Title: Restless Ink
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Series: Montgomery Ink #3
Release Date: September 17, 2018
The Montgomery Ink series continues with the so-called sensible sister and the one man she never should have fallen for.
For Thea Montgomery, baking isn’t only therapeutic, it’s also her dream job. She’s worked countless hours keeping her bakery afloat, and now that it’s where she wants it to be, she’s ready to expand and take the next step. When it comes to work and her family, she’s on top of her game. Her personal life, however, is a different story.
When Dimitri Carr isn’t teaching and hiding his ink under long sleeves to keep the bosses happy, he’s trying to be the best brother and friend he can be. After his divorce, he’d thought he would lose Thea from his life forever because she’s his ex-wife’s best friend. But now that he’s free, and the two of them realize they want to keep their friendship. Then he finally sees what he’s been missing all this time.
But there are more problems than the fact that Dimitri is Thea’s best friend’s ex. And when accidental touches and flirtations aren’t enough for either of them, and they’re finally ready to take the next step, they’ll find out exactly what that cost is for crossing that line. And will need to find the strength to face it.
Thea knew she’d had one too many glasses of wine by the time her family walked out of her house to their waiting drivers. All of them had opted to use Lyft rather than drive, and for that, Thea was grateful. Hell, she was glad all she had to do was clean up before going to bed. No one had made too much of a mess, and everyone had helped clean up some of it already, but she just wanted to sleep.
Of course, one person had stayed behind to help her, and now she was sure she’d had too much wine. She was tipsy, not drunk, and much too warm to make any good decisions. So, she wouldn’t make any.
“You don’t have to stay, Dimitri.”
“I’m helping you clean. You might be able to push your family out because they’re going to host soon, but you can’t push me out.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “How drunk are you? Should I be calling you a Lyft, too?”
He shook his head. “I had a few beers and will schedule my own Lyft. I like that we all did that instead of trying to risk it. Makes me happy that you all think ahead.”
“We don’t drink together that often anymore and, apparently, that final game of Twister sent us all over the edge.”
Dimitri snorted. “I still think you cheated on right foot yellow.”
She gasped. “Liar. I didn’t cheat. You fell. You don’t have the moves to twist, Dimitri. Just let it be known.”
“Cheat.”
Her face warmed, and she went right up to him, tilting her head back since he was so much taller. “What? I could beat you again, and we both know it.”
He held up the board and casually flicked the spinner. “Prove it.”
“Just the two of us? I don’t think so.”
“Bawk.”
“Did you just… did you just make a chicken noise at me?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t hear you, all I hear is clucking. Bawk.”
She lifted her chin, then stripped off her shrug so she wore only her maxi dress. She needed space to move, and it wasn’t easy to play in a dress to begin with, but she was no cheat. She ignored the way Dimitri’s eyes followed her movements, thinking the warmth she felt had to be the wine, nothing else.
“Fine. Game on.”
Dimitri just smiled, and soon, the two of them were standing on the floor mat, laughing like loons as they tried to twist. Having him spin for the two of them wasn’t easy, but she’d be damned if she allowed him to call her a cheat.
Only, when she went for left foot green, her leg twisted with Dimitri’s and they both went down. He tried to move so he took the brunt of the fall, but her dress got in the way, and she ended up on her back, her dress hiked up to her thighs, and Dimitri nestled between them.
She stiffened, her breath going ragged.
“Shit,” Dimitri muttered. “Shit.”
She didn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything. She could only feel him, feel the wine in her system. She wasn’t drunk enough to make a mistake, but not sober enough to move away from him either.
And when his breath warmed her cheek, she did the one thing she shouldn’t, she tilted her head ever so slightly, so their lips brushed.
And then, she was lost.
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, and Gallagher Brothers series, which have sold over 2.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over fifty novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not writing about bearded tattooed men or alpha wolves that need to find their mates, she’s reading as much as she can and exploring the world of baking and gourmet cooking.
