Thursday, June 30, 2016

Defending Hayden by L.P. Dover

DefendingHayden_Blitz

Defending Hayden

by L.P. Dover A Second Chances Novel Publication Date: June 28, 2016 Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romantic Suspense Publisher: Random House Cover Design: Regina Wamba with Mae I Design and Photography
Defending Hayden_Dover
The Carolina Cougars keep fighting for love as the Second Chances series from bestselling author L. P. Dover continues! In Defending Hayden, a damaged football star teams up with the only woman who can take the pain away. No one’s tougher than Carolina Cougars linebacker Derek McLaughlin. But when a fatal car accident claims the life of his girlfriend, Derek finds himself caught in a destructive spiral of drugs, alcohol, and meaningless sex. But not even a string of one-night stands can ease the hurt. Football is all he has left. Then fate leads him back to the scene of the crash, and into the arms of a kind, gorgeous woman who sees past his façade to the man he once was . . . and can be again. When a chance roadside encounter brings Derek into her life, veterinarian Hayden Hunter isn’t fooled by his bad attitude: All bark and no bite, he’s hiding a wounded heart beneath that gruff demeanor. And Hayden wants to be the one to kiss it all better. Soon they both find that a dose of passion is potent medicine. But when a hidden enemy lashes out at Hayden, Derek steps up to do what he does best: put his body on the line in the name of love. Advance praise for L. P. Dover’s Catching Summer “L. P. Dover knows how to create the men who make us swoon, the book boyfriends we all want.”New York Times bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
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New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, L.P. Dover, is a southern belle residing in North Carolina along with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she even began her literary journey she worked in Periodontics enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries. Not only does she love to write, but she loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes, white water rafting, and you can’t forget the passion for singing. Her two number one fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime and those songs usually consist of Christmas carols. Aside from being a wife and mother, L.P. Dover has written countless novels including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, the Gloves Off series, the Armed and Dangerous series, the Royal Shifters series, and her standalone novel, Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read is romantic suspense and she also loves writing it. However, if she had to choose a setting to live in it would have to be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.
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Thursday, June 16, 2016

Faded Perfection Release Blitz

Seconds.
That’s all it takes to have everything ripped away from you.
No one knows this better than Adam Beckerson and River Ahlers.
Each is fighting a losing battle with the death of Bobby and the fallout it causes. Adam loses a brother; River her best friend.
And while Adam finds himself fading into the bottom of a bottle, River finds the only thing she can do is run away from everything-- including Adam.
Sometimes when you lose everything, you lose yourself. The important part is finding your way back again.
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Flawed Perfection FREE for Limited Time! 
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Someone had to do this, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be Adam. I breathed in and closed my eyes, only opening them as I exhaled and put one foot in front of the other. The key was hot from the heat of my body as it shook its way into the door knob. The metal clunked, and the wooden door swung open, leaving me staring at the empty room once filled with happiness. My eyes rushed over it as my mind flashed with memories, and my feet somehow continued in--all the way to Bobby's bedroom door. My chest constricted and stars popped in my vision as I swung it open. I found myself blinking rapidly as my eyes wandered the room, stopping on the dresser where frames contained pictures of Adam and me, Bobby and me, the three of us, and then Tara and Bobby. My feet yet again propelled me forward, but I stopped as I breathed in, choking on the air.
My body warmed as my chin trembled and I breathed in again.
There it was again.
Bobby. The room smelled like him.
My eyelashes fluttered against my cheeks as the scent encircled me. Bath and Body Works' Twilight Woods. The cologne we picked together when we were twelve. For fifteen years he'd worn it, even after Tara told him she hated it.
My eyes opened and moved to the hockey jersey hanging half out of a drawer--exactly where he left it that morning. My knees shook, and I found myself sitting on the bed staring at it. I reached forward, and the worn fabric embraced me as I brought it up to my chest. I pursed my lips together as the tears gathered and I pulled the jersey over my head, engulfing myself in his scent--it was embedded into this clothes despite constant washing. In my memories, his laughter carried through the room. It wasn't the first time I wore one of his jerseys. I closed my eyes and curled into a ball on his bed.
"So you remember it too?" Bobby's voice reached my ears, and the darkness behind my lids drifted away, parting until it was him and me in the tree house. I sat up on the bed, looking at him as he smirked at me from the edge of it. "See the thing is, I imagined it like this--you know? You practically naked;" his teeth ran over his bottom lip as his eyes ran up my legs, barely covered by my sleeping shorts. "in my jersey."
He moved forward and his hand cupped my chin as his thumb caught a tear. "You weren't crying in my fantasies, though. You cry so much now, Riv. I don't want you to cry."
I closed my eyes as my vision blurred from the weight of them, burdened by the false warmth of his touch.
"I've lost myself just as much as I've lost you," I whispered, trying to memorize the feeling of his soft hands against my skin. So caring and loving when everything seemed so cold now. "All my dreams are shattered without you."
Bobby's hands reached for my face, turning it, so I was looking at him. He was beginning to waiver in and out, and panic burned its way up my throat.
He was going to leave.
But this was so real.
"Please don't leave," I said, and the tears and clenching of my throat made the words as physically painful as they were emotional.
"I thought all my dreams shattered when I found out Adam was with you--and it was over for me--that I didn't have any more chances. My dreams realigned, though, Riv--they changed, refit into even better dreams. I expect you to do the same," he said, and he was fading faster; his body just a wisp and his touch a mere warmth with nothing substantial behind it.
"But Adam--"
"You'll figure out what to do, it might be hard, but in the end, it will work out. You and him are what's left of me. Remember that. Together you make me whole," he said, and his lips reached for my cheek, sending heat through my body as he disappeared.
"Bobby!" I yelled, and suddenly I was sitting straight up in the bed sobbing, the warmth of his lips against my cheek a stinging pain. I leaned back, pulling my knees to my chest and cried until the darkness consumed me.
This time, Bobby's warmth didn't return.

