Ten years is a long time to be infatuated with your former best friend, especially when she’s dating your brother. So, when a wedding invitation with his name embossed on the front comes in the mail, it feels like a fastball to the heart. But when I discover my unrequited crush isn’t the blushing bride, all bets are off because I’m ready to take my shot and this time, I’m playing for keeps.
Readers who enjoy hate-to-lovers and unrequited romances will consume Make My Heart Malt by Gia Stevens, a standalone sports romance.
Blurb
A sizzling hate to lovers, unrequited crush, standalone sports romance by romantic comedy author Gia Stevens…
Dessa should have been mine… until my brother kissed her first.
Ten years is a long time to be infatuated with your former best friend, especially when she’s dating your brother. So, when I receive a wedding invitation with his name embossed on the front, it feels like a fastball to the heart. But it turns out, my unrequited crush isn’t the blushing bride after all.
Now’s my only chance to make amends for my past mistakes and give her the kiss I’ve desperately been holding onto. Unfortunately, she thwarts my efforts with each drink she throws at me.
When we find ourselves locked in a storage room, we’re forced to hash out the real reason I left town—and it wasn’t for baseball. Turns out, there’s a fine line between anger and passion and it doesn’t take long for her to scream my name.
Even after hitting third base, she still hates me. However, I’m determined to prove I’m not the man who ghosted her all those years ago. This time I’m not walking away.
My last game ended in a devastating miss—costing us the world championship, but this is one game I refuse to lose.
Because when it comes to Dessa… I’m playing for keeps.
He links his fingers behind his head. “I didn’t want her. I wanted you. So fucking bad. You were supposed to be with me. Because,” his hands drop to his sides as if he’s holding lead weights, “I had feelings for you for so long. And you—”
“What?” I step closer to him, preparing for a fight. “What did I do?”
He blows out a breath. “Left with Tony.”
“Because you blew me off! All night I was giving you signs. Touching you. Moving closer. And you ignored all of them.”
“Those were signs? We’d always been like that.”
“Exactly! I wanted to kiss you. I was so excited when you invited me to the lake because I wanted alone time with you. And you blew me off like you didn’t want me!”
He steps closer so we’re toe-to-toe. “I wanted to kiss you so bad that night. It was eating me up inside.”
I bump my chest against his, getting in his face. “And I wanted you to kiss me!”
His nostrils flare as my jaw clenches. Seconds tick by as we stare at each other. My chest rises in time with his. Like a vacuum all the air is sucked from my lungs, and I can’t breathe. After years of built-up tension, a fireball of heat and passion bursts through me. I’m surprised I don’t spontaneously combust. There’s only one thing that can extinguish the flame. I clasp his face between my palms and smash my mouth to his. The brim of his cap stabs me in the forehead, but it’s the least of my concerns. I inch closer to him until the front of his cap pushes off his head. Hops and mint linger on his lips. I’m already addicted. His arm wraps around my waist, desperately clinging to me like if he lets go, he’ll lose me again. All my thoughts are consumed by Garrett. Kissing him. Him kissing me. Having our bodies flush. It’s dizzying.
I jerk away. My chest heaves as I work to collect my breath. His eyelids rise to half-mast. His normally green irises are almost black with desire.
“Fuck,” he whispers.
“Double fuck,” I murmur.
About Gia Stevens
Gia Stevens resides in Northern Minnesota with her husband and cat. She lives for the warm, sunny days of summer and dreads the bitter cold of winter. A romantic comedy junkie at heart, she knew she wanted her own stories to encompass those same warm and fuzzy feelings.
When she’s not busy writing your next book boyfriend, Gia can be found binge watching TV shows that aired five years ago, taking pictures of her cat, or curled up with a steamy romance novel.
After becoming a single mom, I vowed never to date a guy in a suit again until the charismatic and charming, Trey Wilson entered my life. I put him in the friend zone instantly, however, the more time we spend together, the more the lines between friends and benefits blur. I know I should end things before we get too deep, but when the white stick shows two pink lines, my world is once again turned upside down.
