by BK Rivers
“Sorry,” he says, slowly reaching his fingers toward my head. Um, hello, tall, not so dark, and handsome. The guy is wearing a pair of trendy jean shorts and a thick white t-shirt which shows off his muscular, corded arms and the intricate tattoo on his left bicep that stops right above his elbow. His icy blue eyes search mine and my mouth goes dry. His dark blond hair is longer on top and shaved close to his scalp on the sides. A thick, neatly trimmed beard lines his face.
“You okay?” he asks, leaning closer, allowing me to catch his scent of citrus, rosemary, and musk.
Pasting on a smile, because ouch, but hello, gorgeous, I say, “I’m good. How’s your elbow?”
Man Candy grins, though it fades quickly and never meets his eyes. There’s a depth to them, unlike anything I’ve ever seen. He carries something inside, tucked deep down, but that kind of sadness still seeps through eyes like his, like pale blue glass.
“Elbow’s good,” he answers, sitting in the seat next to me. This plane isn’t big, it has three seats on one side and two seats on the other, and when I booked the flight his seat was empty. Now he fills it—completely. His long legs barely fit in front of him, so his knees are bent, hips open wide, making it impossible for any personal space. My eyes travel down the length of his body and stop on his tanned and toned legs with the dusting of dark blond hairs. I’m wearing jeans, but I can still feel the heat of his skin through the dark denim and it rushes through me like a gust of wind racing through my veins.
“This okay? My leg here?” he asks, forcing my gaze back to his eyes. I flash a tight grin and nod my head. Rather enthusiastically, unfortunately. “I’m Ace.” His hand crosses the chair arm, reaching for mine. Shaking hands is a dying art, and when done in the small confines of an airplane it’s awkward. But I’m not one to deny myself the pleasures of a touch from a good-looking man. My hand reaches his and it dwarfs mine. Ace’s grip is firm, warm, and when he doesn’t release his grasp, I start to pull away but stop when his thumb moves over the back of my hand.
When the skin of his knee touches my jeans it sends a pulse of heat zipping through me. And the graze of his thumb on my skin is like multiple lightning strikes. My entire body is on fire.
“Stacey,” I say, clearing my throat, trying to fight the heat rising to my cheeks. I’m a redhead so when I blush, I blush everywhere.
Ace slides his hand from mine, pulls out his phone, and unlocks it. Just when I think he’s going to ask for my number—which I wouldn’t have given him…probably—he switches it to airplane mode.
“Nice to meet you, Stacey.”
“Yeah, you too.” For the next two and a half hours we banter back and forth until the plane lands in Warner, Washington. I’m eager to meet up with Reggie and give her one heck of a hug since it feels like we haven’t seen each other in years. In reality, it’s only been a little over a month since I watched her, Jordan, and their son, Micah, drive away. I cried. A lot.
As Ace and I walk up the jetway, it occurs to me that since he lives here, maybe he’d like to meet up later and go dancing. I’ve enjoyed his company and I could use the moral support since I’m the only single one going out tonight.
“Hey,” I say, stopping in the middle of the tunnel. “A group of us are going dancing later at some place called Club Beach. You wanna meet up?”
Ace’s lips part and then quirk to one side. His icy blue eyes drill into me, making my body flush with heat. I left the scorching temperatures in Phoenix only to come to Warner and practically get a heat rash from this guy. We separate, letting other passengers through the jetway.
“Wouldn’t that be weird?” he asks, pulling his phone from the shorts pocket over his thigh.
“Um, no.” I laugh awkwardly, feeling the heat climbing up my neck. Calm the spaz, Stace. “The only weird thing about tonight is the fact I’m going out with my best friend, her fiancé, and another couple. I’m the single one…hello, awkward.”
“So, it’s a couples thing?”
I shrug, letting a few more people by and then start walking toward the gate. It was just a thought; maybe it would have saved me from feeling like the third wheel. Scratch that—fifth wheel. But he’s not into it, no biggie.
“Hey, wait up,” he says, wrapping his large hand around my elbow, turning me to face him. “I didn’t say no.”
