Blurb:
From the New
York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of Unbreak Me
FAKING IT NEVER FELT SO GOOD...
Promotions director Reese Regan isn’t a sex goddess
and doesn’t want to be. But when she's offered a job with Sex Goddess, Inc.,
she must complete the company's wildly popular Sex Goddess 101 program. Trying
only to avoid the unemployment line, not to become Chicago’s next seductress,
she never expected the infamous “steps” might work.
Reese’s sexy, off-limits best friend Ben Hawk helps
her “fake” her way through lingerie shopping, phone sex, and seduction lessons.
The passion that flares between them might be hotter than their friendship can
withstand. And the idea that he only wants the “new” her? That's definitely
more than her heart can stand.
Will faking something so important cost her a
chance at something real?
Bio:
New York Times and
USA Today bestselling romance author
Lexi Ryan’s novels have been described as intense, emotional, and wickedly
sexy. A former college professor, she now writes full-time from her home in
Contact Links:
Website:
http://lexiryan.com
Blog:
lexiryan.blogspot.com
Facebook:
facebook.com/lexiryan
Twitter:
@writerlexiryan
E-mail:
writerlexiryan@gmail.com
Newsletter:
http://eepurl.com/qymaH
Links:
Excerpt 1
(670 words)
“Good morning!” a sing-songy voice called from Ben’s front
door.
Ben stood in the middle of his kitchen, sipping coffee and
attempting to unglue his eyelids.
Reese strode into the room, her presence kicking his brain
into gear better than a whole pot of coffee.
She wore a white tank, yoga pants that clung to the curve of
her ass, and a smile way too sunny for a Monday morning.
Not for the first time, Ben imagined she wasn’t joining him
fresh from her car but that she was joining him from his bed. She wouldn’t be
wearing workout clothes but maybe one of his old t-shirts. She’d pad toward him
in bare feet, cotton brushing the tops of her thighs, and she’d wrap her arms
around his neck with the smile of a recently satisfied woman. He would slide
his hands under her shirt and cup an ass cheek in each hand as he put his mouth
on hers. Then they’d get a whole different kind of workout.
A dangerous fantasy. In the real world, Reese smacked a kiss
to his cheek like she was greeting her little brother. To add insult to injury,
she stole his mug out of his hands and took a gulp of his coffee. The soft moan
of pleasure that escaped her lips played all too well into the images flashing
through his mind. So did the way she closed her eyes and tilted her head back,
pleasure running across her face.
Jesus. Ben tried
to get a handle on himself, but, hell, he was only human, and Reese enjoyed a
sip of coffee in a way that made a man think of slow, sweaty, thorough sex.
How was he supposed to avoid imagining the expression on her
face as he teased her breasts? What sounds would she make when he ran his
tongue across a hardened nipple? And when he ran his mouth down her stomach and
tasted her between her legs, what sounds would she make then? Would she quietly
open her legs for him? Or would she cry out in pleasure, tug on his hair?
She cocked her head, studying him but not seeing him. Reese
saw a friend when she looked at him, not a man. And maybe for a while he’d only
seen a friend when he’d looked at her. That was all he’d let himself see. But
at some point he’d let his guard down, and now when he looked at Reese he
didn’t just see. He wanted.
“Have a lot on your mind this morning?” she asked.
He nodded slowly, let his fingers brush over hers as he took
his mug back. “You could say that.” He slugged back the rest of his coffee and
headed toward the basement without preamble. Reese followed, humming softly
under her breath, a sound low enough to slingshot his mind straight back to his
fantasy, to the idea of her body under his hands. His mouth.
“Hey, grumpy,” she said when they reached the bottom of the
stairs. She tugged on his shoulder until he turned to face her. “Anything I can
do to improve your mood this morning?”
“I can think of a few things.” He couldn’t help himself. He
let his gaze travel slowly down her body, lingering at her curves. His gaze
traveled so slowly back to her face, he had enough time to picture every inch
of her bare, exposed, ready for him. It was an image that was half fantasy and
half memory.
When he returned his eyes to her face, a deep red blush
stained her cheeks. “Ben!” She landed a soft punch to his solar plexus.
Ben lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “You asked.”
“When was the last time you got laid?”
He knew down to the day, but he wasn’t about to share the
truth with Reese—not when the date was just as significant in her life. “A few
months.”
“Well, you need to do something about that.”
“You volunteering?”
