Sometimes before we fall . . . we fly.
One dark moment was all it took to turn twenty-four-year-old Dominic Kinkaide's world black. On the night of his high school graduation, a single incident changed him forever, and he became a hardened man-famous in the eyes of the world, but tortured inside. Now all he cares about is losing himself in the roles that he plays.
At twenty-three years old, Jacey Vincent doesn't realize how much her father's indifference has affected her. She is proof that sometimes it isn't one specific moment that wrecks a person, but an absence of moments. She tries to find acceptance in the arms of men to fill the void-a plan that has worked just fine for her, until she meets Dominic.
When jaded Dominic and strong-willed Jacey are thrown together, the combination of his secrets and her issues turns their attraction into the perfect storm. It could change their lives for good-if it doesn't tear them both apart . . .
EXCERPT
Jacey
is standing still in the middle of the room, dressed in her uniform, letting a
party guest lick salt off of her forearm for a tequila shot. She’s heavily made
up tonight- thick mascara, red lipstick.
She smiles up at him with those red lips and a fake smile and as she
does, she catches sight of me.
She
freezes in shock, although what the fuck?
I’m the one living here temporarily.
I belong here, she doesn’t.
Suddenly,
a guy comes rushing up to me, someone I don’t know. A very drunk someone.
“Dude,
can you sign my shirt for my girlfriend?
If I take home your autograph, I’ll get laid for a month.”
He
grabs at my arm and I shake him off in annoyance.
“Dude.
If you were lucky enough to get invited here, then you should know not
to approach anyone for autographs.”
I’m
not usually so rude to fans. But my mood
gets the better of me. The guy stares at me, stunned, and I continue on my
way. As I do, I feel Jacey’s gaze.
She
pulls her arm away from the guy, sets down her tray of shots, and makes a
beeline for me.
I
turn my back on her, intent on continuing up the stairs without acknowledging
her, but she won’t have it. She grabs my
arm, forcing me to look at her.
“
Are you all right?” she demands. “That
was pretty harsh.”
I
glance down at her, into her brown eyes and find her to be sincerely
concerned. I must look seriously rattled
if she noticed that something is wrong. She barely knows me. Her fingers are warm on my arm and for a
minute, I waver.
She’s
warm and soft and concerned. I know what
that might turn into.
A
wild night that will make me feel better.
Women
are all the same, they want to fix what is broken and they’re willing to do
anything to accomplish that. I never
talk about my past or anything at all about me, but women can still sense that
I’m fucked up. What they don’t
understand… is that I’m unfixable.
I
stare down at her again, shaking my head.
“I’m
fine. Don’t worry about it.”
But
she looks at me again, really looks at me, her brown eyes probing mine. “I don’t think you are. What happened?”
“Why
does it matter to you?” I ask, before I can stop myself.
Because
something about her makes me think that it does somehow matter to her and not
just because I’m Dominic Kinkaide.
Everything I’ve seen of Jacey is wild and untamed… she works for
Saffron, pushes cops around, gets dressed in parking lots and lets men lick
salt off her body for tequila shots.
Yet
at the same time, she seems warm and real.
I haven’t forgotten how she shoved her way in between Cris and I and
shielded my body with her own. She’s a
puzzle.
Jacey
looks confused by my question.
“It
matters because you’re not some stranger off the street. You look seriously
upset. Of course I’m going to ask you
if you’re alright. Who wouldn’t?”
Most
of the people I know in Hollywood, I think.
But
I don’t say it. Instead, I turn my back
and start up the stairs again. I don’t
fucking answer to her or anyone else.
“Do
you need anything?” Jacey’s voice is hesitant behind me. “An ice pack or anything? That bruise on your
cheek looks like it still hurts.”
I
pause, not looking at her. Instead I
remember her bare leg, stretching toward the sky while her tiny uniform shorts
slide over it. The mere memory of the
way she’d undressed right out in the open sets my pulse to racing.
Yeah,
there’s a bunch of things I need, but only one thing that will take my mind off
the reason that I need them.
“Yeah,
I need something.”
There
is a moment of silence between us, then another.
Finally
she asks, “And that is?”
I
turn back around slowly, looking her up and down until my eyes freeze upon hers
and stay there. Hers are dark and
sincere, waiting for me to say something. She has no idea what kind of person I
am. She has no idea that I’m just a
shell, completely empty inside.
If
she did, she would run far, far away.
I
stare into her eyes as I move closer and she doesn’t look away.
I
step back down until we’re on the same step and her back is against the
wall. I press against her, close enough
that my rigid dick digs into her hip.
With
my mouth mere centimeters from her ear, I say, “You. Spread-eagled and tied up on my bed. That would do for a start.”
REVIEW
WOW! This was one scorcher of a read!! Absolutely fantastic.
Move over Christian Grey, Dominic Kinkaide needs to take his rightful place as king of the broken bad boys!!
I LOOOVED Dominic. He was so complex, and he certainly knew how to get my attention. In fact he demanded it whenever he appeared in this story, and I gave it to him 100%. Of course, who doesn't love a lost soul who needs some fixing, and even though Dom didn't believe he could be fixed, even thought he felt he deserved to be disconnected on every emotional level, he had more heart and goodness in his soul than he gave himself credit for. I was thoroughly intrigued by his story. What had happened in the past that made him torture himself so much? It was a guessing game from the start, and when the truth was finally revealed, I was blown away because it was so much more darker than I could have ever imagined.
I was expecting more from Jacey. I felt like I never fully knew her or understood her story. Not the way I did with Dom. He may have closed himself off from everything, but he became an open book, and I would have liked to have seen the same for Jacey. It makes me wonder if I should grab a copy of If You Leave (Yes, I haven't read it! Please don't hurt me - unless you're sending Dominic to do the hurting, then YES, PLEASE!!!) I'm not sure how much of Jacey and her story is in the second book in the Beautifully Broken series, but I really want to get a better sense of who she is. She was sweet, and kind, and gentle, and I knew she was living with the guilt of what Jared had done, but I wanted to know more.
This story was HOT! The chemistry between Jacey and Dominic was off the charts, and the sex was dirty and raw, but very sensual. I was sent on an emotional roller coaster ride with soaring highs and crushing lows. A stellar read that will break your heart at the same time it warms it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Courtney Cole is a New York Times and USA Todaybestselling author who lives near Lake Michigan with her family. She's always working on her next project... or staring dreamily out her office window.
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