Shameful
Series: Shameless Trilogy #2
Authors: M. Malone & Nana Malone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 5, 2017
Blurb
I am the thing that goes bump in the night. I am a liar, a protector...a killer...I am Noah Blake.
And now that she knows my secret, she hates me.
The guilt and shame I carry around is bad enough...But
seeing the distrust in her eyes, that will kill me before my enemies do…
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Excerpt
His eyes flickered to her and quickly looked away again. "Lucia, it's fine. It was my choice to comply or not. I chose not to tell him, but I'm sorry I broke your confidence and told him anyway. I was worried you were in danger and, as it turns out, you were. If it had been simple information, I never would've told him."
She rounded the giant island in the kitchen and approached him. He immediately took a step back. Looking even further away from her if that was possible.
Damn, he was so mad at her. "Matthias, I consider you a friend. And I used that. And that makes me a bad person and I'm really sorry. I hope that you can find a way to forgive me."
He frowned but still didn't look at her. "Forgive you? Honestly, it's fine. I would do anything to help you. You’re family. I'm not mad."
Lucia stared up at him. Then she planted her hands on her hips. "Oh yeah, then why is it that you can't look at me?” She opened her arms. "Can we hug this out, start fresh? I won’t take advantage of our friendship again. I promise."
Matthias flushed and hugged the wall like she had cooties. Like the last thing on earth he wanted to do was hug her. Maybe he wasn’t a hugger? No, they had hugged dozens of times.
Fine.
If Matthias wouldn't come to the mountain then she would bring the mountain to Matthias. She closed the distance between them, her bare feet barely making a sound on the concrete. And then she wrapped her arms around him tight. Go ahead and escape this hug, she thought. But Matthias didn't escape. It took a second, but then he wrapped his arms around her. She had never noticed how tall he was, and he was nearly as solid as Noah.
Geez, did Matthias have muscle? Why hadn't she ever paid attention before?
She’d always taken the mildly geeky exterior, with the glasses and superhero T-shirts, and categorized him as a nerd. Which to her usually meant soft. How had she never noticed that her friend had muscles?
Granted, they weren’t like Noah's. No one had muscles like Noah. She knew she was probably biased, but still.
"I'm really sorry, Matthias."
"You have nothing to be sorry about."
She didn't know how long they stood there, but then Noah's voice came from behind, cold and furious. "What the fuck do you think you're doing running around here naked?"
Matthias immediately released her, but Lucia took longer to step back. When she turned to face Noah, she took in the sight of his boxers and his completely bare chest, and damn it, she salivated. That didn't mean she didn't still hate him. It didn't mean she wasn’t still furious with him, and it didn't mean that she trusted him. All it meant was that she was human. The man looked good.
Good enough to lick, honestly. And she had.
There was still so much she wanted to try with him, so much they hadn't had a chance to do. All the things she’d heard JJ talk about, she wanted to try with Noah. Well, now you're not going to because, hello, we hate him.
Yes, she hated him. But that didn't mean she didn't want to lick him. And somehow, simultaneously, she wanted to murder him, too.
"I am not naked." She slid a glance down at herself, slightly flushing. Shit. She hadn’t put on shorts. She slid a glance to Matthias, who was looking anywhere but at her or Noah. "Sorry. I'm not used to having to cover up.” She turned to Noah. "Besides, you're the one who told me to make myself at home."
Through gritted teeth, he ground out, "That doesn’t mean run around here naked. Matthias is here. Or did you forget?"
"I was just coming for some water. No one was supposed to be awake. The lights were freaking off. Bite me."
From behind her, Matthias scoffed. Noah's eyes glinted and his smile went menacing and predatory. "Anytime. You just tell me where."
And then something happened to her body. It was like her lady parts had softened, readying her body for him to have her against any flat surface. Hell, screw a flat surface. The wall would do if necessary.
Why did he do that to her? She didn't like him. You don't have to like him to want him. Wasn't that the truth? But the last thing on earth she was ever going to do was let him know that.
"Sorry, Noah. Not interested. What's that thing that guys say sometimes? I'm just not that into you?"
And with that, she turned and headed back for her bedroom. She could feel Noah's eyes on her ass. Let him look all he wanted, because he was never going to touch it again.
She rounded the giant island in the kitchen and approached him. He immediately took a step back. Looking even further away from her if that was possible.
Damn, he was so mad at her. "Matthias, I consider you a friend. And I used that. And that makes me a bad person and I'm really sorry. I hope that you can find a way to forgive me."
