The Revenge Game by Alice Gaines Book Tour and Giveaway :)
The Revenge Game
by Alice Gaines
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Adam Morrow is a self-made millionaire. But one night with her could ruin everything…
I’ve worked my ass off for what I have, and I’m damn proud of it. I started off with nothing and now I’m filthy rich. Let me tell you, there’s nothing like revenge to help you get your ass in gear. And that’s what I’m taking, with every exclusive resort I open—sweet, sweet revenge…on her.
Nicole Westmore was my first love. The poor little rich girl stole my heart with her sweet smile, hot body, and irresistible innocence. The summer I worked for her father was the best time of my life…until he drove me away. Even then, I thought Nicole would wait for me. She didn’t.
And so, I decided to get even, opening rival hotels, slowly driving them out of business. The old man is gone now, but Nicole is still running the company that’s about to collapse. All my hard work will soon pay off.
And then I catch sight of her at a wedding, and all those feelings come rushing back--for both of us. Still, she doesn’t know what I’ve done—yet—and she seems more than willing. What will one night in her bed hurt?
The sex is hotter than ever, and I can’t help wondering if I’ve made a mistake. Until I get up the next morning…and realize I’ve been kidnapped!
Nicole was out
there somewhere. Probably on the periphery, too. She never had been
good with people but preferred to remain alone. Confronting him must
have cost her. And then he’d gone and told her she didn’t have
anything he needed. Nice going. The words hadn’t only been
cruel—they’d been a lie. As long as she existed in the world
somewhere, he’d need her. The other two
showed up out of nowhere, Ryan with a mug of beer, and Grant, another
martini glass. “Why are you
hiding out over here?” Grant said. “I thought I was the one who
was wedding-phobic.” “I could get
that way,” Adam said. “I have the
solution,” Ryan said. “I met a very adventurous lady, and she
came with two friends.” “Not in the
mood,” Adam said. “I think you’d
better take his temperature,” Ryan said to Grant. “Our friend
here is sick.” “Very funny,”
Adam said. “Seriously?”
Grant asked. “When are you not in the mood?’ Adam lifted his
martini. “Never mind. It’s nothing a few of these can’t fix.” At that moment,
a waiter with a tray of martinis went by, and Adam exchanged his
empty glass for a new one. “Come on,
Adam,” Ryan said. “What’s eating you?” Adam spotted
Nicole then, and damned if he could keep his eyes off her. As he’d
guessed, she stood apart from the crowd, a nearly full flute of
champagne in her hand. Why did she always have to look so damned
vulnerable? And why had he hurt her? His mean remark still gnawed at
him, even though she deserved it. “Who is she?”
Grant asked. Oh, hell. He
couldn’t hide anything from these two. “Remember the woman I told
you about, the one who inspired me to get into the hotel business?” “Is that her?”
Grant said. Both men turned
to stare at her. “Nicole
Westmore,” Adam said. “And don’t look at her. It’ll make her
uncomfortable.” Grant whistled
softly between his teeth. “You’re still hot for her.” “I thought she
was hot for me, too, but then she got engaged to a prince from a
small European country,” Adam said. “I found out watching TV one
night.” “She doesn’t
seem to have a prince with her now,” Ryan said. “Yeah.” If
she was a princess, he’d never heard about it. And being a royal
would have kept her too busy to run her late father’s failing
business. “What are you
going to do?” Ryan said. “Nothing,”
Adam answered. Grant clapped
Adam on the shoulder. “He’s going to get drunk, like any sane
human male when he sees his ex—” “You’re a
pain in the ass,” Adam said, but that didn’t stop him from downing his martini. “Maybe she
still wants you,” Ryan said. “She had the best. Why would she
want the rest?” “It’s been
too long.” But had it been? She’d pretended confidence when she’d
confronted him, but he knew how vulnerable she’d been when she was
younger. That person was still in there. Her eyes gave her away. They
still held the hurt that had made him want to protect her back then.
She didn’t know how to fight then, and she probably still didn’t. He, on the other
hand, knew little else. He still went with his boxing instincts.
They’d served him well in business. “Wait a
minute.” Ryan pointed in Nicole’s general direction. “Westmore.
Isn’t that the hotel chain you’re trying to take over?” “Her father’s
company,” Adam said. “The man you
used to work for,” Ryan said. “As a
chauffeur, for one summer.” The bastard treated his staff as if
they weren’t fully human, and so he had constant turnover. “Old
man Westmore nearly had a coronary when he discovered his daughter
had fallen in love with the help.” “So, what
happened?” Grant asked. “When things
got tough, Nicole went along with her father’s wishes.” She’d
chosen the bastard over him. Since then, Adam had planned and
plotted, going to great lengths to show both of them who was the
better businessman. At first, he’d just competed with Westmore’s
company. He had more devious plans now. He’d taken
money from Vivian to get his own company off the ground. Together,
they’d figured out a way to take over Westmore’s hotels through
stock buy-outs, and the upcoming fatal blow—a vote of no confidence
in the CEO. Vivian seemed thrilled to sink Nicole now that Nicole’s
father had died. Did Adam really feel the same way after seeing
Nicole again? Oh, hell. “The two of
you were lovers, right?” Grant asked. Adam drained the
last of his martini. “I took her virginity.” Grant whistled
again. “You two have a messed-up history.” “You could say
that.” “Here’s what
Dr. Ryan recommends,” Ryan said. “See if the spark is still
there. If not, just walk away.” “And if it is…
Well, we’re not players for nothing,” Grant said. Seduce Nicole?
First of all, could he? The guys were right. If there was no spark,
nothing was lost. But if the old flame hadn’t died out for either
of them, well, it was worth exploring. Sex with her had been so
amazing. She went from zero to top speed as soon as he touched her.
It was the ultimate turn-on. He’d never come across another woman
who responded so hotly to his touch. Sex with Nicole wasn’t an
exercise in creating orgasms. It was a full-body experience. “You’re
thinking about it,” Grant said. “It’s a bad
idea,” Adam said. Grant grabbed
another martini from a waiter and exchanged it for Adam’s empty.
“It’s a great idea.” “At least one
of us will have some fun tonight,” Ryan said. “Yeah, this is
my baby sister’s wedding,” Grant said. “I’d better behave
myself.” This time, Ryan
put his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “You can do it, Adam. Put the
old ghost from your past to rest.” Would he be doing that tonight? Could he? Maybe the whole mystique of
sex with Nicole was something his memory had created. He’d been a
horny kid when he’d known her before. He hadn’t gotten laid as
often as he did now. If the two of them had sex—and it was only
nice—he’d be able to put her out of his mind once and for all. He was still
playing with the idea when Nicole sealed the deal by walking out onto
the balcony alone. He could talk to her there, apologize for the
cutting remark, and see where the conversation led. He could find out
if the passionate woman he knew so long ago still lurked under her
now-cool exterior. “You talked me
into it,” he said. Then he made his way around the crowd, toward
the balcony and a date with his past.
Alice Gaines lives in the San Francisco Bay Area in a fixer-upper house she never fixed up. Aside from writing and reading hot, hot romance, she loves cooking, knitting and crocheting, and her church. She has a pet corn snake named Casper and she's insanely passionate about the funky soul band, Tower of Power.
$25 gift card from the
winner's retailer of choice
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
Thanks for hosting me.
ReplyDelete