Love the One You’re With
Sex Love & Stiletto Series
By Lauren Layne
Published by Loveswept
On Sale December 9, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-345-54726-2
Lauren Layne’s Sex, Love &
Stiletto series simmers to a boil as two high-powered magazine
writers find love amid a war of words.
As a leading columnist for Stiletto,
Grace Brighton has built a career warning women about rotten,
cheating liars. She just never suspected her fiancé would be one of
them. After Grace takes a heart-mending hiatus, her first assignment
is to go on a couple of dates with a counterpart from the men’s
magazine Oxford and report her impressions. Grace 1.0 may have been
instantly smitten with the gorgeous correspondent, but Grace 2.0 has
sworn off relationships for six months, and she’s not falling for
his outstanding bod and trophy-winning kisses . . . or is she?
Jake Malone wants to get back to the
fly-by-night, who-knows-what’s-next guy he used to be, and he knows
exactly how to do it. Oxford is adding a travel section, and
Jake—with no wife and no kids and a willingness to live anywhere,
eat anything, do everything—is perfect for the job . . . except
that his playboy reputation makes his new editor nervous. To get the
gig, he must agree to a fluffy joint article with Stiletto. But after
just one date with snooty, sumptuous, sensational Grace Brighton,
Jake starts taking this assignment a whole lot more seriously.
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About Lauren Layne:
Lauren Layne graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in political science that she has yet to put to good use. After dabbling in an e-commerce career, she decided to quit talking about writing and actually do it. A Seattle native, Lauren’s also tried on the Bay Area, Orange County, and most recently Manhattan. She’s currently back in the Pacific Northwest, missing the big-city life but also enjoying the cheap price of wine in the burbs. She lives with her husband and badly behaved Pomeranian.
Lauren Layne graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in political science that she has yet to put to good use. After dabbling in an e-commerce career, she decided to quit talking about writing and actually do it. A Seattle native, Lauren’s also tried on the Bay Area, Orange County, and most recently Manhattan. She’s currently back in the Pacific Northwest, missing the big-city life but also enjoying the cheap price of wine in the burbs. She lives with her husband and badly behaved Pomeranian.
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LOVE THE ONE YOU’RE WITH –
EXCERPT
In hindsight, she should have taken the subway.
In hindsight, she should have taken the subway.
But
today was the launch of the new and improved Grace. Or Grace 2.0, as
she’d begun thinking of her improved self. And Grace 2.0’s shoe
choice really wasn’t suited for
the New York subway system. Between the grates and the stairs and the
roaches, Grace Brighton’s four-inch Jimmy Choos would be lucky to
even make it to the office. And
that whole wear-comfy-shoes-now-and-change-later
just wasn’t Grace 1.0 or
2.0’s MO.
Then
of course, there was the hassle of rush hour to contend with, not to
mention . . .
Oh,
who was she kidding?
The
Brightons of Scarsdale, New York, didn’t do
subways.
In
fact, Grace’s mother would probably faint if she knew her only
daughter was about to slide her pencil-skirted butt into a cab
instead of a sleek black town car.
But
her mother wasn’t here.
And
neither was her mother’s personal driver.
So.
A cab it would be.
As
Grace exited the elevator in the high-rise apartment building she’d
moved into just a month before, she wondered if she looked
different now that 2.0 was all riding her ass with the rah-rah
girl-power routine.
For
example, anyone might notice that her hair, which once had fallen to
the middle of her back, now brushed just below her shoulders in new,
swishy layers.
But
could those same people tell that the hair appointment hadn’t been
about cutting off six inches of hair so much as a futile attempt to
cut out the crippling sense of inadequacy that had settled around her
like one of those ugly transparent raincoats?
And
maybe some fashion-forward soul might note that her skirt was from
the just-released Tory Burch line, but did they know that she’d
bought it because of the fun, checkered pattern? And did they know
she’d picked the checkered pattern because she’d spent the past
four years wearing solid colors because Greg told her they were more
slimming?
Would
anyone notice that her lipstick was a little brighter, her heels a
bit higher, and her smile a little wider? All to disguise the fact
she felt anything but bright, anything but high, her smile anything
but genuine . . .
