Blurb:
For Allie Baxter, love was never
something she had to worry about. She was loved by her friends, her family, her
husband … until the day it was ripped away. Losing love was the deepest pain
Allie had ever endured, and it was an agony she vowed to avoid feeling ever
again. Crippled with guilt over her loss, for five years Allie served her
self-appointed exile from the daily comforts offered by friends and family,
only to return and attempt to fit herself back into their open arms—even if she
knew she didn’t deserve it. Mike Lawson was not something Allie expected; the
love of a man was not something Allie was prepared to want. The spark of desire
that had long ago died inside her suddenly returned, bringing the memories of
her pain with it. She swore she would never allow herself to love again … but
how long could love be resisted?
Excerpt:
Allie
stepped out her front door and immediately missed the cool air-conditioned
condo she just left. It took a moment to adjust to the heat in the air as she
locked her front door. Southern California may not be hot and humid like the
east coast, but this was a hot for San Diego in June. It should make for long
afternoon at her nephews outdoor graduation. She was making her way down the
steps when she heard her neighbor’s voice, “Well don’t you clean up nice.” She
wasn’t expecting to run into Mike Lawson just yet, so it caught her totally off
guard and she stopped abruptly. If she were being completely honest with
herself, she had hoped to avoid him entirely—forever would be good—but since
they were neighbors, it wasn’t a realistic expectation. Her need to avoid him
and all of his hotness was becoming a strong necessity for her
self-preservation.
His
ability to melt her with only a smile was beginning to wear her down. Her only
defense against him was to be snarky. Pulling her I’m-the-queen-bitch persona tightly around her, she turned to him,
cocked her hip, and placed her fist appropriately as she said, “That implies
that you think I look like shit the rest of the time, Lawson. You really need
to work on how to compliment a lady.” Raising her eyebrows at him in challenge,
she continued while gesturing to her entire body, “I’ll have you know, this is
just another level of fabulous I'm
demonstrating here.”
The
man had the nerve to throw a huge grin her way, once again showing her that he
was not fazed in the slightest by her snarky attitude. Just another reason to
stay the hell away from the man, she thought as she finished making her way
down the steps. It was becoming harder to ignore him on a physical level. Not
to mention the fact that he made her belly flutter and her heart rate pick up
when she saw him. Every time she thought about his effect on her, it pissed her
off. She knew it was paramount to resist him at all costs.
What
she really needed to do was move the hell out of the condo near his. The
problem with that was, she loved her new place. Well, it wasn’t hers yet, but
she planned on making an offer when the landlord’s lease was up. Even though
she only found this place because of Mike, she secretly hoped he would randomly
up and move, solving her problem immediately. She really wanted to stay there.
It finally felt that she had come to a point where she was okay being alone,
and she wasn’t living with a ghost anymore. It was almost like she had moved on
… maybe a little bit … almost. But just because she felt that way, didn’t mean
that she had moved on, moved on. That
wasn’t about to happen, may never happen ever again … she couldn’t let it.
Her
thoughts were interrupted by McHottness himself when he fell into step next to
her and said, “Maybe so, but then how else would I get that fire snapping in
your eyes? Mission accomplished if you ask me.” Shocked by his blatant
admittance that he was trying to rile her up, she swung her head his direction
to say something when he winked at her. Once again shocking her and rendering
her temporarily speechless. She was this close to kicking him in the shin when
he continued, “I take it you are on your way to the graduation as well. Want a
lift?”
Thankful for his question to bring her out of
her shocked moment, she said. “A lift? It’s more like a hoist. I need a damn
trampoline to get up into that truck of yours.” And as if the great Gods of
Nastiness were smiling down on her, she snatched the opportunity
to
up her game from snarky to bitchy. “Just what kind of message are you trying to
put out there anyway? Everyone knows a big truck like that only says the owner
suffers from little dick complex.”
They
were walking and had made their way around back to where the garages were
located so she didn’t see, only heard him huff a laugh before saying. “There
certainly is no little dick to have a complex about. I assure you …” He mumbled
something at the end, but she didn’t catch it. Not wanting to prolong the
conversation she ignored the desire to ask him to repeat himself. Pointing her
keys at the shiny red Mini-Cooper to unlock it when Mike popped the bottom of
her outstretched hand, causing her keys to fly up in the air.
As
soon as they were airborne, he reached out and grabbed them before she could
process what was happening. Shocked again, she looked over at him only to see
that damn smile once more before snarling at him, “What the hell did you do
that for?”
“I
offered you a ride, you didn’t decline, only mocked my truck. Therefore, by not
rejecting it, you inadvertently accepted it.” He shrugged, smiled bigger, and
finished with, “Well, at least in my book you did, so get in the truck,
Baxter.” Turning away from her, he walked toward his truck, her keys in hand.
Still a little startled at his maneuver to get her keys, yet slightly impressed
since it was something she would do, she stood there and watched as he made his
way to the oversized truck. When he stopped at the passenger door and looked
back at her, he laughed and said, “Oh come on, I’ll give you a boost. And I won’t
even try to look up your skirt … scouts’ honor.”
Shaking
her head, she made her way toward him as she grumbled, “Is that the
box-car-building kind of scout or the cookie-peddling ones? I bet you probably
looked great in that green sash.” Tossing her purse on the floorboard of the
truck, she reached up and grabbed the handle to lift herself in but turned her
head and looked back at him over her shoulder. “I bet the little beret looked
good, too.”
Feeling like she had been bitchy enough to make
him not want to have her for company, she turned back to the open truck door.
Preparing to jump in, she let out a squeal when Mike’s big hands
wrapped
around her waist and hefted her effortlessly into the cab. Turning quickly to
glare down at him for doing such a thing, she only met his intent stare as he
said, “I look good in anything I wear sweetheart. Now buckle up, wouldn’t want
you to fall out or anything.” And then he closed the door.
Author Bio:
Melanie is an amazing mother of four, an
awesome and tolerant wife to one, and nurse to many. If you don’t believe her,
just ask anyone in her family, they know what to say. She is also a devoted
chauffeur, the keeper of missing socks, a genius according to a six year old,
the coolest soccer uniform coordinator according to a twelve year old, and the
best damn ‘mac-n-cheese-with-cut-up-hot-dog maker in the whole world. Well that
last title isn’t really official, but it’s still pretty cool to be called it.
When not being ordered around by any of the
kids, you can find her with her nose in a book or on the sideline of a soccer
game cheering on one team or another. But that’s mostly because she has a thing
for the coach. When she is not doing all of the above, you can find her
obsessed with a group of fictional characters all vying for a spot on the page
of whatever she’s working on. It’s a fun and crazy life to lead, but wouldn’t
have it any other way.
Author Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelanieCodina
@MelanieCodina
Thanks so much for being part of my cover reveal =)
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