Calamity Rayne: Back Again
is the second book in the Calamity Rayne series
by Lydia Michaels
Release date: November 28, 2017
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Pages in print: 373
Rayne Meyers—a.k.a. Calamity Rayne—is back again!
After taking a position as personal assistant to one of the wealthiest, moodiest, and irreparable men in the world, Rayne’s life forever changed. Caviar and cruise ships have replaced her otherwise dull days, but the most exciting addition to her life is her boss’s son, Hale.
Hale Davenport lived a meticulous and methodical life—until Calamity blew in. Rayne has become the wrinkles to his starch, the chaos to his calm, and the murmur of his heartbeat. But when Rayne must return home, their relationship is put to the test. In the midst of a nasty lawsuit, a family feud, and trying to be a first time single father, Hale must prove to Rayne that their love can survive any Calamity.
She, on the other hand, must learn how to be an adult because shit just got VERY real.
Buy your copy today at Amazon http://amzn.to/2j0YsWL
Excerpt
Waiting for the woman blocking my way to move her ass, I patiently smiled and held my tray above my shoulder.
“Oh, sorry,” she twittered.
“Take your time.” I hate people.
She finally scooted into a chair and as I turned the corner my body jolted and my head did a double take. A tingle of excitement churned rapidly through my belly and then drained into numbness only to surge back up with the force of a tsunami, much like when a person almost falls down a flight of steps but catches themselves in the last instant.
The sound of dishes shattering barely registered as breath sucked deep into my lungs and my eyes stung with the shock of tears. Mouth agape, I watched him rise from the booth, broad shoulders perfectly filling out the cut of his tailored jacket, eyes so intoxicating I was drunk on the spot. It had to be a dream.
Am I hallucinating?
A startled grin curved his full lips. An ocean of concerned faces stared, but I only had eyes for him. The next thing I knew I was running like a Barcelona bull through a china shop and throwing my body into mid-air. “Hale!”
His strong arms caught me as my legs wrapped around him, wrenching a grunt from deep in his chest. My catapulted body suctioned to his like an octopus on the attack. My lips peppered his neck and jaw as I cupped his face and laughed.
“What are you doing here?”
Sliding my body down his front, he looked into my eyes and smiled. “I told you I missed you.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Where’s Elara?” How could he just leave and come here when he had work and a baby?
“She’s around the corner. We’re staying at the Heathman.”
“We?” I couldn’t stop touching him, my hands roaming over his fancy suit shirt like a pickpocket on the hunt for his soul. He’s here!
“Me, my brother, and my mom.”
“Oh, my God! I could pee my pants I’m so happy!” Not used to smiling, I touched my cheeks, which were already sore. I glanced at the rubbernecking patrons, uncaring that I was making a scene. “This is my boyfriend! My boyfriend.”
Those who knew me would appreciate that tidbit, being that I never dated—by choice—before Hale.
“You dropped your tray,” Hale murmured, angling his chin toward the disaster left in my wake.
I waved a hand. “I’ll get it cleaned up. How long are you staying? Can we go see Elara? I’ve missed you so much. Oh, my God, you’re going to meet my mom! I swear she thinks I made you up. Ha! I’ll show her!
He chuckled. “Take a breath, baby. I’m here for a while and I’d love to meet your mom. As soon as you’re finished I can take you back to the hotel to see Elara.”
I spun in a circle like a dog seeking a resting spot. I needed keys and—damn, there was a serious mess on the floor. “Where the fuck is David?”
“Who’s David?”
“A waiter. I’m done my shift, but he’s late.”
His lips compressed and I grinned, because he tried so hard not to show any sign of impatience, but he couldn’t hide his emotions from me. What I once believed to be the world’s greatest poker face now seemed as readable as a Dr. Seuss book. Ha. He really did miss me.
Carrie Ann, my boss, appeared with a broom.
“I’ll be right back,” I said to Hale, smiling and dragging my hand down the front of his pressed shirt. “Don’t go anywhere.” God, I loved his fancy ass.