Cassandra doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character’s stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. Besides being a writer, Cassandra is a professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.

Cassandra Giovanni is published by Show n’ot Tell Publishing based out of Connecticut, USA

Connect with Cassandra on Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter.  Learn more about her and her novels at her website, www.cgiovanniauthor.com and read the first ten chapters of each of her published novels through her Book Catalog.
Finding the Cure
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In Between the Seasons (The Fall Series #1)

Love Exactly  

 Walking in the Shadows 


Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Books by Konstanz Silverbow


~ Missing Royal (Finding Gold, Book One) ~ YA Fantasy Romance
One princess destroyed the world. One princess must save it.
When she was little she wished to be a princess. Now as a teenager she just wishes she fit in. But Shanice doesn't feel like she belongs, she never has.
When her parents tell her she is the last known princess from another world, it all makes sense. A world full of magic in place of technology. One where she is more than just royalty, she is their last chance to stop the one who is bent on destroying it. Mendina.
But she can't do it alone, first she must find the other missing royals. In her quest, Shanice will be forced to choose between the course prophecy set for her, and the one that leads to the man her heart belongs to.

~ The Enchanted Rose (Finding Gold, Book Two) ~ YA Fantasy Romance ~
Can true love weather magic's storm?
Princess Roselyn is betrothed to Prince Chavez, but her heart belongs to Prince Osric. As the royal wedding approaches, they only have a few days left to be together. Osric fears losing Roselyn and will do anything to be with her, turning to magic in hopes that it will provide the answer. A white rose, enchanted with love, so long as its petals remain white, will bind the hearts of those who speak words of love.
One rose, two hearts, ten words, and they will be together forever . . . until a storm clouds the night sky, and by morning, the world is dark. Every enchantment is broken, every spell undone. All magic has been destroyed, and once the white rose turns red, Roselyn and Osric will be forced to remain apart. With only four days to save their love, they must learn how to restore magic to the land . . . or their chances of being together forever are gone.

~ Once Upon an Assassin (Finding Gold, Book Three) ~ YA Fantasy Romance ~
Death ruined him—only love can save him.
At eight years of age, Derrick watched as his father was murdered for defying the sinister Cordae and his ring of thugs. With no family remaining and unable to defend himself, Derrick is taken from his home by his father’s murderer and turned into a weapon, an assassin, the most feared warrior in all of Avonathia. Now as Cordae’s right-hand man, he is entrusted with the task of helping to overthrow the kingdom.
Derrick is sent to spend time with Princess Lily, gain her trust, and then kill her, but the longer he’s with her, the more his heart begins to heal and he realizes this isn’t who he truly is. He’s falling for the princess he was sent to kill. Derrick must find a way to prove he’s more than the killer he has become, but this means it’s possible he will lose everything that matters to him in order to protect those he loves.

