Time can heal wounds. But sometimes, it just f*cks everything up.
Five years ago, I was a lethal weapon for the Donovan crime family. Then I become the Boss and ruled Chicago. Men feared me. Women wanted me. Cops and criminals alike owed their lives and livelihoods to me.
I had it all…until I didnโt.
Now, Iโve been exiled and the woman I never thought Iโd see her again is standing before me. A life I refused to believed I could have is suddenly all around me. A love I was too afraid to earn is within my reach.
Unless the life I left behind wonโt let me go.
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This week’s featured book from the Tease Me anthology is an enemies-to-lovers romance from Victoria Liiv called Treasure Me.
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Read this excerpt from Victoria Liiv & Olivia Boothe’s Afterworlds.
Excerpt from Afterworld: Road To Redemption by VICTORIA LIIV
โYou donโt have to come with me,โ she spat. โJust stop the car and let me out.โ
We were on West Street, riding toward the Lincoln Tunnel. We had to get out of Manhattan. It was crazy for both of us to be this close to Headquarters after dark. The Holland Tunnel was a wreck and the George Washington Bridge too far away. Weโd have to risk the Lincoln. I wasnโt going to let her out. She wouldnโt make it back to the Brooklyn Bridge anyway, sheโd be dead in minutes. And I sure as hell wasnโt letting my chance at that weapon slip away that easily.
โNothing survives a pack of shaitan,โ I reiterated. โThe sooner you accept it the easier itโll be.โ
For the both of us.
As if she hadnโt heard a word Iโd said, she reached for the door handle.
We were going a hundred miles an hour and she thought it was a great idea to open the door? I slammed the brakes before she could endanger the both of us or kill herself jumping out of the speeding vehicleโall in the name of love.
The change in velocity took her by surprise and she flew against the dashboard, letting go of the door sheโd opened. It flapped around a couple of times like a baby bird learning to fly before it came to a halt. Leaning across her seat, I pulled her door closed, locking it for good measure.
โAre you trying to get yourself killed?โ I didnโt mean to linger that close to her. Hell, Iโd meant to pull back and drive the fuck off the moment the door was securely shut, but I was unable to move. I didnโt realize what triggered my personal inner-demon until I was hit by a whiff of sweat, blood, and underneath all of that grime… something distinctly female.
You caught us a toy, a gravelly voice only I could hear whispered in my ear.
Fuck me.
My eyes roamed down her delicate neck to the curve of her chest. The tight top she wore generously revealed a five-star view of her breasts. Encouraged by the sight, my eyes traveled lower, drinking in her slender shape, all the way down to where she gripped the angelic blade.
Its fiery glint snapped me out of the trance. Thank Godโor anyone else willing to listen. That blade only glowed in the presence of Children of the Fire. I slunk back into my own seat. As much as I needed that damn sword to save me, I knew it hungered for my blood.
This week’s featured book from the Tease Me anthology is an enemies-to-lovers romance from Tracy Broemmer called Taste Me.
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Want to read more from Tracy? Check out this excerpt from her newest release End in Flames.
Excerpt from End In Flames by TRACY BROEMMER
Ben set his tray on the table and shrugged out of his coat, all the while wondering what the hell he was doing. He had come here looking for a birthday gift for Heather. Places like this made him jumpy; he still had a funky itch between his shoulders.
Carlie watched him drop into the chair across from him. She stared at him boldly when he studied her face, only a touch of pink in her cheeks. Ben decided the color was the cold weather outside and the overly warm interior of the cafรฉ. Had nothing to do with him. He was sure of that.
โI get the feeling you donโt come here often.โ
He had dropped his gaze to examine the southwestern chicken sandwich she had recommended, but now, he jerked his chin up to look at her again. The smile she wore was more challenging than sweet. Almost flirty.
Which was crazy. A kid like Carlie Beringer wasnโt going to flirt with a guy like him. He gave her a small smile and snagged his cup for a drink.
Too bad. He wouldnโt mind flirting with the blonde. She checked all the boxesโpetite, intriguing brown eyes, and pretty pink lips that apparently loved to smile.
Kissable.
Jesus, Ben. Where did that come from?
โI donโt,โ he finally found his voice, careful to keep his eyes just over her shoulder. The wall behind her was boring as hell but definitely safer. He sipped his blackberry tea and studied his sandwich again. โIโm looking for a gift.โ
โAh.โ Carlie nodded. While he had ordered, she had taken a salad and a cup of soup from her bag, but now she only fiddled with the plastic silverware. โFor your wife?โ
Startled by her assumption, Ben jerked his gaze up to meet her eyes again.
โNo.โ He shook his head. She stared at him silently. He could lie. Tell her he was getting something for his sister. But why? Theyโd bumped into each other accidentally, so maybe this was the universeโs way of letting him know she was okay. A quick lunch together and they would head their separate ways.
Or maybe it was the universeโs way of telling him she wasnโt dating someone named Aaron.
He squirmed in his chair and picked up the sandwich. Carlie blinked and looked at her soup when he took a bite. At least now he could breathe, without her intense stare pinning him in place. He could think.
Just because she wasnโt dating someone named Aaron didnโt mean she was single.
Which didnโt matter in the least, he reminded himself.
โUm. Ex-wife, actually,โ he mumbled after he swallowed.
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Want to read more from K.L.? Check out this excerpt from Until June.
