What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 3) Read online

  What To Read After FSOG

  The Gemstone Collection

  Part Three

  WTRAFSOG

  Created by Summer Daniels

  All rights reserved. This book is copyright material and must not be copied, translated, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any form without prior written permission of the publisher, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution, circulation or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible maybe liable in law accordingly.

  Copyright © Lauren Hawkeye, Liz Crowe, Beverly Preston, Erika Ashby, Nicole R. Taylor, Nikki Pink, Lisa Suzanne, Charity Parkerson, Lacey Wolfe, Khelsey Jackson, and Summer Daniels 2014. The right of the above authors to be identified as the authors of the works in this anthology has been asserted by her under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) 2000

  Kindle Edition

  The books in this anthology are works of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either a product of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Formatted by BB eBooks.

  *WTRAFSOG created by Summer Daniels.

  WTRAFSOG

  (What To Read After Fifty Shades of Grey)

  Be sure to check out some other great authors and deals with our WTRAFSOG Box Sets!

  Amazon

  Hello all … my name is Summer Daniels.

  I’m not just an author, I am a voracious reader. I am always looking for that next book to read that will capture my interest and transport me to another realm.

  I’ve been saying all along that there should be a 12 step program associated with the Fifty Shades of Grey book phenomenon. Readers who have not read a single book for many years are now voraciously reading a book a week … or more!!

  Back in April of 2012 I had an idea to help point some of these readers in the direction of other talented authors (including myself) … and the Facebook page What To Read After Fifty (50) Shades of Grey was born. What honestly started out as a way to sell a few of my books and help promote some other deserving authors has blossomed into an unbelievably active reader recommendation / author promotion community.

  As part of the evolving of the page into this community – I started to compile a weekly list of books that had sold the most copies from the links on the page – based on reader recommendations, author promotions, best seller lists, etc.

  I started out posting the Top Ten books every week. Readers blazed through the top ten and wanted more. I started posting a list of the 11-20 positions as well every week. Readers wanted more. So now every other week I update the Top Fifty List of best selling books and post it on the Facebook page. I email it out to anyone who wants it as well – if you’d like an email copy – just drop me an email at [email protected] and I will add you to our mailing list.

  The mailing list includes The Top Fifty List, Daily Digests (from the posts on the FB page), and special author spotlights / sales. Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/Jmhnn

  We hope you enjoy this anthology! If you do – please consider spreading the word about it to friends, fellow readers, your hairdresser, mailman, etc.

  The WTRAFSOG page now has a FREE APP associated with it as well, with such features as the Top Fifty List, a Free Ebook of the Day, Hot New Releases, Pre-Orders for hot books coming soon, and a lot more!

  It is FREE … so go download yours today!

  Amazon: http://amzn.to/1de1M5f

  Come check us out online! Daily FREE ebooks, reader recommendations, author sales, giveaways and MORE!

  Facebook Page: What To Read After Fifty (50) Shades of Grey

  Website: What To Read After Fifty (50) Shades of Grey

  Summer

  Box Set Contents

  Love Me For Me by Lauren Hawkeye—It’s been three years since Serena King learned to say no—no to the boys that were a desperate cry for help, no to the extra weight she put on in self defense, and most of all no to the abuse that has haunted her since she was fifteen. Now a sophomore in college, all she wants is to be normal. The last thing she expects is a guy who can make her want, well, everything. Alex Blackthorn is a bundle of contradictions, a sexy dark haired badass who goes slow… deliciously slow. And despite the iron will that has gotten her through the last few years, Serena finds herself unable to ignore the heat that sizzles between them whenever they’re together.

  House Rules by Liz Crowe—Jack Gordon, real estate broker, licensed builder, Juris Doctorate, has had his fair share of strife. His ability to cope, to fall down and pick himself back up has lead him to a place where he believes he has it all. Friends, money, cars, more women than he can count, and a club in Detroit where he can exorcise his inner demons, fill his days and his nights.

  When he walks up to a penthouse door on a hot Ann Arbor summer afternoon, frustrated, exasperated and ready to call it quits after hours of condo shopping with a wealthy couple, the last thing on his mind is meeting his destiny.

  House Rules: The Jack Gordon Story. A prequel novella of the Stewart Realty Series.

  No More Wasted Time by Beverly Preston—After losing her husband to a sudden heart attack, Tess Mathews escapes to Bora Bora to lay her husband and sorrow to rest. What she doesn’t expect is a new beginning.

  Tom Clemmins is an A-list actor whose life revolves around work and an onslaught of women. He travels to Bora Bora for a much-needed break. Tom has a few ideas of how he’ll enjoy his vacation, but love isn’t one of them. Until he sees Tess.

  Tess is torn between tremendous guilt and zealous lust when their boat ride turns into a week full of romance and desire neither thought imaginable. Can she set aside her remorse in order to find a second chance at love?

