Only You, an all-new sexy and emotional standalone from USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow is coming March 12th!
Synopsis
Nate Pearson is ridiculously handsome and wears the hell out of a suit and tie, but Iโve seen the parade of beautiful women leaving his apartment across the hallโa different one every timeโand I want no part of it. When it comes to romance, Iโm looking for something real, something that will last: the happily ever after.
As a divorce attorney, he loves to tell me thereโs no such thing.
As a wedding planner, I choose to disagree.
We disagree on almost everything, in fact. Everything except James Bond. The only time we really get along is when weโre watching 007 flicks together, and Iโll admitโhe has rescued me from a disaster or five. So when one of the baton twirlers from his parade leaves a baby girl at his door with a note that says โIโll come back for herโ and he begs me for help, I canโt turn him down.
But itโs a mistake.
Because watching him with his daughter, I start to see another side of Nate, a side that has my breath coming faster, my body craving his, my heart longing for him to change his mind about love and tell me thereโs a chance for us.
I donโt want to be just another girl leaving his apartment in the morning.
I want to be the one he asks to stay.
Excerpt
โYou know, even an alpha male can have feelings occasionally.โ
โOh?โ
She crossed her arms and leaned back against the counter, giving me the evil eye. โYes. He doesnโt have to be hard as granite all the way through, all the time.โ
Donโt think about being hard. Donโt think about being hard. Donโt think about being hard. I leaned back against the opposite counter and sort of held my glass in front of my crotch. โWhy are you even concerned with alpha males? Youโre never attracted to them.โ
โWhat? Yes, I am!โ
โNo, youโre not.โ I knew her type well. โYouโre always saying how you donโt want to be rescued, you want someone willing to show affection and talk about feelings, you donโt like arrogant or competitive guys or guys who always have to win, you like guys who get along with everyoneโโ
โWhatโs wrong with that?โ
โNothing. But thatโs not an alpha male.โ
She chewed her bottom lip. โBut look at Bond. Who is he so worried about protecting? Why is he so driven to kill the bad guys? There must be people he cares about more than himself to put himself in harmโs way so often.โ
โMaybe he just likes the thrill of the chase.โ
โMaybe heโs more selfless than you think.โ
โIn this case, I think weโre going to have to disagree.โ
She sighed heavily, and I knew I had disappointed her by ending the argument in a draw instead of winning or losing it. Any other night, I might have kept it going, but there was something odd going on with me, something that had me wanting to close the distance between us, set her up on the counter, slip my hands beneath that fuzzy white sweater she had on, see what her legs felt like wrapped around my hips. But I knew better.
Get her out of here before you do something stupid.
โHey, you got fortune cookies? I didnโt see those.โ She reached for the little cellophane bag.
โI forgot about them.โ
โCan I have one?โ
โYou can have them both.โ
She took one out and cracked it open. โA ship in harbor is safe, but thatโs not why ships are built.โ
โVery deep.โ
She ignored me and went on to the next one. โYou have to keep breaking your heart until it opens.โ Her lips pursed. โHm. I donโt want a dangerous ship or a broken heart.โ
I laughed at the anguish in her tone and expression.
โItโs not funny,โ she said, shoving pieces of cookie in her mouth. โIt means Iโm doomed to be unhappy. And then Iโm going to die in a shipwreck.โ
โIt means you take things way too seriously.โ I tipped back the last of the bourbon in my glass, and set it in the sink. โWell, Iโve got an early morning at the gym tomorrow.โ
She popped the rest of one cookie in her mouth and brushed off her hands. โIโm going. What time is it anyway?โ
I checked the digital clock on the microwave. โItโs 11:11.โ
Her face lit up. โOoh! Make a wish!โ
โWhat?โ
โItโs 11:11, you have to make a wish.โ She closed her eyes for a couple seconds, her lips moving as if saying a silent prayer. Then she opened them. โDid you do it?โ
I laughed. โNo.โ
โNate! Hurry up! Make a wish.โ She glanced at the clock and flapped her hands agitatedly.
โI donโt have a wish to make.โ
โSo make one for me, then. And do it fast, before itโs 11:12.โ
This time it was my turn to roll my eyes, but secretly I wished that the next guy she fell in love with would love her back the way she deserved, and sheโd be happy. But I didnโt close my eyes, and I didnโt move my lips, so she had no idea whether Iโd made a wish or not.
โDid you do it?โ She looked concerned.
โYes.โ
โFor me?โ
โYes.โ
Her mouth fell open for a second. โWhat was it? What did you wish for me?โ
I started to laugh as I left the kitchen. โNice try, Calamity. Even I know you donโt tell a wish if you want it to come true.โ The credits were still rolling on the television, and I picked up the remote to turn everything off.
โOh, now you believe in wishes?โ She sat down on the couch and tugged on her fluffy boots.
No, I wanted to tell her. I donโt, because I learned a long time ago that wishes and prayers and hopes donโt mean anything. No one is listening. But I didnโt tell her that, not only because she was looking up at me with my favorite expression of hers, the one daring me to fight back, but because at that very moment, I heard a noise in the hall.
A strange and oddly terrifying noise.
I looked over my shoulder toward the door, thinking I must have imagined the sound.
Then I heard it againโthe unmistakable, ball-shrinking, cringe-inducing sound of a babyโs wail.
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About Melanie:
Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she’s not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like VEEP, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and Homeland. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.
Melanie is the author of the AFTER WE FALL series, the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.
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