The sexy-as-sin contractor and straightlaced attorney are from two different worlds, but can they find common ground with each other in this small-town romance?
Hadley
First I turned down a marriage proposal, then I moved to Annapolis to open a law firm. I thought my world couldn’t change any more…
Until Cade stepped into my office, smelling of sawdust with his company’s T-shirt stretched taut over his chest and biceps. Everything about him was sexy-as-sin and completely off-limits.
But I can’t risk the business I sunk my savings into by dating a client, and he won’t risk his heart.
The more we spend time together, the more I want him. Even if a relationship between us was possible, how can he give me all of him?
Cade
After my wife died, I swore off dating. I threw myself into my charity instead. It was easy at first, but I can’t ignore my attraction anymore.
Hadley comes from a wealthy family that operates with manipulation, lies, and deceit. I don’t fit into her world, but the closer we get, the more I wanted to show her how things could be different.
I never thought I’d meet someone who gave me hope for a future. One full of possibilities, love, and maybe even marriage and kids.
But how can I promise her forever when I know love doesn’t last?
Lea Coll worked as a trial attorney for over ten years. Now she stays home with her three children, plotting stories while fetching snacks and running them back and forth to activities. She enjoys the freedom of writing romance after years of legal writing.
She currently resides in Maryland with her family.
Hard to Handle, book one in the Play Hard series, an all new series of standalone books by New York Times bestselling author, K. Bromberg, is LIVE!
At first, the request seemed simple—sign a new athlete to the agency.
Then I found out the new athlete was none other than the most wanted man in hockey today: Hunter Maddox
Gifted. Sexy. At the top of his game. And the only man who has ever broken my heart.
If signing him will help save our family business, I’ll swallow my pride and do what’s asked.
But when it becomes clear his uncharacteristic antics off the ice are a hint of something deeper, keeping things strictly professional between us becomes more than complicated.
But I know better than to cross that line.
I’ll never date a client. Not even for him.
***
Win the Stanley Cup and do it before time runs out.
Not a small feat, but it’s what’s motivated me since the start of my career.
And time is running out.
Enter Dekker Kincade.
Feisty. Dogged. Damn gorgeous. The one I let get away.
I have no idea why she’s traveling with the team, but hell if resisting her is going to be easy.
But I have a job to do, and I refuse to lose sight of that end game. Even if she confuses me. Even if she sees parts of me I’ve hidden from the world.
I stare at Hunter. At his shirt plastered with sweat and how it clings to his body, despite the chill of the ice his skates are standing on. He has his warm-up pants on and is without a helmet, his hair curling at the ends from the sweat.
And all I see in his eyes is anger I didn’t put there. Or maybe I did. Rejection can do that to a man . . . but there’s something more here. Something I walked in on that doesn’t make sense.
“Don’t give me that look, Kincade,” Hunter mutters as he skates over to the penalty box where his electrolyte drink sits.
“What look?” I ask.
He half laughs, half snorts and meets my gaze across the distance. “Disappointment. Disproval. Disdain. I’m the king of all of them, so save your breath—or in this case—your glare, because it’s not going to work with me.”
“Are we working on emotions that start with the letter D today?” I ask. A hint of my embarrassment and anger over how I acted last night creeps into my voice, but I mask it with sarcasm. “If that’s the case, I’m more than impressed with your answers thus far.”
He clenches his jaw in response and then skates back over to line up more pucks so he can shoot them. And he does, one after another, each shot taken with laser precision and a healthy dose of fury behind it.
He goes through the first ten lined up and then stops to catch his breath.
His talent and skill are undeniable, but so is the beer bottle in my hand.
“Just because you’re the captain and star of this team, doesn’t mean management won’t frown upon this,” I say, unable to let this go.
“Screw the management.”
“No one likes a player who’s hard to handle and honestly, Hunter, you’re becoming hard to handle.”
“No one likes unsolicited advice from someone who has no bearing on his career, either,” he counters, the rebuke stinging but deserved.
The problem is, I do care about him. Doesn’t he get that’s where my hostility stems from?
