I’m the new racehorse trainer at Gold Rush Ranch and I’ve got three months to turn a problem stallion into a winner. Working with horses is easy, but contending with Vaughn Harding, my moody new boss, is a whole other story. He can’t decide if he hates me or wants me—not that it matters, I swore off men like him years ago. Readers who enjoy Melanie Harlow and Kelly Elliott will love this slow burn, enemies to lovers, contemporary romance.
Blurb
He can’t decide if he hates me or wants me.
Vaughn Harding is my new boss. Getting close to him would be career suicide for a female racehorse trainer, and plain old gossip fuel in this small town. I get a kick out of our verbal sparring, but I swore off his type years ago.
And I’ve got plans.
I’m the new trainer at Gold Rush Ranch and I’ve just been handed a problem horse that I promised to make a winner. I want to put down roots, and I’m not about to let a man distract me. No matter how electric it feels when we lock eyes, or how my body ignites when we touch.
Vaughn’s a vivid reminder of every guy I grew up around. Handsome, rich, entitled–a total media darling. But there’s a sadness in him that I can’t seem to turn my back on. A sensitive side hidden beneath brooding good looks.
The last thing I need is a broken man to put back together, and the last thing he needs is more scandal.
Teasing him for kicks is one thing, but handing over my heart?
Walking in to see and hear Billie sobbing into the horse’s shoulder had been an absolute gut-punch. Hank had told me she wasn’t in good shape. But he failed to mention the part where she was absolutely falling apart. Seeing someone as strong as Billie break down and cry her apology to a horse, for something I am ultimately responsible for, almost brought me to my fucking knees.
The guilt. The ache in my chest at the raw pain in her voice. I’d known she was more sensitive than she let on. But this. This scene could crack my chest right open and leave my heart beating right at her feet.
Yeah, this hurts.
She hiccups in my arms, head nestled towards my shoulder, arms resting low around my ribs. And I’m holding her as firmly as I can without hurting her, trying to absorb all her anguish. Letting it seep into me. I’m the one who deserves the blame. Her sobs slow as I run one palm over her messy chestnut hair. I glance behind her at DD. He looks tired, closing his eyes and dozing now. Like he was just waiting for someone else to get here and take care of her.
Canadian author who loves book boyfriends and the sassy heroines who bring them to their knees. Connoisseur of charged looks and lingering touches. Fan of witty banter. Horse girl through and through. Fully convinced that it’s always wine o’clock somewhere.
“So….” she says and then lets the word just kind of hang there.
I’m not sure how to respond so I just wait for her to continue. There’s a plain black and white wall clock above the couch and the secondhand ticks loudly.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
This is officially awkward.
“So…what?” I ask her.
She can’t decide what to do with her hands. They now move behind her back. She breathes in. She breathes out. “Now that you’re here, Landon, I think it’s time we had a talk.”
I haven’t a clue which direction she’s going with this. Maybe Nesto was right and this is about to veer someplace exciting. “What do you want to talk about, Autumn?”
She appears startled by the fact that I’m using her name. I don’t know why. She’s the one who told me to stop calling her Ms. Katsaros.
She takes a breath and clears her throat. She fidgets. My eyes wander. Thanks to those shorts I can see more of her legs than I’m used to seeing. They are way above average, her legs. And they’d look pretty fucking fantastic wrapped around my waist. It wouldn’t take much for me to forget my promise to maintain a sex free environment. I’m already hard.
Autumn bites her lip. “I just feel like we should clear the air about that incident on your last day at Emblem High.”
“That’s what you want to talk about?”
“Yes. I know it was over two years ago but I just want you to know that I’ve never mentioned it to anyone and now that we’re roommates I wouldn’t want you to feel embarrassed.”
“You mean because you saw my dick?”
She blinks. “That’s one way of putting it.”
“How else would you put it?”
“That I mistakenly walked in on you having a, well, a private moment.”
“Okay.” I shrug my shoulders. “I forgive you.”
Annoyance flashes in her eyes. “I wasn’t apologizing, Landon. You were in a place you shouldn’t have been and doing something you shouldn’t have been doing.”
At this point I don’t know what she wants to hear. “In that case, I’m sorry you saw my dick.”
“Just so we’re clear, I didn’t want to see your dick.
“Well, I didn’t intend to show you my dick.”
