Tough Enough ("Tall, Dark, and Dangerous"), by M. Leighton
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Tough Enough ("Tall, Dark, and Dangerous"), by M. Leighton
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From the author of the New York Times bestselling Bad Boys novels comes the second book in a dark, sexy contemporary trilogy.He’s a fighter who never loses, but is he tough enough to win her heart?There was a time when I had everything–a wonderful family, a bright future. Love. But all that was taken away in a single night, torn from me like flesh from bone. Since then, I’ve hidden away in my second-choice job as a makeup artist. But I prefer it that way, actually. I’m comfortable in the shadows, where no one can see my scars.Kiefer Rogan literally took my breath away the moment I met him. MMA champion-turned-actor, notorious playboy, charming to a fault—he’s everything I vowed to avoid.But he just wouldn’t stop until I opened up and let him in. Maybe I should’ve tried harder to resist him. Maybe I shouldn’t have fallen in love with him. Because I, of all people, know that everyone has secrets. Scars. And that they’re usually ugly and painful and destructive to the people we love most.I just never guessed that they could be deadly, too.
Tough Enough ("Tall, Dark, and Dangerous"), by M. Leighton - Amazon Sales Rank: #65972 in eBooks
- Published on: 2015-11-03
- Released on: 2015-11-03
- Format: Kindle eBook
Tough Enough ("Tall, Dark, and Dangerous"), by M. Leighton Review M. LEIGHTON IS...“A PHENOMENAL WRITER.”—Bookish Temptations“QUICKLY BECOMING ONE OF MY FAVORITE CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE WRITERS.”—Reading Angel“INSANELY INTENSE.”—The Bookish Babe“FREAKIN’ HOT!”—Nette’s BookshelfAND “SERIOUSLY SCANDALICIOUS.”—Scandalicious Book Reviews
About the Author New York Times and USA Today bestselling author M. Leighton is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, Michelle finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: literary fiction. Having written over a dozen novels, Michelle enjoys letting her mind wander to more romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married and the ones you'll find in her latest books: The Wild Ones, Some Like it Wild, There's Wild, Then There's You, and her Bad Boys novels, Down to You, Up to Me, and Everything for Us. When her thoughts aren't roaming in that direction, she'll be riding wild horses, skiing the slopes of Aspen or scuba diving with a hot rock star, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Prologue
Katie, five years ago
Something is prodding me to wake up. Like an insistent finger poking my shoulder and someone whispering, “Wake up, wake up, wake up.”
But I don’t want to. I only want to hide. Hide from the light, hide from the world, hide from reality. I turn deeper into unconsciousness, but there’s no rest for me there.
Wake up, wake up, wake up.
A dull pain begins to spread down my left side and sounds that were a distant backdrop only moments before come closer, closer, closer. One by one, I can make them out.
Sirens.
Metallic clattering.
Strange voices.
Screaming. Awful screaming.
It sounds so familiar, that scream. That voice, although I can’t figure out why. The answer is fuzzy, like the face that swirls behind my eyes.
Distorted. Mocking. Cruel.
The face belongs to Calvin.
Panic swells within me, forcing me toward wakefulness. I don’t want to go, don’t want to wake. I claw and scratch. I dig in with my heels, with my hands, but nothing can stop my ascent.
Agony rushes in. It steals my breath and sweeps over me like flames, licking at my skin, turning the air to napalm.
More screaming, only this time I recognize the voice. I know it. I’ve listened to it my whole life.
It’s mine.
And then I remember.
Just before the blackness welcomes me back.
I rouse again, despite a gut instinct that tells me not to.
I wake to harsh voices, shouted commands and muffled road noise.
The face is still there, still there behind my eyes. Taunting me, haunting me. Smug and satisfied.
Horrific pain radiates from the left side of my body. It sears its way across my nerves, gaining strength, gaining momentum until I can’t fight the blackness.
So I don’t.
My eyelids flutter open. I see white metal above me, the dark head of a man beside me. I’m lying on my back. He’s sitting to my right. I don’t know who he is or what he’s doing. I don’t even know where I am. All I know is that something is wrong. Terribly wrong. I know it. I can feel it, like frantic fingers picking at my consciousness, picking away the scab. Tearing away the blindfold. Luring me into awareness.
But I can’t go back yet. Not yet. So I turn away. I retreat into the nothingness.
Seconds, minutes, hours pass. Time has no real meaning. It’s only a series of disjointed sights, sounds and feelings. Fear. Dread. Pain.
