by: Naima Simone
Series: Rose Bend
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 20, 2024
Publisher: Canary Street Press
🌹 About The Single Dad Project: A Rose Bend Novel 🌹
Dive into the heart of Rose Bend with Naima Simone's latest romance, *The Single Dad Project*, where unexpected encounters and the magic of second chances ignite a story you won't forget. Meet Florence "Flo" Dennison, a woman whose quest for a simple distraction leads her into the arms of Adam Reed, a single dad with a precocious daughter, Jussy, who quickly claims Flo as her own. As Flo and Adam navigate the complexities of their lives and hearts, they discover that sometimes, the most unexpected connections can offer the deepest, most transformative love.
🎈 What to Expect 🎈
💘 Heartfelt Romance: A journey of finding love in the most unexpected places.
🌟 Age Gap & One-Night Stand: A captivating mix that evolves into so much more.
😂 Humor & Heart: Laugh and swoon as Flo, Adam, and Jussy navigate their way through the chaos and sweetness of life.
🔥 Steamy Moments: Because, of course, it's a Naima Simone novel!
💪 Hard-Fought HEA: Root for Flo and Adam as they overcome obstacles for their happily ever after.
Join us in Rose Bend for a tale of love, laughter, and the enduring power of family and connection. Get ready to fall in love with Flo and Adam's story, a testament to the unexpected paths that lead us to where we're meant to be.
CHAPTER ONE
A one-night stand hadn't been on Florence “Flo” Dennison's bingo card but who was she to argue when Fate wanted something for her?
And by something Flo meant big, bearded and sexy as get-on-your-knees-in-your-prayer-closet sin.
To think, she mused, lifting her Sam Adams to her mouth for a sip, she'd almost gone directly home on her return to Rose Bend, Massachusetts, after being away for two weeks instead of stopping by Road's End, the local—okay, the only—dive bar. Spending the past fifteen days in Thailand should've left her exhilarated. Tired from the travel but exhilarated. Instead, she was exhausted both physically and emotionally. And angry.
So fucking angry.
She hadn't wanted to return to Kinsale Inn, the bed-and-breakfast her family owned as well as where they all lived, with this thick, dark tangle of…rage stuck to her ribs like glue. Her parents and whatever siblings were hanging around would take one look at her and deduce something was up. And then poke and prod until she either confessed or screamed. Or confessed and screamed. They were great and annoying like that.
But she didn't want either at the moment.
She just wanted to…wallow.
Wallow in her anger. Her hurt. At twenty-four, maybe that wasn't very adult of her, but there it was.
But now, looking at Big, Bearded and Sinful, she wanted something else.
To work it off.
And yes, if desperation threaded through that admission, well, again, there it was.
“Flo.” Maddox Holt, owner of the bar, stopped in front of her, nodding at her with a smile. “You good? Need another beer?”
She shook her head, lowering the half-empty bottle to the bar top.
“No, I'm still working on this one. But—” she tipped the bottle toward the stranger at the other end of the bar “—you can refill whatever he's having. On me.”
Maddox's dark auburn eyebrow arched high. Shaking his head, he rapped his knuckles on the wooden top, his smile widening into a grin. “I swear, you Dennison women never fail to make my evenings entertaining.”
Since her sister Leo and sisters-in-law, Sydney and Nessa, regularly held their girls' nights here with their friends, Flo didn't doubt Maddox's words. They were all a handful when they got together. A hilarious, no-filter, show-tunes-when-drunk handful.
She smirked. “Well, I promise not to debut my rendition of “I'll Always Love You” for all and sundry, if that makes you feel any better.”
Leo couldn't say the same as she'd jumped up on the empty stage and belted out the Whitney Houston version of the hit during their last visit. And though Flo's older sister had been named after the famed opera singer Leontyne Price, her voice sounded more like cats battling it out in an alley. Yeah, not pretty at all.
Maddox winced before smiling again, wider this time. “It does. It definitely does.”
She raised her bottle to her mouth again and studied the man at the end of the bar.
Even though Rose Bend was a small, postcard-pretty town dropped right in the middle of the Southern Berkshires, strangers weren't foreign to its borders. Not when nearly every season or holiday brought visitors far and wide for town-hosted festivals or carnivals or motorcycle rallies. Strangers weren't odd around here.
But the impact this one had on her was unusual.
Or rather, the heat this one stirred inside her, like a sauna switched on high, was unusual.