Grace
2.0 cleared her throat loudly. Right. Moping was sooo
1.0.
The
new Grace was all kick-ass confidence.
Or
something. Okay fine, so maybe she was still working on the kick-ass
part.
Grace
refused to let her smile slip when she saw the long line of people
waiting for a cab out in front of her building. Grace 1.0 was
taunting here with memories about a former life, in which the doorman
would have already had a taxi waiting for her and Greg to share.
Grace
2.0 was reminding 1.0 that that
routine had been before her tidy life had gone to hell.
Back
in those days, Grace would have
made it through the morning without crying or doodling I
hate men in the margins of the New
York Times. She’d already be well on her way to work,
hip to hip with her boyfriend of nine years in the back of a taxi,
maybe flipping through emails on her phone as the cab headed to
Greg’s office on Wall Street before taking Grace uptown to her
office.
More
often than not, there’d even have been a text from Greg as she
settled in for the day. I miss you. I love
you.
If
only all of Greg’s “love” had been reason enough for him to
keep his dick in his pants.
Grace
inhaled deeply through her nose and pushed the thought out of her
mind. Do not go there. You’ve moved on,
remember?
And
she didn’t have time to reminisce about Greg and his wandering
prick, because on this particular Monday morning there was no waiting
cab, no homemade latte, no lovey-dovey text messages. There weren’t
even any of the dozens of familiar tiny dogs that she used to know by
name out for their morning constitutional. Instead there were
different dogs whose names she
didn’t know and whose owners she didn’t recognize, and one of
them was doing his business in the middle of the sidewalk. The only
thing her Jimmy Choo stilettos liked less than sidewalk grates was
dog poo.
If
she waited in the cab line, she’d never make it to the weekly staff
meeting on time.
But
like any good New Yorker, Grace knew when to get crafty.
Grace
weaved her way around the tight-butt, yoga-pants-wearing,
stroller-pushing moms until she turned up one of the quiet side
streets that would have less cab competition.
Sure
enough, a taxi rounded the corner onto the street and was making its
way toward her.
Finally.
A little luck.
Grace
raised a hand to hail it, only to watch in dismay as an arm in front
of her moved in the exact same gesture at the exact same time. She
hissed in annoyance, even though the man had obviously been there
first and the cab was rightfully his.
She
swore under her breath anyway. This was not
the way she’d envisioned Grace 2.0 starting out. She was supposed
to have gotten up early and done a little yoga, followed by a
leisurely, healthy smoothie breakfast. Then she’d have a long
shower followed by a perfect hair day, and would be in a cab and
heading into the office all before the start of rush hour.
Instead,
Grace had woken up an hour late to a malfunctioning coffeepot,
absolutely no time for yoga, and so
not a good-hair day.
Now
some too-tall, perfect-haired stranger was about to take her cab.
As
though he could feel her death glare on the back of his head, the man
turned his face toward her just as the cab slowed to a stop in front
of him.
Grace
froze. He might be a cab stealer, but as far as thieves went, he was
gorgeous. His black hair was just long enough to be interesting
without being sloppy. He was tall—an inch or two over six feet, for
sure—and he wore his height well, all broad shoulders and trim
waist. Just the tiniest bit of
stubble on the chin—more than a five o’clock shadow, less than
scruff.
Yummy.
She
would have been embarrassed by her gaping if he hadn’t been doing
some looking of his own. His brown eyes skimmed over her, briefly
enough to not be lecherous, but appreciatively enough to make her
tingle.
When
their eyes met, he grinned, his teeth perfectly white and perfectly
even. This man knew what he had going on and was well accustomed to
peddling his wares.
Watch
out for that one, Grace 2.0 whispered. That
smile will have you tucking your heart into your panties and handing
the whole shebang over before he even buys you a drink.
Her
attraction turned instantly to wariness. Okay,
then. That was quite enough ogling.
Grace
1.0 was wailing that he could be a perfectly nice man that deserved a
chance.
