by Katie Reus
“No way. I want to kick my feet up and relax tonight. When we get home, I’ll even let you massage me.” Her grin turned wicked.
The last time he’d given her a massage she’d lasted about two minutes before she’d jumped him. Not that he was complaining. “Sounds like a plan to me. Listen…I was thinking we might look for a bigger place for us soon. Maybe someplace we can turn a mother-in-law suite into an commercial kitchen?” It would be good for tax purposes and it would cut down on how early she had to get up and over to Nora’s kitchen to prep for the day. If she just had to walk out the back door to get to the kitchen, she’d get more rest, which he knew she needed. She couldn’t go at this pace forever.
Her blue eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea. Wait, are you talking buying?”
“Yes.” And more, but he wanted to talk about that later.
“Wow, that’s huge, but yes. Not gonna lie, I wouldn’t mind getting to sleep in a little some mornings. You are a genius,” she murmured before going up on her toes to kiss him. “I’ve got to help Sasha out so we can get out of here but I’ll meet you at home after.”
“See you soon.”
All his muscles tightened as he watched her turn from him and head into the back of the truck. She completely owned him. And soon, he planned to lock her down forever.
* * *
“What is this?” Fallon glanced at him as he steered into the driveway of a home he’d been looking at for the two of them.
“A house I thought you might like.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Seriously? That’s…fast.”
He paused at her tone, wondering if that was a good or bad thing. “Come on. The Realtor gave me the code.”
“I like this neighborhood,” she said as she rounded the front of his truck. “And look how big the front porch is.”
The band of tension loosened around his chest as they strode up the front steps. According to the Realtor, the style was rustic country cottage. All he knew was that Fallon would like it. A mix of brick and wood, it had a big wraparound porch with a large, lush backyard, and the interior had been completely modernized. Especially the kitchen. He punched in the code and the key from the holder fell out.
A layer of sweat formed down his spine as he opened the door. He hadn’t expected to be so nervous. Suddenly, the little box in his back pocket seemed to weigh a ton. He wasn’t afraid of what he was about to do, he just didn’t want to screw this up.
“I bet this room is gorgeous in the morning with all that natural light streaming through.” She linked her fingers through his as they stepped into what would be a living room. Brazilian wood floors gleamed under the soft light from the overhead fan. The fireplace would be perfect in the winter and he could think of exactly what he planned to do with her in front of it.
“And this place has a mother-in-law suite?”
“Yep. Out back. They never finished it, which is actually better if this is something we decide to put an offer on. It’ll be a lot easier to turn it into a kitchen without having to rip out walls. Come on, let’s go check it out before we explore the rest of the house.”
“Why are they selling?” she asked as they headed down the hallway. “This place is gorgeous.”
“Moving south to be closer to their kids. And the house was getting to be too big to keep up. They’ve actually already relocated so I think we could go in a little lower on the asking price.”
“How many rooms is it?”
“Four bedrooms, three baths—two upstairs and one down here.”
“Very nice. Buying is such a huge thing.” As they stepped into the kitchen, her eyes widened. “Wow.”
“I thought you’d like it.” It had been one of the selling points. According to the Realtor it was any chef’s dream kitchen with a “minimalist open concept, streamlined with flat-panel white cabinets and granite countertops.” He just knew that it felt like Fallon. And the sparkly mirror backsplash behind the stove was something he knew she was going to adore.
She immediately went to the island countertop, running her fingers along the granite. “I love this color. And the pot rack.” The oversized steel oval rack fit perfectly with the rest of the appliances and coloring. “I hope this can stay—you know, if we put in an offer. Hey, what’s…” Her voice trailed off as she rounded the island, finally spotting the tray of cupcakes on the lone round table in the breakfast nook.
She let out a gasp as she reached it, and when she turned around to face him, he’d already dropped to one knee. He’d made the cupcakes himself so they weren’t pretty, but there was a letter on each one spelling out Will you marry me?
“I’ve already talked to your family, but your answer is the only one that matters. Marry me, Fallon O’Connor?” He slowly opened the lid of the ring box.
“Yes!” Tears rolled down her cheeks as he slipped it on her left hand ring finger. “Yes, yes, yes,” she whispered.
In a flash he had her in his arms, crushing his mouth to hers for a searing claiming. This was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, something he’d known for a long time.
“This is the sweetest proposal,” Fallon whispered. “Though I don’t think you have a future in baking.”
“No kidding.” He laughed as he cupped her cheek. “We don’t have to put in an offer on this place. But I want to make you my wife.”
