Blair Babylon Books: February 2015

Friday, February 27, 2015

New Releases, Pre-Order Sale, and Freebies for February!

Every Breath You Take

(Billionaires in Disguise: Georgie and Rock Stars in Disguise: Xan, Book 1)

By: Blair Babylon

What happens when a Rock Star in Disguise meets a Billionaire in hiding?

Georgie doesn’t know who she is dating.

At a high society wedding, Georgie Johnson is introduced to Alexandre de Valentinois, a hereditary duke of nothing who flies around the world on his private planes and describes himself as “one of those despicable, idle rich men.” But Alexandre is Xan Valentine, rock star front man for Killer Valentine. He’s famous, but his paparazzi-dogged lifestyle might get Georgie killed.

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PRE-ORDER SALE!

Mismatched

By: Elle Casey and Amanda McKeon

Former college roommates Erin and Ridlee leave Boston for Ireland to track down an inheritance, and end up at a matchmaking festival in Lisdoonvarna. Ridlee's a newly minted attorney, and Erin's part owner of the Pot O' Gold Pub, hoping to buy out her new, mysterious partner, some old Irish guy she'd never heard of before the reading of her late grandmother's will. It seemed like it would be an easy thing to do: show up, find the guy, and make him an offer… But the magic that is Ireland and the people who speak the lilting Irish brogue are as unpredictable as the weather, and things get a little more complicated than the girls anticipated when the town's legendary matchmaker pulls out his leather-bound book and proposes two matches…

Amazon

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Fall
Away

By: Zoe York

Navy SEAL Trick Novak knows he needs to find a better cure for his insomnia, but a warm body and a pretty smile worked just fine until he met Gaby Ellis—his latest conquest’s roommate. Now he’s not sleeping, and he’s definitely not getting laid, but that just means he’s got more time to plot ways to win over the beautiful and stubborn kindergarten teacher.

Amazon

(Amazon exclusive - borrow for FREE in
Kindle Unlimited!)

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Confessions of a Reformed Tom Cat

By: Daisy Prescott

I, Thomas Clifford Donnely, am a manwhore.

You can call me Tom Cat. I’ve been told I’m irresistible to women. Like catnip for a different kind of pussy-cat.

Tom Donnelly isn't the marrying kind, or the dating kind. When his sister's best friend Hailey King returns to Whidbey Island, and propositions Tom for a one-night stand, he breaks one of his biggest rules. It's just sex. That's what Tom does and does well.

What happens when "just sex" isn't enough?

This is a standalone romantic comedy.

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Book 1 is FREE! See links below!

NEW: Stormy Day Mystery Book 2

By: Angela Pepper

(the mystery pen name for Peaches Monroe author Mimi Strong)

Stormy Day doesn't let anyone put her down or hold her back, so when Tony Milano calls her a "snoopy housewife," he's going to find out EXACTLY how much trouble a little competition can be.

And then there's Kyle, also known as "Dimples" around the Misty Falls police station. He's young and adorable. Maybe too young for Stormy? He doesn't think so. Would he really kidnap a dog for her? Or is the flirting a cover for something more sinister?

Between falling out of windows, breaking into crime scenes, and putting the pressure on key witnesses, Stormy Day has her work cut out for her in DEATH OF A CRAFTY KNITTER, the newest in the Stormy Day Mystery Series by Mimi Strong (writing under the pen name Angela Pepper).

If you haven't read book 1 yet, what are you waiting for?

BOOK 1 IS FREE ON ALL VENUES

for a limited time:

FREE download on iBooks

FREE* on Amazon.com (USA)

FREE on Amazon.co.uk (UK)

FREE on Nook / Barnes & Noble

FREE on Kobo

FREE on Play Store / Googleplay / Android

And once you've LOVED Book 1, here are the links for book 2

DEATH OF A CRAFTY KNITTER:

iBooks

Amazon.com (USA)

Amazon.co.uk (UK)

Nook / Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Googleplay / Android

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Flesh

By: Sky Corgan

Looking to explore the lifestyle for the first time? Want to experiment without having to commit to a Dominant?

Then come to Flesh.

