Hello, Mid-week Teasers and Readers. It's that time again, thanks to the lovely Sandra Bunino.
I'm happy to announce that
Riding Rebel officially came out on Monday. So I'm going to share one more tease before I move on to a new story.
In this scene, Tony has just dispatched Rita's abusive boyfriend and is comforting her. Enjoy.
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"You mean you are not upset about breaking up with him?
I thought he was the man you wanted to marry."
"No. I'm not upset about that. I was going to break up
with him, anyway. It was what he said to me that upset me. He—" She
choked. "He called me a slut." Tears ran down her face.
"Oh, Buttons. I'm sorry he upset you. But if he comes
near you again, I'm going to kill him." Tony folded her in his arms again,
his scent and thoughtfulness comforting her.
Rita grimaced. "Thank you for trying to cheer me up,
but those are strong words."
"They are, and I mean every one of them. I won't let
him hurt you again. And if he tries, he'll end up being food for the
birds."
She pulled back, shocked by the vehemence in his voice. Now
that she thought about it, Anayo had bruises on his face. "Are you
serious?"
"I am."
He brushed back hair from her face, her skin tingling from
his touch.
"Why?"
This was the man she should hate. A man who’d benefited from
her father's demise, her family's grief. He shouldn't care about what happened to
her. And yet, here was comforting her, threatening to kill her ex. For her. She
needed to understand him. "Why would you risk getting into trouble and
going to prison for me?"
"Good question." He stood and walked over to her
window and stared outside, then he turned around and shoved his hands into his
jeans’ front pockets. For the first time since she’d met him, he looked
confused. "I really don’t know the answer to that except that since I met
you, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. When I sleep, I dream
about you. When I'm awake, thoughts of you plague my day. I've tried to push it
all aside but seeing you again today has stirred those feelings again."
Was it possible he felt the same way she did? Warmth bloomed
in her chest and she tried to suppress the smile making her lips curl.
"The thing is, I'm not good at relationships. I don't
date the way other people do. I'm very screwed up and there are things about me
that will send you running away if you found out. I really am no good for
you."
Perhaps he wasn't. Mr. Petersen had said some bad things
about his family. But hearing Tony disparage himself after coming to her rescue
tonight didn't quite match up to that image.
"Let me be the judge of that. I'm obviously no good at
relationships, either. But I have been thinking about you since Friday, too.
And..." She trailed off when he came closer.
"You are so sweet and beautiful. I'm going to ruin
you." He drew her up so their bodies merged. He leaned his head against
hers and sighed. "And I honestly don't want to hurt you."
But you have already.
Your family hurt mine.
She closed her eyes, knowing she should step away from him
and end this thing brewing between them. It wouldn’t end well. For him or her. She
had a job to do. She had to think of her father, her sister, and her mother.
She couldn’t bring back her father but she could give her sister a future, and
completing this assignment would help her achieve it.
But how could she spy on a man who said and did the kind of
things Tony did for her? Any hate she'd felt for him had already melted away,
being transformed into something that could destroy her.
Here's the blurb:
Seen as the rebel Essien, Tony has always felt like an outsider. With a daredevil lifestyle, he’s more at home in leathers than in a suit, and more likely to be seen gracing the red carpets at a movie premiere with a starlet draped on his arms than in a boardroom. Still, he’s determined to prove himself to his family and build a successful movie business. Spotting Rita Dike at an event, he sees the potential star of his new movie and his next pleasure conquest.
Rita is a journalist looking for her big break. When she inherits the journal of a late friend which claims Tony is not an Essien through the hands of her boss, a man with a shady past, Rita spots the perfect scoop. Her acting classes come in handy when she has to pose as an actress to get closer to Tony. Succumbing to the charms of dark and brooding Tony might just be the only way to get through the close ranks of the Essien family.
But as she gets closer to the truth, Rita risks losing the riding rebel who’s raided her heart. Can love heal hearts or will deceit break them?
Here are the buy links
Amazon |
Amazon UK |
Barnes & Noble |
iBooks |
All Romance |
Smashwords |
Paperback |
Paperback UK
***
I hope you enjoyed this. Leave me a comment and check out these lovely mid-week teasers
