Amy
Daws
London
Bound (London Lovers #3)
Release Date: May 14, 2015
Release Date: May 14, 2015
Blurb:
***After falling in love with "us" in
the first two installments of the London Lovers Series, now...it's Leslie's
turn in this spicy series stand alone.***
When Leslie Lincoln, a spunky, red-headed American, suffers an awkward moment with an arousingly-sexy British man—she thinks her life can't get any more pathetic.
She's done with men.
She doesn't need them.
She especially doesn't need their muscular thighs.
No siree, she's going to forget all about the brooding, complicated, and seductive "Theo" who captivated her on the dance floor of a London nightclub.
Keep telling yourself that, Lez.....
Immersing herself into a new type of romantic cleanse, Leslie thinks she'll never lay eyes on Theo again. But somehow, he's managed to bulldoze his way back in—her cheetah-print onesie pajamas be damned.
He wants more.
She wants to run.
But he can’t seem to let her go.
Both of them have a past—and neither want to share.
How can love possibly survive in darkness?
When Leslie Lincoln, a spunky, red-headed American, suffers an awkward moment with an arousingly-sexy British man—she thinks her life can't get any more pathetic.
She's done with men.
She doesn't need them.
She especially doesn't need their muscular thighs.
No siree, she's going to forget all about the brooding, complicated, and seductive "Theo" who captivated her on the dance floor of a London nightclub.
Keep telling yourself that, Lez.....
Immersing herself into a new type of romantic cleanse, Leslie thinks she'll never lay eyes on Theo again. But somehow, he's managed to bulldoze his way back in—her cheetah-print onesie pajamas be damned.
He wants more.
She wants to run.
But he can’t seem to let her go.
Both of them have a past—and neither want to share.
How can love possibly survive in darkness?
Goodreads:
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Excerpts:
CHAPTER Five
“I
think you need a spruce, Lez,” he states deadpan.
“Like
a spa visit?” Angela asks excitedly.
“Not
a spa exactly. More like…a cleanse.”
Frank fixes a salacious grin on me as he appears excited for what he has in
mind. I squirm, feeling nervous about where the hell this is going.
“I’ve
done cleanses before, they are miserable,” Angela says, dramatically raising
her glass and taking a drink.
“This
is a different kind of cleanse. It could be miserable for Leslie, but I know
many mates who would bloody love it.”
“What’s
involved?” I ask warily. Why the hell would I agree to something that might
make me miserable?
“It’s…what
I would call…a seven-step program. You have to follow all of the steps in order
to gain the maximum benefits and achieve full happiness. Do you agree to it?”
“Agree
to what? To doing this crazy cleanse that I have no clue what’s even involved?
Absolutely not! I can’t even drink black coffee, Frank. If this cleanse drink
tastes disgusting, I can’t do it.”
“Nothing
will taste disgusting on this cleanse, I assure you,” he replies cryptically.
“I
don’t know.”
“You
need this, Leslie. You’ve been in a funk ever since Finley got engaged to that
sex monster, Brody.”
I
blanch. Frank has a huge man-crush on Brody. It all started when he got a
full-frontal Magic Mike image of
Brody and Finley one morning at the house. Brody’s a good-looking guy, don’t
get me wrong. But I see him more like a brother.
“So,
this cleanse you’re suggesting will get me out of this funk?”
“Without
question,” Frank says, and turns his wide brown eyes on me. He’s sincere. I can
see it in his demeanor. He genuinely wants me to do this.
“I’m
not interested in a boyfriend, Frank. I don’t want a relationship.”
“That’s
not what this is about. I promise.”
I
smirk sneakily and Frank jumps up thrusting his hands into the air in victory,
knocking his chair down in the meantime. Several people gawk at his obnoxious
display.
Holy
balls. This is Frank. What have I gotten myself into?
CHAPTER TWENTY
I shake my head and turn
toward the wall, feeling physically unable to face Theo. All I can picture is
his lips on that blonde bimbo, and it’s nauseating. Not to mention, I’m certain
I look like a hot mess of runny makeup and tears.
“Leslie.” He says my name
softly. I brace my fingertips on the wall for support, just to give me
something to focus on besides Theo’s face. “Leslie,” he utters again,
reverently.
I laugh pathetically. “You
showed me,” I croak in a high-pitched tight sound. “You said you’d show me
‘nice’ and boy did you.” I sniff loudly and try to clear my gravelly voice.
“I didn’t want to show you
anything!” He presses his front to my back, mirroring my braced hands on the
wall, encasing me. I can feel the intense rise and fall of his chest and I
shiver at his close proximity.
“I just wanted to wake you
the fuck up!” His breath tickles the hair on my head.
“I’m awake,” I giggle sadly,
biting my lip. “Who is that girl?”
“No one.”
