Stay excerpts
Excerpt 1 from The Start of Something Good
Her expression told him the mood had definitely been broken. Her skin paled, and she raised a trembling hand to
press against her now swollen lips. “What did we do?”
Irritation ruffled his nerve endings. Did she have to look so horrified? He lifted a brow. “We kissed.”
“But I called you an asshole. Why did you kiss me?”
Raw hunger snapped into temper. “Why’d you kiss me back?”
“I didn’t.” He cocked his head and studied her. “Okay, fine, I did, but I was surprised. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
His ego took the hit like a man, but it stung. “Neither do I.”
Her hand dropped, and she blew out a breath. “Then why on earth did you kiss me?”
Because in that moment, he’d felt completely connected to her.
Because he’d felt alive again.
Because he’d felt seen for the first time.
He offered her a half shrug. “Felt like a good idea at the time. Didn’t know a simple kiss would freak you out so much, princess. It’s not like we need to embark on a shotgun wedding.”
Her glare made him feel better. This woman he could deal with. This bristly, judgy pain in the ass was easy to banter and amuse himself with. The one who molded himself perfectly to his body, uttered the perfect phrase to a heartfelt confession, and kissed him back with a burning heat and need?
Not so much.
“You are so rude,” she muttered, standing up and brushing off her pajama pants. At this angle, her nipples were still hard against her pale-pink shirt. He decided to prove he could be a gentleman when he wanted to be by not pointing out that fact. “Next time you get hit by an impulse, smother it. Or you’ll be sporting a black eye, horse man.”
Ethan figured the truce was now officially over.
So much better this way.
He stretched lazily and stroked his beard. Her taste lingered on his lips. “Is that before you climb onto my lap or after the breathy moan of my name?”
Her golden eyes turned glassy with rage. Her sparkly nails flashed as she clenched her fists. “You are deplorable,” she whispered.
Then she whipped around on her bare heel and slammed the screen door behind her.
Damned if she didn’t surprise him. Damned if she wasn’t one of the sexiest, most vibrant women he’d laid eyes on.
Damned if he’d do anything else about it.
As he strode back to his bungalow, adrenaline still buzzing in his veins, Ethan made one important decision.
It was definitely time to shave his beard.
–
Excerpt 2 from The Start of Something Good
“Sometimes you just need a good love story, right?”
He grinned. “Hell yeah. Come on, enough delaying. It’s cupcake time.”
She rolled her eyes but allowed him to pay for her books with a gracious thank you. They took their time meandering through the booths. He watched her carefully as she read each of the signs boasting flavors such as red velvet, peanut butter and jelly, s’mores, and carrot. She pretended it wasn’t a big deal, but when she caught sight of the coconut chocolate delight, he knew he had her.
“Anything good?” he drawled, already knowing her answer.
“Not really. Maybe I’m just not in the mood for cupcakes today.”
Oh, she was a master. Her face remained neutral, but her golden eyes flared with lust. She had a thing for food porn. Who would’ve known it could be so deliciously sexy? “Well, I’m going to get one here,” he announced, getting in line.
“Here?” she squeaked. Sheer panic seeped into her voice. “Umm, how about we try a Cookie Monster one?”
“No, thanks. I have my eye on a specific one right here.”
As he moved up closer, she shifted in place, pulling at her shirt, growing more uncomfortable with every moment. Finally, a cheery woman with a hairnet and bright-red lipstick leaned forward. “Whatcha want, love?”
“I’ll have two of those, please.”
“You got it.” She placed them in a plastic container, took the money, and handed it over. “Enjoy.”
Mia stiffened. A cloud of silence settled over her as he led her to an unoccupied bench. She stared at the cupcakes, teeth nibbling on her lower lip in distress, and he reached out and tugged her down to sit beside him.
“How did you know?” she whispered.
“I can spot a lie, too. I guess we both have something in common after all. I love coconut.” He spread out a napkin onto her lap and lifted the cupcake. It was a perfectly size chocolate cake with light, frothy cream on top, covered in shredded coconut and one chocolate swirl placed on the top. He handed it over, and her fingers trembled as she delicately held the sweet. Her face held so much longing, his heart squeezed. Why had she denied herself such simple pleasures for so long? If he accomplished one damn thing this summer, it would be to show this woman that an occasional indulgence was a gift in life and should never be wasted. “Mia?”
“Yes?”
“Eat your cupcake.”
She did. He watched every precious, gut-wrenching, sensual moment of the experience and wondered if he’d ever be the same.
She was beautiful.
Her entire being softened as she ate. Her eyes glowed with pleasure, and she savored every tiny bite, her tongue licking over her lips to catch the last bit of icing. A low moan escaped her mouth. Her body shook slightly. And when that cupcake had been completely devoured, she let out a soft, sated sigh that slammed straight to his cock and made him want to weep in surrender.
He wanted Mia Thrush in his bed.
Almost sleepy, she looked up and met his gaze. “That was so good.”
A smudge of chocolate lay in the corner of her mouth. He reached over slowly, wiping it off with his thumb. Nailing her with his stare, he deliberately put his thumb into his mouth and sucked.
Sexual attraction exploded between them. The sights and sounds faded around them, meaningless in the perfect connection of those precious seconds.
“Mia?”
“Yeah?” Her voice was a breathless whisper. A yearning. A question. It took all his willpower to keep from kissing her right here, so he could taste the sweetness of her lips and tongue mixed with chocolate and coconut. Instead, he locked down all his muscles and prayed no one could see his strangling erection.
“Will you do something for me today?”
“Depends.”
He smiled. “For the rest of the afternoon, will you let me feed you?”
She blinked. It was a request, not a demand. It wasn’t about a bet or a ruse or anything but the joy of watching her appreciate a small-town festival and its amazing food. He waited for a temper tantrum or sarcastic joke or a roll of her eyes.
“Okay.”
Something shifted. Breathed. Changed. He didn’t know what it was, but he also knew it would never be the same between them. He just needed to decide what to do about it.
“Thank you.”
They smiled at each other on a park bench in the middle of a cupcake festival.
For the rest of the afternoon, he gifted her with morsels of food carefully selected from local vendors: A crisp Gala apple, freshly picked and drizzled with honey from Wrights Farm. A scoop of churned homemade black-cherry ice cream. A bite of shortbread topped with fresh strawberries and cream. A sip of chilled Whitecliff Vineyards Awosting White wine.
With each bite, she laughed more freely, linking her arm with his in an intimate gesture he enjoyed. For a few hours, they basked in the sun like young kids on a date, indulging in all the treats laid out for them to savor. Chloe joined them in their pursuit of the perfect bite, and they all finally found it when they tasted their final cupcake.
Banana cream pie with toasted coconut.
Even Chloe agreed, and she deemed herself a chocoholic.
Finally, exhausted and stuffed, they began to make their way back to the car. Her entire persona buzzed with contentment. If she were his woman, he’d feed her every damn day to relish the sated look on her face. In a few short hours, she completely bloomed.
