Erin Nicholas's Blog - Posts Tagged "small-town"
Hot country boys, billionaire heroines...and pie!
Have you taken your first trip to Bliss, Kansas?
The first in the brand new, sexy, small town contemporary romance series Billionaires in Blue Jeans is available now!
But these are not your typical billionaire romances!
A tough corporate CEO, a nerdy research scientist, and a globe-trotting party girl walk into a conference room…
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/Diamonds-Amz
iBooks: http://tinyurl.com/Diamonds-iBooks
Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/Diamonds-Kobo
BN: http://tinyurl.com/Diamonds-BN
High Heels and Haystacks PREORDER!
Don't miss book two in the Billionaires in Blue Jeans series!
Coming April 10th!
A boss-employee romance...with a twist
Only three things stand between Ava Carmichael and her twelve billion dollar inheritance:
1. A year of living in Bliss, Kansas.
2. A relationship that lasts six consecutive months.
3. A pie.
Ava has run a multi-billion-dollar company, negotiated with shark investors, and hobnobbed with business royalty, but she’s about to be defeated by her inability to turn sugar, flour, and apple pie filling into something edible.
Conveniently, the owner of the diner next door, Parker Blake, is magic in the kitchen. And he technically works for her. So she can make him teach her to bake. And, hey, if everyone assumes they’re heating up more than the oven during their time in the kitchen…well, that’s called multitasking.
Parker Blake likes his women the way he likes his coffee: not in his diner. But gorgeous, strong-willed, type-A Ava clearly isn’t going to stop messing up his kitchen—or his simple, stress-free small town life—until the conditions of her daddy’s will are met. So, sure, he’ll teach his “boss” to bake.
But once the kitchen door closes, it’s pretty clear who’s really in charge.
https://tinyurl.com/HighHeels-iBooks
https://tinyurl.com/HighHeels-Amz
https://tinyurl.com/HighHeels-BN
https://tinyurl.com/HighHeels-Kobo
High Heels and Haystacks
Coming April 10th!
A boss-employee romance...with a twist
Only three things stand between Ava Carmichael and her twelve billion dollar inheritance:
1. A year of living in Bliss, Kansas.
2. A relationship that lasts six consecutive months.
3. A pie.
Ava has run a multi-billion-dollar company, negotiated with shark investors, and hobnobbed with business royalty, but she’s about to be defeated by her inability to turn sugar, flour, and apple pie filling into something edible.
Conveniently, the owner of the diner next door, Parker Blake, is magic in the kitchen. And he technically works for her. So she can make him teach her to bake. And, hey, if everyone assumes they’re heating up more than the oven during their time in the kitchen…well, that’s called multitasking.
Parker Blake likes his women the way he likes his coffee: not in his diner. But gorgeous, strong-willed, type-A Ava clearly isn’t going to stop messing up his kitchen—or his simple, stress-free small town life—until the conditions of her daddy’s will are met. So, sure, he’ll teach his “boss” to bake.
But once the kitchen door closes, it’s pretty clear who’s really in charge.
https://tinyurl.com/HighHeels-iBooks
https://tinyurl.com/HighHeels-Amz
https://tinyurl.com/HighHeels-BN
https://tinyurl.com/HighHeels-Kobo
High Heels and Haystacks
My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding is almost here!
I can't wait for you to meet Josh and Tori in the first book in my new series, Boys of the Bayou!
Here's a peek into My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding!
He tossed the two quarters in the tip bottle on the bar. “Free three sips of a drink. Fifty-cent payment for the advice to stay the hell away from N’Awlins boys who drink too much bourbon and barely recognize nice girls anymore.”
“You think I’m a nice girl?”
“I definitely do.”
She was. She didn’t realize she broadcast it quite so loudly, but yeah, she was. She nodded. “Sorry about that.”
He gave her a smile. “Somebody’s gotta go square dancing with all those nice farm boys up north.”
She gave a little gasp, but she couldn’t help her grin. “I’ve never been square dancing in my life.”
He chuckled. “But I bet you’ve let a nice Iowa boy drive you around on his tractor.” He wiggled one eyebrow suggestively.
She scoffed. “Not even once.”
“No?”
She shook her head. “Don’t need a boy for that.” Tori slid her purse strap up on her shoulder. “I’ve got my own tractor to drive around. When I’m in the mood for…tractor driving.”
There was a brief pause and then he laughed.
In a brief flash of sassiness, she winked at him. “But if you ever make it to Iowa, I’ll take you on a ride.”
“Damn, girl, that’s tempting.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Josh.”
“For?”
“Being a good guy.”
He gave a little shrug. “I’m already regretting it, I’ll be honest.”
With a smile, she turned and started for the door.
She’d just stepped out onto the sidewalk when she felt someone grasp her upper arm and twirl her around.
It was Josh.
“Wha—”
He cupped her face and covered her mouth with his.
Coming April 9th!
Available at Apple Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Google Play! Paperback available too!
Here's a peek into My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding!
He tossed the two quarters in the tip bottle on the bar. “Free three sips of a drink. Fifty-cent payment for the advice to stay the hell away from N’Awlins boys who drink too much bourbon and barely recognize nice girls anymore.”
“You think I’m a nice girl?”
“I definitely do.”
She was. She didn’t realize she broadcast it quite so loudly, but yeah, she was. She nodded. “Sorry about that.”
He gave her a smile. “Somebody’s gotta go square dancing with all those nice farm boys up north.”
She gave a little gasp, but she couldn’t help her grin. “I’ve never been square dancing in my life.”
He chuckled. “But I bet you’ve let a nice Iowa boy drive you around on his tractor.” He wiggled one eyebrow suggestively.
She scoffed. “Not even once.”
“No?”
She shook her head. “Don’t need a boy for that.” Tori slid her purse strap up on her shoulder. “I’ve got my own tractor to drive around. When I’m in the mood for…tractor driving.”
There was a brief pause and then he laughed.
In a brief flash of sassiness, she winked at him. “But if you ever make it to Iowa, I’ll take you on a ride.”
“Damn, girl, that’s tempting.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Josh.”
“For?”
“Being a good guy.”
He gave a little shrug. “I’m already regretting it, I’ll be honest.”
With a smile, she turned and started for the door.
She’d just stepped out onto the sidewalk when she felt someone grasp her upper arm and twirl her around.
It was Josh.
“Wha—”
He cupped her face and covered her mouth with his.
Coming April 9th!
Available at Apple Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Google Play! Paperback available too!
Totally...I mean, OTTERLY...Irresistible
He lifted a brow. “Are you going to actually be helpful now or not?”
She loved every single thing about this petting zoo.
“Oh, I’m not going anywhere,” she told him. “I’m definitely going to help.”
He sighed.
Feeling suddenly lighter and happier than she had in a long time—and that was saying something as she was generally light and happy, not to mention on her way to Paris soon—Charlie turned back to the animals.
“Okay, now that we know each other better, how about you all be sweet and head back to the barn?”
Not one animal even looked at her.
