Promo: Sweet Secrets by Constance Munday

To celebrate the release of Sweet Secrets, Totally Bound are giving you the chance to win a bundle of eBooks.

Enter here: https://www.totallybound.com/competition/sweet-secrets-giveaway?utm_source=wickedwolvesanddreamingdragons&utm_medium=blogtour&utm_campaign=sweetsecrets

Blurb for Sweet Secrets:

What will happen when dark secrets threaten a perfect recipe for happiness and newfound love?
Left on her own, Carrie Ann decides it is time to escape her past, empower herself and overcome her confidence issues by turning her secret hobby of erotic cake design into a business. Her world is then turned upside down when she bumps into dynamic and sexy Dominic. Unwittingly, Carrie Ann sows the seeds of disaster from day one, weaving a web of deceit, and before she knows it the lies are multiplying.
As news of her baking brilliance spreads, romance grows. Now, only one thing can ruin their happiness and that is Carrie Ann’s dark deceptions and the battle she is fighting within herself. Will she be strong enough to overcome a past that is set to destroy her dreams for the future and tell Dominic the truth, or will she lose him forever?

 Excerpt from Sweet Secrets:

In her fantasy, she slips off her coat. Underneath she has on the short black dress and she realises she looks amazingly good in it. Of course, in her reverie she is not half as plain as she thinks. She has had one of those miraculous transformations through love. Latham has made her metamorphose like the ugly duckling, and when she glances in the mirror, she thinks she is glowing. With this outer transformation comes a transformation in her mind and soul too. It is as if Latham has lit a fuse and that fuse is slowly travelling up her and igniting every inch of her. The feelings that race through her are not surprising because she knows what’s lurking inside. The emotions, buried deep, needed a man like Latham to start the snowball effect. Latham is speechless. He steps back, amazed she can scrub up so well, when she doesn’t have icing smudges on her nose and spun sugar stuck in her hair. That’s good, because he’ll have even more of a shock when he knows what other secrets she’s hiding. She runs her tongue over her lips in invitation. It seems the natural thing to do as she thinks how much she would like to eat him. He looks super cool. He’s dressed in designer jeans and a white shirt, stylishly undone by about three buttons. His shaggy hair is a neat frame for his sexy face.

“You look amazing. Kind of different to how I imagined.”

“Thanks.” She brushes past him, giving him a teasing look.

Latham does not hang back when it comes to seduction, he grabs her waist and Carrie Ann explodes, the sensations shoot right the way through her like a pulse of electricity. He stands there and nuzzles her neck and she fizzes and pops, tilting her head so he can run his tongue over her bare neck.

Beneath her dress amazing things are going on. Her body seems to have become one vibrating note of pleasure. Sometimes the vibrations are slow, sometimes fast. Every time he runs his tongue behind her ear, she experiences a corresponding tug between her legs as if his tongue has somehow moved down and is nestling between her dips and folds and is playing there. Latham is an expert with her zipper. He lifts her dress away and lets it drop to the floor. She stands with him drawing her back against his erection. She is wearing only a small pair of lace briefs and a bra.

His hands moved in staccato teasing movements over her skin. She is not a waif, she is aware of her bulges, but she has tried to make the best of them. Latham squeezes her hips. “I like you, Carrie Ann. Dining out on those stick thin women gets so wearing. I’ve been searching for a real woman like you all my life. Besides which…” He cups her breast, her nipples springing nicely erect. “I always had a thing for a woman with brains and you certainly have those. You’re bloody amazing.”

You can read more about Sweet Secrets here: https://www.totallybound.com/sweet-secrets?utm_source=wickedwolvesanddreamingdragons&utm_medium=blogtour&utm_campaign=sweetsecrets

Promo: Unexpected Places by Bailey Bradford

Totally Bound has a brand new Imprint out, What’s his Passion? and I am thrilled to be a part of it! My contribution is Unexpected Places, a story featuring Carter Hausemann, a man who is passionate about hiking.