“And I’m ready to lock you down and make you an honest man. Though I have to ask, how did you manage to keep this a secret?” She held out her hand, her eyes lighting up as she looked at the sparkly diamond.
He loved seeing it on her hand, loved that now there was a symbol that declared her off-limits. Caveman attitude? Yeah, it was. “I had to buy it a couple towns over so there was no chance of it getting back to you.”
“This is perfect. I love you so much.”
“I love you… You ready to go see the potential kitchen?”
An even bigger grin spread across her face. “Oh yeah. But when we get home tonight, we’re going to celebrate properly.”
“I already have a bottle of champagne in the fridge.”
“Always prepared, my Boy Scout.”
“Damn straight.”
Dear Readers,
Thank you for reading Tease Me, Baby. I hope you enjoyed it! If you’d like to stay in touch with me and be the first to learn about new releases you can:
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Happy reading,
Katie
Excerpt from
Merry Christmas, Baby
by Katie Reus
Copyright © 2016 Katie Reus
The bell above the front door to Nora’s Books and Brew jingled, but Nora didn’t bother to glance away from the customer she was helping. Since renovating this place seven months ago it was no longer just a bookstore, but a combination bookstore and coffee shop and they sold more coffee than books.
Which wasn’t exactly surprising since Holly, North Carolina saw a lot of tourists, especially during December. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it was a popular tourist getaway that boasted cobblestone streets, Victorian gingerbread architecture and an old-world feel that made her never want to leave. And it was Christmas twenty-four-seven, year round. Nora’s friend Ella, the town scrooge, hated it, but after growing up with a mom who got depressed every damn holiday and refused to do anything special for either of her daughters, Nora loved everything about H
olly.
“Trust me, your daughter, no matter what age, will love the elf, even if she doesn’t read the book. My sister’s seventeen and goes crazy with this thing. Every morning I find him in a different place around the house.”
The woman with pale blonde hair and a bright smile nodded. “I’ll take two sets and a pound of the White Christmas coffee. Whole beans.”
“I’ll meet you at the cash register.” Even though the town was Christmas-themed year round, the month of December was still always their busiest. In addition to her regular employees, she’d hired three seasonal ones, all high-school students, to help out in the afternoons. They were all busy so she headed to the back to grab the Elf on the Shelf book sets and the coffee.
As she passed Macy and Eleanor Baker, sisters in their sixties barely a year apart, sitting at one of the high-top tables in the café, she paused at the odd way they were watching her. “What? Do I have something on my face?” She’d been working since eight o’clock this morning and had barely taken a bathroom break.
Macy, the brunette, gave her a Cheshire cat smile. “Nope. Though it wouldn’t hurt you to put some lipstick on.”
Nora blinked in surprise.
Eleanor nudged her sister. “Don’t be rude. She looks fine. He won’t care about lipstick anyway.”
He? Since she had no idea what they were talking about, Nora gave them a polite smile, murmured something about grabbing stock from the back, and kept going. She adored the sisters, but they could be eccentric on their best days. And today, she didn’t have time for their dose of crazy. She slipped behind the counter, the rich aroma of coffee, coconut, vanilla, caramel and nuts all filling the air. The scents were soothing and familiar, as were the little beeps from the cash register as Kelsey rang up another customer. Music to Nora’s ears.
“I’ll grab what you need. I overheard you and the snow bunny. Two elf sets and coffee, right?” Marjorie, one of her full-time employees asked as she pushed open the swinging door to the back.
“Yeah, but you don’t have to—”
“Go see your man. I got this.” Marjorie tilted her chin in the direction of the café before disappearing through the door.
What the heck? Nora turned around and froze for just a second. Jackson O’Connor, Mr. Too-sexy-for-his-own-good stood at the high-top table talking to the Baker sisters. He held a bouquet of white snapdragons, her favorite. Her immediate instinct was to duck in the back and just avoid seeing him, but screw him. He was in her territory and she certainly didn’t want his flowers. So she pasted on her “shopkeeper smile” and skirted around the counter.
As she rounded it, he looked over, those striking blue eyes landing on her. And damn it, she felt the effect of that stare all the way to her toes. She tried to pretend she didn’t, but her body didn’t lie. Everything around her funneled out, the rich scents and chattering customers all seemed to fade away as she maneuvered her way through the tables. She wished she was in something sexier than jeans, a red and green striped top and her apron, but there was nothing she could do about it. Now she understood the lipstick comment, but not the ‘your man’ one. Jackson certainly wasn’t hers.
