Blog Tour: PRETTY RECKLESS by L.J. SHEN

Pretty Reckless, an all-new standalone high school, bully romance from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen, is available now!

Pretty Reckless, nova samostojna knjiga, ki se dogaja v srednji šoli najbolj prodajane pisateljice L.J. Shen je že v prodaji!

Title (Naslov): Pretty Reckless

Author (Avtor): L.J. Shen

BLURB (OPIS)

We were supposed to be best friends

But turned out to be worst enemies…

Penn

They say revenge is a dish best served cold.

I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me, and now my heart is completely iced.

I took her first kiss.

She took the only thing I loved.

I was poor.

She was rich.

The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast.

Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project.

Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much.

Yeah, baby girl, say it—I’m your foster brother.

There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life, and she’s about to shell out some serious tears.

Daria Followhill thinks she is THE queen. I’m about to prove to her that she’s nothing but a spoiled princess.

Daria

Everyone loves a good-old, unapologetic punk.

But being a bitch? Oh, you get slammed for every snarky comment, cynical eye roll, and foot you put in your adversaries’ way.

The thing about stiletto heels is that they make a hell of a dent when you walk all over the people who try to hurt you.

In Penn Scully’s case, I pierced his heart until he bled out, then left it in a trash can on a bright summer day.

Four years ago, he asked me to save all of my firsts for him.

Now he lives across the hall, and there’s nothing I want more than to be his last everything.

His parting words when he gave me his heart were that nothing in this world is free.

Now? Now he is making me pay.

Midva naj bi bila najboljša prijatelja

Izkazalo pa se je, da sva najhujša sovražnika...

Penn

Pravijo, da je maščevanje jed, ki se najbolje servira hladna.

Štiri leta sem razmišljal o tem, kar mi je Daria Followhill storila, zdaj pa je moje srce popolnoma zamrznjeno.

Ukradel sem ji poljub.

Ona je meni ukradla edino stvar, ki sem jo ljubil.

Bil sem reven.

Ona je bila bogata.

Dobra stvar teh okoliščin? Lahko se spremenijo. Hitro.

Zdaj sem zadnji bleščeč projekt njenih staršev.

Njen sostanovalec. Njen mučitelj. Kapetan tekmovalne nogometne ekipe, ki jo tako zelo sovraži.

Punčka kar povej, da sem tvoj rejniški brat.

Vedno pride cena, ki jo moraš plačati, če uničiš edino dobro stvar v mojem življenju in ona bo kmalu spuščala resne solze.

Daria Followhill misli da je KRALJICA. Dokazal ji bom, da je samo razvajena princesa.

Daria

Vsi obožujejo dobro nepopustljivo nemarnico.

Ampak biti psica? Kritiko dobiš za vsak komentar, cinično zavijanje z očmi in stopalo, ki ga postavite na pot svojih nasprotnikov.

Stvar čevljev z visoko peto je, da naredijo pekel, ko pohodiš ljudi, ki te želijo prizadeti.

V primeru Penn Scully sem prebodla njegovo srce, da je izkrvavelo. Potem sem ga pustila v smeteh na svetel poletni dan.

Čez štiri leta me je vprašal, da naj mu prihranim vse moje prve.

Zdaj stanuje na drugi strani hodnika in ničesar si ne želim kot biti njegovo zadnje.

Njegove poslovilne besede, ko mi je dal svoje srce, so bile, da nič na tem svetu ni zastonj.

Zdaj? Zdaj mu moram plačevati.

TEASERS (CITATI)

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EXCERPT (ODLOMEK)

 “I don’t want you transferring into my school,” I hiss out. Melody would gladly file a transfer request, and Principal Prichard would salivate over the chance to snatch him up for our football team.

  “That won’t be a problem. You guys suck so much ass, you have shit-breath.”

  “Still smells better than poverty. You’re poor, right? Your sister was just bullshitting about being rich.”

  When someone hits me with a stick, I run over them with a tank. I’m so mean to him I want to throw up. I hate this part of being me. The striking harder at all costs part.

  “Just to make things clear.” I put the brush down, batting my lashes. “You’re not my step-sibling, foster brother, or a part of the family. You’re a stray dog. Last of the litter, most unlikely to be adopted, and a charity case.”

  Penn takes a step toward me, and my heart is fighting its way out of my ribcage. The closer he gets, the more I realize that my heart might succeed. Penn’s eyes remind me of a snake’s. Mesmerizing, but inhuman altogether. They weren’t like that before.

