WICKED AS SIN
Series: Wicked & Devoted #1
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance
Author: Shayla Black
Release Date: March 3, 2020
Pierce “One-Mile” Walker has always kept his heart under wraps and his head behind his sniper’s scope. Nothing about buttoned-up Brea Bell should appeal to him. But after a single glance at the pretty preacher’s daughter, he doesn’t care that his past is less than shiny, that he gets paid to end lives…or that she’s his teammate’s woman. He’ll do whatever it takes to steal her heart.
Brea has always been a dutiful daughter and a good girl…until she meets the dangerous warrior. He’s everything she shouldn’t want, especially after her best friend introduces her to his fellow operative as his girlfriend—to protect her from Pierce. But he’s a forbidden temptation she’s finding impossible to resist.
Then fate strikes, forcing Brea to beg Pierce to help solve a crisis. But his skills come at a price. When her innocent flirtations run headlong into his obsession, they cross the line into a passion so fiery she can’t say no. Soon, his past rears its head and a vendetta calls his name in a mission gone horribly wrong. Will he survive to fight his way back to the woman who claimed his soul?
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What the devil was she doing here? Courting danger. Pierce Walker was more man than she could handle. She was likely to get herself in over her head.But Brea owed him her thanks. And, okay…she was dying to see him again.
What could five minutes alone with the man hurt?
Suddenly, the volume on the music dropped under a dull roar and heavy footfalls got louder as they headed her way. Then the door whipped open, and Pierce stood on the other side of the threshold, scowling.
He was covered in nothing but ink, body hair, and bulging muscle from the waist up. Well-washed jeans hung low on his hips. He dangled the neck of a half-empty beer in one hand. His bare feet were built like the rest of him—big and overwhelmingly masculine.
Brea sucked in a silent, shaking breath. “Hi.”
“Brea.” His scowl disappeared. “This is a surprise.”
How was it possible that his eyes had been on her a handful of seconds and she somehow felt naked?
“Sorry to drop by. I-I just wanted to thank you.” She held out the container to him.
He took the dish from her hands. “For what?”
As Pierce propped himself against the doorframe and stared, she nearly lost herself in his fathomless black eyes. She forced herself to blink, but her wayward gaze wandered down his body. A Marine crest tattoo covered his right pectoral. More dark ink enveloped both shoulders, emphasizing every ridge and swell of his sizable physique. Well-washed denim cupped the substantial bulge between his legs.
And she utterly forgot everything she’d planned to say.
“Brea?”
His deep voice jolted her. She jerked her gaze from places it didn’t belong and cleared her throat. “Um…helping me get to the hospital the day Daddy collapsed. And for bringing my car to me afterward. It was very kind of you.”
“No problem. How’s he doing now?”
“Recovering. His surgery went well. Since you thoughtfully left me your contact information in my console, I meant to come sooner to tell you how much I appreciated your help, but I’ve been taking care of him. I finally got a few minutes, so I-I brought you these cookies. Since I didn’t know what you liked, I baked a few different kinds…” She dropped her gaze to collect her thoughts and stop rambling, but her stare glued itself to him again, this time fixating on his ridiculously delineated twelve-pack abs. “But you don’t look like you eat many.”
He laughed. Pierce Walker was menacing when he scowled, but when he smiled he was stunning. Something wild and reckless quivered in her belly, urging her to put her hands on him, press herself against him, beg him to somehow stop this breathless, fluttery yearning she’d only ever felt with him.
“Because I don’t have anyone baking me cookies.” He peeled the lid off the top and peered down. “These look good.”
“I baked the chocolate chip without nuts. I didn’t know if you were allergic.”
“I’m not.”
“I also included checkerboard, cinnamon sugar, and gluten-free almond wafer.”
“Thank you.” He curled his fingers around her shoulder. They burned like a brand as he scooted her breathlessly close to his naked torso and locked the door behind them. “Why don’t you come in and let me get you something to drink?”