And only a crazy person would say that, Dekker.
I put my hands up in surrender to both him and my own thoughts. “You know I only want the best for you.” I take a few steps in his direction in the first row of the stands. I’m close enough to catch the hitch of his movement and to see uncertainty flicker in his eyes. It’s almost as if he needs to talk but doesn’t see me as someone he can trust. I hate that. “What is it, Hunter?”
“Nothing. It’s . . . never mind.”
But I see it, and he knows I see it. The question is what do I see, though?
Meet K. Bromberg:
New York Times Bestselling author K. Bromberg writes contemporary romance novels that contain a mixture of sweet, emotional, a whole lot of sexy, and a little bit of real. She likes to write strong heroines and damaged heroes who we love to hate but can’t help to love.
A mom of three, she plots her novels in between school runs and soccer practices, more often than not with her laptop in tow and her mind scattered in too many different directions.
Since publishing her first book on a whim in 2013, Kristy has sold over one and a half million copies of her books across eighteen different countries and has landed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists over thirty times. Her Driven trilogy (Driven, Fueled, and Crashed) is currently being adapted for film by the streaming platform, Passionflix, with the first movie (Driven) out now.
With her imagination always in overdrive, she is currently scheming, plotting, and swooning over her latest hero. You can find out more about him or chat with Kristy on any of her social media accounts.
Yes, yes, yes. You all know how much I love the talent that is K. Bromberg. Well, this amazing woman has done it again. She has written a story that kept me craving more I was almost mad this book ended. But fear not, she has more coming!
Dekker is out to prove that she can handle business. Working at her father’s agency she is assigned the task of signing a well sought after hockey player to join them. What Dekker didn’t bargain for? That said hockey player would be the one man she has a history with, Hunter. Is it possible for Dekker to do her job and get Hunter to sign without letting her past feelings get in the way? Or will Dekker have to admit that this may be one challenge she isn’t truly up for?
This book had me laughing, crying, and putting me back together again. This book was everything from start to finish. It’s exactly what I’ve come to love from Kristy and everything I didn’t know I was missing. This woman can write a book that feels like I’m watching the story unfold, not reading it. I loved Hard to Handle and cannot wait to see what’s to come. Please check it out.
From Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author M. Robinson comes a contemporary romance duet filled with all the feels of a epic love story.
What do you do when you meet your soulmate at seven-years-old?
You give…
You live…
And you love…
Together.
Forever.
To have and to hold.
Until you hear the words, “I just don’t love you anymore.”
Wall Street Journal & USA Bestselling Author M. Robinson loves to read. She favors anything that has angst, romance, triangles, cheating, love, and of course sex! She has been reading since the Babysitters Club and R.L. Stein.
She was born in New Jersey but was raised in Tampa Fl. She was pursuing her Ph.D in psychology, with two years left. However, she dropped out of school and became a fulltime writer.
She is married to an amazing man who she loves to pieces. They have two German Shepherd mixes, Kobe and Trooper, a Wheaten Terrier, Teddy and a Tabby cat, Gio.
“Stacey Lynn always knows how to perfectly balance sexy and sweet.”—New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne
Hooked on Her, an all-new fun and flirty forbidden romance from Stacey Lynn is out now!
Tessa Chauncy is the best kind of trouble. Beautiful, sweet and completely off limits. I’ve sat by and watched other men drool after her and forced myself to stay in check. Hey, I’m in the NHL… I have self-control in spades.
Except when it comes to her.
With the bat of her lashes and quick whip of that sharply pointed tongue Tessa can knock grown men to their knees. I’ve seen them wither and crumble under her confident stare— something I’m pretty sure she learned from sparring with me, thankyouverymuch.
But I’m not just falling for her. I’m down for the count.
She’s the girl I wanted, when wanting her was wrong.
She’s also my new roommate–
And oh yeah, my best friend’s little sister.
Heaven help me, I’m probably going to get his fist to my face or his hockey stick shoved in very dangerous places for what I’m about to do, but I don’t think I care anymore.
I’m in love with my best friend’s little sister….and I’m done waiting.
