Author: Nikki Groom
Release Date: October 24, 2014
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Goodreads
“Stupid. Beautiful. Girl.
How did you ever think you could be free?”
The last words I heard before the darkness took me and my dreams were shattered.
I was on my way to having it all.
Friends, family and a future.
Everything I had wished for but never thought possible.
Denham King showed me just how good life could be. A life where love and happiness were within reach.
Almost.
I should have known it would never last.
My past is a dark, damp cloud, that has seeped into my skin and left a cold promise.
A promise of hurt and pain.
A promise of a long, hard fight, where the stakes are high and the risks threaten lives.
When your world gets thrown in all directions, and your dreams for the future are torn from your grasp; how do you go on?
Can I fight the demons that haunt me?
Can love save me from fate’s cruel path?
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SYNOPSIS
“Eyes on me,” he orders gently, before he pulls out and slams back into me again “You understandin’ me, Stunner?” he says as he moves. His jaw is clenched tight and his voice sounds strained, his hips continue grinding in slow, delicious circles. “You’re mine, Ari. From the minute you walked into me. I knew it.”
“Yes,” I agree.
His movements are still torturous but this time he pulls out slowly, waits, then slams in fast and hard.
“Mine to kiss.”
Slam.
“Yes.”
“Mine to protect.”
Slam.
“Yes.”
“Mine to love,” he whispers, leaning into me as my legs wrap around his waist and he kisses me softly.
“Yes,” I whisper back. “Yours to love.”
He smiles against my mouth before picking up the pace again. This time, there’s no waiting in between thrusts. He relentlessly moves fast and hard. Solidifying his declarations, and making unspoken promises I know he’ll keep.
“Arianna, dear. It’s nice to see you again.” Amy pushes past my shoulder, inviting herself in and taking ownership of the air around us. “Although, I wasn’t expecting to see so much,” she sneers, letting her eyes drift down the length of my legs.
I stand tall, trying not to be intimidated by her, trying to stand my ground in my apartment, but instantly feeling threatened by the way her body reacts to me, and the way her gaze makes me feel cold and uncomfortable.
She lifts her hand toward me, and tucks a long, red, predatory nail under the collar of the white shirt I am wearing, lifting it between her fingertips and gently brushing against my collarbone through the fabric as she does. It sends chills through me. She’s cold. Her aura, her demeanor, and her intentions are all icy and it radiates from her in steady pulses.
“I bet he likes you in this. I bet he asked you to wear it, am I wrong?”
Of course, she’s not wrong. She’s pretty much as correct as can fucking be. I swallow hard. Shards of her persona stick into me like little icy pins. Her words, like little needles of reality, stab into my veins. She knows him better than I do. She knows what he likes, and what he doesn’t. Has he asked her to wear his shirt for him?
Has he told her to dress in nothing but heels and diamonds for him? The thoughts make me feel sick. But, I know that she’s playing me. I've seen Denham’s reaction to her. I’ve seen the contempt in his eyes when her name is mentioned, and I’ve felt the tension radiate from him when he encounters her. She’s a bitch. Pure and simple.
They say that time heals all wounds.
But mine are set in so deeply, they’ve taken on a life of their own, lurking in the shadows at every turn and haunting my thoughts.
The girl I once was has been replaced by a stranger.
I don’t even know who I am anymore.
I run.
And I hide.
Pretending to be someone I’m not…
Until I meet Denham King.
My burst of color in an otherwise grey world.
And for the first time in my life, I find myself running towards someone instead of running away.
But fate can be cruel,
and I can’t escape my past.
Can I?
**Holding Aces is part one of a two part Adult Contemporary Romance series that contains mature sexual content and language and is not intended for readers under the age of 18.**
*Please note: This is not a dark romance*
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Nikki Groom is a hopeless romantic, lover of all things happily ever after and firm believer that love makes the world go around. In her spare time, you will find Nikki laughing with her very treasured family, walking with her beloved dog in the hundred acre wood or curled up in a cosy corner with words and wine. She lives in East Sussex with her husband and two children. Having turned her hand to many things over the years, Nikki is now proud to add ‘author’ to that list. Having always been a dreamer, Nikki’s imagination stretches far and wide, which enables her to get lost in faraway places and imaginary people.
Nikki loves to chat, especially about books! You can find her here…
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