by Vivian Arend
Welcome to the club, bub.
The next series of articles, dated the last three months, hinted at Chase settling into a relationship with Sheree Bishop, daughter of Lou Bishop, billionaire owner of Bishop’s Sporting Goods, the PBR’s new sponsor. During one interview, Sheree admitted she and Chase were “serious” but Chase neither confirmed nor denied Sheree’s claim. In fact, there were no pictures of Chase and Sheree together.
Were they keeping their relationship on the down low? Or was there nothing to report?
“Looks like you’ve found some interesting reading,” Chase drawled behind her.
Ava jumped. Heat rushed to her face and she fought the urge to slam her laptop shut. “Can you blame me for being curious? Since you were sleeping in the next room and wouldn’t confirm or deny you’re a serial killer?”
“I guess not. But you coulda just asked me.”
“You were asleep.” She watched him pour himself a cup of coffee. He wore athletic shorts, no shirt, apparently perfectly comfortable half-dressed with a woman he didn’t know.
Like you have room to judge. You were naked in front of him last night.
And wowza. With a slamming body like that? The man should waltz around naked all the time.
“So?” He pursed his lips and blew across his coffee. “Did you find proof I’m not a serial killer?”
“Yes. But it sounds like you’re some kind of lady killer.”
Chase rolled his eyes but didn’t deny it.
“I’ll plead total ignorance on what it means to be a bull rider, so I did some research. All the rest of this stuff popped up.” Ava bit back a girly sigh when his beautiful blue gaze connected with hers. “Are you really off the PBR tour because of an injury?”
Chase held her gaze long enough to make her heart speed up. Just when she thought he wouldn’t answer, he said, “Nope. I’m suspended indefinitely for inappropriate behavior.”
“What’d you do?” Another one of his intense eye locks. But he didn’t seem inclined to answer this time, so she tossed out, “I’m no stranger to PR nightmares. Regardless if I was the one at fault. If you’re looking for someone to commiserate with? That’d be me.”
He smiled. And holy fuck was it a smile that unlocked the gates of heaven.
Or the devil’s door. Which quite frankly, she preferred.
“Short version? Two weeks ago I was caught in a compromising position with a couple of ladies. I ain’t gonna make excuses, it was what it was, and I’m paying the price. I suddenly found myself with time off while I wait for the PBR to call me back. My folks and brothers live here, but I didn’t want to deal with their pity, so I asked Kane if I could hang out and make plans.”
“Sounds like you’re reading a page out of the story of my life.” Ava typed her name into the search engine and spun the laptop around. “Have a look.”
Chase scooted out the chair across from her and sat. His fingers clicked on the keyboard. His eyebrows went up a couple of times. But he didn’t speak for a few minutes.
She refilled their cups and braced herself when she sensed him staring at her.
“Your ex was gay?”
“Yes. It was quite a shock to me.”
“It wouldn’t have shocked me at all. He looks gay.”
Ava bristled. “You can’t tell that by looking at him.”
“Sure I can.” Chase spun the laptop around and enlarged the photo of Ava and Jake at an Emmy Awards after-party. He pointed at Jake’s feet enclosed in white patent leather clogs decorated with brightly colored polka dots. “No straight man ever wears shoes like them.”
“Shows what you know. Those are high-couture shoes.”
“Those are highly gay shoes.”
She wanted to laugh, she really did. It’d been ages since she’d met a man so willing to speak his mind. “Shoes are your gauge for determining sexual preference?”
“No, the best indicator is sex. How often did you have sex?”
“I don’t see how that’s relevant,” she snipped.
Chase leaned closer. “It’s the only thing that’s relevant. Because if he wasn’t dragging you to bed at least twice a day, the man was either a fuckin’ moron or totally gay. Probably both.”
That was kind of sweet…in a caveman sort of way. “Not everything has to do with sex.”
“Oh yeah? If that’s true, then this Jake guy wouldn’t have left you to have sex with a dude, would he?”
Ava’s mouth dropped open.
“Shit. Sorry. That came out wrong. What I meant—”
“No. Don’t.” She placed her hand on his arm. “I think you’re the first person who’s been totally honest with me.”
He relaxed. Smiled again and she bit back another sigh. “So this is what sent you running from California?”
“I got tired of the paparazzi.” Something kicked from what he’d said about his family. “I got tired of the pity. Of the trade mags making such a big deal out of it. I needed to get away and prove…”
There was that amazing grin again. “Don’t clam up on me now, Hollywood.”
Ava laughed at his impromptu nickname for her.
“And if you’re afraid I’ll judge you? Think again.”
“You were dead-on with the sex question. One of the reasons I’m here? To find a guy I can get wild with. To prove I’m hot between the sheets. To prove I can keep a man sexually satisfied.”
“Is that right?” he drawled.
Her brain slipped into seductress mode as she channeled the femme fatale she’d played on TV for two seasons. “Maybe…you’re the man who can help me with that.”