I scoop more chicken onto a folded chunk of naan and moan as I savor the taste. There are some decent restaurants where I live, all within walking distance, which is a bonus, but none are as good as Tandor’s. I can’t even piece together what makes it so delicious but it’s mouth-watering amazing.
“Jesus, Tessa. Can you not sound like you’re having an orgasm when you eat?”
I choke on my chicken and wash it down with my water. “Don’t like it, you can leave.”
“But then I won’t be able to share with you why I’m here.”
The chicken I’ve devoured rolls in my stomach. Obviously it’s not because he’s a nice guy. I lean back in my chair. “What is it?”
He huffs a laugh and I hate he looks so damn good, smirking at me, shaking his head like I’m some amusing little thing.
“You’re cute, Tessa. I ever tell you that?”
“I think the day you took me to get stitches in my head, yeah. You bopped me on the nose with a finger and said ‘cute and tough, nice’ before ignoring me the rest of the weekend.”
I’m mortified with myself. He’s not supposed to know these things, know how much I remember every.single.encounter with him ever.
His mouth opens a bit and he stares at me. Yeah. That dose of word vomit probably surprises the hell out of him too. But hell, in for a penny. He says he doesn’t give a shit about what Sawyer thinks? He should know what I think.
“I’m pretty sure that’s the day I started having a crush on you.”
He doesn’t take his eyes off me as he chews on what I think is chicken tikki masala. Slowly, he swallows and sets his own fork down. Leaning forward, elbows on the table, I’m tempted to drop my gaze to his mouth and watch his full lips move so sexily as he opens his mouth and asks, “Want to know when it started for me? When I started facing the reality that it was my best friend’s little sister that made my dick hard in my dreams at night and when I was on the road?”
Meet Stacey Lynn:
Stacey Lynn likes her coffee with a dash of sugar, her heroes with a side of bossy, and her wine a deep shade of red.
The author of over thirty romance novels, many of which have been best-selling titles on Amazon, AppleBooks, and Barnes & Noble, she loves being able to turn her vivid imagination into a career that brings entertainment and joy to her readers. Focused on sports romance and emotional, small-town romance, she also loves stretching herself in different genres.
Born in Texas and raised in the Midwest, she now makes her home in North Carolina and loves all things Southern. Together with her ultimate tall, dark, and handsome hero, she has four children. Her life is a chaotic mess that fights with her Type-A, list-making, neurotically organized preferences and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s another fantastic Ice Kings story! I love Stacey and these amazing books. I love a good hockey romance and she does just that with Tessa and Jason.
Tessa and Jason have an interesting relationship. Jason is her brother’s best friend. The timing with these two never seemed to be right. Until it was. Tessa is getting out of a horrible relationship. One where her ex cleaned her out of everything. Jason’s protective nature kicks in and he just wants to do right by the girl he’s loved for so long. I loved watching this relationship evolve and turn into so much more.
I love Stacey Lynn and all her amazing stories. I can’t wait to see what’s to come.
Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward are excited to bring you the Cocky Hero
Club: original works from various authors inspired by Keeland and Ward’s New
York Times bestselling Cocky Bastard series.
COCKY SUIT
BY HARLOW LAYNE
Sexy. Demanding. Cocky.
All words I would use to describe Kingston Avery.
The owner of Avery Capital Holdings— and my new boss.
It was tempting enough working together everyday, but ignoring his wicked
promises under his roof was impossible.
But the company had a zero fraternization policy, and things were already
complicated enough.
On paper I
have it all. Wealth, security, and a collection of vehicles that spark envy,
even amongst LA’s rich and famous. Money is all I ever wanted, but now that I
have it in spades, I’m restless.
For the
first time in my life, I want things cash can’t procure. I want a real
relationship. Beauty and brains. A salacious little minx who isn’t afraid to
call me out. My equal, in and out of the bedroom.
The problem
is I have no clue where to find a woman like that.
Imagine my
luck when I come upon a curvy, gorgeous maiden in distress, stranded on the
side of I-10 like a mirage fashioned from my deepest desires. It’s fate.
