Bethany Lopez is a USA Today Bestselling author of more than thirty books and has been published since 2011. She’s a lover of all things romance, which she incorporates into the books she writes, no matter the genre.
When she isn’t reading or writing, she loves spending time with family and traveling whenever possible.
Bethany can usually be found with a cup of coffee or glass of wine at hand, and will never turn down a cupcake!
And all are single, over the next year things are going to change.
If you read the Iron Orchids then you fell in love with the sassy heroines, strong friendships, and steamy romances. It’s time to meet the new girl gang- the Iron Badges.
Get a taste of each of these ladies’ personalities as they have a night to remember at an All Male Strip Show.
Then sit back, coming June fourth is Book 1 in the series – Book ’em Sadie.
I stared at myself in the mirror for what had to be the tenth time this morning, making sure that my pins were perfect and my shirt was pressed. The only things that weren’t sexy were the boots, but hey, I didn’t mind them since they were part of the standard uniform of all motorcycle deputies. Who would have ever guessed that I, Sadie Kathryn Lazar, would become a motorcycle deputy? I still got butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it. I mean . . . why wouldn’t I? I was getting ready to roll out on two wheels of county-owned property, and it would be up to me so save the people of Orange County Florida from danger. Okay, more often than not I was saving them from their own stupidity and I wasn’t doing it alone, but whatever. There were other deputies and city police officers and state troopers, but I was part of that team. I was twenty-eight fucking years old, and even though I wasn’t a kid any longer, this was a lot of responsibility. A lot of pressure.
I grew up watching Cops with my daddy. I was all about bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do thanks to that show, and I never wavered from my career choice.
My ten-minute warning alarm signaled it was time for me to get my ass in gear. After sliding my gun into its holster, I grabbed my helmet and marched out of my small duplex. I opened the door to my tiny garage door, which was truly meant for storage and rolled out my motorcycle before reporting in to dispatch.
“Thirteen twenty-two, ten-eight.”
“Orange County copies. 05:57 hours.” Dispatch confirmed that I was logged in and on duty.
I fired the engine on my bike and then rolled back on the throttle. To many, the roar of the engine might as well have been a foreign language, but to me, it was my native tongue.
As the early morning sun warmed my cheeks and the wind whipped against me, I hummed and maneuvered through the rush hour traffic. It wasn’t even ten minutes after beginning my shift that my call signal rang out across the radio.
“Thirteen twenty-two.”
“Thirteen twenty-two, go ahead.”
“Are you available to support a search at Mills and Colonial?”
“Ten-four, show me fifty-one, be there in under five.” After letting dispatch know that I was on my way and less than five minutes out, I upped my speed, only slowing when I spotted the three deputy vehicles along a side road. “Hey, what’s going on?” I asked Colton. The guy had been on the force about as long as I had.
“Hey, Sadie, this is one of those stories that is totally Cops worthy.”
“Oh, do tell.”
“It seems that Wanda”—he pointed to a tall woman in gold stilettos and a catsuit (the pleather kind, not the furry kind)—“and her best friend Pammy are no longer best friends.”
“Why?” I asked with all the fake concern I could muster, and Colton nodded with his own fake concern for their friendship.
“Wanda believes that Pammy stole her client.”
“Well, that isn’t a very best friend like thing to do, is it?” “Nope. Not at all.” Colton was clearly trying to keep himself from laughing.
“Apparently, his name is John, and he’s a very loyal . . . client.” Colton raised an eyebrow.
“It’s six o’clock in the fucking morning. If that doesn’t say loyal, I don’t know what does. So, why the sudden change of heart from our friend John the Client?”
“Oh.” Colton finally lost it and let out a chuckle. “I’ll let them tell you. I don’t want to deprive you of any of the joy.” Colton gave me a knowing grin and I shook my head as I flipped him off and made my way over to the two women.
I walked over. “Oh, good, missy, you need to arrest her. She’s a thief.”
“I ain’t no thief, I’m a hooker.” I looked over my shoulder to Colton, who had moved to stand with Dan and Enzo. All three were watching me with bored expressions. I knew better, and would pay each one of them back for this nonsense. Three male deputies, and they called me.
