by Alison Bliss
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Alison Bliss
Excerpt from Size Matters copyright © 2016 by Alison Bliss
Cover design by Elizabeth Turner. Cover photography by Claudio Marinesco. Cover copyright © 2017 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Blurb
Also by Alison Bliss
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
TeaserOpener
Chapter One
About the Author
Fall in Love with Forever Romance
Newsletter
“It’s too risky.”
“So what then?” Valerie asked. “You’d rather just move on and pretend like none of this happened? Hope that I eventually let go of this stupid crush I’ve had on you for years?”
Dismissing any thoughts of Valerie was impossible. He didn’t want to forget her. Last night he’d gotten to see past her tough exterior down to her soft, vulnerable side, one that she didn’t share often, and the things she’d said had meant a lot to him. She meant a lot to him…and always had.
Logan sighed. “No, goddamn it, that’s not what I want.”
“Then what is?”
His gaze locked on to hers, and a spark ignited in his gut. What the hell was wrong with him? Maybe it was the heat of the moment. Or maybe it was a turning point in his life. Because Logan couldn’t stay away from Valerie another minute.
“I want the same damn thing I’ve always wanted. You.”
Also by Alison Bliss
Size Matters
For Barbara Campbell, the
strongest woman I know.
You amaze me.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my husband for being my rock and always listening to me spin my crazy stories out loud. Your support means everything to me! A big thank-you to my awesome boys for not complaining about pizza night when I have a pressing deadline. No more pizza this month, I swear. Also, thanks to the rest of my family and friends for all of the never-ending love and for keeping me sane.
To my agent, Andrea Somberg, I don’t know what I’d do without you. Your guidance and friendship are invaluable. To my editor, Alex Logan, thank you for your editing brilliance and for making my books the best they can be. Thank you to my publicist, Michelle Cashman, for tirelessly helping to promote my books and for always going above and beyond. It’s appreciated. Special thanks to Grand Central’s art department for giving me another beautiful cover. I can’t tell you how many readers have asked me where they can buy the purple dress.
And of course, thank you to all of my readers, fans, blogging friends, PAs, and street team members. Your reviews and the help you offer in spreading the word about my books are the biggest compliment you can give an author. All of you make a difference.
Last but not least, a special thank-you to my boxer, Ecko, for bringing my family eleven years of unconditional love. Unfortunately, we lost him this past year, but he was the best dog, friend, and writing companion a girl could ask for.
Chapter One
Valerie Carmichael needed a drink. A strong one. Because it was the only way she envisioned herself getting through the night.
Then again, maybe if she drank enough, the alcohol would sour her stomach and give her a good excuse to bail out and take the first cab home. Sadly, that option sounded the most appealing.
An elbow nudged into her side, bringing her thoughts back to the crowded bar. “I can’t see anything through all of these people,” Brett said, scanning the room with his eyes. “Come on, let’s go to the other side so I can get a better view.”
Sighing, Valerie trudged behind him without a word.
When Brett had asked her to attend the grand opening of Bottoms Up, a new bar in their hometown of Granite, Texas, she’d hesitated to say yes. Sure, she was curious what the inside of the recently remodeled bar looked like and had no doubt the place would be jam-packed with handsome, available men. But it was still the last place on earth she wanted to be.
She knew better than to hang out in bars with her older and only—thank God—brother. Every time she’d done so in the past, the nights had always ended the same way. Brett would spend the entire evening hovering over her like a rabid pit bull, daring any single guy with a glint in his eye to look her way. And eventually, one of them would.
At least one brave soul, brimming with liquid courage, would be dumb enough—or drunk enough—to risk approaching her while Brett stood guard. Then the potentially suicidal man would quickly find out what a hot-tempered asshole her brother could be. It was inevitable.
Because Valerie turned heads. She always had.
Oh, she wasn’t silly enough to believe she looked like some gorgeous supermodel with a lean, trim figure or anything. She definitely didn’t. But she had a pretty face, banging plus-size curves, and a lively personality. And that was good enough for her. Valerie was just…Valerie. And damn proud of it.
Unfortunately, that noteworthy self-confidence of hers was akin to a powerful magnet, drawing unassuming male moths to her female flame. Which meant, as with any heat source, t
here was always a chance someone would get burned. And with Brett around, odds were in her favor that it wasn’t going to be her.
