Title: The Housekeeper's Daughter
Author: Dee Palmer
Genre: Romantic Suspense/Erotic Thriller
Release Date: October 22, 2019
Blurb
“True love may lay claim on your heart, but a first love
brands your soul.”
I loved Atticus with my body and soul.
Until he broke my heart and shattered my trust.
He betrayed me.
But worst of all,
Six years later he’s made me love him all over again.
Blinded by my desire for revenge,
I didn’t even notice it happen,
Until it was too late.
Did I learn nothing in the prison he sent me to?
Can I ever trust a word he says?
My carefully woven plans begin to unravel.
Dangerous secrets are uncovered,
My twisted little games exposed,
Threatening to tear my world apart.
I’m my thirst for revenge, will I destroy everything and
everyone I’ve ever loved?
Or will he break me again.
The Housekeepers Daughter was previously published as The
Little Games Duet: Wicked Little Games & Twisted Little Games
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Trailer
Excerpt
Chapter One
Tia
“You’re the Devil,” I whisper. It’s barely audible above
my own ragged breaths, but he heard me, loud and clear. Striding forward, I
match each of his steps with a retreating step of my own. This was a dance we
had enjoyed in the past, but not today. I’m grateful when my back finally hits
the door of his office; my legs had begun to tremble, and I feared I was about
to hit the deck. My hands press against the solid wood for support, and fixing
my eyes on his, I start to shake my head.
A futile non-verbal request for him to stop.
He steps so close my breath catches, and I actually stop
breathing for a moment. Closing my eyes, I drop my chin to my chest.
Please don’t do this.
His knuckle brushes my jaw, and he tips my whole face up
with his fingertip but makes no other movement, no sound at all. He simply
waits. When the silence becomes too much, I open my eyes and meet his gaze.
“I told you I was.” His lips form the perfect smile, and
his eyes seem to darken to an impossible shade of midnight blue.
It’s strange; I always thought the devil would have
darker colouring, inky black hair, a deep tan maybe, and eyes you would easily
lose your soul to. Not him. Although the eyes are spot on, everything else was
way off; he couldn’t look less like the Lucifer of the movies. He is tall,
towering over me now, broad, strong shoulders, but slim, fit, stunning
actually. His rough blond hair falls over his eyes, and on any other day, that
would be a crime. No, he looks more like an angel than the devil I know him to
be. He looks like a Nordic God.
The pain ripping me apart from the inside out escapes in
a sob that I can’t contain and takes us both by surprise. My hand flies to my
mouth, too late to hide the heartbreak. He laughs, a hollow sound that chills
my blood, and even the tender way he tucks my hair away from my face feels too
raw.
Please don’t do this.
“Oh, Princess, you always did know how to make me laugh,”
he states with a wry smile that makes my stomach turn.
“My pain amuses you?” I manage to form actual words when
I feel utterly speechless and broken.
“No, your naiveté amuses me.” He sighs. “I told you I was
the Devil, Tia, and yet you are surprised when I drag you to Hell.” He draws
his bottom lip in slowly between his teeth, and even now I can feel my body
betray me. My fingers twitch, restless to touch him just one more time. My
heart clenches, and there is an unwelcome spark of heat right between my legs.
He inhales deeply through his nose and flashes a knowing grin, which adds
mortification to my devastation.
He’s acutely aware of how he affects me; he always has
been.
He chuckles and leans closer. His mouth is just below my
ear before he speaks. “Your pain is just a pleasant bonus, princess.”
“Oh, God.” I gasp, my fist clutching at the unbearable
pain cleaving through my heart.
“Now, princess, do you really think He will save a little
sinner like you? Besides, He really can’t help you now, not when your soul is
already mine.” His lips press a kiss on the crook of my neck, and I whimper.
They always feel like heaven on my skin, and now it’s no different, except
everything is different.
“What do you want?” I’ve lost so much. My tone fails to
hide my absolute desolation.
“Everything.”
“I gave you everything…I gave you my heart, damn it. I
have nothing left.” The tears I have managed to hold at bay fall, bursting
unbidden from my eyes as I hold his unwavering gaze.
“Now we both know that’s not true.” He sucks some air
through his pursed lips, shaking his head lightly as if he is reprimanding a
small child.
“I don’t understand.” I sniff, dragging the back of my
hand unceremoniously along the underside of my nose and roughly drying my
cheeks in an attempt to regain some composure.
“I think it’s cute that you believe your heart holds any
interest to someone like me. What am I saying? There is no one like me,” he
taunts, then tilts his head to one side as if thinking how best to deliver his
next line. “You promised me forever, princess, and there’s only one thing that
is truly forever.” His eyes narrow, and the cruel smile that has been an almost
permanent fixture since he brought me here, vanishes. His expression is
chillingly vacant and so changed, I barely recognise this monster before me.
“I’ve come for your soul, Tia.” He pulls back just enough to slide his hand
into his back pocket, retrieving a long slim dagger. He flips it with ease,
catching it and wrapping his fingers around the handle like it was moulded only
to fit his hand. The tip of the blade is reflected in his eyes, and the sharp
edge shines brightly, even in the dim light of the fading evening.
“I don’t understand. I didn’t do anything wrong. I love
you,” I plead, my hand resting on his chest where his heart should be.
“I think, with that statement, you’ve answered your own
question, haven’t you, princess?” His tone drops, and his expression is now
deadly serious. He waits again for realisation of what he’s asking to slowly
sink in. It doesn’t take long. No.
“I can’t do this.” I mouth the words because I can’t
bring myself to say them out loud. It doesn’t matter. Whether he’s lip reading
or mind reading, he knows me, and he knows this is no longer a choice I have to
make.
“I know, princess…I know.” His voice is softly soothing,
coaxing me, and I comply. His words are like a balm, hypnotic, and I find I am
no longer able to resist or fight him. He places the blade in my hand, cupping
his larger hands over the top and gripping tight. He twists the blade until it
is pointed just below my rib cage and angled upward, perfectly aimed for
maximum impact. I’m shaking my head because I know I can’t do what he’s asking
me to do. Then he hugs me…he steps his strong body into mine and presses us
both hard against the door.
“Ah! Oh…oh…please…please.” The dagger burns like a
thousand blades as it pierces my skin. A tidal wave of pain tears through my
body, and I continue to cry out.
It hurts so much.
“I do love it when you beg.” He jolts the blade deeper,
and I can feel it slicing through my flesh. The pain is unbearable. I can’t
breathe. Every nerve is screaming in agony as I feel my lungs burn with the
blood now filling them from inside. I start to choke. Even at this time, I take
comfort from the knowledge that this flesh and blood pain is fleeting and is
only a fraction of the devastation my heart feels.
It will all be over soon.
“Why are you smiling?” My vision is a little blurry, but
I can see the confusion on his face.
“Because, at least this pain will end,” I answer,
slumping against him with weakness. My words are faint. He tilts my head up;
it’s too heavy for me to hold and flops to one side, but he is careful to
ensure I am looking into his eyes when he speaks. He wants to make sure I truly
understand my fate.
Author Bio
Dee Palmer lives just outside of London with her husband and
(slightly embarrassed) children. Her passion is writing sexy steamy romance
stories that will scorch the pages right off your kindle and are guaranteed to
make your heart pound. She loves an HEA but isn't afraid to put her readers
through the ringer before she delivers.
When not at her desk she can be found either fannying around on Facebook or
with her nose stuck in her Kindle. Once in a while when the lights are down she
might be spotted about town searching for the best French martinis and throwing
some dubious shapes on the dance floor.
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