Thursday, September 29, 2016

REVIEW + EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY: Watching the Sky Cry by J.B. Hartnett




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OUR REVIEW:


You know what I love about J.B. Hartnett's novels? I know that I'm going to read characters who are well developed and are complicated. I also know that she's going to put me on an emotional roller coaster that is well worth every minute of the ride. Watching the Sky Cry  was no different; it has all the components--complicated characters who pack an emotional punch on almost every page-- and I could not stop reading it.
 I had to know what happened with Riley + Nick and Riley + Quentin. I needed to know how Riley was going to reclaim her life from her grief. I needed to know what her family and lover was hiding. I so desperately wanted to see how these characters and their families were going to have their HEA. 

I wish I knew how to explain how wonderfully quiet this novel is--it's not overly angsty. It's not explosive. It's grown up--the characters handle their lives as you might expect a 30-something to handle it (and sometimes better than the older adults do). It's thoughtful. It's exactly what I wanted when I requested to read it and I know that those of you who haven't given J.B. Hartnett a try yet would really enjoy it--she flies way too under the radar, in my opinion. 


New from J.B. Hartnett!


Watching the Sky Cry is a beautifully written,
emotional story and is NOW AVAILABLE
& Free on Kindle Unlimited!





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Blurb
Ten years is a long time when you’re thirty-two. We’d seen our share of ups and downs, but I could honestly say, they were mostly up. That’s the thing about happiness though. It lulls you into a false sense of security.


Neither one of us ever thought we’d ever be touched by crippling loss or immeasurable grief. But not all stories have a happy ending, and I knew, better than anyone, that sometimes, one of you won’t make it till the end. One of you has to go first. And one of you will be left behind to pick up the pieces.


That one is me.


But starting over isn’t what I thought it would be. I need escape from the memories that plague me, remind me. So I went back to where it all began. To the town where I was born. To the place whose beauty could pierce my pain. Where I experienced my first kiss, where I fell in love, where a man was my earth. And I…


I was his sky.


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Excerpt
You never had a girlfriend.” I whispered.
“No, Rylie. I didn’t.”
I pushed away from him, my mouth coating itself in preparation for what was to come, and ran toward the field behind his parents’ house. I threw up everything in my stomach, but I kept heaving with wracking sobs, unable to keep my shit together. If I’d listened….if I’d answered his letters…if I hadn’t met Nick…
His hands were in my hair, pulling it back, but it was no use. I was a mess in every way possible.
“This isn’t…” I hiccupped, “how I imagined this going.”
“Yeah?” he said softly. “How’d you imagine it?”
“We would have it out, and then we’d have angry sex, and then we’d fall in love and have babies and live happily ever after.”
See? Honesty.
“Oh Rylie,” he said with humor in his voice, not at all bothered when he wiped the edges of my disgusting mouth with his hand. “I’ll be pissing you off again…probably on purpose just so we can have that angry sex you just mentioned.”


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About the Author:
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Julie is a southern California native, a fan of a really good story (preferably a romance with a happily ever after), really good pie (preferably pumpkin)and copious amounts of coffee (preferably Folgers).


She has always enjoyed writing and at one time thought she might be a singer/songwriter. The 'writer' part is that one that stuck.


Julie is obsessed with Pi...the equation and the food. She's allergic to cats, cantaloupe and hates mushrooms. So if you ever want to give her a gift, those are out for sure.


She currently lives with her romance hero husband and two boys in Melbourne, Australia.

GIVEAWAY
$25 Amazon Gift Card



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

REVIEW + GIVEAWAY: Transfer by Aly Martinez





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ONE STORY. TWO COUPLES.


The Retrieval Duet by Aly Martinez is a two part series.


TRANSFER (Part 2) is NOW AVAILABLE!


