Unleashed
Ren Alexander
(Unraveled Renegade, #3)
Publication date: March 12th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Battered and bruised, Greg Rodwell struggles without his bride.
I married her as a favor. Then she dumped me out of spite.
All her life, Simone’s control-freak father fed her money as long as she played by his rules, even forcing her to sign a contract and punishing her if she took her beloved stepfather’s last name. I devised a plan and offered her my own contract, marrying Simone so she could keep the money and dump her dad’s name. Although our relationship had been as frenemies, our marriage transformed into the real deal. I fell in love with being Simone’s devoted husband. And with her. I thought. Until that night, a colossal argument shattered us. Like a trashy country song, she bailed on me and our marriage in my pickup truck and skipped town. It hurt like hell, but I had to honor our vows and try to win her back.
Returning to Richmond, I watch Simone parading her loser dates as if it’s a sport. I start dating to help myself let go. But things hit a snag when Simone’s father shows up to stay with her for a week. She pleads with me to help her tell her father about our breakup instead of him discovering it and revoking her funds. At first, watching her squirm amuses me, but I’m not a total jackass. I’ll save her once more, but this time, I’m calling the shots, refusing to suffer through another painful breakup. Unfortunately, this infuriates Simone, but now she’s stuck with a husband for a week. Since I’m homeless, crashing with her works out. However, playing out our marriage in front of her father, stuff between Simone and me soon gets real. Way too real.
Dating to avoid Simone only worsens things because of my intense attraction to her. She’s an addiction no rehab can fix. Yet, when she reciprocates the obsession, I freak out and push her too far all over again. But this time, the massive fallout changes us forever.
You’ll achieve maximum shock and awe if the Wild Sparks Series and The Keys to Jericho are read before this series.
WARNING: Though Greg Rodwell is an office clown, his Unraveled Renegade series contains profuse graphic language, explicit sexual content, violence, and dark content not suitable for sensitive audiences. Reader discretion is highly advised.
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EXCERPT:
Again, I open the door without a preview. It’s not like I would turn away a serial killer or the Grim Reaper.
My eyes land on a throat. As they travel up, they glide over Greg Rodwell’s sexy face. I straighten with a gasp and blink away the surprise, hoping I’m not hallucinating. “What are you doing here?”
His gaze lands on my tits, and my hardening nipples beg for him to notice. I wish I regretted taking off my bra, but I don’t. Greg’s eyes meet mine, and instead of looking away, I hold them with mine. I’ve stared into his eyes while making love, but now they’re indifferent. His voice breaks my staring. “I forgot my key.”
“For?”
As I grapple with not knowing what to do, Greg pushes past me into the entryway. From the living room, my father watches us. Greg waves and then faces me, mumbling, “Let’s get this shit done.”
Through my teeth, I whisper, “But why? You said—”
He slices his hand through the air, mumbling, “Five minutes is all you get.”
I nod, stunned. Greg isn’t letting me do this alone. I could kiss him—but I won’t. “I’ll do the talking,” I mouth, and Greg shrugs. He follows me into the living room. Instead of sitting down with me on the couch, Greg offers my dad a handshake.
Going along with the last-minute plan, I say, “Dad, this is Greg. Greg, this is my dad, Marc Garrison.” Dad doesn’t stand up and hesitates before returning the handshake.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Garrison. Like South Park, huh? Where is Mr. Hand?” Greg snorts, and I cringe as my dad wrinkles his nose like he smells rotten cheese.
“It’s Dr. Garrison. I thought Simone told you I’m an orthodontist?”
Greg releases Dad’s hand and steps back, slipping his hand into his dark hair, and it mesmerizes me. I hate that. “Oh, I’m sorry. Yeah. I fell on my head a lot as a kid.” Jesus Christ, Greg.
I shoot Greg a look, but he sits on the couch without looking at me. And then I see he’s wearing his silver wedding ring. My heart stops. Dead. Out of order. Gone for good. I don’t know whether to be shocked or furious.
