Copyright © 2011 Jennifer Loren
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 0984733671
ISBN-13: 978-0-9847336-7-5
eBook ISBN: 978-0-9857029-3-9
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to everyone who made this book special to me, such as my family but also, Holly, Deb, Graham, Lucy, Tobias and Hazel. So glad to have met you all. I will be singing You Can’t Cross the Line until I no longer have the breath to do so.
Contents
Prologue: Kayla
Chapter 1: Kayla
Chapter 2: Ryan
Chapter 3: Kayla
Chapter 4: Kayla
Chapter 5: Kayla
Chapter 6: Ryan
Chapter 7: Kayla
Chapter 8: Kayla
Chapter 9: Ryan
Chapter 10: Nick
Chapter 11: Kayla
Chapter 12: Nick
Chapter 13: Ryan
Chapter 14: Ryan
Chapter 15: Nick
Chapter 16: Kayla
Chapter 17: Nick
Chapter 18: Nick
Chapter 19: Ryan
Chapter 20: Kayla
Chapter 21: Nick
Chapter 22: Kayla
Chapter 23: Nick
Chapter 24: Kayla
Chapter 25: Nick
Chapter 26: Kayla
Chapter 27: Kayla
Chapter 28: Nick
Chapter 29: Ryan
Chapter 30: Kayla
Chapter 31: Kayla
Chapter 32: Nick
Chapter 33: Ryan
Chapter 34: Nick
Chapter 35: Kayla
Chapter 36: Nick
Chapter 37: Kayla
Chapter 38: Kayla
Chapter 39: Nick
Chapter 40: Ryan
Chapter 41: Brady
Chapter 42: Nick
Chapter 43: Nick
Chapter 44: Kayla
Chapter 45: Nick
Chapter 46: Nick
Chapter 47: Kayla
Chapter 48: Nick
Epilogue: Nick
Other work
Finding Ava: Available now. The first book of the series (Romance, Supernatural, Dark).
Held captive in a room built just for her, Ava Kelley crouches in the dark corner, waiting for the mad man who has spent years following her every move. She never knew he was patiently waiting for his opportunity to make her his forever. If it were not for the memories of Sean's warm smile to hold onto through her captors brutal attacks, she might never have had the strength to escape. Sean, the handsome man that rescued her from a wild celebrity-seeking mob never leaves her thoughts. Her heart beating louder than the breaths she tries to silence, she watches as the blackened room lights up, and he appears in her sights. One swing and she runs from her captor. Eager to find a life that he will not be able to find her in Ava moves to a new city and starts her own architecture firm and a new simpler life.
After years of concentrating only on her work, her trivial routines and keeping her distance from admiring men, Ava was unprepared for the whirlwind that sends Sean forcefully back into her life. He captured her heart from the moment she met him and no other man comes close to making her feel safe enough to allow her intimate desires to become reality.
Sean Grant finds himself in the midst of a new career, after leaving the military to help his mother recover from his father's death. It has taken years of hard work, but now opportunities are flocking to his doorstep, women are clamoring to simply be noticed by him, his private life is available at every newsstand, and his now refined skills can be seen at every theater available. As one of the most sought after movie stars of the day, Sean's life should be easy, but thanks to his mother meddling in his love life, it has become exceedingly difficult. Despite her meddling he still cannot find someone to erase the memories of her. It has been years since that chance meeting in New York, it was but only a few minutes but he has held onto the memories of her blue eyes ever since. His love for her grips him like no other and if not for his meddling mother, Sean would have never found Ava again.
Finding Ava is only the beginning; keeping her safely hidden from the mad man that is fixated on possessing her is the ongoing struggle. How do you keep someone you love hidden, when the lenses of hundreds of cameras follow your every move? It is a maddening effort but with the help of a mysterious old man, Sean receives the words of advice that may help save her life.
Reckless: A sequel to Finding Ava.
