by Mallory Rush
"Look at me and say that, then maybe I'll believe you."
Micah forced her eyes to meet his once more for a brief, agonizing moment. "The answer is no," she said, her voice sounding like a plea in her own ears.
"You say no. Why do I get the feeling you're lying to me? To yourself? Don't ever try to take deception up for a living, Micah. You're lousy at it."
"Too bad you're not."
Micah regretted the words as soon as they were out. For so brief an instant she wondered if she had imagined it, she could have sworn she saw him grimace.
"He really did a number on you, didn't he?" Chance laughed then, a little unpleasantly. "A little more time, Micah? I've waited years, what's a few more weeks?"
He studied her face then, and Micah did her best to shut him out, not to acknowledge the exhilaration that came with his nearness, or the acute, unwanted things he was doing to her inside and out. She felt confined by her own emotions, and the tension between them was stretched so taut, she expected to hear something snap.
Then for a frozen, heart-stopping moment he bent close as though he meant to kiss her.
Micah heard her own breath hiss through her teeth as Chance fastened her seat belt.
"You can run, Micah," he whispered, his face scant inches from hers. "You can run as fast and as hard as those sweet, long legs can take you, but in the end you'll still run to me. Because I'll be there every which way you turn. And Micah," he touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers, and she felt the jolt of that touch down to the pit of her stomach. "Remember..."
And as he left she knew it was true he could be cruel, ruthless. A man, Micah thought, who some believed had no capacity for tenderness, for love. She could almost believe that; she needed to believe that, and she could. As long as she didn't remember...
Bad Boy of New Orleans
by
Mallory Rush
~
To purchase
Bad Boy of New Orleans
from your favorite eBook Retailer,
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Page forward and complete your journey
with an excerpt from
JUST A LITTLE LIE
Shades of Deception
Book One
Excerpt from
Just a Little Lie
Shades of Deception
Book One
by
Mallory Rush
Bestselling, Award-winning Author
Sol fingered his black eye patch self-consciously. "When you said 'I do,' this wasn't part of the bargain."
Mariah wasn't aware of her action until she'd actually gripped his wrist. It put her hand close to his eye patch. The strip that held it in place slashed his dark, frowning brow and looped behind his white dress cap.
Sol was too still; she wanted to move from his pinpoint glare, but fought the urge. The moment was too crucial for her to back down.
"I think that patch bothers you, Sol, a lot more than it does me."
"I don't doubt it, because it bothers me a helluva lot." He gazed hatefully at his crutches. "They say I'll never walk without these."
"Do you believe it?"
"I don't want to."
"But do you believe it?"
"No."
"Then neither do I." Somehow, she found the courage to find out exactly where she stood with him. "If you want out because you married me with the idea we'd never meet, or if I'm less than what you'd hoped for—"
"I didn't say that!"
"No, but that doesn't mean you didn't think it. If that's the reason you're trying to run me off, why you'd rather spend your time glaring at me instead of... of kissing me, then fine. We both know you bought into this marriage without either of us certain what we were going to end up with, and, and—" Her voice caught on a sharp emotional chord, her doubts rolling out before she could stop them.
"Mariah, please, don't do this."
"No, you please be quiet and just listen to me." She couldn't believe her own words, but she was glad to have them said and done with. "If you want out, consider yourself out. But if you expect me to jump ship because your body's taken some abuse, then you've got a lot to learn about the woman you took as wife, Mr. Standish."
Just a Little Lie
Shades of Deception
Book One
by
Mallory Rush
~
To purchase
Just a Little Lie
from your favorite eBook Retailer,
visit Mallory Rush's eBook Discovery Author Page
www.ebookdiscovery.com/MalloryRush
~
Discover more with
eBookDiscovery.com
Mallory Rush, aka Olivia Rupprecht, has been published by Bantam, Doubleday, Harlequin Books, and Dorchester Publishing. Her many titles have frequented bestseller lists. Mallory is also the series developer for True Vows, the first reality-based romance line from HCI Books.
You can visit Mallory at www.malloryrush.com.
Table of Contents
Cover
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Excerpt from JUST A LITTLE SIN - Shades of Deception, Book 4
Excerpt from BAD BOY OF NEW ORLEANS by Mallory Rush
Excerpt from JUST A LITTLE LIE - Shades of Deception, Book 1
Meet the Author