Cado by D.T. Dyllin
Publication date: October 26th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal Romance
Publication date: October 26th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal Romance
Synopsis:
Is the love of a bad man as fulfilling as that of a good man—if he’s good to you?
The fantasy for most women is the happily ever after, the white knight or the prince charming. Or maybe they imagine the hero swoops in to save them from their mundane existence. But what happens if you catch the attention of the villain instead? Tiffany aka Karma is about to find out…
Karma isn’t just a name; it’s a way of life for an exotic dancer with a taste for vigilante justice. She should have been more careful though, because her deeds haven’t gone completely unnoticed. A man who isn’t quite human, with the predilection for destruction, has set his sights on her. His brand of love is tainted…twisted, and Karma is powerless to resist.
Cado Excerpts:
1)
His muddy gaze slid over me with disdain and his lips curled up into a sneer. “You really didn’t think I was going to let you get away with that, did you?”
Internally I was trying to quickly come up with a plan. I wasn’t some preternaturally gifted being of some sort, not that those existed. Sure I took martial arts and self-defense but...in real life being about a foot shorter than this guy put me at a huge disadvantage. I usually used surprise...and weapons to even those kinds of odds. I was lacking both of those at the moment. I donned the best fake smile I could muster. “Get away with what? I told you I’m not for sale. You got what you paid for.”
The kid’s eyes narrowed and hostility rolled off of him in waves. “You led me on. You made me think—”
“I never led you on for even a second. You paid for and I gave you time in the private room with me where you received a very up close and personal dance that lasted the span of a few songs. I told you before, my sexual favors aren’t for sale. Whatever you’ve heard about me or any of the other girls at Club Elite is a lie. This isn’t that kind of place.” I crossed my arms over my chest and attempted to make it seem like he wasn’t intimidating me. How the hell did he get past the security downstairs and know where to find me?
He rushed at me, letting me know that our little tête-à-tête was over. I dropped my bag and made myself ready. I can do this. Just pretend— My inner pep talk was cut off as I was tackled to the ground and all the air left my lungs. I strained my neck muscles to keep the impact on my head as little as possible. I tried to bring my knee up between his legs but he was already pinning me with his full body weight. I head butted him instead. My forehead made contact with his nose and he screamed in tandem with the loud crunching noise the blow made. Blood spurted everywhere and he rolled off of me. He recovered more quickly than I expected and stars danced in front of my eyes when his fist connected with the side of my face. I collapsed onto my back and blinked dazedly. Taking a full out punch was something I’d never done before. It didn’t feel good, to say the least, and it was more difficult to shake off than people in movies always made it seem.
2)
Someone was incessantly pounding on my head, and I wanted to kill them for it. Or at least that’s what I balefully thought as I was swept away from my ocean paradise dream where Lucian was worshipping me with his tongue on our own private beach. In actuality, someone was knocking on my front door. Or trying to beat it down. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure which one by the way the sound was reverberating within my skull.
“Okay, okay—I’m coming!” I shouted as I stumbled from my bed, my top sheet catching my foot and nearly causing me to face plant. I peered through the peephole and grimaced. It was a cop. The curvature of the image made the badge on his shirt protrude in a very cartoonish way, as if it was the most prominent thing about him. Steeling myself, I swung the door open and grinned amiably. “Yes?”
The tall, broad-shouldered Pittsburgh Police officer’s gaze slid down over me and he cleared his throat. “Ummm...ma’am... you’re naked.”
“What?” I glanced down at my...yes, very naked body. “Shit.” I pushed the door shut, which he caught with his foot. “I-I’ll be right back.” I dashed to my bedroom and pulled on the first items I came across, a black pair of jeans and black t-shirt. I forewent the bra, but it didn’t really matter, I was just trying to cover myself up. It wasn’t like I was embarrassed to be naked in front of a strange man, after all I did it for a living, but I didn’t want to get arrested for public indecency or something.