To celebrate the launch of What’s his Passion? Totally Bound are giving away a bundle of prizes. Enter here for your chance to win:

https://www.totallybound.com/competition/whats-his-passion-launch?utm_source=wickedwolvesanddreamingdragons&utm_medium=blogtour&utm_campaign=unexpectedplacestour

Blurb for Unexpected Places:

Love finds you in the most unexpected places.
Carter Hausemann loves his adventures in the great outdoors. He never feels as free and happy as he does when he’s hiking up a mountain or over a desert trail. After a childhood spent locked indoors, he craves the sunlight on his face and the blanket of moonlight.
Unfortunately, he has to work, so his hiking trips aren’t as frequent as he would like.
He has a new adventure planned, but little does he know, his real adventure will start at a worn-down looking club in Odessa, Texas. Carter’s dreams of finding his perfect men will become more than fantasy, starting with one sexy leather-clad man, Eddie Canales. What starts out as a night of debauchery turns into so much more. 

Excerpt:

“Hey, Carter, you headed out to Grayson’s?”

Carter Hausemann bit back a groan. He hadn’t gotten away quick enough to avoid Mark Watson. Carter turned to watch him approach the elevator. Mark was an attractive guy, but he wasn’t someone Carter wanted a long-term anything with. Or even a quick fuck, for that matter. Mark skeeved him out.

“Actually, I’m not,” Carter told him.

He desperately hoped someone else would join them for the elevator ride down from the twelfth floor. Mark could be pushy to the point of obnoxious if they were alone.

“I’m going home to prepare for the hiking trip I’m taking over the weekend.” Not that it was any of Mark’s business, but Carter hoped it would get the man to back off.

Instead, Mark stopped just a little too close, but not so much that Carter could call him out on it. Well, he could, but Mark would likely tell him he was being paranoid—even though they’d both know better.

“Hiking again?” Mark raked him with a calculating gaze Carter had seen too often. “Surely there are better things to do with your time?”

And that attitude was one of the reasons Carter would never want to hook up with Mark. Besides being a co-worker, he always had something bordering on snide to say about Carter’s love of hiking.

Carter shifted his briefcase into the hand closest to Mark, forcing him to move back or get whacked on the knee. As tempting as it was to be a dick and tell Mark to fuck off, Carter wouldn’t do it. He was certain that, eventually, Mark would lose interest in him.

“Nothing beats the great outdoors.”

“Nothing?” Mark asked, skepticism layering over his features. “Uh huh. I’ve seen the Odessa Meteor Crater hiking trail and don’t see how anyone could want to bother with it more than once, yet you seem to practically live out there on the weekends.” Mark cocked his head and gave Carter a borderline leer. “If that’s the most fun you’ve had here in Odessa, maybe you’ve been doing some things wrong, because I can think of at least one thing that should top the great outdoors.”

“Not if you’re hiking right,” Carter retorted. “Oh hey, here comes Becca.” He almost added, Thank God, but restrained himself at the last moment. “Hey, Becca, just in time,” Carter called out as the elevator bell dinged.

Becca was his boss, and he’d never been so grateful to see her as he was at that moment. She got on the elevator with him and Mark after murmuring greetings to them. Carter made certain he stood on her right, as Mark was to Becca’s left.

“Are you ready for your trip? This one’s going to be different from your usual day-hikes out here. Think this will be a big adventure?” Becca asked him. She pressed the button for the ground floor.

Carter smiled warmly at her. He liked his boss, was glad to be working on her team. “Hopefully it will be, yeah, though not the get-eaten-by-a-bear kind of adventure. As to being ready, almost. I’m quite excited about the weekend trip exploring parts of Big Bend. I’ve been wanting to see it ever since I moved here.”

“You just have to pack,” Mark added, eyeing him as if gauging whether or not Carter had lied about that.

“Exactly,” Carter agreed. “I was given a list of recommended supplies for the trip after I signed up for it. This’ll be my first weekend hike there. I’ve been all over New Mexico and Colorado.”

