Breaking Chance

For Melissa “Lucky” Chance, another stretch in Ganymede’s ice prison is nothing new. The flash-freeze that’s supposed to destroy her will only leaves her with an insatiable desire for the first hot body she lays eyes on. Except this time, she faces a death sentence. Her only hope of escape lies with the man known as The Butcher.

John Ramius understands the logic behind his conviction as a criminally insane mass murderer. No man should have been able to slaughter over fifty men in as many minutes, but no one sees the underlying curse that compels him to sense—and fulfill—someone’s deepest need. Chance’s skill will free him to kill the Sun-King; he will find no rest until he does.

As they run from the forces of the Jovian colonies, Ramius finds himself temporarily sidetracked, not only by Chance’s relentless desire, but by her underlying, unspoken need. Ignoring it—or his own compulsion to do every wicked thing imaginable to her—is not an option.

Only after all their defenses are stripped away do they discover that their meeting wasn’t by chance. Someone is manipulating them both, and the only way out is the path to their destruction…

I've discovered that running away from something holds far less appeal to me than running towards something. Doubt I'm alone in that, but I say it because it's likely what kept me from truly getting into this book. They were caught somewhere in the middle, running from their deaths to another's.

The scenes of progression gave me as much thrill as those that were rather stationary in the story. Chance bored me. Ramius had his moments. I give you one guess which scene got to me the most...

“We were about to die.” The words burned against her ear and she shut her eyes against them. “About to die and you couldn’t think it.” His choked voice stabbed at her. “Why?”

No. Her head dropped and she willed her mind to think only of the fierce thrust of his hips, his fingers, the press of his hot skin against hers, hard, fast. She would find her release, she would—

“I’ll say it.”

Panic gripped her. She wanted to break free of him, but he held her, stroked into her body with increasing force and speed. And she couldn’t deny how her screaming body responded to him, wanted him. The fierce slap of his slick flesh against hers, his power, yes, he was hers, utterly— “No.”

His ragged breaths ran hot against her ear, his lips pressed to the lobe. He was close to coming, his thrusts as uneven as his breathing. He would say it; she could almost feel the words in his mind. And if he said them, then she would lose him. Lose him as she’d lost her family. “Ramius, no, please.” But need tore though her. To hear him say—

“I love you.”

Were you right??