Fans of Meghan Quinn and Tessa Bailey will devour Love Is Ale You Need by Gia Stevens, a steamy friends-to-lovers, surprise pregnancy, romance.
A steamy friends with benefits, surprise pregnancy standalone novel by romantic comedy author Gia Stevens…
We went from fling to friend-zone. Now I have to tell him he’s going to be a dad.
After my ex-husband left, I became a single mom and vowed never to date a guy in a suit again.
Then Trey Wilson entered my life. The guy who lives in suits. He’s charismatic, good-looking, and charming AF.
Everything that can make any woman swoon, including me.
What started as a one-night fling turned into a mid-morning office quickie, followed by an afternoon rendezvous in my kitchen. Which ultimately led to the purchase of a new table.
After I told him we can only be friends, he’s determined to be my best friend. The more time we spend together, the boundary between friends and benefits blur.
Deep down, I know he’s exactly like the others. Once they get what they want, they’re out the door, leaving me to pick up the pieces of my broken heart. Been there. Done that. And I have a daughter to prove it.
So the moment emotions get involved, I quickly suppress them and do what I know is right.
I end whatever this is.
Except now I can’t do that when the white stick shows two pink lines.
I peer up at him. “Are benefits still on the table?”
He turns toward me. The pad of his thumb caresses the apple of my cheek. His hand continues to glide across my skin until his fingers thread through my hair. His large palm warms my cheek. “No.”
My stomach falls. It was inevitable this would have to end, but I was hoping it wasn’t tonight.
With his other hand he grips my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “I don’t want benefits. You’re worth more than just benefits. But I’ll take whatever you give me.”
A slow smile spreads over my lips. “Can we go to your house?”
“Absolutely.”
He opens the passenger door and I slide in. While he rounds the hood, I click my seatbelt into place. We’ve had sex before, but the butterflies are fluttering faster this time. Maybe because it’s not a spontaneous, spur of the moment thing. Instead, I have the entire drive to his house to think about it. Trey climbs in and starts his SUV. He glances over at me while reaching his hand over the center console and intertwining his fingers with mine. It’s the simplest gesture, but one that calms my erratic heartbeat.
The short ride to his house is silent, but the way his thumb brushes over the back of my hand says everything I need to know right now. I want Trey.
His neighborhood is a far cry from my tiny apartment complex. Enormous houses with even bigger lawns line the streets. A pang of guilt hits me as this is something I’ll never be able to give Abby. A neighborhood filled with other kids to run around and play with. Or a backyard to build a fort or play kickball in.
As we approach a navy blue split-level house, he turns left and pulls into the sunken attached garage. I yank myself out of my thoughts. No pity parties tonight. There’s only room for one party, and that’s between my legs.
The garage door closes, and we both step out, but before we reach the door to the house, my heels that I never put back on slip from my fingers, dropping to the floor with a clatter. Trey twists around and I throw myself into his arms, slamming my lips to his. Without breaking our connection, he twists us around and cages me against the front fender. A shiver runs down my spine as he threads his fingers through my hair, cupping my head as he deepens the kiss. I wrap my arms around his waist and tug him to me, wanting to feel all of him. A low moan escapes his throat.
He pulls away, but his lips linger on mine. “Did I tell you this is the best friendship I’ve ever had?”
BLP REVIEW – Tracy
***
About Gia Stevens
Gia Stevens resides in Northern Minnesota with her husband and cat. She lives for the warm, sunny days of summer and dreads the bitter cold of winter. A romantic comedy junkie at heart, she knew she wanted her own stories to encompass those same warm and fuzzy feelings.
When she’s not busy writing your next book boyfriend, Gia can be found binge watching TV shows that aired five years ago, taking pictures of her cat, or curled up with a steamy romance novel.