Like the sound of Unexpected Places? Read more here: https://www.totallybound.com/unexpected-places?utm_source=wickedwolvesanddreamingdragons&utm_medium=blogtour&utm_campaign=unexpectedplaces

About Bailey

A few things about me…

I am a married to a lovely man who supports everything I do and encourages me to be myself. I am also a mom who spends most of the day writing, either on stories for books or at the blog. I love to write as much as I love to read. I am generally quiet and laid back, choosing to let things slide off me rather than stick to me and be irritating.

And it’s really hard trying to think of descriptives for myself, so I’ll just let y’all e-mail me or comment at the blog if there’s something specific you’d like to know, and spare you from reading a boring bio.

https://www.totallybound.com/author/bailey-bradford

www.baileybradford.com

www.baileysplayroom.blogspot.com  

https://www.facebook.com/bailey.bradford.9

@BaileyBFun4Me  

Her Secret Past by Victoria Blisse

To celebrate the release of Her Secret Past, Totally Bound are giving away a bundle of eBooks by Victoria Blisse. Enter here for your chance to win:

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https://www.totallybound.com/competition/her-secret-past-book-competition?utm_source=wickedwolvesanddreamingdragons&utm_medium=blogtour&utm_campaign=hersecretpast

Blurb:

A past she wants to forget, a secret that will change everything and a hunky guy who should have known better.

It’s no secret that Katrina Quinn has been caught having an affair with her hunky co-star. Hounded by the press she has escaped to Yorkshire, England and the remote seclusion of Copse Cottage. It’s a house packed full of junk and memories—far too much for one woman to handle.

For odd job man Ryan Taylor, being hired to clear clutter while ogling one of Hollywood’s hottest stars seems like easy money. A good way to escape his jealous, drunken girlfriend, Eve, who seems intent on making his life a misery. But Copse Cottage is haunted with his happy past, stirring anew his longing for the girl he used to call the best in the world.

A stolen beat-up suitcase is going to change everything—secrets will be revealed, hearts will be broken all over again and the biggest mystery of all will finally be answered.

Excerpt:

“Right, well, can I do something to make it better? Do you need to have some time off? I mean, we’ve been working day in and day out for, what, close to two weeks now—” 

“No,” he was insistent, an edge of hardness to his voice. “No,” his tone softened. “Really, I’m much better being here.” 

“What’s the matter, Ryan?” I asked, my voice softened. Now I looked at him closely I could see he was hurting. 

“Nothing, Katrina, really, it’s nothing—but thanks, for, you know, asking.” 

“Yeah, no worries. Just let me know if I can help at all.” 

“Well…” He paused for a few moments then shook his head. “No, no, I don’t think you can. Thanks anyway. I’ll get these sorted and I’ll try to be less arsy from now on.” 

“It’s okay”—I smiled—“I’ve been just as bad myself, I’m sure. We’ll call a truce?” 

“Sure.” He grinned then went to carry on down the steps but stumbled, tumbling down the last few, the bag of rubbish slapping him in the face. 

“Oh, bloody hell, Ryan. Are you all right?” I dashed down the stairs and manoeuvred around him. 
“Ryan,” I called again, absolutely petrified. “Ryan, are you okay?” 

“Findelridel faffnaffer.” 

I lifted the bag off his face and he took a deep breath. 

“I hit my head but I’m okay.” 

“Can you sit up?” I crouched beside him, and when I saw he was struggling to get upright I slipped my hands under his arms to help him. 

“Oooh that’s nice,” he purred, then giggled like a little girl. “But it doesn’t part tickle.” 
He’d definitely given his head a good bump. 
“Let’s see where you bumped your head.” I reached out and ran my hand over his forehead, a definite lump forming on the right. “Oh, that’s nasty. I’ll get you some ice.” 

“Okay, cutie.” He giggled again. 

It was a weird sound coming from a grown man but it was something I’d heard a lot when we’d played together as kids. It ripped at my heart. I took a deep breath and ran to the kitchen. In the freezer I found a pack of frozen peas that might have been well past eating stage but they’d make a decent salve for a bashed head. 

