Excerpt from In Jack's Arms [Fighting Connolly's 02]!
I couldn't stop staring at those big, strong hands of his. He wasn't as stocky as his youngest brother Kelly, but he was taller and leaner than Finn. Jack had an incredible physique with muscular forearms and biceps that stretched the sleeves of his T-shirts. This close to him, I relished the incredible heat and that intoxicating, woodsy scent that followed him everywhere. It had to be his soap. Jack didn't strike me as the type of guy who misted himself with cologne just to hang around his gym.
Our fingers touched every time he handed me a dish to rinse and dry. I tried to ignore the illicit thrill that sparked deep in my core, but it was impossible. My thoughts kept turning back to the way Jack had so tenderly cupped my face and traced my lip. His action left no chance for misinterpretation. Jack wanted me. I didn’t know why or even when that had happened, but it was clear as day.
I practically vibrated with giddiness at the discovery.
Me. Me. Me. He wants me.
"Abs?" He waved a plastic tumbler. "You zoned out there for a second."
"Oh. Sorry." Flushed, I reached for the cup and rinsed it quickly. Trying to get a grip, I searched for a safe discussion topic. My gaze landed on the tattoo marking the underside of his left forearm. It was the first time I had been at the right angle to read the Latin inscription inked on his skin. "Fortune favors the bold, huh?"
Jack glanced at me with surprise. "You know Latin?"
"Catholic school," I explained.
"Really?" He seemed even more surprised by that.
"I went to St. Mary's."
"The private school?"
"I was a scholarship kid." The all-girls academy was the best in Houston and had a rigorous curriculum that sent all of its graduates to good colleges. "Actually, I was in the same class as Lena Cruz. Erin Hanson and Cassie Roberts were in the year below us." Knowing that Jack had recently had trouble with Cassie's boyfriend John Hagen, I didn't mention the connection. Instead, I asked, "Do you know Erin?"
"Ivan Markovic's new wife?"
"Yep."
"I know her by sight. She's really pretty—and not at all the type of woman I would ever expect a man like Ivan to marry."
"Their wedding was really beautiful. They seem to be madly in love with each other."
"She must love him to take on that history," he muttered. Scrubbing a plate, he asked, "What about Bee Langston and her friends?"
"You mean like Hadley Rivera?"
"The one who draws comics?"
"Graphic novels," I corrected. "She was a year under me and in the same class as Vivian Valero. Er—I guess she's Kalasnikov, now. Bee Langston and her bestie Coby, the DJ, were a year behind those two. Caitlin Weston went to school with us for a while, but she graduated really early, even earlier than Bee. Pips Barlow Bennett, the oil heiress who hangs around with Ty Weston, was in the same year as Lena and Erin too."
"Jesus," Jack breathed with a tinge of awe. "You've just listed the who's who of Houston."
"The program attracts the best. We've all stayed in touch, networked and supported one another."
"I guess Beyoncé was right about girls owning the world," he said with a playful wink.
I rolled my eyes and flicked suds at him. "I never pegged you as the Beyoncé type."
He splashed me back. "What can I say? I'm a well-rounded guy."
I giggled and dabbed at my cheek with the dishtowel. Looking at the bold ink on his arm, I asked, "So why that motto?"
"It's the way I've lived my life."
"Does that mean you like taking risks?"
"Calculated risks? Sure."
"Like?"
"Like this one."
With those lighting reflexes of his, Jack swooped down toward me and planted his lips against mine. Shocked by his unexpected kiss, I inhaled a sharp breath. My eyelashes fluttered together and excitement rocked me. The chaste touch of his lips against mine, an innocent, sweet kiss like two teenagers on a first date might exchange, ended much too soon.
Still reeling from the surprise of it, I blinked and peered up into the grass green eyes that had enthralled me from day one. "Jack?"
"Tell me to stop, Abby. If you don't want me, you need to tell me right now."
I gulped as his roughened voice sent shivers right through me. "And if I do want you?"
His forehead touched mine. "Kiss me, Abby. Show me how much you want me."
Gripping his shirt, I rose on tiptoes and captured the mouth of the man who had been starring in my fantasies for ever so long. Though I initiated the kiss, Jack quickly took control. Something told me that he would always be the one in control, the commanding alpha male who protected and supported me—and I wouldn't have it any other way.
