Triple Time by Regina Kyle
Book Blurb
How to unravel your straight-laced lover . . .
Gabe Nelson would be a great district attorney, but his public image is too boring to get voters’ attention. Tattoo artist Devin Padilla can help him show off his fun, sexy side, but she needs something in return—Gabe’s legal expertise to track down her missing brother. She’s not his type, but they can’t keep their hands off each other, whether it’s good for his image or not.
At first, Devin thinks she got the easy end of the bargain. Gabe’s the sexiest stuffed shirt in Manhattan, and his kisses practically set her on fire. But every deal has its fine print. As their relationship goes from business to pleasure, Devin realizes this one won’t cost her soul…it’ll just steal her heart.
Excerpt
Of all the white knights in New York City, why did Gabe Nelson have to be the one to ride to her rescue?
Devin Padilla stared at her best friend’s brother and swore again.
“It’s nice to see you, too.”
She crossed her arms. “What are you doing here?” “Heading home. Same as you should be.” Disapproval dripped from his voice as he eyeballed her, frowning no doubt at her outfit of choice. Sure, the lacy camisole clung a little too tightly to her 36Ds and her short skirt showed off her J. Lo booty. But she was a bartender, for Christ’s sake, not an astrophysicist. How was she supposed to earn enough tips to support herself and set something aside for Victor if—no, when—she found him, if she didn’t give her customers something to look at on top of her witty repartee.
“Isn’t that dive you work at downtown?”
“It’s not a dive. And yes, it is. Sometimes I pull extra shifts for a friend at The Mark.” She never said no to extra cash, and she always raked it in at the Upper East Side hotel bar.
“Hello?” a voice interrupted from the pavement. “Injured man down here.”
“Get up, Freddie. You’re not hurt. I barely touched you.”
“You know this guy?” Gabe asked.
“He’s one of my regulars. Said he’d take me to the subway.” She glared down at him, hands on her hips. Just another one in a long line of losers that had hit on her in the past six months. It was like she was wearing a sign that said Attention all guys. Are you mentally stable? Gainfully employed? Reasonably attractive? Then keep away. “The subway, Freddie. Not to heaven against a slimy park viaduct.”
Freddie struggled to his knees. “It’s not my fault. You’ve been giving me mixed signals for months.”
“Mixed signals?” She raised one Doc Marten and aimed it at him, making him flinch before she broke off and scuffed the ground in front of him. He scuttled back like a frightened crab and she couldn’t help but scoff. “How’s that for a mixed signal, dirtbag?”
Gabe put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re relieved from duty, Freddie. I’ll see the lady home.”
“Like hell you will.” Devin shook off his hand. No way she was spending one minute more than necessary with Dudley Do‑Right. No matter how dead sexy he was. “The subway’s two blocks from here. I can make it just fine on my own.”
“I’m sure you can. But a gentleman always makes sure his date arrives home safely.” Gabe tugged off his suit jacket and wrapped it around Devin’s shoulders, shielding them—and the breasts barely concealed by her skimpy top—from Freddie’s prying eyes. “Isn’t that right, Freddie?”
“I’m not your date.” Devin’s gaze ping‑ponged from one man to the other. “Either of you.”
“Humor me.” Gabe’s hand held steady against the small of her back. The shivers she hadn’t noticed subsided, tempting her to succumb to the warm, reassuring feeling of a good man’s touch.
His touch.
“Have it your way.” Freddie stood and backed away slowly. “But I’m telling you, man, the chick is trouble.”
Devin started for him but Gabe held her back, and damn if his touch didn’t make her quiver all over again. What was it about Holly’s stuffed‑shirt brother that got her engine revving faster than a dirt bike at the X Games?
It couldn’t be the banging body she was pretty sure he hid under all those designer suits—broad shoulders that led to an equally broad chest, narrow waist, lean hips and long, strong legs. Or his stormy, gray eyes, intense and mysterious, never revealing what was going on behind them. And it sure as hell wasn’t his lips, full, firm and just right for hours of sensuous kissing.
“That’s a chance I’ll have to take.” Gabe slid his hand to her elbow, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake.
“It’s your funeral,” Freddie tossed over his shoulder as he fled into the darkness.
Buy Now
Triple Time (Book 2)
Triple Threat (Book 1)
Regina Kyle Guest Post
I’m so excited to be back at Recommended Romance! I was here in October talking about my debut novel, Triple Threat, and it’s hard to believe I’m already back talking about the second book in the Art of Seduction series, Triple Time.