Kismet.
Only she
isn’t impressed. Not by my money, my power, or my ability to make all her
dreams come true. Hell, she won’t even accept my ride without an
argument. But I’m not giving up. She doesn’t know who she’s dealing with, and
I’m not afraid to play dirty.
Levi McCoy
took me under his wing when we were kids. He was my protector. My best friend.
My everything.
And I was
his sidekick.
When he
landed an internship at Montague Enterprises, I was thrilled. Hundreds of
people had applied, and Levi and his roommate had made the cut. There was just
one problem. Only one of them would be offered the permanent position.
That’s when
things got messy.
The two
bargained for the final job offer, using me as their pawn.
And I fell
for it. The scheming. The stolen kisses. The late night texts. My heart was
being torn in two, and neither one of them cared. I was nothing but a pretty
face to one of them, and an easy target for the other.
All good
things must come to an end, right? Except our ending was one I didn’t see
coming. Hell, it should’ve never started in the first place.
Who thought
writing ‘LOSERS’ on a menu could lead to an affair of love notes?
It didn’t
start out as love. How could it when I vowed never to fall in love…
Reef
Burton, the sexy blue-eyed football player, and his mates are definitely not
‘Losers’ yet writing it on a menu gave me reason to smile. Only it didn’t make
it to the trash.
He returns
to the restaurant where I work wearing his killer smile. I wasn’t to know those
squiggly lines and arrows meant something. An offensive play his football team
learned at an earlier training session. Coming here discussing the team plays
over coffee helps… so he says.
He’ll see
what I wrote. Apart from it being awkward the next time I serve him he could
also report me to my boss.
I can’t
lose my job when in hindsight I need two to pay all the bills rolling in, and
to care for my invalid father.
I’m
thankful he kept it as our secret.
Until he
left me a note.
Responding
will only lead to more trouble.
So when Mr
Blue Eyes-Blond Surfy-Hair gives me one of his spine tingling looks, how can I
resist?
One trip
down the stairs, caused by a lone Lego, while wrapped in a towel, spewing a
plethora of profanities, and my cell phone went flying.
I landed on
my ass, and then the ER.
Between
those two occurrences was a FaceTime call, placed by a bouncing phone, to the
number of a man I didn’t even truly look at, who had now seen more of my body
than anyone had since my Tinder days, over a year ago.
Three
declined calls later, I limped out the door to get myself to the ER before
starting my hectic day.
The ER was
packed, but when I saw Nurse Bridget, one of my students’ mothers, I pleaded my
case, and she hurried me into an examination room.
An hour later,
I left on crutches with a bruised ass, a fractured ankle, and an appointment to
see an orthopedic surgeon at four p.m.
Arriving
fifteen minutes late for that appointment, I heard the sexy yet very brash
accent of a man who clearly had an obsession with punctuality and had,
apparently, no bedside manner.
Dr. Ethan
Stewart, tall, copper-haired, sinfully sexy … was a total ass.
After a
tongue-lashing about how irresponsible I was to, first, leave the ER with such
an injury, and second, be late, I put him in his place … or so I thought.
Turned off
by his arrogant attitude, turned on by the roguish glint in his green eyes and
the way he spoke, I left his office a hot … and wet mess.
Upon
exiting, my phone rang again. It was the same number from before, and I couldn’t
help answering to give the caller a piece of my mind.
Once in my
car, I hung up, tossed my phone on the passenger seat, and then looked out the
window to see him with his phone to his ear and a grin spread across his
far too handsome face.
Sean is a
normal guy. Has a great job as a photographer. Drives a new car, but not overly
flashy. Has his small group of friends.
Yeah he’s just your run of the mill average Joe.
Except, is anyone really all that normal?
The secrets Sean harbors run deep. Stemmed from agony deep inside and a thirst
for vengeance.
Melody is perceived as the beautiful spoiled princess that fell for a
beautiful, confident stranger many years ago.
Two polar opposites. One night that changed everything without either of them
knowing it.
