Now we’re supposed to hate each other... #EnemiesToLovers #RomCom #OppositesAttract

Who accidentally has a one-night stand with her yoga instructor?

Yep. Me.

How did I accidentally sleep with someone, right? I know what you’re thinking. Whoops! I slipped and inadvertently inserted Tab A into Slot B.

That’s not quite how it went.

But my yoga instructor is really, really skilled with Tab A, if you know what I mean.

Slot B never had it so good.

What am I supposed to do now, as I walk into my yoga class and find the guy I ghosted this morning… there, in front of the class, perfectly aligned and grinning at me like he remembers touching all my chakras.

He's perfect. Too perfect. He's so perfect he's ruining my job.

I'm an investigative reporter, working on spec for an article for a national magazine, and my job is to find all the ways this yoga chain is corrupt.

The only thing criminal here is that I can't have him in Slot B ever again. And I would. I'd turn myself into a paper doll book if that's what it took for more of that action.

I want him. He wants me. Nothing I do will make him back off because the chemistry is off the charts.

Except for one pesky little thing:

We’re at cross-purposes.

I need my exposé to get the job of my dreams. He needs to sell his stake in the yoga chain before I expose the corrupt current owner.

That makes him my enemy. My nemesis. The guy I have to get around to get ahead.

And now we’re supposed to hate each other.

But who ever let that get in the way of love?

Buy Links

Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/Night-Hand-Stand-Julia-Kent-ebook/dp/B0DBKBCYC9

Amazon UK:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Night-Hand-Stand-Julia-Kent-ebook/dp/B0DBKBCYC9

Amazon AZ:  https://www.amazon.com.au/Night-Hand-Stand-Julia-Kent-ebook/dp/B0DBKBCYC9/

Amazon Ca:  https://www.amazon.ca/Night-Hand-Stand-Julia-Kent-ebook/dp/B0DBKBCYC9

Apple Books:  https://books.apple.com/gb/book/one-night-hand-stand/id6670284015

Kobo:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-night-hand-stand

Nook:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-night-hand-stand-julia-kent/1146231975?ean=2940186117087

Google Play:  https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Julia_Kent_One_Night_Hand_Stand?id=i88dEQAAQBAJ

Print: https://www.amazon.com/Night-Hand-Stand-Julia-Kent/dp/1638802181/

Website: https://jkentauthor.com/books/get-what-you-need/one-night-hand-stand/

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/books/one-night-hand-stand-by-julia-kent

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218390915-one-night-hand-stand

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/One-Night-Hand-Stand-Audiobook/B0DKPGFCG5

Amazon Audio: https://www.amazon.com/Audible-One-Night-Hand-Stand/dp/B0DKPHF8MQ

iTunes: COMING SOON

Excerpt

It's 5:44 a.m. and there's a naked man in my bed.

His name is... um...

His name is...

He told me to call him...

Let's just call him by his initials.

N.M. for Naked Man.

Or for Never Mind.

Because in ten minutes, we're going to pretend this never happened.

Pretend I didn't go to a bar last night and have three glasses of pinot grigio, violating my strict two-glass limit.

Pretend I didn't let my friends talk me into jumping up on stage and singing “WAP,” complete with properly choreographed dance moves.

Pretend I did not let N.M. here buy me a drink and kiss him like my tongue had developed magnets that sought out his iron tonsils.

And he most certainly did not kiss me back with a suave, athletic grace that made my body shimmer and my P, indeed, become deeply W.

Oh, no.

While technically, all of that did happen, and I invited him back to my apartment and we did the two-back nasty so many times I am pretty sure we need to invent a new prime number for it, in ten – now, nine – minutes, Mr. N.M. doesn't exist.

My life has firm boundaries.

Speaking of firm –

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 2 million books, with 4 New York Times bestsellers and more than 21 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French, German, and Italian, with more titles releasing in the future.

From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men's room toilet (and he isn't a billionaire she met in a romantic comedy).

She lives in New England with her husband and three children where she is the only person in the household with the gene required to change empty toilet paper rolls.

She loves to hear from her readers by email at julia@jkentauthor.com, on Twitter @jkentauthor, on Facebook at @jkentauthor, and on Instagram @jkentauthor. Visit her at http://jkentauthor.com

Social Media Links:

Website: http://jkentauthor.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jkentauthor

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2PIBi9n

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/julia-kent

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3238619.Julia_Kent

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Julia-Kent/e/B00A99V268/

 

Release blitz organized by Writer Marketing Services.

