Twenty-Four Hours
Carolyn Anthony
(A Shattered Boundaries Novel)
Publication date: July 3rd 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
The second chance that might never happen…
Eve Luccio waited years for her first love, but somehow their lives were never quite in sync. Now, at thirty-six, her only focus is completing the final year of her PhD. The last thing on her mind is the honor-driven former Navy SEAL who stole her heart as a teen and left her unable to love any other man since.
When Jake Theron walks back into Eve’s life, his presence shatters her walls of self preservation. He unleashes a dark sexuality that Eve never imagined she would experience, much less come to crave. All he wants from her is a day of her trust—twenty-four uninterrupted hours before she crosses the country for her Post Doctorate position in New York. But letting down her guard for even twenty-four hours with Jake might just destroy her.
For Jake Theron, Eve was always “the one that got away,” except even after two decades, she’s still under his skin. When Eve finally agrees to see him, Jake vows he won’t let her slip through his fingers again.
But nobody knows better than Jake what a vicious bitch fate can be. When his life gets in the way, he realizes he may have to let Eve go once again—this time for her own good.
All he has left are the next twenty-four hours. One day and night in a seaside hotel, after which he has no choice but to let her walk out of his life with no guarantee he’ll ever see her again. The problem is, now that he’s had a real taste of the woman who should have been his twenty years ago, he’s not sure he’ll have the strength to let her go.
—
EXCERPT:
He moved his lips to her ear. “That’s what home feels like.”
Eve framed his cheeks and leaned back. “You are home to me, Jake.”
“Mmm.” He kissed her forehead, pushed his hands under her ass and lifted her up without pulling out.
“What are you doing?” She smiled into his shoulder.
“Bed. No need to mess up the kitchen. I knew that dress would be useful for something other than looking amazing on you.” He knelt on the bed and fell forward with her.
“Jake!”
They both laughed as her back hit the mattress with him on top of her.
Pulling back, he stared down at her before kissing her forehead and slowly pulling out. “Stay here. I’ll get you a towel.” Stark ass naked, he walked to the bathroom.
A smile pushed at her lips as he came back with her towel and his boxers on.
With a longing look at the table full of food, Jake groaned as he walked past it to her.
“You’re hungry.” She fought back a laugh.
Looking amused, he dropped to the bed beside her and gently cleaned her up. Jake was like a grumpy bear when he was hungry.
“I’m fucking starving. I gotta eat something other than you.”
He stood up, grabbed her ankles and pulled her to him by the side of the bed. Then handed her one of his T-shirts.
“Go clean up. I’ll heat it up. We’ll eat then…what? Movie?”
She wrapped the towel around her and sat on the side of the bed. “A movie’s fine.”
Before she could reach the bathroom, Jake’s voice stopped her. “Baby….”
She turned to him. “Yeah?”
“You know I won’t make it through a movie with you…”
Sadness washed over her, because there wasn’t enough time.
“I know.” Never enough time.
His vivacious laugh rang through the small room. “Just so we’re clear. This right here—” He waved his hand over the food. “—Is about refueling. Don’t plan on sleeping too much.”
“I’ll be right out.” She walked into the bathroom, leaving him to heat up dinner. Eve’s body ached and her heart broke. Tomorrow…today would be on a long list of yesterdays—days she could never get back. While it would be one of the best in her thirty-six years, it would bleed into yet another painful memory with little hope of healing.
Author Bio:
Carolyn Anthony is a sucker for a dark romance with a dominant, tattooed, alpha badass man at the helm.
Her characters deal with real life issues: the painful, the tragic, the damaging sort of life events that leave both external and internal scars, because she’s been there.
Her heroines are strong women at the core who will always find what’s been lost, taken or exploited: their strength, their self-worth, their identity, their innocence or their love. She writes about women exploring their sexuality, owning that sexuality and enjoying it. Along for the ride, the hot-ass men who prove worthy enough to be on that journey with them.
Book one in the Shattered Boundaries Series, Twenty-Four Hours, will be available to buy on July, 3, 2017. Each book is a stand alone with a well earned HEA. Book two coming soon as well as Phoenix, the first book in a Contemporary second chances trilogy.
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