NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The second book in the sexy, emotionally charged Stark trilogy—a romance between a powerful man who’s never heard “no” and a fiery woman who says “yes” on her own terms He owns my body. Owns my heart. Yet he can only promise me one night at a time.    Haunted by a past that was buried long ago, Damien Stark says he has nothing left to give. But when shadowy old secrets come to light, I’ll learn just how much he actually has left to lose.   I may be the only one who can save him. The only one who wants to. But leaving him behind was never an option.   I need him to be fully mine. Want us to possess each other beyond the sweetest edge of our ecstasy, into the deepest desires of our souls. To let the fire that burns between us consume us both.   Damien Stark has lived a tortured existence, but I’ve got secrets too. And soon our troubled pasts will either bind us close . . . or shatter us completely. Don’t miss any of the Stark Saga, intended for mature audiences. Begin your journey with RELEASE ME, CLAIM ME, & COMPLETE ME J. Kenner is the author of Release Me . She spent more than ten years as a litigator in Southern California and central Texas, using her rare free time to indulge in her passion of writing. She lives in Texas with her husband and daughters, where she is at work on her next novel, Complete Me . 1 “Almost done?” I ask. “The sun’s been down for at least five minutes.” Several yards away, Blaine tilts sideways, partially emerging from behind the canvas. I don’t move, but in my peripheral vision, I can see his shoulders, bald head, and shocking red goatee. “In my mind, you’re still bathed in light. Now stand still and be quiet.” “No problem,” I say, and hear his growl of irritation at my blatant flaunting of his rules. Despite the fact that I am standing naked in a doorway, our exchange seems perfectly normal. I am used to this now. Used to the way the chilled ocean breeze causes my nipples to peak. The way the sunset stirs something so deep and passionate in me that I long to close my eyes and abandon myself to the violent tapestry of light and color. I’ve become blasé about the way Blaine’s eye sweeps critically over me, and I no longer flinch when he leans in so close that he almost brushes my breast or my hip as he adjusts my stance to the proper angle. Even his murmurings of, “Perfect. Shit, Nikki, you look perfect,” no longer make my stomach tighten, and I’ve stopped imagining my hands closing into tight fists in protest, my nails digging into the soft skin of my palms. I am not perfect—not by a long shot. But it no longer makes me crazy to hear those simple words. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that I could feel so at ease despite being so fully on display. True, I’d spent most of my life parading around on a stage, but during my pageant days I was always clothed, and even during the bathing suit competitions, my girl parts were modestly covered. I can imagine my mother’s mortification if she saw me now, chin lifted, back arched, a red silk cord binding my wrists behind me and then trailing between my legs to twine gently around one thigh. I have not seen Blaine’s canvas for days, but I know his style and I can imagine how I look captured in pigment and brushstrokes. Ephemeral. Sensual. Submissive. A goddess bound. No doubt about it—my mother would have a cow. I, however, am enjoying it. Hell, maybe that’s why I’m enjoying it. I’ve shaken off Proper Princess Nikki for Rebel Nikki, and it feels pretty damn good. I hear footsteps on the stairs, and I force myself to remain in my pose even though I want nothing more than to turn and look at him. Damien. Damien Stark is the one thing about which I’ve not become complacent. “The offer stands.” Damien’s words drift up the marble stairs to the third floor. He hasn’t raised his voice, and yet it is supported by such strength and confidence that it fills the room. “Tell them to take a good long look at their P and Ls. There isn’t going to be any profit, and by the end of the year, there won’t even be a company. They’re in free fall, and when they crash and burn, every one of their employees will be out of work, the company dead, the patents tied up in litigation for years as creditors fight about the assets. They take this deal, and I’ll breathe life back in. You know it. I know it. They know it.” The footsteps stop, and I realize he is now standing at the top of the stairs. The room is open, designed for entertaining, and normally someone climbing the stairs would be treated to a view of the Pacific Ocean spread wide across the far side of the room. Right now, what Damien sees is me. “Make it happen, Charles,” he says, his voice now tight. “I have to go.” I have come to know this man so well. His body. His gait. His voice. And I don’t need to see him to know that the tension in his tone isn’t tied to the thrill of chasing a business deal. It’s about me, and that simple fac