Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Date of publication:
When attorney Jami Dillon strides into the conference room to meet her new client, she’s stopped in her tracks by an all-too familiar figure. Jackson Paige. He’s her tall, tattooed, and sexy as hell hook up from law school—who also broke her heart.
Hell’s bells.
Jackson Paige was, in fact, Jax Pain, the drummer of Manix Curse.
That thing in Jami’s chest tightened, making it hard to breathe.
Jackson Paige, aka Jax Pain, has worked hard to put that unfor-frickin-gettable fling behind him and the nasty secret that made him leave her. Truth is, life as the playboy drummer of Portland’s hottest metal band hasn’t helped him to forget the fiery, sexy woman who stole his heart. Lucky for him, Jami was just hired as his band’s new attorney. But when he sees the look on her face when she realizes who her new client is, Jax wonders if maybe being this close to her again isn’t such a great idea. The explosive chemistry is there, but so are the dark secrets…
Enjoy this excerpt!
Why did it seem like Jackson was always right? It was starting to
get annoying. But she did want to know what had happened to make him run from
her five years ago. So long ago she’d buried those feeling of want and
abandonment under something she could control. Discipline. Control. And school.
Jami felt completely unnerved under Jackson’s frank gaze. Afraid to
know the truth, if he thought it was so bad that she might not ever forgive
him. But he stared at her like he knew her, like he could see deep down into
her dark places, and he maybe still liked her anyway. The weird, soft, twisty
thing she’d felt unfurling before began to unwind more, stretching its warm
tendrils.
“You gave me something. A piece of you. I want to give you something
back.”
Her throat clogged, like there were jagged pieces of glass she
couldn’t swallow down. “I’m afraid,” she managed.
His long thumb, the one with the black heart fashioned at the base
of it, gently stroked the top her hand. The motion was both reassuring and
unsettling. Every touch, accidental or calculated, sent sharp reminders of her
body’s need for Jackson Paige. Was this addiction? Was this why it had hurt so
badly and had taken so long to recover from his blow to her heart?
Now here he was playing the part of avenging angel and attentive
lover, practically begging for a chance at redemption. What if she didn’t get
the closure she’d needed so desperately for so long? What if his answers didn’t
quite meet her expectations?
As if he could read her mind, he gave her a lopsided smile. “I’m not
looking to make amends, Jami. I’m looking to give you an explanation. One that’s
probably pathetic at best.”
She simply nodded.
“It wasn’t you. It was never you.”
Her heart, beating double-time since they’d sat down, suddenly
stopped and dropped to her feet. The grim look on his face quickly transformed
to horror when he glanced up. “No, no, no. I said that wrong.” He brushed his
hand over her hair, tucking in a long tendril. “I meant I didn’t leave because
of anything you said or did.”
After taking a sip of water, she found her voice. “Then why? Because
everything seemed pretty great.”
He smiled weakly. “Do you remember what we talked about that
morning?”
She shook her head. No, not really. They’d made love so sweetly and
slowly, chatted in the afterglow about school and art. Then he’d left for
class. “We had sex and talked about school.”
“We made love. And it was fucking epic. We talked about art.” He
watched her closely, his eyes narrowing, waiting for her memory to come clear. Her
cheeks burned like they’d caught fire. Jackson remembered their lovemaking the
same as she did.
Yes, his art. And how he’d wanted to balance a law career with being
an artist.
“And you wanted to do a showing at the campus gallery.”
He nodded, waiting.
Her heart started beating again, hard against her ribs. “I laughed.”
Ice flooded her veins. She had laughed, speculating he’d be too busy with his
career as an entertainment attorney to be able to pursue his hobby. “But I didn’t
laugh at you. I thought you’d be in so much demand as a lawyer. Oh my God,
Jackson, I dismissed your passion like it was a silly little whim. I’m so very
sorry.” Exactly as her parents had done to her when she’d wanted to go into
nonprofit or environmental law.
“I know, sunshine.” He squeezed her hand. “I was going to skip
class, went to get us coffee and scones. I was all set to come back and finish
the conversation instead of leaving it hanging there.”
“But you didn’t come back.”
“No. I didn’t.”
“Why?” She hated how shaky her voice sounded, how the short
word came out as a whine.
iBooks: http://apple.co/2lCZFDZ
About the author:
Award-winning debut author KASEY LANE writes sexy romances featuring music, hot guys with ink, kick ass women, and always a happily ever after. A California transplant, she lives with her high school crush turned husband, two smart, but devilish kids, two Papillions, three cats, and several chickens in the lush Oregon forest.
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