by: Sharla Lovelace
Series: What Happens in Texas
Genre: Women’s Fiction/Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 27, 2018 (Re-release)
Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing
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In the small Texas town where she grew up, Dani Shane learned early on that being different was all it took to raise eyebrows and stir up gossip, and even leaving town for two decades didn’t stop the talk. Now, Dani’s been forced to move back, and all she wants is to settle in quietly and put the past behind her. But the men in her life won’t make that easy.
First, there’s her old friend Alex, who’s mischievous, sexy, still hot enough to melt her shoes—and a ghost. He’s always been there for her, but also has a habit of popping up at the most inopportune times. And then there’s Jason, a flesh-and-blood man whose quiet strength and powerful body set Dani on fire.
As she struggles to build a new life in a town that won’t let her forget her old one, Dani’s determined to make sense of her love life, but first she’ll have to choose between a man who long ago touched her heart and a man she can actually touch . . .
The rest of the morning wore me out, waiting six hours to find out which one would show up—Jekyll or Hyde. Which was harsh, I knew, but the man was moody. And I found out in only a way that I could. Coming from the back, rounding the corner of the hall, yelling something back at Marg, I stopped just short of colliding with him again.
He grabbed my arms as I teetered on momentum.
“Oh!” I started laughing. “I’m sorry.”
“We need mirrors and traffic lights in here.”
We were awfully close, like, body-heat close, and I found myself struggling to remember what I was yelling to Marg.
“Eight dozen,” I said.
He blinked. “What?”
“Excuse me.” I pulled free of him and wound my way up front. “Eight dozen, Marg. That’s all we have left.”
“All right, I’m posting that up front,” she said. “Bob said it’s tapped out. When they’re gone, they’re gone.”
“Got it.”
“Now I’m out of here. Try not to flood the place, will you?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jason answered, and a smile played at his lips. He might own the place, but he was still a newbie. Margie Pete ran that particular ship for too many years to answer to an outsider. She turned to look at both of us as she reached the door and chuckled.
I frowned as she left. “What was that?”
But Jason had already dived into a box of hooks and weights.
“Been busy?” he asked.
“People are lunatics today,” I said, trying to get a read on his mood by staring at the side of his head. “Everyone is doing practice runs for next week’s fishing tournament.”
“Don’t knock it—it means more business.”
I nodded. Not that he saw it. He was elbow deep in merchandise. I headed to the back, wondering why I’d bothered with anything this morning. He was all business. Evidently, moments—even good ones—were few and far between. Or maybe he had just meant to acknowledge that yes, that moment was nice, but wasn’t implying any future ones.
“Maybe he was just being nice,” I muttered as I picked up an empty box and tossed it to the big garbage bin, narrowly missing the shrimp vat. “Maybe I imagined the whole mess, text and all. Maybe I need to quit analyzing it.”
“Maybe you just need to turn around.”
I whirled in place, uttering a yelp that probably wasn’t the sexiest, and found myself looking right up into his face.
“Oh—hey!”
“Hey.”
His eyes were playful and sweet and hot all at the same time, and I didn’t know whether to jump him or shake his hand.
“You—shouldn’t sneak up on people when they’re—babbling to themselves.” Oh God. Just shoot me.
He jutted a thumb behind him and backed up a step. “Should I go? Do you need to continue?”
“No—no, no,” I said, laughing. I prayed for something witty to say. “Come back—where you were.” Yeah, that wasn’t it.
He stepped closer again, and it became painfully obvious that the two of us combined had the romantic social skills of a tree. We stood there looking at each other waiting for—something.
“So, where’ve you been lately?” I asked.
Thank God he knew what I actually meant by that. A small silent chuckle crossed his lips.
“Wondering if this is a really bad idea.”
I nodded as my stomach fluttered. “Wow, that—”
“Sounded horrible, I know.”
“No, I know what you mean.”
“Thank God.” He rubbed his eyes and I had to smile. “See, that’s just it. I can talk to you for some reason. That blows my mind.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t do that. Talk.”
I nodded again and pretended to consider that as I watched his lips form words.
“So what was your conclusion?”
He inched closer. “That it’s still a really bad idea.”
“And yet—” I gestured around us. “Here we are. In the bait room.”
“Yeah, I can pick a hot spot, can’t I?”
I started to laugh, and his hand came up to my face and into my hair, and I found it interesting that I could laugh without breathing. His face came down, mine tilted up, and I was reminded of that night on the dance floor.
