Alexa is beautiful, independent and hard to resist for serially unattached Julian. Neither one is looking for a relationship, but their palpable chemistry and instant emotional connection is too strong to ignore. For the first time in years, Julian is interested in more than just sex. He wants a relationship with intoxicating Alexa, but it's not that simple. Not only are Julian and Alexa struggling with the intensity of this new relationship, but they also have to contend with Luke, Alexa's best friend, whose own love for her leaves him willing to do anything to convince her that Julian is not the man for her. Luke's determination and Alexa's secret past threaten to tear Julian and Alexa apart as she struggles to open her heart to love. Julian and Alexa embark upon a roller-coaster ride of emotional and physical passion that both pulls them apart and holds them together. Despite their affinity for each other, Alexa fears that Julian will leave when he learns about her past and Julian is unsure he can love a woman who in so many ways remains a mystery, a woman who keeps threatening to run, a woman who can't decide if she is going to STAY.
Excerpt:
I’m getting off my bar stool
when I hear Julian’s distinctive voice behind me. “Someone needs
to stop putting baby in the corner,” Julian says playfully.
I’m glad he can’t see the
huge smile plastered on my face. He runs his hand gently down my arm
as he walks past me on his way behind the bar. Goosebumps pop up all
over my body. He looks down at my glass, sees it’s almost empty,
and goes about making me another drink. I’m not sure how he knows
what I’m drinking, but when I see him mixing a Vodka Cranberry with
a splash of Sprite, I know he has been paying attention to what I
like.
I flash him a smile. “So now
you’ve moved on to old movie quotes, Julian? Did you use up all of
your good pickup lines earlier this week?”
“Ouch, Alexa, that hurts. I
only use that line on the special ladies. It’s a classic.” He’s
smiling back at me, and I realize how happy I am to see him. I’m
also flattered he remembers me. I hate that I’m feeling so
insecure, but all of the Internet “research” I’ve done this
week has only confirmed there is no shortage of women vying for his
attention.
“Thank you,” I say as he
slides the drink over to me.
Julian leans down and places his
forearms on the bar. All of the muscles in his chest and arms bulge
out from under a tight khaki-colored T-shirt. He looks so hot, and
something tells me he knows it. I’m taking it all in when I notice
a small tattoo on his left wrist. It’s barely peeking out from
under his watch, but I can see it’s in a script font and appears to
be a name. I’d love to know what it says, or whose name it says,
but I don’t feel comfortable asking. He sees me looking at it but
doesn’t offer any explanation. I wonder if it’s the name of a
former, or current, love.
As I ponder this, Julian slowly
reaches up with one hand and gently runs a finger through one of my
curls. “Better,” he says quietly as he twirls it slowly. He
doesn’t look away, and neither do I.
“Better?” I pick up my drink
and take a sip. I need something to cool me down. My whole body
starts to overheat when he touches me.
“I prefer your hair this way.
Es muy
sexy.” He keeps twirling.
Um. Okay. This is seriously hot.
I love when he speaks to me in Spanish.
“I’d rather take this woman
to bed than the one with the ponytail. I can picture you straddling
me, and I can see your beautiful hair floating across my chest as you
make your way slowly down my naked body.”
I’m in the middle of taking
another sip of my drink when he says this to me, and his comment
makes me choke. Holy shit! What a visual. And so quickly too. We’ve
only been talking for a few minutes, and he’s already talking about
getting naked? Apparently he thinks my ‘discomfort’ is funny and
laughs out loud.
“Something wrong with your
drink?” he asks through a sly smile.
I try to recover by putting my
lips seductively on the straw and taking a slow sip. “Mmm, no, it’s
perfect.”
He arches his brow at me,
intrigued by my not-so-subtle response. Hell, I can play this game
too. This is fun.
“Good, because I always try to
give it the way it’s wanted.”
“I bet you’re very giving,
Julian.”
He pauses, narrows his eyes, and
looks serious for a moment. “You have no idea, Alexa.” I love the
way my name rolls off of his tongue. He caresses it when he says it.
His eyes are locked on mine and
the way he is looking at me is making me squirm in my chair. I think
we are both imagining “giving” something to each other. I try and
break the tension with some more teasing.
“Do you give this hard of a
sell to all the ladies, Julian?”
