When Love Finds You
Lynn Wolff
Publication date: August 10th 2020
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy
After pasts riddled with pain, can Hadlee and Bryce let themselves love again?
Hadlee
He was the perfect vacation fling.
I needed to get laid and live a little. One night with him would revive my shattered heart and arouse my senses. I could cast aside all my inhibitions and let my lust guide me.
And the best part, I would never have to see him again…or so I thought.
Bryce
She was my last taste at freedom.
I used her, just like all the others that came before her. The women I chose to be with had only one purpose…to fulfill my needs, and then I was done.
But she was different. She put me off balance and got under my skin.
But what did it matter…it’s not like one night was going to change my future.
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CHAPTER ONE:
Hadlee
It’s the very early hours of the morning, a few rays of sunshine are peeking in through the curtains at the sliding glass door, and I’m just waking up. There’s a gentle rocking to the ship, and I no longer hear the roar of the engines, so we must have arrived at our next port. Rolling onto my side, I immediately feel a throbbing in my head so intense, I moan in pain. I squeeze my closed eyes even tighter, willing the throbbing to ease as I take a few slow, deep breaths. Within moments, the pain eases, allowing me to snuggle in the covers and drift back to sleep.
As the ship sways, more and more sunlight pours through the curtains. I dread getting up, but coffee and a hot shower always help my headaches. The bed’s so warm and cozy, I can’t muster enough energy to move, let alone open my eyes. I drift in and out of sleep for a bit longer until I get the oddest sensation, I’m not alone in my bed. This sort of thing happens to me more often than I care to admit, but this time, the feeling is slightly different but not enough to alarm me. Thinking my mind is once again playing its usual tricks, I grab the cover tighter to my body and ease back into my pillow.
The mattress moves, and a muscular arm wraps protectively across my waist, pulling me flush against his body. I’m not fully awake yet, so it takes me a few seconds to realize I’m not dreaming. When I feel a gentle breath on my neck and hear a small moan, my eyes fly open. Holding my breath, I look around, realizing I’m in Bryce’s cabin. My heart sinks and guilt cascades over me. I need to get out of here… now!
I can’t think and can barely breathe, listening so intently to the man behind me, trying to figure out my next move in full out panic mode. I’m trying so hard not to move or hyperventilate. I need to calm down, clear my head, and devise a plan to get out of here… and fast. How the hell did I get myself into this mess? Ah, yes, my sister. I can’t believe she talked me into this! She made it sound so simple, but I have no clue what I should do. I’m dumbfounded and frozen with fear.
Why didn’t I pay closer attention to my girlfriends’ stories? They’ve all been in my shoes, and each one has relayed a wonderful tale of how they gracefully and skillfully escaped unnoticed from a lover’s bed. Why can’t I remember anything they did? Damn! All I know is what common sense is telling me to do. I need to get untangled, get myself out of this bed, get dressed, and slip out the door. I have to be quick and quiet. I can’t run the risk of him waking and seeing me. What would I say then? ‘Uh, good morning, that was fun, thank you, and goodbye, then run out the door?
I’m a coward, I know, but I suck at confrontations, and I will do whatever it takes to find the easiest way out of an uncomfortable situation. Slipping out the door unnoticed would be the easiest thing for me to do right now, so why can’t I move? Why do I feel so protected and content, lying here in his arms? Why does this feel… right?
I slowly lift Bryce’s arm and rest it behind my back. He doesn’t move or say anything, which gives me the confidence I need to continue. Inch by inch, I slowly shift my body to the edge of the bed, using swift, fluid movements, so I don’t shake him too much. Once I’m perched on the edge, I hold my breath and listen. I pray he hasn’t noticed my absence, but I’m way too scared to look over my shoulder. When I hear nothing but slow, steady breathing, I assume Bryce is still asleep. It’s now or never. Holding my breath again, I carefully remove the sheet from my body, slowly swing my feet over the bed, and stand. I frantically look around the room, searching for my clothes, but I can’t seem to focus.
I’m buck ass naked and covered in goose bumps, my heart is racing, and I’m shaking. It would be all too easy to crawl back in bed, but I shake my head at that crazy thought. I need to stick to the mission—get out and get out fast! I quickly scan the floor at my feet. Shit, where are my clothes? I feel like I’m on a scavenger hunt as I scurry around the cabin, looking for anything to put on. I spot my shirt and pants by the couch and quickly dress. Scanning the cabin again, I find my panties and bra near the bathroom door and my shoes on top of the dresser. I gather them quickly and tuck them all under my left arm as I make a beeline for the door. As soon as my hand hits the knob, my body freezes. My heart’s screaming at me to look back. I can’t leave Bryce forever without taking one last look at him.