When I got back to the stairs, Ryan wasn’t there. 

“Where are you, Ryan?” I called. I looked in the front room and glimpsed him on the front lawn, zigzagging with the refuse bag. 

“Ryan! Ryan, come here!” I yelled. “Before you do yourself a mischief.” 

“Oh, shut up, Janie-wanie.” 

I stood in stunned amazement, then he fell over. I ran over to him. 

“Oh, my head,” he groaned. “Katrina, I feel sick.” 

“Oh, dear, I think you might be a little concussed.” I sighed with relief. Clearly he was less than compos mentis. 

“Mmm, maybe.” 

“I’d better take you to A & E—you’ve had a nasty fall.” 

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll be fine. Sure, I’ll be fine, sure I’ll be— What was I doing again?” 

“You’re going to hospital with me.” 

“Are you ill?” he asked, stroking my arm. 

“You could say that. Come on.” 

“Okay, I will do when I work out which leg I need to move first.” 

It was a trial getting Ryan into a taxi—he kept wanting to get into his van but I couldn’t let him drive—he could barely steer a sentence let alone a vehicle. He asked me several times in the back of the taxi where we were going, called me Mum a couple of times then lay his head on my shoulder. 

“Ryan?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Ryan, come on, don’t go to sleep now. I can’t let you, not until you’ve been checked out by a doctor.” 

“But I’m tired, sweetie.” 

“I know you are, but we’re almost at the hospital and you need to stay awake.” I jiggled my shoulder and he folded his arm over my body. 

“Ryan, come on now,” I growled, panic growing. “You can’t sleep.” 

He made a strange gurgling sound in the back of his throat and shifted his hand right over my breast. 

“Ryan,” I gasped. “What are you doing?” 

“Keeping myself awake.” He moved quickly—before I could move or take it in, his lips were on mine. 

I was stunned into indecision. My body was all for deepening the kiss, my hands were itching to run into his hair and add pressure to our kiss, my back wanted to arch and push my breasts farther against him and my mouth was ready to thoroughly explore his. However, my mind was completely against all of it. My mind held onto the facts. Apart from being seriously mentally incapacitated by his fall he was also the one man in Thornleydale who could work out who I was by my kiss. So I pushed him back. 

Luckily, the taxi pulled up just then, and I got to bundle Ryan out of it and into the hospital foyer. He seemed to have completely forgotten the kiss. However, I hadn’t. I felt as light on my feet as Ryan. I vibrated, my skin hummed and I wanted to scrub at it, to stop it reminding me how good it had felt to have Ryan’s arms around me. 

He was seen quickly by a triage nurse—they didn’t mess about with head injuries. After some tests and the administration of some painkillers he was ushered in to see a doctor.

 
“Well, Ryan, you’re going to be okay but you do need to take it easy until the dizziness wears off. No more heavy lifting for a few days.”

 
“Right.” He nodded then winced. 

“Thank you, doctor, I’ll get him home.” I smiled with relief. 

“Just one more thing, Ms Quinn.” He smiled, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair. “Could I have your autograph?”

Like the sound of Her Secret Past? You can buy it here: https://www.totallybound.com/her-secret-past?utm_source=wickedwolvesanddreamingdragons&utm_medium=blogtour&utm_campaign=hersecretpast

Promo: Casting Call (Gin & Jazz #6) by Morticia Knight

Handsome Film Stars and Brooding Directors

Hi Wendy, and thanks for having me here again! The Gin & Jazz series is set in the prohibition era of Hollywood, but it wasn’t just gin that was prohibited. Men seeking the company of another man had to be extra careful not to be caught, despite the looser atmosphere of the Celluloid Kingdom. Pansy clubs were one of the ways gay men could meet one another.

Not much different than the secretive speakeasies where the general public hankering for a gin martini or a brandy smash might go for an evening’s entertainment – complete with said Jazz – pansy clubs had the distinction of being strictly for men only. As the liquor flowed, so did the carousing, and it wasn’t unheard of for men to avail themselves of a dark corner. It was safer than being caught somewhere less understanding.