“Ladies, since the dispute has to do with business, this is actually a civil case and not criminal. You need to get an attorney and sue through the courts. Perhaps you can even try to get loss of income.” Yeah, I said that last part with a straight face, looking for all the world to be nothing more than a helpful officer handing out helpful advice.
“Wanda, I ain’t taking no Johns from you,” Pammy said. “I’m gonna be truthful, okay? I stole some of your Oxys. But, girl, you got so many from that guy you blew, you didn’t even miss none.”
I wanted to groan. Fuck, I needed to do a search.
“Okay, ladies,” I said as I pulled out black plastic gloves. “I’m going to need you to step away from each other. If you could please face the car.” “What you doing, bitch? You ain’t arresting her, she’s my best friend.” Wanda, who just seconds ago was claiming that they were no longer friends, looked ready to fight for said friendship.
About the Author
Before becoming a romance writer, Danielle was a body double for Heidi Klum and a backup singer for Adele. Now, she spends her days trying to play keep away from Theo James, who won’t stop calling her or asking her out.
And all of this happens before she wakes up and faces reality where in fact she is a 50-something mom with grown kids. She’s been married longer than Theo’s been alive, and she now gets her kicks riding a Harley.
As far as her body, she can thank Ben & Jerry’s for that, as well as gravity and vodka. But she says that she could never be Adele’s backup since she never stops saying the F-word long enough to actually sing.
Danielle writes about kickass women with even better shoes and the men that try to tame them (silly, silly men).
They were supposed to be together forever. That was the plan, but through a cruel twist of fate the night before their three-year anniversary, Tex Davis lost the one man he would ever love, Memphis King. A year has passed and he still hasn’t been able to move on. Everyone tells him it’s time, but what do they know? Memphis was his partner in love and life. Losing him, broke Tex.
Tex has been given an opportunity to move from New York to Seattle. His friends and family are encouraging him to take it, but he has already decided to decline the offer because that would mean leaving Memphis behind.
Then something happened.
Whether it be fate or something else, Memphis came back to him. Tex’s first love is supposed to help him move on, but not even Memphis can bring himself to force Tex to let him go.
Is it so wrong to want to spend forever with the person you loved most? Both hearts are begging to be unbroken.
1 –
One year. One year since Tex had lost Memphis. One year since his lover had been killed, and it had yet to get easier. Everyone kept telling him it would, it never did. There were times he thought about ending it all, and then he would feel something…hear something, making him change his mind.
Actually, sometimes he thought he was losing it.
And today, he called in sick to work, unable to get out of bed until this afternoon. When he finally emerged, he only relocated to the living room after grabbing a full bottle of Southern Comfort, plopping down on the sofa. The very sofa he and Memphis picked out together. It had been their first major furniture decision when they decided to move in together. The moment the delivery men left, Tex and Memphis broke it in thoroughly, wearing themselves out.
Tex’s eyes looked around the room. It seemed so empty without Memphis, and he felt so lost without his lover. He’d been sitting here for hours? Minutes? It had to be some amount of time since the bottle was half gone and he was feeling a drunken morose engulfing him, and he could not stop the bitter question from leaving his lips, the very question he had been asking daily since losing his best friend, lover, other half…his everything. “Why? Why Memphis? Why did you have to go? Why did it have to be you and not me?”
Shaking his head, Tex sniffled and brought his glass filled with amber liquid to his lips. “When you left, it completely broke my heart…I’m still broken. I need to hear you say that you love me one more time. A million more times, but that won’t happen. Can’t happen.” He took another gulp, draining the glass before wiping his nose with the back of his hand.
Pouring himself another glassful of liquor, he breathed out as drops of saltwater fell on his coffee table. He should probably stop drinking and put himself to bed to finish wallowing there, but he couldn’t. It had been one year. One year since that fateful night…unlucky night more like it. One year since he’d heard Memphis’s voice, touched his body, and the loss Tex felt that night remained just as acute tonight as it did then. He thought time was supposed to heal the wounds, to lessen the pain…lies. All lies. “It’s my fault, Memphis. If I hadn’t been spiteful and allowed that monstrous bitch, jealousy, to cloud my judgment…if only. If only. I regretted everything, regretted that the last words I spoke to you were bitter and vile. I can’t forget you, can’t move on. I’m lonely without you, Memphis. It hurts so much that you aren’t here.” He wailed like a banshee, his cry full of sorrow and pain.