Damn, my memory was right. My mouth literally drops open. Bryce is absolutely gorgeous. The covers leave little to the imagination. I obviously did a horrible job slipping out of the bed, and when he rolled to his back, the sheet went missing. My eyes glued to his chiseled six-pack and strong, muscular chest, I stand there gawking, as last night’s memories flood my brain. Damn, he was way more than I bargained for. He was an incredible lover, and he outdid any fantasy I ever had. If circumstances were different, I would stay. If I was a stronger person, I would stay. But my past has ruined me. My heart is still shattered, and Bryce was just a one-night stand. I used him to revive my broken heart and arouse my senses. It’s been far too long since I had a connection with a man, but there is no way I’m ready for more than what Bryce and I had last night. He was just a quest, nothing more. Turning back to the door, I quietly slip out.
Author Bio
Lynn Wolff is a contemporary romance author and poet. She's a wife, a mother, an animal lover, and a huge romance junkie. She likes her heroines smart and strong, her heroes with charisma and style, and she has never read a romance hero she didn't like.
She lives in the northeastern region of the United States with her family but is ready to ditch the cold winters and move to warm, sunny Florida. She would much rather be shoveling sand than snow. When she isn't plotting or furiously tapping away on her keyboard, she is deep into the art of poetry, creating mini stories through rhythm and rhyme.
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Chance Carter is the son of local baseball legend, Jack Carter. Now in his junior year at Fullton State, Chance is facing challenges he never saw coming. Failing a class will stop his draft season short, making him ineligible to play and pushing his goal of professional baseball even further away.
In steps Danika, a mouthy tutor from New York, who only wants to help him pass his class... NOT get in his pants. But try telling that to Chance. He doesn't trust girls and he definitely doesn't trust his new tutor. A lifetime growing up as a Carter taught him that.
But Danika has issues of her own. After an incident that happened last year, she doesn't trust athletes and wants nothing to do with them. And Chance is no exception.
The fireworks explode as the two try to deny the chemistry between them and family secrets are revealed. Chance doesn't know how to give up on something he wants and he's decided he wants Danika. There's just one problem... she has a boyfriend she has no intention of breaking up with.
How can he have her when she belongs to someone else?
I'm a New York Times and USA Today best selling author of over 18 books! My goal is to write stories that you can get lost in, that will leave a smile on your face and a full heart. If you can forget about the real world while you're reading and fall in love with my characters, then I've done my job. A lot of what I write has real life aspects in it, but that's what makes the stories so relateable- the fact that they could happen to anyone... and have!
I live in California with my only son, Blake. If you can't find me sitting behind a computer screen, then there's a good chance I'm sitting in the bleachers of a baseball stadium watching him play. I love traveling to new places, meeting my readers and living life with the Real Jack Carter. ♡
I know you have a million books to choose from and I am humbled, grateful and thankful each time you choose to read one of mine, or tell someone else to read them. Thank you.
Susan also deeply loves Christmas, with numerous Christmas stories in her series, and adds more holiday books (including Valentine’s and Halloween), annually.
As she continues to write the beloved Real Men series, she is applying her passion for love without boundaries to the m/m genre. Her first book in the Men of Hope House series is garnering excellent reviews, with formerly m/f only readers exhorting others new to the genre to pick up the first in the series, calling it, “Pure Joy”, and ‘one of the best books I have read in a very long time’ – GoodReads.
Susan can be reached at susansaxx@gmail.com.
Engagement and Espionage, an all-new quirky and swoon-worthy romantic comedy featuring fan favorites Jenn and Cletus Winston from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is available now!
Jennifer Sylvester made her deal with the devil . . . and now they’re engaged!
But all is not well in Green Valley. A chicken choker is on the loose, 61 dead birds most "fowl" need plucking, and no time remains for Jennifer and her devilish fiancé. Desperate to find a spare moment together, Jenn and Cletus’s attempts to reconnect are thwarted by one seemingly coincidental disaster after another. It’s not long before Cletus and Jenn see a pattern emerge and the truth becomes clear.
