The Lusty, Texas Collection
Love Under Two Extroverts
Jacqui doesn’t want to fall for New York City slicks Will and Norm Kendall. But their cheesy pick-up lines are stealing her resolve. They remind her of her dad—a natural salesman whose business has always been more important than his only child.
Will and Norm come to Lusty to decompress from their high-stress careers. They expect to relax, read, and more or less zone out. They don’t expect to be drawn to prickly Jacqui Bethune. The more they see her, the more they want to get to know her better.
But a problem arises in the form of a former client of theirs, a man who’s now wanted by the law. And he blames Will and Norm for his problems.
And the closer this miscreant gets to Lusty, the more stressed out Jacqui becomes—and the more Will and Norm learn about family—Lusty Style.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length: 68,344 words
LOVE UNDER
TWO EXTROVERTS
The Lusty, Texas Collection
Cara Covington
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
LOVE UNDER TWO EXTROVERTS
Copyright © 2015 by Cara Covington
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63259-118-0
First E-book Publication: March 2015
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank everyone who has gone to the trouble of purchasing one of my books and reading it. Because of you, and so many of you that keep coming back and buying my books, I get to do what I love most in life.
I really am “living the dream.”
I am hugely grateful to my street team, The Lusty Ladies. Ladies—and Lad—your enthusiasm for the people of Lusty Texas means more to me than I can ever tell you. Your willingness to promote my books and in essence, me, truly humbles me.
I really do have the very best street team in the entire world—which doesn’t surprise me because I also am lucky enough to have the best readers in the entire world, too.
Thanks to Bea of A Better Way To Write for being such a hard-working and dedicated Author’s Assistant.
Last but never least, I’m grateful to the professional men and women of Siren Publishing. Thanks for your hard work and your dedication to helping me become the best author I can be.
I am forever grateful to my publisher for saying yes.
DEDICATION
As always, to my husband, David. Your unfailing support is one of my greatest blessings.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
About the Author
LOVE UNDER
TWO EXTROVERTS
The Lusty, Texas Collection
CARA COVINGTON
Copyright © 2015
Prologue
The corner lot situated at the intersection of the two county roads had definite possibilities.
Angela stood stock still, her gaze resting on the tract of land, her mind reviewing all that had transpired over the last couple of weeks.
After the phone call that had come out of the blue, she’d done her homework. She’d sent for and then perused the business brochures from the Heart of Texas development group, touting the industries and opportunities for growth in the Waco area. She’d read their online magazine, and had to admit, this part of Texas was going to be vibrant for years to come.
So certainly the area was ready for growth. But was she?
A slight breeze ruffled her shoulder-length blonde hair. I need to get my bangs trimmed. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and then returned to her musings.
She couldn’t continue just going through the motions, day after day. Florida was warm, and friendly, but it wasn’t Texas. And a life of leisure—which at one time seemed so natural—no longer appealed.
If I’m not ready now, I never will be. Arms akimbo, Angela looked around, slowly turning in a circle, taking in a 360 view of her surroundings. There were mostly fallow fields and ranch land here, though she could see US 84 from where she stood. The busy highway ran west in a straight line fro
m Waco heading toward Goldwaite, where it angled up to take a northwest trajectory before coming to an end in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
Near the highway, but not on it. She’d already been assured it would be no problem, putting a couple of signs, each with an arrow pointing to this spot, along the busy east-west thoroughfare.
Her friend certainly had the right of it when she’d pointed out there wasn’t much else around to help slake the thirsts of thirsty travelers and residents alike. Her venture would indeed be filling a definite lack in the community. Whether or not it would fill a need remained to be seen.
“The location isn’t much.”
Until the man had spoken, she’d almost forgotten she wasn’t alone. She shook her head and looked over at him—a man she’d met for the first time only a few minutes before.
“The location is actually perfect.” She met the gaze of the keen-minded lawyer. “But of course, she knew that, didn’t she? She knew I needed to come back to Texas but that it had to be on my terms—and as far away from the major cities as possible.”
“I’m not privy to every detail of this situation,” the lawyer said. “I’m just an errand boy.”
Angela snorted a laugh. “Oh, please, spare me the good ole boy act.” She could have said, but didn’t, that she’d had her fill of real good ole boys years before. Instead, she tilted her head as she assessed his expression.
There were a dozen questions bubbling up in her mind, and she took that as a damn good sign. It had been a long time since she’d felt curious about anything. “What about getting all the necessary paperwork processed and approved by the local municipalities? There’ll likely be considerable red tape for me to negotiate if I do this. Also, the neighbors—though I don’t see any—might object.”
“None of that will be a problem.”
“You sound very sure of yourself.”
“And for good reason. First, as for neighbors—there’s only one, and she’s offering to sell you this parcel in the first place. And second, once word gets out—and it will get out—of who your friend is, I guarantee you the local officials won’t be able to kiss your butt fast enough.”
Angela’s laugh barked out of her again. He’d made her laugh twice in just a few minutes, and that was some accomplishment.
“Metaphorically speaking, of course,” the lawyer said. Then he gave her a smile that didn’t bother to hide his smarts.
“Damned if I don’t like you. That makes you the first in a long, long time, by the way.” And it was just a real shame that he was very happily married.
“The first lawyer or the first man?” he asked.
Smart and insightful. It would be a mistake to underestimate this man, ever. “Both, actually.”
“We’re not all bad, Mrs. Monroe.”
“Are you speaking on behalf of lawyers, or men?”
It was his turn to chuckle. He looked down at his boots for a moment—rich, black leather that wore some of the dirt of this piece of Benedict County. Then he looked up and met her gaze. “Both, actually.”
