Synopsis
Officer Ethan Kelly
is a nice guy. That’s what all the girls say, right before they toss him aside
for one of those bad boys. But when he meets rookie officer, Heather Moss,
Ethan is determined to show her that a nice guy knows how to treat a real
woman.
But Heather isn’t
interested. Or at least, she doesn’t want to be. She swore off men a long time
ago, and focusing on her career leaves zero room for romance. Even with someone
as sweet and sexy as Ethan. But when she saves his life on a robbery call,
Heather realizes that he might just be the man to save her from herself.
Excerpt
“What the heck was that all
about?” she asked.
He hesitated, shaking his head and rolling his eyes, a clear
indicator that he hated this topic of discussion.
“What? You mean you have been at this job for two whole months
already and you haven’t heard that Mike Kelly’s boys couldn’t be more
different?” he asked sarcastically. “Storm is tall and blonde, good-looking,
military smarts, athletic build. The spitting image of his father, the much
beloved and revered Michael Kelly. Ethan, on the other hand, is about three
inches shorter in stature, average looks, average police skills. He’s never
gonna be half the cop that their father was. Storm is the city’s last best
hope. Didn’t you know any of that?”
Heather couldn’t help her incessant giggle as she listened to
his snide, self-deprecating diatribe. “No. I was not aware,” she laughed. “I’m
sorry.”
“Well … now you’ve been schooled,” he told her, smiling at her
giggle as he looked her over. She really was a pretty girl. In fact, Ethan
would go so far as to say that she was gorgeous. And he couldn’t help but take
note of her figure in the regular clothes. He thought she looked hot in the
uniform, but now he could clearly tell that she had a great body, and he was having
trouble trying to keep this friendly drink platonic. Her hair fell in blonde
waves that bounced around her shoulders as she laughed, and all he really
wanted to do was kiss her.
“Well, having just met you both properly tonight, I can say with
some authority that whoever labeled Ethan Kelly as just average in the looks
department had to be … I don’t know … blind,” she offered.
“Oh, yeah?” he asked, suddenly looking at her in surprise as he
wondered if she had picked up on his vibe. Was she flirting with him?
Heather shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah,” she answered with a
small smile. And she could feel the color spreading over her face. Why had she
said that?
They stared at one another for a long moment, and neither one of
them could ignore the electric charge suddenly dancing in the air between them.
There was a definite heat pulsing on the current all around them, and neither
one of them wanted to discount it.
Heather felt a stirring inside her that she hadn’t felt for a
long, long time, and as much as the sensation scared her, she found herself
craving it. Wanting it to linger and stay awhile. Finally, she gave an
embarrassed smile and looked away, breaking their intense eye contact.
“Um, so … you and your brother … you seem to get along okay,”
she said.
Ethan smiled at her obvious avoidance tactic. “Yeah. Most of the
time,” he replied. “That wasn’t always the case when we were younger, but …
we’ve both grown up a little bit. Now it’s only idiots like Shane who try and
pit us against each other. That’s not to say that fights don’t happen at all,
because they do sometimes,” he admitted. “Usually about stupid shit. What about
you? You mentioned a younger sister.”
“Yeah. Hillary,” she answered. “We are polar opposites. I love
her, but we usually fight like cats and dogs.”
“Yeah? Lots of hair pulling and scratching going on?” he teased.
“Well, one of us carries a gun now, so … not much hair pulling
going on anymore,” she smiled, and he laughed.
“Hey, listen … I know it’s late, but … you want to go grab a
bite somewhere?” he asked. “The menu here is limited to wings, and I could
really go for a slice of pizza.”
Heather smiled at him, suddenly eager to get out of the bar and
go anywhere with him. Her no carbs rule be damned. “Pizza sounds good.”
They stood and left the bar together, each of them wondering
where this friendship, and the night, might be headed. They took his car, and
they ended up about a block away at Martoni’s, which just happened to have the
best pizza in town. It was also one of the only pizza joints in the area that
stayed open late and sold pies by the slice, and as Ethan and Heather ate their
late dinner, they talked about the job and shared a few more laughs.
Heather found herself feeling completely at ease with him,
something that didn’t happen too often with men anymore since her rape. But
something about Ethan was different. He was smart and funny, and his kindness
was genuine. And Heather found that to be incredibly attractive.
Ethan was captivated by her. Especially now that he knew her
background and what she had gone through. He admired the fact that she had
picked herself up and done something positive with her life after such a
tragedy, instead of letting that one moment define who she was and what her
future was going to be. And he had never felt such an instant connection with
another girl before. The chemistry between them hadn’t diminished one bit since
they had left the bar, and he was determined to explore it.
“You’ve uh … you got some sauce …” his voice trailed off as he
gestured to the corner of her mouth. And when he reached out with his thumb to
clear away the remnant of pizza sauce on her face, his eyes lingered on her
lips as he brought his thumb to his own mouth and sucked the sauce from it. He
couldn’t stand it anymore. He leaned in and kissed her.
Heather was surprised by the unexpected sensation of his mouth
on hers, but not upset by it in the least. His lips were soft and his tongue
was insistent. She reached up and allowed her fingers to run through his soft
brown hair as they kissed. And long moments later, after that one kiss had
become a full-blown make-out session, she pulled away and looked at him.
“We should probably take this somewhere less public,” she
panted.
“I like the way you think,” he breathed.
Author Bio & Links:
Lashell Collins spent the last twenty
years of her life working in Veterinary Hospitals and Garden Centers. But
whether she was surrounded by the adorable puppies and kittens she helped care
for, or by the beautiful flowers, trees and shrubs, she constantly pursued her
favorite pastime – reading romance novels and imagining herself as the heroine
in each and every one of them. She began writing as a way to work through her
grief after the loss of a few people who were special to her, and she found it
to be cathartic, so she kept at it. She self-published her first novel in
2013. Since
then, Lashell has self-published ten titles across two series – the Pierced
Trilogy (romantic suspense), and the Jagged Ivory Series (contemporary romance)
– and is hard at work on another two series for this year. All of Lashell’s stories
are full of heart and romance, with smart dialogue and spicy sex scenes.
When she’s not writing, Lashell
enjoys reading, shopping, eating Chinese food, and riding on the back of her
husband’s Harley-Davidson. She loves watching General Hospital and Grimm. She
is a huge music fan and is completely obsessed with Slash. Lashell is a member
of the Romance Writers of America. Drop her a line; she loves to hear from
readers.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lashell-Collins/e/B00BHMAURS/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1398199491&sr=1-1
Thanks for including my book in your post today! I appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting Lashell today!!
ReplyDelete