The Man You Need (Love on Tour #4) (20 page)

Other Titles by Kay Harris:

Love on the Rocks (Book 1 of the Love on Tour series)
Excerpt from Love on the Rocks:

I knew who they were the moment they walked in. It was three in the morning in a town the size of a football field, so they felt no need to wear sunglasses or baseball hats. They were both in t-shirts and jeans, with scrubby black boots. I watched as the two men strolled casually through the quiet diner and took the table right beside me. I returned my gaze to my omelet.

I listened hard as chairs scuffed the linoleum floor and the table was shifted to accommodate their heights. Without looking, I could tell that they’d settled into opposite sides of the table. I could hear the flip, flip, as they paged through the laminated menus.

The minutes seemed to drag by as I resisted the urge to look up at them, my gaze concentrated on the yellow glob of egg and cheese on my plate.

“Hi there.”

My head snapped up in surprise.

Hank Tolk was tall, lean, and muscular. He wore his hair short and cropped close to his head. He had a handful of tattoos on his upper arms. He was known for his severe sobriety, at least for the last ten years or so.

He was definitely looking at me, right at me.

“Um, hi,” I mumbled.

Hank grinned a playboy grin. He was, objectively, a beautiful man.

“I’m Hank, and this is my buddy Sean,” he pointed his thumb at the man across from him.

Sean Rush was even more terrifying-looking in person than he was on the album covers. He was absolutely massive, standing 6’6, and covered head-to-toe in muscles, which were deeply tanned and sported a variety of tattoos that ran from his wrist to his shoulder on both arms, as well covering the backs of both calves. On that night, his long black hair was tied back in a ponytail, but in the music videos I’d seen of him it flew wild and hung below his shoulders.

“I’m Dani,” I managed to squeak out.

Play Me (Book 2 of the Love on Tour series)
Excerpt from Play Me:

“I don’t understand, Hank. How did this happen exactly?”

Really? She’s going to drill me about this now? I am sitting in an airport, barefoot, in terrible need of a shower, and I’ve just lost the best thing that ever happened to me.

“It’s a long story,” I grumble.

“Well, my flight landed early and my stupid brother isn’t here to pick me up yet. So you might as well tell me.”

I was just sitting here in the baggage claim when she showed up. I had completely forgotten that Stacey was flying in this morning for a week long visit with her brother and his wife.

I hadn’t come here looking for her. I’d come here on a doomed mission. Her finding me was just a huge coincidence. The fact that she’d somehow managed to spot me in the middle of LAX was something of a miracle. 

I was feeling very alone when I’d first sat down in this uncomfortable chair. But now Stacey is here. She’s practically family, so I take a little comfort in her presence. The truth is, I probably need a shoulder to lean on right now, whether I am willing to admit it or not.

“Why are you such a mess?” She looks me up and down, taking in my crazy mussed-up hair, sweaty t-shirt, and workout shorts.

I don’t answer her. I just hang my head in my hands. When she’d first sat down next to me I’d told to her that I’d run through the airport like a madman, but despite my efforts I’d missed the damn plane, and now I’m waiting for my ride.

But she wants to know how I’d gotten into this fucked up situation in the first place. Explaining it to her seems almost impossible. How can I put into words how badly I’d screwed up? How can I tell her all the stupid I things I’d done, things that had led to this very moment.

“Hank?”

I look at Stacey. She is a beautiful woman. At one time she’d tried to get me interested in her. And it would have worked, too, if she wasn’t my best friend’s little sister.

“Don’t worry about Sean coming to get you. We’ll take you to his place.”

“Okay.” She clicks away on her phone for a second. “I’m texting Sean.” When she’s done she slips the phone into her purse and looks up at me expectantly. “Done. We have plenty of time.”

She leans back in the plastic airport chair and folds her arms. It’s a move Sean pulls all the time. It usually works, too. When he stands like that, arms crossed over his chest, intimidating look on his face, people spill all their secrets.

I run my hand through my hair and sit back in my own chair. “I don’t know where to start.”

Stacey had been touring around the country with her play, so she’d missed everything that had happened over the last two months. Sean or his wife had probably told her a few things on the phone. But I was sure that she didn’t know the half of it.

“Well, while I’m dying to know where your shoes are,” she glances at my bare feet, “I suspect that part of the story comes near the end. So you might as well start at the beginning.”

“Fine. I’ll tell you the whole story,” I say. “It all started with your stupid brother…”

You got to Me (Book 3 of the
Love on Tour
series
)
Excerpt from You got to Me:

How the hell did I let myself get into this situation?

This was the question that kept running through my mind as I watched him sleep. He was curled up on the tiny bed, his legs tucked up to his chest, his arms tucked under his chin. He might look like an angelic little boy, if he weren’t a hot hunk of man.

My bladder reminded me of my original purpose for this little trip to the back of the bus. But I didn’t open the door to the bathroom. I kept staring at him. It was something I had to be careful about when he was awake. But right now, I could look my fill and no one would know.

Except me… Damn, I suck.

He moved, and I jumped, bolting into the bathroom and shutting the door behind me. I laid my head on the door and took a couple deep breaths.

I am an idiot. I should have just said no. But how could I? I had no excuse to give. I wasn’t going to teach a summer class just to get out of it. I have no freaking life. I couldn’t think of a single good reason not to come on this tour, except that I have a serious crush on my sister’s husband.

When I got of the bathroom, Sean was still asleep. But I resisted temptation, and instead of staring at him some more, I made my way back up to the front of the bus. Thirty-five days, I had thirty-five days of this hell.

I looked at Hank and Bell cuddled up on the couch, before plopping down in the booth across from Mike. These were my companions on this trip. Hank, who I was not so fond of, Bell, who I liked, but who was crazy insane for Hank, Mike, who I really enjoyed, and Sean, my sister’s insanely hot husband. There was also Tony the bus driver, but he was silent and slovenly.

And here I was, 34 and divorced, with a ticking biological clock. But my little sister, the very sister who begged to me come on this trip, is at home with her beautiful baby, who she got by sleeping with the most gorgeous, considerate, kind, and downright amazing man I have ever the pleasure to know. Fuck my life.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, I have to thank my beta readers. They helped me to shape this story into the novel it became. Their input was invaluable to me. So a huge thanks to: Sharla Boles, Coralee Corrigan, Belinda Fedele, Rhonna Gentile, Patricia Hadley, Carol Stalnaker, Carol VanDerWege and Suzy Vellnagel.

Once the story was shaped up, I gave it my adept editor, Swati Hedge. Swati makes the novel shine. Then, Marianne Nowicki, my amazing cover artist put the bow on the package with her incredible creation.

Finally, I have the greatest family in the world so I have to acknowledge them for all their love and support in everything I do. And, as always, to my big, quiet husband, Jim –  you are my Sean Rush and I love you!

And…YOU!

You are the reason I write. If you enjoyed the book, please take the time to review it on Amazon.