  His scent messes with my head. I want to reach out and caress his face. Kiss his wounds better. Beg for forgiveness. Curse him. Push him away. Cry on his shoulder for what we’ve done. For how it ended. For what we became afterwards, because I’m full of crap and he is totally empty.

  We ruined ourselves the day of our first kiss.

  Penn looks down at me. Time stops. It feels like the world is losing gravity, falling into a bottomless depth in space when he clasps my chin with his thumb and finger, lifting my head up. I can’t breathe. I’m not sure I want to, either. My towel drops to the floor with a thud, even though I secured it over my chest. I realize that he tugged at it intentionally. I’m naked. My body, my soul, my heart. All my walls are down. Somewhere in my head, a red alarm blasts and my inhibitions are getting armed, ready to fight back. I’m trying to decode his expression. He is amused, irritated, and…playful? The mixture of emotions doesn’t make any sense.

  “Mess with me, Followhill, and I will ruin you.”

  “Not if I ruin you first.”

AUTHOR (AVTOR)

L.J. SHEN is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.

Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.

She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

L.J. SHEN je pisateljica sodobnih romanc in NA romanov, ki je prodajana po celem svetu. Živi v Severni Karolini s svojim možem, mladim sinom in mačko.

Preden je ustanovila L.J. (čeprav misli, da je pisanje v tretji osebi trapasto) je potovala po svetu in pridobivala prijatelje na vsaki lokaciji. Prijatelji z veseljem povedo, da je slaba spremljevalka, ki vedno pozabi prijateljeve rojstne dneve in nikoli ne pošilja božičnih voščilnic. 

Sama uživa v preprostih stvareh kot so preživljanje časa s svojo družino in prijatelji, branje, gledanje HBO in Netflix-a ter internetno zasledovanje Stephena Jamesa. Bere tri do pet knjig tedensko. Verjame, da bi morali čevlje Crocs in frizuro mullets prepovedati.

Connect with L.J. Shen (L.J. Shen lahko spremljate na njenih spletnih straneh): 

FACEBOOK    TWITTER    PINTEREST    INSTAGRAM    NEWSLETTER    WEBSITE

What do you think about this book? Kaj mislite o knjigi?
With love Knjigoljubka Maja

Book Tour & Review: THE KISS THIEF by L.J. SHEN

Title (Naslov): The Kiss Thief

Author (Avtor): L.J. Shen

Publishing date (Datum izida): January 9th (9. januar)

Cover Designer (Oblikovanje naslovnice): Letitia Hasser at RBA Designs

ADD TO GOODREADS (s klikom na napis, lahko knjigo dodaš na svoj Goodreads)

BLURB (OPIS)

They say your first kiss should be earned. 

Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky. 

They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred. 

Mine were broken before we left church. 

They say your heart only beats for one man. 

Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end. 

I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit. 

Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage. 

They say that all great love stories have a happy ending. 

I, Francesca Rossi, found myself erasing and rewriting mine until the very last chapter. 

One kiss. 

Two men. 

Three lives. 

Entwined together. 

And somewhere between these two men, I had to find my forever.

Pravijo, da si je treba prvi poljub zaslužiti.

Meni ga je ukradel hudič z masko pod črnim Chicago-vim nebom.

Pravijo, da so poročne zaobljube svete.

Moje so bile zlomljene še preden sva zapustila cerkev.

Pravijo, da tvoje srce bije samo za enega moškega.

Moj je bil in krvavel za dva tekmeca, ki sta se borila do konca.

Obljubljena sem bila Angelu Bandiniju, dediču ene najbolj vplivnih družin v Chicago Outfit.

Potem me je vzel senator Wolfe Keaton, ki je preganjal mojega očeta, da me je prisilil v zakon.

Pravijo, da imajo velike ljubezni srečen konec.

Jaz, Francesca Rossi sem našla sebe med brisanjem in pisanjem zadnjega poglavja.

En poljub.

Dva moška.

Tri življenja.

Prepleteni skupaj.

Nekje med tema dvema moškima, sem našla moj za vedno.

REVIEW (RECENZIJA)

Originalen naslov: The Kiss Thief

Avtor: L.J. Shen

Prevod: /

Založba: Kindle edition (e-knjiga, ARC, 2019)

Ocena: 4,5 ★★★★

Kategorija: romantika (romance), new adult (novi odrasli), contemporary (sodobni roman)
Glavni liki: Francesca Rossi, Wolfe Keaton, Angelo Bandini

English review is on Goodreads!

