From New York Times Bestselling author Gena Showalter, comes the next standalone romance in the Original Heartbreakers Series—CAN’T HARDLY BREATHE!
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CAN’T HARDLY BREATHE Synopsis
New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with an irresistible Original Heartbreakers story about a woman who’s never felt desired and the man who wants her more than air to breathe…
Bullied in high school, Dorothea Mathis’s past is full of memories she’d rather forget. But there’s one she can’t seem to shake—her longstanding crush on former Army Ranger Daniel Porter. Now that the sexy bad boy has started using her inn as his personal playground, she should kick him out...but his every heated glance makes her want to join him instead.
Daniel returned to Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma to care for his ailing father and burn off a little steam with no strings attached. Though he craves the curvy Dorothea night and day, he’s as marred by his past as she is by hers. The more he desires her, the more he fears losing her.
But every sizzling encounter leaves him desperate for more, and soon Daniel must make a choice: take a chance on love or walk away forever.
EXCERPT
Dorothea Mathis studied the last room
on her cleanup schedule and groaned. The bed had been wrecked, the comforter
and pillows tossed haphazardly on the floor. A pair of panties hung from a
bedpost. The TV remote had been busted, the pieces scattered across the nightstand.
Wet towels created a path to the bathroom door, and the trash can…
Oh, gag me! The
trash can contained used condoms.
The place needed to be decontaminated
by people wearing hazmat suits.
Am I up to date on my vaccinations?
With a sigh, Dorothea anchored
earbuds in place, keyed up her iPod and donned a pair of latex gloves.
One—germs. Gross! Two—she was protective of the green nail polish she’d applied
only that morning.
She selected color based on mood.
Green = irritated.
Somehow she’d known today
would suck balls.
Her mom must have checked in Mr. and
Ms. Pigsty last night after Dorothea had gone to bed. Since she had a 4:00
a.m. wake-up call, she tended to hit the sack by 9:00 p.m. Granny
hours, her sister, Holly, liked to tell her.
Dorothea picked up the dirty towels,
removed the panties from the post, emptied the trash, changed the sheets on the
bed, straightened the pillows and covers, and tossed the remote remains,
planning to bill the Pigstys for a new one.
Time was limited this morning. She’d
promised to drive her mother into the city in— Crap! Less than an hour. She
rushed through dusting and began vacuuming. As the machine swallowed dirt and
debris, she tried not to envy her mother. Carol would soon be enjoying her
fourth “singles retreat” of the year. Her fourth, but certainly not her last.
She stayed at the Michaelson, a five-star hotel owned by the richest guy in
Strawberry Valley, Dane Michaelson. Dane was married to a local girl Dorothea
had gone to school with, and he allowed Carol to stay free of charge. No doubt
about it, she took full advantage, attending speed-dating sessions, mixers and
a plethora of themed parties.
Her busy love life was just one of
the many reasons she’d given the Strawberry Inn to Dorothea.
The wheels on her cart suddenly
squeaked, the sound louder than her music. Yanking out the earbuds, she spun.
Surprise expelled the air from her
lungs, leaving her gasping. This so wasn’t happening right now.
It couldn’t be
happening.
Nightmares didn’t really come to
life. Nor did pornos. Not that she watched those…very often. But dang it, this
had to be one or the other.
The sexiest man on the planet had
just stridden into the room. He was shirtless, sweat glistening on his eight
pack—and his name was Daniel Porter.
The Daniel.
The childhood crush she’d never forgotten. The first boy to break her already
fragile heart.
She gulped. What was he doing here?
Wait. Like she really needed to
ponder this one. Welcome back, Mr. Pigsty.
Her hands trembled as she yanked the
vacuum cord from the electrical socket, the room descending into silence as
the engine died.
I think you’re perfect just the way
you are.
She smoothed her trembling hands down
her “uniform,” a pair of blue scrubs that could take a licking and keep on
ticking. “Uh, hi. Hello.” Oh, wow. Could she be any lamer? Definitely in a
nightmare, not a porno. “Welcome back.”
