~ Excerpt ~
Twenty
minutes later, the limo was parked outside my apartment building. “Are you
going to be okay?” I asked Kat. She nodded. Then I glanced at Ben, my eyes
asking the same question.
“You
should go now before I convince you to stay,” he replied, his hands clasped
together.
I shivered at his words knowing just how easily he’d be able
to keep me there if he wanted to. “You didn’t answer my question, though. Are
you going to be okay?”
His
jaw clenched as he looked at me with the wildest eyes I had ever seen. “Annie,
if you don’t go right now, I will convince you to stay. And if you come with
me, I will do unspeakably dirty things to you. I’ll do things to your body that
I’m sure no man has. And when I’m done, there will be nothingvirginal
about you anymore. You’ll be in the confessional a month straight after I’m
finished.”
I
shivered violently, because I knew he meant every word of what he said. “Bye.”
I said to Kat. “It was so nice meeting you.” She nodded, frowning. I
glanced at Ben. “Goodbye. For good.” I was honest enough to know that
I needed to run from Ben to keep myself from making a mistake. A strong hand
grabbed my arm, furious eyes staring at me. I yanked my arm out of Ben’s grasp.
“What do you want? I said, ‘Goodbye.’”
“I’m
not leaving,” he replied.
Furious,
I pointed to the car. “Get in and go.”
He
shook his head, placing his hands on his hips. “Not until you tell me why him
and why not me.”
“Hmm. Let’s
see. He can commit to a relationship…not run away for three weeks after making
love to someone!” I shouted.
Ben
grabbed his hair, yanking it. “That wasn’t my fault! I had to stay away!” I
rolled my eyes dramatically, making sure he saw before I turned. “Get back
here!” he shouted. I glanced over my shoulder. “What else? That can’t be
the only reason.”
“You
need another reason? You and I together are a powder keg, one match away from
exploding,” I said, “We’re either screaming at each other, punching each other,
or trying to tear each other’s clothes off.”
“So. Fucking. What?”
He shouted.
“And
I don’t want that kind of chaos in my love life. Loving Brian is easy. It
doesn’t wreck me like you do,” I admitted, “Those three weeks that you were
gone…those were the three worst weeks of my life. Going into your apartment
that night after George called me…I felt physically ill.”
“They
were the worst three weeks for me, too. It’ll never happen again. I swear it,”
he replied adamantly.
I
shook my head. “I don’t want this craziness.” I turned to walk into the
apartment.
“What
if I need you to save me?” he asked. His words stopped me in my tracks. I
glanced back, and my breath caught in my throat at the vulnerability in his
expression. “Your love is changing me, princess. You give me purpose,
something else other than fighting, and fucking, and just coasting through
life. You make me work for it every Goddamn second. I need that.”
I
was so turned on that I was in physical pain. “I think you’ll be fine
without me.”
He
clenched his jaw, furious eyes glaring at me. “Fine. You want him?
You want to go back to the old, boring story just because you know how it’s
going to end? Go on ahead. But, before you go, fix me.”
I
blinked. “What are you talking about?”
He
pointed at me. “You broke me! After I left the hospital that night,
I tried to lose myself in someone. I wanted to forget all the memories
and pain. You were with Brian. Nothing was going to happen between us.” He
pointed at his crotch. “He wouldn’t get hard! I couldn’t do it! So, after I
left embarrassed as shit, I tried again another night. Nothing. I saw
you a week later, and it worked perfectly fine. Raging fuckin’ hard
on all night long.” I had never been more turned on that I was at that
moment. “So, undo whatever you did to me right now!”
“You
want to be turned off by me?” I asked. He nodded as I walked towards him.
Stopping right in front of him, I placed my hand over his heart, looking into
his eyes. “I love you…madly, passionately, irrevocably. It’s becoming
difficult for me to see a future that doesn’t include you. I want your heart,
your touch, your fidelity. I want you to look at no other woman the way you
look at me. I want your body to only respond that way for me. I want a ring on
my finger, a huge wedding, and to be the mother of your children. I want to go
to sleep with you inside me and wake up the same way in your bed. I want to
fight with you when you’re being an insufferable asshole, which is at least
once a day. And then I want you to show me how you’ll make it up to me. I will
be jealous of any woman who licks her lips at you, which is about ten
times a day, and I give no promises that I won’t go bat-shit crazy on them.”
I
smirked, waiting for him to turn and run into the car. Those words would send
any commitmentphobe running. His eyes still watched me like he wanted
to rip my dress right off me and take me against the car door. “I thought you
said you were trying to turn me off, not on.”
I
blinked, thrown completely off guard. “What are you talking about?”
I
felt his heart beneath my hand pick up in tempo. For the first time, I felt it
beating wildly.
He
glanced down at his chest. “Look at that,” he murmured, placing his hand over
mine. “You have my heart in the palm of your hand.”
Anger
coursed through my veins. “Say it. I want to hear you say those three little
words.” This would make him run for sure.
