She’s so young, so full of life…
I couldn’t let her die…
Even if she made the world’s worst coffee.
Emily Garret never asked to be rescued, let alone by a walking JCrew ad whose idea of fun is probably managing his stock portfolio and watching the nightly news. Then again, she never thought she would wind upside-down in a ditch after a night having a little too much fun.
Reece Montgomery never planned on being anyone’s hero, especially the foul-mouthed, bleach-blonde barista from the local coffee shop. He thinks there’s more to Emily than her tattoos, and lip ring, but getting close means letting her into his past and meeting his ghosts.
And he’s not sure she’s ready for that battlefield.
My Review
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Emily Garret is a 20 something who isn't really sure what she wants to do with her life. She spends her days serving coffee and her nights having one night stands. Reece Montgomery is a war veteran who spends his days teaching high school and his nights battling his demons. Their lives intersect after Emily has a terrible lapse in judgement, but this one may be her worst yet. She wakes up battered and bruised, having no idea that that the man she serves coffee to every day is the reason she is alive.
In a twist of fate, the two of them end up going on a fake date, which turns into a real date, which then turns into a one night stand. And they both realize that they have met their match.
I run my hands over his chest. I don’t need alcohol to make Reece look good. The muscles of his chest are hard under my fingers, his shoulders taught, his jaw strained. I have the sudden urge to scratch my nails down his back to find out how deep I have to go to get to something soft.
He grabs my waist tightly and tugs me against him so sharply, I gasp.
“I’m sorry.” He immediately lets go and tries to gently push me off of him. “This was a mistake.”
“I’m not sorry.” I weave my fingers behind his neck and look at him. His lake blue eyes are wide with fear. He thinks he hurt me, I realize. “Ohhhh. I get it now.”
He frowns, obviously not the reaction he expected.
“That’s what’s got you so messed up.”
“What?”
“The shit that happened to you in the desert—you forgot how to be gentle, and you’re scared you’re going to hurt me.”
He jerks back, as if considering this for the first time. “Maybe…”
“You won’t,” I cut him off.
He doesn’t look convinced.
“I might not be a badass soldier like you, Reece, but I think you’ll find I’m not easily broken.” This time I don’t fight my urges and dig my nails into his back.
A rumbling growl emits from deep inside his chest. He grasps my hips and leans forward, trailing his lips up my collar bone, to the dip in my shoulder and then up my neck. When he gets to the tender skin beneath my jaw, the warm velvet of his lips is replaced by the sharp heat of teeth.
I gasp as the flash of pain quickly turns to waves of desire.
He leans back, worry evident on his face. “Did I hurt you?”
I smile. “Oh, honey, you’re going to have to try harder than that.”
He groans, a primal sound that tightens things low inside me. He slides a finger into my hair and curls his fingers into a fist before tilting my head back sharply, inclining my neck. “Don’t tempt me.”
Every nerve in my body sizzles with need. I whimper, which, in turn, makes him smile. Holy hell, I think I finally found a guy who can keep up with me.Whew. Hot doesn't even begin to describe these two. On the surface the phrase "opposites attract" totally applies to them, but once they get to know each other, they realize they have more in common than they originally thought. Emily is able to calm Reece when things get too much and he provides her with the inspiration she needs to help realize what she really wants to do with her life.
Both of them have issues that are holding them back in both their professional and personal lives. Emily sees herself as a drunk and a screw up who is destined to serve coffee her whole life and Reece can't get past what happened when he was over in Afghanistan. They are both in denial and little by little their relationship starts to suffer because of it. When things eventually do blow up in their faces, they have to face the truth about what they really want. It's not pretty, but it is a necessary evil.
This was my first book by Cole and I really enjoyed it. The story is sweet, sexy and at times downright heartbreaking. Emily and Reece go through a lot, but the payoff is amazing and you will not be disappointed.
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