Blurb:
The opportunity to build her own future and start over is exactly what Sasha needs. Moving to the small town of Digby to open up a pastry shop is more than enough to make her happy, or so she thought. What she wasn’t counting on was the sexy rancher that seems to have quite an interest in her, for far more than her baking skills.
Sasha has exactly what Declan needs to take care of his sweet tooth, and any other hungers that may arise…if she has the courage to show it. He’s figured out that Sasha is gun shy when it comes to men, but with some patience, he hopes to sneak past her walls and show her that he’s in it for more than just dessert. When his past comes calling, will Sasha open up and trust him, or will she shut her heart down for good?
The sweetest rewards sometimes have to be fought for and Declan Boone isn’t going to let his sexy little baker slip through his fingers.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B3X69KL/
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“Sasha, Caroline is here from the paper for your interview,” Daphne popped her head through the kitchen door, “should I send her back?”
“Ugh, I forgot about that,” Sasha cringed at the idea of having an article done on her for the local paper, but Daphne thought it would be good for business, so she’d reluctantly agreed, “Sure, send her back.”
The middle-aged woman looked more like a kindergarten teacher than a reporter, but in a town this small, there was a pretty good chance she was both.
“Sasha! So great to meet you, I’m Caroline Barker from the Digby Daily News. Thank you so much for agreeing to answer a few questions about yourself. As Digby’s newest resident and entrepreneur, the whole town is positively buzzing about all the delicious creations you make here!”
“Oh, no problem,” she couldn’t stop the nervous laugh from passing her lips, “though my life isn’t really all that exciting. I can’t imagine someone wanting to read about it in the newspaper.”
“Well honey, in a town this small… Mr. Cooper forgetting to put out the trash so he has to run to the corner in his boxers to avoid sleeping on the couch for the night, is news. You’re positively enthralling. A big city gal, starting a dream business with her best friend… perhaps finding love along the way? Hmm?”
Sasha froze, not knowing what to say to that. How in the heck did some stranger know more about what was going on with her love life than she did?
“Daphne and I have been hard at work since we opened, it’s been wonderful how supportive all the folks here in town have been. Who has time for love when there’s pastries to be made?” She answered with a wink, before she slid the plate with a fresh éclair in front of the woman and hoped like hell she could be distracted by chocolate.
“Oh now, no need to play coy,” Caroline’s eyes did light up as she eyed the dessert, but alas, she was like a dog with a particularly tasty bone, “word around town is that a very handsome rancher has been courting you… and it’s not just because he has a sweet tooth. Grammy Boone seems to think that Declan’s set his sights on you, she said so at bridge club just last night.”
Sasha’s mouth dropped open in shock, only in a small town would bridge club gossip from old ladies be a ‘hot story lead’ for the newspaper.
God help her, this is so embarrassing! Did running into someone in public places like markets and grocery stores really count as courting? Who in the heck used the word courting anymore anyways?
“Umm, well I can’t speak for Declan, but I can assure you… I’m not dating anyone right now.”
“Oooh, how exciting!” Caroline grabbed her hands before she could pull away and was practically jumping in her excitement, “A single gal on the prowl, I’m certain all of our local boys will be quite interested to learn that. Get ready to be the most popular lady in town, my dear! Declan better get ready for some competition.”
Craptastic. Well that certainly backfired on you Sasha.
Daphne poked her head through the kitchen entrance once more, and Sasha audibly sighed in relief, thinking her bestie was there to rescue her from this small town personal-space invader. Her relief was extremely short-lived however as soon as Daphne opened her mouth.
“Sash, I just saw Declan park over at the grocery store…” Daphne waggled her brows suggestively, “Twenty bucks says he comes in here next, better fix your hair.”
“Oohh! The intrigue!” Caroline’s giggle grated on her nerves.
“Shit.” Her first thought was that she’d never convince this reporter now there was nothing going on, but her second?
“Wait, you heifer! …What’s wrong with my hair?” Sasha yelled back at her now snickering best friend.
Payroll
Purchase Orders
Peanut Butter Cups
Not necessarily in that order…
Sofia Valenti dreams of a life spent designing beautiful homes for the family business. But as her to-do list can attest, that dream is still far away. Stuck doing office work for Valenti Brothers Construction and stress eating her weight in chocolate, she wants more than hand-me-down responsibilities. When her father, Dom, signs up the whole family for a reality TV show, Sofia sees a chance to grab the spotlight for her dream. What she doesn’t count on is the sexy head contractor knocking down her ideas and her barriers like it’s demo day.
Adrian Villanueva has spent his life on the outside looking in. When Dom talks retirement, Adrian sees his chance to finally buy his way into the company he helped build. He’s certainly not going to let the inexperienced designer daughter with expensive taste and mouthwatering curves stand in his way. Ignoring his old crush on Sofia the girl will be easy. He’s had a decade of practice. It’s the appeal of Sofia the woman that threatens to bring him to his knees.
When hidden attraction flares into open desire, they must decide if a chance at love is worth giving up on a lifetime of dreams.
“Well, babe, I gotta say, more money always sounds good to me.”
Ugh. It’s like he does it without even thinking. She passed him the paperwork and pointed to the pertinent sections.
“I just started going through this. Give it a read-through, and tell me if you see any red flags. I’m going to refill my coffee.”
