Holding Aces (The Kingdom #1) Author: Nikki Groom

 
They say that time heals all wounds. But mine are set in so deeply, they’ve taken on a life of their own, lurking in the shadows at every turn and haunting my thoughts. The girl I once was has been replaced by a stranger. I don’t even know who I am anymore. I run. And I hide. Pretending to be someone I’m not… Until I meet Denham King. My burst of color in an otherwise grey world. And for the first time in my life, I find myself running towards someone instead of running away. But fate can be cruel, and I can’t escape my past. Can I?   **Holding Aces is part one of a two part Adult Contemporary Romance series that contains mature sexual content and language and is not intended for readers under the age of 18.**    
The ding sounds on the elevator, bringing me back to reality from my daydream and when the doors open, I instinctively step forward, my feet thinking before my brain, and walk straight into the person exiting. My hands fly up to correct myself, landing on a hard, wide, chest, and I look up to apologize. Time stops. I take in the features of the very cute guy in front of me. Wrong. Cute is not the word I’d use to describe him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this kind of handsome and I lived in freakin’ LA. This guy is not botoxed or surgically sculpted, but he is chiseled—all natural. There’s something...just something... His hands grasp my shoulders to steady me, strong but gentle at the same time. He must be about 6’2 as he stands a head above me, and is dressed in a slate gray suit, with a crisp white shirt which is unbuttoned twice, giving me just a peek of his flesh at my eye level. As my gaze slowly travels upwards, I notice his dark hair is damp and falls gently across his forehead. His lips curl into a sexy little grin, and that simple movement breaks the trance-like state I seem to have put myself in. I blink twice and shake my head.  
   
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