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Title:
Defiant Temptation
Series:
Harden #3
Author:
Lynn Stookes
Genre:
Adult, Suspense Romance
Published:
March 24, 2017


She
wants him. He wants what he can’t have.
Harper
Andrews hasn’t had it easy; abandoned by her mother, dated a scheming boyfriend,
and fought for her father’s life against cancer. But she’s always prevailed,
until now when her world seems to be falling apart. 
Tristan
Page never loses control; not at the death and reemergence of his sister’s
cheating husband, the attack on her life, or even when his company seems to be
failing. He’s always in command of his actions until one woman threatens to
make his world spiral.
Tristan
plays on Harper’s last nerve.
Harper
tries Tristan’s patience and self-control.
Forced
together, in a search for her mother, they battle their attraction for one
another. Harper wants him. Tristan wants what he can’t have.
Can
they defy temptation or will their explosive chemistry set them on a path for
self-destruction?
EXCERPT


“What ya’ doing man?” Blake questions.
“Working on a case,” I fib. I am working on a case, but he doesn’t
need to know it involves waiting outside Harper’s campus while she finishes her
classes.
“You sure about that?”
“Yeah,” I pause. What does he know? “Why? What’s up?”
“Oh, you know, nothing,” he chuckles. “Mrs. Nelson stopped by the
station today.”
“Yeah? Everything okay with her?”
“She’s perfectly fine,” his voice cracks with a laugh.
Sawyer’s voice booms over the line, “Is that Tristan?”
“Yes.” I hear shuffling in the background.
“You asking about Mrs. Nelson?”
“I’m trying to if you would shut your mouth,” Blake retorts.
“Put it on speaker,” Sawyer demands.
“Such a demanding little shit,” Blake mumbles.
“But you love me anyway.”
“If you didn’t make Dani happy, I’d probably find a dark hole for
you.”
I chuckle at the banter between two of my best friends. We’ve always
had an easy friendship, even though our lives couldn’t be more different. Blake
has a large loving family; I just have Kylie, and now Dani; Sawyer has an
alcoholic father he doesn’t see much. Such different upbringings, but we’ve
always been close. Even after years away, it was easy to pick up where we left
off.
“Hey, Tristan,” Sawyer says into the phone.
“What the hell do you want?” I counter, dreading what they have to
say. If it has to do with Mrs. Nelson, it’s nothing good.
“Like I was saying, we had a visit from Mrs. Nelson today,” Blake
explains.
“Yeah, so?”
Sawyer chuckles, “She had a story to tell us.” Another laugh bursts
from him. “She wanted us to talk to you.”
“About?”
“About your discretion.” Blake joins in the laughter.
“Discretion?” Confusion runs through me. I have no clue what the old
bird is talking about.
“She saw you and Harper pull out of Harry’s place early this
morning,” Blake explains.
“Too early for anything pure,” Sawyer snorts. “And your devious ways
will get Ms. Innocent Harper into trouble. You better make an honest woman of
her.”
That damn old woman. What the hell is she doing? Watching my every
move? I remain quiet, hoping they’ll move on, but knowing better.
“Is it true?” Blake asks, trying to contain his amusement.
“What?”
“Are your devious ways corrupting the innocent Harper?” Sawyer
questions.
“No!” I shout, frustration rushing through my veins.
“Banks wasn’t happy when he heard the news from Mrs. Nelson,” Blake
comments.
“Apparently, it wasn’t the first time she caught you in a
compromising position with Harper,” Sawyer adds.
“Something about you leaving her apartment after an afternoon nookie
session.”
They’re ganging up on me. I’m never going to hear the end of this
unless I shut them down.
“For the last fucking time, there’s nothing happening with Harper. I
got suckered into giving her a ride this morning by Harry,” I say, and to make
sure my point is made, I add, “Why would I waste my time with a girl like her?
She probably doesn’t even know what to do with a dick. Have you looked at her?
She has virgin written all over her face.” The words make my stomach curl, but
I need them to drop it. “Besides, she’s not even that cute. I like my woman
with curves. Harper is a walking stick. It’d be like fucking a board.”
The small gasp behind me has me instantly regretting my words.
“Gotta go,” I say into the phone and put it in my pocket without waiting
for a response. Slowly, I turn.
Harper stands before me, a flaming beauty, seething with anger. Her
gorgeous red hair is in a tight ponytail, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
Fuck.
“Harper,” I whisper, reaching for her.
She takes a step back, holding her books close to her chest.
“I…uh…” I stutter, trying to think of an excuse. “I never meant for
you to hear that.”
I definitely said the wrong thing because a notebook barrels towards
my head. I quickly duck, avoiding it, but not quick enough to dodge a textbook
hitting me in the eye.
“Fuck!”
I reach up, grabbing my eye as the book hits the ground, breaking
the seam, pages flying away. She threw books at me. Hard. I look at Harper with
my good eye. Her hand is on her chest, shock on her face.
“Are you happy now, Harper?”
“I didn’t…” she begins.
“Didn’t plan on throwing a book at my fucking face?” I growl.
“Didn’t plan on acting like a child?”
I take a menacing step towards her, and she quickly retreats, a hand
keeping distance between us.
“What, Harper? Don’t tell me you’re scared because you heard
something you didn’t want to hear. The truth.”
If I’m going to be a dick, might as well go all in, right?
Harper hisses. “Screw you, Tristan Page! You’re nothing but a
chauvinistic dick. I don’t know why I ever wanted you!” She pokes my chest,
emphasizing each word. “You’ve made it abundantly clear that you are…you are…”
“Come on, little girl,” I egg on. “Spit it out. What am I?”
Her amber eyes meet mine, dancing like they’re on fire. Fuck if her
pissed off isn’t hotter than shit. I seriously screwed up. Her breathing is
heavy and ragged, pushing her small but perfect breasts towards me, barely
brushing my chest.
“You are,” she pauses, “Nothing. You’re absolutely nothing, Tristan
Page.”
She tries to walk away, but I pull her arm, forcing her between me
and the truck.
“Nothing?” I question, her words hitting too close to home.
“Really?”
Her breath hitches, arousal dancing in her eyes. Before I can stop
myself, my mouth is on hers, brutally taking what I want. I nip at her lips,
begging her to let me in. I move my hand from her hip, tracing her skin until I
brush the swell of her breast. She gasps, allowing me the entrance I crave. I
sweep in, devouring her sweet taste, knowing I could easily get addicted.
Harper whimpers when I push her against the hood. My body is so
rigid that I literally ache. My erection rubs against her stomach, and I lift
her, wanting our bodies to match up. Her leg wraps around my waist. I rock into
her, but distant whistles and cat calls filter through my lust induced haze.
Harper must hear them, too, because she pulls back, breaking the
best fucking kiss of my life. Avoiding her eyes, I look around at an audience.
People even have their fucking phones out, taking pictures and videos.
“Shit.”

Lynn
Stookes was born and raised in the amazing state of Texas, where she currently
resides with her husband of five years. They have one rambunctious four year
old son and three furry children, who create the chaos she couldn’t live
without.
One
day, Lynn took her passion (maybe obsession is more apt) for romance books and
mystery shows and wrote her first romantic suspense novel, Fatal Obsession,
Book 1 in the Harden Series.
When
Lynn isn’t writing or working her day job, you can find her reading on her Kindle,
spending time with her family and friends, or playing on Facebook. She loves
running, coffee, and country music in no particular order.

Website: www.lynnstookes.com  
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