Knjiga The Kiss Thief je nekaj posebnega. Že prve besede so me pritegnile in do konca nisem mogla nehat brat.  Tudi naslovnica je čudovita. Pisateljica je napovedala izid knjige že decembra in Instagram so preplavile njene slike. Povsod so pisali o njej. Bila je najbolj pričakovana romanca v januarju. Tudi mene je osvojila. Prostovoljno sem se javila, da preberem ARC (Advance Reader Copy) izdajo in ni mi žal. Ob tej neverjetni zgodbi med Francesco in Wolfom sem res uživala. 

Knjiga je sodobna romantika, vendar malo drugačna od običajnih. Gre za dogovorjeno poroko med starejšim moškim in devetnajstletnico. Na koncu doživita svoj srečen konec, vendar pot do tja je dolga... 
Francesca je princesa v Italijansko Ameriški družini. Je pogumno in močno dekle, čeprav ji je vse prepovedano, saj je vzgojena, da nadaljuje svoj rod. Hrepeni po svojem prijatelju iz otroških let, prepričana je, da se bo poročila z njim... Ali se bo res? Oče ima za njo druge načrte, ti pa prinesejo za seboj tudi skrivnosti.
Wolfe je krut pameten in seksi senator. Na vse načine se trudi maščevati svojo družino, ko mu načrte prekriža Francesca. Obvaruje jo pred njenim očetom.

Zgodbo spremljamo iz obeh perspektiv in z obema likoma sem se lepo poistovetila. Oba se bralcu prikupita s svojo življenjsko zgodbo. Tudi meni sta se. Knjiga je lahko berljiva in toliko napeta, da bralca priklene nase. Sama sem jo prebrala kar hitro. Priporočam jo vsem navdušencem romantičnih zgodb. L.J. Shen se je odlično odrezala in zagotovo bom še posegala po njenih knjigah.

TEASERS (CITATI)

PURCHASE LINKS (KNJIGO LAHKO KUPITE TUKAJ):

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AUDIO

EXCERPT (ODLOMEK)

“Are you sure you’re on my card?” I turned to the man with a polite yet distant smile. I was still disoriented from the exchange with Angelo when the stranger pulled me against his hard body and pressed a possessive hand lower than socially acceptable on my back, a second from groping my butt.
“Answer me,” I hissed.
“My bid on your card was the highest,” he replied dryly.
“The bids are undisclosed. You don’t know how much other people have paid,” I kept my lips pursed to keep myself from yelling.
“I know it’s nowhere near the realm of what this dance is worth."
Un-freaking-believable.
We began to waltz around the room as other couples were not only spinning and mingling but also stealing envious glances at us. Naked, raw ogles that told me that whomever the blonde he’d come to the masquerade with was, she wasn’t his wife. And that I might have been all the rage in The Outfit, but the rude man was in high demand, too.
I was stiff and cold in his arms, but he didn’t seem to notice—or mind. He knew how to waltz better than most men, but he was technical, and lacked warmth and Angelo’s playfulness.
“Nemesis.” He took me by surprise, his rapacious gaze stripping me bare. “Distributing glee and dealing misery. Seems at odds with the submissive girl who entertained Bishop and his horsey wife at the table."
I choked on my own saliva. Did he just call the governor’s wife horsey? And me submissive? I looked away, ignoring the addictive scent of his cologne, and the way his marble body felt against mine.
“Nemesis is my spirit animal. She was the one to lure Narcissus to a pool where he saw his own reflection and died of vanity. Pride is a terrible illness.” I flashed him a taunting smirk.
“Some of us could use catching it.” He bared his straight white teeth.
“Arrogance is a disease. Compassion is the cure. Most gods didn’t like Nemesis, but that’s because she had a backbone.
“Do you?” He arched a dark eyebrow.
“Do I…?” I blinked, the courteous grin on my face crumpling. He was even ruder when we were alone.
“Have a backbone,” he provided. He stared at me so boldly and intimately, it felt like he breathed fire into my soul. I wanted to step out of his touch and jump into a pool full of ice.
“Of course, I do,” I responded, my spine stiffening. “What’s with the manners? Were you raised by wild coyotes?"
“Give me an example,” he said, ignoring my quip. I was beginning to draw away from him, but he jerked me back into his arms. The glitzy ballroom distorted into a backdrop, and even though I was starting to notice that the man behind the demi-mask was unusually beautiful, the ugliness of his behavior was the only thing that stood out.
I am a warrior and a lady…and a sane person who can deal with this horrid man.
“I really like Angelo Bandini.” I dropped my voice, slicing my gaze from his eyes and toward the table where Angelo’s family had been seated. My father was sitting a few seats away, staring at us coldly, surrounded by Made Men who chatted away.
“And see, in my family, we have a tradition dating back ten generations. Prior to her wedding, a Rossi bride is to open a wooden chest—carved and made by a witch who lived in my ancestors’ Italian village—and read three notes written to her by the last Rossi girl to marry. It’s kind of a good luck charm mixed with a talisman and a bit of fortunetelling. I stole the chest tonight and opened one of the notes, all so I could rush fate. It said that tonight I was going to be kissed by the love of my life, and well…” I drew my lower lip into my mouth and sucked it, peering under my eyelashes at Angelo’s empty seat. The man stared at me stoically, as though I was a foreign film he couldn’t understand. “I’m going to kiss him tonight."
“That’s your backbone?"
“When I have an ambition, I go for it."
A conceited frown crinkled his mask, as if to say I was a complete and utter moron. I looked him straight in the eye. My father taught me that the best way to deal with men like him was to confront, not run. Because, this man? He’d chase.

