Can't Help Falling In Love Part 26

He held his hands up and she hated the way it felt like he was laughing at her. "Okay. Sure they do. You've probably got a guy stashed away somewhere, ready to pop a ring on your finger, don't you?"

G.o.d, how she wished she could say yes, that she could rub a gorgeous, hunky, successful boyfriend in his face.

Although, since he wouldn't care, the victory would be short-lived, wouldn't it?

Planting a fake smile on her face, she shrugged. "Nope. Still having fun, playing the field."

For a split second, she thought she saw something flash in his chocolate-brown eyes, but it was gone so fast she knew she must have imagined his reaction to the idea of her dating a bunch of random guys.

If anything, he was probably feeling overprotective of her in a brotherly way. He'd probably freak out if he ever realized she looked at him as anything but, if he knew the kinds of fantasies she had about him, ones that included whipped cream and blindfolds and screaming out his na- She forcefully snapped herself out of the wicked-pointless-daydream just as he said, "Well, don't worry. You're a pretty girl. Some guy will come along and sweep you off your feet."

Oh my G.o.d. Seriously? Had the number one subject of all her secret fantasies just called her a pretty girl...and then told her not to worry about some guy coming to sweep her away?

As he gazed at her with a double serving of male condescension, something inside Sophie snapped...breaking right in two, somewhere in the region of her heart.

Sophie knew she was attractive. Even without looking in the mirror, just judging by the way men responded to her identical twin, Lori, she knew her features and figure were put together pretty well.

Only, unlike Lori, Sophie had never tried to trade on her looks for male attention.

In the past year, she'd read literally hundreds of love stories for her library project. Suddenly it hit her: What if she put everything she'd learned about seduction to good use?

What if she made Jake want her?

What if she could find a way to make him desperate to have her?

He was a man, after all. And, no matter how rusty her feminine wiles, she was a woman.

Licking her lips, the power of her new intention had her sitting up straighter in her chair, pulling back her shoulders, and crossing her legs to let her white dress ride up past her knees.

Amazingly, Jake actually looked uncomfortable, as if he were finally seeing something he didn't want to-ever-have to acknowledge.

And in that moment, Sophie didn't have to work for the wicked little smile on her lips. Not now that she'd decided on her plan of action. Because as soon as she figured out how to get Jake right where she wanted him, she was going to make darn sure she exacted a little revenge for her poor unrequited heart.

Oh yes, she was going to teach him the lesson someone should have taught him a long time ago.

Namely, that he couldn't have every girl in the world.

Especially not her.

~ THE END ~.

Don't miss the first two books in Bella Andre's Sullivan family series ~ out now!

THE LOOK OF LOVE.

(Chase & Chloe, The Sullivans #1) FROM THIS MOMENT ON.

(Marcus & Nicola, The Sullivans #2) Watch for Book #4 coming early 2012!

I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU.

(Sophie & Jake) * * *

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(1) Post a review for CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE at Barnesandn.o.ble.com between now and January 31, 2012. Each posted review is eligible for entry, including reviews at sites such as Goodreads and book review / romance blogs.

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Please enjoy the following excerpts from Bella Andre's books...

THE LOOK OF LOVE.

Chase & Chloe The Sullivans # 1 2011 Bella Andre Chloe Peterson is having a bad night. A really bad night. The large bruise on her cheek can attest to that. And when her car skids off the side of a wet country road straight into a ditch, she's convinced even the gorgeous guy who rescues her in the middle of the rain storm must be too good to be true. Or is he?

As a successful photographer who frequently travels around the world, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women, and whenever he's home in San Francisco, one of his seven siblings is usually up for causing a little fun trouble. Chase thinks his life is great just as it is-until the night he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the road in Napa Valley. Not only has Chase never met anyone so lovely, both inside and out, but he quickly realizes Chloe has much bigger problems than her damaged car. Soon, Chase is willing to move mountains to love-and protect-her, but will Chloe let him?

Chloe vows never to make the mistake of trusting a man again. Only, with every loving look Chase gives her-and every sinfully sweet caress-as the attraction between them sparks and sizzles, she can't help but wonder if she's met the only exception. And although Chase didn't realize his life was going to change forever in an instant, amazingly, he isn't the least bit interested in fighting that change. Instead, he's gearing up for a different fight altogether...for Chloe's heart.

Enjoy the following excerpt for THE LOOK OF LOVE...

