Bad Boys Don’t Make Good Boyfriends
Melanie A. Smith
(Life Lessons, #2)
Publication date: May 19th, 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
From best-selling author Melanie A. Smith comes the second book in a new series of steamy contemporary medical romance standalone novels about life lessons that break all the rules.
Even when you know better, sometimes it’s simply too tempting…
Hospital work isn’t for the faint of heart. Becca Dillon knows that firsthand, having worked as a medical assistant in the cardiac unit at Rutherford Hospital for longer than she cares to think about. What she does care to think about is having fun, gossip, and … guys. Her favorite of the three. And why stick to one, when you can sample them all?
That’s exactly her plan when a workplace crush on a mysterious bad-boy orderly unexpectedly takes a very steamy turn. But Vincent DeMarco turns out to be nothing like she expected, and before she knows it, she’s falling hard and fast. She wants him in ways she’s never wanted anyone before, but there’s something he’s keeping from her. Something that’s holding him back. And Becca is going to find out what.
Even though she knows that bad boys don’t make good boyfriends, he seems like he might be so much more. Will her quest unlock the truth behind who he really is? Or will it end their relationship for good? Either way, ready or not, Becca’s world is about to change.
Excerpt
“You shouldn’t be out here after dark on your own.”
I look behind me to see Vincent coming out of the side entrance, and I roll my eyes. What the hell is he doing out here? He can’t be weird and aloof somewhere else? He closes the door behind him and sinks into a chair on the other side of the table I’m sitting at.
“I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”
Vincent levels an impatient look at me. “All the same, I think I’ll stick around if that’s cool with you.”
So now he gives a shit? This guy needs to make up his mind.
But I just shrug indifferently. “Suit yourself.” I twist again, trying to crack my back.
“Rough day?” he asks.
“Rough month.”
“I feel you. Come here.” He stands, gesturing for me to join him.
I rise, and he gathers me in his arms.
“What are you doing?” I ask, pulling back. First he can’t even touch me enough to dance with me, now he wants to hold me? Confusing much?
“Just shut up and trust me,” he grumbles. “Stay loose.”
Against my better judgment, I relax in his arms. He balls his fists together behind my back and pulls sharply toward himself. An immense crack echoes through the alley and a sense of relief washes through my body.
“Holy fucking shit, that was amazing,” I groan as the ache seeps out of my back. I look up at him. “Thank you.”
He drops his arms and takes a step back. “No problem.” He shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans self-consciously but doesn’t back away further or sit back down.
“What else do you have in your bag of tricks?” I tease.
He smirks. “What else hurts?”
I bark a sharp laugh. “Nothing that you can help me with.”
“You sure about that?” he asks.
“Pretty sure,” I reply, looking up at him firmly and crossing my arms over my chest. I can’t decide if I’m laying down a challenge or simply stating fact.
He steps back toward me, leaning in. “I think you might be surprised.”
I raise an eyebrow. “And I think guys like you are all talk.” Hmmm. Definitely a challenge.
That gets a derisive laugh out of him. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know that you’re all over the fucking map. You’re moody and withdrawn. I know that I really don’t want to be attracted to you.”
“But you are.”
I throw my hands up. “Yes. Happy?”
“Not really.”
I blanch at his words, not sure if he means that he’s not happy that I’m attracted to him or that he’s not happy in general.
“And why’s that?”
“Because I already knew that.”
“Pfff,” I scoff.
“If it makes you feel better, it’s not just you. You don’t take shit and you speak your mind. Gotta say, as much as I don’t want to, I find that pretty fucking hot.”
I give him a skeptical look, fighting a blush from his compliment-slash … insult? “How do you know I don’t take shit?” I ask back, a challenge in my tone.
He smirks. “You just made my point,” he replies with a chuckle.
Author Bio:
Melanie A. Smith is the best-selling author of The Safeguarded Heart Series and other contemporary romance fiction. Originally from upstate New York, she spent most of her childhood in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Los Angeles for college. After that, she spent almost fifteen years in the Seattle Area, and now lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas with her family.
A voracious reader and lifelong writer, Melanie’s writing began at a young age with short stories and poetry. Having completed a bachelor of science in electrical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master’s in business administration at the University of Washington, her writing abilities were mainly utilized for technical documents as a lead engineer for the Boeing Company, where she worked for ten years.
After shifting careers to domestic engineering and property management in 2015, she eventually found a balance where she was able to return to writing fiction.
Melanie is also a Mensan and enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and driving with the windows down and the stereo cranked up loud.
Thank you for featuring my book!
ReplyDelete-Melanie A. Smith
Thanks for being on the tour! :)
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