“You like kissing no ones, do
you?" I roll my eyes even though he can’t see them.
“I like kissing you,” he says, slowly. “I more than like kissing you, Leslie.” He
removes his hand from the wall and grabs my waist softly, turning me to face
him. His rough hands on my exposed torso send intimate shooters through my
core. I look sideways, unable to make eye contact.
“Can’t you see this, Leslie?”
he pushes my bangs away from my eyes. “Can’t you see this as something more?
Don’t you feel it?” I shake my head, willing my chin not to wobble. I’m scared
shitless right now. Scared of what this could be. Scared of what it could turn
into. Scared of letting myself have hope.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“You’re incredible, Leslie.
You have to know that. You have to know how special you are.”
I swallow around a hard knot
forming in my throat.
“I’ve never felt that before,” I whisper softly, my voice catching at my
very raw and vulnerable admission. No hiding anymore.
“You’ll never feel anything
less with me. I promise you.” He
shakes his head disbelievingly. “You shine straight through me. You’ve brought
me back.” He kisses me softly on the lips and murmurs against my mouth, “You’re
impossibly special.”
In all my life, I’ve never
felt what Theo’s managed to make me feel in a matter of seconds. Knowing my
words will only pale in comparison to his, I return his kiss passionately,
whispering a simple ‘thank you’.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
I walk in and Finley is
shoulders deep in their Jacuzzi tub with earbuds in. She must hear me because
her eyes flutter open and turn to saucers as she sees me. Sitting up quickly,
she splashes water all over the floor.
“Leslie, what? Oh my God!
What?”
“I’m okay, Finny…I just need
you,” I cry hard and she gestures for me to come over to the tub. I perch
myself on the edge.
“I want to hug you but I
don’t want to ruin your dress.”
“It’s ruined for me anyway.”
“No, Leslie! No! What
happened?” She stands and grabs the towel on the shelf nearby, then steps
gently out of the tub, wet bubbles cascading down her legs and onto the floor.
Once she’s secured the towel tightly around her chest, she perches on the side of
the tub next, wrapping one arm around me.
“I don’t even know, Fin. I
just know he doesn’t want me anymore.” I cry even harder as I say the words out
loud for the first time.
“How do you know that,
Leslie?”
“There’s someone else, Fin.
It’s this big secret that he won’t tell me.”
“That’s crazy. I’ve seen the
way he looks at you. There is no way he’s ever looked at anyone else like that.
That’s a one-time-only kind of love.”
“Love? Oh please, Fin. He
doesn’t love me. He just liked me—and now that’s over. There’s no way someone
like him can love someone like me.”
“Leslie,” she says, grabbing
my cheeks in her hands and pinching me until it’s painful. I gape directly into
her round eyes. “You stop that, right now! That man loves you like Brody loves
me. He loves you.” She releases her
tight grip and grabs my hand in hers. The pruneyness gives me the shivers.
“You didn’t see him tonight.
He was aggressive and angry and scary. It’s all just gotten to be too much for
me, Finley. I never wanted any of this to begin with.”
“And why is that?”
I shrug my shoulders, feeling
the weight of the world pressing down on them.
“The cracks, Leslie. You’re
keeping something from me. I know it.” I crumple over and my shoulders shake
with silent sobs. “What is it, Lez? What have you not told me?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Theo is quiet the entire
drive. When we arrive at his house, he silently takes my hand and leads me into
his flat and into his master bath. He flips on the shower and removes his
glasses and all of his clothes, silently gazing at me the entire time. He
strides over to me and pulls my t-shirt over my head and undoes the string on
my cotton pants, pulling them down as he does. We’re both standing before each
other completely naked and silent, the shower steam swirling around us.
He grasps my hand again and
leads me into his glass walk-in shower. He proceeds to tilt my head back into
the water and watches me quietly. Leaning in and pausing, he breathes heavily
against my skin before dropping feather-light kisses along my neck, collarbone,
and shoulders. I bring my head back down and stare deeply into his eyes. I’m
trying to figure him out but the raw vulnerability that stares back at me
brings tears to my eyes.
He bites his tongue to the
side and grabs the soap, squirting some into a sponge. He turns me away from
him and begins washing me, reverently—gently and protectively covering every
inch of me with the soapy bubbles. It’s overwhelming. The intimacy of it
all—it’s all too much. Tears bubble up and fall down my wet cheeks.
Theo feels my shoulders
shuddering beneath his hand and he turns me around to face him again. His pale
brown eyes flash quickly between my green ones. As if consciously choosing to
use actions instead of words, he tilts my head sideways and presses his lips to
mine. He moves us back so the water is pouring down over our faces and between
our mouths. It’s a waterfall of lips, tears, tongues, and ragged breaths.
