A Thursday teaser excerpt from the latest romance
By Raine Thomas
“Now you’ve got me worryin’ the next woman I kiss is gonna think I’m a toad,” Mitch said.
“Ha, ha. Believe me, you’d know that about yourself by now. Have you ever had any complaints in that area before?”
“No, but—”
He cut himself off. When his face rose in color, Samantha quickly clued in. It took a huge amount of self-control not to gape at him.
“You haven’t kissed anyone since your divorce?” she guessed.
He didn’t reply.
“But…it’s been a while, right?”
When he still didn’t reply, she realized what a sensitive subject this was for him. It was clear the idea of intimacy with someone new unnerved him, and that was only going to hinder his chances of having a successful relationship with anyone else.
Her heart went out to him. She couldn’t let him continue to flounder like this. He was too nice a guy.
She set her coffee on the end table between their chairs and got to her feet. “Come with me.”
“Come with you where?”
“To my office.”
When he didn’t immediately rise, she held her hand out to him. He looked wary, but he finally took her hand and got up. She led him to her office and closed the door, then turned to face him. He was looking around with obvious curiosity.
“Is this where you work?”
“Yep.” She gestured to her recording area. “That’s my recording setup for a product I’ll be reviewing tomorrow.”
“Ah. You really like coffee, huh?” he said, lifting a chin towards the collection of partially filled coffee cups on her desk.
“It’s my life’s blood.”
Although the topic change told her Mitch wasn’t really interested in what she did for a living, his question reminded her of one thing. She went to her desk and opened the top drawer, pulling out two of the Life Saver’s mints she kept there. She handed one to him and popped the second one into her mouth.
He eyed the mint with a baffled expression. “You brought me into your office to tell me I have bad breath?”
“No. I brought you in here to kiss you.”
He looked at her like she had lost her mind.
“Eat the mint, Mitch.”
He didn’t seem to know what to do. After a moment during which she just stared at him and sucked on her mint, he eventually stuck it in his mouth.
“Kissing is like riding a bike,” she said. “It’s really nothing to get worked up about.”
“Then why do women make such a big deal about their first kiss with a guy?” he asked around his mint.
She tilted her head in consideration. “That’s a fair point, I suppose. Some women do put a lot of pressure on that first kiss, but not all of us do.”
“Kissed a lot of fellas, have you?”
The question didn’t offend her. She was the one pushing this topic. Plus, the conversation seemed to take his mind off his anxiety.
“Not really,” she said. “Matt was my first kiss. My first love. After he died, I didn’t date for many years. I was pregnant with Alex, then I was focused on raising him. Dating was the last thing on my mind.”
“I get that.”
She supposed he did, at least on some level. After all, divorce was the death of a relationship. But such topics weren’t exactly mood setters.
“Anyway, once I started dating again, I did it with a casual mindset. I wasn’t looking for a new life partner. I just wanted to enjoy a little time every so often with someone I found interesting. If that led to us testing our chemistry with a kiss, it did. If it didn’t, it didn’t.”
“Huh.”
It seemed he was reflecting on her words and finding them sensible. She hoped that helped him get over his mental hang-ups.
Noting that they were both done with their mints, she removed her glasses and moved closer to him. “I figure since we’re not dating, this takes all the pressure off your first post-divorce kiss. Then you’ll see it’s not such a big deal and you can carry on with a typical dating life.”
“But—”
She reached up and placed her finger over his mouth. “Just kiss me, Cowboy.”
A Heart So Broken
The fifth book in the Atlanta Siege hockey romance series
He’s an All-Star NHL defenseman, a still-reeling divorcé, and Atlanta’s most recently declared Hottest Eligible Bachelor.
Mitch Frasier had it all…marriage to his high school sweetheart, a son to share his passion for hockey, and a welcoming place to call home.
Until he didn’t.
He still isn’t sure where it all went to hell, but one thing’s for certain: the sad life he’s been living since his divorce has got to change. So when his teammate insists on setting him up on a blind date with the perfect woman, he accepts.
The only problem? He’s got absolutely no game.
She’s a gutsy military widow, a devoted single mother, and one of social media’s top influencers.
Samantha Matthews had it all…a storybook marriage, a new life away from the difficult memories of her childhood, and the promise of a contented future.
Until she didn’t.
She’ll never forget the day it all went to hell. From that moment, her focus turned to providing the best possible life for her son. So when the social media empire she built threatens to crumble, she’s got to think on her feet and find a way to save it.
The only problem? Her viewers want dating advice, and she’s got absolutely no social life.
When a friend offers to set her up on a blind date, Samantha sees it as a win-win. She’ll get content that her dwindling viewership will love and finally kick-start her stagnant dating life.
Well, at least she’ll be half-right.
It starts as the world’s worst blind date. How it all ends will depend on a determined woman’s tenacity against a stubborn broken heart.
Game on.
CAUTION: You will likely experience a serious book hangover when finishing A Heart So Broken!
Get A Heart So Broken on your preferred book e-tailer.
Raine Thomas
Raine Thomas is a multiple award-winning author of bestselling romance. Known for character-driven stories that inspire the imagination, Raine has signed with multiple award-winning producer Chase Chenowith of Back Fence Productions to bring her popular Daughters of Saraqael trilogy to the big screen. She’s a proud indie author who is living the dream.
Raine is a hopeless romantic with a background in the fields of mental health and wedding planning…two areas that intersect far more than one would think. Her years working with children and young adults with emotional and behavioral challenges inspired her to create protagonists who overcome their own conflicts.
Raine loves to hear from readers! You can connect with her here:
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