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  Trevor leaned in and planted his elbows on the desk, eyes to Jace. “You think Otter’s going to hold out long enough to waylay Moreno?”

  If Jace knew the answer to that one, he’d be a lot less jumpy and minus one slash to his shoulder. Pushing one pharmaceutical genius out of his club by strong-arming him with another was a risky move at best, but it sure as shit beat ousting Moreno on his own. “Otter’s a good man with a calm head on his shoulders and a strong team. If he says he’ll only let weed in the place and keep Hugo at bay, I’m gonna give him all the backing he needs. DPD’s sure as hell not going to help. Not the ones in Paul’s pockets, anyway.”

  “Paul doesn’t have any pockets,” Trev said. “Only his daddy does.”

  Right on cue, the camera cut to an interview with Paul Renner as reporters intercepted him leaving another political fundraiser.

  “Councilman Renner, you’ve been very vocal in your run for U.S. Representative in supporting the Dallas Police Department’s efforts to crack down on drug crime, and have called out establishments such as Crossroads in midtown Dallas. Have you heard about the additional drug arrests there tonight, and do you have any comments?”

  Renner frowned at the ground, a picture-perfect image of disappointment and concern. Like that dickhead hadn’t been trying to screw people since his first foray from the cradle.

  “I continue to grow more concerned with establishments like those run by Jace Kennedy and his counterparts,” Renner said. “It seems they continually skirt justice and keep their seedy establishments open for business. It’s innocent citizens who end up paying the price, courted by heinous individuals peddling dangerous substances and amoral behavior. My primary goal, if elected to the House of Representatives, will be to promote legislation that makes it difficult for men like Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Moreno to escape justice.”

  The toothpick between Jace’s teeth snapped in half. He tossed it to the coffee table in front of him and pulled another one of many stashed in the pocket of his jacket.

  “It’s official, now.” Trevor raised his beer in salute and tipped his head. “You’re an amoral son of a bitch leading innocent citizens to ruin.”

  Motion registered in one of the smaller security screens, the bathroom door outside Trevor’s office swinging open enough to let Little Miss and her seriously drunken sister ping-pong down the hallway. The two were about the same height, but you couldn’t have dressed two women more differently. Next to Little Miss, her sister was best suited for a biker bar, all tits, ass and wobbling heels. Not that she was bad to look at. She just lacked the natural, earthy grace of the sober one.

  Damn it, he needed to pace. Or get laid. Just looking at the ass on Little Miss in tailored pants made him want to rut like a madman. Never mind the puzzle she presented. Trev wasn’t wrong—she had a shitload of backbone blazing through those doe-shaped eyes. The combination didn’t jive with her image. Nothing like a paradox to get his head spinning.

  “Guess we found one way to get his head off Renner.” Zeke knocked back another gulp of his beer.

  “What?” He back-and-forthed a glare between his brothers.

  Trevor chuckled low and shifted the videos so Little Miss’s trek to the front of the bar sat center stage. “Zeke said the only thing you’ve done amoral was that freak show you put on with Kat and Darcy at last month’s barbecue.”

  “Fuck you, Trev.”

  “Fuck her, you mean,” Trev said. “No shame there, brother. You didn’t even see her up close. If you did, you sure as shit wouldn’t be sitting here rerunning sound bites of asshole Renner.”

  “Hell, no,” Jace said. “A woman that uptight is the last thing I need. Or did you miss her casing not just Zeke patching up my shoulder, but the bloody shirt on the floor, too? You’ll be lucky if the cops don’t show from an anonymous tip called in.”

  Little Miss and her sister stumbled into the front section of the bar, the sister’s arm curled around Little Miss’s neck in a way he’d bet would still hurt tomorrow morning.

  Nope. Sweet hips, fiery eyes and a good dose of mystery or not, she was the last thing he needed right now.

  Two men blocked Little Miss’s path.

  The women stopped, and the drunk sister swayed enough it was a wonder she didn’t topple onto the table beside her.

  One of the men palmed the back of Little Miss’s neck, and she jerked away.

