Wicked Takeover
Wicked Brand Series #1
By Tina Donahue
Genre: Steamy Contemporary Romance
She’s just
inherited a tattoo parlor…and the hunk who comes with it.
Lauren’s in a
helluva mess. Not only has she lost her corporate HR job, she’s just inherited
Wicked Brand, a struggling West Palm Beach tattoo parlor…along with the virile
dude who runs it. Lauren’s full-figured, sorta pretty, and wanting him badly.
Dream on. She’s here to sell the place as quickly as possible for some
much-needed cash and score a new position in the corporate world.
Dante’s sinfully
hot with a killer smile and beautifully inked biceps. He sees the heat in
Lauren’s eyes despite her conservative appearance, recognizing the dynamite
woman she could be if she’d just loosen up and have some wicked fun. Dominance
and submission. Making love in a public place. Having her lush body always
accessible to and ready for his.
Unwilling and
unable to keep their hands to themselves, Lauren and Dante turn to carnal games
and seduction. Until lust turns to surprising need and friendship to something
deeper that might just change their futures.
His fragrance surrounded her.
Something clean and citrusy, reminiscent of summer days, an ocean breeze, and
sun baking naked skin.
She locked her knees to keep her
balance and tried not to stare at his impressive Adam’s apple, luscious mouth,
and full, kissable lips.
He hooked his thumbs in his front
pockets. “Did you lose your way?”
With him, any woman would. Not
only was he beautiful but intelligence burned in his eyes and reflected in his
surprisingly educated speech. “I’m sorry, what?”
He regarded her suit and heels.
“Are you looking for another shop?”
“No.”
Surprise registered on his face.
“You’re here for a tat?”
The ones on his biceps fascinated
her. They were beyond hot, straight into epic. “Not exactly.”
He nodded. His hair swayed over
his broad shoulders. “A piercing?”
“What?”
“Are you here for a piercing?” He
gestured to another wall filled with pictures. His biceps flexed.
Lauren wanted to touch them, feel
their strength and heat.
“You can see what we offer in
those photos. We also have binders of what we’ve done for past clients to give
you an idea of what you might like.”
For someone who prided herself on
her no-nonsense professionalism, she was having a hard time not drooling over
his freaking arms. What was wrong with her? She knew better than to lust after
a guy like him. That path only led to her nursing a humiliating rejection at
best and a broken heart at worst. She tore her gaze from his biceps and looked
at the photos he was showing her. “Do people really get their tongues
tattooed?”
He grinned, showing perfect
teeth. “You bet.”
“Why?”
He shrugged good-naturedly. “Why
not?”
He wasn’t the least bit uptight.
How Lauren envied that. “Have you?”
“Have I what?”
“Had your tongue tattooed? Or are
the ones on your arms the only ones you have?”
His smile broadened. He spoke
conspiratorially. “I have another, though not on my tongue.”
She hoped he hadn’t inked the
prize between his legs. His equipment had to be as awesome as the rest of him.
No way could anyone improve on nature’s perfection.
He regarded her thoughtfully, his
gaze warming her in places she hadn’t thought about in far too long. Easily, he
took in her short blond hair, her clothes, and her features, including the small
mole near her mouth. There, he lingered. A faint smile touched his lips.
Lauren’s throat and cheeks grew
hot. With his approving gaze, too much desire rushed through her, making it
difficult to breathe.
He flushed, too. “Let me get
those binders so you can look through them.”
“No, don’t. Please. That’s not
why I’m here.”
His dark eyebrows lifted. “You’re
selling something?” He glanced at her purse and looked around her, possibly for
an organization caddy stuffed with her product line.
“Uh no. I’m here to take over.”
“Take over?”
“Uh-huh.”
He looked lost. “As in what?”
“This place.” She gestured to the
parlor. “I own this business and everything in it, including you.”
Tina Donahue is
an Amazon and international bestselling novelist in erotic, paranormal,
contemporary and historical romance for traditional publishers and indie.
Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have
praised her work. She's won Readers' Choice Awards, RWA awards - Holt Medallion
and NEC, and won a Book of the Year award. She’s featured in the Novel
& Short Story Writer’s Market. Before penning romances, she worked in
Story Direction for a Hollywood production company.
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