Battered and bruised, Greg Rodwell struggles without his bride.
I married her as a favor. Then she dumped me out of spite.
All her life, Simone’s control-freak father fed her money as long as she played by his rules, even forcing her to sign a contract and punishing her if she took her beloved stepfather’s last name. I devised a plan and offered her my own contract, marrying Simone so she could keep the money and dump her dad’s name. Although our relationship had been as frenemies, our marriage transformed into the real deal. I fell in love with being Simone’s devoted husband. And with her. I thought. Until that night, a colossal argument shattered us. Like a trashy country song, she bailed on me and our marriage in my pickup truck and skipped town. It hurt like hell, but I had to honor our vows and try to win her back.
Returning to Richmond, I watch Simone parading her loser dates as if it’s a sport. I start dating to help myself let go. But things hit a snag when Simone’s father shows up to stay with her for a week. She pleads with me to help her tell her father about our breakup instead of him discovering it and revoking her funds. At first, watching her squirm amuses me, but I’m not a total jackass. I’ll save her once more, but this time, I’m calling the shots, refusing to suffer through another painful breakup. Unfortunately, this infuriates Simone, but now she’s stuck with a husband for a week. Since I’m homeless, crashing with her works out. However, playing out our marriage in front of her father, stuff between Simone and me soon gets real. Way too real.
Dating to avoid Simone only worsens things because of my intense attraction to her. She’s an addiction no rehab can fix. Yet, when she reciprocates the obsession, I freak out and push her too far all over again. But this time, the massive fallout changes us forever.
You’ll achieve maximum shock and awe if the Wild Sparks Series and The Keys to Jericho are read before this series.
WARNING: Though Greg Rodwell is an office clown, his Unraveled Renegade series contains profuse graphic language, explicit sexual content, violence, and dark content not suitable for sensitive audiences. Reader discretion is highly advised.
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EXCERPT:
Simone swims to the surface and toward the shallower end, but still avoids me as she clings to the wall. I sigh and wade over to her.
She wrings out her hair again with her back to me. I fucked up today. I clear my throat, and her shoulders tense. Risking her kneeing me in the balls when we’re out of the water, I squeeze my hands on her shoulders.
When she doesn’t shove my hands off her, I kneed my fingers into her muscles. The chlorine smell is sharp, but so is her sugary scent. I move closer but try not to hit her ass with my hard-on since she’s not happy to see me.
Simone shrugs me off of her and clings to the wall. I don’t know how to say what I want without offending her more.
She leans her forehead onto her hands on top of the wall. Her voice is hollow and bleak. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“Do what?”
“This fake marriage.”
My heart thunders so loud that I swear it bounces off the walls. “Why not? Your father leaves soon.”
Simone lifts her head and stares at the cinderblock wall surrounding the pool. “It’s not worth it.”
I sigh and cross my arms over my bare chest like I keep my heart from plopping into the water. “Why? Because of our argument months ago, or what I did to you in the shed today? Or is it because of something else?”
“All of it.” She flips her water-logged ponytail to the other side, and I want to kiss her neck. “It was. I fucked up at the club, but that doesn’t mean I’m now your indentured whore.”
I wince, but she doesn’t see it. “I’m sorry.”
Simone blows a sigh against the pool wall. I move closer and lift her ponytail, twirling it with my fingers and snort. “I’m such a whore now because I’ll do anything for sex.”
She turns her head, whipping her hair from my hand. She glares at me with an arched blonde eyebrow but a frown on her lips. I miss the taste of her lips on my tongue. “Awesome. I’m sure Tansy loves that.” I have no desire to be up Tansy’s cooch but can’t tell Simone this. It’ll knock our lives out of balance. Glaciers will melt, volcanos will erupt, sinkholes will swallow cities, and some asshole will fucking reboot goddamn Friends.
“What about you?” I cage her between my arms, propped on the pool’s edge, and breathe against her neck. “Do you love it?”
She stutters, “Sex?” I nod against her head, having a beautiful view inside her bikini bra. “It’s okay.”
I straighten with a scowl. “Are you saying I’m not good at it? Ouch.” But it’s not like I have a hell of a lot of experience.
Simone gasps but mumbles, “You’re good.”
“I’m messing up somewhere. No orgasms or waterfalls.”
Her shoulders tense again with a shrug. “It’s not you.”
“Ha. Ha. Sure.” I slide my hand over my face as I sigh. “Oh. Maybe you come with… Damn.”
Shaking her head, Simone seems adamant as her limp ponytail swishes and drips down her back. “Not with anyone else, either. I haven’t felt like it, I guess.”
Lifting both hands to my face, I scratch my fingers over my light beard. I left my razor at Amos’s. I’ll need to shave soon or look like one of those guys from ZZ Top. I suppose I’ll be back with Amos after Simone’s graduation. Fuck me.
I pull her arm, so she turns. Her gaze falls to my chest while mine goes to hers. Simone doesn’t realize how much she turns me on. There’s something about her I’ve never been able to resist. Maybe it’s everything about her.
I scrape my hard-on against her groin, and she looks up at me. “Don’t do this,” she whispers.
“What am I doing?” I smirk and swirl my dick over her, but Simone acts like she’s afraid.
“You’re too close.” Simone’s hands tremble as she pushes damp hair strands behind her ears. Her blue nail polish is darker than this morning. “We don’t need to be when no one is around.”
I cock my head with a laugh. “I’m okay with it if you can’t tell.”
“Just stop,” she mutters toward the water.
I lean down to her ear. “I could take you right here.” I reach down to lift her ass, and her legs fall open as I set her against the wall. I move my hand between us to slip my fingers into her bikini. Brushing through her pubic hair, I tease her open slit and sigh. “I’m hooked on your pussy. The feel of thrusting into you right here,” I push my finger inside her more and move it up and down as I watch her breathing faster, “is so fucking hot. I miss filling you with my cum.” I rub my nose against her temple as I remove my hand and thrust my dick between her legs.
“But your cum could fertilize an egg.”
I stop breathing, but not for the reason I usually do with this topic.
While holding Simone with one hand, I hold on to the wall with my other and push my hips against hers, cursing our damn clothes. I moan against her cheek. “What if I want it to?” I bite my lip, a multitude of thoughts bombarding me.
Simone shakes her head. “Oh, my God. You don’t mean that.”
I shrug. “Maybe I do.” She shoves my arms, and I push off the wall to look at her. “What?”
“We played this painful game with our real marriage in Durham. I don’t want to play anymore. A mere few months ago, you were adamant having children was not an option because of cystic fibrosis, even if I had tested negative as a carrier. And then you and me. We’re not a thing. I will not be having your baby.” Simone closes her eyes and then glares at the wall. “We’re dating other people and shouldn’t be talking about a pregnancy happening. What the fuck are we doing?”
Author Bio:
Ren Alexander writes steamy contemporary romance, including the Wild Sparks Series, and contributes to K. Bromberg’s Everyday Heroes Series. Writing her romance novels with a hefty dose of reality, the good and bad, Ren embraces the gritty and raw with a side of funny and crazy. No matter what, there is always an explosion. You never know what you'll get in her mixed bag.
Relocating from Detroit, Michigan, Ren lives in Kentucky with her husband, two daughters, and two cats.
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