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The Hang Up
First Impressions #2
Tawna Fenske
Releasing June 13th, 2016
Entangled Publishing
PR specialist Miriam Ashley makes her living cleaning up bad boys. Mountain climber-turned-CEO Jason Sanders should be an easy fix. And with a nephew to care for, he’s motivated. The problem? Every time she tries to help Jason get his head in the boardroom, they end up in the bedroom.
What the hell is she thinking? He’s the definition of off-limits. Not just because he’s a client—he spends his free time risking his life mountain climbing. The same thing that got her father killed. She’s not going to open her heart to a guy who could disappear at the drop of a…well, she’d rather not finish that thought.
She needs to leave complicated alone, but every time she sees Jason, something tells her it’s her who might fall…
“Homeless?” He quirked an eyebrow at her, which made more
cracks in the mud on his face. “I’m not homeless. I just bought a place down
the street. Two blocks away—it’s the blue duplex with the white shutters.”
He pointed toward a shady, tree-lined section of the
neighborhood, and she recalled seeing the glossy “sold” sticker tacked up on
the real estate sign a few weeks ago.
She looked back at the man. Okay, upon closer inspection,
she could see he wore expensive running shoes and trendy, designer athletic
apparel, even if it was covered in mud. What the hell?
“I just did the Tough Mudder,” he said, answering her
unasked question. “You know, the big race with all the mud pits and obstacles?”
“Right,” Miriam said, and recognition dawned as the guy
turned around to show her the dirt-covered number pinned to his back. At least,
that’s what she assumed he was showing her, though her eyes strayed down to one
of the most impressive asses she’d ever seen.
Even if it was covered in mud.
The guy turned back around before she thought to avert her
gaze. The result was an awkward five-second pause where she found herself
staring at his crotch.
Also very impressive.
She gave herself a mental slap and met his eyes again. “So
what are you doing walking around looking like a giant malt ball? Don’t they
have showers or something at the finish line?”
He grinned, flashing a set of perfectly white teeth that
contrasted with the mud. “Just hoses. Hoses with really cold water. I figured
since I only lived a couple miles from the race course, I could just run there
as my warm-up and run home as my cooldown, and then I could grab a warm shower
at home.”
“Right,” Miriam said, trying to wrap her brain around the
idea of willingly running four miles on top of whatever the hell they ran in
the actual race. People really did this on purpose?
“The thing is,” the guy continued, “I lost my key
somewhere in the racecourse, and now I can’t get back in my house to shower off
in time to make it to a doctor’s appointment.”
Sympathy fluttered through her belly, or maybe that was
anxiety. Probably
anxiety. The
mention of doctors and hospitals and anything medically related tended to send
her spiraling down a path of panicked memories and despondent terror, and she
found herself gripping her keys a little tighter. “You have to get to the
doctor?” she asked.
“The appointment’s at two. Please, I just need to borrow
your phone to call a locksmith. Then I’ll be out of your hair, I swear.”
She glanced at him, then back at her house. Her phone was
back on the entry table, but right beside that was her guest bathroom with a
shower the guy could use without stepping more than five feet inside her place.
Ordinarily she’d think twice about inviting a strange man into her home, but there
was something about this man that made her consider it. She
could always stand there with a butcher
knife, ready to stick it in him if he tried anything
funny. She hesitated, then looked back at the guy.
“I’m Jason, by the way,” he said, smiling wider. “Jason
Sanders. I’d shake your hand, but I don’t want to get mud on you.”
“Miriam.” She added polite and considerate
to
his list of attributes. His eyes were kind, and he seemed sweet and
well-spoken.
That’s probably what every serial killer’s victim thinks
just before he strangles her with her own panty hose.
But she wasn’t wearing panty hose, and she did have a soft
spot for friendly, burly, blue-eyed, stubble-jawed guys in need.
“Come on,” she said and turned toward her walkway.
“Follow me.”
“Follow you where?”
“My house. You can’t stand out here being dirty.”
He quirked one eyebrow, which caused the mud to crack on
his forehead. “You’d rather I be dirty in your house?”
I've never read a Tawna Fenske book before, but I had heard that they were funny, and I was definitely not disappointed. I was smiling or laughing practically from beginning to end! There are so many "dirty words" used that I have no idea how she came up with so many ideas. Jason and Miriam are complete opposites on paper, but they are actually a perfect fit. I recommend it if you're looking for a funny and sexy read.
I received an ARC via NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.
Tawna lives in Bend, Oregon with her husband, step-kids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year.
To learn more about all of Tawna’s books, visit www.tawnafenske.com
Thank you for sharing your review!!
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