More tears were falling, but he ignored them like he’d done every time they sprang up. It was easy to do after all this time; besides, they didn’t matter. Nothing mattered any longer and hadn’t for a year.
He sobbed again and then got angry. “I wish you could come back to fix me, fix what you destroyed when you left, but that’s a pipe dream. You got mad, said your piece, and then stormed out of here. If you had just waited…” Tex choked on his words.
“You went the other way. Why? Why the other way? Was it because of the bar? The one where we met? Memphis, do you remember? I was sitting at the bar and you walked up to me and gave me that stupid, cheesy pickup line, ‘I seem to have lost my phone number, can I have yours?’ So stupid. I remember I said, ‘That’s a shame because I lost mine too. I guess we’re both screwed.’ You winked at me then. I should have known something bad was going to come out of your mouth…sexy mouth.
‘Not yet, but we could be.’ I laughed. You were always good at making me laugh, making me smile.” Shaking his head and snickering, he poured another glass. If he destroyed his liver, if he got alcohol poisoning, then maybe he could be with Memphis again.
Tex downed the entire glass, hoping that the pain would deaden or that he would stop feeling anything. Maybe if he drank enough, he could join Memphis.
Grabbing a pillow from the couch, Tex threw it across the room, and it bounced off the window overlooking the streets of Manhattan. “You were supposed to go right! You were supposed to go to Christy’s apartment!” He wailed, “Why weren’t you at your sister’s? Why did you have to go the other way? She looked horrible because she had been sick, even her blue hair looked green.” Tex snorted mirthlessly.
It’s been a year and Tex floated through life, unable to move on. “I know I should continue to live for us…for you, but I don’t know how,” Tex’s words ended on a shout, full of rage, and his face was red from more than just the alcohol.
“There has always only been you. You got me when no one else did. You loved me…I loved you. Three years. We were together one night shy of three years. We never got to see four.” Tex fell back and stared up at the blue ceiling with white fluffy clouds painted on it, his tears falling down his face like two rivers. There was no point in wiping them away because there was no end to them, and he couldn’t staunch them even if he tried. Memphis was gone and would forever remain gone.
He chugged the rest of the amber liquid from the bottle and fell to his side onto the couch, resting his head on the cushion. More tears fell. They never stopped. Even if they weren’t falling down his face, his soul cried and mourned the loss of his friend and lover. The pain hadn’t stopped since the day he lost Memphis.
Sitting up, Tex grabbed the bottle of Southern Comfort and raised it into the air, choosing to do away with the glass. “A toast to you and your lost life. Memphis, I still love you, and I wish every single god damned day that you were still here beside me. Each day that passes reminds me that you will never be part of my life again, that you will never hold me, never tease me again. You were funny, caring, sexy, and all mine. Forgive me…God, please forgive me for that night, for accusing you of cheating. I know you loved me. Jealousy is a fucking bitch. Somehow, I’d gotten it into my head that you were leaving me when you weren’t. I found out after. Sometimes I think I killed you. I’m sorry. So, so sorry.” He whimpered as he took in a shaky breath. “Memphis, I will always love you and only you.”
I wish you were here to fix the heart you broke when you died, Memphis, Tex thought to himself as he closed his eyes. Before he fully submitted to the effects of the alcohol though, he felt a set of lips press against his. “Memphis, love…” he slurred, his words tapering off as he finally allowed himself to completely fall into the void.
Fingers running through his short brown curls and the heaviness of someone sitting next to him had Tex leaning into the touch and smiling. “Memphis, I’m trying to sleep,” he argued, pretending not to like the feel of his lover soothing him.
Reality hit a split second later.
