Feeling THIRSTY? Visit the
Eastside Brewery…
A gangster hiding from his
past. A single mom fighting for her future. Can she show this bad boy the man’s
he’s meant to be? Mia Hopkins is back with the first in an all-new contemporary
series, THIRSTY (Eastside Brewery #1)!
My name is Salvador Rosas. Back in the barrio, my past is written on the walls: ESHB. Short for East Side Hollenbeck, my father’s gang—my gang.
Hell, it’s a family tradition, one that sent both my brothers away. They used
to call me “Ghost” because I haunted people’s dreams. Now I’ve got nothing
going for me except a hipster gringo mentoring me in a new career. An ex-con
making craft beer? No mames.
Still, people in this neighborhood look out for one another. That’s how I
became Vanessa Velasco’s unwelcome tenant. Chiquita
pero picosa. She’s little, but with curves so sweet they’re dangerous. I
remember Vanessa from the old days, the straight-A student with big plans.
Plans that were derailed by another kid stupid enough to think he was
bulletproof. Now Vanessa knows better than to believe in empty promises.
There’s fire in her . . . and if I touch her, I might get burned.
I’m trying everything I can to go straight. But when East Side Hollenbeck comes
calling, I might have to risk it all to find out if there’s a future for
Vanessa and me. Because she’s the only one who can quench my thirst for
something real.
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The ride starts with a
burst of music like a jack-in-the-box. We glide backward and over a couple of
times. The Ferris wheel stops to let other passengers on. At the very top, our
carriage swings back and forth before it goes still.
Now I can see my
neighborhood from a different viewpoint, high above. The lights of the carnival
are bright and beautiful. The smells of tacos, hot dogs, and popcorn fill my
nose. People pack the church parking lot. Cars line the street, and in the
surrounding houses, lights in the windows show where families are talking or
watching TV or having dinner.
“How are you doing?” I
ask.
“I’m all right.”
She’s looking at the same
things I am. I wonder if she is seeing the same details. I stroke her hair and
take another risk. “So what do you think?”
“About what?”
“Starting something with
me?”
She takes a deep breath
but doesn’t say anything.
“What are your doubts?” I
say.
“Are you kidding?” She
snorts. “You’re seriously asking me that?”
I laugh a little. “Okay,
well. Besides the obvious.”
“You have your own life. I
have mine. You’re trying to rebuild from the ground up. I’m trying to secure my
daughter’s future. We’re heading in different directions.”
She isn’t wrong. Life has
disappointed her in such deep and cruel ways, I don’t blame her for protecting
herself. But even as she tells me this—the truth about how we’re not right for
each other—I feel how right it is to talk to her, to hold her hand, to show her
who I am. “I have an idea,” I say. “Probation.”
“What?”
“I’m only around for two
months, right?”
“Right.”
“Spend those two months
with me.” I look into her eyes. “I want to be with you, Vanessa.”
“Sal—”
“I’ll be gone before I have a chance to disappoint
you.” When the words leave my mouth, I try to ignore how pathetic they sound.
“We’re adults, not dumb kids. We won’t lose our heads.” I run my fingers
through her silky hair. “I swear to God, every time I look at you, I feel . .
.” I reach for the most honest word I can find. “Thirsty.”
Mia Hopkins
writes lush romances starring fun, sexy characters who love to get down and
dirty. She’s a sucker for working class heroes, brainy heroines and
wisecracking best friends. She lives in Los Angeles with her roguish husband
and waggish dog.
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