"This has to be one of my favorite books of the year so far. I loved that it had so much action, suspense, and drama all in one. The characters were great. They were very likable and you felt for everyone of them. [...] he book never faulted all the way through either. It kept you wanting to read the book and not stop and that is exactly what I did." - Goodreads
#1 bestselling author Maya Banks continues her suspenseful and steamy Slow Burn trilogy with this second book-a twisting tale featuring a strong yet vulnerable heroine in danger and the sexy alpha hero who must save her.
Abandoned as a baby to a young wealthy couple and raised in a world of privilege, Arial has no hint of her past or who she belonged to. Her only link lies in the one thing that sets her apart from everyone else—telekinetic powers. Protected by her adoptive parents and hidden from the public to keep her gift secret, Ari is raised in the lap of luxury, and isolation. That is, until someone begins threatening her life.
Beau Devereaux is no stranger to the strange. As the head of Deveraux Security, he’s more than familiar with the realities of physic powers. So when a family friend approaches him about protecting his daughter, he’s more than ready to jump on board. What Beau isn’t prepared for is the extent of his attraction to his beautiful and powerful client. What began as a simple assignment, just another job, quickly turns personal as Beau discovers he’ll do anything at all to protect Ari. Even if it costs him his life.
EXCERPT
GAVIN Rochester stood in the doorway of his enormous living room watchingas his wife carefully examined a Christmas ornament before quietly replacing itin the box and tucking it back into the plastic basin they used to storeChristmas decorations.
Her sadness instilled an ache inside his heart that made him physically rubhis chest in an effort to alleviate the pain. But some wounds were simplytoo deep. Permanent and unable to heal. And her pain was unbearable tohim because he couldn’t fix this for her. His connections, money, power. Noneof it meant anything if he couldn’t give his beloved wife what she wanted most. He felt her pain as keenly as if it were his own—and it was. Becausehe couldn’t stand for her to be unhappy. He’d move mountains just to make hersmile.
She’d changed him. Made him a better man. A man he never thought hecould be—never wanted to be. But she changed everything—his world—hisplace in his world. Suddenly he’d wanted to be a better man. For her.Because it was what she deserved. And he would never place her inharm’s way with his business practices. It was a new experience forhim. Living clean. In the light. Having someone who made himwant to feel . . . worthy.
Then she turned from her sad perusal of the lone orna- ment, andwhen she saw him, her face lit up, rosy from the shining Christmas lightsstrung around the tree. He marveled at how, whenever she smiled at him, ittook his breath away. It was something that would never go away. His love forhis wife was like nothing he’d ever experienced in his life. Staggering. Yet warm,like the flames in the fireplace. Unwavering. Without res- ervations, strings orconditions.
She loved him, and that knowledge still had the power to bring him tohis knees.
“That’s the last one,” she said, her gaze drifting one last time to the soleornament that hadn’t been hung on the tree. Sorrow briefly chased thewarmth from her eyes before she appeared to make a concerted effort tocollect herself, and the grief filling her features slipped away, but he’d seen it.Knew it to be there no matter the effort she made not to let it show.
He crossed the room, no longer able to bear the distance betweenthem. He pulled her into his arms and thrust his fingers into her long hair andthen nuzzled the top of her head, inhaling her scent as his lips pressed to herglossy brunette strands.
“We’ll try again,” he murmured, trying to inject confidence andreassurance in his tone. And yet he knew he’d failed miser- ably. He soundedas dejected as he knew her to be. Not because she’d failed him. He could livehis life with only her and never suffer a single regret. But he’d failed her. Hewas unable to give her a child he knew she wanted with every breath.
She wanted them to have a family. Love, laughter, to fill their housewith warmth he’d never experienced before her. She knew all of that, knewwhat his life had been like and she was determined to change it. To give hima home. Not just a house. A home with a family and her unconditional love.He had no defense against her. His love defied boundaries or parameters. He knew he would never love another living soul the way he loved thiswoman.
She shook her head against his chest, and he carefully pulled her away,gutted by the sheen of tears in her brilliant brown eyes. Even in sorrow she wasthe most beautiful woman in the world to him. He couldn’t remember his lifebefore she entered it.
He held the single most precious thing to him in the world in his arms,and he was powerless to give her what she wanted most. A child.
“No more, Gavin,” she said, her throat working up and down as if the wordswere painful to speak. “I can’t take another loss. I can’t do it anymore.”
The utter despair in his beloved wife’s voice was more than he could bear. He was precariously close to losing control over his own emotions. Only hisvow to be an unyielding rock for his wife kept him in check.
She needed his strength. Not his weakness. And the hell of it was, he onlyhad one weakness in his life.
Ginger. His wife, lover and absolute soul mate.
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About the author:
Maya Banks is a #1 USA Today and New York Times bestselling author whose chart toppers have included erotic romance, romantic suspense, contemporary romance, Scottish historical romances. She is the author of the Breathless Trilogy, the KGI novels, the Sweet series, and the Colters Legacy novels.
She lives in the South with her husband and three children and other assorted babies, such as her two Bengal kitties and a Calico who’s been with her as long as her youngest child. She’s an avid reader of romance and loves to dish books with her fans and anyone else who’ll listen! She very much enjoys interacting with her readers on Facebook and Twitter as well as in her Yahoo! Group.
1 comment:
Thank you for hosting today!! Happy Thursday!
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