All the Pretty Lies
“Live, no regrets”
Her…
Sloane Locke has led a
sheltered life. However, with a history like hers, she can understand why
her brothers and her father want so much to protect her. She has gone
along with it for twenty long years, but those days are over. For the
girl who never makes promises, Sloane has made a pact with herself that things
will change on her twenty-first birthday. So when the clock
strikes midnight, Sloane strikes out to spread her wings and break a few
rules.
Him…
In addition to inking
skin, Hemi Spencer possesses many talents. Controlling himself has never been
one of them. It’s never had to be. He’s lived a life of indulgence
for as long as he can remember. Right up until tragedy struck. Now,
he’s nothing but controlled. He’s a man on a mission, one who
will let nothing and no one stand in his way.
Them…
Nothing in their lives
could’ve prepared Sloane and Hemi for what they’d find in each
other—distraction and obsession, love and possession. But the one thing
they can’t find is a future. Neither one has been totally honest.
And they’ll soon learn that the devil is in the details. In the details
and in the lies.
How far will two
people go to live in the now when the now is all they’ve got?
EXCERPT:
I
take another step toward him, building up the nerve to just do it, just kiss
him. But Hemi surprises me when he takes the step that will bring us
near enough to touch.
He’s
so close, my chest almost brushes his every time I inhale. I sway toward him
the tiniest bit, craving the contact.
With him. A perfect stranger.
“Sloane,”
he whispers, the sound of my name on his lips bringing chills to my arms
again. He reaches out to push my hair
back over my shoulder. His fingertips
linger on the skin of my neck before they fall away.
“Hemi,”
I sigh, melting into the heat of his eyes.
I knew there was something between us. Well, I’d hoped. Hoped I wasn’t imagining
it. But now I know I wasn’t. It’s there,
staring out at me from behind his hooded midnight eyes. Blatant and unabashed,
he wants me. And I want him, too.
“You
need to walk out that door and never come back.”
My
heart stops. Of all the things I thought
he might say, this came out of nowhere.
“What?” I ask in a small, uncertain voice.
“You
need to leave. And don’t look back.”
I
scramble to recover. “But…but what about
the rest of my tattoo?”
“I’m
not talking about your tattoo and you know it.”
“Then
what are you talking about?” I
inquire, playing dumb to save what’s left of my crumbling pride.
“I’m
talking about you. And me. This. Us.”
“There
is no us.”
“There
will be in about thirty seconds if you don’t get the hell out of here.”
“What
if I don’t want to leave?” I’m confused. Is he saying that he wants me? Or that he wants me to go?
“I’m
not asking.”
“Why?”
“Why
what?”
“Why
do you want me to go?”
“Because
guys like me change girls like you.”
“Girls
like me?”
“Innocent
girls.”
“What
if I’m not that innocent?”
His
lips quirk in a wry grin. “Oh, you’re exactly that innocent. I can practically smell it on you. Sweet,
pure, untouched. And, if I’m being
honest, I’d like nothing better than to taste that on the tip of my tongue.”
“Then
what’s stopping you?”
I
watch him wrestle with…something. “I
don’t have the time or the inclination to get involved in ruining someone
else’s life.”
“What
makes you think you’d ruin my life?”
“Oh,
trust me. I would.”
“But—”
“But
nothing. For tonight, I’ll be the good
guy you need me to be. Whether you know
you need it or not. I’m asking you to leave, Sloane. But I promise you—promise you—that if you so much as darken my doorway again, I won’t
let you walk back out again.”
I’m
torn between heady elation and harsh rejection.
“Hemi—”
“Go,
little girl,” he says softly. “Go before
I change my mind.”
About this Author:
M. Leighton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Wild Ones and The Bad Boys romance trilogies. She is a native of Ohio, relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she lets her mind wander to romantic settings with sexy Southern guys much like the one she married and the ones you'll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren't roaming in that direction, she'll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.Author Links:
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http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1152263.M_Leighton
http://www.amazon.com/M.-Leighton/e/B004LL0TAU/
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