Meet Cohen & Danielle in the newest stand alone
in the Hope Town Series by Harper Sloan!
Have you
ever felt like you were living your life for a future that was predetermined?
Like there was some bigger picture you just prayed you would someday see
clearly? That picture has been crystal clear to me since I was old enough to
recognize it for just what it was.
Or I
should say recognize him for who he was.
I’ve
loved Cohen Cage since I was a small child. He’s been my everything for the
last twenty-two years. I’ve loved him through every girlfriend he’s ever
brought home. Through his college years and then mine. I’ve loved him through two
deployments. And ever since the day I told him how I felt, he’s acted like I’m
a stranger.
My name
is Danielle Reid, and it’s time for me to get my man.
Our
future is an unexpected fate, and no matter what our parents, siblings, and
friends say…it’s going to be worth every second of the fight to make it happen.
This is a standalone.
“Dani-girl.” His voice, that rich rumble of masculine
excellence, washes over me and I shiver again before cursing under my
breath. The rumble of his low laughter
tells me that he definitely didn’t miss that little move.
Kill me
now.
“Hey,
Coh,” I say with a smile. “What brings
you in? Last minute, I might add.” I pat the chair before walking around and
holding the back while he sits down.
When his
scent hits my nose, I almost come on the spot.
Lord, he smells good. I wonder
what he would smell like while his body covered mine, all sweaty from hours of
good lovemaking. I run my fingers
through the longer lengths on the top and feel my cheeks heat slightly,
thinking about doing the same when his face is buried between my legs.
“…needed
a trim.”
Shit. I missed what he said because, naturally, I
was thinking about him naked. Naked and
thrusting into my body. Naked and
feasting between my spread thighs.
“You
feeling okay? I thought Nate said you
were better?”
“Uh, I’m
fine. Just—is it hot in here?” I fan my face and avoid his eyes.
He’s
silent, so I take that as a sign that it’s safe to bring my attention back to
him.
Big
mistake there. His knowing eyes are
boring right into mine. The chocolate
depths sparkling in a way that makes it clear he has a good idea about where my
mind was going.
“Did you
hear what I said, Dani-girl?”
“Of
course I did, Cohen. What, did you think
I was standing here daydreaming?” I joke.
“Well,
yeah, that’s exactly what I think.” His
eyes darken and he smirks a devilish grin.
“Did you know you talk in your sleep, Dani?” he asks, and I drop my
comb.
Oh,
God. Shut up, shut up, shut up. This is not happening. No way.
“No, I
don’t,” I childishly snap.
“Dani,
you do. So, yeah, I do think you were
standing there daydreaming. Want to know
why?” He uses his booted foot to move
his chair so that he’s facing me, and then he leans in so that his face is
dangerously close to mine. Even when
he’s seated, his head is almost level with my own. Curse my horizontally challenged self. “While you were zoning off into space with
your fingers running through my hair, you had this smile on your lips. The same smile you had the other day when you
were dreaming. About me, Dani. And don’t deny it, because you don’t moan my
name if you’re dreaming about another man.
Yes, Dani, you very much do talk in your sleep.” He smiles again before leaning back and looking
down to his phone. “Clean up my neck
please, cut the length off the top, and give me a buzz on the sides. Other than that, you’re clear to continue
with your thoughts.”
I must
have been standing there like an idiot because he looks up from his phone,
laughs to himself, and, with one tan hand, reaches out and pushes my mouth
closed.
“You’re
going to catch flies that way, Dani-girl.
One day, maybe you can clue me in on what those dreams are about.”
Drives me
insane, the control he has over me. There
isn’t a single person in the world, other than Cohen, who can turn me into a
ridiculously stupid, sputtering fool. My
normal confidence disappears. And
clearly, he isn’t as oblivious to my feelings as I originally thought.
How in
the hell am I supposed to handle this?
Wait a
minute. Cohen or not, I’m not going to
let him pull my strings when I know he is just doing this to make me feel
uncomfortable.
So, time
to call his bluff.
“Why? You planning on doing something about it?”
He looks
up sharply, clearly not having expected me to actually say something in return
since he was going for shock value.
“Try me,”
he demands, his voice thick and even deeper than normal.
I throw
my head back and reach out to run my fingers thought his hair again, just
barely suppressing the shivers. Curling
my fingers slightly so that I can grab a good hold, I lean in and pull his head
back at the same time. With my nose just
a hair away from his and our breaths mingling together, I say, “Cohen, you
couldn’t handle the truth of my thoughts when it comes to you and we both know
it. So how about you let me know when
you’re ready for me to clue you in.” I give his hair a light tug and smile when he
swallows loudly and shifts in his seat.
