A GIRL WITH REGRETS…
A MAN WITH REMORSE…
A PATH TO REVENGE…
Published: June 24th, 2015
A GIRL WITH REGRETS…
Sasha Cherlin died the night she let Nick Tate walk out on her for a life of crime. Her very essence was destroyed when they broke their promise to one another.
A MAN WITH REMORSE…
Nick Tate made his choice with her future in mind. He loved Sasha enough to know that leaving her behind was the only way to keep her safe.
A PATH TO REVENGE…
Special Agent Jax Barlow understands the bond of love and he plans to use it to get justice. Nick and Sasha will do anything to rewrite their past. He’s counting on that to bring them down.
Wasted Lust is a 321 spin-off, full-length, romantic suspense filled with lies, secrets, and the power of redemption by the New York Times bestselling author, JA Huss.
EXCERPT
SASHA
I’m not a player. I know there are girls
out there who do this kind of thing for a living. They scout out prospective
husbands. Dress up, put on a show, try to hook one with the bait.
I have no bait. I’m cute—not
sophisticated like my mom’s friend Rook, or badass like her friend Veronica, or
even smart and sassy like my mom, but cute. A Smurf, they used to call me. And
those ladies are the only real role models I ever had growing up. That’s it.
The extent of my wily ways with men come from half-ass copy-catting people who
have more game in their pinky fingers than I have in my whole body.
So I’m at a complete loss here. Because
Jax insists on treating me like a woman. And I’ve spent a good number of years
trying to avoid this kind of scenario. The kind that sweeps you off your feet.
The kind that jumpstarts your heart and makes it hum in a way you never thought
possible. The kind that makes you doubt all those pledges you made to yourself
through the years.
I will never love again. I will never
give my heart to a man. I will never have to endure the crushing reality that
comes after the only person I ever wanted to be with practically begged me to forget
about him.
I tried it, it just didn’t work. I can’t
just erase my first crush. I can’t just throw away the one thing I held onto
after my father died. I kept the boys at bay all during high school. I didn’t
even lose my virginity until my first year of college. Ford made sure of that.
The memory of his crazy overprotective antics as I grew up make me smile.
So I don’t have much experience.
But Jax is a player, I can see that now.
He’s got me wound up tight. My head is pounding with the possibilities he comes
with.
Sex being one of them. I have not had
sex in over two years. And I’m not one of those girls who go for a toy at the
first hint of a dry spell. After two years though, I’m considering that option.
But now Jax is here. Kissing me. Making
my whole body tingle. Awakening the desire I’ve pent up for so long.
“Are you afraid of planes, Sasha?”
I look over at Jax. “What?”
“Does landing bother you?”
“No,” I say, confused. “Why?”
“You’re squeezing my hand so hard, you
might be cutting off my circulation.”
SASHA
“I still feel dizzy.”
“Come here,” he says, pulling me into
his lap and repositioning me so my head is cradled in the crook of his arm.
“Put your feet up on the seat and just rest. It’s a good hour drive to where
we’re going.”
I could resist. He’s not entirely
trustworthy. And he’s a stalker. That’s pretty creepy. I wonder how deep that obsession
goes. I wonder if it’s safe to even be in this car with him.
But his embrace feels too good to make
him stop.
My dress was not made for being cradled
in a man’s arms. Or maybe it was? Because the slits up each side bare my
thighs, and the heat of his hand on my skin stirs up the longing I’ve been
pushing away for years, making me shut my eyes.
His fingers stroke me gently, back and
forth across the top of my thigh. It feels so damn good, I lose myself in the
pleasure. I lean into him and his hand drops down between my thighs, making me
gasp.
“Sorry,” he says, removing the offending
hand.
I reach out and place his hand back
where it was. “Don’t stop touching me. Please. It feels good. I don’t get a lot
of intimate interaction anymore.”
My eyes are still closed when I say this
to him, but the ensuing silence and the tenseness of his hand on my skin—his
hesitant touch—forces me to open them. It forces me to seek him out.
And I guess he wins, doesn’t he? He’s
got me right where he needs me. Wanting more as
I gaze up into his eyes.
“Pull your dress up, Sasha.”
I wasn’t expecting that command. But it
absolutely is a command. He’ll give me what I’m asking for, but he won’t
give it away for free.
“Do it,” he says. “You’ve been pushing
me away all day. You’ve complained about my kisses and threatened to break my
fingers. And now you’re here in my lap. Vulnerable and needy. So if this is
what you really want, you need to participate. I won’t force you to succumb. I
won’t take advantage of your longing for Nick, or your very bad day, or the
panic that seems overwhelming. If you want me, show me.”