This story dives deep into the making of the movie “Reckless”, and simultaneously takes you on a ride filled with sex, drama, disastrous sabotage, and battles of woman against woman and man against man. You will have to take a breath before you read this story because you won’t be able to take another until after it ends. Coming Summer 2012.
The Devil’s Eyes: Available now.
Nicholas Jayzon has broken through the chains of his destitute past by stealing, swindling and charming his way to owning his city. In the city where most everyone owes him a favor, Nick’s power is growing. The police can’t touch him and his enemies are becoming powerless to take him down. He is intelligent, cunning and above all … alluring. No woman can resist him. But, one woman is determined to bring him down and her reasons are personal. Kayla Donovan has spent years preparing for the time she faces him again and plans on denying Nick as much of her as she can. She knows him; she knows what gets his attention and what he can’t resist. Kayla is the only one that can possibly look into his devilish eyes and not be besieged by them or controlled by a single whisper of his desire. If she is able to manage her fears, then there is no reason for her not to succeed, and if she can’t … well, she has nothing to lose. She has no one left to care about her or to miss her if she fails in her mission. She has no one, not since her beloved sister fell for Nick, became controlled by him, and eventually died because of him.
Driven by hate, Kayla is determined to find a way into Nick’s favor, find a way to make him trust her so she can find the heart of the devil and tear it apart before he captures hers.
The Devil’s Eyes is a Dark, Intense, Romance novel. Not your typical story of two perfect people coming together after overcoming a life challenge. No, Nick and Kayla are two imperfect people, trying to overcome the brutal realities of their worlds and finding life as criminals comes naturally to them both.
The Devil's Son: A stand alone book that follows Nicholas Jayzon’s life as a teenager, from dealing with his father, to overcoming his mother and finding a way to survive on his own. His life takes dramatic turns but he manages to find a life that suits him and a love that will be only his.
Prologue
~Kayla~
I manage to free my hands and run down the dock with Dawson chasing after me. I notice a boat off in the distance and decide that’s my only hope at this point. Jumping into the ice-cold water I swim as fast as I can. Dawson jumps in after me, still weak from his taser I cannot outswim him. Dawson takes hold of me and continuously pushes me under water while I try to fight him. “Wayne! Wayne, get your ass down here and help me!” He yells as the other man comes running down the path. “Finally!” As I choke on the water in my lungs he pulls me out and throws me onto the dock. “What the fuck? How….? Put your gun down or I will kill her right now!” Dawson yells as I try to crawl away from him. He grabs hold of the back of my head and tries to pull me up but drops me onto the hard surface of the dock as he stumbles backwards. My head spins, my heart pounds, and I begin to lose focus as the yelling increases around me. “I’m warning you! Stay back!” Dawson grabs hold of me again, but suddenly I hear a gun go off and Dawson releases his grip on me, screaming. When another shot rings out, Dawson falls to his kne
es next to me. “Please! Please! I had no choice. You have to understand! Joseph would have killed me. He …”
“Fuck you!” I hear someone growl. Another shot rings out and Dawson falls backwards off the dock, gurgling his last breaths as he sinks into the water.
Holding up my head, I sit up trying to focus as the dark figure comes near me, “you got here quick. You must have driven like a madman.” I said as I watch him walk towards me. I swallow hard as he slowly comes into the moonlight, “Nick?”
My breath is haggard, my heart is beating rapidly but still … I reach out to him, hoping that I am seeing him and not hallucinating. Leaning down to me he takes my hand and holds me close to his warm chest. “Am I dreaming?” I ask him.
“You’re safe now, Princess.” He says kissing my forehead. “I have to go, Ryan will be here soon.” He safely positions me and I have to fight more than my body as exhaustion takes over. I close my eyes once, only once … and he’s gone. Like a dream, like the perfect dream come true.
“Nick. Nick. NICK!” My voice scorches my throat, my ears ring and there is nothing, no one but me and a sweat-soaked bed. It had to be him, it had to be. Ryan walks in with some water, looking at me as if I am about to break any second. Oh why did I have to pass out? If I could have only stayed focused, I could have made him stay.