Can love conquer all? With the help from a mysterious stranger, Adele. Who you
may all know from a certain Cocky character’s life. Unlucky in love herself.
Anything is possible.
***This book is in conjunction with the Cocky Hero Book Club with Adele and
maybe some of your other favorite Cocky characters guiding these characters
through their journey.
He was
someone who belonged on the cover of Sports Illustrated instead of in my small
beach town.
A sexy,
cocky Australian soccer star named Finn was the last person I expected to be
living with for two weeks.
He showed
up at my brother’s house on his wedding night, hot, drunk, and very much not married.
Next thing I knew, we were roommates, spending nights watching TV and getting
to know one another.
Those two
weeks turned into more than either of us bargained for.
He was
fresh off a broken heart and I had a boyfriend.
I wasn’t
supposed to fall for the jilted jock, especially when I knew we’d be going our
separate ways.
It was my time, a cross country drive heading home for my brother’s
wedding to figure out my life after college. Me, my dog named Goat, and the
open road. That’s all I wanted.
He wasn’t supposed to be part of it. My older brother’s high school
friend and my sister’s ex. The cocky boy my eleven-year-old-self hated.
The infamous Smith Blackburn.
AKA Smug Bastard.
The guy every girl wanted to be with and every guy wanted to be.
The day after graduation, he left town and disappeared, losing contact
with my family. But nine years later, he resurfaces and becomes a thorn in my
side once again.
After his motorcycle breaks down, my older siblings convince me to let
him ride home with me. Kyle wants his old buddy at his wedding, and Kasey,
still carrying a torch for him, wants nothing more than to see him again,
convinced they are meant to be. It’s the last thing in the world I want, but I
learned long ago going up against the powerhouse twins is futile.
After nine years, we’ve both grown up, but our mutual dislike lingers.
Though I can’t deny he is the sexiest man I have ever seen in my life. His
piercing blue eyes, gorgeous rugged face, and muscular, tall figure belong on
magazine covers. But he’s still a smug bastard, and I’m still the annoying
little “Baby K.”
Spending every minute together in a tiny camper van starts to twist the
lines of hate, igniting feelings and passions I’ve never felt before, shoving
me out of my safety bubble. Tension grows, and nights are filled with strain
and forbidden desire.
But I can feel him holding back. Cagey and cryptic, Smith’s dark past
hints at the surface.
When it finds us, nothing could have prepared me for the truth—the
secrets that flip everything upside down.
Confessions of a Bookaholic by Joslyn Westbrook is coming July 16th! Don’t miss this whirlwind slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance filled with laughter, angst, and enough steam to melt hearts. #Pre-order today!
BOOK BLURBWhat happens when a book blogger accidentally publishes her digital diary online?A viral shitstorm, that’s what.No way did I want thousands of subscribers to read my confessions—yet, that’s precisely what went down last night after four too many Cosmos with my girls.Now, Damage Control is my new middle name because my diary confessional has my roommate, Lucas Stone, written all over it.Literally.I’ve been in love with him forever—well, ever since I saw him sprint across campus naked during our first year of college.And now that Lucas knows how I feel about him? Well, things are destined to get awkward.Because Lucas Stone, my BFF—the man who sleeps only one room over—just got engaged.And his fiancée isn’t me.PRE-ORDER LINKSUniversal Link: https://books2read.com/Confessions-Of-A-BookaholicAdd to your Goodreads TBR: https://bit.ly/COAV_GRGIVEAWAYTo celebrate the cover reveal of Confessions of a Bookaholic, Joslyn Westbrook is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card! Head to her Facebook page to enter: https://www.facebook.com/JoslynWestbrookOfficialanimated_story 4ABOUT THE AUTHORWife. Mom. Foodie. Fashion Junkie. Rom-Com Lover.Author of sexy rom-coms and feel-good contemporary romance, Joslyn Westbrook’s novels feature sweep-you-off-your-feet heroes and the sassy, classy, badassy heroines who can’t seem to breath without them. When she’s not writing, Joslyn can be found binge-watching Netflix, cooking, shopping, and spending time with her husband and children at home in sunny California.AUTHOR LINKSFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/JoslynWestbrookOfficialReader Group:http://bit.ly/JoslynWestbrookAListersInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/joslynwestbrookMailing List:https://www.subscribepage.com/JoslynWestbrookGoodreads:http://bit.ly/JoslynWestbrookGoodreadsAmazon:http://bit.ly/FollowMeOnAmazonBookbub:http://bit.ly/JWBookBub
About T.M. FrazierT.M. (Tracey Marie) Frazier never dreamed that a single person would ever read a word she wrote when she published her first book. Now, she is a five-time USA Today bestselling author and her books have been translated into numerous languages and published all around the world. T.M. enjoys writing what she calls ‘sexy wrong side of the tracks romance’ with morally corrupt anti-heroes and ballsy heroines. Her books have been described as raw, dark and gritty. Basically, what that means, is while some authors are great at describing a flower as it blooms, T.M. is better at describing it in the final stages of decay. She loves meeting her readers, but if you see her at an event please don’t pinch her because she’s not ready to wake up from this amazing dream.