“Hey, Stan?” she called to the big goat. “You’re clearly a leader. How about you show me that you can do some good with all that staunch determination and lead everyone back to the barn?”
“You can’t be serious,” the guy said. “Talking to them isn’t going to work.”
“Talking is what I do.”
“No kidding.”
She just lifted a brow. “So what should I do instead?”
Maybe he could give her an opening for charming him into putting that very nice, smirky, sarcastic mouth against hers and…
“Nudge ’em,” he said simply.
Now she blinked at him. “What?”
“Nudge them,” he said again.
“Just… nudge them? As in, push them?” She narrowed her eyes. Were they talking about goats? Or were they maybe talking about grumpy farmers who needed more than a subtle flirtation to make a move?
“Sometimes that’s all they need.”
Okay then. She was going to keep that in mind.
“So…” He nodded toward the goats.
She blew out a breath. Okay, so for right now, they were talking about goats.
Charlie approached the smallest of the animals. He—or she—looked up at her. “Hello, I’m Charlotte. Would you please accompany me across the street back to your barn?” She heard the man’s snort even from a distance. That made her smile even though she was still stuck with the problem of herding goats.
The goat, of course, didn’t move a step.
“I would very much enjoy it if you would grant me the pleasure of your company across the street at your barn,” she told the goat.
This time the goat didn’t even lift his head.
Charlie propped a hand on her hip. “I don’t feel that we know each other well enough for me to actually put my hands on your body, so it really would be easier if you would just head in the general direction of your barn.”
“For fuck’s sake.” Suddenly the man was back beside her.
He bent and lifted the goat, and Charlie couldn’t help but think this had worked out very well.
She hadn’t had to touch the goats, but she hadn’t been entirely unhelpful to him.
Okay, that wasn’t true. She had been completely unhelpful to him. But she hadn’t left him out
here with the goats alone.
The man pivoted and pressed the goat to her chest. Instinctively her arms went up and around it. He let go.
And just like that, she had her arms full of goat.
Charlie gasped, partially in surprise and partially because it only took her a millisecond to think about the fact that she now had a barnyard animal up against her Alex Perry cocktail dress.
“You have to be kidding,” she said to the man.
“When nudging doesn’t work, sometimes you have to get hands-on.”
Charlie blew out a breath. She was tucking that away in her idea of how to handle him too. But she was preoccupied at the moment.
And not so sure she wanted to kiss him after all.
No, that wasn’t true. She still wanted to kiss him. Especially now that he was standing closer.
Even if she had to kiss him over the back of a goat.
Which probably meant she really wanted to kiss him.
AVAILABLE APRIL 20th!
You can pre-order everywhere now at a special pre-release price!
Apple Books: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Apple
Amazon US: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Amazon CA: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Kobo: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresisitible-Kobo
Nook: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-nook
Google Play: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-GP
Paperback-Amazon: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-PB...
Paperback-Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-PB-BN
Audio coming soon!
She loved every single thing about this petting zoo.
“Oh, I’m not going anywhere,” she told him. “I’m definitely going to help.”
He sighed.
Feeling suddenly lighter and happier than she had in a long time—and that was saying something as she was generally light and happy, not to mention on her way to Paris soon—Charlie turned back to the animals.
“Okay, now that we know each other better, how about you all be sweet and head back to the barn?”
Not one animal even looked at her.
“Hey, Stan?” she called to the big goat. “You’re clearly a leader. How about you show me that you can do some good with all that staunch determination and lead everyone back to the barn?”
“You can’t be serious,” the guy said. “Talking to them isn’t going to work.”
“Talking is what I do.”
“No kidding.”
She just lifted a brow. “So what should I do instead?”
Maybe he could give her an opening for charming him into putting that very nice, smirky, sarcastic mouth against hers and…
“Nudge ’em,” he said simply.
Now she blinked at him. “What?”
“Nudge them,” he said again.
“Just… nudge them? As in, push them?” She narrowed her eyes. Were they talking about goats? Or were they maybe talking about grumpy farmers who needed more than a subtle flirtation to make a move?
“Sometimes that’s all they need.”
Okay then. She was going to keep that in mind.
“So…” He nodded toward the goats.
She blew out a breath. Okay, so for right now, they were talking about goats.
Charlie approached the smallest of the animals. He—or she—looked up at her. “Hello, I’m Charlotte. Would you please accompany me across the street back to your barn?” She heard the man’s snort even from a distance. That made her smile even though she was still stuck with the problem of herding goats.
The goat, of course, didn’t move a step.
“I would very much enjoy it if you would grant me the pleasure of your company across the street at your barn,” she told the goat.
This time the goat didn’t even lift his head.
Charlie propped a hand on her hip. “I don’t feel that we know each other well enough for me to actually put my hands on your body, so it really would be easier if you would just head in the general direction of your barn.”
“For fuck’s sake.” Suddenly the man was back beside her.
He bent and lifted the goat, and Charlie couldn’t help but think this had worked out very well.
She hadn’t had to touch the goats, but she hadn’t been entirely unhelpful to him.
Okay, that wasn’t true. She had been completely unhelpful to him. But she hadn’t left him out
here with the goats alone.
The man pivoted and pressed the goat to her chest. Instinctively her arms went up and around it. He let go.
And just like that, she had her arms full of goat.
Charlie gasped, partially in surprise and partially because it only took her a millisecond to think about the fact that she now had a barnyard animal up against her Alex Perry cocktail dress.
“You have to be kidding,” she said to the man.
“When nudging doesn’t work, sometimes you have to get hands-on.”
Charlie blew out a breath. She was tucking that away in her idea of how to handle him too. But she was preoccupied at the moment.
And not so sure she wanted to kiss him after all.
No, that wasn’t true. She still wanted to kiss him. Especially now that he was standing closer.
Even if she had to kiss him over the back of a goat.
Which probably meant she really wanted to kiss him.
AVAILABLE APRIL 20th!
You can pre-order everywhere now at a special pre-release price!
Apple Books: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Apple
Amazon US: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Amazon CA: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Kobo: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresisitible-Kobo
Nook: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-nook
Google Play: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-GP
Paperback-Amazon: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-PB...
Paperback-Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-PB-BN
Audio coming soon!
Surely it was going to be a flash mob, right?
Otterly Irresistible
“You also can’t bring your friends with you when you’re stalking me,” the man said.
Charlie looked around. Had his stalker brought an entourage? Was it for a flash mob? Or for a kidnapping? Really, neither would’ve surprised her here in Autre. Which was one of the things she loved about this town. The definition of crazy was different here than anywhere else she’d ever been. And not exactly frowned upon.
She also wasn’t afraid to admit she was willing to stick around for a flash mob. Or a kidnapping. She would, of course, call for other people to come out if it turned out to be a kidnapping. Okay, or a flash mob. So it wasn’t as if the guy was actually going to end up stuffed in a trunk of a car. She was just waiting to see which of those scenarios she was dealing with.
“Don’t you think it’s time to go home?” the guy said to his stalker. “Come on. I’ll take you.”
Oh, good, he was a nice guy. Even if Sugar was harassing him, he was still willing to be sure she—or he—got home safely.
