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http://bit.ly/Buy_Ignited

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Published on September 15, 2014 01:00

It’s #StarkOnSaturday … and HAVE ME is coming soon!

It’s time for another #StarkOnSaturday! (Did you know that Damien and Nikki make an appearance in my newest release, IGNITED?)

You can link to all the IGNITED retailers:

But moving on to Nikki and Damien …

I thought it would be fun to take a few snaps of the screen as I work on HAVE ME! Keep in mind, it all may change in edits (and, yeah, the typos will change, too

Haven’t yet met Damien Stark? Read the first SIX chapters of RELEASE ME here:

http://bit.ly/ReleaseMe_Stark_FirstSixChapters

Just follow the link, scroll to the bottom, and start reading! There are 10 blog posts that run through the first six chapters of RELEASE ME !

This image posted originally on Instagram … I’m posting a lot of goodies there lately, so if you don’t follow me there, be sure to do that (my username is @JulieKenner, so I’m easy to find)! And if you’re not on Instagram, you can still see all my posts at my J. Kenner Facebook page and right here at my Instagram page on the we!

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Published on September 13, 2014 08:12

Hey Goodreads Friends!! #MostWanted

We have a Goodreads event to spread the word about Ignited’s release and the awesome release day giveaway!! However there is some glitch that is not letting me invite all my Goodreads Friends – so please join in the event and invite your friends to help spread the word and enter to win!! - http://bit.ly/GoodreadsIgnitedEvent

Ignited J.Kenner

IGNITED Book 3 in the Most Wanted Series is out now and we are celebrating with a giveaway – http://bit.ly/IgnitedRDG – Giftcards, signed books and swag!

Grab your copy of Ignited today:

Amazon/Kindle http://amzn.to/Ure2wl

Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1hMv6r8

Amazon CA http://amzn.to/1pI3FQS

Amazon AU http://bit.ly/1tdVHjD

B&N/Nook http://bit.ly/IgnitedBN

iBooks http://bit.ly/IgnitediBooks

Kobo http://bit.ly/1tBDv59

BAM print http://bit.ly/1pCm2VK

BAM digital http://bit.ly/SLgBbd

Indie Bound http://bit.ly/Sw6Gpq

Random House http://bit.ly/1oNTFpT

Audible http://bit.ly/1pGjQOb

For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey, Bared to You, and Release Me comes an all-new erotic series of three enigmatic and powerful men, and the striking women who can bring them to their knees.

He promised to take me as far as I could go—and I wanted to go to the edge.

My whole life has been a cover, a con, a lie. I was born into the grift, raised on the thrill of playing someone I’m not. As a rule, I never let anyone get too close—until Cole August makes it impossible for me to stay away.

Cole is tough, sexy, and intensely loyal, yet his secrets are dark and his scars run deep. Not many women can handle his past, or the truth behind his fierce demands. But something about him beckons me—and our desire is a game I must play.

I know he’s dangerous, that even his touch is trouble, but what is passion without a little risk?

Ignited is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

Dare to Submit (Dare to Love Book 4)

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Published on September 12, 2014 14:46

Hump Day books from Carly Phillips, Jenna Bennett, Jamie Farrell, C.J. Archer, Stacey Joy Netzel, Linda Thomas-Sundstrom, Cathy Perkins, and JT Ellison!

Please enjoy this week’s Hump Day books, including the fourth Dare to Love book from Carly Phillips, plus contemporary, historical, and paranormal romances!

Hump Day books from Carly Phillips, Jenna Bennett, Jamie Farrell, C.J. Archer, Stacey Joy Netzel, Linda Thomas-Sundstrom, Cathy Perkins, and JT Ellison!

New sizzling, sexy romance from NY Times Bestseller Carly Phillips. HOT HOT HOT!

Connect with Carly Phillips at her website!

Friends with Benefits

New Contemporary Romance!

More at Jenna Bennett’s website!

The Husband Games (Misfit Brides of Bliss Book 1)

New Contemporary Romance!

Be sure to visit Jamie Farrell’s website!

The Charmer (Assassins Guild Book 1)

This historical romance is now free.

More at C. J. Archer’s website!

Julie Kenner's Hump Day Eye Candy

Evidence of Trust (Colorado Trust Series Book 1)

Now Free! Sparks fly when a headstrong wrangler and an alpha park ranger are thrown together while he’s searching for evidence to stop the poacher killing animals in RMNP.

