“Everything okay?” Bill asks.
“Yes! I’m finished.” She takes the lifeline Bill provides and ducks around her sexy stranger.
Bill lifts his wrist and stares at his watch. “You still have the booth for another hour. You sure?”
She doesn’t look back. She can’t. If she does, temptation will make her stay and she’ll do something she’ll regret forever. The wall? Would he really fuck her against the wall?
“I’m good. I need some fresh air.”
Bill steps to the side as she slips out and goes to collect Ranger. Her dog is a welcome visitor at Grady’s, but his sensitive ears can’t handle the booth and the drums inside. He’s curled up behind the counter, but he alerts to the distinctive tread of her feet. Tail thumping, he lifts his head and stares at her with the most adorable doggy eyes. Love shines in them with absolute and unwavering devotion.
“Come!” She commands and Ranger springs to his feet, tail wagging, tongue lolling, and with his doggy expression full of the most intense love. His nails click on the polished concrete flooring as he trots to her side where he nuzzles her palm.
She heads to the checkout counter and reaches over to grab her backpack. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she spins and is surprised to see her stranger scratching between Ranger’s ears. An ex-explosives dog, Ranger doesn’t let people he doesn’t know touch him, but he’s sitting, ears perked up, eyes bright, and tongue flopping out the side of his mouth. Traitor!
“Nice dog,” her stranger says. He straightens and Ranger lifts a paw, scratching at the man’s faded jeans.
“Ranger doesn’t like people he doesn’t know touching him.”
To prove her wrong, Ranger whines and paws at the man again. The traitor demands to have his front leg scratched.
“I’m not most people.” Her sexy stranger kneels down and grabs Ranger’s paw. A devastating wink makes her knees weaken and nearly buckle. “I guess he likes me. You should listen to your dog.”
Ranger sniffs the guy’s face, licks his cheek, and destroys her dramatic exit.
“Hup!” She calls her traitorous dog to her side. Exceptionally well trained to voice and hand commands, Ranger pops to his feet and comes to heel on her left side.
“Good boy.” She reaches into her backpack and retrieves Ranger’s leather lead. Unsure how to make her exit, she debates her options. Storming out seems overkill and rude. She’s a nice person, with good manners, but what is she supposed to say?
Nice meeting you?
See you around?
Thanks, but no thanks for the proposition?
What is proper protocol when running from a sex god?
“I didn’t mean to scare you off,” he says, rescuing her from the dilemma of what to do next. He steps close, his voice deep and serious. “Let me buy you a coffee.” His lips nearly brush her ear as he speaks.
“I don’t drink coffee.”
“I’ll buy tea.”
“I don’t drink tea.”
His brows twitch as he tugs on the brim of the ball cap. Undeterred, he continues, “Well, I bet you eat. Everyone eats. How about dinner?” The promise for more than dinner simmers in his gaze and makes her want exactly what he promises.
“I’m sorry,” she says, “but I don’t know you. You could be a serial killer for all I know.”
“A sexy one.” He beams a smile. “I do believe you said I had a sexy ass. Trust me, you’ll have the time of your life, and for the record, I’m not a serial killer.”
Cocky bastard. And did she really say he has a sexy ass? She replays their conversation in her head and sucks in a breath when she realizes she did in fact say just that.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“It may not have been what you meant, but you were definitely thinking it. Now, I say we explore this attraction—”
“There’s no attraction.”
“Hun, the air is crackling between us. I felt it the moment I saw you playing the drums. How about we go back to that booth and lay down a beat. I’ll teach you a thing or two about the drums.”
Back to that, were they? She could probably teach him a thing or three or four about the drums.
“Naw. I’m good.” With a tug to Ranger’s leash, she heads out of the store.
“What’s your name?” He calls out.
Bristling with undeserved indignation, she wants to turn around and tell him, but foolish pride keeps her feet moving toward the front door. The overhead bell jangles as she opens the door and a solid whoosh seals her stranger inside.
Without thinking too hard about it, Holly lopes into a jog. She’s not running away. No, she’s simply allowing Ranger to stretch his legs. And she’s not going to glance over her shoulder to see if Nameless Guy is following, because that’s creepy. And, if he is, she won’t find the strength to say No again. She wants everything he offers, but can’t afford the risk that comes with it. And really, would it be that bad? A nameless hookup with the most attractive man she’s ever seen?
