Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Cover Reveal: Closed Off To You by Rachel S. Rose




Title: Closed Off To You 
Author: Rachel S. Rose 
Genre: Romance 







Melissa isn’t interested in a fling with Nathan, especially since the younger man only wants two things. Her body, which he’s already had, and to beat her in the singing contest.

While her friends curse the day she signed them up for the televised competition, it becomes increasingly hard for Melissa to ignore Nathan’s flirtatious smile as they work alongside each other.

The singing contest could be Nathan’s last chance to make his dreams come true.

Nathan has one shot, and he’s not about to waste it on a girl he’s already bedded. But Melissa isn’t his usual type. She’s his best friend’s sister, and his fiercest competition, so she should be off limits. Except, he can’t resist the way she makes him laugh, or forget the way she felt in his arms.














Rachel S. Rose was born and raised in Surrey, England. She writes sexy empowering fiction and non fiction because she believes that women can own their sexuality and femininity. Her slightly kinky imagination combined with a need to share empowered feminine stories makes Rachel S. Rose determined to find her tribe.









Cover Reveal: Only His Touch by Lilly Wilde

COVER REVEAL
Only His Touch: Book #4, The Untouched Series







The pain of deceit was
fresh, but love and desire overruled everything else. Now, Aria and Aiden face
their greatest challenge yet.

 Aria Cason’s life
took an unexpected turn when she reconnected with Aiden Raine, the man who
awakened a pure and undeniable love she’d thought was lost forever. Aria’s love
for him burns deep, yet he still pushes for more—the total surrender of her
heart. When a painful memory becomes her guiding light, she questions if a
happily ever after really exists for a girl who never wanted one. After
stepping away from his birthright, Aiden’s need to protect his new family
becomes his top priority.

Fragile bonds are soon
stretched to the breaking point as his need for vengeance threatens to destroy
the very thing he’s come to value most. When his unyielding determination
starts to push Aria away, he presents her with a challenge that will test them
both.

Will the searing passion
that reunited this couple keep them together, or will it burn them to ash?

 Ties will be
broken. Lies will become the truth. Aria and Aiden’s heart-wrenching story
continues in the fourth book of The Untouched Series, Only His Touch.










Lilly Wilde is the Author of TheUntouched Series (Untouched, Touched, Touched By Him, Only His Touch and Forever Touched). She is a wife and mom who loves to fill each day with happiness and laughter. Lilly loves to dream, get lost in fantasy and create alternate worlds in which we can escape ever so often. She’s down-to-earth, engaging and compassionate with a great sense of humor. Her laughter is one of the first qualities that you’ll notice; you’ll become instantly drawn to her witty and fun-loving spirit. 

Lilly spent a lot of time daydreaming as a child which led to numerous hours of reading and eventually the writing of poetry. The first story Lilly began writing was entitled He Lied To Me, a novel she plans to complete in the near future. After years of starting and stopping several novels, she eventually set a goal to complete her debut novel, Untouched. Her stories are of strength, growth, facing demons and stepping outside your comfort zone; they often surround topics of family and love and the beauty of both.







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Release Blitz: Illicit - A Stepbrother Romance by Sierra Rayne

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Title: Illicit: A Stepbrother Romance
Author: Sierra Rayne
Release Date: March 15, 2016


{Summary}


Cindy ~
My stepdad, Jim, was an amazing man. Perfect, except with him came his son – the Devil. Life was wonderful until Shane showed up. I’m always in control
unless he’s around. He has a way of unraveling me to the point that I’m a twisted mess – just like him. I’ve managed to stay away from Shane most of my
adult life, until Mom and Jim’s death. Their last request makes that impossible now. My life will never be the same after this journey with my cocky,
arrogant stepbrother.



