Full
Jacket/Cover
Laugh, cry and fall in love in the
newest standalone within the
Mathews Family Series.
Meet Ryan and Carrie in Taste of
Summer releasing July 21st, 2015!
Cover
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
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.”
Series Reading Order
No More Wasted Time (bk 1)
Now ONLY $0.99
Shayla’s Story (bk 2)
Now ONLY $0.99
The Perfect Someday (bk 3)
Now ONLY $1.99
Surviving Broken (bk 4)
Now ONLY $1.99
About the Author:
Beverly Preston
#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.
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