As they made their way across the room, Brett’s muscular frame easily parted the sea of people, giving her plenty of space to walk behind him without bumping into anyone. But even then, she only made it ten feet before a masculine arm circled her waist and pulled her back against a hard body. “Hey, baby. Wanna dance?”
Valerie winced. Another guy with a death wish. Lovely.
No, wait. She recognized that voice, didn’t she?
Glancing over her right shoulder, she stared directly into Max’s playful eyes just as Brett whipped around and shoved Max away from her. “Get your hands off my sister, jackass.”
Max released her and held his hands up in surrender. “Whoa! I was just playing around with her. No need to get pissy about it, buddy.”
“I’m not your goddamn buddy,” Brett sneered, fire flashing in his eyes as he stepped toward Max.
Valerie scrambled into her brother’s path to keep him at bay. “Stop it! He’s just a friend of mine, Brett. You don’t have to go all caveman on him.”
“Then tell your friend to keep his damn hands off you.” Her brother shot Max one of his blue-eyed Taser glares, which usually sent most men retreating.
But Max wasn’t like most men and continued to stand there, as if he was throwing down a challenge of his own. One Brett was clearly willing to accept, since he started for Max.
Jesus. Here we go again. Valerie readjusted her position and placed her hands on Brett’s chest to stop him. “Knock it off right now. Damn it, you promised to behave yourself tonight. If you can’t control yourself, then I’m going home.” She almost hoped Brett would throw a punch just so she had a reason to leave. Sorry, Max.
“Me?” Brett asked innocently, his eyes widening. “I didn’t do anything…yet.” He zapped another threatening look in Max’s direction for good measure.
Valerie shook her head, annoyed with the whole situation. “Why don’t you just go ahead without me, and I’ll catch up to you in a little bit?”
Her brother didn’t move.
God, why did I come out tonight? Me and my bright ideas. “Damn it, Brett. Just go already. I’ll be fine. I want to talk to Max.” Her brother planted his feet, as if he planned to wait for her, so she added, “Without my bodyguard present, if you don’t mind.”
Brett gritted his teeth and set his jaw but eventually stalked away. Once Valerie was sure he wasn’t coming back, she turned her attention to Max and sighed. “Sorry about that. My brother’s a little…intense.”
“Who, that guy? Nah.” Max’s sardonic tone wasn’t lost on her, but then he shrugged. “No big deal, Val. You warned me that your brother was an asshole. If I had known he was with you tonight, I wouldn’t have grabbed you like that.”
She grinned. “You’re such a liar.”
The corner of his mouth lifted in a tiny smirk. “I know.”
Though they’d met only six months before at Rusty’s Bucket—a seedy local dive bar that made this place look like some kind of upscale cocktail lounge—she’d had Max’s number from the beginning. And she wasn’t referring to his telephone digits…though she had those too.
Upon meeting Max, Valerie had quickly figured out two things about him. One, he was a decent guy, even though he was a bit of a troublemaker at times. Two, he hadn’t been remotely attracted to her. Which was fine with her, since she hadn’t been interested in him either.
She hadn’t lied when she told Brett that Max was just a friend. Nothing romantic had ever evolved between them and never would. At the time, they had each unknowingly used the opportunity to set up their best friends, Leah and Sam, by feigning interest in each other.
And it had worked! The lucky couple were now engaged and living together in Sam’s apartment while his construction crew built their new house not far from Leah’s bakery, Sweets n’ Treats. Within three weeks, Leah would have her intimate beach wedding and be moving into her glorious new home with the man of her dreams.
And Valerie couldn’t be happier for them.
Especially since the one-bedroom apartment over the bakery was now available for Valerie to rent, thus making Leah not only her best friend and employer but also her landlord.
“I’m surprised to see you here tonight,” Max said, steering Valerie toward a surprisingly vacant seat at the small side bar in the corner. “Leah said you weren’t coming.”
“I didn’t plan to,” she said, noting how strange it was that there were plenty of seats in the area around them while the rest of the bar harbored wall-to-wall people. She slid onto the black, vinyl-covered stool as Max stationed himself next to her. “I know it’s hard to believe I’d miss it though.”
“No kidding. Since when do you not enjoy the bar scene, party girl?”
Okay, so maybe I’m not the only one who’s got someone’s number.
Grinning, she ignored his question and glanced around the room. “So where are Leah and Sam? I thought they’d be here by now.”