Kobo: http://bit.ly/2aW1So5

OUR REVIEW:


Shel: When I saw the email that Transfer was arriving on my kindle, I immediately did a happy dance while texting Court the good news. In other words I spazzed out. I was so excited to see where Aly Martinez was going to take these characters that I zoomed through everything I was doing and reading so that I could start reading. Note to self: do not start an Aly Martinez book the 30 minutes before you have to teach because all you'll want to do is read all day and therefore find yourself distracted until you can. Court: MEEE TOOOO! I was blown away by the first installment, and could not wait to dive into the second one. You must read this as soon as possible...and then tell us so you can join us in reading more of her work! 

Shel: Transfer picks up exactly where Retrieval ended and we are thrust right into that intense moment at Clare's house. I'm not sure how spoilery we can be, but as you may guess at some point Clare and the Leblancs meet and that was emotional and uplifting--exactly what you wanted for these couples. Court: But that definitely doesn't mean that it wasn't seriously intense. I was fo reals stressed, but I was hoping that we might get deliverance at some point. And at some point..you can make your own guestimates as to when that it or if we get it because I'm surely not going to tell you...but wow. Just wow. 

Shel: There's also falling in love --filled with so much swoongage--he is so growly and tender and all about her. Their banter is sweet and funny and they fit so well together.<-- notice the vaguery here..I could be talking about either couple. Both couples? One of the couples? All of the above. (It's like a multiple choice test I give my students). In reality, I am thinking about one couple in particular but in actuality when reading about both couples finding each other and the love that they want and deserve. Court: I love you babe, but looking at that I'm glad I'm not in your class! And yes that is vague, but it's because these fine people should be already doing what I said and go read it for themselves, and maybe the secrets would go away!!! Hah. But really, there is so many layers to the plot and the characters that just whoa again. Thickened just right. 

Shel: And while it'd be nice if we could just cruise into the sunset all HEA with these two, but we all know that that's not how books work and that's not how we want them to work. Court: NOPE! Intensity x 1000 right there. 

Shel: Bad things happen. Note the plural. Court: and note that I had palpitations.

Shel: But the ending and the epilogue more than make up for those heart pounding moments. Court: but still yet, I didn't unclench until the very last word. Aly has that effect on me. It is for sure a good thing.

Shel: I very much enjoyed this duet and am pissed at myself for not reading Aly Martinez sooner. This error in judgment will be rectified asafp. This duet was exactly what I needed when I needed it and I know when you pick it up you'll feel the same. Court: This duet is exceptional and I can't wait to read more either! 



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Blurb
One story. Two couples.


I fell in love with a man who didn’t exist.


What started out as romance ended in hell.
His words turned to razor blades.
His kisses converted to fists.
His embrace became my cage.
His body transformed into a weapon, stealing parts of me until ultimately….
I broke.


I hated him.
My sole job in life became to protect our daughter.


I wasn’t sure I’d ever escape the prison he’d skillfully crafted from my fears.
Until the day our savior arrived.


This is the story of how I escaped the man who thought he owned me.
The transfer of my life and my family.


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RETRIEVAL is available and brings readers the first part of this emotional second chance romance.   
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Retrieval (Part One):

Meet Aly Martinez
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Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.
After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.


GIVEAWAY
$50 Amazon Gift Card

Monday, September 26, 2016

COVER REVEAL: Tonic by Staci Hart




Title: Tonic
Author: Staci Hart
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Cover Design: Staci Hart
Photographer: Perrywinkle Photography
Release Date: October 13, 2016



Blurb

Joel Anderson doesn’t take anything seriously.

Not his relationships, which have been few and far between since his brutal divorce. Not the drama of working in a tattoo parlor, which seems to be around every corner. When things get him down, he smiles and cracks a joke. But he’s not the kind of man you cross, or you’ll find yourself at the wrong end of his fists.

Annika Belousov takes everything seriously.

Like her job as a reality television producer, given that she typically has something to prove. Or her love life, which is defined by a series of requirements — affluent, ambitious, accomplished, to name a few. Definitely her family, who worked their whole lives to afford her every opportunity, a sacrifice she doesn’t take lightly. When she’s tapped to produce a reality show at Joel’s shop, she doesn’t think twice, just goes in for the kill, as if there were any other way.

