WILD AT HEART
By T.J. Kline
Bailey Hart has never felt at home in her small town. So when her band gets their big break in Los Angeles, “Wild Hart” can’t run fast enough . . . If only there weren’t so many reasons to stay. After a harrowing stint in the Oakland Police Department, Chase McKee has returned home a hero, and yet he feels anything but. And when he finds out Bailey might be leaving for good, the feelings he’s always harbored for his best friend’s cousin just won’t stay hidden.
Chase picked up on the roar of the engine long before the motorcycle actually came into view. Reaching for the radar gun, he aimed it in the direction of the sound.
Ninety-two miles per hour. Did this guy have a death wish?
He’d no more tapped the gas on the cruiser when the motorcycle blazed past him in a midnight-blue streak. He flipped on his lights and siren and the bike immediately slowed as the rider glanced backward before pulling onto the shoulder.
At least he has some respect for the law, he thought acerbically as he stopped behind the motorcycle and ran the plates.
The registered owner’s name came up on his computer screen and his eyes shot back to the rider.
“Damn it,” he muttered, rolling his shoulders back and preparing for the battle he had no doubt was coming. Chase rolled his eyes and climbed out of the vehicle with a sigh of resignation. Crossing his arms, he greeted the most beautiful woman—and the biggest troublemaker—he’d ever met as she slid her helmet off her head and brushed stray hairs back into her low honey-colored ponytail.
“Funny seeing you here, Bailey. When did you get this thing, and are you trying to kill yourself with it?”
She turned her dazzling pearly whites on him, her blue eyes flashing with mischief as she set the helmet on the seat behind her. Chase had been dying to ask her out ever since his return to town almost two years ago but she had no idea and, unfortunately, he needed to keep it that way. Her cousin Justin was one of his best friends, and if he knew Chase thought of Bailey as anything other than Justin’s “little sister,” Chase would probably have to arrest his friend for assaulting a police officer. Not to mention that he’d need to check himself into the hospital.
“Just picked it up last week.” Her fingers ran lovingly over the blue gas tank between her thighs, and he felt his body immediately react. He stifled the response. “I guess I’m still getting used to how much power it has.”
“Ya think?” He couldn’t help but chuckle at her understatement as he clicked the top of his pen and started writing out a speeding ticket. “I need your license and registration.”
“Aw, come on, Chase. Really?” She bit her lower lip, looking up at him from under her thick, dark lashes, and he felt the heat of desire trickle down his chest and center low in his belly. “I’ll slow down. I swear.”
“And you’ll never do it again, right?” He didn’t believe her for a second. Everyone knew Bailey’s reputation as the wild child of the Hart family. She didn’t just march to the beat of her own drum, she conducted the entire orchestra to a tune of her design.
“You know, you should come by for dinner tonight. I’m fixing enchiladas for them. We’re hoping the spicy food will put Jules into labor. There’ll be plenty if you want to stop by.”
A flirtatious smile spread over her full lips and her eyes sparkled like sapphires. Chase felt the sizzle of heat come to life again. If he didn’t know her better, he’d think she was flirting. That was the last thing he needed right now. He turned the pad toward her and handed her the pen, indicating she should sign the line. She stared up at him expectantly, practically batting her eyelashes.
Chase cocked his head to the side and gave her a lopsided grin. “Plying me with dinner isn’t going to get you out of a ticket, Bailey.”
Her eyes narrowed as he tapped the pad again. Bailey jerked it from his hand and scribbled her name, slapping the pen against it irritably when she finished. He ripped her copy of the citation from the pad and handed it back to her with the other documents. “You do realize trying to bribe an officer is a felony, right?”
She cocked a brow at him as she slid her helmet back over her head and slipped her sunglasses on, starting the engine. “Who said anything about bribing you? Maybe I was trying to poison you.”
Chase cou
ldn’t help but laugh as she eased the bike back onto the road. “Murder One is a felony, too,” he yelled after her.
Damn, that woman could turn him on faster than she did that bike.
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An Excerpt from
THE BRIDE WORE STARLIGHT
A Seven Brides for Seven Cowboys Novel
By Lizbeth Selvig
Once comfortable on stage in front of thousands, Joely Crockett is now mortified at the thought of walking—or rolling—down the aisle at her sisters’ wedding. Scarred and wheelchair-bound, the former beauty queen has lost more than the ability to walk—she’s lost her fire. But when one handsome, arrogant guest accuses her of milking her injuries and ignites her ire, Joely finally starts to feel truly alive again, and soon it’s impossible for her to resist her heart’s desire.
“You look lost.”