Publication date: September 13th 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Hudson Locke’s world shattered when the band he started with his best friends fell apart. Sure, he’s super successful now, subbing as a drummer for huge acts, but he wants one of his own. One he can build. A place where he can belong. But he’s only got one shot–and one weekend in Barcelona to test out potential bandmates.

Zora Rosenthal can’t fail. Not again, anyway. She’s been in 3 bands that crashed and burned. This weekend is her last chance to join one that will actually succeed. It’s vital that she impress Hudson with her incredible talent on guitar–and prove that she’s easy to get along with, also.

The problem starts when Hudson and Zora get along too well. It’d be beyond stupid to even think about getting involved.

Or kissing each other.

Or admitting all the things they want to do to each other…

On top of that, the third potential member is horrible. Will their band actually form before it falls apart? Will either one back out because of their…connection and how badly that could go once they start working together? Or will this one weekend send Hudson and Zora down a new path–together?

Excerpt

“There’s a level playing field between us. We’re almost, maybe, partners, remember?”

Hudson thumbed a droplet of water off the bottom of her lip. The light touch tore through her like a lightning bolt. “I remember everything that’s happened since I walked into our suite yesterday. Everything about you.”

The air was charged. No, the individual molecules of oxygen were charged. The kiss—the one she had so stupidly initiated—had changed everything. Unlocked the professional barriers. Zora was certain that the naked want for him was obvious on her face.

She interlaced fingers with him. “We shouldn’t.”

“No. Big no.” Hudson lifted their joined hands to brush a kiss on the backs of her knuckles. Then he looked up at her from beneath tragically wasted-on-a-man long lashes. “But I will if you will.”

His boyish semi-dare made Zora laugh.

It broke all the accumulated tension.

Until she put a hand on his neck and pulled his head toward her. Then, a whole new tension permeated the deck. “I want to say yes to you.” Zora whispered the next words against his lips. “I want you.”

“We’re already in unison. That bodes well.” Hudson’s fingers dug into her hips as he propelled her to the edge of the tub. “We’re also in unison that this is probably stupid?”

“Yes.”

“Either one of us can stop at any time with no hard feelings?”

“Yes.” Zora bit back a giggle. Hard to imagine Hudson calling for a time-out to discuss the business implications. Not with all that pent-up lust darkening his eyes to indigo.

“And that, most importantly, I want you more than I want a recording contract. More than bringing John Bonham of Led Zeppelin back from the dead to jam with me for a night. More than—”

Zora leaned her forehead against his to cut him off. “No comparisons. Be in the moment. Here. Now. With me. That’s the only way this works.”

“Right.” He tugged at her loose ponytail to tip her head back. Then he angled it to the side. And scraped his teeth along where her pulse thrummed in her neck.

Huh. There was a good chance her on-loan couture dress would leave that area exposed. A hickey probably wasn’t a good accessory to meet and greet the heir to the throne.

Zora didn’t care. A hickey was the least of the problems with what they were doing, and she didn’t care about any of them. Her brain needed to turn off.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback

About the Author

USA TODAY bestseller Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage. A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes contemporary romance. Christi lives in Maryland with her husband.

Connect:

http://www.christibarth.com/

https://x.com/christi_barth

https://www.facebook.com/christibarthauthor

https://www.instagram.com/christibarth/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3272041.Christi_Barth

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(One Weekend, #1)
Publication date: May 24th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Cady Staunton and Jasper Holt have been best friends forever–and only friends, aside from one unexpected kiss in Vegas eight years ago. But everything changes during a destination wedding in Venice.

Their rock band may or may not be breaking up. Jasper is definitely hiding a secret from her. Actually, they’ve both always hidden their true desires for each other. They intended to keep it that way until circumstances–and another accidental kiss–lead them to take a leap.

They’ll use this weekend in Venice to test shifting from friendship to something…more. If it doesn’t work? They’ll go back to being best friends. Except…that never works. And there’s still the problem of Jasper’s big secret and what to do about their band. Will their friendship, let alone their attempt at love, even survive the weekend?

Excerpt

“Didn’t that kiss mean anything to you?”

“Yes.” She wouldn’t lie to him. Which was why she kept going. “I assumed that it didn’t mean anything to you.”

“I’m not sure which one of us that insults more.”

“Sometimes being honest is more important than being polite.”

Jasper backed her against the wall until the chair rail bumped against her butt. One hand planted high above her head, caging her in.

Awareness of his masculinity assailed all of Cady’s senses. The touch of his muscular thigh in between hers, the piney scent of his cologne, and the navy-blue vein pulsing at his temple. That usually only happened when he argued with the twins about the direction of a new song. Only when he was completely riled up.

Had she done that to him?

In a deep, raspy rumble, he said, “All the whys come down to two basic facts. I missed you. A lot. And I realized when I finally saw you again today that I wanted to kiss you.” Jasper tilted his head to speak the rest with his breath, fanning warmth across her ear. “You, Cady. That’s it.”

That was…an escalation on the level of an eye dropper of water turning into the entire freaking Pacific Ocean.

Or was it a challenge? What was she supposed to do next? That type of question was the thing she always ran past her best friend. AKA, the confounding man causing this question. But hey, why ruin a solid track record out of potential humiliation?

“Not so sure how to interpret that little disclosure. Since you just said that you don’t want a hook-up with me.”

“Because you’re better than that. Because our friendship deserves better than that. I don’t want a hook-up. I want to go out with you.”

When she fell asleep last night over a plastic cup of Pinot Grigio with the guy in the seat next to her snoring almost as loudly as the plane’s engines? She would’ve laid down a bet of everything in her bank account that Jasper had an allergy to commitment that even an EpiPen couldn’t cure. “A date? According to the dictionary definition?”

“Yeah. A no-strings-attached date. For the safety of the friendship.”

Cady’s head—no, her whole world—was reeling. “No strings? Is that man-code for no sex?”

“It’s whatever you want, Cady. I’m trying to be smart. Listen to my brain and my heart for once, instead of only my dick.”

“You’ll probably need a translator for that. Or a feather duster to sweep off all the cobwebs from those two parts of your body.”

“Very not funny.” Jasper put a minute amount of space between them. “Look, I don’t know what I’m doing here. I don’t know how to do it. We should try, though.”

“Should we, though? Or should we maybe not risk ruining our friendship?”

“See, that’s the beauty of this plan. Remember? Everything that happens in Venice stays in Venice. One weekend. No strings. No expectations. And if it doesn’t work? No fault.”

It was tempting. The same way that doing an eating challenge consisting of nine ice cream scoops was tempting. You knew you’d be miserable when it was over, but the doing of it would be glorious.

After all, then she’d know. She’d know the answers to all the secret questions she’d amassed over the years.

What were Jasper’s magic moves?

What did the skin on his inner thigh feel like beneath all that golden hair?

Was it possible to literally combust from the heat of him sliding inside her?

Blissful ignorance was overrated. She could go into this with her eyes wide open. Knowing that it’d never work, and so the only rule was to enjoy this one weekend with him.

And when it did fail, maybe there’d be a big fight, giving her the strength to reveal her secret project to him. It wasn’t good to hide things from your best friend.

Aside from how much she’d always lusted after him. That was fine to keep hiding.

So she stared into those blissfully blue eyes and said, “You forgot one rule. No regrets.”

Buy on Amazon