“Ready for that trim?” I ask with a wink, and I’m rewarded with his
groan.
I have no
idea how I do it, but I manage to get through his cut without coming
unglued. I can see Lyn trying to get my
attention from across the room. Stella
had to leave after she overheard my words to Cohen because her giggles were
getting the best of her. Cohen has
remained silent the whole time. His eyes
though… They’re speaking louder than his
words ever could.
They
haven’t left my reflection in the mirror since I started. I can feel them every time I shift. When I stopped to go grab another comb after
I dropped my fourth one, I felt his gaze follow me across the room to Stella’s
station. The few times I stopped cutting
to meet his eyes, the heated promise written all over his face almost did me
in. I almost just said ‘fuck it’ and
climbed on his lap to have a go regardless of the people watching our every
move.
I finish
the last buzz of my clippers around his right ear and move to brush all the
stray hair off. “All done,” I say softly
and unclip his cape.
He
stands, shoving his phone in the back pocket of his jeans, and walks over to
stand in front of me. I continue to
pretend I’m busy with the cape I just removed, brushing stray hairs off here
and there, when his hand comes up, his finger and thumb hitting my chin, and my
face is lifted until I have no choice but to look in his eyes.
“Do not
tease me, Dani. It’s not a game you want
to play if you don’t intend to follow through.”
“I-I
wasn’t… I wouldn’t,” I stammer.
“You did,
and I have no doubt you’ll have the brilliant idea to do it again. The next time you allude to those dirty
thoughts I know you have about me, don’t think for a second that I won’t drag
you to the closest bed to show you just how fucking dirty they’ll get.” He leans close, his scent hitting my
nostrils, and I involuntarily inhale deeply, earning me a rumbled chuckle. “What you don’t know, Dani—because contrary
to what you think, you don’t know me well enough to assume what having me would
really be like. But I promise you this:
every little thought that you have had that causes you to moan my name while
scissoring those perfect legs back and forth, praying for completion—it would
be so much hotter than you could ever imagine.”
He gives me a soft, sweet kiss against my temple that has fire racing
from that spot all over my body until it ends in the awareness that I’m pretty
sure I just came in my pants.
Unexpected Fate (Hope Town #1) by Harper Sloan
Okay…..what can I say? I think I have more of a neutral feeling about this book. I love the story of best friends being soul mates and becoming lovers. GREAT! I love that Cohen was Dani's first because I loved Cohen (the little boy wearing the red cape and talking about his father's junk jewelery, PRICELESS).
However, I don't think I liked Dani. I didn't hate her but I didn't really enjoy her character. Axel, was OTT as usual. I know that's their thing but Axel takes it to infinity and beyond. Looking back at some of my reviews for the Corp Security Series, I had a problem with Axel from book one but I got over it.....but now it's back. I also had previous problems with the female lead characters in the past.
Moving on.....SMOKING HOT Homecoming sex scene. But it bothered me that Dani being a virgin and only having had sex once before with Cohen before he left, was willing, able to participate and enjoy bum fun with him after the seven month dry spell......I'm NO expert but I'm just saying. REALLY? Next, Dani's father, OTT Axel owns a topnotch SECURITY FIRM, but he and his team can't find a stalker! WTH!
On a positive note, I did love the wedding and epilogue, but I guess I'm in the middle of the road with this book.
However, I don't think I liked Dani. I didn't hate her but I didn't really enjoy her character. Axel, was OTT as usual. I know that's their thing but Axel takes it to infinity and beyond. Looking back at some of my reviews for the Corp Security Series, I had a problem with Axel from book one but I got over it.....but now it's back. I also had previous problems with the female lead characters in the past.
Moving on.....SMOKING HOT Homecoming sex scene. But it bothered me that Dani being a virgin and only having had sex once before with Cohen before he left, was willing, able to participate and enjoy bum fun with him after the seven month dry spell......I'm NO expert but I'm just saying. REALLY? Next, Dani's father, OTT Axel owns a topnotch SECURITY FIRM, but he and his team can't find a stalker! WTH!
On a positive note, I did love the wedding and epilogue, but I guess I'm in the middle of the road with this book.
Harper lives in small town
Georgia just a short drive from her hometown of Peachtree City. She (and her 3
daughters) enjoy ruling the house they dubbed 'Estrogen Ocean', much to her
husband’s chagrin. Harper has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books; you
can almost ALWAYS find her with her eReader attached. She enjoys bad reality TV
and cheesy romantic flicks. Her favorite kind of hero--the super alpha kind!
Harper started using writing as
a way to unwind when the house went to sleep at night; and with a house full of
crazy it was the perfect way to just relax. It didn't take long before a head
full of very demanding alphas would stop at nothing to have their story told.
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