Chase almost missed the flickering light off on the right side of the two-lane country road. In the past thirty minutes, he hadn't pa.s.sed a single car, because on a night like this, most sane Californians-who didn't know the first thing about driving safely in inclement weather-stayed home.

Knowing better than to slam on the brakes-he wouldn't be able to help whomever was stranded on the side of the road if he ended up stuck in the muddy ditch right next to them-Chase slowed down enough to see that there was definitely a vehicle stuck in the ditch.

He turned his brights on to see better in the pouring rain and realized there was a person walking along the edge of the road about a hundred yards up ahead. Obviously hearing his car approach, she turned to face him and he could see her long wet hair whipping around her shoulders in his headlights.

Wondering why she wasn't just sitting in her car, dry and warm, calling Triple A and waiting for them to come save her, he pulled over to the edge of his lane and got out to try and help her. She was shivering as she watched him approach.

"Are you hurt?"

She covered her cheek with one hand, but shook her head. "No."

He had to move closer to hear her over the sound of the water hitting the pavement in what were rapidly becoming hailstones. Even though he'd turned his headlights off, as his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, he was able to get a better look at her face.

Something inside of Chase's chest clenched tight.

Despite the long, dark hair plastered to her head and chest, regardless of the fact that looking like a drowned rat wasn't too far off the descriptive mark, her beauty stunned him.

In an instant, his photographer's eye cataloged her features. Her mouth was a little too big, her eyes a little too wide-set on her face. She wasn't even close to model thin, but given the way her T-shirt and jeans stuck to her skin, he could see that she wore her lush curves well. In the dark he couldn't judge the exact color of her hair, but it looked like silk, perfectly smooth and straight where it lay over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

It wasn't until Chase heard her say, "My car is definitely hurt, though," that he realized he had completely lost the thread of what he'd come out here to do.

Knowing he'd been drinking her in like he was dying of thirst, he worked to recover his balance. He could already see he'd been right about her car. It didn't take a mechanic like his brother, Zach, who owned an auto shop-more like forty, but Chase had stopped counting years ago-to see that her s.h.i.tty hatchback was borderline totaled. Even if the front b.u.mper wasn't half smashed to pieces by the white farm fence she'd slid into, her bald tires weren't going to get any traction on the mud. Not tonight, anyway.

If her car had been in a less precarious situation, he probably would have sent her to hang out in her car while he took care of getting it unstuck. But one of her back tires was hanging precariously over the edge of the ditch.

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Get in my car. We can wait there for a tow truck." He was vaguely aware of his words coming out like an order, but the hail was starting to sting, d.a.m.n it. Both of them needed to get out of the rain before they froze.

But the woman didn't move. Instead, she gave him a look that said he was a complete and utter nut-job.

"I'm not getting into your car."

Realizing just how frightening it must be for a lone woman to end up stuck and alone in the middle of a dark road, Chase took a step back from her. He had to speak loudly enough for her to hear him over the hail.

"I'm not going to attack you. I swear I won't do anything to hurt you."

She all but flinched at the word attack and Chase's radar started buzzing. He'd never been a magnet for troubled women, wasn't the kind of guy who thrived on fixing wounded birds. But living with two sisters for so many years meant he could always tell when something was up.

And something was definitely up with this woman, beyond the fact that her car was half-stuck in a muddy ditch.

Wanting to make her feel safe, he held his hands up. "I swear on my father's grave, I'm not going to hurt you. It's okay to get into my car." When she didn't immediately say no again, he pressed his advantage with, "I just want to help you." And he did. More than it made sense to want to help a stranger. "Please," he said. "Let me help you."

She stared at him for a long moment, hail hammering between them, around them, onto them. Chase found himself holding his breath, waiting for her decision. It shouldn't matter to him what she decided.

But, for some strange reason, it did.

Chloe Peterson had never felt so wet, so miserable...or so desperate. She'd been beating the speed limit for the past couple of hours, before the storm had kicked into overdrive. She'd slowed down considerably on the super-slick pavement, but her tires were old and bald, and before she knew it, her car was skidding off the road.

Straight into a muddy ditch.

It might have been easier-smarter, too-to sit in her car and wait out the storm. But she'd been too keyed up to stay still. She'd needed to keep moving, otherwise the thoughts knocking around in her head were going to catch up with her, so she'd slung her backpack over her shoulders and stepped out into the rain, just as it turned into out-and-out hail.

