by MV Ellis
“I want to protect you and worship you, and be with you 24/7. I look at you, and I see my future. I didn’t used to think beyond my next meal, and sometimes not even that far. Now for the first time, I’m thinking about marriage, a puppy, kids even. The whole nine yards. Shit I would never have even considered in my wildest dreams or nightmares before.
“I don’t need to tell you that the sex between us is totally off the charts, beyond my fantasies. But even though I love nothing better than for us to get our rocks off together, I’m also happy to just be with you, even without the sex. I love how your mind works, and your sense of humor. I love listening to you and talking to you, just being in your company. Hell, I’m happy just to lie in bed and listen to you gently snore.”
“I do not snore.” I’m indignant.
“Okay, correction. I love listening to you breathe very deeply when you’re asleep.” He chuckles. “But seriously, I just spilled my guts like that, and your main takeout is that you don’t snore? Jeez, I never thought I’d say this to or about anyone, but I feel like I’m out of my depth with you. Maybe I’m not man enough for the job of loving you!”
I can’t help but laugh—the irony of that statement from a man with Arlo’s track record and ego is enormous. I give a snort of derision.
“It’s not funny, London.” He must be serious—he hardly ever calls me London. “I mean it. Every time you open your mouth, you slay me.”
“Listen, Arlo, I don’t mean to break your balls all the time, it’s a protection mechanism. This whole time, I’ve been trying to make sure that I didn’t get hurt. I’ve lost so much over the past few years, and I wasn’t sure I’d survive losing you too. You get that, right?” I search his face for understanding. He shakes his head no.
“All the time we’ve spent together, how well you’ve gotten to know me, everything I’ve said and done, doesn’t that stand for anything in your mind? I mean, some of the shit I’ve said to you makes me want to throat punch myself, it’s so wet, but it’s all true, and I put it out there with you because I know it’s worth it. You’re worth it.
“I’ve told you things—thoughts, feelings, private shit I’ve never told anyone, not even Lukey. You can’t possibly think I’m making such a complete ass of myself just to screw you over, can you?”
It’s a fair question. One for which I owe him an answer.
“I think I’ve known in my gut for a long time that you’re serious about me. I just didn’t want to believe it, and I definitely didn’t want to trust it, because then I’d have to take a risk with you, and I wasn’t ready to do that. I think I was hoping that if I ignored or denied my feelings, they’d go away. Of course, that never happened. In fact, the more I tried to suppress my emotions, the more deeply I fell for you.
“Then I felt guilty about the intensity of our connection, and how consumed with love I was. I know I’ve been ridiculously slow to get to this point, and I’m so grateful for your patience—even I would have kicked myself to the curb by this point—but I’m there now. I’m here. I want this. In fact, I can’t think of anything I’ve ever wanted more!”
“Really?” I don’t think his grin could be any wider.
“Yes, really. I love you, and I want to give us a chance, if you’ll still have me?”
“Hell yeah, of course I will.” His smile is like a sucker punch in the gut.
Now it’s my turn to grin like a lunatic.
“As much as I’d love to keep you up here and ravage you on your desk again, I think you’d better get back to your launch, or tongues will wag even more than they already are.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right, duty calls.” I fish around for discarded items of clothing, dress, and then fix my hair and makeup as best I can. I’m sure the patch up will fool nobody, but I’m too high on happiness to worry about it. I love this man, and I don’t care who knows it.
“And, Arlo?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“I love you.”
“I know. I love you too.”
“I know you know, but I’m enjoying saying it out loud. I love you, and I want to be with you. That is all.”
I slip my hand in his, and we head out to face the music. Together.
Coming Soon
PUSHING ARLO
He thought he had it all, until he met her
They say you don’t know what you’ve got 'til it’s gone, but for notorious womanizer Arlo Jones, it’s a case of not knowing what you want 'til it’s standing right in front of you.The moment he meets London, he realizes she’s the piece of the puzzle he never knew was missing, but now can't live without. He does everything in his power to get her, but just as he thinks she’s finally ready to give in to her feelings for him, he’s reminded how empty his life was before she was in the picture.