Tex’s eyes popped open, but all he saw was the blackness of his blanket because when he slept, he liked to bury himself and only the top of his head could be seen. Pushing it down and away from him, he twisted his head this way and that, trying to figure out why it felt as if someone was playing with his hair when the apartment should have been completely empty save for him. Events from the previous night filtered into his brain, and he shook his head, still scanning the room.
Another thought occurred to him. He was so focused on if it could be Memphis, there was a more logical explanation–thanks to Christy and Wil for planting the idea in his head. Spider! He panicked and grabbed his head, trying to dislodge the bug if it existed, but he found nothing. Instead, much like the night before, he fell off the bed onto the floor, this time hitting his hard head with a loud thud.
“It wasn’t a spider,” Memphis told him, although watching Tex scramble as he did, had been funny as hell. He didn’t know what happened earlier, one minute he had been here in this apartment with Tex, and the next, nothing…blackness. Nothing scary or oppressive, just a void. Some might call it purgatory, but he didn’t think so because if that was the case, why was he allowed to leave and come back to his Tex?
Head snapping up, Tex tried to find the source of the voice, and this time he did, a little easier than last time. With the curtains drawn and the sun beginning to set, the room was dimly lit, and on the bed, on Memphis’s side of the bed, was a…something. Tex wasn’t exactly sure how to describe it. It wasn’t a figure, but it wasn’t exactly nothing either. A mist? No. Smoke? Not really. Shadow? Sort of. It was just there.
“Me-Mem…Memphis?” Tex asked hesitantly. His heart was beating wildly and he was on the verge of hyperventilating as his eyes widened, waiting in anticipation for the answer he would receive. And he didn’t know which way he wanted the…thing to answer. If positive, Tex might be crazy. If negative–in a way–it would be like losing Memphis again. Fuck, he was a wishy-washy asshole!
“Do you remember the night we met? I think I might have told you, but I don’t remember, but the reason I approached you was that I didn’t want Jordan to have you,” Memphis told Tex as if this whole situation was completely normal.
Tex gaped at the bed. The thing sort of had a form, but not really, and while it seemed Memphis voice came from it, it didn’t mean that it was Memphis. “Jordan? What do you mean?” He recalled something about Jordan and that night, but he couldn’t think right now because even if it wasn’t actually Memphis speaking to him, it was his voice. Tex couldn’t stop himself from asking while he tried to decide if he should scream and run for his life to admit himself into the nearest psych ward, or if he should rejoice because his lover had finally come back to him.
“We played pool to decide who would approach you that night. I lost, and when he went to the bathroom to piss out the five beers he drank, I made my move. It was a toss-up if we would remain friends, or if he would punch me in the nuts and never speak to me again.”
“No guy would ever punch another one in the sack.” Tex still wasn’t sure, although, that did sound like something Memphis would say, and definitely something Jordan would threaten if he was pissed off.
Memphis chuckled. “You do remember Jordan, right?”
Jordan Cash came to New Orleans to have fun with his latest fling, however, within twenty-four hours of arriving, he’s been abandoned and finds himself wandering around the city doing the tourist thing alone. Everyone is finding someone to love, but that’s not in the cards for him. He’ll spend his days cheering on his friends and having the time of his life.
He never expected to run into a man who immediately catches his attention in the middle of a graveyard. Did the Voodoo Queen put a spell on him from the beyond?
***
To say that Archer Wolfe is directionally challenged is the understatement of the year. He broke his cellphone and can get lost in the very city he lives in. It’s no surprise he gets turned around, and while trying to find his way, he pushes Jordan into a stone crypt. Not the best way to make a first impression.
Archer isn’t looking for love or anything else, but there is something about the smooth-talking Jordan. It was supposed to be a fling, simply some fun, but he is realizing he doesn’t want Jordan to disappear.
***
Once you’ve found someone who calls to your soul, how do you let go?
Maria Vickers currently lives in St. Louis, MO with her pug, Spencer Tracy. She has always had a passion for writing and after she became disabled in 2010, she decided to use writing as her escape. She believes that life is about what you make of it. You have to live it to the fullest no matter the circumstances.
From a young age, she has always loved books and even dreamed of being an author when she was younger. Growing up in the Navy, she used to weave tales for her siblings and her friends about anything and everything. And when she wasn’t creating her own stories, she had a book in her hand. They transported her to another world. She hopes that with her books, her readers have the same experience and that they can relate to her characters.
