📖 Book Details
Genres: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Crime Romance
Heat Level: Scorching Hot/High Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes & Dynamics:
- Good Guy Hero Goes Bad
- Protective Alpha Boyfriend
- Found Family
- High Stakes/Organized Crime Ring Danger
- Standalone Novel (Arresting Onyx Series, Book 2)
He hated to upset Calista all over again, but he had to know. “What were you thinking when you tried on the necklace?”
Air whizzed through her teeth. “No offense, but I don’t know you well enough to let you in that much. I’ve made some mistakes, things I don’t want to talk about. Give me some time.”
He couldn’t blame her for that. If he demanded to know her secrets, he had to tear down the barbwire around his.
No. That couldn’t happen. His life depended on his silence.
“What can you tell me?” Hell, only an asshole would push without opening up in return.
“The necklace reminded me of something I once wanted. Not the pearls themselves, but what they represented. I couldn’t have it because I wasn’t good enough.” She pulled from his grasp and wrapped her arms around her middle, pausing on the sidewalk.
“I’m sorry I forced you to try on the necklace. I thought you liked it. All women deserve something that makes them feel pretty.” He sneezed from the stench of motor oil and pulled Calista away from a puddle in the road before a vehicle could splash them. “Someday, I hope you will tell me what happened, but I do know one thing—you were good enough. You always have been and will always be.”
Her blue-green eyes widened. She traced her fingertips over his smooth jaw, leaving sparks in her wake.
“You’re so kind. I almost believe it when you say it. God, I wish I’d met you years ago.”
“Why do you call me Jeremiah? Everyone else calls me Jim.”
“It feels more personal. Jim belongs to the rest of the world, but Jeremiah is all mine.”
Her words branded him like a fire poker. If he were alone, he’d beat his chest and roar. No woman had ever wanted to claim him. No one but her ever called him Jeremiah.
“Jim isn’t a shortened form of your name,” she continued. “Why don’t you go by Jerry?”
Grinning, he rubbed his cheek and lifted his face to the warm breeze. “There were three Jeremiahs, including me, in my kindergarten class, so they became Jeremiah and Jerry. Somehow, I ended up as Jim. It’s stuck ever since.”
“Ah, I see. I’ve never met another Calista.”
“Must be nice to have a unique name.” He coughed, clearing his throat. “Friday feels like it’s forever away. Let’s go to a park. Somewhere quiet to talk.”
“Talk? Is that code for necking like teenagers in a car?”
“I’m game if you are.”
She pecked his cheek. “We better hurry before the rain starts again.”
He grasped her hand and they dashed back to the diner.
Do they neck like teenagers? Grab Arresting Jeremiah right now to find out. It’s just $2.99.
