SUGAR ON TOP by Marina Adair (April 28, 2015; Forever Mass Market; Sugar, Georgia Book #2)
She's sassy and sweet
The last thing Glory Mann wants is to become chairman of the Miss Peach Pageant in Sugar, Georgia. Spending months hearing nothing but the clinking of pearls and judgment? No thank you! But when Glory is forced to take the rap for a scandal she didn't commit, the judge sentences her to head the committee. Even worse, her co-chairman is rugged, ripped . . . and barely knows she's alive.
He's ready and willing
He's ready and willing
Single dad Cal McGraw can't take any more drama in his life. After a difficult divorce, his little girl became a boy-crazy teenager and his hands are full. The last thing he needs is to spend his down time with the town bad girl. Glory is pure trouble-tempting and tantalizing trouble. But he can't deny the strong chemistry between them-or how her touch turns him inside out. Now as squabbles threaten to blow up the contest and the town of Sugar itself, Cal must risk everything on the sexy wild card to get a second chance at love . . .
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About the author:
Marina Adair is a lifelong fan of romance novels. Along with the Sugar series, she is also the author of the St. Helena Vineyard series and the upcoming Shelter Cove series. She currently lives in a hundred-year-old log cabin, nestled in the majestic redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, with her husband and daughter. As a writer, Marina is devoted to giving her readers contemporary romance where the towns are small, the personalities large, and the romance explosive. She also loves to interact with readers and you can catch her on Twitter at @MarinaEAdair or visit her atwww.MarinaAdair.com.
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Glory
walked to the door and peeked out the peephole, doing some panting of her own
when she recognized Cal’s sexy blue eyes peeking back.
She
knew the minute he realized she was on the other side of the door because he
smiled and took a step back, as though waiting for her to just open up her door
and welcome him inside.
“I
know that you know it’s me, Boots, so open up.”
Oh,
she knew it was him all right. Her nipples told her that the second he’d
knocked. Plus she could smell the testosterone through the door, and his soap,
which from the looks of it he’d showered, too. Although, she thought bitterly,
he’d put on a fresh pair of jeans and an untucked gray button-up, not a pair of
shorts with dancing pigs on them and a tank that said RESIDENT BED HOG across
the chest.
“Or
I can go get my tools from the truck—your call.”
And
since the thought of Cal with tools made her hot, she opened the door—wide
enough to see his face.
“What
do you want?” she asked, more than aware that she hadn’t put her bra back on after
her shower.
“Our
date wasn’t over.”
Time
to be firm. “I had a fun time, I’d love to do it again, but like I already told
you, panties are a strict date five topic.”
“You
said date four if they’re special.”
She
had said that, damn it.
He
pushed the door open a tad and his eyes dropped to her pajamas. He grinned.
“And, Boots, those shorts don’t leave much room for imagination.” He pushed the
door open wider and leaned in. “Or panties.”
He
was right. She was commando under there. Not that she’d confirm his suspicions
or even had time to. Before she knew what was happening, Cal took her hand in
his and led her down the stairs toward his truck—and the already opened
passenger door.
She
stopped at the bottom step. “I’m not wearing shoes and I’m in my pajamas.”
“Which answers the question of what you sleep in.
Although, I have to admit, I took you for more of an in-the-buff girl.” She
felt her cheeks heat but played it cool. “Ah, good to know.”
Okay, maybe not so cool.
Cal slipped his jacket over her shoulders, then
turned around to offer her his back. “Pajama issue solved. Now climb on.”
Knowing that he wasn’t going to let her be until she
did as he asked, at least that was the lie she told herself, she wrapped her
arms around his neck and legs around his middle—which only managed to smash her
front deliciously against his broad, muscular back.
He walked her over to his truck, sat her on the
seat, and shut her door, not saying a word until he was in the driver’s seat
with his door shut.
He
didn’t start the engine, didn’t explain what he was doing, just turned to her
and smiled. “I had a great time tonight, which after my day seemed impossible.
But you made it fun, made it easy to talk about Payton, and just . . . easy.
With you, tonight, it all seemed so easy, so thank you.”
And
wasn’t that the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to her. “I had a great
time, too.”