Excerpt 2 (396 words)
“I’m going to let Mark take me out.”
His jaw ticked. “Don’t be stupid, Reese.”
“Wha—”
He cut her off with his mouth. He cupped her face in his big
palm and brushed his lips across hers. He was warm and gentle.
And from the first brush of his lips, she wanted more.
Maybe tomorrow she’d blame the tequila or maybe she’d blame
the lingerie shopping or the dirty stories she’d been logging into her
notebook. Maybe she’d blame their tragic beginnings and her endless months of
waiting for him to want her, but right now she didn’t even need an excuse. She
moaned against him, loving the feel of his mouth, the light scratch of his
scruff. Ben was so painfully male. A hot and delicious, long-denied craving.
Ben slanted his mouth over hers and slipped his tongue
inside. He tasted like beer. Like male. Like something wicked and addictive. He
wasn’t one of those rushed and sloppy kissers. He kissed like it was making
love. Like he had all the time in the world. Like his most important task was
kissing her. It was a kiss she’d known once and had never forgotten.
He slid his hands under her jaw and into her hair.
Reese grabbed a fistful of his shirt in her hand and pulled
him closer, thinking of his eyes on her in the dressing room, thinking of the
only other night they’d kissed.
He slid a hand behind her ass and lifted her, pressing her
between the wall and his body and nestling his hard-on right between her legs.
She gave a moan of approval and rubbed her tongue against his, exploring his
mouth for all she was worth. She reached around his neck and slipped her
fingers into his hair, tugging gently. Groaning, he pressed himself even closer
to her. She cursed the day denim was invented. She wanted closer, closer even as part of her brain told her this was a
mistake, told her to end this before they ruined everything.
He tore his mouth from hers and latched onto her neck.
Sucking, nibbling, tasting until her eyes closed and she arched into him.
His teeth grazed the shell of her ear. His breath was hot as
he whispered, “I’ll be damned if I’m going to let my brother help you with the best parts of this program.”
Excerpt 3 (429 words)
With a forced smile, Reese withdrew an envelope from her
purse and handed it to Ben. “Apparently, Sex Goddess equals dirty.”
“Is this your next step?” He stifled a grin. “Please tell me
she’s making you burn your bras.” He signaled to the door with his thumb. “I
think I have some lighter fluid at the house.”
“What? Of course she’s not.” She scowled. “I hope not.”
Ben’s eyes dropped south for a second. “You know, bras are a
sign of repression. Liberate the breasts and liberate the woman.”
She rolled her eyes. “Stop being a dork and read the
letter.”
Ben frowned. “You’re taking this program more seriously than
I thought you would.”
“No, I’ve just gotten really good at faking it.”
“The new outfit doesn’t look fake. Or the makeup.”
Balls clacked at the pool table behind them and the Bears
game played on the big screen.
“So, I like looking sexy. Women like to be wanted, Ben. It
comes standard with the estrogen.”
“And men didn’t want you before you started taking Halie’s
Holy Steps?”
“Most of which I’m faking,”
she reminded him. She waved a hand dismissively. “Just read it.”
“The phone sex didn’t seem fake,” he said softly. Neither
had her hand in his or the way she’d squeezed his hand when Sydney played her
solo.
A red tinge crept up her cheeks. Satisfied, Ben turned to
the letter.
Say goodbye to your
panties. For the next week, you’ll be going commando, forcing your mind to
acknowledge the parts of your body too often left as an afterthought.
He grunted. “No wonder my guys want their wives to sign up.”
“Spoken like a true male. Foregoing underwear isn’t sexy,
it’s unsanitary.”
He shook his head. “It’s sexy.”
“What if I’m doing yard work?”
“Sexy.”
She crossed her arms and her cheeks flushed. “Or I’m working
out?”
“Still sexy.”
Reese leaned forward. “Or I want to wear a skirt?”
Ben narrowed his eyes. “Now you’re just tormenting me.”
She shook her head. “I don’t need to go commando to
acknowledge my female parts.”
Leaning back in his chair, Ben folded his arms across his
chest and studied her. Why was she taking this program so seriously? The kiss?
The phone sex? He wasn’t complaining, but couldn’t she have just as easily
fabricated a story for Halie?
They were the questions that were starting to niggle at him.
Despite what Reese said, this was about more than a job.
He handed back the letter and only let himself ask one question.
“So, when do the panties come off?”
Thank you so much for sharing my new cover! <3 <3
ReplyDelete