Desperate to Touch Read online

  Desperate to Touch

  Hard to Love Series Book Two

  W Winters

  Contents

  Also by W Winters

  Desperate to Touch

  Authors note

  Prologue

  1. Seth

  2. Laura

  3. Seth

  4. Laura

  5. Seth

  6. Laura

  7. Seth

  8. Laura

  9. Seth

  10. Laura

  11. Seth

  12. Laura

  13. Seth

  14. Laura

  15. Seth

  16. Laura

  17. Seth

  18. Laura

  19. Laura

  20. Seth

  Sneak Peek at Tempted to Kiss

  Prologue

  1. Laura

  Also by W Winters

  About W Winters

  Also by W Winters

  Read Willow’s sexiest and most talked about romances in the Merciless World

  * * *

  This Love Hurts Trilogy

  This Love Hurts

  But I Need You (October 2020)

  And I Love You the Most (December 2020)

  * * *

  An epic tale of both betrayal and all-consuming love...

  Marcus, the villain.

  Cody Walsh, the FBI agent who knows too much.

  And Delilah, the lawyer caught in between.

  * * *

  A Kiss to Tell (a standalone novel)

  They lived on the same street and went to the same school, although he was a year ahead. Even so close, he was untouchable.

  Sebastian was bad news and Chloe was the sad girl who didn’t belong.

  Then one night changed everything.

  * * *

  Possessive (a standalone novel)

  It was never love with Daniel Cross and she never thought it would be. It was only lust from a distance. Unrequited love maybe.

  He’s a man Addison could never have, for so many reasons.

  * * *

  Merciless Saga

  Merciless

  Heartless

  Breathless

  Endless

  * * *

  Ruthless, crime family leader Carter Cross should’ve known Aria would ruin him the moment he saw her. Given to Carter to start a war; he was too eager to accept. But what he didn’t know was what Aria would do to him. He didn’t know that she would change everything.

  * * *

  All He’ll Ever Be (Merciless Series Collection of all 4 novels)

  * * *

  Irresistible Attraction Trilogy

  A Single Glance

  A Single Kiss

  A Single Touch

  * * *

  Bethany is looking for answers and to find them she needs one of the brothers of an infamous crime family, Jase Cross.

  Even a sizzling love affair won’t stop her from getting what she needs.

  But Bethany soon comes to realise Jase will be her downfall, and she’s determined to be his just the same.

  * * *

  Irresistible Attraction (A Single Glance Trilogy Collection)

  * * *

  Hard to Love Series

  Hard to Love

  Desperate to Touch

  Tempted to Kiss

  Easy to Fall

  * * *

  Eight years ago she ran from him.

  Laura should have known he'd come for her. Men like Seth King always get what they want.

  Laura knows what Seth wants from her, and she knows it comes with a steep price.

  However it’s a risk both of them will take.

  * * *

  Not My Heart to Break (Hard to Love Series Collection)

  * * *

  Tease Me Once (September 2021)

  Tease me once... I'll kiss you twice.

  Declan Cross' story from the Merciless World.

  * * *

  Spin off of the Merciless World

  * * *

  Love the Way Duet

  Love the Way You Kiss Me (May 2021)

  Love the Way You Hold Me (June 2021)

  * * *

  With everything I've been through, and the unfortunate way we met, the last thing I thought I'd be focused on is the fact that I love the way you kiss me.

  * * *

  Extended epilogues to the Merciless World Novels

  A Kiss To Keep (more of Sebastian and Chloe)

  Seductive (more of Daniel and Addison)

  Effortless (more of Carter and Aria)

  Never to End (more of Seth and Laura)

  * * *

  Sexy, thrilling with a touch of dark Standalone Novels

  * * *

  Broken (Standalone)

  Kade is ruthless and cold hearted in the criminal world.

  They gave Olivia to him. To break. To do as he’d like.

  All because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But there are secrets that change everything. And once he has her, he’s never letting her go.

  * * *

  Forget Me Not (Standalone novel)

  She loved a boy a long time ago. He helped her escape and she left him behind. Regret followed her every day after.

  Jay, the boy she used to know, came back, a man. With a grip strong enough to keep her close and a look in his eyes that warned her to never dare leave him again.

