Love Me Only
Justice K Chambers & Susan James Pierce
(Love Me Only Duet, #1)
Publication date: May 7th 2018
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
Bridesmaids meets Sleeping with the Enemy.
A haunting past. A specific set of rules. One man determined to break them.
Chase Anniston has a haunting past full of drug abuse and heartbreak, and now as a recovered heroin addict, sheβs focused on keeping her life and career on track. The way she does it? Sheβs formed a set of rules to keep her safe from the two things she deems trouble β men and drugs:
Never give into your cravings.
Never fall in love.
Never date your bossβ clients.
And these rules have kept her out of trouble for years⦠until Jared came along.
Jared Bryan is a country music star who used to be more notorious for partying and womanizing than his music, and heβs now a client at the PR firm where Chase works. A chance run-in with her at a bachelorette getaway in Vegas leaves him both intrigued and perplexed. Chase is like no other woman heβs met before. Sheβs beautiful. Sheβs feisty. And sheβs not easily impressed. Chase might be everything heβs ever wanted, but heβs also the last thing she needs. Heβs hell bent on winning her over anyway.
Love Me Only is Book One of the Love Me Only Duet, a Romantic Suspense series. Intended for readers 18 and over.
This book may contain substance and domestic abuse triggers for some.
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EXCERPT:
You know the moment you can feel someone standing behind you? Like you can sense their energy? Multiply that by about a thousand, and thatβs what this feels like.
I turn to see whoβs in my personal space, expecting it to be some drunk idiot, but itβs not.
Holy crap.
Itβs a guy who looks exactly like Jared Bryanβ¦ the playboy country singer Stella represents β fair skin, eyes so blue they canβt be real. Iβve never met him in person; heβs never come to the Atlanta office. But Iβve seen numerous pictures, and this guyβs dark hair is a little longer than Jaredβs. And he seemsβ¦ taller than I imagined Jared to be. Leaner. Not skinny, but lean in a cut way. In a really tasty way.
He could quite possibly be a hotter version of the singer himself. And apparently he knows it.
He smirks at me as I study him.
I shake my head. Get it together.
βJared Bryan,β he says, extending his hand for a shake.
I laugh. βRight.β What a douchebag. Going around pretending to be him.
He cocks his gorgeous head. Gives me a βyou donβt believe me?β look.
βOkay, Jared,β I say, mocking him, and then shoo him away with my free hand. βGo use this one-man sideshow on someone else.β Iβm not buying it. Last I heard, the real Jared was in Nashville working on his latest album. βLike a girl whoβs drunk and incredibly desperate.β
He just stands there, still smirking. Like heβs waiting on me to cave.
When I turn back to the railing and scan over the crowd for my friends, I hope heβll get the hint. But of course he doesnβt.
I take a long sip of my cranberry juice, wishing it had a shot of something strong in it, and suck in a piece of ice.
He moves to stand beside me, abs pressed against the railing. βFull house, huh?β he says.
I ignore him, crunching on the ice.
βOh my God, lookβ¦β a girl says below. βItβs Jared Bryan!β He waves.
She whips out her phone and takes pictures.
I turn my head away, shielding my face with my hand as much as I can. I donβt want to be seen next to Fake Jared on social media.
Girls flood over to the bouncer to try and get up the stairs.
Iβm too amused at this point to be irritated. I canβt help but smile smugly at him. βYouβre eating this up, arenβt you?β He studies me, almost a little too intensely, his smile widening. God, heβs got a killer smile, and Iβd be lying if I said it doesnβt make my lady parts melt. Heβs good, Iβll give him that. Heβs even wearing Jaredβs signature leather jacket.
βIβm not sure how to answer,β he finally says.
βOh, cut the crap,β I chuckle. βYouβre a Jared impersonator looking to get laid.β
He shrugs, looks back over the crowd. βMaybe, maybe not,β he teases.
βIs it safe to look now?β I ask.
βYeah, sheβs stumbled off to the bar. Youβre good.β
When I face the crowd again, he says, βNot a drinker?β I look into my cranberry juice, back to him. βNope. I prefer to be the sober one. Itβs more entertaining.β
As if to prove my point, a guy below attempts to break dance and ends up smacking his head on the floor and passing out. βLike so,β I say, gesturing toward the break-dancer wannabe.
Jared leans against the rail with a small laugh. βWhereβs your drink?β I ask. βThe real Jared Bryan is a partier, you know.β
He gives me an odd look.
βBut you have the playboy part down.β
βPlayboy?β he repeats.
βYeah.β I motion to myself. βLike how youβre trying to pick me up at the moment.β
βYou think Iβm hitting on you, huh? Maybe Iβm just being nice to the lonely sober girl.β
I bark a laugh, but part of me scrambles to think back over this short encounter to see if I misread things.
No. Thatβs what guys like him are so good at β Iβm playing hard to get. Or as far as he knows, I donβt want him to get me at all. And heβs playing it off like I might be conceited to save him from feeling rejected. βIβm sober but Iβm not lonely. Iβm here with my girlfriends.β
βAnd where are they?β he asks, almost taunts. Like Iβm making them up to not seem like a loser. Irritation swells inside, and I scan the dancefloor for them. Iβve only known this guy five minutes and Iβm not sure if I want to push him over the railing or take him up on a one night stand. Fake Jared would obviously be game.
Truth be known, Iβve thought of Jared several times over the years when I slept with other guys. This might be as close as Iβll ever get to the real thing. At the very least, though, he distracted me from my heroin craving.
βThere,β I say, pointing at them a little too eagerly. Why do I feel like I have something to prove to this guy? The three of them are dancing in a circle while holding their drinks, and apparently, Shea had a wardrobe makeover in the bathroom. She unbuttoned her blouse enough to show some cleavage and has tucked the bottom of it up under her bra. A Hildie creation, I have no doubt. But I canβt deny it looks better than before. Who knew Shea had a killer body?
βThe blonde, the redhead, and the strawberry blonde?β
βYep.β
βWhy arenβt you down there with them, then?β I sip my cranberry juice. βNot really my scene.β I say it sharply, hoping heβll feel the sting of it. This is obviously his scene as well.
βLet me guess,β he says, straightening and rubbing his stubbled jawline. His eyes roam over the tattoos on my arm. Over my little black dress and messy bun. I subtly bend my arms more so he wonβt see the injection scars. βArt galleries and poetry readings?β I shake my head, though the poetry part is pretty accurate. Not that I would tell him.
I smile pointedly and throw his previous answer back in his face, βMaybe, maybe not.
β He tosses his head back in laughter, and when he looks back at me, thereβs a flash of something in his eyes β familiarity. Respect. Intrigue. Iβm throwing his game right back at him and heβs not used to it. And though I can see he likes it, I can also tell heβs not sure if he can crack me. Heβs like every other egotistical man β how much should he try with me before he gets too far into rejection territory? Am I worth the risk?
Author Bio:
Multiple Award Nominated and Bestselling Author Susan James Pierce has a degree in Marketing Management, works for a Fortune 500 company in Atlanta, Georgia, and devotes her precious, spare time to writing Paranormal, Sci-fi, and Romantic Suspense novels.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter
Justice K. Chambers is from the suburbs of Atlanta, GA and is a stay at home mother of two. Her passions include reading and writing poetry, and taking care of her farm animals.
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Reblogged this on Viv Drewa – The Owl Lady.
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This one sounds interesting! Thanks for the share, Viv π
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