Icing
on the Cake
Close to Home Series ● Book 2
KARLA
DOYLE
Genre: Contemporary
Erotic Romance
Series: Close
to Home, Book 2 (may be read as a standalone)
Release Date: July
1, 2014
Nia and Conn’s
wedding will be fairytale perfect…if
their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited,
anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s
fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her
sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop
brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and
fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for
a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor.
He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain
the dark-haired spitfire—and
he’s just the man for the job.
One night to
indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and
he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last
thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no
matter how hot he is.
But giving in
to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…
The pastor wrapped up the rehearsal with a reminder of when
everybody needed to arrive tomorrow. Nia practically jumped into Conn’s arms. Forget about waiting to
kiss the bride, Conn laid one on his bride-to-be right then and there.
Sara had to admit, it was a hot one. Kind of had her rethinking
her decision about the sexless weekend—and the tattooed cop.
“Everybody back to the house for barbecue and beer.”
Her dad waved his hand in front of him, as if the simple action
finalized the command. “You too, Ben.”
This, he directed at the pastor. “Bring a date
if you’d like, we’ve got plenty of food and drinks.”
“Thanks, Peter. No lady in my life at the moment, but I’d love to join you all after I
lock up here.”
“Great.” Dad shot her a hopeful look that
included a wink. “We’ll
see you there.”
Oh, for crying out loud. It wasn’t
enough that she’d agreed to
be the pink-satin-wearing sidekick in Nia’s
fairytale wedding, now her dad wanted to set her up with a freaking pastor?
Her family really needed to get with the program. The one where she was a lost
cause in the growing-up and settling-down departments.
While the Lawler and Chambers family units hovered around the
glowing couple, Sara beelined it toward the outside aisle, and temporary
freedom.
“Hey,” a deep, husky voice called as she
reached the vestibule.
Not her dad. Not the pastor or Conn, either. That left two men—Conn’s father or his brother. Sara only
had fifty bucks spending money to get her through to payday next week, but she’d bet it on the brother. A voice
that sexy had to belong to a hard-bodied hottie with lots of ink.
She paused, turned, and won the self-imposed bet.
“Last one to show up, now the first one to leave.”
Conn’s brother
took a few more steps, positioning himself between Sara and the door. He tucked
his hands into the front pockets of some fine-fitting jeans. “You’re not trying to skip out on the
rehearsal party, are you?” His stance and tone were casual.
His pointed remarks, not so much.
“Aww, isn’t
this sweet? We haven’t even been
formally introduced and already you’re
devastated at the thought of an evening without me.”
His eyes twinkled and the corner of his mouth twitched. “Curtis
Lawler, Conn’s older
brother.” He didn’t offer a hand to shake. Just stepped closer,
completely invading her personal space. “And you’re Sara.”
“Figured that out on your own, detective, or did they
show you my mug shot in advance to make things easier?”
“It’s Constable
first-class, but that’s a
mouthful, even for one that works as well as yours. Probably easiest if you
call me sir.”
“Never going to happen, lawman.”
She tried to sidestep him and he mirrored the action, halting her
getaway without laying a finger on her. But damn, he might as well have touched
her, because every inch of her skin had goose bumps from the electricity
between them.
“Never’s a
long time.” Curtis’ gaze
locked with hers and a wicked smile curved his sensual lips. “And for the record, I’m
not a patient man.”
I’m a small town girl with some big city experience, and happiest living
somewhere in between.
As a child, I tried endlessly to convince my parents that I needed a pet
ostrich to ride to the beach. By age ten, I’d drawn up plans and a budget to
build a bathroom in my bedroom closet. (It was a tiny closet!) While these
campaigns, and numerous others, never came to fruition, my parents always
encouraged my creativity and imagination. I studied fashion design in college
and worked in that industry much of my life.
These days, I live a charmed existence. I have two amazing kids, an
incredible (and smokin’ hot) husband and the best friends in the world. When I’m
not writing the sexy stories that swirl around in my head, you can find me
lifting weights at the gym or cuddled up with a book, surrounded by a pack of
pets.
Website www.karladoyle.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/KarlaDoyleAuthor
Twitter http://twitter.com/Karla_Doyle