Broken With You Read online

  “You’re not driving back to Texas today, are you?” He is watching me closely, his eyes as deep and intense as the Pacific behind us. “You were up all night. You shouldn’t risk it.”

  “I’m not,” I say, imagining the surf crashing over me and Ryan’s body hot above me. “I’m staying the night and heading out first thing tomorrow.”

  “I’m very glad to hear it.” His voice is as smooth as whiskey, and I wonder if I’m getting a little bit drunk on it. “I’d worry about you.”

  I stand there, feeling nine kinds of itchy, and wait for him to make a move. But the move doesn’t come.

  I tell myself that’s a good thing.

  Then I tell myself I’m a goddamn liar.

  Then I remind myself about The Plan.

  But you know what? Screw The Plan. The Plan is for Texas, after all. I mean, I’ve pretty much already established that when in California, Jamie Archer is a hot mess. So why not be a mess one last time with this incredibly sexy guy who is making me tingle?

  Except that doesn’t seem to be an option.

  Because Ryan isn’t making a move. I consider making a pass myself. After all, I’ve never once been shy about going after a guy I wanted in my bed. With Ryan, though, I can’t seem to take that first step, and it’s weird. I’m feeling shy and awkward, and I am never shy or awkward.

  Maybe it’s the lingering effect of The Plan. Residual guilt. Pre-justification. My subconscious telling me that if he pursues me, then a California fuck is okay. But me going after him is totally against the rules.

  All of which is a load of twisted and convoluted bullshit, but I never said my subconscious was a linear thinker.

  Just go for it.

  Holy crap, this shouldn’t be that difficult. I mean, honestly. When I decided to bang Kevin in 2H, I cornered him in the laundry room, put my hand on his crotch, and asked him if he wanted to fuck. So why the hell am I all sixth-grade girl with a crush where Ryan Hunter is concerned?

  Right. Okay. Diving in now...

  I clear my throat. “So here’s the thing,” I say, and I don’t get any further. Maybe, I think, he’ll pick up the thread.

  He doesn’t. He just looks at me, all innocent interest and calm curiosity. His expression is bland, and yet I have the distinct impression that he’s amused.

  “It’s just that I can’t figure you out,” I blurt.

  “Can’t you?”

  “We’ve had some good times, right? And I’ve seen you look at me.” I lick my lips, hating how nervous I feel. “And I know I’ve looked at you. So what’s the deal?”

  “The deal?”

  I tilt my head a little and give him my best seductive smile. “You’ve never made a pass at me,” I say in the kind of voice that makes clear I would be very receptive to one right now.

  “No,” he says, “I haven’t.”

  “Oh.” I mentally backpedal. That wasn’t the response I was expecting. “Okay. So, why not?

  You’re just not interested?”

  “On the contrary. Maybe I assumed you weren’t interested.”

  “Seriously?”

  “I’ve had my eye on you for a while, Ms. Archer. And as far as I’ve seen, you’re not the least bit shy about making a move on a man you want.”

  I hear the raw heat in his voice, but I can’t tell if he is serious or if he’s playing me. All I know is that the more he looks at me with those fathomless blue eyes and the more he speaks to me in that musically sexy voice, the more I melt, until I fear that I’ll dissolve right there and be washed away when the tide comes in.

  “Oh,” I say stupidly. Dear god I want him to touch me. I’ve slept with a lot of guys, but right now, I don’t think I’ve ever been more desperate for a man’s touch.

  I think about The Plan. I think about my loophole.

  I think about the fact that the loophole calls for him to make a move on me.

  And then I think, what the hell. Just go for it.

  “All right,” I say as I quash those damn nerves, then fist my hand in his shirt and move in close.

  He smells like musk and desire and I breathe deep, letting the scent of him fill me, warm me. We’re not even inches apart, and the air between us seems to shimmer, thick with passion.

  I press my other hand to his thigh and stroke slowly up, up, up, until I brush against the hard length of his erection. My thighs quiver, and my sex tightens with need. I’m aware of every inch of my body, as if I’m a live wire, sparking and popping.

  We’re well-matched in height, and I only have to rise up a little on my toes in order to claim his mouth with mine. I close my hand over the steel of his cock and feel it twitch under my touch. I hear his moan, and it only makes me wetter.

