Deceptions is the third book in the MacLane Family series and can be read as a standalone. It is the story of Jake and Natalie, but due to 'adult content,' it is best suited for mature readers.
Jacob “Jake” MacLane couldn’t give two shits about money, power, or prestige. His love for guns turned into a love of serving his country. His remarkable ability as a sniper gave him a purpose for living. His bad-boy looks and alpha-male attitude had the women vying for his attention. All of that ceased to matter the day his best friend was killed in action. What happened that day has haunted Jake ever since. No one - not his own brothers, or one mysterious woman - would ever know his deepest secret.
Natalie Sherman had her future planned out: graduate high school, get accepted into Juilliard’s dance program, and take Broadway by storm. What she hadn’t anticipated was her mother’s cancer diagnosis or death from the wretched disease. Natalie’s bright future quickly faded, until a one-night stand with a dark and sexy stranger made her feel alive again. Too bad he didn’t stick around to see what he’d left behind. A chance encounter with him had Natalie keeping her own secret locked away - especially because he didn’t even remember her.
When both of their secrets come crashing down around them at the same time, Natalie finally asks for Jake’s help. This time, he can’t refuse. It quickly becomes the most important mission of his life, and once the dust settles, nothing will ever be the same for them. Sometimes, only the right person will help you rebuild the ruins left by your deceptions...
The following is an excerpt from Deceptions,
by R.J. Van Cleave. All rights are reserved…
Natalie finally looked up
to see what, or better who, had her girlfriends’ g-strings in knots. Holy hell.
No wonder they’re drooling. Piercing green eyes were locked on a target, and
apparently, that target was her. Mr. Green Eyes was huge - easily six foot four
- and bodies parted like the Red Sea as he cut across the crowded dance floor.
His hair was either dark brown or black, but it was cut too short to tell.
Military, she thought, from the look of him and the way he carries himself. He
stopped just a few feet shy of her and she drank him in.
His jeans were worn in all
the right places and he wore them well, slung low on his hips. A simple black
tee stretched across a massive chest. Tan, muscular arms, that begged to be
touched, were peppered with intricate tattoos. A tribal print meandered up one
arm, disappearing into his sleeve, and reappeared at his neck. Natalie was
itching to strip him of his t-shirt and follow the pattern to wherever it led.
His body was made to be worshiped, and suddenly Natalie was feeling very
spiritual at the moment.
It seemed that he caught
the look of appreciation in her eyes because he gave her a half smile, half
smirk as he took one step closer and said, “Dance with me.” He took her hands
in his, and pulled her up into his massive chest. Before she could protest that
he had not actually asked her, she found herself wrapped up in strong, yet
surprisingly gentle arms, as he carried her out onto the dance floor. He let
her body slowly slide down his, until her feet touched the floor. Then he
cupped her chin with his large hand and gently lifted it, so that she was
forced to look up at him. Big mistake.
He looked into her eyes,
as if he were searching for something, and then mumbled, “So fucking
beautiful,” before he brought his mouth down onto hers. She was in total shock
when he pulled his lips away from hers, all too soon, and then he gently tucked
her head under his chin. Half of her brain screamed that she should knee him in
the nuts and run, while the other half told her no effing way – the man could
kiss her again like that any damn time he wanted. But he didn’t. He just stood
there, swaying gently with her in his arms, as if they’d done this a million
times before.
The man made that one
simple kiss the hottest thing Natalie had ever experienced - even if he was a
freaking total stranger. Too bad he can’t dance worth a shit, though. Usually
that would bug her enough to say ‘thanks, but no thanks’ and walk away - but
not tonight. For the first time, she found she just didn’t care that a man
couldn’t dance. It some how just felt right being in his arms, with her nose
pressed against his neck, inhaling his spicy, musky cologne. And even more
surprisingly, for the very first time, her dancing legs didn’t want to dance
anyway, and she sighed as she stumbled ever so slightly.
“Whoa, there, Princess.
You okay?” his deep voice rumbled as he picked up on the subtle movement.