The hard little pellets hurt her skin, but she'd been glad for the cold, for the sting. Because it gave her something else to focus on, something besides what had happened just hours ago.

She hadn't been sure exactly where she was-or what she was headed forbut she'd hoped she was walking in the direction of town.

All night long the roads had been strangely empty, but she'd barely starting walking away from her car when she'd realized headlights were coming up behind her.

Fear had knocked into her again as the car pulled over to the side and she'd had to stop to brace herself to withstand it. She was all alone on a dark, wet, country road. She didn't have her cell phone, and even if she had, she doubted there was enough reception out here in the storm for it to get a signal.

And then a mana large manhad gotten out of his car and started walking toward her, telling her to get into his car.

No way.

He'd tried to convince her that she was safe with him. He'd said all the right things, but she'd had too much experience with people like that, who easily said one thing, then did another.

"I don't know you," she told him. He could be an axe murderer. She had feet. She'd walk and find a place to dry off later.

She could see the frustration on his face, knew he was about to try and reason with her again, when suddenly, the sound of skidding tires came at them. Before she knew what was happening, he was pulling her into his arms. She didn't have time to think of fighting him, didn't even consider it when she realized a fast-moving motorcycle was practically on top of them.

She closed her eyes, bracing for impact, when the man effortlessly lifted her and jumped into the ditch, holding her tightly against him.

She opened her eyes just in time to watch the motorcycle's back tires skid and then finally catch hold just in the place she'd been standing. Her heart, which had all but stopped, started racing again as she watched it speed away.

"Are you okay?"

Chloe looked up at the man who had shielded her from harm with his own body, and for the first time since he'd stepped out of his car, she was. .h.i.t hard with the realization of just how attractive he was.

No, she silently admitted to herself. Attractive was a paltry word for a man like this. Even in the darkness, she could see that he put other men to shame. As big as she'd first thought, even in the cold rain, he was utterly gorgeous.

And her body was reacting with surprising heat.

Or maybe, she suddenly realized, that heat was coming from the fact that he was still cradling her in his strong arms.

The way he'd moved her out of the way of the too-close motorcycle had her teetering on the edge of trusting him. And on any other night, perhaps it would have been enough. But was it?

They were both splattered with mud from where he'd landed with her in his arms and now that they were safe again, she struggled to stand up, to try and right her thoughts so that she could come to some sort of rational decision.

"Wait a minute," he said, "let me get us out of here."

A few moments later, he put her down on the side of the road. "It really isn't safe to be out here. Not for either of us."

Common sense told her he was right, and yet, she was still wary. Incredibly so.

But at this very moment what other choice did she have?

Replaying in her mind the way he'd protected her from harm, Chloe finally, said, "Okay. I'll go with you."

She sincerely hoped she didn't end up regretting her choice.

...Excerpt from THE LOOK OF LOVE by Bella Andre 2011.

Buy The Look of Love for your Nook.

FROM THIS MOMENT ON.

Marcus & Nicola ~ The Sullivans #2 2011 Bella Andre For thirty-six years, Marcus Sullivan has been the responsible older brother, stepping in to take care of his seven siblings after their father died when they were children. But when the perfectly ordered future he's planned for himself turns out to be nothing but a lie, Marcus needs one reckless night to shake free from it all.

Nicola Harding is known throughout the world by only one name - Nico - for her catchy, sensual pop songs. Only, what no one knows about the twenty-five year old singer is that her s.e.x-kitten image is totally false. After a terrible betrayal by a man who loved fame far more than he ever loved her, she vows not to let anyone else get close enough to find out who she really is...or hurt her again. Especially not the gorgeous stranger she meets at a nightclub, even though the hunger - and the sinful promises - in his dark eyes make her want to spill all her secrets.

One night is all Nicola and Marcus agree to share with each other. But nothing goes as they plan when instead of simply tangling limbs, they find a deeper connection than either of them could have antic.i.p.ated. And even though they both try to fight it, growing emotions - and sizzling attraction - keep drawing them closer together.

Close enough for them to wonder if stealing one more secret moment together can ever be enough?

Enjoy the following excerpt for FROM THIS MOMENT ON...

Marcus Sullivan was known for his patience. After helping to raise his seven siblings, he'd learned to wait out tantrums, fistfights, even tears.