BOOK REVIEW: Best Laid Plans

While not always in the mood for Romantic Suspense novels, this author’s extraordinary writing in My Time in the Affair made me pick up this book without a second’s hesitation, already certain it would be a thrill-ride of a lifetime. And how right I was! An exhilarating reading experience from the very first page, there was not a moment in this story that adrenaline was not rushing through my veins or my heart was not beating a million miles an hour. Action-packed start to finish, divinely written, raw and gritty but somehow romantic and sexy at the same time—this book was unexpected in its beauty, given the violent backdrop of the story, and I was literally left panting in the end. Panting from excitement because their story was not over, panting from all the emotions I had felt while reading this incredible story, panting because my heart felt like it had run a marathon…barefoot. A truly breathtaking tale of two enemies turning into lovers, battling their way across North Africa, trying to stay alive in order to complete their missions, as long as they don’t kill one another beforehand. A must read!

“The were destined for two very different paths.”

Marcelle “Marc” De Sant and Liliana “Lily” Brewster are mercenaries, hired by the Russian mob for a heist, Marc’s job being to steal blood diamonds from a Liberian gang, and Lily’s to smuggle them out of Africa. On their last night in the same city, as Marc completes his assignment and Lily is about to start hers, they share one night of toe-curling passion, a night meant to be expel a month’s worth of sexual tension and desire between them, knowing that after than night they’d never see one another again.

“…that woman will f*ck your world up. She looks like a pin up, f*cks like a porn star, and fights like Tyson.”

But in a world where trust and trustworthiness are rare commodities, and it’s every man for himself, Lily and Marc soon find themselves facing each other’s gun barrels, fighting to separate lies from the truth, all the while running from the very men who set them off against one another. As we follow their gripping journey from Liberia to Morocco, we watch the two lovers-turned-adversaries learning to rely on one another, even put their lives in each other’s hands, their differing agendas becoming more and more aligned as they become closer.

“Tell me what do, Marc, I’ve been making decisions for too long. Have they all been wrong? Tell me what do.”

The most badass heroine I have ever come across, Lily is no damsel in distress in any given scenario. She holds her own in every fight—punching, kicking, shooting her way out of any peril—determined to fulfill her final mission. Yet Marc’s dominant, protective traits also awaken the vulnerable young woman in her who has been looking after herself for five long years, never trusting anyone to make decisions for her or to have her best interest at heart. She craves to give herself to a man who truly understands her, a man who would take her far away from the life she has chosen for herself, and as they grow closer, their priorities start shifting, bringing them into uncharted waters they are both uncertain how to navigate. Or whether they are even capable of doing so.

“I made promises to yesterday. I can’t start giving away my tomorrows.”

A compelling, fast-paced roller-coaster ride that never tapers off, never loses steam or fails to hold us willing captives every step along the way. With an intriguing, multi-faceted cast of characters and exhilarating action on every page, this is first and foremost a love story, born against all odds, a love story between two people who somehow manage to preserve some of their humanity in the midst of a life where being human is seen as the ultimate weakness. Love made them see a better life, but the journey to believing in that life remains ahead of them as their story continues and concludes in Out of Plans…

Excerpt

The tires squealed as Marc tore up the ramp out of the parking garage. Several guards were running down the ramp, and they dove out of the way. The front gate was opening up, letting several security cars race onto the hotel’s grounds. Marc went around the fountain once, then zipped out past the gate.

“Fuck,” he swore, watching in his mirrors as several cars followed them down the streets, lights blazing.

“This would have been the perfect plan,” Lily grumbled as she climbed onto her knees, watching their pursuers over the back of her seat. He glanced at her, did a double take at her mostly bare ass, then went back to the road.

“Can you stop bitching for a moment and use that big brain of yours to get us out of this situation? Seeing as how you’re so good at it,” he reminded her. She smacked him in the arm.

“Shut up. I left the map in the hotel, I have no clue where to go. Do you have any guns?” she asked.

“One.”

“Then I guess we’d better make it count. Give it to me,” she said, and he handed it over.

“Don’t do anything crazy. If we break this car, you can fucking walk to Morocco.”

“Whatever, just slow down.”

She rolled down her window as he dropped speed. She pulled herself out of the car so she was sitting on the door and Marc automatically grabbed her leg, holding her behind her knee, in case she fell.

“Go for a tire!” he shouted over the wind. “These streets are so narrow, if the car flips, it’ll block all the rest from getting through!”

“Got it!”

There was silence. No gun shots. Marc watched as the security cars got closer and closer. He glanced at her, then glanced at the mirrors. Then back to her. Back to the mirrors. The closest car was right behind them, almost touching their bumper. He lost his patience.

“What the fuck are you waiting for!?”

BAM.

One gun shot, and he watched as the car behind them swerved dramatically back and forth before ramming into a post. One of the cars following behind it didn’t have time to stop and rammed into it, flipping it on its side, completely blocking the road. Two more cars were added to the mess, and it was soon obvious that no one would be following them.

Admit it, she’s good. Better than you even thought possible.

Marc punched the gas pedal and cranked the wheel, taking a sharp right down a narrow street. Lily managed to slowly slide back inside the car as he took four more turns, trying to put as much distance between them and the hotel as quickly as possible, but without getting so far away that he couldn’t find his way back without the map.

“That was amazing!” Lily shouted when they screeched to a stop behind a dumpster, out of sight of the road.