She thought she had it all worked out, until she met him
They say the best-laid plans often go awry, and for aspiring photographer London Llwellyn, that’s definitely the case.when she falls for Arlo. That was never part of her plan. She tries her best to avoid being sucked into his vortex, but he does everything he can to turn her head upside down and her heart inside out. Just as she thinks she’s ready to commit to forever with him, life throws a curveball that leaves her running in the opposite direction.
He’s pulling on her heartstrings, so how long can she keep pushing him away?
Catching London Playlist
Gnash – I Hate U, I love U ft. Olivia O’Brien
Leela James - Fall For You
Clean Bandit - I Miss You feat. Julia Michaels [Official Video]
ZAYN - Dusk Till Dawn ft. Sia
Rudimental - Free ft. Emeli Sandé
Rihanna - Stay ft. Mikky Ekko
The Him - Always
Parson James - Only You
Labrinth - Jealous
Lecrae - I’ll Find You ft. Tori Kelly
Halsey - Bad At Love
Martin Garrix & Dua Lipa - Scared To Be Lonely
Demi Lovato - Tell Me You Love Me
Sam Smith - Too Good At Goodbyes
Anne-Marie - Then
Demi Lovato - Smoke & Mirrors
Halsey - Sorry
Rihanna - Love On The Brain
Haley Smalls - All Yours
Post Malone - I Fall Apart
Acknowledgments
To Mr A for your unwavering support while I got these words out of my head and onto the page. For an endless supply of the best coffee in the (Inner) West, because coffee is life. For humouring me when the coffee failed. For your pride, your patience, and your belief. For the music, and for the characters that inspired me to write this book. You(‘re my) rock.
To Miss A and Miss K for bringing the sunshine every day. For inspiring me to do what I have to do to be the best I can be. For reminding me that strong women rock. I love you more than love.
To my wonderful mum for believing that the one in a million is me. For pushing me to believe it too. For indulging my bookish ways. I wouldn’t be here without you.
To my girlies for keeping me in an endless supply of love, laughter, and (most importantly) gin! You know who you are.
To the team at Hot Tree Publishing for seeing what I saw, and helping me make this book a reality.
To Liz Berry for writing Easy Connections, where it all began.
Thank you.
xMV
About the Author
MV ELLIS knows what it’s like to fall head over heels in love with a badass musician. She followed her heart halfway around the world to be with one. She moved from London to Sydney after a steamy holiday romance with a sexy bass player in sultry Brazil.
Twelve years, two children and a dog later, and she’s still smitten. All this with a guy she sat next to on a bus for 36 hours! She has toured internationally as a “WAG,” and her experiences inspire her writing.
Ellis’s love of romance began when she was 11 years old, after a summer spent secretly reading her auntie’s books. She’s been a
sucker for an alpha hero and strong heroine ever since.
An avid reader, Ellis always knew she’d write a book of her own one day. She was right about that. Following a career spanning advertising, marketing, and social media, she finally wrote Catching London in 2017.
MV loves to connect with readers. She can be reached on the following platforms:
i: instagram.com/authormvellis
i: instagram.com/arloandlondon
t: twitter.com/authormvellis
f: facebook.com/authormvellis
b: bookbub.com/authors/mv-ellis
p: pinterest.com/authormvellis
About the Publisher
Hot Tree Publishing opened its doors in 2015 with an aspiration to bring quality fiction to the world of readers. With the initial focus on romance and a wide spread of romance sub-genres, they envision opening up to alternative genres in the near future.
Firmly seated in the industry as a leading editing provider to independent authors and small publishing houses, Hot Tree Publishing is the sister company to Hot Tree Editing, founded in 2012. Having established in-house editing and promotions, plus having a well-respected market presence, Hot Tree Publishing endeavours to be a leader in bringing quality stories to the world of readers.
Interested in discovering more amazing reads brought to you by Hot Tree Publishing? Head over to the website for more:
http://www.hottreepublishing.com
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-five
Catching London Playlist
Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Publisher