By Loni Flowers
Genre: Adult
Contemporary Romance
Date of Publication:
August 12, 2014
ISBN: 978-1500677626
ASIN: 1500677620
Number of pages: 376
Word Count: 94,600
Keep a low profile. That's what Abigale Peterson was supposed to do, especially when the
person she was being protected from was one of the world's worst crime lords.
After seven years in the Witness Protection Program, she felt no safer now than
she did when she was seventeen. Revenge was rarely forgotten when it came to a
professional criminal like Zerilli.
Low profiles meant no social life and definitely no love life.
Paranoia and lies became daily habits, going against everything Abigale believed in, but they kept her safe. They kept everyone safe.
Until a house fire puts her out of that safety and into the arms of a stranger. Max Smith is sexy, smart, and has major attitude. He’s the only one who seems to get her. He calms her fears and comforts her from her nightmares. But he also sees right through her lies.
Before Abigale can stop, she’s in too deep; confiding too much and breaking the one rule she promised herself to uphold: Never fall in love.
Low profiles meant no social life and definitely no love life.
Paranoia and lies became daily habits, going against everything Abigale believed in, but they kept her safe. They kept everyone safe.
Until a house fire puts her out of that safety and into the arms of a stranger. Max Smith is sexy, smart, and has major attitude. He’s the only one who seems to get her. He calms her fears and comforts her from her nightmares. But he also sees right through her lies.
Before Abigale can stop, she’s in too deep; confiding too much and breaking the one rule she promised herself to uphold: Never fall in love.
I tossed my phone in my
bag and relayed the particulars to Max as I returned to the edge of the pond.
Rain began to fall heavier, pelting the canopy above us, and creating large
rings in the water. A few drops fell on me, but they felt cool on my
overheated, sticky skin and I welcomed them.
“Well, we might as well
pack it up,” Max said, sounding disappointed. “She’s getting in the car with
him now. Plus, I don’t think the rain is going to let up. The clouds are
getting darker.”
I turned toward him. “Not
just yet. I love listening to it, especially now, when it hits the leaves. The
steady rhythm is very peaceful.” Larger drops started to penetrate the
branches, but I ignored it, as well as my dress, which was getting wetter by
the minute. I leaned my head back, spread my arms out, and twirled in the rain
like I always wanted to do. It felt wonderfully cool on my face. I giggled at
my silly behavior, but didn’t care how childish I was acting. “I really am
going to miss days like this… and places like this.”
“I know you’ve heard me
say this before, but you do have a choice, Abi. No one can make you do anything
you don’t want to do…. You know, like leave this place?”
I stopped and peered down
at him. “I’m sure it seems like a reasonable choice when you’re not the one
having to make it or knowing the
reasons behind it.”
“Maybe I could understand
better if you told me.”
“You probably would, but
it’s still not going to happen.” My hair stuck to the sides of my face and my
dress became heavier as the wet fabric clung to my skin. Max didn’t seem fazed
by the rain anymore than I, and his eyes followed me as I continued to dance
around.
He uncrossed his ankles
and sat up straighter. “Can I be blunt with you right now?”
I stopped and stepped
closer to hear what he was about to say. “When are you not blunt?”
“Would it change your
mind if I said I didn’t want you to leave?”
Snatching a leaf from a
branch, I pretended to find it more interesting than our conversation. We were
heading down a path I didn’t want to travel.
“It would only change how
I feel, and make it that much harder to leave, but I’d still have to go.” It
was about as close to the truth as I could get. I smirked, peering back at him.
“You’re not doing a very good job at being blunt,” I added, stepping closer and
wondering where he was going to take this.
“I don’t want to go back
to St. Louis. There’s nothing for me there. I’d be more than happy to stay
around here and see how things pan out.”
“Bluntness, Max. I
thought you wanted to be direct here? I’m still not feeling it. What do you
want to say?”
I knelt down on my knees
in front of his feet on the edge of the blanket, dangerously closer, and
intended to press a few more of those buttons he had under his skin. But I
couldn’t tear my eyes away from him when the rainwater dripped off the strands
of his hair, rolling down his cheeks and neck. Max’s white shirt stuck to his
skin like tape, revealing the black ink of his tattoos as it became
transparent. My hair was soaked, and rain droplets fell over my shoulders and
down my back as well as from the tips of my hair. The rain increased, pelting
the canopy above, and soaking us both to the bone.
“How about if I tell you
not to leave. And you tell me exactly what’s going on; and no matter what it
is, or how bad it was, I promise to protect you. Is that the kind of bluntness
you want to hear?” He licked the rain off his lips.
“You’re not being blunt
now; you’re giving orders.”
His sultry grin made his
dimple pop and I watched his eyes lazily sweep the length of me. “We’re both
drenched and you look incredibly sexy right now. So we better go.”
Yes, I was definitely pushing his buttons. “I’m waiting, Max. Come
out with it. Say what you really want to say. Why hold back now?” He stared at
me a moment, and his caramel eyes contemplated my words.
“I want you, Abi. Every
part of you. The good parts, the ugly parts. All the parts that you’re too
scared to share with me. I want it all. From the first moment I laid eyes on
you, I’ve wanted you. I may be the craziest person on this planet, but I’d move
clear across the country if it meant I could spend some more days with you.”
His fingertip traced my jaw. “Is that blunt enough for you?”
Author Bio:
Loni
Flowers lives in Eastern North
Carolina with her husband; two daughters, who never slow down for a second; and
her couch-potato dogs, who only raise an eye when foods around. She spends her
days working a full-time professional job and when Loni isn't there, you can
find her playing on the internet. Chatting on Twitter and Facebook are her
weaknesses! She loves to read….any genres, but she's a definite sucker for a
good romance story!
Contemporary romance is her writing genre of choice, but she's not opposed to writing something different should an excellent idea strike.
Some of Loni's favorite authors include: Kristan Higgins, Darynda Jones, Jill Shalvis, L.J. Kentowski, Stefne Miller, Cassandra Clare, J.K. Rowling, and Karen Marie Moning, Nicholas Sparks, and Mae Clair... just to name a few.
Contemporary romance is her writing genre of choice, but she's not opposed to writing something different should an excellent idea strike.
Some of Loni's favorite authors include: Kristan Higgins, Darynda Jones, Jill Shalvis, L.J. Kentowski, Stefne Miller, Cassandra Clare, J.K. Rowling, and Karen Marie Moning, Nicholas Sparks, and Mae Clair... just to name a few.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/LoniFlowers
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