Publication date: March 1st, 2021
Synopsis:
He's a billionaire.
Peter Nguyen has achieved everything he ever wanted. So why isn't he happier? He goes to his high school reunion to show up all the people who didn't give the time of day to the skinny, nerdy boy he'd been. But then he runs into his old friend Britt.
She can barely pay her bills.
Brittanica Jones watched her future evaporate when she had to leave college after a brutal attack left her mother incapacitated. She hasn't done anything she set out to do, and the only reason she even goes to her high school reunion is to reconnect with her old friend Peter... even though he ghosted her back when she needed him most.
They've got nothing in common... except each other.
When Peter sees Britt again, he realizes how much he misses her. Her acerbic quick wit and "take no shit" attitude are a welcome change from people who fawn all over him. When he realizes that he's got the means to help her out, he offers her a temporary job.
However, grown-up Britt inspires sexy thoughts, not friendship thoughts. Their relationship deepens into a romance. Britt's downtrodden heart blossoms with the opportunity to work with Peter and explore their changed relationship. But this interlude has an end date, and when disaster strikes, she's got no choice but to leave.
Can these old high school friends overcome the hurts from the past and find love with each other?
Available at:
Excerpt
"Your assistant buys your groceries?" Britt countered.
"Yes," he said defensively.
"You're too good to hit the local Safeway?" She shook her head. "Man, we live in different worlds."
That didn't sound like a compliment.
"It frees up my time." He felt compelled to defend the practice.
Britt tugged open his fridge, making herself at home. "Whatever."
He loved that about her. No hesitation. The birds rippled in response as her muscles moved. He desperately wanted to lick his way along the path of those swallows.
Then he noticed her stillness.
"You have Dom Perignon in here."
"Ah, I guess." Pete couldn't decipher the note in her voice. "Is that a problem?"
"It's insanely expensive."
"Okay?"
"I could feed my mother and myself for a week on what that bottle costs," she said wistfully.
"Well, then, let's open it."
"You're supposed to drink it to celebrate something momentous."
He didn't give a rat's ass about momentous. Besides, she was looking at the bottle longingly. "You like champagne?"
"I love it, but I don't have it very often." She laughed but it was a sad sound. "That's a lie. I never have it."
Then he was going to change that. He pulled the green bottle out of the fridge.
She gripped his arm, the touch burning through his shirt. "You can't open that," she cried.
"Yes, I can." He popped the cork before she could object.
"Oh my God. Don't let it spill." She grabbed the bottle and caught the bubbles cascading out the top with her tongue. "Mmm." She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, making sure none of it was wasted.
The look of bliss on her face propelled him forward, unable to stop the impulses changing through him.
He kissed her.
The moment her mouth met his, angels began to sing. She tatsted of the tartness of white grapes and fermentation. He wanted to delve further into her mouth and taste her. He cupped her jaw in his hand, his fingers tunneling into the loose collection of curls at her nape, and he brushed his thumb over her cheekbone.
Britt's eyes drifted closed.
He rubbed his nose along hers and plundered her mouth, holding her in place as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The champagne bottle thumped against his back, and a little of the cool liquid spilled between his shoulder blades.
He slid his arm around her waist and tugged her closer, her breasts snug against his chest. The full skirt of her dress pouffed around him as he tested and tasted, trying to figure out what she liked.
What made her moan. What made her soften against him. She'd gone all-in on the kiss.
He didn't want to pressure her. But the kiss was off-the-charts hot. His brain had definitely moved from wanting the kiss to wanting more.
He pulled away to give her a moment.
And maybe him too. To assess the attraction. After all, this was Britt. His old friend. And yet... not.
"What was that for?" she asked breathlessly.
"I wanted to capture that treasure."
"Very pirate-like of you," she teased.
He took the bottle from her hand.
"Open your mouth," he commanded. "Tilt your head."
She blinked at his authoritarian tone, but she complied.
He poured a shot of champagne into her mouth.
She swallowed and moaned. "So good."
The look of bliss on her face made him want to be the one who caused that reaction rather than the champagne.
Then she said, "But it's meant to be sipped."
"Life is meant to be swallowed whole and gorged upon."
"Good point." She took the bottle from him, took another swig, and then placed it on his quartz countertop. Then she hoisted herself onto the counter and spread her legs. The move put her breasts level with his mouth. Her fancy ballgown flared out as she grabbed him by the waist and pulled him to her.
"What are you doing?"
She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him again. "Gorging."
His smooth fingertips traced the line of her dress over her breasts, dipping his finger into her cleavage. His fingertips sizzled at the sensual contact.
Britt arched her back.
Pete pulled away from her mouth and trailed a line of kisses over her chin and down her neck until he buried his face in the plump valley of her breasts. She clutched his head to her.
"You taste amazing."
"It's the Dom."
He licked a path over her skin. She shivered at the light caress. His arms reached around to unzip her dress. "It's you."
USA Today Bestselling Author Lisa Hughey has been writing romance since the fourth grade, which was also about the time she began her love affair with spies. Harriet and Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys later gave way to James Bond and Lara Croft and Jason Bourne.
Exploring the complex nature of a profession that requires subterfuge and lies fascinates her. She loves combining her two passions into fiction. As evidenced by her Black Cipher Files series.
Archangel Rafe was her first foray into the paranormal but after spending time in the Angelic Realm, it won't be her last. At their heart, the Seven novels are about the dynamics of family relationships. But the really hot Archangels don't hurt.
And recently she's been immersed in the Stone Family novellas, four stories about a blended family of brothers and sister who have a lot more in common than they realize. But of course she couldn't just write about family and romance. There are complex plots, bad guys, and suspense too.
Lisa loves to hear from readers and has various places you can connect with her, although, shh, Twitter is her favorite.
