"Keeping You" the second book by Lena Hendrix is LIVE and available to read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited.
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Blurb:
I never should have slept with Colin McCoy.
Keeping You, an all-new laugh-out loud small-town romance from Lena Hendrix is available now!
When I moved to my sister’s small town, I was looking for a fresh start—no more shallow relationships, no snotty fake friends, and definitely no charming, dirty-talking musicians.
We had a fun, red-hot night together and we agreed that hooking up was a mistake, a one-time thing. But when my dream bakery location happens to be right next door to his bar, every day I’m forced to see that chiseled jawline and remember the feel of his incredible body on mine.
No. I’m starting over. I have rules. No more bad habits, definitely no falling in love. No matter how hard he tries, hooking up with him again would prove I’m the flake everyone expects me to be.
But here I am, stuck
between wanting to make something of my life and wanting to grab him and make
another delicious mistake.
Excerpt
Honey
Two weeks after I gave the one finger salute to my former boss, I
pulled my vintage matte black Chevelle onto Main Street of Chikalu Falls,
Montana. The ninety-minute drive left behind the flats and wound through
beautiful mountain highways.
Chikalu Falls was nestled at the base of the mountains and from
the church on the corner, to the grocer on the right, it always felt slower and
a little like stepping back in time. Childhood memories of the summers Jo and I
spent with Grandma Nana and Pop flooded back to me.
A bubble of excited energy squirmed in my chest. Nearly every
person I passed raised their hand in greeting, and whether they knew me or not,
I waved back enthusiastically. I peered over the steering wheel as I entered
town to watch someone rolling white paint high on the town’s water tower.
Are they painting over a drawing of a dick?
I shook my head and laughed about this quirky town—Jo always had
great stories about it. I passed the town bar and dance hall, The Dirty Pigeon,
and fractionally slowed my car. Willing myself to look straight ahead, I still
managed to sneak a side-eyed peek at the front door.
My palms felt sweaty against the steering wheel. It wasn’t all
that long ago I spent the most incredible, panty-melting night of my life with
the bar’s owner, Colin. My chest warmed just thinking about it and a tingle
settled between my legs.
Get it together. You both knew it was just one, hot night.
Squashing the thought, I pressed the gas harder and cruised
forward, leaving behind all thoughts of Colin’s thickly roped arms pulling me
close and the scrape of his stubble against the sensitive skin of my neck.
Four turns later, I pulled into the hidden driveway of Joanna’s
farm property. The long and winding gravel path opened up to a stunning piece
of land.
Off the road, the Big House was a gorgeous white home with black
shutters and a huge wraparound porch. A small river cut through the landscape
and near it were several little cottages. I wasn’t sure where Jo wanted
me to stay, so I parked near the house and found her sitting on the veranda,
waiting for me.
“There’s my girl!” I called up to Jo. The excitement expanded in
my chest at seeing my sister after so long. I felt overwhelmed with gratitude
and a sense of relief.
She pulled me into a tight hug, “I’ve missed you!” Jo and I used
to share an apartment, but with her now living in Chikalu Falls, it felt like
an eternity since we’d been together.
“Mmmm,” she replied, squeezing me a little harder. “I just still
can’t believe you’re really here.”
“It didn’t take too long to sublease my apartment and I need
a change of scenery.”
“Well,” she moved away from me to sweep a wide arm around the
impressive, rural land, “this is definitely a change!”
We both laughed and held each other tightly.
It was fantastic to see Jo’s face so full of life and happiness. I
shooed away the brief pang of jealousy. She deserved this life and it
suited her.
“You’re welcome to stay for however long you need. Mr. Bailey is
in Cottage Four, but all the others are open. I think the best view is from
Cottage Two.”
“Cottage Two it is! Help me unpack?”
Jo looked past me to see my car practically bursting at the seams
with bags and luggage. She didn’t know it, but the trunk was full, too.
“How is it possible you have so much shit?”
“Well,” I answered, “a girl’s gotta look her best.” I winked at
her and lifted a shoulder.
“Honestly, Honey. If you’re going to survive here, you at least
need one pair of good work boots.” She eyed my ankle booties and their
sharp heels warily, but then we got to unpacking.
It only took a few—ok, fine, several—trips for Joanna and me to
lug my clothes into the cottage, but we managed to get it all in. After
she helped me put some things away and stack the suitcases in the closet, we
stood together in the dimly lit kitchen. Jo wrapped her arm around my shoulders
and squeezed as we both looked out the large picture window overlooking the
riverbank.
“You did what so many people are afraid to,” she whispered in my
ear. “You started over.”
