The Opposite of Wild (35 page)

“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered huskily in her ear. He rocked gently. A hand slipped up her hip and higher to the side of her breast. She let out a tiny gasp.

“We can’t just leave,” she protested weakly.

He turned her and kissed her thoroughly, promising more. Her knees gave out, and she clutched his shirt. He broke the kiss and grinned down at her.

She said nothing, merely grabbed his hand and waved to her family and friends on her way out the door.

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” Ryan called to their friends and family.

“You go, girl!” Maggie hollered, to which Liz replied with a fist of solidarity.

~THE END~

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Coming mid-2014! Book #2 in the Clover Park series,
Daisy Does It All

Here’s a sneak peek from Daisy and Trav’s story…

This might be Daisy’s biggest screw-up yet…

Free-spirited Daisy Garner is shocked when her blog, Daisy Does It All, takes off inspiring moms with her stories of life with Darling Husband and Baby Delight in their beautiful Victorian home. Reality? She’s a single mom living in a tiny, messy apartment. That’s no problem…until a national talk show wants to interview her in her fictional home with her pretend husband.

Trav O’Hare wants nothing more than to marry Daisy and give their son the stable home life Trav never had. Parents should be married—no sappy declaration of love needed—which he’s clearly explained to her. Still, she refuses him. So Trav can’t believe his luck when Daisy asks him to play her husband on TV. He agrees, as long as they make it a real marriage.

But before the wedding can happen, they have to get through the interview with the show’s producer, Daisy’s ex looking for a second chance, and the witchy host who will do anything for ratings. Throw in a winter storm that traps them all for the weekend…and things are about to get a little too real.

“Daisy Garner, will you marry me?”

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming. Not this again. Travis O’Hare, down on bended knee, in a suit no less, holding up a diamond ring. Of course he would do this to her at the Valentine’s Day dance in front of all of their family and friends.

Heat crept up her neck. “Get up,” she hissed.

“Not until you answer.” His hazel eyes, usually dancing with good humor, were dead serious and locked on hers.

She sighed. Tango music carried on in the background, but no one was dancing. Her parents, Trav’s brother Shane, his grandmother Maggie, Jorge, Jorge’s daughters, and a handful of friends stared, waiting for her to say yes. Too bad her sister Liz had left early with Ryan,
she
would’ve taken Daisy’s side.

“No,” Daisy said, clearly and loudly enough for all to hear. She turned to face her audience. “Dance, people, nothing to see here.” She turned to Trav. “You can’t peer-pressure me into a marriage.”

He rose from bended knee in one smooth gesture. The man was all lean, sinewy muscle thanks to his job. He was a landscape designer, but didn’t hesitate to jump in and do the hard manual labor of shaping the landscape.

“Daisy, come on.” Trav took her hand and a familiar warmth shot up her arm. She ignored it and pulled her hand from his. The days of falling headlong into lust were done and gone.

“I have to check on Bryce.”

She turned away and he stepped in front of her. Too close. His piercing eyes gazed into her own. She blinked. It was like he was trying to look into her soul.

“He’s fine,” Trav said. “Your mom’s got him.”

She looked over to where her mom was lifting six-month-old Bryce into the air while he let out adorable squeals of delight. He
never
laughed like that for Daisy. She turned back to Trav. “Okay, fine. Listen up, this is the third time you’ve proposed. I don’t want to marry you. Please stop asking. You’re embarrassing us both.”

His face flushed red. She hadn’t meant to be harsh, but
come on
. She stepped to the side to pass him and he stepped with her. She stepped the other way. He stepped with her again and grinned.

She gave him a little shove. “Stop it.”

His eyes danced with mischief, his usual humor back. “We’re dancing.”

She bit back a smile. He did make her laugh. She just didn’t want to encourage him.

She forced a straight face. “No, we’re not. I’m trying to walk and you’re in my way.”

A corner of his mouth kicked up in a half smile. “Dance with me. It’s the least you can do for the man who gave you the sperm you so desperately needed.”

“So desperately needed?” she blurted way too loud. She lowered her voice. “More like drunken—”

“Bliss,” he said, spinning her into his arms. He began an exaggerated tango, leading her one way only to pivot suddenly and lead straight-armed the other way.

She burst out laughing. “You’re nuts. Did you take lessons from Jorge?”

“Not a one. I’m good though, aren’t I?”

“Sure,” she managed to say before he whirled her around. The song ended and changed to a slow dance that could’ve been a waltz, but he pulled her close for a slow swaying. She told herself she should pull away, but the heat coming off him was intoxicating and it felt so good to relax into his arms, to just be held. She rested her cheek on his chest and sighed.

He stroked her long hair and murmured close to her ear, “Daisy, Daisy, Daisy, I’ll get you yet.”

She looked up into his gorgeous face, sparkling hazel eyes, perpetual stubble along his jaw, the ready smile. “Now why do I feel like Little Red Riding Hood?”

He flashed a toothy smile and lunged for her neck. She squealed and squirmed, but he held on and chomped gently down her neck.

She smacked his arm because she liked that a little too much. “Back off, Big Bad Wolf.”

He continued their dance as if nothing had happened. Trav used to be big and bad. He was an angry rebel, a year behind her in high school. As a teen, she’d admired all the trouble he managed to get in and out of with hardly a mark on him. She hadn’t hung out with him then, preferring guys who were older with cars. Now he was very special to her for one six-month-old reason. But that didn’t mean she wanted to marry him. Trav loved Bryce, not her.

Trav spoke softly in her ear. “What’s it going to take for you to say yes?”

The Clover Park Series

THE OPPOSITE OF WILD
(Book 1)—out now

DAISY DOES IT ALL
(Book 2)—mid-2014

BAD TASTE IN MEN
(Book 3)—late-2014

KISSING SANTA
(A Novella, Book 3.5)—Christmas 2014

Acknowledgments

Love to my husband and sons who will never read this book, but are proud of me for writing it anyway.

And a heartfelt thank you and virtual chocolate to Mimi Jean Pamfiloff—a wonderful critique partner and unwavering cheerleader, who put up with my endless questions as I ventured down the Indie path.

A special thank you also to Shannon Grogan, whose sharp eye and honest feedback always improves my work immensely.

My wonderful beta readers—Kim Chromicz, Jennifer Jackson, and Maura Troy—
mwah
and thank you!

And thank
you
, dear reader, for picking up this book and taking a chance on a new author!

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks are not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

The Opposite of Wild: © 2014 by Kylie Gilmore

Digital Edition 1.0

Cover design by The Killion Group

Published by: Extra Fancy Books

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the writer, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN-10: 0991266501

ISBN-13: 978-0-9912665-0-0

About the Author

Kylie Gilmore was lucky enough to discover romance novels at a young age as they were strewn all over the house (thanks, Mom!). She writes quirky, tender romance with a solid dose of humor. Her first book in the Clover Park series,
The Opposite of Wild
, features the oldest of three brothers and his lady love. The next two books in the series give each brother his dream girl (eventually).

Kylie lives in New York with her family, two cats, and a nutso dog. When she’s not writing, wrangling kids, or dutifully taking notes at writing conferences, you can find her flexing her muscles all the way to the high cabinet for her secret chocolate stash.

Thanks!

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The Opposite of Wild
. I hope you enjoyed it. Would you like to know about new releases? You can sign up for my new release email list at
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