Look who's packing heat, steam, and lots of heart
Mar 06, 2023 12:01 pm
Hello! I hope you're doing well. We've had a fairly decent week of good weather, so I'm starting to think about spring planting. I miss the color, bees, and of course, the flavors of fresh herbs. I grew tomatoes and cucumbers last year, but between the overpopulation of deer and pesky raccoons, there wasn't much to harvest. If you've got a solution to deer and raccoons feeding off plants, I'm all ears!
What you'll find in today's email:
- Kiss Me Quick chapters 1 and 2
- New release from Violet Rae and a multi-author anthology
- New March freebies and sales
INSTALOVE SPOTLIGHT'S ON...
Kiss Me Quick! Steamy, small town, matchmaker, siblings best friend.romance
If you love chivalrous alpha protectors and rom-com mishaps, then you'll love Liam and Nicole's love story with a surprise ending and a walk down the aisle.
If you've ever had a friend talk you into something so far out of your comfort zone that you'd rather bury your head in the sand, then you're in the right place. Nicole's mishaps could totally happen to me. If there's a way to embarrass myself, you can bet it'll happen. I once almost knocked myself out running into door in ninth grade. Yes, in front of the entire classroom. (insert facepalm here 😂) And I can totally relate to Liam's aggravation at skinny parking spaces. I hope you enjoy Nicole and Liam's story.
Trivia:
- I try really hard not to duplicate cover models from book to book, but I slipped up with this couple. They're on another book in another series that I've shared recently. Do you know which one? Hit reply and tell me your guess.
- The Tie the Knot series is located near the home of the handsome Home Wreckers Construction crew.
- Kiss Me Quick showcases another couple that readers asked me to write about. Tell me what you think.
Kiss Me Quick contains copyright material.
Chapter 1
Nicole
“Not a chance,” I mindlessly flip through a magazine, avoiding eye contact. If I look at Amy right now, I’ll cave. It happens every single time. Her pretty please puppy-dog eyes and faux frowny face are my weakness.
“Aw, come on.” She lets out a sigh. I already know she's making her woe-is-me pouty face. “I can’t cancel now. They’ll be one woman short. That wouldn't be fair, now, would it?
Don’t look at her.
“You know I’d go if you were in my position,” she coaxes.
She’s right. She would go. But I would never in a million years sign up for a night of speed dating. Whereas Amy approaches dating as if it is good sporting fun. No expectations, just a night out to see where everything goes. What normal person can be that relaxed with a complete stranger?
“Why can’t you go anyway?” I toss the magazine on the coffee table and drop my defenses long enough to give her an appraising look. “And why are you dressed like you’re going out?”
The answer hits me as soon as the words tumble off my tongue.
"You met someone." I point at her accusatorially. My eyes widen as a grin crosses my lips. "You little vixen, you. Tell me."
“I’ll tell you if you promise to go to Kiss Me Quick tonight.” She dangles the promise of juicy details in front of me like a reward. “Please.”
"All right, all right. I'll go. But first, you spill. Who is he? Where did you meet him? Does he have a brother?" I tease.
Amy rolls her eyes and plops down on the sofa next to me. I poke her side and tickle her. Her pout is my weakness. Tickling is hers. We giggle like schoolgirls for all of ten seconds.
“Okay, okay.” Amy catches her breath. “I met him at the grocery store in the produce section. He couldn’t find what he was looking for and asked for help.”
“Oh, please. Let me guess. Did he ask where he could find a juicy peach to eat or how to pick a ripe melon?” I glance at her more than ample chest. It wouldn’t be the first time a guy hit on her trying to get to her melons.
“It wasn’t like that.” She smacks my arm. “He's super sweet. He was shopping for his grandmother. I helped decipher the list for him. I just helped, is all."
I shake my head and roll my eyes.
"Grandmother? Really, Amy?" I scrunch my face disapprovingly. But to be honest, there's a thread of jealousy woven in my thoughts. Wouldn't it be nice to meet a sweet, caring man without wading through a sea of selfish jerks? Then again, too good to be true usually isn't as good as it seems, especially where men are concerned. There's always a hitch. “Sounds like a pick-up line to me.”
“It wasn’t,” she retorts, a hint of defiance in her voice. “I asked him out.
Her face lights up as if she’s won something. And maybe she has. She’ll be out on a date with some tall, dark, handsome man who shops for his grandmother. I’ll be playing a dating game of chance with a room full of fellow speed daters.
“What time is he picking you up? I want a peek at this mystery man.”
"You're out of luck, sister." Amy pats my leg as she slides off the sofa. She plops the ticket to Kiss Me Quick on the table. "I'm picking him up. Have fun speed dating. Do everything I would do.”
She winks and scampers off to her room, giggling all the way. I swipe the ticket from the table and read the details. I’m not that optimistic where dating and men are concerned. Experience has taught me men are only interested in one thing—their needs. After the last relationship fiasco, my three-month dry spell turned into six months, then a year. I'm currently sitting on a ticking time bomb of hormones, ready to pounce on anything that moves that isn't plugged in or requires batteries. But I draw the line at needy men looking for a surrogate mommy to do their bidding.