Find out more at Stacey Joy Netzel’s website!

Immortal Obsession

New paranormal romance!

Visit Linda Thomas-Sundstrom at her website!

CYPHER

New release ~ Friends & Family special price $0.99

Connect with Cathy Perkins at her website!

When Shadows Fall (A Samantha Owens Novel)

Mass Market release – special price $5.99

Visit JT Ellison’s website!

Would you like to submit your book to be included in our Hump Day feature? Click here for more information!

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Published on September 10, 2014 01:00

Available NOW: Ignited by J. Kenner & a #MostWanted Giveaway

Ignited by J. Kenner #MostWanted

For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey, Bared to You, and Release Me comes an all-new erotic series of three enigmatic and powerful men, and the striking women who can bring them to their knees.

He promised to take me as far as I could go—and I wanted to go to the edge.

My whole life has been a cover, a con, a lie. I was born into the grift, raised on the thrill of playing someone I’m not. As a rule, I never let anyone get too close—until Cole August makes it impossible for me to stay away.

Cole is tough, sexy, and intensely loyal, yet his secrets are dark and his scars run deep. Not many women can handle his past, or the truth behind his fierce demands. But something about him beckons me—and our desire is a game I must play.

I know he’s dangerous, that even his touch is trouble, but what is passion without a little risk?

Ignited is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

Order:

Amazon/Kindle - Amazon UK - B&N/Nook - Kobo - iTunes - BAM print - BAM digital - Indie Bound

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Where do you want to go next?

The Stark Trilogy and beyond ... bestselling, swoonworthy erotic romance. Have you been Damienized?

The Most Wanted series ... dark, edgy, sexy badboys. Need we say more?

Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom ... oh, come on. The series title says it all!

Protector Superhero series ... fun, flirty paranormal romance.

The Blood Lily Chronicles ... dark, sensual urban fantasy.

The Shadow Keepers ... edgy and sensual paranormal romance

Devil May Care ... who will the next ruler of Sin City be?

The Phoenix Brotherhood ... dark, dangerous, sexy ... and immortal.

and more stories to come ...

Looking to meet JK?

Got a question for JK?

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Published on September 09, 2014 01:00

“It’s Okay, I won’t break” – IGNITED by J. Kenner #MostWanted

Ignited by J. Kenner Most Wanted Book 3

Only 2 more days and the dark and delicious Cole will be available!

Did you miss the last excerpt? Click here to catch up!

Pre-Order:

Amazon/Kindle http://amzn.to/Ure2wl
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1hMv6r8
B&N/Nook http://bit.ly/IgnitedBN
iBooks http://bit.ly/IgnitediBooks
BAM print http://bit.ly/1pCm2VK
BAM digital http://bit.ly/SLgBbd
Indie Bound http://bit.ly/Sw6Gpq

“Want,” I repeated. Where Cole was concerned, what didn’t I want?

“I told you earlier that you owed me,” he said. “Do you want to call us even?”

“Do you?”

He was silent for a moment, and then one moment longer. “No,” he finally said.

I lifted my chin. “Good.”

His expression remained perfectly stoic, but he lifted his hand toward my face, then dropped it, as if he were a child who’d caught himself about to do something naughty.

“It’s okay,” I said, my voice almost a whisper. “I won’t break.”

“Don’t be so sure, blondie. I’ve been known to destroy even the most resilient things.”

“I’m not a thing. And you won’t destroy me.” I hesitated only a second, then took one step closer. The difference was only inches, but the air seemed suddenly thicker, as if my lungs had to work harder to draw in oxygen. “It’s okay,” I said again.

All around us, the party continued, but I’m not sure either one of us was aware. Instead, it felt as if we’d stepped into a vortex, and at least in our little corner of space and time nothing else mattered or even existed.

I held my breath, wanting his touch so badly I could taste it. And when he finally brushed the side of his thumb over my cheekbone, it was all I could do not to moan aloud.

All too quickly he took his hand away, leaving me bereft.

All too quickly he stepped back, forcing the world around us to come back to life.

“I just had to see if I was right,” he said.

“About?”

“Your skin. It’s like touching a promise.”

“Is it?” I murmured.

“Tender,” he said. “And a bit mysterious. With layer upon layer just waiting to be discovered.”