In my last post here, I talked about why I wrote romance. One reason is that I’ve always been a big romance reader. So this time, I thought I’d tell you about ten of my favorite romance books, ones that have influenced me on my writer’s journey. In no particular order, here they are:
- It Had To Be You, Susan Elizabeth Phillips. The book that started my romance writing journey, by one of the true greats of the genre. Also my first SEP, the first in her Chicago Stars football series and the first book I checked out from the library on my new Nook. The woman can just flat out write. Her characters are fun, quirky, sympathetic, human. And the ending – let’s just say it got me hooked on grand gestures for life. Expect one in everything I write.
- Overexposed, Leslie Kelly. The book that started my obsession with Harlequin’s Blaze line and convinced me that’s where my voice belonged. Fast paced, sexy, sassy. All the things I love. And the best sex scene with food ever. Involving a cannoli. Seriously. A cannoli. How can you not like that? I will never view pastry in the same way again.
- A Rogue By Any Other Name, Sarah MacLean.
True confession: I’m not a historical reader. But I love, love, love everything this woman write. And I especially love her Rules Of Scoundrels series. Four partners running a gaming hell, each with their own secrets. It’s delicious. And she writes some of the hottest historical sex scenes out there.
- Simply Irresistible, Jill Shalvis. If you asked me who I’d most like to follow in terms of career path, and who I think my voice as a writer is most akin to, it’d be Jill Shalvis. She started in Blaze and is rocking the single title world, something I’d like to do some day. And she writes super steamy romance with a lot of heart and humor, something I like to think I do, too. While I’ve never read a Shalvis I didn’t like, I’m partial to her small town series set in Lucky Harbor, which kicks off with Simply Irresistible.
- See Jane Score, Rachel Gibson. I’m a big fan of all of Rachel Gibson’s work, but this is the one I find myself coming back to again and again. The plain Jane heroine. The hottie-hot hockey player. (I’m a sucker for a good sports romance.) The ritual where she has to kiss him before every game for luck. Perfection.
- Catch Of The Day, Kristan Higgins. A whole book where the hero, a taciturn Maine lobsterman, barely speaks. Yet Higgins manages to make him not only likeable but swoon worthy. Let’s face it, in many situations, talking is overrated.
- Laid Bare, Lauren Dane. My first foray into triads. Reading about them, that is. Dane makes the complicated three-person relationship not only believable but enviable. And her sex scenes are off the charts, even with all those body parts to contend with.
- Hot Head, Damon Suede. If you’re willing to dip a toe into the world of M/M romance, this is the place to start. Post 9-11. NYFD. Two firefighters each struggling in his own way with his sexual identity in an environment that’s not exactly gay-friendly. The writing is visceral, powerful, but sensitive. And Griff? OMG. The perfect man. I almost wished he was straight. Except then we wouldn’t have this wonderful story.
- Bet Me, Jennifer Cruise. An overweight heroine, a hero who is befuddled and entranced by her, loads of snarky wit, and a sexy donut scene that’s second in my estimation only to Leslie Kelly’s cannoli canoodling. Ask any romance writer for the books that inspired them, and there’s a good chance this one is high on their list.
- Pride And Prejudice, Jane Austen. Mr. Darcy. Need I say more? The granddaddy (or should that be grandmommy?) of all romance books. And one of the most adapted. I’m a sucker for virtually any P&P derivative, written or filmed. (Bride And Prejudice, anyone? Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star? Pride And Prejudice And Zombies? No, I’m not making any of these up. They all exist. And I’ve read or watched each of them.)
So that’s my top ten. What are some of your favorite romance novels? There’s so many good ones, it would take me a year of blogging (or more) to name them all.
About the Author
Regina Kyle knew she was destined to be an author when she won a writing contest at age ten with a touching tale about a squirrel and a nut pie. By day, she writes dry legal briefs, representing the state in criminal appeals. At night, she writes steamy romance with heart and humor.
A lover of all things theatrical, Regina lives on the Connecticut coast with her husband, teenaged daughter and two melodramatic cats. When she’s not writing, she’s most likely singing, reading, cooking or watching bad reality television. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America and her local RWA chapter. Triple Tine is her second novel. She is also the author of Triple Threat, the first book in her Art of Seduction series for Harlequin Blaze.