Angela declined comment, but she thought that maybe he got the gist of her feeling about that assertion from her inelegant snort. She turned her attention back to the building that stood vacant on this very nice piece of land.
She’d hire a contractor and see what he had to say about the structure. If it was shit, she’d tear it down and build anew. If it wasn’t, she’d have him rip the guts out of it. In the meantime, there was a small house back behind the trees that could serve, for now, as home, if it passed inspection.
She wasn’t going to even try to dicker over the price. She’d done her research in that area, too, and knew the dollar amount being asked was rock bottom.
If anyone but her friend had been offering this land at that price, she’d have been suspicious.
No suspicions here, just gratitude. Of course, gratitude could be a slippery slope all its own. Only time would tell if this was the smartest, or the dumbest thing Angela had ever done.
She turned and looked at the lawyer. “All right, Mr. Kendall. Tell Kate Benedict she has a deal.”
“Please, call me Jake. Why not tell her yourself? Lusty is only three miles south of here. We can have lunch at Lusty Appetites. Kate will join us, you both can sign the contract, and I can kiss my wife, who happens to be working there today.”
“Yes, why don’t I?” It had been a couple of years since she’d seen Kate. It would be nice to renew that connection, face to face. And after hearing all about Lusty, it would be nice to have a look around at the small slice of Texas heaven.
“Great. Just follow me.” He headed toward his car and then stopped. He turned and met her gaze.
“What are you going to call it?”
“I like things simple, Jake. It’s going to be Angel’s Roadhouse.”
“I like the name. And for what it’s worth, simple is good. ”
Angela walked over to her Buick. There was a time when simple didn’t work for her, when she wanted the exotic, and once, a very long time ago, the forbidden.
But she’d traveled a lot of miles since then, and she had the scars to prove it—literally. Forty-five candles would have sat atop her last birthday cake, if she’d had one. Life was different now. But she didn’t have to keep living it as if it was over.
Though some roads could never be backtracked. These days, she shied away from the exotic and the forbidden. She met Jake’s gaze and nodded. “Yes. Simple is good.”
Chapter 1
Swear to God if either of those slick hunks comes up with one more cheesy pickup line I’m gonna throw the book at them.
From Jacqui’s position behind the counter at Nancy’s Book Nook, she had her choice of books to use for that little thing. If I wasn’t so puny I’d use the Complete Works of William Shakespeare. That sucker weighs a ton. Jacqui refused to acknowledge that she’d thought of those two men as hunks, because the defining word for her was the adjective that had preceded it—slick.
William and Norman Kendall were indeed handsome hunks, but they were as slick as they came. And if there was one thing Jacqui was allergic to when it came to members of the opposite sex, it was “slick.”
Her daddy wore a tone of it, and that was enough of that oily content for any woman’s life, thank you very much.
Of course, Jacqui knew she wouldn’t really throw a book at either of those two Kendalls currently perusing the bookshelves here at the Book Nook. For one thing, they were customers, and she didn’t think her boss, Nancy Winthrop-Barton, would appreciate her abusing the customers.
And for another thing, those two men were family—well, family of a sort—to almost everyone else here in Lusty.
Jacqui shook her head. Hell, some days she had trouble recalling that she wasn’t a member of the families, even if she was treated like one.
Maybe if my folks had been born and raised here in Lusty, my life wouldn’t be so fucked up now. Jacqui pushed that thought away, too—filed it under the letter “U” for “useless musing”—and tried to get back to work. She’d emptied the contents of the latest boxes Nancy had just sent from Mississippi. Now she had to log the books into the inventory, assign them a spot, and put them on the appropriate shelf.
It was Thursday already, and Nancy and her husbands would be back the next day. They’d taken a week for their “honeymoon.” Eli and Jeremiah had surprised their bride with a seven-day road trip that just happened to include stops at several estate auctions and rare book sellers.
Roman James, family friend and a rare book dealer based in Arlington, Virginia, had provided the guys with a list of his contacts—nearly all of whom would be happy to have a place to sell their “overages.” Boxes had been arriving the last couple of days, which told her there’d be even more to deal with when the boss got home.
Jacqui had thoroughly enjoyed her week of being totally in charge of the store. With Lusty Appetites connected to the Book Nook by an archway, she hadn’t even had to close up f
or lunch. It had been easy to run over, place an order, and then go back when it was ready. She generally ate right here at the counter.
Nancy will probably lecture me about that, but it’s not as if this job is really work. Jacqui sometimes felt guilty about getting a paycheck, because she truly loved every minute of every day she spent here in the store.
The sound of approaching footsteps yanked her out of her musings and slammed her back to reality. She focused on William Kendall, let her eyes settle on him, her gaze connect with his, and felt that strange sensation—the same one she’d experienced every time since she’d seen him and his cousin for the first time.
It’s my instincts warning me away from them.
Jacqui silenced the voice that insisted that wasn’t what the sensation was at all, and then cursed her inner imp because it had distracted her from her own self-imposed rule—do not, under any circumstances, get lost in either of their blue-eyed gazes.
She pulled her gaze away from his eyes and looked down at his hands, which were empty.
“May I help you?”
William gave her the smarmiest smile she’d seen on a man since the last time she’d seen her father. “You know, if I received a nickel for every time I saw someone as beautiful as you, I’d have five cents.”
Jacqui rolled her eyes, and actually considered tossing the large tome at him. Instead, she reached into her pocket where she’d put her change from lunch.
“Aw, that is so sweet! Here, take this nickel and go buy yourself a clue.”
William laughed. “That was great! I’ll have to write that one down.”
Love Under Two Extroverts [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 1