Desire and danger are never far away – #UrbanFantasy #SciFiRomance #NewRelease

Blurb

Passion without limit. Carnal hunger that knows no bounds.

Within Earth’s five dimensions, nothing is as it seems…and desire is never far away.

In E4’s jungle, Kuma is the Alpha werewolf, bent on revenge against the hated guards. Swept with them from that dimension to E1, he prowls Seattle at night, stopping the thugs from abducting women for use as sex slaves in E4’s Pleasure Palace.

On her way home from her nursing job, Gwen senses danger in the night’s shadows. A stranger attacks. Clinging to consciousness, she watches the impossible, a wolf fighting him off…protecting her. She wakes in her own bed, convinced it must have been a dream until she sees Kuma in human form. Virile, intense. A man like no other.

Within his powerful embrace, Gwen experiences rapture she didn’t believe existed. His unrestrained lust and burning need end her loneliness, though not the menace they face. The guards are a constant threat in their hunt for women and their determination to see Kuma dead. Together, he and Gwen must fight—for his life, her freedom, their future.

Get your copy today at Amazon!

Excerpt (Adult)

Kuma caught the woman’s scent on the damp breeze. She smelled earthy like the surrounding vegetation, sensual from female musk and spices on this realm, some sweet, others warm. The same as he imagined her breath and skin.

Those fragrances and danger had drawn him here tonight.

He lifted his face to the drizzle and inhaled deeply, savoring her sensual aroma, picturing what she might look like, welcoming the images his mind created: her naked—though not here in Seattle—in the jungle where he’d once lived, her nudity bathed in faint light from dawn breaking through countless leaves. Moisture beaded on her shoulders and throat. The droplets glimmered, much as insects did in his dimension, then grew fat and slipped past her full breasts to her torso and navel. Other beads clung to her nipples, her heightened breathing shaking them free.

He craved to smell her excitement and desire for him.

He pictured her on his plane, facing him without fear despite what he was, her lips tilting in a provocative smile, her voice enticing.

“Can you catch me?” She drew back her shoulders in a surprisingly arrogant stance. “Can you possible satisfy me?”

In his fantasy, he laughed at her audaciousness.

She turned and ran, playing their game, demanding he follow if he intended to have her.

Never was there any doubt, not even in his thoughts. At a full run, he chased her through the foliage. Leaves slapped him, the rain coating them flinging in every direction.

She darted around trees.

He did, too, and broke through plants towering over them.

Insects scattered.

In the distance, a birdlike creature called to its mate, its full-throated cry cutting through the heavy quiet.

Other males in his pack watched from the shadows, waiting for him to fail so they could mount her.

Never.

He’d been alone too long, without a female’s comfort and warmth, her concern for his safety telling him he mattered.

His feet pounded the soil, and his lungs burned. His entire being desired her.

He bolted past her.

She gasped at his unexpected move then pivoted, guessing his intent, and tried to retrace her steps.

Too late.

He was faster than she was and far more determined.

With one arm around her waist, he pulled her against him. Her plush ass nuzzled his cock, making it harder. She smelled like female and animal need.

A submissive purr spilled from her. She turned her face to his, lips parted.

He captured her mouth and thrust his tongue inside. Her wet heat heightened his senses. Warmth burst through him.

Willingly, she suckled his tongue, proving her desire.

Primitive need consumed his every thought. He kissed her deep, long, savagely, the animal part in him freed by passion.

She parted her lips even more, inviting him to take her.

They sank to the ground. He directed her to her hands and knees. Her hair, as he imagined it, fell forward and swept the jungle floor.

She lifted her buttocks to expose her openings for his use. A servile yet shameless position. Her cunt was moist, glistening from her excitement, her soft folds plump from arousal.

He lifted his cock to her opening but didn’t penetrate. Other males in his pack edged closer, smelling his lust and hers. Their eyes glittered in the shadows.

He recognized their need.