He pulled the earbuds from his ears
and gifted her with a small smile that failed to hide the lines of strain
around his mouth. “Sorry about the mess. I planned to clean up before I checked
out.” His gaze darted throughout the room, and he cringed. “I also plan to pay
for the remote.”
What kind of sexual acrobatics had
placed the poor remote in harm’s path, anyway?
Oh, my stars. A
warm flush poured over Dorothea, threatening to overheat her. She almost fanned
her cheeks for relief, barely stopped herself.
Look away! She
tried, she really did, but Daniel was just so freaking beautiful. He was even
taller now, and stronger, with a rough, tough face. His cheekbones were sharp,
and his nose boasted a small notch in the center. Been broken a time or two?
Dark stubble dusted his angular jaw, though the shadows couldn’t disguise the
fine tracery of scars on his left cheek.
He was a modern-day warrior—literally.
After high school, he’d joined the army, defending the country he loved.
This wasn’t the first time Dorothea
had seen him since his return to town a few months ago, but her body reacted as
if she’d never seen anyman, heating and tingling in all the
naughtiest places.
Act naturally. He’s just a customer.
A customer who’d wrecked a room
during his most recent stay, but whatever. He was waiting for her to respond
to his offer.
Let’s do this. “Yes,
thank you. Payment would be appreciated.” She wound the vacuum cord around her
arm, her motions clipped. “As for the room, I just need to tidy the bathroom,
and I’ll be done.”
With his back to her, he stuffed his
toiletries into an overnight bag. “I’ll get out of your way, then.”
During his senior year of high
school, he hadn’t just slept with Madison Clark; he’d slept with a string of
beautiful, popular girls, as if banging-and-bailing had finally been dubbed a
national sport.
Good thing Dorothea hadn’t pursued
him. He would have taken all her firsts and discarded her like garbage.
Instead, Jazz Connors had taken all
her firsts and discarded her like garbage.
Anger boiled her blood until
bitterness swept in, leaving a glaze of frost. Fire and ice. This wasn’t the
first time they’d battled it out, and this wouldn’t be the last. The biggest
downside? They ensured the wounds inside her hollowed-out chest never really
had a chance to heal.
After graduation, she’d moved to the
big bad city, enrolled in the University of Oklahoma’s meteorology program, met
Jazz and gotten hitched, just as she’d always dreamed…only to return home
several years later with a divorce and no degree.
A washed-up has-been by the age of
twenty-four.
Daniel, having served multiple tours
of duty, had come back a hero.
His life had meaning, hers didn’t. He
and two of his friends had started a security company right here in Strawberry
Valley. He took care of his ailing father, and in his free time he dated a
plethora of city girls.
Dorothea knew about the girls because
he’d stayed at the inn every time a date had ended…successfully.
Her flush returned full force as she
considered the other five rooms he’d wrecked since his return…all the pleasure
he’d been having…all the pleasure she wished she could
experience.
Not with him, of course. With someone
she liked and respected. Someone who liked and respected her, too, despite the
fact that she was still too round for society’s unhealthy standards, a lot too
freckled and trapped in a dead-end job.
Daniel Porter would never qualify.
Dorothea found him attractive, yes,
but to her, appearance would never outshine personality.
My man must be my equal. She
had a lot of love to give. She’d even grown to like herself…kind of. Maybe.
Fine, she was trying to like herself.
Avoiding Daniel’s gaze, she said,
“No, you stay. I’ll go.” Words her mother had drilled into her shouted inside
her head: the customer comes first. “I’ll finish your room
later.” She rolled the vacuum toward her cart.
“You live here, right?” he asked.
“You own the inn?”
“I… Yes.” Technically she lived in
the attic. The more rooms she had available for guests, the more money she
would make. At least in theory.
