Hardened Desire by Layna Pimentel
BLURB
What could Luc
Mercier, a gargoyle who's more than a century old, possibly have in common with
modern introvert, Gillian Harris? Loneliness and isolation.
When meddlesome
friends bring the two together, neither is prepared for the flurry of emotions
nor revelations that overwhelm them. That is, until Gillian stumbles across the
truth and struggles with how she let her guard down.
Learning to love
again has never been harder.
EXCERPT
Luc picked up a
newspaper from the stand and tossed a two-dollar coin to the elderly man
working the counter. He ascended the cavernous stairs of Bloor and Dufferin
subway station, irritated by the lights flickering intensely. I should have just taken my car.
But if he did, Luc
would have missed an opportunity to observe society other than from the café he
frequented lately. A society he didn’t belong in, technically speaking, and had
no business being a part of. Long gone were the muddy, off-beaten roads of
provincial France. Long gone was the time when an over-flowing bodice was
considered scandalous.
Now people thrived
on exposing as much skin as possible. The modern day sentiment of what was
attractive and acceptable embarrassed him to the core, from the mode of dress
to the inappropriate use of language. Didn’t anyone know how to speak without
using an expletive every other word? Where had humanity gone wrong? It was
ghastly enough that children didn’t respect their elders, much less their
parents.
Nevertheless, as
much as this modern world perplexed him, nothing could deter him from at least
enjoying his freedom, regardless of the limitations restricting his activities
to the darkness of the night.
He did, however,
miss the ambiance of candle light and the soft cries while seducing a woman,
tormenting her with his wicked tongue. Exploring deviant, but heavenly,
practices of binding and mixing pleasure with pain. Sweet promises falling from
his lips while exploring every inch of her delicate and exquisite flesh.
These days, the few
women he was able to enjoy weren’t interested in highly sensual liaisons. No.
Today’s women thrived on being in control of seduction, whether they were
proficient or not. There certainly wasn’t anything wrong with the scenario, but
it wasn’t his taste. He preferred his women soft, like Genevieve…his sweet,
sweet Genevieve.
No matter how many
decades passed, the only woman he’d ever confided in, and planned to wed, crept
into his mind many a time. Genevieve was an old soul, who found him and fell in
love. Then, much like a Greek tragedy, their story ended woefully. The trust
and courage it had taken to confess to Genevieve of the monstrosity he had
become left him restless and, for once in his miserable existence, vulnerable.
If not for her kindness, encouragement, and love, who knew what he would be
doing and where.
This last week,
though, he thought to explore the possibility of trying again. A particular
woman, who frequented the café where he spent his early evenings drinking a
brandy and reading The Daily
Sun, had caught his particular interest. Her laughter aroused his curiosity
in the few and far between moments when he contemplated actually living life.
Her voice, whether chuckling or whispering to her friend, always made his body
react in an animalistic way.
While they had never
met, she seemed like someone he’d be interested in getting
to know, at the very least, for a little while. Luc doubted very much he’d find
another woman like the love of his life and often thought it would be better
that way. How could he even begin to explain why he only ever spent time with
her at night, and why he’d always be gone before the first sign of daybreak?
WHERE
TO BUY
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hardened-desire-layna-pimentel/1115181258?ean=2940046154184
BIOGRAPHY
Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Layna
discovered her love of reading at an early age. When she isn’t devouring
salacious romance novels or writing, she enjoys losing herself in researching
ancient history and mythology, weaponry, and hiking. She lives in Northern Ontario,
with her husband and two daughters.
Layna is a member of the Romance Writers of
America, and is a monthly contributor at 69 Shades of Smut. For updates on her
upcoming releases, or to leave her a comment, you can find at:
Website: http://www.laynapimentel.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LaynaPimentel
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