The second Annika walks into Joel’s shop, he makes it his mission to crack her open, but she’s not having it. He’s all wrong — too crass, too hairy, too un-serious. But it doesn’t take her long to find out there’s more to him than smirks and tattoos. And what she finds could put her career and his heart on the line.

Not that Joel cares. Because for the first time in a long time, he’s found his tonic.





Author Bio


Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life: a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife, even though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. Her favorite word starts with f and ends with k.

From roots in Houston, to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's sleeping, cleaning, or designing graphics.



Author Links

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REVIEW: The Goal by Elle Kennedy


OUR REVIEW:

Shel: OHMYGOD someone punch me for waiting so long to read an Elle Kennedy book. Seriously. Right now. Punch me. I mean, what the hell. Why haven't I been reading her books from the beginning of time? I'm so behind. Good news, though--I'm officially on the Elle Kennedy fangirl bandwagon and I'm looking forward to reading all of her previously released works because The Goal was one of those reads that sucked me in immediately and I found it impossible to put down. Court: DUDE<I told you! Hahaha! I am so glad you finally did. 

Shel: The heroine, Sabrina, was delightfully prickly and stubborn with what I imagine to be the best RBF ever. I loved her from the start--how driven she was, how she viewed sex, how hardworking she was...basically everything about her was awesome, until it wasn't. Until I wanted her to give in and just say those three humongous words to Tucker that seemed impossible for her to say; then? then, I wanted to throttle her a little, or maybe a lot, even as I was totally understanding why she was doing what she was doing. So what I guess I'm saying is that I loved the character of Sabrina and all of her hardass ways and even if I didn't always agree with her, I appreciated everything she was about and what she was trying to accomplish. Court: Yes, she is a deep character. She has her own way of doing things, and has grown up not relying on sharing that with anyone. She holds her own and doesn't let people think less of her for her choices and she's always working hard. Enter Tucker, and I swooned so hard I fell over. 

Shel: Equally wonderful was Sabrina's counterpart, Tucker. This guy was damn near perfect. Actually, I think he was perfect. He's everything you'd want for Sabrina: kind, smart, sexy, patient, and totally in love with her. Did I mention how patient he was? Tucker had the patience of freaking Job when it came to Sabrina. I don't know how he did it--he gave her everything and trusted that it would work out even when all signs pointed to no. He handled everything with calm and ease and confidence and if I were single, I'd want Tuck. (I kinda still want Tuck and I'm happily married. That's on you, Elle Kennedy. Damn you and your dreamy Tuck). Court: Yep. Let me at him, please. (JK Sabrina might kill us if we tried, lol) but you get me. I really liked his relationship with his friends, his goals, ironically his relationship with his mother but most of all how he said he would be there for someone and really held true to that statement. 

Shel: Elle Kennedy had a huge task--to take two characters who weren't prepared for parenthood and create a world that would somehow work out for them. Not only did she make it work, she made it so very interesting. I loved many of the secondary characters (and can't wait to read their books) and I loved to hate Ray (ew, ew, ewwwww). I don't even like being freezing cold and I found myself longing to hang out in Boston in the winter where I'd somehow find myself hanging out with this gang of friends. Thanks so much for taking me away from a weekend of grading papers and plunging me into the world of Sabrina, Tuck, and all of their friends; what a fantastic way to spend my Saturday. Court: I wish characters like Ray all of the worst kinds of food poisoning in all of the world. And that they crap their pants walking home from the bar, and yeah that went a weird place but I'm not deleting it. I also agree with everything you said. Their friends are great, the setting is awesome, and the "twist" if you will is a really great addition to the book. I was nervous how she would handle things...and holy calzone things got real, really fast.

Curious to know more? Read below or buy it here: http://amzn.to/2cYGV1Z

She’s good at achieving her goals…

College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick butt in law school, and land a high-paying job at a cutthroat firm. Her path to escaping her shameful past certainly doesn’t include a gorgeous hockey player who believes in love at first sight. One night of sizzling heat and surprising tenderness is all she’s willing to give John Tucker, but sometimes, one night is all it takes for your entire life to change.