  His hands twine in my hair, pulling me closer as he deepens the kiss, fucking me with his mouth, going deep, making me wet, so incredibly wet, so that all I want is to slide my hand into his trousers and free him, then fall onto the sand, yank my dress up, and scream as he fucks me harder than I’ve ever been fucked in my life.

  I am gasping when he breaks the kiss. I’m alive with need, my breasts aching for his touch, my cunt throbbing with demand. I’m wild, desperate, and when I see the matching wildness in his eyes, I know that this is going to be one hell of an amazing morning.

  “All right,” I say again, my voice breathless and heavy with longing. “That was me, making a move.”

  “And this,” he says gently as he takes a single step away from me, “is me, saying no.”

  * * *

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  Meet Damien Stark in the award-winning and internationally bestselling series that started it all…

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  The Steele Books/Stark International:

  He was the only man who made her feel alive.

  Say My Name

  On My Knees

  Under My Skin

  Take My Dare (includes short story Steal My Heart)

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  Stark International Novellas:

  Meet Jamie & Ryan-so hot it sizzles.

  Tame Me

  Tempt Me

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  S.I.N. Trilogy:

  It was wrong for them to be together…

  …but harder to stay apart.

  Dirtiest Secret

  Hottest Mess

  Sweetest Taboo

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  The Dark Pleasures Series:

  Sexy immortal paranormal romance

  Caress of Darkness

  Find Me In Darkness

  Find Me In Pleasure

  Find Me In Passion

  Caress of Pleasure

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  Rising Storm:

  Writing as Julie Kenner

  Small town drama

  Rising Storm: Tempest Rising

  Rising Storm: Quiet Storm

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  Devil May Care:

  Writing as Julie Kenner

  Sexy immortal paranormal romance

  Seducing Sin

  Tempting Fate

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  Stand alone novels:

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  Most Wanted:

  Three powerful, dangerous men.

  Three sensual, seductive women.

  Wanted

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  Ignited

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  Sometimes it feels so damn good to be bad.

  Wicked Grind

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  Wicked Torture

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  Stark Security:

  Charismatic. Dangerous. Sexy as hell.

  Meet the men of Stark Security.

  Shattered With You

  Broken With You

  Ruined With You

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  Blackwell-Lyon:

  Heat, humor & a hint of danger

  Lovely Little Liar

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  Sexy Little Sinner

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  Additional Titles

  One Night (A Stark World short story in the Second Chances anthology)

  J. Kenner KU Titles

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  At the time of publication, the following titles were in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program. There is no guarantee that they will remain there continuously. You can always find an updated list of JK’s Kindle Unlimited books here!

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  Man of the Month

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  Down On Me

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  Need You Now

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  In Your Eyes

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  *Bar Bites: A Man of the Month Cookbook(by J. Kenner & Suzanne M. Johnson *not in KU)

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  Extraordinarily Yours

  Sexy paranormal rom-coms!

  So (Very!) Much More than the Girl Next Door

  The Charmed Affair of an Invisible Bodyguard

  The “Super” Secret Life of an Accidental Daddy

  Never Trust a Rogue on a Magical Mission

  Mayhem, Matchmakers, and a Bit of Bewitching (novella)

  How a Sexy Hero and a Marvelous Makeover (Sorta!) Saved the World (novella)

  The Seductive Charm of a Sexy Shifter (prequel)

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  The Redemption Chronicles

  A sexy apocalyptic urban fantasy trilogy!

  Born in Darkness

  Lost in Shadows

  Surrender to Dawn

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  Demon Hunting Soccer Mom

  Like Buffy … grown up!

  Carpe Demon

  California Demon

  Demons Are Forever

  Deja Demon

  The Demon You Know (short story)

  Demon Ex Machina

  Pax Demonica

  Day of the Demon

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  Other titles in KU

  Wild Thing

  ’Til Death Do Us Part

  About the Author

  J. Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and #1 International bestselling author of over one hundred novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.

  JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swoon for them.” A five-time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy) and the RITA trophy for Wicked Dirty in the same category in 2017.

  In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a lawyer in Southern California and Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.

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