With: Samantha Chase
Giveaway Alert!
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE
Brilliant astrophysicist Dr. Owen Shaughnessy feels more connected to the cosmos than to people. He’s great with calculations, but when he leads a team of scientists to study a famous meteor shower, he doesn’t factor in his free-spirited artist assistant Brooke Matthews.
LOVE CAN DAZZLE YOU
Polar opposites in personality, the friction between them threatens to derail the project. But the beauty and mystery of the night sky draw Owen and Brooke together—and she’s going to surprise him in ways the stars never could.
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Excerpt:
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Excerpt:
“That was…interesting.”
“I never thought I’d see those two mediums used together.”
“I may have to stab my own eyes out to make sure I never see it
again,” Brooke said and then shuddered. They had just left the art gallery, and
she waited until they were at the corner before looking at Owen. “I am so
sorry.”
He looked taken aback by her apology. “Why?”
“That was horrible! Everything in there was offensive and tasteless
and just…wrong! I can’t believe an art professor would recommend that to
anyone!”
“Maybe he didn’t know exactly what kind of art was being displayed.”
Brooke shook her head. “He had to know. He raved about the whole
thing—like he was familiar with the kind of work this guy did!”
“Maybe he’s into that kind of thing. There were a lot of people
there who were praising pretty much everything they saw.”
Even though she knew Owen was right, she was still horrified. All of
the pictures featured nudes in cages—and then there was wire caging coming out
of the picture to give it a 3-D effect. Splashes of color looked as if they
were just thrown onto the canvas, and all in all the exhibit had been fairly
horrific to her. Brooke didn’t consider herself a prude, but these images were
definitely not something she would have chosen to see.
Ever.
And now she was mortified because she had invited Owen along. To his
credit, he didn’t seem the least bit fazed by the whole thing. It was possible
he was trying to be polite and didn’t want to offend her in case she found the
work interesting. But after the first five minutes of being there, Brooke had
wanted to escape. Somehow, however, Owen had drawn her into conversation as
they walked around the gallery and made several observations that had her
wondering if he really didn’t see what was so…bizarre about the entire thing.
And that had been eye-opening for her. They stayed much longer than
she’d imagined they would—especially after seeing the art—but they had talked
the entire time, and after a while, she didn’t even notice their surroundings.
She simply enjoyed the conversation, which turned to the architecture of the
building rather than the show.
“So that was an art showing,” Owen said conversationally.
She nodded. “I really wish it had been a better experience.”
“Is this the sort of thing you want to do? Have your paintings
displayed in one particular gallery?”
“I think so. That was one of the reasons I went to talk to Dr.
Kennedy. I really wanted his input on ways to get my name out there to some of
the local galleries. I was hoping he’d give me some insight into how to get
started.”
Without commenting, Owen simply nodded.
“I don’t know about you,” she began, “but the thought of walking
back to the pier is just a little exhausting. Would you mind if we grabbed a
cab?”
“Not at all.” Walking to the curb, he quickly hailed one, and once
they were inside, he instructed the driver where to take them.
“Thank you,” Brooke said, resting her head back on the seat. “I know
I could have made the walk, but I’m just worn out.”
“It was a lot of walking,” he agreed. “I’ll have the driver drop you
at your car and take me back to my hotel.”
“Oh.”
Turning his head toward her, he looked at her until she met his
gaze. “What’s wrong?”
She shrugged. It was silly to be disappointed. Looking at the clock
on the dashboard, she knew it was late—almost midnight—but she wasn’t ready for
the night to end.
“I just thought I’d drive you back there, and maybe we could have a
drink or something before we called it a night.”
He studied her for a moment, and she was afraid she had been too
forward and he was going to turn her down.
“I’d like that,” he said, surprising her yet again.
“Good,” she said, smiling.
The ride to her car took only a few minutes, and Owen paid the
driver and thanked him as they climbed out. Silently they walked to her car,
and for the first time that night, she truly felt nervous. There wasn’t
anything she could put her finger on, but for some reason Brooke knew it was a
big deal that they were out together tonight and they were both unwilling to
let the night come to an end.
Or perhaps she was seeing only what she wanted to see.
They stopped next to her car, and she turned to him. “I don’t think
I know what hotel you’re staying at.”
“It would probably be easier for me to drive. That is…if you don’t
mind.”
Brooke willingly handed him the keys, and they were on the move
minutes later. Traffic was a little bit lighter than it had been earlier in the
evening but still heavier than she would have expected for this time of night.
Everything was lit up, and the sidewalks were still crowded, and she loved the
energy of it all. They turned off the main road, and Owen pulled into an
underground garage and parked.
“I was so busy people-watching I didn’t even notice where we are.”
There was a possibility that was the wrong thing to admit to, but…
“That’s okay,” he said, taking the keys out and handing them to her.
Neither made a move to get out of the car though.
She watched him for a moment—noticed how he was staring at the
steering wheel and how he seemed to be thinking about something but she had no
idea what. Turning in her seat, she faced him. “Owen—”
“I’d like to kiss you,” he blurted out.
Her eyes went wide, and her heart beat madly in her chest. “You…you
would?”
Owen looked at her, his dark eyes so full of emotion. He shook his
head. “I’m sure there was a more eloquent way to say that, but…I’m not very
eloquent,” he added quietly.
Great book ... this entire Shaughnessy Brothers series has been great. If you love a close knit family series, this is for you. There's a book for each of the brothers (with lil' sis yet to come) and each one has been a sweet, sexy and fun love story! I'm looking forward to Darcy's story. :)
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