Today's My Sexy Saturday theme is "what happens after you say THE END?" I'm a fan of epilogues, since I like to see what's happening with characters after they've gotten their happily-ever-after ending. To me it's like getting a Christmas card from my fave characters, letting me know how things are going in their new lives.
My seven paragraphs are from the epilogue of I Do. . . or Die, where Shelby, the commitment-phobe bridesmaid, is getting ready to take the plunge into matrimony, something she never expected to do. It feels a little weird to share an ending of a book you probably haven't read yet! But it shouldn't be a surprise that there's a HEA since it's a romance. Anyway, hope you enjoy!
The door to the brides’ dressing room slammed open. We all turned to see who would have the audacity—My stomach flipped over, and then flipped back. It was getting such a workout, I’d hopefully never have to do another sit-up again my entire life.
"Ryan," I breathed as he strode towards me, a gorgeous grin on his way too gorgeous face. If I had thought him handsome in his detective suit, or in his jeans, the sight of him in a Hugo Boss tuxedo made me melt.
"You can’t see me before the wedding," I practically screeched. I clamped my hands over his eyes.
His hands were at my waist, and he leaned close to my ear, whispering. "I’ve already seen you—every glorious bit of you—just this morning. Remember?"
My face went up into flames, which should have set off the smoke detector, and sizzled Ryan’s skin right off his sexy lips.
"Well, it was just a trial run for the honeymoon," I said in a very prim voice, backing away from him, smoothing the lace overlay of my dress while I tried to regain my composure.
~~~~~
"Always a bridesmaid, never a bride" is Shelby Atwood's personal credo. She’s managed to avoid commitment all her life – no pets, no plants, not even a long-term lease. Heck, she’s had colds last longer than her romantic relationships. How could she be any other way when she has a gigolo for a father?
But then gunfire erupts at the latest wedding she’s agreed to be in, and it ends up being the best thing to happen to Shelby’s love life. Detective Ryan Nichols is assigned to the case, and when the shootings don’t stop, he becomes her 24-hour bodyguard. Shelby wouldn’t mind except Ryan is too appealing, too sexy, and too happy to remind her of the raucous bachelorette party when she mistook him for a stripper.
Shelby’s plan is simple: find the shooter, have a fling with Ryan, and return to her non-committal life. Unfortunately, the shooter is very elusive. Shelby’s feelings for Ryan are way more than adrenaline-fueled lust. And returning to her normal life is now impossible since, despite her lifelong resistance, she’s managed to put her heart smack dab in the line of fire.
