“So weird.”
“Tell me about it.” Zoe relaxed back in her spot. “So…he didn’t say anything to you? Not even while he had his hands all over you?”
Anna glared at her. “Yeah, thanks for that. The only time Quinn ever touches me is to give me a high-five or to punch me in the arm when I beat him at something.”
“Ah…so this was the first time he like…really touched you.”
“What are you doing, Zoe?” Anna asked wearily. “Why are you stirring up trouble?”
“Because it’s so obvious you’re into him.”
“Well…duh! It’s no surprise. We’ve talked about this. A lot.”
“Yeah we have, but you never do anything about it. I was merely…prodding things along.”
“Yeah…well…keep your prodding to yourself. In case you didn’t notice, your little attempt failed. Big time. Now I know what it feels like to have his hands all over me, and while I’m sitting here in a puddle of my own drool, he’s running and hiding in his room to escape. He couldn’t get away fast enough.”
“Oh, I don’t think I’d count this as a fail, my friend,” Zoe said sweetly. “I think you made him nervous. I think we prodded him just enough for the blinders to finally come off.”
“What are you talking about? He was horrified. He was…he was massaging my shoulders and I…” Anna paused and cringed. “I moaned.”
“Like a sex noise?”
Anna shot her a look. “Yes, like a sex noise. Like a big, loud ‘I’m on the verge of an orgasm’ sex noise. There. Are you happy?”
Zoe threw he head back and laughed. “Oh my gosh! That’s awesome!”
This time Anna twisted and sat up. “How is it awesome? He’s going to avoid me like the plague from now on! It’s bad enough he only sees me as a friend and now I’ll lose that! Dammit, Zoe.”
“Okay, hold on. You’re freaking out over nothing. I’m telling you, that man just got the shock of his life. When he spotted you over here, he didn’t realize it was you, and he was practically salivating.”
“Yeah, and it all stopped as soon as he got a look at my face and saw it was me.”
“Anna—”
“Forget it,” she said and got to her feet. “I…I can’t talk about this anymore. I’m going for a quick dip and then I’m going inside. Maybe I need to hide out in my room for a while.” And then she took the few steps to the side of the pool and swiftly dived in.
* * *
Quinn slammed the door behind him, threw his suitcase on the bed, and then cursed a blue streak. Hands raking through his hair, he paced the room from one side to the other, unable to see anything except Anna in her tiny bikini. Where did she get off having a body like that?
He cursed again.
Why had he never noticed that about her? He saw her almost every day. Okay, maybe not every day, but he’d seen her enough over the course of his life where he should have noticed she had…curves. Lots of them. Stopping, he racked his brain for what he normally saw when he looked at her.
Short blond hair. Brown eyes.
Jeans. T-shirts.
No curves.
“Man, was I way off base there,” he muttered. Even now, he could close his eyes and see them, feel them.
Finally taking a moment to look at the room, he groaned. Twin beds, dresser, nightstands, closet. Small. The walls were closing in on him already. At least the beds were long twins. There was no way he and his father would be able to fit in anything smaller and even that was going to be pushing it.
Eyeing his suitcase, he contemplated unpacking but couldn’t summon the will to do it. Instead he flopped down on the mattress and closed his eyes.
Big mistake because there she was again. Except now he was horrified to find his hands twitched with the need to touch her again. Her legs had been firm and soft at the same time. He knew Anna had always been athletic—hell, she competed with him in almost every activity and most of the time could kick his ass.
But the things he normally loved on a woman—the small of her back, her grabbable ass—now he noticed on Anna, and it felt…different. Not wrong, exactly, but definitely different. Thank God Zoe was going to have her single friends here this weekend. Quinn had a feeling he was going to need a distraction or he’d end up pouncing on Anna, and he couldn’t allow himself to do that. They were friends—best friends—and there was no way he was going to ruin that over a great ass.
Or long, tanned legs.