  It’s dark and twisted.

  But that doesn’t make it any less of what it is.

  A love story. Our love story.

  * * *

  It’s Our Secret (Standalone novel)

  It was only a little lie. That’s how stories like these get started.

  But with every lie Allison tells, Dean sees through it.

  She didn't know what would happen. But with all the secrets and lies, she never thought she’d fall for him.

  * * *

  You Are Mine Series of Duets

  * * *

  You Are My Reason (You Are Mine Duet book 1)

  You Are My Hope (You Are Mine Duet book 2)

  Mason and Jules emotionally gripping romantic suspense duet.

  One look and Jules was tempted; one taste, addicted.

  No one is perfect, but that’s how it felt to be in Mason’s arms.

  But will the sins of his past tear them apart?

  * * *

  You Know I Love You (November 2020)

  You Know I Need You (December 2020)

  Kat says goodbye to the one man she ever loved even though Evan begs her to trust him.

  With secrets she couldn’t have possibly imagined, Kat is torn between what’s right and what was right for them.

  * * *

  Small Town Romance

  * * *

  Tequila Rose Book 1 (Feb 2021)

  Autumn Night Whiskey Book 2 (March 2021)

  He tasted like tequila and the fake name I gave him was Rose.

  Four years ago, I decided to get over one man, by getting under another. A single night and nothing more.

  Now, with a three-year-old in tow, the man I still dream about is staring at me from across the street in the town I grew up in. I don’t miss the flash of recognition, or the heat in his gaze.

  The chemistry is still there, even after all these years.

  I just hope the secrets and regrets don’t destroy our second chance before it’s even begun.

  * * *

  Contemporary Romance Standalones

  * * *

  Knocking Boots (A Novel)

  They were never meant to be together.

  Charlie is a bartender with noncommittal tendencies.

  Grace is looking for the opposite. Commitment. Marriage. A baby.

  * * *

  Prom
ise Me (A Novel)

  She gave him her heart. Back when she thought they’d always be together.

  Now Hunter is home and he wants Violet back.

  * * *

  Tell Me To Stay (A Novella)

  He devoured her, and she did the same to him.

  Until it all fell apart and Sophie ran as far away from Madox as she could.

  After all, the two of them were never meant to be together?

  * * *

  Second Chance (A Novella)

  No one knows what happened the night that forced them apart. No one can ever know.

  But the moment Nathan locks his light blue eyes on Harlow again, she is ruined.

  She never stood a chance.

  * * *

  Burned Promises (A Novella)

  Derek made her a promise. And then he broke it. That’s what happens with your first love.

  But Emma didn’t expect for Derek to fall back into her life and for her to fall back into his bed.

  * * *

  Valetti Crime Family Series:

  A HOT mafia series to sink your teeth into.

  * * *

  Dirty Dom

  Becca came to pay off a debt, but Dominic Valetti wanted more.

  So he did what he’s always done, and took what he wanted.

  * * *

  His Hostage

  Elle finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. The mafia doesn’t let witnesses simply walk away.

  Regret has a name, and it’s Vincent Valetti.

  * * *

  Rough Touch

  Ava is looking for revenge at any cost so long as she can remember the girl she used to be.

  But she doesn’t expect Kane to show up and show her kindness that will break her.

  * * *

  Cuffed Kiss

  Tommy Valetti is a thug, a mistake, and everything Tonya needs; the answers to numb the pain of her past.

  * * *

  Bad Boy

  Anthony is the hitman for the Valetti familia, and damn good at what he does. They want men to talk, he makes them talk. They want men gone, bang - it’s done. It’s as simple as that.

  Until Catherine.

  * * *

  Those Boys Are Trouble (Valetti Crime Family Collection)

  * * *

  Collections of shorts and novellas

  * * *

  Don’t Let Go

  A collection of stories including:

  Infatuation

  Desires in the Night and Keeping Secrets

  Bad Boy Next Door

  * * *

  Kisses and Wishes

  A collection of holiday stories including:

  One Holiday Wish

  Collared for Christmas

  Stolen Mistletoe Kisses

  * * *

  All I Want is a Kiss (A Holiday short)

  Olivia thought fleeting weekends would be enough and it always was, until the distance threatened to tear her and Nicholas apart for good.

