The brunette looked back over her shoulder, her sleek fall of hair moving like something out of a movie. She winked, actually winked at us, and started down the stairs.

"Strike that, it's going to be a great time. See you guys at work on Monday. E-mail me whatever forms you need me to fill out."

Her shoes clicked and tapped on the way down the stairs while the rest of us just stood there in silence. After a long minute, Rowdy shook his head like he was coming out of a daze and walked the rest of the way into the loft.

"Rowland?" He glared at me.

"Like you have room to talk, Nashville."

Good point, but I was still going to give him s.h.i.t every chance I got.

Cora's mix-and-match eyes were practically glowing as she shifted the baby to one arm and grabbed Rowdy's shirtfront with her free hand.

"Is that her? Is that the one?"

I didn't know what "the one" meant, but when Rowdy shook his head in the negative, Cora looked super disappointed.

"No, not her ... but that is her sister."

Cora gasped and Rule and I just looked at each other in confusion.

"Someone want to fill us in?"

Rowdy sighed and lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck.

"When I was in foster care growing up in Texas, Salem and her little sister, Poppy, lived next door. Their dad was the minister in the town that we lived in. He was really, really strict with both the girls. They were very different, turned out opposite. Salem got out as soon as she could and Poppy broke my heart when I tried to give it to her. What in the h.e.l.l is she doing here?"

I sent a sideways look at Rule and he just bit his lip ring.

"She's the new shop manager. We just hired her."

The big blond man looked like he was going to either pa.s.s out or throw up.

"Are you serious?"

Cora nodded solemnly and patted him on the shoulder. "Nash offered her the job. It's legally binding. Are you going to be okay with that?"

He rubbed one of his sideburns and looked around at all of us like he was kind of lost.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really." I hated to break it to him.

"I think I just need a minute to get over the shock. I haven't seen her since I was eighteen and getting ready to start college. That was when everything went to s.h.i.t with Poppy. I can't believe Salem is here."

"She's very beautiful." Cora's tone was gentle and placating.

Rowdy's blond eyebrows shot up and he sarcastically drawled, "I didn't notice."

Rule barked out a laugh. "Then you're blind."

I cleared my throat and everyone turned to look at me. "Phil wanted her here. He set it all in motion. How much do you want to bet he knew all along your tie to her? He didn't just pick her name out of a hat."

Rowdy swore. "Why would he do that to me?"

"He had his reasons." Love couldn't be negotiated with, I would remember that forever.

Rowdy frowned at me. "What's that supposed to mean?"

All I could do was grin. He would find out soon enough.

"You'll see. Now I want to go home to my girlfriend and love all up on her." Nothing had ever made me happier than being able to say that anytime I wanted. Saint was the person I was always going to want at the end of the day, I just knew it.

Cora held up R.J., who held her little arms out as she tried to grab on to my nose ring. That d.a.m.n thing was a tiny hand magnet.

"Be careful, this is what that results in." She cut a sideways look to Rule, who completely missed it.

"By the way, tell Zeb yes to the fun-house mirrors. That guy is a G.o.dd.a.m.n genius." I really was in awe of the contractor's immense talent.

Rowdy muttered his agreement to pa.s.s the news along to his friend as we all made our way out of the shop.

I wanted to feel bad for him, to tell him that it would all be okay, but just like the rest of us, he was going to have to get there on his own. The journey to the one wasn't always easy. The baggage from the past could be heavy and totally unwieldy, and the drop-offs and curves could make a man ready to get off the road at any second, but there was no better destination, no better end point than the love and the woman offering it that waited at the end.

The Marked Men return in October 2014 with ...

ROWDY.

After the only girl he ever loved told him he would never be enough, Rowdy St. James knocked the Texas dust off his boots and decided he was going to do everything in his power to live up to his nickname. Life was all about a good time, good friends and never taking much too seriously. Rowdy learned his lesson early on, when you care that much about anything it can destroy you, and he never wants to risk feeling like that again. Only now he has a new coworker, a ghost from the past who's making him question every lesson he ever learned.

