#MFRWhooks Blog Hop - An Excerpt from RESCUE ME - Not What I Expected

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm offering an excerpt from RESCUE ME, my sweet romantic comedy. Though Chelsea is attracted to Matt, she doesn't want a relationship, or even an affair, with him. She's wary of ridiculously good-looking men who could chew up a woman and spit her out without a backward glance. So, she's trying to keep her distance, even though Matt is trying to bring her closer:

Excerpt:

After putting on the kettle, she grabbed a couple of plates and forks from her cupboard and gently lifted two slices of cheesecake from the box. When some of the topping dripped onto her fingers, she popped them into her mouth, savoring the delicious sweetness. She opened her mouth to tell him how good it was and saw the expression on his face. All teasing had disappeared, and he stared at her as if she was dessert. Her face flamed with her ever-present blush and she lowered her gaze. She didn’t know who she was more annoyed with—Matt for looking as if he could eat her for lunch, or herself for wishing he would.

When she glanced at Matt again, he wore an affable, bland smile. The transformation was so sudden and so complete that Chelsea thought she must have imagined seeing such passion there earlier. She fumbled with the plates of cheesecake as she carried them to her sofa.

“I’m going to be as big as a whale if you keep feeding me like this.” Chelsea did her best to inject a light tone into her words. She wanted to recapture the teasing banter that usually marked their conversations. A serious Matt Malone frightened her.

For the next few minutes, she busied herself making tea and getting back under control. She wanted to remain friendly with Matt. He was her neighbor, and it would be exceedingly awkward if they began avoiding each other. And Lord knew she didn’t have a lot of friends in Toronto. She’d simply have to make sure their relationship stayed on a friendly, platonic level.

Chelsea brought a tray with her teapot and cups to her coffee table in her sitting area. Her apartment was too small for separate kitchen, living and dining rooms. One room served all three functions. Matt poured himself some tea and took a sip. When he set it back down, he gave her a lopsided smile.

“Actually, I had an ulterior motive for bringing you cheesecake.”

Warning bells went off in Chelsea’s head. Beware of Irishmen bearing gifts.

“My brother Connor is getting married and we’re having an engagement party for him next Sunday. I was wondering if you’d like to come with me.”

She stared at him. Of all the things he could have asked of her, this was the least expected.

“Are you asking me on a date? Because if you are—”

“No, nothing like that. It’s just a group of friends and relatives getting together for a little ceilidh to celebrate my brother’s upcoming wedding. I thought you might like to meet a few people.”

She searched his face for traces of duplicity, but he had adopted a look as innocent as a choir boy’s.

Blurb:

Chelsea Andrews can’t decide who’s more dangerous—the creep on the Toronto city bus, or the handsome stranger who rescues her. Was he ‘acting’ as he claimed, or is he that weird in real life? She doesn’t stick around to find out. Fate intervenes when her rescuer, out of work actor Matt Malone, sublets the apartment across the hall. Chelsea soon discovers the most dangerous thing about her charming new neighbor is the damage he’s inflicting on her heart.

Matt is at a crossroads. He’s given up a lot for his acting career and it’s given him little in return. Should he continue? When he moves in across the hall from Chelsea, he begins to believe he could have it all, love and career. But she’s keeping secrets that could end their relationship.

Chelsea must decide if Matt is worthy of her trust. And Matt has to decide what, and who, is truly important to him.

Buy Link: https://books2read.com/Rescue-Me-by-Jana-Richards

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