in order to get the job done. If that involves Alyssa, then so be it. Show me why you’re known as Bullseye.”
The last thing I heard was a familiar voice growling, “I'm not a fucking rent-a-cock, Gavin.”
Unable to comprehend what I’d just heard in that moment, and not wanting to even consider the possibility of what it might’ve meant, I called out to Gavin. I pulled my shoulders back and stood ramrod straight and watched him look at me, his eyes wide with shock and maybe guilt when it dawned on him what I’d heard.
Then, as if in slow motion, the man with him turned toward me, and I was once again face to face with Barrett Matthews.
“Alyssa . . .” he said, taking a step toward me. He didn’t get any further because I immediately spun around and got my ass out of there.
When I was i
n the back of a taxi on my way to anywhere but the Sovereign, I finally felt like I could breathe again. My mind still raced from everything I had heard, struggling to work out what it meant and what I had missed. Relief from leaving led into shock, and then tears stung my eyes. I wasn’t sure why I cried, but driving away from that hotel, it felt like I was running away from something bigger than me.
And if I had heard their conversation right, my man from the plane, the man I’d almost begged to take me to bed last night and again this morning, had been paid by Gavin—the man my mother had just agreed to marry—to do whatever it took to do precisely that.
Whatever that was.
Pulling up my phone contacts, I scrolled down and made a phone call I never thought I’d need to make.
“Hello?”
“Aiden, I need you to run that police check.”
End of Part One.
Continue reading for an excerpt from
Taste – Part two of the Sovereign Series
Coming January 13th 2016
Taste – Part Two of the Sovereign Series
~ Coming January 13th 2016 ~
He came, he saw and he almost conquered, but she had the last laugh—or did she?
Back home in Seattle, Alyssa Jacobs—haunted by the thought of what could’ve been—buries herself in her work, determined to never become a target for anyone ever again. Then, as if right on cue, Barrett Matthews storms back into her life, muddling her mind and teasing her heart, determined to win her over.
Unable to trust him with anything other than her body, she vows to protect herself and what she has now discovered is her biggest vulnerability.
What happens when the tables are turned and the hunted becomes the hunter? And with deception and greed taking center stage, where will Alyssa turn in her time of need?
Excerpt from Taste – Part two of the Sovereign Series
Chapter 1
I checked into another hotel under my mom’s maiden name a few hours after leaving Barrett and Gavin in the restaurant corridor. I’d called the Sovereign reception desk from the taxi, asking them to collect my things and check me out. The last thing I wanted was Gavin to get involved. Half an hour later, my taxi swung back into the hotel driveway, and as requested, Bart stood on the curb with my luggage.
Hiding away from everyone was for my peace of mind more than anything else. Whatever Gavin had hired Barrett to do, it included circumventing normal hotel security to get to me. At the time it had not struck me as being anything other than a determined and enterprising mind. I should’ve been more suspicious and questioned him further over his evasive answers to my questions. When I thought about it, I wondered if he had ever given me a straight honest answer.
After the events at lunchtime, I felt deceived and betrayed. For a woman who was normally self-sufficient, confident and not easily rattled, I felt uneasy, even with Aiden’s assurances that he would find out everything there was to know about Barrett Matthews.
Aiden offered to come straight to me, volunteering to jump on the next plane and be at my side in mere hours. I couldn’t tell him what had happened; I was too embarrassed. A thirty-one-year-old independent woman getting conned—however that may have come about—was too much for me to admit to. Aiden didn’t ask me any questions, just promised to run the check and get back to me in a few hours with the preliminary findings.
That gave me some relief. Enough that I poured myself a glass of white wine and a deep bubble bath to try and take care of at least some of the tension that pulled my body tight.
I’d sent my mom a text in the car and explained that I was not feeling well and would call her tomorrow before my flight home. Then I turned my phone off. I already had three missed calls from Barrett by then, and I didn’t want the torture of seeing his name flash on my screen. I hated lying to her, but I didn’t have it in me to rain on her parade and sour her good mood. Whatever I found out about Gavin and Barrett, I wanted to know everything before I told her what had happened.
There was a small part of me that still held on to the hope that I’d misconstrued what I heard. That somehow it was taken out of context and that—in time—Gavin would explain exactly what he’d meant. It would still never excuse what Barrett had done.
Unfortunately, there was a larger part of me that was more realistic, well-worn from years of working as a top-level executive—and now owner—of a typically male-dominated environment. I should’ve been suspicious at Barrett’s dogged pursuit of me. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t been the object of male attention in the past, just never from one as fervent as Barrett. I was too swayed by lust and need whenever I was around him. I should’ve remembered what my father always said: ‘Even if it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck . . . it still might not be a duck.’
It was later—much later—when a hard, loud knock at my hotel room door woke me. I got up off my bed, looking down and remembering that I was only wearing a white toweling robe and nothing else. When the knock came again, this time louder, harder, and definitely more impatient-sounding, I had my fingers wrapped around the handle.
Looking through the peephole, I was shocked to see an incensed Barrett glaring back at me. He wore the same clothes from the restaurant—a tailored dark grey shirt, black tie loose and askew, and black slacks. In short, he looked irresistible.
Having stewed on everything for hours, I saw red, and I didn't think before I swung the door open and came face to face with him.
“You have some n—” I didn't get any more words out because he stormed in, hooked an arm around my waist and swallowed the sound of my shocked gasp by sticking his tongue in my mouth.
BJ Harvey is the USA Today Bestselling Author of ten novels.
She writes contemporary romance, romantic comedy, and romantic suspense.
An avid music fan, you will always find her with headphones on while writing, and the speakers blaring the rest of the time. She’s a wife, a mom to two beautiful girls, and when she’s not writing – she’s reading.
BJ resides with her family in what she considers the best country in the world—New Zealand.
She describes her writing as a little swoon, a lot of heat, a bit of drama and a whole lot of love.
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Romantic Comedy
Bliss Series (Interconnected Standalones)
Temporary Bliss (Bliss #1)
True Bliss (Bliss #2)
Blissful Surrender (Bliss #3)
Permanent Bliss (Bliss #4)
Finding Bliss (Bliss #5)
The Game Series (Bliss Series Spin Off)
Game Player (Game #1) – Coming 2016
Holiday Romance
Stranded (Christmas novella with a Bliss Series connection)
Romance Suspense
Lost in Distraction (Lost #1)
Lost For You (Lost #2)
Lost Without You (Lost #3)
Erotic Suspense - Standalone
Crave
Contemporary Romance
Touch (Sovereign Part One)
Taste (Sovereign Part Two)
Feel (Sovereign Part Three)
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Sneak Preview: Taste
About the Author
Author Links
Other Books by BJ Harvey
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