Book 2 in the The Colloway Brothers series. Each book can be read as a standalone.
Memories.
When does our past stop picking at our scars and start letting them heal?
Scars.
Can we see beyond our wounds to the possibilities the future holds?
Possibilities.
How do we let ourselves become vulnerable enough to trust the love that’s right in front of us?
Fate. She’s a fickle, wily bitch that slaps us in the face every opportunity she gets. Sometimes it’s a taunt, but sometimes it’s a goddamn wake-up call to pay attention. Take what’s rightfully yours without shame or apology. So when destiny put me straight in Alyse Kingsley’s path once again, I knew this was one slap I wasn’t ignoring. I’d let her get away once. I wouldn’t again. She was mine and I was takin’ her, kicking and screaming if need be.
Alyse ~ Deceit and betrayal. Every single person who was supposed to love me committed one of these.
My mother.
My father.
My sister.
My lover.
Incapable of letting people see the real me, I hold them at arm’s length. But Asher Colloway is relentless and it doesn’t take long before I cave to his pursuits. The big question is: can I let him in where it counts most? Before ghosts from my past come back to haunt me in ways I can’t possibly fathom? Before it’s too late?
Asher ~ Trust. Forgiveness. Impossible concepts, having been fucked over by a woman I’d loved before. But those aren’t my only personality flaws.
I’m possessive.
I’m jealous.
I’m dominant.
I have a secret kink.
I want Alyse. All of her. She shows people the shiny, untainted surface. I want the murky, damaged depth. The shadows. I want in all the way. Just when I think I’ve made it, fate cruelly bitch-slaps me again. And this time I don’t see it coming. The question now is: what am I willing to do to keep the woman I love by my side? And can Alyse accept me the way I am, faults and all?
Lies.
When does hiding the truth to protect someone you love turn into deception?
Deception.
When does your unwavering trust turn into the ultimate betrayal?
Betrayal.
When is the truth more than it appears to be on the surface?
Within less than twenty-four hours of proposing to the love of his life, she disappeared. No note. No trace. No explanation. Nothing. Now, five years later, she’s resurfaced and Gray will stop at nothing to make Livia his again. But is love enough to forgive an unforgivable wrong?
Livia ~ I had less than sixty seconds to make a decision that would forever change my life and those of the ones I loved.
I sacrificed.
I suffered.
I survived.
And no one must ever discover my shameful secret, especially him.
Gray ~ I had dreams of a future with the woman who breathed the very life into my soul.
I was betrayed.
I was abandoned.
I was lost.
Now that she’s back, can I find it within myself to leave the past in the past and forgive so we can move forward and have the life I’d imagined?
“You forget how well I know you, Livvy,” he murmurs. “I can see the wheels spinning behind those gorgeous eyes of yours, just trying to come up with something plausible to appease me. Something that won’t rip my fucking heart out of my chest and leave me bleeding out for a second time.”
I’m snared in his fiery gaze, unable to look away. Unable to deny his words or catch my breath. He leans in closer, running his nose erotically along my cheek. I inhale sharply.
His anger is justified.
His lust just confuses me.
“You ruined me, Livvy,” he croaks. The pain and agony I’ve caused him laces thickly through every syllable and I don’t have to see his face to know he speaks the truth. His confession guts me and tears spring into my eyes. I’ve ruined myself too, Gray.
“I’m sorry,” I choke out. There are no words I can utter that will ever be good enough. No words that will erase the pain and suffering I’ve caused Gray. The truth would only cause him more pain. Even if he could forgive me, I don’t deserve him. Not anymore.
“Sorry’s not fucking good enough,” he bellows, releasing me like a hot coal, pacing to the other side of the large conference room. “I need to understand, Livvy. Jesus, I deserve to know why the woman I love more than the air I breathe deserted me less than twenty-four fucking hours after she agreed to be my wife!”
I try to hold it in. I try, but I can’t. He’s the one that’s suffered because of my actions. Well, we both have, but how dare I make this about me. I know what I did; he doesn’t. He just thinks I abandoned him.
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I’m just a regular ol’ Midwest girl who likes Game of Thrones and am obsessed with Modern Family and The Goldbergs. I run, I eat, I run, I eat. It’s a vicous cycle. I love carbs, but there’s love-hate relationship with my ass and thighs. Mostly hate. I like a good cocktail (oh hell…who am I kidding? I love any cocktail). I’m a huge creature of habit, but I’ll tell you I’m flexible. I read every single day and if I don’t get a chance…watch the hell out, I’m a raving bitch. My iPad and me: BFFs. I’m direct and I make no apologies for it. I swear too much. I love alternative music and in my next life I want to be a bad-ass female rocker. I hate, hate, hate spiders, telemarketers, liver, acne, winter and loose hairs that fall down my shirt (don’t ask, it’s a thing).
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