Dammit, did this mean Charlie needed to follow them? In case the kidnapping happened away from the bar? Or what if Sugar had a hatchet and duct tape waiting for the guy back at her place?
Or, maybe worse, what if Sugar waited to sing and dance for him in her living room? Charlie would miss the whole performance.
Now she was invested. She was going to have to follow them. Crap. She really wasn’t dressed for traipsing around in the dark. Or the light. Her Valentino Garavani Rockstud ankle-strap pumps were perfection. And not at all comfortable for any kind of distance walking.
But she really didn’t want to miss the flash mob.
Surely it was going to be a flash mob, right?
Or a striptease. At least.
Charlie decided if she were going to do a flash mob for a guy she stalked to a wedding, she’d choose Taylor Swift’s “Love Story”.
Obviously.
She was in town for her cousins’ weddings. Yes, plural. Three of her cousins had gotten married today, and she was now attending the reception held at her grandmother’s bar. Considering the guy was confronting Sugar just outside the back door of the bar, Charlie assumed he was a wedding guest as well.
The Landry family never did anything small, and that, apparently, included weddings. Of course, growing up in Shreveport, Charlie sometimes forgot the easy-going, laid-back ways of the bayou. Hence why she’d worn a pale pink strapless cocktail dress that hugged her breasts and waist and had an uneven hemline that nearly touched the ground in back to a wedding where the grooms wore blue jeans, and some of the guests were alligators. Literally.
She also had on Valentino heels, fake eyelashes, fake nails, and hair extensions.
Yeah, she might have overdone it.
And yes, some of her cousins had already given her shit about the fake fingernails.
Still, as much fun as the food, dancing, laughing, and one-upmanship was inside, she wasn’t above enjoying a little romantic drama outside on her way back from the bathroom.
“Come on, Sugar,” the man said. “Let’s get you home.”
Charlie literally had her fingers crossed for the first strains of Taylor Swift when she heard the stalker reply for the first time.
“Behhhh!”
Charlie jumped, then frowned. Okay, she hadn’t been expecting that.
She peered around the corner of the building.
There was a man sitting on the back step of her grandmother’s bar.
And he was surrounded by goats.
He was holding one goat’s face in his hands and was talking to it directly. The other goats seemed content to munch on the grass and weeds that grew along the edge of the gravel drive that led to the back of the bar. But this goat was, as far as Charlie could tell from six feet away in the dimming light of the evening, gazing at the man adoringly.
There were also two ducks and a potbellied pig. Most of them seemed unconcerned with what was going on, except for the one duck who was standing like a bodyguard next to the goat having the intense conversation with the man.
Surprisingly, none of that was the most startling thing about the scene in front of her.
No, that was the fact that the man on the step was the extremely good-looking man who Charlie had previously asked to dance at the wedding reception. And who had turned her down.
It wasn’t just that he’d turned her down, though without getting too full of herself, Charlie could admit she wasn’t all that used to men telling her no. It was also that she knew they had chemistry. She’d caught him watching her across the bar earlier in the evening, and when she had slid in next to him to order another drink, he hadn’t given her much space. Nor had he seemed annoyed with her taking up any of his space.
Still, he’d turned her down when she asked him to dance. Without an explanation. He hadn’t claimed a sprained ankle or being a terrible dancer or having a girlfriend. He didn’t have a ring on his left hand.
So yes, even before she saw him sitting on the back step with a goat—correction, nine goats, two ducks, and a potbellied pig—she had been wondering what the hell his deal was.
It was probably the not-being-used-to-being-told-no thing, but something made her walk around the corner of the building and say,
“So, does she think that’s a carrot in your pocket? Because it sounds like you’re not that happy to see her.”
Apple Books: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Apple
Amazon US: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Amazon CA: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Kobo: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresisitible-Kobo
Nook: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-nook
Google Play: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-GP
Paperback-Amazon: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-PB...
Paperback-Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-PB-BN
Audio coming soon!
“You also can’t bring your friends with you when you’re stalking me,” the man said.
Charlie looked around. Had his stalker brought an entourage? Was it for a flash mob? Or for a kidnapping? Really, neither would’ve surprised her here in Autre. Which was one of the things she loved about this town. The definition of crazy was different here than anywhere else she’d ever been. And not exactly frowned upon.
She also wasn’t afraid to admit she was willing to stick around for a flash mob. Or a kidnapping. She would, of course, call for other people to come out if it turned out to be a kidnapping. Okay, or a flash mob. So it wasn’t as if the guy was actually going to end up stuffed in a trunk of a car. She was just waiting to see which of those scenarios she was dealing with.
“Don’t you think it’s time to go home?” the guy said to his stalker. “Come on. I’ll take you.”
Oh, good, he was a nice guy. Even if Sugar was harassing him, he was still willing to be sure she—or he—got home safely.
Dammit, did this mean Charlie needed to follow them? In case the kidnapping happened away from the bar? Or what if Sugar had a hatchet and duct tape waiting for the guy back at her place?
Or, maybe worse, what if Sugar waited to sing and dance for him in her living room? Charlie would miss the whole performance.
Now she was invested. She was going to have to follow them. Crap. She really wasn’t dressed for traipsing around in the dark. Or the light. Her Valentino Garavani Rockstud ankle-strap pumps were perfection. And not at all comfortable for any kind of distance walking.
But she really didn’t want to miss the flash mob.
Surely it was going to be a flash mob, right?
Or a striptease. At least.
Charlie decided if she were going to do a flash mob for a guy she stalked to a wedding, she’d choose Taylor Swift’s “Love Story”.
Obviously.
She was in town for her cousins’ weddings. Yes, plural. Three of her cousins had gotten married today, and she was now attending the reception held at her grandmother’s bar. Considering the guy was confronting Sugar just outside the back door of the bar, Charlie assumed he was a wedding guest as well.
The Landry family never did anything small, and that, apparently, included weddings. Of course, growing up in Shreveport, Charlie sometimes forgot the easy-going, laid-back ways of the bayou. Hence why she’d worn a pale pink strapless cocktail dress that hugged her breasts and waist and had an uneven hemline that nearly touched the ground in back to a wedding where the grooms wore blue jeans, and some of the guests were alligators. Literally.
She also had on Valentino heels, fake eyelashes, fake nails, and hair extensions.
Yeah, she might have overdone it.
And yes, some of her cousins had already given her shit about the fake fingernails.
Still, as much fun as the food, dancing, laughing, and one-upmanship was inside, she wasn’t above enjoying a little romantic drama outside on her way back from the bathroom.
“Come on, Sugar,” the man said. “Let’s get you home.”
Charlie literally had her fingers crossed for the first strains of Taylor Swift when she heard the stalker reply for the first time.
“Behhhh!”
Charlie jumped, then frowned. Okay, she hadn’t been expecting that.
She peered around the corner of the building.
There was a man sitting on the back step of her grandmother’s bar.
And he was surrounded by goats.
