Owen

Corporate Raider, Ruthless, Devil in a Three-Piece Suit. As CFO of Steele Conglomerate, I’m all this and worse. My only salvation is a nightly confessional at the altar of Lisa Liu’s bar. So when some d-bag leaves her high and dry, facing single motherhood – I step in—find my absolution. But Lisa doesn’t need rescuing and doesn’t want a Knight in Shining Armor. She wants all the things I can never give her – commitment, marriage, a family. But the more time I spend with Lisa and her daughter Polly, the more I want a shot at heaven.

Lisa

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and that road runs right through Owen Donahue – my biggest mistake I’ll never regret. He wasn’t supposed to be anything more than my favorite regular. But now that he’s pursuing me with the same relentless determination he reserves for corporate takeovers and offering me the moon, I keep saying yes when I should be saying no.

I can never tell Owen what happened the night our drinking game went too far – because the best thing that ever happened to me is the one thing that will make him walk away.

As this book opens we’re taken to the past when Lisa first started working at Danny’s private club, the Whiskey Bar. It’s where Owen, Harrison aka Steele and Stockton hang out and sometimes play a few hands of poker. Owen doesn’t stay out late, he’s still responsible for his underage siblings.

Lisa isn’t taking anything from customers, no matter who they think they are. She does however present his drink to him with a cartoon sketched on it. These are a source of many giggles throughout the book.

This is a favorite scene, before things get spicy.

Oscar is one of the few people I know taller than me, and he’s twice as wide. No one’s getting past him. I hand over my embossed leather medallion with the Whiskey Den logo on it. It’s like this every single time, even though Oscar sees a core group of us nearly every day. Danny doesn’t play favorites, even though he should. My friends and I bought his first still.

Oscar pushes the door wide with a smile. “Good to see you, O. Danny’s got a surprise for you today.”

“Yeah?” My curiosity is piqued. Danny hates surprises, including giving them, but I’ll play along.

“Behind the bar,” Oscar says with a lift of his brows and a nod of his head past the antique boiler that dominates the space. “I think you’ll appreciate it.”

I enter and scan the bottles on either side of the antique mirror centered over the bar, searching for a new bottle of rare vintage of Scotch. But I don’t see anything out of place until my eyes land on a shapely, highly squeezable ass in red leather pants and a black tank top. “Oh, holy shit, what’s this?” I murmur, taking my fill of the view in front of me. “What happened to Maurice?” I ask Danny as he pulls me in for a bro hug.

“Happy Birthday, man. Had a good day?”

It should be the best damn day of my life. Instead, my day has been absolute shit. There’s nothing like having to cancel the biggest acquisition meeting of my career because my baby sister got suspended for telling her chemistry teacher to “Go royally fuck yourself.” She’s only one month into high school and I’m seriously questioning my ability to survive the next four years before I can finally punch my freedom card.

“It just got a helluva lot better.” I lift my chin to the beauty behind the bar, watching avidly as she stands and turns our direction. My mouth dries as I take in her heart-shaped face, full cherry lips and wide dark eyes. Her legs seem to stretch for days which is fine with me, because at 6’7″ I’ve always gravitated toward taller women. She doesn’t look old enough to serve more than Shirley Temples and fuck me for being a full-on perv, but my balls tighten at the thought of tapping that. Especially when I read the white glitter script that says “Bite Me” across her ample chest.

I would bite and lick every inch of those curves. I’d lose my hands in the silky black hair that hangs in a long braid over her shoulder, and when her body was languid from the orgasms I’ve given her, I’d bury myself so deep we both see stars. The image of us with limbs tangled comes so fast and sharp, my throat burns. “Where in the hell did you find her?” I murmur under my breath.

“Connections.”

Of course. Danny may make the best whiskey I’ve ever tried, but his superpower is dealing in information. Somehow, he has minions in the brightest and darkest corners of the city, not unlike his notorious great-grandfather.

Danny’s voice turns dark. “But don’t get any ideas.”

“Why? You tapping that?” I say with more aggression than I intend, embarrassed that my thoughts seem so transparent. I’m already short-tempered thanks to the emotional drama with my little sister and missing out on personally firing the CEO of Air-Nautilus.

“Hey, asshole,” the young woman barks, before Danny can answer. “I don’t care how hot you look in a suit, or how many zeroes you have in your bank account, these” – she points to her tits – “are called breasts and you’ve just used up your free pass to take a look. Eyes up here.”

My eyes jerk to hers and the electric current that runs between us shocks me out of any response. She feels it too, because the contempt in her eyes is replaced with a smolder so hot my skin burns.

Beside me, Danny chuckles.

But I don’t look away. I refuse. I need a win someplace today, and Little Miss Bite Me is sure as hell not going to win the showdown she initiated. I don’t back down in the boardroom, and I sure as hell don’t back down in the bedroom. My payoff comes in the form of delicate pink, kissing the tops of her high-boned cheeks. With a press of her lips she breaks our connection by turning her back.

“And while we’re discussing my breasts,” she calls over her shoulder with a throaty burr in her voice that wasn’t there a moment before. “Let’s get a couple of things straight.”

She grabs the bottle of Macallan 25 and pours a measure into a rocks glass. “I don’t clean house, give massages, play Barbie, call people ‘Daddy’ or engage in other weird fetishes you might have.” Her eyes flash with challenge, daring me to protest. “I don’t like K-pop, my vagina’s no tighter than any other woman’s, and I’m never gonna ‘cure your yellow fever.'” She throws up air quotes. “Understand, pretty boy?” She shoots the glass across the bar with a raised eyebrow.

Pretty boy? I’ve been called a lot of things in my young life but never pretty boy. Ruthless? Check. Devil in a suit? Check. Formidable? Check. Asshole? Overbearing? Three checks, compliments of my sisters. It takes a full second for my tongue to reconnect with my brain. “Don’t worry, princess,” I retort. “The only fetishes I indulge in are the ones my partners request, and I give no shits about the size of your tits. I’m an ass-man. Got it, honey?”

Don’t get me wrong, I love tits, but grabbing a handful of ass while I’m driving into a woman who’s begging me to give her everything? Much more satisfying.

Danny clears his throat with a dry chuckle. “Owen, meet Lisa Liu, my new bar manager and second in command. Lisa, this is Owen Donahue, CFO of Steele Conglomerate and a buddy of mine from Stanford. Go easy on him, it’s his birthday today,” he says with a smirk. “He’s spent the better part of the afternoon trying to keep the headmaster of St. Anne’s from expelling his kid sister.”

Danny of course, finds my family troubles endlessly amusing. Lisa, however, does not. Her eyes condemn me. “Let me guess. Justice was served with a wink and a five-figure check?”

Heat rises through me because that’s pretty much how it went down, and the judgment in her eyes makes my skin tight.

I glare at Danny. “Is she this way with all your members?” I grit, scanning the space until I find my best friends and colleagues. Steele, Stockton, and Mac salute me from the wingbacks in the corner, grinning shamelessly. They’ve heard every word.

Danny’s hand lands on my shoulder in a firm grip and a flinty gaze. “You earned that. And Lisa knows she has my full trust.” Meaning, no amount of snark or insolence that spews from her lips will be disciplined by him.