Shane ~
When Dad married Barbara, life slapped me in the face with Cindy – the princess. She liked to sit on her pedestal and look down on the rest of us. Where
I'm easy going, she's a control freak. We’ve spent our whole lives avoiding each other, now we’re forced to spend time together to fulfill our parent’s
last request. I was determined to make the best of it for my Dad and Barb. Being near her is even harder than I imagined, because I want her—and it’s
driving me mad. This trip could be the most important thing I’ve ever done in my life, it’s what our parents wanted for us . . . but I’m not sure they
wanted this.



**Two people on a journey from the heart. Will this change their lives forever or will it completely destroy what little relationship they have left?**


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{Excerpt}
Copyright © 2016 by Sierra Rayne

“Fuck you, asshole. I didn’t come here to be your friend and as for your sarcastic, bullshit comments about the way I look, keep them to your damn self.
You made fun of the way I looked enough when we were growing up, I sure as hell don’t have to put up with it now.”

“Princess, I…”
“And stop fucking calling me that. I’ve always hated that shit. I’m not a damn princess. I don’t put myself on a pedestal and look down on people the way
you always said I did,” she growls in a low tone as she looks around to make sure no one is watching.

“Wait, Prin…Cindy. Tha..”
“Save it Shane, the bullshits over. We have to make this trip together but we’re not going to accomplish anything this way. I know mom and Jim wanted us to
be friends but I will not let you belittle me,” she continues through gritted teeth, then gets up to stomp out of the restaurant.

I leave more than enough money on the table to pay the check and run after her, catching her just outside the door. “What the hell was that all about?” I
ask as I grab her arm to slow her down. She yanks free and keeps walking. I decide to shut up because whatever I say, she’s gonna take it wrong. Bitch
switch has definitely been flipped.

As we near the door of the hotel, she stumbles and almost eats pavement but I catch her before she does. “Let me go!” she says as she’s trying to regain
her footing.

“You got it, Princess,” I say as I lower her to the ground and walk off. As much as I wanted to, I didn’t drop her to the ground. Even I’m not that much of
an asshole. This damn sure hasn’t started out well and I’m sure it’s not gonna end well, but what the hell; I’m not doing this for her anyway so I continue
on to the room without looking back.


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{Author Bio}


I’m a small town, Kentucky girl. And, before you ask, yes we are all as ornery as you’ve heard….just ask my poor husband. Honestly, I’m married to the most
wonderful man you could ever want to meet. Between the two of us, we have 7 children and two grand babies so holidays are always a blast at our house!




I began on this journey as an author in July, 2015 and I’m loving every minute of it! I would have never dreamed I could do something like this, but here I
am.

I released my first book on Sept 2, 2015! MAN, that was soooo awesome!! Now I’m living the dream! Writing allows me to express all the thoughts running
through my head and share them with others.



On this journey, I have learned something new every day and I have befriended some of the most fantastic people that I have ever met. These folks have
become part of my family and I love them dearly.

To all of you, never give up, never stop dreaming and always keep the faith!

Sierra Rayne



{Add Illicit To Your TBR List}




{Author Links}





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Release Blitz: Temptation - by Kelsey Karson

Temptation

Temptation-KK

Temptation by Kelsey Karson

Genre: Stepbrother romance

Release Date: March 15, 2016

Fate has twisted the knife in Trish Anthony’s back one too many times. The man who has haunted her dreams and heated her fantasies has strolled into her life for a second time; only this time, he’s become her stepbrother. Even if he felt anything for her, he is now off limits, but this doesn’t stop her from fantasizing about him, or from comparing every man she meets to him.
Logan Carmichael has kept focused on his company and denied himself the one woman who could complete his life—Trish. He tries to fill the void with other women that remind him of her and when this doesn’t work, he decides to take action. No longer is the work he once loved enough to give him happiness.
When the past rears its ugly head, bringing with it devastating news of murder, betrayal, and adultery, can Trish hold on to what’s important?

