Genevieve MacKenzie has her life completely under control. About to wed the charming Chief doctor at the local hospital, she’s an up-and-coming surgeon with everything she could ever want. Until an escape through the church window on the day of her wedding sends her life into a tailspin...and flings her right into her best friend’s arms.
When Wolfe catches his best friend falling out a window on her wedding day, he doesn’t ask questions. He whisks her away, determined to watch over her and discover the truth behind her desperate escape. But when his feelings turn more than platonic, he realizes he may risk his most important relationship in order to protect his damaged heart, and the woman he loves.
Can Genevieve and Wolfe’s friendship turn into something deeper—or is it already too late for true love?
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EXCERPT
He strode over to the receptionist desk,
where those wide navy blue eyes looked seemingly innocent. He was used to
seeing her in scrubs or jeans, so the sexy, black lace top and flash of bare
leg from her skirt threw him off for a moment. Her usual ponytail had been
replaced by curls flying free over her shoulders. Chestnut waves flopped over one
eye, which looked annoying but damn seductive. Flirty.
Definitely not like the Gen he knew.
He laid both palms flat on the desk and
leaned over. “I think the better question is, what are you doing here?”
She gave a pout. Was she wearing
lipstick? He wouldn’t have pegged her to wear a bold color, but the rich,
coffee-colored lipstick clung to her mouth and tempted a man to try a sip. What
the hell was he thinking?
“You’re in a mood. I work here now.”
His temper rose another notch. “You’re a
doctor. Why aren’t you at the hospital?”
She shifted in the chair. “I quit.”
He turned. “I’m going to kill the son of
a bitch. Wait here.”
Wolfe earned a few steps before she
scrambled and skid ahead of him, blocking his exit. “Kate already tried twice.
Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but it’s for the best.
There was an incident and I realized I
won’t be able to work there.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I get a text
saying you’re working late, then staying at Kate’s. You refuse to answer my
calls, and when I finally get in touch with Kate, she says you’re not with her.
Crap, Gen, you gave me a heart attack!
I’m stuck at the convention with a bunch
of suits and couldn’t get to you. What incident?”
“A patient thing. I needed some time
alone and didn’t want to bother anyone.”
Wolfe gritted his teeth and prayed for
calm. “You’re not a bother. You’re my friend.”
Her face softened and she grabbed his arms.
Her fingers lay directly over the thin leather that covered his wrists, but the
heat from her touch still burned. “I know.
You have to understand how I’ve been
feeling lately. Like a whiny, pitying, weak female. Suddenly I’m doing all these
crazy things and I broke. I’m better now, but thank you.”
Her patronizing words made him more
enraged. He still wasn’t sure why. Her self-imposed isolation drove him nuts,
but the thought of her turning to someone else was much worse. He wanted to
shake her until she understood how important she was. “You’re not better. I
refuse to let that asshole push you out when you were born to be a surgeon.
You can’t work at a matchmaking agency.
It’s totally beneath you.”
The softness disappeared and turned to
fire. She practically growled like a she-cat.
“Who the heck are you to judge me or
Kinnections! Did you suddenly turn into a snob, O playboy-turned-millionaire
hotel magnate?”
Wolfe fought the instinctual urge to
flush. “Don’t be ridiculous.
I’m just saying you were meant to save
lives, not make matches!”
She sniffed like it was a reasonable
argument. “I disagree.
This may be my true calling after all.
I’m tired of stress and medicine and decisions that are
life-and-death.
I’m going to have fun. Who knows? Maybe
I’ll even find real love.”
Irritation scraped him like a Brillo
pad. “You’ll get bored of this place in a week.”
She stuck out her tongue. Was she
serious? “No, I won’t. And I’m not quitting till I help make a great match for
someone. I need to be around magic and hope. Hey, want to sign up? Kate says if
I get clients on my own I get a recruitment bonus.”
He stared at her. “Are you kidding me?
No, I’m not signing up for Kinnections. Listen, I’ll help you get transferred to
another hospital. I can make some calls—I know some guy in Albany who’s high up
the ladder. You can’t leave your residency when you worked so hard. We’ll fix this.”
“There’s nothing to fix. This is my job
now and you’ll have to get used to it.” The phone rang and she brightened.
“Gotta get that.”
Wolfe watched her run to the phone and
lean over the desk. The skirt stretched over her full rear, rode up her thighs,
and left her indecent. She wobbled a bit on three inch stilettos till she found
her balance. For God’s sake, she never wore heels.
Had Kennedy gotten ahold of her? Why was
it so hot in here?
He dragged his fingers through his hair
and listened to her chirp about some upcoming mixer at the Purple Haze.
She gave a low little laugh that sounded
suspiciously like a giggle. Oh yeah. Kennedy had definitely done something horrible
to her. She hung up, wiggled back around, and tugged down the indecent minuscule
fabric that constituted office wear. Even her perfume was different. The
lingering sweet scent of peach mixed with a sharp citrus and musk that tantalized.
Was she working here to find dates for herself? No, that wouldn’t be like her
at all. She used to say she needed months to get over a relationship. A broken engagement
would take at least a year.
“Sure you don’t want to help me earn
some more money?” She gave him a wink.
