Lisa Suzanne's Blog: Author Lisa Suzanne - Posts Tagged "lisasuzanne-comingsoon-excerpt"

“My idea is just a way to throw my brother off our trail and, at the same time, get Colin to back off. It’s a win-win that way. And you had mentioned the other night that you want the focus to be on your career rather than on what different woman is on your arm at every event, and this would be a way to, uh…have the same woman on your arm at every event.”

My brows crash together as I have no idea what the fuck she’s talking about. “Okay…” I say, drawing out the word. “Out with it. What are you thinking?”

“A fake relationship,” she says, and her tone is a little proud, a little confident, and a little nervous all at the same time.

“A fake what now?” I ask.

“We pretend we’re dating. For the media, of course, and we tell Beck it’s just for show, a way for you to protect me from my ex since he asked you to protect me.” She lifts both shoulders and holds them up for a few beats.

I shake my head as I push to my feet. “No. Absolutely not. I don’t want to make this any worse, and I don’t want to lie to Beckett.”

“We wouldn’t be lying to Beckett,” she says.

“How is that not a lie?” My tone comes out with a huge dose of exasperation. “We’d explain away the photos by telling him we were faking it?”

“We were faking it in front of Colin. How is that a lie?”

He sighs. “It’s not the whole truth.”

“No, it’s not. And do either of us really want to give Beckett the whole truth that you laid me down on the bed right in the next room, stripped me naked, sucked on my—”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” I say, holding up a hand as I interrupt her before she says exactly what I sucked on since hearing those words fall from her mouth will only make me want to do it again. Harder. Faster. More. Now.

I hear the announcement before I even walk back into the ballroom. “Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. Dinner will be served shortly.”
My mom and dad are up front at table four, and I swing by to say hi on my way to the bar to grab one more drink before dinner.
I’m not the only one who had that idea, though. The line is ten people deep, and by the time I turn around with my drink in hand, I see the servers clearing plates after the first of the seven-course meal, an amuse-bouche consisting of a cheese puff with truffle butter.
Damn. That sounded good.
I practically run to my table, and I grab the only open seat. I see the cheese puff thing still sitting there, and I slip it into my mouth just as someone comes to clear my plate.
“Perfect timing,” I say triumphantly, holding my fist up in the air.
And then I glance around my table.
It appears I’m sitting with a bunch of football players and their spouses. There are ten chairs, and it’s a big enough table with enough noise surrounding me that there’s no way I can hold a conversation with someone across the table from me. I glance at each couple, and they all smile and wave, and finally I look at the man sitting to my right.
Our eyes connect, and…
Holy shit.
It’s Asher Nash.
I’m a huge football fanatic, and of course I know the Nash family. Who doesn’t? They’re household names.
And whoa.
He’s hot.
Not just, like, hot, but steamy, spicy, sexy, book boyfriend material hot.
He’s got dark hair that’s styled in a trendy sort of lazy way, and his blue eyes seem to hold me hostage. He looks surprised, and my eyes fall to his full lips that are slightly parted and the scruff peppering his strong jawline.
Holy hell. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a man up close like this that’s just so…so…so…gorgeous.
He’s wearing an obnoxious paisley gold jacket, and oddly, it’s the perfect complement to my dress, as if we planned the coloring even though we didn’t. I look around him at the woman on the other side of him, and she’s leaning in and kissing the man she’s with, so I assume she’s not his date. As they part, I see the man she was kissing is Grayson Nash.
I realize my father coaches for an NFL team, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a bit starstruck by these men.
Still, I pull it together. I act like I have no idea who he is.
“Oh, uh,” I stammer. “Is this seat taken?”
He chuckles. “It is now. I’m Asher.”

“Goodnight,” she says quietly.

“Night.” I flip off the light, and we lie in darkness for a few minutes.

I think she might be asleep, but I ask the question anyway. “Do you remember the promise?”

“Hm?” she murmurs.

“That if we’re both thirty and neither one of us is married, we marry each other.” I whisper the words.

“Mm-hm.”

“I’m game.” I realize there’s another month to go before we have to worry about that, but I’d marry her in a heartbeat if I could.

She doesn’t say anything, and I hear even breathing after that.

I’m not sure I’ll have the nerve to bring it up again, but at least we’re sharing a bed tonight. It’s a step in the right direction.

“Easy, tiger,” he says.
I glare at him. “Tiger? You’re making up pet names for me now?”
He chuckles as if he gets a rise out of ticking me off. He’s damn good at it, that’s for sure. “It wasn’t a pet name when it slipped out, but it does seem to fit.”
“Okay, then, mule.”
His brows dip. “Mule?”
“Yeah, you know. Like an ass.” I raise a pointed brow as I purse my lips, and boom! I finally got in a jab when I seem to turn into jelly around this man.
He laughs.
The bastard laughs.
This is not going well, and I’m only saved from more of this misery when the lady at the counter calls my order number.
“Excuse me,” I say, needing to move past him to get to the counter, but he doesn’t budge. I huff out a breath and squeeze my way past him, and my ass happens to rub along his body as I move.
And holy. Freaking. Shit.
Is that a banana in his pocket, or is he as affected by these random run-ins as I am?
Is he turned on by this banter we can’t seem to escape?
I gasp a little and turn to look at him, and when our eyes meet, there’s a definite heat there. And he’s smirking again—or maybe still.