âHot and romantic, with an edge of suspense.â
âShayla Black, national bestselling author
âWith her debut erotic romance Crash Into You, Roni Loren has penned a sexy, sizzling tale that is sure to have readers begging for more! Reid is the dominant hero of Brynnâs BDSM fantasies, she is the only submissive for him, and neither has been able to forget the love and blazing passion they once shared. But these two will have to brave old hurts, painful secrets, and new danger before they can be together. I canât wait for Roni Lorenâs next tantalizing story!â
âJo Davis, author of I Spy a Dark Obsession
âRevved up and red-hot sexy, Crash Into You delivers a riveting romance!â
âLorelei James, New York Times bestselling author of the Rough Riders series and the Blacktop Cowboys series
Don the gas masks and cue the mushroom cloud. Brynnâs date was spiraling toward DEFCON 1âimminent disaster. In the brief time it had taken her to down three hors dâoeuvres, her sexy doctor had tumbled from fantasy fodder to potential therapy Âclient.
Dr. Depressed propped his elbows on the table and leaned forward, his brows knitted. âI donât know what I did wrong. One minute weâre in love and planning the future, the next I catch her in the copy room with her arms wrapped around the pharmaceutical sales rep.â
Brynn frowned as tears gathered behind his glasses. Oh, hell. She couldnât have another guy cry on her. Thatâd be the second one this month. She was becoming the Barbara Walters of datingâtaking a perfectly put-together person and reducing him to tears without trying. She reached across the table and gave his hand a quick squeeze. âIâm sorry you had to go through that. It sounds like she took advantage of what a nice guy you are.â
He stared at her for a moment, and then released a breath. âGod, what am I doing? Iâm breaking that cardinal rule, right? No ex talk on dates. Iâm sure you didnât ask me to come to this fund-raiser so you could hear me yammer about my breakup.â
âItâs fine. Breakups can be tough,â she said, giving her therapist half-smileâthe one that said I feel your pain and am so not judging you, even though she was already formulating a hypothetical treatment plan in her head. She drew her hand away and sipped the last of her iced tea.
The lines in his face relaxed, and he leaned back in his seat. âIâm sorry I let it come up. Youâre just so easy to talk to.â
âOccupational hazard, I guess,â she said, trying to lighten the mood. But the truth of her statement turned the words to sawdust in her mouth. She enjoyed her work, but did that mean she had signed up to heal every guy she dated? For once, sheâd love to worry, like other women did, that a guy had asked her out simply to get her in bed. Instead, she had to worry if someone asked her to dinner because it was cheaper than a therapy session.
A waiter stopped by with a tray of champagne flutes. Brynn accepted one of the drinks, but her companion shook his head. âNo thanks, Iâm on call. Plus, I donât want to fall asleep on my lovely date before the end of the night.â
He gave her a hopeful smile, his brown eyes still red-rimmed from unshed tears. Brynn fought back the defeated sigh that gathered in her throat. If he was staying awake on her account, he shouldnât bother. She didnât care how nice of a guy he was or how hot he probably looked naked. She was not going to be his rebound sex. Nothing like knowing a guy is closing his eyes in bed because heâs picturing someone else beneath him. Brynn took a long gulp from her glass.
âSpeaking of which,â he said, reaching into the pocket of his jacket and pulling out his cell phone, âcould you excuse me for a minute? I need to check in with the answering service.â
âNo problem, take all the time you need.â Really, he could take as much time as he wanted because this date was overâsign the death certificate and slap a toe tag on it. Done.
After he strode off, Brynn pushed her chair away from the table and straightened the hem of her black-and-white shift dress as she stood. She needed something stronger than champagne.
She navigated through the crowd and the steady hum of polite conversation, pausing occasionally to smile and shake hands with donors. The Womenâs Crisis Center of Dallas had a fund-raiser twice a year and, thanks to a very active board, had managed to snag a number of high-dollar supporters for this one. Good thing, considering her job was dependent on the generosity of these strangers. She grabbed a mini quiche off a passing waiterâs tray and shoved it in her mouth, hoping her obvious chewing would deter more people from stopping her to chat.