Buy or read for free with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US - Amazon UK

Want

Excerpt:

He tugged off her shirt before he kissed along her shoulder, working closer to her throat, and slipped a hand beneath the thin material of her bra. The brush of his fingers over her nipple had her arching toward him. “Oh Logan…”
The front door opened just then and her father stepped through, catching them in the middle of things and shattering the mood. Jumping off Logan, she grabbed her discarded shirt. Shit!
“What the hell is going on?” Her father stalked into the house, his eyes wide with anger. “Who the hell are you?”
“Logan? What’s going on?” The woman that Trish hadn’t noticed at first followed closely behind her father.
“That’s your son?” Her father took a side glance at his new bride before quickly looking back at them.
“Yes, Mr. Anthony. I’m Logan Carmichael.” He didn’t offer his hand, but he did stand up, placing himself between her and her father.
“What the hell do you have your hands on my daughter for? She’s your stepsister!” Anger had his words echoing off the walls.
“David…I’m sure there’s a logical reason.” Nancy laid her hand on his arm. “Right, Logan?”
“Oh sure, Mom.”
“What could that be? She tripped and landed on you with her shirt off?”
“That’s enough, Dad.” Suddenly, everything that had been building up within her was ready to be let loose. “Logan and I dated years ago and things just happened.”
“Just happened! He’s now your stepbrother. Things like that can’t just happen.”
“Like how you killed Mom?” The words were out of her mouth before she had a moment to think things through.

Naked

About the Author:

KK Branding
Married with two dogs Kelsey Karson has always been a romantic, believing that love will find a way no matter the obstacles the lovers face. It doesn’t matter if it’s a taboo relationship or the world is against the couple and she proves that in her books. Believe in love and when it comes to romance not let society dictate what you do.

You can contact Kelsey at AuthorKelseyKarson@gmail.com

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Still in love

Book Blast: The Ex Factor by RJ Scott

Title: The Ex-Factor
Series: Bodyguards, Inc #2
Author: R.J. Scott
Genre: M/M Romance
Published: June 26, 2014

Can this bodyguard save the third-placed winner of a TV talent show from an abusive partner?
When Bodyguard, Ben Collins, finds Daniel Lincoln in a room, hiding and hurt, he doesn't immediately think Daniel is the victim of abuse. Daniel is good at pretending and being a finalist in a TV singing competition he seems like he has it made. But something about Daniel calls to Ben's need to protect and he hands Daniel a card to contact him if ever Daniel needed help. Abruptly, after one frightened phone call from Daniel, Ben is racing to Daniel's aid and what he finds is a horror he can't imagine.

Daniel is trapped in a relationship where anger and controlling hate are the only emotions he is given. When his boyfriend crosses the line and leaves Daniel vulnerable and broken there is only one man that he wants to call. The sexy bodyguard who promised he could help him.

"....Oh this author is good at tugging on my heartstrings. It didn't take me long before I wanted to protect Daniel as much as Ben...."




The crackle in his ear startled Ben Collins even though he’d been expecting the check-in.

“Alpha four in position,” the voice intoned. “Your handover for a break is two minutes out, Ben.”

Ben depressed the button to talk. “Alpha three, copy.”

Not a moment too soon. If he had to stand outside this dressing room listening to God knows what for another minute, he might just barge in the room and split up the two inside. Esmee Golder, pop princess and judge on this god-awful X-Factor rip-off show was “entertaining.” And wouldn’t the gossip columns love that the person she was entertaining was one of the boy band members through to the final.

At only eighteen the blond-haired kid was half her age, and they’d been at it for an hour now. Ben decided when he got back to base he was telling Kyle in no uncertain terms that he was not doing another showbiz stint. I’ve done my bit, he thought as he winced at the dramatic orgasmic cursing emanating from inside the room.

Another point the public might find interesting was the casual drug use behind that door. Esmee had asked for a loan of a hundred this morning. From him, her bodyguard. He’d just used his patented blank stare and pretended he hadn’t heard her. He wasn’t facilitating a drug purchase nor was he actually talking to Esmee any more than he needed to. Why couldn’t he have been paired up with any of the others? A contestant, maybe? That singer with the guitar was kind of cute, and from the way he looked Ben up and down yesterday, he was clearly playing for the same team.