“Okay, well, that’s good. We’re on the same page. This is not an issue and we don’t need to talk about it.”
“Then why did you bring it up?”
“I just…never mind. It’s not a thing and it’s over and it’s in the past and it doesn’t need to become a thing.”
I’m honestly confused. “What’s not a thing? My dick?”
“Yes. No!” She’s flustered and has to breathe in and out again before continuing. “Look, the dynamic between us is very different now. I am not your teacher. You are not my student. What’s done is done. I don’t feel uncomfortable and you don’t either. So we can just move forward and have a pleasant association from now on.”
Her face has become all red. During her speech she started pacing around like she does when she’s lecturing in her classroom. She also talked very fast, as if she’s rehearsed what to say.
“Are you always like this?” I ask her.
She frowns. “Like what?”
“Like all jumpy and half hysterical over nothing.”
“I’m not hysterical. I am simply attempting to engage in some open and honest dialogue.”
“Seems like a waste of time to me.”
“That’s an immature attitude.”
“If you say so.”
She’s getting flustered again. “You’ll change your mind when you’ve lived a few more years.”
I laugh. “Yeah, you’re practically ready for retirement. What are you, twenty five?”
Her chin tilts up. “I’ll be twenty seven next month.”
I let out a low whistle. “Old enough to be my mother.”
She narrows her eyes. “Look, just clean up after yourself and don’t eat my cookie dough ice cream and we’ll get along great. Can you do that?”
“I think so.”
“Wonderful. I’ll leave you alone to get unpacked. Kitchen is that way. Washer and dryer are in that closet behind you. I’m sure you can figure the rest out yourself.”
She turns, marches to the opposite side of the living room and disappears down a hallway. A second later I hear a door shut.
AUTHOR BIO
Cora Brent was born in a cold climate and escaped as soon as it was legally possible. Now, she lives in the desert with her husband, two kids and a prickly pear cactus she
has affectionately named ‘Spot’. Cora’s closet is filled with boxes of unfinished stories that date back her 1980’s childhood and all her life she has dreamed of being an author. Amazingly, she is now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling writer of contemporary romance and begs not to be awakened
from this dream.
Players gonna play, but can a wild, untamable, alpha, billionaire player fall in love?
Charming Billionaire, an all-new laugh out loud romantic comedy collection of Banking the Billionaire, Banking Her, and the all new novella Crazy Fluffing Love from New York Times bestselling author Max Monroe is available now!
Meet the most irresistible billionaire of all time in one sexy, steamy, downright hilarious, and binge-worthy romantic comedy collection (all for the price of one novella, too!)
This collection includes the following three books: *Banking the Billionaire *Banking Her *And a BRAND-NEW novella, Crazy Fluffing Love
Banking the Billionaire
Uninhibited. Sarcastic. Confident. Beautiful. With a thriving photography career that allows her to travel all over the world and capture the hottest of men behind her camera lens, Cassie Phillips is the woman who can’t be tamed.
Adrenaline junkie. Jokester. Billionaire. Hot-as-sin. At six foot five, with muscles for days, and that perfect playful smile, Thatcher Kelly is the kind of man you don’t want to deny.
Wild for wild. Prank for prank. The two unlikeliest of people may be the only ones to see that some personality traits only run skin-deep.
Banking Her
Thatch and Cassie have finally found their perfect balance of good and sweet, crazy and playful, and most importantly, hot and insatiable.
But what happens when they’re faced with a surprise neither of them plotted or schemed?
While Cassie seems to be taking everything in stride, Thatch can’t stop himself from worrying about every little thing revolving around the woman he loves.
How does a man handle that kind of anxiety?
Doing the only thing he can to ease his mind without pushing away the woman he loves, Thatch proves that, once again, when it comes to him and Cass, you’ll never see what’s coming.
Crazy Fluffing Love
MISSING PERSON Name: Thatcher Kelly Age: Mid-thirties Height: 6 foot 5 inches Weight: A very sexy, lean, and muscular 250 pounds Last seen: Panama City Beach, Florida Important Note: This guy is a real good-looking motherfluffer.
Look, I know this might seem a little over the top to already prepare for my face to be plastered all over Missing Persons flyers, but trust me, it’s not.
