He kissed the girl and he liked it. Now to convince her it could be love…
A Two To Tango story
When a coveted retail space opens up in Rose Bay, Claire Jones and her sisters waste no time grabbing the perfect spot to relocate their expanding children’s bookshop. But when Claire arrives to sign on the dotted line, she discovers someone else got there first.
Worse, the new tenant is shaking hands with a man who is definitely not the elderly Jack Wilson with whom she made a verbal agreement three days ago. This Jack Wilson is a tall, hunky giant—and no amount of righteous indignation can mask her body’s bone-deep sexual response.
Jack never planned to take over the family company; he’s a teacher, not a businessman. But with his grandfather in the hospital, he’s taken up the reins—and steered straight into trouble. Now he’s faced with a serious mistake, and a beautiful, Amazon warrior of a woman who’s demanding satisfaction.
He’d love to give it to her, but his idea of satisfaction has nothing to do with business, and everything to do with getting the curvy goddess naked. The sooner the better…
Product Warnings
If you’ve never made love to a man who quotes Shakespeare during sex…be warned. You’re gonna want to after reading this book.
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Okay, here’s a question. When last did you look in a mirror and think, hmm, I like what I see?
Me? I don’t think I’ve thought that in, well, ever. Honestly, I can’t remember looking at my reflection and being happy with the image. No matter how gorgeous the outfit I’m wearing or how long I’ve dieted or how much I’ve exercised, I always seem to notice the lumps and bumps, the wrinkles and crinkles and the sags and bags.
What about going to the beach or for a swim? When last did you put on your bathers (swimmers/swimsuit/cozzie) and think, wow, that looks good? Do you, like me, rush to cover up with a sarong or shorts or a dress? And then do you spend the rest of the day feeling self conscious in case you have to take off that protective covering when you swim, and everyone can see your imperfections?
Claire Jones, the heroine from my latest book, A Touch Of Confidence, is like that. She knows she’s no Twiggy. She’s tall, well built and hasn’t worn a size 12 in over a decade. Most of the times she’s okay with how she looks…so long as she’s dressed and none of her flaws and blemishes exposed. But A Touch Of Confidence is a romance, an erotic romance at that, which means she cannot be dressed all the time. At some point, her hero, Jack Wilson, is going to see her naked. And being naked in front of the man she desires is a trauma Claire would rather avoid.
Claire now faces a quandary. Does she give in to her building desire for Jack and let him in, thus exposing every one of her imperfections? Or does she keep him at arm’s length, thus saving herself unnecessary embarrassment (and in doing so, close off the possibility of ever developing a relationship with Jack)?
Here’s a little snippet from the book, a little insight into Claire’s thoughts as the pivotal moment approaches:
“Hush, beautiful,” he murmured and pressed the softest kiss to her neck. “I’m not going anywhere.” His hands found her shirt and swiftly undid the buttons. As he nudged her blouse open, he pressed those soft kisses over each millimeter of exposed flesh.
If Claire thought she’d had goose bumps earlier, now millions of them scuttled across her skin. Her breasts pushed against the confines of her bra and her nipples hardened into beads.
Jack raised his head to stare down at his handiwork, and instinctively Claire tried to cover herself. There was no need for Jack to see how her stomach spilled over the top of her skirt.
He shoved her hands away. “No hiding from me. Not ever. You…” His voice trailed off as her blouse opened all the way, revealing her belly.
Claire’s heart dropped. That time had come. His disappointment was imminent.
She turned her head to the side and closed her eyes, not wanting to face the visual proof of his distaste.
“You…” he tried again, but seemed to have no luck voicing his displeasure.
Claire’s muscles tensed, preparing for rejection. Regret swept through her. It was her own fault for letting things get this far. Her own fault for losing herself to his taste and his raw sensuality. She should just have left well enough alone, left the fantasy intact.
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she squeezed her lids shut, forcing them back. Now every time she’d have to face Jack again, she’d know she hadn’t lived up to his expectations. That was if she could ever face him again. Maybe from now on Maddie could see to the lease agreement?
“Christ, Claire,” Jack managed at last, his voice so hoarse she had no idea how he spoke at all.
Sorry, I’m gonna be mean and not let you see any more. See, Jack’s response to Claire’s weight is not the issue here. Claire’s innate doubt of her own beauty is. And don’t we all share her doubt? Don’t we all forget to look at those parts of us that are beautiful, and think, hmm, actually, I look pretty good. Because let’s face it. We can’t all be supermodels. But isn’t that okay? Isn’t it okay to just be us? With our lumps and bumps, our wrinkles and crinkles and our sags and bags?
To quote Shakespeare (which isn’t something I do very often, but Jack Wilson seems to love):
Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.
Which leaves me with my last questions: By doubting our own beauty, like Claire does, are we missing out on wonderful opportunities? What would happen, if just once, we looked in the mirror, failed to see our imperfections, and thought only, I look good?
Jess
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A Touch Of Confidence releases from Samhain Publishing on the 2cnd of October. It forms part of the Two To Tango Anthology with novellas from Lorelei James and Jayne Rylon.
You can pre-order or buy your copies at:
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For more information, visit www.jessdee.com. And for a chance to win a book from Jess Dee’s digital backlist (reader’s choice!) just leave a comment below. Good luck!
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