Duke
has always made it clear she’s not his type.
Yet the simmering tension between them says otherwise….
Yet the simmering tension between them says otherwise….
TO THE STUDS
Bound by Design #1
Roxanne Smith
Releasing Feb 21, 2017
Lyrical Shine
No one says
no to fiery but talented home designer Neve Harper—which is how she convinces
her elusive neighbor, Duke Kennicot, to help out with her latest renovation
job. Not only is Duke a design aficionado, he’s got the inside scoop on the
cabin’s owner. And since Neve’s ulterior motive is a romance with the boss,
Duke is her ideal wingman. Except from the moment they’re alone in the remote
Ozark mountain location, Neve discovers Duke is just as headstrong—and a whole
lot sexier—than she ever realized. Duke has always made it clear she’s not his
type. Yet the simmering tension between them says otherwise….
Duke had been warned to steer clear of hot-tempered Neve, but his resolve is lessening with every heated exchange—and every smoldering touch. By the time Neve unearths a dangerous, age-old mystery buried on the property, Duke is ready to do just about anything to keep the brazen beauty safe…
Duke had been warned to steer clear of hot-tempered Neve, but his resolve is lessening with every heated exchange—and every smoldering touch. By the time Neve unearths a dangerous, age-old mystery buried on the property, Duke is ready to do just about anything to keep the brazen beauty safe…
Excerpt
Duke waited until
Angel Face shuffled into the elevator before rapping his knuckles across Neve’s
door. He avoided men around Neve at all costs. Being gay was harder than he’d
thought it would be. Was Angel Face superhot? Should he make a smutty comment
or smile coyly at his butt as he walked past?
I need gay lessons.
Hell of a thing to come to terms with, especially after two years of pulling it
off.
Pajama-clad and
curled into a ball on her ultrachic sofa, a beige monstrosity set square in the
center of the high-ceilinged room atop a thick white rug, Neve didn’t pause in
shoving yogurt-covered pretzels down her gullet to bother with a greeting. The
scenery didn’t differ—sofa, pajamas, snacks, bad television—but she seemed more
subdued than usual.
He sat next to her
and snatched the remote from the coffee table. “Just because you renovate and
design for a living doesn’t mean there aren’t channels besides HGTV. Why can’t
I live next door to a chef? Or a chiropractor. Someone useful.”
“I’m assuming it’s
because you were a real asshole in a previous life.”
“Can we watch
Survivor, maybe try a movie once in a while?” He swept a lock of his hair over
his shoulder and grinned as Neve rolled her eyes.
She’d never hidden
her envious love of his hair. “Do you do that on purpose? Play with your hair
and wear tight black jeans and T-shirts to torture straight females?” She
turned her attention to the flipping channels on the television. “Because I
would.”
“Really? If you
were a hot lesbian, you’d deliberately entice straight men? That’s brutal.”
“That’s me.
Brutal.” Normally, she made proclamations like that with a little more pride.
Duke chewed his lip
and looked her over. She had her glossy, coffeecolored hair pulled into a
rakish bun on the top of her head, wore her favorite plush robe over plaid
pajamas, and one hand steadily ferried pretzels from the bag to her face.
Pretzel crumbs and
all, he’d still get hard if he stared too long. Neve joked about converting
him, but if she ever made an honest effort, he wouldn’t hesitate to wrap her
killer legs around his waist like a bow, wind a lock of her silken hair through
his fist, and make good on every vulgar fantasy he’d concocted over the last
two years.
Duke shifted to
find a more comfortable position in his awkwardly tight jeans, jeans growing
tighter with each vivid image popping into his cranium—Neve on her back with
her hair fanned out like a dark halo, Neve’s haughty mouth humbled by a moan of
ecstasy, his palms on the inside of her thighs, spreading— Jesus Christ, man. I
need to get laid.
A Florida native, Roxanne
Smith has called everywhere from Houston to Cheyenne home. Currently
residing in Roswell, New Mexico, she’s an avid reader of every genre, a cat
lover, pit bull advocate, and semi-geek. She loves video games, Doctor
Who, and her dashing husband. Her two kids are the light of her life and
provide ample material for her writing.
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Thank you for featuring TO THE STUDS!
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