We're just days away from the release of Tia Louise's A PLAYER FOR A PRINCESS on September 20th and we thought we'd celebrate with a sneak peek at A PLAYER FOR A PRINCESS. You can read the first chapter below - and find out more about how to grab THE PRINCE & THE PLAYER for just .99c for a limited time!
About A PLAYER FOR A PRINCESS (Available September 20th!)
From the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, the game continues…
Zelda Wilder is on the run, this time from the ruthless assassins who’ve decided she knows too much to live.
“Playboy Prince” MacCallum Lockwood Tate isn’t about to let the beautiful player who stole his heart get away—if only he could decide whether he wants to save her or strangle her for her dangerous choices.
After tracking her down to a casino in St. Croix, Cal follows Zee back to Tortola where he intends to keep her safe. One problem: Zelda’s criminal liaisons are two steps ahead of her.
Lives are threatened, and all of the players’ skills are tested in this plot to capture a killer and save a princess.
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& THE PLAYER for .99c for a limited time!
“Tons of laughs, sex, and suspense...THE PRINCE & THE PLAYER had me
on the edge of my seat, biting my nails, and blushing like crazy!” –Shayna
Renee’s Spicy Reads
THE PRINCE & THE PLAYER
(Dirty Players Duet #1)
By Tia Louise
Let the games begin...
Runaway Zelda Wilder will do whatever it takes to secure a better life for her and her sister Ava. Crown Prince Rowan Westringham Tate will do whatever it takes to preserve his small country.
Runaway Zelda Wilder will do whatever it takes to secure a better life for her and her sister Ava. Crown Prince Rowan Westringham Tate will do whatever it takes to preserve his small country.
When Zee is blackmailed into helping a vengeful statesman take down Rowan, she never expects she'll be pulled into a web of lies and international intrigue--much less that she'll find herself falling for Cal, Rowan's "playboy" younger brother.
Ava's no help, as she finds quiet walks in the moonlight discussing poetry and leadership with the brooding future king irresistible. Even more irresistible is kissing his luscious lips.
They're in over their heads, and the more time passes, the more danger the sisters are in. Shots are fired, and it's soon clear even a prince might not be able to rescue these players.
Chapter 1: Old Habits
~ Zelda Wilder ~
My heart is beating too fast.
Glancing down, I see my hands tremble, and I take a few measured breaths to try
and make them stop.
I’ve never been this anxious on a
job, but everything has changed in the last six weeks. Looking over my shoulder
has become a nonstop addiction it seems.
As the oldest, I’ve always had that
job. I’ve taken care of us since our parents died, leaving us at the mercy of
the foster system. I’ve protected her ever since that last asshole thought he’d
try relieving his sexual frustrations on a little girl entrusted to his “care.”
It was me who’d bashed him over the head with the lamp, grabbed her hand, and
run us out of there.
The last time we worked this con in
Miami, Helen had been waiting at the table when I got there. I can still hear
her gravelly voice and see her “May Contain Alcohol” sweatshirt. Sadness
followed closely by fear ricochets through my insides. Whoever killed her is
looking for me.
We were on our way to Tortola to
hide when Seth said we should stop in here and bank extra cash. As Americans,
we don’t need passports in St. Croix, and we can catch a cheap ferry and slip
away in the night to our ultimate destination.
Tilting my head so Logan can’t see, I level my blue eyes on
Seth’s green ones. As usual, he’s wearing black horn-rimmed glasses.
He ignores my pointed glare, his smile as overblown as his
accent. “I hope you don’t mind if I stand right here beside you, Miss—?”
“Lampert,” I say, tightening my jaw. Abort, Seth. Abort!
“Lampert?” He looks up behind me at the big guy getting too
close. “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard that name before. And you are?”
“Logan Thomas.”
The men shake hands, and Seth shakes his head. “It’s sure
nice to meet you. I tell you, I’ve met the nicest people in Saint Crow—Ah,
Dealer? I need a hundred in tens.”