My pregnant wife Cassie—whose hormones are swinging like a fluffing pendulum—has decided that we need a honeymoon.
Right the F now.
She wants us to go on a celebratory “spring break,” we-just-got-married vacation to none other than Panama City Beach, Florida. But the only problem is, it’s not spring.
It’s not even summer.
It’s October, my crazy-hot wife is pregnant, and things are starting to get really fluffing weird.
If you’re reading this, send help and plan a really nice memorial for my very super, beloved, *ahem* male member, who, for the sake of public decency, shall remain nameless. I’m not entirely sure he’s going to make it out alive.
Note from Author: Every book in this collection ends in an HEA.
Financial Consultant for Brooks Media and its subsidiaries and several other Fortune 500 companies.
What? It sounds familiar? Fuck that.
I can’t help it if Kline went first and stole all of my shit.
Net worth: $1.2 billion. Yeah, perfect Kline is worth more than me. But I have my hands on a lot more things. Important things.
Okay, maybe not important. But they’re…pussies. I have my hands on pussies.
Relax, I’m kidding. Well, mostly.
A man of many talents, I have more interests and jobs than you would expect.
Adrenaline Junkie. Jumps and falls, dives or climbs—orgasms. If it makes the bottom fall out of your stomach and end up in your throat with a wave of pleasure for your whole body to surf afterward, I’m in.
I’m built like a tree, but I’d rather do anything than just stand there.
Get out, get wild, fucking live life.
It’s also probably not a surprise I’m known for going through a laundry list of women. Quite frankly, I won’t fucking apologize for it. They’ve all meant something to me, regardless of the amount of time they’ve been in my life, long or short, and they’ve all taught me something about life or myself that I won’t give back.
But I’ve also longed for the kind of monogamy my friend Kline has for most of my life. A person who does their best to know you in and out and looks out for you when you can’t look out for yourself. The kind of person who wants to live life to its very fullest—but wants to do it with you.
Bottom line, I’m eclectic. A confusing mix of inappropriate jokes and heartfelt sentiment, you can dig and dig, and you’ll still be miles from the bottom of me.
At least, that had always been the case until Cassie Phillips.
She’s crazy and needy and borderline inappropriate at all times.
But she’s got the softest untamed heart when you’re someone she cares about, and fuck if that hasn’t become my singularly most important goal—mean something to the woman who already means all the things to me.
Because for the guy who wants wild and commitment in the same fucking breath, you better believe it’s going to be one bumpy ride.
Fasten that seat belt tight, ladies and gentleman.This is us.
About Max Monroe
A duo of romance authors team up under the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling pseudonym Max Monroe to bring you sexy, laugh-out-loud reads.
Max Monroe is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of more than ten contemporary romance titles. Favorite writing partners and long time friends, Max and Monroe strive to live and write all the fun, sexy swoon so often missing from their Facebook newsfeed. Sarcastic by nature, their two writing souls feel like they’ve found their other half. This is their most favorite adventure thus far.
He’s a billionaire tech genius. She’s a trauma therapist. Together they’ll fight the demons of the past for survival.
After centuries of hiding from humanity, Leo Lancaster can’t deny his shifter side any longer. His lion’s drive to find a mate sends him on a journey across the globe. He has only just begun his travels when she walks by in her heels and signature pencil skirt. Convincing her is another matter.
Katrina Denmark has run from a past that is determined to destroy her. Overcoming her fears she uses that experience to help others. When she meets Leo again her lioness rolls over and offers herself up on a platter. Feelings Katrina kept bottled up roar to life as the deranged monster from her past finally catches up to her.
Will Leo arrive in time to save his mate from certain death. Will Katrina be able to face all the demons of her past to finally live the life destined for her.
Escaping reality one book at a time has been Miranda’s motto since she learned to read. As an only child raised on a dairy farm her creative imagination brought words to life. She devoured more books growing up than her little town bookmobile could handle. It was inevitable that she would turn from reading them to writing them. This is her way to help not only herself but others escape the day to day drudge. Her books may take you on a journey through time, give you a look inside a fantasy realm, or delve into the magic of almost anything paranormal. Threading in heart stopping romance and dropping an occasional super sexy scene just to keep you on your toes.
Miranda’s stories are focused around strong female leads and sexy males who appreciate them. She strives to encourage her readers that they can have it all in real life too.