But the game just got a whole lot more complicated

Tucker believes being a team player is as important as being the star. On the ice, he’s fine staying out of the spotlight, but when it comes to becoming a daddy at the age of twenty-two, he refuses to be a bench warmer. It doesn’t hurt that the soon-to-be mother of his child is beautiful, whip-smart, and keeps him on his toes. The problem is, Sabrina’s heart is locked up tight, and the fiery brunette is too stubborn to accept his help. If he wants a life with the woman of his dreams, he’ll have to convince her that some goals can only be made with an assist.


NEW + EXCERPT: Sex Machine by Marie Force


Synopsis: 
Marie’s first standalone title in five years!

He’s good for one thing and one thing only—and she wants it bad.
Honey Carmichael has never had a decent orgasm, and she’s out to change that with the one man in town known for his superior skill between the sheets.

Blake Dempsey is happy to help Honey with her “problem” as long as she knows he’s only interested in sex. His heart was broken when his high school girlfriend was killed in the car he was driving, and he has nothing to offer other than more orgasms than Honey can handle.

Which is just fine with her—until fantastic orgasms aren’t enough anymore for either of them and unexpected feelings turn hot sex into messy entanglement—and that most definitely wasn’t in the plans.
But you know what they say about plans…

A sexy, dirty stand-alone romance intended for MATURE audiences. If you can’t take the heat in Blake’s bedroom, stay out or you might get burned. You’ve been warned!


Sex Machine Buy Links:


Chapter 1
Honey
“I want you to fuck me.” I’m proud of the fact that I never blink as I stare into the baby blues of the man I just blatantly propositioned. In public, no less.
Blake Dempsey chokes on a mouthful of beer, his eyes watering as beer meets lungs in an unholy alliance.
For the first time since I walked into the dark, dank bar, my resolve begins to waver as I question the wisdom of this mission. But if I don’t take the bull by the horns, literally, I might never know why everyone else makes such a big freaking deal about sex. My best friend, Lauren, has assured me that Blake Dempsey is the answer to my most pressing problem. And she speaks from experience.
Tentatively, I pat him on the back, hoping to get him breathing again so we can get back to our conversation, such as it is. Let’s face it—he’s no use to me dead.
As he continues to hack beer out of his airway, people begin to take notice of us, which is the exact opposite of what I wanted. I’d planned to come into the dive bar where Blake has his end-of-the-day beer at exactly six thirty every night before heading home—alone—make my proposition and walk out of there with him.
I hadn’t counted on him choking on his beer or having the eyes of every man in the place on me as I wait for him to recover and give me an answer. What if he says no? Men never say no to Honey Carmichael, which is part of my problem. I have a reputation for attracting them like bees to. . . well, honey. But I’ve never been tempted to keep one of them, thus my well-earned reputation as a love ’em and leave ’em kind of gal.
It’s not my fault that I’m blessed with thick honey-blonde hair, brown eyes that made the boys start simpering over me in fifth grade and a rack that’s been getting me in trouble since high school. Not to mention the long legs that somehow manage to stay tanned year round and an ass that Tommy Lonergan once referred to as a work of art. So I’ve had my share of men. So what? The one thing I’ve never had is a decent orgasm with a man, which is why I’m still alone at almost thirty and happy that way. Most of the time.
Blake finally quits sputtering long enough to look up at me with eyes still watery from coughing. “You wanna run that by me again?”
“You heard me right the first time.” I resist the urge to fidget and hold his steady gaze.
His steely blue eyes seem to look right through me, as if searching for the truth behind my blatant invitation. As he runs his fingers through a short crop of dirty blond hair, his entire torso ripples with muscles.
My mouth waters at the thought of all those muscles wrapped around me. I lick my lips as my nipples stand up to take notice and my pussy clenches in anticipation. From what I’m told by a reliable source named Lauren, Blake has the biggest cock in town and knows how to use it. That thought causes the throbbing between my legs to intensify. When desperate times call for desperate measures, I believe in hiring the best man for the job. And these are most definitely desperate times.
“What brought this on?” His sexy drawl and the relaxed way he occupies the bar stool belie the intensity of his stare. To look at him, filthy from a day of hard, physical labor, one might dismiss him as just another working man.
One would be mistaken.
Blake runs the most successful construction and renovation business in the area, and judging by his grimy appearance, he works as hard as the many men he employs. On him, the grime only makes him more appealing.
“Did you finally run out of guys to fuck in this town? No one left but me?”
I can’t deny that I’ve probably had too much sex, looking for the elusive something that has other women waxing poetic about the act. To me, it’s nothing special, two bodies coming together to expend some energy. Big deal. I’ve never understood what all the hoopla is about, a sentiment I recently shared with Lauren. After she finished laughing at me, Lauren had said, “If you want to know what the hoopla is about, you need to fuck Blake Dempsey.”
Lauren ought to know. She’d been Blake’s fuck buddy for a short time years ago and had declared him an absolute machine in bed. Lauren assures me that doing the deed with Blake will result in nonstop orgasms and pleasure unlike anything I can possibly imagine. “One night with him,” Lauren had said, “and you won’t wonder anymore.”
“You wouldn’t care?” I’d asked my friend.
Lauren had shrugged. “It was just sex between us. That’s all he’s capable of. Everyone knows that. A girl would be a fool to fall for him, so I took what I could get, and when it was over, it was over. It was a long time ago. Have at him and The Cock.”
Even though I’ve known Blake all my life and have never once considered him boyfriend material—mostly because my best friend dated him ages ago—I’m desperate enough to know what I’ve been missing out on to walk into a bar and utter a sentence that no doubt has my dear, sweet grandmother rolling in her grave.
I can’t think about what Gran would have to say about me unashamedly propositioning a man. All I can think about since the conversation with Lauren a week ago are the words “machine” and “nonstop orgasms.” The best orgasms I’ve ever had are the ones I’ve given myself, thus my need for Blake and his legendary cock.
“Are you gonna answer the question?” Blake drawls.
I snap out of the fog to realize I’ve been staring at him while he waits for me to answer him. “What was the question again?”
“Did you run out of other guys to fuck? Is it down to me?”