The initial urge to bite and lick her is replaced by a stronger urge to turn her over my knee and spank her until the sounds coming from her smart mouth turn to moans. I’m spoiling for a fight tonight, and if she wants to bring it, game on. Danny be damned.

I brace my hands on the antique mahogany bar and smile grimly. “Let’s just say the right heads always roll for the right price,” I snap, ready to be done with this day and the disturbing level of attraction her snark has generated.

I’m equal parts frustrated and aroused that she still doesn’t back down. She places her hands on the bar, opposite mine, and leans in, eyes like glowing coals. “Hmm. Funny, I’ve found that a well-placed kick in the balls is much more effective than money at getting the right heads to roll.”

She says it sweetly, with a saccharine smile, but her eyes are still sharp as obsidian. Behind me, I hear Mac chortle. Still holding my gaze, she gently pushes my scotch until the cool crystal bumps my hand. “Enjoy your birthday beverage… Mr. Donahue.” She turns way, dismissing me.

Once again, I’m shocked silent by a bolt of arousal driving straight to my balls at the way the word “mister” rolled off her tongue. I wrap my hand around the glass, holding it so tightly that the edge of the bevels press uncomfortably into my skin. The momentary pain distracts me from the inferno rushing through me. I take a healthy gulp of my scotch and seek out my friends.

“Well?” Steele leans forward, a light in his eyes as I drop into the wingback across from him. “Is there birthday pussy in your future?”
TS Layne. Baby Magnet: A Titans of Tech Novel (Kindle Locations 144-208). Shady Layne Media.

When Lisa finds herself pregnant, she refuses to say who the father is. Danny, Owen, Steele and Stockton take on the role of helping her out. Her child would want for nothing.

As this tale unfolds there are hints as to who the father is, but the father himself is clueless. This is all made worse since Lisa remembers the night, but he doesn’t.

I laughed, cried and sighed a bit too as everything unravels.

5 Contented Purrs for TS!

Tessa Layne

Tessa Layne writes smokin’ hot contemporary cowboy and military romances filled with tenderhearted tough guys and sassy strong women who capture their hearts.She grew up in Colorado in the mountains at the edge of the Great Plains. There, she met her own smokin’ hot Cowboy and they had a whirlwind romance to rival any novel. She believes in Happily Ever Afters, loves fireflies, horses, and breathing clean country air. Her favorite thing to do is to sit on the porch swing with a glass of Rose, listening to her Cowboy pluck his guitar!

Feel free to drop her a line (links below) – She loves to hear from her readers!

The night before fifteen-year-old Jaxon Boyd left for chemo treatment, he made a pact with his best friend and next-door neighbor, Isabella Capizzi. That no matter what happened, through thick and thin, they’d stay best friends forever. And they have – through first loves, breakups, and near-death experiences, their friendship has been the one constant in Jaxon’s life. Until they both cross the line one wild night at a neighbor’s wedding reception. But regardless of the feelings Jaxon harbors for Izzie, he’s determined to stay away – because promises are promises, right? And as much as he could see himself growing old with Izzie, there’s one secret he’s never been able to share with his best friend. Because sharing it would break Izzie’s heart completely.

Isabella Capizzi is tired of waiting. Tired of waiting for her parents to let her take over the family’s ranching business, tired of waiting to become head of the English department at the high school, and definitely tired of waiting for her teenage crush Jaxon Boyd to think of her as more than his childhood BFF. But now that she’s staring down thirty, she wants more for her life than a guy who only sees her as his plus-one.

After a night of too much liquid courage when she may or may not have confessed her feelings to Jax – the details are fuzzy – Izzie decides to take matters into her own hands. She’s leaving Prairie for good – come hell or high water. But her friends… and Jaxon, have other ideas.

Isabella has consistently been disappointed at work, at home and even in her personal life. Passed over for a promotion at the high school, then her parents holding on to the hopes her older brother will return to take over the ranch, and then there’s Jaxson.

Jaxson’s feelings for Isabelle are far deeper than just the friendship they vowed would be forever. He is however not willing to take the relationship further than that. That is until Grace’s wedding.

This is a favorite scene.

Isabella’s cheeks flamed. But that was nothing compared to the inferno raging inside of her. This whole time, Jaxon had been operating with the idea that they’d kissed? Ha. If only. Maybe when he’d left for college and the PBR circuit it would have been easier to let him go, knowing that part of their life was over. Maybe she wouldn’t have been so heartbroken when he’d married someone else. And now he was staring at her like she was a raving lunatic.

“What did you just say?” he asked, eyes narrowing.

This was her out. She could pass it off as too much booze and excitement. But she wanted to kiss him and put this crazy chemistry, this awful longing behind her. It was now or never.

She cleared her throat and clutched the wine bottle a little harder. “I said, kiss me. Right now. Then we can put this all behind us.”

Jackson’s eyes roamed over her, coming back to hers, full of heat and questions. “Are you sure?”

Not remotely, but now that she’d opened Pandora’s Box, she wasn’t about to back down.

“Hell, yes, I’m sure.”

Jaxon stepped closer, stroking a thumb down her cheek. “This won’t change anything, will it?”

A tremor ran down her spine. “How am I supposed to know? You’ve spent the last fifteen years thinking we kissed. We might as well make that reality,” she said with far more bravado than she felt.

“What if something changes between us?”

Isabella’s heart pounded so loudly she could hardly think straight. “I’m not going to stop being your friend, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

He ghosted a smile. “Strangely, I’m not worried about that at all.”

“Then, what are you worried about?” Her voice sounded foreign to her – breathy, expectant.

“That I’ll like it… too much.”

Isabella’s breath caught. Her body tensed in expectation, her apex throbbed insistently. What had she done? Without a doubt, this was going to change everything. There was no avoiding it. “Would that be so bad?” She blurted, then thought better of it. She wasn’t in any condition to handle his rejection with grace. “Never mind,” she said with a wave of her hand. “If you don’t want to… then, that’s fine,” she stuttered on a shallow breath. At least it was dark enough he couldn’t see her flaming cheeks.

His hand came around her neck, hot and firm. “No, Iz. I want very much to kiss you.”

Her heart nearly leaped from her body as he pulled her in, his mouth grazing hers with the slightest of touches. A million sparks lit behind her eyelids as his mouth passed slowly back and forth across hers. His lips were soft as satin, smooth and insistent, and Isabella locked her knees to keep from falling into him. His other hand came to her cheek and her stomach gave a slow, delicious roll as Jaxon slowly deepened the kiss, tongue tentatively seeking hers.

Every nerve in her body went on high alert, and then it was like a match to a fire and the bottle slipped through her fingers, spilling onto the ground. An inferno roared through her, and she surrendered with a moan, clutching his shirt, letting the heat tumble through her in waves. It was too much, and not nearly enough. Kissing Jaxon was everything she’d always imagined and more. This was no chaste kiss given to a best friend. This was the kiss of a man who wanted her – body and soul.

“Oh my god,” she gasped when they separated, breaths coming in ragged gulps.

Jaxon’s eyes were dark and hooded. “Stop talking.” He dropped his head and kissed her again, and again, one hand still at her neck, the other roaming up at down her side, exploring her body and leaving a trail of fire wherever he touched.