“Relax,” he whispered so close to my lips that I felt the word.
Then it was on. As soon as his mouth landed on mine, my body remembered what to do. His lips were soft and searching and mine were hungry. He pulled me in, kissing me deeper. I wound my arms around his back and pulled him to me in response.
He made a little moan in my mouth, and I got a rush of liquid heat that I hadn’t felt in years. Not in real life—with another person. The thought whizzed through my head that I was being way too easy, but the one that chased it off said that I was forty and tainted goods and too horny to care.
He grabbed my arms as I teetered on momentum.
“Oh!” I started laughing. “I’m sorry.”
“We need mirrors and traffic lights in here.”
We were awfully close, like, body-heat close, and I found myself struggling to remember what I was yelling to Marg.
“Eight dozen,” I said.
He blinked. “What?”
“Excuse me.” I pulled free of him and wound my way up front. “Eight dozen, Marg. That’s all we have left.”
“All right, I’m posting that up front,” she said. “Bob said it’s tapped out. When they’re gone, they’re gone.”
“Got it.”
“Now I’m out of here. Try not to flood the place, will you?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jason answered, and a smile played at his lips. He might own the place, but he was still a newbie. Margie Pete ran that particular ship for too many years to answer to an outsider. She turned to look at both of us as she reached the door and chuckled.
I frowned as she left. “What was that?”
But Jason had already dived into a box of hooks and weights.
“Been busy?” he asked.
“People are lunatics today,” I said, trying to get a read on his mood by staring at the side of his head. “Everyone is doing practice runs for next week’s fishing tournament.”
“Don’t knock it—it means more business.”
I nodded. Not that he saw it. He was elbow deep in merchandise. I headed to the back, wondering why I’d bothered with anything this morning. He was all business. Evidently, moments—even good ones—were few and far between. Or maybe he had just meant to acknowledge that yes, that moment was nice, but wasn’t implying any future ones.
“Maybe he was just being nice,” I muttered as I picked up an empty box and tossed it to the big garbage bin, narrowly missing the shrimp vat. “Maybe I imagined the whole mess, text and all. Maybe I need to quit analyzing it.”
“Maybe you just need to turn around.”
I whirled in place, uttering a yelp that probably wasn’t the sexiest, and found myself looking right up into his face.
“Oh—hey!”
“Hey.”
His eyes were playful and sweet and hot all at the same time, and I didn’t know whether to jump him or shake his hand.
“You—shouldn’t sneak up on people when they’re—babbling to themselves.” Oh God. Just shoot me.
He jutted a thumb behind him and backed up a step. “Should I go? Do you need to continue?”
“No—no, no,” I said, laughing. I prayed for something witty to say. “Come back—where you were.” Yeah, that wasn’t it.
He stepped closer again, and it became painfully obvious that the two of us combined had the romantic social skills of a tree. We stood there looking at each other waiting for—something.
“So, where’ve you been lately?” I asked.
Thank God he knew what I actually meant by that. A small silent chuckle crossed his lips.
“Wondering if this is a really bad idea.”
I nodded as my stomach fluttered. “Wow, that—”
“Sounded horrible, I know.”
“No, I know what you mean.”
“Thank God.” He rubbed his eyes and I had to smile. “See, that’s just it. I can talk to you for some reason. That blows my mind.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t do that. Talk.”
I nodded again and pretended to consider that as I watched his lips form words.
“So what was your conclusion?”
He inched closer. “That it’s still a really bad idea.”
“And yet—” I gestured around us. “Here we are. In the bait room.”
“Yeah, I can pick a hot spot, can’t I?”
I started to laugh, and his hand came up to my face and into my hair, and I found it interesting that I could laugh without breathing. His face came down, mine tilted up, and I was reminded of that night on the dance floor.
“Relax,” he whispered so close to my lips that I felt the word.
Then it was on. As soon as his mouth landed on mine, my body remembered what to do. His lips were soft and searching and mine were hungry. He pulled me in, kissing me deeper. I wound my arms around his back and pulled him to me in response.
He made a little moan in my mouth, and I got a rush of liquid heat that I hadn’t felt in years. Not in real life—with another person. The thought whizzed through my head that I was being way too easy, but the one that chased it off said that I was forty and tainted goods and too horny to care.
Purchase The Reason is You from:
The What Happens in Texas Series:
Before and Ever Since releases on March 14, 2018
Places to find Sharla Lovelace:
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