He’d made that perfectly clear with his radio silence over the last three weeks. One date and he’d completely ghosted on her; no calls, nothing. Considering they’d been friends before their date, it cut deep that he’d simply decided to ignore her for no reason she could decipher.
“O’Connor,” she said politely as she reached the table. Oh yeah, it was back to O’Connor, what pretty much everyone in town called him. Calling him Jackson was way too intimate and she wanted to set up clear boundaries between them.
She saw the slight way his eyes narrowed when she did. “You have a few seconds, Nora?” His voice was deep and delicious, the baritone making all her nerve endings flare to life.
“Ah…” She glanced behind her. The line at the register wasn’t too bad, but the truth was, she didn’t want to talk to him, much less see him. “I’m pretty busy.”
“Oh go on, honey.” Macy winked at her. “No one will blame you for taking a few minutes to yourself.”
“And if she’s not interested, we are,” Eleanor continued.
To Nora’s surprise, Jackson’s cheeks flushed red. Clearing his throat, he motioned toward the front door. “I shouldn’t have come at such a busy time.”
Though she wanted to tell him that he was right—and give him a piece of her mind—she simply smiled and headed for the front door with him. “Don’t worry about it.” She had to keep her “shopkeeper smile” in place until they were alone. Otherwise everyone in town would gossip and though she might hate it, she had to uphold a certain appearance. When she was Nora Cassidy, business owner, she had to keep a smile on her face and be professional at all times. Which normally wasn’t hard at all. She loved her job and she loved the people of Holly.
“That’s the fakest smile I’ve ever seen,” Jackson murmured as he held the door open for her.
The bell jingled overhead as a blast of wintry air rolled over her. She shivered, wrapped her arms around herself as her boots crunched over the icy sidewalk. And she kept the smile in place even as she gritted out, “No joke. What are you doing here?”
“I…” He practically shoved the flowers at her, the awkward move out of character for the former SEAL. “These are for you.”
“They’re lovely.” Her voice was wry as she reluctantly took them. They really were pretty, but she didn’t care. Flowers didn’t make up for anything.
“You look a little like you want to throw them in my face.” He rubbed a hand over his inky black buzz cut.
She lifted a shoulder. “That would imply I care enough.”
Acknowledgments
I owe a big thanks to my readers for this one! Thanks to your emails wanting more of the O’Connor family, I’m turning this into a short series! So thank you for your input. I’m also grateful to Kari, Julia, Jaycee and Sarah (always!) for all that you do. To Elizabeth, who feeds my caffeine addiction at the little French cafe I frequent on a weekly basis, thank you! For my family, thank you guys for all your help and patience with my schedule. And to God, thank you for all my opportunities and blessings.
About the Author
Katie Reus is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Moon Shifter series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it.
However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated summa cum laude with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense. For more information on Katie find her on twitter @katiereus or visit her on facebook at: www.facebook.com/katiereusauthor. If you would like to be notified of future releases, please visit her website: www.katiereus.com and join her newsletter.
Complete Booklist
Red Stone Security Series
No One to Trust
Danger Next Door
Fatal Deception
Miami, Mistletoe & Murder
His to Protect
Breaking Her Rules
Protecting His Witness
Sinful Seduction
Under His Protection
Deadly Fallout
Sworn to Protect
Secret Obsession
Love Thy Enemy
Dangerous Protector
Lethal Game
The Serafina: Sin City Series
First Surrender
Sensual Surrender
Sweetest Surrender
Dangerous Surrender
Deadly Ops Series
Targeted
Bound to Danger
Chasing Danger (novella)
Shattered Duty
Edge of Danger
&nb
sp; A Covert Affair
Non-series Romantic Suspense
Running From the Past
Dangerous Secrets
Killer Secrets
Deadly Obsession
Danger in Paradise
His Secret Past
Retribution
O’Connor Family Series
Merry Christmas, Baby
Tease Me, Baby
It’s Me Again, Baby
Mistletoe Me, Baby
Paranormal Romance
Destined Mate
Protector’s Mate
A Jaguar’s Kiss
Tempting the Jaguar
Enemy Mine
Heart of the Jaguar
Moon Shifter Series
Alpha Instinct
Lover’s Instinct (novella)
Primal Possession
Mating Instinct
His Untamed Desire (novella)
Avenger’s Heat
Hunter Reborn
Protective Instinct (novella)
Dark Protector
A Mate for Christmas (novella)
Darkness Series
Darkness Awakened
Taste of Darkness
Beyond the Darkness
Hunted by Darkness
Into the Darkness
Saved by Darkness