I hold back a wince at his judgmental tone. I’m not proud of the number of men I’ve test driven, seeking the hoopla. “What do you care?”
“I don’t.” It’s a well-known fact that Blake Dempsey doesn’t care much about anything other than his family, his business, the people who work for him and a few select friends. He shrugs as he drains the beer bottle and puts it on the bar next to a ten-dollar bill. “It’s your business, not mine.”
When he stands to his full six-foot three-inch height and looks down at me, I nearly swallow my tongue. My nipples stretch against the confines of my bra and tank top, as if they’re reaching for him. I hold my breath waiting to see what he will do.
He brings his head down close to my ear. “Follow me home.” His tone is gruff and sexy and authoritative.
I shiver as my heated core weeps in anticipation. My eyes travel from broad shoulders to lean hips and below where the outline of that legendary cock has me licking my lips once again. Soft faded denim hugs him in all the right places, and it’s all I can do to refrain from reaching for the button and giving it a tug to get things started.
My mouth waters as I pictured his big cock springing free of his clothes, ripe for my mouth, my pussy and anywhere else he chooses to put it.
“Honey?”
Once again I shake off the sexual stupor and force myself to meet his gaze. If thinking about sex with him gets me this hot, I can’t imagine what the actual deed might entail.
“Are you coming?”
Even though Lauren had assured me he wouldn’t say no, I’m still insecure enough to be surprised that he accepted my offer. Oh my God, I’m really going to have sex with Blake Dempsey. Resting a hand on his sculpted chest, I say, “Oh yeah, I’ll be coming, and so will you, big boy.” The cocky statement, exactly what he expects from me, covers the quaking going on inside.
A throbbing pulse in his chiseled jaw is the only sign of emotion in his otherwise blank expression as he takes me by the hand and heads for the door.
Mindless of the prying eyes of the other customers, I scramble to keep up with his long-legged stride.
“Where’s your car?” he asks when we’re outside in the fading sunlight.
Heat from the long summer day rolls off the blacktop in scorching waves, but I shiver from the almost predatory way he looks at me. “There.” I point to my tiny silver car with the decal on the side hawking my photo studio.
“I’ll wait for you.” He drops my hand and stalks to his big black truck with his own company emblem on the side. His long strides eat up the pavement. I watch him go, fascinated, by the way his jeans hug his muscular ass. I can’t wait to see if his ass looks as good naked as it does in denim. Who am I kidding? It’ll look even better.
I order my quivering legs to move. They finally get the message, and I rush to my car, managing to drop my keys in the dusty dirt parking lot. I bend to get them and am scorched by awareness. As I stand up, I venture a glance at his truck and find him watching me intently, his entire focus on my ass. The quaking begins anew as I get into the car and fumble some more with the keys before managing to get the car started. At this rate, I’ll need an insane asylum before I ever get what I want from Blake.
His truck leaves a cloud of dust in its wake as he pulls out of the parking lot onto Highway 90, heading out of downtown Marfa, Texas. The sun is a ball of fire in the sky as I follow him at a safe distance. The last thing I need is to smash into his back end because I’m such a nervous fool. It’s not like I’ve never come on to a guy before. I have. Too many times, but this guy has always been so remote and off-limits that it took all my courage to walk into that bar and say the line that Lauren and I rehearsed until I got it just right. My hands are trembling and sweaty as I reach for my phone.
“What’d he say?” Lauren asks when she picks up on the first ring.
“I’m following him home.”
“To his house?”
“Yes.”
“This is huge! He never takes women to his place.” Lauren lets out a shrill squeal. “I’m so jealous!”
Instantly alarmed, I swerve before I right the car. “You said you didn’t care!” I can’t lose Lauren, the closest thing to family I have left. “I’ll call it off right now if you don’t want me to go with him.”
“I’m not jealous about him. I’m jealous that you get to be with The Cock.”
I swallow hard. “It can’t be that different from all the others.”
Lauren’s dirty chuckle comes through the phone. “Oh, Honey. . . You have no idea what you’re in for. Tomorrow, when you’re walking bow-legged, remember I told you so.”
A bead of sweat slides down my backbone. Propping the phone between my ear and shoulder, I turn the AC on high and follow the black truck as it hangs a left onto Antelope Hills Road. “You always did exaggerate, Lo.”
Lauren snorts with laughter. “You’ll know soon enough that I’m not exaggerating. Call me in the morning. I want every, single detail. In fact, if you could take notes, that’d be great.”
“Shut up.”
“Honey. . .”
The unusual seriousness in Lauren’s voice has me immediately on guard. “What?”
“Ever since your Gran died, you’ve been looking for a place to call home again. It’s not going to be with him. No matter what happens, don’t forget that. Do you hear me?”
“I hear you.”
