Take a Chance on Me & The One That I Want – Double Release Celebration!

It’s a party — with giveaways 🙂 . My new Mirabelle Harbor series just launched with a double release this past week, and I’ve been looking forward to getting to celebrate here with all of you!!

As some of you may remember from my last AV post — A Visit to Mirabelle Harbor — this contemporary romance series had its origins 15 years ago when I was still an aspiring writer and I had a little baby in the house… My son is now a high-school junior and I’ve published a dozen books in the years since, but this fictional lakeside town and its collection of characters have stayed with me from the beginning.

ALL of the stories in this series are standalones, but they’re connected through the town and through a relationship with the Michaelsen family. In TAKE A CHANCE ON ME (the opening novella – Book 1), Chance Michaelsen is the hero of the story. As a dedicated 28-year-old personal trainer, Chance is the strong & silent type. He falls hard for his newest client Nia Pappayiannis—a woman who’s his complete opposite and a member of the gregarious family that owns the Greek bakery just down the street from his gym. He considers their pastries (and most everything the family cooks) to be the enemy of good health, but his attraction to Nia can’t be denied.

Relationships are a little complicated in Nia’s world, however. She’s got an Old World mother who’s determined to marry her off…if not to “a nice Greek boy” then at least to a man who knows enough to rave about their baklava. And, let’s face it, Chance isn’t gonna be that guy, LOL. And then there’s Nia’s current boyfriend and Chance’s ex-girlfriend, who aren’t exactly making life easy for either of them. If true love is going to be in their future, though, they’re both going to have to take a risk and open their hearts.

Here’s an excerpt from the story (in Nia’s POV), which is a little steamy…in more ways than one!

*~*~*

I couldn’t dismiss Chance’s gaze. As we sat across from each other in the steaming sauna, he watched my every movement, noticing each inch of exposed skin, which wasn’t much on my side, really. The white towels gave comprehensive coverage. They were jumbo sized, so only my shoulders, arms, lower thighs, calves, and feet were visible.

*

But Chance took in every bit, and I squirmed under that level of scrutiny.

*

He abruptly stood up and walked over to me. With no shirt as a shield, there was nothing that could camouflage his incredibly buff upper body. Bet he did more than torso twists to get that six pack, huh? Even more than wanting to touch him, though, I wanted to know what he was thinking. My attention kept getting drawn back to his face. To his inquisitive hazel eyes.

*

He stood in front of me and pulled me to standing. “Turn around,” he whispered.

*

“Why?” I murmured, glancing at the door. There was an oval sliver of a window where people walking by could peek in on us, if they were so inclined.

*

“I’m going to rub your shoulders,” he said simply. “Don’t worry. I’ll stop anytime you want, but now’s the best time to loosen those tight muscles. You can lean against the wall for balance.”

*

There was almost nothing in the world I wanted more than to feel Chance’s hands on my skin. Between his nearness to me, my anticipation of his touch, and the blazing temperature of the sauna, I could only take quick, shallow breaths but, nevertheless, I turned around.

*

From the very second his fingertips connected with the top of my shoulders, it was all I could do not to gasp or moan. He had magic hands, that man. A grip that was strong, firm, but not pinching. My neck and shoulders had never felt better.

*

I could only imagine what he could do to my back if I were to throw the towel on the floor and let him rub whatever he wanted, or wherever he wanted. Aunt Helen would be evoking all kinds of prayers to the blessed Virgin if she knew what I was thinking.

*

“You really missed your calling,” I managed to say.

*

Chance made that low chuckling sound that sent a bolt of desire from my ears to my toenails. “I have some background in deep tissue and Swedish massage,” he told me. “Board certified, actually. But I’m very selective in choosing my clientele for that service.”

*

The air in the sauna must have hit about three thousand degrees when he spoke. I was burning up. But he continued to rub only above the towel line. Nothing remotely inappropriate. And his self-control made me want to scream, “Go lower! Push the towel down, Chance. Tell me you want me half as much as I want you.”

*

Instead, I just sighed, and his fingers stilled. No!

*

He very gently turned me around to face him, lowered his head until his lips were millimeters from mine, and whispered, “Number 127 Arpeggio Avenue. Apartment 3.”

*

“What?” I asked. There was steam all around us and, more than that, my brain was in a fog.

*

“That’s my address. Just two blocks south of here.” He paused. “It’s your choice, Nia. But remember your question when we were texting tonight? When you asked if I was propositioning you?”

*

I nodded. Oh, yes. I remembered. He’d written: If I were propositioning you, I’d say to meet me at my apartment…

*

“So,” he said slowly, “if you would like — meet me at my apartment.” Then Chance smiled, stepped away from me, and walked out of the sauna.

*~*~*