I push off the sofa, blowing a ball of anxious breath from my lungs. What the heck? I’ll give it a whirl. Nothing’s worked out for me so far.
Chapter 2
Liam
Social networking opportunity, my ass. More like a hook-up opportunity. I fiddle with the ticket, reading and rereading the details.
***
KISS ME QUICK
SPEED DATING FOR BUSY PROFESSIONALS
7 P.M.
1632 MAIN STREET
DRINKS AND APPS INCLUDED
PLEASE BRING VALID I.D.
Fun, fast modern dating. Meet your connection today.
***
I stuff the ticket back into the envelope. The instructions Gabe left were clear. Go, mingle, make some connections. He left out the purpose of the evening. Something I thought would further our new business venture, not my chances of meeting a woman. Dating is something I don’t need in my life right now.
Though need and want are two different stories. Parts of my body desperately crave the closeness of a woman. But that kind of distraction isn’t worth the hassle or the pleasure. Not now anyway.
I can’t believe Gabe suckered me into this. I reluctantly grab my keys and head out into the cloudy evening. Dark clouds have threatened rain all day. Looks like they’re ready to make good on that threat. Hopefully, it’ll hold off until after this dating thing.
The first pitter-patter of raindrops sprinkles across the windshield as I'm pulling into Kiss Me Quick's parking lot. A few people hurry across the lot, ducking into the building before the sky opens into a downpour. I search the lot for a spot large enough for my truck. Of course, there's nothing close to the door and certainly nothing wide enough for my vehicle.
“Damn skinny parking spaces,” I mumble under my breath.
I finally see an opening, but a little red compact with a dark-haired woman behind the wheel darts into the spot before I have a chance at it. I mumble some more, knowing my irritation has more to do with not wanting to be here than finding a place to park.
I finally opt for a spot at the end of the lot. The heavens open, and the tiny droplets of water become large, heavy splats bombarding the truck as I park. I’m tempted to abandon the whole evening, but the woman exiting the little compact catches my eye. She’s struggling to open an uncooperative umbrella and drops her purse on the wet asphalt. The rain is unrelenting as she scrambles to gather the contents of her bag.
I’m far from chivalrous, but the least I can do is help. I sprint from the truck and quickly make my way toward the woman.
"Need some help, ma'am?" I wrestle out of my jacket and lift it over her crouched head as I kneel beside her. The coat offers at least a little protection from the rain.
“Oh, thank you.” I swear sparks flare inside me when she looks up. Her eyes are golden brown with water droplets clinging to the ends of her dark, long lashes. Her lips tease a half-frown, half-smile, and she scrambles to throw the last few spilled items back into her bag. “Nothing’s going right tonight.”
It’s starting to look a lot better now.
Kiss Me Quick is the only business still open in the strip mall. I assume she must be headed there, too. She stands, and we're inches apart, hovering under the jacket shielding us from the rain. My skin buzzes with energy.
“Stay close. We’ll make a run for it.” I drink in her wide eyes like a man who’s been thirsty for days. She blinks and hesitantly wraps an arm around my back, tucking in against my side. The heat radiating from her body jolts my pulse into overdrive. I don’t know what I expected this evening, but I wasn’t prepared for her. “Ready?”
She nods her head, and we sprint toward the door. Once we’re under the awning, I lower the jacket, brushing my arm over her shoulder and down her back. She takes a step back and lets out a stifled laugh.
“Thanks for the save.” She leans her head to the side and squeezes water from her hair, then wipes her wet hands on her jeans. “Some good impression I’ll make looking like a drowned rat. I’m Nicole, by the way.”
“Liam.” I shake out the jacket. “I think you pull the look off quite beautifully.”
Her smile widens. She quickly glances down at the ground as soon as her cheeks begin to flush pink. Something about her tugs at my heart. She’s vulnerable but doesn’t need to be saved. She can obviously stand her ground and with a sense of humor to boot.
Someone brushes past us and slips inside the glass door to Kiss Me Quick.
“We should probably go in and get registered.” I open the door and gesture for her to go ahead of me. I follow behind and instinctively place a hand on her lower back to escort her in. She glances over her shoulder, and I immediately remove my hand and hold it up in apology. "Sorry about that. Won't happen again."
“We’ll see about that.” She grins and gives me a sly wink before moving toward the check-in desk.
Maybe the night’s not a wash after all.
♥♥♥
Continue reading for all the cringe-worthy speed dates these two endure before escaping the madness.
♥♥♥
Home Wrecker's Construction Continues
I'm currently working on Luca. He's packing heat, steam, and lots of heart. Pre-order your copy and it'll be delivered to your preferred reading device on release day.
AUTHOR CORNER
In this limited edition sports romance collection, the stakes are high for each of these couples. Will they find their homerun in each other, or will they drop the ball on the field of love?
Can the younger, bubbly paramedic heal the battle scars of this older, gruff ex-soldier?
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Thank you for inviting me into your inbox today. I'll be back Thursday with a new release from an author I've had the pleasure to work with in collaboration series'. Plus a peek at what's going on behind the scenes while I write Luca. Take care and have an incredible week.
XOX Piper