  Moving Forward by Erika Ashby—Jesika Reynolds’ heart was left broken one year ago when her husband died, leaving her and her son alone in this world. Slowly, she started putting the pieces back together of her life. Knowing that she may never open herself up to love again. That was until the day Derek came into the picture.t

  Derek Jordan’s charm drew her in with an instant connection, and familiarity that helps her feel at ease. Her heart is falling at his feet, but as their relationship grows, so does a secret from both of their pasts that neither saw coming. One by one, the threads slowly start to unravel.

  The Devil’s Tattoo by Nicole R. Taylor—Zoe Granger picked up her first guitar the day her heart was smashed into a billion pieces. He best friend, Dee, tricks her into fronting his band, The Devil’s Tattoo, and they’re soon thrust into the spotlight and right into the path of indie rockers, The Stabs.

  Will Strickland is one-fourth indie rock band, The Stabs, hot as hell and he’s only got eyes for Zoe.

  Sons of Mayhem by Nikki Pink—Good girl college junior Nicole is bored. Bored of her boyfriend, bored of frat parties, bored of college life and bored of studying.

  When a chance to party with biker gang, the Sons of Mayhem, comes up she jumps at it.

  Feel the thrill of the ride with Nicole, Jase and the Sons of Mayhem in this romantic suspense biker romance novel.

  How He Really Feels by Lisa Suzanne—Julianne and her boss embark on a sexy affair that’s everything Julianne ever dr
eamed of… except she can’t tell anyone about it due to the company’s strict “No Dating” clause. What will happen if anyone finds out about their secret relationship? And how will Travis, her lifelong best friend, react when Julianne begins a relationship with someone who isn’t him?

  Inoperative: Cyborg One by Charity Parkerson—Alexia is one of the few humans left who’d rather not have an android hanging over her shoulder all day. Unfortunately, when her job lands her on a list of people targeted by terrorists, she’s assigned a Machine Industry Leading Edge Sentinel, or “Miles,” for protection. Per Miles programming, he shouldn’t be able to override Alexia’s commands. However, he defies her at every turn. The lines between reality and fantasy blur as Alexia’s attraction for the mysterious android grows. Unfortunately, when she goes on a mission to seek the truth, what she learns might get her killed.

  Finding Home by Lacey Wolfe—Julie Miller returns to her hometown pregnant, seeking guidance from her mom. Only, she doesn’t find her mom, she finds a stranger at her mother’s house. Mark Thomas moved to Brookfield to escape a tortured past. Julie brings back feelings he long ago crushed deep inside him.

  Skyler Tower by Khelsey Jackson—Evangeline Skyler has acquired everything she wanted in her life, she is a successful C.E.O. of Sky Tech. The only thing she doesn’t have is a love life. When she meets a gorgeous dark haired man in a grey suit he starts to unravel her.

  Angelo Giovanni is there to interview the beautiful but secreted Ms. Skyler. When he sees her he is stunned, her pictures don’t do her justice. He will do anything to be the one she turns to.

  Someone is stalking her…

  But when someone starts stalking her and sending her creepy messages she turns to her long time driver and friend Axel Roberts.

  Who will be the one to steal her heart, and the one to break her trust?

  Summer’s Journey, Vol. 1-4 by Summer Daniels—Join Summer on her journey of sexual self-discovery; a well written, intelligent and sexy series about the beginning of her sensual, sultry love affair with life, and all the joys of being a woman.

  Love Me For Me

  Lauren Hawkeye

  Praise for Love Me For Me

  “I stayed up until 3 am to finish this book—it’s that good! If you want something that will pull at your heartstrings and make you root for the main characters—this is it! Love! Love! Love! Lauren Hawkeye (Kate Laurens) has a bright future in the New Adult genre! I’m eagerly awaiting her next book and can’t wait to see how far she will go!”

  Rachel Van Dyken, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Bet

  “If I ever did a New Adult romance novel, Lauren Hawkeye (Kate Laurens)’ debut would be what I’d strive for!”

  New York Times Bestselling Author Sara Fawkes

  Chapter One

  He wasn’t supposed to notice me.

  But as the two of us hovered awkwardly in the hallway, outside of the closed door to our American Lit class, he looked me right in the eye. His left hand rumpled the raven dark spikes of hair on his head as he grinned at me sheepishly.

  He caught me at a rare off-guard moment and slowly, tentatively, I smiled back.

  “Tardiness will not be tolerated.”

  His mimicry of the words that our professor, a man with a comb-over and elbow patches on his sweater, had spoken the first day of class startled a laugh from me. The boy seemed to like that, and as he shifted weight from one foot to the other I studied him, daring to look more closely than I ever had before.

  I’d noticed him. How could I not have? But I’d always forced myself to look away. Boys like him weren’t for girls like me.

  He was tall, nearly a full foot taller than me. Eyes the color of the sky at night peered out from beneath a long, thick fringe of black eyelashes. They were lashes that any girl would kill for and he, being a boy, likely didn’t appreciate. His face was a study in sharp angles and planes, his lips full and soft in contrast. Black ink, indelibly etched into his skin, peeked out the neck of his black T-shirt, and I could see it on his biceps, too, when he moved.