Money was the number one reason she
cleaned the pigsties herself, rather than hiring a maid. She was saving her
pennies to turn every plain, ordinary room into a themed paradise. Then
Strawberry Valley residents would happily pay to stay just for fun.
Again, in theory.
So far she’d decided on six themes.
(1) Four seasons—the weather, not the hotel chain. (2) An enchanted forest. (3)
A techno dance club. (4) The underwater world of Atlantis. (5) A royal palace.
And (6) an inner sanctum, aka a superhero’s wet dream.
Also up for consideration? A beach
hut, an igloo, an insane asylum for her more daring patrons and a desert
oasis.
With twenty-three rooms in total, she
needed other ideas fast. And more money. A lot more money.
Maybe, when the transformations were
completed, the feeling of accomplishment would finally chase away her anger and
bitterness. Maybe she would feel alive. Happy.
“If any part of your stay was
subpar,” she said, “I will personally—”
“No, everything has been great.” He
looked over his shoulder and winked at her. “Just wanted to make sure you
weren’t going to get into trouble with the boss.”
Every pulse point in her body leaped
with excitement. He’d winked at her. Her!
I think you’re perfect just the way
you are.
Red alert! She would not read
more into his words than he’d intended. Not this time. He was a flirt, plain
and simple. Always had been, apparently always would be.
“Why would I get in trouble?” she
asked.
“For not finishing the room.”
Oh. Right. “Well, as long as you plan
to come back to the inn, I won’t fire myself. Not because I’m desperate to see
you or anything,” she added in a rush. “I’m not.” Dang it! “I mean, I’m always
glad to see you here. I mean, I just want your money.” Okay. Enough!
He laughed, his amber eyes twinkling.
Air caught in her throat and sizzled.
He had the sexiest laugh on the planet. His entire face softened. He pulsed
with new life; fresh and vibrant, he was the epitome of spring.
Then he frowned, as if he couldn’t
believe he’d found humor in, well, anything.
Her brow furrowed with confusion. Why
the doom and gloom?
“In that case,” he said, his tone
flat, “I think I’ll stay another night.”
“Really?” She licked her lips. “What
about your girlfriend?”
He stiffened. “She isn’t my—”
“No, don’t tell me. I’m sorry I
asked. Your love life isn’t my business.”
“I live in Strawberry Valley. My love
life is everyone’s business.”
His wry tone made her chuckle, and he
stiffened all over again. Great. What had she done wrong this time?
“I’ll be alone tonight,” he said,
looking anywhere but at her. “Apparently I hover over my dad when I’m home, so
he’s asked for another night off. But I swear to you, this room will be clean
in the morning.”
She snorted. “I’ll believe it when I
see it.”
The corners of his mouth twitched.
“Doubting Dottie.” A pause, then, “Would you like a cup of coffee before you
go?”
“Oh, uh, no, thank you.” While she no
longer viewed Daniel through the wounded eyes of high school betrayal— he’d
been a nice boy doing a nice thing for a vulnerable girl in desperate need of a
white knight—she’d endured too much heartbreak over the years to risk getting
to know him better and reigniting her crush.
Look at the way she’d reacted to him
already.
He appeared…disappointed? No, of
course not. A trick of the light, surely. “Well. See you around, Daniel.”
“Yeah. See you around, Dottie.” He
returned his attention to his toiletry bag, dismissing her.
Irritation had her snapping, “My name
is Dorothea.”
Before he could respond, she stepped
into the hall and closed the door with a soft snick. Hands
trembling, she hooked the vacuum to the cart and rolled the cargo to the supply
room…where her younger sister Holly was smoking a cigarette.
About Gena Showalter
Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series, two young adult series--Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles--and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series. In addition to being a National Reader's Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan (Red Hot Read) and Seventeen magazine, she's appeared on Nightline and been mentioned in Orange is the New Black--if you ask her about it, she'll talk for hours…hours! Her books have been translated in multiple languages.
She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs, and all her upcoming books at genashowalter.com or Facebook.com/genashowalterfans
