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IRRESISTIBLY YOURS
Oxford #1
Lauren Layne
Releasing Oct 6th, 2015
Loveswept
Hotshot sports editor Cole Sharpe has been freelancing for Oxford for years, so when he hears about a staff position opening up, he figures he’s got the inside track. Then his boss drops a bombshell: Cole has competition. Female competition, in the form of a fresh-faced tomboy who can hang with the dudes—and write circles around them, too. Cole usually likes his women flirty and curvy, but he takes a special interest in his skinny, sassy rival, if only to keep an eye on her. And soon, he can’t take his eyes off her.
Penelope Pope knows all too well that she comes off as just one of the guys. Since she’s learned that wanting more usually leads to disappointment, Penelope’s resigned to sitting on the sidelines when it comes to love. So why does Cole make her want to get back in the game? The man is as arrogant as he is handsome. He probably sees her as nothing more than a barrier to his dream job. But when an unexpected kiss turns into a night of irresistible passion, Penelope has to figure out whether they’re just fooling around—or starting something real.
But
before Cole could make the call on whether or not to die curious
about that damn notebook or risk rejection by Tiny Brunette, his best
friend and co-worker was holding a fresh beer in front of his face.
“You
look like you need it,” Lincoln Mathis said, sipping the foam off
his own beer.
“How
would you know?” Cole said. “You’ve been chatting up Jonas
Leroy’s wife for the better part of four innings.”
“Had
to,” Lincoln said with a little shrug. “She was bored. Her
husband’s completely preoccupied with whatever’s going on with
that ball down there.”
“As
he should be at a baseball game,”
Cole said pointedly.
Cole
didn’t know why he bothered. His friend was already back on his
cellphone, not the least bit interested in the game.
Lincoln
Mathis looked like the type of
man who should enjoy sports: tall, athletic, well muscled from their
early-morning gym sessions. Carelessly styled black hair and friendly
blue eyes that screamed guy’s guy
just as loudly as they did ladies’ man.
But,
much to Cole’s dismay, he’d never been able to get his friend to
invest more than a passing interest in sports—any
sport. Lincoln was always happy to tag along to a game when booze and
women were involved, but ask him who he thought this year’s MVP
would be, and he’d say Babe Ruth without the smallest hint of
irony.
Still,
tonight, Cole couldn’t exactly lecture Lincoln for not paying
attention when he himself was having a hell of a time keeping track
of the score.
Once
more, his eyes found Tiny Brunette, who was . . . yep. Writing in her
notebook.
“Hey,
Sharpe. Do you know where they keep a fire extinguisher in here?”
Lincoln asked, looking around the luxury suite of Yankee Stadium.
Cole
tore his gaze away from the woman and her damn notebook. “What
for?”
“If
you stare at that girl any harder, she’s going to burst into
flames,” Lincoln said, jerking his chin at Tiny Brunette.
“I
wasn’t staring.”
“Don’t
insult our bromance,” Lincoln said cheerfully.
“Keep
running your mouth and we won’t have a bromance.” Cole forced
himself not to look at the woman again.
“Hey,
if you’ve got a crush on the wee lass, you can tell me,” Lincoln
said, taking another sip of beer.
“I
don’t have a crush. And wee lass? Really? You’re Scottish now?”
“Sometimes.
Chicks dig the brogue. You should try it on your girl over there.”
“She’s
not my girl. She’s just . . .” Interesting,
Cole finished silently.
“Good,”
Lincoln said, clapping him on the shoulder. “So you won’t mind
that she left.”
Cole’s
eyes flew to the seat where the woman was sitting, annoyed to see
that his friend was right. She was gone.
“It’s
just as well,” Lincoln said. “We have bigger things to focus on.
Say, like how we’re going to annihilate the bastard who’s out for
your job.”
“It’s
not my job,” Cole said, carefully keeping the tinge of bitterness
out of his tone.
“Not
yet,” Lincoln said. “But it will be. Taking your competition out
of the picture is the only reason I’m at this barbarian event.”
“Remind
me never to take you to a hockey game,” Cole muttered.
Still,
he appreciated his friend’s loyalty. And Lincoln was right. Tonight
wasn’t about petite female baseball fans and their damn notebooks.
Tonight
was about Cole’s professional future.
The
key to that future? Oxford
magazine.
Lauren Layne is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. In 2011, she and her husband moved from Seattle to New York City, where Lauren decided to pursue a full-time writing career. It took six months to get her first book deal (despite ardent assurances to her husband that it would only take three). Since then, Lauren's gone on to publish ten books, including the bestselling Stiletto series, with several more on the way in 2015.
Lauren currently lives in Chicago with her husband and spoiled Pomeranian. When not writing, you'll find her at happy hour, running at a doggedly slow pace, or trying to straighten her naturally curly hair.
Lauren currently lives in Chicago with her husband and spoiled Pomeranian. When not writing, you'll find her at happy hour, running at a doggedly slow pace, or trying to straighten her naturally curly hair.
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