AUTHOR (AVTOR)

L.J. SHEN is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.

Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.

She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

L.J. SHEN je pisateljica sodobnih romanc in NA romanov, ki je prodajana po celem svetu. Živi v Severni Karolini s svojim možem, mladim sinom in mačko.

Preden je ustanovila L.J. (čeprav misli, da je pisanje v tretji osebi trapasto) je potovala po svetu in pridobivala prijatelje na vsaki lokaciji. Prijatelji z veseljem povedo, da je slaba spremljevalka, ki vedno pozabi prijateljeve rojstne dneve in nikoli ne pošilja božičnih voščilnic. 

Sama uživa v preprostih stvareh kot so preživljanje časa s svojo družino in prijatelji, branje, gledanje HBO in Netflix-a ter internetno zasledovanje Stephena Jamesa. Bere tri do pet knjig tedensko. Verjame, da bi morali čevlje Crocs in frizuro mullets prepovedati.

Connect with L.J. Shen (L.J. Shen lahko spremljate na njenih spletnih straneh): 

WEBSITE    FACEBOOK    TWITTER    PINTEREST    INSTAGRAM    BOOKBUB    GOODREADS    AMAZON

I highly recommend! Priporočam za branje!
Knjigoljubka Maja

Cover Reveal: THE KISS THIEF by L.J. SHEN

Title (Naslov): The Kiss Thief

Author (Avtor): L.J. Shen

Publishing date (Datum izida): January 9th, 2019 (9. januar 2019)

ADD TO GOODREADS (s klikom na napis, lahko knjigo dodaš na svoj Goodreads)

BLURB (OPIS)

They say your first kiss should be earned. 

Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky. 

They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred. 

Mine were broken before we left church. 

They say your heart only beats for one man. 

Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end. 

I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit. 

Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage. 

They say that all great love stories have a happy ending. 

I, Francesca Rossi, found myself erasing and rewriting mine until the very last chapter. 

One kiss. 

Two men. 

Three lives. 

Entwined together. 

And somewhere between these two men, I had to find my forever.

Pravijo, da si je treba prvi poljub zaslužiti.

Meni ga je ukradel hudič z masko pod črnim Chicago-vim nebom.

Pravijo, da so poročne zaobljube svete.

Moje so bile zlomljene še preden sva zapustila cerkev.

Pravijo, da tvoje srce bije samo za enega moškega.

Moj je bil in krvavel za dva tekmeca, ki sta se borila do konca.

Obljubljena sem bila Angelu Bandiniju, dediču ene najbolj vplivnih družin v Chicago Outfit.

Potem me je vzel senator Wolfe Keaton, ki je preganjal mojega očeta, da me je prisilil v zakon.

Pravijo, da imajo velike ljubezni srečen konec.

Jaz, Francesca Rossi sem našla sebe med brisanjem in pisanjem zadnjega poglavja.

En poljub.

Dva moška.

Tri življenja.

Prepleteni skupaj.

Nekje med tema dvema moškima, sem našla moj za vedno.