~ Only Half Alive ~ YA Paranormal Romance ~
The world's darkest creature will be their brightest hope!
While darkness haunts her, she craves the light. Christina is a demon, but she doesn't want to be. She is willing to sacrifice everything to change it. Only one person stands in her way, and he will stop at nothing to keep her the way she is.
The greatest battle of light vs dark threatens every living creature, a batle that could destroy all. And the demon in love will only have one chance to save everyone.

~ Curse of the Undead Dragon King (Skeleton Key) ~ YA Fantasy Romance ~
Skeleton Key Book Series
One Skeleton Key. Endless Adventures.
https://skeletonkeybookseries.com
A curse so powerful, not even true love’s kiss can break it.
Crowned king at seventeen, Aurelio fears he cannot rule on his own. Knowing Zanta is his soulmate, he proposes, and the kingdom celebrates. The next morning, however, their plans are hindered.
Aurelio awakens as a dragon, unable to change back into his human form. Zanta's curse is the opposite, stuck as a human, unable to change into her dragon self.
Zanta must learn to rule the kingdom while Aurelio searches for their freedom in the City of the Undead, all the while trying to discover who cursed them to begin with.
In a race against time, Aurelio must succeed before becoming undead himself and getting trapped in the wrong city forever, while Zanta must prove to the people that she is worthy to be their queen, and that she didn't just murder her fiancé to gain his kingdom for her own.
**Pre-Order **Amazon (Kindle): http://amzn.to/1ToUpQr

Friday, June 10, 2016

Ultimate Vengeance by Nancy Haviland

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                     Publication Date: May 31, 2016 Genre: Adult, Contemporary Mafia Romance, Organized Crime +18
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Purchase: Kindle | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

Synopsis: To a young Russian girl raised to respect and fear the Bratva, gaining the attention of a powerful sovietnik from a feared organization was a terrifying thing. A dangerous temptation Sacha Urusski had no hope of resisting. Predictably, Alekzander decimated her heart and left her bleeding…but with a precious reason to go on. When he prowls back into her quiet life, Sacha’s decision to run is immediate. But before she can, Alekzander offers a confession that fully absolves him of his sins. Rather than celebrate, Sacha is forced to acknowledge an alarming truth. She has now become the villain in their story. Will she survive when Alekzander discovers why?
Sixteen months ago, Alekzander Tarasov was forced to give up his chance at happiness by annihilating his relationship with his soulmate. Now, after accepting who he is and what lengths he’ll go to protect what belongs to him, he wants Sacha back. Despite the darkness hovering over his family, he’ll stop at nothing to drag his curvy angel so deep into his world of violence and uncertainty she’ll never find her way out again. With life-altering secrets and lies, disillusionment and broken faith enter a world where loyalty and trust reign. Will Alek and Sacha’s already damaged love be strong enough to survive? Or will it be a sense of duty that inexorably binds them together in the end? goodreads-badge-add-38px

Review:
I love me some mafia men! Alek is one scary man when he wants to be,so can his comrades. But give them women who hold their hearts and they'll do anything and everything to protect them.Alek thought he was protecting Sacha when he ran her off but as things come to light he's not sure it was the right decision especially when Sach's secret is exposed.Now amongst someone trying to destroy the Tarasov Bratva,Alek and Sacha must try to put their broken relationship back together or risk someone losing more than just their heart.The book kept my attention with it's suspence and secrets begging to be revealed.The only thing that bothered me just a little was that the first half of the book seems like it takes place over several days when in actuality it was one very long day.

#PLAYLIST

DON'T MISS THE OTHER SIZZLING BOOKS IN THE WANTED MEN SERIES, FEATURING SEXY ALPHAS AND THE WOMEN THAT CONQUER THEIR HEARTS...

