Eyes On You: A Blasphemy Novella
Laura Kaye
Eyes On You
A BLASPHEMY NOVELLA
By Laura Kaye
1001 Dark Nights
Eyes On You
A Blasphemy Novella
By Laura Kaye
1001 Dark Nights
Copyright 2017 Laura Kaye
ISBN: 978-1-945920-18-9
Foreword: Copyright 2014 M. J. Rose
Published by Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.
Book Description
Eyes On You: A Blasphemy Novella
By Laura Kaye
She wants to explore her true desires, and he wants to watch…
When a sexy stranger asks Wolf Henrikson to rescue her from a bad date, he never expected to want the woman for himself. But their playful conversation turns into a scorching one-night stand that reveals the shy beauty gets off on the idea of being seen, even if she’s a little scared of it, too. And Wolf loves to watch.
In the wake of discovering her fiancé’s infidelity, florist Olivia Foster never expected to find someone who not only understood her wildest, darkest fantasies, but would bring them to life. As Wolf introduces her to his world at the play club, Blasphemy, Liv finds herself tempted to explore submission and exhibitionism with the hard-bodied Dom even as she’s scared to trust again.
But Wolf is a master of getting what he wants—and he’s got his eyes set on her…
About Laura Kaye
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books in contemporary and erotic romance and romantic suspense, including the Blasphemy, Hard Ink, and Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. Laura also writes historical fiction as the NYT bestselling author, Laura Kamoie. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
Learn more at www.LauraKayeAuthor.com
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Also By Laura Kaye
Click to purchase.
The Blasphemy Series
HARD TO SERVE
BOUND TO SUBMIT
MASTERING HER SENSES
EYES ON YOU
THEIRS TO TAKE (Coming September 2017)
The Raven Riders Series
RIDE HARD
RIDE ROUGH
RIDE WILD (Coming October 2017)
The Hard Ink Series:
HARD AS IT GETS
HARD AS YOU CAN
HARD TO HOLD ON TO
HARD TO COME BY
HARD TO BE GOOD
HARD TO LET GO
HARD EVER AFTER
HARD AS STEEL
HARD EVER AFTER
HARD TO SERVE
The Hearts in Darkness Duet
HEARTS IN DARKNESS
LOVE IN THE LIGHT
The Heroes Series
HER FORBIDDEN HERO
ONE NIGHT WITH A HERO
Acknowledgments from the Author
Some books take you by surprise, and Eyes on You was definitely one. Of necessity, it came out in a rush of words, but I couldn’t have slowed it down if I tried. Wolf and Liv just leapt onto the page, surprising and exciting me and making me laugh (and sometimes blush). And I have Liz Berry to thank for the opportunity to make that happen. 1001 Dark Nights is such an amazing and special project to be a part of, and I’m honored that I get to share stories I love through it. Thanks Liz and Jillian Stein for all you do to support and encourage and be there for me – it means the world.
Thanks also to KP Simmon who was there every step of the way, taking the heat off so I could focus on those fast and furious words. And thanks to my amazing critique partner, Christi Barth, for reading right behind me and making me shine as you always do. I appreciate having such amazingly supportive women in my life.
Thanks also to my Heroes and my Reader Girls, who give me motivation and encouragement even when they don’t know they’re doing it. And thanks, as always, to my readers, who take my characters in to their hearts and allow me to tell their stories again and again. ~LK
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection One
Click here to explore
FOREVER WICKED by Shayla Black
CRIMSON TWILIGHT by Heather Graham
CAPTURED IN SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
SILENT BITE: A SCANGUARDS WEDDING by Tina Folsom
DUNGEON GAMES by Lexi Blake
AZAGOTH by Larissa Ione
NEED YOU NOW by Lisa Renee Jones
SHOW ME, BABY by Cherise Sinclair
ROPED IN by Lorelei James
TEMPTED BY MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian
THE FLAME by Christopher Rice
CARESS OF DARKNESS by Julie Kenner
Also from 1001 Dark Nights
TAME ME by J. Kenner
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Two
Click here to explore
WICKED WOLF by Carrie Ann Ryan
WHEN IRISH EYES ARE HAUNTING by Heather Graham
EASY WITH YOU by Kristen Proby
MASTER OF FREEDOM by Cherise Sinclair
CARESS OF PLEASURE by Julie Kenner
ADORED by Lexi Blake
HADES by Larissa Ione
RAVAGED by Elisabeth Naughton
DREAM OF YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout
STRIPPED DOWN by Lorelei James
RAGE/KILLIAN by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright
DRAGON KING by Donna Grant
PURE WICKED by Shayla Black
HARD AS STEEL by Laura Kaye
STROKE OF MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian
ALL HALLOWS EVE by Heather Graham
KISS THE FLAME by Christopher Rice
DARING HER LOVE by Melissa Foster
TEASED by Rebecca Zanetti