His kisses were heaven, filling a place in her heart that had been pining for this for far too long. The sounds of their breathing mixed in with the sounds of the night peepers and the crickets and an owl in the distance. If only time could stand still, and they could remain here untouched by the reality that would inevitably crash in on them. Too soon, it was over.

“Iz,” he murmured when they broke apart a second time, his breathing as labored as her own. “I… we…”

“Don’t say it,” she cautioned, even though she could feel in her bones what was coming.

“You’re the most incredible woman,” he said, thumb stroking her cheek again, as if she were cherished.

She let out a half-hysterical laugh. “It sounds like you’re breaking up with me and I’m not even your girlfriend.”

“I wish you were,” he muttered with an intensity that shocked her. While half of her heart soared at the declaration, the other half cringed at the regret she heard underneath it all.

“Why shouldn’t best friends be together?” she uttered, heart in her throat. “You know me better than anyone. Why wouldn’t we be perfect together?”

He kissed her forehead, and although he hadn’t yet said the words, her heart sank. “Because I’m broken, Iz. I can’t be with anyone. If we…” Jaxon inhaled sharply. “I’d break you, and I couldn’t live with myself if I did that.”
Tessa Layne. Ride Fast: A Roughstock Riders Novel (Kindle Locations 528-568). Shady Layne Media.

The big thing about this book is Jaxson’s inability to confide his issues. In spite of the insane attraction between him and Isabelle, he repeatedly denies them both the happiness they deserve.

It takes a lot of ups and downs, laughter and tears, even a bit of family drama for these two to get it together.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

5 Contented Purrs for Tessa!

  Tessa Layne

Tessa Layne writes smokin’ hot contemporary cowboy and military romances filled with tenderhearted tough guys and sassy strong women who capture their hearts.She grew up in Colorado in the mountains at the edge of the Great Plains. There, she met her own smokin’ hot Cowboy and they had a whirlwind romance to rival any novel. She believes in Happily Ever Afters, loves fireflies, horses, and breathing clean country air. Her favorite thing to do is to sit on the porch swing with a glass of Rose, listening to her Cowboy pluck his guitar!

Feel free to drop her a line (links below) – She loves to hear from her readers!

Stockton

As the CTO of Steele Conglomerate, I work hard, and play harder, if you catch my meaning. I – and the ladies – like it that way.

My mother has other ideas.

For the last six years, she’s been trying to marry me off – because it’s time for grandchildren. She’s even started dropping by my office with prospects — on a daily basis.

But I’m going to beat her at her own game. Not only am I going to convince her I’m getting married, I’m going to pick the last woman my mother would ever choose for me… my crazy, inappropriate-for-me-in-every-way assistant, Penelope Fischer — Penny.

What could possibly go wrong?

Penny

I am So. Over. Stockton Ford.

Just because he’s the hottest bachelor in Kansas City with the biggest wallet does not make him all that.

I should know. Not only do I spend night and day helping him fight cyber bad guys and generally being his Girl Friday, I’m tasked with managing his personal life – his mother, his girlfriends… you get the picture.

So yeah, I’m done. Done giving into that megawatt smile, the mischievous twinkle in his eye, and the pleading tone in his voice that somehow I can’t resist.

I’m quitting.

Today.

Until he makes me an offer I can’t refuse, and I say yes for all the wrong reasons.

It’s been four years since Penny became part of Steele Conglomerate and she plans on quitting, today. She’s done with Stockton and his women and his mother interrupting the work day. She has an offer in California and she’s taking it. At least that’s what she thinks…

We learn how she came to be an employee which in itself is unusual, but with her skills and intelligence totally understandable. We learn of Stockton’s involvement with that and also he’d been attracted to her even then.

Stockton has mother problems, she keeps showing up at the office with ‘acceptable’ woman for him to take to lunch. He needs a break from the string of women he isn’t interested in. The idea he has seems perfect but the way he does it leaves much to be desired. His mother with a new woman in tow, the woman he’s been seeing all collected in the reception area get to hear his announcement at the same time as Penny. They are engaged, and while she’s fuming she plays along until they leave. Then the negotiations begin, they were awesome. However the event they need to attend and the ring he buys for her that fills the bill on expensive and gaudy is priceless.

This is just one of my favorite scenes.

She turns to me, eyes filled with concern. “This is bad, isn’t it? That we can’t talk about anything besides work?”

“Relax, Penny. We’re not dating. And we like our work.”

A shadow flickers across her pale features. “But we are… dating, I mean. We’re supposed to be engaged. Which means I should know what color your underwear is, and what order you eat your breakfast, and whether or not you hate mustard on your hotdog at the ballpark.”

“You know that one,” I remind her dryly.

“Right. Everything. Like a Chicago dog. But the rest?” She eyes me with something close to panic. “What kind of coffee maker do you have?” Her brows knit together and she skewers me with a wild-eyed glare. “Don’t you dare leave me alone with your mother until we’ve discussed all this.”

I reach over and cover her hand. “You’ll do just fine, Penny.” Touching her like this takes me back to the only other night we’ve ever been together socially. My heart lurches at the memory. That night… changed everything. “I promise, I won’t abandon you.”

She sucks in a shaky breath and squeezes my hand. I like it. Far too much. The car slows and pulls into a long line of vehicles waiting to drop off their VIPs at the front of the building. I reach into my suit pocket. “I almost forgot. Will this do?” I pull out a small velvet box and open it so she can see the ring inside.

Her gasp dissolves into a giggle. “Ohmygod, you didn’t.”

My answering grin is all the confirmation she needs.

“Oh my god that is hideous and glorious. I love it.” She reaches for the ring, and my chest puffs at her reaction. More than it should, because this is just a transaction.

I pull the ring from the case. “Hold out your hand,” I say, voice suddenly rough.

It’s just pretend.

This is all just pretend.

But it feels strangely normal, putting a ring that by any other standards would be considered ugly as fuck on Penny’s hand. And when I slide it on her third finger, my chest pulls tight. But before I can think too much about it, she pulls her hand back and surveys the way the facets catch the light. The center stone is a one-and-a-half carat pink heart-shaped diamond, flanked by clear diamonds and set in rose gold. The band is titanium inlaid with alternating pink and white diamonds. It’s expensive enough she should have security but gaudy enough it looks like vintage costume jewelry. And on Penny’s hand, it’s apropos.

Her husky laugh ripples through the space. “This is perfect. I love it.”

Our car rolls to a stop, and I wait for Edward to come around and open our door. I step out, then turn around to help Penny. Touching her hand sends electricity racing up my arm and my heart pounds a little harder. I lace my fingers through hers and lean down. “I only drink coffee at the office. I drink an energy shake on the way to our team’s early morning workouts. And I don’t cook.”

At the top of the stairs, we step into the line of guests waiting to enter and I pull the invitation from my jacket pocket. I can feel the tension radiating off Penny, and I give her hand a squeeze. “There’s a photographer from Kansas City Magazine just inside, taking pictures of the guests. Then we can grab drinks and go find my mother.”

Penny’s smile tightens. “Oh joy.”