WANTED MEN SERIES BANNER

#FREE with #KINDLEUNLIMITED: Amazon

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A Love of Vengeance #1 Cover
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The Salvation of Vengenace #2 Cover
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1OoM23W (#FREE with #KindleUnlimited) Amazon Print: http://amzn.to/19ebB72 Amazon Audible: http://amzn.to/1Llrb1D Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1fWeXjm Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1GueUQy B&N Print: http://bit.ly/1b0cDFa Goodreads: http://bit.ly/18yuVeP
An Obsession with Vengeance #3 Cover
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1IcI3qN (#FREE with #KindleUnlimited) Amazon Print: http://amzn.to/1CQrPl0 Amazon Audible: http://amzn.to/1RHSmYi Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1HDl8BD Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Kf8VXy B&N Print: http://bit.ly/1HHWuSn Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1HJvPR7

ABOUT NANCY HAVILAND

Nancy Haviland
Nancy Haviland, author of the bestselling organized crime series, WANTED MEN, writes about her alpha mobsters and their ladies from her home near Toronto, Ontario. She fights for space on her keyboard with her arrogant kitty named Talbot, and adores her Tim Horton’s coffee; as any self-respecting Canadian would. She writes contemporary romantic suspense but will happily read anything that involves two people smooching. A member of Romance Writers of America, Nancy is represented by Nalini Akolekar of Spencerhill Associates, and is published by Montlake Romance/Amazon Publishing.

GIVEAWAY

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Wednesday, June 8, 2016

EMPIRE by Rachel Van Dyken Review & Excerpt Tour

EMPIRE
by Rachel Van Dyken
Release Date: May 31, 2016
Must Read ELUDE prior to Empire



SYNOPSIS:
I have lost everything.
My purpose
My love
My soul
Death knocks on my door, I want to answer, but every time I reach for the handle -- the promise I made her brings me back.
So I breathe.
I live.
I hate.
And I allow the anger to boil beneath the surface of a perfectly indifferent facade. I am broken, I don't want to be fixed.
But the Empire is crumbling and it's my job to fix it.
My job to mend the pieces that were scattered over thirty years ago.
A trip to New York, only one chance to redeem a lost part of our mafia family.
The only issue is, the only way to fix it, is to do something I swore I'd never do again.
An arranged marriage.
Only this time,
I won't fall.
Or so help me God, I will kill her myself.
My name is Sergio Abandonoto, you think you know my pain, my suffering, my anger, my hate?
You have no idea.
I am the mafia.
I am the darkness.
Blood in. No out.

 Review:
Sergio is in mourning,Val is in ignorance. She's naive of the dark world around her.She has no idea her family is the Mafia. Her world crumble when all she thought was real turns out to be a facade.On top of that she must married a total strange who rather be doing anything than the marrying a naive little girl oblivious of how to act as a mafia wife. But she better learn quick because she's just been thrown in to a war.Danger is chasing them as they struggle with their own emotional turmoil.And things in both their lives are not what they think.Secrets come to light that will either destroy them or cement their relationship.
I totally loved EMPIRE! ELUDE nearly killed me,it ripped at my heart with such sorrow and anguish I was left begging for comfort for Sergio(or being the one comforting him would have worked for me too ;) )Before ELUDE I wasn't very fond of Sergio after the whole I want my cousin situation with Mo. But Andi brought out a different side of him that I fell in love with.Now I really love him,so I guess you can say I love all the mafia boys(but Nixon will always be my favorite).And to all of ya'll who keep begging for a family tree(including) can you wrap your head around the relations of Val and Dante to Trace.I tried I really did but it had my head spinning! Each book to this series becomes more epic with every book! This woman can write! There's never a dull moment and I promise you won't want to put it down once you start reading it.
BUY LINKS:



About Rachel Van Dyken:

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor. 
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers! 
Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866! 

You can connect with her on Facebook 
www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel's New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com.
LINKS:


Get the beginning of Sergio's story in Elude on sale now. 


Twenty-Four hours before we were to be married--I offered to shoot her.
Ten hours before our wedding--I made a mockery of her dying wish.
Five hours before we were going to say our vows--I promised I'd never love her.
One hour before I said I do--I vowed I'd never shed a tear over her death.
But the minute we were pronounced man and wife--I knew.
I'd only use my gun to protect her.
I'd give my life for hers.
I'd cry.
And I would, most definitely, lose my heart, to a dying girl---a girl who by all accounts should have never been mine in the first place.
I always believed the mafia would be my end game--where I'd lose my heart, while it claimed my soul. I could have never imagined. It would be my redemption.
Or the beginning of something beautiful.
The beginning of her.
The end of us.


