Ruin You by Molly O’Keefe will be released on November 9! But first read this exclusive excerpt from the newest book in The Debt series!

About ‘Ruin You’ by Molly O’Keefe:

Simon

The only thing that stands in the way of my revenge is her.

The lying scheming daughter of the man who killed my parents. She has the secrets I need to bring down her father.

And I’ll do anything to get them. I will lie to her. Steal from her. Use her.

Ruin her.

It helps that our chemistry is explosive.

What I’m not expecting is for her to be so sweet. And so strong.

So… irresistible.

Penny

After so many years of lying and hiding, I finally have a place to call home. With people I can call a family. The Paintbrush Inn is my life now, and I won’t let anyone ruin it.

When sexy and world-weary Simon checks in to the Inn, I never expect him to glance my way. I’ve spent my whole life blending into the background. Being overlooked and ignored. It’s been helpful, even though it’s lonely. And he’s way out of my league.

But our attraction is powerful. Undeniable.

Dangerous.

Because I can’t let anyone close. If the secrets I keep were to be revealed, my whole life would be destroyed. But something about Simon makes me break all my own rules. I’m letting him in to my home, my body, my life, never expecting he has his own secrets.

His own lies.

When the truth comes out, we’ll both be ruined.

‘Ruin You’ by Molly O’Keefe exclusive excerpt:

“It’s not how I planned our opening night to go,” I say. “Firing my sous chef and then making out like a teenager with a patron behind the Dumpster.”

“First of all, we were not behind the Dumpster. We were in some very smelly lavender bushes and nothing about what happened between us was anything like my teenage years.”

“No?”

“No.” He laughs. “There was no studying for math finals. No sweaty palms. No awkward offers for back rubs. You came, not me. No one cried and I didn’t even ask you which you liked better, Tolkien or George RR Martin. Star Wars or Star Trek.”

“Martin and Star Trek, for the record.”

Simon gasped. “I’m so in love with you.”

It is a joke. Of course it is a joke, but I feel my body freeze. My face go still. That’s how unfamiliar I am with the word. Even the jokes hurt.

“See, there, that is very reminiscent of me in my teenage years,” Simons says, reading my sudden freak out. “I — I’m joking. Badly. I’m sure you’re exceedingly loveable, but we just met —”

“What if I have expectations?” I ask, rushing into the breech because that’s what jokes about love do to me. They make me frantic. “What if I want more?”

His body, his gaze, everything sharpens. And it’s as if there’s a string between us. Between his body and mine. And it pulls so tight, I have to take a step closer to him.

“Which room are you in?” I ask.

My happiness needs controlled burns. Minor sorrows and liveable pain so that the happiness doesn’t get out of control. I need small explosions so I don’t blow everything to smithereens.

And I can hurt myself on him. Ruin something small so I don’t burn down the whole forest.

“No,” he says fast and I blink, sucking in a wounded breath.

I can feel the heat of my entire body as embarrassment burns through me.

“You…ah…right. That’s —” I’m stammering, stupid.

So fucking stupid.

“Penny,” he breathes.

“I’m…it’s late.”’

“Penny. Look at me.”

No way. Absolutely not.

“Penny.”

His voice is a command. And in my kitchen, I don’t take commands from anyone but I’m doing what he says. I’m lifting my eyes to his.

His eyes, so dark and so deep, ignite. My body floods in reaction. Between my legs, I’m slick and hot.

Ready.

All of that from a look. From three feet away.

The idea of what would happen between us in bed is too big to really imagine. But I want it, suddenly and completely, I want him.

He sets down the Cowboys cup and crosses the three feet, in one giant step. His hand slides around my neck, holding the back of my head in his palm and I immediately relax into the hold of him.

I surrender and his lip lifts not in that friendly smile. No. Not at all. It’s wolfish and powerful.

He recognizes my surrender and likes it.

For such a nice guy, a polite guy, there’s something dark in him. The way he pushed me against the wall. Put his hand over my mouth.

The way he holds me right now, like he has all the power.

And I fucking love it. The surprise of it. That beneath that charm is something dark and twisted that matches the dark and twisted something in me.

About Molly O’Keefe:

Molly O’Keefe has always known she wanted to be a writer (except when she wanted to be a florist or a chef and the brief period of time when she considered being a cowgirl). And once she got her hands on some romances, she knew exactly what she wanted to write.

She published her first Harlequin romance at age 25 and hasn’t looked back. She loves exploring every character’s road towards happily ever after.

Originally from a small town outside of Chicago, she went to university in St. Louis where she met and fell in love with the editor of her school newspaper. They followed each other around the world for several years and finally got married and settled down in Toronto, Ontario. They welcomed their son into their family in 2006, and their daughter in 2008. When she’s not at the park or cleaning up the toy room, Molly is working hard on her next novel, trying to exercise, stalking Tina Fey on the internet and dreaming of the day she can finish a cup of coffee without interruption.

Ruin You by Molly O’Keefe will be released on November 9! Pre-order here and add it to your Goodreads!