Don’t
miss your chance to follow Luke and Isabella on a fun, steamy ride…
When a construction crew shows up to Isabella’s house for a surprise
remodel sent by her meddling mother, nobody imagined her love life would be
getting remodeled too. After one too many broken hearts, Isabella has sworn off
love -- and men altogether. When hunky Luke shows up to remodel her house and
starts coming on to her hard, she's sure he's just a good-looking player using
the wrong head. With Luke, however, Isabella quickly learns there's more than
meets the eye. Will she let her guard down and give love one last chance, or
will she be forever Jaded?
EXCERPT:
Luke leaped up and ran upstairs toward her bedroom. The door was
ajar and he pushed it open. Isabella turned to him with a gasp, towel clutched
around her.
"What's wrong? I heard you scream."
She gritted her teeth and expelled an angry groan. "Tell your
stupid workers not to spy on me when I'm changing!" She pointed to
the window across from her closet. "Perverts!"
"Hey, I'm sorry. I had no way of knowing. I would have stopped
it if I'd seen it."
She glared at him. But Luke could hardly sympathize—if he'd been
outside, he would have peeked in on her too.
"I'll punch them the minute I see them," she said, knotting
the towel more tightly around her chest.
"You won't have to—I'll do it for you."
She didn't say anything and turned away from him. Her long, dark
hair hung limply down her back, and her breasts rounded nicely under the towel.
In all her angry glory, she was irresistible. A few silent moments passed
before she huffed and said, "Luke, this isn't a peep show, you know!"
The soft curve of her calf caught his eye and Luke had to blink
hard. A dense fog was rapidly descending over his brain, and he could hardly
think with her in front of him. He opened his mouth to respond but couldn't
find any words. She turned and walked toward him, eyes blazing.
"You men are so predictable," she spat out. "Where is
the respect? Like I want to be spied on in my own house."
Luke tried to respond again but all he could do was lamely open and
close his mouth. She was inching closer to him now and he feared momentarily
that she might hit him or otherwise lash out. He caught a whiff of her shampoo
and he gulped. It was all he could do to keep his hands off her now that she
was so close to him.
"Don't you have anything to say, Luke?"
His eyes slid up and down her body, despite how hard he was trying
to avoid looking. In her state, that slip of willpower might cost him a limb or
two. She seemed ready to pounce. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a slow
breath, trying to get words—any words—to come out.
"Sorry," was all he could muster. "I feel like you,
uh..."
"I what?" She narrowed her eyes at him.
"You're totally right," he said, looking anywhere but at
the line formed by her breasts pushed together by the towel. "Like I said,
I'll take care of it for you."
She paused, watching him with hands on hips. He could have sworn she
was getting even closer to him, but he didn't know if his sexual excitement was
just causing the air between them to shrink. He had a semi hard-on already and
the woman hadn't even touched him. His mind was spinning and he had to get out
of the bathroom before he did something he regretted.
"You sure as hell better," she said. "Luke, fucking
kiss me."
It took a moment for the words to sink in. He looked at her with
wide eyes, brain struggling to match the words with the woman in front of him.
He was dreaming this...he had to be.
"Seriously?"
"Do it now before I change my mind."
It wasn't the line he normally got but, he'd take it. He grabbed her
face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers in a greedy, passionate kiss.
She received him eagerly. He suspected she'd wanted this since the beginning,
but was too much of a hard-ass to admit it to herself. Pinpricks of pleasure
erupted all throughout his body as they kissed deeply and urgently, and he
actually felt his knees get a little weak. This woman completely intoxicated
him.
They broke for air and stood panting, looking at each other.
"Just one more," she said, looking thoroughly frazzled.
"But then you never bring this up or come near me again."
"Oh, so this is just a taste test?" He ran his hand down
from her cheek to the dip in her neck; her eyes fluttered shut.
"Call it what you want," she said. "But this is it.
Then I'm done."
He leaned in to kiss her again but she dodged it, looking him in the
eye. "Deal?
"Anything you want, babe." If that was the case, he'd do
it right. He guided her back toward the countertop and pinned her against it.
She was watching him with eager eyes, lapping up all of it. She inhaled sharply
as he took her into his arms. His heart tightened, catching him off-guard. He
wanted this more than he'd thought.
Her lips were soft and just as eager to receive him; they kissed
again, their kiss melting into more kisses and even more kisses. When they
broke, Luke knew without a doubt that there was no way in hell he'd be
satisfied with this one encounter.
"I said one kiss, not eighty," she said breathlessly.
"Sorry, babe. It must be this towel, it's driving me
crazy."
She paused and then cracked a smile. "And why's that?
"Because it is hiding something I would give anything to
see." His lips drifted over her collarbone. She took his chin in her hand
and directed his face toward hers. She put her lips over his, kissing him hard.
Luke let down his guard and kissed her the way he'd wanted to kiss
her, not the way he did when he was betting or just trying to get to sex. His
kisses were slow, thorough.
He gripped her hips and set her on the countertop, pressing himself
between her legs. Luke knew in that instant he wanted to have her right there.
He tilted her head back and tasted her neck, her collarbone, kisses growing
more urgent the lower he went. This woman was making his mind spin.
Find Jaded at
or half-off during August at
BIO:
Ember Leigh has been writing erotic romance
novels since she was far too young. A
native of northern Ohio, she currently resides in South America with her
Argentinean partner, a detail she uses to justify her Bachelor's degree in
Latin American Literature. In addition to romance novels, she also writes
travel articles, maintains three blogs, and continually attempts to complete a
mildly-gripping short story. In her free time, she practices Ashtanga yoga,
travels the world, and eats lots of vegetables.
Twitter: @EmberLeighAuth
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