He was holding one goat’s face in his hands and was talking to it directly. The other goats seemed content to munch on the grass and weeds that grew along the edge of the gravel drive that led to the back of the bar. But this goat was, as far as Charlie could tell from six feet away in the dimming light of the evening, gazing at the man adoringly.
There were also two ducks and a potbellied pig. Most of them seemed unconcerned with what was going on, except for the one duck who was standing like a bodyguard next to the goat having the intense conversation with the man.
Surprisingly, none of that was the most startling thing about the scene in front of her.
No, that was the fact that the man on the step was the extremely good-looking man who Charlie had previously asked to dance at the wedding reception. And who had turned her down.
It wasn’t just that he’d turned her down, though without getting too full of herself, Charlie could admit she wasn’t all that used to men telling her no. It was also that she knew they had chemistry. She’d caught him watching her across the bar earlier in the evening, and when she had slid in next to him to order another drink, he hadn’t given her much space. Nor had he seemed annoyed with her taking up any of his space.
Still, he’d turned her down when she asked him to dance. Without an explanation. He hadn’t claimed a sprained ankle or being a terrible dancer or having a girlfriend. He didn’t have a ring on his left hand.
So yes, even before she saw him sitting on the back step with a goat—correction, nine goats, two ducks, and a potbellied pig—she had been wondering what the hell his deal was.
It was probably the not-being-used-to-being-told-no thing, but something made her walk around the corner of the building and say,
“So, does she think that’s a carrot in your pocket? Because it sounds like you’re not that happy to see her.”
Apple Books: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Apple
Amazon US: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Amazon CA: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-Am...
Kobo: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresisitible-Kobo
Nook: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-nook
Google Play: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-GP
Paperback-Amazon: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-PB...
Paperback-Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/Otterly-Irresistible-PB-BN
Audio coming soon!
Flipping Love You!
Flipping Love You, book three in the Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild series, is coming June 29th!
Here's a peek at Zeke and Jillian!
He's the tattooed bad boy her mama warned her about.
She's his hot mess--but mostly hot--next door neighbor.
Until a two-night-stand gives them the surprise of a lifetime...
“So your stress-relieving list is sex, therapy, wine, and massages. And sex is your preference because it’s faster, easier, and cheaper than all the others.”
“Yep.”
Wow. She was…something.
“Except, like I said, it’s not always faster than a massage.”
Right.
“How long are your massages?”
“An hour. Hour and a half if I’m really tense.”
“Yeah, this is going to take longer than that.”
He didn’t know why he felt so compelled to make an impression on this woman, but now that he’d made her smile, and had her full attention, and had seen her green eyes up close, he was going to send her on her way with a huge grin and very fond memories of Autre.
“Do you have more tattoos?” Her eyes were back on his arm where his full sleeve showed beneath the edge of his t-shirt. Oh, she liked tattoos.
“I do.”
“Are you any good at dirty talk?”
The woman knew what she liked.
His entire body felt like he'd just taken a big shot of his grandpa’s moonshine. He was hot, on edge, and ready for the unexpected. Because when Leo Landry’s moonshine came out, you never knew what could happen.
“As a matter fact, I can’t really help it.”
She let out a breath. Then she gave him a full smile.
Yeah, he wasn’t going anywhere for a nice, long time. And suddenly his head felt fine.
“Do you have a wife, fiancée, girlfriend, woman who thinks she’s your girlfriend even if you don’t think so?”
“No. No. No. And I did but we cleared that up.”
She gave him another of those little half smiles. Like she didn’t want to be amused by him, but she couldn’t resist.
“How do you feel about one-night stands? Because I’m not looking for anything serious.”
“They are my favorite kind of night stand.”
Her smile grew and Zeke felt a strange warmth along with the heat.
“And you won’t brag about this to your friends tomorrow?”
“Oh, I’m absolutely going to brag to my friends about this tomorrow,” he said. He took a step closer to her. “Especially Michael. Since he was out there saving goats and being all charming and sweet and you didn’t invite him to your room.”
“He was on duty.”
Zeke lifted a brow. “That’s the only reason.”
“Probably. He’s hot. And has the heroic, sweet thing going for him.”
“He fakes most of the sweet stuff.”
“How about the heroic stuff?”
Zeke gave a dramatic sigh. “Unfortunately for the rest of us assholes, that’s all real.”
She gave a soft snort. “Maybe I actually am concerned about your head and thought I should keep an eye on you to be sure you don’t slip into unconsciousness and never wake up.”
“I’m going to accept that only because I like it better than the realization that Michael could be in here with you right now.” He leaned in. “But I don’t believe you. I think you took a look at my boots and Michael’s and realized that mine were bigger.”
Her eyes widened. “How did you know I did that?”
He paused, then shook his head. “You did do that?”
“Of course.”
“You are…”
“I know,” she said, when he trailed off.
He wasn’t even sure what he’d been intending to fill in there. Odd? Quirky? Fascinating?
Yep. To all of that.
“So, can I brag to my friends about it tomorrow?” she asked, her voice huskier now.
“You better,” he said, dropping his voice to a gruffer note.
The next smile she gave him was one that said he’d given all the right answers, but even more, it was filled with heat as well.
“There it is.” He reached up and cupped her face.
Her breathing got more ragged as she looked up at him. And she had to look up a ways. She was small. She probably stood about five-three to his six-four.
“What?” she asked softly.
“The reaction I’ve been going for.”
“Reaction?”
“Yes, until now. You’ve seemed very…dispassionate towards me.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly as if she was thinking about that. “Have I?”
“You have.” He leaned in, bracing a hand on the door just above her ear. “Quite insulting.”
This smile was a little more sly and definitely had a touch of mischief. “Maybe you should see how passionate you can make me.”
“Oh, challenge accepted,” Zeke told her.
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Paperback coming soon!
Audio in production!
Here's a peek at Zeke and Jillian!
He's the tattooed bad boy her mama warned her about.
She's his hot mess--but mostly hot--next door neighbor.
Until a two-night-stand gives them the surprise of a lifetime...
“So your stress-relieving list is sex, therapy, wine, and massages. And sex is your preference because it’s faster, easier, and cheaper than all the others.”
“Yep.”
Wow. She was…something.
“Except, like I said, it’s not always faster than a massage.”
Right.
“How long are your massages?”
“An hour. Hour and a half if I’m really tense.”
“Yeah, this is going to take longer than that.”
He didn’t know why he felt so compelled to make an impression on this woman, but now that he’d made her smile, and had her full attention, and had seen her green eyes up close, he was going to send her on her way with a huge grin and very fond memories of Autre.
“Do you have more tattoos?” Her eyes were back on his arm where his full sleeve showed beneath the edge of his t-shirt. Oh, she liked tattoos.
“I do.”
“Are you any good at dirty talk?”
The woman knew what she liked.
His entire body felt like he'd just taken a big shot of his grandpa’s moonshine. He was hot, on edge, and ready for the unexpected. Because when Leo Landry’s moonshine came out, you never knew what could happen.
“As a matter fact, I can’t really help it.”
She let out a breath. Then she gave him a full smile.
