Title: High Risk Love
Author: Shannon Mayer
Publisher: HiJinks Ink Publishing
Release
date: July 1, 2013
Genre: New
Adult Contemporary Romance
Age
Group: New Adult
Book
Description:
Photographs.
Images.
Snapshots in time.
This is how I experience my life. I’ve hidden behind my
camera and viewed the world through the lens. I watch other people live their
lives. I’ve given up on my dreams, and sheltered my heart from love; because
both have given me nothing but pain. Even thinking about opening myself up,
sends my fears into overdrive. It’s better to be safe, than to take a risk and
have your life shattered into pieces alongside your heart. This is what I
believed.
Dangerous.
Risks.
Fear Nothing.
I live for the rush of adrenaline I get when I work my
stunts. Nothing else matters but the feel of my heart pounding when I challenge
the line between life and death. Women are nothing more than a distraction;
they use me for my connections, as I use them to escape the pain of my past
before moving on to my next adrenaline fix. My life is consumed with
excitement, danger and risks—it’s all I needed.
Denials.
Fear.
The complete wrong time.
Jasmin and Jet will face off over photos, stunts and the
truth hidden in their hearts. The last
person Jasmin wants to be with is a man who takes life for granted. Jet wants to give his heart to no one;
especially one who might not understand the secrets that haunt him. Despite
their protests, Jasmin’s and Jet’s lives tangle; the threads of love and fear
bind them. Between their passions and their pasts, they fight to hang onto each
other . . . but will the stakes be too high when faced with the ultimate
sacrifice?
** 18+ for adult situations, sexual situations and language.
Excerpt
#1
Jogging
to the stairs, I put Elise from my mind . . . something that was easy to do
when I got a glimpse at the girl walking up the stairs, a camera slung around
her neck. Photographer or tourist? She had long, wavy, dark hair that was
causally messy and gave me an instant itch to bury my fingers into it; to see
if it was as thick and silky as it looked. Grinning, I thought about Hugh’s
suggestion and it suddenly seemed like a very good idea. I slowed my steps so
we met on the next landing. I stood between her and the stairs going up, put on
my best, crooked grin—the one that had earned me cookies, women and jobs,
depending on my age.
“I’m
sorry, you can’t go up there; it’s a closed set. I’m afraid I’ll have to escort
you back to the lobby.” I pointed to the lower stairs, and then folded my arms
across my chest, grinning like a fool. A whiff of perfume curled around me and
the smile on my face stretched wider; she smelled like heaven, whispers of
flowers and moonlit nights. Shit, I was damn near poetic in my musings.
Her
eyes flicked up to mine, surprise crossing her face, but it was me who caught
my breath. Her eyes were green, shadowed with a dark ring of black, smoky and
full of depth. Those eyes sucked me in with an effortlessness that shot through
my body. And although the beauty of her eyes was undeniable, there was
something else, a quality I couldn’t put my finger on, a softness that I hadn’t
seen since what seemed like a lifetime ago . . . .
“I
have a pass,” she said, her sweetly husky voice coiling around me, lingering on
my skin as if she’d touched me with her fingertips. She held up a tag and a
camera that hung from her neck. “I have an appointment waiting for me.”
I
gave into temptation, stepping closer to her, drinking her in; the curve of her
cheek, the sudden hollow in her throat as she took a deep surprised breath. She
blushed; she actually blushed! How long had it been since I met someone who
wasn’t skilled at playing men? Who hadn’t worked what they’d wanted from the
man in question and then left as soon as they could?
This
girl was no model, no actress, not because she wasn’t beautiful, but because
she was dressed in a t-shirt and cut off shorts with no name brand, and scuffed
running shoes that had seen better days. Inwardly, I heaved a sigh of relief.
She wouldn’t be after anything I had to offer, no connections for this girl.
She
was perfect.
I
continued to smile, feeling the tension between us and the pounding of my
heart, like I was about to pull off a particularly risky move; knowing by the
way her eyes dilated she felt the . . . whatever it was between us too.
“Excuse
me, I don’t want to be late.” She tried to step around me, and I followed her,
making sure to keep my distance, but not letting her get away from me. God
damn, she was fine. Natural, that’s what it was; she had a natural beauty
untouched by surgery, Botox or heavy make-up. She was clean and fresh,
something I’d almost forgotten existed.
I
wanted to taste her. Without another thought, I lifted my hand to brush along
the edge of her jaw, her skin like satin under my fingers. Her eyes widened,
dilating further as her mouth pursed and her jaw tightened. Such a mixture of
desire and denial in those deep green eyes. The emerald color flashed with
irritation, sparkling as if on fire—green fire to burn me all the way to my
soul and back, if I let it. I stifled a shiver of anticipation, my muscles
tensing, prepping me to move fast. To move in for the killer kiss that would
seal the deal, leave her at my mercy.
The
way she stood, the tension in her muscles, the spark of fire in her eyes at
being touched without permission, all told me she wasn’t like the other girls.
Which only made me more certain that I wanted her.
She
was exactly what I’d been looking for without even knowing it.
I
closed the distance between us, the tension in her body vibrating off her skin.
She lifted her chin, eyes snapping with impatience, and put a finger to my
chest, poking at me.
“I
said excuse me; I meant it. I have a meeting, and I don’t think he will
appreciate me being late. He’s a busy man.”
“What
kind of meeting?” My lips quirked upward; damn, she had some spunk too. This
was looking better and better. “You don’t mean like the kind of meeting that
pays you by the hour, do you?” I had no such thoughts, but I couldn’t resist
teasing her.
Her
mouth dropped open. “I would . . . never . . . ugh!”
I
held up my hands. “I had to ask. Because if we’re going to continue this
relationship I need to make sure that I’m your one and only. I don’t share
well, nor do I play well with others.”
She
drew herself up, reached out and for a split second I thought she was going to
touch my face, maybe even cup my chin for a kiss. Nope, not my Spitfire.
She
grabbed my ear, twisted it hard, and punctuated her words with increased
pressure and torque. “I will never be your one and only; it’s none of your
business why I’m here, now get out of my way.”
I
yelped, unable to pull away from her hand and my ear, which she continued to
clutch as she dragged and pushed me from my place in front of the stairs.
“What
the hell was that?” I griped as she let go and I put a hand over my now
throbbing ear.
“That
was a move I learned to use on my brother when he was being a pain in my butt.”
She snapped over her shoulder as she strode up the stairs, long legs eating up
the steps, her pert little ass beckoning me with each sway of her softly
rounded hips.
Well,
I’ll be damned.
I
scrubbed at my ear and let her go; if she was here on some sort of assignment,
I would track her down. I stared up the stairs, listening to the woman’s
footsteps grow distant. To be fair, I’d have followed her if it wasn’t for
Elise waiting at the top for me.
“Spitfire,
don’t forget me!” I called up the stairwell.
“Shut
up!” She shouted back.
About the Author
Shannon
Mayer lives in the southwestern tip of Canada with her husband, dog, cats,
horse, and cows. When not writing she spends her time staring at immense
amounts of rain, herding old people (similar to herding cats) and attempting to
stay out of trouble. Especially that last is difficult for her.
She is the
author of the The Nevermore Trilogy, The Rylee Adamson Novels and the Celtic
Legacy series. Her first New Adult Romance, High Risk Love, is scheduled for
release July 1, 2013.
Author
social media links:
Giveaway per blog: (1)
eBook copy of High Risk Love. Books will be gifted from Amazon.com. Open
International. (Value $2.99 USD). All winners will be sent to the author at one
time after the July 12th due date.
.jpg)