Amazon

Amazon UK

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Shopping
for a Billionaire's Fiancée

By: Julia Kent

I planned the perfect proposal. Plenty of lobster, caviar, champagne and—her favorite—tiramisu. The perfect setting. The perfect woman. The perfect everything. And it was perfect. Until Shannon swallowed the ring.

Monday, February 23, 2015

HUGE 99c Sale by Best-Selling Authors!

The Alphas Mate by Michelle Fox
Chloe Weiss’ dreams have finally come true: She's a null no more, her wolf has finally come. She's now a full member of her pack in the remote Appalachian ‘weretown’ of Hunstville, but she soon learns this just means more trouble at her door.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Cowboy Genie's Wife (The Dirty Djinn Series) by Lyn Brittan
A genie, his ranch and very ticked off ex-wife.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo

His Wicked Games Boxed Set by Ember Casey
Love is about to get very wicked... This bundle contains the first three books of the bestselling CUNNINGHAM FAMILY series. Warning: contains a billionaire who's too sexy for his own good and the steamiest game of Hide & Seek you've ever read...
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo

The Curvy Astronomer and the Cowboy by Victoria Wessex
Cowboy Troy knows horses; not the Horsehead nebula. But he agrees to take Emily, an astronomer, out to a remote cabin where the skies are dark. When a blizzard traps them there, he finds he can't resist the curvy beauty. Can he help her overcome her insecurities and unlock her inner sex kitten with the help of a roaring fire and an old-fashioned copper bath?
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon

Crossed (prequel to the Crossed Series) by Lacey Silks
She is looking for the one. He never thought the one existed. But the one thing that connects them can also tear them apart.
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The Doctor of London by Lyn Brittan
Kennerick Clock, London’s most ornery private investigator, has just received a note from the spoiled Lady Javan, the woman who broke his heart. He’s willing to help, for the right price, but separating the case from his feelings is proving a little harder than he thought.
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The Sport of Romance: A Multi-Author Box Set by Violet Vaughn
You love the players, and we love the game. Ten romances about the athletes you can't resist from New York Times and USA today bestselling authors featuring a ruthless fighter, a sexy baseball player, sultry skiers, hunky hockey players, and passionate football stars.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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Rush by Violet Vaughn
Gretchen doesn't let love get in the way of her snowboard career. Derrick is all for the physical approach too,until love threatens to ruin more than their plan.
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Duty Bound (Bayou Bound #2) by Sidney Bristol
They fell hard and fast once, but now Mathieu wants nothing to do with his old flame. But Lisette is in danger, and only the big, bad cop can save her--but her heart isn't on the table. At least not until their taboo secrets come out to play.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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Chosen by the Alpha (Shadow Pack Rules) by Michle Bardsley
To honor the town pact made with the Shadow Pack werewolves, Belle will become a shifter bride. But she never expects to be chosen by the alpha.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon

Rook (Allie's War Book One) by JC Andrijeski
Like most humans, Allie spent her life distancing herself from Seers, a second race of beings discovered on Earth. Then she gets arrested and is yanked abruptly out of her life by the brooding and mysterious Seer, Revik. Through him, she discovers that her blood may not be as “human” as she always thought, that the world is nothing like it appears to be...and she has far more in common with Seers than she ever wanted to believe.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon

The Supreme Moment (Fractured Multiverse) by C.G. Garcia
When Billionaire Darrien Stathos saves eighteen-year-old Avery Morgan's family from the consequences of her estranged father's gambling addiction, thus begins her new life as the property of the man known as the lord of the criminal underworld, Kairos, where she learns a disturbing and dangerous truth about both herself and him that will shatter the foundation of her understanding of reality.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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Every Breath You Take (Billionaires in Disguise: Georgie and Rock Stars in Disguise: Xan, Episode 1): A New Adult Rock Star Romance by Blair Babylon
When a Rock Star in Disguise meets a Billionaire in hiding, music and violence clash.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo

