From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kendall Ryan comes a new story in her Whiskey Kisses series…
Everything’s bigger in Texas.
And that includes Duke Wilder’s sexual appetite.
Together with his twin brother, he runs a whiskey distillery, and when their business takes off—suddenly he’s got it all. Success. Money. Family. But he doesn’t have a woman to share it with.
When Valentina storms into his life, her presence is only supposed to be temporary. She’s a feisty attorney hired to help clean up his company’s recent legal mess. He never counted on her being the one to turn his whole world upside down.
After spending most of his life living in the shadow of his brother, Duke has something to prove, and he’s not about to let this distraction get in the way of his plans, no matter how hot things get.
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
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“Good morning, darlin’. Could I interest you in some breakfast sausage?” The woman turned, her long, dark curls swinging around her shoulders. A look of disgust quickly washed over her face as her eyes locked on my bulge. “Ay dios mio, you’ve got to be f#cking kidding me,” she muttered, immediately taking her briefcase from the counter and marching to the front door, her red-bottomed heels clacking loudly on the hardwood. “What’s the matter?” I asked, stumbling after her. “Last time I do a favor for a friend,” she said under her breath, slamming the front door shut behind her. Favor. Friend. Beautiful woman in a pencil skirt. Charlotte’s hotshot lawyer friend from Los Angeles. Oh f#ck. “Hey, uh, Valencia, wait up!” I burst through the door to find her paused on the top step of the porch. She turned sharply to look me dead on, the fire in her eyes enough to burn me straight through. “It’s Valentina,” she spat, crossing her arms and cocking her hip to the side. “Valentina, right. My mistake. Listen, I’m really sorry about all this. We were out late last night for—” “For the opening, I know. I was supposed to be there, but something came up at work. So instead, I got my ass onto a last-minute redeye to make it in time for our meeting this morning, but clearly you had other things in mind,” she said, her eyes flitting to my quickly-softening cock before turning again to leave. “No, please, don’t go. This is completely unprofessional, I know—” “That’s the understatement of the century.” “But I promise, if you give me a chance, we can turn this meeting around.” “Is it still a meeting when one person shows up with his dick out?” “Oh, trust me, sweetheart, if my dick was out, you’d know it.” “Sure, as long as I brought a magnifying glass with me.” I paused, standing up a little straighter. She squared her shoulders, and our eyes locked, the tension between us thick enough to cut with a knife. If we were going to make this work, I knew I had to be the one to budge. But dammit if this woman didn’t make me want to blow my lid. “Look, I’m sorry. Please stay. If not for me, then for Luke and Charlotte.” Valentina sighed and put a hand on her hip. “Fine. Put some goddamn pants on first, and then we’ll talk.”
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She's a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she's appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine. Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras Subscribe to Newletter Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page
“I’ll drink to that,” I replied, flagging the bartender down for another round.
Just then some movement over Valentina’s shoulder caught my eye. A woman had just walked into the bar, her chin-length, curly brown hair bouncing with every step. Our eyes met, and she smiled like she knew me. I gave her a half smile back, which quickly faded when I realized who she was. Amber, my ex from college who’d moved away shortly after we graduated. Her hair was different, but her face was pretty much the same. The same round cheeks, full lips, pale blue eyes. Eyes that bore into mine as she turned the corner, making her way to our table.
It was then that I noticed she wasn’t alone. She had a boy with her, and when his gaze met mine, my stomach dropped.
That kid could have been my clone.
Brown hair, green eyes, same nose, same chin. He even had my same damn dimples. My heart was beating so hard, I thought it might jump right out from my throat. What the hell?
“Earth to Duke, are you paying for this round, or am I?” Valentina’s voice broke me from my panic just in time for Amber and the little boy to reach our table.
“Hey there, Duke. I was hoping I’d find you here.” Amber’s voice was just as sweet and syrupy as ever, but in that moment, it sounded to me like nails on a chalkboard. She smiled broadly at me, her hands on the boy’s shoulders, while the boy stared blankly up at me.
“Hey, Amber,” I said when I finally found my voice. “What’s it been, ten years?”
“Almost eleven.”
I nodded, my mind still spinning, and that’s when I noticed Valentina. She was sitting up perfectly straight, her lips pulled into a thin, taut line across her face. Her eyes were wide and trained on the boy’s face, her expression unreadable.
“This is Valentina,” I said, gesturing to her, but the moment the words left my mouth, Valentina stood and grabbed her purse.
“I was just leaving,” she said, quickly tucking her chair in behind her and forcing a smile at Amber and the boy.
“Valentina—”
