Publisher: Carina Press
Publish Date: Out Now!
How I got this book: eARC from NetGalley
Arriving home on leave from his tour of duty, Army Captain Alex Montoya knows there’s a beautiful woman waiting for him-his best friend’s sister. She’s always been off limits…until now. He fully intends to move them out of being “just friends” and encourage her to release the sexual needs he senses she’s buried deep.
Tianna McIntyre is starting over after her marriage ended. Her ex-husband weakened her self-esteem and caused her to deny her true sexual desires. But being around Alex brings all her dormant fantasies to the surface, and now Tianna feels the stirrings of her secret, submissive wishes.
Determined to help repair the damage Tianna’s ex did to her self-worth, Alex will use whatever means necessary to convince her they’re meant for each other, including tying her down to make sure he has her full attention while he takes her to the heights of pleasure she’s always dreamed of…
*Blurb from Goodreads*
When I first heard that Kaylea Cross had a pen name to write more steamy erotic stories, I hunted down that name and continue to keep an eye out for any new stories she writes. When I finally was able to sit down and read Touch Me, I couldn’t put it down!
Alex is home on leave, healing from an injury while fighting overseas. Although he wants to be back fighting with his team, he is also looking forward to finally getting a chance to show Tianna that they are meant to be together.
Tianna is just getting over a failed marriage from a man who beat her down emotionally. She doesn’t think she’s ready to venture out into the dating world again, until Alex comes home. Around him she can open up, be more herself, and get back to a point where she is happy in her own skin. But will Alex be enough to help pull Tianna out of her shell and gain enough confidence to take another chance at love?
I absolutely adored this story, even though it was shorter than I normally like. I’m always a sucker for the macho Alpha hero who is head over heels in love with his leading lady, and Alex was the perfect hero. He was strong and confident and alpha to the core, but at the same time he was also gentle and caring and ready to protect Tianna by any means necessary. I really liked that he was so willing to stand by her side and help her pick up the pieces of her somewhat broken life, but he was willing to let HER do the work, without being an overbearing jerk about it. There wasn’t one single thing about Alex that I didn’t love and adore.
While I didn’t connect with Tianna as quickly, I did care for her as more of her story came out. Her history with her husband and why their marriage dissolved wanted to make me cry. Tianna had a lot of growing to do, and while we don’t get to see too much of that in the story, Croix does a good job of showing it in the little subtle things. I do wish that Tianna would have just talked to Alex when she was scared instead of running away and trying to put as much space between them as possible.
All in all I thought Touch Me was a wonderful short story. It was full of smokin’ hot sexy times, but it also had a deeper emotional connection between the hero and heroine. It was both sweet and sexy and fun to read. I just wish we could have had a little longer time with these two.
I give Touch Me a B