All it Takes by Kristen Proby

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publishing Date: July 30th, 2019

Quinn Cavanaugh doesn’t do anything halfway. He drives fast, works hard, and plays even harder. And the word “commitment” doesn’t exist in his dictionary. He has no plans of settling down with one woman for he needs to be free to move on to the next big thing—whatever or whoever that may be. Each party knows the score going into it, and it’s all been working out fine. That is, until a sexy new colleague enters the scene.

Sienna Hendricks doesn’t give much thought to Quinn and the revolving door leading to his bedroom. She’s way too picky about who she shares her time or her body with and screwing around with a colleague isn’t part of her plan either. Quinn doesn’t intimidate her. And unlike most other members of her sex, she doesn’t melt into a puddle at his feet whenever he’s near. Most importantly, she has no issues telling him no.

But for a man who has the world at his feet, Quinn isn’t accustomed to being rejected. And he’s not about to let that change—no matter how persistent Sienna is. To his surprise, Sienna is everything he thought he’d never find. Pursuing her, and convincing her he’s changed, is going to be the biggest challenge of his life. One he’s completely up for….

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About Kristen Proby:

Kristen was born and raised in a small resort town in her beloved Montana. In her mid-twenties, she decided to stretch her wings and move to the Pacific Northwest, where she made her home for more than a dozen years.

During that time, Kristen wrote many romance novels and joined organizations such as RWA and other small writing groups. She spent countless hours in workshops, and more mornings than she can count up before the dawn so she could write before going to work. She submitted many manuscripts to agents and editors alike, but was always told no. In the summer of 2012, the self-publishing scene was new and thriving, and Kristen had one goal: to publish just one book. It was something she longed to cross off of her bucket list.

Not only did she publish one book, she’s since published close to thirty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best known for her With Me In Seattle and Boudreaux series, and is also proud to work with William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, with the Fusion Series.

Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two pugs and two cats.

Connect with Kristen:

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Website: https://www.kristenprobyauthor.com/
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The Girl In The Closet, an all-new dark and gritty romance from Michelle Heard is coming November 28th!

BIRDIE

Escaping an unthinkable nightmare, I’m given a second chance at life. Cole Trenton is the first person to look past the broken girl. But the moment I give him my heart he leaves.

Secrets never stay buried, and mine returns with a vengeance.

Cole walks back into my life when I need him most. He shows me how to be strong, that monsters only have the power you give them.

But my biggest fear remains.

How do I silence the girl in the closet before I lose Cole again?

COLE

I always knew Birdie Liles was different, but that didn’t stop me from falling for her.

After years of being away, I return home to bury my best friend,

only to learn that Birdie’s in trouble.

If I had known about the monster from her past, I never would’ve left.

I went to fight someone else’s war while I left the woman I love unprotected.

But I’m here now, and I’m ready to send Birdie’s demon right back to hell.

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Cover Designer: Sybil Wilson – PopKitty Designs

Photographer: CJC Photography

Model: Bryan T. Snell

About Michelle:

Michelle Heard is a Bestselling Romance Author who loves creating stories her readers can get lost in. She loves an alpha hero who is not afraid to fight for his woman.

Connect with Michelle:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHeardAuthor/

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelleAHorst

Stay up to date with Michelle by joining her mailing list today: http://bit.ly/2Py424r

A beautiful and emotional second chance romance with a strong heroine and a swoon-worthy hero. Must read! ~ USA Today Bestselling Author, Melanie Harlow

Resenha

Destiny foi criada pela avó em uma cidade pequena e cheia de julgamentos. Para Jordan, essa cidade sempre foi um refúgio onde sempre encontrou acolhimento. Quando seus caminhos se cruzaram, foi um amor que teve que ser vivido e deixou marcas profundas em ambos e naqueles que os rodeavam. Surpreendida com a morte de sua avó, Destiny se vê obrigada a retornar para casa e enfrentar tudo o que deixou para trás muitos anos antes.

Sabe aquele fim de semana chuvoso que cabe apenas um livro e uma caneca de chá? Esse é o livro perfeito. Sem muitas pretensões, ele nos prende do início ao fim, embora seja ligeiramente previsível. A autora consegue descrever muito bem os pensamentos dos personagens, especialmente de Destiny, então não é uma surpresa as decisões que ela toma e suas motivações.