He cradled my face in his wet hands and flicked his tongue against the seam of my lips. I clutched at his arms, desperate for something to hold onto, and let him swipe his tongue across mine. Head pounding, I prayed my shaky legs would hold me up as Jack stabbed deeper and kissed me with such passion.
As if reading my mind, Jack crouched down and used those brawny arms of his to lift me right up. He deposited me on the nearest countertop, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, drawing him in and keeping him close. His strong hands gripped the front of my polo shirt, tugging it free from my jeans, and then slid under the fabric to stroke my bare belly. His fingertips were rough and hot, rasping me and setting me on fire.
"Jack." I breathed his name with such need. I couldn't believe this was happening. It was a million times hotter than I had ever imagined. Nearly delirious with desire, I rocked against Jack and encouraged the exploration of his masterful hands.
He plundered my mouth, taking what he wanted and giving me so much pleasure in return. Clasping my nape, he tilted my head back and gazed down into my eyes. We were both breathing hard now and both desperate for more, so very much more.
"Abby, I want—"
But he didn't get the rest of that thought finished.
A terrifying crash shattered our beautiful moment. Squealing tires
and exploding glass could be heard throughout the house.
Jack snatched me right off the counter, dragged me down to the floor and covered my body with his. As if he had never left the battlefield, he shouted orders to Mattie, commanding him to stay put and lock his bedroom door. Pushing me into a corner where I would be well protected, he pinned me with a stern, no-nonsense look as he fished his cell phone from his jeans.
Shoving it into my hand, he said, "Stay here. Call 9-1-1. Do not come after me. Understand?"
"Yes, Jack."
He kissed my forehead and rushed out of the kitchen. Dialing the phone with shaking fingers, I prayed he would come back to me in one piece.
In Kelly's Corner [Fighting Connolly's 01]!
After a stalker breaks into her home, internet entrepreneur Bee Langston decides Kelly Connolly is the only man who can help her—but seeking help from the former Marine isn’t easy, especially after she made a spectacular fool of herself trying to kiss the sinfully sexy bodyguard.
When Kelly spots Bee weaving her way through the Houston nightspot where he’s working security, all those feelings he’s desperately tried to deny for his best friend’s sister come flooding to the surface. He’ll do anything to keep her safe, even if means getting up close and personal with the one woman he simply can’t have.
Soon, Bee’s stalker isn’t his only problem. His gambling addict father is tangled in a mess of debts to two of Houston’s toughest loan sharks. With the family gym on the line, there’s only one way for Kelly to make everything right. He agrees to fight for the Albanian mob in an underground bare-knuckle fighting tournament.
But winning the tournament and saving his family’s legacy comes at a high price—one that just might cost Bee her life.
In Jack's Arms [Fighting Connolly's 02]!
When pawn broker Abby Kirkwood discovers the evidence of a chilling drug cartel hit on one of the video cameras hocked in her store, she turns to the only man she can trust—Jack Connolly.
The smolderingly sexy former Marine runs a successful gym down the street and coaches her brother's special needs baseball team. He's the one man who is always there when she needs him. If anyone can protect her family, it's commanding, capable Jack.
The moment he learns someone is threatening Abby and her brother, Jack sees red. To save the woman he's secretly loved for years, he'll do whatever it takes, even if it means facing off with a Mexican drug cartel and making deals with the same Albanian mob outfit that tried to ruin his family.
He finally has sweet, feisty Abby right where she was always meant to be—writhing with pleasure in his bed and safely sheltered in his arms. The vicious cartel assassin hot on her heels has no idea what he's up against.
The Connolly brothers are standing strong together—and no one touches their family.
In Finn's Heart [Fighting Connolly's 03]!
Author bio:
I like to write super sexy romances and naughty erotica that make your pulse pound. You can get updates on new releases by visiting my website (roxierivera.com), signing up for my newsletter (http://eepurl.com/sX-z1) or liking my author page on Facebook.
I also write erotic romances as Lolita Lopez including the red-hot GRABBED series for Ellora’s Cave and the upcoming Dragon Heat series from Forever Yours/Grand Central
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