AUTHOR (AVTOR)

L.J. SHEN is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.

Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.

She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

L.J. SHEN je pisateljica sodobnih romanc in NA romanov, ki je prodajana po celem svetu. Živi v Severni Karolini s svojim možem, mladim sinom in mačko.

Preden je ustanovila L.J. (čeprav misli, da je pisanje v tretji osebi trapasto) je potovala po svetu in pridobivala prijatelje na vsaki lokaciji. Prijatelji z veseljem povedo, da je slaba spremljevalka, ki vedno pozabi prijateljeve rojstne dneve in nikoli ne pošilja božičnih voščilnic. 

Sama uživa v preprostih stvareh kot so preživljanje časa s svojo družino in prijatelji, branje, gledanje HBO in Netflix-a ter internetno zasledovanje Stephena Jamesa. Bere tri do pet knjig tedensko. Verjame, da bi morali čevlje Crocs in frizuro mullets prepovedati.

Connect with L.J. Shen (L.J. Shen lahko spremljate na njenih spletnih straneh): 

WEBSITE    FACEBOOK    TWITTER    PINTEREST    INSTAGRAM    BOOKBUB    GOODREADS    AMAZON

How beautiful is this cover? Kako lepa je ta naslovnica?
Enjoy, Knjigoljubka Maja

Excerpt Reveal: DIRTY HEADLINES by L.J. SHEN

Dirty Headlines, an all-new sexy, enemies-to-lovers romance from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen is coming September 7th and we have the first sneak peek!

Dirty Headlines, nova seksi od sovraštva do ljubezni romanca najbolj prodajane pisateljice L.J. Shen prihaja 7. septembra. Jaz vam razkrivam prvi vpogled v knjigo.

Title (Naslov): Dirty Headlines

Author (Avtor): L.J. Shen

Genre (Kategorija): contemporary romance (sodobna romantika)

Publishing date (Datum izida): September 7th, 2018 (7. september 2018)

SYNOPSIS (OPIS)

Célian Laurent.

Manhattan royalty.

Notorious playboy.

Heir to a media empire.

…And my new boss.

I could have impressed him, if not for last month’s unforgettable one-night stand.

I left it with more than orgasms and a pleasant memory—namely, his wallet.

Now he’s staring me down like I’m the dirt under his Italian loafers, and I’m supposed to take it.

But the thing about being Judith “Jude” Humphry is I have nothing to lose.

Brooklyn girl.

Infamously quirky.

Heir to a stack of medical bills and a tattered couch.

When he looks at me from across the room, I see the glint in his eyes, and that makes us rivals.

He knows it.

So do I.

Every day in the newsroom is a battle.

Every night in his bed, war.

But it’s my heart at stake, and I fear I’ll be raising the white flag.

Célian Laurent.
Kraljevič iz Manhattna.
Razvpit playboy.
Naslednik medijskega imperija.
...In moj novi šef.

Lahko bi ga občudovala, če prejšnji mesec ne bi imela nepozabno eno noč.
Pustila sem ga z več orgazmi in prijetnimi spomini - namreč njegovo denarnico.
Zdaj strmi vame, kot da sem poredna kot njegovi italijanski lenuhi in jaz bi morala to sprejeti.
Ampak biti Judith "Jude" Humphry je, da nimam kaj izgubiti.
Dekle iz Brooklyna.
Neverjetno čudna.
Naslednica kupa medicinskih računov in raztrganega kavča.
Ko me gleda iz drugega konca sobe, vidim sijaj v njegovih očeh, kar naju naredi tekmeca.
On to ve.
In jaz.
V redakciji je vsak dan bitka.
V njegovi postelji vsak večer vojna.
Ampak moje srce je na kocki in bojim se, da bom dvignila belo zastavo.

ADD TO GOODREADS (s klikom na napis, lahko knjigo dodaš na svoj Goodreads)

EXCERPT (ODLOMEK)

   He had an American accent. Not French. American.Smooth. Familiar. Ordinary. He fired out sentences at the speed of light. I heard him, but I couldn’t listen. Shock gripped my body as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. My dirty one-night stand was my boss. My lying, American boss. And now I had to deal with that—hopefully for a very long time, because I desperately needed this job.

Someone snapped their fingers, and my gaze shot from Célian’s face to Grayson.