The dealer doesn’t even look up as he exchanges Seth’s
money, and as soon as the chips are distributed, my partner in crime splits his
money on two corner bets. I rotate in my chair so I can cross my legs. He’s
sticking to the plan, and my insides are quaking.
Logan Thomas is onto us. Somehow we’ve been detected. I’ve
been in this situation before, and it cost us a partner, two if you count Ava.
I can only guess the man to my right is another of Wade
Paxton’s thugs—or worse. Law enforcement. Perhaps Reggie made good on his
promise to expose Ava and me to every casino boss this side of the Atlantic.
“No more bets!” The dealer’s hand passes over the table, and
the ball shoots around the spinning wheel.
I sense Seth’s body tense. It’s time for me to do my part.
Logan Thomas is probably waiting for this exact moment to arrest me. Five years
and a felony conviction.
My breath is coming in short pants. Perhaps I should let it
happen. Would I be safer in prison?
Seth clears his throat, and I swallow my terror. The slightest twitch of my
ankle, the slightest point. The ball stutters and drops… Twenty-nine black.
“WOO HOO!!!!! Well, I’ll be Johnny Mack Brown!!!” Seth
explodes with excitement. “I WON! And on a corner bet to boot!”
He grasps the table edge and does a little jig. I can’t
breathe waiting to see what our ominous tablemate will do. Will he whip out a
badge? Detain us. At least with the device in my shoe they won’t find anything
in a pat down.
“Congratulations,” Logan says. “That’s two and oh for me, so
I’ll be saying goodnight, Miss Lampert.” He does a little nod in my direction,
still with that knowing smile.
I don’t make eye contact, and Seth is busy distracting the
dealer. I haven’t touched my chips on black, yet again they’ve doubled in
number. One more turn is all I can stay.
“Now this is the
hard part,” Seth says loudly, pinching his top lip between two fingers. “Should
I leave them there or move them?”
He glances down at me again, a twinkle in his eyes. “What do
you suggest, Miss Lampert?”
Shaking my head, I again feign ignorance. “I don’t know. I
only play by color.”
He nods looking again at the table. “You know what they say.
If everything’s headed your way, you might need to change lanes.”
I move my pile of chips to the red field just as the dealer
starts the wheel. Final bets are going around, and Seth stares at the green
felt, appearing to be deep in thought. At the very last minute, he reaches out
and moves his chips to opposite ends of the grid.
“No more bets!” The dealer snaps just as Seth’s hands leave
the area.
He straightens, still doing his very best acting job. His
lip is again pinched between his fingers, and now he’s bouncingon the balls of
his feet.
“I tell you, Miss Lampert, I’m as nervous as a long-tailed
cat in a room full of rockers.”
My jaw tightens. That
makes two of us… I can’t shake this tension, even with Logan Thomas out of
sight. For all I know he’s waiting outside the door.
The ball starts to slow, and I shift on my stool, pointing
my toe as I do so. In that instant, the silver ball drops quickly into the
tray.
Red Five.
“HOLEE SHIT!!!! I can’t believe it!” Seth shouts, slapping
the rubber table-guard. “I can’t believe it, I WON AGAIN!” He turns to me, and
I glance up, giving him a little smile. “And look at there! So did you, Miss
Lampert!”
“I should probably quit while I’m ahead,” I say, rising from
my chair.
Warmth at my back, and a familiar voice clenches my insides.
“You shouldn’t break a winning streak.”
Jumping away as if I were electrocuted, I turn to face the
owner of that sexy voice. Our eyes lock, and standing here, right at this
table, a knowing smile curling his lips, is MacCallum Lockwood Tate, my playboy
prince. The one I left behind when I ran.
If I couldn’t breathe before, now I’m about to faint.
“Cal!” It’s a startled whisper, my fingers tightening.
