Shame of It All Read online

  “What do you want me to say, Freddie?”

  She exhaled and a small smile appeared on her face. “I once loved how you said my name in that breathless whisper of yours.”

  Steamy Nights, Cool Lights

  Kennedy Segal travels to Reykjavik, Iceland for a once in a lifetime business trip to sign a multi-million dollar deal for Segal Holdings, her older brother’s billion-dollar company. The first night she’s there, she meets an alluring woman only known as Marella, who tempts Kennedy in ways she has never been tempted before.

  What should have been a one-night stand, becomes more because Marella is also Svana Landvik, former European pop star who left it all behind to run one of the biggest breweries on Iceland.

  Kennedy’s mistake with Svana may ruin everything she has achieved, including the respect she has been striving for her entire life. But if Svana has her say, Kennedy may have a bright new future with a woman who wants much more than just a fling.

  Excerpt:

  She accepted a menu from the bartender, a handsome man near her age. He set down a cocktail napkin and said something in a strange language, probably Icelandic.

  Oh no. He doesn’t speak English? “I’m sorry. I don’t understand you.”

  “He said you have remarkable eyes.” A woman with no recognizable accent mounted the stool next to Kennedy.

  “Yes, you have very unique eyes.” The bartender pointed to his green ones.

  Kennedy’s face warmed. “It’s hereditary.”

  The woman nudged her arm. “You must feel special, then.”

  Her comeback stalled on her lips. The woman next to her had finely shaped eyebrows, one of which was pierced with a silver hoop. She also had a pixie cut with various shades of blonde highlights. Silver hoop earrings dangled from her ears, and her face was sharp but welcoming.

  “Um, hi,” she responded when she could speak again.

  Her seatmate wore a sexy-as-hell outfit consisting of a tight ivory blouse that barely restrained her ample chest, along with a knee-length leather skirt that looked painted on. Her black leather thigh-high stiletto boots encased her trim legs.

  “Hiya.” The woman grinned at her, highlighting a large freckle or mole near her plump upper lip.

  “You’re the first person I’ve met with different colored eyes.” She turned to the bartender “How about you, myndarlegur?”

  “Nei.” He dipped his head, showing a flag of red on his cheeks.

  The woman set her hand on the bar near his. “Aw, don’t be embarrassed. I’ll bet the lady gets the question a lot. Right?”

  “All the time.” Kennedy studied the woman’s hand, fascinated by her multiple silver rings, and shiny red nails. She curled her dull, unadorned fingers into her palms to hide them.

  The tip of the woman’s tongue grazed the corner of her mouth, staying there long enough for Kennedy to zone in on it. As soon as she realized what she did, she shifted her gaze back to the bartender.

  “Um, I’ll have a wine spritzer,” she requested.

  The woman said something in Icelandic to the bartender then laughed while he just smiled.

  She scrolled through her emails until curiosity got the better of her. Was this beautifully arresting woman making her the butt of a joke?

  “Since I’m not fluent in your language, would you mind telling me what you said to the bartender just now?”

  “She said she’ll have something stronger and to put yours on her tab,” the bartender responded in accented English and turned to make the drinks.

  “Seriously?”

  “About putting your drink on my tab? Absolutely.” The woman shrugged then held out her hand.

  “So I don’t end up calling you Wine Spritzer the entire night, we should share names. I’m Marella.”

  Her uncommon name sounded familiar. Instead of concentrating on why, she focused on the woman next to her. “My name is Kennedy.”

  “Welcome to Iceland, Kennedy.” Marella gave her hand a strong pump.

  “How do you know it’s my first time in your country? You’re a native, right?” She left her hand in the other woman’s, despite her usual preference for short handshakes.

  “Yes, I am. It’s obvious you’re visiting for the first time. Usually Americans order one of our beers or at least wine.” She loosened her hold but kept their fingers tangled together.

  Unsettled, Kennedy drew her hand back and laid it on her lap. Just far enough away so Marella wouldn’t have easy access, not that this very affable woman would do such a thing.

  “I don’t like beer.” She checked her phone. It had only been a few minutes since she sat down.

  Why did it seem time had slowed in Iceland?

  Marella gave her a sympathetic smile. “Between you and me, I’m not a fan of beer either. I prefer wine.”

  The bartender returned with their drinks, and Marella requested he keep her tab open.

  Kennedy lifted her glass. “Is everyone here like you? I mean, do your people go out of their way to buy tourists drinks?”

  “I’ve done it a few times. This is one of my favorite hotels in Reykjavik to have a few drinks, especially on a Friday night after work. Their happy hour is also one of the best.” Marella pointed to the small plastic tabletop display, indicating the happy hour times and specials in English. “Skál.”

