Keep Me by Faith Andrews
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Day: January 28th 2014
Sexy, tatted up, underwear model Marcus Grayson is every girl’s dream—or more likely worst nightmare. He’s a player, a self-proclaimed bachelor for life, and he’s got no problem living up to his man-whore status. But when his older sister’s friend comes back from the past, he may just have the chance to turn some of his adolescent fantasies into reality.
Tessa Bradley is a self-sufficient, take-no-bull, single mother—well, now she is. Finally rid of her abusive, alcoholic ex, she’s making a new life for herself and catching up with old friends; the ones she was forced to break ties with because of her controlling husband. When she runs into Marcus, her friend Riley’s once-adorable turned smoking-hot little brother, she has no idea how he’s about to rock her world.
You wanted me then, now you can have me. Just promise you’ll Keep Me…
Teaser
I
didn’t feel like such a “good girl” as I was grinding my ass
into Marcus on the dance floor singing along to Robin Thicke. But the
lines were certainly becoming blurred and my vision pretty hazy. This
night was turning into a lot of fun. Marcus and I
were
having a lot of fun. Even if it was becoming that kind of
will-we-regret-this-tomorrow kind of fun.
“Hey
sexy, need another drink?” The two of us halted our inappropriate
display to see Jenifer, the one with one ‘N’ not two as she
always had to correct, taking it all in.
“Nah,
Jen we’re good. Right, sexy?”
Good
was one word for it. So was intoxicated, plastered and
drunk-off-my-face. “Mmmhhhm. How ‘bout water?”
“Someone’s
going to have a nasty hangover in the morning.” Jenifer all but
sang.
Dismissing
Jen and her one ‘N,’ Marcus looped his arm around my neck. “Yeah,
not if I can help it. Come on, babe, let’s get you some water.”
Marcus ushered me back to our table with a protective grip.
He
left me there to head to the bar and when I finally sat down, things
really started to spin. Like Tilt-a-Whirl at Coney Island spin. I
took a napkin and patted my face, leaning forward and trying to fight
the nausea that was making its way up.
“Here.
Drink this. You don’t look too good.”
I
glanced up, expecting to meet eyes with Marcus, but instead was
greeted by Seth, a design engineer at GX. “Thank you!” I blurted
out before gulping down the entire ice-cold contents of the glass and
slamming it back down on the table.
“You
okay, Tessa? Need a ride home?”
Did
I need a ride home? Hmm, something to ponder. I hadn’t been with a
man since…and come to think of it, Seth was pretty hot. Jesus,
Tessa. Tame yourself.
He’s
trying to be a gentleman and you’re all desperate and horny.
“No,
I think I’m okay. Nothing another glass of water won’t fix.”
Marcus
appeared out of nowhere. “Well, then aren’t you glad I brought
you another, pretty girl? Thanks, Seth. I can take if from here.”
“Can you, Marcus?
‘Cause I’m pretty sure the shots you were feeding her are what
got her where she is right now.”
The
two men stared at each other as if a sparring match was about to
start any second—a duel, a quarrel, a showdown to prove whose
goddamn water was better.
“Save
it, Seth. I would never do anything to hurt Tessa. She’s a friend.
I’ve known her since I was a kid.”
And
there it was. That was sobering. No matter how much fun we were
having out there pretending and flirting, the truth was that I was
just a friend.
Was I a moron to think that Marcus the Stud could really see me as
anything other than his older sister’s gal pal?
“You
know what, Seth. I might just take you up on that offer. Let me just
grab my purse and…”
“Whoa,
whoa, whoa! Hold up. What just happened here?” Marcus’s eyes
narrowed to slits as he appraised the situation.
“You
heard her, Marcus. She’s ready to go home.”
“Shut
up, Seth,” he said without taking his eyes off mine. “We were
having a good time. What’s the matter? Did I do something wrong?”
“Nope,
not at all. You’re my friend
and
friends
should
be allowed to have a good time together without worrying about who
the other goes home with. Right, friend?”
I didn’t know why I was getting so bent out of shape. I had no
right to make it like we were anything more than friends, but for
some reason hearing Marcus call me that to a man who seemed
interested in being more than just friends.
. .it just burned my ass.
“Seth?
Does the offer still stand?”
Without
speaking a response, Seth reached for my hand and started to lead me
toward the exit.
Until
Marcus’s tattooed hand clamped down on his shoulder. “Fat chance,
fucko. I wouldn’t let her go home in that condition with anyone.
That wouldn’t make me a good friend
at all. So goodnight, Seth. She’ll see you in the office on
Monday.”
“You
two have issues. Hope you make it home in one piece.” Seth turned
away, his interest instantly caught by the drink-toting Jenifer. And
here I thought he was a gentleman. He was only looking for someone
to go home with.
I
spun around, slightly embarrassed. Okay. More like utterly mortified.
“What
was that all about? You really wanted to go home with that douche?”
I
closed my eyes in an attempt to collect my scattered thoughts, the
ones that were sprinkled all around me in a mess of confusion because
of the man standing in front of me. “Forget it, Marcus. I’m drunk
and tired and I just want to go home. I’m calling a cab.”
“First
of all, please drink this. Second of all, you’re not going home in
a cab at this hour all alone. Third of all, look at me.”
Look
at him? Why? So he could melt me again? Make me feel all these crazy,
irrational things I wasn’t supposed to be feeling about him?
Without looking at him, I politely took the water from his hands,
drained the glass and then started toward the exit again. This time
alone.
As
I stepped outside, the fresh, crisp air of the spring night nipped at
my bare shoulders and swayed in my hair. I felt his hand at my waist.
“Wait,
Tessa. Please. What did I do?”
“Nothing!
You did absolutely nothing!” The alcohol was really making me seem
bi-polar. I was suddenly angry at all the nothing
that
was taking place around us. He did nothing while making me feel a
whole lot of something.
Marcus
just stared at me as my chest heaved. I was breathless and trying to
regain some semblance of normalcy. His gaze went from concerned to
heated in an instantaneous rush of something I simply couldn’t
explain.
I
stood with my back against the brick wall of the club as Marcus
wrapped his fingers in my hair and pinned me back. Unable to move,
unable to speak, I just waited. His lips crushed mine with the most
intense want I ever felt from a man. Maybe I was wrong about the
friend thing after all. Add blind and dumb to the list of things
alcohol did to me.
It
felt like time had stopped and the world ceased to spin as his tongue
tasted mine and his lips worked their magic. My body became one with
the wall, my mouth and limbs controlled only by Marcus’s touch. His
tongue prowled inside of me, as if exploring and discovering
something for the very first time. His hands roamed—my face, my
arms, my chest and my hips. Our kiss grew more and more intense and
the delicious flicks of his skillful tongue had me on the brink of
whimpering right there on the sidewalk. Little Marcus Grayson was a
fantastic kisser. Holy
shit! I’m kissing Little Marcus Grayson.
“Stop.
We can’t.” I pulled away, biting my lip. I didn’t exactly want
to stop, but it was probably the right thing to do.
“Oh
my God, Tessa. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”
His grey eyes sparkled with satisfaction.
Huh?
“Seriously?”
His finger was at my
lips now, grazing the swollen flesh. “Seriously.”
Faith Andrews lives in New York where she is happily married to her high school sweetheart. They have two beautiful daughters and a furry Yorkie son, Rocco. If she isn’t listening to Mumford and Sons or busy being a Dance Mom, her nose is in a book or her laptop. She’s a sucker for a happily ever after and believes her characters are out there living one somewhere . . .
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