“It will only be for a few minutes. She’ll want to circulate before the dinner portion.”

“What’s this all for again?”

“Every year the Forde Family Foundation sponsors a class of debutantes-“

“You’re kidding me.” I huff out a quiet laugh. “Not at all. It’s a tradition that goes back to the fifties. You’re marrying into old money, Penny.”

She wrinkles her nose, scowling. “Isn’t this a lot like dressing up sheep before they’re led to the slaughter? I mean, where are the male debutantes? This is all about parading pretty young women around so they can catch wealthy older husbands.”

“Maybe that’s what it used to be, but every woman here is headed off to college and will receive a four-year scholarship from us.”

“And how many of them actually need it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean just that. How many of these women come from single-parent households? Or wouldn’t make it to college except with the help of your family’s scholarships? How many of these women attended Lincoln Prep?”

I open my mouth to protest, then promptly shut it. She’s absolutely right and I don’t like how it sits with me. The young women who will be honored here tonight come from the most prestigious high schools across the metro. Their families can afford to send them anywhere. “It’s not like that,” I finish lamely, knowing that’s exactly how it is.

Her scowl turns into a glare. “You’re throwing money at young women who don’t need it. Way to go, big guy. Pat yourself on the shoulder.” She shakes her head in disgust but before I can formulate a strong counter-argument, we step onto the red carpet.
Tessa Layne. O Magnet: A Titans of Tech Novel (Kindle Locations 661-702). Shady Layne Media.

The shock value of her ring combined with the snooty friends of Stockton’s mother, has the snark just oozing from Penny.

The thing that these two take a lot of time to realize is they are perfect for each other. They might deny it but they have been flirting since day one. We get some glimpses into the past and learn much about Penny and her mother as well.

I laughed through much of this book, although I did breakdown into tears as well. The chemistry between Stockton and Penny is palpable and the heat between them sizzles off the pages.

I’m looking forward to the next book in this series ‘Baby Magnet’!

5 Contented Purrs for Tessa!

Tessa Layne

Tessa Layne writes smokin’ hot contemporary cowboy and military romances filled with tenderhearted tough guys and sassy strong women who capture their hearts.She grew up in Colorado in the mountains at the edge of the Great Plains. There, she met her own smokin’ hot Cowboy and they had a whirlwind romance to rival any novel. She believes in Happily Ever Afters, loves fireflies, horses, and breathing clean country air. Her favorite thing to do is to sit on the porch swing with a glass of Rose, listening to her Cowboy pluck his guitar!

Feel free to drop her a line (links below) – She loves to hear from her readers!

Movie star Trace McBride is in a bit of trouble. More than a bit. He’s taken his bad-boy image too far, too many times, and when he gets arrested for skinny dipping in his producer’s pool – with his producer’s wife, it’s the last straw. His agent comes up with a plan to revamp Trace’s image – by going incognito for a cowboy movie on location – far away from the prying eyes of the Hollywood tabloids. Spending six months in the middle of nowhere sounds like an awful idea, until he runs into Cecilia Sanchez. Literally. Trace is irresistibly drawn to the nosy, sarcastic journalist, even though getting close to her is more than risky- it’s downright dangerous.

Investigative journalist Cecilia Sanchez is one good story away from getting out of the backwater town where she grew up. Forced to return home when her first big-city job backfires – note to self, it’s never a good idea to write an exposé your boss, even if it’s Pulitzer Prize-winning material – she’s determined to put Prairie on the map for something besides rodeos and tornadoes. CiCi is definitely not interested in cocky newcomer Trace, and doesn’t believe a word out of his sweet-talking mouth, but she can’t seem to resist his kisses.

When CiCi uncovers the story of a lifetime, she’s forced to confront her feelings for Trace, because letting the cat out of the bag this time might cost them both everything. Including each other.

Cecilia ‘CiCi’ Sanchez has what she knows is one of the best articles she’s written as an investigative journalist. Unfortunately for her, the people she’s outing want it stopped. So instead of praise she gets fired. Not knowing what else to do she heads home to Prairie. Her mother and grandmother are traveling so she’ll have the house to herself at least until Christmas. Plenty of time to decide what she wants to do going forward.

Trace McBride is in big trouble and in order to salvage his career he’s heading to Prairie to work on Resolution Ranch. Incognito of course because they don’t want or need the paparazzi running all over the place. When he starts getting antsy, Sterling suggests trying Rough Stock Riding School. This really appeals to Trace, he’s always wanted to ride a bull and he’s been watching Travis’ son Dax practicing. Now while he’s supposed to be keeping a low profile, he also craves interaction with people. It’s after he’s had breakfast at Dottie’s Diner that he literally runs into Cici. Well her car anyway.

This is just a part of the conversation that ensues and a favorite scene.

“Did you even hear what I said?” Her voice quivered with outrage, and two pink streaks flushed her cheekbones.

He tossed her a crooked grin, knowing his comment would trigger a reaction. “Something about a train station?”

She scowled and huffed, right on cue. “You have a lot of nerve, you know that?”

He arched a brow. “Oh? Tell me more.” She growled at his flip response. Trace pressed his lips together to keep from laughing outright.

CiCi rolled her eyes and extended a tiny hand. “Give me your insurance so I can take a picture while we wait.”

Shit. His identification had his real name.

Trace widened his stance. “Sorry. No can do.”

She crossed her arms, eyes widening in disbelief. “Excuse me?”

He lifted a shoulder. “You heard me, no can do.” Weston couldn’t get here fast enough. If she saw his real name, the paps would be crawling all over Prairie by dinner. He just needed to keep her distracted long enough for Weston to arrive, then his secret was safe.

“Whyever not?”

Something an old acting coach said years ago popped into his head. Make the choice that raises the stakes. “I’m not the one at fault.” He drew a finger down her nose and tapped the tip. “I need your insurance, sweetheart.” Sure enough, he could practically see the steam pouring from her ears.

Her eyes burned like two black coals. “Oh like hell you do. You hit me.”

“Says who?”

“Says me. And what makes you think Weston’s going to believe you? I’m the one who lives here.”

“Oh really?” He walked around to her demolished back end. “Plates say Illinois.”

“Well I do… now,” she added, almost sheepishly.

“So do I.” He might have dragged out the words a little too long. Just to see how she reacted next. He wasn’t disappointed.

CiCi scowled and stepped forward. “You’re a damned liar. Your plates say California. And this… getup?” She waved her hands. “You’re no cowboy. Real cowboys don’t prance around in designer jeans and custom-tailored shirts. You look like you bought this getup on Rodeo Drive, not Anders’ Feed ‘n Seed.”

She had a good eye, he’d give her that. Sterling might have raised an eyebrow at his choice of clothing when he first showed up, but he’d proven himself to be a hard worker, which is what mattered to those guys. “I think the only one prancing is you.” His gaze slowly slid down her body, fully appreciating the way she filled out her very proper pencil skirt, before landing on her silver high-heeled sandals. Shoes like that belonged in Beverly Hills, not here in the sticks. “You’re no cowgirl either, sweetheart-“

“Stop calling me that.”

He grinned broadly. He’d bested her alright and damn, it had been fun. He lifted an eyebrow in challenge. “Make me.”

