A KNIGHT IN SHINING LEATHER…
In Your Arms
For Your Love #2
Shannyn Schroeder
Releasing Dec 27th, 2016
Zebra Shout
Sean O'Malley has never tried to hide who he is. He shows it in the motorcycle thrumming between the legs of his tight jeans…the shaggy hair that falls in his gorgeous eyes…the wicked gleam in his smile when he asks Emma out for a drink. Sean is a rebel, a bad boy, and a ton of fun: exactly the kind of guy she's sworn off forever.
Emma isn't just the prim kindergarten teacher she appears to be. And somehow Sean can tell. As soon as he pulls up to her overheated car he knows that a fast bike and a cold beer will fix her rotten day better than compliments or a bubble bath. Her straitlaced exterior and her wild heart light him up. But Emma wants to escape her past and settle down—and if her desk jockey dates don't understand where she comes from, at least she doesn't worry about them bringing her back.
One weekend of intense connection can't change the paths Sean and Emma have chosen. But with a little space to be themselves together, maybe the rest of the world can wait...
Don't miss the other FOR YOUR LOVE titles!
A little more than ten minutes later, she was on
her way back. The sight of her knocked the wind from him. Snug jeans and fitted
tank top covered her, and she had a sweatshirt tied at her waist. She’d traded
the heels for a pair of sneakers. Her hair was now completely down and long
brown waves flew around in the breeze. For a moment, he considered that she’d
lied about it being her mom’s place because he didn’t know any moms who dressed
like that. But her bag was overstuffed, he assumed with her clothes.
He pushed off the bike. “That was fast.”
She offered a crooked smile. “I really need a
drink. The radiator hose was the last in a line of things ruining my day.”
“Hop on and you can tell me all about it over a
beer. Or wine. Or whatever.”
“Tonight’s a whiskey night.”
Sean liked the sound of that. They mounted the bike
and she put the helmet on. Before he started the engine, he asked, “Any place
in mind?”
“No. You pick.”
Since he normally didn’t drink in the area, he
drove closer to his neighborhood and parked beside his favorite dive bar. It
was dark and relatively quiet. They could shoot pool or play darts or just
listen to music. He helped Emma off the bike and locked his helmet down. Then
he led her into the bar and directly to a corner table.
“This okay?” he asked before sitting.
She glanced around. “Fine.”
She swung her bag over her head and plopped it on
the free chair between them.
A waitress came to the table. “Hey, Sean. Haven’t
seen you in a while. You could give a girl a complex.”
When he chose the bar, he hadn’t thought about
Amanda possibly working. “Hi, Amanda.”
He became acutely aware of Emma watching Amanda and
him. He prayed Amanda wouldn’t say anything else.
She smiled broadly and looked at Emma. “What can I
get for you?”
“A shot of Jack and light beer.”
“Miller,” Sean added.
“Bottle or tap?”
“Bottle,” both he and Emma said.
Amanda tucked a tray under her arm. “That question
was for the lady. I’m pretty sure I know how you like it.” Then she spun on her
heel and walked off.
Emma’s mouth eased into a small smile. He wanted to
believe she was just being friendly.
“So how long did you two go out?”
“Uh . . .”
Emma waved a hand. “Forget I asked. It was obvious
though. You might want to rethink bringing dates here if you’re going to run
into your ex.”
He searched for the words to let her know that
Amanda wasn’t exactly an ex when Amanda reappeared with their drinks. She set
them down quietly without comment, thank God.
Emma picked up her beer and took a swig. “Well, you
obviously didn’t screw her over too badly, or you’d probably be wearing your
beer.”
“It’s not like that. We had a good night together.
Maybe two. Doesn’t quite give her ex status.”
Sean pointed to the shot and asked, “So what makes
this a whiskey night, other than your brother screwing up your car?”
“Work stuff.”
“What do you do?”
Emma grabbed the shot and slammed it back. When she
set the glass back down, he noticed a butterfly tattoo peeking out from the
tank top on the back of her shoulder. She looked at him. “I’m a teacher.”
He froze. He hadn’t expected that. One look at the
suit she’d worn and he’d assumed some kind of office job, secretary or
something. She was a teacher. He laughed as she took a gulp of beer.
“What’s so funny?”
“I can’t imagine any teacher I ever had doing a
shot of Jack in a bar like this.”
A dark look passed over her face, but then she
covered it with a smile. “I guess we all have some surprises.”
He reached over and brushed her hair off her
shoulder. “I can guarantee I never had a teacher as hot as you. I never would’ve
gotten out of school otherwise.”
Emma snorted at him and then took another drink of
beer. “You already got me to the bar, buddy, no need for compliments.”
Sean’s hand slid away. He didn’t know how to read
that. Women usually liked some sweet talk. “Being honest. If you were my
teacher, I’d spend all my time imagining you naked.”
“Show me a good time and you might not have to
imagine it.” Her voice was low and a little husky.
“You mean rigging your car to get you to safety,
giving you a ride on my bike, and buying you a drink wasn’t enough?”
She laughed. That too was a low, sexy sound. “I
might be easy, but not that easy.”
For a few years now, I’ve
been developing my process for writing a book, especially since I’m not a
plotter. I can’t outline a book before I write. One of things I do that I find
really helps ground me in a book is having a playlist. I create the playlist
before I ever write a word. I choose songs based on what I know about the
characters and the arc of the story. Sometimes I choose songs that still fit by
the time the book is done, other times, not so much. Once the playlist is created,
I listen to it almost nonstop before writing (to the point of annoying my
children) and every time I sit down to write.
It’s been almost a year
and a half since I drafted In Your Arms
and I have to say this is one of the best playlists I’ve ever created. It still
holds up for the characters and the book. It’s also one of my favorite lists. It’s
mostly fun and upbeat, just like the book.
If I had to choose just
one song to represent the book as a whole, it would have to be Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon. It’s
all about being attracted and belonging together, but she holds back and he
knows it. Running a close second would be Bad
Enough for You by All Time Low because Sean knows that Emma loves his bad
boy side. It’s what she’s drawn to, and she doesn’t really want him to be nice
to her.
Shut Up and Dance – Walk the Moon
Bad Enough for You – All Time Low
All I Wanna Do Is You – Bon Jovi
Stay with Me – Sam Smith
We’ve Got Tonight – Bob Seeger
Lonely Tonight – Blake Shelton
I Need You – Saving Abel
Touch – Josh Abbott Band
Free Me – Joss Stone
Tell Me What We’re Gonna Do Now –
Joss Stone
Head Over Feet – Alanis Morissette<!--
Stand Here with Me –
Creed
Shannyn
Schroeder is the author of the O’Leary series, contemporary
romances centered around a large Irish-American family in Chicago and the Hot
& Nerdy series about 3 nerdy friends finding love. Her new series (For Your
Love) will release this summer with the first title Under Your Skin. When she’s
not wrangling her three kids or writing, she watches a ton of TV and loves to
bake cookies.
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