A flush raced up my neck and into my cheeks. I tried to beat back the defensiveness choking me. “I made it all the way from Colorado to Wyoming with no trouble.”
“In case you haven’t looked at a map lately, sugar, Wyoming is north of Colorado, so now you’re farther away. Stolen Hearts is east of Colorado, not north. Does Jackson know about this grand plan?”
The moment he said my older brother’s name out loud, I thought the top of my head might fly off.
Mack
Ash Stone stared at me from across the table. She was pissed. Her cheeks were pink, and her blue eyes were flashing. Damn, she was gorgeous when she was mad.
“Ash, I’m not joking. It’s not safe for you.”
“And why’s that? Because I’m a woman?” she retorted, lifting a napkin from the table and spinning it between her fingers until she twisted it into a knot. “I can take care of myself.”
“Ash, please be sensible. Ride with me. Consider that your adventure if that’s what you’re after.”
Ash’s eyes looked like the sky on a stormy day just before thunder rumbled and lightning split the sky wide open. After a moment, her gaze fell from mine, and I didn’t miss the way her shoulders curled inward. I’d known Ash for as long as I could remember. I knew she was tired, and worry was emanating from her in waves. I didn’t know exactly what the hell happened for her to be without a car and hitchhiking home on her own, but I wasn’t leaving her here.
When her gorgeous eyes lifted again and her gaze met mine, a prickle of awareness sizzled down my spine. Okay, that was strange. If you’d asked me before how I felt about Ash, I’d have said she was like a sister. Except nothing about the way my body was reacting to her felt sisterly now. Not even a little. Her brother was one of my closest friends. Growing up, my younger sisters hung out with Ash all the time. On any given week, we were bouncing between houses, close enough that she felt like family.
When I’d looked up and seen her on that stage earlier, she’d taken my breath away as she belted out song after country song. Once the initial shock of seeing her passed, I expected my body’s hyper-awareness to fade, but it wasn’t fading. Not at all.
“Do you want to tell me what the hell happened, Ash?” I pressed.
Copyright © 2020 J.H. Croix; All rights reserved.
Coming August 2020!
Steal My Heart
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Swoon Series
This Crazy Love
Wait For Me
Break My Fall
Truly Madly Mine
Still Go Crazy
If We Dare
Steal My Heart - coming August 2020!
Into The Fire Series
Burn For Me
Slow Burn
Burn So Bad
Hot Mess
Burn So Good
Sweet Fire
Play With Fire
Melt With You
Burn For You
Crash & Burn
Brit Boys Sports Romance
The Play
Big Win
Out Of Bounds
Play Me
Naughty Wish
Diamond Creek Alaska Novels
When Love Comes
Follow Love
Love Unbroken
Love Untamed
Tumble Into Love
Christmas Nights
Last Frontier Lodge Novels
Take Me Home
Love at Last
Just This Once
Falling Fast
Stay With Me
When We Fall
Hold Me Close
Crazy For You
Just Us
Catamount Lion Shifters
Protected Mate
Chosen Mate
Fated Mate
Destined Mate
A Catamount Christmas
The Lion Within
Lion Lost & Found
Acknowledgments
Hugs & kisses to my readers. Thank you for still taking a chance on my stories, for your kind notes, for cheering on my books, and for being generally awesome. I couldn’t do this without you.
Najla Qamber has made magic with the covers for this series, and I’m so grateful. Much gratitude to my editor for pushing me with every story. Terri D. takes a microscope to my stories and is gracious and kind every step of the way.
To my last line of defense - Janine, Beth P., Terri E., Heather H., Carolyne B., & Lynne E.
To my family for supporting me in everything I do. To my dogs for unconditional love and reminding me what really matters every single day.
The world has faced a crisis lately, and it’s a strange, sad and anxious time. In the midst of feeling worried, I try to remember we are all in this together. We may be riding out the storm in different places and in different ways, but we can be there for each other by cultivating hope and being kind. I hope my stories give readers a way to escape for a little while. I feel beyond blessed for my readers, for the opportunity to write, and for the kindness that makes the world a better place.
Let’s keep taking care of each other.
xoxo
J.H. Croix
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author J. H. Croix lives in a small town in the historical farmlands of Maine with her husband and two spoiled dogs. Croix writes contemporary romance with sassy women and alpha men who aren't afraid to show some emotion. Her love for quirky small-towns and the characters that inhabit them shines through in her writing. Take a walk on the wild side of romance with her bestselling novels!
Places you can find me:
jhcroixauthor.com