The Final Straight by
Charlotte Howard (@shy_tiger)
Blurb:
April Miller works for her best friend, Max
Knight on his livery and competition yard. Their friendship has withstood many
turbulent times, and while April is deeply in love with Max, she is also aware
of his womanising ways and has refused to succumb to his flirtatious charms.
When her ex, AJ, suddenly comes back with a business proposal, April finds
herself torn between the two men.
Buy Links:
Kindle
US: http://amzn.to/1Es09Cc
Kindle
UK
Coming
soon to all other eBook retailers.
Excerpt:
“You up
there?” she called. The thud of footsteps grew louder as she made her way up
the stairs. It wasn’t long before she was in the doorway, hands on hips,
surrounded by a halo of curls the same colour as her temper.
The dog had
followed and was panting by her leg. April batted her away, and Max rolled his
eyes at the anger and frustration that exuded from her every pore, turning his
back on her and dropping the towel.
“What the
hell, Max?” she exclaimed, but it wasn’t because of his nudity. She’d seen him
naked more times than any other woman.
He stepped
into a pair of tight boxer shorts and turned around, preparing himself for the
grief he had been hoping to avoid. “What have I done now?” he asked, walking
towards the wardrobe and pulling out a pair of dark, shredded jeans.
“What’s the
point? Do you even remember her name?”
He didn’t
answer. She wasn’t expecting him to; she never did. Fastening the button on his
waistband, he went to the chest of drawers and took out a clean T-shirt.
“Well, I’ll
tell you what her name was,” April said, walking into the room. “Mellie Banks.
Ring a bell?”
Max shrugged.
“It should,”
she snapped. “Her father has three horses on this yard, or did until he turned
up this morning and took them off.”
He moved
behind her and started to massage at the knot of tension that had built at the
base of her neck.
“Don’t try to
appease me, Max,” she said, but he could tell that her anger was waning. He
continued to press into her muscles, letting his thumbs make small circles
either side of her spine. Bending his head to the curve of her shoulder, he
placed his forehead on the sleeve of her polo T-shirt and took a deep breath,
inhaling the dusty scent of straw and shavings.
“I’m sorry,”
he murmured into her back.
She shrugged
out of his touch and turned to face him. “You’re hopeless,” she sighed. The
corners of her lips flickered into the smallest of smiles.
“We could
just hide in bed all day,” he said, taking her hands and tugging her forwards.
“Forget about Mellie Banks. Forget about the yard…”
“And who’s
going to pay my bills when this place falls on its arse?”
The edge of
the mattress connected with his knees and he fell backwards, pulling her with
him. “You know I’ll always take care of you.”
She landed on
top of him, inches away from his face. He lifted a hand and tucked a stray red
curl behind her ear. With a frustrated groan, she rolled off of him and lay on
her side.
“As much as I
would like to be the next notch on your bedpost, we have a business to run.”
She shoved herself up.
He watched as
she straightened her clothes and ran her fingers through her hair.
“Anyway,” she
said, glancing over her shoulder. “I’m not your type. I have a brain.” She
flashed him a smile before bending down to pick up the towel and tossing it in
his direction.
“Ouch.” He
feigned a hurt expression before getting up to follow her. Bracken panted
around his ankles.
“I’ll make
you a coffee, and then if you need me I’ll be saving your business.”
Author Bio / Links:
Charlotte lives in Somerset with her
husband, two children, and growing menagerie of pets and can always be found
with a cup of tea in her hand. When she's not writing or running around after
small people and animals, she loves to eat curry and watch action films.
Charlotte is an active (and vocal)
member of the Yeovil Creative Writers.
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