In Casting Call (Gin & Jazz 6), impossibly handsome film star, Will Carmichael, is holding a torch for the brooding and intense director, André Chenard. There was an initial spark of interest from André, but Will’s nerves derailed the encounter. Now André will have nothing to do with him. Despondent of ever catching the director’s eye again, Will decides to take his fun however he can get it, and forget about romance for a while. On a side note, this is a standalone story, so it’s not necessary to read all the other installments first. Although, if you like this one, you may want to *wink*. The following excerpt takes place at the pansy club:

The bartender handed him the double shot he’d ordered. He downed half of it and it went straight to his head. An older man of perhaps forty sat down next to him. His wavy brown hair was similar to Andre’s and he also chose not to wear pomade. But the thing that really struck Will was the glasses. They weren’t exactly the same—they were tortoiseshell—but the look was similar.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Oliver was well in hand—Leonard had arrived. It was clear that they only had eyes for one another—Will would be nothing but an annoyance, an interloper.

In his peripheral vision, he noted that the stranger was eyeing him. A funny, swimmy feeling had permeated his entire body from the alcohol. He felt his cock twitch at the thought of it encased in a man’s warm, wet mouth. Perhaps this man?

“Is this your first time here?”

The stranger needed to work on his opening approach, but Will’s hardening dick was feeling charitable. Will turned towards him.

“Lord, no. Although I’ve been rather absent of late.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Family obligations and all that. But now here I am, ready to make the most of my evening.”

Will held the man’s gaze as he raised his glass, then took another healthy swallow. The stranger narrowed his eyes at Will.

“My God. You’re Will Carmichael.”

“Ah, yes, that I am. And you are?”

“Richard. Richard Petersen.”

Will waved his drink at Richard in acknowledgement then knocked the rest of it back. There was a curl at the corners of Richard’s mouth.

“Now that you mention it, I was hoping to make the most of my evening too.”

It was still early and Will had no intention of leaving the club right away with a stranger. However, since he was feeling particularly adventurous for a change, that didn’t mean that they couldn’t find somewhere private to dally.

Will leaned in and spoke next to Richard’s ear. “Shall we enjoy another cocktail or two before the band begins?”

His potential playmate raised his eyebrows once Will had settled back on the stool.

“And once the band begins, what is it that you propose?”

There had been times when Will had been more brazen than others, but never had he jumped straight to the heart of the matter. He enjoyed drawing the experience out, letting his hopeful lover chase him around, work to convince Will that they should tryst. The only time he ever went right to the finish was at the end of the night when he spotted someone he already knew. Like Geoffrey.

He winked at his admirer. Thoughts of the dreadful night with Geoffrey did nothing to spur him on, so he signalled to the bartender. Once the man had poured him another drink, he leaned in to Richard once again.

“I propose that we help one another make this as pleasurable an evening as possible. Perhaps in one of the darkened corners, behind a screen?”

Richard chuckled. “My, aren’t you the coy one?” He lowered his voice and got very close to Will. “Well, I propose we go there now. I have a friend waiting. He could finger you while I suck you off. Would you like that, Will?”

Will gulped, the heat in the room beginning to get to him. He had never been with more than one man at a time. He had never attended any of the orgiastic lavender romps that were so popular amongst the gay crowd, nor had he entertained more than one man in an evening. Richard placed his hand on Will’s knee, softly stroking the inside of his thigh with his thumb. Will hardened almost at once.

“What do you say, Will? We can make you feel very good.”

Will took a sip of his freshly made drink, his hand trembling. Richard wrapped his fingers around Will’s to steady him, lowering the glass back to the bar.

“Let’s go, Will. I know you want to.” He lowered his eyes to Will’s lap, then raised them up.

Clutching his drink tighter, he dipped his head once in agreement. Richard smiled at him, lacing his fingers through Will’s, then led him away from the bar towards the back where all of the screened off areas were. Since his friend Oliver had never dallied in public either, Will made a point of averting his gaze as he and Richard strolled past his table. He had to admit that he was nervous, but excited at the same time.

