When writing Almost Taken, I first started
with the series title.
Two Weddings, One Funeral, & One Baby
It’s something very different than the
erotic romance I had been writing for so long. I wanted something that would be
catchy and straight to the point. The fun after that is how to connect all
these stories and topics. For example, in Almost Taken, the two lead characters
– Jared and Becky – aren’t the ones getting married! In fact, it’s a mutual
friend’s wedding that brings them together, again, after they encounter one
another before.
The story was fun to write because it’s
fast, flirty, and packed with romance. There’s no jumping straight to bed here.
Mainly that’s because Becky has a relationship. Something Jared respects but
pains him to see.
So, just how do they end up together?
That’ll be your job to find out when you read the book!
Here’s an excerpt from Almost Taken (Two
Weddings, One Funeral, & One Baby)…
Two Weddings, One
Funeral, & One Baby
Book 1: ALMOST TAKEN
Jared Crowley was supposed to sell the apartment to the rich,
powerful Harry Pitt and his beautiful girlfriend, Becky... not fall in love
with Becky.
When Harry shows up to the apartment again, this time with a
different woman donning an engagement ring, Jared is thrown into a world of
deceit, and Harry threatens to tarnish Jared's successful career. Jared battles his emotions on what to do
next, which only gets more complicated when he's invited to be in the wedding
party of a close friend whose fiancée has asked Becky to be a bridesmaid.
Secrets will be bared and hearts will be broken, but can a new love
overcome it all?
__________
Jared stepped
from the steps, still smiling, still confident.
“You know, now
that you mention it, I’m going to look into it.
That’s my car, I shouldn’t have parked there. But you will have at least one parking spot
on the street and there’s a small lot out back for another.”
Harry nodded,
not really in approval, but that didn’t get to Jared.
Jared walked
down the sidewalk and met Harry who had a thick hand out, ready for one of
those classic I’m-better-than-you handshakes. He grabbed
Jared’s hand, squeezed, and moved it up and down. Jared endured for a few seconds until
something else caught his attention. He
didn’t realize Harry had brought someone with him.
All Jared’s mind
could do was what it had been trained to do for years.
Pick out
features.
Auburn
hair, just below the shoulders. Soft
curls, some thicker than others, natural.
Smooth skin and... brown eyes...
“Damn, relax,”
Harry said and pulled his hand away.
Jared looked
down and realized that he’d taken over the handshake, squeezing tighter than
Harry cared for.
“Sorry,” Jared
said. “So you have company?”
“Yes,” Harry
said. He turned and put a hand out.
Jared watched as
the woman took Harry’s hand. She wore a pair of jeans, white shoes with blue
stripes, and a dark blue t-shirt that hugged everywhere. Harry pulled her tight, always making the
world aware he was the alpha male, and slid his arm around her.
“She’s lucky I
love her,” Harry said. “Messing up a
good suit like this.”
The woman smiled
and her cheeks flushed. “I’m sorry I
look this way. I was working all
morning...”
“You look fine,”
Jared said. He cleared his throat and
opened the leather folder, needing to keep his attention away from the woman.
“She paints,”
Harry said. “Of all things, right? I get mixed up with a painter.”
Jared had to
look up. He looked at Harry even though
his eyes wanted to strain to look at the woman.
He nodded.
“Opposites,
right?”
“Yes, I suppose
so.” Harry looked at the woman and she
opened her eyes wide. “Oh, how ignorant
can I be? Jared, this is Rebecca. Rebecca, this is Jared.”
“Rebecca,” Jared
said. He put his hand out and Rebecca
took it.
“Please, call me
Becky,” she smiled.
“Becky then. What do you paint?”
“Right now...”
“Anything she
wants,” Harry cut in. “We met when I
needed someone to paint a mural on one of my walls. It just looked so damn bare and I remember
going to this Italian restaurant as a kid and the back wall was a mural. That’s what I wanted. Then Rebecca showed up. She painted the mural
and stole my heart.”
“Murals,” Jared
said. “That’s quite impressive.”
