A GIRL LIKE YOU
Author: Samantha Chase
Series: Magnolia Sound #2
Release Date: June 11, 2019
About A GIRL LIKE YOU
Sam Westbrook has always been the family hell-raiser, but as an adult he's enjoyed not being under the constant watchful eye of his family. That was until his great-grandfather passed away. Forced to move to the small coastal town of Magnolia Sound, Sam can't escape the reputation that has followed him since his teenage years. But he'll have to do it to get his inheritance.
Shelby Abbott was always the good girl – it's what happens when you're the pastor's daughter in a small town. Now, she's ready to leave that image behind. For years she's heard about wild Sam Westbrook, but she never though she would be the one to catch his eye. And being the center of Sam's attention ins't something Shelby ever prepared for.
Sam's time in Magnolia Sound has an expiration date and Shelby's not sure she's the kind of girl who can be just another one of his flings. But Sam's ready to make some changes. And a girl like her is just who he needs.
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Read an excerpt from A GIRL LIKE YOU
She was so bad at figuring men out, she thought miserably.
“I want to say no, but…” She yawned
again. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, Shelby.” Standing up, Sam
reached down for her hand and gently pulled her to her feet. “Can I see you
tomorrow?”
Frowning, she looked up at him. “You
mean to hang out again?”
His dark eyes blinked at her several
times as if not understanding her question. “Um…I was hoping to take you out
properly – dinner and whatever else it is you might like to do. Other than
sailing, you never really answered my question that night.”
Taking a step back, now it was Shelby
who didn’t seem to get it. “Why do you want to take me to dinner? We…we hung
out tonight and…there’s no hard feelings. I mean, I’m still sorry for not being
honest with you the night we met, but…don’t feel like you need to keep hanging
out with me.”
The fierce look from earlier was back as
he took a step toward her. “Are we back
to that again? Why exactly do you think I’m here, Shelby?” he asked,
frustration practically bristling off of him.
“I…like I said…I figured we were just
hanging out to…you know…talk things out. And we have.” Hopefully he couldn’t see
her slight tremble. She wasn’t used to someone questioning her like this.
But then again, she wasn’t used to
dealing with anyone quite like Sam.
He took another step toward her. “Is
that why you agreed to let me come over? Because you needed to clear your
conscience? Or thought that I needed to?”
“Um…I don’t know. Maybe.”
Another step toward her. “You want to
know why I’m here?” He didn’t wait for her to respond. “I’m here because for
two damn weeks you’ve been all I can think about. Seeing you earlier in the
library parking lot had me feeling like I won the damn lottery – like I was
getting a second chance with you!” Another step and now he towered over her.
“But more than anything, I’m here because you’re someone I want to know better,
dammit!”
“Sam, I…”
“But if that’s not what you want – if
I’m not someone you want to know – then say something right now, Shelby,” he
demanded. “Right now, before my feelings grow even deeper. Because believe it
or not, what I felt for you that night at the bar is nothing compared to how I
feel right now.”
She gasped softly and her foolish heart
began its wild dance again. Swallowing hard, she looked up at him – saw the
sincerity and the anguish in those dark depths. “I…” She paused and collected
her thoughts which were going a million miles a minute in her head. “How do you
feel?”
It was something she needed to know. It
was one thing if he was casually interested in her – which was what she
expected him to say. But what if it were more? What if it were something deep
and warm and wonderful and scary and everything she was feeling too?
Reaching out, Sam cupped her face in his
hands and rested his forehead against hers. “I feel like you’re someone I need
to know.”
His voice was low and gruff and rumbly
enough that she felt it all the way down to her toes.
How could she possibly explain to him
that she was too afraid to believe him? That she didn’t have the confidence in
herself to believe him?
As if sensing her thoughts, he quietly
said, “You’ve been brutally honest with me all night, Shelby. Don’t stop now.
Tell me what you’re thinking.”
There really was something about Sam
that made her feel like she could say anything – even if she shouldn’t.
“I guess I’m afraid to believe that you
really want to get to know me,” she admitted softly. “I’m nothing special, Sam.
I’m not the type of girl you usually…”
He placed one finger across her lips to
stop her flow of words. “Please don’t keep throwing that back in my face.” He
closed his eyes as if in pain. “I know I’ve done a lot of stupid things and
I’ve made a lot of bad choices, but that has nothing to do with you and me.
When I saw you that night, all I remember thinking was…finally, there she is.”
Her eyes went wide at the intensity of
his words. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. She wasn’t
the kind of girl or woman who caused that kind of reaction – she knew that and
she was okay with it. But after seeing the look on Sam’s face as he spoke,
Shelby knew she had to have more – needed to see where this went and what would
come from an admission like his.