My breath stuttered in my chest. “I didn’t know you thought that,” I said. “I didn’t know you thought about me at all.”

He was silent for so long I began to fear he wasn’t going to answer. When he spoke, his words cut through me, sharp and sweet. “I think about you more than I should.”

It was suddenly very warm in the gallery. Little beads of sweat gathered at the hairline on the back of my neck. I needed air, because it seemed as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room.

Somehow, miraculously, I formed words. “What are you thinking now?”

I saw the answer I craved in the lines of his face and the stiff control of his body. I felt it in the way the air between us crackled and sparked. I even smelled it, that warm and musky scent of desire.

The reality of his answer surrounded and enticed me, and yet when he spoke, his words denied me. Denied us both.

“I’m thinking no,” he said, destroying me with nothing more than those three simple words. “And I’m thinking that I need to get back to my guests.”

Pre-Order:
Amazon/Kindle http://amzn.to/Ure2wl
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1hMv6r8
B&N/Nook http://bit.ly/IgnitedBN
iBooks http://bit.ly/IgnitediBooks
BAM print http://bit.ly/1pCm2VK
BAM digital http://bit.ly/SLgBbd
Indie Bound http://bit.ly/Sw6Gpq

Where do you want to go next?

The Stark Trilogy and beyond ... bestselling, swoonworthy erotic romance. Have you been Damienized?

The Most Wanted series ... dark, edgy, sexy badboys. Need we say more?

Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom ... oh, come on. The series title says it all!

Protector Superhero series ... fun, flirty paranormal romance.

The Blood Lily Chronicles ... dark, sensual urban fantasy.

The Shadow Keepers ... edgy and sensual paranormal romance

Devil May Care ... who will the next ruler of Sin City be?

The Phoenix Brotherhood ... dark, dangerous, sexy ... and immortal.

and more stories to come ...

Looking to meet JK?

Got a question for JK?

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Published on September 07, 2014 01:00

“Desire is a Bitch” IGNITED by J. Kenner #MostWanted

Ignited by J. Kenner Most Wanted 3 – Available September 9, 2014

3 MORE DAYS and Cole will be all YOURS!

Did you miss the last excerpt? Click here to catch up!

Pre-Order:
Amazon/Kindle http://amzn.to/Ure2wl
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1hMv6r8
B&N/Nook http://bit.ly/IgnitedBN
iBooks http://bit.ly/IgnitediBooks
BAM print http://bit.ly/1pCm2VK
BAM digital http://bit.ly/SLgBbd
Indie Bound http://bit.ly/Sw6Gpq

Go. Now.

I drew in a breath for courage. Yeah, it was time to do this thing.

And so I took one step, and then another and another. Each taking me toward Cole August. Each fueling that fire inside me that raged for him—a fire that had the power to either raise me up or reduce me to ashes.

I could only hope that tonight I would capture the man, and not destroy myself in the trying.

***

It’s not sex that messes you up. It’s desire.

Once sex enters the equation, everyone has something to bargain with. It’s like a contract, and there’s consideration on each side. Maybe the sex isn’t great, or maybe it’s mind-blowing, or maybe the participants are so wrapped up in their own neuroses that it overshadows all the rest. But even then, the basic parameters are there and everyone knows what’s expected of them.

That’s not the case with desire.

With desire it’s all one-sided. You have nothing to go on except perception. A smile. A nod. A handshake that lingers too long. The stroke of a finger over hair.

But all those things can be hidden, and all those things can be faked.

When you grow up in the grift, you know how to fake a lot of things, and you know how to read people.

You think you do, anyway.

I thought I knew how to read Cole. I thought I’d seen the subtle signals that validated my own desire. The little hints and movements, the casual glances and offhand touches.

I thought I’d seen them—but I couldn’t be certain. And if I wanted an answer I had to put myself on the line.

That is why desire is a bitch.

That bitch currently had her iron hand on my shoulder and was steering me through the crowd toward the object of my desire. He’d been pulled aside by an elegant seventy-something woman who appeared to be interrogating him and the artist about the subtle distinctions between two of the pieces on display.

I had three things going for me, and I clung tight to them like a child to a security blanket. First, my upbringing made me a chameleon, both changeable and adaptable. It also gave me a thick skin and the ability to fake confidence. Some kids thank their parents for forcing them to endure Little League in order to build character. I thanked my dad for teaching me how to pull off long and short cons.

