Cane shook his head, apparently to rid himself of whatever he was thinking. His eyebrows raised, he turned towards me. “So you will have lunch with him and not me? What am I missing here?”

“It’s business. Pretty simple, I think.” I peered out the door, watching Simon’s black Avalanche pull out of the parking lot.

“I can pretend it’s about business, if that’s what you want.”

“Cane,” I warned, turning my head to look at him.

“Lunch with him will not be about business. When I walked in here, that was not about business.”

“Whether it was or it wasn’t is no business of yours.”

Cane blew out a breath, his forehead marred in frustration. “Do you know Simon Powers? Have you dealt with him before?”

“No, I just met him today. Why?”

He looked relieved. “It doesn’t matter. Look, if he needs to see this property again, I want you to call me first, okay?”

“All right. I won’t bring him here without calling you first.”

“I’m going to give you my phone number. If he wants to see this property or becomes a pain in your ass, I want you to call me. Don’t put up with any shit from him and don’t bring him here unless you actually speak to me. Do you understand?”

“You’re making me nervous. What’s going on?”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” he said calmly, trying to dissipate the mood he just created. “I just don’t like that guy. I don’t trust him.”

“Whatever you say.”

“I like it when you just do what I say.” His eyes darkened.

“Noted. I have to go, Cane.”

“What’s your phone number?” He placed his hand on the small of my back. I stilled at his touch. A jolt of energy darted through my body, landing at the apex of my thighs. I closed my eyes and just felt for a minute.

“You can get my number from Max,” I said breathily, throwing his words from the night at the restaurant back at him.

Cane spun me around quickly, my back pressed against the wall. He leaned in, his face almost touching mine. I willed myself not to moan, to not give him any inclination that my willpower was melting away.

“Oh, Jada,” he whispered, the warmth of his breath only adding to the riot inside me. “Why do you fight this so hard?”

“Cane …” I tried to formulate a response but words were not accessible.

He smirked, knowing what he was doing to me. “Yes?”

“I … I need to go.”

“You need to. But do you want to?” He searched my eyes with his own. “I know what you want and what you need, baby. Why won’t you trust me?”

My eyes widened, my pulse pounding. He was so close and I wanted more than anything to reach out and pull him up against me.

But I can’t.

He smiled before leaning in, his lips grazing my ear as he whispered, “Why do you fight this? Just give me one night to get you out of my system.”

I turned my head to respond, to explain that was exactly what he wasn’t getting, and our eyes locked. The air between us, so hot and rife with energy, boiled over.

He captured my lips with his own, tentatively at first. I resisted for a split second before succumbing to his charge. His lips moved over mine, a soft juxtaposition to his hard exterior. The heat of the exchange, of him finally touching me, melted me from the inside out.

I opened my mouth, giving him entry, and he took it without hesitation. He explored my mouth with his own lazily, the softness of his tongue making my knees buckle.

I tried to focus, tried to commit everything to memory, because it would only happen once. That would be the first and last time I allowed my defenses to be obliterated by Cane Alexander.

The sound of blood roaring past my ears and the feel of his body, hot and hard against me, made it impossible to concentrate on anything for long. I hesitantly placed my hands on his back, feeling his muscles ripple beneath them.

The sensations were overwhelming and I was on the cusp of bursting at the seams.

Cane pulled back slowly and kissed me lightly on the lips, before retreating far enough away to look into my eyes. There were a hundred emotions playing across his gorgeous face, his eyes a dozen colors of blue.

I looked away, trying to catch my breath. I wasn’t able to figure out my own emotions—I had no business trying to figure out his.

“One night.” He lifted my chin so that my eyes met his. His tongue flicked across his lips.

He only wants one night …

My wits were scattered across the room and I gathered as many of them as I could before responding, “I need to go.”

A look flashed across his face that I couldn’t read. He raised his eyebrows. “That’s all you’re going to say?”

“I don’t know what else you want me to say.” I sidestepped him and made my way to the door. I looked over my shoulder one last time and he changed before my eyes.

The confused, vulnerable look gave way to an impassive, cool veneer. He sat his hands on top of his head and turned away, heading towards the office.

Seeing everything I needed to see, more than enough to convince myself I was doing the right thing, I pushed through the door and didn’t look back.

Tracey’s Review

Jada Stanley is back home in Arizona, having left behind a bad marriage and years of unhappiness. She’s come back to heal and to figure out what life is going to look like from now on. Cane Alexander is your typical hot alpha male, completely satisfied with his life rules, one of the most important of which is that he doesn’t do permanent, no exceptions.

Cane is deliciously full of himself. He knows what he wants, and it’s seldom that he doesn’t get it. Even though he comes across as a real piece of work, it’s hard not like him, because, well, the bad boys are just hotter. He is a bit of a a puzzle, though, and learning more about him during the course of the story just makes him that much more loveable. Jada has always had a thing for the guys that she shouldn’t; her ex, Decker, had shown her that. She is determined to make a new life for herself, and is absolutely not looking to hook up with Cane, who has ‘trouble’ written all over him.

I really enjoyed ‘The Exception.’ Adriana Locke is new to the romance scene, and she has done a really nice job of weaving together multiple storylines, giving readers not only hot and sexy romance, but mystery and intrigue, along with a story of healing and redemption. Once I started reading, I had to keep going just to find out how the action would play out, and the subplot had me on the edge of my seat, anxious to see how it would be resolved. I also really enjoyed the supporting characters, especially Kari and Max. They added so much personality to the story, and I really hope that she will do a follow-up story for them. I look forward to reading more from Adriana, and would happily read and recommend her books.

 Author Bio:

Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own. The Exception is Adriana’s debut novel and will be released on September 18th.

Adriana lives in the Midwest with her family. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. Her favorite things include sunshine, candy, and random quotes. Please contact Adriana at http://www.adrianalocke.com. She loves to hear from readers.

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