She studied the man, trying not to be too obvious. But hell, it was a Tuesday night and besides them, only about fifteen other people gathered at the tables, played pool or bellied up to the bar. She couldn't exactly hide her fascination.
And oh yes, she was indeed fascinated.
His high fade had her fingers tingling with the need to comb through that thick, textured hair. A neat, full mustache and beard framed a wide mouth, the sensual lips appearing almost too lush. Her belly pulled tight below her navel, the ache sweet and painful. The longer she stared at that mouth, the sharper the ache.
From this distance, she couldn't catch the color of his eyes, but the patrician slope of his nose with its round, flared nostrils, and the bold, clean lines of his face declared his stark beauty from across the bar.
Or maybe it was just her.
Maybe she was the only one captivated by broad shoulders that stretched the soft-looking black sweater to its limits. Mesmerized by the big, long-fingered hands wrapped around a short tumbler of amber alcohol. Enraptured by the seemingly endless denim-encased legs that stretched out on either side of the bar stool. Absurdly fascinated by the large feet planted on the dark tile floor.
He was so…huge.
A low, heated thrum buzzed under her skin at the thought of just how he would completely surround a person. Fill a person.
Okay, her. Surround her. Fill her.
She should really show some dignity and stop ogling him. It was rude at best, a little unnerving at worst. Any moment, she would stop staring. Honestly. Aaaany moment…
Maddox approached the man with another glass and set it on the bar in front of him. Leaning forward, the bar owner said something to Big, Bearded and Sinful, most likely passing along that she'd paid for that drink. And she braced herself as those wide shoulders tensed. Braced for the moment when he…
Damn.
Still couldn't see his eyes at this distance, with the bar's dim lighting, but the impact of his gaze slammed into her like a velvet sledgehammer. And no, she wasn't too proud to admit she might've gasped. Just a small one, though.
Because… Damn.
Yes, she'd said that already but it bore repeating.
He cocked his head to the side and, whew. That little move was all kinds of sexy. Did he know it? Did he practice it in a mirror to achieve the perfect angle that said, “Have you gotten a good enough look at what you see?” but didn't veer into “I'm a conceited asshole” territory. It was a careful balance and he nailed it.
Turning back to Maddox, he replied to the bar owner then slid off the stool and walked toward her in what could only be described as a sensual display of power and beauty in motion. She tried to keep her gaze off the flex and stretch of all that muscle in his thick thighs. But good God. She was only human and those thighs, thooo…
Swallowing a sigh along with another gulp of beer, she resisted, pressing the cool bottle to her cheek. Not that it would do anything for the heat pooling between her legs. Seriously, he had to know what that body and sensual, confident stride did to a woman who hadn't had sex in, oh eight months, three weeks and four days.
But who's counting?
“I believe the bartender said this was courtesy of you?”
She should've expected it. Everything about him was big, almost an exaggeration of beautiful. From the thick, tight coils of his hair to his smooth, dark brown skin, to the broad, powerful frame… So yes, she should've expected his voice to be this deep, resonant timbre. It somehow agitated the ache he'd stirred while soothing…something inside her she couldn't identify.
Should've expected it? Still wasn't ready.
And even when he set the thick glass tumbler down on the bar top and settled on the stool next to her, she couldn't find her voice. It lodged in her throat, snared by surprise and lust.
So she nodded.
He glanced down at the drink then turned, fully facing her, and—she didn't sigh. Her whole fucking being did.
Hazel.
His eyes were hazel.
Although that name seemed so inadequate to describe the stunning blend of dark green and golden brown. God, she'd go back in time and return the past two weeks of travel and amazing shots just to have her camera in her hands so she could photograph him. Her fingers and palms itched to capture him in different light, with different expressions.
He made an utterly fascinating canvas.
“I appreciate the gesture but this—” he tipped the other glass he'd already been nursing toward her “—is my second drink and also my limit since I'm driving home. So I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer. But it's appreciated.”
Driving home?
As in Rose Bend?
Twenty-three of her twenty-four years had been spent in this town, except for the years she'd grudgingly spent in college. Newcomers traveled through the gossip vines faster than a sugar rush through a toddler. No way she would've missed it. And no way she would've missed him.
Maybe he'd stopped by while on his way to one of the neighboring towns or cities.
Which made her intentions for tonight even better.
Lifting a shoulder in a shrug, she picked up the glass and slung it back. Scotch. She didn't really like hard liquor, but she wasn't about to let it go to waste either. And besides, what was that about liquid courage? She could definitely use some right now. The alcohol burned its way over her tongue, hit her chest and mushroomed in a burst of heat toward her stomach.