Dad’s horror escalates. “I’d also like to say it’s nice to meet you, but we’ll see.”
Greg mutters, “I get it. I’m not for everyone.”
I sit beside Greg. His citrusy musk cologne makes my mouth water, and I lick my lips again, no doubt looking like a thirsty lizard in a desert. Narrowing his eyes at me, Dad sighs as if I failed out of school. “I was thinking you were a figment of my daughter’s imagination. Maybe even a scam.”
Greg smirks and my heart flutters because I drank too much caffeine. “No figment. I’m as real as a heart attack.” Classy.
We sit in uncomfortable silence, with Dad studying Greg more than he’s ever cared to learn about me. “Simone tells me you work at a gas station.” No, no, no. Greg is so going to ruin this.
Tripping over confusion and his words, Greg laughs but then frowns. He starts, stops, and sighs several times before saying, “Uh, I sure do.” My heart surges, but his clenched fists on his knees tell me he’ll never help me again.
My dad throws his hand out and then touches his mustached lip before asking, “Where have you been, though? It’s evident you don’t live here.”
Before Greg answers, I say, “Dad, please.”
Greg sits back against the couch and rests his folded hands between his thighs. “I’ve been around. It’s like this…” He sighs, and it both scares and thrills me. “I’ve been staying with a friend. Simone and I had an argument.”
My father chuckles like he heard a nonsensical knock-knock joke. “It’s obvious, but that shouldn’t explain why you don’t live with Simone as man and wife. Or are you hoping she’ll be the breadwinner? Since her father is wealthy, you may see pumping gas and cleaning the soda machine as a joy ride.”
Surprised even he would slither that low, I gasp, “Dad, that’s not fair! Greg isn’t here for you to critique his life!”
“Now, Simone, I will not tolerate a man you just met and married shirking his duties. As a wife, you should know this.”
I shrink against the couch but keep my thigh against Greg’s. It comforts me a little. Greg clears his throat. “I’m sorry. My duties?”
My father’s eyes narrow as he locks his gaze on my ex, his words dripping with annoyance. “I expect you to act like a husband.”
Greg pushes up his jacket sleeves, and I bite my lip. Christ, it’s hot in here. Greg’s voice is a sharp razor blade slicing through the unbearable friction. “Oh, really?”
I twitch my leg against him, bouncing his against mine. I mumble, “Greg…”
He waves his hand to shut me up. “No way. Your dad needs to hear this. We shouldn’t be ashamed.”
“Huh?” I sit up and angle toward him.
“I’m trying to be a husband to Simone. We have a lot on our plates, but to be honest, I’ve been putting way more effort between the sheets—”
“What?” I shriek, forgetting my dad is watching. We’re taking on water and sinking fast. I didn’t even wear a cute bikini.
Greg sails on, leaving me to doggy paddle. “But I’m not a machine. It’d be nice to slow down and not perform on demand.” As I remain frozen in the water, watching the Titanic sink, Greg motions toward me with a laugh. “Come on. Your daughter isn’t ugly. But sometimes all I want to do is focus on our desire and not on making Greg Jr. It’s not that I can’t do it, but I’m worn out. You know?”
The horror coursing through my body stabs me from every direction. I grab Greg’s arm, but he leans closer and mock whispers, “Shh, baby. Your dad needs to hear all this.” I fucking hate that I notice him calling me baby and miss it more than wearing pink.
I shove his arm to snap him out of the bullshit, but Greg grins at me. He knows I can’t refute our marriage status now…unless I dump him in front of my dad. And he’s beating me at my own game.
Author Bio:
Ren Alexander writes steamy contemporary romance, including the Wild Sparks Series, and contributes to K. Bromberg’s Everyday Heroes Series. Writing her romance novels with a hefty dose of reality, the good and bad, Ren embraces the gritty and raw with a side of funny and crazy. No matter what, there is always an explosion. You never know what you’ll get in her mixed bag.
Relocating from Detroit, Michigan, Ren lives in Kentucky with her husband, two daughters, and two cats.
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