Beneath This Mask
by Meghan March
Synopsis:
My name is Charlotte Agoston,
and I’m a runner. Not the ‘let’s go for a jog and slap a 26.2 sticker on your
bumper’ kind of runner; I’m the kind of runner who takes off when her father is
staring down the barrel of a guilty verdict that carries a 175-year sentence
for perpetrating the largest fraud in the history of the world. That’s right.
Bernie Madoff was an amateur compared to Alistair Agoston.
Faced with living under a cloud of suspicion and constant questioning by the FBI, I ran. I’m making a new life in New Orleans as Charlie Stone. I traded my future in New York high finance for tattoos, booze, a few friends who don’t ask questions, and one giant mutt named Huckleberry Finn. Everything is simple and uncomplicated until Simon Duchesne—former hotshot Navy fighter pilot, NOLA’s favorite son, city councilman, and rumored congressional hopeful—walks into my life.
The flashing cameras he attracts threaten to expose everything I’m hiding, but I can’t seem to stay away. Why are the most dangerous ideas always the most seductive?
In trying to get lost, I found myself. And then I found Simon. He loves me, and he doesn’t even know my real name. I’m going to break his heart, but mine will shatter right along with it. This is our story.
Will we be strong enough to face the consequences of revealing what’s beneath this mask?
Faced with living under a cloud of suspicion and constant questioning by the FBI, I ran. I’m making a new life in New Orleans as Charlie Stone. I traded my future in New York high finance for tattoos, booze, a few friends who don’t ask questions, and one giant mutt named Huckleberry Finn. Everything is simple and uncomplicated until Simon Duchesne—former hotshot Navy fighter pilot, NOLA’s favorite son, city councilman, and rumored congressional hopeful—walks into my life.
The flashing cameras he attracts threaten to expose everything I’m hiding, but I can’t seem to stay away. Why are the most dangerous ideas always the most seductive?
In trying to get lost, I found myself. And then I found Simon. He loves me, and he doesn’t even know my real name. I’m going to break his heart, but mine will shatter right along with it. This is our story.
Will we be strong enough to face the consequences of revealing what’s beneath this mask?
Book Link:
Excerpt:
He reached a hand back and tugged his shirt over his head. I drank in
his tanned skin and rippling muscles. He truly was a beautiful man. He kicked
off his shoes and knelt at my feet to pull off my Chucks without untying the
laces. It was a staggering realization to my champagne-soaked brain that he
might have noticed I never untied them. What other details about me had he
noticed that no one else would? I was crazy to think he’d never find out the truth. I never should’ve let it get this far. But how could I stop myself? He was so ... perfectly imperfect, and I wanted all of
him. For every second I could steal.
He reached for his belt and paused. “I’m staying tonight.”
It wasn’t a question.
“Okay.” I reached for the hem of my shirt and started to drag it upward. He
reached out, covering my hand with his to stop me.
“But if
you take that off, I’m not going to be able to stop myself
from having you.”
“Good.” I yanked at his grip, trying to get the shirt off.
He squeezed my hand. “No. Not tonight. The first time we’re together, you’re going to be stone cold sober, because
I want you to remember every single thing I do to you.”
My insides turned hot and liquid. A pulse thrummed between my legs. “You already told me you’d put out. No take backs. It’s not fair.”
He leaned down and brushed his five o’clock
shadow against my cheek before saying into my ear, “Tough shit.”
He pulled back, and I stuck out my lip and pouted. Simon caught it
between his teeth and tugged before releasing it. “So fucking tempting. You have no idea.” He spun
and looked at my bureau. “Pajama pants? And I know you own them. I
distinctly recall a striptease that involved a pair.”
I huffed. “Second drawer from the bottom.” He opened the drawer, pulled out a silky pink pair, and tossed them
at me.
“I’ll be right back. You better not be naked.”
“You’re such a hardass prude, Mr. Duchesne.” He took
a step toward the doorway and gripped the top of the frame. His tongue swiped
across his bottom lip, and his hazel eyes shifted from playful to serious.
“You’re worth the wait.”
He walked out of the room, and I heard the bathroom door shut.
I clutched the pajama pants in my fist as my heart tumbled further
down the path of no return. A single thought crystallized in my head: Fuck.
I could fall in love with this man.
Author
Bio and Links:
Meghan March is a Michigan
native who has spent a good portion of her life buried in a book. Case in point:
she read the entire romance section of her small town public library by age
fourteen. Even after growing up (sort of) and getting a law degree, she never
lost her passion for a great story, twisty plot, epic romance, and amazing
characters. When she’s not writing, she’s probably reading, target shooting,
drooling over fast cars, playing with her crazy mutt, or hanging with her very
own sexy bad boy.
Giveaway:
The author is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a
signed paperback of Beneath The Mask!
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