She felt her legs begin to
buckle again, and Natalie could only nod her head and hum, “Uh huh.”
“Damn, woman, but you have
a body and a voice that could bring a man to his knees. You’re here alone, I
hope?”
“Well, it just so happens
to be your lucky day,” she sighed again, as she breathed in his intoxicating
scent once more. “Aside from my posse back there, I’m here alone because my
asshole boyfriend decided to dump me – on my twenty-first birthday, no less.”
“Well, your ex obviously
is an asshole, but hey, his stupidity makes me one lucky bastard,” Jake
chuckled.
Natalie giggled in turn –
he had a great laugh. “Maybe,” she replied, but she resisted looking up into
Jake’s eyes again. She could have sworn there was some kind of weird cosmic
thing going on between the two of them, but she wasn’t sure if he felt it too.
Natalie’s throaty,
hypnotizing laugh made Jake stop swaying and look down at the woman in his
arms. His need to have her became even more intense when she finally lifted her
head and looked him in the eyes again…and then she smiled. For a brief moment,
he forgot to breathe. The emotions rushing through him in that instant were
totally foreign to him. Jake MacLane was always in control, always in charge.
Love at first sight didn’t exist, but he had an inkling that this sapphire-blue
eyed woman, with her short blond hair, could actually get under his skin and
become a pain in his ass. Kind of like how Tinkerbelle always messed with Peter
Pan. All she needs is the wings, he chuckled to himself.
He hoped like hell the
foreign feelings he was having were really due to the shots he’d slammed back
right before he walked up to her, and not because she was wrapped up in his
arms. He could feel the alcohol beginning to seep into his bloodstream, so in
an effort to regain control and tamp down any actual emotions, he cleared his
throat then gruffly asked, “Wadda ya say we celebrate your birthday properly
then? My buddies and I are looking for a few ladies to show us around this
little town. You think you’re up for the challenge tonight, little girl?”
Without even consulting
her friends, or batting an eyelash, Natalie retorted, “You bet your sweet ass I
am, little boy.”
His eyes darkened as he
said, “Oh, Princess, let’s get something clear right here and now. There’s
nothing sweet, or little about me. The sooner you understand that, the better
prepared you’ll be for when I fuck you senseless.”
Natalie’s jaw dropped at
his directness. If it had been any other man, she would have slapped him, and
walked away. But her hand wouldn’t quite co-operate, and her feet were staying
firmly planted where they were. Her damn body betrayed her as it actually
shivered with anticipation. For some inexplicable reason, even smelling the
alcohol on his breath couldn’t make her back away, as it usually did thanks to
her step-father.
“You think so?” she
challenged the gorgeous stranger before her.
“I know so,” he replied as
he pulled her harder into his body. The bulge digging into her stomach told her
there was no denying it.
The familiar tingle in her
happy place, even if it had been non-existent lately, told her she wanted him
just as badly. Something about him ignited a fire in her that she’d never felt
with Mark, or any other man she’d been with over the last six years. Too bad
she had no freaking clue what that something was. All she knew was that her
body was in fact ready, willing, and able.
Natalie was far from being
easy, but she liked sex. Ever since her first time, at the age of 15, she
realized sex could fill a void in her life and provide her a much needed
distraction. Even if it was only a temporary one at best, it was still far
better than the hell she lived with at home. A bitter, alcoholic father and a
terminally ill mother, who lived far far longer than the doctors ever
anticipated, made from some not so joyous occasions in her life.
“Hey, earth to Princess.
You okay?” Jake’s soothing voice brought Natalie back from her past.
“No. Yes. Sorry. I was
just thinking about something else. I’m good now.” Before Jake could question
her more, or hell, even ask her name, she added. “Really, I’m okay. Let’s go
get your friends and get this party started. The night’s still young.”
She pushed out of his arms
and Jake looked on in appreciation at Natalie’s ass, as she walked off in front
of him. He had to actually tell his feet to get moving because watching the
woman walk was like watching poetry in motion. When he finally joined her
group, she was already sitting on a barstool at the table with her back to him.