  “Skál?” Kennedy winced as she murdered the word.

  “It’s Icelandic for cheers and good health.” Marella tapped her glass to Kennedy’s and took a sip.

  She spoke the foreign word much clearer this time. As she sipped, she watched Marella drink her wine, a dark red that almost matched her nail color.

  “Hm, I love a good Merlot.” Marella lowered her glass and licked her lips, flashing something metallic in her mouth.

  She almost choked as she swallowed. “You have a barbell in your mouth?”

  “Yes.” Marella displayed her tongue, and the metal ball in the middle of it.

  “Why?” Fascinating. This was the first time she’d met someone with an actual piercing in their tongue.

  “I was young and stupid at the time I got the piercing. But I kept it. I also have one in my bellybutton.” Marella’s eyes twinkled. “And, no, I don’t have any others.”

  Kennedy pressed her lips together to stop from laughing at a conversation she’d never thought she would have in a million years, and in Iceland of all places.

  “How about you? Any piercings?” Marella crossed her legs, brushing Kennedy’s knee with the hem of her skirt.”

  “Only my ears, but earrings irritate my lobes. I didn’t want to be pierced anywhere else, especially those intimate areas only a few select people have seen.”

  Marella slapped the top of the bar. “Good one.” She flicked her bangs away from her forehead, flashing black ink on the inside of her arm.

  “You also have tattoos?”

  She lifted her sleeve and traced the ink with her fingers. “It’s fjölskyldan mín, meaning family. I got it a long time ago.”

  The tattoo on Kennedy’s hip tingled. She tightened her grip around her glass to keep from rubbing at it. Asking for the story of the woman’s tattoo would make things too serious between them. She didn’t want to be solemn or reflect on her own loss then end up a blubbering mess.

  “You have a beautiful name.” She brought the conversation back to more lighthearted topics.

  Marella lowered her sleeve, and her head snapped up. “It’s my middle name.”

  “Your middle name? Why don’t you go by your first name?”

  Marella lifted her glass, downed her wine, then set aside her empty glass and flagged down the bartender. “Perhaps I’ll tell you my first name after a few more drinks.”

  She swirled her drink. “How about we add food into the mix? I’m starving.”

  Marella smiled and claimed her wrist with a squeeze, causing her stomach to flutter. “I’m starving also.”

  Harmony in Silence

  American billionaire O
mar Segal has a life of luxury, power and prestige. Even though he may act the well-travelled playboy tycoon who loves fine wine and women, he prefers a quiet night at home adding to his collection of quirky themed socks or expensive outlandish suits and ties. But then an incredible opportunity arises where he can finally get his revenge against the man who stole the most important thing from him twenty years ago. He’ll reunite with the only women he has ever loved- Wilhelmina Kiraly, the first-born daughter of the richest winemaker in Hungary, and Omar’s sworn enemy.

  Finally free of her domineering father after his well-deserved death, Willa Kiraly is now ready to embrace her new freedom and resurrect a career in music she had to sacrifice. She always blamed him for the destruction of her concert pianist mother, his former mistress he targeted for ownership when she was just a teenager. A product of her parents’ unstable and violent relationship, Willa has always felt she was never deserving of the Kiraly name and fortune. Laszlo Kiraly forced her to reject her love of classical music because of a dark secret he held over her head for so long. But when her past in the form of Omar reenters her life, all her doubts and fears threaten to rise up again and devastate her.

  Omar wants to make every desire and dream of Willa’s a reality. He’ll take her on a magical journey across Vienna, Austria, seducing her senses with decadent chocolate and the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, her favorite composer. But how can she accept Omar when she suffers in silence about the truth surrounding her birth that led to her mother’s suicide and almost caused Willa to do the same in turn?

  Excerpt:

  Her eyes opened, glossy and red. “I would have had more time with you.”

  He traced the side of her face and through her hair. She was on the edge of tears, making his own eyes wet. He’d last cried at his father’s funeral. All it took was for Willa to break apart for him to do the same.

  “Hey, now.” He tucked her hair behind her ears. “Let’s stay in the present.”

  “I should tell you what I did after I returned to Hungary with Father.” Her tears wet her eyelashes.

  “No, you’re not ready to tell me. It can wait.” He scooped her up and deposited her on his lap, where she hid her face in his shirt. He enclosed her in his arms and rocked her, comforting her like he had wanted to do for so long.

  So much talk of time between them, but the loss of time didn’t matter while he sat with her, waiting for her to recover from her emotional trauma. He would have moved heaven and earth to save her from finding her mother bleeding out from slit wrists in a bathtub. But despite the power she thought he had, it was impossible. All he could do was give her new memories to replace the sad ones.

