Irelyn Wilkes was Zolt Hamilβs seraph. His angel. His hallucination suddenly real. But her abrupt departure from his life has sent him into a tailspin of nameless women, alcohol, and drugs. When Zolt realizes that Irelyn lied to him, he sobers up and sets into motion a public rescue, making an even greater enemy of Marcus Xavier.Marcus doesnβt take kindly to people taking what is his, and heβs not about to let Zolt and Irelyn ride into the sunset without a fight. Heβs already murdered her brother; taking out Zolt Hamil would make his day.Can Zolt and Irelyn mend their broken relationship and find a way back to each other? Or will Marcus succeed with his plans to separate this fated pair forever?
incessant pounding on the door and the sound of my brother Brodyβs pissed off
voice pulled me out of my drunken haze. I peeled one eyelid open and groaned.
twenty-four hours came back to me in all its ugly detail. Irelyn had left me
for Marcus of all people because I had unleashed crazy Zolt on her. Now, I lay
in bed with a woman I didnβt even know, in an apartment I hadnβt expected to
ever see again. On top of all this, my head throbbed like a bass drum spurred
on by the hangover from hell.
it!β
wishing we hadnβt smoked it all. Hell, weβd even drained the several bottles of
tequila weβd brought with us. Only a couple of enticing drops remained at the
bottom of the bottle.
fruitless, I reached down and picked up one of them, tipping back the very last
drop into my mouth. I growled my irritation and threw the bottle to the floor.
returned my head to the pillow. There would be no numbing myself until I got
home.
fucking mess! I had
indulged myself in an epic bender. The need to get lost and forget the shit of
the last two days had trumped better judgment.
the door?β A feminine hand stroked my chest and I cringed. Majorly hungover,
the naked girl next to me wasnβt as appealing this morning as sheβd been last
night.
It would happen any minute. The cavalry had arrived to save my sorry ass. It
didnβt matter that I didnβt care, nor deserve, to be saved.
than any physical pain Iβd ever experienced. Iβd ruined the one thing that
meant everything to me. Iβd fucked up so badly that being with Marcus seemed
like a better alternative. In my chest, my heart was a shredded heap of sinew
and muscle. No amount of no-name blondes, alcohol, and pot eased my pain.
that day on the football field. For six years, Iβd thought her a hallucination.
The best day of my life had been the day she became real. Until now, losing my
football career had been the worst thing to happen to me. That paled in
comparison; losing my angel, my seraph, hurt much worse.
sound of heavy footsteps approached the bedroom.
the polite thing would be to cover myself with a sheet, but I didnβt give a
shit. Let my brother Brody and T-bone see me in all my glory. If I were a
gentleman, Iβd cover up Blondie next to me, but I didnβt care about her either.
and assessed the situation. He picked up one of the empty bottles and shook his
head. βShit, Zolt. Are you insane?β
complained, pulling the sheet over herself.
hint of disgust in his voice. βGet up and go. The party is over.β
last night faded in the cold light of day, and I waited for Brodyβs lecture to
commence. Rolling over, I pulled the pillow over my head. I was in no mood to
be scolded for acting out, even if I deserved it.
βForget you ever met him. If you donβt have a ride, Iβll arrange for one.β
There was something wrong with him, anyway. He couldnβt get it up and he kept
calling me Irelyn.β
closed.
come home. I canβt believe you. Seriously, do you really think smoking pot and
binging on tequila with a strange woman is a good idea?β
the pillow tighter over my head.
drag you out. Irelyn needs you.β
certain she wants nothing to do with me.β
If she left you of her own volition, then why did she leave her dog and her
Mustang behind? Besides you, those were the two things she adored the most.
Rachel says sheβs not returning her calls either. Iβm telling you, sheβs in
trouble.β
green, Brody. Green means good. Sheβs good. Sheβs happy,β I said, my voice
breaking. βShe has what she wants and itβs not me.β
this. Heβs holding something or someone over her, and we have to help her
before he hurts her or worse. He had Sloan arrested on a trumped-up charge in
front of the dress shop to get him out of the way.β
together very long, and there was so much we had yet to learn about each other,
the one thing I knew with absolute certainty is Irelyn would not leave her dog,
her car, or her friends behind. She and Rachel were like sisters. If Iβd
thought instead of reacted, I would have figured it out.
Brody sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed my wrist, taking my pulse. βHow
much did you drink?β
found Blondie. Fucking, drinking, and smoking pot had been my goal. After we
had gotten trashed, I tried to fuck her but I couldnβt. My cock had failed me,
leaving me even more pissed off.
chosen Marcus, or maybe it was just wishful thinking. Either way, screwing
Blondie had seemed like a betrayal. I couldnβt go there yet. I wondered if Iβd
ever be ready to be with someone else.
healthier way of coping,β Brody said as he prepared the B-12 shot.
skin. I was in love with Irelyn. Until I had my say with her, face-to-face, I
needed to be by myself.
resorting to drinking and using with a woman you donβt even know.β
his chest. His expression mirrored Brodyβs tone, and I could see the
disappointment in his eyes.