Getting sick changed her life forever, but it also opened doors for her that she thought would always be out of reach.
Watch love bloom in the new Sweetbriar Cove romance from New York Times bestselling author, Melody Grace!
Actress Lila Moore is starting over. Escaping Hollywood scandal, she’s hiding out in
Sweetbriar Cove to plan the next chapter in her life. The last thing she wants is an annoyingly handsome man snooping in her business, even if It turns out that he’s not the paparazzi… but her new gardener.
Landscape designer Griffin Forrester doesn’t care about gossip, and he definitely doesn’t
have time for a high-strung client like Lila. He prefers getting dirty planting spring bulbs, not walking the red carpet at a fancy premiere. As far as he’s concerned, their relationship is strictly business. But it turns out, Lila isn’t anything like the diva he expected. And when sparks fly, he can’t stay away…
Soon, the gardens aren’t the only thing blossoming at Rose Cottage. But can Lila trust
enough to open her heart again? And when the past catches up with them, will this unlikely couple find a way to keep love in season all year long?
Find out in the new feel-good romance from Melody Grace!
The Sweetbriar Cove Series:
#1 Meant to Be
#2 All for You
#3 The Only One
#4 I’m Yours
#5 Holiday Kisses
#6 No Ordinary Love
#7 Wildest Dreams
#8 This Kiss
A small-town girl, Melody grew up in the English countryside before moving to Los Angeles. She is now a New York Times bestselling author of feel-good contemporary romance novels, and is also currently writing for the upcoming BRIDGERTONS television adaptation from Netflix. She has two cats.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholashas been writing romances almost as long as she’s been reading them. To date, she’s written over thirty sexy, contemporary novels that have been described as “toe-curling,” “enchanting,” “steamy,” and “fun.” She adores reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines, and happily ever afters.
Erin lives in the Midwest, where she enjoys spending time with her husband (who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books), her kids (who will never read the sex scenes in her books), and her family and friends (who claim to be “shocked” by the sex scenes in her books).
The night I’m released from prison, she’s in my bed. It’s been eight years since I touched a woman, and the Native American beauty is half-dressed, beaten, bruised, and devastatingly exquisite.
We’re toxic together, but we want the same things. Blood. Vengeance. Violent relief in a warm body.
Beneath her touch, I’m alive. Against her skin, I’m redeemed. Buried inside her, I forget the past. Until the past takes her from me.
Prison made me cold, but losing Raina makes me cruel. Ruthless. Unforgiving. I killed before. For her, I’ll kill again. I’ll end this once and for all or die in my boots.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Pam Godwin, lives in the Midwest with her husband, their two children, and a foulmouthed parrot. When she ran away, she traveled fourteen countries across five continents, attended three universities, and married the vocalist of her favorite rock band.
.
Java, tobacco, and dark romance novels are her favorite indulgences, and might be considered more unhealthy than her aversion to sleeping, eating meat, and dolls with blinking eyes.
Title: Reckless King Series: Kings of Rittenhouse #2
Author: Maya Hughes
Genre: New Adult/Sports Romance
Release Date: August 24, 2018
Blurb
An irresistibly steamy college sports romance.
I’m Heath Taylor. Laid back. Easy going. Fastest guy on two skates and chill to a fault. Until Kara.
Three nights together and I’m done for. Her laugh, her smile, the way my hand curves around her waist. She’s the one. Not a doubt in my mind…until I walk into my last class of the semester.
Kara, the woman of my dreams, is my new instructor. My hockey season and her career prospects are on the line. One false move–if anyone finds out–we’re both sunk.
On the ice I’m a beast that can’t be stopped, but thoughts of her are throwing me off my game. My fingers itch to feel her in my arms again. But risking everything could ruin what we’ve worked so hard for.
Sometimes life has a way of changing the best laid plans. And sometimes you can’t stay away no matter the promises you make.
Maya Hughes has always loved romance novels. One look at her Kindle is confirmation. She started writing her first romance novel while pregnant with her third child and she hasn’t looked back. Now, her romance writing addiction has replaced her romance reading addiction.