THE PROMISE OF SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
Also from 1001 Dark Nights
THE SURRENDER GATE By Christopher Rice
SERVICING THE TARGET By Cherise Sinclair
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Three
Click here to explore
HIDDEN INK by Carrie Ann Ryan
BLOOD ON THE BAYOU by Heather Graham
SEARCHING FOR MINE by Jennifer Probst
DANCE OF DESIRE by Christopher Rice
ROUGH RHYTHM by Tessa Bailey
DEVOTED by Lexi Blake
Z by Larissa Ione
FALLING UNDER YOU by Laurelin Paige
EASY FOR KEEPS by Kristen Proby
UNCHAINED by Elisabeth Naughton
HARD TO SERVE by Laura Kaye
DRAGON FEVER by Donna Grant
KAYDEN/SIMON by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright
STRUNG UP by Lorelei James
MIDNIGHT UNTAMED by Lara Adrian
TRICKED by Rebecca Zanetti
DIRTY WICKED by Shayla Black
THE ONLY ONE by Lauren Blakely
SWEET SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
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1001 Dark Nights story
The First Night
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Table of Contents
Book Description
About Laura Kaye
Also by Laura Kaye
Acknowledgments from the Author
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection One
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Two
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Three
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Four
Discover the World of 1001 Dark Nights
Discover More Laura Kaye
About the Blasphemy Series
Theirs to Take, Coming Soon
An excerpt from Mastering Her Senses by Laura Kaye
Special Thanks
One Thousand and One Dark Nights
Once upon a time, in the future…
I was a student fascinated with stories and learning.
I studied philosophy, poetry, history, the occult, and
the art and science of love and magic. I had a vast
library at my father’s home and collected thousands
of volumes of fantastic tales.
I learned all about ancient races and bygone
times. About myths and legends and dreams of all
people through the millennium. And the more I read
the stronger my imagination grew until I discovered
that I was able to travel into the stories... to actually
become part of them.
I wish I could say that I listened to my teacher
and respected my gift, as I ought to have. If I had, I
would not be telling you this tale now.
But I was foolhardy and confused, showing off
with bravery.
One afternoon, curious about the myth of the
Arabian Nights, I traveled back to ancient Persia to
see for myself if it was true that every day Shahryar
(Persian: شهريار, “king”) married a new virgin, and then
sent yesterday's wife to be beheaded. It was written
and I had read, that by the time he met Scheherazade,
the vizier's daughter, he’d killed one thousand
women.
Something went wrong with my efforts. I arrived
in the midst of the story and somehow exchanged
places with Scheherazade – a phenomena that had
never occurred before and that still to this day, I
cannot explain.
Now I am trapped in that ancient past. I have
taken on Scheherazade’s life and the only way I can
protect myself and stay alive is to do what she did to
protect herself and stay alive.
Every night the King calls for me and listens as I spin tales.
And when the evening ends and dawn breaks, I stop at a
point that leaves him breathless and yearning for more.
And so the King spares my life for one more day, so that
he might hear the rest of my dark tale.
As soon as I finish a story... I begin a new
one... like the one that you, dear reader, have before
you now.
To everyone searching for that feeling of being deeply and intensely alive, listen closely to yourself, for no one knows you better.
“There is a voice inside which speaks and says, ‘This is the real me!’”
~ William James, American psychologist and philosopher
Chapter 1
Things that would be better than being on this date, Liv Foster thought as she stared across the high-boy bar table at her so-called perfect match, Jerry. A popcorn kernel stuck between my teeth…finding a snake in my car…a pelvic exam... She took a sip of her Prosecco, hoping the bubbles would make her feel better as the guy continued to complain about the hour-long wait for a table.
“…This really is unacceptable. I mean, it’s not even that busy in here,” he said, running his hand over his short black hair. He was attractive enough, although it was clear that the picture on his online dating profile was at least ten years old. Maybe more. She’d thought they were a few years apart in age, but she suspected it was more like ten or fifteen. “I just hate incompetence, don’t you?”
Liv eyeballed the guy. You know, the one who hadn’t bothered to make a reservation at a swanky new restaurant located in a hotel just two blocks from the baseball stadium on a Friday night before a Baltimore Orioles game. It took everything she had not to roll her eyes. “Yeah, I really do.”