When I exited my room and headed back to speak with the cop, I noticed he’d moved into my foyer, if the small dingy area could be considered that, and was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. As I approached him I allowed myself to appreciate the uniformed yumminess that I previously hadn’t. He was tall, about 6’3” or 6’4” if I had to guess. His square jaw was clean-shaven but stubble was already showing because of his dark coloring. His hair was short but it looked good on him, it served to highlight his strong features and deep chocolate eyes. Yep...definitely yummy.
3)
“A bit sloppy, don’t you think?”
A shiver raced up my spine and spread throughout my limbs, affecting my entire body. My eyes slid shut on their own volition, but only for a second. Then my gaze was gliding over Lucian hungrily. He stood just a few steps away from me, nearly touchable—touchable but beyond my reach somehow. His hair was shorter, darker too, and he wore another custom tailored suit. There was suddenly too much saliva in my mouth. I swallowed convulsively. There was a dead body at my feet and the only thing I could think about was running and jumping into Lucian’s arms, the very realistic figment of my imagination.
“Nobody asked your opinion,” I forced myself to say.
He chuckled, his laugh both dark and alluring. “I could help you.”
“A figment of my imagination isn’t going to do much of anything actually helpful.” I scanned the alley looking for somewhere to stash the body. It would be found, but not until after I was long gone. Nothing would link me to him, and frankly in a neighborhood like mine, no one would do much digging. At least I hoped. If any of my DNA was found on him, however unlikely, I could always claim he’d been a customer at Club Elite. Being a stripper was more of an alibi than most people would think.
He chuckled, his laugh both dark and alluring. “I could help you.”
“A figment of my imagination isn’t going to do much of anything actually helpful.” I scanned the alley looking for somewhere to stash the body. It would be found, but not until after I was long gone. Nothing would link me to him, and frankly in a neighborhood like mine, no one would do much digging. At least I hoped. If any of my DNA was found on him, however unlikely, I could always claim he’d been a customer at Club Elite. Being a stripper was more of an alibi than most people would think.
Lucian chuckled again, sending more shivers throughout my system. “What must I do to convince you that I am as real as you are? I would have thought someone with your unusual...talents, would be a lot more open minded.”
He appeared directly in front of me, scant inches away. Yeah, because that’s going to convince me. His full lips tipped up into a sardonic smile, a sneer almost. “I know,” he murmured. “How about this?”
His mouth pressed against mine, parting my lips forcefully, laying siege in a manner that both weakened my knees and shot lust pumping through my veins. I clutched at his shoulders to keep from falling, but his arm had already snaked around my back to provide support. His taste was lush, decadent, a flavor just beyond definition, and yet it was familiar and welcoming. I swear I would have done him right there in the alley, dead body lying there and all, if he hadn’t pulled away from me.
Belatedly, almost as if my body was just coming back online, horrific images assaulted me. People screaming, dying, being tortured... I had no idea what it all meant. It wasn’t the normal way I saw things. Normally my visions were whispers in my mind or flashes, sometimes not even in color. But these—these were painted with all the colors of the rainbow. Bright and bloody—terrifying. And it was as if Lucian was present in the visions—but not. It was all so much. Too much. I nearly fainted. Instead I dropped to my knees, hitting the pavement painfully.
Glancing up at Lucian I shuddered. There was death in his eyes. A darkness I didn’t understand. And yet...yet a part of me didn’t care. I wanted him. I wanted what he was offering even though I wasn’t sure what exactly it was.
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AUTHOR BIO:
D.T. Dyllin is a bestselling author who writes both paranormal and contemporary romance. Anything with a love story is her kryptonite. Her obsession with affairs-of-the-
D.T. was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Black & Gold for life, baby!) She now lives in Little Rock, Arkansas with her husband and two spoiled German Shepherds.
D.T. was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Black & Gold for life, baby!) She now lives in Little Rock, Arkansas with her husband and two spoiled German Shepherds.
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