by: Reese Ryan
Series: The Bourbon Brothers
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Interracial/Family Sagas
Release Date: March 1, 2021
Publisher: Harlequin Desire
Amazon | Paperback | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Goodreads
Will these friends’ temporary Vegas marriage lead to forever? Find out in this Bourbon Brothers novel from Reese Ryan!
What’s wrong with a little fake marriage between friends?
Their night on the town is a blank, but when Zora Abbott and Dallas Hamilton awaken in a Vegas hotel room, they’re man and wife. With news of the nuptials spreading virally, the high-profile best friends decide to stay married, temporarily. Maybe under the cover of marriage, Dallas can even make his best friend’s baby dream come true. But can their friendship survive their newly unleashed passions?
From Harlequin Desire: Luxury, scandal, desire—welcome to the lives of the American elite.
“There’s one other thing.” Zora’s eyes drifted down to where their hands were connected. “I realize that we have a long history together, but as friends, not romantic partners. You’re proposing that we actually have sex—for the sake of having a child,” she added quickly. “But what if there’s no—”
“Chemistry between us?” He chuckled quietly. “Maybe you’ve forgotten, but you kissed me a couple of years ago,” he reminded her.
Dallas stared at his friend. Took pleasure in watching a crimson streak spreading across her cheeks.
“I didn’t say... I mean...when I kissed you, you didn’t...” Zora stammered, her espresso-brown eyes suddenly wide.
Zora Abbott never hesitated. She laid down demands with complete clarity. Was always clear about what she did and didn’t want.
In fact, there were few moments in his life when he’d seen his opinionated friend truly speechless or even the tiniest bit vulnerable. Something in his chest warmed at being the reason Zora Hamilton stood in front of him now thunderstruck, trembling and a little nervous. It thrilled him that he had the power to give this incredibly strong woman pause.
Dallas leaned forward and took Zora’s face in his hands. He glided his thumbs along her cheekbones, watching her eyes study his with anticipation as he closed the space between them.
Finally, Dallas did the thing he’d regretted not doing the night Zora had kissed him beneath the mistletoe. He pressed his open mouth to hers.
Dallas’s eyes drifted closed at the pillow-soft sensation of Zora’s lush lips meeting his. He savored the minty taste of her mouth, pushing his tongue between her lips when she opened them on a soft gasp. He swept his tongue over hers, then glided it along the ridges at the top of her mouth.
Zora wrapped her arms around him tentatively, her hands barely touching his back. As if she wasn’t quite sure this was real. Slowly, she tightened her grip, her fingertips pressing into his skin through the soft cotton T-shirt. She leaned in closer, pinning his growing shaft between them.
An involuntary groan escaped Dallas’s mouth at the sensation of his hardening length pressed to her soft belly. The feeling seemed to trigger awareness in every nerve ending in his body.
It opened the doors to the floodgates of desire for her that he’d long barred shut. Because Zora had always meant too much to him to risk their friendship for sex—no matter how badly he’d secretly craved her touch and her kiss. Now that it had been unleashed, his desire for her came stalking out of its dark, secret cave like a ravenous tiger in search of its prey.
His kiss became hungrier, more insistent than the tentative kiss he’d begun with, and Zora responded in kind. She gripped his shirt, her body cradled against his, as if she, too, ached for more contact.
Dallas dropped his hands to her waist, then cupped her full bottom. It was something he’d fantasized about much more than he’d care to admit. The fabric of her shorts filled his palms, but his fingertips brushed the exposed skin just beneath the curve of her perfect ass.
He gripped the firm flesh, squeezing it and pulling her closer. Intensifying the sensation that already rippled down his spine, overwhelming his senses with a need he’d never allowed himself to acknowledge because the stakes were simply too high.
Suddenly, his phone rang again, bringing them both out of the daze they’d fallen into as they stared in the direction of the ringing phone.
“Guess you didn’t get around to turning the Do Not Disturb back on.” She gave him a soft, playful grin that made him want to toss her onto the bed amid the luggage and bridal shop bags and kiss every inch of her smooth brown skin.
“Guess not.” Dallas silently cursed himself for forgetting. He stroked her cheek, bringing her attention back to him. “Well, does that answer your question?”
“Yes, I think it does,” she practically whispered, then sighed quietly, taking a step away from him. She cleared her throat, both of them ignoring his cell phone as it continued to ring. “And if you really want to do this, then I accept your offer of help. But first, we need to establish some rules.”
There was the confident, take-charge woman that he knew. The one who always felt a need to be in control.
“Yes, Mrs. Hamilton?” Dallas smirked, maintaining his loose grip on her waist, even though she had put some space between them.
Zora frowned but didn’t object to his use of her new last name. “We need to outline the parameters of this ‘marriage.’” She used air quotes. “That way we both know what to expect.”
“Chemistry between us?” He chuckled quietly. “Maybe you’ve forgotten, but you kissed me a couple of years ago,” he reminded her.
Dallas stared at his friend. Took pleasure in watching a crimson streak spreading across her cheeks.
