Finding himself in Claire's bed
wearing nothing but a Zorro mask wasn't exactly how Zane planned his Halloween.
It was a certainty his sister’s best friend would lose her mind when she
realized what they'd done. Having been secretly in love with Claire for years,
Zane has no choice but to hide his identity. But he can’t just walk away...
Claire knew waking up naked and
alone was just a part of a one-night stand. So she wasn’t too upset to find her
mystery man had bounced sometime during the night. But when she finds his mask
and a note, she can’t help but be intrigued. A few corny poems later, Claire
starts a hunt to discover the identity of the mysterious “Z”. His demanding,
yet sincere, persistence arouses not only her desire to recapture the magic
they had shared on Halloween, but stirs up hidden desires she’s held on to for
years.
When her best friend’s brother
suddenly ups his flirting game, Claire is caught somewhere between her
clandestine admirer and the man she knows she can’t have. Will she choose the
secretive "Z" who won't even tell her his name, or risk her relationship
with her best friend and take a chance on Zane?
Clandestine:
A Garden Falls Novel
Allie
Kincheloe
Excerpt
1:
Turning into the packed parking lot at Garden,
Claire stomped the brakes and winced. Her car screeched to a stop, the bumper
mere inches from Dracula and Medusa. The kissing couple didn't seem to notice
their near brush with death. If they did, it didn't bother them enough to
interrupt their embrace, anyway. With an exasperated shake of her head, Claire
eased her car around them, glancing toward the front of the building as she
crept slowly by. The line of people went from the double front doors, all the
way around the side under the big stained glass windows. Of course it would,
every adult in town under thirty was inside the club—or wanted to be. She
finally found an empty spot at the back of the lot. A sports car was straddling
the line, but it left just enough space for Claire to squeeze her little
compact car in between it and the red Ford truck on the left. The Richland
Construction sign on the door of the big truck made her sigh.
Shit. The last thing she wanted to deal with
tonight was Zane freaking Richmond. The big goof had made it his life's mission
to make her smile for years. But lately? Oh, lately, he'd taken it a step
further and the teasing had taken on more of a flirty tone. And now her heart
went crazy every time he smiled her direction. Which happened way more than she
wanted to admit. If he wasn't her best friend's brother, maybe... But after all
that she and Talia had been through, endangering their friendship all for an
uncertain relationship with Zane wasn't something she was willing to chance.
It was just one night. She could ignore
him for one night.
Even
if he flirted? No... Some
things just weren't worth the risk. And despite how much that little dimple
when he laughed begged her to kiss it, or how her heart fluttered whenever
their hands brushed, she couldn't give in to the temptation of Zane.
With a fortifying breath, Claire
stepped out of her car. She pulled the rest of her costume from the back seat.
Huge wings. Tonight, she was an angel. The snowy white feathers weighed heavily
on her back. But with her mask and wings firmly in place, she strode up to the
worn brick building. Zane Richmond wasn't going to keep her from this party.
Not tonight. Halloween was her favorite holiday and she'd be damned if she let
his presence stop her.
She got in line behind a pair of ninjas
and crept slowly toward the entrance, inch by inch. The slow moving line gave
her too much time to worry. It would be a miracle if she was able to find her
friends in the crowded club. At least she'd be able to find Sean. Even if he
was in costume, the massive bartender her best friend had just married would be
easy to find. And he'd be able to point Talia out.
A shiver coursed down her spine as the
cool autumn breeze picked up. The angel costume really needed more fabric to be
appropriate for this weather. She rubbed her hands over her bare arms, trying
to warm the chilled flesh. She almost reneged on her promise to show up tonight
when the line stopped moving for a minute. With the sun high in the sky today,
the air had warmed to the mid-fifties. But now that it had eased below the
horizon, those warmer temperatures were falling fast. She didn't recognize the
bouncer, but the jerk laughed at her chattering teeth when she finally made it
to the door. She showed him ID and got the 21+ stamp on her hand.
Oh she definitely planned to have a few
drinks tonight. This week had been damn ridiculous at work. They'd lost three
patients due to various complications and her stress level had reached its max.
She was so ready for some alcohol and a little relaxation. A few drinks, maybe
some dancing where she could get close to a hot guy for a bit.
Slipping her ID inside the tiny pocket
she'd sewn on her costume, she fought a shiver as her body tried to adjust to
the temperature difference. Ten feet
inside the club Peter Pan asked her to dance. She eyed him carefully. He was
kinda cute. Glancing down, she vetoed that. Nope. Not nearly enough in those
tights to tempt her. She gave him a
soft smile and let him down easy. "Sorry, Pete. I'm an angel, not a fairy.
Keep looking, you'll find your Tinkerbell."