Yes! It really is that bad! Her conscious refuses to let her forget the past.
With a shake of her head, she increases her speed. Her wild curls spring and bounce over her shoulders. Normally, she ties her hair up when she goes out for a run, but there’s nothing normal about running away from…him.
What’s his name? She bets it’s something cool like Jake or Derek, maybe Drake. Those are her favorite names, book boyfriends who stole her heart. Her curiosity almost turns her around, but the jangle of Ranger’s collar brings her back to the here and now. No-name sexy guy is a stranger. A dangerous man. One she needs to stay far, far away from.
Two blocks down, she passes the dog park and decides to let Ranger off the leash. He needs a good run. Ranger’s tail twitches with excitement as she jogs up to the gate guarding the park. His excitement is palpable as she commands him to sit while she removes the long leather lead.
Pulling his face close, she gives him a kiss between his adorable brown eyes and then gives the signal he’s free to run. Ranger takes off while she heads to an empty bench. With her time in the booth interrupted, there’s still a lot of work to get done for her students in the community center. Getting twenty plus kids to play one drum set is not an easy task, but she’s done it before and is determined to do it again. Angel Fire’s Insanity is the perfect piece with a kick ass drum solo.
s pixie didn’t play fair.
* * *
Get your copy of Bent’s Story, Hearts Divided, in the next installment of the Angle Fire Rock Romance Series
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Hearts Collide
Also by Ellie Masters
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The Angel Fire Rock Romance Series
each book in this series can be read as a standalone and is about a different couple with an HEA.
Ashes to New (prequel)
Heart’s Insanity (book 1)
Heart’s Desire (book 2)
Heart’s Collide (book 3)
Hearts Divided (book 4)
Romantic Suspense
Reap What You Sow
Twist of Fate
The Starling
Redemption
HOT READS
Changing Roles Series:
Book 1: Command
Book 2: Control
Book 3: Collar
Off Duty
Nondisclosure
Down the Rabbit Hole
Becoming His Series
Book 1: The Ballet
Book 2: Learning to Brea
the
Book 3: Becoming His
Sweet Contemporary Romance
Finding Peace
~AND~
Science Fiction
Ellie Masters writing as L.A. Warren
Vendel Rising: a Science Fiction Serialized Novel
(January 2019)
About the Author
ELLIE MASTERS is a multi-genre and best-selling author, writing the stories she loves to read. These are dark erotic tales. Or maybe, sweet contemporary stories. How about a romantic thriller to whet your appetite? Ellie writes it all. Want to read passionate poems and sensual secrets? She does that, too. Dip into the eclectic mind of Ellie Masters, spend time exploring the sensual realm where she breathes life into her characters and brings them from her mind to the page and into the heart of her readers every day.
Ellie Masters has been exploring the worlds of romance, dark erotica, science fiction, and fantasy by writing the stories she wants to read. When not writing, Ellie can be found outside, where her passion for all things outdoor reigns supreme: off-roading, riding ATVs, scuba diving, hiking, and breathing fresh air are top on her list.
She has lived all over the United States—east, west, north, south and central—but grew up under the Hawaiian sun. She’s also been privileged to have lived overseas, experiencing other cultures and making lifelong friends. Now, Ellie is proud to call herself a Southern transplant, learning to say y’all and “bless her heart” with the best of them. She lives with her beloved husband, two children who refuse to flee the nest, and four fur-babies; three cats who rule the household, and a dog who wants nothing other than for the cats to be his best friends. The cats have a different opinion regarding this matter.
Ellie’s favorite way to spend an evening is curled up on a couch, laptop in place, watching a fire, drinking a good wine, and bringing forth all the characters from her mind to the page and hopefully into the hearts of her readers.
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Final Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you enjoyed reading this story, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads, and please let other people know. A sentence is all it takes, but a book lives or dies based upon its reviews. Friend recommendations are the strongest catalyst for readers’ purchase decisions! And I’d love to be able to continue bringing the characters and stories from My-Mind-to-the-Page.
Second, call or e-mail a friend and tell them about this book. If you really want them to read it, gift it to them. If you prefer digital friends, please use the “Recommend” feature of Goodreads to spread the word.
Or visit my blog https://elliemasters.com/, where you can find out more about my writing process and personal life.
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Thank you so much for your support!
Love,
Ellie
THE END
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Hearts Collide Page 23