How bossy does Tess like Vincent? Not bossy enough to stay
away from the concert their cheating spouses are putting on. Where both their
cheating ex’s finally learn Tess and Vincent are together and their marriages
to them are history.
Then Tess and Vincent see about piecing together their own
happily ever after. But first Vincent’s got to see Tess in that freaking hot
dress one more time ... just for him. Then will he be able to keep her out of
his bed like he vowed. Until they can figure each other out and where what they
have tigether is going...
Probably not.
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Excerpt:
It was noon when Tess heard the bell on the door
ring to her shop. She swiped at her eyes, looking up to see Vincent striding
toward the front counter. Wow … he was in her shop, she should be excited.
“Beautiful, what is it?” Dang, she couldn’t hide
anything from him. She glanced over her shoulder to see that Shannon was in the
walk-in cold locker as Vincent rounded the counter and arrived next to her. For
a second she thought about fibbing, because he had enough problems with Luna.
But Vincent curled her into his embrace and the
words just fell out of her mouth. “I’ve lost the shop, unless I want to send
Steven to prison.” Then, horribly, she burst into tears and burrowed into
Vincent.
“Let me guess,” he said. “He forged your name
and double mortgaged it.”
She nodded against him, crying harder, while
praying Shannon or even worse a customer wouldn’t walk in. Then Vincent rocked
her world, shaking it to the core and rearranging it.
“It’s you, baby, not the damn building. You’re the business.”
Why that made her cry harder, she didn’t know,
but Vincent took it all with his hand cupped to the back of her head, while
holding her tight. She didn’t know what she’d do without him.
Her sobs finally quieted into the shoulder of
his thermal, wet from her tears. Then he did a pure Vincent thing. “Here, use
the end of my shirt to wipe your eyes.”
That’s how Shannon found them with her pulling
up Vincent’s thermal, exposing his ripped abdomen, while she bent forward as if
she were drooling over his six pack abs.
“Sorry!” Shannon squeaked. She was a tad shy.
Tess unbent from Vincent and the bottom of his
shirt. “It’s okay, Shannon. This is Vincent.”
“Hey, Shannon,” Vincent said, pulling her back
into his side, where his arm crossed her back, then his hand fitted into the
waistband of her jeans skirt.
“Hey, Mr. Whitehorse,” Shannon answered.
Okay, so Shannon did know Vincent. “I’ll be back
in time to close, Shannon. You call if you need anything, okay.”
“Sure, Tess.” Shannon did a small wave, then
marched back into the cooler.
“Good kid,” Vincent said. “Know her dad.”
Ah yes, Tess thought, she remembered then that
Shannon’s dad might work at Redrock. She picked up her purse from under the
front counter, and then Vincent guided her outside. Once in his truck they sat
to talk.
“So if you sell the building, you get out from
under?” he asked quietly.
She sighed heavily, nodding as he reached over
and clasped her hand, and she answered, “It should sell for at least the amount
of the mortgages.” She tilted her head, glancing at him. “I’m surprised you
aren’t advocating I send him to prison.”
Vincent squeezed her hand. “Thought about it.
But it’d break that sweetness you got and I want that for me.”
Oh my god. Tess sucked in an amazed breath. “Okay,” she
whispered. She never thought she could find a man that would make her feel so
good even in the midst of an awful situation.
“Got space at Redrock. For a bigger flower
shop.”
“Vincent!” she gasped, then he pulled her across
the seat, until he had his arm around her and his hand on her chin lifting her
gaze to his. He studied her astonished gaze for long moments.
“Give you a really good break on rent, until you
sell this place.”
“I can’t believe...” she started to say. “You,
you can’t. Not with us … together. It won’t look right and...”
“Hush,” he all but ordered, and her lips pressed
shut. “I’m doing it for me and I can do for me what I want too. But, beautiful,
it’s really good business for Redrock. I know once you calm down, you can see
that.”
Doing for me. Oh my god. Her fingers curled against his side.
Maybe he was right if she could think straight about it. But right then tears
started filling her eyes.
“Aw, baby,” he murmured, and his lips touched
hers lightly.
“For me,” she whispered.
“Yeah,” he breathed against her mouth, then he
kissed her deeper and her tears dried into the beginning heat of passion.
But at just a slow burn, Vincent pulled back,
let go of her chin.
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