Title: Not About Love
Series: This Love #2
Author: Hilaria Alexander
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Samantha Leigh Design
Release Date: August 18, 2016
Blurb
Strong and independent,
Wrong for each other in every way.
But the heat, the passion, the pull.
Undeniable.
Irresistible.
When we were together,
The chaos turned to desire,
Need.
Bliss.
I was his.
He was mine.
For the time-being.
Different countries.
Different worlds.
Just sex.
No strings attached.
That's how Boyd Rivers wanted it.
And exactly how I liked it.
But sometimes, fate has other plans...
Can it really be not about love?
***Not About Love is the second book in the This Love series but can be read as a standalone***
Purchase Links
Free in Kindle Unlimited
Excerpt
I found a spot on the couch and sat down, listening to my friends play and sing. At some point, I must have zoned out, because I didn’t even realize Boyd had arrived. He started working the room, saying hi to everyone. It was only when he was a few feet away from me that I heard his deep voice and looked up.
He found me on the couch and when our gazes locked, his eyes were brightened by the huge smile that stretched across his face.
My heart started hammering against my rib cage, and I couldn’t stop the happy feeling spreading throughout my chest. His smile turned into a lusty, dark look when his eyes slid over me. He headed in my direction, but was stopped and greeted by a couple older ladies just a few steps away from where I was sitting. He was all smiles as they paid him compliments.
“My oh my, Jackson Rivers, aren’t you the strapping young man?” said one of the ladies.
“You sure have become quite the big boy!” said the other. I bit my lip, trying to contain my laughter, but I couldn’t stop it. Boyd kept stealing glances my way and was fighting a smile. He pointed a finger at me when the ladies weren’t looking. The mischievous look in his eyes told me he’d make me pay for laughing.
Bring it on.
He excused himself from the two ladies but they pulled him in for hugs and kisses, and even pinched his cheeks. I covered my mouth with my hand to hold back the giggles, but my eyes gave me away. He sat next to me on the armrest of the couch and acted completely nonchalant as he leaned toward me and whispered in my ear.
“I see how it is,” he said, his voice low and gruff.
“How it is? What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
“You were laughing at me, Red!”
“No, I wasn’t! I was laughing with you, not at you!”
“Sure, sure.” He glanced down at me and peeked down to my neckline. Our eyes met again, and I saw in his eyes the same thing I was feeling: slow-burning desire.
Now that he was so close and my head was swimming in his musky smell, it was even harder to act like I didn’t want him. Why did we keep falling into the same patterns? We were like magnets; we couldn’t stay away from each other.
“I do have to say, this is a nice surprise.” He was staring at something in the room, but his words were for me. When I turned toward him, he gave me a knowing look. I let out a deep breath. His lips curled up in a delicious grin.
He loved the fact that just a simple compliment got me all out of sorts.
“Is it now?” I smiled, deliberately ignoring the subtext his sexy grin implied.
“Yeah, don’t act so coy, Red. It is most definitely a nice surprise. In fact, if I’d had any idea you’d be at my parents’ shindig tonight, I would have shown up waaayy earlier.” I didn’t tell him I had been there the whole day, wondering where he was. I pressed my lips together and looked into my glass of brandy. I took a sip, but the warm liquor didn’t help me relax. I pulled my shoulders back, sat up straighter, and crossed my legs. I wanted to look confident and imperturbable.
Instead, my body language betrayed me.
“Yeah, you liked that, didn’t you?” he asked, leaning his head in my direction. I could feel his eyes on me. “You like knowing I want you.” Even when he wasn’t speaking directly onto my skin, his voice felt like a caress. The deep sound of his voice alone made me shiver. I took another sip of brandy.
“Bertie, look at me or people are going to think I’m harassing you instead of having a conversation,” he joked.
I leaned back on the couch and started laughing. It was too much, too much. I was all over the place with my emotions and my reactions, and I was sort of drunk, too, which made it even harder to not look like a complete idiot.
I glanced his way, and he had the biggest, goofiest grin on his face. It stretched across his face and reached his eyes. I loved it when he smiled like that.
He looked like a completely different person, beautiful, untroubled, easygoing.
“You look beautiful, by the way. That dress…is sexy as hell.”
“Thank you,” I replied with a slight nod of my head.
He gave me a once-over. “I’m particularly curious as to what you’re wearing under it.” His words made my breath hitch and I imagined his hands on me, possessing me like only he did.
He found me on the couch and when our gazes locked, his eyes were brightened by the huge smile that stretched across his face.
My heart started hammering against my rib cage, and I couldn’t stop the happy feeling spreading throughout my chest. His smile turned into a lusty, dark look when his eyes slid over me. He headed in my direction, but was stopped and greeted by a couple older ladies just a few steps away from where I was sitting. He was all smiles as they paid him compliments.
