Forever Wild(47)

I watch curiously as the driver’s side door pops open and a tall man with wavy, chestnut-brown hair steps out, his back to me as he fusses with his windshield wiper. Coffee pools in my mouth as I stall on my swallow, too busy appreciating the way his black T-shirt clings to his body, showing off broad, sculpted shoulders, muscular arms, and a tapered waist. He’s wearing his dark-wash jeans perfectly—not so baggy that they hang unflatteringly off his ass, but not so tight that cowboy boots and a wide-brimmed hat come to mind.

Damn.

I hold my breath in anticipation, hoping my neighbor will show me a beautiful face to match that fitness-model body. What a stroke of luck that would be, to live next to a gorgeous man. A single, gorgeous man, I pray.

Finally, my silent pleading is answered as he turns and his gaze drifts my way.

I struggle not to spew coffee from my mouth as my keen interest turns to horror.

Oh my God.

Someone, please tell me this is a mistake.

Please tell me I’m not living next door to Shane Fucking Beckett.



* * *



Read The Player Next Door now!

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Acknowledgments


I hope you’ve enjoyed a bit more time with Calla and Jonah in this holiday novella. While I would love to hang out with them forever, it’s time to move on. The Simple Wild world has grown beyond these two, to a full cast of dynamic characters. One in particular deserves her own happy ending. I mean, unrequited love where the object of her desire is her best friend, the yeti? Talk about heartbreaking. It’s also good fodder for a new story. I can’t wait to write it, and I hope you’ll read it.

I’d like to take a minute to say an enormous thank you to my readers. You continue to shout about this series to anyone who will listen, and I continue to receive pleasant messages from new readers, excited to have discovered these characters and my books in general. You guys keep shouting and I will keep writing, deal?

I’d like to thank the following people for their help pulling this book together: Linda Marie Drage, my Norwegian checkpoint.

Amber Sloan, for answering my random questions about Alaska.

Jenn Sommersby, for editing this darling … for your darling.

Chanpreet Singh, for sliding me into your schedule and catching those pesky last little errors.

Hang Le, for your cover-witch magic.

Nina Grinstead and the team at Valentine PR, for spreading the word about this book release.

Stacey Donaghy of Donaghy Literary Group, for being my sounding board and my support.

Tami, Sarah, and Amélie, for helping to maintain a positive and drama-free reader group—the only place on Facebook I enjoy being nowadays.

My family, just because.