You can find her writing on her foldable keyboard and phone anytime inspiration strikes. Her sweet and steamy stories range from rockstars to small towns and everything in between. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her three kids, running errands or vegging on the couch with the love of her life and biggest fan, her husband.
Paige Bennett is ready for an adventure. She’s spent her life being the good girl, but after another underwhelming break-up, she decides it’s time to shake things up. No more diets, Spanx, and searching for Mr. Right. She wants passion and excitement… And she knows just the man for the job.
Bad boy chef, Declan Nash, lives by three simple rules:
1) Life’s too short for cheap whiskey. 2) Everything tastes better with butter, and 3) Good girls mean trouble.
So when the sweet, polite Paige proposes he teach her about life on the wild side, he knows he should steer clear. But it turns out, Paige is hiding a few surprises of her own…
Their connection is immediate, and soon, this unlikely couple is heating things up in Sweetbriar Cove. But will they take a risk search of new love? Or will the sparks between them burn out with the fireworks on Fourth of July?
Find out in the sizzling, romantic new novel from New York Times bestselling author Melody Grace!
Genre: Romantic Comedy Release Date: June 19, 2018
Blurb
From New York Times Bestseller, Mimi Jean Pamfiloff, comes a new Romantic Comedy.
He’s the meanest boss ever.
She’s the sweet shy intern.
They’re about to wreck each other crazy.
My name is Sydney Lucas. I am smart, deathly shy, and one hundred percent determined to make my own way in the world. Which is why I jumped at the chance to intern for Mr. Nick Brooks despite his reputation. After ten failed interviews at other companies, he was the only one offering. Plus, everyone says he knows his stuff, and surely a man as stunningly handsome as him can’t be “the devil incarnate,” right? Wrong.
Oh…that man. That freakin’ man has got to go! I’ve been on the job one week, and he’s insulted my mother, wardrobe shamed me, and managed to make me cry. Twice. Underneath that stone-cold, beautiful face is the evilest human being ever.
But I’m not going to quit. Oh no. For once in my life, I’ve got to make a stand. Only, every time I open my mouth, I can’t quite seem to muster the courage. Perhaps my revenge needs to come in another form: destroying him quietly.
Because I’ve got a secret. I’m not really just an intern, and Sydney Lucas isn’t my real name.
Author Bio MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling romance author with over a million books sold worldwide. Although she obtained her MBA and worked for more than fifteen years in the corporate world, she believes that it’s never too late to come out of the romance closet and follow your dream. Mimi lives with her Latin Lover hubby, two pirates-in-training (their boys), and the rat terrier duo, Snowflake and Mini Me, in Arizona. She hopes to make you laugh when you need it most and continues to pray daily that leather pants will make a big comeback for men.
Afternoon Delight, the next standalone in the romantic and hilarious
Charity Case Series by Piper Rayne is available now!
The perfect man for me is the one who broke my heart.
#thanksbutnothanks
Once bitten.
Twice shy.
Yeah, I wish.
I’m on a mission to find myself a nice, solid, respectable man. The only problem is nice, solid, and respectable comes in a meh package and is B-O-R-I-N-G as hell.
It’s been established. I have one type. Bad Boy. I tried the other flavors, I really did. But there’s nothing like the allure of a man who takes what he wants without apology.
As if my love life isn’t dramatic enough, Dean Bennett walks into my life again thinking he’s going to win me back with his charm and charisma. He might come in a different package, but under that expensive suit he’s still the same cocky, arrogant, pompous prick who only cares about numero uno.
I’m not that naïve young girl anymore so I have to ignore the fact that the way he looks at me practically sets my panties on fire.
Everyone deserves a second chance to right a wrong. The problem? He’s not just an ex-boyfriend…
Walking through the revolving door, I’m greeted by a security desk before I can access the elevators. Shit. I should message Glen again to say I’m going to be even later than I expected.
I approach the tall man who looks as annoyed as me for being here on a Friday night. “Hello, I need to head to” —I glance at the envelope— “Heiberman and Lipe Law Firm.”