He
smirked. “I am hungry.”
I
growled. “The other three words.”
His
smirk remained. “I want you.”
If
he was going to play games, so be it. “No, I want to hear you say that you love
me.”
His
eyes narrowed, his lips in a tight line. “Why? So you can break me?
So, you can hear me tell you how I feel and then watch you walk back to him?
Tell me you’ll get back in that car with me now, and I’ll say it.”
I
knew it was a dirty trick, but it was all I had left. Besides, Ben never played
fair anyways. I shrugged nonchalantly. “Just as I thought. You’re
incapable of the words, because you don’t know what it is.”
Ben
grabbed my arm and yanked me back to him so hard that I smacked into his chest.
I stared up at him in shock, anger, and arousal. “You forget that I first
watched, then listened to you fuck him in my apartment,
in my bed. I listened to your moans of pleasure, your ‘Oh,
yes, Brian,’ for hours on end all the while knowing that it should have been me
in bed with you. Yet, I didn’t stop you from doing what you wanted. I didn’t
try to rip you away from him while you tortured me every time you cried out his
name.” He grabbed my face roughly. “So, don’t you dare fucking tell me that I
don’t know what love is. Love is pain. It’s no coincidence that they’re both
four letter words. And so is Anne.”
A
tear rolled down my eye, and his grip softened on my face. “I never meant to
hurt you,” I whispered. “I don’t even remember that night. Everything after
tossing the noodle onto your shirt is a complete blank to me.”
“You
might not remember it, princess, but I sure as hell can’t forget it.”
I
bristled at his words. “You want me to feel guilty for sleeping with
Brian? How about the countless women over the last five years that you’ve
slept with. Half of them you made out with in front of me! You’re upset
that you’re the third man I slept with, but I’m your what? Five
hundredth? Tell me how I should feel about that?!” I shouted.
He
shrugged, his lips still pulled in a tight line. “You shouldn’t give a fuck.”
“Oh
no? And why is that?” I asked while my blood temperature rose.
“Because
I would trade it all- every memory, every other woman for just one more night
with you. That’s why you shouldn’t give a fuck. Because they never held a
candle to you,” Ben replied matter-of-factly. My knees shook for a second, and
I did not think that I was capable of being more turned on at that moment. How
the hell did he always do this? “So, like I said before, if you’re going to run
back to him, you need to fix my cock first and make it work again.”
I
smacked his chest hard. “No! I think I like it this way!”
His
eyes seared with pain. “You want to torture me? If you’re with him, you won’t
give me a chance at some peace, some solace? If you’re happy with him, why do I
have to be alone forever?”
Tears
streamed down my eyes as I felt my heart shutter at the unbearable weight
pressed against it. “I will not cheat,” I whispered over and over, while
I shook my head wildly.
His
hand released my jaw, and it slid down my back, caressing me. It made me sob
harder by just how incredible it felt. “I may not give you flowers all the
time, or tell you that you’re beautiful a thousand times a day, or slow dance
with you all the time like he does, but I know what I feel. And I know you feel
it, too.”
I
yanked my body away from him. “Bye, Ben.”
I
didn’t wait for his response as I ran into the apartment building. Once in the
elevator I pressed the button for my floor. I leaned back against the wall,
barely able to breathe as tears streamed down my face. I hated saying goodbye
to him, I hated that he kept chasing after me, I hated that I wanted him to,
but most of all I hated how much of a bitch I felt saying goodbye to him. That
feeling was becoming unbearable lately.
I
glanced at the stainless steel paneled wall, seeing the reflection of my teary
self. “You’re better than this. Figure yourself out.” I wiped away the tears
before stepping off the elevator, trying to pull myself together.
Taking
a deep breath, I opened the door to my apartment and found a tired Brian on the
couch, flipping through TV channels. He glanced up at me, smiling. “You look
breathtaking,” he greeted.
I
smiled at him before jumping into his arms. Wrapping his arms around me
tightly, he kissed my forehead. “Is everything alright?”
I
nodded, hugging him tightly. “Now it is.”
“I
missed you,” he whispered in my ear.
I
hugged him tighter. “I missed you, too.”
Brian
pulled my body away from his, tilting my head back. “Are you okay?” he asked,
his voice filled with concern.
I
nodded wearing a tight lipped smile. “I was just crying. It was a wedding and
all.”
“It
seems like something else is bothering you, though,” he commented.
My
body was filled with aching raw need from Ben. I needed to suppress these
feelings for him. Brian was my fiancé. If I just held on to Brian tighter, we’d
be fine. That’s what I needed to do, hold on tighter to our love. The guilt I
felt sat heavy on me. I should completely Brian’s; that’s what he deserved.
But, I wasn’t.
I
lifted the hem of my dress and straddled him. I ran my hand over his body and felt
his physical reaction towards me. Wordlessly, I slipped down his shorts and
boxers and he raised his hips to aid me. Slipping him out, I pulled my
underwear to the side and stopped momentarily. “Should I go get a
condom?”
