EASTON’S
EVERYTHING
by Amy Gregory
In this addition to Amy Gregory's FINDING PERFECT
series, Easton Montgomery meets his match in Jessica Pierce. Fans of Fix You by Mari Carr and Carly Phillip’s Karma, will love
this funny and romantic addition to the Finding Perfect series.
Easton Montgomery demands
control and order. He’s purposely kept to himself, no strings and no nonsense.
Preferring to be in charge of his destiny, keeping his life neat and tidy, all
wrapped up. Life is perfect, until the bow comes undone and his world
completely unravels.
Jessica Pierce left Denver
years ago with nothing more than her clothes and a need for a brand new
beginning. After planting roots where her car broke down, life was good for a
while. Then the ranch owner who helped her rebuild her life threw her a curve
ball. Now she’s the new girl in Renlend, Kansas on the Montgomery’s ranch, and
their son Easton is a constant source of frustration and distraction. Getting
her hands around the veterinarian’s neck and squeezing, looks better by the
day.
After a week of stepping
around each other, dodging barbed comments, and Jessica’s smart mouth, Easton
realizes she’s got more fire than any other woman he’s met. Suddenly Easton
wonders if this curvy, blonde spitfire might just be the challenge he’s been
waiting for.
Rafflecopter: <a
class="rcptr"
href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29153/"
rel="nofollow" data-raflid="b050ef29153"
data-theme="classic" data-template=""
id="rcwidget_dfdw2qri">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script
src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
Direct link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29153/?
Amy Gregory leads an incredibly active lifestyle in Kansas
City with her husband and their three fantastic kids who keep them running in
three very different directions. When she's not rushing her oldest daughter to
tumbling, her youngest daughter to music lessons, or sitting track-side
watching her son practice motocross, she's taking the few minutes in between to
scribble the next pages in her Racing to Love series.
When asked, "When do you have time to write?" Amy Gregory giggles.
"In bits and pieces," she says.
Amy is known for her snarky, off the cuff sense of humor, which you'll find
shining through in the characters she's created.
Excerpts:
Easton’s Everything – excerpt # 1
Easton closed in on her, effectively trapping her between
the truck and the open door. He’d meant to intimidate her into speaking,
instead he was encircled by the scents of her shampoo and soap, both floral and
light. Very feminine, despite the hard work of being a farm hand. Her eyes
dilated rapidly before she glanced toward the dessert and away from him.
“Can you please back the hell up?”
“I want to know what you’re not telling me.”
“If you’re so damned concerned, why don’t you ask your
father? Better yet, go ask your mother. It’s not my place to say a fucking
word, Easton Montgomery. Now stop putting me in the middle, get the hell out of
my personal space and quit acting like some macho tough ass who thinks I’m some
little lady he can boss around. Never gonna happen.”
“What’s never gonna happen?” He tipped his head. She sucked
in a quick rush of air, loud enough for him to read her mind. English was his
first language obviously. Sign language, though he was learning, he was far
from fluent. But body language—he was a self-professed expert. She hadn’t meant
for the last three words to slip from her mouth.
Easton leaned in, “For the record, you’re as gorgeous as you
think you are.” She attempted to spin away, but the confined space kept her
facing him.
“Unlike you…I don’t think I’m gorgeous, Mr. God’s Gift to
Women.”
“Are you saying, you think I’m an egotistical, arrogant ass
with a black book for late night booty calls?”
Jessica grinned, her mouth tipped up in a pursed, cute
little bow, her hands went to her shapely hips. “I didn’t say it. You did.”
“What are you, ten?”
“I thought I’d better dumb down my vocabulary and sentiments
for you to comprehend.”
Easton folded his arms across his chest before he laid them
on her. For the first time he found himself surrounded by people and not caring
he had an audience. He wanted nothing more than to shut her contrite pink lips
up by hauling her up against him and taking control of the situation before she
got too out of hand.
“What’s Mom doing?” He tried to pull his thoughts away from
the erotic pictures building in his head.
“She’s sitting at the kitchen table writing recipes down for
me. Ones she says are in her head. There, are you satisfied, yet?”
The little head jerk she gave to accentuate her point nearly
did him in. Easton smirked, holding onto every fiber of not only his temper,
but his desire. “Not nearly, darling.”
“I’m not your darling.
I’m not your honey, sweetheart, doll face—your nothing. Not now, not ever. I’m
here for your mom, your dad and more importantly, Roscoe. If it wasn’t for the
fact that in a very short time, I’ve grown to really like your parents and I
need a place for my horse—you’d be eating gravel about now.”
Her skin was tinged with the most beautiful shade of pink.