“I didn’t say... I mean...when I kissed you, you didn’t...” Zora stammered, her espresso-brown eyes suddenly wide.
Zora Abbott never hesitated. She laid down demands with complete clarity. Was always clear about what she did and didn’t want.
In fact, there were few moments in his life when he’d seen his opinionated friend truly speechless or even the tiniest bit vulnerable. Something in his chest warmed at being the reason Zora Hamilton stood in front of him now thunderstruck, trembling and a little nervous. It thrilled him that he had the power to give this incredibly strong woman pause.
Dallas leaned forward and took Zora’s face in his hands. He glided his thumbs along her cheekbones, watching her eyes study his with anticipation as he closed the space between them.
Finally, Dallas did the thing he’d regretted not doing the night Zora had kissed him beneath the mistletoe. He pressed his open mouth to hers.
Dallas’s eyes drifted closed at the pillow-soft sensation of Zora’s lush lips meeting his. He savored the minty taste of her mouth, pushing his tongue between her lips when she opened them on a soft gasp. He swept his tongue over hers, then glided it along the ridges at the top of her mouth.
Zora wrapped her arms around him tentatively, her hands barely touching his back. As if she wasn’t quite sure this was real. Slowly, she tightened her grip, her fingertips pressing into his skin through the soft cotton T-shirt. She leaned in closer, pinning his growing shaft between them.
An involuntary groan escaped Dallas’s mouth at the sensation of his hardening length pressed to her soft belly. The feeling seemed to trigger awareness in every nerve ending in his body.
It opened the doors to the floodgates of desire for her that he’d long barred shut. Because Zora had always meant too much to him to risk their friendship for sex—no matter how badly he’d secretly craved her touch and her kiss. Now that it had been unleashed, his desire for her came stalking out of its dark, secret cave like a ravenous tiger in search of its prey.
His kiss became hungrier, more insistent than the tentative kiss he’d begun with, and Zora responded in kind. She gripped his shirt, her body cradled against his, as if she, too, ached for more contact.
Dallas dropped his hands to her waist, then cupped her full bottom. It was something he’d fantasized about much more than he’d care to admit. The fabric of her shorts filled his palms, but his fingertips brushed the exposed skin just beneath the curve of her perfect ass.
He gripped the firm flesh, squeezing it and pulling her closer. Intensifying the sensation that already rippled down his spine, overwhelming his senses with a need he’d never allowed himself to acknowledge because the stakes were simply too high.
Suddenly, his phone rang again, bringing them both out of the daze they’d fallen into as they stared in the direction of the ringing phone.
“Guess you didn’t get around to turning the Do Not Disturb back on.” She gave him a soft, playful grin that made him want to toss her onto the bed amid the luggage and bridal shop bags and kiss every inch of her smooth brown skin.
“Guess not.” Dallas silently cursed himself for forgetting. He stroked her cheek, bringing her attention back to him. “Well, does that answer your question?”
“Yes, I think it does,” she practically whispered, then sighed quietly, taking a step away from him. She cleared her throat, both of them ignoring his cell phone as it continued to ring. “And if you really want to do this, then I accept your offer of help. But first, we need to establish some rules.”
There was the confident, take-charge woman that he knew. The one who always felt a need to be in control.
“Yes, Mrs. Hamilton?” Dallas smirked, maintaining his loose grip on her waist, even though she had put some space between them.
Zora frowned but didn’t object to his use of her new last name. “We need to outline the parameters of this ‘marriage.’” She used air quotes. “That way we both know what to expect.”
Purchase Waking Up Married from:
The Bourbon Brothers Series:
Savannah’s Secret ~ Review
The Billionaire’s Legacy ~ Review
Engaging the Enemy ~ Review
A Reunion of Rivals ~ Review
Reese Ryan writes sexy, emotional romance with captivating family drama, surprising secrets, and a posse of complex, flawed characters. A Midwesterner with deep Southern roots, Reese currently resides in semi-small-town North Carolina where she’s an avid reader, a music junkie, and a self-declared connoisseur of cheesy grits.
Places to find Reese Ryan:
Follow
I love the cover and enjoyed the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteI love the triangle of realtionship that is what makes me want to read stories like this
ReplyDeleteIts the awakening of love .. The glass shattering and the omg I love my best friend
ReplyDeleteOh. This is good! I love that moment.
DeleteThanks for the opportunity!
ReplyDeleteI like a good marriage for convenience story and you have been saying how good it is!
ReplyDeleteThanks for listening to me! Honestly, I forget this is a marriage of convenience romance. I'm so focused on the friends to lovers aspect. But yeah. I really love this story.
Deletefriends to lovers already has an established relationship, and a marriage of convenience brings all kinds of trouble--good and bad
ReplyDeletedenise
True. This story is really good, because there's nothing bad about it.
DeleteI think the base of a good romantic relationship is a good friendship.
ReplyDeleteFake marriage is one of my favorite tropes!
ReplyDelete