It’s finally here!!

Let’s all jump up and down! 

No, seriously…because I know some of you were starting to doubt this book would ever actually be written.  And if I’m being honest, there were times when I was ready to throw in the towel as well.

With scheduling conflicts, and health issues, when I actually had the time to finally sit down and write Roman’s story, I was scared I’d lost him.  There was a point when I seriously considered postponing the book indefinitely.  But I knew you guys deserved more.

Roman deserved more.

So, I put on my big girl pants and Roman and I had a serious talk.  He’s a hard character to write.  Most of my heroes, even the most damaged of them, are inherently good.  Roman is as well, but it’s deeply buried.  And it was something I struggled with.  Writing someone who wasn’t charming and kind of an asshole by nature was against my inner nature.  But I love the redeemable hero, and Roman is the ultimate fixer upper.

Blurb

My name is Roman Cavenaugh and I’m kind of an asshole.

Running a company isn’t easy, especially when everyone expects you to fail, so being a jerk? It comes with the territory.

I don’t have time to mess around, and I sure as hell didn’t see her coming.

Cara Hamilton—she was supposed to be off limits…a temporary employee brought in during my assistant’s maternity leave.

But, in the blink of an eye, she became so much more.

An obsession I couldn’t shake.

So yeah, I may be an asshole, but now, I finally had a purpose, and soon, she would be mine.

All’s fair in love and war…

Coming September 13th.

Pre-order exclusively at iBooks

Cover

A book cover requires a huge team, and mine is, in my humble opinion…outstanding! A big thanks to Kelsey Keeton for another stunning photograph, and to James Freeman for modeling and being my perfect Roman! And lastly, as always…a big thanks to my amazing cover designer Sarah Hansen from Okay Creations.

Excerpt

***Unedited. Subject to changes/modifications before publication.***

“Can I ask you something?” she said, drawing my attention away from the monotony on my computer screen. I looked up to find her eyes dead set on mine. It was unnerving.

She usually tried to avoid direct eye contact with me. Maybe I intimidated her. Perhaps she found me attractive and the idea of lusting after her boss bothered her.

Believe me, it bothered me too.

In a very physical way.

“Go ahead,” I answered, unwilling to break the intimate connection she’d started.

“When you saw me… at the club that night,” she said, her eyes wavering just slightly. “What was it you saw in me? I mean, was it just the clothes?”

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Even though I’d said we’d never speak of what happened that drunken night two weeks ago, I saw something in her eyes that needed an answer.

That needed something more.

“Why are you asking?”

“It’s nothing, sorry. I’m being stupid,” she backpedaled, as she began fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

Looking back at our few interactions, I suddenly noticed the difference in how she’d acted today. Her normal never-ending stream of word vomit was there, but behind it, there was an internal struggle going on. The hemline wasn’t the first thing she’d fidgeted with. I’d watched as she’d pulled at the collar of her shirt and then, as if she’d realized what she had done was wrong, quickly lay it flat again.

“Does this have something to do with the way you’re dressed today?”

Pink tinged her cheeks once again.

“You noticed?”

I simply nodded, not trusting myself with words in that moment.

Because I’d more than noticed. It’d been damn hard not to think about anything but.

“A gift from my boyfriend,” she replied. “He said my old clothes didn’t fit in with our new life style. It was a very generous gift,” she added, never forgetting that politeness she’d no doubt been taught since birth.

“But?” I questioned, waiting for her to continue.

“But… I don’t feel like me anymore,” she finally admitted.

“And I’m guessing the night in the club was another gift of his as well?”

It was her turn to nod.

I could see the indecision and worry gnawing at her. Someone like her, sweet, honest and good… she was meant for better things than a life with a man who didn’t appreciate her.

Leaning forward, I made sure she saw the sincerity burning in my eyes as I spoke. “That night in the club, I’ll admit, I noticed the dress first.”

She opened her lips to speak but I held up my hand to stop her, wanting to make my point.

“And today, when you walked in, I couldn’t help but give a second… or third glance at the way that new skirt hugged your ass.”

Her eyes widened at my blatant honesty.

“So yes, the clothes may grab my attention for a moment or two, but the fact that I’m still interested, two weeks later? That’s you, Cara. That’s all you.”

And just like that, I’d crossed the line.

I’d hit on an employee.

And there was no going back from that.

Copyright J.L. Berg 2016