EXCERPT:

“Taxi.” I held up my hand. “It’s too cold to walk.”
“Is it?”
“For those of us who have hearts,” I said under my breath.
He paused and then burst out laughing. “Holy shit, was that a dig at me?”
I shrugged as the taxi pulled up.
“Damn, and you’re not even apologizing.”
“It was more of a passing comment under my breath…” I got into the taxi and slid across the cold, worn vinyl seat. “But true.”
Sergio slammed the door after him. “And here I thought I was making a good impression.”
“You offered to kill me if I kissed you.”
The taxi driver frowned into the rearview mirror.
“She’s kidding,” Sergio reassured him.
I refused to let him get off that easy. “You also look at me like you want to throw up.”
Mr. Taxi Driver’s nostrils flared.
“Uh.” Sergio laughed uncomfortably. “I just have a lot on my mind.”
“The wife.”
Taxi Driver’s eyes looked like they were going to bug out of his head. Yeah, this was probably the best entertainment he’d had all day.
“I don’t talk about it,” Sergio said in a drop-the-subject voice.
“Maybe you should.”
“I have enough money to afford a therapist, thank you,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Money doesn’t buy happiness,” I fired back.
Sergio released a string of pithy curses. “Did someone spike your milk this morning during show and tell?”
“Lactose intolerant.”
“Sorry. Your Kool-Aid.” His eyes narrowed. “It’s like you’re trying to piss me off.”
Bingo. I smiled. “Funny, that’s what Dante says to me all the time. Just think of all the things you get to look forward to. Isn’t that what you said you wanted?”
Sergio looked ready to strangle me. “No. I don’t believe I asked for an annoying little sister, but if that’s what you’re offering, please don’t let me stop you. Just know, I won’t hesitate to put you over my knee if you get out of hand.”
The minute the words left his mouth. I froze.
He froze.
The taxi driver stared little laser-like holes into the rearview mirror.
And Sergio leaned toward me.
I swallowed as tension swirled around us.
He gripped me by the chin and turned my head to the side, his lips brushing my ear. “It’s like you have a death wish.”
“You wouldn’t do it.”
He pulled back as both of his eyebrows shot up, and then he looked down, like something had caught his eye.
I followed the direction of his gaze and let out a little gasp as a gun dug into my stomach.
“It’s been directed at you for the last four minutes,” Sergio said through a practiced smile. “I meant what I said. Listen well. I keep my word. Kiss me, and blood will be spilled.”
“Y-you’re a crazy person!” I hissed, shoving at his chest. “And I wasn’t going to kiss you!”
“Sure you weren’t.” He put the gun away. “Good talk though, right? Oh look, the movie theater.”
To say that I scrambled out of the car like a kid running away from her kidnapper would be a gross understatement, but the minute my feet hit the pavement, I paused.
My body told me to run.
The guy had pulled a gun.
On me.
I didn’t even watch violent movies, I’d just panicked and said the first thing that popped into my head!
And I was about to go to the theater with a guy who probably showered in blood on a daily basis and by the looks of it — got off on it.
Shivering, I forced myself to take a deep breath and wrapped my jacket tighter around my body.
That was the thing about men like Sergio, or maybe just loyalty in general. He’d promised he would keep me safe, but I wondered if that promise was only extended until I was more trouble than I was worth.
I was safe, not because of what I was to him.
But because of who my dad had been to him.
I was nothing.
And yet, a part of me still yearned to be… something.
Anything really.
Pathetic.
“Change your mind?” Sergio’s smooth voice interrupted my thoughts. He was the type of man you felt even when he wasn’t speaking. His presence was impossible to ignore, kind of like his ridiculous good looks.
Weren’t mafia guys supposed to be old?
Fat?
Chain smokers who bought Cuban cigars and sat behind large desks while counting money and ordering hits on people who pissed them off?
“No.” I finally found my voice. “I was just thinking….”
“About?” His hand touched my back, ushering me forward, but not pushing, almost as if he was giving me the option of still saying no.
I increased my pace so that I couldn’t feel the warmth of his fingertips. “Popcorn.” I turned and winked, hoping it would hide the fact that my body was shaking.
Maybe I was the crazy one.
Because he was armed.
The man was armed.
And he had no qualms about pointing his weapon at me whenever I got too close.