  Jace surged to his feet, grabbing his leather jacket off the table. “I’m headed to Haven. You hear more from Axel at Crossroads or get any more grief from the cops, let me know.”

  Both men let out hardy guffaws and waved him off.

  “Twenty bucks says our buttoned-up guest gets some help on the way out the door,” Trev said.

  Zeke chimed in behind him. “Yeah, let us know if Sweet Cheeks tastes as good as she looks.”

  Bastards. The sad thing was, Trev was about to score a twenty from Zeke, because Jace might not be willing to curl up with Little Miss, but he wasn’t watching men paw her either.

  Buy ROUGH & TUMBLE by Rhenna Morgan now.

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  Copyright © 2017 by Rhenna Morgan

  Acknowledgments

  We say thank you a lot to Carina Press, but they’re the reason you’ve got this book in your hands. They took a chance on the two of us and brought the For Her series to the light of day. We are forever grateful that you believed in our stories, and in us. A special thanks to our editor Angela James for letting us be us and not complaining about all the times we went overboard. Oysters and drinks soon, doll face!

  Thank you to our entourage that kept us sane in the group chat, sent us food when we needed it most, and never let us forget that we are loved. You’ll never have any idea what you mean to us, and our books. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for our bird, panda, and sensei leading the way.

  To our readers. Everything for Her was a giant leap of faith and we are so happy that you took it with us. Thank you for all of the kind emails, messages, and hugs you’ve given us as this series has grown and become more than we could have dreamed possible. You are the reason we put the words on the page...because most of the time you won’t stop yelling at us until it’s finished! We are forever humbled by your praise.

  To our husbands...grab the tequila. It’s time to celebrate!

  Also available from Alexa Riley and Carina Press

  Everything for Her: A For Her Novel

  His Alone: A For Her Novel

  Stay Close

  Hold Tight

  Don’t Go

  About the Author

  Alexa Riley is a pseudonym for the sassy dynamic duo of Melissa King and Lea Robinson. Both are married moms of two who love football, doughnuts and obsessed heroes in novels. They bonded over their love of steamy reads in the summer of 2013 and haven’t been able to stop talking since. As a team, they are New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling authors.

  Alexa Riley specializes in insta-love, over-the-top sweet and cheesy love stories that don’t take all year to read. If you want something safe, short and always with a happily-ever-after, then these are your girls.

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  Introducing the Carina Press Romance Promise!

  The Carina Press team all have one thing in common: we are romance readers with a longtime love of the genre. And we know what readers are looking for in a romance: a guarantee of a happily-ever-after (HEA) or happy-for-now (HFN). With that in mind, we’re initiating the Carina Press Romance Promise. When you see a book tagged with these words in our cover copy/book description, we’re making you, the reader, a very important promise:

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  Sexy and seductive reads from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author

  ALEXA RILEY

  “I devour every single delicious word Alexa Riley writes.”

  —#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Maya Banks

  Dive into the full-length bestselling For Her series!

  EVERYTHING FOR HER

  Mallory Sullivan never expected Oz to be the greatest culmination of her dreams. But sometimes fate determines who you fall in love with. And then you realize it wasn’t fate at all...

  HIS ALONE

  Paige Turner is trying to outrun her past, but there it is, tossed back in her face anytime she manages to get two steps ahead. But before she knows it, Ryan has made his way into her life and into her heart...

  And if you love HIS ALONE, don’t miss the spin-off novella series For Him, featuring Paige and Ryan’s daughter Penelope.

  STAY CLOSE

  A former Russian mafia soldier is hired to protect a friend’s young daughter, but he knows he’ll do more than keep her safe—he’ll make her his. Forever.

  HOLD TIGHT

  A hotshot consultant hired to streamline Osbourne Corp. meets his match in Pandora Justice—the more she plays hard to get, the more he wants her.

  DON’T GO

  CEO Henry Osbourne has only ever desired one woman—the one who got away.

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  ISBN-13: 9781488080623

  Claimed: A For Her Novel

  Copyright © 2018 by Author Alexa Riley LLC

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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