Her eyes snapped and the air between them charged. Trace’s nerve endings lit up in anticipation. She was either going to smack him or kiss him. He half-hoped it was the latter. Without meaning to, but unable to stop himself, he dropped his gaze to her mouth, mesmerized. Her lower lip was plump, perfect for nipping, and up close, it was the most beautiful shade of pink he’d ever seen. He shouldn’t, couldn’t, but damn, he wanted. He leaned in, unable to resist, barely registering her sharp intake of breath. Arousal curled through him, stirring low in his belly. A flash of pink tongue darting out to slick lips turned the fire in his veins up a notch while buzzing filled his ears to the point of dizziness. Jeezus he ached for the tiniest taste of this forbidden fruit.

Behind them a throat cleared. “Something I can help with?” Weston Tucker asked.

They both stepped back, startled. Shit. That had been a close call. What had he been thinking? Trace snuck a gaze her direction and bit back a smile as CiCi concentrated on the gravel while she quickly smoothed her skirt, cheeks bright pink.

“I hope so,” she answered Weston brusquely, all business. “This… person here,” she waved his direction. “Hit my car… there.” She gestured toward her wreck of a car. “And now he won’t turn over his insurance.”

“That’s not how it happened,” Trace argued. “She hit me.”

Weston stepped over to the vehicles, peered inside the shattered window, then walked around to the front of Trace’s truck. “Can I have both your driver’s licenses and insurance?” Trace had to hand it to Weston. The guy was unflappable, the perfect Chief of Police.

“Of course.” CiCi reached into her vehicle, skirt tightening against a perfectly heart-shaped ass as a silver shoe left the ground for balance. For a split second Trace had a view of shapely legs disappearing into dark recesses. His cock chubbed up and Trace turned away, looking skyward. Anywhere but at her. It wouldn’t help his case if he shamelessly ogled, and it would be ten times worse if Weston caught him like this. “But I don’t know why you need mine,” she answered, still straining to reach the glove box. “Like I said-“

“Standard procedure, CiCi. Nothing to be concerned about,” Weston assured her with his hand outstretched.

Trace returned to his truck and dug around in his glovebox until he found his insurance, then handed both his license and the paper to Weston. Without an upward glance, Weston examined both sets of identification. “Walker, your license is expired.”

“Wait, what?”

“You heard me. You’ve been driving with a license that’s three months out of date.”

Behind him, CiCi snickered.

Weston pulled out a ticket pad and started writing. “I’m going to have to fine you. You’ll need to go to the DMV tomorrow and get a new license.”

He handed Trace the ticket. Trace glanced down, then scraped a hand across his mouth to keep from smiling. What he held was no ticket, but a note from Weston. Smooth move dumbass. Stop by the station tomorrow and I’ll have a new ID for you. Trace cleared his throat and jammed the ticket into his pocket. He’d been to enough Sunday dinners with Travis and Sterling to understand that Weston still had deep connections with off-grid organizations. If he thought about it too hard, it was a little freaky, but right now he was too relieved to be anything but grateful.

“But what about my car?” CiCi interjected.

“Want me to have it towed down to the body shop?” Weston offered. “I can make the call.”

“I’ll pay for it,” Trace offered quickly. “The repairs, too. No harm, no foul?” Although her car looked so old it probably wasn’t worth fixing. Hell, he could buy her a new Volvo and not miss the money.

CiCi’s eyes narrowed. “So now you want to help? What gives?” Her eyes darted between the two men and her mouth pulled down. “You’re all bluster until Weston shows up and writes you a ticket. What’s he have on you?”

Shit. He looked over to Weston for guidance. What was he supposed to say now? Weston barely shook his head. “Take it easy on Trace, CiCi. He’s new to town and still learning how we do things here. Let him help you.”

CiCi crossed her arms, eyes still flicking between them, toe of her right foot tapping like a machine gun. She clearly wasn’t having it. “Why?”

“Because he’s volunteering out at Resolution Ranch, that’s why,” Weston shot back. “You know the vetting our volunteers go through. He’s not trying to yank your chain.”
Tessa Layne. Ride Rough: A Roughstock Riders Novel (Kindle Locations 516-578). Shady Layne Media.

In spite of all the warning signs, CiCi finds she can’t resist Trace. He actually takes care of her. She’s never had that from anyone other than family. She’s still got her doubts but he does convince her to give him a real chance. The chemistry these two have will practically melt your kindle when they hit the sheets.

Trace knows he has to reveal his true identity but knowing she’s a journalist he just can’t bring himself to do it. He keeps everything he tells her the truth as far as he can. It will come out though and the way it does, well you have to read it for yourself.

This books was so much fun. With the rodeo and all the characters from the other Prairie, Flint Hills books it was like a homecoming. I can’t wait to read the next book in this new series.

5 Contented Purrs for Tessa!

  Tessa Layne

Tessa Layne writes smokin’ hot contemporary cowboy and military romances filled with tenderhearted tough guys and sassy strong women who capture their hearts.She grew up in Colorado in the mountains at the edge of the Great Plains. There, she met her own smokin’ hot Cowboy and they had a whirlwind romance to rival any novel. She believes in Happily Ever Afters, loves fireflies, horses, and breathing clean country air. Her favorite thing to do is to sit on the porch swing with a glass of Rose, listening to her Cowboy pluck his guitar!

Feel free to drop her a line (links below) – She loves to hear from her readers!

When disgraced bull rider Ty Sloane agreed to take a job as foreman at Falcon Ridge Ranch, he didn’t count on having to share his job or his cabin with twenty-one-year-old rising star barrel racer Maybelle Johnson. She tests his patience by day and drives him to distraction by night, but she’s off limits—too young and innocent for the likes of an ex-con like him.

As far as Maybelle is concerned, Ty Sloane can go jump in a lake. The cocky bull rider is a thorn in her side, both at the ranch and on the road. But he makes her feel things no man has ever made her feel, and as she learns about his past, she can’t help but develop a soft spot for him.

When trouble finds Maybelle on the rodeo circuit, Ty puts it all on the line for the sweet young woman who’s captured his heart, even though it may cost him his freedom.

I love Prairie and the Flint Hills, the characters created by Tessa Layne are very real and bring out so many emotions.

This book opens with preparation for Lexi and Jarrod’s wedding, before the ceremony the ranch is business as usual. Teddy Grace has hired cousin Maybelle to be foreman on his ranch. He’d had a hard time trying to find someone dedicated and capable to fill the position, and Maybelle has all that and more.

Teddy had also asked Colton Kincaid for assistance finding someone, and signals just got crossed big time.

Ty Sloane is being released from prison after serving time for assault. Although he was protecting a woman at the time, she changed her story resulting in his incarceration. When he’s granted parole he’s very surprised to see Colton waiting for him. They are the source of the new position as foreman of Falcon Ridge Ranch and Ty is happy to accept. They also have a part-time position in mind for him with their Bull-Riding school.

Arriving at the ranch, Colt drops Ty off at the foreman’s cabin and heads off to find Teddy.

This is a favorite scene.

This had to be some kind of a joke. Back on the circuit they’d been generous with their pranks. And Colt was a master. Reaching for his phone, he shot off a text to Colt.

