UNDERCOVER DESIRES
Rivera Brothers - Book Three
by A.K. Steel
Cover & Excerpt Reveal
Release Date: January 4, 2024
Genre: Mafia Romance StandaloneTrope: Enemies to lovers, forbidden love, romantic suspense, strong heroine, spicy, touch her and die vibes, HEA, no cheating
Synopsis
Kobe
Arabella Hamilton slipped into my club with one thing on her mind: to take me and my brothers down. She thinks she has me wrapped around her little finger, hanging on her every word. Instead, I’m planning her downfall, and I’m going to enjoy every damn second of it, especially the part where she begs me for more. I’m the king of chaos round here; this is my club, my town and my rules, no one can knock me off my pedestal, especially not some undercover temptress.
Except… my eyes follow her obsessively across the club, and the closer I get to her, the more I’m tangled up in her seductive web. She’s my enemy, the one woman I can’t have… which just makes me want her all the more.
Arabella
It’s my job to take down the bad guys, and I’m desperate to prove my worth to my new team. But this assignment is more complicated than I could ever have imagined. Kobe Rivera is a hardened mafia prince, dark and dangerous, and everything I’ve always hated. But he’s also completely mesmerising. Charismatic, cunning, and always two steps ahead of everyone else; I can’t help but admire his ability to see what others don’t. The closer I get, the more I wish I wasn’t here to destroy him.
He’s the opposite of everything I stand for, but for some reason, he’s the only one who can give me what I need.
The line between right and wrong, good and bad, has never been so blurred…
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Excerpt
As I open the door to the staffroom, I bite into the apple and jump in surprise when I find Kobe leaning casually against the adjacent wall.
He looks relaxed, as though he’s been waiting for me for a while. I choke down the first bite, then swallow, continuing to walk past him.
“How did your first shift go?” he asks, following me, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
“Fine. Except for the asshole at booth ten who kept expecting me to spoon-feed him his drink,” I snip, too tired to deal with any more Kobe Rivera for tonight. Xavier is right, he’s a character like I have never met before.
He throws his head back and bursts into laughter, dramatically, like I’m the funniest person ever. “Maybe tomorrow, I’ll actually have you spoon-feed me. That could be a lot of fun,” he teases, and I can see he’s really imagining it.
I shoot him a warning look that I hope clarifies that such a scenario is not on the table. My coldness toward him doesn’t deter him, and he falls into step beside me. He must be determined to keep annoying me.
“You have quite the reputation,” I mutter, unimpressed and ready to have it out with him over it. Someone has to protect these girls.
He smirks cheekily. “You can’t believe everything you hear, sweetheart,” he says casually.
“Somehow, I have a feeling this reputation is well-deserved,” I counter, wanting to push him on it. I don’t know why it’s irritated me so much, but it has. Xavier's words from earlier have crawled under my skin.
“Maybe,” he concedes, “but I always think it’s best to let someone show you who they are.”
I’m nearly at the back door when I turn back to him. Examining him, I wonder who he really is. He smiles at me, all charming, his dark eyes alight with a spark of energy that intrigues me. “What are you doing?” I demand, wondering why he’s pursuing me.
“Walking you to your car,” he replies nonchalantly. “Every staff member gets an escort.”
“Oh. Well, I’m good, thanks. I don’t need it,” I mutter nervously, not wanting him to follow me outside. I don't have a car for him to accompany me to, to begin with. My plan was to walk home the same way I got here.
“Not negotiable.” He pushes open the heavy back door, holding it open for me to pass by him. “Remember our chat earlier?”
“Okay, well, you saw me out. You can run back to your little date now.” I shoo him off.
“Which one is yours?” He motions to the parking lot.
I sigh heavily. The chill of the outside air sends an icy shiver over my skin, so I throw my leather jacket on. Glancing over at the row of parked cars, I point to one at random. “The black Jeep,” I lie through my teeth.
He raises an eyebrow. “Er, wrong. Try again, babydoll.”
Damn, how did he know? I roll my eyes in frustration. “Fine, I was planning to walk home. I don’t have a car at the moment, but I’m not far from here, and it’s a simple walk.”
His expression tightens and his fists clench. “Then you’re dumber than you come across. This neighborhood is no place for a girl like you to be walking home at nearly midnight. I’m driving you.”