Sabotage!
Will an undercover mission unmask the culprit? Or are these love-birds totally plucked?
'Engagement and Espionage' is the first book in the Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries series, is a full-length cozy mystery, and is a spin-off of Penny Reid's Winston Brothers series. This novel is best read after 'Beard Science,' Winston Brothers #3.
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Excerpt
Her phone buzzed. Then it chimed. Then it buzzed and chimed two more times. Then it rang again. Reba.
Cursing, Jenn pulled the phone from her pocket, once again her face illuminated, murderous rage in her eyes. Her finger moved to the power off button. She blinked, hesitating. Her eyes widened, her body stiffened, and she gasped.
“Cletus!”
Something about her tone, like she was horrified, and maybe a little afraid, cut through the heavy haze of lust inertia, and my hands stilled. Shaking myself, it took me a few moments to realize she was showing me the phone screen, and another few to bring the content of the text messages into focus.
Momma: Jennifer Anne Sylvester, pick up your phone. If you’re with Cletus, I need his help. Please.
Momma: ALL THE CHICKENS AND ROOSTERS ARE DEAD! PICK UP YOUR DAMN PHONE!
Momma: I’m calling you in a second, pick up the phone. Mr. Badcock’s chickens are dead. All of them. I got here and he’s running around, deranged, yelling about his dead chickens! I called the police and they’re on their way. Please, please, please pick up the phone!
At some point, I must’ve taken the phone from Jenn and stepped away, because I glanced up upon reading the messages for the third time, finding the phone in my hand and Jenn fixing her skirt.
“This is nuts.” Her big eyes searched mine imploringly. “Who could have done this?”
I shook my head, having not yet managed to fully shift head gears—you know, from that head to the one on my neck—and my gaze dropped to the wet patch on the front of her dress just visible in the swath of light. My erection throbbed.
So we’re . . . not having sex?
“Why? Why would they do it? And WHO?” She snatched her phone back, her tone bewildered, distracted, and distraught. She was distraught because of the dead chickens, like any normal person would be.
I was distraught also, but my distress had nothing to do with farm animals.
“We have to go.” Jenn grabbed my hand and began walking toward the direction of the hall. Meanwhile, it took me until her hand found the door handle to realize my zipper and belt were still undone.
“This is crazy.” She paused as I zipped up, her tone halting and distracted. “Poor Mr. Badcock. And those poor chickens.” A sound of distress escaped her throat. “This is terrible.”
It was terrible.
And I was going to hell.
Because all I could think was, Talk about a cock block.
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Cover Design: Lori Jackson
Photo: Wander Aguiar
Models: Andrew & Ella
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Not much changes in Peak Valley, and Clint likes it that way, as long as everyone leaves him the hell alone. But when the mysterious Dawn drifts into town and needs help with her car, he finds himself getting too involved. As Dawn starts to open up, he wonders if there is more to her than she is telling him.
Forced to change her identity and move halfway across the country to Peak Valley, Kansas, Dawn has a plan to escape her troubled past. Only her carefully laid plan gets derailed when the town recluse Clint Colson comes to her rescue. As Clint pushes his way into her closed off world, she knows she can’t keep her secret for long or risk everything.
And will she survive what comes to Peak Valley when her past finally catches up with her?
Protect Forever is the first novel in the Peak Valley Forever Series.
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“Do I owe you… for your help?”
If I thought he was scary before, I saw a
glimpse of something nightmares are made of flash across his face.
“Like dinner?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. He looks angry.
“Yeah,” I reply just above a whisper.
“I don’t know what kind of guy you think I am, but I won’t twist your arm to have dinner with me.”
My stomach drops at his words.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“But you thought it,” he retorts, tucking the
rag back into his pocket, and with one long stride he is standing right in front of me. I have to tilt my head back to see his strong jaw as it clenches.
My heart begins to pound, and I’m at a loss for words. I never was good with them.
“You aren’t the first to think the worst and, you won’t be the last.”
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Romance Author. Professional Pen Thief. Coffee Addict. Obsessive Reader.
Amanda lives in the weather crazed Midwest where they experience hot summers and cold winters. She believes spring and fall are a beautiful made up fantasy. Amanda shares her life with her wonderful husband who despite her begging and pleading won’t grow his beard out. She has three teenagers, two girls and a boy, and two mouthy malamutes, that always keep her on her toes, and never stop eating.
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