Author: Scarlett Edwards
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: March 17th, 2014
Series (Y/N) - Yes, first book in series. Second will be out April 20th, 2014
Tour Host: Lady Amber's Tours
When I wake up in a dark, unfamiliar room, I have no idea what's waiting for me in the shadows. My imagination conjures up demons of the worst kind.
Reality is much worse:
A collar with no leash. A prison with no walls. And a life stripped of meaning.
I am presented with a vile contract and asked to sign. It outlines the terms of my servitude. The only information I have about my captor are the two small letters inked at the bottom:
J.S.
Armed with only my memories, I must do everything I can to avoid becoming ensnared in his twisted mind games. But in the end, it all comes down to one choice:
Resist and die.
Or submit, and sign my life away
Author
Bio:I
live near beautiful Seattle, Washington. I grew up reading all types
of fantasy books before discovering the wonderful world of romances
in high school. Now, I spend most of my time writing about sexy men
and the women who love them.
Links:
Excerpt:
“Lilly.”
Oh God. It’s him.
There’s no mistaking that rich, masculine treble.
What’s he doing
down here?
“M-Mr. Stonehart,”
I stutter, turning. I curse my inability to hide my surprise. He
totally caught me off-guard. I have to look up to meet his eyes. Then
up some more.
The face that I find
is so striking it should belong to a Greek god.
He’s younger than I
expected. Late thirties, maybe early forties.
That means he
started his company when he was younger than me!
Dark scruff lines his
angular cheeks. His jet-black hair is styled in long, natural waves.
My fingers itch to run through it.
Totally
inappropriate.
He has a prominent
nose that might be too big on a less imposing man, but on him, it’s
perfect.
In short, he’s a
package of the purest masculinity I’ve ever seen.
And then there are
his eyes. Oh my God. His eyes. They pierce into me like honing
missiles. They are the deepest black I have ever seen. They would be
frightening if they weren’t so beautiful. When the light reflects a
certain way, you catch a glimpse of the purple underneath.
They are
like midnight sapphires. His eyes reveal a cunning
intellect. Those eyes do not miss a thing.
Add all that to his
towering height, his wide shoulders, his confident-yet-at-ease
posture… and Stonehart cuts an intimidating figure.
My gaze darts to his
left hand before I can stop it. No ring. He’s unmarried.
He looks down at me,
expectantly. His eyes narrow ever so slightly, and I feel like I’m
being dissected, measured up, and tucked away in some small corner of
his brain. I imagine this is what a gemstone feels like under the
magnifying class of the most critical appraiser.
Stonehart clears his
throat. I come to with a start, realizing I haven’t said anything
in ages. I open my mouth, but the capacity for speech seems like a
foreign concept to my brain. “I—”
Somebody bumps into
me from behind. I stagger forward. I’m not used to these shoes, so
my heel steps the wrong way. My ankle twists under me, and I start to
fall.
I don’t fall far.
The hand still on my elbow tightens, and Stonehart pulls me into him.
I plaster myself onto
the solid steel wall the man has for a body. I catch a scent of his
cologne. It’s a deep, musky smell with a hint of charred spruce
that is all male. It scrambles my thoughts even more.
“Sorry!” a rushed
voice calls out. From the corner of my eye, I see the postman giving
a hurried, apologetic wave.
Although the sequence
lasts less than a second, it feels like an eternity. Pressed up
against him like
that, I don’t want to move. I know that I couldn’t have made a
worse first impression.
Stonehart eases me
off him with a firm yet gentle grip. Our eyes meet. I flush the most
vibrant red. His fingers graze my forehead as he brushes a lock of
hair out of my face.
Any tenderness I may
have imagined vanishes when Stonehart takes out his cell. He long
dials a key and growls an order. “Steven. See the delivery boy
leaving right now? Have his building pass revoked.”
I gape. Stonehart
keeps speaking. “Wait. I thought of one better. Bar his company
from accessing the building.” There’s a pause. “For how long?
Indefinitely. FedEx can talk to me when they have an improved
employee selection program in place.”
The phone call gives
me just enough time to compose myself. My heart’s still beating out
of my chest. But nobody has to know that.
I speak without
thinking. “You’re going to restrict the entire company from
serving this building because of that?”
Stonehart humors me
with an answer. “A company’s employees are its most important
asset. Their behavior reflects the organization as a whole. If FedEx
decided that clown is good enough for them, it tells me they’re
sloppy. I do not do business with sloppy organizations.”
“What about the
other tenants in the building?” I ask. “Won’t that piss them
off?”
When I hear myself
and realize how improper my
question is, my cheeks flame red again.
Stonehart’s eyes
darken, as if he cannot believe I asked that question. I open my
mouth to apologize for my imprudence, hating the way my professional
skills have evaporated into thin air. I’m cut off by a short,
barked laugh.
“Miss Ryder.” He
sounds amused. “I believe that is the most direct and honest
question anybody has dared ask me in weeks.” He takes my elbow
again and leads me to the elevators. I have to take two quick steps
to match one of his long strides.
“Yes,” he
continues. “They will be ‘pissed off.’ But the perk of owning a
building—” he hits the elevator call button, “—is that you
get to make executive decisions.” He gives me an unreadable glance
as the doors open. “That is, at the risk of being questioned by
inexperienced interns.”
If that isn’t a
loaded remark, I don’t know what is. I flush scarlet red for the
third time since I’ve met him. I’ve never had a man throw me so
off balance.
The elevator is
packed, for which I’m infinitely thankful. The trip up will give me
some time to properlycompose
myself.
Gratitude turns to
panic when the crowd files out, meek as mice, when Stonehart steps
in. None of the people waiting in the lobby follow us.
The doors close. I’m
alone in here with him. My heart’s beating as fast as a
hummingbird’s wings.
He catches me
staring. “Impressed?” he asks.
“They know you,”
I manage.
His dark eyes flash
with amusement. “Astute.”
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