As they ducked behind the screen, Will immediately saw Richard’s friend. He seemed to be near Will in age—it was hard to tell with only one candle lamp in the corner—but he was quite beautiful. Except for his short hair, he could have been mistaken for a very pretty young girl. The colour of his blond locks was a few shades lighter than Will’s own honey-coloured ones. He was very slight of frame, but had long legs, which led Will to believe that he and the beautiful man might be of a similar height. It was difficult to tell that either, since he was reclining on a large velvet sofa, his pants undone, cock in hand.

Fuck.

Will set his drink down on a small round table next to the sofa right as Richard yanked him forward. Richard gestured for him to sit next to their third who was in the process of eyeing Will as he licked his lips and stroked his member. Gingerly taking a seat, he still maintained a few feet of distance from the fey young man. The unexpected turn his night had taken had sobered him up somewhat, so he twisted around for his gin. Richard grabbed it and handed the drink to him. Nodding, Will took a generous swallow.

“This is Felix.” Richard chuckled. “As you can see he’s begun without us.” He looked at Felix with mock severity. “That’s a very bad boy. Now you will have to suck his cock after I’ve had my taste.”

Good Lord.

****

 Casting Call is available now at Totally Bound

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Blog Tour: Crave by Sierra Cartwright

Blurb:

She still craved him… The sight of a collar in her boyfriend’s drawer had stunned Sarah. Panicking, she had fled. But no other man has ever been his equal.

Two years ago, the woman he’d hoped to collar and marry disappeared. So Reece McRae is stunned to find his former girlfriend on her knees, behaving as the submissive he’d always wanted.

Is it too late? He should refuse her, but an undeniable sexual attraction consumes him.

Sarah had been under Reece’s spell from the moment she met him. When she found a steel collar in his drawer, she panicked. The idea of a lifetime of his relentless demands, sensual and otherwise, suffocated her.

In the years they’ve been apart, she hasn’t met his equal. Now, convinced one last night will vanquish his memory, she sets out to seduce him.

The Reece she returns to is even more determined to have his way. Is she now strong enough, brave enough, to surrender to his love?

Excerpt:

What the fuck? Stunned, Reece McRae froze in place and stared at the woman prostrate before him.

Even though he couldn’t see her face, there was no doubt that it was Sarah. His Sarah. The woman he’d planned to collar, marry, cherish for the rest of his days.

She wore a black corset that had a white arrow on each side, making her waist look impossibly tiny. A skirt covered her buttocks—barely—and hinted at exposed flesh beneath.

Though it had been two years since he’d seen her, Reece remembered every one of her delicious curves. He recalled how silky soft she’d felt as he’d skimmed his fingertips across her skin.

At one time, he’d grasped handfuls of her long hair. Now its length pooled onto the hardwood floor. Her arms were stretched in front of her, and her hands were on the floor, palms facing up.

She remained in position, waiting on his command. Her reappearance was as unwelcome as it was unwanted.

And, this close, the scent of her—femininity wrapped in the musk of unrequited love and unexplored promise—wrapped around him and transported him back.

From the moment she’d walked into his company to apply for a job as his personal assistant four years before, he’d been attracted to her. After reminding himself that he had to be professional, he’d taken the time to consider all the applicants the human resources department had pre-screened. But she’d had the best résumé, and she’d interviewed better than anyone else.

Even on their first project, they’d thrived. They’d made one hell of a team. In a short time, he’d come to count on her brilliance, creativity and upbeat nature. He’d gone to the office every day with a smile.

At night, he’d hated saying goodbye. And he’d wanted, oh, so much more from her.

Though McRae International didn’t have rules against fraternizing, as the CEO, he operated from his own set of guidelines. He didn’t date employees. He compartmentalized each area of his life.