Yeah, he wasn’t going anywhere for a nice, long time. And suddenly his head felt fine.
“Do you have a wife, fiancée, girlfriend, woman who thinks she’s your girlfriend even if you don’t think so?”
“No. No. No. And I did but we cleared that up.”
She gave him another of those little half smiles. Like she didn’t want to be amused by him, but she couldn’t resist.
“How do you feel about one-night stands? Because I’m not looking for anything serious.”
“They are my favorite kind of night stand.”
Her smile grew and Zeke felt a strange warmth along with the heat.
“And you won’t brag about this to your friends tomorrow?”
“Oh, I’m absolutely going to brag to my friends about this tomorrow,” he said. He took a step closer to her. “Especially Michael. Since he was out there saving goats and being all charming and sweet and you didn’t invite him to your room.”
“He was on duty.”
Zeke lifted a brow. “That’s the only reason.”
“Probably. He’s hot. And has the heroic, sweet thing going for him.”
“He fakes most of the sweet stuff.”
“How about the heroic stuff?”
Zeke gave a dramatic sigh. “Unfortunately for the rest of us assholes, that’s all real.”
She gave a soft snort. “Maybe I actually am concerned about your head and thought I should keep an eye on you to be sure you don’t slip into unconsciousness and never wake up.”
“I’m going to accept that only because I like it better than the realization that Michael could be in here with you right now.” He leaned in. “But I don’t believe you. I think you took a look at my boots and Michael’s and realized that mine were bigger.”
Her eyes widened. “How did you know I did that?”
He paused, then shook his head. “You did do that?”
“Of course.”
“You are…”
“I know,” she said, when he trailed off.
He wasn’t even sure what he’d been intending to fill in there. Odd? Quirky? Fascinating?
Yep. To all of that.
“So, can I brag to my friends about it tomorrow?” she asked, her voice huskier now.
“You better,” he said, dropping his voice to a gruffer note.
The next smile she gave him was one that said he’d given all the right answers, but even more, it was filled with heat as well.
“There it is.” He reached up and cupped her face.
Her breathing got more ragged as she looked up at him. And she had to look up a ways. She was small. She probably stood about five-three to his six-four.
“What?” she asked softly.
“The reaction I’ve been going for.”
“Reaction?”
“Yes, until now. You’ve seemed very…dispassionate towards me.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly as if she was thinking about that. “Have I?”
“You have.” He leaned in, bracing a hand on the door just above her ear. “Quite insulting.”
This smile was a little more sly and definitely had a touch of mischief. “Maybe you should see how passionate you can make me.”
“Oh, challenge accepted,” Zeke told her.
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Paperback coming soon!
Audio in production!
a hot one-night-stand, surprise pregnancy rom com!
He’d better not need stitches.
He sat partially up and shoved at the bike. It only moved a little.
Suddenly annoyed at everything, he gave a loud roar and lifted the bike as he jerked his leg out from under it.
There. At least he was free.
He flopped back into the weeds and grass.
With his luck he was going to run into a snake or a gator down here in the ditch. But honestly, at the moment, he didn’t care.
He reached into his pocket for his phone. He could walk to his grandma’s bar, or to his shop, or to one of many houses, but he needed someone with a pickup to help him haul his bike. And he was feeling a little dizzy.
“Damn. This is inconvenient,” he muttered to himself.
Zeke stared at his phone trying to decide who to call. The gamble was trying to get someone who was alone. One phone call could turn up anywhere from four to twelve Landrys.
No one needed twelve Landrys all at once for anything.
Unless it was a crawfish boil, of course.
But even two or three would just make the headache that was starting to brew behind his eyes worse.
“Oh, baby, are you okay?”
His finger froze over his phone and he rolled his head at the sound of the feminine voice.
Or he could just let the owner of that voice take care of him.
“I’m a little sore, actually.”
The woman plopped onto her knees in the dirt beside him.
It was dark, so he couldn’t see her well.
That was also why he hadn’t clearly seen whatever it was that ran out in front of him until it was too late.
He was suddenly much less annoyed though.
The woman kneeling next to him leaned in and he caught the scent of coffee and soap.
He wasn’t sure why that struck him. Maybe because it was simple. She didn’t smell like perfume or flowery shampoo. She just smelled clean and comforting. Like that first cup of coffee in the morning after a shower.
That was a really weird thing to notice. And who drank coffee at eleven o’clock at night?
He probably had a concussion.
Great. That was just what he needed.
“Oh, sweetie,” she cooed.
And yep, he definitely felt a little better.
“I’ll be okay, but I could use a hand,” he said. Specifically, a woman’s soft hand rubbing his head and maybe her lips kissing his bump better.
Did he know her? She had long hair and that was about all he could tell.
“Are you hurt or just scared?”
Zeke pushed himself up to sitting, wincing as his head swam and his leg ached as he shifted it. “A little hurt. Not scared at all.”
The woman looked up at him. “What?”
It was then that he realized she wasn’t talking to him.
And that she was holding a goat.
He was ninety percent sure this was the reason that his bike was lying on its side in the ditch and he was bleeding from the head.
And the woman was calling the goat“baby”.
𝙃𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚-𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙣𝙤𝙩-𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮-𝙖-𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧-𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧-𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙚-𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮, 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣, 𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙘𝙤𝙢 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 >>>
Flipping Love You>>>
Amazon: http://bit.ly/Flipping-Love-You-Amz
Apple Books: http://bit.ly/Flipping-Love-You-Apple
nook: http://bit.ly/Flipping-Love-You-nook
Kobo: http://bit.ly/Flipping-Love-You-Kobo
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He sat partially up and shoved at the bike. It only moved a little.
Suddenly annoyed at everything, he gave a loud roar and lifted the bike as he jerked his leg out from under it.
There. At least he was free.
He flopped back into the weeds and grass.
With his luck he was going to run into a snake or a gator down here in the ditch. But honestly, at the moment, he didn’t care.
He reached into his pocket for his phone. He could walk to his grandma’s bar, or to his shop, or to one of many houses, but he needed someone with a pickup to help him haul his bike. And he was feeling a little dizzy.
“Damn. This is inconvenient,” he muttered to himself.
Zeke stared at his phone trying to decide who to call. The gamble was trying to get someone who was alone. One phone call could turn up anywhere from four to twelve Landrys.
No one needed twelve Landrys all at once for anything.
Unless it was a crawfish boil, of course.
But even two or three would just make the headache that was starting to brew behind his eyes worse.
“Oh, baby, are you okay?”
His finger froze over his phone and he rolled his head at the sound of the feminine voice.
Or he could just let the owner of that voice take care of him.
“I’m a little sore, actually.”
The woman plopped onto her knees in the dirt beside him.
It was dark, so he couldn’t see her well.
That was also why he hadn’t clearly seen whatever it was that ran out in front of him until it was too late.
He was suddenly much less annoyed though.
The woman kneeling next to him leaned in and he caught the scent of coffee and soap.
He wasn’t sure why that struck him. Maybe because it was simple. She didn’t smell like perfume or flowery shampoo. She just smelled clean and comforting. Like that first cup of coffee in the morning after a shower.