Ryan pushes my hair from my face and kisses my forehead gently. “It’s okay Kayla, you’re safe and everything is going to be okay, now. Estrella should have known better than to mess with you. Badass. You could have at least waited for me, I would have liked to kick Dawson’s ass too.”
“No, Ryan … it was Nick.” Ryan’s expression tells me everything he is thinking. Taking hold of his shirt, “he is alive! I swear Ryan it was him … it was Nick. I know it.”
Ryan leans me back into bed with a subtle sigh, “okay, it was Nick. I’m sure he will always be watching over you.” I huff forcing my face into the pillow. “What do you want me to say Kayla? Nick is not here, he died in that plane crash. He is not coming back. I don’t know what it is going to take before you get that through your thick skull!”
Pushing back I seethe my insistence, “he is alive! And I am going to prove it!”
Chapter 1
~Kayla~
I hate these parties. I know I don’t belong, despite the expensive gown and jewels. I have nowhere near the background of most of these people. It never bothered me when I would come to these with Nick. No matter the people around us, I always felt like I belonged with him and that’s all that mattered to me. Everyone else was only a background to my happiness. Now the background is suddenly forced into my view and I can’t help feeling lost and alone. I miss him more and more every day, without even realizing I made Nick my life. Somehow I am supposed to put the pieces back together without him and live a life without the only person that I have ever loved. I still love.
“Mrs. Jayzon, you look lovely as always.” Estrella approaches me with his gleaming smile and his hand stretched out to take mine as he leans down to kiss it gently.
Sighing, I graciously give him a weak smile, “Thank you, and you look … well old and tired as always.” Estrella laughs and for some reason, I follow. I must have drunk too much.
“It’s good to see you laugh, your sadness is breaking my heart.” Estrella expresses with a sickening passion.
“Then perhaps you shouldn’t have killed my husband.” I say with a hardened glare. “Why did you do it? You two had such a great relationship, why did you risk everything? What did you expect to gain? You don’t have Nick’s connections and you certainly don’t have his skills at convincing people to believe in you. So why did you betray him?” Estrella steps back with a curious expression and for a brief moment I see something that I did not expect -retreat. A coward had my husband killed? I don’t think so.
“I am sorry for your loss but maybe you and I can repair our relationship and come to an agreement?” Estrella says focusing his eyes on everyone else in the room.
“What are you asking, better yet, what are you wanting?” I meet his eyes with determination.
“Nick had great skills, no doubt, but you have some skills of your own. Nick came to me because I have skills that he needed and I believe those same skills can still be valuable to the Jayzon business. Likewise, I believe I can use your skills for my business.” Estrella’s movements and emotions are sincere, which again shocks me but doesn’t make me a believer.
“You want to work together again? Well that is unexpected but I will surprise you and say I will consider an offer and I will meet you with an open mind but I will not make any guarantees. I will contact you in a few days to …” Estrella touches my arm with a shake of his head.
“No - I will contact you. It is best for both of us that way, trust me.” Nodding he responds to me with a forced, charming smile, “I will contact you soon then.” An exciting feeling passes through me, but I am unsure of what the new information means.
I have been after Estrella because I was sure he was responsible for killing Nick, but now I wonder if I have been after the puppet rather than the puppeteer. Estrella casually walks through the crowd of people, flirting with beautiful women and shaking hands with man after man. Nothing unusual, except he doesn’t seem to be enjoying it. The man that always enjoyed the parties and the attention is forcing a smile and notoriously flirtatious nature. Gazing across the room I begin to search for the missing piece to this puzzle. There has to be a reason Estrella feels he needs to put on such a show. My eyes scan the room as I greet and smile at people, searching and searching until I find him. Searching low, then high up on the open floor above, I come eye to eye with Senator Spencer Welch, the former district attorney that was so determined to put Nick in jail. The man stares at me boldly and with a ruthless determination that makes my muscles tighten. I glance back at Estrella and watch his eyes dance around until they catch sight of Welch. Estrella’s sigh echoes loudly, leaving me no doubts.