Jordan, por outro lado, é construído ao longo do desenrolar da trama de modo a tomar exatamente as atitudes que toma – e que são todas as que esperamos de um perfeito book boyfriend.

Nunca tinha lido nada de Stacey Lynn e gostei bastante. Pessoalmente gostaria de ter lido mais controvérsias, mais conflito, mas é uma questão pessoal já que o plot é muito rico e poderia ter sido mais bem explorado nesse sentido.

Dou 4 estrelas e recomendo!

Synopsis

I left home ten years ago, promising myself I’d never return to the place where I had never been accepted. I was despised and ridiculed for circumstances completely beyond my control.

But when my grandmother passes away, I’m forced to return to Kansas. I will have to face everyone who hated me. But they’re not who I’m most afraid of.

My biggest fear? Facing him.
Jordan Marx.
The boy I once loved more than life itself. The boy who defended me from them. The boy I’d disappeared on, leaving him nothing more than a horrible nasty lie and hastily scribbled note.

When Jordan finds out the secret I have carried for so long, I’m in for the battle of my life.

Or so I thought.

I might have wandered for years on a path riddled with thorns but with Jordan by my side, taking the long road home means more than reuniting with the only man I’ve ever loved. It might just mean finding myself, and the family I never thought I could ever have along the way.

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Excerpt:

God. How screwed up was I?

“It pisses me off how smart you can be sometimes,” I muttered and sipped my wine, eyes drifting out the window. If that had been the case, then I’d twisted reality for years. Believed it and based a life off it. I pressed my hand to my forehead and sighed. “I’m such a disaster, Jordan. A complete mess. I honestly don’t know why you bother.”

“Because when you let your guard down and let people see you, you’re still the most stunning woman I’ve ever met. You only have to start believing it.”

I dropped my hand as pleasure whipped through my veins. He was always bold and confident. I wasn’t used to this new bluntness. “It’ll take a while.”

“I’m a patient guy. And I’m hoping that at the least, you’ll start to believe how I see you, and the rest will come. You just have to trust me this time. Can you do that?”

Could I trust him? God, I’d trust him with my life. It was a ridiculous question. None of the decisions I made were because I didn’t trust him. It was simple self-preservation.

“I can do that,” I finally said.

“Good.”

“Good.” He grinned.

I blushed.

We were ridiculous.

“So what happens now?” I asked. He gestured to my almost empty wineglass.

“Would you like another?”

“No. It’ll probably put me to sleep.”

He took his to the sink and dumped it. I drank the last two sips while he rinsed out the glass, cleaned up the small mess we’d made and resettled the wine in the fridge.

“You didn’t answer my question,” I said once he turned and headed in my direction.

“Now,” he said, and he shot me that smoldering look of his. Furrowed brows, head dipped, heat in his eyes I remembered oh so well, and continued, “We’re going to make out on your grandma’s couch like we used to. We kiss until we can’t breathe. Maybe, if I’m lucky, you let me feel you up a bit, and then I go home with a hard-on like I used to, and tomorrow, we try to do better than we did tonight.”

His hands hit my hips. His head dipped. A furious heat swam on my cheeks and spread, warming other parts of me with precision like my libido was directly connected to his voice.

And as his lips brushed my cheek, went to my neck, his hands slid up to my waist and I fell into him, the feel of him, his touch, and the way he moved so slowly and seductively, there was really only one word I could give him.

“Okay.”

About the Author

When Stacey Lynn isn’t conquering mountains of laundry and fighting a war against dust bunnies and cracker crumbs, you can find her playing with her children, curled up on the couch with a good book, or behind closed doors, imagining the next adventures she’ll soon write.

She lives off her daily pot of coffee, can only write with a bowlful of Skittles nearby, and has been in love with romance novels since before she could drive herself to the library.

Stacey Lynn lives with her husband and children in North Carolina.

If you would like to know more about Stacey Lynn, follow her here:

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Stay up to date on Stacey’s latest news! Subscribe to her Newsletter today! http://www.staceylynnbooks.com/contact

But I was wrong. Three years came and went too fast, and now he’s anything but calm. Prison only gave him time to plan.

And while I anticipated his vengeance, I didn’t expect this.

He doesn’t want to make me hurt. He wants to make everything hurt.

