Laugh, cry and fall in love in the newest standalone within the
Mathews Family Series.
Meet Ryan and Carrie Ann in
A Taste of Summer.
#SummerNeverTastedGood
NOW AVAILABLE
Blurb
Most people know
Hollywood heartthrob, Ryan Summer, as Ryan, no last name required. But once
upon a time, he was just Summer to Carrie Ann—before a decade of blockbuster
hits skyrocketed his success into superstardom.
Summer was smart,
gorgeous, and cocky as hell. Nothing was out of his reach. Not even Carrie Ann
Lowell. He was the love of her life—until he shattered her heart. Their breakup
left more than a profound rift in her soul. It crushed her.
When Carrie Ann’s college
flame forces his way back into her life, his dirty-talking, bold self-assurance
re-ignites a passion she thought had long since been extinguished. Carrie Ann didn’t believe in second chances.
Not even for him.
No matter how deliciously tempting.
With sparks flying and hidden truths
unraveling, will Carrie Anne be able to deny her desires to save herself from
another heart break?
EXCERPT #1
Carrie Ann tugged the earbud free from her ear, tossing the
handsome young man a small smile. “Sorry, I couldn’t hear you. What did you
say?”
He crossed a lanky somewhat defined
arm in front of her, casually gripping the handlebar of her bike. “I said, you
must be exhausted—” Before she could reply he continued, “—from running through
my mind all day.”
Surely she must’ve heard him
incorrectly. He was probably fifteen at most sporting a baby face and a patch
of ten whiskers on his chin. Her brows tucked into a furrow. “Excuse me?”
A dose of youthful overconfidence
drifted over his mouth in a sharp grin. “I seem to have forgotten my number.
Can I have yours?”
“My phone number?” Carrie Ann
scanned the near vicinity, row after row of workout equipment, for the
practical jokester responsible for the madness. “Ha ha. Very funny. Who put you
up to this?”
Her amusement only encouraged the
boy’s macho bravado. “No one put me up to anything. I need a date. I just got
into LA and I’ve got this Red Carpet event—”
“A date?” she scoffed at the
ludicrous suggestion. Though she looked young for her age, Carrie Ann was still
all of thirty-four years old.
“Yeah, you know. A date. You, me,
hundreds of fans screaming as we stroll down the Red Carpet.” His voice cracked
emphasizing the words Red Carpet…for the second time. A self-absorbed twinkle
gleamed in his brown eyes as if he expected her to melt and drop to her knees
right there in the gym.
“Kid, you’re barking up the wrong
tree.”
“I’m totally serious. My uncle has
this movie premier and I can’t just bring anyone.” A chunk of blond hair fell
on his forehead and he flipped his head to the side. My date needs to be…hot,
and well, you’re the hottest girl I’ve seen since I got to LA.”
She sneered at the absurdity.
Silliness turned to annoyance. Carrie Ann switched gyms a few months back,
paying out the nose to invest in her fitness and more importantly her privacy.
Her last gym was more crowded than a cattle call casting session.
Carrie Ann rolled her eyes. She
moved around him, gathering her workout towel and reaching for her bag. “Look
kid, you seem real sweet, but—“
“You’re right about one thing.” A
familiar voice, deep and perfectly modulated, approached from behind. “She is the most beautiful woman you’ll ever
lay eyes on. But, you’re reaching for the stars with this one, Drew. She’s a
heartbreaker.”
An ice cold tickle ascended up her
spine raising the hair on the back of her neck. Her head snapped, glancing over
her shoulder, colliding with a pair of rich amber eyes from her past. Without
breaking eye contact, Ryan Summer strolled right into her personal space
sporting athletic shorts, a fitted muscle shirt and a killer smile.
Nowadays, most people knew the
Hollywood heartthrob as Ryan. Just Ryan. No last name needed. But after nearly
a decade of blockbuster hits and infamous relationships that skyrocketed his
success into superstardom, to Carrie Ann, he was still just Summer. Her old
college flame.
“Funny, I could say the same about you,”
she countered his jab, marshalling a bit of annoyance in her tone to combat the
rush of heat spreading to her already pink cheeks.
A sexy smile caught the curve of his
wide firm mouth. “Hello, Red.”
“Hello, Summer.” Carrie Ann tossed a
trivial nod toward the teenager. “Who’s this? Your new apprentice?”
“Apprentice?”
Moving a step closer, he dragged his fingers through the short cropped layers
of sandy blond hair. “This is Mark’s boy. Do you remember my nephew, Drew?”
“Your
brother’s boy?” she questioned in surprise. Avoiding the view of his bicep
curling into the size of a softball, Carrie Ann ran a quick scan over the young
man at his side. “Whoa, you had to be four or five years old the last time I
saw you.”
“I
don’t remember meeting you.” Drew’s eyes flickered with bemusement and
optimism.
She extended her hand. “I’m Carrie
Ann. I knew you when you were—“
“You’re Carrie Ann? The Carrie Ann?” The boy spun toward his
uncle, his blue eyes broadened in disbelief. “The One?”
Her stomach twisted hearing the
title. A flash of perspiration instantaneously flooded her palms. Before she
had time to renege on the clammy greeting, Drew clasped her hand, giving it a
polite shake.
A low rumble of laughter simmered in
Summer’s chest and a rosy shade of red burnished high on the bridge of his
nose. He nodded, “This is The Carrie Ann.
The One who got away.”
No matter how many years had passed,
it never got any easier to see him. Each time she did, she suddenly found it
harder to breath.
The pounding of her heart quickened
as her gaze slipped over his rugged well-defined features. A three day scruff
accentuated the slight dimple at the bottom of his chin. The disheveled layers of hair were wet from
exertion near his temple and nape. Time had been very good to him.
She felt the warmth of his hand
close around the back of her bare arm. The early morning stubble of his beard
brushed against her cheek as he leaned closer pressing a small kiss near her
temple. Carrie Ann squirmed at his nearness, ducking to the side attempting to
put some space between them.
“I’m…I’m all sweaty,” she insisted
breathily.
“It’s okay,” he murmured softly in her ear.
The heat of his breath brought chill bumps to the damp skin near her neck. “I
remember enjoying you all sweaty.”
Ryan’s golden eyes locked onto hers,
anchoring her feet to the floor. The penetration of his stare momentarily tied
her tongue in a knot, turning the awkward moment even more difficult. Carrie
Ann hadn’t bumped into Ryan in at least three years and she hadn’t seen him covered
in sweat in ten. An image of him, gloriously naked, flashed in her mind and her
thighs. Frustration mounted as her body willingly betrayed her.
Carrie Ann’s jaw set rigid
contemplating the idea of flipping off her hooha for its insubordination.
“That was a long time ago,” she
snipped abruptly.
“Seems like only yesterday to me.”
Haven’t
read this series yet?
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#1 Bestselling Author, Beverly Preston
has been a stay at home mom for 21 years, although she prefers the title
Domestic Engineer. Along the way, Beverly worked side by side with her husband
Don, the love of her life, designing, building and selling custom homes. As her
children begin to venture out on their own, she’s left to shed a tear—for a
minute—wonder what’s next in life, and embrace the feeling of empowerment that
surely must’ve been wrapped in a present she received on her fortieth birthday.
If Beverly isn’t at home riding her spin
bike, you’ll find her spinning richly emotional and sinfully sexy romance
stories.
GIVEAWAY
In honor of
Carrie Ann's favorite line Beverly will be giving away this Triple F necklace
and a $50 Amazon GC.
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