It had taken nearly four months to convince himself that going on a single date couldn’t hurt. They’d worked late one night, and he’d invited her to dine with him afterwards. Instead of a quick bite, he’d taken her to his home and had grilled a couple of steaks. Though they’d shared an office suite, she’d kept her personal life cloaked in mystery. He’d never heard her make a phone call during the day, nor had he caught her spending any time on social media or answering anything other than company emails. It was as if she became a different person after she logged off the computer for the night. And the more time he’d spent with her, the more he’d wanted to know who the real Sarah was.

After dinner, he’d loaded the dishwasher, invited her to stay the night and promised her that he would be a complete gentleman. She had teased him about it. He’d admitted it was, indeed, a rarity. He’d made up the guest room, and when she’d slipped past him, he’d touched her shoulder, and she’d paused.

He hadn’t consciously planned to kiss her, but having her in his arms, that close, had melted his steely resolve.

And she’d responded to his kiss.

The next morning, while she’d slept, he’d gone for a long run around Memorial Park. He’d wondered what the hell he’d been thinking in bringing her home. Tasting Sarah had been like having a bite of dessert. She’d been decadent and delicious, and the sample had only increased his appetite. It—she—they were impossible on every level. He had sexual desires that were outside the norm. He’d scared off more than a handful of women over the years.

He’d gotten where he was in life by taking carefully calculated risks.

Seducing Sarah would be one of the worst ideas he’d ever had. After all, what were the chances that his perfect assistant would also want to be his kinky little submissive?

Finding a world-class employee was rare. He could find play partners. But over the next few weeks, the more he’d tried to deny the idea of being with her, the more it had persisted.

Behaving at work had become a bigger struggle each day.

His friend Julien had warned him of the dangers. If the relationship fell apart, Reece would be without a lover as well as a valuable work ally.

Reece had quickly discovered that, when it came to Sarah, logic was a thing of the past.

A month later, he’d asked her to accompany him to an after-hours business meeting. He’d rationalized that he could explain her presence to his associates, to her, even to himself. As if he’d still been a teenager, he’d held his breath until she’d agreed to be his guest.

In that moment, when she’d slipped into his car and he’d heard the whisper of her silk stockings and seen an expanse of thigh beneath her dress’s hem, he’d known he had a difficult choice to make. Less than a week later, he’d done the only thing possible. He’d fired her and asked her to move in.

After her initial shock, she’d accepted. They’d celebrated their new life with a honeymoon of sorts. When they’d returned to Houston, she’d started her own business, working from the home they’d shared. Over the next year and a half, she’d become his most valued ally, his trusted advisor. He’d loved having her at business dinners and on trips. Every decision they’d made had supported their commitment to their growing relationship.

Or so he’d believed until he’d returned home from work one day to find the house, her home office and his life empty.

For the first few days after she’d run, he’d imagined turning her delectable ass every shade of red before welcoming her back into his arms and life…where she belonged.

Then reality had sent in.

She was never coming back.

After the anger and stunned disbelief had worn off—an embarrassingly long time later—he’d picked up the pieces of his shattered dreams and had stowed them, and the memory of her, away. Lesson driven home.

Now he told himself to turn the fuck around and go find Julien and slam his betraying ass against the wall, despite the fact that it was his birthday weekend. The man was no fool. He had known that Sarah was in the room when he’d told Reece he’d procured a lovely sub for an evening of entertainment.

More than anyone, Julien knew what Reece had been through. After all, he’d been with him the whole miserable way. Together with their friend Kennedy, they’d emptied a fair number of Scotch bottles. But Reece hadn’t moved on. A month later, Julien had grown weary of Reece’s moroseness and had staged an intervention. Julien had said that he’d tracked down Sarah. As he’d dumped expensive booze down the drain, he’d added that she was safe, but that she wanted to be left alone. Afterwards, he’d dragged Reece to the gym, forced him to work on business plans and re-engage in his life.

By even the harshest of standards, Reece had done well for himself.

But there was a reason for those sad songs on jukeboxes. Did one ever recover from the shock of losing one’s soul mate?

She remained in position, gaze cast down, and he couldn’t deny the attraction he still felt.

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