Welcome to the next stop on the Almost Loved blog tour!
Almost Lovedby Mira Toria
Release Date: 03/06/15
Summary from Goodreads
Falling in love is easy.
After Bradley, Lyris is convinced that love is temporary and the repercussions are permanent, but everything changes when she meets Hale. Falling in love with him begins as something tumultuous and unexpectedly effortless despite her resistance.
Lyris loves him.
Hale loves her.
Staying in love is hard.
As their pasts start to surface, how hard will they fight to stay together? Her ex holds a piece of her heart and he won’t give up without a fight – but that might not be necessary. Hale has a secret of his own that is enough to threaten everything before it even begins.
This isn't just a love story.
This is their story.
After Bradley, Lyris is convinced that love is temporary and the repercussions are permanent, but everything changes when she meets Hale. Falling in love with him begins as something tumultuous and unexpectedly effortless despite her resistance.
Lyris loves him.
Hale loves her.
Staying in love is hard.
As their pasts start to surface, how hard will they fight to stay together? Her ex holds a piece of her heart and he won’t give up without a fight – but that might not be necessary. Hale has a secret of his own that is enough to threaten everything before it even begins.
This isn't just a love story.
This is their story.
She got to
the bar and closed her eyes while crossing her fingers. Speaking to no one in
particular, she muttered, “Please, please, please don’t make this night another
disaster. I swear I’ll be good, just please don’t make this another disaster.”
“Well
since you said please so many times.” Her eyes fluttered opened to see a
bartender with an amused smile playing on his mouth as he tried hard not to
outwardly laugh at her. “Exactly who are you selling your soul to?”
She
laughed despite her embarrassment and took a closer look at him. There was no
doubt in her mind that while she wasn’t looking for a hook up, she wasn’t
immune to beauty and she would be foolish to dismiss this man because he was
definitely something noticeable. To her, it was similar to window shopping and
admiring a dress in the window – she didn’t have to purchase something to
admire it.
And now I know why people say ‘hot damn.’
His dark
hair was cut shorter on the sides but with more volume on top, as if someone had
casually run their fingers through it. Her fingers twitched and it crossed her
mind that she wouldn’t mind running her fingers thought it. Forcing her hand to
stay still, she lowered her eyes, taking in his jawline and admiring how it
accented his sharp features in a way that prevented him from being too pretty.
When her eyes veered to his mouth, she noticed the smirk deepening with each
second she took blatantly and shamelessly checking him out.
She
blinked and smiled, trying to pretend that she wasn’t doing anything out of the
ordinary. “No one,” she quipped, “I’m just talking to myself.”
“The first
sign that someone’s overdue for a drink,” he said light heartedly. “What can I
get you –” He trailed off and looked at her pointedly to finish off the sentence.
Something about the way he phrased the
sentence made her smile coyly. This wasn’t her first time flirting and she knew
very well when a hook was being thrown at her, waiting for her to take a bite.
“You what?”
The corner
of his mouth twitched when he realised she wasn’t going to make it easy for
him. “Usually people finish that sentence with their name.”
“I’m not
like usual people.”
“Definitely
not like usual people.” Shaking his head and laughing under his breath, he
swapped a new tray for a waiter before he turned back to her. “I do remember
you said you’d be a good girl,” he reminded her. “You’re not off to a very good
start.”
He filled
a glass with champagne, promptly tipping it towards her like he was waiting for
her to take it, but when she did reach out, he pulled away at the last second.
Her eyes
narrowed as she tried to figure out what he was playing at. There were people
who were like open books, easy to read and predict, but then there were people
like this man. They were the ones that were seemingly transparent, but had more
than a few tricks up their sleeves. It was just her luck that she had a soft
spot for that.
His eyes
were bright with mischief as he moved the champagne glass out of her reach.
“What are you doing?”
He wasn’t
like anyone she’d ever met and she found the corners of her mouth tugging into
a reluctant smile. There was something about his confidence that was
refreshing; where it was enough to be charismatic instead of pure arrogance.
“Can I have my drink?” she asked.
He grinned
cheekily as he placed the glass on the bar island to lean closer to her. “I
meant later on tonight.”
“Did you,
now?” She propped her elbow up on the counter and tilted her head as she
studied him. “Tell me, how many girls have you used that line with tonight?”
He brought
his face close to hers, so close that if anyone even slightly bumped into
Lyris, she would’ve grazed her mouth against his. Her breath caught in her
throat and she was tempted to run a finger down his jaw line, to just simply
touch him, despite accusing him of being a womanizer.
“Honestly?”
He looked held her gaze. “Just the one girl I’m looking at right now.”
It was as
if the music and the party buzz fueled the tension between them. Looking away
didn’t cross their mind as they were both intoxicated in some way.
“Do you
usually go home with strangers?” She spoke in a whisper, fearing that the
moment would be shattered by noise if she were any louder.
He held
his cards close and replied in a low calm voice. “Would you call us strangers?”
Grinning,
she turned her face so that her mouth was by his ear. She was so close to him,
she heard him catch his breath ever so slightly as she moved deliberately
slowly. “I don’t really recall hearing a name,” she whispered, letting her
words linger.
She felt
his hands on hers before he pulled back and brought a single finger to lift her
chin towards him. It was simply a touch, the briefest of contact, yet it was
electrifying.
“It’s
Hale.” The corner of his mouth looked as if he was trying hard to suppress a
full smile. “And what might yours be?”
They had
both taken their time answering questions, deliberately extending their answers
and teasing the other for as long as they could, so she didn’t feel compelled
to answer right away. She took a few seconds to calm herself down. Hale was
certainly captivating and despite how often her blind dates failed, she knew
very well when to end a game while she was ahead.
Moving
back, she kept her eyes on him as she grabbed a napkin and brought it to her
mouth. Pressing it on her lips and keeping her eyes on his, she left an imprint
of her lipstick and placed it on the counter before sliding it towards him.
There was something about the way his brow cocked just slightly in bemusement
that fuelled her with a desire to linger, but she wasn’t a fool to believe she
was the only woman that wanted to hold his attention tonight.
She was
going to leave on her own terms.
“I’ll tell
you what I’m not going to be; another conquest. Good-bye, Hale.” Smirking she
grabbed the champagne flute and tipped it as a thank you towards him before
sauntering back to her friends.
It was
difficult to explain, but she felt as if she were on a sort of high. She felt
light and something about being so carelessly free lifted a weight she didn’t
know she was carrying. Even if she wouldn’t meet anyone tonight, Evey’s
suggestion of letting loose did have an upside – she’d never felt like this for
a long time.
About the Author
Mira Toria is a a bit of a romantic even though she flat out denies it. She daydreams more often than she would like to admit and often times she can be found scribbling story ideas onto any writeable surface because a clean napkin comes to mind before her phone.
Mira Toria is a a bit of a romantic even though she flat out denies it. She daydreams more often than she would like to admit and often times she can be found scribbling story ideas onto any writeable surface because a clean napkin comes to mind before her phone.
She is also 1/5th of MALICE Authors, a group of authors that have banded together with their love of story telling to bring together an array of stories.
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