Excerpt 2:
The loud blare of a train whistle pulled Zane from the depths of
sleep. Why was there a train? Where the hell was he? There weren't any trains
near the lake. His Zorro mask blocked one eye. Tugging it up, he blinked a few
times until his eyes adjusted to the dim light. A four poster bed? Satin sheets
and pillows, a sweet perfume lingering in the air. Not his apartment.
Silky, long hair splayed across his bare chest. A soft arm lay across
his stomach. Feathers tickled his arm. Feathers?
Damn.
He'd went home with Claire. Not just went home with her, but went to
bed with her. That was her arm. Her naked body pressed so temptingly against
his side. The feathers from her angel costume bent around his arm. And damn,
she felt just as amazing as he'd dreamed she would.
She'd hate him
when she woke up and discovered him in her bed.
He gulped down a ball of dread when that little speck of
consciousness dropped into active thought. No way would she be cool with this.
Not even a little bit. His heart and mind raced while he tried to come up with
a plan that didn't end with Claire castrating him. She'd made it clear how
little she cared for him, repeatedly.
He wasn't even sure why she seemed to hate him so much. Back when
they were teenagers, she'd followed him around like a lost puppy for about a
year. And even the year she'd half-lived with Talia they'd been cool. But it
seemed like the more he tried to make her like him, the less she did.
And finding out they'd had a drunken one-night-stand? Yeah. No. He
liked his balls just where they were. Firmly attached to his body.
Excerpt
3:
"Talia! Come in, how are you feeling?" Her best friend gave
her a quick hug before coming inside.
"I'm good. I wanted to see if you wanted to come with me to
Garden? Hang out for a bit?" Talia sat and propped her swollen feet up on
the coffee table. "How you been? I'm sorry I didn't make it out to the
costume party. This pregnancy is kicking my butt." She rubbed her belly
with a soft smile on her face.
"I have to be at work early in the morning. I do need to run by
Garden though. I..." Claire trailed off giggling. "Oh, I have to tell
you. I have a secret admirer!"
"What?"
"Okay, so since you totally bailed on me for the Halloween
party, I went alone. I mean, that costume was too fine and too expensive to
waste, right?" Claire paused only for a second before continuing,
"So... I'm standing there at the bar and this guy walks up and asks me to
dance. And he's totally hot, so I'm like okay. And so we dance. And drink. And
dance. And kiss—oh my God, can he kiss. And well, the details get a bit fuzzy,
but I uh... brought him home with me."
"That's a one night stand, not a secret admirer." Talia
nudged her.
"I know that." Claire nudged back, but gentler. "When
I woke up, he was gone."
"So romantic... Never understood the whole hit it and quit it
thing?"
"But he didn't! Well, I guess kinda... but he went and got me
flowers. And left me a note that's signed Z for Zorro. And then a poem on my
car, and a poem beneath the door." Claire jumped up and ran to her bedroom
to get the other notes.
When she came back, she dropped them in Talia's lap. "See, look.
How sweet is that? I have to write my next note and leave it at Garden."
Talia read the notes, with Claire watching her face the entire time.
There was a hint of confusion, then something that Claire thought might be
anger, before Talia's face softened into a smile.
"So, Z, huh? What are you saying back to him?" Talia raised
an eyebrow.
"I don't know. Pretty sure I sounded ignorant in my first
note." Laying her head on Talia's shoulder, Claire asked, "Can you
help me come up with something?"
"I suppose." Her doubtful tone made Claire sit up and look
at her.
"What's that supposed to mean? You found love in an
unconventional way. Who's to say I can't. Something about this guy..."
Claire flipped her hair back. She searched for the words to explain how Z made
her feel. How even his note made her feel.
"Okay, I'll help you. But keep it G-rated, alright?" Talia
shook her head. "Sean has made me more willing to try some things, but
this is a line I won't cross. And if you all get more X-rated than the whisker
burn, I don't want to read them."
"Why not?" Claire poked Talia's belly. "Baby stole
your sex drive?"
"Hush. My sex drive is just fine. I just don't need to hear
about yours right now. Unless you want to hear about just how good Sean is with
his—"
"Got it!" Laughing, Claire grabbed the stationery.
"So... what do I say to Z?"
"Aren't you going to try to figure out who he is?"
"Pretty sure it's a guy who works at the hospital. I think he's
an anesthesiologist." After a lot of thought, she could only think of one
guy who might be romantic enough to pull this sort of seduction off.
Talia shook her head. "I wouldn't get too attached to that idea,
if I were you."
Claire met her friend's gaze. "Do you know something I
don't?"
"Nope.
I wasn't even there to see Zorro, remember? Don't know anything about him
except he had a scratchy beard." Something about the expression on her
face said Talia knew more than she was saying.
Book Links:
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