Her blue eyes had darkened and her pulse had spiked. Easton knew she was
bluffing with every bold-faced lie she spoke. He lifted his chin, daring her to
continue. She opened her mouth, he lifted his brow…waiting. She narrowed her
eyes at him and clamped her mouth shut.
EXCERPT # 2
She was fuming and stopped talking. She wanted to smack the
hell out of him, instead she started pacing. Her second pass away toward the
fire place was stopped. One strong palm around her upper arm pulled and she
not-so-gracefully twirled back into his space, up against his chest with a hard
thud.
His green eyes were darker than normal, his breathing was labored
and Easton held her captive not only by his hands her arms, but by his gaze.
“You drive me crazy, Jessie. You think you know everything.”
She rolled her eyes. “I do. So stop questioning everything
damn thing I do. I’m done with it.” Even in her own ears the comeback sounded
pathetic.
“I hate it when you sass me and do that eye roll thing.
You’re not a teenager.”
His voice was a low rumble. If her insides weren’t suddenly
turned to goo by the deep threat lurking in his emerald green eyes she’d push
away and show him some real sass—upside the head.
“That’s what I thought.” he answered.
“What? I didn’t say anything.” she whispered.
“Exactly. And you didn’t roll your eyes again. You followed
directions. My directions.”
“You didn’t give me any directions, and you sure as hell
didn’t tell me not to do something.”
“It. Was. Implied.” he said slow and deliberately.
Jessica swallowed hard, practically choking with the sudden
dry mouth she’d developed. “You don’t tell me what to do.”
His brow rose and her knees went weak. Easton held her
upright. “Your body says otherwise.”
“You.” She licked her lips. “You need to go back to your
apartment, your town, your job, away from here. And you can’t just look at me
like…like—like that, and forget what you did in there.” She waved a hand at the
kitchen. “Go home.”
“Not happening.”
“You can’t commute an hour each way every morning and night.
Your dad needs help, stuff I could do that Neil can’t, or his lazy ass won’t,
but I’m not leaving this house. And—you can’t quit your…job.” Jessica’s head
was swimming. She was left void of all retorts and fire in his presence.
“The couple I worked for knows my family, they know where
I’m needed most now, that our plan for the future has changed. If I hadn’t have
told them I should be here from now on, they’d have fired me just to force my
hand. They’re good people. Didn’t you notice once we got Mom moved from the
hospital to the rehab wing at the nursing home I was only able to be there at
night? You never left her side, you didn’t notice when I’d come in? You didn’t
notice in the last week since she’s been home, I haven’t left at all? So in
three weeks’ time you’re telling me you didn’t pay any attention as to who was
around Mom?”
She gritted her teeth. She’d noticed every freaking second
he was around and it was exhausting her. She could stay up for days on end if
she needed to for Erica’s sake, but Easton was wearing Jessica thin. He was too
close all the time. His cologne smelled of the woods mixed with a hint of
danger.
He was danger all right. She couldn’t think straight when he
was around. He jumbled her nerves up and she was the one not speaking clearly.
His mother’s speech on the other hand was definitely more understandable. Now
he wasn’t ever going to leave? She needed to take her savings and get an
apartment. But how? She needed to be with Erica twenty-four-seven. Jessica
rolled her eyes feeling stuck between heaven and hell—it was the man who was
both.
“Don’t do that, I already told you.” He pinned her with his
laser sharp focus.
Those were the looks he scorched her with, though the war
inside her was raging, and part of her wanted to take a swing at him and knock
his block off, the other part was held captive by his command.
“I just worry about her.” he softly admitted.
“Me too. But you fight me twenty-four-seven, Easton. I’m
drained. I would never ask her to do something not on the list of activities
and exercises the OT gave me. I know how far and how long, I know when to make
her rest. I’m not—”
“Don’t finish that statement.”
“Quit bossing me, damn it. I’ll say it anyway, I’m not
stup—”
Before she could finish her sentence hot lips were on hers,
tasting, touching, taking what he wanted from her. Every nerve ending in her
body ignited in sheer fire. She needed to push back, walk away but his arms
wrapped around her, hauling her closer to him and holding on tight to her. Her
senses melded together and she was left with no ability to think, only feel.
The last two months of fighting the attraction to the one man in Kansas who had
the ability to hurt her worse than the one in Colorado ever could, had left her
weak. She was unable to resist Easton any longer.
“You are the smartest woman I’ve ever met.” He said between
kisses. “Don’t ever discount yourself or think that I don’t know what you’ve
done for our family.”
His tongue touched her lips and Jessica parted, hearing his
words but felt suspended in the place where reality and want mingled. Her
dreams at night had been very close to what was happening. Every kiss she’d
imagined came from a place of hot anger and heat. She should have known this
was inevitably going to happen and just as she’d pictured. The man was raw, was
dominating, and in charge.
