Game Of Risk (Risqué #3) (26 page)

‘What?’ she asked, worried he was about to say something terrible.

‘I did ask Drew.’

‘Ask Drew what?’

‘If I could ask you, you know, to marry me.’

‘You did?’ she asked and although she didn’t want to be gratified, she was. Asking the head male of the family for her hand seemed archaic, yet there was something endearing about it. ‘What did he say?’

‘That if I hurt you, he’d rip off my limbs and send them to the four corners of the country.’

‘That sounds like Drew.’

‘But he also said I could, if I treated you right. Then he said I could have you… if you said yes.’

‘Which he probably wasn’t holding his breath for,’ she said.

Her brother knew about her history with men and might assume that she’d run for the hills if Ruger asked for her hand. But she had been taken on by more than just the man. The family had adopted her as well and that was very enticing for an orphan. Losing any of them would break her heart, but the Warner clan had proven they never abandoned one of their own. If there was heartache to be faced, they would do it together, as a family.

‘Maybe not, but I…’

‘You what?’ she asked, watching his hand slide into his pocket.  Holding her breath, she couldn’t even manage to blink when he produced a small velvet box. ‘What is that?’

‘What do you think it is?’ he asked and she couldn’t believe that he was smiling at a time like this.

Unable to take her eyes from the box, Layla heard more than saw his expression and as her heart picked up its pace, she swallowed away her anxiety. ‘I don’t want to run away from you,’ she whispered.

‘Which is why I’m not going to ask,’ he said, taking her hand and placing the box in her open palm. ‘You’re going to keep this and when you’re ready, if you’re ready, you put it on. We never have to talk about it and I’ll never ask. This is a token of my intent and I will not hurry you. When I see it on your finger, that’s when I’ll know it’s time to make plans.’

‘You’re sure about this?’ she asked, seeking out his gaze. ‘You’re really sure you want to be with me and you won’t ever… you won’t ever leave me?’

‘Legs, there isn’t a woman in the world out there like you, he said, tracing his knuckle down her cheek. ‘I think you were made for me and once a Warner man picks his woman, that’s it. Warners mate for life.’

‘Sometimes you’re just so…’ her smile grew and her heart stopped hammering. ‘I love you, Ruge.’

‘What’s not to love?’ he asked, opening his arms and stepping back. ‘The band is set up, so there’s going to be dancing soon. You want to go and put that in your bag?’

She had been a bridesmaid along with Bri and Suzette and her dress didn’t come with pockets. They had put their gowns on together at the Warner house, with the men getting ready at Bri and Blaser’s new house since it was so close. Layla had a backpack containing the clothes and accessories she’d taken off when getting ready for the ceremony, which was probably the bag Ruger was referring to.

‘No,’ she said, shaking her head and some of the shine left his demeanour. With her eyes locked on his, Layla opened the box and slid the solitaire onto her finger. When the box snapped shut, his mischief returned and he leapt forward to grab her up and kiss her.

Regaining her breath, Layla could only see stars when he finally let her down to her feet again. ‘Now you never get to take it off.’

‘Good,’ she said, dropping the box into his pocket then taking his hand. ‘It’s a binding contract, so now you belong to me. You still haven’t delivered on your karaoke promise, but you know how I love to dance, and there’s no way you can avoid it today.’

Leading him toward the music and the family, she exhaled all of her anxiety. He’d tease and protest, but he was hers, and she would never let him get away.

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Coming In January 2016

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Sleight Mistake

‘It can’t have been that bad,’ Lacie said to her best friend.

‘You’ve met my mother, have you ever known her to be speechless?’

‘It might be something to do with Bump,’ Lacie said, eyeing Sorcha’s belly over the square aluminium table between them. ‘You’re six and a half months pregnant and you’re only just now telling your parents about it. Of course they’re surprised.’

‘We had to wait for Bruce to… you know.’

‘The bruises have healed and the statements are in. Wallace’s bail was refused. It’s all a waiting game now.’

The pair sat in this unassuming coffee shop enjoying one of their frequent girlie lunches. Lacie had never been sure what was “girlie” about them, other than the gender of those present, but that was what Sorcha dubbed them.

‘How are things going at SW?’ Sorcha asked, finishing her sandwich and wiping her hands on a napkin. ‘Are you going to finish that sandwich?’

Lacie switched plates with Sorcha. ‘The sale’s done. Two weeks left until the exchange.’

‘How’s Ryder doing with moving on?’ Sorcha tucked into the remnants of Lacie’s sandwich.

‘He spends most nights at my apartment,’ Lacie said.

‘I wonder why,’ Sorcha said, her playful eyes glowed and her sleek smile giggled.

Lacie averted her attention from her friend’s suggestive expression. ‘The SW boys are taking the hiatus as extended vacation time, though none of them are venturing far.’

‘You’re still coming to the party at my parents’ house tonight, though, aren’t you?’

‘Yes, don’t panic. I said I would, didn’t I?’

‘Bruce says he’s got a family thing, some baby daddy he is,’ Sorcha said, gobbling down the food. ‘He’s not coming.’

‘I knew that,’ Lacie said, rubbing the corner of her paper napkin between her thumb and forefinger. ‘That’s why I’m your date tonight.’

‘It will be the first time I’ve seen my parents since I told them about the baby. They didn’t seem very impressed with Bruce.’

