When First They
Practice to Deceive
By
Carolyn LaRoche
Mystery/intrigue/ romance
Author Bio:
Carolyn LaRoche grew up in snow country
but fled the cold and ice several years ago. She now lives near the
beach with her husband, their two boys, two finicky cats and one old
dog. When she is not at the baseball field cheering on big hits and
home runs, she is busy teaching science to unwilling teenagers.
Social Media Links:
Twitter: @CarolynLaRoche
Blurb:
All
Jessy Wallace wants is a happy marriage, but her husband is a liar
and in over his head…
Jessy
has spent the last decade happily married to her husband, Sam. But
when she finally lands a job at Dixie’s Place, a hole-in-the-wall
diner, she learns not all is well in paradise. Officer Sam Wallace
has been spending the majority of their marriage in the beds of other
women. Fed up, Jessy kicks her husband to the curb.
The
last thing she wants is another messy relationship…
Uncertain
if her husband ever truly loved her, Jessy gets caught completely off
guard by the intense attraction she feels for Trey Smith, the night
cook at Dixie’s Place. But she recognizes some telltale signs, and
discovers he’s an undercover FBI agent. Jessy curses herself for
falling for another lawman. To make matters worse, her soon-to-be
ex-husband might be involved with Trey’s case.
After
the death of his wife, FBI agent Trey Smith has spent the last four
years married to his work…
But
when Jessy starts waitressing at the diner where he is working
undercover, he falls head over heels for her. Her ex-husband,
however, is one of the top suspects in Trey’s case, and all Trey
wants to do is protect her. He can’t lose this once in a lifetime
chance at love.
Jessy
is the soon-to-be ex-wife of a suspected criminal.
Trey
Smith is an undercover FBI agent.
Can
their love overcome the odds, or will it all come crashing down under
the weight of lies and deception?
Buy Links:
Excerpt:
Dixie
dumped her packages on the counter with a grunt. “Where the hell is
that cook? Trey!”
Trey’s
appearance in the dining room was announced by the slam of the back
door. His cheeks were red. Jessy caught sight of a cell phone
sticking out of his shirt pocket. Trey rubbed his hands together.
“It’s
mighty frosty out there tonight. Was just taking out the trash. You
need something, Dix?”
“How many
times have I told you not to call me that? It sounds too much like
dicks.”
She
swatted at him but Trey sidestepped the hit.
“Aw
lighten up, Dix,
no one is going to think that of you.” Jessy experienced an
annoying twinge of jealousy as Trey ran a long, lazy glance over
Dixie’s body, making the woman flush a deep crimson which just made
her look sexier. Jessy glanced down at her own, curveless frame and
frowned. Life
is so unfair.
“Just
take this stuff into my office so I can sort it.”
“Sure
thing. What’s in all these packages anyway?” Trey flipped open a
box lid. “Christmas decorations?”
Dixie
shrugged. “Well, yeah. It’s December.”
Trey
rummaged around and pulled out an ornament of a tiny ballerina.
“Shattered dreams going on the tree this year, Dixie?”
“Gimme
that!” Dixie snatched the figure from Trey’s hand.
“Okay, so
which one of us is the angel supposed to represent? Knowing all of
you like I do, I have to go with the only logical conclusion. Me.”
“Yeah,
‘cause you’re a real angel all right.” Arnetta gave Trey a
searing look, like the ones they write about in romance novels.
“You know
nothing about my angel status.” Trey returned the angel to the box
as he winked at Jessy. “That is a mystery that remains to be
discovered. Oh wait, maybe this will help.”
“What is
it?” Jessy, intrigued by the contents of the box as much as she was
interested in just how much Arnetta knew about Trey’s status,
stepped forward. Trey whipped around to face her, his hand on his
head.
Only it
wasn’t resting on his head. It held a little sprig of green
vegetation in his hand and a grin on his face that rivaled that of
the Chesire Cat. Mistletoe.
Aw, crap.
“Oops,
I’m stuck under some mistletoe. You know legend says I have to kiss
the person nearest to me.” His eyes burned into Jessy’s skin as
her cheeks heated to new proportions never before experienced.
“I don’t
think that’s quite how it goes,” Arnetta said.
“Shut up!
He’s about to have his meal!” Surrey whispered loudly behind
Jessy.
“I think
the legend says someone is supposed to kiss you.” Jessy looked into
Trey’s eyes without blinking.
“Breaking
legend is bad luck. Very, very bad luck.”
“I think
you mean tradition. It’s bad luck to break tradition.”
“Legend.Tradition.Whatever.
All I know is you are leaving me hanging and potentially exposing
both of us to many years of pain and suffering.”
Jessy could
feel three sets of female eyes on her, but she only cared about
Trey’s. His eyes were so warm and so welcoming, and they were doing
things to her insides so she couldn’t think straight.
“Well, I
guess we wouldn’t want that.” She rose up slightly on tip toe,
closing some of the height gap between them.
“No. I
guess not.” He leaned forward, closing just a little more of the
distance.
“It’s
never a good idea to tempt the fates.” Jessy heard three breaths
sucked in as one.
“Nope.Definitely
not.”
Freezing
air wrapped around them as the sounds of laughter and chatter
suddenly filled the diner.
“Show’s
over, folks. Time to make some money.” Dixie grabbed a few bags and
headed to her office.
“Trey!
Get the rest of those boxes for me then get in the kitchen!”
Trey
stepped back and lowered the mistletoe, never breaking eye contact
with Jessy. “Yes, ma’am! I’m right behind you.”
He blew her
a little kiss then stepped over to the counter, scooped up the boxes,
and was gone before Jessy could remember to breathe.
Surrey was
the first to grab up a notepad and take a table, but not before she
whispered in Jessy’s ear, “Just like I said. Looks at you like
his next meal.”
Other
Books in the Series
Undercover
in Six Inch Stilettos
In The
Shadow of the Shield
No comments:
Post a Comment