After becoming a single mom, I vowed never to date a guy in a suit again until the charismatic and charming, Trey Wilson entered my life. I put him in the friend zone instantly, however, the more time we spend together, the more the lines between friends and benefits blur. I know I should end things before we get too deep, but when the white stick shows two pink lines, my world is once again turned upside down. Fans of Meghan Quinn and Tessa Bailey will devour Love Is Ale You Need by Gia Stevens, a steamy friends-to-lovers, surprise pregnancy, romance.
Blurb
A steamy friends with benefits, surprise pregnancy standalone novel by romantic comedy author Gia Stevens…
We went from fling to friend-zone. Now I have to tell him he’s going to be a dad.
After my ex-husband left, I became a single mom and vowed never to date a guy in a suit again.
Then Trey Wilson entered my life. The guy who lives in suits. He’s charismatic, good-looking, and charming AF.
Everything that can make any woman swoon, including me.
What started as a one-night fling turned into a mid-morning office quickie, followed by an afternoon rendezvous in my kitchen. Which ultimately led to the purchase of a new table.
After I told him we can only be friends, he’s determined to be my best friend. The more time we spend together, the boundary between friends and benefits blur.
Deep down, I know he’s exactly like the others. Once they get what they want, they’re out the door, leaving me to pick up the pieces of my broken heart. Been there. Done that. And I have a daughter to prove it.
So the moment emotions get involved, I quickly suppress them and do what I know is right.
I end whatever this is.
Except now I can’t do that when the white stick shows two pink lines.
“Didn’t we go over this?” I push off until I’m standing to my full height and hold up one finger. “Dinner sounds like a date.” I add a second finger. “Dates lead to relationships.”
“It’s dinner. It’s not like I’m asking for your hand in marriage. Unless that will help my chances. I’ll get on one knee right now.”
“Guess what I think about that?”
“What?”
With my other two fingers still in the air, I add a third. Then I curl my pointer and ring finger to my palm leaving only my middle finger.
A grin curls around his full lips. “That was good. But I don’t speak finger, so you have to give me a good reason why?”
“Because you’re… Trey.”
“That’s not a good reason.”
“You’re not my type.”
“Sexy. Confident. Well-endowed aren’t your type?”
I snort a laugh. “More like cocky and full of himself aren’t my type. Plus, you wear a suit.”
“What’s wrong with the suit?” He runs his hands down the lapels of his jacket.
“Nothing per se, but I just don’t do suits. They’re too…suity. It only adds to the cocky and arrogant thing you got going on.” I wave my hand over his body.
“Well, I can fix that.” Trey stands and removes his suit jacket and drapes it over the backrest of his stool. His fingers dig into the knot of his tie, loosening it. Next, he pops the button at his collar.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Taking off the suit.”
“You’re going to strip? Right here, in a full bar?”
“Yup.” He undoes a couple more buttons.
I want to tear my gaze away, but I can’t. Instead, I spit out whatever words I can muster. “Keep your clothes on. No one wants to see you naked.”
Nora smacks my arm, and I jerk my head to face her. From the corner of her mouth she says, “Speak for yourself. I kinda want to see what he’s packing underneath.”
I narrow my gaze at her. She shrugs and slinks away but keeps a close eye on Trey in case he does remove the rest of his clothes. She wouldn’t want to miss that. Hell, right now I don’t want to miss it either.
Trey clears his throat and I twist around to meet his gaze. “So, what’s it going to be? Am I getting naked right here or are we going on a date?
BLP REVIEW – Tracy
****
About Gia Stevens
Gia Stevens resides in Northern Minnesota with her husband and cat. She lives for the warm, sunny days of summer and dreads the bitter cold of winter. A romantic comedy junkie at heart, she knew she wanted her own stories to encompass those same warm and fuzzy feelings.
When she’s not busy writing your next book boyfriend, Gia can be found binge watching TV shows that aired five years ago, taking pictures of her cat, or curled up with a steamy romance novel.
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