His smoky hazel eyes won’t release me, and all the desire I
feel is reflected back at me. At the same time, something new is in his—an edge
I’ve never seen before.
“I’m sorry…” His voice is slow, measured. “Have we met? You
seem familiar…”
Glancing down, I relax my grip on the chair. I focus on
calm, stay in character. I straighten the enormous ring on my hand. It’s
costume jewelry—fake yellow topaz set in fake yellow gold. How fitting,
considering everything about me is fake.
Still, even in this remote location, wearing this silly
dark-brown wig, I feel exposed, laid bare. I can’t do this in front of him.
Even if he knows what I am, I’m ashamed for him to see me doing it.
Seth only pauses a hiccup before resuming the act. “He’s
right, Miss Lampert. You can’t walk out when you’re winning.”
I want to kill Seth. “I can’t…” I start, but it’s too late.
The dealer only pauses a moment before starting the wheel
again. My heart beats too fast. It shoots a pain between my shoulder blades,
and I haven’t moved my chips. I haven’t moved anything. I have to sit down if
I’m going to activate the switch, but if I sit, I’ll be right beside Cal. Our
arms will touch. I’m not sure I can handle that.
“No more bets!” The dealer’s hand passes over my stationary
chips.
Seth had moved his a few rows to the left, and I feel his
eyes on me watching, waiting to see if I’ll choke. The wheel is slowing. I can
hear the noise of the ball decelerating on its track.
Cal’s hazel eyes are like heat against my skin, never moving
away, not letting me escape this time. I hear his voice the last time we spoke:
I love you, Zelda…
My chest rises and falls quickly. I’m still standing.
“It’s slowing down!” Seth’s voice is eager, but it’s
directed at me. He’s trying to snap me out of it.
If I blow this spin, we’ll lose everything. I’m on my own
now. I left Cal behind, and even if he followed me, it changes nothing. I have
to be able to take care of myself.
“Slower…” Seth says again.
With a blink I break Cal’s spell over me and lean down as if
to adjust my ankle strap. A flick of my wrist and a curl of my toe, and the
silver ball clatters into red seven.
“OH!” Seth bellows. “I DON’T BELIEVE IT!!!”
He slaps my shoulder, but I haven’t regained my footing.
Pulling up quick, I’m slammed into Cal’s chest. My palms are flat against his
jacket, and his warm breath skirts across my cheek. Strong hands grip my waist,
and his warm-cedar and citrus scent floods my brain.
My insides clench. Whatever made him come after me, it’s
certainly over now—unless now he wants to make me pay for what I did in
Monagasco, my role in his brother’s assassination attempt. I might not have
known what Reggie and Wade were planning, but I helped them get into the
country all the same. I lied to all of them.
“Zee,” he says softly, his fingers grazing the skin of my
lower back. The tiny hairs on my body rise, and my stomach flips the way it
always does when Cal touches me. All the places and all the ways we’ve been
together flood my mind.
“I’m sorry,” I manage, pulling away.
I can’t be here with him like this. It hurts so much knowing
he knows everything. Everything we had, those moments with him were all stolen.
It’s what I am. A thief.
And now he knows.
Seth grabs my upper arm, pulling me to his side. “I say,
Miss Lampert, you must be my lucky charm.” The accent is still there, but ice
is in his tone.
The muscle in Cal’s jaw moves, and I see his anger flash at
my partner in crime.
“Cash me out.” I swipe my black clutch off the table,
twisting from Seth’s grip.
My hands shake as I collect my winnings. I don’t even bother
to count them. I take the money and run. Seth will meet me at the dock like we
planned. Noises are behind me, but I don’t stop. I practically sprint to the
doors and out to the line of cabs. It only takes a moment for me to dive into
one.
“Grapetree Point,” I say, slamming the door.
I fall back against the cracked vinyl seat as we speed off
into the night, tears lurking in the corners of my eyes.
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