Plenty, FL 5
Plenty to Believe
Leah Holt’s the town bookworm, used to fading into the background. Former rock star Justin Reynolds and his manager, Linc Davis, could never be interested in a girl like her, but she can’t help fantasizing. They’re sexier than any hero in her romance novels.
Justin’s head over heels for Leah’s shy, sexy ways. She’s not impressed with their former rock star glory. He wants to build a future and a family with her. Linc’s fallen for Leah, too. She’s amazing, the smartest woman he’s ever met. And that’s the problem.
Leah’s the one woman Linc can never be with. He pushes her away, determined she’ll never know his shameful secret. Justin is equally determined to push all three of them together, frustrated with his best friend’s stubborn behavior.
When Linc’s actions break Leah’s heart, he has to tell her the truth, no matter the cost to himself. Is it too late to make her believe in their love?
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length: 51,945 words
PLENTY TO BELIEVE
Plenty, FL 5
Lara Valentine
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
PLENTY TO BELIEVE
Copyright © 2013 by Lara Valentine
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-258-3
First E-book Publication: July 2013
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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PLENTY TO BELIEVE
Plenty, FL 5
LARA VALENTINE
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
Leah was a mess. A complete and total mess. It was Monday morning, almost ten o’clock, and her heart was beating fast and her palms were sweaty. She smoothed her hands down her navy-blue slacks and pushed her glasses up her nose for the thousandth time already today.
Justin Reynolds and Linc Davis were due to visit her bookstore any minute. They came every Monday morning at ten to browse for books, chat with her, and lately, bring her a large sweet tea from the diner. She was the very picture of pathetic with her crush on these handsome, sexy men. They could have their pick of women within a two-hundred-mile radius, and often did. Women were always showing up at their nightclub, Party Like A Rock Star, and throwing themselves at the two men. At their Halloween party last fall, Linc had a blonde hanging off each arm. Seeing him with them had cut her heart to the quick. She had left shortly after, not wanting to see any more.
She knew they’d never look at a woman like her, but she didn’t need constant reminders of the fact. The women they dated had voluptuous figures and had perfected a certain bored, yet simpering expression on their perfectly made-up faces.
Leah, on the other hand, had a slim, almost boyish figure. No special push-up bra was going to make anyone describe her as curvy or lush. Her face was ordinary and she rarely wore more makeup other than mascara and a little lip gloss. She could never look as bored either. She found life fascinating, and had an unquenchable thirst to learn about anything and everything.
The bell above the door rang and it jangled her already stretched nerves. She couldn’t stop her smile as the two sexiest men in Plenty entered. She could feel her body respond instantly, humming to life like a diesel engine.
“Morning, Leah. How was your weekend? Did you do anything interesting?”
Justin was smiling, his golden-boy good looks dazzling. He was wearing faded blue jeans and a black T-shirt. Linc followed behind, Justin’s total opposite with dark hair and eyes, also dressed in jeans, but with a button-down shirt. He was not quite making eye contact with her. He was much more quiet and reserved, but not unfriendly. Just introverted, like herself. She much preferred an evening in with a good book or movie to a loud party with a bunch of people.
Justin handed her the tall iced tea and their fingers brushed, sending tingles of electricity straight up her arm.
“Thanks, you guys spoil me. I love the sweet tea from the diner. And no, I didn’t do anything exciting. I spent Saturday at the library. I volunteer for their literacy program. I tutor kids who are having trouble learning to read.”
“I didn’t ask if you did anything exciting. I asked if you did anything interesting. That sounds pretty interesting to me. I’d heard you did volunteer work but I didn’t realize what it was. That must be very rewarding.”
“Maybe I’m selfishly creating a new generation of customers for my store.”
Justin shook his head. “You couldn’t be selfish if you tried. Your heart is too soft. Right, Linc?”
Linc finally smiled, but it didn’t look as genuine as Justin’s. “True. You’re the last old-fashioned girl, Leah. I bet you baked them cupcakes, too.”
Leah’s spine stiffened. Linc was making fun of her. “Cookies. Now let me show you the new books this week. I think there’s a couple you might be interested in.”