“Not just
murals,” Becky said. “I paint
everything.”
“Plain walls?”
Jared asked and smiled.
“Of course.”
“But she’s not
for hire,” Harry said, squeezing Becky’s shoulder. “She’s working on her own art.”
“That’s even
better,” Jared said. “Well, you should
be happy to hear the third bedroom can double as a loft, with the back window
overlooking the park. Very...”
“Inspirational?”
Becky asked.
“That’s the
word,” Jared said. He wrote it down even
though he had the word lingering on his tongue.
“Standing
outside isn’t going to make me buy the place,” Harry sniped.
Jared watched
Harry check his watch and look around again.
The man never had any patience even though all he had was time. With a multi-million dollar hotel business
now in his hands thanks to his father, Harry Pitt had nothing to worry about
when it came to money
Jared held the
front door for Harry and Becky. He
always lingered behind prospective buyers to allow them to explore a feeling of
home. He didn’t want to be a tour guide
and give off the appeal that people were just there to look. They were there to visualize themselves in
the house. They were there to buy.
Jared called out
obvious features and details, noticing how Becky looked around with wide eyes,
looking pretty and hopeful. Harry,
however, eyeballed the place, pointing out things wrong. Jared went along with it, taking diligent
notes, tempted to discuss with Harry the option to buy land and build a house.
“I like it,”
Harry announced as he stood just outside the third bedroom.
Becky walked in
circles inside the room. She touched the
pale walls, then her fingertips. Jared
could tell she was gaining her own inspiration by the second.
“It’ll make a
home after the wedding, for sure,” Harry said.
For whatever
reason, Jared felt his heart sting and for the first time in a long time, he
actually felt a little jealousy in his blood.
“Wedding?” Jared
asked. He caught himself looking at
Becky as she walked towards Harry, wanting to see her hand to see the diamond
Harry must have purchased. “That’s the
best time to get a new place. Then it’s
yours, together.”
“Exactly my
thought,” Harry said.
“But we’re not
getting married soon,” Becky said.
“Never a rush,
right?” Jared asked.
“We’re not
engaged,” Becky said.
Jared noted a
little contempt in Becky’s voice and hurried to pull out a copy of the listing
on the apartment.
“What I’m thinking
with the current owners...”
“It’s not that
we’re not engaged,” Harry cut in, “we’re planning on getting engaged. Soon.”
“Planning on
it,” Becky said.
She smiled and
when Harry looked at her, he bought it.
Jared didn’t buy the smile, but then again, it wasn’t his concern. At all.
It bothered Jared that it bothered him.
Not the concept of marriage - which did scare the hell out of him - but
the concept of promising to be engaged to be married. And coming from a guy like Harry, Jared could
only assume that was Harry's way of keeping Becky close and in check.
Jared turned and
rubbed his face, wondering why this had gotten to him so badly.
Ana Fawkes
Two Weddings, One Funeral, & One Baby
Book 1: ALMOST TAKENJared Crowly was supposed to sell the apartment to the rich, powerful Harry Pitt and his beautiful girlfriend, Becky... not fall in love with Becky.
When Harry shows up to the apartment again, this time with a different woman donning an engagement ring, Jared is thrown into a world of deceit, and Harry threatens to tarnish Jared's successful career. Jared battles his emotions on what to do next, which only gets more complicated when he's invited to be in the wedding party of a close friend whose fiancee has asked Becky to be a bridesmaid.
Don't miss the second book in the Two Weddings, One Funeral, & One Baby series, titled Lifetime Proposal!
Jack and Riley really aren't engaged... or so Jack thinks. When Riley's competitive family puts her on the spot about the 'wedding', she begs Jack to help her. But what starts as a pretend fling soon becomes real. When hands touch, eyes meet, and hearts melt, anything can happen... even making fantasy a reality...
Secrets will be bared and hearts will be broken, but can a new love overcome it all?
*COMING SEPTEMBER 2013!*
Visit Ana on her site at AnaFawkes.com
Email Ana at AnaFawkes@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter @AnaFawkes
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sounds intriguing
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