Viper home; I donβt want you driving.β
address of this apartment.β
chances,β T-bone answered.
can talk about whatβs going on,β Brody added, putting away his medical
supplies.
Marcus must be holding something major over Irelynβs head to make her do what
she did. The thought of her in the hands of that monster made my stomach roil.
I jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom just in time to toss the
contents of my last meal into the toilet.
bathtub. Just days ago, Irelyn was in my bed and in my life, and I was making
love to her. Now, I sat on the floor of the bathroom puking my guts out.
to get you home so we can start planning how to get Irelyn away from him. You
can lick your wounds later.β
rinsed the vomit aftertaste from my mouth, but the sour taste of Irelynβs
rejection remained. Only bring her home would erase it.
water on my skin, but I deserved it. After all, you shouldnβt be able to scrub
away your own cocksuckerism behavior without it hurting.
got there. They stared at me with a mixture of pity and irritation. Irritation
I could handle; pity just pissed me off.
hand squeezing Coryβs.
she told you Marcus proposed and she accepted?β
this.
glanced at Cory and they shared an unspoken conversation.
planned to come here right after. She wanted to be here when you woke from
being sedated. Staying away from you wasnβt her intention. Obviously, Marcus
cornered her at the dress salon.β
his Irish accent even more pronounced. βI should have guessed Marcus
orchestrated it.β
major. Sheβs going to kill me for telling you, but here it goes: Irelyn is in
love with you. I guarantee that didnβt change in less than twenty-four hours.β
nose. I was so pissed at myself for losing control that day, and now the if onlys scrolled through my mind. If only I had my shit together. If only
I had been there with her at the dress fitting. I scrubbed my face with my
hands as my stomach roiled again. βThis is my fault.β
canβt dwell on whoβs to blame. We need to figure out where Irelyn is and how to
get her away from Marcus.β
dropped her off, right Sloan?β Cory asked.
most likely had to do with the way he had eye-fucked Kenna the other night.
hanging out with her friends and lost her phone again. She can be kind of ditsy
on occasion.β
fitting. The salon called and asked if she wanted to reschedule.β
looked at each other.
same wavelength.
contacting Jackson to see if heβs heard anything.β
and he has harmed her, Iβll fucking kill him. I need to contact my dad.β
says heβs heard rumors about a new woman up for auction. Apparently, Marcus has
two houses. Jacksonβs trying to find out the location of the other house.
Marcus isnβt stupid enough to keep them at his residence.β
take Coryβs hand. βMarcus is on the board of the AZ Cardinals Charity Ball.
Heβll be there, and heβll bring Irelyn. It just makes sense if heβs going to
perpetuate this farce about them getting married. Marcusβs pride will dictate
that they be seen together in society.β
not leaving without Irelyn.β
location of the house, I would go there now.β
youβre right, Z. The best place to recover Irelyn will be in a public forum.
Cory, we need to meet with your father. I need to brief him on whatβs going on.
I donβt want him to do anything stupid. Iβve laid the groundwork from the
inside out. Thatβs our advantage and we need to keep it.β
follow behind us?β
involvement. Itβs possible the firm may have some liability regarding the Aspen
Holdings/Black Swan settlement.β
eyes were black with ire. I donβt know if anyone else felt the menace coming
from him, but I did. His jaw muscle worked, clenching and unclenching.
Something had happened between him and Kenna, and I empathized with him, I did.
3.5 Cocktails
BEING ZOLT picks up right where INDULGING IN IRELYN left off. Β Zolt is devastated by Irelyn leaving with her ex, Marcus. Β After spending a bit of time self destructing, Zolt gets his act together, rescues his woman and helps Irelyn get to the bottom of the hold Marcus had over her father, which lead to her brother’s death.
I enjoyed the story. Β I liked how Zolt was finally able to dig himself out of the functioning hell he’d been in to start living. Β That clearly, Irelyn was the key to that change. Β But in BEING ZOLT he actually recognized that things needed to change. Β it may be have been witnessing the self destruction of Irelyn’s father (and ultimately her family) or it could have been the realization that he could be the man Irelyn thought he was, but he turned that corner and made the strides to change.
Irelyn was always this incredibly strong woman. Β She had to be to endure what she did between her domineering father and Marcus. Β But her strength helped Zolt admit some painful truths about himself and move on. Β She was very supportive of the man she loved and she would do what she needed to in order to protect him. Β But you also knew that she would stand back so he could do things on his own if she needed to.
My favorite part of the book was the epilogue. Β Those few pages gave us a glimpse into the life of Zolt and Irelyn. Β It solidified what we hoped they would have for their HEA…a strong, healthy relationship.
I’m glad I was introduced to Zolt and Irelyn. Β They may have gone through some hellish experiences together, but they were a couple who were cute, sexy and definitely made for each other.
now the voices in her head won’t shut up and the stories keep coming.
romance. When she’s not spending time in her fantasy world, Dawna loves
football, reading, and pretending she’s a top chef in the kitchen. Oh, and
fawning over her dogs and husband, sometimes in that order.
18, 2013.
releases February 5, 2014.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20738998-indulging-in-irelyn
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17261634-colour-wielders-a-colour-wielders-novel
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18584326-severed-colours
Shannon
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