You can find her most days either subbing at the local high school or tucked away in her office working on the next story with a cup of java in her hand. She loves connecting with her readers online as well as in real life so make sure to find her on Facebook and check out where she will be signing throughout the year on her website.
That’s how Kaia Banks spent the better part of her childhood. Raised by an abusive father, Kaia relied on her older sister to keep her safe.
But Kaia’s all grown up now. And when her relationship places her in the line of fire, Kaia takes matters into her own hands.
Remi Archer is no stranger to surprise. As part owner of Archer Tactical, it’s his job to prepare himself and others for unpredictable situations.
Unfortunately, no amount of training will prepare him for Kaia.
When the gorgeous woman requests he train her, Remi can’t say no. But once Remi uncovers the truth about why Kaia needs to defend herself, he realizes it’s the moment he’s been preparing for his entire career.
And he’ll stop at nothing to protect the woman who has stolen his heart.
A.K. Evans is a contemporary romance author of over twenty published novels. While she enjoys writing a good romantic suspense novel, Andrea’s favorite books to write have been her extreme sports romances. That might have something to do with the fact that she, along with her husband and two sons, can’t get enough of extreme sports.
Before becoming a writer, Andrea did a brief stint in the insurance and financial services industry and managed her husband’s performance automotive business. That love of extreme sports? She used to drive race cars!
When Andrea isn’t writing, she can be found homeschooling her two sons, doing yoga, snowboarding, reading, or traveling with her family. She and her husband are currently taking road trips throughout the country to visit all 50 states with their boys.
Could Have Been Us by Corinne Michaels is now live!
New York Times Bestselling author Corinne Michaels returns to the Willow Creek Valley Series in this stunning small town, brother’s best friend romance.
Fifteen years ago, I fell for Jack O’Donnell.
I was just a girl, but I knew my brother’s best friend was the only man I’d ever love.
On my eighteenth birthday, when I asked him to kiss me, I never imagined it would change my life so completely.
I gave Jack everything that night.
In order to move on, we had to go our separate ways and pretend like nothing happened… as though it wasn’t the greatest moment of my life.
But even that wasn’t as heartbreaking as the secret we were forced to keep.
I’ve tried not to think about how much I still love him. How I long to be back in his strong arms or the way his hazel eyes make my heart race.
Until he kisses me again. And this time there’s no turning back. This time I know what it means.
We belong together and there’s no use denying it any longer.
But our feelings aren’t the only thing that won’t stay buried, our past resurfaces and threatens to destroy our second chance at happiness.
When our love is tested once again, will we be strong enough to stand together?
Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Audible, Google Play, Kobo, Barnes & Noble!
Corinne Michaels is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of romance novels. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love, and she enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak before finding a way to heal them through their struggles.
Corinne is a former Navy wife and happily married to the man of her dreams. She began her writing career after spending months away from her husband while he was deployed–reading and writing were her escapes from the loneliness. Corinne now lives in Virginia with her husband and is the emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children.
A hot, grumpy wildlife vet . . . and otters. You’re welcome.
Otterly Irresistible, an all new opposites attract, small town romance by New York Times bestselling author Erin Nicholas, is available now!
Broody wildlife veterinarian Griffin Foster is done. Done trying to save the world. Done getting attached. He’s been fired twice for standing his ground and now he’s going to be content–by God–in small-town Louisiana, in a small veterinary practice, where there will only be small problems.
Quiet and boring, though? Um, no. He’s been adopted by a loud, crazy Cajun family with a tiny petting zoo for him to care for. Hey, it’s not endangered tigers at a nationally renowned zoo, but a family of otters–and all the gumbo he can eat–isn’t a bad deal.
Until she shows up. Again.
The sunny, gorgeous optimist who stole his heart–and his favorite shirt–two months ago. Who clearly hasn’t heard the word “no” enough in her life. And who is the first woman to put even a tiny crack in his don’t-get-attached wall.
Charlotte “Charlie” Landry is the new marketing consultant for the family swamp-boat tour company and petting zoo. It might not have been her plan, but she is all in, ready to grow the business. Whether the hot, grumpy vet likes it or not.
He doesn’t.
Worse, sparring with his unforgettable one-night stand is more fun than he’s had in a long time.