  Willa sniffed loudly and wiped her eyes. “I’m not the type of person to break down in tears.”

  “It’s important to you to keep your emotions in check.” He hugged her tight and kissed under her ear.

  She plucked at a button on his shirt. “It numbs the pain if I ignore it. But you’ve unleashed something inside me that has been dormant for many years.”

  He relaxed his arms, wary of how to proceed. She wasn’t pushing him away, which was a good sign, but she’d said he brought out all the ugliness and sorrow she tried to keep in check. His goal was to let her experience the exact opposite of the pain she suffered.

  “You lost some color on your face. Why? I’m not going to attack you or lash out at you.” She traced the bare skin under his collar. “You should be thrilled since gotten me to sit on your lap.”

  He gripped her hip. He couldn’t trust his body not to respond to her. God forbid she shifted down in between his legs—

  And she did, just under an inch, making him jerk up, which of course was a wrong move since his dick now poked her bottom.

  Willa laid her cheek on his shoulder while she traced up and around his chest and neck.

  “It’s nice, sitting here,” she sighed.

  “We can stay all night.” He would, even if his cock went numb from the strain.

  “As much as that sounds nice, I think it’s best we don’t.” She combed through his hair.

  He moaned, relaxing into the cushions behind him but then froze when she pressed her mouth on the center of his throat.

  “You’re playing with fire. I can’t trust myself not to kiss you.” He dug his fingers into her hips when she straddled him.

  “Make me feel again.” She laid his palm on her breast. “I give you permission to touch me.”

  He gave a quick squeeze—he would return to this luscious globe later. But he had something else in mind. He skimmed his fingers down her front and to her stomach, enjoying how her breath hitched and her eyelids fluttered as he tickled her belly button.

  “Kiss me?” he asked, giving her control.

  She dropped a damp kiss on his chin, sucking there. Then she moved up, meeting his mouth and possessing it. He responded by opening his wide and curling his tongue forward for her to claim her own.

  Her tongue swept over his clumsily, not that he cared. Her unskilled technique made him want to beat his chest. Mine. Had he been the only one to have her? To be inside her?

  He would ask later, but for now he was on a mission to make her fall apart in his arms and cry out in joy. He should abstain from going too far or fast since she was now willing to accept him, but he had to feel the silkiness hiding her special jewel.

  She nibbled his lips and tongued the inside of his cheeks, moaning. She said his name like a prayer.

  “Omar, touch me. I hurt so much.” She ground down on his knee.

  “I’ll take care of you, dearest.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  KT Grant is a self-proclaimed eccentric redhead who not only loves to read a wide variety of romances, but also loves writing it. As a former book blogger and entertainment columnist with a bad coffee and Twitter addiction, she still doesn’t shy away from voicing her opinion. A proud native of New Jersey, KT is multi-published and writes Gay, Lesbian and Straight romance. KT has also been a top ten best-selling author at Amazon.

  KT loves to hear from readers. You can drop KT an email at [email protected].

  You can visit KT at:

  www.ktgrant.com

  On Twitter:

  https://twitter.com/katiebabs

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  Series:

  The Princess’s Bride (Pirates of Flaundia #1)

  The Prince’s Groom (Pirates of Flaundia #2)

  The Princess’s Valentine (Pirates of Flaundia #2.5)

  The Countess’s Mistress (Pirates of Flaundia #3)

  Lovestruck (Lovestruck #1)

  Burning For You (Lovestruck #2)

  If You Only Knew (Lovestruck #3)

  For the Love of Mollie (Sweet and Sinful #1)

  Claiming of Suzy (Sweet and Sinful #2)

  Xavier’s Loving Arms (Sweet and Sinful #3)

  A Bid for Love (Decadent Publishing 1NightStand Story)

  Island Pleasure (Decadent Publishing 1NightStand Story)

  Sharp Bite of Pleasure (Pleasure Bite #1)

  The Gate (The Dark Path Series #1)

  The Key (The Dark Path Series #2)

  The Lock (The Dark Path Series #3)

  Single Titles:

  Alana’s Surrender

  Scandal in the Wind

  Sleeping with the Frenemy

  Hot Buzz

  Macabre Delights

  Wasting Away in Deadsville

  The Christmas Fantasy

  Red Hot Chance

  This Time Now

  The New Year’s Fantasy

  50 Shades of Pink

  Craveheart: The Forbidden Tale of the Loch Ness Monster

  Always Been You

  All Your Love

  Steamy Nights, Cool Lights

  Shine On

  Harmony in Silence

  The Lady and the Vixen

  Cinderella and the Lady

  Scandal in the Wind

  Never Find Her

  Shame of It All

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