His was too great to wait another second. On an assured thrust, he drove his cock into her waiting cunt. Her unimaginable warmth pulled a gasp from him. He trembled then drove his shaft deeply and fully into her until they touched, proving his claim. She belonged to him…always would. Her sheath was snug, a wondrous prison confining him in the best possible way.

Welcomed delight dashed up his chest and arms. His flesh tingled. He pulled back and thrust, his balls so tight they didn’t move. A shudder escaped him. He—

Footfalls sounded, breaking into his thoughts. Voices mingled with the other racket.

Male and female workers exited a tall beige building called a hospital on this plane.

 

 

Other books in the Outlawed Realm series:

BOOK ONE – OUTLAWED REALM

AMAZON: https://tinyurl.com/2p8t73s

His hunger for one woman will make him a traitor to his world…

From a portal in his lab on E2, one of the five dimensions of Earth, quantum physicist Nikoli Zorr gazes on everything forbidden to him. Passion. Desire. The exquisite pleasure of running his hands over the lush curves of a young woman he should have stopped watching weeks ago.

His duty is to close the portals that keep the monsters out of E2—and never interfere with the inevitable fate of those on the other side. Yet he can’t bring himself to abandon the woman who has captured his soul.

Psychologist Regina Page is trying to focus on her client, and off the mysterious, unbearable sexual cravings that consume her when she’s alone in her bedroom. The next moment she’s attacked by vampires, then swept into another realm by Nikoli, a stranger whose touch awakens that same raw desire. Whose eyes are already filled with farewell.

Yet beneath their undeniable carnal lust, something else stirs. The beginnings of illicit love. The unexpected need to protect him. Even if it means risking body, blood, and soul to defeat the merciless horde…for a future that was never meant to be.

 

BOOK TWO – OUTLAWED REALM

AMAZON: https://tinyurl.com/yamzv7k9

Pleasure that destroys all thought. Love that shatters all barriers.

Marked for extermination, Lukan has miraculously escaped E4’s Pleasure Palace. There, sex slaves satisfy the cravings of E2’s rulers for voyeurism, bondage, dominance, submission, punishment, and more. However, his freedom is not enough.

He left behind Arez, who once saved his life and captured his heart. Within her fragrant, heated caress, he knew everything denied him…rapture born from yearning, contentment fueled by tenderness and love. Determined to deliver Arez from certain death and have her for his own, Lukan embarks on a rescue he may not survive.

Arez has known only carnal submission and loneliness before Lukan. She aches for his strong arms, his fevered kisses. Upon his return, he offers danger and hope for a future. How can she resist? Never fully tamed, she wants Lukan more than life. But to flee from this twilight dimension to another, to find freedom and their destiny, they must first outwit this plane’s human predators and its monsters.

About the Author

 

Tina’s an Amazon and international bestselling novelist who writes passionate romance for every taste – ‘heat with heart’ – for traditional publishers and indie. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work. She’s won Readers’ Choice Awards, was named a finalist in the EPIC competition, received a Book of the Year award, The Golden Nib Award, awards of merit in the RWA Holt Medallion competitions, and second place in the NEC RWA contests. She’s featured in the Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market. Before penning romances, she worked at a major Hollywood production company in Story Direction.

On a less serious note: she’s an admitted and unrepentant chocoholic, brakes for Mexican restaurants, and has been known to moan like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally while wolfing down tostadas. She’s flown a single-engine airplane (freaking scary), rewired an old house using an ‘electricity for dummies’ book, and is horribly shy despite the hot romances she writes.

MeWe: https://mewe.com/i/tinadonahue

Bluesky: @tinadonauthor.bsky.social

Website/Blog: https://tinadonahuebooks.blogspot.com/

Newsletter: https://tinadonahuebooks.blogspot.com/p/newsletter.html

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tina-donahue

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/146988.Tina_Donahue

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/tinadonahue

Amazon author page: https://amzn.to/1ChWFkO

Sweet ‘n Sexy Divas: https://sweetnsexydivas.blogspot.com/

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/AuthorTinaDonahue 

Celebrating Women – #WomensHistoryMonth #MovingForwardTogether #MFRWHooks

[Banner Source]

As you may already be aware, March is Women’s History Month. I’m encouraged by the fact that U.S. government websites discussing the origin of International Women’s Day (https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/international-womens-day.html) and providing resources related to Women’s History Month (https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/international-womens-day.html) are still online.