Excruciating pain.
And aloneness, even though I know I’m not alone; I’m far from alone.
I hear dozens of different voices now. Sounds, too. Beeps. Thumps. Scrambling. And I can smell. Something awful, putrid even, mixed with the chemical scent of a hospital.
I can’t focus on it, though. The pain is what overwhelms it all. It’s nearly unbearable, like my left side is trying to secede from the rest of my body. Nerves tearing away from skin, muscle ripping away from tendon. Flesh falling away from bone.
So I run.
I run into the deepest part of my mind, the part that refuses to participate with the outside world. I hide there until the pain stops.
Only it never stops. It never stops stalking me from the shadows.
Chapter One
Katie
“You’re not the least bit excited to be putting makeup on the Kiefer Rogan?”
Mona and I slow our walk as we approach my office. I use the term office loosely since mine is really just four thin walls that house a makeup chair, a bank of lighted mirrors and a wraparound counter. Two of the four walls are covered with shelves that hold the supplies of my trade—a wide array of everything from pancake makeup to prosthetic noses. It’s not fancy, but it feels as much like home as any place does.
I turn my eyes to Mona’s cornflower blue ones. She is the only person who might even come close to being called my best friend. “Am I excited to be putting makeup on Kiefer Rogan?” I repeat. Am I oddly nervous? Yes. Am I extremely uneasy? Yes. But am I excited? “Not even a little bit,” I reply sincerely.
Her full lips fall into a disbelieving O. “Wow! I can’t even imagine not getting excited over a guy like him.”
“He’s just a guy,” I declare with a shrug. I wish I felt as casual as the gesture indicates. Kiefer Rogan is just a guy, but guys like him spell trouble. For that reason alone, I can’t really be as nonchalant as I pretend to be. There’s no point in dwelling on it, though, so I try to redirect her. “Besides, why should you care anyway? You’ve got a boyfriend.”
She grins, which makes her look even more innocent than her platinum hair and eyes that are too big for her face. Physically, Mona is the perfect split between a Barbie Doll and a Precious Moments figurine, all with a touch of clueless porn star thrown in for good measure. She can work her assets like nobody’s business, but she does it in such a way that doesn’t make her detestable. That alone is quite a feat. She’s very genuine, too, which is one of the things I like most about her. That and the fact that we are polar opposites in practically every way.
Mona is tall and fair and beautiful with a sweet, outgoing personality. I am none of those things, which is probably why we get along so well.
“White’s great, but he doesn’t look like that.” White Bristow, Mona’s boyfriend, is the executive producer of the show. He’s fairly good looking, but nothing like the man I’m about to meet, Kiefer Rogan. White’s as much of a player as Kiefer is alleged to be, but Mona loves him enough to overlook it. No matter what else he’s doing (or who else he’s doing), he always comes back to Mona. I guess maybe he loves her in his own way and that seems to be enough for her. “God, I wish he did, though.”
“Looks aren’t everything,” I remind her softly.
Her expression falls into one of regret and sadness. She reaches out and smoothes the hair that I always keep swept over my left shoulder. It can always be found draped around my neck to hide my scars. She’s one of the few people who know what lies beneath the swath of hair. And how sensitive I am about it. “No, looks aren’t everything, but if they were, you’d still be one of the most wanted.”
I smile. That’s Mona—always seeing the best in me, whether it’s accurate or not. “That’s sweet, but you and I both know that’s not true.”
“Oh, but it is. Look at you, Katie. All this thick, wavy auburn hair, those big dark blue eyes and you’re so tiny! I’d give anything to be petite like you.”
“Mona, you’re like a living, breathing Barbie Doll. If I were you, I wouldn’t want to change a thing, not even your Amazonian height,” I tease. She’s not the least bit insecure about her five-eleven frame. In fact, she’d be the first to tell you that it’s her unusual stature, replete with legs that go for miles, that helped her get the attention of White. And White is the person responsible for bringing her into the Hollywood world.
I stop in front of my “office” door and turn to face her. Mona leans up against the jamb, her eyes going all dreamy. “I wonder if Rogan likes tall women,” she muses.
Back to Kiefer Rogan, I think with a deflated sigh. I won’t be able to avoid him much longer, so why do we have to talk about him now?
My bitterness surfaces. A guy like him—beautiful, wealthy, had the world in the palm of his hand—showed me just how destructive men like these could be, and he left me with scars to prove it. Scars that won’t ever let me forget it.
