Title: Grievous Author: Nancy Haviland
Series: Wanted Men #5
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: August 9, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
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Yasmeen Michaels’ first hours of life were spent nestled in a cloud of dirty blankets on the front stoop of an orphanage in the Bronx. Even though rejection and loneliness peppered her life, she still fought hard enough to step out of her past a free, independent woman with a bright future ahead of her. Darkness descends when a shocking ripple in the organized crime world sends a grieving Romanian mobster back into her life. Yasmeen wakes to find herself in a centuries-old castle in Romania; claimed not as Lucian Fane’s lover…but as his pet.
Lucian Fane is at ease in his place of power. He unapologetically lords over his business empire right alongside his criminal one. But when tragedy dares to cross his threshold, Lucian is sent into a tailspin and soon finds himself toeing the line between sanity and freedom. With his conscience gone, and in a bid to save his city from his wrath, he plucks an exquisite distraction from her world and tucks her away in his. Only then does he allow his demons free reign.
Even as Yasmeen once more finds herself fighting to hold onto her self-worth, the draw towards the darkness soon becomes too strong to resist. Will she be able to hold tight to her new owner as he freely drifts beyond her reach? Or will Lucian surface long enough to realize he’s pushing his precious pet too far to allow for forgiveness?
Note: This book is the first part of Lucian and Yasmeen's story. It does not have a HEA. The completion of their story will come in book 7 in the Wanted Men series, scheduled for release in 2017.
Title: Grievous
Series: Wanted Men #5
Author: Nancy Haviland
Release Date: August 9, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Mafia Romantic Suspense
Excerpt
“Would you like to put something on your feet?”
She looked down at her bare toes and shook her head. What if he left without her?
“I laid out a nightgown in your closet. Go get the slippers I put with it. If fact, change into the gown, too. I will wait for you.”
She bit her lip and looked at the door to their room, then behind her at the shadowy corridor. “Promise?”
“Yes, draga. I promise not to leave you on your own when you are so ill at ease. I am not that cruel.”
“’Kay.” She went back and didn’t even blink at the beautiful ivory silk creation she threw on after taking off her clothes. It was sheer, layered, and the cuffs and hemline were trimmed with the softest fur. She’d have felt like a cross between Mrs. Howell and Santa’s escort if she wasn’t suddenly wearing a cloud made by angels. She paused at the sight of her reflection when she turned to slide her feet into the prettiest matching ballet slippers. Wow. Her mobster might be nuts, but he had superb taste.
“I do not want you in anything but the gown and slippers, Yasmeen.”
As Lucian’s voice drifted to her, she had to wonder if he’d want her at all if she gained twenty pounds, got a scar or two, and cut her hair to her chin.
Swiftly stepping out of her panties, she laid them out with the bra she’d already taken off and donned the slippers. When she walked out, she felt like a naked ghost.
Lucian’s chest rose swiftly when she rushed across the room towards him, layers of silk billowing behind her. She smoothed her hair down because she suddenly felt self-conscious.
“Ready.”
He stopped her from darting past him into the hallway with an arm around her waist. Allowing the momentum to turn him into her, he backed her into the open door and pressed his body along the length of hers.
“Mesmerizing,” he breathed as he stroked from her hips up to her breasts with complete and total ownership. He rolled her nipples, passed over them a few times with his thumbs, then took his touch away once they were peaked and ready for more. “I want to have a structure built deep in the woods.” His hands came to rest on the sides of her neck, his fingertips pressing into the base of her skull. “Preferably underground so no one will ever find it. I would have them construct only one entrance, and I would have the only access code. Close your eyes.”
She held onto him with a grip on the sides of his sweater. She closed her eyes.
He kissed each one, lingering. “Do you know what I would keep in that solitary, impenetrable fortress, draga?”
“Your valuables?” she guessed as she gave up and went under the hem to get at his skin.
“Yes. But only one.”
“Oh. Uh, your money?”
“You.”
Her eyes flew open. “Me?” she squeaked.
“I would lock you away and never let another soul anywhere near you. My face would be the only one you would ever again see. My voice would be the only one you would hear. My touch would be the last you would ever feel. And you would feel so much of it. You would exist for me. When I made time to visit, you would celebrate my very presence. Can you imagine a life like that, my pet?”
Ice flowed through her veins. “You would return to that fortress and find a corpse. Because if you ever made me live like that, I would kill myself.”
His fingers tightened until her head started to ache. “I would hunt you down in the afterlife if you did that to me. You would pay dearly.” He was looking down at her, but with a vacancy in his stare that told her he wasn’t really with her.
“Lucian?” She grabbed his wrists. “You’re hurting me.”
“You are hurting me.”