There are too many of us to silence all our voices.

For today’s MFRW Book Hooks blog, I’m featuring the prologue from the first book of my steampunk trilogy The Toymakers Guild. Most of my heroines are feisty and independent, but Gillian Smith is in a class by herself. Though she’s only nineteen, she is brilliant, resourceful and determined to make her mark as an engineer and inventor.

Blurb

She wants to build sex toys... if they'll let her.

In prudish, patriarchal Victorian England, nineteen year old prodigy Gillian Smith finds a secret society dedicated to the erotic arts. She’ll need both her intellect and her physical charms to earn the permanent position she craves.

If you like steam punk erotica with a kinky feminist bent, you'll love The Pornographer's Apprentice.

Series Blurb

Defying the repressive morality of the Victorian era, the Toymakers Guild uses advanced technology to fabricate bespoke sexual artifacts for the discrete pleasure of select clients. Its members are not only brilliant engineers but also sexual renegades seeking freedom from the prudish society that surrounds them. These are their stories. 

The Hook

Only when faced with the stout oaken door to Randerley Hall did Gillian Smith’s considerable resolve fail her.

In the dead of night she had fled her Aunt Martha’s London townhouse, mere hours before her diabolical guardian planned to denounce her as a deviant and a thief. She had endured the seven-hour rail journey to Tavistock crammed into a reeking third class carriage, struggling to remain awake in order to guard her meagre possessions. Upon arrival, she’d been tempted to take a room at the inn and sleep for a few hours, but she didn’t want to deplete her limited savings. If the Guild rejected her, she knew she’d need every farthing to survive. So she had waved off the gig driver who’d accosted her and set out to walk the five miles to Randerley Hall.

In truth, the fresh breeze off the moors felt welcome after the stuffy misery of the train. Her spirits rose as she left the town behind, following the winding road that climbed and dipped among the grey-green hills. She reached the manor gates before the house itself was visible. Although vicious iron spikes marched along their top edges, they stood open, as if beckoning her to enter a new phase of her life.

She paused when she caught sight of Randerley’s grim bulk, huddling among tall poplars. With its dark turrets reaching toward the cloudy sky and its mullioned windows like blind eyes, the ancient building could hardly be called welcoming. Still, Gillian knew her future lay within those stern stone walls.

Her carpet bag on her shoulder and Uncle George’s precious catalogue clutched under her arm, she strode up the steps to the pillared porch and considered the massive door. It towered above her, easily eight feet high, a single, solid plank of age-blackened wood studded with iron rivets. Finding neither bell-pull nor knocker, Gillian rapped her knuckles against the oak.

“Excuse me,” she called. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

The wind sighing in the trees was her only answer.

She knocked again, so hard that her fingers stung, to no effect. Losing patience, she banged upon it repeatedly with her fist. The door must be exceptionally thick; despite the force of her blows, she could discern no echoes of them from within.

“Damn it to hell,” she muttered. “Now what?”

Stepping back, she scanned the façade of the building. She saw no light in the windows, no movement. Was her information obsolete? Could it be that the Guild no longer occupied Randerley?

The house didn’t appear derelict, despite its obvious antiquity, and the grounds were well-kept. She approached the door once more, searching for some hidden mechanism she might use to gain entry.

The door itself was featureless, but about two feet to the right she noticed a panel of brass. An exquisitely detailed image of a chambered nautilus decorated the top. Below this figure she found a column of seven brass tumblers, with a bevelled push button at the bottom. She rolled a fingertip across the surface of one cylinder. It turned smoothly, under the slightest pressure, exposing engraved digits from zero to nine.

An entry code! Gillian was impressed. This mechanism was far more effective than bolts or locks. Only those who knew the correct combination of digits could enter the Guild’s sanctum.

But how was she, an outsider, to gain access? Her heart sank as she automatically did the calculations. Seven tumblers, with ten options each, meant there were ten million possible codes. Impossible to guess. Nevertheless, she had to try.

She doubted the code was random. Seven random numbers would be too difficult to convey or remember. There had to be some pattern, some system. But what was it?

Feeling lost and desperate, she twirled the dials to the sequence 2, 4, 5, 1, 8, 1, 9. Everyone knew Her Majesty the Queen’s birth date. Holding her breath, she depressed the button.