‘You haven’t sounded impressed with him recently yourself.’

‘It’s difficult, he’s…’

‘He’s what?’ Lacie asked.

Their friendship had endured every negative experience they’d been through and now that the friends were paired off, this should be a time for happiness. But from their conversations, she didn’t get the impression that Sorcha was enamoured with the man she was supposed to be spending the rest of her life with.

‘I just don’t know…’ Sorcha exhaled. ‘He says he’s always busy. I can’t get him to engage. He’s just… no fun.’

‘It’s grown up though,’ Lacie said, ‘that’s what you told me when you demanded that he buy you that diamond.’

‘Which he bought with his parents’ money, you should add’—Sorcha licked her fingertip to smudge up the crumbs from her plate into her mouth—‘his accounts are still frozen.’

‘You dumped Shep. You chose Bruce.’

Sorcha had been decisive with the men in her life once it became clear that Bruce was alive. Being associated with the Reynolds family gave Bruce some credibility, but he still hadn’t found himself a job.

‘Shep was a loser,’ Sorcha said, wiping her hands again. ‘He was as annoying as hell… he wasn’t a forever guy. But he was a lot of fun.’

The ultimate test of loyalty…

Fighting Fate

Ivy Dune knows how to survive.

Even when her paycheck-to-paycheck life is ripped from her by a vicious crime lord without a conscience, Ivy knows she’ll do whatever it takes to make it to the other side alive.

Dax Harrow has made a living off of blood and pain…both in the ring and out.

As an enforcer for the most lethal family in California, Dax knows the bounds of loyalty and will do anything to pay back the debt he owes them, no matter the cost.

When Ivy is placed in Dax’s care neither of them are prepared for the fallout.

As enemies close in around them, Ivy and Dax must be prepared for the fight of their lives.

Available now on Amazon

The battle isn’t over…

Fighting Back

The fight was supposed to be over, but the Stark family aren’t willing to let go of Dax yet.

Dax and Ivy Harrow have moved on and started a new life when out of the blue Brad Stark shows up and tells them that they have unfinished business.

Trying to protect Dax from the darkness of his previous life puts Ivy at risk from an unseen enemy. Swearing to ensure her safety, Dax must use every tool in his arsenal to identify and eliminate the danger.

But love alone won’t be enough to save Ivy’s life this time and to keep her alive Dax may have to surrender to the demons he wants to bury.  The future that fate promised him will be lost unless he can stand up to his past. But sacrificing himself may be the only way to save the woman he loves.

Available now on Amazon

When all else fails…

Take A Risk

Trapper. Risqué.

Two names is all that sex therapist Doctor Lyssa Cutler has, but it’s all she needs. Those two words reveal the name of a man and the name of the strip club that she’ll find him in. She might not have expected to find the solution to her stalker problem in such a place, but she does. In fact, Trapper turns out to be far more than just the man capable of tracking down her pursuer.

Colt Warner’s better judgement tells him that he should reject the job offered to him by the inquisitive doctor because he can tell that this sassy sexpot is going to be trouble. Being attracted to a client goes against his usual ethics, but playing by the rules has never been his strong suit.

Giving in to their sparking attraction lures reality into harsh focus. The stalker that brought them together doesn’t like the picture that the new couple presents and seems prepared to do anything to tear them apart.

Questions mount up, answers are elusive, and only one thing is clear, time is running out.

Available now on Amazon

Doing what’s necessary often means you have to…

Risk It All

Blaser Warner has worked hard to put his past behind him. Building up his businesses and mending family bridges, he’s finally got his life back on track.

Brianna Wilcox was devastated when her heart was broken by her only love going to prison. Determined to carry on, she uprooted her life and cut all ties from her past. After suffering a horrific ordeal years later, she shuts herself off from the world. To recover from the horror she endured Bri knows that there’s only one place she needs to be: home.

Blaser couldn’t stay away when he heard that Brianna was back in town. But being around her again brings old feelings to the surface. When Bri’s associations bring trouble to her door, old habits die hard and Blaser rallies to protect her.

All the promises he made are in jeopardy and the life he’s built is threatened when he has to fight battles he thought he had left behind. But he knows Brianna is the only woman for whom he will risk it all.

Available now on Amazon

A woman walks into a bar...

Explicit Instruction

Stranded, Flick seeks salvation. Instead, she finds herself living in a nightmare, under threat of physical and sexual assault, but Flick can see no way out.

Yet, an unexpected reprieve comes in the form of a stranger; a looming silhouette more terrifying than the evil that captured her. She learns that danger has an alias, Rushe. Abrupt, crude, and domineering he becomes her only hope for survival.

Stolen away Flick has to rely on Rushe’s instincts to keep her alive. But rescuing her saviour from his own demise changes things... or does it?

Flick entrusts her life to Rushe, but he still cannot bring himself to stand down from red-alert. There’s more going on than Flick understands and Rushe does not intend to give her any of the details.

Freedom becomes a distant memory. The further into the criminal plot she is drawn, the deeper her entanglement with Rushe becomes. Without him, Flick won’t survive, but to him she is nothing more than a liability.

The adventure she started by accident threatens her life and his; then Rushe does something unexpected and Flick knows it’s not only her life she is battling for, it’s her heart as well.

Available now on Amazon