“Mainly bruises and swelling. It’ll all heal.”
“I was scared.” I blew out a breath.
“Yeah, me too. Let’s not do that again.”
“Cash, my life is… complicated.” I turned and looked up at him. “I don’t know what I can promise you right now. I don’t know where things will go. And I can’t even promise you that I won’t end up in another situation like the one today. I’m kind of a mess.”
“Good thing I like cleaning up messes,” Cash said, bending to brush his lips over mine.
“Are you willing to take things as they come right now? I’m…” I held a hand to my stomach. “Everything’s all tangled up and weird down here.”
“If you promise to always be honest with me, then yes, I’ll take things as they come.”
“It’s a deal. I may be a mess, but I’m not a liar.”
“Then we take it a day at a time. And you know what I want to do on this day?”
“What’s that?”
“Hmm, I’d better just show you,” Cash said.
I gasped with laughter as he lifted me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and walked around the side of the pool. I had a feeling I knew just where he was taking me, and heat tugged low in my belly.
But instead, he tossed me right back into the pool. The last thing I saw before I went under was him laughing as though he was the funniest guy in the world.
Oh yeah, I’d show him.
Afterword
Have you read books from my other series? Be sure to check out www.triciaomalley.com for free books and updated blog posts – along with fun giveaways! As always, thank you for your support.
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Please consider leaving a review! A book can live or die by the reviews alone. It means a lot to an author to receive reviews, and I greatly appreciate it!
The Isle of Destiny Series
Also by Tricia O’Malley
Stone Song
Sword Song
Spear Song
Sphere Song
“Love this series. I will read this multiple times. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. It has action, excitement and romance all in one series.”- Amazon Review
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Available as an e-book, paperback or audiobook!
https://www.triciaomalley.com/home-3
The Mystic Cove Series
Also by Tricia O’Malley
Wild Irish Roots (Novella, Prequel)
Wild Irish Heart
Wild Irish Eyes
Wild Irish Soul
Wild Irish Rebel
Wild Irish Roots: Margaret & Sean
Wild Irish Witch
Wild Irish Grace
“I have read thousands of books and a fair percentage have been romances. Until I read Wild Irish Heart, I never had a book actually make me believe in love.”- Amazon Review
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Available as an e-book, paperback or audiobook!
https://www.triciaomalley.com/home-2
The Siren Island Series
Also by Tricia O’Malley
Good Girl
Up to No Good
A Good Chance (Early 2020)
“Love her books and was excited for a totally new and different one! Once again, she did NOT disappoint! Magical in multiple ways and on multiple levels. Her writing style, while similar to that of Nora Roberts, kicks it up a notch!! I want to visit that island, stay in the B&B and meet the gals who run it! The characters are THAT real!!!” - Amazon Review
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Available as an e-book, paperback or audiobook!
https://www.triciaomalley.com/the-siren-island-series
The Althea Rose Series
Also by Tricia O’Malley
One Tequila
Tequila for Two
Tequila Will Kill Ya (Novella)
Three Tequilas
Tequila Shots & Valentine Knots (Novella)
Tequila Four
A Fifth of Tequila
A Sixer of Tequila
“Not my usual genre but couldn't resist the Florida Keys setting. I was hooked from the first page. A fun read with just the right amount of crazy! Will definitely follow this series.”- Amazon Review
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Available as an e-book, paperback or audiobook!
https://www.triciaomalley.com/home-4
The Stolen Dog
Also by Tricia O’Malley
A non-fiction account of our dog being stolen and how we recovered him. A read that will renew your faith in humanity. All proceeds donated to animal rescues. For a list of organizations you have helped by buying one of Tricia O’Malley’s books here is the link to a blog post thanking her readers.
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Available as an e-book or paperback!
https://bit.ly/2IRQKbM
Good Girl
The Siren Island Series, Book 1
A new series from Tricia O’Malley
Available now as an e-book, paperback or audiobook!
https://www.triciaomalley.com/the-siren-island-series
Sign up for information on new releases, free books, and fun giveaways at my website www.triciaomalley.com.
Chapter 1
Good Girl: The Siren Island Series, Book 1
The following is an excerpt from Good Girl
Book 1 in the Siren Island Series
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“Business or pleasure?”
“Business,” Sam said automatically, her fingers tightening on the strap of the laptop case that rarely left her shoulder.