Are you punking me?

Dots appeared on his screen, then a message. No?

Is someone staying here? Ty texted back in a hurry.

Colton’s answer came quickly. Cabin’s been empty for ages. If there’s stuff you don’t want, put it outside, we can take care of it later.

“Huh.” Ty shook his head, glancing about the cabin again. Seemed awful prissy for him, but Colt had mentioned one of the Grace sisters had lived in the cabin previously. Nevertheless, the cabin was his now, and that pink shit was going. He glanced down at the pile of very feminine clothing at his feet. Whoever lived here before must have been in a hurry to leave. “No wonder.” He scooped up the filthy clothes and tossed them on the porch. “The color’s enough to give you indigestion.”

He beelined for the sofa and pulled off the blankets spread across the back, ignoring their plush softness and the fresh-as-spring scent. He was too used to industrial cleaners and the smell of bleach permeating everything. The curtains were less cooperative. Whoever had hung them had obviously decided they weren’t coming down, ever. But they were, and as he gave a strong yank, the hardware pulled loose from the wall. Ty let out a startled grunt as he lost his purchase, dropping to the floor with a curse and coming face to face with an enormous white, fluffy, and very angry cat, who yowled and hissed as it scrambled away.

Alarm bells sounded in Ty’s head. What in the hell was a cat doing in here? He stood, dusting himself off again, and shot off another text to Colt. Does the cat come with the cabin? He wasn’t a pet kind of guy, let alone a white, fluffy cat kind of guy. But beggars couldn’t be choosers either, so he’d make do.

“H-hello?” a distinctly feminine voice asked.

Ty froze.

“Hello?” the voice asked again, more firmly.

He turned toward the voice as a vision wrapped in a white towel stepped from what must be the bathroom, wielding a plunger like a baseball bat. His heart gave one enormous thud, then paused, suspended somewhere between shock and awe. She was a tiny thing, probably just over five feet in his estimation, with wide blue eyes the color of a mountain sky, a round face flushed pink, and a plump lower lip. Her towel covered full breasts — barely — and skimmed the top of long shapely legs. He half-wondered where she was hiding her wings, because surely no earthly being could be so perfect. Except for the scowl that pulled down her mouth, and the flash in her eye. And the plunger. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but he got the message loud and clear. He wasn’t welcome.

In spite of that, he couldn’t stop staring. An odd sensation rippled through him, so foreign, he barely recognized it for what it was. But when the energy balled low in his belly, a forgotten part of his brain snapped back to life. The sensation only intensified when the beauty in front of him spoke. “Who are you and what are you doing in my cabin?”

Her sweet southern lilt that was at once haughty and husky resonated in his bones. The old Ty would have turned on the charm, disarmed her with a grin, and sweet-talked the towel off in no time, in order to sample the garden of earthly delights and bring them both to the climax they both wanted. And it was clear she wanted. He didn’t miss the quick flash of desire in her eyes, or the way her gaze raked over his body. But he’d lost his taste for buckle bunnies. He was different now. Three years locked up and too much time to reflect changed a man. He was turning over a new leaf, making the most of his chance here at Falcon Ridge, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to blow it minutes into his first day. “I could ask the same of you,” he growled.

He’d touched a nerve. He could see it in the way she drew herself up and stared up her nose at him, as if she were some kind of a schoolmarm, instead of a sweet young thing, ripe for the picking. “I’m the foreman here, and it seems that you’ve dumped my clothes on the porch. Can you kindly put them back?”

She was the foreman? Something territorial sprang from inside him. He wasn’t going to give up his one chance to redeem himself to some young thing who sought to put him in his place. “Like hell you are,” he rumbled. “I’m the foreman here, and you’re trespassing in my cabin.”

“Trespassing?” she sputtered, taking a step closer and tightening her grip on the plunger. “Trespassing?” she asked again, voice quivering with indignation. “If anyone’s trespassing, it’s you. And it’s time for you to leave.”

He shook his head. “No can do, sweetheart.” He stepped forward, not enough to scare her, but just enough to make his point. “I’ll give you five minutes to get yourself dressed and skedaddle back to wherever you came from. Unless…” he paused, mouth twitching. “You prefer to vacate the premises in your… err… current attire.” His eyes swept over her, lingering at her curves. She was a beauty, no doubt about it. Young and lush, and he’d bet the ten bucks in his pocket — cotton candy sweet.

“What in tarnation is going on here?”

Ty whirled at the voice in time to see Teddy Grace burst through the door with Colton hot on his heels. Behind him, the plunger clattered to the floor. “That’s what I’d like to know,” he retorted. “Sir.”

“Uncle Teddy, he says he’s foreman,” she responded with a hint of a pout and a jerk of her head his direction.

Uncle Teddy? Lightning strike him dead for thinking even one of the x-rated thoughts that had ricocheted through his head. If she was Teddy’s niece, she was definitely off-limits.

Colton cleared his throat, eyes darting back and forth between them. “Seems like there’s been a bit of a miscommunication.”

Ty arched a brow. “Oh?”

“I’ll say there was,” interjected Teddy’s niece, stepping up next to him. Ty caught a whiff of vanilla, and something else delicious. It reminded him of summer, of long lazy days and warm sunshine. His chest gave a sharp squeeze.
Teddy shuffled his feet, looking like he swallowed a porcupine. “I ah… didn’t realize that Colt had found someone. I gave the job to Maybelle.”

Disappointment crashed through Ty, but he wasn’t about to let anyone notice. He needed to come up with a contingency plan, and fast. Maybe there was another ranch that would take him. Maybe he could be a line cook at one of the restaurants. Surely, there had to be something else for him? Dread pooled in his belly. What if there wasn’t? What if no one would take him? Heat rose up through his middle, then his spine and crawled over his scalp. He shot a look Colton’s way. Maybe he should have gone back to Steamboat Springs after all.

Colt cleared his throat. “We can work something out, don’tcha think?”

Teddy removed his hat and dragged a hand across the top of his head. “‘ Spose so. Lord knows I could use an extra set of hands.”

“Great!” Colt rubbed his hands together, a look of relief passing across his face. “It’s all settled then.”

“Not so fast,” Teddy said with a shake of his head. “Where’s Ty gonna sleep?”
Tessa Layne. Ride Hard: A Roughstock Riders Novel (Kindle Locations 241-298). Shady Layne Media.

Now working with Maybelle was one thing, but she’s also a barrel racer. There are rumors circulating about her trailer that have Ty’s hackles up.

Sharing the cabin with it’s two bedrooms starts to become a challenge as Ty and Maybelle find themselves heading into something other than just co-workers.

This is a fun read, with romance, new beginnings, some suspense and just the right amount of sizzle.

I can’t wait to see who Tessa writes about next in this new series set in the Flint Hills.

5 Contented Purrs for Tessa!

  Tessa Layne

Tessa Layne writes smokin’ hot contemporary cowboy and military romances filled with tenderhearted tough guys and sassy strong women who capture their hearts.She grew up in Colorado in the mountains at the edge of the Great Plains. There, she met her own smokin’ hot Cowboy and they had a whirlwind romance to rival any novel. She believes in Happily Ever Afters, loves fireflies, horses, and breathing clean country air. Her favorite thing to do is to sit on the porch swing with a glass of Rose, listening to her Cowboy pluck his guitar!