“Hard Pass.” That’s what the last girl I slept with said when she got her first sober glimpse of me. She laughed, walked out of my penthouse—and I never saw her again. It doesn’t matter that I’m a rich, professional athlete; what mattered was my face.
Beauty might only be skin deep for some—but I know better.
“Pay Up.”
That’s what the last girl I spoke to said over the phone when I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. Desperate to sell a set of rare baseball cards, she’s clever and entertaining. I’m instantly smitten, but nowhere ready to reveal myself. Thank god she has no idea who I am—or what I look like.
I’m a professional athlete–how hard can playing the love game be?
Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced latte’s, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British.
Connect with Sara Ney
Newsletter: subscribepage.com/saraney
Facebook: saraneyauthor
Instagram: saraneyauthor
Twitter: SaraNey
Book+Main: bit.ly/BookBitesSaraNey
Pinterest: Sara Ney
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4 STAR Review
I love Sara Ney. Her books are great. I love getting lost in her words and her stories. When the opportunity to read this book presented itself, I knew I needed to do just that. I fell in love with this story from the very start.
Noah is great. He’s sweet and sensitive, without losing who he is. He was relatable even though he was a professional athlete. I loved that it was Noah that had insecurities. I think it humanized him that much more. I loved Miranda. She was just so easy going. I loved that while falling for Noah was never part of the plan, it happened. I loved that she didn’t allow who he was to bother her.
I loved the secondary characters as well. I loved getting lost in this book and can’t wait for more from Sara.
Navy SEAL Jason Kealoha comes to Sunset Beach to release the
ashes of his SEAL brother, who was killed in an attack in Nigeria. A Pacific
Islander by lineage, Jason is unfamiliar with the Gulf Coast shores his buddy
grew up playing in as a child. He befriends a beauty one night at sunset, as
she roams the surf, skipping shells, lost in her own world.
Kiley Worthington is on the run from a sex trafficking
cartel she stumbled upon as an investigative reporter in Portland. She decides
hiding out in her sleepy beach hometown in Florida makes sense until she can
figure out where she can spend the rest of her life in safety. The one-night
stand was nice, but the last thing she needs is a huge tatted overly-protective
guy who won’t leave her alone. His attitude is all hardboiled, but his lips are
warm and seductive. If she’s not careful, she may never escape.
But Jason turns out to be the right kind of wrong for Kiley,
as her enemies find her. In Jason’s arms she finds a true sanctuary, as well as
a safe place to hide forever amongst the white sand beaches and golden sunsets
of the Florida coastline.
He shielded
her from the wind coming from the South, brushed her hair from her face and
placed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt
you. I only want to help. Please, don’t be afraid. I’m here now. Nothing is
going to harm you.”
Her arm
wrapped around his waist, not reaching very far, as she snuggled in the safe
space he’d created for her. Jason felt a twinge of regret that he’d been so
harsh with her. Her head rested on his chest just below his chin. He ran his
fingers through her hair, sifting, whispering things he’d heard as a child when
he’d jump into bed at night with his mother when he had nightmares.