Huh, we’d have a happy marriage.
I guess we’d never argue, since I liked living.
And, you know, breathing.
It would suck not to make my twenty-first birthday because I didn’t fold the towels just right.
And again, I froze.
Was he that neurotic? Or was it just the closeness?
“On a scale of one to ten…” I was proud of the way I kept the shaking out of my voice. Why was I so scared? Oh right, because he’d pointed a gun, no, shoved a freaking gun into my stomach and done it with a smile on his face. “How OCD are you?”
An easy laugh escaped him as he glanced around the movie theater lobby and then back at me. “What makes you think I’m OCD?”
“Things.” I gulped then forced a smile that I didn’t feel. How was I supposed to go through an entire movie knowing he was one uncomfortable conversation away from losing it? “So?”
“What can I get you?” A teen boy looked at Sergio then smiled wider when his eyes fell to me.
Immediately, Sergio wrapped a protective arm around me, basically forcing my body to curve into his warmth. “My wife and I will have two buckets of popcorn, two packs of Sour Patch Kids, and a bottled water.”
I didn’t correct him about the water.
“Wait.” Sergio held up his hand. “Sorry, Dr. Pepper mixed with Coke.”
The teen scrunched up his face then rung us up. His eyes fell to me again then back at the register, like he was trying not to look but couldn’t help it, which was comical, since I didn’t really think I was anything to look at.
When he handed Sergio back his change I could have sworn I heard a growl from my “husband.”
As it was, he jerked the candy so hard out of the kid’s hands that I was surprised he didn’t do a front flip over the counter.
“He’s a boy,” I whispered under my breath. “No need to shoot him too.”
Sergio glanced down at me, muttered a curse. “He was staring.”
“He looked about one science project away from solving world hunger via his mom’s basement… hardly the type of guy that I’d date.”
“Date?” Sergio said it so loudly the people in front of us waiting to show the attendant their tickets jumped and then turned around. “What the hell do you mean date?”
Crap. I’d messed up again.
My palms went sweaty while my face felt numb with fear. Regardless of how pretty he was to look at — I was finally fully aware of how dangerous he was to me.
To everyone around me.
Sweat trickled down my lower back as I gulped down more soda and shrugged. “I just mean, he’s not my type.”
“No shit he isn’t, because you don’t get a type anymore.”
“Right.” I licked my lower lip, pretending not to be scared, pretending to be the brave person I wasn’t was wearing on me.
By the time we made it into the theater I was dizzy.
It was too much all at once.
“So…” Sergio’s voice was in my ear. I jumped a foot. He frowned as if he couldn’t figure out why I’d be so jumpy. “Dante sits behind you, right?”
“Right.” I exhaled in relief. I forgot. It wasn’t a date. It was a challenge. He’d called me his sister, so therefore he was my brother, right? Hah. I relaxed a bit as I pointed to a seat a few rows back and quickly stole the goodies out of his hands then made my way to my own seat before he could object.
The credits started rolling.
And I found myself ducking in the chair.
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
As if I was being watched — because I was.
Ten minutes into the movie, I was so stressed out, I almost burst into tears. My back was to him.
Wasn’t that a big no-no? My back was to the dude with the gun.
Even though he was supposed to protect me with the gun, all bets were off now.
Sweat pooled in the palms of my hands.
The music rose as one of the actresses ran down the stairs screaming.
I couldn’t take it.
And then, a body sat down next to me.
Sergio gave me a suspicious look then put a seat between us.
I exhaled.
But it wasn’t relief.
At least I knew where he was.
And where the gun was, he was right handed, so there was that.
I finally allowed myself to relax enough to watch the movie when I saw Sergio’s right hand duck into his jacket.
I gripped the plastic arm rests, my fingers digging into the cheap sticky plastic material as he slowly pulled something out.
He turned.
And I flinched so hard that there was no mistaking what I thought he was doing.
Even though he had grabbed a black cell phone.
The damage was done.
My entire body shook as a big fat tear escaped, I tried to wipe it away but I wasn’t fast enough.
“S-sorry.” I shoved past him and ran.
But my body was too scared.
Too tired

To make it very far.