Feel free to drop her a line (links below) – She loves to hear from her readers!

Let’s get one thing straight. I love pu$$y. Effin’. Love. It.

Call me shallow, call me a perv, call me a cocky bastard, but the reason I know there’s a heaven is because God made women.

Because no matter who a woman is, a ball-buster in the courtroom or a flower child at an Avitt Brothers concert, I have the keys to their kingdom, and they all want it.

Until Mariah Sanchez – aka Sparky

She wants me.

I can feel it. I can smell it. But for nine months, sixteen days, twelve hours and forty-seven minutes she’s had my “you know what” in irons. Worse, my mouth and my fingers, too. Locked up in an invisible prison of my own making. And because I’m a stupid idiot, the only person I can blame for my predicament is me.

But that’s about to change…

I’m not sure what I expected when I started reading this book. I do know I wasn’t expecting commentary chapters from the point of view of Harrison Steele’s penis. I burst out laughing when I read that first chapter heading.

Steele is part of a rowing crew, Mariah Sanchez is the Cox Swain, the person who calls the shots so to speak. She is the captain, she navigates and directs the crew.

Their Crew is a winning one and after a particularly interesting celebration, Mariah challenges Steele in a most interesting way, celibacy.

This is a favorite scene.

I press my advantage. “I may not know what your favorite ice-cream is, or how you got the scar above your left eyebrow, but I know how to make you pant until you think you’re going to die from the wanting, and I sure as hell know how to make you shout my name. And while we’re at it — you don’t know me either. So who’s the bigger asshole?”

She rolls her lips together, and for a split second I think she might close the distance between us and kiss me. But it passes as she grins like I just made a deal with the devil. “I think I just made my point.”

I cross my arms. “And what is that?”

She arches a brow. “I’d bet all the money in my bank account that you can’t go without sex in the name of getting to know someone. Or letting someone get to know you.”

“Like hell I can’t,” I growl, chest growing tight at her accusation.

The corner of her mouth curls up. “Yeah? Prove it.”

“I will go without sex as long as it takes wipe that superior looking expression off your face.”

My insult misses the mark, because she snickers and grins broadly. “One. Year.”

Motherfucker.

I swallow and keep my face carefully neutral. I haven’t gone without sex for more than a few weeks since I lost my virginity to Lara Niedermeyer when I was seventeen.

“Still think you can do it?” she taunts.

I’ll be damned if I let Sparky get the better of me. “Fuck, yes. In fact, if I can’t, I’ll quadruple the money in your bank account. Hell, I’ll make it a million.” How hard can it be, really? I have enough zeroes in my bank account that I won’t miss a mil, not that I plan on letting her best me.

“That’s big talk from a guy with your reputation.”

“And what exactly is my reputation? What did you call me last night? A pussy magnet?”

Her cheeks flush deep red. “Well, you are,” she mutters, dropping her eyes.

I lean forward. So close I can smell last night’s soap on her skin. “And with good reason,” I say, voice dropping to seductive levels as a very wicked thought enters my head. “And when I win this stupid wager, you’re going to give me something in return.”

“And what is that?” she asks a little breathlessly.

“One. Night.”
Tessa Layne. Pu$$y Magnet: A Titans of Tech Novel (Kindle Locations 324-343). Shady Layne Media.

As this challenge plays out, Steele finds himself more and more attracted to ‘Sparky’. She is very off limits because she is part of the Crew.

Interestingly enough, in spite of his randy reputation, Sparky find herself falling for Steele.

I laughed a lot in this book, the penis commentary is hilarious. The romantic tension fun, and the outcome perfect!

I can’t wait to read the ‘downfall’ of the next lusty member of this Crew.

5 Contented Purrs for Tessa!

Tessa Layne

Tessa Layne writes smokin’ hot contemporary cowboy and military romances filled with tenderhearted tough guys and sassy strong women who capture their hearts.She grew up in Colorado in the mountains at the edge of the Great Plains. There, she met her own smokin’ hot Cowboy and they had a whirlwind romance to rival any novel. She believes in Happily Ever Afters, loves fireflies, horses, and breathing clean country air. Her favorite thing to do is to sit on the porch swing with a glass of Rose, listening to her Cowboy pluck his guitar!

Feel free to drop her a line (links below) – She loves to hear from her readers!

All’s fair in love and war…
Including dropping your pants.

When a special election is called after Prairie’s mayor has died, newcomer Jarrod O’Neill finds himself pitted against Prairie’s homegrown environmentalist Lexi Grace.

Fresh off a stint from lobbying in Washington DC, Lexi returns to Prairie only to discover corporate interests and her biggest enemy threatening to develop the land she loves.

As the dividing lines are drawn, Lexi and Jarrod discover the fireworks they experience in public lead to earth shattering explosions in the bedroom. And while they fight for Prairie’s future, will they be able to put their differences aside long enough to fight for their love?

Oh how I love this series and this book is another one to love.

As this book opens, Jamie’s brother Jarrod O’Neill has come to Prairie for his niece Fiona’s Christening. Only there’s a wedding first, Caro Grace is getting married and Jamie is catering the affair. This is the perfect time for Jarrod to help with the baby and tease one opposing council, Alexis Grace.

Jarrod met Alexis in Washington DC where they are both high-power attorneys, but he hadn’t really put together that she was one of the Grace family in Prairie. Now that he has he is more than looking forward to crashing this wedding.

This is a favorite scene.

Blake Sinclaire met him as he stepped out from where he’d parked the car behind the Grace’s barn. “Good to see you again, Jarrod. You here for long?”

He shook his head as he clasped Blake’s hand. “Just for the baptism tomorrow.”

“I know Jamey’s thrilled you’re here. She said to meet her in the kitchen for uncle duty.” Blake waved up at the old farm-house. “If the ladies kick you out, we’ll be on the porch with Scotch and cigars.”

“You know I only drink the Irish stuff.”

“Brodie brought Jamey’s bottle of 12-year Redbreast, we’ve got you covered,” Blake called after him as he made his way to the gracious porch that wrapped around the perimeter of the Grace house.

Nobody paid him any attention as he slipped inside and followed the sounds of ladies’ voices to the kitchen. “There you are,” Jamey said, cheeks pink. “I just changed her diaper, you can sit over there.” She waved to a chair in the corner, and lowered her voice. “Dottie’s… stressed,” she said, saying far more with her eyebrows than her words. “I need to take the lead or she’s gonna have a heart attack.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll hang in the corner and recite the Constitution to Fiona.”

But Jamey had already sailed across to the far side of the kitchen to instruct a group of women on how to place finger sandwiches.

Fiona’s eyes fluttered open and she stared up at him. Jarrod’s heart leaped to his throat. It was like she knew him. He drew a finger across her satin cheek. He’d never felt skin so smooth. “Well, hi there, sweet pea. I’m your Uncle J. Are you lookin’ for your mama? She’s over there doing what she does best — bossing people around.” He lowered his voice. “But don’t tell her I said that. She’s also the best chef I’ve ever met, and you’re lucky to—”

“Jarrod?”

