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Chapter 12
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Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Chapter 13
Anthony stared into his glass of beer before drinking the entire glass in one long gulp.“That bad, huh?” his good friend Carter Roberts asked with a grimace.A pro baseball player for the Seattle Falcons, Carter always had a posse of fans following him around wherever he went. Tonight was no different. He’d already taken at least five photos with people, and Anthony could see a group of girls ogling him at the table behind them. It would only be a few more minutes before they got the courage to approach one of the most famous baseball players in the country and one of the most eligible bachelors around.One of the girls, a brunette who was so tan that she looked orange, stepped up to their table with a giggle. “Are you Carter Roberts?” she asked breathlessly, like she didn’t already know the answer.Carter shot her a grin. “I am. But the more important question is: who are you?”The girl tittered. Anthony snorted and motioned at the waitress to bring him another beer.Carter and
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Chapter 14
Thea usually loved spending time with her family—usually being the operative word. Tonight, however, she wanted nothing more than to go home and be alone.It all started when Trent’s wife Lizzie invited Thea over for dinner. Considering that Thea had pleaded exhaustion twice already for previous dinner invitations since returning from her disastrous vacation, she’d known she couldn’t decline a third time without her siblings banging down her door, demanding to know what was wrong.Now Thea sat at dinner with Trent, Lizzie, and their three-year-old daughter, Bea, along with Ash and his girlfriend, Violet Fielding.Trent owned three restaurants in Fair Haven and planned to open another one in Seattle in the next year. Lizzie, one of the illustrious Thorntons of Fair Haven, had grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth, but Thea appreciated that Lizzie hadn’t inherited her parents’ snooty ways. Lizzie had gone on tour with her band last fall, Trent and Bea coming along for a part of it
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Chapter 15
Thea wondered if she’d fallen asleep and was dreaming that Anthony was here, kissing her as fiercely as he’d kissed her that first time. And the second time. His hands skimmed down her back and cupped her ass as his tongue delved into her mouth.No, this definitely isn’t a dream. It’s all real.Thea could barely put two coherent thoughts together right then. But one single thought did come to the foray: what was he even doing here at her apartment?She put her hands on his chest, pushing at him. He finally broke the kiss, although he didn’t step away from her.Thea swallowed. Her voice none too steady, she said, “Why are you here?”“Do you really want to talk right now?” He slid an arm around her waist, pulling her close again. “Because I don’t want to talk, Thea.”She was tempted to give in. God, was she tempted. He looked delicious, with his dark eyes looking at her with such heat that she was pretty sure she would go up in flames in the next few seconds. He wore a dark sweater
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Chapter 16
Anthony awoke to the sound of singing. He thought, briefly, that maybe he’d finally died and gone to heaven, but why would he of all people have been allowed into heaven? Opening his eyes, he looked around the room, registered the clutter, and remembered that he was in Thea’s bed.And the person singing was none other than Thea herself.He rolled onto his side, watching her at her desk in the corner. She was wrapped in a blanket as her pencil or pen or whatever it was she was using skipped across the page. She was drawing at—he glanced at his watch—five thirty in the morning. Yawning, he considered going back to sleep, but then the blanket slipped down to reveal Thea’s shoulder. A lovely sight for so early in the morning.He’d never acted this rashly in his life, driving for hours to see a woman. He hadn’t even been this crazed with Elise. Yet when he’d realized that he couldn’t let Thea go, he’d known he had to act. Anthony never sat on the sidelines: he was always in the middle of
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Chapter 17
“Thea, darling, sweet, adorable, ridiculous friend of mine. Unless you tell me what’s wrong, I’m going to torture you until you fess up,” said Mittens.Thea tried not to smile but failed miserably. “Should I find that comforting?” she joked.After much persuasion, whining, blackmailing and coaxing, Mittens convinced Thea to come out for drinks that Friday night. They’d gotten coffee a few times since she’d returned from her trip, but she’d avoided him because she didn’t know how to answer his questions about Anthony.It was hard not to be happy around Mittens. Currently, he had orange hair with red tips, along with purple nails with pink rhinestones glued to the tips. In regard to his hair, he’d claimed he’d done it because he was already “flaming gay” and liked to ruffle the feathers of the local soccer moms at various coffee shops. Fair Haven was progressive, but it was still a small town with small-town values. Mittens also enjoyed trying out different lip colors and had a bigger
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Chapter 18
