London Bound
By,
Nana Malone
New Adult Romance
Date Published : April 1, 2014
It was not exactly like spunky, photography student, Abbie Nartey ran away from her life ... except, That She left under the cover of darkness and put three thousand miles between her and her ex-boyfriend's betrayal. She went to London searching for her dream. She never expected to find love, or herself.
Heir to His Family's fortunes tech, sexy, Alexi Chase, is looking for freedom-from His Family and His Past from. What he's looking for is not love. With secrets like his, he can not afford to let anyone get too close. Has a chance to rescue him but wondering if the price of keeping secrets is too high.
Will Alexi risk losing love to keep His hidden past? Will Abbie trust herself enough to love again? Or will Their pasts keep them from accepting true love?
Excerpt - 1
"Where the hell did you get that?"
Stupid move or not, she was not going to let this one go. If there was ever a time to stand up for herself, it was now. She was not the pathetic girl he thought she was. She had been ounces strong and she reached deep into the depths of a long forgotten girl to find a sliver of that strength. "Where the hell you hid it."
She'd braced for shouting, but nothing happened. Instead, when Evan spoke, his voice was pleading. "Look, I know I should not have kept it from you, but you have to realize that London is not going to happen. We will not survive if we do not go together. Law is a more stable profession than photography. I mean, what are you going to do with that anyway? I had your best interest at heart. "
Her best interest? Her best fucking interest ?
Her fingers curled around the knife handle as her anger bubbled to the surface. She forced a deep breath, then another, and peeled off her fingers. "You lied to me. Every day I asked you, and every day you hid it from me. " She searched his handsome face. How had she become this? What had become of the real her?
He waved a dismissive hand. "Look. I did it for you. You needed to make a decision. The right decision. And you would not not have been able to make it if you'd seen that envelope. Besides, you and I both know that you would not be happy in London. "
"Do not!" Her body vibrated with fury. "Do not talk to me like I'm a child. You did it for yourself because you wanted me to make the choice that you wanted. You're dispica-"
The stinging crack across her cheek snapped her head to the side. A pinball of pain ricocheted into her skull. The burning pain spread from her face to her neck and well into her hairline. She knew from experience now would be a good time to shut the hell up.
But it was as if the stronger woman inside her finally refused to be silenced. "I will not shut up. You lied to me. You hid this from me. You made me feel like I was not good enough to make this dream happ-"
The next crack was enough to knock her over, and she tasted blood on the tip of her tongue. Desperate to steady herself, she reached up to the counter for purchase, but only managed to bring the diced chicken, mayonnaise, and chopping board down with her.
Evan kneeled in front of her. His face registered a tight mask of barely concealed rage. This was it, She'd done it now. There would be no good enough concealer to hide the bruises he would give her. And she did not give a damn. She was tired of cowering.
But instead of lying there, she probed for the cutting board to use as a shield. Her fingers wrapped around the knife handle instead. Shaking, she gripped it tight.
Over the years, She'd lost count of the number of times he'd hit her. Once, She'd even tried to run home. Her mother had made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that Evan was the kind of man Abbie needed in her life. And she had better learn how to please him because she was not going to do much better than a Peters.
Her mother had pointed out that Even would be powerful someday and Abbie would benefit from that. That day Abbie had learned not to go running home with her problems. Once, she considered telling her father, but that would end in bloodshed, with her father either dead or in jail for murder. Neither outcome was acceptable. know, as always, she suffered alone.
When Evan spoke, his voice sounded controlled, but Abbie did not buy it.
"You know better than to provoke me. I do not want to hurt you, but Abena, you can not speak to me like that. Are we clear? "
Decision time. She could nod her head and say yes. Or for once, She could stand up to the person who'd hurt her over and over again. The person who'd deliberately tried to keep her from her dream.
With the taste of blood in her mouth and her heart hammering in her chest, she tilted her head to meet his gaze as fury chased away the fear. Slipping the knife between their bodies, she glared at him. "No. Not clear. You have two minutes to get the hell out of my house, or I swear before God, I will not be the only one bleeding in this kitchen today. "
About the Author
USA Today Best Sellers iTunes Breakout Books and author Nana Malone's love of all things romance and adventure started with a tattered romantic suspense she borrowed from her cousin.
It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a precocious thirteen. She's been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.
While she waits for her chance at a job as a ninja assassin in The Meantime Nana works out her drama, passion and sass with fictional characters every bit as sassy and kick butt as she thinks she is.