Whatever
horror movie that had been playing in her head must have been something
frightening. He knew what fear smelled like. He’d seen women panic and faint in
the path of danger, unable to defend themselves or their loved ones. He’d seen
it all too often, and all too often he’d not been able to save them either.
She leaned
back, trying to see his face. “What language is that?”
Language?
He must
have been chanting, or speaking the circular rhymes they’d sing as kids. It had
come second nature and he couldn’t even remember what he’d said.
“Hawaiian.
Something my grandmother taught me.”
His right
palm brushed tentatively against the side of her face, and then he released her
all at once, and stepped back. His arms fell to his sides.
“I’m sorry.
It was a panic attack,” she mumbled.
“No, not
exactly. The attack was when you passed out. You are scared of something
little one.
That was pure, cold fear.” He sighed again, wanting to hold her once more, but
resisted.
She wrapped
the blanket around her.
“Are you in
danger?” he asked, suddenly wishing he’d not been so forward.
“A little.
But I’m far enough away from all that. Thank you, and I apologize how
ridiculous I was.”
“No apology
necessary. Fear does strange things to people sometimes. But you were brave.
You fought well.”
“No I
didn’t. I was pathetic.”
“You were
difficult to stop. That speaks to your courage, not your skill.”
“Did I hurt
you?”
Jason let
her fingers reach for his cheek which had now turned warm and was probably
swollen. She’d packed a good swing and the sting surprised him. He did not back
away, allowing the touch. His heart was pounding, beating like the drums of his
ancestors as she gracefully twisted her wrist and laced the backsides of her
fingers across the side of his face all the way to his ear.
He could
have easily taken her in his arms and he knew perhaps she’d let him kiss her,
but he stood like a statue, feet planted in the sand, like the surfboards
standing guard at Hanalei Bay. The wash of waves lapping on the shore stilled
his restless and troubled soul, while the distance between their bodies
remained. She had the touch of his grandmother and some of the older women of
his community–the way she used to bless his cuts and bruises, especially the
ones left by the two Samoan sisters.
This
stranger was a healer, and yet Jason knew she didn’t understand yet what her
true capacity was.
As he drove
to his motel room, he knew that, if the Gods of his ancestors wanted him to
meet her again, they’d create the opportunity. The empty tin sat next to him on
the front seat of his rental Jeep, as if Thomas was witness to this magical
connection he felt to her. Maybe Thomas was laughing at him.
He glanced
down at the urn.
“We won’t
speak of it.”
The urn
obeyed.
But all the
way back he couldn’t get the feel of her shaking body against him, the scent of
her hair, the tiny beads of sweat at the sides of her cool forehead, and her
probing but gentle fingers.
He thought
about her while he showered, and then watched moonlight glisten on the water of
the Gulf. He thought about her as he lay naked in his bed, his head propped
against his forearm.
Jason had
left the sliding glass door open a few inches so he could inhale the ocean air
all night long, which was always his custom wherever in the world he traveled,
if it was safe. He dreamt of the beaches back home, lush and full with the
scent of flowers floating all around him. He thought about the tanned
Polynesian girls he’d dated and made love to on the beach, their modest
nakedness a thing of beauty and grace. He felt their full lips, and the smooth
flat of their noses as they cuddled, giggled and whispered things to him. In
those days, drunk on the discovery of sex, he didn’t realize how the ocean, the
beach and a woman’s body could heal all those broken parts he could not.
He thought
about the girls he met in Coronado who were a bit too fast for his tastes, and
wanted everything now, hard and deep, leaving him aching for a simple touch of
kindness or a word of wonder.
Like a
metronome, the constant rhythm of the ocean sang him to sleep in stanzas
stitched together by the calling of sea birds.
The last
thought he had before he drifted off was that Thomas had brought him here to
Sunset Beach. It was a bigger purpose than the final good-byes to his friend.
Thomas wanted him to see the place where he’d grown up, to see the beauty and
treasure buried here. In time, he’d find out just what that treasure was.