Returning to the slopped tray on the floor, I panted, already out of breath. “I’ll get that, Carrie Ann.”
I made quick work of cleaning up the mess. My gaze pinged back to Hale, way too overdressed for our little hipster town.
Not only did he not have a beard, he was wearing a suit jacket. But he totally pulled it off in a don’t you want to touch me? sort of way. I kept glancing over my shoulder at him because he was mine and somehow he created the possessiveness of a monkey over a cupcake in me. Mine. My precioussssss…
I dumped the broken dishes in the trash and quickly remade two of the shittiest Mai Tais to ever exist, adding whatever was in front of me into the glasses. “Mel, I need you to remake that order.”
Our overweight, moody chef grumbled. “Already on it… You a walking calamity, girl.”
I smiled at him through the kitchen window. “My boyfriend’s here.”
“That’s great.” He flipped the burgers on the sizzling grill.
“It is great. He flew in from Florida to surprise me! He loves me.”
Mel didn’t seem to care, so I delivered the drinks to the table. “Your burgers will be up in a minute. My boyfriend surprised me.” They didn’t seem to care either.
I skipped over to Hale’s table as he greeted me with a silent chuckle and an amused glint in his devastatingly gray eyes. I was petting him again because I couldn’t resist. “David should be here any minute.”
“We have time.”
My gaze gobbled up every inch of him, from his strong shadowed jaw to his broad shoulders to his cufflinks and back up to those fascinating silver eyes. His lips looked extra full today and I was going to bite them soon. I sighed. He was so dreamy.
I, on the other hand, was a Velma. I’d always wanted to be a Daphne, but the truth was, I was born to be the awkward sidekick, sort of like an afterthought to the feminine part of the species. But this Velma was totally going to bang the Fred. To further illustrate my point, I was sitting here fantasizing sexual acts with Scooby Doo metaphors, while Hale was likely scouting over facts and figures in his brain and coming up with filthy grown-up words I couldn’t utter without giggling.
Oh, he had a magnificent vocabulary. Naughty, sinful words had whispered across those luscious lips as he dragged them over my skin. So self-assured, so devastatingly sexy. Annnnnd my nipples were hard. Rut-roe.
“I remember that look.” The slow rumble of his voice sent chills up my spine as the back of his knuckle teased the line of my jaw.
My finger made little swirls around the button of his jacket. “So … this hotel. Do you have your own room?”
Eyes heavy, he slowly nodded.
My heart tripped into double time. “Maybe you could show me before we see your family.”
“I’m planning on it.”
Cha-ching! Momma was cashing in on some lovin’. Cagney and Lacey—otherwise known as my boobs—were totally getting some action tonight!
“Rayne, order up!”
Still smiling, I pivoted and raced back toward the kitchen. “I’ll be right back.”
As I rushed to the bar a few customers tried to stop me on my way, but there wasn’t time for that. I grabbed the burgers and ran them over to the hungry table. “Can I get you anything else?”
“Can we have some ketchup?”
“Sure.” I went back to the bar and found Carrie Ann. “Hey, what are the chances I could get out of here before David gets here? That’s my boyfriend over there, the tall sexy one in the designer suit, and he came all the way from Florida to surprise me.”
Carrie Ann rolled her eyes. “Go.”
“Thank you!” I stripped off my apron and stuffed it under the bar.
As I passed the tables, the guy with the burger looked up expectantly. “Ketchup?”
I paused and reached over the customers to my right, stealing their bottle and plopping it on burger boy’s table. “Here you go.”
Returning to Hale, I rocked on my heels and preened. “Ready?”
He stood, his utter composure at total odds with my spastic energy. My eyes rolled back in my head as his hand rested on the base of my spine and he escorted me out of the bar. I was prouder than a mutt marching through a pedigree dog show. My boyfriend!
When we reached the parking lot I scanned the vehicles. “Where’s your car?”
“I have a rental.” He led me to a Lexus and opened the passenger door.
We both stilled as the world silenced around us. A thousand shivers chased over my skin as he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. Divine. Luscious. Panty-drenching lips….