But watching wears-designer-dresses Charlie find her dream job amongst a bunch of goats, alpacas, and otters is a surprise.
And her helping him find his passion again is…well, 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.
BLP REVIEW – Tracy
Every time I take a trip to Autre, Louisiana I fall more in love with the crazy Cajun family that lives there – and even though Griffin Foster was not ‘technically’ a Landry, he’s been adopted by them and is now considered one of their own.
Griffin was a real grump, but when we found out about his past experiences in the career he loves and why he ended up working with Tori as one of the local wildlife vet, you got why he was better with animals that he was with people. Lordy, his interactions with the otters in particular, but the petting zoo animals in general, had me chuckling and gave us a little insight into what was going through his head when it came to Charlotte.
Charoltte ‘Charlie’ Landry wasn’t used to hearing the word no… and when you experienced what a whirlwind she was when it came to her ideas and and you saw how easily friends and family got caught up in her plans, it was easy to see why she got away with getting her own way for so long… she was so easy to like and get on with. Her reasons for being back in Louisiana when she should have been miles away working made me want to high five her!!! 🙂
The connection between these two was there from their first meeting – and how funny, as well as hot, that was!! They just worked and even though Griffin wasn’t looking for a relationship and Charlie was trying to work out what was next in her professional life, I liked that they both brought out the best in the other and made each other want to be more.
This story was packed with the things I come to expect and love about an Erin Nicholas book… There were laughs, humour, love, sense of family and belonging, loyalty, chemistry and heat and when this pair got together the sexy times were red hot (and amusing at times!). We caught up with some of the other couples and family members and I’m so looking forward to finding out what’s going on with Fletcher… thankfully he’s up next in the series!
This was a fabulous start to this next chapter in the BotB story arc and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
5 wild, otterly deserved stars!!!!
About Erin Nicholas
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholas has 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).
She’s the woman he can’t live without. The one he can’t risk screwing up their relationship by sleeping with her.
Linc Kingston doesn’t accept anything less than perfection. Not in his billion-dollar business or in his personal life. He has it all. Except one thing. His personal assistant and best friend in his bed, moaning his name. No matter how much Linc wants her, she’s completely off-limits.
Jordan Greene grew up the daughter of the housekeeper at the Kingston estate, where she met and bonded with Linc at a young age, despite their economic differences. But no matter how close they are now or how much their attraction simmers beneath the surface, they’re still from two different worlds. Besides, Jordan isn’t about to risk losing her best friend for one sensual night.
Jordan might be the only woman who can handle Linc and his domineering, bossy attitude, but beneath that gruff exterior is a vulnerable man who, despite his wealth, has had a less-than-charmed life. And when Linc’s father dies, she’s there for him—unwavering in her friendship.
Until one night of passion and a positive pregnancy test changes everything.
NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller, Carly Phillips gives her readers Alphalicious heroes to swoon for and romance to set your heart on fire.
She married her college sweetheart and lives in Purchase, NY along with her three crazy dogs: two wheaten terriers and a mutant Havanese, who are featured on her Facebook and Instagram.
The author of 50 romance novels, she has raised two incredible daughters who put up with having a mom as a full time writer.
Carly’s book, The Bachelor, was chosen by Kelly Ripa as a romance club pick and was the first romance on a nationally televised bookclub.
Carly loves social media and interacting with her readers.
Want to keep up with Carly? Sign up for her newsletter (below) and receive TWO FREE books at www.carlyphillips.com.
Sew your stitches with your deadly sight—a show in the day, a contract with the night.
Holly Honey is one of the leading fashion designers in the world, but what no one knows is she has a side job and is anything but sweet. Her sharp eyes can take out her targets from a distance. Threading a needle is easy for her…no matter the tool. She has never questioned her jobs, until now when a familiar face appears on the other side of her scope. Why would anyone want Elijah gone? He’s probably the least dangerous person on the planet. Now, she has to save him and safeguard her heart at the same time. If anyone can design the perfect scheme, she can.
Welcome to Nursery Crimes, where tales are twisted and happily ever afters are not always guaranteed.
Twenty years ago, I was a different person. No, there was no tragic backstory. I still had both parents whom I couldn’t care less about, still had a little sister whom I loved and adored, and like all teenage girls, I’d had my heart broken a million times. There was no one thing that made me who I am. Or maybe there was?