That was a really weird thing to notice. And who drank coffee at eleven o’clock at night?
He probably had a concussion.
Great. That was just what he needed.
“Oh, sweetie,” she cooed.
And yep, he definitely felt a little better.
“I’ll be okay, but I could use a hand,” he said. Specifically, a woman’s soft hand rubbing his head and maybe her lips kissing his bump better.
Did he know her? She had long hair and that was about all he could tell.
“Are you hurt or just scared?”
Zeke pushed himself up to sitting, wincing as his head swam and his leg ached as he shifted it. “A little hurt. Not scared at all.”
The woman looked up at him. “What?”
It was then that he realized she wasn’t talking to him.
And that she was holding a goat.
He was ninety percent sure this was the reason that his bike was lying on its side in the ditch and he was bleeding from the head.
And the woman was calling the goat“baby”.
𝙃𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚-𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙣𝙤𝙩-𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮-𝙖-𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧-𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧-𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙚-𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮, 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣, 𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙘𝙤𝙢 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 >>>
Flipping Love You>>>
Amazon: http://bit.ly/Flipping-Love-You-Amz
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Say It Like You Mane It!
It's almost here! Zander Landry's story!
Here's a peek!
He knew exactly what to do with a woman who’d been left at the altar.
Take her back inside Ellie’s.
There was plenty of booze just inside. And other women. He could easily pawn her off on any of the girls, who would tell her all about what a dumbass the guy was and how she deserved better and how she’d come to the right place to drown her sorrows.
She’d be shit-faced and laughing in no time. Then he’d take her over to the B & B, have Heather put her to bed and feed her in the morning, and then he’d drive her wherever she wanted to go when she felt better.
Feeling a little more optimistic, he approached her.
He had a lot of women in his life, but they weren’t the cry-over-being-dumped types. They were more the cut-off-his-balls-and-feed-them-to-the-gators types. Now that he was in law enforcement, he couldn’t cover for them like he would have at one point, but they all also knew better than to tell him flat out about anything like that. And he knew what questions to not ask.
“Ma'am?”
Her head came up as he approached, and Zander realized that she hadn't been crying at all. Her head had been down, strands of hair falling over the side of her face because she had been hunched over her phone.
She seemed confused when she looked up at him. “Yes?”
When her eyes met his, Zander had to take a second.
𝘎𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴.
That was his first thought. Well, after cataloguing that her eyes were a stunning aquamarine blue, her hair was at least three different shades of gold all streaked together in thick waves, and her skin was smooth and creamy.
All of those were descriptors that came straight from the pages of the books he read with his friends in their romance book club. No way would he have noticed all of that before he’d started reading those damned books. 𝘈 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦 would have done it.
But she was gorgeous. Not just from across a dim room with a tiara-halo on top of her head, but right up close along a dirt road too.
And that was all the most clichéd shit he’d ever heard.
Thought.
Whatever.
Still, he had to pry his damned tongue from the roof of his mouth.
Because of all the stupid romance novels he read. And movies he watched. And country love songs he listened to.
And because he was a Landry.
He sighed. 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 because he was a Landry.
He might not have actually thought the words “aquamarine blue” without the books, but he would have had the wow, she’s something special thought trip through his head because of his DNA.
The Landry family had as much romance in their blood as red blood cells. They were genetically programmed and then nurtured from the crib to believe in love and fate and soulmates and romance.
Some of them just went with it. Some of them fought it.
But none of them were immune.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙩, 𝙜𝙧𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙥 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩...𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩?
PREORDER NOW!
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Paperback coming soon!
Audio: in production!
Here's a peek!
He knew exactly what to do with a woman who’d been left at the altar.
Take her back inside Ellie’s.
There was plenty of booze just inside. And other women. He could easily pawn her off on any of the girls, who would tell her all about what a dumbass the guy was and how she deserved better and how she’d come to the right place to drown her sorrows.
She’d be shit-faced and laughing in no time. Then he’d take her over to the B & B, have Heather put her to bed and feed her in the morning, and then he’d drive her wherever she wanted to go when she felt better.
Feeling a little more optimistic, he approached her.
He had a lot of women in his life, but they weren’t the cry-over-being-dumped types. They were more the cut-off-his-balls-and-feed-them-to-the-gators types. Now that he was in law enforcement, he couldn’t cover for them like he would have at one point, but they all also knew better than to tell him flat out about anything like that. And he knew what questions to not ask.
“Ma'am?”
Her head came up as he approached, and Zander realized that she hadn't been crying at all. Her head had been down, strands of hair falling over the side of her face because she had been hunched over her phone.
She seemed confused when she looked up at him. “Yes?”
When her eyes met his, Zander had to take a second.
𝘎𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴.
That was his first thought. Well, after cataloguing that her eyes were a stunning aquamarine blue, her hair was at least three different shades of gold all streaked together in thick waves, and her skin was smooth and creamy.
All of those were descriptors that came straight from the pages of the books he read with his friends in their romance book club. No way would he have noticed all of that before he’d started reading those damned books. 𝘈 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦 would have done it.
But she was gorgeous. Not just from across a dim room with a tiara-halo on top of her head, but right up close along a dirt road too.
And that was all the most clichéd shit he’d ever heard.
Thought.
Whatever.
Still, he had to pry his damned tongue from the roof of his mouth.
Because of all the stupid romance novels he read. And movies he watched. And country love songs he listened to.
And because he was a Landry.
He sighed. 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 because he was a Landry.
He might not have actually thought the words “aquamarine blue” without the books, but he would have had the wow, she’s something special thought trip through his head because of his DNA.
The Landry family had as much romance in their blood as red blood cells. They were genetically programmed and then nurtured from the crib to believe in love and fate and soulmates and romance.
Some of them just went with it. Some of them fought it.
But none of them were immune.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙩, 𝙜𝙧𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙥 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩...𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩?
PREORDER NOW!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/343lwP0
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Google Play: https://bit.ly/Say-It-GP
Add it to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/Say-It-Like-You-Mane-I...
Paperback coming soon!
Audio: in production!
Kiss My Giraffe is almost here!
Remember that thing we talked about at Christmas?"
Knox felt his gut clench. They'd talked about sleeping together. And him becoming the temporary foster dad to three baby otters.
And they'd kissed for the first time. A kiss that had been causing annoying, unwelcome, frustrating dirty dreams for three fucking months.
"About having a salacious affair where we sneak around behind our friends' backs and sleep together whenever I'm in town?" she pressed when he didn't answer.
"Yes. I remember." Too well. He was incredibly pissed about how often he'd replayed that conversation and how restless he'd been waiting for her to call or come back to Autre.
He didn't pine for women. Ever. He did the opposite of that.
But now she was here. And Knox wasn't sure what he was feeling. Her showing up unannounced wasn't unusual. Fiona Grady rolled into Autre without warning more often than not in her grape-soda-purple truck that sent his heart hammering and cock hardening.
But it had been three months since he'd seen her. Since they'd talked. Since he'd had any clue what she was doing, where she was, how she was.