Step two… Give her, her sister, and her mother nowhere to run and no fuel to escape. The Ashby women are alone now and desperate for a knight in shining armor.

But that’s not what’s coming.

No, it’s time I listened to my father and took control of my future. It’s time I showed them all—my family, her family, my friends—that I will never change and that I have no other ambition than to be the nightmare of their lives.

Starting with her.

She’ll be so scared, she won’t even be safe in her own head by the time I’m done with her. And the best part is I won’t have to break into her home to do it.

As the new man of the house I have all the keys.

Amazon / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Amazon AU

Amazon / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Amazon AU

She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and their daughter.

Review

Loved this book! It's a feel good romance, with a slow burn I wasn't expecting but truly enjoyed. It was amazing to see how their romance developed and Gray learning the reality about a relationship and what love really is. I hope to read more about this world and this great little city in the mountains.

From USA Today bestselling author Caitlin Crews comes A True Cowboy Christmas, the first in a sensational
series debut about a cowboy, a farm girl, and the greatest gift of all. . .
Gray Everett has a heart of gold but that doesn’t mean he believes in the magic of Christmas. He’s got plenty else
to worry about this holiday season, what with keeping his cattle ranch in the family and out of the hands of hungry
real-estate investors looking to make a down-and-dirty deal. That, plus being a parent to his young and motherless
daughter, equals a man who will not rest until he achieves his mission. Now, all Gray needs is the help of his
lifelong neighbor. . .who happens to have grown into a lovely, spirited woman.
For Abby Douglas, the chance to join forces with Gray is nothing less than a Christmas miracle. Much as the down-
to-earth farmer’s daughter has tried to deny it, Abby’s been in love with stern, smoking-hot Gray her whole life. So
when Gray proposes a marriage of convenience as a way to combine land—and work together toward a common
cause—Abby can’t refuse. But how can she convince Gray that sometimes life offers a man a second chance for a
reason. . .and that their growing trust and mutual passion may be leading to true and lasting love?

Excerpt

“Why would you try to tell me that chemistry
doesn’t matter? Of course it does.”
“I’m not saying it doesn’t matter. But sheer stubborn-
ness matters more.” He heard the intensity in his voice, but
did nothing to temper it. “If people want to stay married,
they do. If they want that marriage to be a good one, they
work on it and make it that way. It’s not rocket science.
It doesn’t require your online profiles. You don’t need to
get matched on your smart phone. You make a commit-
ment to someone, then you keep it. It’s as simple and as
hard as that.”
He watched in fascination as her hands curled into fists
at her sides.
“I appreciate that you have experience being married,
and that gives you a platform to make sweeping state-
ments,” she said, her voice low, as if she was fighting back
her own intensity. “That’s great. But you’re missing that
I’m not interested in the state of marriage in a general
sense. I’m telling you I am not going to marry someone I
have no chemistry with. That has nothing to do with me
being stubborn, not stubborn, or insufficiently committed.
It’s actually all about the fact that I’m not staggering
around in a grief-induced daze, proposing marriage to
people I’ve never looked at twice before in my whole life.”
That should have annoyed him, because he wasn’t
dazed. Amos had been a mean, unhealthy old man. His
death hadn’t been a real surprise. Gray wasn’t sure he was
grieving him so much as the father Amos had never been,
and he knew he wasn’t crazy with it. But he couldn’t seem
to lose his grin, especially when he moved closer to her.
Because when he did, she lost that scowl. Her eyes went
wide, that cute flush brightened up her face again, and she
had to tip her head back to look at him. Not as much as
some of the other girls he’d dated had, as she’d pointed out.
Gray liked that too. He didn’t have to hunker over her.
She was . . . right there.
He had an urge and went with it. He reached over and
curled his fingers around her ponytail, then pulled them
gently along the length of it.
And figured the chemistry question was answered by
the way her breath went shuddery.
But he didn’t end it there.
“If I’m following all this,” he said, his drawl low. Thick.
“You don’t actually have any objections. You think we
maybe ought to date first. You’re worried we don’t have
chemistry. But at the end of the day, you’re not opposed to
the idea.”
“It’s crazy. And I’m worried that you’re crazy, in a clin-
ical sense.”
“If you agree to marry me, I’ll take you on a date or
two. If that’s what you want.” His hand was still tangled
in her hair, and he was close enough now that he could
catch her scent. Gray breathed deep. She smelled like
rosemary. And something that reminded him of the pies
she and her grandmother had brought over the day after
the funeral, warm and good. Right. “But we can settle the
other question right here.”
“What do you mean . . . ?”
Gray didn’t wait. He didn’t answer her question, half
stammered out with her hazel eyes so wide they looked
like summer gold.
He used his free hand to cup her cheek, flushed and
smooth beneath his palm. Then he bent—only a little,
which struck him as unexpectedly hot—to take her mouth
with his.
He felt her tremble. And there was something about the
way she melted into him as their lips touched, then brushed,
as if she was being pulled by some kind of magnetic force
he was half certain he could feel himself.
Gray had only meant to kiss her to make a point. The
way a gentleman might, not that he’d ever met too many
gentlemen out here where the mountains and the land were
the only things that mattered.
But Abby’s lips were soft and velvety beneath his. And
she made a tiny sound in the back of her throat that he
could feel like a flickering flame.
Before he knew it, Gray was angling his head to one
side and licking his way into her mouth.
As if he couldn’t help himself.
And everything got hot. Bright. Impossible.
This was Abby Douglas. Abby Douglas. There was
something deliciously wrong about it being Abby that
made it hotter, wilder.
It rolled in him and made a joke of him imagining he
was in control of any of this. Of her.
Of this sudden storm of sensation that would have taken
him off his feet, if that didn’t mean he would have had to
let go of her.
When the door slapped open, both of his hands were
sunk deep into her hair, and Abby was up on her toes,
pressed against him, her arms wrapped around his back.
It turned out Gray wasn’t going to have to worry about
easing his way into some or other form of eventual chem-
istry with the woman he already knew would make him a
good rancher’s wife. He was going to have to worry about
what the hell to do with all this chemistry—so much it was
like a lightning storm and he kept getting hit—with a
woman he’d never paid the slightest attention to until