At eleven, I’d been obsessed by our next-door neighbor. He lived in a grand house alone, in a neighborhood where that wasn’t done. Families, most of whom lived there for the prestige and bragging rights, surrounded him. It was a pretentious place just outside of Savannah, Georgia. Lawyers, doctors, heads of companies, old and new money all wanted the right to buy a house in that neighborhood. He was the oddball in a sea of weirdness.
Even as a young girl, I loved drawing. Bright and vibrant colors always made it into my drawings, and according to my parents, I was a little too colorful for them. They tried to tone me down. I’d rather wear a neon pink tutu than my school uniform any day of the week. Light dull blue with drab khaki and brown loafers ruled me five days a week, but the moment I got home, I was running up to my room, already untucking my shirt to change into something more me. They couldn’t make me gray or tan or whatever fucking color they were trying for. I was a rainbow of colors and would not be silenced.
My sister, Madison, wanted to please my parents and did everything they asked until she found out the world was bigger than our house. College awakened her.
Maybe that was why the neighbor caught my attention. Like me, he was different and didn’t fit into the societal norm for that neighborhood. He never had anyone come to visit, he remained a loner, and he did all of his own yard work, which properly scandalized my parents, who paid a premium for one of the best lawns on our street. Considering my father was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company and my mother was one of the most sought-after neurosurgeons, they could afford it.
I would peer through a hole in the fence that was hidden by some ivy and watch him. Sometimes, he would set up a target, walk away from it, turn around, and shoot. At the time, I wasn’t sure when or where he got the gun. It also had this long thing at the end and hardly ever made a sound. Of course, I never told my parents. No, I marched over to the neighbor’s house and demanded he teach me how to shoot. It took a little convincing, including blackmailing him with what I’d seen, but he eventually gave in. Honestly, I think he was just tired of me showing up at his house and making a fuss.
Later, I learned he was trying to keep a low profile, and he was an assassin. He’d picked the worst neighborhood for keeping a low profile, and I told him so. Laughing, he informed me he inherited the house from his grandfather.
He became my best friend. Maybe, at one point, I might have had a small crush on him, but it didn’t last long. In some ways, he was more of a father to me than mine since my parents could hardly be bothered, and my nanny would rather gossip on the phone than watch me when my parents weren’t around. She was just there to collect a paycheck, same as the maid.
Les taught me how to aim and shoot a variety of weapons. He also taught me how to use a knife and hand-to-hand combat. The one and only time a boy refused to take no for an answer and grabbed my arm, he got a lesson in manners. Too bad it was at school, and my parents were called. No, it wasn’t Theodore’s fault. He was just teasing me. He didn’t mean anything by it. I was the one who got into trouble because I broke his arm and kneed him in the crotch. I wound up suspended for a week, had to write an apology letter to Theodore, and my parents grounded me. I wrote the letter under duress, and the grounding didn’t bother me because other than Les, I had no friends, and he was gone for two weeks on a “job.” I was sixteen and didn’t care about dates or dances, gossip gave me hives, and I thought most girls were insipid and stupid.
I didn’t know what I was doing in a bar at midnight.
On a weeknight.
Certainly not sleeping, even though I had to work the next day. Definitely not open to talking with anyone, or trying to pick up a date.
Surely . . . not paying the least bit of attention to the beautiful bartender with gorgeous hazel eyes and a body built for sin. He’d flash a smile and the women around him melted. He’d chuckle and even I wasn’t immune to the silken way it slid down my spine. And I was singular. I didn’t pay attention to men (and yes, I said that as a filthy, four-letter word).
I existed by myself. For myself.
It was safer that way.
Then . . . he talked to me. Then . . . he flashed that smile my way.
Then he made me want a stranger more than I wanted my careful distance.
Oh. Hell.
About the Author:
USA Today bestselling author, Elise Faber, loves chocolate, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and hockey (the order depending on the day and how well her team—the Sharks!—are playing). She and her husband also play as much hockey as they can squeeze into their schedules, so much so that their typical date night is spent on the ice. Elise changes her hair color more often than some people change their socks, loves sparkly things, and is the mom to two exuberant boys.
She lives in Northern California. Connect with her in her Facebook group, the Fabinators or email her at elisefaberauthor@gmail.com. Connect with Elise!
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