My eyes misted and a small, scratchy lump formed in the back of my
throat. I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth and willed the tears away.
I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. “Thanks, Jo.”
I hoped with every fiber of my being that I could get it right
this time.
* * *
After getting cleaned up, Joanna and I decided to meet her fiancé,
Lincoln, at The Pidge. A flutter danced in my stomach at the possibility of
running into Colin. He was Lincoln’s best friend and hot as fuck. I
glanced around to see if I would spot him. Bumping into someone I’d slept with
had never been a big deal before, but Colin just did something to my
insides.
Since he was Lincoln’s best friend, Colin and I had been thrown
together to help with Jo’s fundraiser. At the time, she hosted a fishing event
for veterans and he insisted that the bar cater for it. The food was
spectacular, and his generosity did not go unnoticed. Neither did his
thick arms, hazel eyes, or that tight ass.
I needed to think about something—anything—else.
“Can you believe this place?” Jo was perched on a stool across the
high-top table.
“It is pretty incredible,” I admitted. The walls were covered with
old photographs of life in Chikalu Falls mixed with posters for local bands. It
had a real honky tonk vibe but with an upscale flair to it. The name might
suggest it was a dive, but the parts of my brain trained in marketing knew it
was intentional. My eyes swooped across the stage and dance floor, still
secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of Colin.
No. Remember the rules? No men. Especially men who make you tingle
straight down to your toes.
“Well aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes,” Lincoln’s deep,
rumbling voice had us looking behind us. He wrapped both arms around Jo and
left a trail of kisses up her neck. She giggled and tried to move away, but it
was obvious she loved the attention of her man.
“Hey, Linc,” I said between sips of my vodka gimlet.
“I heard you stepped away from your old job. Planning to stay a
while?”
“More like lit my old life on fire and danced on the ashes. But
yeah. You’re stuck with me now.”
We all laughed but a heaviness lingered around my shoulders. I
took another sip of my drink and added, “I still need to figure out what the
fuck I’m going to do about a job. But that,” I finished my drink in a burning
gulp, “is a worry for another night. Who needs another?”
Jo lifted her glass and Lincoln unwound himself from her. “I got
this, ladies. You just sit back and enjoy.”
Joanna’s gaze wandered over her fiancé’s muscled back as he walked
up to the bar.
“You going to eye fuck him all night, or what?” I teased. A blush
immediately rose to her cheeks.
“Cut it out.” She slapped her napkin against my arm, but not
before I caught her sneaking another peek and drooling over him again.
When I followed her gaze to the bar, my heart sputtered and my
mouth went dry. Colin McCoy was behind the old wooden bar, filling glasses from
the tap with beer in beautiful shades from dark amber to gold.
“You know,” Jo added hopefully, “now that you’re in town again,
maybe you and Colin could pick up where you left off.”
I tried to sound as indifferent as I could manage despite the
warmth feathering across my chest. “Nah. I think it was just a one-time
thing.” Over my drink, I took a peek at him again.
Fuck. That man is a walking orgasm.
“We agreed it would be better to be friends—especially with you
and Lincoln now back together. Your friend group doesn’t need us tangled
together and complicating matters. Plus, we were separated by ninety miles.” I
shrugged my shoulders and flicked my eyes to the dance floor and hoped to look
confidently unaffected by his presence.
“Well not anymore. He’s right here.” Jo bumped my shoulder and
winked. Since getting together with Lincoln she’d become a hopeless romantic.
I can’t even handle being around him—he’s too tempting and my life
is a literal train wreck right now.
As if my thoughts wound through the crowded bar and tapped him on
the shoulder, his eyes flicked up and locked onto mine. The familiar thrum of
desire bloomed in my chest, sinking lower into my belly.
It really was a fucking shame that I had sworn off meaningless
sex—all sex for that matter—before getting to see Colin McCoy naked
again.
Damn, the things I would do to you.
Colin’s eyes didn’t leave mine, but a smile quirked his lip up and
that lopsided grin was nearly my undoing.
About Lena
Lena Hendrix is the author of steamy, contemporary romance novels. Her love of romance started with her grandmother’s Harlequin paperbacks and now Lena’s stories are full of heart, humor, and plenty of strong Alphas with marshmallow insides-she likes her coffee hot and her heroes hotter!
Lena lives in the
midwest with her husband, three children, and two derpy Australian Cattle
Dogs. When she’s not writing or devouring new novels, you can find her
hiking, camping, fishing, and sipping a spicy margarita!
Connect with Lena
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fn9nGQ
Instagram: https://bit.ly/2S06Ud9
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