“My oh my, Jackson Rivers, aren’t you the strapping young man?” said one of the ladies.
“You sure have become quite the big boy!” said the other. I bit my lip, trying to contain my laughter, but I couldn’t stop it. Boyd kept stealing glances my way and was fighting a smile. He pointed a finger at me when the ladies weren’t looking. The mischievous look in his eyes told me he’d make me pay for laughing.
Bring it on.
He excused himself from the two ladies but they pulled him in for hugs and kisses, and even pinched his cheeks. I covered my mouth with my hand to hold back the giggles, but my eyes gave me away. He sat next to me on the armrest of the couch and acted completely nonchalant as he leaned toward me and whispered in my ear.
“I see how it is,” he said, his voice low and gruff.
“How it is? What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
“You were laughing at me, Red!”
“No, I wasn’t! I was laughing with you, not at you!”
“Sure, sure.” He glanced down at me and peeked down to my neckline. Our eyes met again, and I saw in his eyes the same thing I was feeling: slow-burning desire.
Now that he was so close and my head was swimming in his musky smell, it was even harder to act like I didn’t want him. Why did we keep falling into the same patterns? We were like magnets; we couldn’t stay away from each other.
“I do have to say, this is a nice surprise.” He was staring at something in the room, but his words were for me. When I turned toward him, he gave me a knowing look. I let out a deep breath. His lips curled up in a delicious grin.
He loved the fact that just a simple compliment got me all out of sorts.
“Is it now?” I smiled, deliberately ignoring the subtext his sexy grin implied.
“Yeah, don’t act so coy, Red. It is most definitely a nice surprise. In fact, if I’d had any idea you’d be at my parents’ shindig tonight, I would have shown up waaayy earlier.” I didn’t tell him I had been there the whole day, wondering where he was. I pressed my lips together and looked into my glass of brandy. I took a sip, but the warm liquor didn’t help me relax. I pulled my shoulders back, sat up straighter, and crossed my legs. I wanted to look confident and imperturbable.
Instead, my body language betrayed me.
“Yeah, you liked that, didn’t you?” he asked, leaning his head in my direction. I could feel his eyes on me. “You like knowing I want you.” Even when he wasn’t speaking directly onto my skin, his voice felt like a caress. The deep sound of his voice alone made me shiver. I took another sip of brandy.
“Bertie, look at me or people are going to think I’m harassing you instead of having a conversation,” he joked.
I leaned back on the couch and started laughing. It was too much, too much. I was all over the place with my emotions and my reactions, and I was sort of drunk, too, which made it even harder to not look like a complete idiot.
I glanced his way, and he had the biggest, goofiest grin on his face. It stretched across his face and reached his eyes. I loved it when he smiled like that.
He looked like a completely different person, beautiful, untroubled, easygoing.
“You look beautiful, by the way. That dress…is sexy as hell.”
“Thank you,” I replied with a slight nod of my head.
He gave me a once-over. “I’m particularly curious as to what you’re wearing under it.” His words made my breath hitch and I imagined his hands on me, possessing me like only he did.
Review
Boyd has been content in his one night stands, with the rule of no second night until Ally. For some reason, he just can't help himself but want more than a night with her. But one thing stays the same - no strings, no attachments, just a good time had by both parties.
I LOVED both of these characters, they were strong in their own rights, while also stubborn, holding on to past hurts, and not trusting. They both hold their painful history with love deep inside, a secret that tortures them still and also gives them a reason to continue on without the expectation of Love or a commited relationship. I enjoyed the aspect of them trying to keep things between them on the hush hush, so that her best friend and his brother didn't know the extent of them.
This book was full of hot, steamy scenes/moments, while also touching you on emotional levels or leaving you with a chuckle. The chemistry between Ally and Boyd is out of this world, but also you can sense the deeper bond they want to avoid. The scenes between Ally, Boyd and Lou and Ella make you feel like you fit right into the mix of the group, their teasing and banter give another sense of realism to their story.
This book sucked me in and left me trying to guess from page to page how things would work out, and what these two had been through in the past. I was intrigued to know more about their lives, what made them who they were, and how their arrangement would work long term. I was not disappointed. This book has it all, it will grip your attention, tug on your heart, make you laugh, make you sigh, and keep you wanting more.
Author Bio
Hilaria Alexander lives in Oklahoma City with her husband and kids. When she isn’t at work, she is reading, catching up on her favorite TV shows and coming up with new stories. She loves traveling and is a self-proclaimed concert addict.
Not About Love is her fourth romance novel.
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