He huffed out a breath and shook his head, then started stretching and turning in his seat like he was looking for their waitress. In the thirty minutes they’d already waited, the two of them had apparently exhausted every small talk conversation of which he was capable. Jobs—she was a florist and he was an architect. The weather—sure had been a hot summer! Siblings—neither had any, so that was a short topic. Prior relationships—Liv hadn’t offered any gory details—though she had them in spades, whereas she almost felt like she knew Jerry’s ex, Angela, personally.
“So, what are you going to order?” Jerry asked.
Liv tilted her head. “Uh, well, I don’t know yet. I haven’t seen their menu.”
He pulled a face. “I don’t use menus.”
“You…what? How does that work?” she asked with a little laugh. Was he joking? She honestly couldn’t tell.
He shrugged. “I don’t use menus.”
In her mind’s eye, she pictured her childhood golden retriever, Howie, tilting his head. Then tilting it even more. She was seriously channeling some Howie just then. “But…how do you know what you want to order?”
He waved a hand around at the restaurant as if it were self-evident. “It’s a steakhouse. They have steak.”
“Oh. Uh. Right.” The waitress’s appearance saved Liv from trying to come up with a better response. Right in that moment, she thought she almost would’ve given anything to turn back time to when she and Caleb were still happy. When they were looking forward to their wedding, their honeymoon, and their life together beyond all the celebrations. But she was beyond wishing for something that could never be—especially when she deserved so much better. Besides, too much of what she’d thought she’d had with Caleb hadn’t been real, had it? And she never wanted to go back to that. Not ever again.
But, man. Jerry. Jerry was too freaking real. And Liv was still deserving better. But she was stuck on this ride at least until she’d choked down the last bite of her steak.
“Can I get you another round of drinks?” their waitress asked.
“Can we just eat here in the bar?” Jerry asked. “This wait is ridiculous.”
“Oh, sure. Of course,” the young woman said, pasting on a smile. Working in customer service, Liv knew what it took to deal with assholes like Jerry. And being three years single and back on the dating market, she was starting to know what it was like to date them, too. “I’ll grab you menus.”
He put a hand on the woman’s arm. “That won’t be necessary. We don’t need menus. I’ll just order for us.”
Liv wondered if her expression appeared as stunned as the waitress’s, especially when the woman stepped out of Jerry’s grasp and looked at Liv as if to ask if this was okay.
No. Definitely, totally not okay. “Actually,” Liv said, trying to keep her irritation in check. Because dang if breaking that be nice habit wasn’t hard as heck. “I—”
“I’ll have the ten-ounce Kobe filet mignon and she’ll have the six-ounce Kobe filet. Both medium well with loaded baked potatoes and asparagus.” He stared at the wa
itress.
The waitress shook her head. “I’m sorry, sir, we don’t have Kobe beef. We have an excellent local provider of American beef, and we have Wagyu.”
“That’s okay,” Liv said. “I prefer ribeye anyway. Medium rare.”
“Ribeye is too fatty,” Jerry said, looking at her like she was a child who’d disappointed him before his gaze returned to the hapless woman standing beside their table. “And I’d like to speak to your manager. Because what kind of steakhouse doesn’t have Kobe beef?”
“I’ll get her for you right away,” the woman said, nearly running from them. Liv couldn’t blame her.
The silence that followed was thick with tension, and Liv almost couldn’t decide if she’d hallucinated what’d happened or if this first date was truly just that bad. Jerry wouldn’t make eye contact and, instead, peered down at his cell phone beneath the table. So she took the opportunity to survey the diners sitting at the horseshoe-shaped bar near them in the hopes she’d see someone, anyone, she knew. God, please give me a way to escape Mr. I Don’t Use Menus. But God had clearly forsaken her, because the party of three women having a girls’ night out were strangers. As were the various groupings of men, some of whom wore Orioles gear and watched the pre-game commentary on the captioned television screens above the bar. An elderly man she didn’t know sat alone nearest to their high-boy table nursing a glass of bourbon, and two seats down from him…sat the hottest man Liv had ever seen.
And that was her impression just from seeing him in profile.
He had dark blond hair and a chiseled jaw, and even sitting, it was clear that he was tall. Seriously broad shoulders filled out a dark green button-down shirt, and big hands gripped a glass of water. Now God was just being mean. Because someone was going to get to be with that man tonight while she was stuck here with Jerry of the I Don’t Use Menus clan. As she watched, not-Jerry pressed his cell phone to his ear and began talking in tones too low for her to hear.
