Release Date: February 28th, 2014
Description:
Before Stephanie Carovella had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, she was damaged.
Stephanie Carovella has been running from her past all her life. The survivor of a brutal attack which left her best friend dead, she has carefully built a protective wall around herself, but she knows sooner or later her past is going to catch up with her.
It’s why she doesn’t want to fall in love. It’s why she doesn’t want to let anyone get too close.
Dominic Delaney works hard and plays just as hard. He’s a love ‘em and leave ‘em guy who doesn’t believe in forever until Stephanie walks into Outlaws. She is wild, unpredictable and dangerous as hell, yet, he’s drawn to her.
He needs to know the secrets behind her eyes. He can’t walk away.
A sexy, tattooed womanizer, Dominic Delaney’s everything Stephanie wants to avoid. She knows she should stay the hell away from him, but he makes her want to stop running.
Sometimes, even the Damaged deserve to fall in love.
Author's Playlist
I think the idea of the perfect soundtrack would be songs that suit everything that Dominic and Stephanie went through. When I wrote Damaged, I did have a soundtrack in mind for the book. These were songs that really struck a chord with me and became an integrated part of the characters and their love story.
Christina Aguilera - Just a Fool
Whiskeytown - Excuse me While I Break my own Heart
Big and Rich - You Never Stop Loving Somebody
Gary Allan - Along the Way
Blake Shelton - It Aint’ Easy Being me
Lady Antebellum - All We’d Ever Need
Sheryl Crow - First Cut is the Deepest
Ozzy Osbourne - Bloodbath in Paradise
Bret Michaels feat Miley Cyrus - Nothing to Lose
Garth Brooks - More than a Memory
Bad English - when I see you smile
Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow - Picture
Allison Iraheta - Scars
Bon Jovi - Wedding Day
Sister Hazel - Your Winter
Katy Perry - I’m still breathing
Sarah Mclachlan - Full of Grace
Eric Church - My Heart Has a Memory
Kenny Chesney - Better as a Memory
Christian Kane - Whiskey in Mind
Elvis Presley - Always On My Mind
Pink - True Love
In other words while there would be love songs there would also be songs about Heartbreak, loss and inner demons.
EXCERPT:
“For seven hours, we hung out at 25, drank coffee and just talked about anything and everything,” he admitted, standing up and stretching. “She’s gorgeous, Ty, inside and out. She’s wild, unpredictable and dangerous as hell. Not just for my sanity, but for my health. She’s the kind of girl you know you’ll want forever with, and forever will still not be long enough. But she’s not the type of girl to give forever to you willingly. I’m pretty sure you’d have to drag it out of her, kicking and screaming.”
Taking a deep breath, he shoved his hand into his gym shorts pockets. “I don’t know what to do about it. She has a boyfriend. Hell, I have Sandra. We’re friends.” He snorted at the last word. “If you discount the fact that the whole seven hours I was with her I imagined her under me.”
“So, you’re in lust. Work it out on Sandra,” Tyler suggested, watching Dominic walk to the boxing bag and stare hard at it. He flinched when Dominic suddenly swung hard at the bag, swearing fluently as he drove his fist into it.
“That’s the problem, Ty. It’s not lust. I’m not denying I want to lose myself in her. God, I’d give anything to have her legs around my waist as she moaned my name. There’s no guy in his right mind that wouldn’t.
I sat and watched her for a month without approaching her. For an entire month, we silently flirted with each other without saying one damn word. It was like a game we played. But it’s her eyes that drew me to her. I could easily lose myself in them. Christ, Ty, they reveal such pain. Jesus, there’s so much agony there. I want to know why. I want to make her forget that pain. I want—” He broke off, frustration eating at him. “I want to know her.”
*****
“I don’t understand, Dominic. Why are you acting like this?” Stephanie said, taking a step towards him and reaching out to touch his arm. She couldn’t understand why he was treating her this way. He was acting so indifferent, so cold. She scrambled her brain, wondering what she’d done wrong. She knew she’d been tense on the trip back to San Francisco, but he’d seemed okay with it. He’d accepted that she had a lot on her mind, or at least, she thought he had. When he stepped back to avoid her touch, she flinched.
“Listen, honey, this thing between us . . . it was fun,” Dominic began, feeling bile begin to rise in his throat as he pushed on. “But that’s all it was. Fun, and now it’s over.”
“It’s over?” she echoed, staring at him in disbelief. “I don’t understand.”
“What’s there to understand?” he drawled, raking his eyes over her and turning his lip into a sneer. “The sex was good, but that’s all it was. Good sex.”
“You said you loved me,” she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I lied,” Dominic replied, gripping the door handle tightly. He flinched when Stephanie’s head jerked back as if he’d struck her. Forcing himself to continue, he added brutally, “I wanted to get you into bed. Christ, don’t tell me you actually believed I loved you?”
When she remained silent, he laughed harshly. “Why the fuck would I love you? No man in his right mind could ever love someone as fucked up as you are.”
“Stop it,” she whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. “You don’t mean that.”