  The tattoos were at odds with the clean cut image he otherwise emanated. He was too damn good looking, the kind of guy that in high school had been happy to spend time with me in dark closets, under the bleachers, or in the backseat of a car, but who would scorn me in public, ashamed to be associated with that girl.

  Except he didn’t seem ashamed, even though I was dressed in my usual uniform of faded blue jeans and a plaid flannel shirt open over a tank top. My long blonde hair was in a tight braid, with pieces left down deliberately, so I could hide behind them if I needed to.

  I frequently did. I would shake the ribbons of pale hair over my eyes, eyes that were blue but were so pale in comparison to his that they scarcely seemed the same color.

  Those eyes widened when he grinned casually, hiking his backpack up further on his back.

  “Well, no way he’ll let us in now,” he said. This professor liked to verbally humiliate anyone who tried to sneak in once the door had been closed, and he had a sharp, acerbic tongue that I was in no rush to receive a lashing with.

  “Right.” I tried to smile, tried to act like a normal girl, but found myself shaking those long strands of hair over my face instead. I dropped my gaze away from the boy in front of me, all the way down to the tips of my black sneakers.

  It felt… almost… like he was flirting with me.

  I knew better.

  “I’d better get to the library. I need to do the extra reading to make up for missing this class.” I hated being late, but the Psych class I had right before American Lit was all the way across campus.

  I was not happy to miss a class either, but this professor left me no choice.

  The thought of falling behind made me sick, though I knew, rationally, that I was getting ahead of myself. The fear of falling behind, of losing my scholarship, of having to return home was acid, eating away at my gut.

  “Bye,” I muttered, as I walked away. I cursed myself as I did—why couldn’t I be a normal girl, why couldn’t I just have a conversation with a member of the opposite sex?

  I heard his steps, heavy on the floor behind me, as he followed me. I cringed at the gentle tug on my backpack, though I’d swallowed the knee jerk reaction to lash out.

  I managed to shore up my courage, shake my hair out of my face, and look up at him.

  “Why don’t we go study together?” he asked. There it was again—that certainty that he was flirting with me, though I couldn’t understand why.

  Maybe he knew someone I’d gone to high school with. Even though I’d moved two states away, maybe he’d heard about the way I used to be.

  But there was no innuendo in his tone, nothing overtly sexual in the way he studied my face.

  I don’t know what came over me, but after a long moment I felt a shy smile tug at the corners of my lips.

  “Okay.”

  Daily Grind was the coffee shop located in the middle of campus. It was small and dark, with tables that seemed sticky no matter how many times they were wiped clean. The bitter scent of brewing coffee permeated the air, not quite overpowering the lingering hint of cigarette smoke left over from previous decades, when smoking indoors had been permitted.

  He led me to a table in the middle of the cafe, which surprised me. I’d thought he would take me to the back corner, where there would be less chance of being seen with me.

  I needed to get these thoughts out of my head. I wasn’t that girl anymore.

  “What would you like?” he asked. I hefted my backpack into one of the empty chairs, and pulled my wallet out of the front pocket. I started when he placed his large hand on top of mine, gently pushing my wallet away.

  “No way. I’m buying,” he spoke firmly. Startled, I blinked. My mind, being what it was, immediately wondered what he would expect in return. I bit the inside of my cheek, resisted the urge to shake my hair over my face, and smiled up at those assessing blue eyes.

  “Um.
Dark roast, please. Just skim milk.” I looked down at my fingers while he got our drinks.

  Returning, he handed me the cup and our fingers brushed. I jolted at the heat that sizzled out from the small touch. His eyes were on me as I jumped, but he said nothing, did nothing and I was sure that I had imagined it.

  He waited for me to sit before he did—something I couldn’t help but notice, though I might have been reading too much into it. He sipped at his drink, and then offered it to me.

  “What is it?” I didn’t really care—I was more focused on the fact that he was offering to share a cup with me, a stranger.

  “It’s a triple latte with caramel and vanilla.”

  I had been tempted to try it, just for the unexpected intimacy, but I recoiled at the words.

  “No, thank you. I can’t.” I picked up my own cup, swigged. The skim milk wasn’t enough to cover the acidic taste of the coffee, but I had become used to it.

  “Too much caffeine?”

  I couldn’t help my smile—I could drink a pot of coffee in a day, easily. “No. It’s all the sugar you added.” I waved my cup at him, then sipped again. For some reason, rather than unnerving me, the fact that all of his attention was focused on me made my muscles relax, just the slightest bit. “If I drink that, I’ll have to run for an extra hour.”

  “It’s sugar free, if it helps.”

  I thought it was a bit strange that someone with a body like his would bother to order something without sugar. Still, I shook my head.

  “Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls who’s obsessed with her weight.” His eyes raked over me, slow and assessing, but not lecherous. Rather than the shame I’d felt in the past when other boys looked at me, I instead felt my skin prickle to awareness.