Keep My Heart (Top Shelf Romance Book 7) Read online

  Keep My Heart

  Top Shelf Romance Collection 7

  Lex Martin

  Kennedy Ryan

  Kennedy Fox

  W Winters

  Contents

  Also by Top Shelf Romance

  Reckless

  Prologue

  1. Tori

  2. Ethan

  3. Ethan

  4. Tori

  5. Ethan

  6. Tori

  7. Ethan

  8. Tori

  9. Ethan

  10. Tori

  11. Ethan

  12. Tori

  13. Ethan

  14. Ethan

  15. Tori

  16. Ethan

  17. Tori

  18. Ethan

  19. Tori

  20. Ethan

  21. Tori

  22. Ethan

  23. Tori

  24. Ethan

  25. Tori

  26. Ethan

  27. Tori

  28. Ethan

  29. Ethan

  30. Ethan

  31. Tori

  32. Ethan

  33. Tori

  34. Ethan

  35. Tori

  36. Ethan

  37. Tori

  38. Ethan

  39. Tori

  40. Ethan

  41. Tori

  42. Ethan

  43. Tori

  44. Tori

  45. Ethan

  46. Tori

  47. Ethan

  48. Tori

  49. Ethan

  50. Tori

  51. Tori

  52. Tori

  53. Ethan

  54. Ethan

  Epilogue

  Thank you

  Also by Lex Martin

  About the Author

  Long Shot

  Author’s Note

  FIRST HALF

  Prologue

  1. August

  2. Iris

  3. August

  4. Iris

  5. Iris

  6. August

  7. Iris

  8. August

  9. August

  10. Iris

  11. Iris

  12. Iris

  13. August

  14. Iris

  15. August

  16. Iris

  17. August

  18. Iris

  19. Iris

  20. August

  21. Iris

  22. Iris

  23. August

  24. Iris

  25. Iris

  26. August

  27. Iris

  28. August

  29. Iris

  30. Iris

  31. Iris

  32. Iris

  33. August

  HALFTIME

  34. Iris

  35. August

  36. Iris

  37. August

  38. Iris

  39. August

  40. Iris

  41. August

  42. Iris

  43. August

  44. Iris

  45. Iris

  46. August

  47. Iris

  48. Iris

  49. August

  50. Iris

  51. August

  OVERTIME

  Epilogue – Iris

  Bonus Epilogue!

  Books by Kennedy Ryan

  Connect With Kennedy!

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Travis & Viola Duet

  This is War Blurb

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  This is Love Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Hey readers!

  What’s Next

  About the Author

  Connect with us

  Books by Kennedy Fox

  Knocking Boots

  Prologue

  1. Grace

  2. Charlie

  3. Grace

  4. Charlie

  5. Grace

  6. Charlie

  7. Grace

  8. Charlie

  9. Grace

  10. Charlie

  11. Grace

  12. Charlie

  13. Grace

  14. Charlie

  15. Grace

  16. Charlie

  17. Grace

  18. Charlie

  19. Grace

  20. Charlie

  21. Grace

  22. Charlie

  23. Grace

  24. Charlie

  25. Grace

  26. Charlie

  27. Grace

  28. Charlie

  29. Grace

  30. Charlie

  31. Grace

  Epilogue

  Also by Willow Winters

  About Willow Winters

  Also by Top Shelf Romance

  Keep My Heartt

  Reckless © 2018 Lex Martin

  All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced or transmitted in any capacity without written permission by the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  This adult contemporary romance is recommended for readers 18+ due to mature content.

  Copy editing by RJ Locksley

  Proofreading by Alison Evans-Maxwell, Becky Grover, and Jerica MacMillan January 2020 edition

  Long Shot

  Copyright © Kennedy Ryan, 2018 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of the book.

  This is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Editor: Lauren Clarke Editing

  Proofreading: Tricia Harden, Emerald Eyes Editing Reach Kennedy

  kennedyryanwrites.com

  Checkmate: T
his is War and This is Love Copyright © Kennedy Fox

  All rights reserved.

  Knocking Books

  Copyright © 2020, Willow Winters Publishing.

  All rights reserved. willowwinterswrites.com

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations within critical reviews and otherwise as permitted by copyright law.

  NOTE: This is a work of fiction.

  Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination.

  Any resemblance to real life is purely coincidental. All characters in this story are 18 or older.

  Also by Top Shelf Romance

  The romance genre is addictive.

  We know you need another epic read, so start reading more of our collections today!

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  Featuring: Skye Warren, Annika Martin, Claire Contreras, Sierra Simone & Laurelin Paige

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  Featuring: Kate Stewart, A. Zavarelli, Kennedy Ryan & BB Reid

  Make Me Yours

  Featuring: Devney Perry, Amo Jones, Chelle Bliss & K. Bromberg

  Don’t Break This Kiss

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  Never Let Go (Free with Kindle Unlimited)

  Featuring: Tijan, Kandi Steiner, Alessandra Torre & Ella James

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  Boxes are shipped each month alongside each Top Shelf Romance release.

