Virtuous (Quantum Series Book 1) Read online

“What will it matter if he pays? Everyone will still know. You’ll know.”

  “Natalie, sweetheart, it doesn’t change anything for me. I’d still choose you a thousand times. A million times.”

  She burrows her face into the nook between my neck and shoulder, and I hold her as close as I possibly can. We stay that way, her sobs gentling, until we hear a telltale yip from the hallway.

  “Fluff!”

  The excitement I hear in her voice fills me with hope. “Stay right here. I’ll get her for you.” I kiss her forehead and get up from the bed, taking a minute to pull on my jeans before I open the door to Leah and Addie, who are about to knock.

  Fluff sees me and shows me the ten teeth she has left in her fourteen-year-old mouth.

  “Fluff,” Natalie says. “Come to Mama.”

  The little white ball of fur bolts into my room and onto my bed, where she’s reunited with Natalie.

  “Thanks, Leah.” Natalie’s roommate is trying not to stare at my bare chest.

  “Um, sure. Could I see Nat? Just for a minute?”

  “Of course. Go on in.” I step aside to let her enter the room.

  “You have a dog in your bed,” Addie says, going for a bit of levity.

  “So it seems.” A herd of elephants can invade my bedroom if that will make Natalie happy. “And isn’t it just my luck that Fluff is immune to my many charms?”

  Addie suppresses a laugh. “So you’ve finally encountered the one female on earth who isn’t bowled over by Flynn Godfrey?”

  “So it seems. She actually bit me and drew blood the day I met Natalie.”

  “I might’ve heard about that.”

  “Hayden’s been telling tales out of school again, huh?”

  “I’ll never reveal my sources.”

  My best friend and business partner is crazy about Addie, not that he’ll ever admit it to himself or to her. I suspect the attraction runs both ways, but Addie doesn’t talk about him to me, and I don’t ask.

  I run my fingers through my hair repeatedly until I’m certain it has to be standing straight up. “Tell me what to do here, Addie. I’m at a total loss.”

  “Just be there for her. She needs to know nothing has changed for you because of what happened today.”

  “I’ve told her that already. I don’t know if she believes me.”

  “Keep telling her until there can be no doubt.”

  “I never expected to feel this way about anyone.”

  Addie smiles at my confession. “It happens to the best of us.”

  “I can’t lose her over this. I just can’t.”

  “You won’t. When the dust settles, and it will, she’ll remember that you were with her through it all. That’ll matter.”

  While I appreciate Addie’s vote of confidence, I wish I could be more certain that Natalie and I will get through this intact. How long will it take for her to blame me for ruining everything for her?

  Get Valorous here!

  Thank you for reading Virtuous! Discuss the story with spoilers allowed and encouraged in the Virtuous Reader Group. And join the Quantum Reader Group for other updates and news!

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  Other Books By Marie Force

  Love Always Boxed Set, First Books in Four of Marie’s Bestselling Series

  The Quantum Series

  Book 1: Virtuous

  (Flynn & Natalie)

  Book 2: Valorous

  (Flynn & Natalie)

  Book 3: Victorious

  (Flynn & Natalie)

  Book 4: Rapturous

  (Addie & Hayden)

  Book 5: Ravenous

  (Jasper & Ellie)

  Book 6: Delirious

  (Kristian & Aileen)

  Book 7: Outrageous

  (Emmett & Leah)

  Book 8: Famous

  (Marlowe)

  Tame Quantum Series

  All the romance, none of the kink…

  Box Set 1, Books 1-3

  Box Set 2, Books 4-6

  Contemporary Romances Available from Marie Force

  The Gansett Island Series

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  Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 13-16

  Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 1-10.5

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  Book 1: Maid for Love

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  Book 5: Hoping for Love

  (Evan & Grace)

  Book 6: Season for Love

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  Book 7: Longing for Love

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  Book 10.5: Chance for Love, A Gansett Island Novella (Jared & Lizzie)

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  A Gansett Island Christmas Novella

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  Book 2: Can’t Buy Me Love

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  Single Titles

  Five Years Gone

  One Year Home

  Sex Machine

  Sex God

  Georgia on My Mind

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  The Fall

  Everyone Loves a Hero

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  Line of Scrimmage

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&
nbsp; Book 1: Fatal Affair

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  Book 4: Fatal Flaw

  Book 5: Fatal Deception

  Book 6: Fatal Mistake

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  Single Title

  The Wreck

  Historical Romance Available from Marie Force

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  About the Author

  Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, including the indie-published Gansett Island Series and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books. In addition, she is the author of the Butler, Vermont Series, the Green Mountain Series and the erotic romance Quantum Series. Duchess By Deception is the first in her new historical romance Gilded Series, that will continue with Deceived By Desire in September 2019.

  Her books have sold more than 8.5 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list 30 times. She is also a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller, a Speigel bestseller in Germany, a frequent speaker and publishing workshop presenter as well as a publisher through her Jack’s House Publishing romance imprint. She is a three-time nominee for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award for romance fiction.

  Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news.

  Join Marie's mailing list for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter @marieforce and on Instagram. Join one of Marie's many reader groups. Contact Marie at [email protected].