In an uncharacteristic show of emotion, I let that bitterness flow, secretly hoping it’ll stop her from bringing the conversation back to him. “From what I’ve read in the tabloids, he likes anything with boobs. But I think he’s into the divas mostly, which would count you out. Thank God!” I, for one, am glad that Mona isn’t conceited about her looks or her position here at the studio. She’s utterly guileless, happily clueless and I like her just the way she is—diva not included.
“I could be a diva,” she says, straightening, her expression turning enthusiastic. “I could totally be a diva. If it meant having those flirty green eyes and that drop-dead gorgeous smile turned on me, I’d be whatever he wanted me to be.”
Her little-girl giggle belies her words. She could never be a diva. “You don’t have a diva bone in your body. Besides, why would you want a guy like that? He dates the most horrible women and he goes through them like water. I mean, look at Victoria,” I say, lowering my voice as I scan the hall left and right to ensure we aren’t being overheard. “What kind of decent person would date her? She’s awful!” I go on cynically, finding some strange comfort in pigeonholing him, calling a spade a spade. Hoping that maybe if I build up my armor against him, I won’t be swayed by his pretty face. “I bet he’s a conceited jerk who only cares about what his arm candy looks like.”
“Guys who look like him can be annnything they want, as long as they stay hot.”
“Well, he’s all yours, then. I don’t have room for cocky, obnoxious, self-involved sleazeballs in my life.” I glance at my watch. Six fifteen a.m. Mr. Rogan should be here by six thirty, but I won’t be holding my breath. “I bet he doesn’t even show up on time. Jerk!”
Mona sighs, tilting her head, a faraway look in her eyes. “I’d wait all day for a guy like that. He makes my special places shiver.”
“Well, you and your special places are welcome to him. I don’t see what the big deal is,” I reply, turning into my office. “He’s not even that good-looking.”
I take two steps through the door and come to an abrupt halt. There, settled in my makeup chair with one ankle resting on his other knee, looking highly amused and as though he’s been here for a while, is none other Kiefer Rogan.
More gorgeous than words.
A rising star.
My first client of the day.
And the guy I just insulted.
Chapter Two
Rogan
I sit in the makeup chair listening to the conversation happening out in the hall. I don’t feel guilty. I’m not trying to eavesdrop. They brought that shit to my door. Literally. So of course I’m going to listen.
I’m curious to see what the two women who are talking look like. One is obviously very complimentary, while the other is anything but. I’m more used to flattery than dismissiveness, so I’m already working on a mental picture of the skeptic. I mean, yeah, I have an ass-ton of flaws, but I was lucky enough to be born with a decent face and a strong body, a combination that never leaves me without plenty of female attention. I’m not arrogant about it. It is what it is. I don’t try to be handsome. I guess I just am. I mean, hell, I make a living getting punched in the face. Well, not anymore really. There aren’t many who are good enough to land one on me these days. That’s the beauty of rising to the top in the mixed martial arts arena.
I’m surprised when the two women walk through the door into the room where I’ve been waiting. I’m even more surprised by the way they look. One is a tall, blond goddess, the kind of woman I love to spend my nights with. The other is shorter and darker, but no less appealing. In fact, something about her immediately snags my attention. Holds it pretty damn tight, too.
She’s staring at me with wide, midnight eyes, her deliciously lush mouth hanging open in shock. A long, thick rope of reddish hair is swept over one shoulder in a sexy wave and she’s wearing a prim little dress that’s the color of an apricot. What’s inside that dress is just as appealing as the rest of her—two plump, more-than-a-handful tits pressing rhythmically against that soft cotton. They make my palm tingle to touch them, to see if they’re as firm as they look.
When I make my way back to her face, I realize quickly enough that she was the one running me down. She doesn’t have to say a word. It’s all right there in her expression. The blonde looks dazzled. This one just looks . . . shocked.
Of course, me being the healthy guy that I am, she’s the one I want.