She couldn’t have been more shocked if he’d hit her. “What? How? Lucian, I’m here for you.” She brought her hands to his cheeks and stood on her toes so she could press her lips to his. His mouth was cold. “I want to help you.” The pressure he was exerting faded until he was simply holding her head again.
He tsked as he shook his head. “I want to climb inside you and stay there until you can’t survive without me. I want to f*ck your body. I want to f*ck your mind into an addiction you’ll never get over. I want you to crave my touch, my voice, the scent of my skin, the feel of my mouth on you, the sensation of my c*ck filling you, my tongue cleaning you afterward. I want you to need what I give you. I want it so you struggle to breathe when I am not within your sights. When you can no longer smell me, I want you to whimper with a desperation that matches what I am experiencing. I want this perfect, flawless treasure you are to be dependent on me for your very life.”
His forehead was resting on hers now and she’d long ago stopped breathing. Something in the very fabric of her existence understood those needs while the rational part of her found them repugnant. Excitement, terror, and a dark, writhing lust was crackling under her skin, heating her from the inside out.
He blinked and drew in a sudden lungful of air as if he’d just come out of a trance. He straightened and slid his hands down to her shoulders before placing a chaste kiss to her lips. “Do not worry, Yasmeen. I will send you home before I allow my demons to do those things to you. I know you deserve better. Now, come. You can sit by the fire while I attempt to work for an hour.”
As though he hadn’t just revealed how much further he’d fallen, he took her hand and led her out of the room. Unable to process what this could mean for her, she didn’t bother. She simply followed along and vowed to try harder. She had to get through to him. He had to see she was more than a possession. But more importantly, she had to convince him to send those demons he spoke of so fondly on their merry way. If he allowed them to take over completely, they were both finished.
Giveaway
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Don’t miss the other sizzling books in the Wanted men series, featuring sexy alphas and the women that conquered their hearts…
A Love of Vengeance
(Wanted Men #1)
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Once the most feared member of an Italian Mafia crime family, Gabriel Moretti returns to New York at the request of his mentor, Russian crime boss Vasily Tarasov. Vasily needs someone he can trust in Seattle to protect his estranged daughter, Eva Jacobs, while he avenges the murder of the young woman’s mother. Gabriel is unstoppable in a fight, whether he’s using fists, blades, or bullets; but innocent, onyx-haired Eva may just be the most dangerous—and beautiful—thing he’s come up against.
Intense sparks fly between the two, tempting Gabriel to mix business with pleasure while in the Emerald City. But once word gets around that Gabriel has shown up in New York, Stefano—his vengeful brother and the de facto head of the family—decides that Eva is the key to ending the feud between them…permanently.
In this pulse-pounding romantic thriller set against the backdrop of New York City’s storied underworld, loyalties will be tested, secrets will be told, and mob justice will be served.
The Salvation of Vengeance
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Only something as important as her best friend’s wedding to mob boss Gabriel Moretti could allow Nika Paynne a reprieve from captivity. Her abusive husband has kept her under his thumb with footage of her beloved brother, Caleb, killing another man. But the respite from her violent life isn’t the only draw. Vincente Romani—Gabriel’s deadliest guardian—will be one of the best men at the wedding, and Nika has lingering thoughts about the fascinating mobster…covetous thoughts that may put her life in danger.
With the heartbreak he’s suffered and the brutality he effortlessly delivers, Vincente knows he’s the last person who can offer Nika a happily-ever-after. But his vow remains. He will do everything in his power to free his redhead from her violent prison—even if that means losing her forever.
In the second thrilling and passionate Wanted Men book, a dangerous line is drawn between loyalty to the mob and loyalty to one’s heart.
An Obsession with Vengeance
(Wanted Men #3)
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Maksim Kirov is a mobster who gets what he wants, both at his posh gentleman’s club in Hell’s Kitchen and in the bedroom. Sexy, dangerous, and obsessed with control, he’s risen through the ranks to become a highly respected leader in the tight-knit Tarasov crime syndicate. He rules with an iron fist…until he meets Sydney Martin.
The Australian-born Sydney is determined to refuse Maks’s advances, despite the couple’s electrifying chemistry. The owner of a neighboring nightclub, Sydney rules her own domain. But when a deal with a Mexican drug cartel goes terribly wrong, she has no choice but to turn to Maksim and the Tarasov organization for protection. Could giving in to their intense attraction be what saves both Maks and Sydney? Or will their all-consuming passion—and her shocking secret—destroy their lives?
In the hot and scandalous third installment of the Wanted Men series, lust and loyalty clash in New York’s mob underworld.
Ultimate Vengeance
(Wanted Men #4)
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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?
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