The Boyfriend Bylaws (12 page)
Read The Boyfriend Bylaws Online
Authors: Susan Hatler
“Rach, it’s me.”
I didn’t recognize the raspy male with the world’s worst timing. “Me who?”
“It’s me.” Short pause and then, “Jeremy.”
“Jeremy?” No. No way. I glanced at Noah, who seemed to be taking unprecedented interest in the candle arrangement on my coffee table. “Why in the world are you calling me?”
He sniffed. “Debbie broke up with me this morning. Says I’m not over you and she’s right.”
I shuddered. “Did you overdose on heart candy or something?”
“You sound upset.”
“Uh, yeah, I am.” I glanced at Noah who was now studying me. He smiled. I scooted toward him. He moved closer. I—
“—I need you to give me a second chance,” Jeremy pleaded.
I gripped the phone I’d forgotten I was holding. “Nope. Not going to happen.”
“It’s Valentine’s Day, Rach. Can I at least come over so we can talk?”
After our break-up, there was a brief time when I’d hoped Jeremy would come to his senses, beg my forgiveness, and want me back. Scary to think I might’ve settled for someone I didn’t even trust. “I’m sorry you got dumped, Jeremy. But I have to go. Good luck, okay?”
He whimpered. “Does this mean you don’t forgive me?”
“Forgive you?” This time I burst out laughing. “Jeremy, you did me a favor. Bye!”
I threw the phone to the far side of the sofa.
Noah lifted a hand to touch my chin. “Wrong number?”
“Wrong, whacky, disturbing number.”
“I hate it when that happens.” To my disappointment, he removed his hand and picked up the remote control. “You watched the highlights for me so, if you want, I’ll watch
Sex and the City
for you.”
“Really? You don’t have to.” Sweet, but he truly didn’t have to. I couldn’t care less about Sarah Jessica Parker right now.
“I want to earn as many brownie points as possible.” He slipped his arm around me and snuggled close. “Besides, I plan to distract you from the TV. A lot.”
I moistened my lips. “Do we have to wait until it starts?”
He bent toward me, then brushed his nose against mine. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Rachel.”
His breath felt warm against my cheek.
Oh yum. Double yum. “Next year I expect flowers,” I whispered.
His lips brushed my jawbone. “Anything you say.”
Unable to wait any longer, I cupped his face in my hands, and pressed my mouth to his. Soft, warm, amazing. Our kiss deepened, sending shivers through me. Our mouths melted together and my off-kilter world clicked into place.
You know all those previous heartaches? How I’d wanted to give up? How hard it had been for me to take a risk?
It was all worth it. I’d suffer through much worse to end up in this exact moment. Here with Noah. My last blind date.
THE END
SUSAN HATLER writes humorous and emotional contemporary romance and young adult novels. A natural optimist, she believes life is amazing, people are fascinating, and imagination is endless. She loves spending time with her characters and hopes you do, too. You can visit her website at
www.susanhatler.com
Shaken
- available now
High school junior, Kylie Bates, can suddenly read minds. When she touches people’s hands, she’s able to see their deepest thoughts. As if that’s not freaky enough, her dad sends her to help hottie detective, Sam Williams, track down a missing girl. Way too much pressure, especially for a girl who can’t watch
Scream
without getting nightmares.
Then, finding the missing girl leads to much more than Kylie’s prepared for. Like discovering that her dad has been lying to her. That she has a family she never knew about. That the girls have powers similar to hers. Oh yeah, and that someone is out to get her.
When the detective’s teenage wanna-be-cop cousin, Trip Williams, approaches Kylie at school insisting she help him solve the case, she discovers Trip might be the only one she can trust, and the only one to help her unravel the secrets behind her mysterious gift.
See Me
– coming soon
Amy Love, a high school junior, plays a Ouija board with friends one night and unintentionally connects with someone whose, well, not visible to the naked eye. When her body’s taken over and her soul is stuck watching helplessly—she’s terrified. When the zombie guzzles bologna that
she
will have to work off at the gym—she’s angry. And, when her zombied bod pulls up a news article on her laptop about a boy named JJ Miller who was recently in a car crash—she’s . . .
intrigued
.
When the zombie chooses another host, Amy learns that the zombie is actually teen JJ Miller, the famous son of
Maisy Meow
comic creator Jonathan Jacob Miller Sr. JJ tells Amy he doesn’t know whether he’s dead or alive, only that when he’s not in a body, she is the only one who seems to know he exists.
Amy decides to help JJ discover what happened to him and, when they can’t find his body, they try to find a substitute—preferably one that isn’t occupied. On the journey, JJ leads Amy into all kinds of danger. To her surprise, he also leads her heart to somewhere unexpected. She’s always heard of love at first sight, not love at first fright, but how can Amy be falling for a boy she’s never even seen?
If you enjoy Susan Hatler’s books, you’ll also love Veronica Blade:
Blind Date, Checkmate
by Veronica Blade
Should a woman who’s unable to forget her first love give “happily ever after” one more try?
Shelby Winters’ one great love went sour. If she can’t feel that way again, why bother?
When her best friend sets Shelby up on a blind date with Logan, the one who broke her heart, he pursues her relentlessly, forcing her to make a choice: give her heart what it’s always desired and risk total devastation or shut Logan out and lose her only shot at happiness.
To Shelby, it’s a lose-lose situation. Or is it?
If you’re looking for a sexy romance, you’ll love Virna DePaul:
Wild For Him
by Virna DePaul
Can an uptight prosecutor and a laid-back defense attorney find love despite their opposing agendas?
Bryn Donovon became a prosecutor for a reason and defense attorney Daniel Mays seems to take his job about as seriously as he does his love life. While straight-laced Bryn can’t deny she’s attracted to the southern charmer, she’s determined to keep her distance. Instead, she ends up finding something she’d lost long ago—a willingness to risk all for love.
