Excerpt: Surrender by Lisa Renee Jones
/About the Book
New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones returns with the third book in the sexy, suspenseful Careless Whispers series.
Passion burns fiercely hot between Ella Ferguson and Kayden Wilkens, the man who held secrets and lies in his hands, and then allowed them to fall into hers. But even though he has become her anchor–helping her recover from amnesia after finding her unconscious in an alley, and allowing her into his secret world–all is not what it seems. Kayden still has secrets, and pieces of Ella’s past are still shrouded in the darkness of her mind, while the powerful man who hunts her will not stop until she is his. In this final, explosive novel in the Careless Whispers series, Ella discovers that while her life with Kayden didn’t begin in that dark alley…it could easily end there.
Excerpt
“Just know this. I would never betray you. I would never hurt you. I would, as I have said, and will say over and over, die for you.”
“As I—”
“No,” he says roughly, his voice gravelly, affected. “Do not say you would die for me, because that is not what I want from you. Never do I want that from you.”
“I know you don’t want that,” I say, my voice now gravelly as well, “but you see, I feel what you feel. I can’t stand the idea of living instead of you, without you.”
“I don’t plan to let you.” His fingers flex around my hands. “Hold them right here.” He waits for my reply and I give a tiny nod, before he reaches beside me and produces a roll of masking tape, already tearing a long piece.
“What are you doing?” I ask again, my heart now skipping and racing, but by the time I start to pull my hands back, he’s already holding them.
“Aside from protecting your newly inked wrist by avoiding a tie that would be on top of it,” he says as he attaches one side of the tape several inches up my arm, “I’m proving a point.” He finishes wrapping my arm, then grabs the roll to pull off another piece.
“What point?”
He wraps more tape around my arm. “You can’t get free,” he says, tossing the roll over his shoulder. “I can do anything to you I want to do to you, and you can’t stop me. You could fight, but I’m bigger and stronger. Does that scare you?”
“No, it doesn’t scare me, but if I wanted to get free, I could fight. I’m good at fighting.”
“Do you want to fight me, Ella?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Because you’re safe with me. I want you to stay safe with me. That is why we can’t go to Paris. Not now. Not yet. I’m not trying to dominate you or control you. I just want you to be alive to fight with me like you just were. To change my mind. And for me to change yours, and in this case, I’m going to.” He folds my hands behind my head, and orders me to keep them there while his hands slide to my back, molding me to him, his breath a warm wash on my lips. “I can’t lose you, Ella.”
“Kayden,” I breathe out, emotion tightening my chest, so many emotions I cannot even begin to name them. Things I’ve felt in the past and present, things I know and do not know, colliding and erupting inside me. I need him and I know he needs me, and I have never felt such a thing with anyone, ever.
“Not can’t,” he amends. “I won’t lose you. Do you understand?” He doesn’t give me time to answer, or to let my fears that I will become his weakness take shape. Already he is kissing me, deeply, fiercely, kissing me and lifting me as he does. And even this, the way he holds me and I cannot hold him, not with my hands behind my head and my forearms taped. So I just savor the taste of him, of us together, and all we are here and now.
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About Lisa Renee Jones
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT series, which is now in development for a television show to be produced by Suzanne Todd of Team Todd (Alice in Wonderland). Suzanne Todd on the INSIDE OUT series: Lisa has created a beautiful, complicated, and sensual world that is filled with intrigue and suspense. Sara’s character is strong, flawed, complex, and sexy - a modern girl we all can identify with. I’m thrilled to develop a television show that will tell Sara’s whole story - her life, her work, her friends, and her sexuality.
In addition to the success of Lisa's INSIDE OUT series, she has published many successful titles. The TALL, DARK AND DEADLY series and THE SECRET LIFE OF AMY BENSEN series, both spent several months on a combination of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling lists. Lisa is presently working on a dark, edgy new series, Dirty Money, for St. Martin's Press.
Prior to publishing Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women's Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.
Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Website