Julian chuckles and shakes his
head slightly. “Oh, Alexa, you’re the only lady I want to give
anything hard to at the moment.”
Well, he’s definitely not shy
or sexually repressed.
We’re talking pretty quietly,
but I still look around to see if anybody else heard him. This
conversation has taken an X-rated turn. The couple sitting next to us
at the bar are totally engrossed in the beginning stages of a hook-up
and seem totally oblivious to anything around them. Nobody else is
paying any attention to us either. I look down towards the other end
of the bar and catch Luke staring intensely at me. He’s shaking his
head. I’m not sure if Julian sees him do it, but I don’t want
Luke to come down to where we are. His presence last time caused
Julian to walk away, and I don’t want that happening again. I nod
and smile at Luke and give him a little wave to say I’ve
got this. He scowls at
me but doesn’t come closer. I turn my focus back to Julian and take
another sip.
“Okay, Julian, I’ll play
this game with you.”
“I assure you, corazón,
this isn’t a game.”
“Really? You’re not just
trying to see how much you can shock me?”
That makes him smile. “Well,
unless you have a really good poker face, I haven’t shocked you
very much yet.”
The truth is I do have a pretty
good poker face. I am
a little shocked by how “descriptively” he talks to me. I’ve
never met a man who is more overtly sexual. It just oozes through his
pores. He’s incredibly sexy and confident without being creepy. No
doubt he has been perfecting his craft over the years.
I’m doing my best to play it
cool because I like how he’s talking to me, and I don’t want him
to stop. But I also don’t want him to think I’m “that girl”;
the one who makes a habit of picking up men in bars. I don’t want
him to think I’m a prude either. I tell myself to get a grip. I
can’t believe I’m so concerned with what a guy I don’t even
really know thinks about me. How did this happen? I try to play it
all off and give him a fake, shy little smile.
“Oh, I’m a little shocked …
and kind of scandalized.”
“Only a little?” Julian
shakes his head. “I guess I need to up my game.”
His comment makes me laugh
nervously. If he ups his game I’m in serious trouble.
I look down at my drink for a
moment and swirl my straw. When I look up, Julian is staring so
intently at me it sends shivers through my body.
“I thought this wasn’t a
game.”
Julian has been leaning up
against the bar the whole time we’ve been talking. He straightens
up and takes a step backward. I can feel my eyes widen. Wow. It is
impossible to miss the erection straining through his jeans, and I
can’t help but stare. I bring my straw up to my lips to take a sip.
I’m suddenly feeling very hot all over again.
With a tone that is serious
rather than cocky he asks, “Still look like I’m playing?” Oh my
God, he is shameless.
Author bio:
Hilary Wynne earned her undergraduate degree from Florida International University and Florida State University and her master's degree from the University of New Mexico. She is a business owner, wife, and mother. A California native, she currently lives in northern Virginia. This is her first book.
Links:
****************
I have not read a more detailed book. Each paragraph is engaging.
Alexa is a mess, but she has shoes to die for and dresses fabulously. She is just coasting through life still trying to deal with her past that seems to haunt her at every turn. The electricity is undeniable when they run into each other. Julian is beyond beautiful and this has women throwing themselves at him causing trouble for him and Alexa. Luke does not help their already frail relationship with his behind the scenes sabotage. Alexa is really a mess and before long she knows Julian is going to leave. When things explode Alexa is determined to push Julian away by opening up to him about her past, now it is up to Julian to fight for Alexa and stay.
A lot of hot, juicy, steamy sex scenes. Ending was good, but I would have loved an Epilogue.
Instead there's a book 2 "Hold On"
Alexa is a mess, but she has shoes to die for and dresses fabulously. She is just coasting through life still trying to deal with her past that seems to haunt her at every turn. The electricity is undeniable when they run into each other. Julian is beyond beautiful and this has women throwing themselves at him causing trouble for him and Alexa. Luke does not help their already frail relationship with his behind the scenes sabotage. Alexa is really a mess and before long she knows Julian is going to leave. When things explode Alexa is determined to push Julian away by opening up to him about her past, now it is up to Julian to fight for Alexa and stay.
A lot of hot, juicy, steamy sex scenes. Ending was good, but I would have loved an Epilogue.
Instead there's a book 2 "Hold On"
No comments:
Post a Comment