Second, I’d seen desire in Cole’s eyes at least twice during the gala. Maybe I was projecting, but I didn’t think so. And if he wanted me, too, then that made my goal that much more attainable.

Finally, I’d slammed back two glasses of wine within the space of five minutes, and I am a lightweight where alcohol is concerned. That meant that I was floating on a cloud of liquid courage, just like I’d told the waiter. And as far as I was concerned, that was a damn fine thing.

“You can analyze,” Cole was saying as I approached, “or you can feel.” The two paintings he was discussing were huge, the canvases each eight feet tall and four feet wide. They stood side by side, the vibrant colors seeming to jump from the canvases. The artist, a South Sider who looked to be on the shy side of twenty and went by the name of Tiki, nodded vigorously from his post beside Cole.

“That’s what I been sayin’.” He thumped his chest with the heel of his hand. “You gotta go with what you feel here. You can pick it apart and hold up color swaths and call in your high price decorators, but that ain’t gonna tell you what’s gonna feel right when you walk into the room and see that canvas on your wall.”

The woman sniffed. “That may be so, young man, but my husband just paid six figures to our designer to redo the den, and I assure you that if what I purchase clashes with the decor, it won’t be your art I’m feeling.”

Tiki laughed. “You got me there, Amelia.”

I expected her to chastise him for his impertinence, but she only joined his laughter.

“What do you think, Kat?” Cole asked.

I looked up at him, surprised that he was pulling me into the discussion. More than that, I had the distinct feeling that he’d been watching me while I’d been watching Tiki and Amelia.

“I think that your six-figure decorating job isn’t worth a nickel if you don’t make the room yours.” I stepped closer to the canvases, sliding into operator mode. This I knew how to do. “If you had a completely empty room to work with, which would you choose?”

I looked from one to the other as Amelia considered. “It’s a hard choice, I know,” I said. “They’re similar, and yet at the same time each stands alone. They’re evocative,” I added. “The bursts of color. The subtlety of the muted areas.” I glanced at her, saw that she was nodding slightly, and started to reel her in.

“I don’t know about you,” I said—because we were just talking girl to girl now—“but I look at these, and they lift me up.” I did a quick inspection of her appearance. The classic lines of her dress. Her carefully styled hair. She was considering buying modern art, yes, but this was an elegant woman with roots that probably sank for generations.

That analysis told me where to go next. “It makes me feel like . . . ” I drifted off, as if considering. “It’s like being at the symphony,” I finally said. “When the music seems to lift you up and carry you away.”

“Yes,” she murmured, nodding. “Why, yes.”

“What I find particularly compelling is the way these two pieces blend together. You see? The colors complement each other. The red here draws out the purple on this one.” I indicated each painting in turn. “They work in tandem—honestly, I’d be afraid that separating them would be like removing all the violins from a performance of Beethoven’s Fifth.”

I glanced at Cole and saw that his eyes were narrowed just slightly. But whether he was impressed with my efforts or concerned that I was about to screw up a sale, I didn’t know.

Tiki was easier to read. His wide grin suggested that he knew exactly where I was heading.

I pushed them both out of my mind. Right then, I didn’t need performance anxiety adding to my already existing soup of emotional turmoil.

“How would you choose?” Amelia asked.

“Honestly?” I leaned toward her conspiratorially. “I’d cheat.”

Her eyes widened, as if I’d just said the most scandalous thing imaginable.

“If I had an empty room to fill, I wouldn’t leave with just one. I’d insist on acquiring both.”

She turned her attention from me back to the paintings. I could see the spark of interest, and then I saw the way her brow furrowed to form a deep V above her nose. “But all this is hypothetical. I don’t have carte blanche.”

“Actually,” I said, grinning broadly, “you do. What’s the color scheme of your room?”

“Earth tones highlighted with peach.”

“These colors,” I said, indicating a portion of the canvas on the left. I looked to Tiki for confirmation and help. He gave the confirmation, but he didn’t jump in as I’d hoped.

Cole, however, picked up the thread. “She’s right, you know,” he said to Amelia. “Alone, the other painting might not work with that scheme. But see here?” He gestured between the two paintings, his movements highlighting the colors and patterns. “These browns and greens are a perfect complement to the peach and pinks over here.”

