Desire and Jealousy: Novak Springs: Daring Love, #2

By Dawn Brower

Paxton Kerry has worked hard to overcome his injury, but still might not be able to play in the NFL again. He's a risk and the team may not be willing to gamble on his ability to perform. He decides to take a vacation, and convinces his agent's assistant he needs her to join him.

Alison Duvall would much rather stay in Seattle and work. She's much more than an assistant and on track to becoming one of the company's agents. Her boss assigned her a surly football player as her first client. One who is determined to make Alison's life miserable. How bad could a tropical vacation be? She's about to find out.

Paxton has an ulterior motive, one involving Alison, and his sudden vacation. He's fallen in love, but his actions may have driven Alison away. His desire is driving him as insane, but nothing compares to the jealousy raging through him when another man might steal her away forever...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Monarchal Glenn Press
• Release date: May 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393839552

Book preview

Desire and Jealousy

Desire and Jealousy

Desire and Jealousy

Daring Love Book Two

Dawn Brower

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Epilogue

Afterword

About The Author

Also by Dawn Brower

Acknowledgments

Excerpt: Seduction and Betryal

Prologue

Excerpt: Unbridled Pursuit

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Excerpt: Never Disregard a Wallflower

Prologue

Chapter 1

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Desire and Jealousy © 2021 Dawn Brower

Cover art by Victoria Miller

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Be brave. If you love someone tell them. It might surprise you, but even if it doesn’t, at least you’ll know one way or the other. Besides it is always nice to know someone loves you…

Prologue

Acrack of thunder echoed around Allison Duvall as she parked her car outside the apartment building. The cold rain added a chill to the air that made her shiver. It was a sleek building recently built to cater to the elite who could afford the exorbitant cost of owning one of the posh living spaces. She could never afford to live in that building, and part of her never wanted to. The people who could had always looked down their noses at her. She wouldn’t even be there if she didn’t have to. Unfortunately, her prime client had changed his residence, and had then did his damn best to ghost her.

Paxton Kerry, the quarterback for the Seattle Starlings, had become the bane of her existence. Part of her was regretting her decision to become an agent in Vitoria Miene’s management firm. She wanted to move up, but she hated that her first client…her test…was proving to be far more difficult than she had anticipated. It had started well and then took a nosedive faster than she could blink. Paxton was determined to destroy his life, and Allison’s as well.

She took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. Rain descended on her in droves. She flipped open her umbrella, but it did little good. Allison was soaked through and the umbrella offered little protection. She cursed and dashed to the entrance and rushed inside. Shivers rolled over her as she shook uncontrollably. Sometimes she wondered why she’d left New York and moved across country. It rained more than she liked in Seattle, but at least most of the time, as long as she planned for it, it didn’t cause any major issues. She might be currently drenched, but she could still corner Paxton.

Allison shook her umbrella and closed it. Her teeth chattered, and a lock of her copper-gold hair fell over her eyes, blocking her line of sight. She brushed it to the side, then moved farther into the building, nodded at the man tending the desk, and then headed to the elevator. When Paxton had been more congenial, he’d given her his codes and spare key in case of an emergency. So far he had not asked for them back, but he might after this visit. He would not appreciate her calling him on his bullshit, but someone had to do it. She stabbed her finger on the button for Paxton’s floor, then leaned against the elevator wall. Allison closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It had been a long day, and it was barely morning.

The doors dinged open, and she forced herself to move forward. Paxton was the only one on this floor, and the elevator opened to his apartment. Nothing but the best for his royal pain in the ass. The stench of alcohol stung her nose as she inched her way into the main area of the apartment. Empty liquor bottles covered almost every surface. Some were upright, but most were tipped over on their sides. By her estimation, there had to be at least a dozen bottles, maybe more. A bowl of popcorn had been spilled over on the floor and some of it had been crushed into the carpet.

Had he had a party?

She moved farther into the room. A man laid sprawled on the hard floor near the balcony doors. One door was slid open and sheer curtains rustled in the wind as rain soaked through the opening, leaving a small puddle on the floor. That same puddle was trailing toward the man and soaked the side of his shirt. His dark hair was disheveled and also wet. How was he still sleeping?

Allison cursed under her breath, not for the first time that morning. She rushed over to his side and knelt before him. At least she wouldn’t have to worry too much about getting wet considering her run through the rain. She shook him. Paxton, she called out to him. He didn’t budge. Fuck. She placed her forefinger to the inside of his wrist and checked for a pulse, then breathed a sigh of relief when evidence of a steady heartbeat thumped evenly. Still, she had to find a way to bring him to consciousness.

She nibbled on her lips and stared down at him. He was a handsome man, even in this state she could appreciate that. His cheekbones were perfectly chiseled and his lips tempted her in ways she didn’t want to admit. A part of her had always wondered how his kiss might taste. Of course that had been before he’d been injured and sidelined. He’d been happier, cockier, and a blaze of light that called to her soul.

Since his injury, and through his physical therapy, that light had dimmed significantly. Her heart broke for him. She truly cared about him and wanted to help him move forward, whether that was as a quarterback for the Starlings, or something else. He shouldn’t waste his life, and she would make sure he realized he still had a future. Allison leaned over and cupped his cheek. At that moment his eyelids fluttered open and her gaze met the evergreen depths of his eyes. He blinked a few times and then groaned.

Good morning, sleeping beauty, she said. Allison tried to keep her tone upbeat, but had a hard time with it. Her lips wobbled a little as she spoke. Come on, get up, we have work to do.

Go away, he mumbled. The stench of his breath nearly bowled her over. He needed a shower and to brush his teeth. He reeked of two-day-old whiskey and stale pizza. I don’t want you here. His voice held the tone of a petulant child who refused to leave his warm bed and prepare for a day at school.

Allison glanced down at him, not for the first time, and frowned. You cannot be comfortable. You are wet and laying on marble flooring. He rolled over to face away from her. The trail of water had gone up his back like a line of sweat after a hard workout. She placed her hand on his arm and his skin felt chilled. Paxton quit ignoring me. Get up now.

He groaned again, but slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. What are you doing here? His green irises were rimmed with red and looked gritty either from