He thought he overheard one of her friends call her “Lee” and he let the name
roll around in his head. Unbeknownst to him, partially because the music was so
loud, and possibly because of the blood loss to his upper head, he hadn’t heard
the “Nata” part of her name.
“Jake, my man. What do you
have for us here?” asked Colin Hanson, the douchebag sniper that Jake’s boss,
John Fielding, had picked to round out Jake’s mercenary team.
So it’s Jake, she mentally
noted, as she leaned back slightly and found a solid wall of muscle.
“Well, hellooo there
ladies,” Colin drawled. “I’m Colin, at your service,” and he winked at Natalie.
When the rest of the crew
walked up behind him, Colin quickly introduced them. “Along with Jacob over
there, who prefers Jake, this here’s Mitch, Dustin and Benito.” Each of the men
politely nodded and said ‘hello,’ but Jake thought they were all staring at his
woman a little too long. When Colin Hanson walked over to Natalie and asked her
to dance with him, Jake decided he wasn’t in the mood to share. Ever since Ranger
school, Hanson was always going after the woman Jake set his sites on. He
pushed Hanson back with one hand and then barked out, “Change of plans,
gentlemen.”
Natalie found herself
quickly spun around on the stool and was now facing that solid wall of muscle.
Jake pulled her up into him, and said, “Night boys. Lee and I have some things
to do while the night’s still young. I’ll see y’all in the morning.” He took
her hand in his and quickly dragged her away from his men. She heard him
comment over his shoulder, “There are three more to choose from. Get your own
damn woman, Hanson. You always go after mine, you little peckerhead.” That last
part was said under his breath.
Jake’s vice grip on
Natalie’s hand never loosened, as he continued to pull her across the crowded
dance floor, past the bar and out the door. As soon as they hit the cold, night
air, Natalie slammed on the breaks. “Just where in the hell do you think you’re
taking me?” she cried, as she pulled back hard on Jake’s hand to get his
attention, finally breaking his grip. Lord knows all her stumbling, and the
colorful curse words she yelled each time she tripped, had no effect on the
man. “And for the love of God, slow down. I can dance in heels but if you think
it’s easy running in these damn things, then you wear them and I’ll be more
than happy to drag you across a crowded bar, you freaking Jolly Green Giant!”
Jake simply turned, arched
an eyebrow and replied, “Well, my little pint-sized pixie, I’m taking you to my
hotel room, that’s where. And no, I won’t slow down, because I don’t want to
wait one fucking minute longer than I have to before I get inside you.”
Natalie’s jaw dropped open
once again, in shock, and this time she growled, “You cocky, arrogant son of…”
Jake took two steps, grabbed the back of her head with one hand and crashed his
mouth down onto hers, cutting her off. He hadn’t anticipated kissing her like
this, and in public no less, but he couldn’t help it. When he first saw her on
the dance floor, his first thought was only to go somewhere and talk, maybe
just lose himself in this tiny little town with her for awhile. But fuck that.
He’d been horny as hell after watching her for only a few minutes, and needed
to lose himself in her.
He and his men had been
exhausted from their long flight and were still dealing with the loss of their
teammate, James, during their last official mission as Army Rangers. They
touched down in Sacramento this morning and picked up a rental car en route to
James’ hometown for his funeral. The drive to wherever they were now was only
supposed to be a stop for gas, but the surrounding area looked all too
inviting. Actually, since none of them were looking forward to the funeral,
they agreed that one night to celebrate James’ life wouldn’t hurt. Only Jake
hadn’t expected to find the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, dancing in a
bar, in the middle of Farmtown, USA.
Jake noticed the kiss got
hotter as she lifted herself up, wrapping her long legs around his waist. He
may have started this, but now, much to his delight, she was the one currently
in charge. Jake put his other arm around her waist to steady her and almost
took her against the truck they were standing next to, when she ground herself
down onto him. Even in his slightly drunken state, though, he wanted to take
his time and savor her.
