In
the Phoenix club, fantasies come to life, but he wants her for real, and he’ll
do anything to prove it in this deliciously sexy romance from USA Today bestselling
author Stacey Kennedy.
Lottie Harlow spends her days as a dog walker and her nights losing herself in
wild fantasies at Phoenix, a members-only, voyeuristic sex club in New York
City. Her anonymous existence is precisely planned. She must lay low, or risk
facing the consequences of her family’s criminal past. She’s a ghost, and she
likes it that way. But detective Hunt Walker is determined to uncover her
secrets…
Hunt has always loved his nights at Phoenix, but they’re no longer enough. He
wants more. He wants a relationship. He wants Lottie. He’s wanted her
for years. The only problem? Lottie keeps him at a careful distance, never
letting him get too close, ignoring the sizzling heat burning between them. He
knows she’s intrigued by him, but she’s scared. He just can’t figure out why… But
when enemies from her past come seeking revenge for her family’s deal gone
wrong, Lottie’s secrets are revealed, and so is the explosive passion they’ve
been fighting.
Soon, lust leads the way to love, but when Lottie’s brothers start threatening
her, the line between right and wrong is blurred. Hunt becomes torn between his
duty to his badge and his need to keep Lottie safe. But he’ll only get one
chance to prove to Lottie that she’s worth fighting for… and that their love is
worth the risk.
Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Phoenix series!
For book one, Watch Me, click HERE.
For book two, Keep Me, click HERE.
For book three, Save Me, click HERE.
Book
4
Buy Links
Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon Au ~ Amazon Ca
Apple
Books ~ B&N ~ Google Play ~ Kobo
Paperback (US)
“Tell me who you think broke into your condo,” he said firmly.
She shook her head, forcing her shoulders back. “I don’t know.” She knew better than to totally write off her family, but she couldn’t think up a good enough reason why they’d break into her condo after all this time. Plus, she had paid a lot of money to ensure she was never found. For the first couple of years she’d been in New York City, she’d always looked over her shoulder, worried they’d catch up with her, demanding the money she’d stolen. But no one ever came. After the third year, she stopped looking, feeling safe in her new identity.
Hunt dipped his chin, bringing his eye level down to hers. “No idea at all who it could be?”
“Nope,” she said, striding off before he could look too deep and find answers that she couldn’t give him.
She felt his gaze following her, reading right through all the things she wasn’t telling him.
When he finally caught up with her on the way back to her condo, he blessedly shifted subjects. “Come stay with me until we catch the person responsible,” he offered.
Cars honked at each other as she shook her head adamantly. “Like hell they’re making me afraid of my own home.”
“Then I’ll take your couch. It’s not safe, Lottie.” When they stopped at the corner of the street and waited for the light to change, he arched an eyebrow. “I have a gun. You do not.”
“Good point,” she said. This spelled all kinds of dangerous, but Hunt would not relent, and she refused to leave her condo. “Okay, you’re right; it’s safer,” she conceded, knowing her limitations in protecting herself if someone broke in again. “I appreciate the offer.”
“Think nothing of it,” he said and began crossing the street. “We can grab my overnight bag before we go back to your place.”
All of this seemed unnecessary, but she realized as she inhaled the greasy aroma coming from the hot dog stand, that for the first time since she opened her condo’s door earlier, she could breathe a little easier.
When they arrived at the condo a half an hour later, the forensic unit was packing up. She sighed as she took in the state of the place. What a mess! Figuring she had to start somewhere, she moved to the living room, picked up the cushions off the floor, and placed them back on the couch.
After a short conversation, Hunt shut the front door behind the last cop and locked it. He moved to the liquor cabinet in the corner of her living room and poured them both a double shot of whiskey. He handed her the glass and watched her with a stern look, his well-crafted cop look. “Time’s up, Lottie.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.” She sipped her whiskey. A big, long sip.
His mouth twitched, but that was the only break in his intensity. “I rather enjoy when you make me work to know you. But I’m afraid, like I already said, time is up. Tell me what you’re hiding.”
She swallowed. Part of her wanted to tell him everything. Explain her entire past. But if Hunt knew about her past life as Marissa Ricci, and that she’d had her true identity buried, he’d have to tell Rhys. Then Archer would learn that she’d lied to them. She’d never be allowed back in Phoenix. She loved her new life, and that included her sensual life in Phoenix, and her friends who also belonged.
The air seemed too thin as Hunt took another step closer, erasing the distance between them. “I know there’s a reason you have refused, from day one, to not act on what’s between us. And I know that reason is tied to your break-in today.”
She looked to her glass, avoiding his penetrating stare. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His fingers dragged against her jawline before he cupped her chin, forcing her to meet the strength in his gaze. “Let me help you.”
