SHACKING UP
by Helena Hunting
SMP Swerve
Publication
Date: May 30, 2017
eBook
ISBN: 9781250133328; Price: $3.99
Paperback
ISBN: 9781250150479; Price: $15.99
Audio
ISBN: 9781427292797; Price: $23.99
Description
Ruby Scott
is months behind on rent and can’t seem to land a steady job. She has one
chance to turn things around with a big audition. But instead of getting her
big break, she gets sick as a dog and completely bombs it in the most
humiliating fashion. All thanks to a mysterious, gorgeous guy who kissed—and
then coughed on—her at a party the night before.
Luckily, her best friend might have found the perfect opportunity; a job staying at the lavish penthouse apartment of hotel magnate Bancroft Mills while he’s out of town, taking care of his exotic pets. But when the newly-evicted Ruby arrives to meet her new employer, it turns out Bane is the same guy who got her sick.
Seeing his role in Ruby’s dilemma, Bane offers her a permanent job as his live-in pet sitter until she can get back on her feet. Filled with hilariously awkward encounters and enough sexual tension to heat a New York City block, Shacking Up, from NYT and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting, is sure to keep you laughing and swooning all night long.
Luckily, her best friend might have found the perfect opportunity; a job staying at the lavish penthouse apartment of hotel magnate Bancroft Mills while he’s out of town, taking care of his exotic pets. But when the newly-evicted Ruby arrives to meet her new employer, it turns out Bane is the same guy who got her sick.
Seeing his role in Ruby’s dilemma, Bane offers her a permanent job as his live-in pet sitter until she can get back on her feet. Filled with hilariously awkward encounters and enough sexual tension to heat a New York City block, Shacking Up, from NYT and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting, is sure to keep you laughing and swooning all night long.
Buy
Links
B&N I iBooks I Kobo I Google Play
Excerpt
She taps the arm of her chair and regards
me for a few seconds. “So . . . that woman you were with at the engagement
party, I’m guessing she’s not your girlfriend or anything? I don’t need to
worry about her freaking out because another woman is living in your condo?”
“You mean Brittany? Uh, no. She’s
definitely not my girlfriend.”
“Good to know.”
“With all the travel a girlfriend hasn’t
been all that practical.”
She cocks her head. “What do you mean?”
“When I played professional rugby I was on
the road a lot. And now it seems like I’ll be on the road more than I
anticipated. At least for a while. It makes it difficult to get involved.”
“Ah. I understand. Theater is challenging
like that, too. The hours are odd since performances are typically in the
evenings and on the weekends. Unless you’re dating another actor it’s not very
practical.” She dips her spoon in her dessert again. “So that Brittany chick
was just meant to be a hookup then?”
I’m sure Brittany would’ve been good with
the hookup part, but I don’t mention that to Ruby. “I went out with her as a
favor.”
She grimaces. “Wow, that’s some favor.”
“She’s not that bad.” I’m not sure why I’m
defending Brittany, other than it seems to irritate Ruby.
“She called me a slut!”
“Well, you were kissing me, so . . .” I
have to bite back the smile at her incredulity.
She points her spoon at me, her annoyance
clear. “You kissed me.”
I shift an arm behind my head. “You didn’t
put up much of a fight.”
Her mouth drops open and snaps shut just as
quickly. It’s the same reaction I got out of her the other day when I brought
the same thing up at the restaurant.
Her eyes narrow into slits. I bet she’s a
real firecracker when she’s angry. I sort of want to push her buttons just to
see what happens when she goes off. I bet angry fucking with her would be
incredible. I wonder if she’s a hair puller, or a biter, or a scratcher. Wow.
That got dirty fast.
She narrows her eyes. “We are not talking
about this.”
“About you kissing me back? I wasn’t going
to bring it up, but now that we’re on the subject—”
“Consider it un-brought-up.” Her cheeks
flush.
I can’t help myself. I keep pushing. “No
way. You as much as admitted that you kissed me back, right there. You opened
the door. I’m walking through it. Why would you kiss a complete stranger?”
“I said I wasn’t talking about this.” The
pink in her cheeks rises to the tips of her ears.
This is way too much fun. She’s got one
hell of an angry glare going on. “I’m leaving you in my house for more than a
month, alone. I need to be certain you have sound judgment.”
“I’ll have you know my judgment is usually
very sound. However, when an incredibly attractive man surprises me with his
tongue in my mouth, the most logical response is to kiss back.”
“You think I’m incredibly attractive?”
She rolls her eyes. “Of course that’s the
part you choose to focus on. You see yourself in the mirror every day. You
can’t tell me you don’t know you’re nice to look at. I’m just stating a fact.”
My ego inflates a little at this. I know
I’m not unattractive, but my nose has been broken a couple of times, and
there’s a bump I can’t ever get rid of without plastic surgery. I’ve had knee
surgery and I’m not great under anesthetic, so I’d prefer to avoid that
scenario. I also have a few small facial scars from playing rugby all those
years, which, in the environment I grew up in, takes me down a few points on
the desirability scale. Not that I give a fuck. It’s my mother who seems to be
worried about it, as she does about every line and gray hair. It’s a blessing I
don’t have any sisters.
I see. So you’re telling me if any
incredibly attractive man did what I did, you’d respond the exact same way.”
“Now you’re generalizing. It’s
circumstantial.”
“What do you mean by circumstantial?”
“Well, I guess I assumed you had to be a
guest at the engagement party.”
“So that made it okay to kiss a stranger?
Because we were attending the same event?”
She pauses with her spoon at her lips.
“That’s not what I said.”
“It sounds like that’s what you’re
implying.” That spoons slips into her mouth and she licks it clean before she
responds. The entire time I’m thinking increasingly dirty thoughts about that
tongue of hers.
She flounders a little. “It’s not like I
was at some seedy bar with seedy douches. It was an engagement party.”
“So that makes me better somehow?”
“Are you always this antagonistic?” She
throws up her hands. “You kissed me. You smelled good and you’re good with your
tongue so I went with it. Stop judging me.”
“I’m not judging, I’m just asking. So on
top of being incredibly attractive and smelling good I’m also an excellent
kisser.”
“I never said excellent, you added your own
adjective. And if you keep talking about how attractive you are you’ll go from
a ten to a nine pretty fast.”
About the Author
NYT and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She's writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.
Connect with Helena
No comments:
Post a Comment