Still The One
Animal Magnetism Series- Book 6
By Jill Shalvis
Synopsis
Darcy Stone is game for anything—except sexy Navy vet and physical therapist AJ Colten, the guy who’d rejected her when she’d needed him most. Now the shoe is on the other foot and he needs her to play nice and help him secure grants for his patients. Unfortunately Darcy can’t refuse. She needs the money to fund her passion project: rescuing S&R dogs and placing them with emotionally wounded soldiers.
AJ admits it—Darcy is irresistible. But he’s already been battle-scarred by a strong-willed, vivacious, adventurous woman like Darcy, and he’s not making the same mistake twice—until he and Darcy are forced to fake a relationship. Growing closer than they’d ever imagined possible, Darcy and AJ have to ask themselves: how much between them is pretend? What’s the real thing? And where does it go from here?
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Excerpt
AJ held the door open for Darcy, doing his best to keep his tongue in his mouth, but he wasn’t sure he quite managed.
“Thanks,” she said, brushing up against his arm and shoulder as she stepped into the elevator.
His free hand came out to stabilize her, a purely instinctual move. He didn’t give a thought to the fact that she hated to be helped because he couldn’t give a thought to anything.
Holy. Shit. Hotness.
Her little black dress—emphasis on little—just about killed him.. The bodice was short, snug, and, at first glance, modest.
Second glance, not so much.
She bent over and fiddled with her heels, which had a strap around her ankle and screamed SEX. So did the way the hem of her dress rose up on her thighs, high enough that his eyes nearly popped right out of his head. “What are you doing?” he managed.
“Nothing.” Still bent at the waist, she shifted to her other heel, during which time he pressed his fingers into his eye sockets to keep his eyes in his head.
She was all leg and silken skin and crazy gorgeous hair, and he attempted to steel himself against her but he failed. He’d been wrong, oh so very wrong when he said he’d be able to handle her. He couldn’t, not in her yoga pants, not in a sexy little black dress, not at work, not in his truck, not in an elevator, not in anything anywhere—he couldn’t do it, Sam I Am.
She straightened and sent him a searching look. She’d piled all that long curly hair on top of her head but several silky strands had escaped, brushing her temples and shoulders, giving her a just-got-laid look. Her lips were siren red and he knew it made him a pig, but all he could think about was her mouth and how her lips would looked stretched around his—
“We’re on time still, right?” she asked.
He had to clear his throat to answer. “Yeah.” Jesus.
The door slid shut and silence filled the elevator while they stared at each other. To keep his hands to himself, he backed to the wall.
“So,” she said, looking like she was mentally cracking her knuckles. “What are the rules here? Kiss ass? Sit, shake, and roll over on command? Tell everyone how you saved my life? Obey your every order?”
Her sarcasm helped him roll his tongue back into his mouth. “I will ask you to kiss someone’s ass never,” he said. “Same for sit and shake and roll over. And you know damn well I didn’t save your life. But as for the obeying me? That. Lots of that would be great.”
Tracey’s Review
Darcy Stone is what some might refer to as ‘prickly.’ Having made a long and difficult recovery from a horrific accident, she’s just beginning to accept her current life as the new normal. Once a globe-trotting journalist, Darcy is back home in Sunshine, ID, splitting her time between saving retired rescue animals and working as a receptionist at the Sunshine Wellness Center. Well, that and trying to avoid AJ Colten, physical therapist and bane of Darcy’s existence. Because AJ has known Darcy and her family for a very long time, and can call her on her stuff like no one else. Add to that the fact that just his being nearby makes Darcy’s hormones go haywire, and it makes perfect sense that he’s her Public Enemy Number One and one of the three things topping her list of ‘never evers.’
It takes a very special author to write a romance series that readers are invested in, that keep them coming back, eager for the next book. Jill Shalvis continually creates stories and characters that do just this. In Still the One, the six book in her Animal Magnetism series, Jill has given us characters that are real, who are dealing with all the curveballs life throws at them and making their way through. I love AJ and Darcy, both separately and as a couple. Having dealt with pain and loss in their pasts, they are afraid to let love in, to surrender control. They both possess such strength, though, and bring out the best in each other, and watching them work their way around the obstacles is by turn poignant and amusing. The snarky back-and-forth and sizzling chemistry add to their appeal, and make for an absolutely heartwarming read. Throw in the hominess of small-town community and old friends from earlier books, and you’ve got a thoroughly enjoyable read, easily earning 5 sassy, swoony stars that will keep you reading until the very end.
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Author Bio
New York Times Bestselling author Jill Shalvis wrote RESCUE MY HEART and FOREVER AND A DAY, along with many other romance novels including her acclaimed Lucky Harbor series. The Rita winner and 3-time National Readers Choice winner makes her home near Lake Tahoe. Visit her website at http://www.jillshalvis.com for a complete book list and daily blog, and http://www.facebook.com/jillshalvis for other news.
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Giveaway
Saucy Southern Readers 