“Yeah, man, they’re right,” Tiki said. “These canvases, they’re like a team. Like bread and butter, you know what I’m sayin’?”

I watched Amelia, and saw the slow spread of a smile. It was a smile I recognized from my days and nights in Florida, pushing paintings with my dad. It was a smile that said a woman with too much money had just figured out a way to justify her spending.

In other words, my work there was done.

I pressed my palm gently against her arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to run on like that. At any rate, I’ll let you and Tiki talk. I really should go mingle.”

“Well, I don’t think we need any further debate,” I heard her say as I melted into the crowd. “We just need that nice young girl with the credit card machine.”

“That was quite the performance,” Cole said a few moments later. He took my arm and steered me to one side. I went willingly, my entire body tingling simply from the firm grip of his fingers against my bare elbow.

He walked slightly behind me, so I couldn’t see his face. “Good performance?” I asked. “Or bad performance?”

“As far as I’m concerned, you get a standing ovation.”

“Really?” I asked, ridiculously pleased that I’d impressed him.

He let go, then moved to face me. I missed his touch, but the trade-off was worth it. I’m not the kind of girl who swoons over hunky firemen calendars and I’ve only seen Magic Mike once. But as far as eye candy went, Cole was a walking, talking Milky Way bar, and at least as tempting.

“Really,” he confirmed. An easy smile bloomed on his face, and he shook his head slowly, with obvious pleasure. “I didn’t realize that working as a barista required such honed salesmanship.”

“I’m a woman of many talents,” I said, then fluttered my lashes.

“Damn right you are.” He drew in a breath as he looked at me, and try as I might, I had no clue what he was thinking.

“That was quite the commission you just brought in,” he finally said. “I have a feeling you’ll be getting Christmas cards from Tiki for the rest of your life.”

“I look forward to it. What about you?” I asked boldly, and blamed it on the wine. I met his eyes, and fervently hoped that mine really were a window to the soul, because right then I wanted him to see straight inside me.

“What will I get from you?”

“That depends on what you want.”

Pre-Order:
Amazon/Kindle http://amzn.to/Ure2wl
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1hMv6r8
B&N/Nook http://bit.ly/IgnitedBN
iBooks http://bit.ly/IgnitediBooks
BAM print http://bit.ly/1pCm2VK
BAM digital http://bit.ly/SLgBbd
Indie Bound http://bit.ly/Sw6Gpq

Where do you want to go next?

The Stark Trilogy and beyond ... bestselling, swoonworthy erotic romance. Have you been Damienized?

The Most Wanted series ... dark, edgy, sexy badboys. Need we say more?

Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom ... oh, come on. The series title says it all!

Protector Superhero series ... fun, flirty paranormal romance.

The Blood Lily Chronicles ... dark, sensual urban fantasy.

The Shadow Keepers ... edgy and sensual paranormal romance

Devil May Care ... who will the next ruler of Sin City be?

The Phoenix Brotherhood ... dark, dangerous, sexy ... and immortal.

and more stories to come ...

Looking to meet JK?

Got a question for JK?

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on September 06, 2014 01:00

“Hunger that raged” IGNITED by J. Kenner #MostWanted

Ignited by J. Kenner Most Wanted Book 3

4 more days!! Are you loving Kat & Cole so far??

Did you miss the last excerpt? Click here to catch up!

Pre-Order:
Amazon/Kindle http://amzn.to/Ure2wl
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1hMv6r8
B&N/Nook http://bit.ly/IgnitedBN
iBooks http://bit.ly/IgnitediBooks
BAM print http://bit.ly/1pCm2VK
BAM digital http://bit.ly/SLgBbd
Indie Bound http://bit.ly/Sw6Gpq

Ignited by J. Kenner teaser - #MostWanted - http://amzn.to/Ure2wl

I watched as Sloane brushed her hand possessively over Tyler’s arm, then whispered something to him. He laughed, then kissed her cheek. She moved away from him to enter the party, and he stood for a moment, his gaze lingering on her as he watched her go.

Since I was watching Tyler, I didn’t realize that Sloane had been coming my way until she eased up beside me. “Any news on the house?”

“We close next week,” I said. “I’m suffering from mild terror that it’s all going to get ripped out from under me. Like we’ll find out that something is horribly wrong with the foundation. Or the sellers will back out. Or the loan will fall through.”