She needed a minute to calm her swirling thoughts, and sitting in a small room with a man who simultaneously generated a low-level buzz of attraction while also making her want to punch him in the stomach was not helping. His proposal had stunned her, and she’d not responded well. She pulled down another mug out of force of habit and filled it before topping hers off as well. She added one sugar and a healthy dollop of cream to his, fake sugar and cream to her own.
All done, but nowhere near ready to return, she braced her hands on the peacock granite countertop, stretched her arms long and dropped her head between them. She lengthened her spine and took a deep breath, aiming for some of the peace she’d felt when she’d dropped into a yoga class with Brandy.
Change itself was nothing to fear. So what if most of the changes in her life had been awful? That didn’t mean these changes were going to be bad, too. She could handle whatever needed handling. She’d managed before, and she could do it again. And she was absolutely full of crap. She was three seconds from panicking, and her deep-breathing exercises were getting trapped in her clenching throat.
“Hey, are you okay?” Adrian’s deep, husky voice skittered up her spine, leaving a trail of goose bumps that didn’t subside when she jumped and squealed.
Why did this man have the power to make her feel like a twelve-year-old girl? She spun to face him, only to find that he’d invaded the space she’d cleared and was reaching for her shoulder, as if to steady her. She backed away swiftly, bumping into the counter and rattling the cups. Remembering why she’d come to the kitchen in the first place, she handed him the coffee she’d made him, being careful not to scald herself with a brush of his fingertips. She could pick apart the ridiculousness of her response later.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She retreated into a sip of her own fortifying mug.
He mirrored her sip and stepped back as well. Message finally freaking received. Good.
“You know how I take my coffee?” He grinned as if this detail somehow meant something special.
“I know everyone’s coffee order. Have you not noticed who keeps the lists for meeting coffee runs? Or who is constantly being charged with stocking the kitchen? Or did you just think a magical caffeine fairy came in at night and brought lattes to all the good little boys?” She tried once again to take him down a peg while setting him straight. She couldn’t have him thinking that she’d been watching him, paying attention to his personal preferences. Even if she had.
Once again, her sarcasm flew right over his head. He raised the contract in his hand and held it out to her.
“Listen, I tried to read through this, but it might as well be written in Latin. Can you walk me through the specifics?”
“I just got it myself. Give me a day or two to really pick it apart, and I’ll fill you in.”
“Thanks, angel. That sounds good.” He tossed the contract on the break room table, supremely confident, coffee in hand.
She’d wager he hadn’t even heard the “Sure thing” she’d managed through clenched teeth. How could she be so attracted to someone who pissed her off so royally?
Good thing he didn’t know, or he’d be insufferable.
Winner of Cherry Adair’s Finish The Damn Book Contest 2017, Eva Moore writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance, after leaving a career in the classroom to raise her daughters. Opened Up is the first book in her new Exposed Dreams series, set in the world of home renovation reality TV. Eva now lives in Silicon Valley, after moving around the world and back, with her college sweetheart, her three gorgeous girls, and a Shih Tzu who thinks he’s a cat. She can be found most nights hiding in her closet/office, scribbling away, and loves to hear from the outside world. You can find her at http://www.4evamoore.com.
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EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT FROM WITHOUT RESERVATION!
Their back door opened before she reached it, and she pulled up short.
Jack stood in the doorway, shirtless, his jeans slung low on his hips.
The silence rang in Meg’s ears as energy crackled between the short distance separating them.
“Just one night,” she finally whispered, her need moving her forward.
Jack opened the door wide and stepped back, his hazel eyes glued to her while holding his hand out.
She slipped her hand into his while crossing the threshold, and he tugged her forward into his arms. Jack’s full lips swiped across hers, slow and completely knee-weakening. The flashlight clanked as it fell to the floor beside them. Meg sagged against his hard chest and grasped at his back with her free hand, her hold on the throw covering her slipping enough it fell from her shoulders.
He licked the seam of her lips, and Meg opened with a sigh.
A groan sounded from beside them, but Meg was lost to the taste of Jack’s sweetness, inhaling his exhales as their tongues sought the other’s taste.
The door clicked shut behind Meg, and Trevor pressed against her back, his lips finding her neck, his hands grasping the flare of her hips, keeping the slipping throw from swishing to the ground and leaving her naked.
Jack’s hands tangled in her hair, angling her head to deepen their kiss.
Wetness coated her thighs, and she wiggled between the two hard bodies, needing to find the release she’d been riding the edge of since making her decision to give in.
“I’ve been dreaming about this since I first saw you,” Trevor whispered against her ear, tugging the blanket from around her.
Jack released her lips and tilted his forehead against hers. “God, yes.” He grabbed her ass and picked her up, and Meg wrapped her legs around his waist, her soaked core settling against the hard ridge inside his jeans.
Face buried in Jack’s neck, breathing in the woodsy remnants of his cologne, Meg gave over to the shivers of nerves pebbling her skin and sending tremors through her body. “I’ve never done this before,” she whispered against his skin. “Don’t worry.” Jack strode across the living room and toward the hallway leading to the bedroom. “We’ll take good care of you. Promise.”
Lynn Burke is a full time mother, voracious gardener, and scribbler of spicy romance stories. A country bumpkin turned Bay Stater, she enjoys her chowdah and Dunkin Donuts when not trying to escape the reality of city life.
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