He taps a few keys. “I think they’re closed already.” His face is void of any emotion.
“Can you tell me if there’s a…” my eyes glance to the folder again. “Mr. Bennett?” The last name causes my stomach to gurgle.
“Let me call up.” He presses some buttons on the phone, listens for a second and then hangs up. “No one is answering.”
I lean over the counter, splashing on my please eat out of my hand smile. “It’s Friday. You want to go home. I want to go home. I promised my boss that I’d get these on the desk of Mr. Bennett.” I cough, bile rising up my throat with the mention of the name. Victoria is really going to have to take care of this in the future. “Can I please just go up to their floor and see if their door is unlocked?”
He shakes his head, giving me a look I’m way too familiar with, silently asking if I’m crazy.
“What can I do?” I ask. “Money? A date?” I look at his left hand. “No. Are you a fan of winter sports?” I’ll totally pull Skylar into this. “My cousin is a Winter Classics skier and her fiancé—” A large palm lands in front of my face.
“Give me your name.” His fingers position on the keyboard.
“Chelsea… Chelsea Walsh.”
He types my name in, and I smile when he pulls a visitor badge out.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” I take it from his hand and put it over my head.
“If no one is up there, they have a drop box beside their door. You can leave your package there.”
I thank him again and walk steadily to the elevators, dodging people desperate to start their weekend.
I end up riding the elevator by myself to the thirty-third floor. The elevator doors ding open and I file out, my head swiveling right and then left. Spotting the door with Heiberman and Lipe Law Firm, I head over to it to find a list of the names of all the associates and thankfully there’s Bennett second from the top.
Hold on Glen, I’m almost on my way.
My hand pulls on the frosted glass door and it must be my lucky day because it opens.
I step into the darkened reception area. Looking around, I find no one. Heading down a hallway, my eyes zero in on the names on the doors while peeking my head into vacant offices. Finally, after passing the conference room, I see the last name Bennett and peek my head inside to find it empty with the light on. Hopefully that means he’s in the bathroom or something.
I pull out my cell phone, seeing Glen has messaged me back, but instead of responding to his I shoot one off to my boss Hannah.
Me: Mr. Bennett isn’t here. Can I drop the envelope on his desk?
Hannah as usual, replies instantly.
Hannah: Sure. Just leave it somewhere he’ll see it first thing on Monday.
Me: Got it.
I drop my cell phone back into my purse and slowly walk across the room and place the envelope on the chair. As I straighten up, I notice a baseball sitting next to the keyboard like someone had been playing with it and just set it down.
My jaw drops and my gaze scatters across every surface, spinning around investigating each piece of art, photos, anything I can find to tell me this isn’t…
Then as though I hadn’t breathed the entire time I’ve been in this office, the smell of him hits my nostrils. The once familiar scent of the ocean breeze, his deodorant and fresh linen from his clothes. He never was a cologne guy.
Other than a picture of a dog on the table behind his desk, it’s filled with baseball memorabilia of the Cubs. A die-hard Cub’s fan certificate is framed and on display, so others know he didn’t jump on the bandwagon two years ago when they won the World Series. It’s proof that his family has borne the Cubbie fever for generations.
“Do you make it a habit of sneaking into people’s offices?” His voice is coy and flirtatious.
I squeeze my eyes shut then grip the edge of the desk before my knees give out. Shivers run up and down my spine.
Crazy train. All aboard!
“You can at least show your face,” he says, continuing his usual play. “I promise I don’t bite.”
“Unless I want you to.” I spin around, my knuckles white as they tighten on the edge of the desk.
Now it’s his jaw that slackens as he realizes his ex-wife is standing in the middle of his office.
Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have “Heartwarming Humor With a Side of Sizzle” (okay…you caught us, that’s our tagline). A little about us… We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We’re both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We’re both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too.
RT @StephenKing: First, you stoke hatred and fear of minorities. Then you round them up and put them in camps. Next, you send out raiding p… 23 hours ago
RT @MeghanMcCain: This is racist. And I see Trump people are trying to spin this to just be about Rep. Omar, but we all know that’s a lie.… 1 day ago
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