The house had started as a whim. My natural state is to be in constant motion, everything from my habit of fidgeting to my general tendency to uproot myself every few years and move to a new city.

Over the last six years, though, I’d eased off that last trait. Instead of bouncing out of Chicago, I’d just bounced between apartments.

A few months ago, I decided that living in a house could be fun. I’d started out looking solely at rentals, but once I saw the tiny two bedroom frame house, I knew it was like Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. All it needed was a little love. More important, I knew it had to be mine.

I hadn’t even realized I’d been contemplating ownership until I’d picked up the real estate agent’s flyer, but I was tired of feeling uprooted. I wanted to settle. I wanted . . . more.

And now I was on the verge of having it.

Honestly, I liked the way that felt.

Sloane’s brow was furrowed as she pondered my words. “You’ve had the inspections, the tenants have already moved out and the sellers live—where? New Mexico, right? And I think you would have heard by now if there was something wrong with the loan.” She narrowed her eyes. “The employment stuff checked out okay, right?”

“Yeah, but talk about a snafu. The call must have come when Liz wasn’t here.” I’d hit Liz up before I told my little fib on the loan application, and she’d promised to back me if the underwriters called.

“Shit. What happened? Tyler didn’t say a thing to me.”

“Apparently Cole got the call.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, really? When?”

“It’s been over a week.”

“And he didn’t say anything?”

“Not until just a few minutes ago,” I said.

She held her hands out, gesturing for me to continue. “Hello? What did he say?”

“That I owed him,” I admitted.

Her laugh was filled with pure delight. “Well, that’s convenient, isn’t it?”

“Excuse me?”

“If he said you owed him, you just need to ask him how he wants to get paid.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “And what exactly are we talking about?”

“Oh, please, Kat. Don’t play coy. I’m a cop, remember? I know how to read people. And that goes for you, too, Katrina Laron, even though you think you’re impenetrable.”

I did think that, and it was a little disconcerting to know that I was wrong. This was why I’d spent most of my life avoiding making close friends. They got into the cracks of your life, knew you too well, and made you vulnerable. But Sloane was right—as a former cop, she was used to watching people and noting the details. More than that, it wasn’t that long ago that she’d been in a similar position, plotting out a way to seduce Tyler Sharp. Considering she and Tyler were now desperately in love and deliriously happy, I had to figure she understood the game.

She looked me up and down, the movement very deliberate. “Nice dress.” Her mouth curved in a wicked grin.

“Seems like the kind of thing Cole would appreciate.”

“Bitch,” I said, but I was laughing.

“So other than the dress, what have you got in your repertoire?”

“Isn’t that the question of the day? You’re right about the intentions,” I admitted. “But I’m doing a piss-poor job on the execution.” I ran my fingers through my hair, remembered the clip too late, and cursed.

I gave her the rundown of what had happened in the gallery while I freed my hair and fluffed it with my fingers.

“But I’m not sure if he was really interested, or if it’s just me being hopeful.”

“Please tell me you aren’t really that naive,” she said. “The guy’s completely gone on you.”

“You are such a liar,” I said. Frankly, I couldn’t imagine Cole being gone on anyone. He was too damn good at keeping everything in check. As far as I’d seen over the years, that temper was the only thing that managed to escape his walls—and even that burst out like a rocket and was quickly snuffed.

“I’ve seen his face when he looks at you,” she said. “Or, more accurately, I’ve seen his face when he looks at you and you’re not looking back.” Her mouth quirked up. “You know as well as I do that Cole doesn’t give anything away that he doesn’t have to.”

“There’s one of the century’s biggest understatements.”

“I’m serious,” she said. “When Tyler looks at me the way I’ve seen Cole look at you, I know to expect a very long night, with very little sleep.”

“Oh.” I drew in a breath, then licked suddenly dry lips. “That’s something,” I added, unable to keep the smile out of my voice. “Thanks.”

“Sure,” she said. “But, listen. Are you—” She cut herself off with a shrug. “Never mind.”

“Oh, no,” I said. “No way are you pulling that with me. You’ve got something to say, and it’s about me or it’s about Cole. And I want to know.”

“It’s just—are you sure about this? And why now?”

