**The Six-Month Lease**
Good Morning, Everyone! So thrilled to see you all today!
**MELANIE MUNTON**
**BIO**
Traveler. Reader. Beach-goer. St. Louis Cardinals fan. Pasta-obsessed. North Carolina resident. Sarcastic. Bit of a nerd.
**THE SIX-MONTH LEASE**
Release Date: August 18t, 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Comedy
**BLURB**
Never have I ever…moved in
with a guy after dating him for only three weeks.
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**EXCERPT**
The hair on the back of my neck stands on end for about the seventeenth time in the past twenty minutes. So, I know that West is watching me from his position on the opposite end of the patio, where I
Not like I’m keeping track or anything.
Not like he’s keeping track of me either.
His predatory eyes have not been stalking me through the crowd, his powerful, agile body moving like a lithe jaguar. Or a sleek panther. He’s not gnashing his teeth at every male who comes within five feet of me. And he’s certainly not resisting the urge to bound over here and piss a territorial circle around me.
He’s like a damn jungle cat.
Every man at this party might as well be his prey. His body language has signaled that he sees every walking penis as a threat. He might as well roar out his possessiveness and declare his rank in the food chain to the rest of the jungle.
When our gazes collide, something distinctly male and dominant gleams from his features. In that moment, I feel like I’ve been marked. Sirens start blaring in my head.
Danger! Danger! Danger!
“Would you please excuse me, Darren? I’m in need of a refill.”
He politely dips his head, just like the southern gentleman I’m sure his momma raised him to be. “Of course.”
Damn, he’s too nice. Why can’t I be into nice? I used to be. What the hell happened?
West.
That prick.
I find a quiet bubble where I can gather my thoughts at the far corner of the house. There’s enough seclusion that no one will accidentally stumble upon me, yet I can still hear the low hum of the party behind me. I’m staring down at my shadow in the grass when someone steps into the path of the patio lights, shrouding my secluded bubble in darkness.
Of course, he would follow me.
Because he’s become an expert at doing the exact opposite of what I want—like leaving me the hell alone. And the way his hulking shadow looms over mine is reflective of how little control I have over the situation.
West is like my own shadow.
Permanent. Trails in my wake. Undetachable.
When I twist around, I take a deliberate step back, needing that distance.
“Looks like I’ve caught myself a little social butterfly,” he grates in a low voice.
His eyes are narrowed. “Let’s talk, Harper.”
I push my hands into the pockets of my shorts, striving for confidence. “So talk.”
He snorts. “While I’ve loved your flare for exhibitionism in the past, let’s keep it private this time, shall we?”
He snags my arm and starts pulling me away from the patio before I can release the mile-long tirade poised on my tongue.
I am
Before we broke up, Sloane and Carter invited us over here for dinner a couple of times, so West knows his way around the property. Which is why he knows exactly where the lush gardens are and how to navigate their maze of foliage. Maintaining his hold on my arm, he drags us down the gravel path until the patio and party are no longer visible through the mass of palm fronds, hedges, and azalea bushes.
The only reason I’ve let him manhandle me up to this point is because I don’t want to make a scene at my friend’s party. I don’t want to be
But no one can see us now.
And enough is enough.
I rip my arm out of his grip, my feet planting roots in the ground. “Knock it off, West. Isn’t this pissing contest routine of yours getting a little old?”
With his back facing me, he sucks in a deep breath and blows it out. The sight of his broad shoulders rising and falling with the movement mesmerizes me. I remember how sturdy those shoulders were whenever I used them as leverage to grind over his lap. It doesn’t help that the mint green button-down he’s wearing happens to be my favorite shirt of his.
A fact I
When his body whirls around to face me, his eyes are fierce and alert. “When have I
“Are you serious? Uh, the night at the house in front of Emerson, for one. Tonight, for two.”
“The night with Emerson was about me not wanting to witness, in my own home, how badly other men want to fuck you,” he snaps. “My own
I swallow.
The edges in his voice are sharp. Sharp enough to cut me if I don’t maintain my distance. Which proves difficult when he starts advancing on me, forcing me to retreat.
“And tonight is about me losing control because I’m being forced to finally accept that other men
By the time I’ve cleaned up the table and washed all the dishes, the lipstick has cooled and hardened into a solid mass inside the slim container. I twist the end to examine the color, pleased to see that it turned out pretty well. A bright red that should match the exact color of the red dress I bought for the Foundation Gala.
I’m reaching for a knife to slice the tip into an angle that will conform to my lips when the tube is snatched out of my hands.
“Hey! Give that back.”
How did I not hear him leave his bedroom?
West runs his eyes over the rich red color before lifting it to his nose and inhaling.
He groans. “Jesus. You realize this smells like fucking Fruit Loops?”
“And honey,” I say softly, my mouth operating on auto-pilot. He’s just standing so close that my voice pitched lower without thought. “I added freesia oil to it.”
His gaze heats considerably as it lowers to my parted lips. “I want to see it on you.”
I swallow.
His deep, masculine rasp of a voice consumes me, like it does every time things get sexual between us. Shoot, he could recite the maintenance manual to his helicopter cover-to-cover, and his voice would still pull me under like a drug.
“What makes you think I’d give you anything you want?”
“Because you want to see what I’ll do once it
I must have glue on the bottom of my feet because I can’t move. Not a single inch.
“That’s not a good idea,” I whisper. “I thought we agreed to keep our distance.”
“We sleep twenty feet from each other. I’d say that’s about as much distance as we’re going to get in this house.”
A knot takes shape in my esophagus as he moves closer and directs the tube of lipstick at my neck. His hand stills just before the red tip kisses my flesh.
“Are there any chemicals in this?”
My head twitches in a barely perceptible shake. “No. I only use all-natural products.”
The next thing I feel is the smooth slide of the lipstick trailing down the length of my neck. I stand stock-still and watch his fascinated expression darken, features slackening, as he drags the tube over my skin.
“You know how I said I like adventure stories about lost treasure?” he breathes, head lowered over my skin.
That
“Um…yeah.”
“Well, you see.” He moves the lipstick down toward my collarbone, adding curves and twists to the pattern. “Most of those stories usually involve a map. The explorer has to follow the map in order to find the treasure.”
He draws more red lines, more red shapes, heading back toward my jawline. Against my better judgment, I crane my neck to give him wider access. He makes a low sound of approval.
“But you’ve got the sweetest treasure right here. Don’t you, princess? Rubies and emeralds and gold can’t touch your riches, can they?
**GIVEAWAY**
**COVER REVEAL**
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