“Lionel, don’t pull up too close. I want to watch without her knowing I am here.” I say, studying Lena’s house closely.
“He isn’t exactly going to just walk out the front door you know?” Lionel says, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.
I hum in agreement. I am right but I am unsure how to get to the truth. Nick is alive, and if anyone knows how to find him, she does. There is no mistaking the devil’s eyes on that woman. I saw them the moment she was angered, the darkness swirling to the forefront instantly trying to control me. She mistakenly thought she could intimidate me. “Alright, Lionel, let’s go home.” As soon as we start to leave, I feel a strange sensation come over me. “Wait!” I yell stopping him. I jump out of the car and run up to the door, determined to barge through any barrier.
When the door swings open, I look up and see Brady. “Kayla?” He said obviously surprised by my presence.
“Hi. I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were here.” I said, pushing my way in and searching the room for any signs of Nick.
“Come in.” He said, sarcastically. “What are you doing here?”
“I need to talk to her, and I am not leaving until I do.” I demand, with a hardened posture.
“Oh – kay? Honey, there is someone here to see you.” Brady said, passing Lena as she enters the room already huffing.
“Kayla, I would appreciate it if you would stop coming over here unannounced. I don’t know what …” She stops midsentence as I walk up to her fearlessly.
Steaming, but controlled, I glare into her eyes. “I know who you are. And I know you know where he is.” I pause, trying to keep control of the rage inside me. Despite the darkness forming in her eyes I stand strong, using the skills I learned to stand up to Nick. With these skills I am able to stand up even taller against her. “You tell him … you tell him I know and I am not going to stop looking for him.”
“Kayla, you really need to seek help!” Lena yells at me.
“I want my husband back!” I yell, glancing at Bra
dy as I walk out of the house. I can’t feel anything but sorrow and pain as I ride home. Every day it’s like he died again. I fear never seeing him again, but most of all I fear I am crazy and trying to hold onto a ghost.
After putting Nicky to bed, I wait … and I watch and I wait some more. Every day I work as usual, burying myself in it so I don’t think about him. But, at the end of each day, I am always waiting … for him. Even tonight, staring out the window, I watch for him, expecting him to feel my pain and come running – like he always did. He loves me, he has always loved me, and would never let me hurt like this. Nick has been my hero more than once, even risked his own life to save mine. How could he possibly leave me here alone, lost and in pain … if he was alive.
Ryan walks up behind me, waiting for me to turn. With a deep sigh and a shake of his head, I know what he is thinking without him saying a word. “You have to get over him.” He says, taking hold of my arms.
“I need him.” I say, trying to leave his grasp but he pulls me to his chest and holds me so tight that I exhale from the comfort.
“Baby, I wish I could bring him back for you but I can’t. No one can. You have to find a way to move on, for Nicky if nothing else.” I look up at him and he leans down kissing me gently on the lips. “You irritate the hell out of me, but I love you and I would do anything for you.” I see Ryan, but I struggle not to see Nick in his eyes. My loneliness begins to control me. Feeling the need creep up from my toes to my hands, I begin tracing the lines of his bare chest. Ryan kisses me harder, fondling me and tugging at my shirt. I pull my shirt off over my head and Ryan goes wild. His hands take hold of me and position me on the sofa to please his rising desire. His muscles flex as he makes himself more comfortable on top of me.
“Ryan?” I question, with doubt swirling around me.
“Just let it happen.” He says, kissing my breasts, squeezing them against his face and moaning in satisfaction against my nipples. Pushing my pants down and stripping me completely, he feels up my legs roughly to pull them to either side of him. His pants are pushed down quickly and his throbbing erection protrudes to lie on my bare stomach, twitching with expectation.