“Yes,” I said, because despite my nervous moments and hesitations, I’d never been more sure about anything. I took her arm and steered her to a far corner, where there were no paintings displayed on the walls and therefore no guests to overhear us. “And as for now, I don’t think I have a choice anymore. I can’t get him out of my head,” I admitted. “He’s getting into my dreams. I’ve never had a guy get this far under my skin, and it’s driving me a little bit crazy.”

“So this is an exorcism?”

“Maybe. Hell, I don’t know. Why?”

“Because we’re friends, Kat. All of us. Me and Tyler, Angie and Evan. And even you and Cole. I don’t want it to get weird, and I don’t want—” She shook her head. “Sorry, that’s none of my business. Shouldn’t go there.”

No way was I letting her get away with that. “Go where?”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt,” she said.

“What are you talking about?”

She dragged her fingers through her hair. “I just happen to know that Cole doesn’t date. I don’t want you disappointed. And—to be perfectly selfish—I don’t want to lose the dynamic between the six of us.”

“I don’t, either,” I said truthfully. “But I need to do this.” I didn’t try to explain that if I didn’t, the dynamic between us would change anyway. I’d crossed a mental line, and no matter what, I couldn’t go back to being Friendly Kat, the girl with the secret crush on Cole. Because this wasn’t a crush. This was a need. This was a hunger. I’d opened Pandora’s box, and even if I’d wanted to, I couldn’t shove everything back inside.

“What do you mean he doesn’t date?” I pressed.

“That’s what Tyler told me. He fucks,” she said with a quirk of her brow. “But he doesn’t date.”

“That’s part of what makes him perfect,” I admitted, because although I had no way of knowing for sure, I’d watched him long enough and intently enough to guess that Cole was at least as fucked up as I was. “I just want to scratch this itch. And if you’re right, then Cole has the same itch, and this should work out just fine.”

“So you’re just looking for a fuck buddy?” She narrowed her eyes, obviously dubious.

“Yeah,” I said, though I hadn’t really put it in those terms before. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“Kat . . . ” She trailed off, and there was no way to miss the censure in her voice.

“What?”

“That’s a load of total bullshit.”

“No,” I said firmly, “it’s not.” And it wasn’t. I’d admit—at least to myself—that the attraction I felt for Cole pulsed hard and drove deep. But that didn’t mean I wanted to date the man—or, more specifically, it didn’t mean that I would date him, no matter how much I might want it.

Not that I could explain all of that to Sloane. We might have become friends since she’d rolled into town late last summer, but no way was I opening my closet so she could see all of my skeletons.

I didn’t need a degree in psychology to know I was fucked up, and I didn’t need a degree in human sexuality to know that I wanted Cole’s hands on me. The second one I could do something about. The first one I just had to live with.

“Trust me, Sloane,” I said, hoping that I wasn’t about to screw up royally. “I know what I’m doing.”

For a second she didn’t answer, then she nodded. “It’s your life. Go get him.”

I laughed, then signaled to a passing waiter. He paused in front of me, and I grabbed a glass of chardonnay.

I held up my finger as I downed it, silently signaling the waiter to stay. Then I exchanged my empty glass for a full one. “Liquid courage,” I said, more to Sloane than the waiter, though his lips twitched as well.

He tilted his head in both acknowledgement and farewell, then slid off into the crowd. I watched him go, knowing that my turn was next. Because Cole was somewhere in that throng, too.

I caught Sloane’s eye, and took strength from her encouraging grin. “Here goes nothing,” I said, then moved away from her and back toward the throng, determined to see this through.

It took a moment, but I finally found Cole surrounded by a group of well-heeled guests, all of whom were gazing with rapturous expressions at a canvas that seemed to be in motion, it was so full of color and life. I couldn’t hear Cole, but I saw the animation in his face, the way he got when he spoke of art.

He used his hands, his body, and with every word and motion he captured the crowd. Hell, he captured me, too, and I moved closer and closer, until finally I could hear his words and I just stood there, letting his smooth voice roll over me and give me courage.

After a moment, he wrapped up his spiel and left the guests to contemplate the painting on their own. When he did, he turned and saw me, and I felt the impact of that connection all the way to my toes.

There’d been heat between us earlier tonight—of that I no longer had any doubt. But Cole had been in control then. This time, I’d caught him unaware, and I could plainly see the pulsing hunger that raged through him as he took in the sight of me.

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Where do you want to go next?

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