Too Beautiful to Break

by Tessa Bailey

  Aaron shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “Fuck. Right?”

  “Yep,” Rita said, swallowing hard.

  Her politician brother did a scan of the dire scene, brain working overtime behind golden-brown eyes inherited by all the Clarksons. Except Belmont, whose eyes were a deep blue, on account of him having a different father. A fact that Rita forgot most of the time, since Belmont had been there—an unmovable presence—since the day she was born. Aaron had come later. The second coming.

  “Are you all right?” Aaron asked her abruptly, a suspicious twinkle in his gaze. “You must have been in there a while with the smoke. The soot around your eyes—”

  “Hilarious, dickhead.” Her heavy black eye makeup and general fuck off appearance were a constant source of amusement for her clean-cut younger brother. “You have a funny way of showing concern.”

  “Thank you. What do I need to handle?” Aaron adjusted the starched white collar of his shirt. “Did you make a statement yet or anything?”

  Rita allowed the steel to leach from her spine. “I’ve been kind of busy just sitting here.”

  “Right.” Aaron feigned surprise at finding Belmont on the sidewalk with them. “Jesus. I thought you were a statue.”

  “Ha.”

  “You smell like the ocean.”

  “You smell like the blood of taxpayers,” Belmont returned.

  “Well.” Rita finally found enough presence of mind to yank the smoky apron over her head, chucking it into the street. “I think I just remembered why we haven’t hung out since Mom died.”

  Truthfully, even before that rainy afternoon, the time they’d spent together as a family had felt mandatory. Organized by their mother and fled from in almost comical haste.

  “Oh. My. God.”

  At the sound of their youngest sibling, Peggy’s, voice, all three of them cursed beneath their breath. Let the family reunion officially begin. It wasn’t that they didn’t love their baby sister. And in many ways, Peggy, a personal shopper to San Diego’s elite, was still a baby at twenty-five. Her big Coke-bottle curls and cheerleader appearance guaranteed that she got away with just about everything. Including neglecting to pay her cabdriver, if the irritated-looking man following her with a receipt clutched in his fist was any indication.

  “How did this happen?” Peggy hiccupped, playing with the string of engagement rings dangling from her neck, as Belmont wordlessly paid the cabdriver. “I just had dinner here two weeks ago. Everything seemed fine.”

  Rita battled the compulsion to lie down on the sidewalk in the fetal position. Oh God. Her mother had bequeathed her an award-winning restaurant and she’d burned it down. On Rita’s first day back.

  Aaron was busy scrolling through his phone, the screen’s glow illuminating his perfectly tousled dark blond hair. “Look at the bright side, Rita. Now you can pursue your dream of being a Hot Topic register girl.”

  Rita barely had the strength to flip him the bird. “Jump up my ass.”

  When Peggy approached, Rita couldn’t look her in the eye, so she focused on her younger sister’s toes, which were peeking out of strappy silver sandals. “Hey. I’m glad you’re okay.”

  Rita’s throat went tight. “Thanks, Peggy.”

  “I’m sorry about the restaurant, too. I know how much you loved it. How much Mom loved it.” Her youngest sibling nodded and cast a discreet glance over her shoulder, turning back with a charming half smile. A smile responsible for four marriage proposals over the past three years. “Mom probably would have wanted me to talk to those firefighters, though. Am I right?”

  Rita groaned up at the sky.

  Meet the fucking Clarksons.

  About the Author

  Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans, and laptop and drove cross-country to New York City in under four days. Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband and best friend, and she discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.

  She now lives in Long Island, New York, with her husband and daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.

  You can learn more at:

  TessaBailey.com

  Twitter @mstessabailey

  Facebook.com/TessaBaileyAuthor

  Also by Tessa Bailey

  Romancing the Clarksons Series

  Too Hot to Handle

  Too Wild to Tame

  Too Hard to Forget

  Line of Duty Series

  Protecting What’s His

  Protecting What’s Theirs

  His Risk to Take

  Officer Off Limits

  Asking For Trouble

  Staking His Claim

  Riskier Business

  Serve Series

  Owned by Fate

  Exposed by Fate

  Driven by Fate

  Broke & Beautiful Series

  Chase Me

  Need Me

  Make Me

  Crossing the Line Series

  Risking It All

  Up in Smoke

  Boiling Point

  Raw Redemption

  Made in Jersey Series

  Crashed Out

  Rough Rhythm

  Thrown Down

  Worked Up

  Wound Tight

  Standalone Titles

  Baiting the Maid of Honor

  Unfixable

  Off Base

  ACCLAIM FOR

  TESSA BAILEY’S NOVELS

  TOO HARD TO FORGET

  “4 1/2 Stars! Top Pick! Too Hard to Forget is a top-notch second-chance romance...The third installment in [Bailey’s] Romancing the Clarksons series adds greater depth to established characters and delivers a juicy romance that flows naturally.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “5 Stars! Top Pick! Peggy’s story is EVERYTHING! If you love contemporary romance, you NEED to read this one. Suffice to say, this is one book that I won't be forgetting! Highly recommended!”