He slowed the kiss down,
which caused her to growl, but he ignored her. He slid his second hand up to
the back of her head so he could hold her where he wanted her. He took back
control as he thoroughly explored her mouth, and then her neck. Her hands
wrapped around his forearms, but it wasn’t an attempt to remove them, rather it
was her way of keeping herself right where she wanted to be.
He found her mouth again
and sucked, then nipped her bottom lip. Knowing he couldn’t hold out any
longer, he unwrapped her legs from his waist. In retaliation for removing her
legs, she pulled his lower lip into her mouth and nipped it, just a little.
That earned her a growl from him. “My hotel room, now.” he demanded against her
lips. “Before we put on a fucking show for everyone in the parking lot.”
If the kiss hadn’t already
knocked Natalie off kilter, his command definitely would have. When she didn’t
protest, he’d quickly dragged her the few blocks to his hotel, in what seemed
like a matter of seconds. Lucky for Natalie, the hotel elevator was filled with
guests, so Jake kept his hands, and mouth, to himself. But his eyes - those
eyes - never left hers. The look he gave her told her exactly what he was
planning to do to her. Once they exited the elevator and were alone in the
hallway, Natalie found her back up against the wall, and his mouth once again
greedily on hers.
This time, his hands
stayed away from her face, and they brushed down her upper thighs to her skirt
hem. Her skin tingled and burned in the wake of his fingertips, as they skimmed
up her bare legs. Instead of going directly where she wanted them to, they slid
over her hips, only to find what she already knew. “Fuck, Lee. I had no idea
your ass was bare under this skirt.”
“Well, Jacob, that sort of
thing tends to happen when I wear a thong,” she sighed as he sucked on her
neck, while caressing her skin. Usually he hated being called Jacob, but damn,
not by her.
He pulled away, and he
hesitated momentarily before saying, “I may be under the influence of the
rocket fuel I downed at the bar, but I know for sure that I want you more than
I’ve wanted any other woman. Now that we’re here, tell me that I can have you -
at least for tonight.” Jake’s look was both intense and yet unsure. He wanted
her, yes, she could feel it. But he also wanted to make sure this was what she
wanted, too. He wasn’t a total dick, after all.
He’s slightly sloshed and
he thinks my name is Lee. Perfect recipe for a one night stand. Get laid and
get lost.
Yes,” she said almost
breathlessly, afraid if she said it any louder, she might try and talk herself
out of it. One-night stands were so not her, but why the hell not? Especially
after the craptastic day she’d had, she could use some good sex to chase it all
away.
Jake’s Songs
Redneck Crazy, by Tyler Farr
International Love, by Pit Bull, feat. Chris Brown
Let Her Go, by Passenger
Outta My Head, by Craig Campbell
Savin’ Me, by Nickelback
Animals, By Maroon 5, feat. J. Cole (remix)
Coming Home, by Diddy, feat. Skylar Grey
Stay, by Florida-Georgia Line
Far Away, by Nickelback
Bottoms Up, by Brantley Gilbert
Natalie’s Songs
Before He Cheats, by Carrie Underwood
Can’t Remember To Forget You, by Shakira
Jar of Hearts, by Christina Perry
Chandelier, by Sia
Habits (Stay High), by Tove Lo
human, by Christina Perry
Wasting All These Tears, by Casadee Pope
Listen To Your Heart, by DHT, feat. Edmée
The Heart Wants What It Wants, by Selena Gomez
Follow the playlist on Spotify: Deceptions
R.J. Van Cleave grew up in a small town near San Diego , CA February 14, 2014 . The MacLane Family series was born and R.J.’s career as a writer was too.
~ Synopsis ~
Demons is the first book in the MacLane Family series. It is
the story of Jase & Cassie and does NOT have a cliffhanger ending. Due to
‘adult content,’ this book is best suited for readers 18 years of age and
older.