Burned away the last vestiges of her reticence, too.
“You're welcome,” she said, voice hoarse from the liquor and the sensual punch of him. “Thank you for coming over and softening the blow. You let me save face and the drink.” Smiling, she held up the empty tumbler, dipping her chin toward him. “Which was pretty awful, by the way.” She gave a shudder. It really did taste bad. “I think I'll stick to beer and the occasional Sex on the Beach.”
Something flared in his eyes—something she didn't feel comfortable naming. No, no. Not true. And since she'd decided to be all big and bold tonight, she at least owed it to herself to be honest. Something she was afraid to name in case she was wrong.
In case she was disappointed.
“Occasional, huh?” He arched a dark, thick eyebrow, swirling the small amount of amber whiskey left in his glass. His green-and-gold gaze didn't move from her face and for the briefest of moments, she felt like a drowning victim, sinking for a final time. In over her head. “This place doesn't strike me as the kind to have Sex on the Beach, even the occasional one.”
“Which place? The bar or Rose Bend?”
The corner of his mouth hitched in an almost smile. And against her will, curiosity tugged at her. She didn't need curiosity for her plans tonight. And yet, she couldn't stop her mind from wondering, Why almost? Do you smile often? If not, why?
Yeah, she had to stop this dicey spiral of thoughts before it got her in trouble.
And talked her right out of orgasms.
“Take your pick,” he murmured. Or challenged.
It was low, couched in what could still be considered polite, harmless conversation, but oh yes, it was still a challenge. To see how far she was willing to push it.
Oh Mr. Big, Bearded and Sinful, I've had a shitty two weeks fending off a mentor-turned-octopus. I am angry, have whiskey lighting me up like a UFO sighting and left my last fuck back over the Massachusetts state line. I'm ready to, in the immortal words of Salt-N-Pepa, push it real good.
Not quite tipsy enough to say all that aloud, she finished off the rest of her beer and signaled Maddox for another one. In moments, he replaced her empty with a fresh bottle, his blue gaze running over her face, probably gauging her sobriety. Flo flashed him a smile, letting him know she was fine. Shaking his head, he gave her a small smirk in return then walked off.
“Well, Road's End is a dive bar, so you're pretty much going to get beer, local IPAs and some top-shelf liquor.” She nodded toward his glass. “But if you know people—” she leaned toward him, lowering her voice “—and I know people, you can sometimes get away with fancier drinks.” Another of those almost smiles, and it glimmered in his eyes. God, the sight of that wide, sensual mouth pulled into a full, genuine grin might be more than her poor heart could take.
For a brief moment she'd wanted to see the full Monty of that smile.
She'd changed her mind.
“Rose Bend seems like a small, innocent town but don't let the church steeple fool you. There's Rose Bend After Dark if you know where to look. Or if you want to look.”
A long, silent moment practically pulsed with heat between them. Now she waited to see how far he would push.
“So you're from here?” he asked.
Tilting her head, she lobbed back, “Are you?”
“No.”
Relief streamed through her, and she lifted her beer for a sip to hide her smile. She must've done a terrible job of it, though, because he huffed out a soft chuckle.
“That seems to please you. Now my curiosity won't let me not ask why. Is being a resident of Rose Bend such a crime?”
“Of course not,” she said, adding a shake of her head for emphasis. “This is a great town. Wonderful place to grow up. But small pool for what I want.”
“And that is?”
Nerves tangled in her belly, and that steady, jeweled gaze didn't help. Quite the opposite. It further entangled the liquor-infused bravado. But it also ignited the need already simmering inside her. Stifling the urge to shift on the bar stool, to somehow alleviate the ache setting up a slow, insistent throb between her legs, she met that stare.
“One night. With you.”
📚 Dive in now and experience the magic of The Single Dad Project! 📚
Purchase The Single Dad Project from:
(Affiliated Links Used)
The Rose Bend Series:
Slow Dance at Rose Bend (Book .5) ~ Review
The Road to Rose Bend (Book 1) ~ Review
A Kiss to Remember ( Book 1.5) ~ Review
Christmas in Rose Bend (Book 2) ~ Review
The Husband Situation (Book 4.5) ~ Review
Places to find Naima Simone:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Amazon Author Page | Newsletter | Saints & Sinner Street Team
that was an amazing excerpt
ReplyDelete