Contemporary Romance/Suspense
Date Published: 12/26/2016
One year.
It’s been one year since Agent Damian Trent left for
Washington without a word.
One year since he’s seen her beautiful face.
One year since he’s heard his name on her lips.
He's been recently called back to New York City on
assignment, to catch a criminal who’s trying to infiltrate Sunset Reads. The
last thing he expects is to work side by side with the woman he turned his back
on.
Having her close is an unwanted distraction that he’s more
than willing to ignore, if only she wasn’t so damn tempting.
Everything seems under control, until a night of feverish
passion has him abandoning all thoughts of reason. Now, he will do everything
in his power to get her back, and even more so to protect her.
Layla Reece wants nothing to do with the man who left her a
year ago.
The man who took her heart with him, leaving her broken.
After a year of trying to forget Damian Trent, she is
finally ready to move on.
But trying to forget him becomes a tedious task when he
suddenly reappears in her life.
Although she fights to stay away, his magnetism is too
strong and she finds herself giving into the deep timbre of his voice, and the
strength and safety of his arms.
Staying away from Damian turns out to be futile, especially
when his kisses consume her and his heart shatters the walls she spent so much
time building.
Finding herself in danger, she now has to turn to the only
man she trusts to keep her safe, but can she trust him enough to give him her
heart once again?
Excerpt:
Dinner went by uneventfully, and Layla
continued to talk with Carol and Cristina who were sitting next to Damian. She
tried her best to ignore him and his intense eyes that seem to call out to her
the entire time she looked over. Every now and then she would get caught in
them and quickly look away trying to divert the conversation to the other end
of the table. She had somewhat succeeded and when dinner was done she plopped
herself onto the living room couch waiting for the others.
Obi, Cristina’s loyal companion,
dawdled into the room and stood staring at her. “You’re going to stand there
staring at me, too. What else was I supposed to do?”
He jumped onto the couch and sighing,
plopped his head on her lap.
“I know exactly how you feel,” she
replied, running her hand through his soft fur.
“I see Obi has found the best spot on
the couch,” Henry joked.
Damian appeared behind him with
Sebastian.
“You’re not wrong.” Sebastian grinned.
Damian just watched her silently as
she stared right back at him. He wanted to say something, anything, but
couldn’t manage a sound. He needed to talk to her, but how?
Obi, on the other hand, stared up at
the three men and practically dared them to move him. Henry plopped down next
to them and propped the dog on his knee. “You lucky bastard.”
Layla laughed and hit him on the
shoulder. She watched from above the rim of her glass as Damian sat across from
them. She could tell he wanted to say something, but she didn’t want to hear
it. She wasn’t ready for that yet.
She stood up and went to the kitchen
where Cristina was busy getting dessert ready. She smiled at her friend. “You
think I can step outside for a second? I feel kind of warm.”
“Sure, the back door is open. I think
William turned the lights on back there.”
Layla smiled and rushed out to the
back porch. Sure enough, William had lit the back wooden deck and small
lanterns lined the backyard. Layla always liked it back here. It was really
peaceful. Cristina had set it up so that she could write outside and Layla
could understand why. In the spring rose bushes and a giant peach tree
decorated the yard. It was truly beautiful. Layla breathed in the fresh air and
tried to control her nerves. She was standing out there for a few minutes when
the door suddenly opened. When she turned around, Damian stood beneath the
porch light.
Layla took a step back, and quickly
realized she needed to get out of there. She tried scurrying around him, but he
grabbed her arm.
“Why are you avoiding me?” he asked
her.
She stopped and looked up at him, she
could almost make out the hint of hurt in his eyes.
“I’m not avoiding you. I’m just cold,”
Layla lied. She was trying to get away from him, as far away as possible. She
could feel the heat of his hand through the thin layer of fabric on her sleeve
and his pull was magnetic.
“We need to talk.”
She shook her head. “No. There’s
nothing to talk about.”
He gripped her a little tighter and
stepped closer to her. She could smell the scent of scotch on his breath when
he spoke. “We have a lot to talk about.”
Damian’s nearness was overwhelming and
she felt her willpower start to fade. “What’s there to say, Damian? If you
didn’t say it to me back then, why say anything now?”
“Because I was a coward,” he said with
a hint of desperation.
She smirked. “I’m glad you realized
that.”
He let her take a step away from him,
and she quickly headed for the door. Before she opened it his deep voice
resounded through the empty space.
“I may have admitted to being a coward
Layla, but I don’t give up easily. This isn’t over.”
She stood very still and briefly
closed her eyes. Without saying another word, she stepped back into the warmth
of the empty kitchen. She quickly gathered herself and walked down the hallway,
away from Damian and towards her friends who were in the living room.
She made her way to Alyssa who placed
a hand on her cheek. “Are you all right? You look a little flushed.”
Layla smiled reassuringly. “I’m fine.
The wine must be having its effects on me.”
She sensed as Damian entered the room
and watched as he joined them. A cheerful smile played on his lips, showing no
sign that he had been affected by their interaction. She grabbed a glass of
wine and gulped it down.
“Take it easy there, lush,” Henry
teased.
Layla narrowed her eyes on him, and
purposefully downed the rest of the wine.
About the Author:
D.C. Triana is a new romance author and novelist. She was
born in raised in New York and is currently residing in Florida. Last
March, Her dream of publishing a romance novel came true with, Sunset
Reads: William & Cristina. The novel is currently holding a 4.5
star rating on Amazon as well as GoodReads. She is excited to announce her
second novel in the series, Sunset Reads: Damian & Layla, releasing
on December 26, 2016.
When she is not delving into her hopeless romantic thoughts,
she is expanding her experiences and travelling around the world. She also will
not miss an episode of the Walking Dead, has an obsession with Superman, and
has watched Pride and Prejudice at least ten times. An avid fan of all types of
music and dancing; she enjoys cuddling up with her puppy Obi, and helping new
authors like herself. You can visit her at http://www.dctriana/com, or be part of her
newsletter where you can take part in giveaways, receive updates on upcoming
storylines, and get reviews on hot new titles. Sign up for her Newsletter
here: http://eepurl.com/bXH-P9
Author Links:
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