From New York Times bestselling author Laura Kaye, comes the first standalone title in her brand, new Warrior Fight Club series, FIGHTING FOR EVERYTHING. Get your copy of FIGHTING FOR EVERYTHING, and join the Warrior Fight Club world today!
Add to your Goodreads
About FIGHTING FOR EVERYTHING
(Warrior Fight Club #1, 5/22/18)
Loving her is the biggest fight of his life…
Home from the Marines, Noah Cortez has a secret he doesn’t want his oldest friend, Kristina Moore, to know. It kills him to push her away, especially when he’s noticing just how sexy and confident she’s become in his absence. But, angry and full of fight, he’s not the same man anymore either. Which is why Warrior Fight Club sounds so good.
Kristina loves teaching, but she wants more out of life. She wants Noah—the boy she’s crushed on and waited for. Except Noah is all man now—in ways both oh so good and troubling, too. Still, she wants who he’s become—every war-hardened inch. And when they finally stop fighting their attraction, it’s everything Kristina never dared hope for.
But Noah is secretly spiraling, and when he lashes out, it threatens what he and Kristina have found. The brotherhood of the fight club helps him confront his demons, but only Noah can convince the woman he loves that he’s finally ready to fight for everything.
“The always amazing Kaye is kicking off
a terrific new contemporary romance series that centers around a wounded
warrior’s fight club. Kaye does a beautiful job exploring the fallout from war
and PTSD as various characters struggle to cope in their own ways. The love
story between Noah Cortez and his childhood friend Kristina Moore is both
compelling and touching, for the obstacles in their way loom large. A truly
memorable read!” ~ RT Book Reviews
EXCERPT
"Noah, are you down here?" Kristina called from the top of the
basement steps.
Despite the lack of response, she continued down and crossed the room to
the mostly closed door in the back corner--Noah's bedroom since he'd returned
just before last Christmas. God, Kristina had thought she'd received the best
Christmas present ever--Noah, home from Iraq, safe and sound.
Well, mostly sound, anyway. An IED blast had taken the hearing and most
of his vision on his left side, and he'd struggled with bad migraines and
equilibrium problems when he'd first returned. But he was home and he was
alive, and having him back again had made it feel like she could finally
breathe after years of knowing he was in danger every second of every day.
She knocked softly. "Hey Noah, it's me."
All she heard was a long exhale of breath, but it was enough.
Why hadn't he answered her? Her stomach clenched as she pushed open the
door far enough to see Noah standing in the dark doorway to his bathroom, his
back against the door jamb, his arms crossed, and his head hanging on his big
shoulders.
She didn't need to ask if he was okay, because he was radiating not okay
loud and clear. Kristina walked right up to him. "What's going on?"
she asked. Dim light from the rec room filtered over him, allowing her to just
make out the tight clench of his square jaw, the narrowed cast of his dark
brown eyes, the harsh set of his beautiful mouth.
Wait. What? Where had that little observation come from?
Noah shook his head, forcing Kristina to drop the ridiculous line of
thought.
She stepped closer so that she could look more directly into his eyes.
"Come on, Noah. It's me." She ached for him to open up, but what she
noticed even more was the low buzz rushing through her body. From how close she
stood to all his taut hardness. It wasn't like she was just noticing that Noah
was hot, like, dayum hot, but nearly five years in the Marines had matured him
and built hard muscle that hadn't been there before. And clearly her body was
just noticing, probably because they hadn't had the chance to spend much time
together since he'd gotten back.
"Kristina," he said, his voice so low it was nearly a whisper,
or a plea. He leaned his forehead against hers. It was such a sweet, needful
gesture that Kristina's chest seized.
"First, I'm hugging you. Then we're talking, buddy," she said,
wrapping her arms around his big shoulders and planting her cheek against his
chest. The embrace wasn't unusual-they'd always been affectionate with each
other. She'd lay against him while they watched a movie or he'd sling an arm
over her shoulders while they were out together. When things were bad with her
dad, he'd hold her when she finally gave into her grief about it and cried.
That's how they'd always been.
He embraced her right back and leaned his face against her hair.
After a long moment, Kristina pulled away--
Noah wouldn't let her go. His grip on her tightened, and he held her
fast against him. Was he breathing faster? Was he trembling?
Against her belly, he hardened.
Kristina's breath caught in her throat. Noah was aroused...by her? Or
just, like, in her general vicinity? Or...? She swallowed hard as her thoughts
flew.
As they stood there, suspended in the dark, stolen moment, the air
around them flashed hot and closed in, narrowing the world to all the places
their bodies touched. His erection grew, pressing against her with more
insistence. Heat bloomed over her skin everywhere and she held herself
perfectly still. Because this was different. This was not friendly. This was
more.
A strange tension wrapped around them, and it scared and attracted
Kristina in equal measure. She shuddered out a breath as her body came to life
against his. Her breathing quickened, her nipples peaked, her core clenched.
Noah made a noise in the back of his throat like a moan, and his arms
tightened around her, pulling their bodies totally flush.
Kristina's breath caught at the hard press of his body and at the
shocking arousal it unleashed in her.
This is Noah. This is Noah. This is Noah.
But it didn't seem to matter to her body. The soft cotton of her dress
became heavy and irritating against her skin, and all she wanted was for it to
be off. So he could be all over her. This sudden, intoxicating need was brand
new to her-in general and certainly with Noah. She wasn't a virgin, but she'd
never felt with another man the kind of desire rocketing through her just then.
And all they'd done was touch.
Why was this happening?
Her hips shifted without her meaning to do it, and it made her belly grind
against all that hardness.
Noah hissed in her ear. His fingertips dug into her back...and then
wandered, one hand pressing low against her hip, one skimming up her neck into
her hair. Holding her tight. Bringing her closer.
She was half sure she was imagining that they were locked inside this
raging bubble of attraction, except that his heart thundered beneath where her
head rested, his breathing had gone rough, and his skin felt every bit as
feverish as hers.
She had to stop this...whatever this was.
Tilting her head back, the words were on the tip of her tongue. Her eyes
locked with his, and even in the dimness she could see that they were blazing
hot and almost predatory in their directness. It stole her capacity to speak,
because she was unequivocally sure he'd never looked at her like that. Need
roared off of him and through her, making her heart beat like a bass drum.
Kristina swallowed hard. What would she do if he kissed her? One kissing
experiment aside, she'd never had to ask that in regard to him. Another
question followed close behind: what would she do if he didn't?
And
don’t miss the second standalone romance in the Warrior Fight Club series
coming August 7, 2018, FIGHTING FOR WHAT’S HIS
PRE-ORDER on Amazon | Amazon Paperback | B&N | iBooks | Kobo
Add to your Goodreads
“Nobody’s
tortured alphas destroy me quite so utterly as Laura Kaye’s. Her heroes face
heart-wrenching struggles. They have flaws. Kaye presents all of it with
unflinching honesty, and I love them—and her!—all the more for it!” ~ USA Today Bestselling Author Samanthe Beck
Now that’s how you start a series! Kaye is at her absolute best, and Fighting For Everything is the perfect combination of steamy romance and the struggle of our wounded warriors.” ~ Scarlett Cole, author of the Love Over Duty Series
About Laura Kaye
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thirty books in contemporary and erotic romance and romantic suspense, including the Blasphemy, Hard Ink, and Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. Laura also writes historical fiction as the NYT bestselling author, Laura Kamoie. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thirty books in contemporary and erotic romance and romantic suspense, including the Blasphemy, Hard Ink, and Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. Laura also writes historical fiction as the NYT bestselling author, Laura Kamoie. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
No comments:
Post a Comment