Links
Excerpt 2
As they hit the center of the dance floor closest to the DJ booth, Abbie closed her eyes and let the music take over her limbs. Jasper mixed some unfamiliar drum and base beats along with some mild electronica and infused them into dancehall, rock, and popular rap songs.
The only problem was, three women dancing together tended to attract attention... unwanted attention.
It was not long before guys started to join them, dancing in the periphery, then eventually sidling up close. Tamsin and Sophie welcomed the attention. Abbie tried to focus on the music and ignore them. The first guy to slide up behind her had her body stiffening. Immediately, she stepped forward, spun around, and ended up on the other side of their little circle.
The next guy tried to frontal approach. Luckily, She could see him coming and waved him off. Maybe it was time to find Max and the other guys and sit down.
She waved at Jasper, and he frowned but nodded his acknowledgment. Tamsin and Sophie were too occupied to notice she'd slunk off the dance floor. On the edges where it was darkest, she paused and searched for where the guys had gone.
"I figured I'd try something different and ask you to dance."
Abbie whirled around and let out a small squeak of alarm. The muscles in her lower belly quivered, and her breath caught. Her savior from earlier stood in front of her, looking like a cross between an angel of mercy and the devil incarnate. "We have to stop meeting like this," she mumbled.
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Well, there's no rain at the moment, I know we should be safe. I trust we were able to save your camera? "
Heat flooded her cheeks. "Yes Thank you. Honestly that could have been ugly today. I'm indebted. "
"How about a dance, and we'll call it even?"
A dance? With him? Pressed up against ... "I uh ..."
"Now, I'm not as good as you are, so you'll need to take it easy on me." He outstretched his hand and waited for her to take it. He did not press or push, just stood there ... waiting.
Jasper did not help her when he switched the track to a dancehall reggae song with a grooving beat .
Butterflies fluttered low in her belly. When was the last time She'd had butterflies? Unfortunately those butterflies also came with fear. The fact was she did not know this guy. But, if he'd wanted to hurt you, he could have already .
It's just a dance . She glanced down at his hand and placed her palm in his. Determined not to be nervous, she smiled up at him. "Hardly seems fair. You save my life and all you get is this dance. "
He drew her close, but not too close, keeping his hands at her waist. He waited patiently until she looped her arms around his neck. "It's well worth it to me." The low rumble in his chest as he spoke sent shivers coursing through her body.
As it turned out, he did not need any help dancing. He moved them easily in time to the seductive beat. Abbie did not look around to because she knew what she'd find-couples pressed so close that they might as well be naked and in bed. Dirty dancing was a requisite of dancehall music, but her partner kept a marginally safe distance between them, figuratively if not literally, because down with every swing of the base their hips rocked into each other.
She swallowed hard, but then forced her gaze up to meet his. As soon as their gazes met, her heart rate kicked. His slate gray eyes framed by dark lashes, stayed on hers. Nervously, she licked her lips. He stilled for just a second, causing her to lose her footing and bringing her flush against his body.
She froze, muscles tight. Touching was not something she was used to or allowed easily. But with him, she did not want to be anywhere else. He smelled of mint and something crisp and woodsy, like he'd spent the afternoon outside on the water. She released her strangled breath and let her body relax into his. She felt, rather than heard, the low rumble in his throat as his chest vibrated against hers.
His warmth enveloped her, and she could tune out everything but him. As if it were only the two of them on the edges of the dance floor.
There, in the dark, in the arms of a relative stranger, she felt safe.
His hands on her waist shifted know his thumbs traced her hipbones, and Abbie forgot to breathe. Wobbly knees forced her to tighten her hold on him. As if responding to her body's automatic softening, her eyes dipped to his lips.
What the hell am I doing? Her brain tried desperately to take control of the situation. But she did not feel like listening. For the first time in longer than she cared to think about, she liked having someone's hands on her. She was not afraid. Instead, she craved it, that connection. Her body hummed with vibrant sexual energy. An energy had she not felt in six long years. There were nerves, but not from fear or trepidation. It felt good. Better than good. It made her remember how much she needed to be touched. Or rather touched by someone who could make her feel safe.
But just as the last of the tension ebbed out of her body, His thumbs pressed gently against her hipbones, moving her back several inches. He raised his head, and they stood like that for several seconds before Abbie realized Jasper had switched the music. Oh, God . She'd been standing here with a total stranger, practically melting into him.
Heat rushed to her face. "I-"
He smiled, and she was too blinded to finish. His thumbs gently traced across her hipbones once more, and he let her go. "Thank you for the dance." Then he turned around and walked away.
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