The Trouble with Love
Sex, Love and Stiletto #4
By: Lauren Layne
Releasing March 3, 2015
Loveswept
As Lauren Layne’s salacious Sex, Love & Stiletto series returns, a jaded columnist discovers a steamy way to get over an old flame: falling for him all over again.
As Stiletto magazine’s authority on all things breakup-and-heartache, Emma Sinclair writes from personal experience. Five years ago, Emma was Charlotte, North Carolina’s darling debutante and a blushing bride-to-be. Now she’s the ice queen of the Manhattan dating scene. Emma left her sultry Southern drawl behind, but not even her closest friends know that with it she left her heart. Now Emma’s latest article forces her to face her demons—namely, the devilishly sexy guy who ditched her at the altar.
After giving up everything for a pro-soccer career, Alex Cassidy watches his dreams crumble as a knee injury sidelines him for good. Now he’s hanging up his cleats and giving journalism a shot. It’s just a coincidence that he happens to pick a job in the same field, and the same city, as his former fiancée . . . right? But when Emma moves in next door, it’s no accident. It’s research. And Alex can’t help wondering what might have been. Unlike the innocent girl he remembers, this Emma is chic, sophisticated, and assertive—and she wants absolutely nothing to do with him. The trouble is, Alex has never wanted her more.
Excerpt:
“Emma,
a moment?”
Emma
looked up from her monitor. She and the other Love & Romance
girls had been in their usual pre-lunch “zone.” It was one of the
few times of day when they put chatting and gossip aside long enough
to get work done.
She
pulled off her headphones and looked at Camille. “Um, sure. Now?”
Camille
made it a point to meet regularly with all of her senior columnists
on a one-on-one basis, but Emma’s scheduled time was Monday
afternoon; today was Wednesday. It was never a good sign when their
boss went off book.
“It’ll
be fast,” Camille said, before her head disappeared from the door.
Emma
pulled off the glasses she used when working on the computer and
rubbed her eyes. “It won’t be fast. It’s never fast.”
“That’s
what she said,” Riley muttered.
“That
phrase doesn’t really work in this context, Ri,” Julie said
distractedly.
“That
phrase always works in any
context,” Riley responded.
“Hey,
Ems, see if you can get the inside scoop,” Grace said, leaning back
in her chair as Emma stood and stretched. “I’m dying to know what
the heck this sabbatical is about. Three months?”
“I
can’t ask,” Emma said, moving toward the door. “She said it was
personal.”
“Right.
Which translates to interesting,”
Julie said, pulling her hair into a pony.
“I’ll
see what I can do.” Emma jabbed a finger toward her laptop. “And
don’t touch my edits. I know it was one of you that tried to sneak
the word penis into my last
headline.”
“Um,
yeah. Because you need some penis in your life,” Riley said.
“I’ll
have you know that I had some penis in my life . . . last week,”
Emma said. “No, last month. Maybe . . .”
Her
three friends looked at one another, and although the shared glance
was more good-natured than it was poor Emma,
it didn’t stop the irritation from rippling through her.
Emma
was happy that her friends were all blissed out with their painfully
good-looking men. Really. Good for them.
But
that didn’t mean they had to lure her into their little club. Emma
had tried the happily-ever-after
route, and knew that for every woman who rode off into the sunset on
a white stallion, another one got kicked in the face by that very
same horse.
She’d
been there. Done that. Moved on.
Author Info:
Lauren Layne is a snarky cynic with a serious weakness for happily ever afters.
Marrying her high school sweetheart was a good start. *cue Disney soundtrack.* But Lauren wanted all romance, all the time.
Now she writes fictional happy endings, and considers her job done well if you swoon while reading her books. Don't worry. You will.
Once upon a time she lived in a Manhattan high-rise, but now she's on the laid-back train in the Seattle area. If you ever find yourself in Issaquah, she'll probably buy you a drink. Maybe.
$25.00 eGift Card to Choice Book Seller, Loveswept Mug and
Romance at Random Nail Polish
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