Suddenly, she was on his doorstep asking about their plan to bang whenever she was in town for a couple of days?
"Okay, well, there's something I need to tell you that will make you not want to do that anymore," she said. "So I was wondering if maybe you wanted to get naked together once before I told you and ruined everything?"
He opened his mouth to reply. Then shut it without a word. What the hell?
He glanced over his shoulder. Three minutes ago, he'd been sitting at his kitchen table doing paperwork with a cup of coffee and listening to a podcast about new creative urban development ideas.
Now the woman he was low-level obsessed with was on his porch asking if he wanted to have sex before she told him something that would make him not want to have sex with her anymore.
He ran a hand through his hair. This was why Fiona Grady was no good for him. She came into his carefully controlled and organized life and made things chaotic and messy.
"Are you sick?" he asked.
"Sick? No."
"Dying?"
"No."
"Is anyone dying?"
"No."
"Are you married?" He braced himself. He knew very little about this woman, actually, and if she belonged to someone else, he'd… leave her alone. And hate that man. And never forgive her for stirring him up like this.
"Absolutely not."
"Engaged?"
"No."
Okay, that was all…way too much of a relief. He should not be this happy to hear that.
"Did you kill someone?" he asked.
She tipped her head, her mouth curling. "Is that a definite deal-breaker?"
No, probably not. Knox narrowed his eyes.
"No, I haven't killed anyone."
"Are the Feds looking for you? Or will I be implicated in some kind of crime if I let you in?"
"Not that I'm aware of."
"That's not a no."
"I'm just being honest."
Fair enough. Fiona was a wild animal advocate. The type of person to show up at roadside petting zoos and 'circuses' to monitor how the animals were treated and hand out literature to people attending the events, raising awareness about the poor conditions and treatment of those animals. She showed up to help rescue and care for animals, wild and domestic, after natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires. She regularly lobbied local, state, and even the national government for animal protections.
The chance that she could have done something in the "gray area" for one of her causes was pretty good.
The problem with that was he knew that wouldn't keep him from wanting her.
She was precisely the kind of woman he should be avoiding.
He studied her face for another long moment, then gave in to the inevitable. He pushed his door open.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Yeah."
She wasn't dying, wasn't married, and hadn't killed anyone. And he wanted her more than he'd ever wanted another woman in his life. So how was he possibly going to shut the door on her? After three months of missing her? He wasn't that strong. Or stupid.
Coming May 17th!
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Knox felt his gut clench. They'd talked about sleeping together. And him becoming the temporary foster dad to three baby otters.
And they'd kissed for the first time. A kiss that had been causing annoying, unwelcome, frustrating dirty dreams for three fucking months.
"About having a salacious affair where we sneak around behind our friends' backs and sleep together whenever I'm in town?" she pressed when he didn't answer.
"Yes. I remember." Too well. He was incredibly pissed about how often he'd replayed that conversation and how restless he'd been waiting for her to call or come back to Autre.
He didn't pine for women. Ever. He did the opposite of that.
But now she was here. And Knox wasn't sure what he was feeling. Her showing up unannounced wasn't unusual. Fiona Grady rolled into Autre without warning more often than not in her grape-soda-purple truck that sent his heart hammering and cock hardening.
But it had been three months since he'd seen her. Since they'd talked. Since he'd had any clue what she was doing, where she was, how she was.
Suddenly, she was on his doorstep asking about their plan to bang whenever she was in town for a couple of days?
"Okay, well, there's something I need to tell you that will make you not want to do that anymore," she said. "So I was wondering if maybe you wanted to get naked together once before I told you and ruined everything?"
He opened his mouth to reply. Then shut it without a word. What the hell?
He glanced over his shoulder. Three minutes ago, he'd been sitting at his kitchen table doing paperwork with a cup of coffee and listening to a podcast about new creative urban development ideas.
Now the woman he was low-level obsessed with was on his porch asking if he wanted to have sex before she told him something that would make him not want to have sex with her anymore.
He ran a hand through his hair. This was why Fiona Grady was no good for him. She came into his carefully controlled and organized life and made things chaotic and messy.
"Are you sick?" he asked.
"Sick? No."
"Dying?"
"No."
"Is anyone dying?"
"No."
"Are you married?" He braced himself. He knew very little about this woman, actually, and if she belonged to someone else, he'd… leave her alone. And hate that man. And never forgive her for stirring him up like this.
"Absolutely not."
"Engaged?"
"No."
Okay, that was all…way too much of a relief. He should not be this happy to hear that.
"Did you kill someone?" he asked.
She tipped her head, her mouth curling. "Is that a definite deal-breaker?"
No, probably not. Knox narrowed his eyes.
"No, I haven't killed anyone."
"Are the Feds looking for you? Or will I be implicated in some kind of crime if I let you in?"
"Not that I'm aware of."
"That's not a no."
"I'm just being honest."
Fair enough. Fiona was a wild animal advocate. The type of person to show up at roadside petting zoos and 'circuses' to monitor how the animals were treated and hand out literature to people attending the events, raising awareness about the poor conditions and treatment of those animals. She showed up to help rescue and care for animals, wild and domestic, after natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires. She regularly lobbied local, state, and even the national government for animal protections.
The chance that she could have done something in the "gray area" for one of her causes was pretty good.
The problem with that was he knew that wouldn't keep him from wanting her.
She was precisely the kind of woman he should be avoiding.
He studied her face for another long moment, then gave in to the inevitable. He pushed his door open.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Yeah."
She wasn't dying, wasn't married, and hadn't killed anyone. And he wanted her more than he'd ever wanted another woman in his life. So how was he possibly going to shut the door on her? After three months of missing her? He wasn't that strong. Or stupid.
Coming May 17th!
PREORDER NOW!
Amz: https://amzn.to/3E7XvUT
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3OhyPhE
Nook: https://bit.ly/Kiss-My-Giraffe-nook
Kobo: https://bit.ly/Kiss-My-Giraffe-Kobo
GP: https://bit.ly/Kiss-My-Giraffe-GP
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/Kiss-My-Giraffe-Goodreads
Paperback coming soon!
Audio in production!
All great changes are preceded by chaos...
He pulled back just enough to unbutton his shirt and yank it off. Her gaze and hands were hot as she ran her palms over his bare skin, and Knox shuddered. "F*ck, I love your hands on me."
"Me too. God, how have we waited this long?"
That was a great question. When he'd first met her, he'd known she was trouble. He expected that she'd drive him crazy and that they'd clash whenever she came to town.
He'd been right. But those clashes had been foreplay. He'd acknowledged that to himself only, the second time she'd come to Autre. But he'd started feeling respect for her right away. Not only the work she did but the way she treated the people he loved most.
He'd quickly realized Fiona was pushing the Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild petting zoo toward becoming a sanctuary. She'd seen their potential before they'd understood it themselves. And she'd been right on. She'd given the animals a loving place to go, and she'd given the people a purpose that they'd all embraced and grown from.
He was crazy about her for that alone.