A show runner came up the hall towards him, and he tensed even though he knew who it was and the guy was on the accepted list. The runner ignored Ben and instead rapped on the door Ben was guarding.

“Ten minutes, Miss Golder. Ten minutes.”

“Coming.” The words were strangled and ended on a laugh. The runner glanced at Ben, and they exchanged looks of disbelief.

“Is someone in there with her?” the runner asked in a mild panic. He checked his clipboard. “No one is supposed to be with her. She’s supposed to be meditating? Do you know if she’s been to get the makeup test for tonight?” Ben didn’t answer. His shrug said it all. He wasn’t saying a damn thing. Hell, he wasn’t paid to talk or keep tabs on airhead princesses like Esmee Golder, he was just here to stop people from stabbing her with a letter opener or some other weird thing the show owners thought could happen. Neither Bodyguards Inc., the company he was working for, nor Ben himself were convinced there was any threat here. In fact, he knew he was standing outside this room more as a status symbol than anything else.

The show runner huffed, and a frown knitted his brows. ”Jesus, everything is fucked up today. Daniel Lincoln is AWOL, and we’ve lost Mark from Twelfth fucking Wonder as well. Why can’t anyone just stay where I put them?”

That would be Mark “I’m gonna fuck you all night Esmee”, the same teen who was currently in the room behind him.

If only I could say that Mark was inside helping Esmee meditate.
Instead he focused in on thinking about where Daniel had gone. The young singer-songwriter with the sexy black guyliner was always missing. It seemed to Ben like the singer avoided all human contact, skittish, wary, and if Ben didn’t know better, he’d say Daniel was scared of him as well. After last week’s show, the two of them had ended up in line for coffee. They’d actually talked for a little while. Except, since that time, Daniel now inevitably turned and walked away whenever Ben was near him.

Even today Ben still mulled over what they’d talked about, nothing special—the weather, the show, was Daniel nervous about tonight’s performance—usual stuff really. They hadn’t actually finished talking about anything in particular when Daniel had been called for a sound check and had to leave his lunch on the tray.

All that Ben could recall was that Daniel Lincoln was cute, short—well, shorter than him—had a soft growly voice and eyes the color of the sky, and unfortunately he had a boyfriend. He wasn’t the kind of bodyguard to perv on his clients, not that Daniel was actually a client, but he was on the show that had hired BI for security. Daniel was off limits; still, Ben could look.

Not every bodyguard was like his co-worker, Adam, who’d fallen for the American actor he’d been working close protection for.

There was more movement in the hall, but this time Ben didn’t tense. He recognized the very Adam Freeman from his thoughts. One day he might even talk to his friend about just how he came to terms with dating a client.

Adam was one of the four Bodyguards Inc. guys on this job, and he and Ben exchanged nods. The runner left, scurrying back the way he’d come, muttering about boy bands and princesses. It would have been funny if Ben hadn’t been trying for a serious look on the job.

Adam looked up and down the deserted hallway. “She got someone in there?” he asked under his breath.

“The blond twink with the floppy hair,” Ben replied.

Adam inhaled sharply. Back at the office they had a pool on just how many boy-band members Esmee would fuck before the show’s final. Ben had opted for one out of the five. After all, Esmee was renowned as the girl next door, with her polite and gentle approach to life. Yeah, right, girl next door wasn’t how he would describe Esmee now that he knew what she was really like.

And Ben had lost the whole pot of money by episode three when she had first seduced the one with the sticking-up hair, then in quick succession, the skinny one who couldn’t dance so well on the first night of the live shows.

