Worth the Risk
Butterfly Harbor Stories Book 11
by Anna J. Stewart
Genre: Clean Contemporary Romance
She’s
playing it safe…
He’s
anything but!
Famous
race car driver Declan Cartwright is only in Butterfly Harbor to
recuperate from a devastating crash. But when food truck operator
Alethea Costas literally falls into his arms, he realizes the sleepy
seaside town has more to offer than he imagined. Alethea is drawn to
the charming daredevil despite her cautious nature. Can he show her
that taking a chance on life—and love—is worth the risk?
USA
TODAY Bestselling
Author
Was she ever going to get past this?
Walking to the marina with Declan after what had turned into a disastrous and rather silent breakfast felt like a punishment. She’d been determined to prove to him, to herself, that she could take chances, that she could appreciate the unexpected excitement and opportunities life presented and yet…
And yet.
She tucked her hands farther into the pockets of her sweatshirt and wondered how she could extricate herself from the rest of the day without looking like an even bigger fool than she felt. The marina stretched out before and around them, welcoming them into its embrace. She loved being here and watching the boats come and go. But rarely, if ever, did she want to be on one. What was wrong with her that she couldn’t leave the past where it belonged? Behind her.
“It occurs to me.” Declan spoke easily, so easily she had no doubt he’d been rehearsing what to say. “That we should be focusing on moving beyond acquaintances toward a more solid friendship. We really don’t know anything about each other. Other than what you’ve read about me online or heard on the news.”
“Acquaintances don’t really have much reason to delve deeper.” Alethea stopped walking. “In fact, it’s probably best if we keep things in that realm. I don’t think I should come along—”
“No.” He could have caught her arm, could have touched her in some way that would have made her want to stay with him. But he only blocked her path. “No, this is exactly why you should. I think there’s a solution to our situation.”
“Do you?” She looked at him through narrowed eyes.
“I might not know or understand a lot about you, Alethea, but I know you’re smart and I know you’re in pain. There’s also something between us. Maybe you felt it that first day. I know I did the second I touched you.” He stepped closer, but again, didn’t touch her. Simply feeling the warmth radiating off his body was enough to scatter whatever thoughts she still had in her head. “I’m a man who says what he thinks. Probably more often than I should. My sisters say I’m filterless. I think of it more as open and honest.”
Alethea ducked her head to hide her smile. She could see both sides of that argument. “Attraction doesn’t have to lead to anything.” She did not have time for, what would she call this? A romantic complication? “Being friends or even acquaintances is a good thing to be.”
USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J Stewart writes sweet to sexy romances for Harlequin and ARC Manor’s Caezik Romance. Her sweet Heartwarming books include the Butterfly Harbor series as well as the ongoing Blackwell saga. She also writes the Honor Bound series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense and contributes to the bestselling Coltons. A former Golden Heart, Daphne, and National Reader’s Choice finalist, Anna loves writing big community stories where family found is always the theme. Since her first published novella with Harlequin in 2014, Anna has released more than forty novels and novellas and hopes to branch out even more thanks to Caezik Romance. Anna lives in Northern California where (at the best times) she loves going to the movies, attending fan conventions, and heading to Disneyland, her favorite place on earth. When she’s not writing, she is usually binge-watching her newest TV addiction, re-watching her all-time favorite show, Supernatural, and wrangling two monstrous cats named Rosie and Sherlock. You can read more about Anna at her website, www.AuthorAnnaStewart.com.
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
No comments:
Post a Comment