Once upon a time Mackenzie Phillips thought she’d found her happily
ever after. She had married her high school sweetheart and had started
her perfect family. But one tragic night Mac’s perfect life was ripped
away from her, leaving her beautiful fairy tale existence in ruins.
When everything worth living for is suddenly taken from you, how do
you keep going? People told her how lucky she was just to be alive
after that night, but she didn’t agree.
Years passed with Mac living in a fog, until another unfortunate turn
of events placed her world on its head once again. Now, still carrying
the tender wounds of her past, this widow has to face the realities of
life again.
Broken and truly alone, she must find work. In walks her new employer,
Dean Johnson, a guy who is just broken enough himself, that she thinks
he might actually be able to understand her. But Mac soon discovers
that that bond with Dean may instead force her to face demons she
isn’t yet ready to deal with.
**Contains mature material including language and sex
I glance in, but the box is dark inside all of the tissue paper. My hands retrieve the first item. “Buckeyes!” I exclaim.“I can see why she’s your best friend.” Dean leans on one elbow, watching me explore the contents one by one.I reach in, continuing to pull out items—a black hair scarf with cherries, a pair of earrings from one of my favorite local jewelry designers in Cincinnati, Abbi Glines’s newest steamy romance. My cheeks go hot as Dean sees the cover, lifting his eyebrows.“Well, I think that’s it,” I say, lifting the box, the sound of something shifting inside catching my attention. “Oh, there’s something else.”I reach in, and as I do, I can feel Dean’s eyes locked on me. I feel something long and cool slip into my hand. Locking my fingers around it, I let the box fall away. Instantly, I see Dean straighten up, a half-cocked grin on his face.Much to my horror, I look down to see a pink rubber penis-shaped device in my hand. I freeze, but my cheeks are on fire. All I can think about is the different ways I am going to torture Monica before I kill her.“I can explain,” I begin. I’ll tell him she’s crazy—like actually certifiable.He’s still grinning at me as he gives me a slight nod. He closes the gap between us even more.“You know, I can help with that,” he offers, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s serious, or perhaps maybe I’m wishing.“You think I’m that easy?” I hit the ball squarely back to him. I consider licking my lips, but worry that may be over the top. I’m looking directly at him, and damn, he’s incredible.“A guy can hope.” He pauses, playfully lifting an eyebrow. “Can’t he?”I grin. In fact, I can’t do anything but grin. He moves closer, and I glance down, realizing I’m still holding the device. My breath hitches, but he still moves closer. He’s facing me, never moving those gorgeous blue eyes away from me. He slides his arm around my waist, and as he presses himself against me, I’m sure I can feel an erection. This surprises me, and my hand releases the dildo, which falls to the floor with a thud.“What’s wrong? Can’t contain your excitement around me?” he whispers, his breath warm on my neck, just below my ear.My mouth is watering, my heartbeat quickens, and my head is now spinning. I pull back, the distance giving me a slight bit of clarity. The idea of this kind of pleasure is tempting. The bulge in his jeans tells me he is interested.In an attempt to casually conceal the pink rubber shaft, I use the toe of my platform sandals to kick it under a nearby chair. Dean cocks a brow, his face shifts, and he laughs softly.“What?” I shrug innocently.“Did you just kick a dick under a chair?” He’s still laughing.“Watch it, or I might make a habit of it.”“Ouch,” he hisses, then winces, grabbing himself as if he were imagining the attack.My eyes dart past his shoulder, where Storm is coming up the stairs. She has on her headphones, staring at the face of her phone. I nod my head at Dean, indicating we’re no longer alone. I shift, moving to walk past him. He grabs my hip, pulling me into his grasp.“We’ll continue this later,” he promises. He takes my hand and leads me past Storm and out of the bus without a word. I wonder if she can tell what had been transpiring from the look on my face.As we move around the side of the bus, I feel his hand shift to the small of my back. It’s like he knows all the places to touch me to drive me absolutely insane.
Wendy Owens is a writer, born in the small college town, Oxford Ohio. After attending Miami University, Wendy went onto a career in the visual arts. After several years of creating and selling her own artwork she gave her first love, writing, a try. It’s become a passion ever since. Wendy now happily spends her days writing the stories her characters guide her to tell, admitting even she doesn’t always know where that might lead. Her first series, The Guardians, is a YA fantasy series about angel and human hybrids.
Since then she has branched into NA Contemporary Romance and released titles to include Stubborn Love, Only In Dreams, and Do Anything. Her next romance, The Luckiest is scheduled to be released in July 2014.
When she’s not writing, this dog lover can be found spending time with her tech geek husband, their three amazing kids, and two pups. She loves to cook and is a film fanatic.
HOSTED BY:
