Love Me Later Synopsis:
Scarlet Leore enjoys a glittering existence amongst society’s elite. Ethan Blake is a prizefighter knocking his way through school, counting on his winnings to bankroll the dreams that won’t fit in a boxing ring. When the two meet, neither can deny the instant attraction that wells between the hulking fighter and the heiress who is miles and millions out of his league. But a vicious attack leaves Scarlet physically and emotionally battered, and for Ethan, her allure crumbles along with the rest of his life after she accuses him of wielding the knife.
Years later, Scarlet has abandoned the high life for that of a hard-working lawyer, while Ethan has clawed his way to the pinnacle of a business empire. Drawn into his world of high-stakes tech mergers, they dance to a tune of revenge, desire, and finally, redemption. But their world won’t tolerate an attorney falling for her client. They’ll need more than lust and forgiveness. They must bridge the chasm of a tormented past to understand who they are today. Only then can they forge a future in the face of the resurging enemy who once tore them apart.
LOVE ME LATER Excerpt
When Ethan’s
lips met hers, blood sizzled along the insides of his veins. After a heartbeat,
Scarlet opened to him with a low moan, and their tongues met in a hostile dance
while his cock throbbed against her soft stomach.
He pulled
away just as suddenly. “You make me crazy with your scheming ways and your
fearful eyes and your hot fucking mouth and even hotter underwear. I want you gone.”
“Then take
me.”
Take me. The permission he’d longed for.
She went on,
destroying the moment. “It’s the middle of the night. I’m exhausted. I don’t
know the city and have no idea where to go, so if you want me somewhere else,
take me there.”
The words
were logical. The desperation in her plea was not. Neither was her lingerie-lined
bathroom nor her combination of cool, if calculating, professional confidence
and extreme personal vulnerability. He couldn’t figure her out and was tired of
trying. “Perhaps you should go wherever it is you went around this time last
night.”
Her lips
quivered slightly before she rolled them over her teeth.
He groaned
at the sight. “Noon. Tomorrow. Beyond that, no force on Earth could keep you in
this room, Empre—”
She reared
back, her shoulder blades slamming against the door as tears took hold,
shocking him with their sudden onslaught and violent force. “Don’t you ever call me that again. A man called me
Empress as he stabbed me. A man I
thought was you.” The torrent of
words wrenched out between heartbroken sobs. “Do you have any idea how it feels
to be called that name? When you say it, the world seizes, and I can barely
stay sane knowing you’re using it to hurt me. Goddamn you! I don’t want you, or
this awful job, or even your apology when you figure out how wrong you are.”
Once the
storm passed, her eyes closed, releasing the last of her tears. On a shaky
breath, her small hand lifted, and she braced her weight against his chest
before her forehead bent to rest between his pecs. He flinched, not at her
touch, but with the knowledge that she’d later regret seeking comfort from her
tormentor.
After a
charged silence, she sniffed and murmured, “I’m sorry, Ethan.” And then nodding
in what looked like a gesture of internal acceptance, she looked up, straight
into his eyes. “I’ll go tonight.”
Stunned, he
stared at the roots of her glossy hair, not knowing whether to confront or
comfort and marveling at her innate ability to make him care whether he got it
right. Here he stood in the grasp of a woman who’d fucked him over at every
turn, and all he wanted to do was ensure those tears never returned on his
watch. He’d had a front row ticket to a lot of feminine meltdowns. Scarlet’s
had been the first to reach him. Perhaps because at the end, she hadn’t begged
him to stay like all the rest. Not in her life. Not even in her bed. Instead,
she’d agreed to go.
He backed
away with a hand out, palm up in a silent offer, sensing he shouldn’t touch her
again without invitation. She’d made terrible choices, but unless her acting
skills merited an Oscar, she neared the end of her rope. When he felt a
feather-light contact slipping over his fingers, he eased her toward him,
gently, slowly, just enough to get the door open behind her.
“Stay
tonight, Scarlet. Go tomorrow. Please.” Then he stepped around her, careful to
avoid further contact, sure it would lead to a landslide that would bury them
both.
Libby Rice Bio:
Before becoming a writer, Libby was first a mechanical engineer in the data acquisition industry (voltmeter anyone?). Preferring writing to technical design, Libby headed to law school and eventually practiced patent law for several enterprising years (patent application covering a voltmeter anyone?). Finally realizing that technology just wasn’t her bag, she traded the voltmeters for alpha heroes and the women who love them.
Today, Libby writes contemporary romances from the foot of the Rocky Mountains, where she lives with her husband, a bona fide rocket scientist (he stuck with the voltmeters!). When not writing, Libby loves good food, even better wine, and traveling the world in search of the next great story.
Libby loves hearing from readers! Join the fun at www.libbyrice.com, where you can sign up for Libby’s new-release e-newsletter, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram.
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