He didn’t say any of this out loud. Bodyguards did not discuss clients where anyone could hear them. He stood aside as the door opened and a grinning blond boy-band member exited the room casually like he’d just been in there talking about the weather. Unfortunately the fact he stunk of Esmee’s perfume was a giveaway. Ben watched the kid walk to his own shared dressing room and wondered how long it would be before the boy-band members, average age nineteen, would all realize they’d been used and discarded, and whether that would cause a fight or whether they were in a competition among themselves.

Esmee appeared. Her hair was tousled, but that was okay, as recently she was going for the ‘just out of bed’ look. Seemed like she was busy reinventing her girl-next-door image. Ben could admit that if he liked women, she would probably be on his list for looks alone, full lips, a permanent sex-kitten pout, blonde hair to her waist, and a body so small he could probably pick her up in one hand. She just had the morals of an alley cat and a vagina, both of which kind of pushed her out of his selection pool. Make it a man, though, and he kind of liked using his height and strength and picking up his lovers.

Like that Daniel guy, the one with the guitar. He was not more than five ten and slight. I could probably pick him up and hold him while I kissed him.
Ben deliberately pushed the thoughts to one side. “Five minutes, Miss Golder,” he said instead, and then with a nod to Adam, he left without a backward glance.

“He’s so rude,” he heard Esmee say to Adam, but Ben heard the huff Adam gave instead of a coherent reply.

Making his way to the break room, he had to sidestep dancers dressed in nothing but feathers, the entire boy band running past him and barreling through the backstage doors into the room behind stage, and a very obvious brush with Lee from lighting who called all the bodyguards here his big brave men and wasn’t beyond fluttering his mascaraed lashes.

“We must talk, sweetie,” Lee said in an exaggeratedly camp voice, his bright orange nails contrasting with his lime-green jacket.

“On duty,” Ben lied and sidestepped the final hurdle between him and the coffee machine. A low announcement on the PA system informed everyone that dress rehearsals were in thirty minutes as Ben let himself into the room the bodyguards had chosen as their own. Just off the beaten track, it was half storage room, and alongside the stacks of boxes there was a table and chairs. This was their place for all four of the Bodyguards Inc. guys here this weekend and would double as hideaway and conference room in the event it was needed.

Michael was there already, and he finished whatever was left in his coffee cup and stood with a grin on his face.

“Heard you lost the bet,” he said.

“That’s her third one. I tell you she’s gonna do all five of those boys,” Ben pointed out. “And she gets louder every time.”

Michael made a duck face in a fake kiss. “They are all very cute. Can’t believe your gay side is staying hidden with the enormous buffet of yum.”

“Ha fucking ha,” Ben said with no heat. He poured his coffee, but it was little more than thick sludge, and he cursed the parentage of whoever supplied the hired muscle with such a shit machine.

Michael stood and rinsed his Superman mug, the same mug that went on every one of his jobs. “I’m out of here. I’m on break.”

Three acts remained in this competition, labeled the BoyBand, the Diva, and the Rocker. Well, everyone else called Daniel by the code name Rocker, but Ben thought it should be more like Cutie. Because he was cute, and sexy, with his flicky dark hair and the eyeliner he used to emphasize his brilliant blue eyes.

Really cute in an introverted, vulnerable way, Daniel only came alive when he was on stage with his guitar and his voice. He played guitar, sang on his own, and he was all wrapped up in a package of gorgeous-sexy. Slim, with dark hair and those serious eyes brimming with emotion, he had this way of grabbing at the audience and not letting go. He’d made it through all the heats and the semis, but general consensus was that he was out first tonight on the live finals. The boy band, Twelfth Wonder, had the girly vote, the Diva had the older vote, and then there was Daniel Lincoln with his guitar and his voice and his quirky looks. Definitely third-place material. At least according to Adam, who liked to think he had his finger on the pulse of showbiz ever since he’d hooked up with the actor Logan Brady.

“I’m getting better coffee,” Ben said to no one as he realized Michael had gone. Damn the man and his scary ninja skills. Ben rolled his shoulders to ease the ache in them, the result of standing in the same position for the last two hours, and he felt the muscles loosen. Then he exited their room and turned left out of the door.

He knew that somewhere around here the team of makeup artists had their own sparkly coffee machine that made half-decent cappuccino. Left, left, right, left and straight on. He had a good sense of direction normally, but here at the Arena, they’d begun maintenance work, and it seemed like every turn he took was blocked by tarpaulin. Finally he found what he was looking for, and after a couple minutes flirting with three makeup girls who giggled and flirted back, he had in his hands a cup of coffee and two cranberry muffins that he’d been forced to take.

At six five of lean gym-fit muscle, he could afford a few muffins every so often, and he polished the first one off in a couple of mouthfuls. He spotted Lee with the clipboard and the lime jacket and God help him, he couldn’t do any more fending off of the man’s advances. He thought quickly and ducked through a door and into a darkened room, closing the door behind him. What was it with Lee and his insistence on attempting to get it on with any one of the bodyguards? Lee didn’t have any particular preference either, he’d cornered Michael yesterday and Michael had looked beyond annoyed and onto contemplating lethal force. Lee apparently had no self-preservation and had decided Michael was the one for him. Apart from the fact he was attempting to corner Ben as well.

In here Ben was safe. Lee hadn’t spotted him, he had a good half hour until he was back on duty, and he had a bloody good coffee warming his hands. Leaning back against the door, he enjoyed the silence and sipped on his blessedly hot caffeine. At least until he heard movement and the sharp inhalation of a curse.




* * * * *




Daniel Lincoln was fucked. He’d deliberately chosen this place to get his head clear, and someone had walked in. Not only that, but he or she had shut the door and they were in here with him, and Daniel was having enough trouble breathing, let alone concentrating on staying quiet.

Something was broken inside him, and he didn’t just mean his spirit, which was lying near death in his chest. The pain in his chest was too much and scraped when he breathed too hard. How the hell he was going to manage the dress rehearsal, let alone the live final tonight, he didn’t know.

The boxes he was hidden behind, on a seat of discarded outfits acting as a nest of comfort to his bruised and aching body, were enough so that even with the light on, he wouldn’t be seen. He wanted to cough, though, and that may well be the end of his ability to breathe at all. What if a rib had cracked and punctured a lung? Cam had never gone this far before. He’d always stopped at just enough to teach, but never enough to warrant a visit to hospital. This time, hell, what had he done, told Cam that he’d been offered a recording contract? That was all. Why the fuck had he said a word about what he might have been getting in the way of money? His eyes damped with more tears, but he couldn’t let them fall, because that would be letting the pain out for everyone to see.

No one wants to see my pain. Who would understand?

A cough spasmed inside him, and he couldn’t help the groan of pain.

“Who’s there?” a deep voice called from the door. The owner of the voice flicked the switch, and a dull energy-saving bulb lightened the room. Daniel shrank back into the shadows of the boxes and prayed to a god that never listened that the owner of the voice would just walk away. Now.

“I said, who’s there? I’m counting to three.”

Daniel closed his eyes tightly. He’d recognize that voice anywhere—Ben, the biggest, widest, tallest of the bodyguards hovering around. In the seconds it took for the man to count to two, Daniel wiped away every small part of himself that was broken and in pain and became the Daniel he could act out so well. He levered himself to stand and at the same time forced a smile in place and refused to clutch himself across the chest. When he rounded the boxes, he blinked at the full force of the light bulb and couldn’t believe just how right he’d been about who the hell was stood in front of him.

Ben. He knew his name, heard the others call him that. Ben, the observant one, the quiet one, the one who stared at him like he would look at a bug under a microscope. Although Daniel guessed all bodyguards—or close protection officers—were observant, it just seemed as if this one stared at him more than the others. Not to mention they’d spoken last week. Daniel didn’t really do talking, well, not small talk anyway. When Ben asked him if he was nervous about the vote, it was all Daniel could do to smile and offer a quick no before he was rescued by being called for a sound check. Something about Ben, the size of him, his deep voice, served to unnerve Daniel way past the point where he was comfortable.