Feeling everything he’s telling me without words, I pour every single tear and
ounce of angst I have into this kiss. All my fear, anxiety, pain, grief…all of
it is swirling deeply within this soul-shattering kiss.
He pushes me back against the
wall and pulls my legs up onto his hips as our kiss grows frenzied and
desperate. He slides into me in one languid push and holds himself there, just
letting our bodies connect in the most carnal and natural way.
He stops kissing me and looks
deeply into my eyes. The vulnerability there on display for me to see—to
accept—to love. I can feel it. I can touch it. Every single part of
him—physically, emotionally, he’s offering it to me. It’s all I can do to
accept it all.
Can I possibly love this man?
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
“You are beautiful, Leslie.” He tucks a stray auburn lock behind my
ear tenderly and moves my bangs off to the side, like he always does. “Your
light, your smile, your playfulness.” I roll my eyes and look down, feeling
horribly uncomfortable with all these compliments. This man is Superman, how
does he even see me?
He crooks his finger under my
chin forcing me to look him in the eyes. “I mean it. I never stopped chasing
you because you are the light to my darkness. The one thing that just shines in
my life. You make it all less horrible, Leslie. You…are worth every single millimeter I ran to catch
you.” He swallows hard, glancing out the window briefly and then swings his
gaze back to me, his expression turns urgent. “I said last night that it was
all too much, that I was overwhelmed. I need you to know that I am
overwhelmed—but only because I’ve been wanting to tell you something for a
while now, but I didn’t want to scare you.”
Becoming
Us
London Lovers # 1
Blurb:
The dreaded
friend-zone... The last place I ever want to be with college basketball God,
Jake LaShae. I am losing my mind trying to figure out what this gorgeous and confident
man wants from me. I need to break through his walls. What is it about me that
makes him not go there? What am I lacking? When a mind-blowing betrayal knocks
the wind out of me, and I think I can't feel any lower...Brody stumbles into my
path-barefoot no less, and sexy as hell. His direct and mouth-watering swagger
is a breath of fresh air. The feelings this man gives me are like nothing I've
ever experienced. But Brody has a past. A past that makes it nearly impossible
for him to trust me and let us become us in whatever capacity that may be. Just
when Brody and I truly connect, just when I think that finding my soul-mate in
college isn't a total joke, Jake comes back into my life...and messes things
up...possibly for good.
Goodreads:
Buy
Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00RE4IMVY
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/becoming-us-amy-daws/1121080072?ean=9780990325284
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/becoming-us-amy-daws/1121080072?ean=9780990325284
A
Broken Us
London Lovers # 2
Blurb:
The moment
those words come out of the doctor’s mouth, I feel sick.
So sick.
The life I have dreamed of…obliterated.
And Brody.
God, Brody.
How will he look at me?
How can he accept me?
He'll know what I hid from him.
He'll know everything.
It’s over. It’s completely over. I can't tell him "I love Us" anymore.
Even though I do.
Even though it will kill me.
I can't tell him anything. Everything is ruined. Pummeled. Broken.
I have to leave him. I have to give up us.
I know he'll come after me.
I just have to do something to make him not want to.
So sick.
The life I have dreamed of…obliterated.
And Brody.
God, Brody.
How will he look at me?
How can he accept me?
He'll know what I hid from him.
He'll know everything.
It’s over. It’s completely over. I can't tell him "I love Us" anymore.
Even though I do.
Even though it will kill me.
I can't tell him anything. Everything is ruined. Pummeled. Broken.
I have to leave him. I have to give up us.
I know he'll come after me.
I just have to do something to make him not want to.
Goodreads:
Buy
Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00MXQGR2O
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-broken-us-amy-daws/1120361694?ean=9780990325246
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-broken-us-amy-daws/1120361694?ean=9780990325246
Amy Daws is a goof of epic proportions. She enjoys making dumb videos and laughing at herself...a lot. It gets awkward. She thinks she should have tried her hand at improv theater but figured she'd learn how life looks behind the lens of a camera first.
She also thinks talking about herself in the third person isn't awkward at all.
Amy lives in South Dakota with her husband, Kevin, and their miracle daughter, Lorelei. The long-awaited birth of Lorelei is what inspired Amy’s first book, Chasing Hope, and her passion for writing.
Amy's contemporary romance books are a part of the The London Lovers Series and currently have two installments out with more to come. Her writing style is emotional and self-deprecating with awkward humor sprinkled in. Basically, if she makes you cry happy and sad tears...she's achieved her goal. Extra points if you have to blow your nose.
Amy's inspiration for writing is and always will be her six precious angel babies and her daughter, Lorelei. On most nights, you can find Amy and her family dancing to Strawberry Shortcake’s theme song or stuffing themselves inside children’s-sized playhouses because there is nothing they wouldn’t do for their little miracle.
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