Souls and Sorrows, an all-new thrilling dark marriage-of-convenience standalone romance from international bestselling author Sav R. Miller is available now!
Nobody asked him to step in.
I had everything under control, but by the time I shuffled onstage, there was no chance to stop him.
Men ogled and touched as I offered my body and soul to the highest bidder, and I could tell my stranger didn’t like what he saw.
Or maybe he did.
Maybe he liked it too much, and that was why his number shot up.
A quarter billion dollars and one existential crisis later, Cash Primrose was dragging me down the aisle in the name of convenience.
I suppose it could be worse.
My new husband treats me as an equal, which is more than most women in my world get.
Still, I find myself constantly expecting the other shoe to drop.
For the beast who hides himself away, except in the dead of night, to show his true colors.
I’m waiting for the monster my mother always promised would come.
But maybe that monster is me.
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Excerpt
Chapter 2: Ariana
I make my way through the throng of clubgoers, noting how no one but the woman onstage seems to be dancing. Everyone else just watches, entranced, and a pang of envy splits my stomach in half.
It’s been six years since I danced in front of anyone. Six years since I last felt the euphoria that accompanies a heavy stage presence and the weighted breath of an audience with no other interest but to see your body come alive for the music.
Pausing at one of the exits toward the back of the club, I steal a last glance at the stage. The woman, clad in a sheer blue bodysuit and transparent platform heels, sweeps the floor with bright pink hair as she spins and spins and spins.
Like she never wants to stop.
I stare, mesmerized, until I start to feel a little dizzy.
A warm presence suddenly appears at my side, buzzing around me like tiny sparks of light. I suck in a silent breath when electric heat sears my bare elbow, and an earthy, alluring scent assaults my senses, making my toes curl inside of my heels.
“Leaving so soon?” the presence says, voice low and gravelly.
I lift a shoulder. “Midnight calls.”
The stranger hums, and the sound is tempting. I almost turn my head to look, but I know Vitus’s men are watching. Judging silently.
“I’ve always admired these dancers,” he says after a moment. “Performances of any kind take grit and confidence, but the ability to get up there and entertain perverts is a skill not many possess.”
My mouth dries up like I’ve swallowed cotton. “Are you not entertained?”
“By her?” A pause, then, “I tend to prefer more classic branches of the sport. Tap, ballroom…ballet.”
Ice freezes the blood rushing through my veins, and my head snaps to the side, taking the man in for the first time. Up close, that is. I’m met by a warm brown gaze and a stoic, poised face that could have been chiseled directly from a slab of marble with its razor-sharp angles.
His nose slants in a straight line, stopping to billow out above plush lips, the top of which has a tiny scar slashing through the corner. It’s faint, barely visible over his peachy skin tone, but my eyes find it anyway, as if needing the flaw to offset his statuesque beauty.
The stranger from across the room.
Furrowing my brows, I cut a quick glance to the corner booth he was in minutes ago, wondering how fast he must have walked to make it here. Granted, he has a good six inches on me, and I have no clue how long I was standing here, admiring the dancer.
“I’ve been trying to figure out why you look so familiar,” he notes once I’ve finally blinked and returned to reality.
There might be a spot of drool on my bottom lip, but I don’t dare move my eyes from his.
“The blonde is pretty convincing—I’ll give you that.”
“How generous,” I spit, ignoring the way his attention seems to tie me in knots. Once the shock of him wears off, I stiffen, realizing he’s made me. “So, what? Did you come over here in the hopes of taking a picture or maybe copping a feel? Something you could sell to the paps outside, waiting for a juicy story?”
“No, nothing like that.” His head cocks to one side. “They’re really that interested in you?”
“They’re interested in making money. Not me.”
He hums again, but I can’t tell if it’s in agreement or not. I watch his eyes drop, reaching my feet and then slowly gliding back up, and I resist the shiver that threatens the outer layer of my skin.
“I find that difficult to believe.”
“Well, I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but my days of gracing the front pages of online tabloids are over.”
“I see. Is that because you’ve settled down?” His gaze dips to the sash around my chest. I forgot I had it on.
“Yep. Not that it’s any of your business.”
“Maybe I’m interested.”
I cock a brow, and the scarred corner of his mouth tugs up.
My throat constricts at the matter-of-fact tone. The way his eyes don’t leave mine, confident and electric.
It shouldn’t flatter me, having this god’s attention. In fact, I should be running in the opposite direction. If Vitus finds out I so much as looked at another man, there will be hell to pay, and I don’t feel like dealing with him.
Letting out a little hollow laugh, I roll my eyes and turn back toward the front. “Well, I don’t cheat. If you’re looking for a lap dance, might I suggest the girl currently onstage?”
“Like I said”—his eyes flicker to my lips, then back up—“not the kind of dancing I want to see.”
UNITED INDIE BOOK BLOG REVIEW
REVIEWER: RAYCHEL
RATING: 4 STARS
Souls and Sorrows is my first Sav R. Miller novel. It is part of a series but I had no issues reading Cash and Ariana’s story. Make sure you read the trigger warnings before you proceed.
Ariana and Cash’s story is full of rainbows and sunshine, it’s painful and heartbreaking at times. Both of issues they need to overcome in order to fully trust each other. It’s steamy and oh so twisted.
About Sav. R. Miller
Sav R. Miller is an international bestselling author of dark and contemporary romance.
She prefers the villains in most stories, and thinks everyone deserves happily-ever-after.
Currently, Sav lives in central Kentucky with two pups, Lord Byron and Poe. She loves sitcoms, silence, and sardonic humor.
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