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA Today-bestselling, RITA-nominated, and critically-acclaimed author Caitlin Crews has written more than
seventy-five books, including Frenemies, Princess from the Past, A Royal Without Rules, and Undone by the Sultan's
Touch. She's won fans with her romance, Harlequin Presents, women's fiction, chick lit, and work-for-hire young
adult novels, many of which she writes as Megan Crane (including the dystopian Viking romance Edge series).
These days her focus is on contemporary romance in all its forms, from small town heat to international glamour,
cowboys to bikers to military men and beyond. She's taught creative writing classes in places like UCLA Extension's
prestigious Writers' Program, gives assorted workshops on occasion, and attempts to make use of the MA and PhD
in English Literature she received from the University of York in York, England. She currently lives in the Pacific
Northwest with a husband who draws comics and animation storyboards, and their menagerie of ridiculous
animals.

BUY THE BOOK:

A True Cowboy Christmas

SOCIAL LINKS:

Caitlin’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/megancrane
Caitlin’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeganCraneAndCaitlinCrews
Caitlin’s Website: https://megancrane.com/
SMP Romance Twitter: https://twitter.com/heroesnhearts & https://twitter.com/SMPRomance
SMP Romance Website: https://heroesandheartbreakers.com/

Confessions: The Princess, The Prick, and The Priest, a fun, flirty story in the Confessions Series from USA Today bestselling author Ella Frank is coming November 13th!

Everyone said our love wouldn’t work.

That it was too hard, too complicated, too messy.

Oh how I enjoy proving everyone wrong.

My men are smart, sexy, sophisticated—

and most of all, crazy about me.

The only problem is trying to explain

that to my big, opinionated Italian family.

But after all we’ve been through, we deserve a

happily ever after. And if there’s one

thing I know about my guys, they always

manage to have a few surprises up their sleeves.

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Start the series with Confessions: Robbie today!
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Confessions: The Princess, The Prick, and The Priest by Ella Frank

Genre: Contemporary MMM Romance

Publishing Date: November 13, 2018

Cover Designer: Hang Le

Photographer: Wander Aguiar Photography

About Ella:

Ella Frank is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Temptation series, including Try, Take, and Trust and is the co-author of the fan-favorite contemporary romance, Sex Addict. Her Exquisite series has been praised as “scorching hot!” and “enticingly sexy!”

