Owen Shaw and
his “brothers” lost everything, their entire existence erased. Science had
robbed he and all the Lost Boys of their memories and their past, but not their
future. Hunted by every intelligence agency in the world, they are focused on
two goals: find a cure for what was done to them and ensure that the technology
that ruined their lives doesn’t get out into the world. Rebecca Walsh might be
the key to achieving both. Owen has been studying her closely, living in her
building, and he cannot resolve how such a beautiful, giving woman could have
helped design the evil process that destroyed his past.
Dr.
Rebecca Walsh has dedicated her life to researching the secrets of the mind.
Her atmospheric rise in her field was fueled by the horror of watching her
mother’s agonizing journey into madness at the hands of a disease with no cure.
She vowed to never rest until she finds it. But obsession takes a heavy toll,
and when Owen moves into her building she realizes how much of her life she has
missed out on. Owen opens her eyes to a whole new world, filled with joy, laughter,
and possibly love.
Owen and
Rebecca grow closer, unraveling more about each other and the mysteries
surrounding her connection to Hope McDonald. As the sinister forces working
against the Lost Boys descend on Toronto, secrets long buried are uncovered
that could shatter the bonds holding the Lost Boys together and cost Rebecca
her life.
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“Becca.” Owen’s
voice was low. “Concentrate on me, on our conversation. You’ve done incredibly
well. You’ve been able to hold it off, but this has gone on far longer than you
ever should have been expected to handle it. This elevator is tight. I feel it,
too, but we can hold off the anxiety together.”
She doubted
very much the man in front of her was anxious. He looked solid, like the kind
of man who took whatever came his way and simply dealt with it. He wouldn’t
have needed two freaking years to figure out what he wanted. He would have
signed his divorce papers and moved on, not hiding in his work.
It struck
her forcibly that she might never have met a man like Owen Shaw. Her childhood
had been fairly sheltered. She’d constantly been surrounded by intellectuals,
men and women who were far more concerned with their work than anything else.
The ground
beneath her shifted and the elevator dropped what felt like ten feet, but she
knew in her head it was mere inches. Her heart rate tripled, and she grabbed on
to the closest thing she could—him.
His arms
went around her, holding her up, and she heard it. He was so tall that her head
naturally rested on his chest, and she could hear his heart beating in rapid
time.
He was
nervous.
The phone
rang and Owen cursed, reaching out to grab it. The shaft was so small, he
didn’t have to let her go to grasp it.
“What the
bloody hell is happening, Colin?”
She could
hear his voice over the line. “Sorry. So sorry. We had to lower the shaft the
tiniest bit. I should have warned you. It’s not going to fall. Just needed to
reposition to get to the problem. Not long now. Another half an hour or so and
I’ll have you right out of there.”
“If you do
that again, do you know what I’m going to do to you, Colin?”
There was a
pause over the line and she could practically hear Colin’s gulp. “Write my
father a tersely worded letter of complaint?”
“No, I’m
going to pull your heart out through your throat and then I’ll shove it back up
your arse.”
“You sound
very much like Liam Neeson in that movie.”
“Liam
Neeson is Irish. I’m a Scot. I assure you what I’ll do to you will make you run
into Liam Neeson’s arms and beg him to save you.” He reached back and hung up
the phone with a resounding clang.
His arm
went back around her. “It’s going to be all right. They’ll move faster now. So
you’ve taken a sabbatical from men.”
She
breathed him in, loving how he smelled. Were men supposed to smell so good?
She could
feel herself relax as he held her. She’d known him for three hours. She
shouldn’t let him hold her like this.
And why the
fuck not? Because it wasn’t smart? Because he might think she wanted something
she shouldn’t?
She was
human. Why shouldn’t she want him? Because society told her that good girls
didn’t make out with guys they’d just met in an elevator?
Society
sucked, and she wasn’t a good girl. When her husband had tried to put his name
on her work, she’d told him to fuck off and write his own paper. When he’d
cheated on her, she’d walked away.
She was
single.
God, was he
single?
She stepped
back.
“What’s
wrong?” Owen asked.
“Do you
have a girlfriend?”
His lips
curled up in the sweetest grin, as though he knew exactly why she was asking that
question. “No, love. I don’t have a girlfriend and I don’t have a wife.”