2 for 1 SPECIAL EDITION: Falling Hard (Episode 1) AND Playing Rough (Episode 2) by Blair Babylon
Be careful whom you submit to.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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Shield (Allie's War Book Two) by JC Andrijeski
Grappling with her new identity as "Bridge," a being meant to herald the end for all of humanity, isn't even Allie's biggest problem. A whole new set of rules around seer culture and her relationship with infamous Seer infiltrator, Revik, keep getting her in trouble. Then the boy appears––sociopathic and telekinetic, he thinks Allie belongs to him.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon

A SEAL's Song by Jennifer Lowery
Navy SEAL Jack Taggart’s plans to catch some much-needed downtime between deployments are demolished when he risks everything to rescue beautiful wedding singer, Darci O’Shea, from a band of thieves. Will the battle between their inner demons be the hardest one to fight, or will they find rescue in each other’s arms?
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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One Gold Knot (Dominant Cord, Book 2) by Sadie Haller
She didn't do relationships. She didn't even do all night. After years of avoiding her teenage crush, Hildy Klein is shocked to come face to face with Wilson Kennedy. Her uncle's wake isn't the place to unravel all the ways that Wilson could leave her emotionally vulnerable and exposed, yet his gentle persistence is impossib le to ignore. But Wilson is no longer that boy in her fantasies, and now Hildy must decide if she will give up control and commit to the protective, kinky Dom he's become.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon

Let it Snow: Six Spicy Winter Romances by Suzan Butler, Emily Ryan-Davis, Cari Quinn, Vivienne Westlake, Sadie Haller, Holley Trent
Six steamy holiday romances, including offerings by New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, will keep you warm through winter's coldest nights, so Let it Snow.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon

Rise of the Phoenix (Return to Avalore) by Elianne Adams
Shattered by bitter rejection, Brienne Roberts flees Avalore and finds a home with the Erritrols, sworn enemy of their people, and now, she is determined to break a centuries old curse that turned her new family into beasts. Evan Mayfield, her named mate, will stop at nothing to eliminate all threats to his people, even if it means bringing Brienne back to Avalore to face justice with her people, and himself.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon

Psychic Storm: Ten Dangerously Sexy Tales of Psychic Witches, Vampires, Mediums, Empaths and Seers by C.J. Ellisson, Deanna Chase, Dale Mayer, Heather Topham Wood, Hazel Hunter, Jesi Lea Ryan, JC Andrijeski, April Aasheim, Morgan Hannah MacDonald, Jordan Castillo Price
Ten books. Ten internationally bestselling authors, including New York Times and USA Today bestsellers. Ten different tales of sexy psychics, empaths and seers who solve crimes, fall in love, make magic and fight to save the world. Over 2,000 pages of extrasensory reading await, with three brand new, original novels and over 1,400 5-Star Reviews for the rest!
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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Taken & Pursuit by V.M. Black
Curvy Harper Bailey’s ordinary life was turned upside down by a chance encounter with the handsome werewolf Levi Harris. On the run from the vampire mafia, he pulls her into his high-stakes world—and straight into the crosshairs. Now she’s got no car, no job, and not even any dry clothes.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon

No Gentleman by V.M. Black
From deliciously sizzling contemporary bad boys, to pulse-tingling paranormal hotties, you’re sure to fall in love and in lust with any or all of these alphas. Over twenty fabulous authors bring their A-game to tempt your every desire.
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Panther’s Quest by V.M. Black
An ex-SEAL panther shifter, Chay Bane has spent the last six years building a secret refuge for shifters in trouble. But when one of his bests friends needs help, everything he's ever worked for is on the line.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon

Lucky Thirteen Books 1-3 by S.M. Butler
Get the first three books in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling series, Lucky Thirteen, in one volume! Three Navy SEALs find and rediscover love with women who match them in every aspect of their lives.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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Sizzling Seven by Minx Malone, Brenna Aubrey, Cari Quinn, Suzan Butler, Molly McLain, Violet Vaughn, Marie Hall
Seven sizzling reads from hot romance authors for a limited time in this value-packed bundle. Steamy stories of love from New York Times and USA Today Bestselling authors, featuring a sexy CEO Millionaire, a passionate Navy SEAL, a ruthless fighter, a hunky ski instructor, an injured Army sergeant, a sensual artist and a self-sacrificing Marine.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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Rocked (Lost in Oblivion #1) by Taryn Elliott & Cari Quinn
Harper Pruitt sees that Deacon McCoy’s dream band with his best friends may be turning into a nightmare. Deacon's so much more than just a peacemaker and the man behind the bass for Oblivion. But she has her own dreams to chase...even if she's starting to think what she's building with him might be the biggest one of all.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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Reckless Recon (A Barren Planet Romance by Rinelle Grey
Stir-crazy after three weeks in space, Kerit, professional surfer turned interstellar colonist, jumps at the chance to get off the ship and onto the new planet’s surface—even if it is a little inhospitable. What he doesn’t expect is to meet Folly—the most prickly, irritating, and fascinating girl he’s ever known. But something sinister lurks in the ruined city, and neither of them realise how much they are going to have to rely on each other if they want to make it out alive.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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Accepting Fate by Deanna Chase
Derek Alexander does his job for one reason and one reason only—to make up for that terrible night nine years ago. His demons haunt him, but so do dreams of Jax, the girl he knows he’s fated to be with. But in a world of magical soul mates, sometimes even love and forgiveness isn’t enough.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon

The Tiger's Passion: Picking Up The Pieces by Jessica Ryan
Morgan O'Connor's love life has been nothing but abuse and tragedy. That is until she moves in across the street from a sexy tiger shifter named Levi. But is this the kind of love she's ready for?
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Hot Shot (A Hostile Operations Team Novel) by Lynn Raye Harris
Hostile Operations Team sniper Jack “Hawk” Hunter is cool, methodical, and utterly lethal. Nothing rattles Jack’s calm. But that was before he learned he fathered a child three years ago—a child who has just been kidnapped.
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Pursued by a Werewolf [Mystic Isle, Book 4] by Selena Blake
Hunter Ciolek has a new plan and only a few short weeks to make Avery Cooper see things his way because living without her is not an option and this werewolf always gets what he wants.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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Shades of Control - The 3rd Billionaire Romance Boxset by Michelle Fix, Adrianna Hunter, Jordan Bell, Olivia Rigal, Erika Matsen, Amy Valenti, Aubrey Dark, Terry Towers, Cate Troyer, Tara Crescent, Gisèle Renarde, Ava Lore,
These irresistible men exercise control in every aspect of their lives. They demand your submission. They demand your devotion. They demand your love. In return, they'll give you everything your heart desires and take you to impossible heights of pleasure.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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Love and War - Part 1 (The Underworld Coven) by Kim Faulks
In the land they call the Underworld, witches have fought the Corrupt for hundreds of years, but recently, something has tipped the balance of power in favor of evil. Only one coven remains to protect the human race, the Crux Coven, led by a grieving warrior-witch named Creed. When a human woman breaks his wards and enters his sanctuary, Creed’s prepared for battle, but not for the attraction he feels toward Helaine.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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Incidental Contact (Those Devilish De Marco Men) by Eden Connor
Small town Romeo wants the good girl, but he's having performance issues
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon

Rain on Me by Eden Connor
If every heart's a package someone else has tied in knots, how did bondage unravel mine?
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon

Fall Out (SEALs Undone #1) by Zoe York
Drew Castle is a Navy SEAL with a bad case of indifference. Until Annie Martin shows up on his doorstep, scared out of her mind, and all of a sudden, keeping her safe becomes the most important mission of his life. And this time, he's on his own.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
Amazon

Hate F*@k: part one by Ainsley Booth
Cole: I push her buttons. I want to push them in the good way. Dirty, up-against-the-wall, my-hand-in-her-pants kind of way. But that’s not possible, because I’m dark and she’s light, and we both know it. So I push her buttons in the bad way, making her hate me.
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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London: Allie's War Early Years by JC Andrijeski
~ A Revik and Allie prequel novel in the Allie's War Series ~
GET IT FOR 99 CENTS AT:
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Monday, February 16, 2015

How the Billionaires in Disguise and Rock Stars in Disguise Series Fit Together

This isn't a reading order. Really, other than within the grouped mini-series, there is no "order." This is just how they fit together.

