by: Reese Ryan
Series: The Bourbon Brothers
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 28, 2021
Publisher: Harlequin Desire
Amazon | Paperback | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | Goodreads
A steamy fling with an old crush who doesn’t do commitment? What was she thinking! Find out in the conclusion to Reese Ryan’s Bourbon Brothers series.
What happens when you say yes to a bad boy?
Even if divorcée Renee Lockwood were willing to give love a second chance, she wouldn’t choose Cole Abbott. The sexy, successful real estate developer doesn’t do commitment. But he’s perfect for a no-strings fling—exactly what Ren needs now that she’s moved back home to raise her son. Mind-blowing pleasure with the man she once crushed on is harder to quit than Ren expected. Impossible, in fact. Is time running out before the bad boy bolts…or will the results of her experiment surprise her?
From Harlequin Desire: A luxurious world of bold encounters and sizzling chemistry.
Cole Abbott stepped down out of his crew cab truck, which towered over the other vehicles in the small parking lot of the Magnolia Lake General Store, and went inside.
He scrolled through a text message from his mother, Iris. Then he got a shopping cart and made his way through the store, picking up last-minute items for his family’s weekly Sunday dinner.
Cole grabbed a few tubs of Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream, then went to find whipped topping. He dumped two cans into his cart, thought about it, then added another.
“I don’t even want to know what you plan to do with those.”
Cole turned toward the warm voice coming from behind him. A voice that had always managed to be both teasing and reprimanding in a way that left him unsure of whether he was being teased or reprimanded. He blinked, barely able to believe his eyes.
“Renee? What are you...? I mean...wow. You look...amazing. Good to see you,” Cole stammered. They shared an awkward hug that she leaned into, but extricated herself from just as quickly.
Renee Lockwood was both a ghost from his past and an enchanting vision in the present. He’d always liked Renee. A lot. But he hadn’t ever dated her. She’d been his high school math tutor, a fellow member of his graduating class and the granddaughter of his mentor. They’d become friends. But he hadn’t been a very good friend to her in the end. Something that often haunted him.
“Thank you.” Renee spared him a faint half smile and raked her fingers through her glossy, dark hair, settling the strands over one shoulder. “Good to see you again, too.”
Cole honestly might’ve walked right past Renee, not recognizing that she was the awkward, shy, geeky girl he’d once adored. In fact, not much about the woman standing before him resembled his old friend and tutor.
The Coke-bottle glasses and braces were gone. And Renee’s boyish figure had been replaced by full breasts and curvy hips, her dark brown skin smooth and clear. Her inherent shyness seemed to be a thing of the past. Instead, she held her head high and her shoulders back. But her eyes still didn’t quite meet his. Those almond-shaped eyes, shielded behind dark, thick lashes, had always fascinated him.
In school, to fit in she’d downplayed her excitement over math and science. But at her grandparents’ kitchen table, she’d beamed as she waxed poetic about hypotenuse, integers and the periodic table. That year he’d even purchased a T-shirt for her birthday that bore the periodic table and the words, “I wear this shirt periodically. But only when I’m in my element.” Ren had loved it, and Cole had loved seeing the way her eyes lit up whenever she wore it.
That shirt had kicked off his own obsession with smart-ass T-shirts, like the one he was wearing now beneath his button-down shirt.
“Family dinner,” Cole finally blurted, in response to Ren’s initial comment about the whipped cream. Though, now that he’d encountered her, he had some very different ideas about how to use it. When Renee raised an eyebrow in disbelief, Cole held up his phone, showing her the list. “My mother asked me to buy it.”
“Hmm...” One side of Renee’s mouth lifted in a reluctant smile. The kind he’d frequently teased out of her when she was trying to be serious and keep them on track so he’d graduate from high school on time, despite his academic struggles. “Ms. Iris asked for two cans of whipped cream.” She held up two fingers. “That leaves one can unaccounted for.”
Shit. She was right. He’d planned to take that last can home for... Well...you never knew when you might find yourself in need of a pressurized can of lickable sweets.
He scrolled through a text message from his mother, Iris. Then he got a shopping cart and made his way through the store, picking up last-minute items for his family’s weekly Sunday dinner.
Cole grabbed a few tubs of Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream, then went to find whipped topping. He dumped two cans into his cart, thought about it, then added another.
“I don’t even want to know what you plan to do with those.”
Cole turned toward the warm voice coming from behind him. A voice that had always managed to be both teasing and reprimanding in a way that left him unsure of whether he was being teased or reprimanded. He blinked, barely able to believe his eyes.
“Renee? What are you...? I mean...wow. You look...amazing. Good to see you,” Cole stammered. They shared an awkward hug that she leaned into, but extricated herself from just as quickly.
Renee Lockwood was both a ghost from his past and an enchanting vision in the present. He’d always liked Renee. A lot. But he hadn’t ever dated her. She’d been his high school math tutor, a fellow member of his graduating class and the granddaughter of his mentor. They’d become friends. But he hadn’t been a very good friend to her in the end. Something that often haunted him.
“Thank you.” Renee spared him a faint half smile and raked her fingers through her glossy, dark hair, settling the strands over one shoulder. “Good to see you again, too.”
Cole honestly might’ve walked right past Renee, not recognizing that she was the awkward, shy, geeky girl he’d once adored. In fact, not much about the woman standing before him resembled his old friend and tutor.
The Coke-bottle glasses and braces were gone. And Renee’s boyish figure had been replaced by full breasts and curvy hips, her dark brown skin smooth and clear. Her inherent shyness seemed to be a thing of the past. Instead, she held her head high and her shoulders back. But her eyes still didn’t quite meet his. Those almond-shaped eyes, shielded behind dark, thick lashes, had always fascinated him.
In school, to fit in she’d downplayed her excitement over math and science. But at her grandparents’ kitchen table, she’d beamed as she waxed poetic about hypotenuse, integers and the periodic table. That year he’d even purchased a T-shirt for her birthday that bore the periodic table and the words, “I wear this shirt periodically. But only when I’m in my element.” Ren had loved it, and Cole had loved seeing the way her eyes lit up whenever she wore it.
That shirt had kicked off his own obsession with smart-ass T-shirts, like the one he was wearing now beneath his button-down shirt.
“Family dinner,” Cole finally blurted, in response to Ren’s initial comment about the whipped cream. Though, now that he’d encountered her, he had some very different ideas about how to use it. When Renee raised an eyebrow in disbelief, Cole held up his phone, showing her the list. “My mother asked me to buy it.”
“Hmm...” One side of Renee’s mouth lifted in a reluctant smile. The kind he’d frequently teased out of her when she was trying to be serious and keep them on track so he’d graduate from high school on time, despite his academic struggles. “Ms. Iris asked for two cans of whipped cream.” She held up two fingers. “That leaves one can unaccounted for.”
Shit. She was right. He’d planned to take that last can home for... Well...you never knew when you might find yourself in need of a pressurized can of lickable sweets.
Purchase The Bad Boy Experiment from:
The Bourbon Brothers Series:
Savannah’s Secret ~ Review
The Billionaire’s Legacy ~ Review
Engaging the Enemy ~ Review
A Reunion of Rivals ~ Review
Waking Up Married ~ Review
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:
I love bad boys. Thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteI am in love with Cole and I haven't read his story yet. I've been crushing on this character for a couple of books now. I can't wait to read his story. But, I HIGHLY recommend that you read Waking Up Married. That is so far my FAVORITE book of this series. It might even be my favorite Reese Ryan book, period.
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