“You didn’t say yes either.” Gently, I pull my arm from his grasp and plaster on a fake smile. “It was nice to meet you, Ace.” My purse slips down over my shoulder, so I return the strap and then rush out of the jetway into the terminal gate. Finding the signs for baggage claim, I make my way through the airport but stop at the restroom first. On my way out of the bathroom, I run—forehead first—into a firm chest covered in a thick white t-shirt that smells like citrus, rosemary, and musk.
Ace’s hands grip my arms to steady me, but really all they do is make my knees weak from the way my body reacts to his touch. What the freak?
“What time do I need to show up tonight?” he asks, running his gaze over my face, pausing at my lips before quickly returning to my eyes.
“I’m not desperate.” I shake out of his grasp and step back. “Don’t feel like you need to show up to put me out of my misery. I don’t need you to go.”
“Okay, let me rephrase that.” A muscle in his jaw ticks before he continues. “I would love to meet up later. What time and where can I pick you up?”
“It’s not a date,” I say, smiling and ducking my chin toward my chest.
“Are you going to let me take you out or not?” he asks, laughing and closing the small distance between us. His head drops level with mine, and his eyes drill into me. Ace brings his hand to my wrist and settles his fingers over my racing pulse.
I inhale sharply at how this touch feels so intimate, how it takes my wildly beating heart and makes the blood rocket through my veins. I seriously need to rein in these crazy hormones. Because that’s all this is—overactive, lust-filled hormones that will only end in disappointment.
“We’re all staying the night at the Parkview Inn. Do you know where that is?” I ask, unable to stop the heat creeping up my neck. He nods, offering me another grin that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Pick me up at eight?”
“Eight, got it,” he says, unlocking his phone. “What’s your number?”
I shake my head. “I’ll just meet you in the lobby.”
“All right.” Ace drops my wrist, winks, and walks away. This should be interesting telling Reggie I’ve got a date.
Once I pass by security, I see Reggie and Micah waiting for me and my heart swells. Space is what I wanted when I moved out of the apartment we shared for nine years, and space is what I got. Never would have guessed it would be a distance of fifteen hundred miles, though.
Micah runs to me, wraps his arms around my waist, and squeezes me tight. Reggie joins our hug and relief washes over me that I’m finally here. My best friend is getting married and I couldn’t be happier for her.
BEFORE YOU GO…
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Acknowledgements
Wow! What amazing support I’ve received from readers since releasing my first book, Raining Down Rules in February. Because of you, book three in the Raining Down Series was written and is slated for an early 2017 release. So, thank you! Thank you for reading Jemma, Jordan, and Vic’s story and asking for more. I sincerely hope you loved Jordan’s story of finding love in Raining Down Redemption. His was a story I couldn’t wait to tell.
To my beta readers, Michelle, Colleen, and Kaitlyn—you ladies are amazing and I can’t thank you enough for your feedback, advice
, and encouragement. You all are rock stars!
To K. Johnson Editorial—Oh. My. Goodness. You are amazing at what you do and without your ninja editing skills, this book wouldn’t be half as good as it is. I really need to figure out how to send you some of my brownies!
Mom and Dad, thank you for supporting me and encouraging me to write what I love. I love you both so much.
To my book club girls—love you all!
Once again, to Bonnie, thank you for the late night chats and word wars. Thank you for encouraging me to keep writing. Thank you for your friendship all these years!
Thank you to Jennifer and Jessica of Limitless Publishing for taking a chance on the Raining Down series. Thank you for making my dream a reality.
And thank you to my editor at Limitless, Gillian. Once again, you’ve put the polish on this story and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all that you do.
And finally, TOJ Publishing Services, your covers are amazing! Thank you for bringing Raining Down Redemption to life.
About the Author
BK Rivers grew up riding through rolling fields of grain on horseback, driving hay trucks and catching frogs in a silver creek.
BK, her husband and three children live in the Phoenix suburbs on their own mini farm surrounded by crowing roosters and the low nicker of horses. When she’s not writing, she can be found baking anything sweet, in fact it’s been said her brownies are so good they save marriages.
The inspiration for her novels comes in many forms, but mostly from her Gotye channel on Pandora. She writes young adult and new adult novels to the beat of Gotye, Snow Patrol and many others.
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