Some of her favorite authors include Tiffany Reisz, Kresley Cole, Riley Hart, J.R. Ward, Erika Wilde, Gena Showalter, and Carly Phillips.

Connect with Ella:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ella.frank.31/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EllaFrank2012

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellafrank1/

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Join Booke & Ella’s Naughty Umbrella: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBrellas/

Website: https://www.ellafrank.com/portfolio

The first time I met Jax Blackwood things went a little sideways.

In my defense, I didn’t know he was Jax Blackwood—who expects a legendary rock star to be shopping for groceries? More importantly, a blizzard was coming and he was about to grab the last carton of mint-chocolate chip.

Still, I might have walked away, but then he smugly dared me to try and take the coveted ice cream. So I kissed him. And distracted that mint-chip right out of his hands.

Okay, it was a dirty move, but desperate times and all that. Besides, I never expected he’d be my new neighbor.

An annoying neighbor who takes great pleasure in reminding me that I owe him ice cream but would happily accept more kisses as payment. An irresistible neighbor who keeps me up while playing guitar naked–spectacularly naked–in his living room.

Clearly, avoidance is key. Except nothing about Jax is easy to ignore—not the way he makes me laugh, or that his particular brand of darkness matches mine, or how one look from him melts me faster than butter under a hot sun.

Neither of us believes in love or forever. Yet we’re quickly becoming each other’s addiction. But we could be more. We could be everything.

All we have to do is trust enough to fall.

AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS | B&N

The air between us shifts. I’m filled with a strange giddiness, wanting to laugh for the fun of it, but I’m also too warm, my limbs oddly heavy as if simple movements might be too much for me.

His tone turns soft and cajoling, teasing the truth out of me. “Are you going to tell me what you do?” When I say nothing, the corners of his eyes crinkle. “I see. You’re going to torture me a bit.”

The warm, fuzzy feeling grows as I shrug. “Torture feels apropos in this scenario.”

He hums again, taking another step toward me. “What makes you think I won’t like being tortured by you?”

The heat of his body and the scent of his skin makes my head light and my pulse pound. How did it get to this point where the highlight of my day is flirting with Jax Blackwood? Despite the thrill, I know I’m in over my head. I haven’t gone out on a date in months because I form attachments, I get emotional, and then I hurt when they inevitably leave. And this man will leave. He is as bright and fleeting as a camera flash. I’ll be left with the image of him seared into my memory and nothing more.

I tell myself all of this, the voice in my head as stern as possible. But it doesn’t make me back away. It doesn’t stop my body from somehow straining toward his without even moving. Because it might be stupid of me, but I want to feel something that isn’t planned. Something, for however briefly, that’s real.

He’s too attuned to me not to notice. John’s lids lower as his attention slides down my body before easing back up to my face. Slowly, he rests his forearm on the wall beside my head. “Tell me, Stella,” he murmurs.

“No,” I whisper back, flirting, even though I shouldn’t.

His biceps bunch as he leans in, a smile dancing on his lips. “Tell.”

My breasts graze his chest, and I feel it in my toes.

“You’re crowding me.” I hate how breathy I sound.

“Can’t help it.” His voice is a rumble, the heat of his breath playing over my skin. He ducks his head, drawing close until our lips nearly brush, and when he speaks again, his tone is almost conversational, except for the husky quality that touches deep within my core. “You smell like strawberries. Fucking delicious.”

My lids flutter, and I swallow hard. “Ordinarily, I’d call you out on that cliché but since I’ve been eating strawberries, you aren’t exactly wrong.”

His chuckle is slow and easy, as he eases back and his gaze slowly travels over my face. “Were they sweet, Stella Button?”

He’s looking at my mouth like he might try to find out. My lips tremble in response, and John tracks the movement, his breathing getting deeper, faster. “You have two freckles on your lips. One on the top lip and one on the bottom corner.”

Those damn freckles. They were the bane of my adolescence. I hid them with lipstick and silently cursed whenever someone mentioned them.

Freckles don’t have any feelings, but I swear it’s as if he’s touching them.

“You’re just noticing this?” I try to make it sound like a joke, but it comes out weak and thready.

His own lips quirk. “Oh, I noticed. It’s distracting as hell. They’re like two little dots of butter toffee. Makes me want to lick them, get a taste.”

Oh, God. Lick them, please. I can almost feel it. I want to feel it.