She walked briskly to the front of the store, not
glancing back to see if they were following her. Linc grabbed her arm, turning her around so she was facing him. He looked like Lucifer, dangerous as sin with his dark hair, dark eyes, and goatee. This time his eyes were soft and warm. She hated herself for the shiver running up her arm at his touch.
“Leah, if what I said offended you, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I meant it as a compliment.”
She was never one to hold a grudge. Her anger was gone as quickly as it had come. She forced a smile, fighting the urge to trace his lips with her fingers.
“I’m sorry, too. I guess I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I stayed up too late watching an old movie.”
“What movie?” Justin picked up a hardback from the display.
“The Thin Man. William Powell and Myrna Loy.”
Linc’s face split into a grin and it took her breath away. He wasn’t as happy go lucky as Justin and he smiled less often. “One of my favorites. I’ve seen all The Thin Man movies. Do you like Citizen Kane?”
“I love it. One of my favorites. You like old movies, too? I have a book somewhere over here about the Golden Age of Hollywood.” Leah bustled over to a shelf and leafed through the books. Justin was whispering something to Linc, and Linc was shaking his head. Linc looked frustrated, but Justin looked unperturbed. She found the book and showed it to Linc. “It focuses mostly on when talkies started all the way to the demise of the studio system.”
Linc perused the back cover and nodded. “I’ll take this one.”
“So, Leah,” Justin began. “What are you doing for dinner tomorrow night?”
Linc immediately walked to the back of the store and began browsing through the historical biography section. She dragged her attention back to Justin.
“Um, I don’t know. Probably a frozen dinner in front of the television. Why?”
Justin pulled a face. “That sounds terrible. I—I mean, we were wondering if you might want to come over for dinner tomorrow night. Tuesday’s the day you close early, right?”
It was. She usually spent the afternoon biking around the quarries if the weather was good, and inside reading a good book if the weather was bad. Sometimes, she would hang out with her cousin Jason, if he was off duty. He worked as a deputy in Plenty.
“Yes, I close at one o’clock on Tuesdays.”
The bell over the door and she turned to see one of her best customers, Jillian Parks, enter the store. She waved to Jillian. “Be with you in a minute.” Jillian nodded and started to look through the best-seller endcap.
Leah turned back to Justin, who was waiting patiently for an answer. She wasn’t sure what to say to his dinner invitation. He had never invited her to his home before. Everyone knew he and Linc had a huge house on the outskirts of town near their nightclub, but few had been invited there.
Her silence must have indicated she wasn’t sure. “Do you already have plans? I can assure you I’m a good cook. I took cooking lessons from a famous Italian chef whom I can’t name because of some confidentiality agreement, but he taught me a great deal.”
“You want me to come for dinner? Why?”
She hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that, but she couldn’t help but wonder what prompted this uncharacteristic display.
Justin reached out and tucked a strand of her reddish-brown hair behind her ear, sending a streak of heat straight to her pussy. “Because we like you. We’ve gotten to know each other pretty well, wouldn’t you say? We get along and enjoy talking. How about talking over a meal? I promise I won’t make you marry me at the end of the evening.”
His smile was teasing, but he had no idea just how many women in the world had probably fantasized that very thing. She hadn’t, of course. She was too practical for something like that, but she knew many had.
Justin was so handsome and sexy, and she was so smitten, there was no way she was going to say no. She couldn’t have turned him down if her life depended on it.
“If you’re sure I won’t have to marry you, then I’ll come. I love Italian food. What time should I be there? Is there anything I can bring?”
“How about sevenish? If you want to bring something, you can bring dessert. My skills don’t stretch to baking or sweets.”
She glanced over her shoulder and saw Jillian pretending to page through a Stephen King, but knew she was taking the scene in with interest.
“Okay, I’ll bring dessert. If you’ll excuse me?” She nodded to Jillian, and Justin smiled and headed to the back of the store with Linc. She marched over to Jillian and plucked the book from her hand.
“You’ve read it. Stop pretending you weren’t listening.”
Jillian grinned. “I love small towns. Gossip wasn’t nearly this good in Chicago.” Jillian waggled her eyebrows. “You dark horse. I had no idea you, Justin, and Linc were so friendly. Good for you. They need a nice girl, not like some of those ho-bags that hang out at the club in skimpy outfits hoping to sleep with a rock star.”
