Page 51 of Hometown Heartbreakers: Sunkissed

“I like the sound of that. But first…no more games, right?”

“There might be a few games I like playing, but none with your heart.”

He lifts me, and I wrap my legs around his waist while he carries me up the stairs to one of the empty bedrooms.

“Tell me more about these games.”

I laugh, and he kicks the door shut.

THE END

I hope you enjoyed my addition to the Hometown Heartbreakers boxset! If you did, please leave a review! Authors love reviews and they don’t have to be long! Just a few simple words to tell us what you thought of the book! Please read the other stories in this boxset as all of the participating authors are amazingly talented!

I am a happily married mother of three (two boys and one girl). I live in a very small town in Alabama. Never lived anywhere else. I've been writing since my early twenties, but I couldn't seem to finish a book. I've started self-publishing with the encouragement from my mom. Without her encouragement, I don't think I would've done it. She always supported me and writing is something I've always enjoyed doing. As long as I enjoy it, I'll continue to do it. I've learned already that I can't please everyone. Not all reviews will be good, not all reviews will be bad. I'm the one that has to be happy with my work.

I get my inspiration from life experiences, movies, television, other authors, and music. Music is definitely a big influence on my writing. I can hear a song and it can inspire an entire book for me. I listen to it while I'm driving or before I start writing and it keeps me inspired. I like to put music in my books, even if it's just one song the characters listen to or hear at some point. Sometimes music has gotten me through the really tough times in my life and that's why it inspires me.

I like to write fast-paced, steamy romance reads. I like for my males to be alpha-males and my heroines to be strong, but both need to have one weakness- each other. I am an avid reader. I absolutely love romance books!

Here are my links:

Fan group/reader group, J.L. Leslie’s Lovelies

Street Team, J.L. Leslie’s Pimpin’ Peeps

MeWe

TikTok: @jlleslie

Facebook

Instagram

BookBub

Goodreads

The death of Dante’s father brings an opportunity to him that is hard to deny. Second chances don’t come around often, even at the worst of times. Old paths aren’t always left cold and Michelle could be the cure that he needs to help put things back together again.

The problems keep rolling in, overwhelming Dante to his breaking point. His father is dead, his mother is hiding, and his brother is partying his life away out of the country while their legacy is falling apart. Is this the time to try a new love? Should Dante give in to the temptation of Michelle, especially when she’s homesick and missing her father? Or should he focus on the disaster unfolding in his life?

DANTE

Ipaced back and forth, trying to get a hold of my father. He was due back in North Carolina last night, and I hadn’t seen or heard from him. My mother was away on some kind of silence retreat with no reception. And my brother knew where, which meant he wouldn’t have been any help. We had a meeting starting in thirty minutes with a supplier based on the information my father had found in Kentucky. I’d planned to stay back, but it looked as if I was going to have to go to the meeting just to tell them we’d have to reschedule.

“Mr. Allen, there’s a call for you on line three.” Dana interrupted my thoughts and quickly exited after she finished delivering her news.

She’d been with the company for four or five years and was damn good at her job as office manager. She didn’t chit chat too much, and her work was always done, and more standoffish because she was on edge about the pending engagement. Her guy hadn’t proposed, but she swore he would any day. And she’d found a ring that he hadn’t given her, which was driving her crazy. So, her fuse was shorter than normal, hence the hasty entrance and exit.

I picked up the line as if I had no concerns in the world, pretending to smile, just to sell the story of being happy. I greeted the caller. "Dante Allen speaking."

"Mr. Allen, this is Will at Suntime Pastures and Winesations. I was returning your call about notes from the meeting with your father since he hasn't arrived there yet."

"Yes! I just need information to understand what we agreed upon," I said, playing it safe. I didn’t want him to know that I had no clue where my father was.

“Well, I’m sorry, Mr. Allen. Your father, Jeremy, never made it in to see us. He scheduled to meet with us yesterday but never made it in. No calls or anything to let us know why. We’d assumed that you’d changed your mind about being a supplier,” Will explained.

“I… Can we reschedule?” I was at a loss for words. What was happening here?

---