As One door
closed, another one was waiting to be discovered. Whatever was on the other
side of that door, was his destiny.
NYT and
USA/Today Bestselling Author Sharon Hamilton’s SEAL Brotherhood series have
earned her author rankings of #1 in Romantic Suspense, Military Romance and
Contemporary Romance. Her other Brotherhood
stand-alone series are: Bad Boys of SEAL Team 3, Band of Bachelors, True Blue
SEALs, Nashville SEALs, and the Bone Frog Brotherhood.
Her SEALs
and former SEALs have invested in two wineries and a brewery in Sonoma County,
which have become part of the new stories. But old characters keep returning to
all the newer books.
Sharon also
writes sexy paranormals in two series: Golden Vampires of Tuscany and The
Guardians.
A lifelong
organic vegetable and flower gardener, Sharon and her husband live in the Wine
Country of Northern California, where most of her stories take place.
Genre: Romantic Comedy Release Date: June 15, 2020
Blurb
“Just friends” is all Brooke and Dylan have ever been.
(Except for that one night in high school, but they don’t talk about
that.) Growing up, he was her protector. Her confidante. The one guy
she could always trust.
Now she’s a marine biologist working toward her PhD in California, and he’s an
underwear model in New York. Dylan’s only in town for a few days, crashing
on Brooke’s couch and repaying the favor by acting as her date to a
friend’s wedding.
It was totally an accident she saw him naked.
After that, “just friends” goes out the window in favor of friends with benefits.
It’s all going great…until it isn’t.
Dylan’s got a ticket back to New York at the end of the week, and Brooke may
have accidentally broken his heart. Can they navigate these uncharted
relationship waters? Or has she tanked her oldest friendship?
His ass cheeks flexed as he stooped over his suitcase, and
hisheard herself gasp, and Dylan spun around, giving her the full-frontal
experience.
There wasn’t a lot of light in the room, but there was enough.
To see everything.
Everything.
For a second they both stood there frozen in shock. Brooke
withglory. Completely naked and hot as hell.
“Shit!” he yelped, belatedly trying to cover himself with the pair of
underwear in his hand. “I thought you were asleep!”
Brooke covered her eyes and turned her back on him. “I thought you were in
the shower!”
“I was letting the room fill up with steam to sweat off a little more
water weight, but I forgot to grab clean underwear.”
Brooke swallowed, trying to ignore the image of Dylan’s penis that was now
permanently seared into her brain. “Okay. Cool. Well…uh…looks
like you’ve got them now.”
“Yeah. So. I’m gonna go back into the bathroom.”
Keeping her eyes directed at the floor and her hand up to shield Dylan’s
still incredibly naked body from her view, Brooke moved aside so
he could get past her to the bathroom. “Cool. Yep. I’m just gonna go…”
She waved in the direction of the kitchen with the hand that wasn’t
covering her eyes. “Make some coffee or whatever.”
“Okay. Good.”
“Cool.” Why was she saying cool so much? Nothing about this was cool! It
was the opposite of cool. It was…
Hot, actually.
Except no. It was Dylan, and she did not want to think about him
like that. Okay, she wanted to, but she shouldn’t.
Susannah Nix is a RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary
romance who lives in Texas with her husband, two ornery cats, and a
flatulent pit bull. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, cooking,
knitting, watching stupid amounts of television, and getting distracted by
Tumblr. She is also a powerlifter who can deadlift as much as Captain America
weighs.
BOOK BLURB
What happens when a book blogger accidentally publishes her digital diary online?
PRE-ORDER LINKS
Universal Link: 
GIVEAWAY
Wife. Mom. Foodie. Fashion Junkie. Rom-Com Lover.
Author of sexy rom-coms and feel-good contemporary romance, Joslyn Westbrook’s novels feature sweep-you-off-your-feet heroes and the sassy, classy, badassy heroines who can’t seem to breath without them. When she’s not writing, Joslyn can be found binge-watching Netflix, cooking, shopping, and spending time with her husband and children at home in sunny California.
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About T.M. Frazier