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I slipped my tongue into his mouth and hummed, pressing my breasts against his chest. His hand caught the back of my neck as he took over the kiss, gentling my frantic need.
Before Hale, I didn’t have much practice with the opposite sex, so I was never really sure what was appropriate and what bordered on Animal Planet. I had very little self-control around this man.
A gravelly chuckle rumbled in his chest as he eased back. “Easy, baby. Let’s get to the hotel.”
“Oh. Right.” My insides zinged like the needle of a lie detector hooked to a politician, zipping and clanging wildly without restraint.
Once we were on our way I reached for his hand and bounced with excitement. Hale was here, and we were going to his hotel. The sex was happening. Thank God, because while I’d once been convinced good sex was an over-glorified lie women told, Hale had proved me wrong and now I missed the sex very much.
I glanced at my lap and bit my lip. When was the last time I shaved? Last week? No, that wasn’t right. Two weeks ago? Hmm. “Can we stop at that pharmacy up there?”
Briefly taking his eyes off the road, he glanced at me. “Is it something we can get later?”
“Um…” I lifted the cuff of my jeans and found a miniature jungle spiked with overgrowth. “I’ll be quick.”
He pulled into the pharmacy and I got out of the car before he could open my door. As he touched the handle I blurted, “I can just run in. I only need a few things.”
“I’ll go with you.” He was big on escorting me and I was in a rush, so I didn’t argue.
His hand returned to mine as soon as he rounded the car and in we went. I snatched a basket and casually sniffed my armpit through my shirt, which smelled like a deep fryer and Bud. It wasn’t great, but I had just finished a shift at the restaurant and that was what waitresses smelled like.
Shooting down the aisle with personal hygiene products I grabbed whatever might improve my sexiness. Deodorant, mango-scented lotion, shaving cream, a new razor. I even found nail polish and remover, but that wasn’t for me.
Hale’s lips twitched as I stocked up. He was laughing at me in that composed manner that was tough to detect, but I recognized the familiar twitch of a budding smile.
Slipping down the last aisle, I grabbed a toothbrush. “Okay, I think I’m good.”
First Book in the Series is FREE
Free at B&N, Amazon, Kobo, iBooks and other retailers!
Calamity Rayne: Gets a Life (Book 1)
Publication Date: January 20, 2017
An awkward girl’s account of inexperience, sexual mishaps, and too much tequila…
Needing a change, Rayne Meyers—a.k.a. Calamity Rayne—sets out to be a personal assistant for one of the wealthiest families in the world. What could possibly go wrong? Inexperienced with sophisticated settings, she does her best not to screw things up too severely, except there’s one complication she didn’t foresee—her boss’s devastatingly charming son, Hale Davenport.
Hale is everything Rayne is not. He’s experienced, mature, and methodical about every part of his life. But when he meets his father’s new assistant, a woman nothing like the calculating females he’s used to, he is captivated and prepared to throw caution to the wind. Turns out, slightly awkward and sometimes silly sex might be exactly what his love life’s been missing and everything his heart didn’t see coming.
About Lydia Michaels
Lydia Michaels is the award winning author of over 30 romance novels. Her novels from the darkly compelling Surrender Trilogy were Apple iBooks Bestsellers and her work has been featured in USA Today. In 2015 she was the winner of The Best of Bucks Award and she has been nominated as Best Author in the Happenings Magazine two years running [2015 & 2016]. She is a four time nominee for the prestigious RONE Award. Her books are intellectual, emotional, haunting, always centered around love. Lydia Michaels loves to hear from readers! She can be contacted by email at Lydia@LydiaMichaelsBooks.com
Webpage: www.LydiaMichaelsBooks.com
Author Social Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LydiaMichaels
Twitter: @Lydia_Michaels | https://twitter.com/Lydia_Michaels
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Lydia_Michaels/
Lydia Michaels Website: http://www.LydiaMichaelsBooks.com
Newsletter: http://www.LydiaMichaelsBooks.com/Newsletter
No comments:
Post a Comment