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Dirty Nights
by
A.M. Hargrove

~ Synopsis ~

If you like your romances light and sweet, this is NOT for you. This is a tough and gritty story of heartbreak, rejection, and hard love. You’ve been warned.

Life isn’t easy.
Nor is it fair.
And you don’t get to choose who you fall in love with.
Sometimes love chooses you.

Skylina...Her story is not pretty. Discarded like trash by her father. Forced into prostitution by her mother. Used and abused, she learns to cope. And survives. Because she has to. What other choice is there?

Ryder...His story is every bit as ugly. Beaten and left for dead. A star whose light was extinguished long before it should have been. Now a he’s drug addict who wrestles with the demons that try to destroy him.

Two broken people...
Extraordinary circumstances...
Pasts that could tear them apart.

Attention: This book is also published as the Dirty Nights Novella Series under A.M. Hargrove’s pen name of Emerson St. Clair. 

**Content Warning: Due to the explicit sexual content this is not intended for younger readers.

~ Excerpt ~

The girl from the coffee shop. Can’t stop thinking about her. I’m even daydreaming about her. What the fuck is wrong with me? I’m supposed to be studying, which is why I got the coffee in the first place. I have an exam tomorrow and I’m not anywhere near ready. At around 2 a.m., I get up, stretch, and go for a walk. The streets are deserted. Why the hell wouldn’t they be? I wish I had gotten that girl’s name and number. I’m such a fucking loser. I need to forget about her and prepare for this exam. As I round the corner, I hear a muffled sound, much like a whimper.

My ears perk up and I follow the sound. What I see boils my blood and turns me into a raging maniac. A man has a woman pressed up against a wall and is sexually assaulting her at knifepoint. All those months in the gym, working out my drug demons have paid off because I grab him by the collar and jerk him backwards and then beat the hell out of him. When he’s unconscious, I turn to the girl.

“Are you okay? We need to call the police.”

“No! No police!” She rasps.  She’s having a tough time breathing.

That’s when I get my first good look at her and notice it’s the coffee shop girl.

“You’re the girl from the coffee shop.”

She lifts her head all the way and the right side of her face is badly scraped and already swelling.

Her eyes ping around and she says, “I-I gotta get outta here.”

“I’ll take you home.”

“No! I can’t go home.”

I glance around, trying to decide what to do. Without giving her any opportunity to object, I reach around her and pick her up. I only live a block from here so I carry her to my place.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking you to my place. You’ll be safe there.”

When we get to my apartment, I walk her to the bathroom.

“Did he rape you?”

“N-no. His hand … he … you got there right before h-he …”

I go to my room and grab some sweatpants and a sweatshirt. I hand them to her and say, “Here. Shower. Towels are in the cabinet.”

“I-I d-d-don’t think I-I-I c-c-can …”

I take a good look at her and she’s shaking from head to toe.

“Do you need a hand?” I ask.

She nods. I take off her coat and I’m shocked at what she’s wearing. I’m even more shocked at what’s underneath her dress, but I shield my reaction. When she’s completely naked, she stands in front of me as though she’s fully clothed. It’s an odd reaction for someone, especially since she was just nearly raped, but I attribute it to trauma. Then suddenly she breaks down and cries.

“You’re safe here,” I say as I pull her against me. “Everything’s okay now. No one can hurt you here.” Damn if my cock isn’t hard and I try not to think about it.

Her sobs subside and she looks up at me, sheepishly and apologizes. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.”

Sorry? Why the hell would she be sorry? She was just brutalized for Christ’s sake.

Then she gets into the shower. I back out of the bathroom, thinking about that outfit she had on. Women don’t wear that shit for the fun of it. She must’ve worn it for her boyfriend. But why wouldn’t she have called him?

The bathroom door opens and if I thought she was cute before, she blows me away now. Long blond messed up hair and no makeup makes her look perfect. And all I want to do is kiss the fuck out of her. Oh shit, why did I bring her here? Now I have to be a gentleman.

“I’ve made you some tea.” I hand her the cup and watch how her hands shake as she takes it from me.

“Thank you.” She takes a sip and asks, “You don’t have any liquor, do you?”

“‘Fraid not. Recovering addict here.”

The slight widening of her eyes gives her away, but she quickly covers it up. It’s okay. I don’t want to hide this fact about myself from anyone. 

“That’s why I made you the herbal tea. It’s the best I can do.”

She sets her cup down and leans toward me. “Thank you. I …”

“You don’t have to thank me. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Can I sleep here?”

“Yeah. If you want to. By the way, my name’s Ryder. Ryder Christiansen.”

She gives me a tremulous smile. “Nice to meet you Ryder. I’m Skylina O’Donnell.” Then she stands and goes to the bathroom. I hear her brushing her teeth. She must be using my toothbrush. How strange. Maybe she’s still in shock. When she walks out of the bathroom, she moves to the bedroom on silent feet and that’s it. I brush my teeth and sure enough, my toothbrush is wet. Then I turn off all the lights and lay down on the couch. A few minutes pass and I feel her hand on mine.

“You okay?”

“No. I want you to sleep with me. I’m scared of the dark.”

She leads me into the bedroom and we both get under the covers. It seems natural for her to be here, though it sounds crazy as all hell. When she curls against my side, I put my arm around her and ask, “Better?”

“I’m good now, Ryder. Just don’t leave.”

“I won’t.”

 ~ Links to Buy ~

Amazon ** Kobo
Barnes & Noble ** Smashwords

~ About the Author ~

A.M. Hargrove resides in the south, dividing her time between the upstate of South Carolina and the mountains of North Carolina. She truly believes that chocolate, coffee and ice cream should be added to the USDA food groups.

Her books include Adult, New Adult and Young Adult Romances, including, The Guardians of Vesturon (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, reEmergent and the novella Beginnings); Dark Waltz (A Praestani Novel) Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge, Kissing Fire, Tragically Flawed, Exquisite Betrayal and Tragic Desires.

Please find her at http://www.amhargrove.com

A.M. also writes under the name of Emerson St. Clair. Emerson's books include the Dirty Nights novella series

   

~ Connect with A.M. ~

Website ** Twitter ** Goodreads ** Facebook