It’s funny how the
tiniest of things can change your life… an invitation, a simple kiss goodnight,
a matchbook…
Auden Kelly is in
need of a change.
She’s trading in
her nine-to-five sales job for the adventure of a lifetime: a one year contract
with a European tour company.
For one full year,
Auden will get paid to see the world. What could be better? Her brother gives
her a journal, instructing her to document all of her adventures as she travels
from country to country. And that’s exactly what she does.
When a mysterious
stranger enters her life, however, everything changes: her expectations, her
priorities and her view of the world. And nothing for Auden will ever be the
same.
Note: Although these books are
part of a series, they do not need to be read in order
********
life.
I was distracted from my daydreaming by
the most intense eyes I’ve ever seen. The were blue, the brightest blue.
Although one of them had a patch of brown next to the pupil. Tan skin, blue
eyes, dark brown hair. And a stare that made me uncomfortable.
I’d noticed him before. The first day of
the tour, in fact. He reminded me of Henry Cavill. Broad shoulders, tight ass,
bulging muscular arms and a gorgeous face. When he smiled, he had a boyish look
about him, but when his lips were pressed tight, like when he was listening to
Anabelle describe the sights, he looked like an alpha male. A hot, dangerous
alpha male. I’d purposely avoided him because I didn’t want to give Anabelle
any ammunition towards getting me fired. And now that I knew Tom had blabbed, I
felt even more determined to keep my attraction in tact. I’d purposely stayed
away. I hadn’t even heard his voice yet. Was he American? Canadian? British?
But, now he was staring and I couldn’t
avoid him any longer.
“Auden, right?” he asked, offering me a
fresh blueberry from a ziploc bag. I narrowed my eyes at him and his choice of
snack. Here we were, in Amsterdam. He could buy a brownie laced with pot or a
million different kinds of sweets. But, he was munching on blueberries.
“Thanks,” I said, grabbing a couple
berries from the bag and popping them into my mouth. They were juicy and sweet.
Almost intoxicating.
Stop it,
Auden.
“Have you worked here long? I’ve never
seen you before.” It was then that I really heard his accent. British. Delicious.
“I’m new. But, why would you have seen me
before?” I tilted my head in confusion.
“My mates and I like to take trips every
few months. Blow off steam.” He said, popping another berry into his mouth. His
lips were a gorgeous shade of peach. “And Jordan’s the best.”
“I see.” I said, pressing my lips
together, not knowing what else to say. It wasn’t often that a man could get me
tongue tied. But, it was happening. All I could focus on was the dimple on his
right cheek when he smiled. And how his left eye had a small patch of brown
within the blue.
“Unique name.”
“Huh?” He snapped me out of my daze. “Uh,
yeah. I guess.”
“Don’t hear it very often.” He said.
It was then that I realized I didn’t know
his. And it was my job to know it. How was I going to get out of this one?
“Campbell,” he said,“Campbell Hutchins.”
“Like the soup?” I said. As soon as the
words left my mouth, I knew they were unprofessional. But, he simply laughed.
“Wow, never heard that before.” He said,
running his fingers through his silky brown hair, “My friends call me Hutch.”
“Seriously?” I asked, taken aback.
“What do you mean?” He looked confused.
“As in Starsky & Hutch?” I pressed.
“You are way too young to know that reference.” He said, shaking his head
from side to side.
“They made a movie reboot when I was in
high school. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson…remember?”
“Right.” He said with a lopsided grin. He
had such a boyish charm to his smile, it was unnerving.
“Besides, you don’t seem old enough to
know the original show either. That was the seventies.” I narrowed my eyes at
him. He could be in his early thirties, but there was no way he was old enough
to have watched that show when it was on the air.
“Saw it in reruns.” He said with a shrug.
“Nice to meet you, Starsky.” I said with
a smirk. He shook his head at me and extended his hand like the English
gentleman that he was. I tried my best not to feel the electrical current
coursing through every nerve in my body. This was a brand new sensation. Which
is saying a lot considering my boy-crazy history. This was unique and
terrifying and wonderfully exciting. “Sorry, I mean Hutch of course. So, Campbell…where’d your parents think of that
one?”
“Do you always interrogate tour members
about their names?” he asked with a chuckle. My cheeks turned pink when I realized
I usually didn’t give a crap about people’s names or the origin of said names.
But, he was different. It was like I needed to know anything I could learn
about this handsome stranger.
“Just answer the question,” I said,
flirting with a tilt of my head and arms crossed across my chest.
For a second, everything stopped as
Campbell looked down at my feet. He smirked as his eyes climbed up my calf and
to my thighs. They lingered there for just a second before continuing up to my
torso, my chest and finally my face. When our eyes met, he grinned and I
suddenly felt as naked as the day I was born.
“Tradition.” He answered. When I looked
confused (because obviously I’d forgotten the question since he’d studied every
inch of my body as if he wanted to devour me). “I’m named after my great
grandfather. He was kind of a hero in my town.”
“Where are you from?”
“Jersey.”
What?
“Um, no. Try again.”
“What do you mean?” he asked with a
chuckle.
“I’m from the states, pal. I know when
someone’s from Joi-zee and when they’re not. And you clearly are not. Where are
you really from?”
He threw his beautiful head back in
laughter, that dimple once again making a grand entrance on his cheek.
Something twitched in my belly—desire, I think. Until I realized he was
laughing at me.
“And you call yourself a tour guide? The
island of Jersey…one of the Channel Islands…” His voice trailed off as he
leaned his forehead in my direction. If he could read my mind, this is what it
would say:
I.
Am.
A.
Dumbass.
You know those moments when you really
just want to crawl in a hole and forget your poor excuse for a life? Yeah, this
was one of those moments. I could never get that moment back. I could never
convince this gorgeous man that I was not only aware of the Channel Islands,
but had probably been to one or two of them as a child. I just wanted to slink
back to the tour bus and hide behind the seats. So not like me. I didn’t let
men get under my skin. Hell, I got under their
skin. Who was this guy?
“Uh--Of course,” I said, stumbling on my
words. “I was just kidding.”
Just then, I was saved by another member
of the tour. A mousy brain haired American girl named Becca.
“Excuse me, Auden. Anabelle needs you.”
Thank
God.
“I’d better, um…go,” I said.
“Until we meet again,” he said with a
chuckle.
Not if I
can help it. The next three weeks would be agony if I had to dodge that
gorgeous man every time our bus made a stop. Lord, beer me strength.
I have
always been fascinated with books----ever since I was a little girl sitting in
front of my record player, following along with my huge 12x12 storybooks.
I love
books---everything about them. I love reading them, being surrounded by them in
bookstores and libraries, and most recently, writing some of my own.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LissaLou77
BUY THE BOOK
No comments:
Post a Comment