Or… He groaned. The list was now endless. How the hell was he supposed to survive the weekend like this? They were going to be together the entire time and Quinn had no doubt Anna was going to be in his face if he ignored her. No doubt she’d call him out on being a jackass and tell him to grow up. And in any other situation, he’d gladly take it and admit she was right. But now? He had no idea how he was going to look her in the eye without letting his eyes wander and wondering what she was wearing underneath her jeans and T-shirts.
Damn wedding.
Why couldn’t he be at work right now? If he were working on a classic car, everything would be right with his world. When he was working on a project, it held his attention from start to finish—no distractions. Sure, he went out and socialized. Hell, he even dated. He was a guy after all. But it was all superficial—a quick stop at the pub, a quick bite to eat, and some hot sex. But for the next three days, there was nothing but family and…Anna.
He seriously hoped Zoe’s friends were hot. It would be a welcome distraction. It would quite possibly be the only thing that would save him from any awkward interactions with Anna. Then at night, he’d have to deal with the other awkward situation—sharing a room with his dad.
A shudder wracked through his body. He knew it was only for three nights, but the only person Quinn wanted to share a room with was Anna. NO! Wait… Oh hell. A woman. He only wanted to share a room with a woman! Damn Anna and her bikini. Now he was going to have to be even more careful for the rest of the weekend, or it wouldn’t only be Anna getting in his face about his behavior. Soon his brothers would be in on it and eventually…Bobby.
Crap. It was no secret there was no love lost between Quinn and Bobby. He wasn’t even sure when it started. They were all friends when they were kids, but somewhere along the way—probably around high school or maybe even as early as middle school—Bobby had taken a disliking to Quinn, and that, in turn, had made Quinn dislike Bobby. They’d had more than their share of brawls, but whenever Quinn would come out and say, “What is your problem?” Bobby would just throw his hands up in disgust and walk away.
And it got worse when Bobby became a cop. Not to say he was harassing Quinn, but Quinn knew he got more tickets than the average citizen and it was normally over nothing. You’d think Quinn would just call it in and set up his business’s home base someplace else. But no. Not only did he set up one of his shops in his hometown, but he’d seriously expanded and made it his crowning location.
Idiot.
Okay, so now he was up to three awkward situations on tap for the weekend. Maybe he should just stay in his room and fake being sick or something. Luckily there weren’t any medical professionals in the bunch. Riley wouldn’t come near him for fear of getting sick and missing out on being with the public. Owen was a bit of a germaphobe and would definitely stay away. Darcy would poke her head in just to be nosy, while Hugh wouldn’t want to risk getting Aubrey sick. And Aidan…well, it was his wedding, there was no way he’d risk getting sick for his wedding day.
But could he really do it? Just to get a room to himself and not have to face Anna or Bobby? Was he really so completely selfish that he’d risk ruining Aidan and Zoe’s weekend?
Maybe.
“No,” he growled and sat up. He wasn’t a coward. And hiding out implied he was. “I can face all of them and tell them each to go to hell if they have a problem with me.” Well, ex
cept his dad. There was no way he’d say that to his dad. Ian Shaughnessy was the best dad a guy could ever ask for, and even though Quinn wasn’t looking forward to bunking with him, it wasn’t an attack on his father.
Just his snoring.
Outside, he heard a couple of car doors slamming. Walking over to the window, he saw Hugh and Aubrey had arrived. Another car pulled in behind him and Quinn didn’t recognize it. It wasn’t particularly unusual—there were guests coming that he didn’t see on a usual basis. For all he knew, it was one of his aunts or uncles, the Hannigans, or even Zoe’s friends. It could be…
Wait a minute…
Squinting a little, Quinn leaned closer to the glass and felt an impending sense of doom. Rising from the driver’s side door of the second car was Martha Tate. Nothing wrong with that; she was Zoe’s boss. She was laughing and smiling, and she waved at Hugh and Aubrey like they were old friends. But she wasn’t alone. Stepping out from the passenger side was… Oh dear Lord.