She needed to shut this down. Now. Hunt was too smart, too insightful, too damn trained. Her heart began to hammer, making the room feel smaller and smaller. He’d peel all her layers back and expose all her secrets. She couldn’t allow that.
“Lottie,” he said, a pillar of strength.
Suddenly it occurred to her she knew exactly how to distract him. Ignoring the consequences, she placed her glass on the table and grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer. Before she could second-guess herself, she sealed her lips on his. He stiffened, seemly momentarily surprised, until he softened, wrapping his arms around her, bringing her tight against him with a low groan.
Her lips opened, and his followed, but he never quite gave her the kiss she suddenly, desperately needed.
When he broke away a few minutes later, he chuckled against her lips. “Shutting me up, huh? All right, Lottie, I’ll go along with that.” His hands fell to her hips, and he gave her a push until her back hit the wall. She gasped. Need stormed through her as his eyes darkened with arousal. “For now.”
Frenzied thoughts filled her mind as his mouth met hers again, but when he took over the kiss, her thoughts simply faded into nothingness.
She parted her mouth, and his tongue invaded, sliding against hers. His kiss was skilled, determined, and left her dripping. She slid her hands over his strong, flexing arms, shoulders, up his thick neck to the back of his head, running her fingers across the shaved hair.
He groaned, breaking the kiss so his lips could travel along her neck. His hand threaded in her hair, and she rolled her hips, heat pooling low in her body. His tongue flicked her ear lobe, and she moaned, a tease of how that tongue would feel elsewhere. “Can I touch you?” His breath tickled across her ear.
The game was dangerous. And yet, and yet… she couldn’t stop from playing now that she felt him… tasted him. “Yes.”
Reviews by the
Wicked Reads Review Team
Avid
Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
M/F BDSM Romance
This is the fourth book in this series and you really should read the previous
books to truly understand the personal relationships. While it’s not mandatory,
because I feel like you could understand each book alone, it definitely adds to
the whole picture of this family.
Lottie is as sexual as they come. She loves having an audience. Phoenix club
has become her salvation and she knows that she’s very lucky to have found a
family she chose rather than the one she comes from.
Hunt never truly believed in love at first sight, but seeing Lottie, he can’t
seem to let her go, despite her turning him down at every turn.
When Lottie’s past comes barreling into her present, she turns to Hunt to
comfort her. But when feelings and emotion add fuel to their fire, Lottie just
tries not to burn Hunt or get burned herself.
This is a short, sexy, dangerous read that will keep you turning the pages and
hoping with crossed fingers and toes that everything will be okay.
This family is one that you will cheer for. They fight, protect, and, above
all, love just like you’d want your family to.
I can’t wait for Nessie’s book!
Ruthie
– ☆☆☆☆☆
This is another great instalment in the Phoenix series. I would recommend that
you read them in order, but it would be a fun story whatever.
Lottie has been a character who has caused confusion for the reader in previous
books. Seemingly not connecting emotionally to anyone, she has seemed aloof and
a bit of a mystery. Now we finally get her story, and her one true crush
becomes so much more.
I love that both she and Hunt have had a thing for each other forever, but a
very good reason has kept them apart. As that truth is revealed, we have the
parallel of the romance with the trouble from her past catching up with her.
Delicious, sexy, and with a refreshing level of openness and honesty between
them, which ensures they work as a team and a couple.
Mary
– ☆☆☆☆☆
I have waited for Lottie and Hunt's story and I was not disappointed. It was
filled with suspense and intrigue that kept me on the edge of my seat. I was
not expecting Lottie's backstory and it was such a surprise. I knew that Hunt
and the gang from Phoenix would be there to help her.
I love this series and I believe that Lottie and Hunt's story is my favorite so
far. It is filled with a painful past, hurt, lust, sizzling heat, friendship,
and love. So sit back and enjoy this series. I know I have and I cannot wait
for more.
STACEY
KENNEDY is a USA Today bestselling author who writes contemporary romances full
of heat, heart, and happily ever afters. With over 50 titles published, her
books have hit Amazon, B&N, and Apple Books bestseller lists.
Stacey lives with her husband and
two children in southwestern Ontario—in a city that’s just as charming as any
of the small towns she creates. Most days, you’ll find her enjoying the
outdoors with her family or venturing into the forest with her horse, Priya.
Stacey’s just as happy curled up indoors, where she writes surrounded by her
lazy dogs. She believes that sexy books about hot cowboys or alpha heroes can
fix any bad day. But wine and chocolate help too.
Connect with
Stacey Kennedy
Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Website ~ Goodreads
Facebook
Group: Stacey Kennedy's Book Club
Hosted by
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided
a free copy of See Me (Phoenix #4) by Stacey Kennedy to read and review.