No. Bad Stella. Behave.

John’s lips part a fraction like he just might take that taste.

“Back off,” I whisper. And yet somehow my traitorous hands find their way to his sides, running over the waistband of his jeans, holding him there.

John makes a sound deep in his throat and tilts his hips, pressing them against mine. A distinctly thick bulge nudges my belly. Both of us lose a breath, and then he’s closer, his cheek touching my temple. “You’ll have to let me go first.”

My thumbs slide under the edge of his shirt and find smooth, taut skin. A tremor goes through his body. I try to think, search for what the hell we’ve been talking about.

His lips brush the crest of my cheek as he murmurs against my skin. “Tell me what you do, Stella. You know you want to.”

My smile feels illicit. Somehow the action is directly tied to all my happy parts, making them draw hot and tight. “I don’t think I do.”

Another hum. “Liar. You’re dying to.”

Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she’d rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer’s Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine’s Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal, best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher’s Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.

WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

The first time I met Jax Blackwood things went a little sideways.

In my defense, I didn’t know he was Jax Blackwood—who expects a legendary rock star to be shopping for groceries? More importantly, a blizzard was coming and he was about to grab the last carton of mint-chocolate chip.

Still, I might have walked away, but then he smugly dared me to try and take the coveted ice cream. So I kissed him. And distracted that mint-chip right out of his hands.

Okay, it was a dirty move, but desperate times and all that. Besides, I never expected he’d be my new neighbor.

An annoying neighbor who takes great pleasure in reminding me that I owe him ice cream but would happily accept more kisses as payment. An irresistible neighbor who keeps me up while playing guitar naked–spectacularly naked–in his living room.

Clearly, avoidance is key. Except nothing about Jax is easy to ignore—not the way he makes me laugh, or that his particular brand of darkness matches mine, or how one look from him melts me faster than butter under a hot sun.

Neither of us believes in love or forever. Yet we’re quickly becoming each other’s addiction. But we could be more. We could be everything.

All we have to do is trust enough to fall.

AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS | B&N

I clear my throat. “While I was eating my ice cream—”

He snorts, but remains tense.

“I thought about how you looked familiar to me.”

“It was the guilt haunting you.”

“Or … And I’m just throwing this out there. You’re Jax Blackwood.”

He actually flinches. “Fuck. You recognized me.”

“It was bound to happen. John? Really?”

His chin tips in a pugnacious angle. “It’s my name. John is … me. Jax is who I am onstage.”

I picture him performing, all electric energy and raw passion and sheer talent. It’s a sight to behold. Hell, a couple of really hot fantasies have been induced by that sight.

While I’m lost in a teen fantasy, his eyes dart around like he’s expecting someone to pop out from behind a snow mound and take his picture. Then his gaze snags on me. My expression must be slightly punch drunk, because his entire body leans away from mine. Not exactly flattering to realize he’s afraid I’ll try to lick his face or something.

I snap my gaping mouth closed. “Oh, calm down. It’s not like I’m going to start squealing and try to grab your junk.”

His expression lightens a little. “I think if you grabbed my junk, I’d be the one squealing.”

“True. I have surprisingly strong hands.” When he stares at me in horror, I hold them up and wiggle my fingers. “Yoga. It’s highly effective.”

“My balls just flinched in terror.”

“Consider yourself warned.”

He snorts but then glances at our building. “You really live here?”

“Do you really think I hunted you down?”

John—because I can’t seem to think of him as Jax—runs his hand through his damp hair, which makes his biceps bunch and twitch. “Yeah … that does sound crazy.”

Crazy. This whole situation is. One day, I’m offered a four-month home in a dream condo, the next I’m standing on my stoop talking to a rock star. The biggest legend of my generation. I honestly don’t know how I’m not stammering right now.

“I can’t believe we’re neighbors,” I say without thinking.

His green eyes glint in the afternoon light, but he pauses and looks at me more closely. “You know, not to sound conceited here, but you’re kind of leering at me right now.”

My chin snaps up like I’ve been hit, even as my body flushes with embarrassment. Shit. I totally had been leering. No, not leering. But I had been staring at him in awe. Ugh. “Well, you do sound conceited. I was simply making polite eye contact.”

Liar McLiar-Face.

Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she’d rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer’s Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine’s Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal, best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher’s Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.

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