His
eyes burned brightly, filled with lust and love. “You’re going to be my wife.
There’s no need.”
With
my hand firmly gripping his erection, I slid him inside me, watching his eyes
roll back in pleasure. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kissed him
deeply as I rolled my hips slowly. His fingers threaded through my hair, his
other hand rested on my hip. We stay, deep, slow, connected as Brian’s love
takes me to the height of ecstasy. We come undone together, and he holds
me to his chest tightly. Tears spill down my cheeks at the bitter sweetness of
the moment. There was no way out of this without hurting one of them and myself
in the process. But, Brian’s love was gentle, calm, enduring. It was the type
of love futures were made from.
When
I lifted my head he kissed me deeply, and I sighed in contentment.
I
pressed my forehead to his. “Help me out of this dress. I want to make you a
nice, romantic dinner tonight.”
“Oh,
yeah?” he asked before kissing me again.
I
nodded. “You’ve been so wonderful lately. I just wanted to do something to show
my appreciation.”
I
stood up and walked into the bedroom. He wasn’t far behind. Adoring fingers
trailed down my arm as his lips pressed against my neck.
“I
have another idea.” He unzipped my dress. “Why don’t we order take out and
spend the rest of the night in bed?” He slipped the straps of my gown down over
my shoulders. The dress pooled at my feet. Brian kissed down my shoulder as his
arm wrapped around my body, pulling me tightly against him. I could already
feel his need against my lower back.
Letting
out a shaky breath, I nodded. “That’s one hell of a plan.”
~
Links to Buy ~
to follow upon release on 11/15
~
Review ~
I was given an ARC by the Author in exchange for an
honest review
This is the second book in this series and must be
read in order to appreciate the AWESOMENESS that is Getting Back Annie! I devoured this book for more than one reason
but mainly for Ben Hurley. Yes, he is
not who Annie ends up with in Winning Back Ryan but Ben steals the show and my
heart in the process.
The story begins the 4th of July weekend. A weekend that Annie usually
spends out in the Hamptons with Ben, Max, George and
Brian. But this
year Annie and Brian will be spending it as a couple with
their families.
And so it begins, Brian’s jealousy and
insecurity. He subtly insinuates
that Annie should distance herself from the men in her
life…..more
importantly Ben.
I was a fan of Brian and Annie getting together in
Winning Back Ryan
but in this book I was Team Ben all the way. He is everything that Annie
needs and wants but she is too scared to admit it. What she and Brian
have is easy and comfortable. What Annie has with Ben is
explosive and
it rocks her to her core.
Annie is still suffering from the after effects from
her encounter with
Ryan. She is having bad dreams almost nightly and Brian is
unable to
help her since she had not shared the details of the attack
with
him….just Ben. They speak regularly and he seems to be the only
person
who can help Annie find her way through the darkness.
I loved Ben! Yep, no sugar coating it! Almost everything that came out
of his mouth was laced with sexual innuendo or a raw
honesty. He was
determined to protect Annie and help her heal. Ben accepts Annie and
all of her imperfections, so she when she is with him
she can just be.
“Just when I think that there’s no hope, when I
think that I need to give
up on you, somehow you do something brilliant. Every. Fucking. Time.
And all this…….chaos around me makes some sense
again. So, thank
you for being you.” ~ Ben
I was glad to see that Brian’s meddling and control
issues over Annie
and her relationships was thrust into her view. It reinforced that she had
options. That
he wasn’t the only one for her.
Although Annie is conflicted, she can’t get Ben out
of her mind or her
dreams.
Cigarette anyone? Then just when I think Ben and Annie may
have their moment….I get the moment and then its
gone and there is
another twist and turn that keeps them apart.
“Calling you before walking into that apartment with
Ryan is the best
decision I’ve
ever made”, I whispered. His eyes shot
with pain, so I tried
to explain. “Ever
since that day, I feel safe and secure with you. More
than I have ever felt in my entire life with anyone
else. Ever. I don’t
know why exactly but I trust you implicitly.” He opened his
mouth to
speak but closed it. “I sleep
with the turtle you gave me every night.
Did you know that? You just make everything better.” ~ Annie
There were several times in the story that I wanted
to shake Annie and
tell her to pick Ben!
Stop running between them and pick the one that
not only makes you feel but makes you feel alive. I get that you can
“love” more than one person but you can only truly be “in
love” with
one. Don’t get me wrong, Ben was not an angel in all of this
either. But
I appreciated his determination to get what he wanted and his
willingness to let Annie figure things out for herself.
Now I won’t say that I was thrilled with the ending
of this book, cause I
wasn’t. But
the author was being true to her characters and a HEA just
wouldn’t have fit at this time. So I will be hanging on to the edge of my
seat waiting to see what is next for Annie, Brian
and Ben…..hoping all
the while that someday soon Ben will get his HEA too. I cannot
recommend this series enough….so if you haven’t had a chance
to read
it…go grab it, its AMAZING!
~
Rating ~
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