“I shouldn’t stay. I would never want to interrupt your…” Goodness, what had he been doing? It was a Friday night. Maybe he was getting ready to go out. Or heaven forbid, planning to stay in…with female company.
“Game of pool. You’re not interrupting. Stay. Like a lot of things, it’s a lot more fun when you’re not playing alone.” He winked.
His seemingly suggestive words sparked a reaction low in her belly. “I-I’ve never played.”
He raised a dark brow. “Ever?”
“Daddy isn’t much for games. My friends aren’t, either.”
“What about Cutter?”
She shrugged. “He’s never shown any interest.”
He sent her a stare that looked somewhere between stunned and dubious. “You sure? I’ve seen him play.”
That didn’t surprise Brea. Cutter had a whole life she barely knew about. “I’m sure he does, but not with me.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
Were they still talking about billiards? “Anyway, I won’t keep you…”
“Don’t go. One game.” He wrapped his arm around her middle and ushered her deeper into his house. “What do you say?”
She risked a glance up at him. “You’re sure I’m not in your way?”
“No. I’m thrilled as hell to have you here, pretty girl.”
That low, deep declaration of his did something to her insides. Heat crawled up her cheeks. She ran her tongue across her suddenly dry lips. “O-one game, then.”
After one look, I wanted you. But after one kiss, I knew I’d do anything to have you.”
I have been waiting for this moment all my life!!! OK, so maybe not my entire life. But it sure feels like it, dang it! Because Shayla Black has been tempting us with One-Mile and Brea’s story for too long and I’ve been chomping at the bit in my glee to get my grabby little hands on it. And the second this baby hit my kindle? I DEVOURED IT. I don’t think I even blinked. Or maybe I did blink. Once. And then I realized I was done. GAH.
Now I’ll be honest, usually the uber good girl heroine doesn’t do it for me. They tend to annoy me with their holier than thou everything. But Brea was my one exception to the rule. There’s just something so incredibly endearing to her sweet and innocent personality. She’s like this ray of sunshine that you can’t help but love. Or maybe it’s that perfect dynamic of One-Mile’s uber bad boy to her uber good girl? I dunno. But whatever it was, it worked, and I loved it.
If you’ve read Shayla’s Wicked or Devoted series than you’ve met these characters. And if you haven’t, you won’t have any problems diving right into this one. Brea is Cutter’s best friend from Devoted to Pleasure. I have to say, as much as I loved Cutter in his own book, I wanted to slap him here. His holier than thou attitude towards One-Mile drove me up the wall. He’s fiercly protective of Brea while Brea is inexplicably drawn to One-Mile. One-Mile thinks that she’s Cutter’s girlfriend, but that doesn’t stop his singleminded pursuit of her.
He tensed. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“Even though it’s wrong?”
“Yes.”
“Even though this could get out of control?”
“Yes.”
“Brea. Baby…” Desire darkened his expression. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
One-Mile is one of the most endearing misunderstood characters. He’s painted to be the cold and aloof bad boy, but is he really? He’s a trained operative and and lethal sniper, but there’s so much more to him than that. I loved seeing his fuzzy side come out when he’s around Brea. But there’s also this edgy appeal to him that you can’t deny. Their chemistry was absolutely incendiary! And the story completely addicting with plenty of suspense to really keep the reader on their toes. I loved it from cover to cover!
Shayla Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly eighty novels. For over twenty years, she’s written contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances via traditional, independent, foreign, and audio publishers. Her books have sold millions of copies and been published in a dozen languages.
Raised an only child, Shayla occupied herself with lots of daydreaming, much to the chagrin of her teachers. In college, she found her love for reading and realized that she could have a career publishing the stories spinning in her imagination. Though she graduated with a degree in Marketing/Advertising and embarked on a stint in corporate America to pay the bills, her heart has always been with her characters. She’s thrilled that she’s been living her dream as a full-time author for the past eight years.
Shayla currently lives in North Texas with her wonderfully supportive husband, her daughter, and two spoiled tabbies. In her “free” time, she enjoys reality TV, reading, and listening to an eclectic blend of music.
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