***
Almost
Loved
by Mira Toria
Release
Date: 03/06/15
Summary
from Goodreads:
Falling in love is easy.
After Bradley, Lyris is convinced that love is temporary and the repercussions are permanent, but everything changes when she meets Hale. Falling in love with him begins as something tumultuous and unexpectedly effortless despite her resistance.
Lyris loves him.
Hale loves her.
Staying in love is hard.
As their pasts start to surface, how hard will they fight to stay together? Her ex holds a piece of her heart and he won’t give up without a fight – but that might not be necessary. Hale has a secret of his own that is enough to threaten everything before it even begins.
This isn't just a love story.
This is their story.
After Bradley, Lyris is convinced that love is temporary and the repercussions are permanent, but everything changes when she meets Hale. Falling in love with him begins as something tumultuous and unexpectedly effortless despite her resistance.
Lyris loves him.
Hale loves her.
Staying in love is hard.
As their pasts start to surface, how hard will they fight to stay together? Her ex holds a piece of her heart and he won’t give up without a fight – but that might not be necessary. Hale has a secret of his own that is enough to threaten everything before it even begins.
This isn't just a love story.
This is their story.
ALMOST
LOVED EXCERPT
She got to the bar
and closed her eyes while crossing her fingers. Speaking to no one in
particular, she muttered, “Please, please, please don’t make this night another
disaster. I swear I’ll be good, just please don’t make this another disaster.”
“Well since you said
please so many times.” Her eyes fluttered opened to see a bartender with an
amused smile playing on his mouth as he tried hard not to outwardly laugh at
her. “Exactly who are you selling your soul to?”
She laughed despite
her embarrassment and took a closer look at him. There was no doubt in her mind
that while she wasn’t looking for a hook up, she wasn’t immune to beauty and
she would be foolish to dismiss this man because he was definitely something
noticeable. To her, it was similar to window shopping and admiring a dress in
the window – she didn’t have to purchase something to admire it.
And now I know why people say ‘hot damn.’
His dark hair was cut
shorter on the sides but with more volume on top, as if someone had casually
run their fingers through it. Her fingers twitched and it crossed her mind that
she wouldn’t mind running her fingers thought it. Forcing her hand to stay
still, she lowered her eyes, taking in his jawline and admiring how it accented
his sharp features in a way that prevented him from being too pretty. When her
eyes veered to his mouth, she noticed the smirk deepening with each second she
took blatantly and shamelessly checking him out.
She blinked and
smiled, trying to pretend that she wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary.
“No one,” she quipped, “I’m just talking to myself.”
“The first sign that
someone’s overdue for a drink,” he said light heartedly. “What can I get you –”
He trailed off and looked at her pointedly to finish off the sentence.
Something about the way he phrased the
sentence made her smile coyly. This wasn’t her first time flirting and she knew
very well when a hook was being thrown at her, waiting for her to take a bite.
“You what?”
The corner of his
mouth twitched when he realised she wasn’t going to make it easy for him.
“Usually people finish that sentence with their name.”
“I’m not like usual
people.”
“Definitely not like
usual people.” Shaking his head and laughing under his breath, he swapped a new
tray for a waiter before he turned back to her. “I do remember you said you’d
be a good girl,” he reminded her. “You’re not off to a very good start.”
He filled a glass
with champagne, promptly tipping it towards her like he was waiting for her to
take it, but when she did reach out, he pulled away at the last second.
Her eyes narrowed as
she tried to figure out what he was playing at. There were people who were like
open books, easy to read and predict, but then there were people like this man.
They were the ones that were seemingly transparent, but had more than a few
tricks up their sleeves. It was just her luck that she had a soft spot for
that.
His eyes were bright
with mischief as he moved the champagne glass out of her reach. “What are you
doing?”
He wasn’t like anyone
she’d ever met and she found the corners of her mouth tugging into a reluctant
smile. There was something about his confidence that was refreshing; where it
was enough to be charismatic instead of pure arrogance. “Can I have my drink?”
she asked.
He grinned cheekily
as he placed the glass on the bar island to lean closer to her. “I meant later
on tonight.”
“Did you, now?” She
propped her elbow up on the counter and tilted her head as she studied him.
“Tell me, how many girls have you used that line with tonight?”
He brought his face
close to hers, so close that if anyone even slightly bumped into Lyris, she
would’ve grazed her mouth against his. Her breath caught in her throat and she
was tempted to run a finger down his jaw line, to just simply touch him, despite
accusing him of being a womanizer.
“Honestly?” He looked
held her gaze. “Just the one girl I’m looking at right now.”
It was as if the
music and the party buzz fueled the tension between them. Looking away didn’t
cross their mind as they were both intoxicated in some way.
“Do you usually go
home with strangers?” She spoke in a whisper, fearing that the moment would be
shattered by noise if she were any louder.
He held his cards
close and replied in a low calm voice. “Would you call us strangers?”
Grinning, she turned
her face so that her mouth was by his ear. She was so close to him, she heard
him catch his breath ever so slightly as she moved deliberately slowly. “I
don’t really recall hearing a name,” she whispered, letting her words linger.
She felt his hands on
hers before he pulled back and brought a single finger to lift her chin towards
him. It was simply a touch, the briefest of contact, yet it was electrifying.
“It’s Hale.” The
corner of his mouth looked as if he was trying hard to suppress a full smile.
“And what might yours be?”
They had both taken
their time answering questions, deliberately extending their answers and
teasing the other for as long as they could, so she didn’t feel compelled to
answer right away. She took a few seconds to calm herself down. Hale was
certainly captivating and despite how often her blind dates failed, she knew
very well when to end a game while she was ahead.
Moving back, she kept
her eyes on him as she grabbed a napkin and brought it to her mouth. Pressing it
on her lips and keeping her eyes on his, she left an imprint of her lipstick
and placed it on the counter before sliding it towards him. There was something
about the way his brow cocked just slightly in bemusement that fuelled her with
a desire to linger, but she wasn’t a fool to believe she was the only woman
that wanted to hold his attention tonight.
She was going to
leave on her own terms.
“I’ll tell you what
I’m not going to be; another conquest. Good-bye, Hale.” Smirking she grabbed
the champagne flute and tipped it as a thank you towards him before sauntering
back to her friends.
It was difficult to
explain, but she felt as if she were on a sort of high. She felt light and
something about being so carelessly free lifted a weight she didn’t know she
was carrying. Even if she wouldn’t meet anyone tonight, Evey’s suggestion of
letting loose did have an upside – she’d never felt like this for a long time.
About the Author
Mira Toria is a a bit of a romantic even though she flat out denies it. She daydreams more often than she would like to admit and often times she can be found scribbling story ideas onto any writeable surface because a clean napkin comes to mind before her phone.
She is also
1/5th of MALICE Authors, a group of authors that have banded together with
their love of story telling to bring together an array of stories.
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