LAST FIRST KISS by Sidney Halston
SMP Swerve
SMP Swerve
Publication Date: August 29, 2017
ISBN: 9781250132444; Price: $3.99
He's an A-list Hollywood heartthrob.
She's trying to prove herself in a man's world.
For this female bodyguard, protecting her client is simply business, but what happens when sparks fly and the danger heats up?
After a series of box office flops, Rocco Monroe needs a hit. Bad press, shit talking, rumors, lies…it all goes with the territory after almost two decades in the spotlight, but when he lands the role of his career in a controversial biopic, the part of a lifetime comes with a catch: a hired bodyguard.
Annabelle Clad is so bored she wants to scream. Her life is coding and algorithms and binary codes…rinse and repeat. To her Rocco Monroe means freedom, a chance to show her overprotective brother and business partner that she can contribute to Iron Clad Securities. And no arrogant playboy will fuck up her concentration by batting his lashes at her. She would never jeopardize her reputation by swooning over any man.
That had happened once, and she wouldn’t bear that loss or humiliation ever again. Even if Rocco looks like a walking fantasy.
EXCERPT
“Your security system is pretty pathetic.”
He stopped walking and turned. “You haven’t even seen it yet.”
“I’ve seen enough to know. You’re too famous to have such a shitty system.”
“This is Miami. Not LA. I’m not that big of a deal here.”
That was bullshit. He was known everywhere. But it did make her wonder . . . “How come you don’t live in LA?”
“I grew up here and I’ve always liked it,” he replied simply as they reached the landing on the second floor. He walked through a set of double doors and placed her bag next to the bed. “I thought you’d like this room.” He then walked over to a balcony and swung open the doors. “It’s has a view of the bay.”
The walls were painted a soft blue, with white billowing sheer curtains. A big wrought-iron bed with a bedspread in different shades of light blue was the focal point of the room. It was soft and simple and just beautiful.
“It’s . . .” she wasn’t sure what words to use as she ran her fingers across the soft silk of the bedding.
She felt him behind her, close . . . too close. He wasn’t touching her but she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. “Soft. Feminine.”
She turned and swallowed, suddenly nervous at his nearness. And what made it even worse (or better) was that he didn’t move away, he didn’t do anything but look at her in a way she couldn’t interpret. His eyes roamed over her hair and face for a little too long and she didn’t look away, even when she felt her cheeks flush and her heart begin to hammer against her chest, she kept her hazel eyes on his blue ones. “Thank you for agreeing to this,” he said softly.
She was sure he was going to kiss her—positive.
But then he took a step back.
And all she could focus on was not the fact he hadn’t kissed her, but the fact that she hadn’t made a single attempt to stop him.
“This room okay?”
Feminine. Soft. Those were not words anyone would ever use to describe her. Including herself.
His eyes were on hers, searching. Then he reached forward, startling her, and pulled her sunglasses off her face, his thumb gently grazing her temple. She tried not to jump, even though it felt so foreign. “I prefer to look you in the eyes instead of at my own reflection.”
She hadn’t even realized she still had them on. Everything about this man made her do stupid things. Feel inappropriate things. When he didn’t look away, she took her glasses from his hand and stepped away, busying herself with her bag. “I know what you’re doing and we should really talk about setting up some ground rules.”
“What am I doing, Annie?”
She turned and walked out to the balcony. Talking to him made her feel uncomfortable. This was going to be a problem. How could she protect someone she felt all sorts of unusual feelings for? She could barely even look the man in the eye, for crying out loud!
“You’re thinking you can woo me into bed with you. I’m sure all those women you’ve dated dropped their panties at a smile from you, but you should know I’m not like any other woman. I can’t be wooed and I’m definitely not your type.”
From behind she heard him chuckle. “Oh, trust me. I know you’re not like any other woman. And since you think you know my type, I’m assuming you’ve been doing a little research on me? That’s good, I thought you didn’t know who I was.”
She swallowed and looked away. “You’re so full of shit. Everyone knows who you are. Doesn’t mean anything.”
“Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret: I looked you up too.”
I loved that Rocco had a hard time not wanting to be under Annie's protection and instead wanted to be the one protecting her. The battles between them over it really showed their connection and how much sexual tension was between them, Plus I loved getting to see Annie put Rocco in his place and prove that she was more than enough to keep him safe. There chemistry was very captivating and I from one page to the next I was dying to get more of them together.
Both of these characters were strong in their own way, and when they came together it was a force that no one could break. Annie was my favorite character from the book though and I loved how she didn't let people's opinions off how she should do her job beat her down. She was very resilient and I admired that about her, especially when more about her past was revealed.
Bottom line, this book is not one you want to pass up. It can easily be read as a standalone, but if you're anything like me it will leave you begging for Joey's story to be next. Seriously, I'm going to need his book ASAP.
Author Bio
USA Today bestselling author Sidney Halston lives her life by one simple rule: "Just Do It" - Nike. And that's exactly what she did. After working hard as an attorney, Sidney picked up a pen for the first time at thirty years old to begin her dream of writing. Having never written anything other than very exciting legal briefs, she found an outlet for her imaginative, romantic side and wrote Seeing Red. That first pen stroke sealed the deal, and she fell in love with writing. Sidney lives in South Florida with her husband and children. She loves her family above all else, and reading follows a close second. When she's not writing, you can find her reading and reading and reading. She's a reader first and a writer second. When she's not writing or reading, her life is complete and utter chaos, trying to balance family life with work and writing (and reading). But she wouldn't have it any other way.
Author Links
Website: http://www.sidneyhalston.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sidneyhalston
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SidneyHalston
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