It’s Tuesday, which means it’s time for a new teaser. Since this month we’ll be ramping up for the release of The Only One, the final book in The One trilogy, I thought we all might enjoy a little visit with Sam and Meghan, two of my favorite characters.
If you haven’t read The Last One, a little clarification. It’s actually the first book in the trilogy. And The First One is the second book. Are you clear now?
We first met Meghan Hawthorne in The Posse, which was the story of her mother, Jude, and how she found a second chance at love after the all-too-early death of her first husband, Meghan’s father Daniel. In that book, Meghan’s not entirely happy about the changes happening in her family, and she’s not shy about letting them know.
The Last One begins almost a year after those events. Meghan, who’s just finished her junior year at art college in Savannah, takes a summer volunteer position as art teacher in a small Georgia town. To her dismay, she’s assigned to stay with a family that includes a guy she met briefly–and unhappily–during one drunk night the previous spring.
Sam doesn’t want anything to do with the pretty party girl who’s staying at his house for the summer. No matter how much he might be attracted to her, he’s sworn to keep his distance. But that might prove to be harder than either of them realize.
The Last One is told from both Meghan and Sam’s points of view. This tease comes from a Sam chapter, when the two are finally reaching a detente.
Meghan stood and stretched her arms high over her head. Without missing a beat, she bent at the waist and leaned to touch the tops of her feet. I watched, my mouth hanging open, as the neck of her shirt sagged. I could see right down the front, to the swell of her breasts over the cups of a black bra and the flat of her stomach. The denim shorts tightened over her pert little ass, and again I was having a hard time sitting still.
She straightened and caught me staring. Taking a step forward, she stood about an inch away from my knees, close enough for me to touch if I just reached one hand forward.
“I’m glad we’re friends now, Sam.” She spoke softly, and the whisper caressed my face. “You know, we could be the kind of friends who. . .well, your kind of friends. No complications. No drama. Just fun and. . .” She exhaled and ran a hand over her curls, bunching them at the back of her neck. “Maybe letting off a little steam.”
All I had to do was reach up and put my hand to her waist, tug her forward, and I knew she’d melt into me. It was what we both wanted, I knew, but it was what might happen after that kept me from moving.
“Meghan, what I said before stands. I’m too old for you. And you’re a guest in my home, so I’m not going to take advantage of you. That wouldn’t be right.”
“It’s not taking advantage if I offer. If I want it, too. I’m not asking you for a commitment here, Sam. I’m just saying, we could give each other what we both need.”
I had to get away, now, or I was going to give in. Her scent filled me, and she was so close that I could feel heat coming off her body in waves. I clenched my teeth together and stood up, moving her back gently with my hands on her upper arms.
“I’m going inside now, before I do something that you and I would both end up regretting. I’ll be your friend, Meghan. But that’s all I can do.”
I released her arms and turned to go back inside. As the screen door closed quietly behind me, I cursed myself as a fool and stomped upstairs toward a cold shower that had nothing to do with the air temperature.
The Only One releases on April 7th, but you can preorder it here! Don’t wait. . .
Mason Wallace left his hometown to live his dream: he had the perfect career, a gorgeous wife and a beautiful baby girl. He was on top of the world, until it all shattered with the sudden death of his wife. Now he’s back in Georgia, running his bar and trying to take care of his family. And he needs all the help he can get.
Rilla Grant’s never been farther than twenty miles from her family’s farm. Her overprotective father wants her to marry their church’s youth pastor and settle down into the life he’s chosen for her, but she’s not sure that’s what she wants anymore. Rilla’s chafing to make her own choices, and that includes starting her own PR business and maybe even moving off the farm, no matter how much her dad hates it.
When Mason asks Rilla to work on some promotion for his bar, she’s both excited and terrified. Excited, because it’s just the opportunity she’s wanted, and terrified because Mason, with his electric blue eyes and drool-worthy body, is the kind of guy who makes her knees weak and her heart pound. He’s the only one who’s ever tempted Rilla to defy her family, and when she does just that by moving in to help take care of his daughter, they’re both forced to make a decision that’ll change their lives forever.
Sometimes love isn’t the easy choice. Sometimes it’s the only one.