“They’re here,” he confirmed. “They headed over to the main bar to get a drink. The bartenders over there are much faster than this one is,” Max said, gesturing to the young man fumbling a glass behind the bar. “If you want something to drink, you better tell me quick. If he has to make more than one drink at a time, you’ll die of thirst before I can save you.”
Normally, Valerie would have ordered a beer, but the shiny metallic bandage dress she wore showed off her feminine side and wasn’t really the kind of outfit a lady would drink a beer in. Hmm. Something colorful and fruity perhaps? Besides, the hard liquor would probably help ease some of the tension she’d felt creeping up her spine since she’d entered the building. “Um, how about an appletini?”
“A what?”
She grinned. “An apple martini.”
Max nodded. “You got it. Coming right…er, scratch that. You might get it soon, if you’re lucky.” He grinned and then leaned over the bar and repeated the order to the young bartender.
The barkeep nodded in acknowledgment but seemed a bit unsure of what to do. When he finally made the decision to reach for a glass, it took him three tries before he found the one used for martinis. Even as he chilled the glass with ice, he moved so slowly and deliberately that Valerie wondered if he was pacing himself so he didn’t pull a muscle in his hand. If he didn’t learn to speed up, the thirsty bar-goers would eat him for breakfast. Because, chances were, it would take him until morning to finish making one drink. Jeez.
While they waited for her drink, Max and Valerie lingered at the bar counter chatting about their friends’ pending nuptials. Since they were the best man and maid-of-honor, Max and Valerie would soon be walking down the aisle together. Of course, she wouldn’t dare word it that way to her brother or he’d jump to conclusions and blow a gasket.
After a few minutes, Sam and Leah emerged from the dense crowd, with a beer bottle for him and a glass of water for her. Apparently, Leah was still on that damn diet and counting calories so she would fit into her wedding dress. Though why she didn’t just buy the dress in a larger size was beyond Valerie.
Leah blinked at the sight of her sitting with Max. “Val? What are you doing here? You said you weren’t coming.”
Valerie shrugged. “I changed my mind.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, sure. Why?”
“When you said you didn’t want to go out, I assumed you were sick. You never turn down a night out. Actually, you’re the one who’s always asking me to go.” Leah placed her palm lightly against Valerie’s forehead. “You sure you don’t have the flu or something?”
Valerie laughed and pushed her friend’s hand away. “Oh, stop it. I just didn’t feel like getting dressed up. I’m getting tired of the whole bar scene.”
Leah squinted with disbelief. “Since when?”
Since three weeks ago when I found out this place was opening. Valerie ga
zed expectantly at the bartender, who was using a jigger to carefully measure out the vodka for her cocktail. Damn, she could really use that drink about now. She sighed inwardly. “I’m fine,” she told Leah. “I was tired, but the mood passed.”
“Good,” Sam said cheerfully, clasping a hand on his buddy’s shoulder. “Then maybe you can help us keep Max out of trouble for one evening. Lord knows he needs all the help he can get.”
Max just grinned.
“Already on top of it,” Valerie replied. “A few minutes ago, he met my brother.”
Leah’s eyes widened. “Oh no. Brett’s here? I can only imagine how well that went over.”
“Yep, exactly what you’re thinking. It didn’t. But I managed to send Brett away for the time being. I’m sure he’s still watching me from some dark corner though.” She leaned over to Max and loudly mock-whispered, “If you want to keep your arms attached to your body, I wouldn’t make any sudden movements in my direction.”
They all laughed, probably because a truer statement had never been spoken. As the chuckling died down, the young bartender finally slid a green-tinted apple martini on the counter in front of Valerie. Thank goodness.
Max reached for his wallet and nodded across the room in the direction Brett had wandered off in. “Think I can get away with paying for your drink, smart-ass? Or should I consult your brother first?”
She smiled up at him, her eyes twinkling with mirth. “Oh no. You don’t have to ask his permission for that.” Then her gaze followed the same trail Max’s had. “Always feel free to pay for my—”
Valerie’s heart stopped, along with her lips. Oh God.
Across the room, Brett stood there talking to a tall, dark-haired man who had one thumb hooked in the front pocket of his jeans while he leaned comfortably against the wall with his right shoulder. She couldn’t see the other guy’s face, but she didn’t need to. Valerie recognized all six feet, two inches of him.
Jesus. I don’t think I can do this.
“Can’t do what?” Leah asked, puzzlement filling her voice.