Jason “Jase” MacLane grew up surrounded by money. Being half
of Anderson-MacLane Industries had its privileges and provided a rather
comfortable life for Jase and his siblings. Sure his family worked hard for
that money, but to the opposite sex, that’s what made Jase so damn attractive.
His luck with women, and love sucked. It took a few ex-girlfriends, and one
cheating ex-wife, to cement the idea that he’d never be worth more to a woman
than the amount of money he had in his bank account.
Cassandra “Cassie” Middleton grew up in a working-class
family, surrounded by more love than money. When her parents died, Cassie
stepped in and took care of her teenage sister while putting her own life on
hold. It took one selfish ex-boyfriend, and one distant ex-husband, to prove to
her that she was better suited for the role of caregiver and mother than for
what she wanted most – to be desired and loved for who she was, rather than for
what she did.
When Cassie buys the old Potts Farm out from under Jase, the
compost hits the fan, and then the sparks fly. Cassie sees Jase as more than a
means to financial security, and Jase sees Cassie as more than a mom and a provider.
However, the demons from their past relationships prevent them from seeing
themselves for who they really are. It will take trust, perseverance, one hell
of a wild ride, and the willingness to risk it all, just one more time, to find
the love they both deserve. Sometimes, you just need to find the right person
to help you drive out your demons…
~Book Links ~
~ Playlist ~
Jase’s Songs
Demons, by Imagine Dragons
Cruise, by Florida
Knock You Down, by Keri Hilson, feat. Kanye West & Ne-Yo
God Gave Me You, by Blake Shelton
Cassie’s Songs
Sparks Fly, by Taylor Swift
Take Over Control, by Afrojack, feat. Eva Simons
See You Again, by Carrie Underwood
If I Didn’t Have You, by Thompson Square
Follow the playlist on Spotify: Demons
~ Synopsis ~
Damages is the second book in the MacLane Family series. It
is the story of Justin and Mary, and can be read as a standalone. Due to ‘adult
content,’ this book is best suited for readers 18 years of age and older.
Justin MacLane had it all, except for good luck when it came
to women. He had money, good looks, and a great, down to earth personality. He
was the youngest MacLane executive at Anderson-MacLane industries, but his
connections and wealth were more impressive than his work ethic. Justin was
just too nice and too giving, and women used him only to get ahead. That made
Justin realize that he’d rather be alone than be a stepping stone for the next
Hollywood sensation.
Mary Andrews had a hellish childhood, and only had bad luck
when it came to men. The physical and sexual abuse she suffered as a child
eventually led Mary to the biggest mistake of her life – Carson Matthews. After
years of living with an abusive husband, she finally got out. Getting out,
however, was the easy part. That made Mary realize she would rather be lonely,
than ever trust her heart, or her body, to another man.
When Justin crosses paths with Mary, it takes only one look
from her to know she is different from the others. Her razor sharp tongue and
conservative dress protects her from the world, and Justin realizes Mary isn’t
going down without a fight. Mary is totally and utterly unimpressed with
Justin, his fat bank account, or his flashy Porsche. When his gentle manner
stirs up feelings that she’s never felt before, Mary realizes she’s facing the
biggest fight of her life. Sometimes, risking it all on the right person can
help you finally heal the damages inflicted by others...
~ Book Links ~
~ Playlist ~
Justin’s
Songs
Lost In Paradise by Evanescence
Enchanted by
Taylor Swift
Wrecking Ball
by Miley Cyrus
Knock You Down
by Keri Hilson, feat. Kanye West &
Ne-Yo
All of Me by
John Legend
Like A G6
by Far East Movement, feat. The Cataracs & Dev
Mary’s Songs
Run The World (Girls), by Beyoncé
Body Party,
by Ciara
Because Of You,
Kelly Clarkson
Gunpowder & Lead, by Miranda Lambert
Independence Day, by Martina McBride
Dark Horse,
by Katy Perry, feat. Juicy J
My Heart Is Broken, by Evanescence
Bring Me to Life, by Evanescence
Love The Way You Lie, by Eminem, feat. Rihanna
Follow the playlist on Spotify: Damages
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