The spiral design flashed red. “First error,” announced a mechanical voice. “Two attempts remaining.”

Tears pricked Gillian’s eyes. Her limbs felt leaden; she swayed and almost fell. Her long walk over the moors, her sleepless night, the fear that had driven her to escape, all combined to overwhelm her. Had it all been for nothing?

No. She would not give up, not while there was any chance at all. Perhaps the passcode was something deceptively simple. People were, after all, typically lazy.

She reset the tumblers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Her finger hovered over the button for an instant, then gave a firm press.

“Second error,” the irritating mechanism chided. “One attempt remaining.”

A hot surge of anger temporarily banished her exhaustion. Bloody engineers, she raged silently. They think they’re so clever. Well, she was clever, too. She would not let them best her.

She filled her lungs with the grass-scented air and willed her pulse to slow. As her father had taught her, so long ago, she raised an imaginary lens to her mind and focused on the problem at hand. The world became brighter, more sharply delineated. Her thoughts turned like well-oiled gears.

Gillian scrutinised the entry panel. There had to be a clue. A stray sunbeam broke through the clouds, making the nautilus gleam. The engraved spiral drew her gaze, pulling her into its centre…

Of course! Inspiration blazed like the sparks in a Leyden jar. Working with quick confidence, she set the values a third time: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8. Without hesitation she pushed the button to register her choice.

Sparkling green flooded the lines of the spiral. With a soft click, the lock released, and the heavy door swung open on silent hinges. “Welcome,” proclaimed the disembodied voice, “to the Toymakers Guild.”

Jubilant, Gillian gathered her bag and her book and stepped inside.

Find the buy links at https://www.lisabetsarai.com/pornographersapprenticebook.html

Be sure to visit the other authors participating in today’s Book Hooks!

---

“I haven’t set foot through that door since he died” – #LaterInLife #BookishRomance #SecondChanceRomance

Blurb

Two good men vie to heal a widow’s heart—but it only holds room for one.

Clara

Unless I find a lifeline, my bookstore will close its doors forever. My best shot at saving Book Nirvana is my late husband’s collection of rare, racy books, but I’m not ready to open that red door and face the flood of memories. And I’m not ready to open my heart again, even if the two new men in my life tempt me to try.

Nick

I came to Book Nirvana in search of antique bawdy books and fell hard for lovely, lonely Clara. As a widower, I understand her skittishness, but the spark between us is undeniable. My academic connections could rebuild her clientele, but if she discovers my secret scandal, her fragile trust will shatter.

Dalton

I’m over the moon for beautiful, bookish Clara, but how can a teacher like me compete with a suave professor like Nick? Clara and I have so much in common, and our sweet friendship could bloom into something deeper if it weren’t for my rival’s grip on the vulnerable widow. I don’t trust him, and neither should she.

Come to Book Nirvana for chosen family, laughter and tears, sizzling passion, and a love triangle for the ages.

Through the Red Door was previously published and has been revised and updated with new chapters.

Series Blurb

Welcome to Book Nirvana, an indie bookstore in Eugene, Oregon, where you’ll find every flavor of bookish delight, a quirky staff who are as close as family, Lulu the all-wise shop cat, Coffee Dreams next door, and a dazzling collection of naughty books kept behind the red door in back. If you ask shop owner Clara nicely, she just might let you peek inside!

Buy Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Through-Red-Door-Book-Nirvana-ebook/dp/B0DTFL74D5

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/through-the-red-door/id6740821310

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/through-the-red-door-sadira-stone/1129705434?ean=2940184724126

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/through-the-red-door-6

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1693647

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Sadira_Stone_Through_the_Red_Door?id=GhtAEQAAQBAJ

UBL: https://books2read.com/ThroughTheRedDoor

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/through-the-red-door-book-nirvana-by-sadira-stone

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223775259-through-the-red-door

Link to The Story Behind the Red Door on Bookfunnel: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/42xck3glke

Series page on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTGCWQS6

Excerpt

Nick and Clara are perusing a book of Shunga: Japanese erotic art from the Edo period.

Nick flips the page again and points to an image of a couple going at it fiercely. “Notice how the woman’s toes are curled?”

I giggle. “I thought that was just an expression. You know, he made my toes curl.”