Salem Cruz grew up in a house with too many rules, too many regulations, and no fun allowed. That never worked for her so she left it all behind as soon as she could, but she never forgot the sweet, blue-eyed boy next door who'd been in love with her little sister. Fate and good intentions from an old friend have placed her right in Rowdy's path and she's determined to show him he picked the wrong sister all those years ago. A mission that is going along perfectly until the one person that ties them together shows up and could very well tear them back apart.

Click here to pre-order now

Nash and Saint's Playlist

Blood or Whiskey: "Never Be Me"

Band of Skulls: "Fires"; "Navigate"

The Pixies: "Holiday Song"

Deadstring Brothers: "Silver Mountain"

Drive-By Truckers: "Everybody Needs Love"; "Lookout Mountain"

Dropkick Murphys: "Echoes on 'A.' Street"

The Kills: "Heart Is a Beating Drum"

The Vines: "Outtathaway"

The t.o.s.s.e.rs: "Alone"

Flatfoot 56: "Son of Shame"

Her s.p.a.ce Holiday: "No More Good Ideas"

Sea Wolf: "The Cold, the Dark, and the Silence"; "Song for the Dead"

The Pogues: "If I Should Fall from Grace with G.o.d"; "(And the Band Played) Waltzing Matilda"

Johnny Cash: "Danny Boy"

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

First I gotta give all the love to the two tiny blondes that rule my writing world, Stacey Donaghy of the Donaghy Literary Group, who is my fearless agent, and Amanda Bergeron, my brilliant editor from HarperCollins. They are both equally important for bringing these Marked Men into the world and I honestly don't know what my life would look like without either one of them. I adore that they just let me do my thing (with the proper amount of reining in) and that the end result is always so much better than I imagined. I am truly blessed to get to work with women that I genuinely like, respect, and admire.

The other person key to my writing world is my book bestie. Oh, you can call her what you want, I always say she is a woman of many talents and many names. To me she is a sounding board, a friend, a fellow book lover, and for Nash's story not only is the inspiration for one of the characters, she was also my medical guru, my Nursey-No-Mercy. Thanks, Mel, for always being there, for offering your knowledge and support, and for generously giving me punctuation and feedback in every first draft I write. Thanks for being an awesome critique partner and just all-around an awesome friend. I love you and your giant brain so hard.

I never had too many complaints about running a bar. It was a really fun job. I got to meet cool and interesting people. I got to play with booze all day. Beer delivery guys are pretty cute and have big muscles, and I always got to stay up late and never had to get up early. That being said, this new job I have kicks that job's b.u.t.t, and the people I've been fortunate enough to meet in the last year ... well, I can't tell you how exciting and interesting it has been. From fellow authors, publishing professionals, to bloggers, to readers, to event organizers, to the people I have Internet-befriended along the way. Book people are the best. End of story. Thank you all for making the last year a blast, and I gotta thank Sophie Jordan, Jennifer Armentrout, Cora Carmack, and Lisa Desrochers for showing the new girl the ropes and making me feel welcome. I love hanging out with these ladies and it's always a good time when we get in the same room.

Of course, my folks always need to get a shout out because they are awesome and there are none better. Did you know my dad is coming to my European signings with me this year? If you see a guy walking around that has a cowboy mustache and probably something with a Dodge logo on it, that's him. Buy him a beer or a shot of Jack and tell him thanks for being the base inspiration for all these hot guys swimming around in my head. My mom is wonderful. She's not only my biggest fan but my closest confidante. I just love her to pieces and I'm grateful that with all the opportunities I've had come my way, I get to experience so many of them with her. She likes red wine and has lots and lots of blond hair if you want to buy her a drink instead.