He was
single. She was single.
The moment
lengthened between them.
He stepped
back. “I’m sorry. I’m coming on way too strong.”
He wasn’t.
He’d been gentlemanly, friendly. Up until the last couple of moments, he hadn’t
put a hand on her or leered. She could feel his attraction. It was there in the
warm way he looked at her, in the set of his shoulders, relaxed earlier and
tense now that he’d touched her. He was thinking about the same thing she was.
“I’m very
nervous, Owen. My logical mind knows that it’s far more likely for me to die
getting hit by lightning than in an elevator, even one that’s stuck.”
Unfortunately, her logical mind was slowly losing control of her dumbass lizard
brain.
“Will
talking help?” Owen asked. “Because I’m willing to do that. Or whatever you
need to take your mind off things.”
There was a
wealth of promise in those words. Dirty and sweet at the same time. They’d
shared her wine, passing it back and forth between them, her lips touching the
same place his had been moments before. When she’d drank after him, she’d
thought about kissing him.
It had been
too long. Two years was way too long to go without sex.
They had a
half an hour or so. At least that’s what Colin—who might be murdered soon by
Owen Shaw—said. She even thought his name was sexy.
What
exactly would it hurt if she did kiss him? If she touched him and let him touch
her? Hell, what would it hurt if she fucked him? They were both single, both a
little needy. They had some time to kill. They’d done everything else.
“I would
like to kiss you.” If he didn’t want her to, he could say no and they could
find something else to do. She wasn’t going to be embarrassed because some guy
didn’t want her. Some stunningly gorgeous guy. Some really funny, sexy guy.
After all, she wouldn’t see him after this. She’d never seen him before. He’d
told her he was moving in, but she went into work early and came home late. He
was a bodyguard, so he likely worked odd hours and traveled a lot.
He was
safe. She could open that door, enjoy herself, and then close it again. Owen
Shaw could be her first really good memory in a long time, the start of many
because it was time to get serious about finding some joy and balance in her
life.
But only if
he wanted some joy, too.
He moved
back, placing his back against the elevator wall, the sweetest smile lighting
up his face. “You have no idea how much I want you to kiss me. I’m right here,
love. Do your worst.”
He was
letting her make the first move. And probably the second. And the third. He was
obviously a careful man. It would be easier if he took over, but he was right.
This needed to be her choice, and she had to make the move.
She’d been
the girl who’d told her parents at the age of five that kindergarten was boring
and she wanted to move through the grades until she found something
challenging. When they’d told her they wanted her to slow down and enjoy her
childhood, she’d gone on strike until the teachers at her school begged her
parents to let them move her up.
She was the
girl who’d put it all on hold to take care of her mother, too.
She wasn’t
the girl who didn’t take what she wanted, and she wanted Owen Shaw.
“It’s been
a long time since I did this.” But her body was already heating up. Her body
remembered. Her marriage might have sucked, but the sex had been fairly good.
It had been the reason she’d married him. She’d gotten used to regular, good
sex.
She’d get
used to it again, just on her terms this time.
“Somehow, I
think you’ll remember,” he said. “You play all you like. Stop when you want
to.”
She’d been
right about him. He was a careful man. “And if I don’t want to stop?”
My review: Owen and Becca had amazing chemistry! Their story pulled me in and kept me hooked from page one to the very end. I don't know how Lexi Blake continues to write such amazing stories full of intrigue, romance, and heart. No two stories are the same and in some ways they build off each other while still being stand alone books. I really cannot get enough of these books and fans of her writing as well as new readers should definitely pick up this book! Now to anxiously await the next book in this series.
NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.
Excerpt: 
About Lauren Blakely:
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that's sweet, sexy and witty. Her heroines are strong and smart and her heroes have hearts of gold and fantastic funny bones. She lives in California with her family, including her smoking hot and hilarious husband and her two brilliant and kind children. She has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs -- she might have four dogs, or maybe five. If she's lucky, she'll soon have six dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than 100 times, and she's sold more than 3 million books. In February she'll release BEST LAID PLANS, in March THE FEEL-GOOD FACTOR, and in May THE DATING PROPOSAL. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter! 
USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.