He knew that voice, and the flashing hazel eyes and plump red mouth that went with it. And the lovely dark hair he fantasized about yanking from the confines of its low bun, and running his fingers through. The long legs made even more shapely by nude stilettos, and perfectly tailored suits in a rainbow of neutrals and power colors. Alexis Grace stood before him in the flesh.

His eyes jerked up, gaze tangling with hers, but he was utterly unprepared for the stampede of wildebeests that seeing her like this would unleash. She was, in a word, captivating. Soft. Sensuous. Hair hanging past her shoulders in long, loose waves, and held out of her face with a flower tucked behind an ear. He’d never seen her in anything but a suit. She always dressed for success, even at legal mixers, and it had served her well, landing her a place at a competing law firm in D.C.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed, looking over her shoulder as if being seen talking with him would get her in trouble.

He took his time perusing her figure. The dress she wore was the color of the first kiss of dawn, a pale, peachy pink that brought out the rose in her cheeks and highlighted her porcelain skin. But it was the way the dress clung to her curves that made his blood heat and a shock of awareness sizzle through him. This was a dress that begged to be slowly peeled away, exposing a creamy expanse of luscious curves that were meant to be caressed, worshipped. Jarrod’s mouth went dry as vision upon vision flashed through his brain.

For a long moment, he forgot his sole purpose in crashing the wedding was the hope that he could mess with Alexis. A slow smile crooked the corner of his mouth up as her cheeks darkened. “Hello, Kansas.”

His use of her nickname achieved the desired effect. She scowled, cheeks flaming brighter. “Don’t call me that,” she whispered harshly, eyes growing wide.

Jarrod bit back a chuckle. “Nice to see you, too, counselor.”

“Don’t call me that either.”

“I knew it.” He snapped his fingers pointing upward. “You prefer babe.” He swore she growled as her face screwed up and she directed a scathing glare his way. He fucking loved that glare.

“You. Are. Impossible,” she grumbled, spinning on a heel and hurrying out of the kitchen, dress swishing behind her.

He looked down at the baby gurgling in his arms. “Round one to Uncle Jarrod,” he said with a grin. Yep, this wedding would be just the kind of diversion he needed before heading back to D.C.
Tessa Layne. Prairie Bliss: A Cowboys of the Flint Hills Novel (Kindle Locations 126-160). Shady Layne Media.

Things go awry after Jarrod wins his case against Alexis. With a family tragedy he decides to take a sabbatical and spend some time with Jamie in Prairie.

On the other hand Alexis had been fired after losing the high profile case and she was back in Prairie to re-evaluate her life.

Little did they know they would not only be clashing in the bedroom but also in the political arena. Running for mayor on some interesting platforms.

I laughed, cried, fanned myself and totally enjoyed every page of this book. What a great election!

5 Contented Purrs for Tessa!

Tessa Layne

Tessa Layne writes smokin’ hot contemporary cowboy and military romances filled with tenderhearted tough guys and sassy strong women who capture their hearts.She grew up in Colorado in the mountains at the edge of the Great Plains. There, she met her own smokin’ hot Cowboy and they had a whirlwind romance to rival any novel. She believes in Happily Ever Afters, loves fireflies, horses, and breathing clean country air. Her favorite thing to do is to sit on the porch swing with a glass of Rose, listening to her Cowboy pluck his guitar!

Feel free to drop her a line (links below) – She loves to hear from her readers!

I knew she was sin in stilettos
the second I laid eyes on her…

But did that stop me? Hell, no.

Because I’m nothing, if not a risk taker. And Roxi Rickoli, with a snake tattoo climbing up her leg and hinting at unparalleled pleasure, tempts me like the devil himself.

And while I can’t get enough of the wild redhead who runs my bar, I know that fate is a cruel mistress. And when she comes calling, someone must pay…

Danny is friends with the Case Brothers, he has lots of money and invests where he pleases and also helps women in need.

This book opens with a fund raiser and Danny is supplying a debut whiskey and an after party poker game at his club the Whiskey Den.

However it’s the bartender at this event that catches his eye. She’s mysterious beauty, and the attraction is electrifying.

This is a favorite scene as Danny makes his claim.

Harrison rolls his eyes. “Always behind the scenes, pulling strings like a puppet-master. When are you going to let go and start enjoying life?”

I sidestep his question with one of my own. “Where’s Stockton?”

“He refused to come tonight because his mother keeps trying to set him up with one of Muffy’s granddaughters.”

“Stockton’s mother has been trying to marry him off since college.”

“It’s only gotten worse,” Harrison states with a scowl. She’s taken to ‘dropping by the office’ with a new girl each week.”

“Sounds like you could use a drink,” I say, moving to the makeshift bar and filling a tumbler of whiskey directly from the cask. I hand it to him. “Tom’s Special Reserve.”

He lifts his glass in a toast. “To snatching kisses and kissing snatch.”

“Who is she?” I ask, suddenly suspicious. It’s not like Harrison to be that crude.

“No one,” he answers too sharply.

“Liar. Your eyebrow always twitches when you lie,” I say pointing to the corner of his eye. “Whoever she is, she’s got you tied up in knots.”

Harrison’s eyebrows knit together. “The only tying up going on will be happening later tonight.”

“But not with Roxi. Just so we’re clear,” I growl pouring myself a tumbler. It’s not like me to stake a claim, but I’ve seen Harrison work. He loves the chase almost as much as winning the prize. And I don’t know what happened when Roxi and I touched, but I’ve never felt electrocuted by a woman’s touch before. Not like this.

“Roxi, huh? That her name?” Harrison’s smile turns sly.

“Don’t get any ideas. My love life’s off limits.”

He spreads is hands. “I just want to help.”

“You want to help? Spread the word — discretely — about tonight’s poker game.”

Harrison quickly turns serious. “What’s the buy in?”

“Fifty.” He knows I mean thousand. “Limited to the first five. If we have ten, I’ll do a second seating at one.”

He nods. “See you at midnight?”
Tessa Layne. Mr. Whiskey (Kindle Locations 113-131). Shady Layne Media.

Now poker games are not exactly legal, and the players are a suspicious bunch of characters. That of course is why they’re held in Danny’s private club in a back room with only members and vetted friends.

All this get very interesting when Danny discovers Roxi is his bar manager’s replacement while she’s on maternity leave.

So many twists and turns, edge of your seat suspense and intrigue, plus enough heat to melt your kindle.

I truly hope we get to see more of these characters.

5 Contented Purrs for Tessa!

Tessa Layne

Tessa Layne writes smokin’ hot contemporary cowboy and military romances filled with tenderhearted tough guys and sassy strong women who capture their hearts.She grew up in Colorado in the mountains at the edge of the Great Plains. There, she met her own smokin’ hot Cowboy and they had a whirlwind romance to rival any novel. She believes in Happily Ever Afters, loves fireflies, horses, and breathing clean country air. Her favorite thing to do is to sit on the porch swing with a glass of Rose, listening to her Cowboy pluck his guitar!

Feel free to drop her a line (links below) – She loves to hear from her readers!