I can't write a story about loving yourself, about knowing you are fabulous just the way you are, and not throw out a thank-you to my bestie. She's amazing at this. Really understands the importance of it, and the journey she had to take in order to remember how wonderful and amazing she really is was heartbreaking. But she got back to where she needed to be and I couldn't be prouder or more stoked for her. She is always the strongest, most beautiful person I know inside and out. I just LOVE Settie Phillips to a million pieces. I am so very lucky I get the honor of having her as my best friend.

And always my most important, most heartfelt and overwhelming amount of thanks goes out to you ... the reader. OMG, where would I be without you guys? I will always be taken aback, dumbfounded, and completely humbled when I get an e-mail saying something I wrote is their favorite book, or that they related to what the characters are going through, or that they appreciate how "real" my storytelling is. I never really thought past hitting publish on Rule, so now that we are four books in, I really can't tell you how much value and wonder all of you have brought into my life. I think of each and every single reader as a gift, as a compatriot, as a fellow book lover, and as a friend. Thank you so very much from the bottom of my tattooed heart.

The above goes for all you amazing and dedicated bloggers out there. Thank you for the support. Thank you for being invested in this world I have created. Thank you for spreading the word and taking the time and effort to write reviews and give valuable s.p.a.ce and time on your blogs to me and the boys. Thank you for all that you do!!

Finally, I have to tell you how much I love the girls at http://literatiauthorservices.com/. Karen, Mich.e.l.le, and Rosette have made my now hectic and busy life far more manageable. They are organized and efficient, but mostly they are delightful and wonderful ladies. They know it all, the business end, the blogging end, the reading end, and the promotional end. I wouldn't just trust my boys in the hands of anyone, and I tell them all the time working with them is the best decision I ever made!! If you need marketing or promotional help, look them up, you won't be sorry you did it.

I love my dogs. That is all.

Did you fall in love with Nash and Saint? Want to go back to where it all started?

Then keep reading ...

Opposites don't just attract ... They catch fire and burn the city down Click here to buy now or turn the page to read an extract

CHAPTER 1.

Rule

At first I thought the pounding in my head was my brain trying to fight its way out of my skull after the ten or so shots of Crown Royal I had downed last night, but then I realized the noise was someone storming around in my apartment. She was here, and with dread I remembered that it was Sunday. No matter how many times I told her, or how rude I was to her, or whatever kind of debauched and unsavory condition she found me in, she showed up every Sunday morning to drag me home for brunch.

A soft moan from the other side of the bed reminded me that I hadn't come home alone from the bar last night. Not that I remembered the girl's name or what she looked like, or if it had even been worth her while to stumble into my apartment with me. I ran a hand over my face and swung my legs over the edge of the bed just as the bedroom door swung open. I never should have given the little brat a key. I didn't bother to cover up; she was used to walking in and finding me hungover and naked-I didn't see why today should be any different. The girl on the other side of the bed rolled over and narrowed her eyes at the new addition to our awkward little party.

"I thought you said you were single?" The accusation in her tone lifted the hair on the back of my neck. Any chick who was willing to come home with a stranger for a night of no-strings-attached s.e.x didn't get the right to pa.s.s judgment, especially while she was still naked and rumpled in my bed.

"Give me twenty," I said, my eyes shifting to the blonde in the doorway as I ran a hand through my messy hair.

She lifted an eyebrow. "You have ten."

I would have lifted an eyebrow back at her tone and att.i.tude but my head was killing me, and the gesture would have been wasted on her anyway; she was way past immune to my s.h.i.t.

"I'll make coffee. I already invited Nash but he said he has to go to the shop for an appointment. I'll be in the car." She spun on her heel, and, just like that, the doorway was empty. I was struggling to my feet, searching the floor for the pair of pants I might have tossed down there last night.

"What's going on?"

I had temporarily forgotten about the girl in my bed. I swore softly under my breath and tugged a black T-shirt that looked reasonably clean over my head. "I have to go."

"What?"