“I can’t believe you made that shot!” he exclaimed, leaning forward to press his head against the wheel.

“I can’t, either! Did you see it!?” she sounded amazed, and she got back onto her knees, looking out the back of the car. He sat up again.

“Of course I saw it. It was an amazing,” he agreed.

“It was an amazing plan! We pulled something off, as planned, finally!” she laughed, turning towards him.

“About fucking time,” he agreed, smiling back at her.

They stared at each other for a minute, and then it was like someone hit a bell.

Ding! Round One: Marc vs. Lily

They crashed into each other, barely meeting at the mouths. Her tongue swept across the front of his teeth as his hands dove into the back of her underwear, forcing her closer. She tried to crawl over the console between them, but his seat was too close to the wheel and her ass set off the horn for a moment. He wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned them backwards, forcing them between the seats.

They wiggled and moved and stretched, falling into the back seat all while still groping each other. He managed to sit upright and she was on him immediately, straddling his lap. She pulled his t-shirt off and while her nails scratched across his chest, he shoved his hand into her underwear, finding her burning hot and ready for him.

“You should shoot out tires more often if it gets you this wet,” he said as she panted in his ear.

“Good idea. Maybe I should also hit on other men more often, since it seems to have gotten you so hot,” she replied. He knotted his free hand in the hair on the back of her head and yanked.

“Not fucking funny. No more plans like that,” he informed her.

“No more.”

Then her hand was down his pants, squeezing the base of his dick, and it was a different kind of battle. He had the advantage; with his hand underneath her, he could manipulate multiple fingers in multiple different ways. She was only able to stroke him a couple times before she wasn’t able to control her movements.

“Not yet,” he whispered, pulling his hand away. She let out a frustrated cry, but he swallowed it with his mouth, kissing her hard while he worked his pants down his hips.

She pulled her tank top off while he pushed the crotch of her panties to the side. She was working on taking her bra off, but he couldn’t wait. He held his dick with one hand, then wrapped his arm around her waist and forced her down on top of him. All over him. She shuddered and groaned, her hands dropping to his shoulders, nails digging into his skin.

“God, this always feels so good,” she whispered. He nodded, moving his hands to her waist.

“You always feel so good.”

She rocked her hips slowly at first, her head rolling back on her shoulders. Marc cupped her breast in one hand, sucking on her nipple through the material of her bra. Then she picked up speed, using her legs to lift up and down, all while still rocking her hips to meet his with every thrust.

“Marc,” she cried out his name, and he loved the way it sounded on her lips.

“Yes,” he responded, not caring what he was saying. She leaned away, bracing one hand against the seat back behind her, which enabled her to thrust even harder. He groaned and reached around to hold onto her ass.

“Please,” she panted, her other hand pressing flat against his chest. “Please.”

He slid one of his hands around to where their pelvises were meeting. He twisted his thumb in the lace of her panties, then used the material against her, used the friction against her sensitivity. She shrieked, almost jumping off of him, her whole body shaking for a moment.

“Whoa now, you’re not going anywhere, sweetheart,” he growled, yanking her back down on top of him. Impaling her on him.

“I’m … I’m … I’m …,” she chanted, both her hands moving to hold onto the back of his neck.

“You’re gonna come. Please, please, please, come for me, Lily,” he begged, moving his thumb faster, pumping his hips harder.

He could feel it start. He wasn’t a small guy, and she was a tight girl – he could feel every muscle twitch and spasm. Her cries got louder, her shuddering grew more intense, and even in the flickering street light, he could see her pale chest turning an almost crimson red. Her bouncing grew erratic and she closed her eyes, shoving her forehead against his own.

A woman’s orgasm was such a strange thing to him. It was like an explosion, the screaming, the gasping, the shaking. Yet everything constricted at the same time, her arms coiling around him, her leg muscles freezing, her pussy locking him into place, almost making him come at the same time as her.

Such an amazing thing.

“I can’t … I can’t even,” she breathed after a solid minute had passed. He chuckled.

“I was beginning to wonder if you were still alive.”

He laid her down flat on the seat and worked above her. No gentle thrusting after such a big orgasm – he immediately pounded into her, eliciting more shrieks. He groaned and worked his hand underneath her bra, clenching his fingers around her breast. He wanted all of her, every inch of her, right now, five minutes ago,yesterday.

He was well aware that they were on a street, in a car, fucking in public, in a city where women weren’t even supposed to be outside after dark. But he didn’t care. The only thing he cared about right then, was being with her. All over her.

He was being greedy, he knew that; only thinking about his own pleasure in that moment. So when she came for a second time, it completely caught him off guard. He had worked her bra up her chest and he had her nipple in his mouth when it happened, and he groaned, biting down on the edge of her areola. It had an obvious effect on her and she screamed, her back arching off the seat as her orgasm intensified. He couldn’t take it and he came with a shout, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist as his hips kept jerking involuntarily, till there was no more of him to give.

Ding ding! Round one over! Marc: One. Lily: Two.

“This was a bad decision,” she panted. He collapsed on top of her, all of his weight flattening her on the seat.

“Horrible. Terrible. I’m ashamed of myself. Give me fifteen minutes, and we’ll make an even worse decision,” he replied.

“Fifteen minutes, huh.”

He laughed, and then she laughed. She combed her fingers through his hair. He pulled on her hair. She sighed his name. His bit down on her bottom lip. She managed to work her bra off. He ripped her underwear off.

Fifteen minutes was an over estimation – he only needed ten.

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