“And what is your business on Siren Island?” The customs agent spoke with a bouncy cadence, his words slow and richly rounded, the music of the islands flowing through his voice.
“I… I mean, pleasure,” Sam said, startled to realize it was true. A drop of sweat slipped between her shoulder blades. That morning, in a haze of what-the-hell-am-I-doing, she’d donned what she’d come to term her Air Barbie uniform. It had breezed her through most airports in the world, straight into whatever hotel finance meetings she was attending, and had earned her more than her fair share of upgrades .
Impeccably tailored slacks? Check. Tasteful diamond stud earrings? Check. And a silk blouse in a muted color – not too bright, as she’d learned that the men in the board meetings she ran often took a power color as an invitation to flirt.
Though why she’d added her diaphanous silk scarf and patent leather sling-backs to the outfit, Sam had no clue.
Her plane wouldn’t be landing in a fiercely air-conditioned airport with valets to whisk her luggage away as she went from one perfectly manicured space to the next. Oh no. Not even close.
Instead, here she was holding up a line of sweaty, boisterous passengers who all seemed to have overindulged on the plane ride down to whichever hotel’s all-inclusive vacation package they’d signed up for. The sun, an angry unrepentant dictator, broiled them all with her cruel rays.
“Which is it, ma’am? Business or pleasure?” The customs agent regarded her carefully, and it annoyed Sam to see not even a sheen of sweat on the man’s face, though he wore neatly pressed khaki pants and a button-down shirt. Why were there no enclosed rooms in this hut of an airport? Samantha knew for a fact that the island had access to the internet; surely they’d learned of the invention of air conditioning by now.
“Pleasure. My apologies. I travel so much for work that I forgot this trip was for pleasure,” Sam said, sweeping her tastefully highlighted auburn hair over her shoulder and flashing the agent the smile that had opened more than one door for her in the past.
“That’s a shame, ma’am. One should never forget to take time for pleasure.” The agent’s voice never changed, but something flashed in his eyes for just a moment – a warm male appreciation that, for once, didn’t feel predatory. Sam got the impression that he enjoyed all women. When she heard him begin flirting with the lady behind her, who sported a fanny p
ack and an unruly swath of grey hair, her assumption was confirmed.
His words followed her as she tapped her foot impatiently by the single-loop baggage conveyor belt, and Sam’s annoyance reached peak levels as another passenger jostled her to peer over her shoulder.
“I really hope they didn’t lose our bags this time. I swear, Carl, every time we come here something gets lost.”
Then why did they still come here? Sam wondered in frustration, deliberately spreading her elbows a bit to strike a power pose – the one she used in crowds to force people to step away from her a bit.
For that matter, what was she even doing here? As Sam’s thoughts flashed back over the last forty-eight hours, sweat began to drip in earnest down her back, and she was certain she could actually feel the blood pumping through her heart. Gulping for air, she looked around wildly. What this airport needed was some fans.
The sunlight seemed to get brighter and the eager laughter of the crowd around her sounded like the braying of mules. The faces and laughter and heat and sweat all pressed on her until Sam turned to run – only to find herself trapped by the crowd. Panic skittered its way up her throat and she gasped, trying to draw a breath against the warm press of bodies pushing toward the bags that now belched from a small flap-covered hole in the wall.
A hand closed on hers and Sam’s gaze slammed into cool blue eyes – the color of the sea – and a calm wave of energy seemed to pour through her. She lost herself in the reassuring smile of a woman, a peaceful oasis of calm, who pulled her through the crowd.
“Sit.” Samantha’s butt had barely touched the seat when the woman unceremoniously pushed Sam’s head between her legs. She gulped air, desperately trying to hold her panic attack at bay. The last thing she heard before it all went dark was the woman’s voice.
“This one’s mine.”
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Author's Note
Thank you for taking a chance on my books; it means the world to me. Writing novels came by way of a tragedy that turned into something beautiful and larger than itself (see: The Stolen Dog). Since that time, I've changed my career, put it all on the line, and followed my heart.
Thank you for taking part in the worlds I have created; I hope you enjoy it.
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I would be honored if you left a review online. It helps other readers to take a chance on my work.
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As always, you can reach me at [email protected] or feel free to visit my website at www.triciaomalley.com.
A Sixer of Tequila Page 17