The one who doesn’t want me.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Sexy, edgy, and full of emotion! By Shayna Renee's Spicy Reads ~*~ 4.5 STARS ~*~ Sexy, edgy, and full of emotion! A stellar addition to an exciting and scorching HOT series! This author is a master of emotion in her romances. Every page packs an emotional punch like no other. Even though this lacked the amount of suspense that was in the first book, it was no less entertaining. A change of pace for sure, but it still flowed so nicely and the heat factor was through the roof. TOUGH ENOUGH is a beautiful love story about two people who find beauty past all of the scars. They learn from each other that the scars they bare are what make them who they are, and they shouldn’t be ashamed. It’s incredibly touching and had me shedding some heavy tears every now and then. With ever scar they find, the deeper they fall for each other. The heat, the want, the delicious torture, made this story a fantastic read!I highlighted the hell out of this book. Every quote spoke to me. Every word jumped out at me and embedded itself in my heart. My heart ached. My heart soared. The pit in my stomach grew and grew from the intensity of it all. This is a love story with such a strong message. It’s real. It’s raw. It’s beautiful. I didn’t expect less from the incredible M. Leighton. This installment of the series just made me even more excited for this series! TOUGH ENOUGH was a powerful and all-consuming love story. It’s about fighting to survive. Fighting to live. Fighting to love. It’s about seeing the beauty in tragedy. It’s about perseverance and hope.“Can’t you just trust me? Just a little? Can’t you let me love you?”“Please don’t disappoint me.”“I’d rather take a beating than disappoint you.”That is just a small taste of what is to come. There is so much love, tenderness, and beauty in this book. M. Leighton touched my soul with this one! This is a story that is sure to please Leighton fans and series devotees alike.*Gifted copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. ROGAN IS THE BEST By Teresa I am in love with this book. It was so freakin good and I want to keep Rogan all to myself. This is definitely one of my favorite M. Leighton reads to date. I love all of her books, but this one is very special for me. I just loved the story and the characters and the romance and everything about it.I’m starting with Rogan because I just cannot contain myself when it comes to him. Rogan is a fantastic character and I fell so hard for him. I kinda felt like I was cheating on Trick as I was reading this one. Anyone who knows me knows that Trick from The Wild Ones is my favorite Michelle man but Rogan gave Trick a run for his money. Rogan was just everything I love. His is strong, funny, charming, determined, persistent, sweet, caring, and the list goes on and on. Rogan is such a good guy and the way he pursed Katie was so heartwarming. He saw something in Katie that drew him in and he knew she was worth fighting for. Oh and just icing on the cake, Rogan is an MMA fighter, actor, and former soldier all rolled into one. Cam we say yum?I loved Katie too. She is so resilient and I love how she has kept going despite her past. She has lived through some truly horrible things and she is so brave and strong and I truly admired her strength. I also liked her wit and sense of humor and I also really loved that her favorite show is The Walking Dead. That right there proves she has impeccable taste.As with any M. Leighton book the romance was fantastic. Rogan and Katie have incredible chemistry and the steam factor in this one is off the charts. Michelle has a knack for writing great steamy scenes and this book was no exception. Rogan and Katie are ridiculously hot. But outside of that, their romance is simply beautiful. They both have scars, internal and external, and the way they interact and truly understand one another is beautiful. I loved how deep their connection went and that it was formed on so much more than their physical attraction. The thing that truly drew them together is the way they understood one another in a way that others couldn’t.Tough Enough was a great read and I know this is a book I will be revisiting again. Rogan has stolen my heart and I don’t think I’ll be getting it back.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Great read! By Roselle Torres Tough Enough is the second book in the Tall, Dark and Dangerous series.I was so excited to read this because the characters are very intriguing as we got a little glimpse of Rogan from Strong Enough. I was hooked after reading the Prologue. The story captivates me from the start.Kiefer Rogan is the handsome actor who’s known to be a playboy and a fighter and Katie Rydale is a very shy but beautiful makeup artist that was assigned to Rogan during his contract as an actor for a cable series they are making.It was really entertaining how Katie fought to show her attraction to Rogan because of her past that really affected her relationship towards others in her present life. A dark past that she tried to hide even to Rogan because she’s afraid of getting hurt and receive pity once she open up herself to trust again. But Rogan managed to impress her not knowing that slowly he's getting close to Katie's heart.I love how M. Leighton writes a very heartwarming story that will make you laugh, cry and fall in love all over again. She never fails to give her readers something to look forward to, an unpredictable twist in the story that leave me aching for just a matter of time. Tough Enough is an inspiring story. Two people who survived from a tragic and horrible past that found their reasons to fight and live. They are both tough enough to fight for each other and to savor a beautiful life ahead of them.This is such a great read! I highly recommend this book.
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Tough Enough ("Tall, Dark, and Dangerous"), by M. Leighton
