And
here it is! Heather Hart's latest romantic roller coaster - offering love, sex, murder, and
a pair of villains to drive coffin nails through your heart!
"So why did you come back
tonight?"
"To see you."
She laughed. "No really?"
"Really, I mean it. I was watching you all
night in the mirror behind Ronnie. When those idiots put their hands on you I
saw red. They're lucky they got off as easy as they did. But after they left I
got to thinking. What if they came back? What if they waited until we were gone
to get their own back? It can happen in my line of work. I see it all the
bloody time. In fact, I couldn't stop thinking about it, so here I am."
"My guardian angel?"
"If you like, yeah."
She smiled, and as she stared at the
pavement she felt his skin brush hers as he took her hand. She felt him squeeze
it, gently. Inside her head told her to let go, to push him away. This life was
not for her. This was not what she wanted. Womanizer or no - there was real
danger around him; the kind of shit only a fool would get mixed up in. She knew
how her uncle was, and the kind of brute he could be. And he was only small
potatoes. Lucky here was mixed up with the read deal. And yet every argument
she had, every doubt she cradled, every fear she felt; suddenly none of that
mattered. He was holding her hand, and God protect her, she was a fool in love.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"Sorry?"
"What I have to offer - well,
it's not going to be easy."
"What are you offering?"
"I want you to be my girl. Ever
since I met you, I've thought about you - - about us. About how it would be if
we were together. Haven't you?"
She kept her eyes lowered, not
wanting him to read what was clearly written on her heart. At least, not yet.
"Oh Lucky, I've heard so many things. I can't lie to you, I have to say,
I'm a little bit afraid of you. All that business with uncle Frankie...."
He
pulled her around to a dead halt; his eyes searching hers. "But do you
feel anything for me?"
There was no use lying. Face to face like this her eyes
betrayed her. She nodded. "I do."
"And you want to be with me,
too?"
"I do."
"Then nothing else really
matters, does it?"
With some force of will she pushed
him away and resumed her walk along the pavement. "If you were any other
man I would say that was true, but you're not any other man, are you? You're
with the Kray boys. And don't say they're not as bad as the Richardons 'cos I
know it's not true. I've heard stories, Lucky, the kind of stuff that gives
little kids nightmares. Now I'm not saying I believe any of it, but if it is
true... well... I dunno. I'm such an ordinary girl. All I ever wanted was to
meet a nice man, get married, maybe have a couple of kids, just like my mum
did. In a million years I wouldn't have imagined this. I think a lot about you,
I really do, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a bit afraid of you,
too."
He laughed. "Of me?"
"Yes. You're part of it, aren't
you? Oh God, I just don't know, I really don't."
He
pulled her to a stop again. There was a solid brick wall along the side of the
street and he nudged her gently back toward it. Her heart beat wildly; if
anything was true it was that she wanted him to kiss her now, so badly. She'd
said her piece, but her body ached for him; for his gentleness, for his cheek,
and yes, if she were completely honest with herself, for the danger too. In him
they all came together as one; an irresistible, provocative package, and she
wanted him more than anything else in the world.
He
brushed the back of his knuckles gently along her cheek and as he bent his head
to kiss her, her last defense melted away. She loved him. Somehow, in spite of
her reason, in spite of his life-style, in spite of everything, she loved him.
She would be his, body and soul, and as his lips brushed hers, her heart
surrendered completely. She had no choice now, she would take a chance, and as
he pulled her into his body she gave herself up to an unknown destiny, one that
only fate could decide. She closed her eyes, ignored her fears, and just let it
happen.
Blurb:
Centered round a true story, London Lady is set in the
1960s. The city is in the grip of fear as two notorious mobster twins make
their mark north of the Thames. But they have legitimate businesses too, and
driven by need, Claire takes a job in one of their nightclubs as a hostess.
There she meets Bill "Lucky"
Underwood. He's their major crime lieutenant, and she knows falling for someone
like him is dangerous and stupid. Claire will do anything not to get mixed up
in their violent world, but Lucky proves a hard man to say no to....
About the Author:
Heather Hart is a British author who lives with her family
in Maryland. She’s a writer of hot erotic and romantic fiction – an eclectic
mix of innocence and dirt in a hyperactive imagination.
When she’s not frantically scribbling away she’s a cat
worshipper and curry fanatic. If you like what she writes, please feel free to
drop her a line at authorheatherhart@gmail[dot]com.
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Thank you for hosting me!
ReplyDeleteHi Kathryn and Heather, love the sound of this and really enjoyed the excerpt. Great teaser :) Thank you both :)
ReplyDeleteHugs
Roz