His forehead had crumpled into a frown. “You look like you’re trying hard not to cry or having a really intense orgasm. I’m hoping for you that it’s the latter and some kind of a weird-slash-awesome condition. You okay?”

I nodded, scraping up a smile. “Sorry. Zero orgasms happening under this dress. I just zoned out for a second.”Lies. I was about to orgasm just remembering how good Célianhad felt parting my thighs with his big, callused hands and dipping his tongue into my slit.

Then words stopped streaming down on everyone’s heads like a scalding shower, and I realized that indeed there was something worse than hearing Célianspeak in his perfect American English. And that was not hearing him speak at all. Because now the icicles were pointed at me like a cocked gun.

I glanced up to meet his gaze. He stared at me for exactly one second before his focus snapped to Grayson. “Am I understood, Gregory?” he asked.

Gregory?

“Crystal clear, sir,” Grayson bowed, his voice trembling at the edges.

Célian jerked his chin toward me. “Your cover girl material is going downhill.”

God. Damn. Bastard.

He recognized me, and I knew it. His eyes had kindled, melting the ice and growing darker the minute our gazes mingled. He remembered, and maybe it killed him that I was here in the same way it buried me.

I want my iPod back, my gaze told him. I had over three thousand songs on that thing, and they were all too good to be wasted on that jerk.

“Jude Humphry. Junior reporter. It’s her first day,” Grayson highlighted, almost pleadingly. He shifted in my direction, as if he might need to physically protect me from the sharp-tongued, suited monster.

I suppressed a smile when I realized I’d told Célianmy last name was Spears. Well, he certainly wasn’t a Timberlake. He was a Laurent. An American monarch through and through. A billionaire, a powerful force, and judging by our one and only encounter—a raging playboy.

This man was inside you, I internally shrieked. And not just once. His cock was buried so deep in you, you screamed. You can still taste the salty, earthy flavor of his cum.You know he has a freckle on his lower back. You know what sound he makes when he empties inside a woman.

I internally thanked my mind for ruining my panties in public, and nodded. “Pleasure to meet you, sir.” I offered him my hand, my face flushing with embarrassment at my choice of words.

Everyone was looking at us, and there were at least fifty people in the room. Célian—if that was even his name—ignored my outreached hand. Instead, he turned his face to the man beside him. “Mathias, any other words of wisdom?”

Mathias? Wasn’t that his father? Just how cold was the man with the icy blue eyes?

“I think you touched everything,” said the big boss—and he did have a heavy French accent, so at least the lie had a seed. Mathias stared at me placidly, like he could read the secret his son and I shared on my face.

Célian spun toward me, uncuffing his cufflinks and rolling his sleeves up his veiny forearms. “Accounting can go back to their unfortunate line of work. Couture is excused from this meeting—though not forgiven for their horrid blog. Miss Humphry?” He snapped his fingers impatiently.

He was already waltzing down the narrow hallway, knowing I’d chase him like a puppy, and no doubt taking pleasure in that fact.

“I have a bone to pick with you.”

Bone, boner—same difference, right?

I shot Grayson a please-save-my-butt look. His eyes said, I would but I still have a life to live.

I followed Célian down the hall, my Chucks slapping the floor in a hurry. He sliced through the throng of accountants, then stopped at a corner office, opened the door, barked “Out!” to the man inside, and tilted his head for me to go in. I did. He closed the door, and it was just the two of us.

Two feet of empty space between us.

AUTHOR (AVTOR)

L.J. SHEN is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.
Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.
She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

L.J. SHEN je pisateljica sodobnih romanc in NA romanov, ki je prodajana po celem svetu. Živi v Severni Karolini s svojim možem, mladim sinom in mačko.
Preden je ustanovila L.J. (čeprav misli, da je pisanje v tretji osebi trapasto) je potovala po svetu in pridobivala prijatelje na vsaki lokaciji. Prijatelji z veseljem povedo, da je slaba spremljevalka, ki vedno pozabi prijateljeve rojstne dneve in nikoli ne pošilja božičnih voščilnic. 
Sama uživa v preprostih stvareh kot so preživljanje časa s svojo družino in prijatelji, branje, gledanje HBO in Netflix-a ter internetno zasledovanje Stephena Jamesa. Bere tri do pet knjig tedensko. Verjame, da bi morali čevlje Crocs in frizuro mullets prepovedati.

Connect with L.J. Shen (L.J. Shen lahko spremljate na njenih spletnih straneh): 

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With love, Knjigoljubka Maja