After Johnny left her, Rose took in the room, looking for any means of escape. There was no furniture, nothing to use as a weapon to get the zip ties loose. Rose struggled for a while, until she realized all she was doing was hurting herself in the process.She forced herself to stay calm. She’d texted Heath her location, and she knew her brother would move heaven and earth to find her. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply, in and out.What would Seth do? Sitting in this prison cell, tied up and terrified, she felt all of her feelings of anger and grief toward Seth melt away. She wanted to see him one last time because no matter what, she loved him. What if she never got to tell him how much she loved him again?She choked back a sob at that thought. She couldn’t devolve into panic, or she would never get out of this alive.Johnny had used zip ties on her wrists and her ankles, tying each ankle to the chair itself. Years ago, she’d taken a brief self-defense class, and she forced
It was nearly dawn by the time Rose and Seth returned to Seth’s apartment. He had to get stitches in his hand, his bicep and throat were bandaged , and after long interviews with the cops, they were allowed to go home. Johnny and his gang would remain in jail for the time being.Heath had taken Callie for the day, and when they’d all met up at the hospital, he’d returned her with a shake of his head.“She wouldn’t calm down all day,” he’d reported as Callie cavorted around Rose in excitement. “I think she missed you.”Rose had almost cried at seeing Callie again. Burying her face in the dog’s fur, she’d had to gather her composure to thank her brother for everything.Now in Seth’s apartment, they both collapsed onto Seth’s bed, Callie lying at the foot of the bed. Seth winced when he rolled onto his side.“How’s your hand?” Rose asked as she curled next to him.“Fine. I think they gave me enough painkillers to sedate an elephant.”“Good. Then if you annoy me, I’ll put some into
“Okay, I’m ready.” Rose glanced one more time in the mirror, checked her makeup for the thousandth time, and took a deep breath.She walked into the living room, feeling rather absurdly exposed. Seth’s eyes widened.“Well?” she said, trying not to fidget. “Is it stupid? I’ll take it off—”“No, no. I love it.” His grin was swift as he pulled her close and into his lap. “The wings are amazing.”“Really? Do I look like a hummingbird? I thought I might look more like a blue jay—”“No way. It’s perfect. Best Halloween costume ever.”She looked at his costume and rolled her eyes. “You’re not even in a costume!”“Yes, I am.” He showed her a sign he’d made that readNudist on Strike.“I’m on strike, babe.”“Oh well, does that mean you’re on strike for me? Because that’s a damn shame.”He nuzzled her neck. “No way. You can get me naked anytime.”She laughed, and he kissed her, although she eventually pushed him away because she was not going to let him ruin her makeup. She’d
After eating dinner and changing her clothes, Jubilee almost lost her nerve. What if Heath wasn’t home? What if he was home, but he told her to go away? How humiliating. Her stomach churned as she imagined all sorts of scenarios.“Did I make myself a promise?” she said to herself as she began to put on her shoes. “I’m not going to let Heath beat me.”She wasn’t going to be that shy wallflower anymore. The girl everyone overlooked. The girl everyone assumed was too delicate, too naive, to take seriously. She wasn’t going to be that girl any longer.She only knew where Heath lived because she’d stopped by with Rose one evening a few months ago. She just hoped he was home at all tonight.When she saw Heath’s car in his driveway and a light on inside the first-floor apartment, her heart started to pound. She almost lost her nerve right then. Taking a deep breath, she told herself to remain calm, cool, collected. She’d seen how Heath looked at her. She only had to use that desire to her
Say You’re MineAll I Ask of YouMake Me YoursHold Me CloseOopsie DaisyHe Loves Me, He Loves Me NotPetal PluckerWar of the RosesincludingThen Came YouTaking a Chance on LoveAll I Want Is YouMy One and OnlyThe Nearness of YouThe Very Thought of YouIf I Can’t Have YouDream a Little Dream of MeSomeone to Watch Over MeTill There Was YouI’ll Be Home for Christmas
A coffee addict and cat lover, Iris Morland writes sexy and funny contemporary romances. If she's not reading or writing, she enjoys binging on Netflix shows and cooking something delicious.Stay in touch!irismorland.comIris Morland’s MermaidsNewsletter Facebook Twitter BookBub Goodreads Instagram
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.Someone to Watch Over Me (The Thorntons Book 5)Published by Blue Violet Press LLCSeattle, WashingtonCopyright © 2017 by Iris MorlandCover design by Resplendent MediaAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Blood, sand, heat. It smells of copper and he can’t see anything in front of him. He shouts, hoping he’s not the only survivor, and he hears a groan through all of the noise. He wonders if his eardrum is blown from the blast.He follows the noise. It’s instinctual at this point. He wonders if he imagined it when he can’t find the source of the sound. Then: he sees something. He kneels next to his comrade, gently turning him over. He doesn’t know if his friend is dead. When he hears him choke and gasp, he realizes he’s alive.But given the wound in his belly, he will be dead within minutes.He tries to get his friend up, get him help. He can’t die out here when they’re going home in a week. Not like this. His friend has a new baby girl and his wife needs him—Another blast rocks him. He collapses onto the sand, hits his head on something hard and painful, and it all goes black.Seth Thornton barely caught the scream in his throat as he woke up. Thrashing under the too-heavy bedcove