  * * *

  Highest Bidder Series:

  * * *

  Bought

  Sold

  Owned

  Given

  From USA Today best selling authors, Willow Winters and Lauren Landish, comes a sexy and forbidden series of standalone romances.

  * * *

  Bad Boy Standalones, cowritten with Lauren Landish:

  * * *

  Inked

  Tempted

  Mr. CEO

  Three novels featuring sexy powerful heroes.

  Three romances that are just as swoon-worthy as they are tempting.

  * * *

  Forsaken, (A Dark Romance cowritten with B. B. Hamel)

  Grace is stolen and gifted to him; Geo a dominating, brutal and a cold hearted killer.

  However, with each gentle touch and act of kindness that lures her closer to him, Grace is finding it impossible to remember why she should fight him.

  * * *

  View Willow’s entire collection and full reading order at willowwinterswrites.com/reading-order

  * * *

  Happy reading and best wishes,

  W Winters xx

  Desperate to Touch

  Desperate to Touch

  * * *

  by W Winters

  * * *

  I ran from him, even though my heart knew better.

  Love was one thing, but survival another.

  * * *

  He chose a life of crime and I never wanted any of it; I only wanted him. I left when the danger bled into my life, taking more than I was willing to sacrifice.

  I should have known he'd come for me. Men like him always get what they want.

  The temptation in his eyes, the heat of his touch... it's all still there, but his gaze is harsher now and his grasp unrelenting.

  He's not the boy I fell in love with, although pieces of what we once had are still there. I can feel it.

  I know what he wants from me, and I know it comes with a steep price. I'll pay it though, if for no other reason than to touch him again. Just once more.

  I'll close my eyes and forget about the risks that come with this life and with him. I only hope he doesn't do the same.

  * * *

  Desperate to Touch is book 2 in a series. Hard to Love must be read first.

  Authors note

  “Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”

  ― Stephen King

  Prologue

  Laura

  * * *

  The first year Seth moved to the East Coast, years ago

  * * *

  The journal in my hand is thick and the edge of its pages are worn. As though she didn’t just write in its pages daily, but instead read and reread the scribbled confessions of the past three years constantly. The spine itself is cracked and it divides the journal in two.

  Guilt riddles its way into my thoughts. I shouldn’t be reading a patient’s journal, not when she only gave it to me because I told her I’d fix it for her. She trusted me because I’m her nurse. I’m supposed to help Delilah and take care of her.

  The poor woman who lives on pills during the day and is haunted by nightmares when the sun sets gave me all her secrets. I know I shouldn’t take it, but the second half of the journal starts with the description of a barn Marcus took her to.

  Marcus. Just seeing his name chills me down to my bones. I don’t even realize that I’ve stopped moving, breathing, that I’ve simply halted in the middle of the narrow hall until a sweet new resident asks me if I’m okay. I think her name is Bethany.

  “Fine,” I tell her and force a smile, although the scribbled name, Marcus, lingers in my mind. The whispered hiss, Marcus, repeats itself faster and faster as I make my way to the office to read what she wrote about him. The Rockford Center deals with mental health, so naturally, drugs and violence are a conversation starter. Many of my patients talk about Marcus. Marcus and the Cross brothers. Recently, Seth King is a name that’s going around too. I have to close my eyes, swallowing thickly as I shut the door to the dark office, leaning my back against it and simply trying to breathe.

  Seth King, the man I loved on the other side of the country. The man I ran away from. He gave me time, but I knew he’d come for me. It’s been a week since I first heard he was here, only miles from me, and I’ve been praying. I begged God to give me a sign, to tell me what to do. Opening my eyes, I stare down at the notebook. My salvation.

  I photocopied every page of Delilah’s journal, hiding in the small back office of the Rockford Center. I can still remember how anxious I was and how heat smothered every inch of my skin. Knowing I could be fired instantly, I still had to do it. I’d only just started working at the center, my first job as a nurse. I had to do whatever it took to survive. I suppose I’d been saying that a lot back then.