Ian Shaughnessy.
Order Samantha Chase's next book
in The Shaughnessy Brothers series
Always My Girl
On sale July 2016
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan’s Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her forties to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.
When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or solitaire on Facebook, and spending time with her husband of twenty-five years and their two sons in North Carolina.
I’ll Stand By You
by Sharon Sala
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
When no one ever takes your side…
Dori Grant is no stranger to hardship. As a young single mother in the gossip-fueled town of Blessings, Georgia, she’s weathered the storm of small-town disapproval most of her life. But when Dori loses everything within the span of an evening, she realizes she has no choice but to turn to her neighbors.
All you need is one person in your corner
Everyone says the Pine boys are no good, but Johnny Pine has been proving the gossips wrong ever since his mother died and he took over raising his brothers. His heart goes out to the young mother and child abandoned by the good people of Blessings. Maybe he can be the one to change all that…
Praise for The Curl Up and Dye:
“A delight…I couldn’t put it down.” —Fresh Fiction
“One of those rare treats.” —RT Book Reviews
“Engaging, heartwarming, funny, sassy, and just plain good.” —Peeking Between the Pages
For more Sharon Sala, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
Every Bride Has Her Day
Magnolia Brides
by Lynnette Austin
Cricket O’Malley can’t wait to plant roots back home in Georgia, where she’s returned to restore an abandoned flower shop to its former glory. The only blemish? Her neighbor’s house is even more neglected than her old flower shop, and its occupant seems as surly as he is darkly handsome.
Devastated body and soul after a tough case went south, New York City detective Sam DeLuca thought he’d have no trouble finding solitude in the quiet Georgia town of Misty Bottoms, but his bubbly neighbor seems determined to shine happiness into Sam’s life. Sam is equally determined to close himself off, but his heart says otherwise…
Praise for The Best Laid Wedding Plans:
“Entertaining…the push and pull of emotion feels real.” —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
“An intriguing premiere…well-developed characters and sensual romantic tension.” —Publishers Weekly
For more Lynnette Austin, visit:
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Missed Connections
by Tamara Mataya
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
Missed Connection:
I saw you standing there,
and I was struck by your eyes.
Gorgeous, but not as gorgeous as your smile.
Thanks to her job at a crazy New Age spa, what should have been a sizzling New York City summer is hijacked by demanding hippie bosses. To unwind, Sarah spends her nights cruising Missed Connections, dreaming of finding a romantic entry all about her. Of course, the moment she finds it, real life comes crashing down around her in a night of unbridled passion with someone completely different: totally off-limits Jack.
Best. Hookup. Ever.
Gorgeous and wealthy, Jack can give Sarah everything she needs—except an emotional connection. That she gets from her Missed Connection, the romantic stranger who never fails to make her swoon. Torn between the bad boy she can’t keep and the sensitive stranger who bares his soul online, her heart and body are soon in two very different relationships…or are they?
For more Tamara Mataya, visit:
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Trouble Walks In
The McGuire Brothers
by Sara Humphreys
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
He could be the man to rescue her
Big-city K-9 cop Ronan McGuire loves women, loves his dog, loves his job—but when old flame Maddy Morgan moves into his jurisdiction, he can’t think about anyone else. Ronan knows she’s way out of his league, but he’s determined to help Maddy live life to the fullest.
In more ways than one
With tragedy in her past, Maddy has immersed herself in work and swiftly made a name for herself in the hot New York City real estate market. She’s looking for safety, not love, but Ronan McGuire is as persistent as he is sexy, and his crooked smile is hard to resist. But all other concerns are wiped away when Maddy goes missing and Ronan and his bloodhound K-9 partner are tasked with finding her and bringing her home.
For more Sara Humphreys, visit:
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Love Walks In Page 32
