(Random House Publishing Group)
ISBN: 9780553391183
Release date: July 22, 2014
“Characters you care about in a fast-paced story . . . one
heck of a sexy read!”—New York Times bestselling author
Shayla Black
Readers of Fifty Shades of Grey are sure to love Desired, Stacey Kennedy’s latest seductive, electrifying novel of Club Sin, where fantasy becomes reality.
Kyler Morgan, Master at the legendary Club Sin in Las Vegas, knows how to give women what they want—too well. He hasn’t had a real challenge in a long time. Then Ella Snow enters his life. Beautiful, inhibited, and innocent in the ways of submission and domination, Ella is the new blood he’s been lusting after. Soon, the thrill of training her to embrace his world brings forth desires Kyler cannot control.
After ending an abusive relationship, Ella makes a promise to herself to start living life to the fullest. It’s one of the reasons she seeks out Club Sin. Here, Kyler’s every touch is a lesson in liberation, stirring passions that have no bounds. But as she falls under Kyler’s command, Ella discovers that some secrets are so dark they must come to light. Submission alone may not be enough to save her, leaving her Master with only one question: How can he help Ella heal while unlocking the deep pleasures she craves?
Desired is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.
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Excerpt:
Forgive me.
Ella’s shoulders slumped
and she sighed at her phone. Laughter and joy surrounded her, music and
happiness, but her stomach plummeted as she read her husband, Rory Snow’s text.
When would he give up? Didn’t a domestic
violence protection order say This relationship is over?
As the band played a
slow song, she ran her fingers over the scar by her right eye. The mark was a
constant reminder of Rory. Every day she looked in the mirror she saw it and
thought of him.
All she wanted was to
forget. Heck,
she’d been doing exactly that. Rory was the jackass who couldn’t let it go.
Ella knew she should probably call the Savannah police department to inform
them that Rory was contacting her, but she was so damn tired of it all. She had
moved on and put Rory into her past of big mistakes.
She’d hoped Rory would
do the same.
That didn’t look like it
was going to happen anytime soon.
With a grumble, she
slipped her phone into her dress pocket and zipped it closed. She scanned
through the crowd on the dance floor and her gaze landed on the bride. Aidan’s
new wife was beautiful. Thin and elegant, Cora belonged on a magazine cover.
Ella’s heart twisted in
the midst of memories of her wedding. Her day hadn’t been so lavish. Rory
hadn’t rented out an entire resort at Lake Las Vegas for the event, ensuring
their guests had a place to stay. Her wedding had cost all of two thousand
dollars, but it had been enough for her.
She’d loved the high
school sweetheart she’d met when she was fifteen and married five years later. Had
loved him. Right up until Rory started drinking and drowning himself in booze.
Sober Rory was a good
man.
Drunk Rory had a violent
side.
That violence had shoved
Ella face-first into a table. The night she’d got the stitches was the night
she’d walked away from him. Six months later, she had left her life in
Savannah. She moved to Vegas for the excitement, landing herself an amazing job
at Knight Law Firm, working as the assistant for a highly respected defense
attorney.
Ella enjoyed working for
Aidan, and actually liked him as a person, too. He paid her almost triple what
she had made in Savannah. Her professional life couldn’t get any better. It was
the personal side of things that remained murky.
As she watched Aidan
twirl his new wife around, dancing proudly for all to see, Ella tried to find
her smile, but it remained hidden behind pain. Even if ten months had gone by
since the night of the abuse, she couldn’t ignore the dark thoughts and her
failed marriage.
It took six months to find
the courage to file divorce papers, and another four months since leaving
Savannah to pull herself together again, but she was over Rory in every sense
of the word. She refused to let him ruin this special occasion. Grabbing her
wineglass, she downed the remaining contents.
Tonight she hoped for a
little liquid happiness.
When she lowered her
glass to the table, a tingling sensation spread across her skin. Lifting her
head, she gazed across the patio, and sitting at one of the patio sets was one
of Aidan’s groomsmen. She’d never seen him before today, but that wasn’t a huge
surprise, since she didn’t know most of the people at the wedding.
Except for a bunch of
lawyers from the firm and Aidan’s parents, everyone else was a stranger. Aidan
never mixed pleasure with business, and in the four months she had worked for
him, she’d never met a single friend of his. Heck, she
hadn’t known Aidan was dating. One day she’d thought he was single; the next he
told her he was getting married.
Oddly enough, she was
drawn to Aidan’s groomsman. Staring into his warm blue eyes, pins and needles
and other sensitive feelings traveled up her body, settling between her thighs.
She squirmed against her seat, avoiding the heat, and the side of his mouth
curved. Her heart tripped and she glanced to her high-heeled shoe dangling off
her toe.
Geebus, if he didn’t stop looking at her with
those piercing eyes, she would combust. All night he’d been sneaking glances at
her. They weren’t simple interested looks, either; they were outright assaults
on her hormones. But a man’s attention was the last thing she was looking for.
No, thank you.
When she still sensed
his gaze, she peeked to discover she wasn’t wrong. His intense stare was right
on her. The power of it sucked the air from her lungs. Though she’d never
believed in lust at first sight, perhaps it was because she had never
experienced it.
Whoever he was, he was hot!
“More wine, miss?”
Ella gasped, looking up
to the waitress standing next to her holding a bottle of white wine. She gave a
shaky laugh. “To the top, please.”
The waitress smiled,
filling the glass to the rim. “Why aren’t you dancing?”
“I look like a dying
fish when I dance,” Ella said with a laugh. “I have two left feet.”
“We’ll need to work on
that, won’t we?”
The waitress was looking
over Ella’s shoulder with wide eyes. And something in that masculine voice made
Ella stiffen in her seat. The tone was low and seductive, but mischievous all
the same.
Then he was
there.
The groomsman who’d been
staring at her from across the patio now stood in front of her. Ella’s mind
went blank. He smelled of sandalwood, and the rich scent puckered her nipples.
From afar she thought he had blue eyes, but up close she realized they were a
blue-green color. Pretty. In fact, the whole package was
beautiful, especially covered in the tux.
He leaned down toward
her and offered his hand. His messily styled light brown hair dangled over his
forehead. He was tall, much taller than she, and he filled out his tux nicely.
Hell’s bells!
“Dance with me,” he
said.
Ella quivered under his
clever smile, and a slow heat slid through her. He happened to be one of the
hottest guys she’d ever seen. Well, in person and not on some magazine she
figured was Photoshopped. Though, hot or not, there was still a problem. “I’m
sorry, but I can’t dance.”
“Everyone can dance.”
His potent stare held hers and his hand never lowered. “It’s all about who is
leading.”
Persistent sexy man.
Under his intense
scrutiny her insides went mushy. The power this man exuded burned through her,
reminding her she hadn’t felt this way in a long time. The attraction was
intoxicating, and something needy inside her unfurled, yearning to explore it.
No, her mind argued.
At her pause, one sleek
brow arched. “If you wait any longer to take my hand, you might give me a
complex.”
The waitress hadn’t
moved, watching the exchange. Even if Ella hated dancing and wasn’t looking for
a relationship, she couldn’t refuse the urge to be squished up against him.
Besides, what was a dance? This hunk was the perfect way to get her mind off
Rory and onto something a lot better.
As she rose and slid her
fingers into his warm grip, his gaze remained on hers. Heat stormed into her,
spiraling low in her body with a wicked thud. She didn’t doubt that smile got
him into many women’s beds.
It had power and charm.
He tightened his fingers
around hers, and something passed in the air between them, so hot and so damn
unforgettable, her body all but liquefied. He tugged her closer and she felt
something odd inside awaken, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
Something she wanted to
lose herself in.
A sensation that made
her mind shut off.
He led her into the
middle of the crowd on the dance floor, pulling her tight against him as if she
belonged right there in his arms. He had no hesitation about placing his hand
low on her back, quite close to her bottom, and sandwiching their bodies
together.
Ella swallowed and
avoided his gaze, staring at the band as they played a classic song. She wasn’t
blind to the glaringly obvious fact that the groomsman had an erection. She
thought she should be offended or something, but found herself fighting
against the desire to rub against him.
“Ella, right?”
She cleared her throat,
angling her head. His face was chiseled and smooth, but his eyes were what made
this man sexy.
They held mischief with a sense of confidence. “Yes, and you would be?”
“Kyler Morgan.”
Of course, the sexy man
came with a sexy name. She swayed her hips, trying to follow his movements,
only feeling more uncomfortable. Not a second later, she stepped on his foot.
“Oh, shit!”
He chuckled. “It’s a
foot. I’ve got two, so it’s okay.” He pressed his hand tighter against her
back, erasing the distance. Then he shook their clasped hands. “Stop fighting
me. Relax.”
Ella sighed. I suck at this!
He leaned down, placing
his mouth near her ear, and whispered, “So you work for Aidan, yes?”
His voice raised goose bumps across her
flesh, and she shivered. “Yes.” She glanced to the others on the dance floor.
It pleased her that no one was watching her horrible dancing skills. Then she
stared up into Kyler’s handsome face, since he didn’t allow her any room to do
otherwise. “Since you’re Aidan’s groomsman, you must be a good friend.”
A low noise hummed in
his throat, and the sound spoke to her on a level she couldn’t have
anticipated. It warmed her from head to toe, and her muscles went lax. His
fingers slid across her lower back, squeezing her against him, and the heat of
his touch burned to her core. “Been good friends for a long time now.”
Good grief, the man seemed not to care they were
strangers. He touched her as if they were well acquainted. In the midst of that
confidence, Ella forgot the world around her. Her mind focused on him and the
way he moved her across the dance floor.
He continued to guide
her movements and never once took his eyes off her. “I didn’t see a date with
you tonight. Are you unattached?”
Her insides somersaulted
with his question, as he appeared interested in finding out if anyone stood in
his way. She pondered whether to spill out the details that she was in the
process of getting divorced and not looking for another relationship. Well, she
would be if Rory’s lawyer stopped dragging his feet. But why tell that
depressing shit to a smoking-hot man sandwiching her against the hard planes of
his body? “Nope, not attached.”
His chin dipped,
bringing his mouth within centimeters of hers. “A good thing for me, Ella,
since I’m enjoying this.” The music soared through the air, and as her hips
swayed with his, his erection pressed against her stomach.
Trapped in his intense
gaze, her body flushed as desire simmered. Holy Jesus,
she hadn’t felt this aroused in the presence of a man. No one had
ever made her burn with a dance, a look, or the sound of his voice.
Ever.
Kyler’s mouth twitched
as he ran his thumb over the top of her hand. “See, sweetheart, you can dance.”
She blinked, realizing
she had completely relaxed in his hold, and he was moving her around the dance
floor, effortlessly. She leaned in to him, consumed by the strength of his
hold. “Apparently, you’re a good teacher.”
He winked. “You bet your
pretty little ass I am.”
STACEY KENNEDY
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i don't twitter, never have...good luck all
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