So I do. I do it without thinking or
rationalizing. I just want it. My hand reaches for the silky fabric of my dress
all bunched between my legs, and I pull it up. Inch by inch, until the coolness
of the air sweeps across my lace panties.
He licks his lips as he watches.
The heat I feel is immediate.
“What should I do now?” I ask.
His hand slides up my inner thigh and
the wetness gathers in a pool between my legs. “Open your legs.”
I swallow hard as the request sinks in.
I want to obey. So badly. I want him to fix everything that is wrong with this
day, erasing the shame of my failure at school and the haunting regrets I have
from the past by fucking me in this car.
JAX
Nick is an idiot.
But I can’t fault him for it. If he had
realized Sasha’s true worth—aside from killing and secret information—she’d
still be his. She’d probably be dead because of it too.
My hatred for him dims a little. I will
never like that man. Ever. But he left Sasha for a reason, I think. He left her
because she was too good for him. She was pure and he was corrupt. I have a
feeling that leaving her behind was as purposeful a move as any of the others
he’s made throughout the years.
But why?
Does he love her? Is she the missing
woman? She can’t be. Sasha freely admits she has not heard from or talked to
him in a decade and I believe her.
So who is the woman who lured him back
to the States six years ago? Sasha would’ve been just graduating high school.
Her passport shows she was in New Zealand with her family that summer after
graduation. So if he didn’t come to see her, then who?
This mystery has plagued me for years.
Why does one of the FBI’s most wanted criminals leave Central America and come
back to the US when he’s got a powerful position in a Honduran gang to protect
him at home?
Why risk it?
For the job?
No. It can’t be that simple. Nothing
about this guy is simple.
Did he lie to Sasha? Was he really her
promise? It’s convenient that her father and his, the only two men who could
substantiate the claim he made, are both dead.
I ponder this until we reach the
airport. And by that time, Sasha is sleeping so deeply, she doesn’t even wake
up when I pick her up in my arms and walk her up the stairs. I take her to the
back of the plane and place her on the bed. “Sasha,” I whisper softly in her
ear.
“Hmmm?” she moans back.
“Let’s take off your coat.”
“Mmmm.” She moves just enough for me to
get her coat off, and then she turns over and falls back asleep with her hands
bunching the pillow up to her face.
I stand there and smile down at her.
Just smile. She’s so fucking adorable. And I’m starting to regret that rash
decision to have sex with her in the car. You only get one first time. This one
was pretty good as far as first times go. But still… I should’ve waited. Made
it more romantic and less primal.
I lean down and kiss her on the head and
then I walk out, leaving the lights off so she can get some rest. I go all the
way up front to the business end of the plane and take a seat at the table.
“Drink, sir?” Essie asks.
“Sure. Brandy, if you’ve got it. You the
only one on staff tonight?”
“No, the other girls are chatting in the
galley. But if you want them, I can get them.”
“No, let them chat. I’ve got everything
I need and I can use the quiet time.”
“Very good, sir,” she says, placing a
snifter with two fingers of brandy in front of me on the table. “Just call if
you need anything.”
I need a lot of things. But nothing
Essie can help with. So I won’t be calling for her. I just drink my brandy and
think about Sasha. I think about picking her up again and carrying her to the
car that will be waiting for us when we land. I hope she doesn’t wake up.
Mostly because I want to carry her
again. I loved that feeling. Her soft body against my hard one. But also
because I’m not taking her home. And when she figures that out, she’s gonna be
pissed.
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JA Huss is the USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty romances. She likes stories about family, loyalty, and extraordinary characters who struggle with basic human emotions while dealing with bigger than life problems. JA loves writing heroes who make you swoon, heroines who makes you jealous, and the perfect Happily Ever After ending.
You can chat with her on Facebook, Twitter, and her kick-ass romance blog, New Adult Addiction .
If you’re interested in getting your hands on an advanced release copy of her upcoming books, sneak peek teasers, or information on her upcoming personal appearances, you can join her newsletter list and get those details delivered right to your inbox.
I'm not a HUGE fan of tats...I'm way old school when it comes to that, but I'm OK with a couple tasteful ones. I'm so tired of suits, so my choice is something in between.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jenny, something in between.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say nether lol, I just like a casual guy!
ReplyDeleteI would much prefer the suits!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely tattoos!!!
ReplyDeleteTattooed guys in suits, sighhhhh lol I can't choose, I love both ;)
ReplyDelete