“You’ve allowed Dad and I to keep the farm running as it
should…because we can count on you to not leave Mom’s side. We’re grateful, we
really are. It just hurts so much to see her struggle, Jessie. It’s killing
me.”
He punished her with his lips, his tongue and his hands
roamed up and down her back, pressing her into him so tightly she depended on
him for air. Jessica moved her face to the side seeking space.
“Easton.” she panted.
His hand moved her chin back in line with his and once again
he dove in taking, but also giving her every desire she’d longed for.
“No. Listen, please.” Jessica leaned her head backward.
“Easton, are you doing this because you are angry, you need some sort of
release? Because…”
Hot tears welled in her eyes at the thought.
“God no, Jessie.” He grasped both her cheeks between his
palms. “No. I have been trying everything I can to keep you in this place,
somewhere you can’t touch me, can’t reach me. Everything that has happened,
nothing makes sense right now. I’m tired, you’re exhausted, but no, I just
can’t fight this”—he kissed her forehead then laid his against hers—“between
you and me anymore. I knew the night we met you were different. I knew you were
special. I knew when I saw you care for a horse you didn’t know, despite what
risks it could have meant to your employment. I knew when you were trying to go
the extra mile for Mom before any of us knew what was wrong. Jessie, you’re
special. I…I have always been jealous and longed to find what my parents have.
I didn’t know how hard that was to find.” He paused, dipping to kiss her again,
more softly this time.
“You’ve been in my space, my head, my home and I can’t hide from
you anymore. I can’t hide from us anymore. And don’t even try and tell me you
don’t feel the same way. I have watched your body react to me several dozen
times. You don’t like to be controlled, but I see it in your blue eyes. You
need rest, you need someone to take over and let you breathe without worry.”
The tears she’d felt before spilled over. “Oh my God, how
could you ever know…that?” she whispered.
“I have studied you, watched your face when we speak, I know
how you carry yourself, how the weight of the world is on your shoulders, or
you think it is. But it’s not, it doesn’t have to be. I am not the easiest
person to be around. And I’m entering territory I’ve never maneuvered before.”
She coughed, covering up a nervous chuckle.
“You’re cute. Yes, I can admit I’m not easy to like or...
and well, I know I’ve been especially hard on you. But, I was trying to avoid
this, to avoid you. But damn it, you make it impossible.”
“Avoid me?” she asked, her feelings raw and stepped on.
“You’re the kind of woman a man falls in love with Jessica.
Not a fling, not a one night thing, you’re the type who scares men like me.
I’ve wanted what my parents have, but it scares the hell out of me. I’ve never
done the love thing. I’ve never even gotten close.”
Jessica blinked. “God I’m so confused. You’ve got me
thinking in circles and I don’t even know what you’re saying now.”
“I’m saying, I can’t fight what we have between us anymore.
We both know the chemistry is off the charts, we both know we have sparked
something in the other, which we both come at it with anger and fight to avoid.
I boss you, you roll your eyes. We’ve danced around it for weeks now. I’m
putting a stop to it and calling uncle.”
“You admit defeat?”
He tipped his chin at her timid joke. His green eyes were
nearly black. “Never. So learn that now. I always have the upper hand.” She
started to say something, but he covered her lips with his fingertips. “Don’t
even try to argue, get those thoughts out of your head. I know what you
need—you’re what I need. It’s time.”
Easton bent and kissed her again, soft at first, then more
heated. Not the same angry need as before, but he was leading the way. All she
had to do was follow. Could she though? Easton did things to her, knew things
about her she hadn’t let herself even discover. He’d put pieces of the puzzle
together about her grandfather she’d never told anyone. Yet, her heart, part of
it was left in Colorado in a cold cemetery with her grandparents. A huge chunk
was torn to smithereens by a prick who’d shattered her confidence, the same one
her grandfather had told her was a worthless ass.
ALPHA BOOK CLUB REVIEW
ALPHA BOOK CLUB REVIEW
Easton’s Everything
(Book 6 in the Finding Perfect series)
Amy Gregory
Contemporary Romance
5 Stars
A great book about finding love and the true meaning of family.
Easton Montgomery, a veterinarian, an only child. Grew up on the family ranch.
Jessica Pierce, only child, left home and lived with her grandparents when she was 18. Until they passed away. Ended up working for the Turners and consequently for the Montgomery’s
It’s a fast paced quick read. I hope there is another book. I’m not quite sure that Jessica and Easton’s story is finished yet…
***** Received this ARC from Barclay Publicity for my honest review. Reviewed by Lisa for Alpha Book Club, without influence from publisher or author.******
No comments:
Post a Comment