  Subscribe here!

  Or purchase ready to ship Editors Boxes here!

  Happy reading!

  Reckless

  By Lex Martin

  To Matt & my little bears

  “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

  - Lao Tzu

  Prologue

  Tori

  A blush creeps up my skin as I gun my car through the quiet neighborhood intersection, my clunker’s obnoxious rattle garnering a dirty look from a suburban mom.

  Whatever, lady.

  I can’t afford to fix that problem now, especially not after I bought my boyfriend’s birthday present.

  If it weren’t so hot inside my deathtrap of a car, I’d be jumping out of my skin with excitement to see Jamie. But I’m trying to conserve my energy for our horizontal activities. Although he’s not supposed to be home until tomorrow, I overheard my boss, who’s friends with Jamie, mention that my guy might be back today, and I thought I’d surprise him. It’s his birthday after all, and I have the perfect gift, something I’ve been saving up for weeks to afford.

  When I see Jamie’s Bronco parked in the driveway of his house, I slow my beater and pull up to the duplex across the street.

  My legs are stuck to my seat, and I slide my hands down my bare thighs below my cutoffs to dry the sweat. As soon as I open the door, a blast of cool air hits me, and I sigh with relief. Austin in early May is still relatively cool and breezy. Thank God, because my car windows don’t roll down, and the air conditioning died long before I got this junker.

  Reaching into my messenger bag, I grab Jamie’s present—two tickets to see the Texas Rangers play next month. He’s always traveling to Dallas on business, and I thought it might be fun for us to go together.

  I wrestle the balloons out of the back seat and skip up the pristine walkway to his two-story colonial.

  Pride fills me as I take stock of how much he did to the property. This place was an eyesore when he bought it a few months ago, but after replacing the roof, stripping the interior to the studs, and replacing the appliances, it looks brand spanking new. I don’t know how he parts with these investment properties because it would break my heart to sell this gorgeous house.

  An image of me and Jamie flashes behind my eyes. A vision of us starting a family. Of kids and more birthdays and barbecues in the back yard. I mean, I haven’t decided how many children I want or their names, but I’m pretty sure I want them with Jamie.

  Two months ago, I’d laughed off his suggestion that we should get married because we were both drunk, but I can’t lie—I want the white picket fence with him someday.

  Yeah, he’s a little older than me, but what’s an eight-year difference in the grand scheme of things? Besides, he’s not all judgy about me struggling with school.

  I want to get serious about figuring out my life, which is why I need to keep my shit together long enough to graduate from the University of Texas in a few weeks. Most of my friends seem to know where they’re going and what they’re going to do. Me? I’ve operated on the party-now, plan-later mindset, but that only got me an academic warning, mandatory tutoring sessions, and a run-in with law enforcement.

  So I’m trying to buckle down. Do the smart thing. Study and whatnot. God knows school is not my thing, but I’m almost done, thank fuck.

  When I ring the doorbell, I’m beaming the biggest, brightest smile, but a second later when he opens the door, he frowns, his dark hair falling into his deep brown eyes.

  “Happy birthday, babe!” Ignoring whatever weirdness is going on, I throw my arms around his neck. “I missed you.” He smells so good. Like spicy cologne and man.

  “Tori.” His arm comes around my back in a stiff hold. I wait for the passionate kiss. For him to rip off my clothes like he usually does.

  Except he just stands there.

  What’s going on?

  I lean back and look at him. He’s still frowning.

  And then he glances down at his watch.

  “Late for something?”

  You’d think he hadn’t been gone for two weeks. I know we’ve only been dating for six months, but he’s given me jewelry—real jewelry, not that costume crap—and says he wants to marry me someday. Hello, he spoons me after sex sometimes. That has to mean something, right? And he usually makes me come. He’s probably batting in the high .400s, and my trigger does not go off easily, so I’d say these are good signs.

  But before I can ask him why he’s being weird, he ushers me into the house. I turn and find him peering down the driveway, his dark eyes shifting from one side of the street to the other.

  He clears his throat and closes the door. A muscle twitches in his jaw. “Sorry, hot stuff. I’m meeting a contractor in a bit. Wasn’t expecting you.”

  Relief washes through me. “No worries. Thought I’d stop by on my way to work. I have an hour.”

  I waggle my eyebrows at him, and he nods, glancing at his watch again. “That should be enough time.”

  For me to rock your world? Oh, yeah.

  By the time my back hits his mattress, all thoughts of his birthday and the unopened present sitting in the living room fly right out the window. I don’t care that we’re skipping straight to the main course. I don’t even care that he hasn’t told me he missed me. It’s his birthday. He can do this any way he wants.