  —HarlequinJunkie.com

  “Poignant, emotional, yet with an air of hopefulness, Tessa Bailey’s Too Hard To Forget is an exceptional romance.”

  —GuiltyPleasuresBookReviews.com

  “4 1/2 Stars! Top Pick! Another keeper I’ll read over and over.”

  —NightOwlReviews.com

  “[T]houghtful and emotional. [T]he best book in the series so far.”

  —StraightShootinBookReviews.com

  “Tessa [Bailey] shines once again.”

  —Read-Love-Blog.com

  TOO WILD TO TAME

  “4 Stars! Known for her intense love scenes and fully charged sexual tension, Bailey does not disappoint. Since neither the hero nor heroine are what they seem, their road to happily ever after is an utter delight.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “HJ Recommends! The characters are distinctive and the story is well written. Can’t wait to read the next book in this fascinating series!”

  —HarlequinJunkie.com

  “If you’re looking for a sexy contemporary romance with a whole lot of dirty talk and a brooding but completely endearing hero, definitely give this book a shot.”

  —DirtyGirlRomance.com

  “Tessa Bailey just throws the emotion rating out of the freaking window with this hero—it’s gut wrenching. I freaking LOVED this book.”

  —LightningCityBookReviews.com

  “Too Wild to Tame is truly a contemporary romance worth reading and a testament that any man, even a white-collar twenty-something in the political arena, can be a dirty-talking Bailey hero.”

&nb
sp; —StraightShootinBookReviews.com

  TOO HOT TO HANDLE

  “Bailey crafts an entertainingly spicy tale, with humor and palpable sexual tension.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “5 stars! Top Pick! It’s filled with heated moments, sexy characters, and explosive scenes. The book starts off with a bang, so I would certainly recommend carving out some time to read this in one sitting, because once you start reading, you won’t stop.”

  —HarlequinJunkie.com

  “Tessa Bailey will captivate your imagination. The premise is entertaining; the characters are likeable and colorful; the romance is fated and heartwarming.”

  —TheReadingCafe.com

  “Too Hot to Handle has the dry humor I love about Bailey’s writing, the hot romance I expect from her books, and the right amount of angst to keep you reading.”

  —TheBookDisciple.com

  “Too Hot to Handle is funny, it’s sexy and smart. It’s everything you want in a book. You’ll race through reading it because it is so so good!!!”

  —AllRomanceReviews.com

  “Ladies, guard your ovaries, because the Queen of Dirty Talk is back at it with her brand new series featuring the four Clarkson siblings and their journey to a HEA.”

  —DirtyGirlRomance.com

  Fall in Love with Forever Romance

  LONG, TALL COWBOY CHRISTMAS

  By Carolyn Brown

  A heartwarming holiday read from USA Today bestselling author Carolyn Brown. Nash Lamont is a man about as solitary as they come. So what the heck is he doing letting a beautiful widow and her three rambunctious children temporarily move in at Christmas?

  Kasey Dawson thought she’d never get over the death of her husband. But her kids have a plan of their own: Nothing will keep them from having a real family again—even if it takes a little help from Santa himself.

  THE TROUBLE WITH CHRISTMAS

  By Debbie Mason

  The Trouble with Christmas is the first book in the USA Today bestselling Christmas, Colorado series by Debbie Mason. This special reissue edition will feature bonus content never before in print! Resort developer Madison Lane is trying to turn Christmas, Colorado, into a tourist’s winter wonderland. But Sheriff Gage McBride is tasked with stopping her from destroying his town. After meeting Madison, he can’t decide if she’s naughty or nice, but one thing is for certain—Christmas will never be the same again.

  MAYBE THIS CHRISTMAS

  By Jennifer Snow

  One more game is all that stands between hockey star Asher Westmore and a major career milestone. But when an injury sidelines him for months, the only bright spot is his best friend and physical therapist, Emma Callaway, whose workouts improve his body and his spirit…Fans of Lori Wilde will love the latest from Jennifer Snow!

  TOO BEAUTIFUL TO BREAK

  By Tessa Bailey

  Losing Sage Alexander is not an option for Belmont Clarkson. His heart is hers, has always been hers. He knows she’s hiding something from him, but nothing will stand in his way of telling her just how much she means to him—even if saving her from her past ends up costing him everything. Don’t miss the final book in Tessa Bailey’s Romancing the Clarksons series!

  THE CORNER OF FOREVER AND ALWAYS

  By Lia Riley

  Perfect for readers of Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis, and Marina Adair. When princess impersonator Tuesday Knight faces off against Everland mayor Beau Marino to save her theme park from demolition, sparks fly. Will she save Happily Ever After Land only to lose her own happy ever after?

  Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Hachette Digital.

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