Some hearts only want what they can’t have…
Headstrong
© 2011 Meg Maguire
Libby Prentiss is ready to simply be herself. After half a lifetime rebelling against her privileged family’s expectations, she hopes her biological research trip to New Zealand will cut the cord for good.
It doesn’t take long to spot the hopelessly amateurish spy her overprotective father has hired to keep an eye on her. Fortunately, Reece Nolan’s desperation to save his family’s pub makes it all too easy to convince him to turn double-agent. Yet there’s something different about him. His icy reserve sets her on fire…and ignites a secret yearning to let him see the mass of insecurities she hides behind her provocative persona.
Where Reece is a glacier of cool self-control, his brother Colin is a hot-blooded, unpredictable volcano. Libby’s instant friendship with Colin is more satisfying than anything she’s ever known—and traps her in completely foreign territory. She’s caught between one man determined to hold her at arm’s length, and another who offers her the intense connection she’s worked so hard to avoid.
Something’s got to give or the fallout could tear them all apart…and put the Nolan family’s future in serious jeopardy.
Warning: Contains an emotional love triangle guaranteed to launch your heart into your throat.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Headstrong:
Colin set the knife down, turning to aim a warm, sad smile at her. “You fancy Reece, don’t you?”
She bit back her own smile and nodded, hoping this wasn’t about to turn awkward. “Is it that obvious?”
“Nah. I’m just good with that sort of stuff. Don’t worry. Reece is oblivious.”
She looked down, then fixed Colin with a narrowed eye. “Do you think he’d ever like me back? You know, like me, like me?” She knew she sounded like a twelve-year-old, but Colin was easy to level with—Good Cop to Reece’s Bad Cop.
“I dunno. You mean if you dropped your provocateur shtick and quit winding him up all the time?”
“Maybe.”
He sighed. “I hate to be the one to piss on your parade, but you’re not really his type. Historically speaking.”
“Oh.”
“Sorry.”
She frowned at the insecurity squirming in her middle. “What’s his type?”
“Quiet, for one. Smart
but, like, book-smart. Not scary, evil-genius smart like you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Unlike Reece, I googled you. This morning.”
Her stomach flip-flopped. “Oh?”
He nodded. “Don’t worry. He doesn’t want to know what you did to freak your dad out—he can be a bit of a basket case about ethics. Stalking you notwithstanding. I think he’s going with the ignorance-is-bliss approach, so that’s just between you and me and the internet.”
“Good,” she said, not entirely relieved. “So you know, I’m not in New Zealand to start any trouble.” Her history was murky, riddled with police run-ins over various minor offenses. And some not-so-minor.
Colin shrugged. “I like your kind of trouble. But I believe you—if you were out to cause that type of chaos, you came to the wrong country. I’m willing to believe you’re here for the glowworms.”
She nodded.
“And at any rate, Reece fancies boring girls. Sweet…curvy.”
“Now that I am not.”
“Nah. You’re a panther. Reece is into house cats. Girls who teach kindergarten or start their own catering companies. Wholesome stuff like that.”
Libby pouted.
“Hey, don’t give up or anything. You’re bloody hot the way you are. I’d wrap your legs around my ears in a heartbeat.”
“Poetic. Thanks, Tiger.”
He shrugged. “You know Reece. Or actually, you don’t. He’s…he’s like a monk, all calm and disciplined. He’s been that way since he was born. You’re like a tornado let loose in his monastery. Personally, I think you’d be good for him. But I don’t know if he’d agree… I hope he does. He could use a little chaos.”
“Maybe.”
“But if you’re driving him loopy,” Colin went on, “thinking it’s going to win him over, you’re wasting your time. Reece doesn’t go in for head games. You might want to try a little sincerity. He’s a sucker for the straight and narrow.”
“I see.” Libby contemplated the option of sincerity for a moment. The thought of all that openhearted honesty made her feel naked.
Colin straightened up. “If you don’t mind my asking, what do you see in Reece? Not that you shouldn’t see something. I’m just curious.” He tossed tomatoes into the pan, seeming uncomfortable with own jealousy.
Libby raised her eyebrows, deciding recklessly to play with a little of Colin’s fire. “Do you think I’m barking up the wrong Nolan?”
“I know it’s none of my business.”
“You think you could teach me a thing or two, don’t you?”
He smiled deeply and, if Libby wasn’t mistaken, blushed. “What makes you think I wouldn’t prefer to be the student, eh?”
It was Libby’s turn to blush. Oh, if you only knew.
“I can tell you’ve only got eyes for my brother. Although Christ knows why,” Colin said through a sigh, pretending to be insulted by her preference. “But if you’re looking for a Kiwi conquest, I’m delighted you’ve set your sights within our lucky little flat. Let me know if I can aid in the expedition at all. He could do with having his brains properly fucked out. Might loosen him up.” He didn’t notice Libby’s deepening flush. “Reece, though? You do like a challenge.”