And if Cam found out he’d been talking to another man? Even casually? Yeah, that really wasn’t going to go down well with Daniel’s possessive boyfriend at all.

“Hey,” Daniel said as carefully as he could and on a natural inhale so he could subconsciously control his breathing. The meds were starting to kick in, the codeine flooding his system and the morphine effect deadening some of the pain. At least some of it was better now that he was standing.

Oh well. Who needed to sit down anyway?

“Daniel?” Ben asked with question in his voice. “They’re looking for you.”

Daniel pulled himself up, and if anything he forced more effort into standing tall and straight.

“Yeah, just needed a quiet space,” he explained. In his head he was gesturing around him with a free hand, but in reality he couldn’t much move his right arm, which was going to fuck with his ability to play guitar. He thought maybe his shoulder was separated somehow. He’d seen Mel Gibson knock his own arm back into place in Lethal Weapon once, but that wasn’t happening here. He sure as hell wasn’t a hero who could push through pain.

“Jesus, you look like shit,” Ben observed.

Daniel floundered for something to say, and the line he came out with was pretty pathetic. “I’m not sure you’re supposed to say that to me.”

“What the hell happened to you?”

Ben placed his coffee on the nearest box and walked over to Daniel, and Daniel couldn’t help the instinct that made him stumble back and end up against the wall.

Why did you choose a room with no way out? What are you? Stupid?

“Don’t come near me,” Daniel said in his loudest, most strident voice, even though it was nothing more than a forced whisper to his own ears.

“Fuck, Daniel, seriously? What the hell?”

Why would Ben ask that? What did he mean? Daniel panicked. Did he have bruises on his face? How could he go out in front of millions of people and perform with bruises on his face? He must have said some part of that out loud because the man looming over him shook his head.

“I don’t see any bruises on your face,” Ben said simply, carefully. “You’re holding yourself like you have a chest injury? Or your shoulder? What did you do to yourself? We need to get you to Casualty. I’ll call the medics.” He turned to leave, to find the one group of people that Daniel didn’t want anywhere near him. Cam would fucking end him if he involved the authorities.

“No!” Daniel said loudly. The pain of the words radiated from his chest to his shoulder, and if it wasn’t for the wall, he’d be on his knees or unconscious. “I just need more codeine.”

Ben moved closer, but this time there was nowhere for Daniel to go; he’d run out of room. He closed his eyes tightly and waited for the first blow or the spitting accusations of how the fuck he had let himself get in this state. Instead all he got was a gentle touch to his left hand, the one without pain radiating down to it.

“Daniel, you need to listen to me. You know me. I’m Benjamin Collins, with the bodyguards. You can call me Ben.”

“I know your name,” Daniel said defiantly. Maybe if he said how little he knew, then Ben would just leave without hurting him.

Ben wore a scarlet T-shirt with the embroidered words “Bodyguards Inc.” on the breast, and whoever supplied it must not have had his size as it had to be too small and really hugged every muscle. Jeez, the man was muscle on bone, and he must spend a lot of time in the gym. Not to mention the way his black jeans stretched obscenely over muscled thighs and across his taut ass.

Fuck. Daniel shook his head a little to dislodge the desire that curled inside him. Cam would kill him if he did anything stupid like look at another man. Anyway, he didn’t need another man. He had Cam. He loved Cam.

I love Cam. Cam loves me.
“Look, don’t you think this is pushing things too far?” Ben had a soft voice now, not strident, nothing evil or shouting or accusing.

“What do you mean?” Daniel asked when Ben didn’t continue.

“You’re clearly in pain. You can’t believe you’ll make it out to rehearsals.”

“I need to put it back,” Daniel groaned on a painful spasm. “My shoulder, I hurt my shoulder.”