“What?” I stammer, mortified. “No, you’re not. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don’t need you driving me home,” I snap back, determined not to get in a car with him. There is no universe where that is a good idea.
He presses a button on the fob, and the taillights of the black Jeep I pointed at earlier flash. Of all the cars in the parking lot, why did I have to pick his? I slap my forehead and mutter a curse under my breath. It’s just my dumb luck, truly it is.
“Get in the car, Bella,” he insists, his tone firm.
“What about your date?” I ask, trying to buy some time. Surely, she will miss him if he’s gone for too long.
“That wasn’t a date. Get in the car,” he repeats, leaving me with little choice but to comply.
I study him for a moment, realizing that he’s deadly serious and won’t budge on this matter. I weigh my options: make a run for it or begrudgingly accept the ride home. He’s big and muscly, but that doesn’t mean he could run fast, and I run ten miles a day easily. I reckon I could escape him, but the consequences might not be worth the risk. Reluctantly, I choose the latter. My feet are too sore to run, anyway.
I open the passenger side door and settle into the comfortable leather seat, fastening my seatbelt. Kobe slides into the driver’s seat, a smug smirk of satisfaction playing on his lips. He thinks he’s won something.
Irritation gnaws at me. “I’m only getting in with you to save my feet the walk.” I glare at him. “Pretty sure the poor girl you were with thought it was a date,” I snipe, wanting him to feel a twinge of guilt for his selfish behavior.
He chuckles. “Jett’s girlfriend, Hazel, set it up. She works with her. Not my type. Hazel really should have known better. She knows I don’t date.”
I feel insulted for the poor girl, and I don’t even know why. It’s his carefree attitude toward her when, from what Shelby said, the date was a big deal to Summer. “Guess it wasn’t a match made in heaven, then. Good for her,” I reply dryly.
He grins, enjoying my jest. “So, what did the other bar staff tell you about me tonight?” he asks, changing the subject.
I raise an eyebrow. “You really want to know what your staff thinks of you?”
“Well, yeah, especially if they have you so twisted up,” he retorts. “You were all over me on the tour, now you don’t want a piece of me.”
I gape at him, disgusted. I wasn’t all over him. A little flirty, maybe. That’s it. “You going to start the car so you can drive me home?” I ask instead. Why are we still sitting in the parking lot?
His intense stare deepens. I squirm under it, feeling like I’m overheating suddenly. “Not until you answer me,” he demands, the edge to his voice telling me he’s not messing around anymore.
I glare back at him with just as much intensity. He doesn’t scare me. “You’re a womanizing manwhore who breaks girls’ hearts so badly they leave on the first train out of town, never to be seen again.” I shoot daggers in his direction with my eyes. He deserves my hate on this. I’m girl power all the way, and I want him to know he’s a dickhead.
“Nasty.” He smirks, totally unaffected by his reputation. He’s proud of it. Even more disgusting. “Bet that was Xavier. She loves me, really.”
“I hate to think what the ones who don’t love you say,” I reply.
“They all love me, sugarplum,” he asserts.
Yet another nickname for me; he seems to have a long list of them. Repulsive cutie nicknames that probably work on other girls like a charm, but on me, they are a reminder to stay away. “Yeah, well, I don’t,” I reply firmly. I don’t want him getting any ideas, especially since I’m trapped in a car with him right now.
“You will.” He stares at me, the heat in his eyes burning through me, like he knows me better than I know myself.
I feel his attention light me up, right through to my pussy. It throbs with a desperate need for him I don’t understand. I want so badly for him to touch me, to take me like his eyes tell me he can, all controlling man. My heart races at the thought. I need to get out of this car. Being so close to him has my hormones all out of whack. “Are you taking me home or what?” I snap, wondering why he’s still looking at me like he’s about to eat me instead of driving his car. I answered his question.
Giveaway
One of Five eARC's for Undercover Desires
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One of Five eARC's for Undercover Desires
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Other Titles Within this Series
BURNING BRIDGES
Rivera Brothers - Book One
PURCHASE
HEARTBREAK HIDEAWAY
Rivera Brothers - Book Two
PURCHASEAbout the Author
A. K. Steel is a steamy contemporary romance author who loves to read and write books with swoony men, twists and turns that keep you hooked and always a happily ever after. I have been writing for just over two years and have two steamy romance series now available through Amazon.
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