Excerpt from UNTIL JUDEBOOK 1 OF THE PULSETUNES ROCK GODS SERIES. by K.L. SHANDWICK
โFuck,โ I mumbled and ran back down the stairs in the direction of the kitchen, with the sound of the Slipknotโs tune still so loud it resonated in my chest. The closer I got to where Iโd guessed Joe was, the stronger the smell of burning. Breathless, I reached the kitchen door where smoke bellowed out of the oven, and I eyed flames licking inside the glass door, from the other side of the central breakfast island. The whole expensive chefโs kitchen looked as if a flour bomb had gone off. On the floor lay three raw, broken eggs, and by the look of the impressive skid mark that extended from them and the โdance movesโ footprints beside them, heโd obviously trodden on them. Two large bowls half full of raw ingredients sat to one side, like heโd abandoned those and started again. His laptop was perched on the halogen hob, open at a cake recipe page, depicting a picture of a perfect cake, he had likely been following. โJesus Christ, Joe, what the fuck?โ Rushing forward I turned the oven off, opened the patio doors leading out to the decked area, and waved a glass cloth at the wired in fire alarm. โDamn,โ I cussed as I strode over to Joe, and shoved his shoulder to rouse him. He looked sluggish and unfocused when he peered back at me through bleary eyes. โAw, man,โ he mumbled as he slowly lifted his head a little off his forearms where he was perched on a stool at the kitchen counter. His head obviously felt too heavy and flopped to one side as he gave me a vacant look. โThis isnโt just weed. Youโre totally stoned. What the fuck did you drop?โ โJust a couple of downers, I couldnโt sleep,โ he mumbled almost incoherently. โYou were baking a fucking cake โฆ you werenโt supposed to be sleeping,โ I barked angrily and rolled my eyes when I caught sight of Esther standing with a worried look on her face, at the kitchen door. The sound of the two-tone siren of a fire engine grew nearer and my eyes closed as they rolled to the back of my head. These people will be the death of me. When I opened my eyes, I softened my gaze at the sight of Esther. โAre you all right, sugar?โ I asked calmly, noting that Iโd seen her, but I couldnโt spend time babying her until I knew Joe was alright. I turned and strode over to the open fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and went back to my bandmate. โGet on your feet and drink this,โ I said, shoving the cold drink at him and dragging him to his feet. โWhat happened?โ Esther asked quietly from the kitchen door. I figured from where she stood, she couldnโt see the oven had been on fire. Fortunately, the cake fire had burnt out and the fresh air had dissipated most of the smoke from the room. โJoe happened. Fucking baking,โ I added as if that explained everything. A sharp knock on the front door was simultaneously accompanied by a burly firefighter whoโd turned up at the back and peered inside the French doors. โEverything under control?โ he asked, looking past me in a quick assessment of the scene when he stepped into the kitchen without being invited. โIf you mean is the fire out, yeah, I caught it in time,โ I replied. โAs for everything else being under control, unless you got a set of cuffs and a cage on your person, I doubt it,โ I replied, nodding toward Joe. As if on cue, he climbed back onto the seat and resumed his position on the countertop. โYouโre Jude Collymore, right?โ he asked, slipping his helmet off and wagging his finger. โIn the flesh,โ I muttered. Hearing how pissed Iโd sounded, I flashed him a smile. โSorry, dude, Iโd just come through the door to all of this,โ I explained waving my arm at him and then wider to the new Slipknot heavy metal song blaring through the air and the averted disaster in the kitchen. โLooks like heโs living the dream,โ the firefighter joked, glancing at Joe who had fallen asleep again at the counter. โHeโll be living a nightmare when he sobers up,โ I shot back. โI have no idea where he even got the ingredients for all this. โYou okay in here?โ another firefighter asked when he appeared with Esther and interrupted the fireman and me laughing. I realized sheโd answered the front door while my attention had been elsewhere. Moving around him she came closer and stood beside me. โYeah, it was just Julia Child here baking a cake,โ the firefighter standing near me remarked. โRight,โ his colleague replied sounding less impressed. โYou okay, sugar?โ I asked Esther again, unconvinced by her initial reply earlier. It had only been a little over three weeks since her mom had passed and sheโd been thrown into what could easily have been regarded as a mentalistโs nightmare. Sheโd looked a little freaked out, so I slung an arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer. She glanced up at me and shrugged that time as if to say, โI have no choice, I need to be.โ โOkay, Jude, weโll check the rest of the place out, just to be sure, reset the smoke alarms, and get on our way.โ โThanks guys, sorry for the disturbance. Iโll make sure we get this idiot a babysitter in future because he sure as shit isnโt baking a cake again.โ The serious firefighterโs lips quirked but he stopped himself from laughing.โ โMeth nโ Motorcycles is a dope album by the way,โ the first firefighter admitted, which had been our second album release. โYouโre a fan?โ โSure, got tickets for the gig later this week down south.โ โAmazing. Leave your email and Iโll get our assistant to arrange a backstage pass for you to come hang out with us after the gig if you want.โ โFantastic, thereโs four of us โฆ would that be, okay?โ โSure, Iโll get Bernadette on it later.โ He strode over and shook my hand while his partner had already turned and wandered back out into the hallway. I realized I still had my arm around Estherโs shoulder and glanced back down at her. โNever a dull moment with these guys, huh?โ I asked.