“Wow,” she whispered, because it’s all
she could force herself to say.
The smile Sam gave her was one of sweet
relief. Unable to help herself, she placed her hand on his chest, and, feeling
his rapid heartbeat, she grew bold. Her hand smoothed up and over his shoulder
and then raked up into his hair. Up on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his
and prayed she wouldn’t panic or freak out again.
When his arms slowly banded around her
waist, Shelby knew this time was different. He was being cautious and careful
and, undoubtedly, holding back so he didn’t spook her. The kiss was chaste –
slow and sweet. Only this time, she was the one to seek more. Her tongue
tentatively reached out and skimmed along his bottom lip and she heard his
sharp intake of breath. It made her bold. Pressing herself more firmly against
him, she reveled in the feel of his warm, hard body. And when he maneuvered
them back over the sofa, she felt her excitement grow.
Sam sat and gently guided Shelby down so
he could cradle her in his lap and, if anything, she thought it was the perfect
position for them. His arms were around her, holding her securely to him, all
the while their kiss just continued. There wasn’t the same intensity as there
was the night they met, and that was more than okay with her. She was enjoying
this – the way they were slowly getting acquainted with each another.
Squirming slightly against him, she
gulped for air when Sam broke the kiss and gazed at her face. His breath was
coming just as raggedly as hers and she wished more than anything that she
didn’t need oxygen quite so much because she already missed the feel of his
mouth on hers.
One of his hands came up and took the
clip out of her hair. She let out a small moan of pleasure because it had been
bothering her all night, but when that same hand anchored up into her hair and
began massaging her scalp, it felt like she had died and gone to heaven.
Good
lord, if a three-second scalp massage feels this good, what would sex with him
be like?
Hopefully she’d find out.
Diving in for another kiss, Shelby was
pleasantly surprised that Sam seemed just as anxious as she was for another
taste. She twisted and turned in his lap until she was straddling him and it
was like she didn’t even recognize herself. She wasn’t normally this forward or
– dare she say, aggressive? – but there was no way for her to fight what she
was feeling. For two weeks she had kicked herself every day for running like
she did and now that she was getting a second chance, she was taking it.
With everything she had, apparently.
They kissed, they rolled over and
stretched out on the sofa until Sam was on top of her and Shelby wrapped
herself completely around him. So many times she thought to break their kiss
and simply ask him to stay – to move things into the bedroom – but his hands
and mouth kept distracting her until she didn’t know her own name, let alone
where they were half the time.
At some point – it could have been
minutes later, it could have been hours – Sam raised his head and smiled down
at her. He was so handsome, so sexy, so…everything she ever fantasized
about…and he was here with her.
“Shelby,” he said, low and thick.
“Damn.”
Yeah. She knew exactly what he meant.
Her hand smoothed up his back and up
into his hair in hopes of guiding his mouth back to hers, but…he moved.
He stood.
She stayed where she was on the sofa and
looked up at him in confusion.
“I should go,” he said after a long
moment.
“Go?”
He nodded. “Dinner tomorrow night,
right?”
He was leaving? Now? Seriously?
“Um…”
Doing a move that was clearly becoming
his thing, Sam reached for her hand and gently pulled her to her feet. He
kissed her one last time on the lips before letting out a low growl. Clearing
his throat, he said, “You know how badly I want to stay, right?”
Shelby nodded and wanted to say she felt
the same, but she couldn’t seem to make her voice work.
He hugged her tight. “But I don’t think
it’s the right thing to do,” he said, and her only consolation was that he sounded
as miserable about it as she felt. “Let me take you out tomorrow.” He pulled
back and studied her face. “I want to do this right. I feel like I came on too
strong that night and…and I’m not willing to do anything that you might
regret.”
Well, damn. He was sweet, sexy, funny, and considerate? How was she supposed to
resist?
“That night…that was my own issue, Sam.
It wasn’t about you. Not really. I want you to know that.”
With a lopsided grin, he pulled her back
into his embrace. “Thank you for saying that.”
“It’s the truth.”
Slowly they broke apart and walked over
to the front door. He opened it and kissed her one more time. “You are pure
temptation. You know that, right?”
Blushing, she shook her head.
“It’s true.” Tucking a finger under her
chin, his expression turned serious. “Thank you for inviting me over and for
giving me another chance. I’ll pick you
up tomorrow at seven. Will that work?”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone so they could
exchange numbers. Once that was done, he kissed her one last time and walked
out the door.
And Shelby swore part of her heart went
with him.
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About SAMANTHA CHASE
Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than forty titles under her belt! When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.
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