Blake’s story is well known around town. He blames himself for the car accident our senior year of high school that had claimed the life of his girlfriend, Jordan Pullman, who’d also been a friend of mine and Lauren’s. The loss of Jordan had rocked our entire class, but no one more so than Blake. Even after the police ruled that the accident was the fault of the other driver, Blake continued to blame himself. He’d kept his distance from people—especially women—ever since, throwing his considerable energy into his business. Occasionally, he took a lover, but he never kept her for long.
My story is equally well known. Abandoned at the church when I was days old, Nora Carmichael, who’d never married, took me in and raised me as her own. Because Nora was in her early sixties when I came to live with her, I always called her “Gran.” She died ten years ago when I was only twenty, leaving me to fend for myself in an unforgiving world. I’ve done okay, all things considered, but it’s been a struggle.
“Call me in the morning?” Lauren says.
“I will.”
“Remember: Only sex.”
“I gotcha.”
“Did you use the ‘I want you to fuck me’ line?” Lauren asks. We’d debated a number of ice-breaking lines and had settled on the most direct of the many choices.
“Sure did.”
“I need to try that one on Garrett.”
Poor Lauren has been lusting for years after Garrett McKinley, accountant to Blake’s company and most of the other businesses in town. “What’s stopping you?”
“Um, only the fact that he thinks I’m a brainless floozy.”
“You’re neither brainless nor a floozy. Look at what a booming business you’ve made of the flower shop. How can he think you’re brainless?”
“Maybe because I act that way any time he’s in the same zip code as me?”
“I still say you should hire him to do your books. Then he’ll find out how full of brains you really are.”
“Not happening. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.”
I watch Blake pull into a driveway a block in front of me. The door on a two-car garage goes up and Blake pulls in. “I gotta go. We’re at his house.”
“Just sex,” Lauren says one more time.
“I heard you the first ten times. Bye, Lo.” Ending the call, I repeat Lauren’s refrain. “Just sex.” The last place in the world I’m going to find my home is in the arms of the most remote man I know. Determined to take this one night, and only this one night, with him and “The Cock”—a thought that makes me giggle nervously—I follow Blake’s hand signal to pull into the empty half of the two-car garage.
By the time I make it out of my car and into the laundry room that adjoins the garage, he’s removed his work boots and stripped down to boxer briefs that hug his tight ass.
I stare at the muscles on his back that taper down to that most excellent butt—and wonder if we’re going to get busy right here. I clear my throat to remind him I’m here.
He seems in no particular rush as he tosses his clothes into a front-loading washer, adds detergent and starts the cycle. Then, as if I’m not there, he goes into the kitchen.
I’m not sure if I’m supposed to follow him, but I do it anyway.
He hands me a piece of paper. “Tell them to send my usual and get whatever you want.”
I somehow manage to tear my gaze from the most lickable male chest and ripped abs I’ve ever seen to glance at the red and green print on the paper. I recognize the logo of Pizza Foundation. “They don’t deliver.”
“They do for me. I pay extra.”
“I’m not hungry.”
He shoots me a meaningful look. “I worked all day, and if I’m going to be expected to work all night, too, I need fuel—and so do you.”
A burst of heat creeps from my chest to my face as the implications of his statement settle on me. All nightWhoa.
“Make the call. I’m going to grab a shower. There’re drinks in the fridge. Help yourself.”
For a long moment after he leaves the room, I stand motionless in the middle of a nicer-than-expected kitchen. What the hell am I doing here? Did I really go to the bar Blake Dempsey frequents and ask him to fuck me? “You’ve lost what’s left of your mind.”
I could cut my losses and leave while he’s in the shower. Sure, the few times a year that I run into Blake at the grocery store or post office or at the home of a mutual friend would be awkward from now on, but I can live with that if it means saving some face.
My cell phone chimes with a new text message that jostles me out of my temporary paralysis. Digging into my purse, I pull out my phone. From Lauren: No matter what, don’t chicken out. You’ll be sorry forever if you do. Trust me on that!
As always, Lauren’s timing is impeccable. Sucking in a deep breath and releasing it, I call in the pizza order and then take a beer from the fridge. If there’s ever been a time for liquid courage, this is surely it.
Copyright 2016. HTJB, Inc. All rights reserved.



Author Bio: 
Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 contemporary romances, including the Gansett Island Series, which has sold more than 2.3 million books, and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books, which has sold more than 1.2 million books. In addition, she is the author of the Green Mountain Series as well as the erotic romance Quantum Series, written under the slightly modified name of M.S. Force. All together, her books have sold more than 5 million copies worldwide!

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 on her website at marieforce.com for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. Follow her on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MarieForceAuthor, on Twitter @marieforce and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/marieforceauthor/.

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