New Release: Every Breath You Take (Billionaires in Disguise: Georgie and Rock Stars in Disguise: Xan, #1)

What happens when a Rock Star in Disguise meets a Billionaire in hiding?

Georgie doesn’t know who she is dating.

At a high society wedding, Georgie Johnson is introduced to Alexandre de Valentinois, a hereditary duke of nothing who flies around the world on his private planes and describes himself as “one of those despicable, idle rich men.” Yet, when pressed, he sings at the wedding in a gorgeous, clear tenor that tugs at Georgie’s soul, and miraculously, he calms her paralyzing stage fright so she can accompany him on the piano, even though she thought she had left her classical music career behind when she went into hiding.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Brand New Rock Star Romance from Blair Babylon!

Brand-new New Adult Rock Star Romance

from USA Today-Bestselling Author Blair Babylon!

What happens when a Rock Star in Disguise meets a Billionaire in hiding?

Georgie doesn’t know who she is dating.

At a high society wedding, Georgie Johnson is introduced to Alexandre de Valentinois, a hereditary duke of nothing who flies around the world on his private planes and describes himself as “one of those despicable, idle rich men.” Yet, when pressed, he sings at the wedding in a gorgeous, clear tenor that tugs at Georgie’s soul, and miraculously, he calms her paralyzing stage fright so she can accompany him on the piano, even though she thought she had left her classical music career behind when she went into hiding.

But Alexandre has a dark side. His name is Xan Valentine, and he’s the rock star front man for Killer Valentine. He’s famous, but his paparazzi-dogged lifestyle might expose Georgie and get her killed.

See the book at these retailers:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Google Play

iBooks / iTunes

Kobo

Excerpt:

In the elevator, Georgie stood against the back wall while Alex slid a keycard into a slot above the buttons, backed away from her, and stared at the flickering floor display the whole time, which just about drove her insane until she saw the black dome embedded in the ceiling.

Okay, Georgie didn’t want to end up immortalized as a GIF entitled #GetARoom, either. She twirled her purse dangling from her wrist to pass the long, drawn-out, agonizing seconds while the elevator ascended, the increased velocity dragging at her feet.

Far up in the hotel, the elevator doors parted, and Alex seized her hand again and tugged her out of the elevator. Three doors led off the short hallway, and Georgie realized they were up in the suites.

Alex said, “It’s small. The hotel was sold out. Flicka and her wedding party booked the better suites months ago, so I was only able to get a deluxe.”

Georgie’s heart jumped in her chest, and her hands felt empty because she wasn’t touching him. “Just get us in there.”

His grin bore a touch of desperation as he flung open the door and pulled her inside after him.

Georgie caught a glimpse of a blue and white living room and a dining room with a table for six, and the scent of the white rose bundles filled the rooms as Alex pulled her though the suite. In the bedroom, golden silk draped the bed, and a breeze fluttered the white curtains over the window that was open to a view over the skyline of Paris. She tossed her purse on a nightstand.

Alex grabbed her arms, whirling her around, and he pushed her against the closed door and kissed her. The scent of sweet champagne flooded her mouth, and she breathed deeply. His forearms were braced against the door around her head, almost caging her as he bent to her. Georgie wound her arms around his neck, her fingers sliding into his long hair at the back of his neck. Alex groaned against her lips and reared back, then dipped his head to run his teeth over her neck. He shrugged his suit coat off behind himself, the dark blue fabric falling on the carpeting.

She dropped her hand, caressing his side through his shirt. Bulges of muscle rippled under her fingers. Even while his hot mouth blew champagne-scented breath on her neck, Georgie explored his body with her hands. She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, pulling the fine cloth out of his waistband, and she ducked her hand under his shirt and soft undershirt beneath.

Ridges of muscle met her palm. He panted against her shoulder as she ran her palms and fingers into the furrows between his abdominals and up to the lean bulges of his pecs.

His hands smoothed over her hips, reaching for the zipper down her backside.

