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Friday, January 24, 2025

Read an Excerpt from Falling into Darkness

"Like the calm before the storm, his gentle touch belied the brutal force of the hurricane churning inside him, my body the shore he was destined to ravage. I welcomed the destruction."

Read an excerpt from

Falling into Darkness

Why did the idea that he’d killed to protect me unfurl a warmth in my belly not unlike the one I’d felt when he tenderly washed my feet? Or, god help me, when he wrapped his long fingers around my arms when he was angry?

“Elle.” The note of warning in his voice had me blinking away the memory if not the effect. He leaned against the counter, drying his hands, his long, slender legs crossed at the ankle. “Take it off, or I’ll take it off for you.”

He dropped the towel and slipped the top button of his shirt free, then the next.

I jumped off the bed to hide the shiver of need his threat evoked. “What the fuck, Alex?”

Stalking toward me, he shrugged out of the shirt. A black tank hugged the contours of his chest. Veins roped the length of his sinewy tatted arms. His black jeans cradled a bulge that made my mouth water.

Danger lurked beyond these four walls, and he wanted to have sex? Did I want to have sex? The zing in my clit and the cream slicking my pussy said hell yeah, I did.

I fingered the hem of my dress. I hated my body’s betrayal, but I could never hate him. And how many times in the last five weeks had I wished I’d known our last time was our last time? So what if he didn’t love me? I loved him.

And I could die tonight.

Stopping in front of me, he tossed the shirt on the bed. He collared my throat, and I’m sure he felt me swallow in anticipation of his tight grip. But his palm skimmed to my collarbone, the touch so light, so tender. A cascade of goosebumps rippled over my flesh, and my pulse quickened.

Despite wanting him, this man had the power to hurt me again. I retreated, and he followed until my legs bumped the edge of the mattress. His fingertips traced the swell of my breast. My nipples beaded. My lips parted.

I closed my eyes on a sigh. God, I’d missed him.

“You look like a fucking glow stick,” he growled, his tone rife with derision.

I blinked in confusion as he grasped the top of my dress with both hands and yanked, ripping the stretchy material all the way to the hem, leaving it to dangle by the straps.

Once again, my mouth hung open, and I clutched the shredded garment over my breasts, but the damn thing seemed to shrink to the size of a dishtowel.

“Wh—what the—” I looked at the tattered fabric, then back at Alex. “Now what the hell am I supposed to wear?”

He jutted his chin at the black silk shirt on the bed, but his gaze remained laser focused on my body. Long, thick lashes fanned sculpted cheeks as he took in the lack of a bra and panties. Thank god, I’d prepped for minimal coverage at the beach.

When his gaze lifted again, I felt myself falling into those beautiful, hypnotic eyes, unreadable with the fringe of hair hanging low on his forehead.

The smirk on his full lips said it all. “You said you liked wearing my shirts.”

Heat blossomed in my cheeks and streaked through my lower belly. That he’d remembered how much I’d loved wrapping myself in his scent, that I’d told him it was the next best thing to being in his arms…

“Forgive me if I didn’t choose a better outfit for hide-and-seek with the cartel.” I let the neon fabric fall and reached for his solution to my nakedness. “Why do you have to be such an ass?”

Strong fingers banded around my biceps, and I gasped as he hauled me against his solid chest.

“Why can’t you just say thank you?” he asked through clenched teeth, his accent more pronounced and making me wet.

Electricity crackled between us, his anger palpable. Mine mingled with the desire building in my core. I wanted to taste the fire raging inside him. I wanted to burn, to make him burn with me.

I leaned into him. The thickness behind his fly flexed against my belly, proving I wasn’t alone in feeling the lethal attraction. “I guess you’d prefer that thank you on my knees?”

A growl rumbled from his throat. His jaw ticked. His fingers around my arms tightened to a bruising grip. My pussy contracted even as I braced for his rejection.

What the fuck am I doing?

Every instinct rebelled against letting my guard down, both with the danger practically at our front door and with Alex. This was crazy, but I loved the insanity. I felt alive for the first time in weeks. What did that say about me?

Alex lowered his forehead to mine, and I could almost taste his kiss. “Depends on how fucking grateful you are.”

Blurb:

The cartel’s golden rule—no loose ends, no witnesses.

Elizabeth Archer

All I wanted was sand, sun, and sin on my vacation in Mexico. Yet, here I am, running from a cartel execution with no phone, no shoes, and no way to warn Alex they’re coming for him. To a lieutenant in the Castillo cartel, I’m an obligation. But I don’t want his protection. I want his heart.

Alejandro Castillo

When my best friend died, I promised to protect his sister, not stalk her. I never expected to find my obsession in the crosshairs of a rival cartel. I have no choice but to break rank. I know better than most, my enemy will never stop looking for her. 

Buy Link: Amazon

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