Nick closes the book. Something mesmerizing and a little bit dangerous glimmers in his dark eyes. The corners of his full lips twitch upward. “Everyone deserves to have their toes curled, don’t you think?”

My ribs seize, halting my breath. Discussing sexy artwork with this gorgeous professor is a weird combination of awkward and titillating, but this is tipping into flat-out flirtation. Nick’s warmth, his husky voice, the erotic images laid out before us—it’s all too much. I’m hot and tingly, squirmy with embarrassment, and heavy with guilt. I’m not ready to feel this way again, despite my body’s undeniable reaction.

Time to be honest with this kind man, before he takes this any further.

I clear my throat and sit up straighter. “I’m a widow, Mr. Papa—Nick. My husband passed away a year ago.”

His teasing smile melts, and his dark eyes shine with emotion. “I’m sorry, Clara. I hope I haven’t made you uncomfortable.” He lays his hand over mine, his touch warm and gentle. “I lost my wife two years ago. Cancer.”

The tension drains from my body like water through a sieve. He understands.

“My husband is the one who took care of our…” I gesture to the open book. “…our special collection. I haven’t set foot through that door since he died. But we still get a lot of visitors wanting to see those books. They used to talk to Jared, but now I have to screen them.”

“How do you decide who’s allowed inside?”

“Gut instinct. People have a certain oily vibe when they just want to leer at dirty books. And they’d usually be disappointed. I mean, it’s mostly older stories and artwork, and most of the books are quite expensive, which keeps the perverts away. They’re hoping for cheap porn, not art.”

The corners of his mouth quirk up. “So, why did I pass the test?” Deep within his dark irises, flecks of gold catch the light.

“Well, you are a professor and all.”

“I am indeed. And you know what they say about us academics—‘Publish or perish.’ I heard about you from a colleague at the university here. I’ve been under pressure to publish something new, so…” He pulls out his phone and taps the screen. “I made a list of titles I’d like to buy for my department. It might take a few days to get an okay from our chairwoman. If I send you the titles, will you hold them for me?”

That means he’ll be back, giving me time to reflect on my reaction to this deliciously disturbing man.

As if reading my mind, he adds, “I’d really appreciate your help. And if I can’t get funding, I’ll buy them myself. These books are nearly as fascinating as their owner.”

I gape like a goldfish, then fold my hands in my lap and paste on a pseudo-calm smile. “I’d be glad to hold the books for you, Nick.”

I’d be glad to hold anything he wants me to hold.

For a terrifying moment, I’m sure I said those words aloud. I take a deep, trembling breath.

So does Nick. He gives my hand a final squeeze. When we stand up, I notice the top of my head only comes to his chin. I’ve always had a weakness for tall men, especially ones with deep, velvety voices, sparkling dark eyes, devilish smiles—

I squash those dangerous thoughts into an iron-clad box and slam the lid. This is a business connection we’re forging, a potentially valuable one. “Right. I look forward to seeing you soon.”

“Not as much as I look forward to seeing you, Clara.” My name slides off his tongue like a caress.

As I walk toward my shop, the heavy warmth of his gaze heats my back. Just to be sure, when I reach the sidewalk, I turn for one last glimpse. He’s still watching, a mysterious half-smile on his lips.

About the Author

Award-winning contemporary romance author Sadira Stone spins steamy, smoochy tales set in small businesses—a quirky bookstore, a neighborhood bar, a vintage boutique. Set in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, her stories highlight found family, friendship, and the sizzling chemistry that pulls unlikely partners together. When she emerges from her writing cave in Las Vegas, Nevada (which she seldom does), she can be found shaking her hips in dance class, playing her guitar (badly, but getting better), exploring the Western U.S. with her charming husband, cooking up a storm, and gobbling all the romance books. For a guaranteed HEA (and no cliffhangers!) visit Sadira at https://sadirastone.com

Visit Sadira on All the Socials!

https://linktr.ee/SadiraStone

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18568049.Sadira_Stone

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sadira-stone

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Sadira-Stone/e/B07KWK5FBX

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sadira0641/

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

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Author newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/q7x4c6

Tiktok: https://tiktok.com/@sadirastone

Author website: https://www.sadirastone.com

ARC link on Booksirens: https://booksirens.com/book/PPP7UP6/OHUMR4D