This felt tawdry, a quick fuck at a wedding with the guy she had performed a song with, and that was fantastic. Long-term relationships and even repeat sex weren’t on her agenda. Alex probably lived in Europe, and if they ever ran into each other again, they could be amicable and polite, and he would be just another guy that she used to fuck.

Perfect.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Brand-new New Adult Rock Star Romance from USA Today-Bestselling Author Blair Babylon!

Brand-new New Adult Rock Star Romance

from USA Today-Bestselling Author Blair Babylon!

What happens when a Rock Star in Disguise meets a Billionaire in hiding?

Georgie doesn’t know who she is dating.

PUBLICATION DATE: February 14

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY HERE:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Google Play

iBooks / iTunes

Kobo

Excerpt:

Alex said, so quietly, “Play something for me.”

Her hands stretched over the keys, and she tried to push them down to play even a major chord, but as soon as a key neared the break point, just when the hammer inside the piano was poised to strike the string, something in her mind shouted Don’t! and she couldn’t press it.

Alex asked gently, “Does Flicka know you’re worse?”

“I don’t see how she would. We’ve been out of touch for a few years.”

“But she knows that you’ve got—” he paused, obviously considering whether to say the terrible words, “a problem with this.”

“She must have forgotten about it,” rather than that Flicka had decided to punish Georgie in a spectacularly cruel way.

Maybe Georgie deserved to try to face her fears, melt into an incoherent puddle on the floor, and have everyone from her childhood and current best friends laugh at her failure.

It would serve her right.

But she would never be able to walk as far as the piano in front of all those people, so Flicka couldn’t have her poetic justice.

“Anyway,” she said, “I can’t do it.”

“I can help you,” Alex said.

“And how could you do that? Hypnotize me? Doesn’t work. Psychoanalysis? There’s nothing there.”

“Of course not, but I don’t want you to play for them.” He leaned across the piano again, and his hair slid from behind his shoulder and hung, reflected in the black gloss of the piano’s lacquer. “I want you to play for me.”

Georgie stared down at her spidery hands hanging over the black and white piano keys. “I can’t.”

He walked around the piano and stood beside her, his slim hip right beside her cheek. A faint, masculine scent wafted from his clothes, a cologne, something soothing like green herbs. She was acutely aware that she could lean about six inches over and unzip his fly with her teeth.

Alex said, in a low, soft voice, “Play the middle C.”

She laid her thumb on the white key right in front of her waist and held it there, but she didn’t push down.

Alex stroked her arm from her elbow to her wrist with the back of his hand, soothing her. “Play it.”

She told her finger to push down, and she let the weight of her arm fall on her finger that was curled above the keys.

Her finger collapsed and wouldn’t press the key.

Alex shook his head, and his long hair swished over his shoulders. He turned his hand over so that his palm was on her wrist, and then he slid his hand over hers, covering her fingers on the keys with his own. Calluses on pads of his fingers were hard on the tops of her fingers.

He stepped behind her, still not moving his fingers over hers. Warmth from his body drifted out of his suit jacket that opened around them, spreading over her bare back, and his cologne filled her nose like she was walking in the fields around Tanglewood.

He leaned over her, stretching his arms on both sides of her, caging her.

His whisper brushed the skin on her neck. “I’m not forcing you to do something you don’t want to. I’m letting you have what you want most, what you crave, but you dare not admit, even to yourself.”

“I’m afraid,” Georgie admitted, her voice breathy from fear at pressing that note and from his body so close to hers.

“Everyone is, in the beginning,” he said. “It can be terrifying to have an experience so desired, so primal, that you lose yourself. You have to trust me to take you through the place that terrifies you, to keep you safe, and to hold you until you emerge on the other side.”

Georgie couldn’t seem to catch her breath or move away from him. “We’re still talking about the piano here?”

Alex chuckled.

“Just the piano,” she said, but she leaned back, almost imperceptibly, maybe an inch, so that his mouth was so near her skin that his breath was a hot circle on her bare shoulder, and the scent of champagne in his mouth rolled down her skin.

“Let me do it for you, first,” he whispered.

Georgie closed her eyes, and the weight of his finger forced hers down.

A single note, a C, rang out of the piano and jarred against her skin.