I tried hard not to fall for the bad guy.
My new roommate, Blake, is a jerk—an unemployed artist with a chip on his shoulder. I can’t stand him unless his hands are on me. He makes me desperate for him, and everything he makes me feel.
And then there’s my new boss, Pierce--successful, charming, and extremely good-looking. He goes after what he wants, but what does he see in me?
I try to stay away, but I end up in the arms of exactly who I was hiding from. And when I find out what’s being hidden from me, my heart twists in ways it never should.
I thought I knew him.
I didn't.
The way he kissed me.
The way his hands traveled every inch of my skin.
I thought it meant something, but as it turns out, it was all lies unspoken.
5 Star Review by Jennifer Hagen
You can’t see it, but there’s an empty bottle of
Pepto-Bismol sitting next to me. What I
didn’t finish off while reading this book, I will down the remaining while
writing this review and remembering the events leading up to my stomach ache. I was in heaven reading this book. It is possible to have a constant stomach
ache and love a book! There is a certain
kind of angst that I crave but seldom find, and can safely say that Ms. DeJong
fulfilled my requirements.
Lila has recently moved to Chicago to start a new life
after having had the last 7 years of her life thrown away in an instant. She
meets 2 people during the course of her first day in Chicago that will
eventually come to change her life…one will break her heart and one will want a
chance at her heart.
Blake is an artist
and a brooding male who may not be the best fit as you come to terms with your
new life.
He’s the epitome of
what I don’t need or want in my life right now.
He’s too intense and a little rough around the edges.
Pierce is a successful businessman who is suave and
distinguished, and lets you know that he is seeing you through his lust-filled
eyes. There is one problem…he soon
becomes her boss.
Blake doesn’t offer much about himself. He is closed off, disappears for days at a
time with no contact, but yet also wants to offer Lila his uninvited
protection. He and Lila have a
push-pull air between them. Eventually
they are going to find themselves together, but Blake has placed a restriction
on their platonic relationship.
“Before we do this,
you have to agree to one thing.”
I nod nervously, anxious to just have his
mouth on mine again.
“No feelings. No attachment. Just you and me, like this. Can you do that?”
Sounds pretty easy…good sex with a hot guy…no strings…he
can be her rebound guy. Sure…go for it.
Go get your Pepto bottle now, because from here on out
you are going to need it. Blake is hot
and cold. He can be sweet one minute,
but in an instant he can turn into an ass.
I’m surprised that Lila wants to try anything with him, even if it is just
for good sex. She is just asking for a disaster to upheave
her already shattered heart. There’s no
post coital bliss, no cuddling, just slam-bam-thank you ma’am. She should be
smarter than this, but yet I don’t think I could walk away from Blake either.
Somewhere under
that anger is misery and heartache. I
see it. This man is drowning, and I’m
trying to save him. If only he’d let me
pull him to the surface.
While Blake is busy disappearing for days at a time, Lila
has found herself a new job with Pierce’s company. Pierce has even asked her to accompany him to
a benefit. Pierce wants Lila, and he
doesn’t even try to hide his wants. Lila
could have it so good with Pierce. He
wants her, he wants to openly display his affection without hiding behind any
doors, and definitely doesn’t place any restrictions on his desires. But he’s not Blake.
Now we’re heading into dangerous territory and into the
area where my brain can only dream of reading...
My body is
paralyzed, but my heart bleeds as the show of emotions slide down my
cheeks. This I can’t erase. I want to take this pain and inflict it on
someone else – on him.
This story gets better and better with every page
turn. Just when you think you’ve reached
the pinnacle of angst, it takes a nosedive and slowly builds back to the top
again, dropping it once again and all you can feel is your stomach plummeting.
Blake is keeping something a secret. “I
don’t talk about this, Lila. Ever.”
After the truth is revealed, their lives will never be
the same again.
“Love isn’t always
enough, but trust is, and it’s gone now.”
I feel I have to clear any misunderstandings there may be
involving cheating. Some readers despise
the thought of cheating to the point that they will not read the book. There is no cheating. This may technically be a love triangle, but
it was always black-on-white “we’re not together anymore” scenarios.
In any love triangle, I can usually pick a man and say
with certainty that I am on that team 110%.
I am going to be honest in saying I cannot pick a team in this
book. Blake initially stole my heart,
but Pierce is so kind and when he has a very good reason to be angry, he is
nothing but a gentleman.
I have read Ms. DeJong’s previous novels that ripped my
heart out, making me cry until I couldn’t see the words on the pages, and
patching me up again. This is completely
different from her previous works. This
is angst brilliance! This story does end
on a cliffhanger, and the next installment will be out March 2015. That gives me time to replenish my
Pepto. I’m going to need it again.
Without warning, his lips crash into mine. At first I fight it, pushing hard against his chest, but he tastes like whiskey. Woodsy and smoky like a campfire, matching the intensity of his kiss. He melts away my anger with his mouth, leaving days’ worth of unrealized sexual tension in its wake.
He tastes.
I lean into him.
He sucks.
My knees go weak.
He isn’t something I wanted. Not three weeks ago. Not even three minutes ago. But as his hands slide up my back, coming up to circle my neck, I’m drowning in want. He tilts my head back to allow himself better access. My tongue tangles with his. Never in a million years did I envision this … how much pleasure I would feel from a simple touch. I guess sometimes we have to have our desires at our fingertips to realize their true depth.
When his lips leave mine, his hands stay. We went from one extreme to another so quickly … I’m not sure what will happen when he pushes the brakes. His face is close, like he wants to kiss me again, but his hands fall away from me instead.
“Don’t—”
One step back.
“Ever—”
Another step.
“Let me—”
Another step. His back hits my bedroom wall.
“Do that again.”
As he exits the room, I’m left wondering what the heck just happened. That kiss took all the cells in my brain and tangled them. I never imagined this, and I hate to admit it but I liked it.
Lisa De Jong is a wife, mother and full-time number cruncher who lives in the Midwest. Her writing journey involved insane amounts of coffee and many nights of very little sleep but she wouldn't change a thing. She also enjoys reading, football and music.
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