“You’d be a hot commodity with the
women.”
Ugh, he refused to be embarrassed. “No.
I can get my own dates.”
“Fine. At least I’ll get something for
signing myself up.”
He opened his mouth, then shut it.
Opened it again.
“What are you talking about?”
Gen grinned. “I’m going to be a new
client of Kinnections!”
“You just broke up with David. You’re
always bitching about people needing months in between serious relationships in
order to heal. Remember that time I broke up with
Allie, and you made me cancel my date
the next weekend?
You forced me to be celibate for two
whole weeks!”
She rolled her eyes and cocked a hip
out. The black top shifted and he caught a fragment of lace peeking from her shoulder.
Huh? He had it on authority she only wore cotton underwear. “You needed to
suffer. You broke her heart.”
“I did not. She knew up front what the
deal was.”
“It’s still wrong. Claiming there’s no
strings doesn’t mean things can’t change. She fell for you, and you walked away
without trying.”
This time he did flush. “I explain to
every woman I’m not interested in long-term—you know that. You always praised
me for being honest and up front.”
“Well, I’m changing my mind. I think
it’s crappy. You need to begin looking at the future. Why don’t we be clients together?
We can double date!”
Wolfe wondered if he had had something
bad for breakfast or if he really wanted to vomit. The image of them at a
dinner table with two strangers was painful. She was giving him a headache.
“I’m happy the way things are. And I
think the last thing you need is another emotional upheaval with some guy. Take
a break from dating. Maybe you can learn a hobby. Knitting?”
She glared. “Am I eighty years old? No,
I need to get my feet wet again. David almost broke something in me, and I want
it back.”
Crap. When she put it like that, he’d do
anything to help her. “Sweetheart, don’t you want to find healing within yourself
rather than from outside sources?”
Her eyes widened. “Wow. You’re getting
really deep.
Usually, I’d agree with you, but I’m
tired of feeling afraid and unsure. I want to be brave and take a leap into the
unknown.
Does that make sense?”
Yeah, it did. He didn’t understand why
the thought of her diving back into dating bothered him so much. Usually they’d
trade war stories and he’d help her get fixed up.
What suddenly changed? Crankiness
stirred so he changed the subject. “Why are you wearing that?”
“Huh? A skirt?”
“You hate fancy clothes. Did Kennedy try to do
something to you?”
She stared at him like he’d sprouted
horns. “You’re acting really weird, dude. Did you work too hard at the seminar?
How was it?”
“Fine.” He didn’t want to talk about
work, or endless meetings, or sales figures. “I think we should talk more about
this. How about we go to dinner tonight? I’ll pick you up at seven.”
She crossed her arms in front of her
chest. “As long as you promise not to try and change my mind.”
“I can’t promise you that. But I’ll buy
you a burger.”
Gen shook her head. “Fine. I’m easy. See
you tonight.”
He watched her walk back to the desk and
slide into the chair, crossing her legs. The smooth expanse of white skin
blinded him for a moment. She always joked about not having a drop of her Italian
blood heritage since she burned so easily and never tanned. But there was something
about all that gorgeous naked flesh, soft and pure, that made his fingers curl
to touch her.
Wolfe turned his back on her and his
startling thoughts.
He needed a cold shower and a nap.
Lately he was beginning to wonder if the past three months of celibacy had been
such a smart move. The break seemed like a good idea. He’d been tired of the
delicate game of seduction lately, and how fast his partners seemed to get
attached. Almost like they looked at him as a challenge to break down.
If only they’d realize there was nothing
inside that hadn’t already been broken.
Still, sex might take the edge off. The
last thing he needed was lustful thoughts over his best friend. She was the
only healthy relationship with a female he’d ever been able to maintain. He
refused to screw up the best thing that ever happened to him due to a surge of
testosterone.
Wolfe made the drive back to his place
in Manhattan.
His penthouse apartment had tons of
security, luxury, and every amenity he could think of. The parquet floors and high
ceilings were elegant, but his furnishings were Spartan and masculine. Dark
wood, glass, extensive computers and media, and bare walls. He barely slept
here, finding it more convenient to stay at Purity, where he kept a tight rein
on things.
Wolfe took a quick shower, changed, and
put on a pot of coffee. Maybe he’d relax, watch a baseball game on television, then
get some more work done. All in all, it had been a tough couple of days and he
needed a break. Dinner with Gen would put him in a better mood. They’d get back
to their usual buddy routine, and he’d begin working on finding a new sex companion
who had nothing to do with Kinnections.
When the doorman buzzed and said a
uniformed officer needed to see him, Wolfe got a bad feeling.
He was handed the temporary restraining
order on behalf of a Dr. David Riscetti, who accused him of harassment and a
host of other sins.
His bad feeling was right on. As usual.
He glanced through the papers. Wolfe had
to give the son of a bitch credit. He was playing a chess game, and he was a
great player. Wolfe cared less about himself, as long as David stayed away from
Gen. Unfortunately, his spidey senses were tingling again, as if he was missing
a piece in an elaborate puzzle being put together.
Yeah. All in all, it was a shitty day.
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
Jennifer Probst - Bio: Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.
She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean. She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon's Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team at www.jenniferprobst.com.
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