Take This Man by Nona Raines (Promo+Review)

Title: Take This Man

Author: Nona Raines

Series: The Man, #2

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Release Date: October 12, 2011

Pages: 143

Buy Links: Barnes and Noble / Amazon / The Wild Rose Press / All Romance ebooks
Genre: Contemporary erotic m/f

Blurb:

The biggest mistake of Elyse Zemanski's life was falling in love with Adam. When a night of sexual fantasy went too far, she was crushed and couldn't leave town fast enough.

The biggest mistake of Adam Vostek's life was letting Elyse go. He'd been afraid of the love she promised, and pushed her away—into another man's arms…and bed.

When Elyse returns to Summit to help a friend, Adam wants a second chance to prove he’s worthy—in and out of the bedroom. She claims she's over him but one look from those smoldering eyes, and she throws caution to the wind. Elyse offers him seven days of wild sex, hoping to get him out of her system.

Adam's good to go on the sex. But will a week be enough to win back Elyse's love and trust?

Excerpt

They got as far as the parking lot before Adam dragged her into his arms for a kiss. Crushing her against the passenger's door of the truck, he nudged her belly with his rock-hard erection. Elyse dug her fingers into his shoulders to keep her wobbly legs from sliding out from under her. His velvety tongue stroked hers—he tasted sweet and minty. Her own tongue played inside his mouth to catch more of the flavor. In a fog of lust, she rocked her body against his cock, teasing him. The heat in her belly was now a bonfire showering her with sparks. Her lips, breasts, and pussy were all aflame. Someone cleared his throat nearby, and Elyse fell back to reality with a thump. An older couple passed nearby, the man glaring at them with disapproval, the woman trying to hide a smile. She flashed Elyse a wink over Adam's shoulder. Adam pulled away with a groan. He opened her door and practically tossed her inside. In a blink, he was in his seat, giving her a searing look. Then his shoulders shook with laughter. “You're always getting me in trouble in public.” “It's your fault,” she told him, her hand creeping to his thigh. “Oh, right. My fault.” His large hand mimicked hers, resting on her thigh and gliding under her dress. She purred and adjusted her legs, opening to give him better access. His fingers skimmed lightly along her skin—now prickling with goosebumps. Meanwhile, Elyse stroked the bulge in his pants lightly, teasing him with her thumb. Her breath slowed as he played at the juncture of her thighs, toying with the elastic of her panties. Her clit tingled, she was so close. She grasped Adam's fullness in her hand and he hissed. Then he snatched his hand away and removed hers, placing it safely on her seat. Elyse moaned in frustration. “No fair.” “Too many people here.” He spoke through gritted teeth. He turned the key, started the ignition. “My place.” She pouted, even though she knew he was right. Shifting on her seat, she suppressed a groan. Her pussy was so wet and her clit so tender, it was agony to move. He glanced at her as they pulled out of the lot. “You all right?” “No,” she muttered. “I'm dying. Hurry, get us there.” She pressed her thighs together, but that just made her more aware of the throbbing. “Just hang on.” Pulling her dress to her the tops of her thighs, she gave him a sultry look. She needed to torture him a little. “I could play with myself, take the edge off.” “Don't you dare.” His voice was thick. “I'm the only one who's gonna make you come tonight.”

Review

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as One Good Man with Adam's brother, Matthew. This book had a lot of good sex scenes and scarred characters.

Adam was afraid to love someone because he was afraid that he wasn't going to meet a standard and end up hurting the person he actually cared about. So, what he did was pushed them away. His brother, on one hand, was already used to him so he was tolerant of it. Elyse, however, felt betrayed.

Elyse was Adam's girlfriend, until that one fateful night where they had a threesome. They liked to play a game, but Adam took it too far that night and pushed Elyse to "do" Jason, a guy they met at the bar.

Long story short, Elyse was heart broken and ended up leaving town...with Jason. I won't reveal their real relationship as to not spoil the story. Let's just say they're best friends.

"I've got a room at the Hotel Excelsior. You can stay with me there. Don't give me that look. You're utterly safe with me. We can share the bed. I promise I won't touch you."

"No."

"Fine, then." He rolled his eyes, the gesture of a man using up his last reserve of patience. "You can sleep in a chair. I'm not giving up the bed--that much of a gentleman I'm not."

Elyse bristled at the way he brushed aside the inconvenience of her poverty with just a wave of his hand. "I'm not your charity case, Jason."

"Calm down," he answered in a languid voice. "If it makes you feel any better, you can go steerage. While I'm in first class, you can ride underneath the bus with the luggage."

When Elyse came back to town, she saw Adam and they fought in public. The second time they saw each other was at Elyse's hotel room. Needless to say, they never made it out the door. One thing led to the other and they had a lot of good lustful moments.

"You didn't have to come here for that. You already apologized."

His shoulders twitched uneasily, and then straightened. He met her stare dead on. "I wanted to do it right this time."

Elyse gazed at him. He no longer had on the work boots, jeans, and company-logo-emblazoned T-shirt he wore this morning. He had gone home, showered and shaved, and changed into black dress pants and a long-sleeved button-down shirt. Elyse caught the whiff of something woodsy, some kind of after-shave or cologne. His hair was still a bit damp.

"Are you on your way somewhere?" she asked.

He blinked at her. "No."

So he'd done all that, just to come over to apologize. Elyse felt something soften inside her.

This time, however, Adam was through running away. Over and over, he tried to tell Elyse how he felt, but somehow, she kept on distracting him from it. Towards the end, they had another fight, as expected. They almost didn't make it if it weren't for Adam's brother, Matthew. He was an awesome brother.

One thing I was curious about was their stepfather. I felt like I was left hanging on what it was that he wanted Adam to hear from him. I thought there was something big to reveal and that Adam would finally forgive him. In the end, their issues weren't resolved. Another thing that was also unresolved was Elyse's financial situation. I didn't expect her to be a stay-at-home lover, so I was curious what kind of job she ended up with after she reconciled with Adam.

Overall, I would recommend this book. It was really entertaining to read, and steamy!

ABSOLUTELY STEAMY

About the Author:

Nona Raines became hooked on romances when she first picked up "The Flame and the Flower" by Kathleen Woodiwiss (and she's not telling how long ago that was). Romances may have changed since then, but her love for a good love story has not. She's been writing off and on for years, but it was only when she joined the Central New York Romance Writers Association that she finally gained the support and confidence she needed to complete a manuscript.

Nona lives in upstate New York with her many pets and is currently working on her next novel. A former librarian, she enjoys reading books of all genres and discussing them with others. She is thrilled to finally be able to call herself an author and looks forward to hearing from readers.

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Arianne