Series: Love Lottery #2
Publication date: May 4th, 2021
Published by: Tule Publishing
Synopsis:
It's a chance to start over for both of them...
Everleigh Girard always dates the wrong men at the worst times. The last debacle cost her a job and an apartment. But thanks to a crazy lottery win, she and her friends have a fresh start restoring a historic inn. Determined to make it a success, Everleigh swears off the dangers of dating entirely. Except... the town's police chief is distractingly hot. So how much trouble could friends with benefits really cause?
Police chief Matt Halliday always puts protecting his town first. He's blindsided when his house mysteriously burns down, and grateful his friends rent him a room at their inn while they finish renovations. It's a great deal. Mostly. It's hard to resist the very beautiful Everleigh. Love is permanently off the table for him--but lust is definitely on.
After their first red-hot kiss, keeping it casual is impossible. Can Everleigh teach Matt to trust again--especially when he's keeping a secret that may put him and his new friends at risk?
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Excerpt
"I'm not a distraction. I'm friendly. Period."
The door slammed behind her. The blinds made a fast, whirring sound as Matt dropped them for privacy. "You're half right."
"About what?"
"You're friendly. You have a way of fully engaging with a stranger that makes them feel instantly connected, cared about."
"Thank you."
"But you are absolutely a distraction." Matt stalked closer, until Everleigh was pinned between a file cabinet and the aura of frustration that pulsed a scant two inches off of his body. A vein pulsed at his temple. "There's something about you, Everleigh. Something that can't be ignored. Something that distracts me when you aren't even around. Because my brain keeps circling back to you without warning."
Oh.
Oh my.
Maybe coming here was dangerous after all? And not at all because of the potential for criminals in lockup.
The chief was criminally sexy.
Geez, Ever wished she could share that joke with Amelia later.
Being very careful not to so much as take a deep breath and accidentally touch him--because he was clearly an emotional grenade with the pin popped and ready to explode--she asked, "How could the words sound like a compliment but you're spewing them at me like they're an accusation?"
"Because I don't know what to do about it. About you. I respect your choice not to go any further. I have my own reasons to agree with that plan. Doesn't mean you're not still distracting the hell out of me by being you, Everleigh."
"Just Ever," she murmured.
"That's a load of crap. There's nothing 'just' about you." He abruptly swung around. Stomped to his enormous chair behind the desk, grabbed hold of the top of it, then scrubbed his other palm across his mouth. "Sorry. Watching Kurtz stare at you like you're a damn hot fudge sundae he wants to slurp up--it rocked me Slipped the lock on my self-control."
Indeed.
It really, really made her want to pick that lock again. When there weren't so many people around.
USA TODAY bestseller Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage. A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes contemporary romance. Christi lives in Maryland with her husband.