Libby looked at her feet. “Well, I mostly like that he’s never made a pass at me. Or even really looked at me, that way.”
Colin laughed. “Oh, he has. He’s just too Zen master to show it.”
She glanced up. “You think?”
“You’re hard to ignore, Libby, even without the nonstop flirting. You make a trackie top look like a teddy. Reece has noticed you. He said he saw you dancing about in your togs on the beach.”
“That he did.”
“Poor bastard.” Colin handed her a fresh cup of coffee.
“Thanks. Well, he’s never made me feel like he was checking me out. He’s…he’s not a creep.”
“Nah, he’s a gentleman. He’ll make a good plod.”
“A what?”
“A copper,” Colin said. “He’s meant to start training for the police in a few months.”
Libby gaped. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. He’ll be great at it.” Colin looked genuinely proud. He flipped the sausages with a sizzle.
“Wow.” Libby Prentiss, policeman’s wife. How twisted would that be? “But wait—so they’ll have to do like a whole background check on Reece, presumably.”
“Yeah, all that good stuff. I know what you’re thinking.” Colin cracked an egg into a second pan. “About what he agreed to do for your dad?”
“Yeah.”
He nodded. “Reece took a big chance on that. If you’d reported him when you caught him, for spying on you or whatever, he’d have been buggered. Or if he got caught, doing shady, under-the-table shit.” He cracked another egg. “Buggered.”
“Why’d he do it, then? He doesn’t seem to want the job.”
“We need the money.” Colin’s voice turned heavy. “Pretty bad. Our dad died in January, and we’re up to our necks in bills and unpaid accounts for the pub. It’s all a bit effed up. Our mum kept it all quiet until after he passed. He was a good guy but he took on some investments he shouldn’t have, this nasty spiral of IOUs. We owe money all over the place and business is not good. Pub’s on the brink, and that’s all we’ve really got.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Libby thought for a moment. “How much money?”
“About eighty grand. On top of the usual accounts.”
“Yikes.”
“Yeah, it’s a whopping great mess. Every week some supplier or other cuts us off. Our mum’s probably going to have to give up her house, and even then we’ll still be in the red. This nest could get mighty cozy, soon.” Colin glanced around the flat, his apprehension plain. “Trust me, Reece would never have taken that job if we weren’t hard up for the cash.”
“I’ll bet.”
Colin flipped the eggs. “Reece is cautious, to a fault. Always has been. I was as shocked as anybody when he said he was going to work for your dad. But he’s been gone a long time, and he was MIA for some rough shit that’s gone on around here. I think this is his way of making up for all that, or trying to. Doesn’t look like he’s feeling too keen for it now though. Failure’s not his strong suit. Don’t take it too personally if he’s hard on you. You wrecked his plans. Give him some time to lick his wounds.”
Libby nodded, thinking. “Well if Reece doesn’t want my father’s gig, why don’t you do it? I’m trying to convince him to be my double agent. Document me on my own terms, for a generous bonus. He’s not really taking the bait. If he hates it so much, you should do it. Maybe Reece could recommend you as a replacement.”
Colin laughed, his eyes squinting and his dimple reappearing. He turned to Libby and held out his tattooed arms, presenting himself as a package. “No father would hire me to stalk their daughter.”
He had a point. “No, I guess not. And not my father, especially.”
“Plus I’ve already got two jobs. And anyway—don’t pretend you’re not hoping my brother’ll be forced to keep sharing your company.”
“Touché.”
Rocky Mountain Haven
Vivian Arend
It’s the quiet ones that take you by surprise.
Six Pack Ranch, Book 2
Beth Danube’s emotionally abusive husband is dead and buried. So is her heart. It’s no big deal, she has all she wants: her three little boys and a fresh start in a small Alberta town. What she doesn’t want is another man in her life—not now, maybe not ever.
After ten years of unsatisfactory, missionary-position sex, she never expected her libido to reawaken. One look at sex-in-boots Daniel Coleman in a Calgary bar, though, blows the dust off her sexuality.
Sensing an edge of desperation, even fear, beneath Beth’s come-on, Daniel finds himself giving in to the powerful urge to let his normally subdued desires run wild. The lady wants non-judgmental, non-vanilla sex? She’s got it�
��in and out of the bedroom.
At first, friends with blazing-hot benefits is more than enough. Then she realizes Daniel is burning away the protective fortress around her heart…and the guilty secret she dare not reveal.
Warning: One woman determined to retake control of her life, a man with the single-minded purpose of offering her—and her body—everything she needs. Inappropriate behavior in barns, change rooms, and oh-my-gawd phone sex with a cowboy.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
Rocky Mountain Haven
Copyright © 2012 by Vivian Arend
ISBN: 978-1-60928-561-6
Edited by Anne Scott
Cover by Angela Waters
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: January 2012
www.samhainpublishing.com
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
