Release
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Dangerous Temptations
by
Brooke Cumberland
~ Synopsis ~
One night was all it took…
One night to ruin everything I thought I knew.
From the outside, I had the perfect lifestyle.
Wealthy fiancé, blossoming career, amazing friends.
I wasn’t looking to get married yet, but when
William—“Manhattan’s royalty”—charmed his way into my life, I couldn’t deny the
security and comfort that overcame me.
To society, I was the girl only after his money. I was
the party-goer who managed to seduce a man twice my age to have the lifestyle
some could only dream of. I was every magazine’s cliché of what a gold-digging
whore was.
I wanted to prove them wrong—that our love was real
and that I wasn’t that girl.
But then everything changed.
One wrong decision. One unfaithful night. One haunting
reality.
Perhaps they were right.
The media didn’t see it coming…and neither did I.
** This is a stand alone romance suspense novel with
no cliffhanger. HEA depends on who you ask. ** Recommended
for readers 18 and up due to strong language and explicit sexual content.
~ Excerpt ~
“How long do you plan to act like this?” His question
shocked me, my body jerking in response.
“Act like what?” I turned around, narrowing my brows
in disapproval.
“That you despise me,” he said bluntly.
I thought about his question for a moment, realizing
this was probably just as hard on him as it was on me, but he was the one
acting like an arrogant jerk.
“I wouldn’t have to if you’d stop trying to cross boundaries
with me when you know it’s inappropriate.”
“Inappropriate?” He laughed, pissing me off more.
“Good god, it’s like you’re a Stepford Wife.”
“You know what I mean.”
“You mean…that I’m tempting you? That I’m giving you
something more to desire?” He took a step toward me, caging me in with his arms
around me. I stepped back as far as I could before hitting the back of the
sink. “If you didn’t feel it too, there’d be no issue. But I know for a fact
you do.”
I swallowed, hating that he was right, but it didn’t
mean anything. It couldn’t.
“Just because your technique—“ I waved a finger
between us, “—normally works for other girls, doesn’t mean it’s going to work
on me.”
He furrowed his brows and asked, “And what technique
would that be?”
“Getting what you want, who you want.” I pushed
against his chest, needing the space. “You’re not used to girls saying ‘no’ to
you. You use your name, your father’s popularity to gain respect, and
truthfully, it’s a little pathetic,” I snapped, the courage I’d felt quickly
left as his eyes darkened, getting more intense.
He leaned into me and shot back, “Do you see any other
girls here?”
“Give it time.” I held my ground as best I could. His
face that close to mine was making it almost impossible to think
straight.
He laughed in my face, a deep, throaty laugh that came
out as if he was amused by my antics. “If it’s on the Internet, it must be
true, right?”
I had looked him up late last night when sleep
wouldn’t come to me. Although I tried, wanting—needing—to forget that whole
day, it just wasn’t happening. Most of the stories were from his teenage and
early college years, there hadn’t been anything recent, but I used it against
him anyway.
“Isn’t that the way the game works?”
“I don’t know what game you’re playing, sweetheart,
but I know what you felt when you kissed me. You feel what I feel and there’s
no denying that.”
His eyes looked into mine, confident and tense as I
stared back. “It doesn’t matter, Alex. It’s never going to lead to anything, so
you should just stop trying.”
“And what if I don’t?”
“You’re just wasting your time.”
“I’m willing to bet I’m not, but if you want to be
delusional, fine with me.” He pressed his chest against me and brought his face
closer to mine. “I wasn’t sorry for what we did, Mac. I’ll never be sorry for
that. I’m only sorry you felt guilty about it afterward.”
“If you cared about me at all like you claim, you’d
back off, Alex.”
He huffed in an amused laughter. “That’s one thing you
should learn about me, Mac. I don’t back off on something I want.” He gripped
my chin with his thumb. “I was trying to get you out of my mind, and I failed
miserably. The only thing I want from you isyou. I don’t need to parade
you around like a little trophy wife or show you off to my friends. Once you
see that, you’ll change your mind.” He dropped his hand and stepped back,
walking away with the last word. It didn’t matter anyway, I had nothing left to
say.
~ Links to Buy ~
~ About the Author ~
Brooke Cumberland is a USA Today Bestselling
author who's a stay-at-home mom and writes full-time. She lives in the frozen
tundra of Packer Nation with her husband, 4 year old wild child, and two
teenage stepsons. When she's not writing, you can find her reading love
stories, listening to music that inspires her, and laughing with her family.
Brooke is addicted to Starbucks coffee, leggings, and anything sweet. She found
her passion for telling stories during winter break one year in grad
school--and she hasn't stopped since.
~ Connect with Brooke ~
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