Well,
Grace 1.0 could shove it. Grace 1.0 and her dreamy,
happy-endings-really-do-happen dogma was the reason Grace was
twenty-nine and unexpectedly single instead of wedding-dress
shopping.
Grace
1.0 was the reason that she actually missed
Greg instead of consigning his memory to her mental compost pile.
Thinking
about her wretched ex reminded Grace just how anti-man she was
feeling these days, so instead of returning the stranger’s
welcoming smile, Grace purposely moved her eyes beyond him to look
for another cab.
“You
want this one?” he called.
That
got her attention. “What?”
Mr.
Too-Good-Looking gestured toward the open cab door. “The cab. You
want it?”
She
narrowed her eyes as though to ask, What’s
the catch?
His
grin never faded as he nodded toward the cab. “Come on now. You
have I’m-in-a-hurry written all
over you.”
She
did?
Of
course she did.
She
was in a hurry. Normally, being a
little late to a Monday staff meeting wasn’t a big deal. As long as
it didn’t happen regularly, her boss was pretty chill about such
things. And Grace in particular was likely to get a free pass—she’d
been out of the office for a month, and everyone would figure she was
struggling to get back into the swing of things.
Everyone
would be understanding. Oh, poor Grace, give
her a break. She’s been through a lot.
Her
stomach twisted at the thought. Hell,
no.
A
quick scan showed her that another cab had turned onto the street but
had already been flagged by someone upstream. Crap.
“You’re
sure you don’t mind?” she asked, not making eye contact with the
stranger.
In
response, he stepped aside and gallantly swept his arm toward the
open door. All yours.
Apparently
chivalry wasn’t entirely dead after all, and for that,
Mr. Charming got a smile. A small one.
“Thank
you,” she murmured as she hurried to the waiting cab. “I really
appreciate it.”
“Consider
it a thank-you,” he said in a low voice when they were
face-to-face.
“A
thank-you for what?” Damn it. She
hadn’t meant that to come out all low and flirty.
“For
looking the way you do.”
Grace
blinked in surprise, torn between flattery and disgust. “Wow. Wow.
That is some line.”
He
grinned, and suddenly the perfect white teeth looked a little . . .
predatory.
“Too
much?” he asked, looking slightly sheepish.
Grace
lifted a shoulder as she lowered herself into the cab. “A little
obvious. Maybe go back to the drawing board on that one.”
She
tilted her head up to give the guy one last thank-you only to realize
that he was no longer standing beside the cab. He was getting into
the cab.
“What
are you—what the—hey!” she
said as he gently tapped the backs of his fingers against her hip in
a universal move-over gesture,
before crowding her to the other side of the taxi.
LOVE THE ONE YOU'RE WITH
Giveaway
Lauren Layne's LOVE THE ONE YOUR WITH tour
12/02- Miscellaneous Thoughts of a Bookaholic (Spotlight/Excerpt)
12/02- Books Books and More Books (spotlight/excerpt)
12/02- Mamas Reading Break (spotlight/excerpt)
12/03- Elle James Blog (spotlight/excerpt)
12/04- Myla Jackson Blog (spotlight/excerpt)
12/06- My Daily Romance (spotlight/excerpt)
12/07- Talk Supe (Guest Post & Spotlight)
12/07- Inner Goddess (Guest Post)
12/08- Tome Tender (Guest Post)
12/09- Josie Cara Blog
12/10- Charlene Blogs
12/12- 2 Bookaholics (Guest Post)
12/12- Book Lovin' Mamas (Guest Post)
12/14- Mythical Books (spotlight/excerpt)
12/14- Manga Maniac Café (spotlight/excerpt)
12/15- Vampires, Werewolves, & Fairies, Oh My (guest post)
12/15- KT Book Reviews (spotlight/excerpt)
12/17- Scorching Book Reviews (spotlight/excerpt)
12/17- Bookin' It Reviews (spotlight/excerpt)
12/18- Monlatable Book Reviews (spotlight/excerpt)
12/19- Romance Junkies (guest post)
12/20- Why I Can't Stop Reading (Guest Post)
12/20- Babbling About Books and More (spotlight/excerpt)
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