“I’m a bodyguard, not a freaking doctor. You need to get to Casualty.” Ben reached out and gripped Daniel’s unhurt shoulder, but he reacted viscerally and ripped out of the hold. White-hot heat took him to his knees, and he couldn’t help the tears in his eyes. There wasn’t any point in arguing with Ben, he was bigger and stronger than Daniel, he might as well just kneel at the guy’s feet and let him do whatever. Daniel had already fucked up the chance at the show’s final; he might as well give up.

Ben moved to a crouch in front of him. “Please, we need to get you some help.”

Ben’s tone was gentle and encouraging. He’d said please. He’d actually considered softening his tone just for Daniel. Something snapped inside Daniel in that second. He had to get help. This was worse than last time, and he needed to rest.

“Please.” He used Ben’s word back at him. “You have to know what to do.” He inhaled sharply. “I’ve dislocated my shoulder. Push it back for me.” Not like the pain could get any worse, right?

“What the hell? Daniel, if you’ve dislocated your shoulder, it’s not as simple as pushing it back.”

“Okay, then I’ll do it.” Daniel inhaled sharply and pressed the shoulder against the wall, letting out a thin wail of pain as he did so.

“Fuck, Daniel. No!” Ben shouted.

Why was Ben shouting, and who was crying? Am I crying?

“Let me see, you stupid idiot.”

Yep that’s me, fucking stupid. An idiot who can’t even stop another man’s pushing him to the ground and treating me like shit… I am shit… fuck.
“It’s not dislocated, I just think you’ve—” Ben gasped. “What the fuck?”

Daniel realized the man was pulling at his stage shirt, and he’d be able to see some of the marks on Daniel. The marks that Cam took so much time to lay in the places people wouldn’t look. The marks not even wardrobe would see because Daniel demanded that he be allowed to dress in private. The marks he tried not to look at himself.

“I fell down the stairs at the hotel,” Daniel lied. He didn’t know what the light in this place would show.

Ben said nothing. He was feeling all over Daniel’s shoulder so gently, but it still hurt.

“Okay, we need to get you somewhere. Medical. Can I at least take you to Medical?”

Daniel grabbed at Ben’s hand. If Cam found out someone else was involved—hell, if Cam discovered Daniel had told anyone, then Daniel would pay for it and Ben would as well in some twisted way. Cam would know some way to hurt Ben, and there was no way Daniel was letting someone else be hurt on his account.

“No,” Daniel pleaded. “I took codeine. It’ll be enough to let me get out there.” He attempted to clamber to his feet and dizziness assailed him. He really was fucked.

“You can’t think that you’ll be okay to go out on stage… Dress rehearsal is now.”

“No… I can’t,” Daniel admitted. “I know what to do. I just need to get to my dressing room. I have stuff there to take…” Inspiration hit him. “You could stand outside my door, tell them I was missing dress rehearsal, that I was in there and that I was resting my throat for finals. They’ll listen to you.” He couldn’t believe he was doing this, asking for help from someone so intimidating and angry. It was just opening himself up to more hurt. He should have tried to get to his dressing room earlier instead of hiding in that room, but there’d been so many people there in the way.

“Please help me.” Because, hell, asking for Ben’s help was the only thing he could do now. He’d only meant to sit in the dark for a short while, but codeine always made him sleepy, and he’d found a position where he could sit and let the morphine haze slide over him. Stupid move.

“Jesus,” Ben ground out.

“Are you helping me?” Daniel pressed a hand to Ben’s chest, tilted his chin, and looked up into Ben’s eyes with a pleading look. “I’ll pay you anything.”




 

RJ Scott has been writing since age six when she was made to stay in at lunchtime for an infraction involving cookies and was told to write a story. Two sides of A4 about a trapped princess later, a lover of writing was born. She reads anything from thrillers to sci-fi to horror; however, her first real love will always be the world of romance. From billionaires, bodyguards and cowboys to SEALs, throwaways and veterinarians, she writes passionate stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and more than a hint of happily ever after.





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