“Oh, honey, yes I do,” he bit out, shaking his head in disgust. “You were an itch I wanted to scratch, that’s all. It was nothing more. And I had you. You practically wrapped yourself up in a red bow and gave yourself to me on a silver platter. All I had to do was stroke your ego and pretend to give a damn, and you were all mine.”
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head in denial.
“Yes,” Dominic growled.
Stephanie stumbled backwards, unable to take her eyes off him. She wrapped her arms around herself, starting to shake. “You don’t mean that,” she whispered again, shaking her head. “I told you everything. I told you who I was.”
“Yeah, you did,” he said silkily, his hardened gaze pinning her to the spot. “And you actually thought after you told me who you were, I would still want to be with you? That I would actually love you?” He forced himself to drive the knife in deeper, telling himself this was for the best for both of them. “Christ, I was hoping when I didn’t answer your messages you’d get the hint, but no, you had to come here and make a scene. Get this through your head: I don’t want you. I never did. I just wanted to fuck you, and now I’m done. You’re delusional to think that I could ever love someone as damaged as you. Hell, no one could.”
Taking a deep breath, he shoved his hand into his gym shorts pockets. “I don’t know what to do about it. She has a boyfriend. Hell, I have Sandra. We’re friends.” He snorted at the last word. “If you discount the fact that the whole seven hours I was with her I imagined her under me.”
“So, you’re in lust. Work it out on Sandra,” Tyler suggested, watching Dominic walk to the boxing bag and stare hard at it. He flinched when Dominic suddenly swung hard at the bag, swearing fluently as he drove his fist into it.
“That’s the problem, Ty. It’s not lust. I’m not denying I want to lose myself in her. God, I’d give anything to have her legs around my waist as she moaned my name. There’s no guy in his right mind that wouldn’t.
I sat and watched her for a month without approaching her. For an entire month, we silently flirted with each other without saying one damn word. It was like a game we played. But it’s her eyes that drew me to her. I could easily lose myself in them. Christ, Ty, they reveal such pain. Jesus, there’s so much agony there. I want to know why. I want to make her forget that pain. I want—” He broke off, frustration eating at him. “I want to know her.”
*****
“I don’t understand, Dominic. Why are you acting like this?” Stephanie said, taking a step towards him and reaching out to touch his arm. She couldn’t understand why he was treating her this way. He was acting so indifferent, so cold. She scrambled her brain, wondering what she’d done wrong. She knew she’d been tense on the trip back to San Francisco, but he’d seemed okay with it. He’d accepted that she had a lot on her mind, or at least, she thought he had. When he stepped back to avoid her touch, she flinched.
“Listen, honey, this thing between us . . . it was fun,” Dominic began, feeling bile begin to rise in his throat as he pushed on. “But that’s all it was. Fun, and now it’s over.”
“It’s over?” she echoed, staring at him in disbelief. “I don’t understand.”
“What’s there to understand?” he drawled, raking his eyes over her and turning his lip into a sneer. “The sex was good, but that’s all it was. Good sex.”
“You said you loved me,” she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I lied,” Dominic replied, gripping the door handle tightly. He flinched when Stephanie’s head jerked back as if he’d struck her. Forcing himself to continue, he added brutally, “I wanted to get you into bed. Christ, don’t tell me you actually believed I loved you?”
When she remained silent, he laughed harshly. “Why the fuck would I love you? No man in his right mind could ever love someone as fucked up as you are.”
“Stop it,” she whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. “You don’t mean that.”
“Oh, honey, yes I do,” he bit out, shaking his head in disgust. “You were an itch I wanted to scratch, that’s all. It was nothing more. And I had you. You practically wrapped yourself up in a red bow and gave yourself to me on a silver platter. All I had to do was stroke your ego and pretend to give a damn, and you were all mine.”
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head in denial.
“Yes,” Dominic growled.
Stephanie stumbled backwards, unable to take her eyes off him. She wrapped her arms around herself, starting to shake. “You don’t mean that,” she whispered again, shaking her head. “I told you everything. I told you who I was.”
“Yeah, you did,” he said silkily, his hardened gaze pinning her to the spot. “And you actually thought after you told me who you were, I would still want to be with you? That I would actually love you?” He forced himself to drive the knife in deeper, telling himself this was for the best for both of them. “Christ, I was hoping when I didn’t answer your messages you’d get the hint, but no, you had to come here and make a scene. Get this through your head: I don’t want you. I never did. I just wanted to fuck you, and now I’m done. You’re delusional to think that I could ever love someone as damaged as you. Hell, no one could.”
About the author:
Nina D’Angelo is the best-selling author of the Stephanie Carovella series. Her first novel, Nowhere to Run was released in February 2013 and reached #86 on the Amazon Top 100. Her second novel, Nowhere to Hide was released in August 2013.
They are both available in Paperback and ebook format.
Damaged is the prequel to the Stephanie Carovella series and the first in the Outlaws series. Nina has already started working on Deadly Secrets, the third in the Stephanie Carovella series and Shattered, the second in the Outlaws series. Both are slated for a 2014 release.
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