When Thea woke up the following morning, she was fairly certain she was dying. Her mouth was like cotton, her head pounded, and her stomach roiled. She stumbled to the bathroom and threw up the entire contents of her stomach, wishing like hell that she hadn’t been such an idiot last night.Oh God, last night. What had even happened? She remembered Mittens trying to get her to talk about Anthony, and she remembered drinking that third—or fourth?—shot. How had she gotten home? Mittens must’ve taken her home, although she didn’t remember it at all.After a shower and some toast and weak coffee, Thea lay down on her couch with a cold cloth on her forehead. She hadn’t gotten that drunk in a long time. She frowned, trying to remember the gaps in her memory. Something kept niggling at her, something that she’d said or someone else had said. But then the thought fluttered away and she couldn’t grasp it.Afternoon sunshine poured through her apartment window when someone knocked. Thea groane
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Chapter 19
Anthony was gone when Thea woke in the morning. His side of the bed was already cold, so he must’ve left hours ago. Yawning, she went to take a shower, the hot water clearing the cobwebs from her mind.Her conscience pricked at her. She’d driven down here to tell Anthony the truth, and she’d failed utterly. She’d tried to get Anthony to listen, she told herself. But he hadn’t wanted to talk. Then he’d kissed her and it had all gone downhill from there. It was like the second he touched her, every thought in her brain disappeared.Thea dressed, sick with guilt and frustrated at how weak she was for this man already. Although it terrified her, she texted Anthony, saying, We still need to talk. When do you get home?When he didn’t reply, she hoped it was because he was in a meeting and not ignoring her. She wandered downstairs and got some food from the kitchen. After she’d eaten, Anthony finally replied. Back late. Feel free to stay at my place as long as you want.Well, that was hel
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Chapter 20
Thea took one look at Anthony’s face and knew that she was too late. His lip curled, and when she took a step forward into his office, he said in a scathing tone, “Get the fuck out of my office.”“Please, let me explain. You don’t know the full story. It wasn’t me—”“Really? I have proof that you’re lying. But you’ve been lying to me this entire time, haven’t you?”Someone coughed behind Thea. Turning, she saw a young woman who must be Anthony’s assistant.“Should I call security?” the woman asked quietly. She shot Thea a wary glance, like she wasn’t sure Thea wouldn’t attack her.Anthony didn’t answer for a moment, and Thea expected the worst. Finally he said, “You can go, Cara. I’ll take care of this.”Cara shut the door behind Thea, and Thea couldn’t help but feel like she’d entered into a prison. Where had the playful, affectionate Anthony gone? Right now, she barely recognized the man standing in front of her. The mask he wore was in plain sight, and if he’d ever loved her—o
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Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 About the Author
A coffee addict and cat lover, Iris Morland writes sexy and funny contemporary romances. If she's not reading or writing, she enjoys binging on Netflix shows and cooking something delicious.Stay in touch!irismorland.comIris Morland’s MermaidsNewsletter Facebook Twitter BookBub Goodreads Instagram
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Also by Iris Morland
Say You’re MineAll I Ask of YouMake Me YoursHold Me CloseOopsie DaisyHe Loves Me, He Loves Me NotPetal PluckerWar of the RosesincludingThen Came YouTaking a Chance on LoveAll I Want Is YouMy One and OnlyThe Nearness of YouThe Very Thought of YouIf I Can’t Have YouDream a Little Dream of MeSomeone to Watch Over MeTill There Was YouI’ll Be Home for Christmas
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Enjoy this exclusive excerpt
Emily drank half of her beer and laughed. “I feel so much better.” She gasped as she turned. “Let’s play darts!”She grabbed Phin’s arm, and Phin followed her over to the wall as she set her drink down on a rickety table and pulled the darts from the board. She giggled when she dropped a dart. It rolled under a table, and Phin got a full view of Emily’s luscious ass as she bent down to grab it.If Emily had been sent here to kill him, she was doing a great job of it.Emily handed him all but one of the darts to hold. “Let’s do best out of five. You ready for this?”She threw the dart, which bounced off the wall—nowhere near the board—and they both watched the dart roll back toward Emily’s feet.“I’m usually good at darts,” she said. She took another dart from Phin’s hand and threw it. This time, the dart caught the very edge of the board before dropping to the ground.This went on for the next three throws, and by the last one, Phin was biting his tongue in half to keep from laug
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Epilogue
“Do you think he remembers this is his home?” said Thea as she and Anthony walked down the hill from the cabin to the creek.“He’s a rabbit. I’m not sure he remembers much of anything.”Thea elbowed him, but she smiled, too.It was late summer now, and although most of the trees were still green, Thea noticed a few that had started to change for fall. Anthony had surprised Thea with a getaway to the cabin that had started it all.At the moment, they were taking Sneaky back to where they’d rescued him. He’d made a full recovery with the assistance of the wildlife rescue. Thea had assumed they would release him outside Fair Haven, but Anthony had once again surprised her when he’d somehow negotiated with the rescue to have them release Sneaky to him. She had a feeling he’d made a hefty donation for the privilege. She didn’t mind that in the least.They reached the creek, the damaged bridge having been rebuilt since that spring. Thea found some bushes where Sneaky could hide out. Tak