He frowned but still didn't look at her. "Forgive you? Honestly, it's fine. I would do anything to help you. You’re family. I'm not mad."
Lucia stared up at him. Then she planted her hands on her hips. "Oh yeah, then why is it that you can't look at me?” She opened her arms. "Can we hug this out, start fresh? I won’t take advantage of our friendship again. I promise."
Matthias flushed and hugged the wall like she had cooties. Like the last thing on earth he wanted to do was hug her. Maybe he wasn’t a hugger? No, they had hugged dozens of times.
Fine.
If Matthias wouldn't come to the mountain then she would bring the mountain to Matthias. She closed the distance between them, her bare feet barely making a sound on the concrete. And then she wrapped her arms around him tight. Go ahead and escape this hug, she thought. But Matthias didn't escape. It took a second, but then he wrapped his arms around her. She had never noticed how tall he was, and he was nearly as solid as Noah.
Geez, did Matthias have muscle? Why hadn't she ever paid attention before?
She’d always taken the mildly geeky exterior, with the glasses and superhero T-shirts, and categorized him as a nerd. Which to her usually meant soft. How had she never noticed that her friend had muscles?
Granted, they weren’t like Noah's. No one had muscles like Noah. She knew she was probably biased, but still.
"I'm really sorry, Matthias."
"You have nothing to be sorry about."
She didn't know how long they stood there, but then Noah's voice came from behind, cold and furious. "What the fuck do you think you're doing running around here naked?"
Matthias immediately released her, but Lucia took longer to step back. When she turned to face Noah, she took in the sight of his boxers and his completely bare chest, and damn it, she salivated. That didn't mean she didn't still hate him. It didn't mean she wasn’t still furious with him, and it didn't mean that she trusted him. All it meant was that she was human. The man looked good.
Good enough to lick, honestly. And she had.
There was still so much she wanted to try with him, so much they hadn't had a chance to do. All the things she’d heard JJ talk about, she wanted to try with Noah. Well, now you're not going to because, hello, we hate him.
Yes, she hated him. But that didn't mean she didn't want to lick him. And somehow, simultaneously, she wanted to murder him, too.
"I am not naked." She slid a glance down at herself, slightly flushing. Shit. She hadn’t put on shorts. She slid a glance to Matthias, who was looking anywhere but at her or Noah. "Sorry. I'm not used to having to cover up.” She turned to Noah. "Besides, you're the one who told me to make myself at home."
Through gritted teeth, he ground out, "That doesn’t mean run around here naked. Matthias is here. Or did you forget?"
"I was just coming for some water. No one was supposed to be awake. The lights were freaking off. Bite me."
From behind her, Matthias scoffed. Noah's eyes glinted and his smile went menacing and predatory. "Anytime. You just tell me where."
And then something happened to her body. It was like her lady parts had softened, readying her body for him to have her against any flat surface. Hell, screw a flat surface. The wall would do if necessary.
Why did he do that to her? She didn't like him. You don't have to like him to want him. Wasn't that the truth? But the last thing on earth she was ever going to do was let him know that.
"Sorry, Noah. Not interested. What's that thing that guys say sometimes? I'm just not that into you?"
And with that, she turned and headed back for her bedroom. She could feel Noah's eyes on her ass. Let him look all he wanted, because he was never going to touch it again.
Also Available
Free Prequel
Coming Soon
Releasing June 26, 2017
M. Malone
NYT & USA Today bestselling author M. Malone lives in
the Washington, DC metro area with her husband and their two sons. She holds a
master's degree in Business from a prestigious college that would no doubt be
scandalized by how she's using her expensive education.
Independently published, she has sold more than 1/2 million
ebooks in her two series, The Alexanders and Blue-Collar Billionaires. Since
starting her indie journey in 2011 with the runaway bestselling novella
"Teasing Trent," her work has appeared on the New York Times and USA
Today bestseller lists more than a dozen times.
She's now a full-time writer and spends 99.8% of her time in
her pajamas.
Nana Malone
USA Today bestselling author Nana Malone's love of all
things romance and adventure started with a tattered romantic suspense novel
she "borrowed" from her cousin.
It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a
precocious thirteen. She's been in love with kick-butt heroines ever since.
With her overactive imagination constantly channeling her inner Buffy, it was
only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.
While she waits for her chance at a job as a ninja assassin,
Nana works out her drama, passion and sass with fictional characters every bit
as brazen and kick-butt as she thinks she is.
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