by Monica James
“I love you, too.”
And just like that, she’s made me the luckiest son of a bitch alive.
Just as I’m about to kiss her, Jordy cracks open the window. “Can you two quit it with the googly eyes? You’re making me wanna puke.”
Tiger bursts into laughter before a winded gasp leaves her.
Instantly, I launch into protection mode, but she soothes me when she places my hand on her belly. When I feel Damian kick, I gasp, utterly captivated by the feeling. I never thought I could create something so beautiful. However, even though I’ve taken lives, I’ve also given life.
And that’s the best fucking feeling in the world.
“Come on, your son is hungry,” Tiger teases.
“He’s always hungry.”
I get an elbow in the ribs in response.
Placing a soft kiss on her lips, I don’t know what I did to deserve her. But I will do everything to ensure I’m worthy of her love.
Every story has a hero. And it has a villain. But I guess in this story—you got both, wrapped in one.
Read other books by Monica James
My author family: Elle Kennedy, Vi Keeland, Lisa Edward, Christina Lauren, Natasha Madison, L.J. Shen, Kylie Scott, SC Stephens, Penelope Ward, Mia Sheridan—love you!
My ever-supporting parents. You guys are the best. I am who I am because of you. I love you. RIP Papa. Gone but never forgotten. You’re in my heart. Always.
My agent, Kimberly Brower from Brower Literary & Management. Thank you for your patience and thank you for being an amazing human being.
My editor, Jenny Sims. What can I say other than I LOVE YOU! Thank you for everything. You go above and beyond for me.
My proofreaders—Lisa Edward—More Than Words Copyediting & Proofreading, Ellie—My Brother’s Editor, and Rebecca Barney—Fairest Reviews Editing Services. You girls are amazing!
Sommer Stein, you NAILED this cover! Thank you for being so patient and making the process so fun. I’m sorry for annoying you constantly.
My devil, Andrew England, you’re exceptional. P.S. We’re still going out for absinthe.
James Rupapara—your photography is magic. Love, love, love your work.
My publicist—Danielle Sanchez from Wildfire Marketing Solutions. Thank you for all your help. Your messages brighten my day.
A special shout-out to: Bombay Sapphire Gin, K. Bromberg, Tijan, Kat T. Masen, Natasha Preston, Cheri Grand Anderman, Amy Halter, Lauren Rosa, Gemma, Louise, Kimberly Whalen, Christine Estevez, Ryn Hughes, Ben Ellis—Tall Story Designs, Nasha Lama, Natasha Tomic, Heyne, Random House, Kinneret Zmora, Hugo & Cie, Planeta, MxM Bookmark, Art Eternal, Carbaccio, Fischer, Sieben Verlag, Bookouture, Egmont Bulgaria, Brilliance Publishing, Audible, Hope Editions, Buzzfeed, BookBub, PopSugar, Aestas Book Blog, Hugues De Saint Vincent, Paris, New York, Sarah Sentz (you’re my fav!) Ria Alexander, Amy Jennings, Rita Roman, Dily—LittleLove_BookAddict, Jennifer Spinninger, Kristin Dwyer, and Nina Bocci.
To the endless blogs that have supported me since day one—You guys rock my world.
My bookstagrammers—This book has allowed me to meet SO many of you. Your creativity astounds me. The effort you go to is just amazing. Thank you for the posts, the teasers, the support, the messages, the love, the EVERYTHING! I see what you do, and I am so, so thankful.
My reader group and review team—sending you all a big kiss.
My beautiful family—Daniel, Mum, Papa, Fran, Matt, Samantha, Amelia, Gayle, Peter, Luke, Leah, Jimmy, Jack, Shirley, Michael, Rob, Elisa, Evan, Alex, Francesca, and my aunties, uncles, and cousins—I am the luckiest person alive to know each and every one of you. You brighten up my world in ways I honestly cannot express.
Samantha and Amelia— I love you both so very much.
To my family in Holland and Italy, and abroad. Sending you guys much love and kisses.
Papa, Zio Nello, Zio Frank, Zia Rosetta, and Zia Giuseppina—you are in our hearts. Always.
My fur babies— mamma loves you so much! Buckwheat, you are my best buddy. Dacca, I will always protect you from the big bad Bellie. Mitch, refer to Dacca’s comment. Jag, you’re a wombat in disguise. Bellie, your singing voice is so beautiful. And Ninja, thanks for watching over me.
To anyone I have missed, I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional!
Last but certainly not least, I want to thank YOU! Thank you for welcoming me into your hearts and homes. My readers are the BEST readers in this entire universe! Love you all!
Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily Dickinson.
When she is not writing, Monica is busy running her own business, but she always finds a balance between the two. She enjoys writing honest, heartfelt, and turbulent stories, hoping to leave an imprint on her readers. She draws her inspiration from life.
She is a bestselling author in the U.S.A., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, and The U.K.
Monica James resides in Melbourne, Australia, with her wonderful family, and menagerie of animals. She is slightly obsessed with cats, chucks, and lip gloss, and secretly wishes she was a ninja on the weekends.
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