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Chapter 23
Thea wasn’t sure if she was going to die of excitement or nerves. Maybe both. Her stomach roiled a bit, adrenaline pumping through her, and she kept wiping sweat from her forehead. It didn’t help that it was one of the warmest days on record in Seattle, with the temperatures edging toward ninety degrees and few places having air conditioning.But Thea didn’t care about the heat. She only cared about how this art show would go, and if she’d made a huge mistake agreeing to do it.“Hey, it’ll be amazing,” said Mittens as they sat outside the gala in his car. He rubbed her back. “Do you need a Xanax?”Thea laughed shakily. “No, thanks. The last thing I need to do is start blurting out embarrassing things.”She wiped her clammy hands on her pants as she tried to settle her nerves. She couldn’t help but remember the last art show she was in, when Henry Thatcher had told her that her art was drab and lifeless. It was stupid that all these years later, his words could still affect her. If
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Chapter 22
Anthony stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows in his penthouse without seeing anything. In just a few hours, he would face his reckoning as the CEO of Bertram, Sons, and Co. He’d make his case, to persuade the board that he still had the right and the ability to run the company.Anthony sipped his coffee. It was so hot that it burned his tongue, but he barely noticed.He barely noticed a lot of things lately.After the story behind his divorce, including his using company money to pay off Elise and Ryan, everything had gone to hell in a handbasket. The media had been pounding down his door, while the board had been in an uproar. Anthony had refused to talk to any of them until everyone had calmed down. He wasn’t going to beg each one to let him keep his position. So, he’d waited, crafting his plan, and banking on the fact that despite this scandal, the majority of the board still liked him.And who would they hire to replace him? They would have a hell of time finding someone as ca
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Chapter 21
Thea stared at the pile of folders on her desk and wondered who had decided to leave them there. Because she was one of the administrative assistants, her coworkers tended to think that her desk was everyone’s desk. She would often find files, folders, papers, and all sorts of various office accoutrements that had appeared while she was going to the bathroom or out to lunch. They knew enough not to put them on her desk when she was sitting there, apparently, so they just did it when she was gone and couldn’t object.She sighed as she flipped through the folders. They were client files that needed filing, most likely. Already bored by the thought of having to file all afternoon, she put them in her drawer that she could lock, effectively forgetting them for now.“Hey, Thea, I have some more files for you,” said Jason, one of the newer lawyers Ferguson had hired. Jason was the epitome of the adjective smarmy, with his easy good looks and ability to talk down to anyone who didn’t share
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Chapter 20
Thea took one look at Anthony’s face and knew that she was too late. His lip curled, and when she took a step forward into his office, he said in a scathing tone, “Get the fuck out of my office.”“Please, let me explain. You don’t know the full story. It wasn’t me—”“Really? I have proof that you’re lying. But you’ve been lying to me this entire time, haven’t you?”Someone coughed behind Thea. Turning, she saw a young woman who must be Anthony’s assistant.“Should I call security?” the woman asked quietly. She shot Thea a wary glance, like she wasn’t sure Thea wouldn’t attack her.Anthony didn’t answer for a moment, and Thea expected the worst. Finally he said, “You can go, Cara. I’ll take care of this.”Cara shut the door behind Thea, and Thea couldn’t help but feel like she’d entered into a prison. Where had the playful, affectionate Anthony gone? Right now, she barely recognized the man standing in front of her. The mask he wore was in plain sight, and if he’d ever loved her—o
Taking a Chance on Love: The Youngers Book 2 Chapter 19
Anthony was gone when Thea woke in the morning. His side of the bed was already cold, so he must’ve left hours ago. Yawning, she went to take a shower, the hot water clearing the cobwebs from her mind.Her conscience pricked at her. She’d driven down here to tell Anthony the truth, and she’d failed utterly. She’d tried to get Anthony to listen, she told herself. But he hadn’t wanted to talk. Then he’d kissed her and it had all gone downhill from there. It was like the second he touched her, every thought in her brain disappeared.Thea dressed, sick with guilt and frustrated at how weak she was for this man already. Although it terrified her, she texted Anthony, saying, We still need to talk. When do you get home?When he didn’t reply, she hoped it was because he was in a meeting and not ignoring her. She wandered downstairs and got some food from the kitchen. After she’d eaten, Anthony finally replied. Back late. Feel free to stay at my place as long as you want.Well, that was hel