“Former rock star.” Truth was, Leah didn’t really think of Justin as a rock star. He acted like an ordinary, nice guy.
Jillian shrugged. “Former, then. Is this the first date for you three? A candlelit dinner. So romantic.”
Leah held up her hand. Things seemed to be spiraling out of her control. “First of all, he never said it was a romantic, candlelit dinner. He said it was dinner. It may not even be a date. Period. Second, well, I don’t know what the second thing is but I’ll think of it. It’s just dinner.”
Jillian looked excited. “We should go shopping. Maybe get your hair done.” She started to pull her cell phone from her purse, but Leah stopped her.
“No. I’m just going as me.”
Jillian pouted but put her phone back in her purse. “Okay. If you say so.”
“I say so. Now why are you here on a Monday morning?”
“School’s closed for Presidents’ Day. Did you forget to send your Presidents’ Day cards to friends and family?”
Leah laughed. “I’m afraid I did. How remiss of me. What can I help you with then?”
“I need a cookbook for Ava. God love her, she’s trying to learn to cook for her men. I think it may be a lost cause, though.”
Ava and her three men, Brayden, Josh, and Falk, had just gotten engaged on Valentine’s Day and were already planning an autumn wedding.
“Follow me. I think I have something which might help a beginner.”
Leah led the way down the aisle, close to where Justin and Linc were deep in conversation. She was about to pull the cookbook down from the shelf when she overheard Justin’s and Linc’s voices. Justin’s voice was soft and even, while Linc’s was hushed and angry. She caught Linc’s clipped tones and almost crawled under the shelves.
“I don’t want to have dinner with Leah, dammit. I’m not interested in her. She’s not my type.”
She felt her breath catch. Linc didn’t like her so much he didn’t even want to share a simple meal with her. Tears pricked the back of her eyes and a lump formed in her throat. She straightened her shoulders. She already knew she wasn’t Lincoln Davis’s type. She’d seen the scantily clad centerfold types hanging off his arm. She turned back to Jillian with her head held high.
“I think Ava will really like this one. It’s for a beginner and it has lots of pictures of the recipes as it’s made, not just the final product.”
Jillian was biting her lip, and Leah hated the expression of pity on her face. “Thanks, I’ll get this one. Listen, why don’t you join us for dinner at the diner tonight? Cassie, Becca, Ava, and myself all get together every Monday night.”
Leah shook her head. She wanted to crawl away somewhere and lick her wounds. Besides, she never knew what to say when a conversation wasn’t one-on-one. Too many people made her nervous and tongue tied.
Maybe she should call her cousin Jason and spend the evening with him. She needed to talk to him, preferably soon. Telling him the news that her brother, Gabe, was finally coming back home was g
oing to be traumatic for him. They’d been so close until a few years ago. She still didn’t know everything that had happened to rip their friendship apart, but she knew it had been painful on both sides.
Jillian linked their arms as they headed toward the cash register. “I’m not taking no for an answer. Be there tonight or I’ll come to your place and drag you out by your drool-worthy hair. I mean it.”
Leah’s hand flew to the top of her head. “It’s not drool worthy.”
“Yes, it is. It’s thick, shiny, and has the most amazing mix of brown, gold, and red. I don’t even know what color to call it, but it’s gorgeous.”
“It’s reddish brown, I guess. And it’s too thick. If I put it up on the top of my head, I get headaches.”
“To have such problems. We’ll see you tonight. Don’t make me come after you.” Jillian put her hand on Leah’s arm. “You’ll have fun. Don’t sit at home and think about that no-good rat, Linc Davis.”
Linc wasn’t a rat, just honest.
She rang up Jillian’s book and Justin and Linc came to the counter to pay for their books.
Linc handed her his credit card, and gave Justin an evil grin. “Happy birthday. The books are on me.”
Leah smiled when Justin cringed. “It’s your birthday? Happy birthday, Justin.”
“Actually, my birthday was Saturday and Linc got me a gift already, but I’m happy to let him buy these books, too. In fact, you can buy me another coffee. I need the caffeine.”
Jillian headed out the door as Justin handed over several books they’d found. She tried not to look at Linc as she ran his credit card, handing him his slip.
Plenty to Believe [Plenty, FL 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 1