Anyone who loved his people as much as he did would be able to get past a few of his walls.
So he'd resigned himself to liking her. Admiring her. Enjoying their banter and her sass.
But damn, he hadn't expected the physical desire to be so strong.
He just couldn't fight it anymore.
A long-distance, no-strings-attached fling with this woman was perfect.
"We waited because I didn't like you for a long time," he said, leaning in to run his mouth down the length of her throat.
"Liar," she said with a breathless laugh. "You liked me as soon as I brought swearing parrots to town."
He groaned. Those parrots had caused him all kinds of headaches with the locals. "No."
She wiggled underneath him, pressing up against his fly. "Yes."
"I wanted you, but I didn't like you."
"Oh, you wanted me the very first time we met." She grinned up at him. "Just like I wanted you."
"I wanted to paddle your ass."
Her eyes went wide but not with shock. Heat. There was heat there. "I know."
He narrowed his eyes. "Yeah? But you kept poking me."
"Yep."
He ran a hand down her side to her butt and cupped a cheek, squeezing firmly. "I still want to regularly."
She gave him a sly grin. "I know."
He shook his head. "I'm going to get to be really dirty with you, aren't I?" Fiona was the perfect type to push and play with. She would never let him overstep, and she would give as good as she got.
His c*ck pulsed with that knowledge, and his body heated. The things he wanted to do to this woman. With this woman. He knew she'd meet him head-on, fully participate, make him beg if she wanted to. But if she let him push her to the point of begging, that would be…amazing.
"You can be however you want to with me," she told him softly.
As she answered, something in her voice or her eyes made him pause. That was so sincere. So…heartfelt.
She meant it, and he sensed that she was referring to things beyond sex.
Instead of pulling away as he probably should have, he lowered his head and kissed her hungrily. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down more firmly against her body. She kissed him back, her hands going to his ass, pulling him into her. She felt like heaven.
"More," she said softly against his lips. "Please."
He dragged his bearded jaw over her cheek and down her neck. "We're going to do this, Fi," he said roughly against her ear. "We're going to have this wild affair. We're gonna f*ck each other senseless." He lifted his head to pin her with his gaze. "And you're going to keep your news to yourself. I don't wanna know. When you come to Autre, you're going to be in my bed. When you're not here, you're gonna answer my f*cking texts. But I don't need anything else."
And he meant that. The long-distance relationship would work. People thought those were hard, and he was sure distance was tough for some. But he knew well that long-distance was perfect for some couples. Like him and Fiona. Two independent people didn't need to be all wrapped up in each other.
He moved to unbutton her jeans, needing desperately to see—and lick—the tattoo on her hip. He'd seen it when he'd needed to do first aid on the ostrich bite on her lower back a few months ago. The tattoo curved over her left hip bone and read 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘰𝘴.
That was Fiona. She had the potential to turn his world upside down.
NEW stand alone, enemies-to-lovers, grumpy-sunshine, small town rom com!
Amz: https://amzn.to/3E7XvUT
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3OhyPhE
Nook: https://bit.ly/Kiss-My-Giraffe-nook
Kobo: https://bit.ly/Kiss-My-Giraffe-Kobo
GP: https://bit.ly/Kiss-My-Giraffe-GP
"Me too. God, how have we waited this long?"
That was a great question. When he'd first met her, he'd known she was trouble. He expected that she'd drive him crazy and that they'd clash whenever she came to town.
He'd been right. But those clashes had been foreplay. He'd acknowledged that to himself only, the second time she'd come to Autre. But he'd started feeling respect for her right away. Not only the work she did but the way she treated the people he loved most.
He'd quickly realized Fiona was pushing the Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild petting zoo toward becoming a sanctuary. She'd seen their potential before they'd understood it themselves. And she'd been right on. She'd given the animals a loving place to go, and she'd given the people a purpose that they'd all embraced and grown from.
He was crazy about her for that alone.
Anyone who loved his people as much as he did would be able to get past a few of his walls.
So he'd resigned himself to liking her. Admiring her. Enjoying their banter and her sass.
But damn, he hadn't expected the physical desire to be so strong.
He just couldn't fight it anymore.
A long-distance, no-strings-attached fling with this woman was perfect.
"We waited because I didn't like you for a long time," he said, leaning in to run his mouth down the length of her throat.
"Liar," she said with a breathless laugh. "You liked me as soon as I brought swearing parrots to town."
He groaned. Those parrots had caused him all kinds of headaches with the locals. "No."
She wiggled underneath him, pressing up against his fly. "Yes."
"I wanted you, but I didn't like you."
"Oh, you wanted me the very first time we met." She grinned up at him. "Just like I wanted you."
"I wanted to paddle your ass."
Her eyes went wide but not with shock. Heat. There was heat there. "I know."
He narrowed his eyes. "Yeah? But you kept poking me."
"Yep."
He ran a hand down her side to her butt and cupped a cheek, squeezing firmly. "I still want to regularly."
She gave him a sly grin. "I know."
He shook his head. "I'm going to get to be really dirty with you, aren't I?" Fiona was the perfect type to push and play with. She would never let him overstep, and she would give as good as she got.
His c*ck pulsed with that knowledge, and his body heated. The things he wanted to do to this woman. With this woman. He knew she'd meet him head-on, fully participate, make him beg if she wanted to. But if she let him push her to the point of begging, that would be…amazing.
"You can be however you want to with me," she told him softly.
As she answered, something in her voice or her eyes made him pause. That was so sincere. So…heartfelt.
She meant it, and he sensed that she was referring to things beyond sex.
Instead of pulling away as he probably should have, he lowered his head and kissed her hungrily. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down more firmly against her body. She kissed him back, her hands going to his ass, pulling him into her. She felt like heaven.
"More," she said softly against his lips. "Please."
He dragged his bearded jaw over her cheek and down her neck. "We're going to do this, Fi," he said roughly against her ear. "We're going to have this wild affair. We're gonna f*ck each other senseless." He lifted his head to pin her with his gaze. "And you're going to keep your news to yourself. I don't wanna know. When you come to Autre, you're going to be in my bed. When you're not here, you're gonna answer my f*cking texts. But I don't need anything else."
And he meant that. The long-distance relationship would work. People thought those were hard, and he was sure distance was tough for some. But he knew well that long-distance was perfect for some couples. Like him and Fiona. Two independent people didn't need to be all wrapped up in each other.
He moved to unbutton her jeans, needing desperately to see—and lick—the tattoo on her hip. He'd seen it when he'd needed to do first aid on the ostrich bite on her lower back a few months ago. The tattoo curved over her left hip bone and read 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘰𝘴.
That was Fiona. She had the potential to turn his world upside down.
NEW stand alone, enemies-to-lovers, grumpy-sunshine, small town rom com!
Amz: https://amzn.to/3E7XvUT
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3OhyPhE
Nook: https://bit.ly/Kiss-My-Giraffe-nook
Kobo: https://bit.ly/Kiss-My-Giraffe-Kobo
GP: https://bit.ly/Kiss-My-Giraffe-GP