“Good.”
His smile was back and he got out of the truck, walked around, and opened her
door.
Glory
rolled her eyes, but inside she was melting. “What are you doing?”
“Walking
my date to her doorstep.” He looked at her bare feet and waggled a brow. “Or
carrying.”
“That’s
okay, I can walk.” But one hand was already around her back, the other firmly
planted on her butt, and he was scooping her out of the truck, not putting her
down until he was up the stairs and at her door.
Hands
shoved in his pockets, he leaned against the rail. She opened her mouth to
speak when he said, “Hang on.” He reached out and closed her front door.
“There. Now, you were saying.”
“Just, thank you,” she whispered and neither of them
moved, neither of them spoke. It was as though time hung, and in that one
moment nothing else mattered. Only the two of them and this insane connection.
His eyes dropped and he cleared his throat. That’s
when she realized he was waiting for his jacket.
“Oh, right. Sorry.” She started to take it off when
he gripped the collar and tugged her to him.
“I don’t care about the jacket, I’ll get it next
time.”
Her knees wobbled at the idea that he wanted a next time.
Oh my God, Charlotte was right, she had it bad.
Glory was a certified McGraw addict; she had every last symptom, even down to
wanting their next time to be now.
Cal
must have been suffering from the same affliction, because he tilted his head
and delivered a gentle kiss that seemed to last for hours. Languid and soft and
with deliberate control, the man kissed her as if there was nowhere else he’d
rather be. This wasn’t a race or a sprint to the bed; to him, kissing was his
way of connecting, sharing.
By
the time they came up for air, Glory’s bones had turned to mush and her entire
world had shifted because Cal wasn’t just special, he was perfect.
Then
he did the one thing that could have made her fall, had her opening herself up
to all the what-ifs and going all in. Cal gave her one last kiss on the cheek
and made his way down the stairs, giving her what she wanted, time to prove he
was serious, that she was worth waiting for, worth fighting for.
Only
every step he took caused her chest to coil tighter and tighter until it hurt
to breathe.
One
date. A hundred. It didn’t matter. This was Cal. He was one of the good ones.
He’d come all this way, in the middle of the night, to escort her to the door,
and there she was, watching him walk away, wondering if she’d get another
chance.
The
least she could do was invite him inside and offer him a cold beverage.
He
was rounding the truck when her feet finally got the message from her brain,
and she took off down the steps, not stopping until she was standing in front
of him. “Don’t go.”
I was lucky enough to get a review copy thanks to the
publisher through NetGalley. I loved Sugar’s
Twice as Sweet, the first book in the Sugar, Georgia series and was excited
to read Sugar on Top.
I loved Glory Mann and how strong her character is in Sugar on Top. She is such a smart and
fun character. I love how protective she is of her grandmother and that she
will do anything to take care of her family. Glory has been the town scandal
and bad girl since she was in high school. Enter town good boy Cal McGraw, who
happens to be her best friend's older brother. The attraction between Glory and
Cal was obvious from the first time they were together.
Cal's first priority has always been his teen daughter
Payton. I love that as a divorced dad, he always puts his daughter first. His
ex-wife doesn't always follow through on promises with Payton, so Cal has
always had to be there for her. Payton is a normal teenage girl and has all the
normal teen girl worries. I really loved the father-daughter relationship and
how Ms. Adair portrayed it in Sugar on Top.
Glory and Cal keep being thrown together and the more time
they spend together, the harder it is for them to ignore their attraction to
one another. I loved how strong their chemistry was and felt like they made
each other happier when together. I also loved that Glory had a connection with
Cal's daughter Payton and Payton trusted Glory and had a woman she could depend
on to guide her.
I grew up in a small town and totally felt the small-town
dynamics in Sugar, Georgia. Ms. Adair is spot-on in the hierarchy in a small
town and all the humor and the drama that goes along with it. The town becomes
a character itself in a small-town story, and I really want to go visit Sugar,
Georgia.
I really enjoyed Sugar
on Top a great deal. I loved watching Cal finally put himself first in his
life and watching Glory and Cal fall in love was wonderful. I love this series
and am already counting down for the next book in this series.
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