I love tropes...

With: Melynda Price

Congratulations to "Natalija", the winner in Melynda's giveaway. Please contact JUST CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE to claim your prize!

I love tropes… They come, they go, but there are a few it seems that are timeless. Writing a Brazen category romance was something I’ve always had in my writer’s bucket-list. One of the biggest differences in writing a category romance compared to a single-title book was adjusting the pacing of the story. Here’s an excerpt of the latest, hottest, Nanny Romance to hit the market…

The Nanny Rules

Amelia

“Who the hell are you?”

I startle at the demand and spin around to find a man standing in the kitchen wearing nothing but a pair of low-riding gym shorts and a surprised scowl. The glass of orange juice slips from my hand and shatters on the floor. Words fail me as I stand there in my pajamas, braless in a tank top and turtle-patterned shorts. This is not how I envisioned meeting my new boss. “I’m your—”

“Daddy?” The shrill squeal and patter of tiny feet cuts off my feeble explanation.

“—nanny,” I finish, not sure if he hears me. But then his gaze cuts from Lily back to me. Yep, he heard.

Muttering a curse under his breath, he steps through the juice, navigating the broken glass, and swoops up his daughter as she races around the island. “Lily pad.” As soon as he catches sight of his little girl, a dimple-flashing grin of genuine joy lights his face, and he places a lip-smacking kiss on her cheek.

My biological clock ticks to the cadence of my quickened pulse. The heat pooling low in my belly is an unwelcome sensation.

 “I didn’t hire a nanny,” he says over Lily’s squealing laughter as he pretends to munch on the side of her neck.

“No, your sister did,” I tell him tartly, unsure which is more annoying, his dismissive tone or by my reaction to watching him play with his daughter. “I wasn’t expecting you back until this afternoon.”

Brody shifts Lily into one arm and props her on his hip. The action nudges those low-riding shorts a skosh lower. My breath catches as I anticipate gravity doing its thing, unsure if I should warn him, but then he pins me with a scowl.

“Obviously.” His tone is ripe with disapproval as he drags those vibrant sapphire eyes over me in a slow, head-to-toe perusal, taking in my scant attire, and his brows tighten. “I caught an early flight home.”

My skin heats everywhere his gaze touches. And to my displeasure, my body tingles in response to his dispassionate stare. This is embarrassing. No, it’s beyond embarrassing—this is humiliating. My reprieve comes when Lily’s little hands clap her father’s cheeks, and she turns his head toward her, commanding his attention.

“I missed you, Daddy.”

“Well, that’s good. Because I missed you, too.” He gives her a quick kiss on the tip of her pixie nose, eliciting another giggle, then turns toward the kitchen table.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” My condolences roll off my tongue before I can call them back, and his broad shoulders briefly tense. He sets Lily on the chair with instructions to finish her breakfast, then turns and walks out of the kitchen. And there I am, left standing barefoot amidst a pool of orange juice and broken glass. Well, shit.

Sighing, I grab a dishtowel off the counter and stoop to collect the broken glass when Brody returns. The only addition he’s made to his apparel is running shoes. Saying nothing, he grips my waist and effortlessly plucks me out of the mess, plopping me onto the counter.

“I can do that,” I offer from my perch as he opens the pantry door and retrieves a broom and dustpan. Ignoring me, he proceeds to sweep up the wet, glassy mess, the muscles in his broad shoulders rolling and flexing as he focuses on his task.

“I’ve got it,” he grumbles, making his way toward me. There’s a brief pause before he speaks again. “Look, lady, I don’t want to sound like a dick here, but I don’t know you. I get that Julia was trying to help when she hired you, but I don’t think this is a good idea. Lily’s in a vulnerable place right now and—”

Lady? Did he just lady me? Crossing my arms over my chest, I raise a challenging brow. “Look at my resume before you decide you don’t want to hire me,” I cut in.

He pauses in the cleanup and shoots me a look that says he’s not used to being interrupted or anyone second-guessing his decisions. Who does he think has been taking care of Lily for the last week while he was at training camp? Who’s been drying her tears when she cries for her mother and asks why she isn’t coming home, because she’s not old enough to comprehend the finality of death. I’m not leaving Lily. Not without a fight…

Giveaway:

Thank you for joining me today on Just Contemporary Romance and helping me celebrate my new release of The Nanny Rules with a $5 Amazon giftcard giveaway!

Buylinks:

Amazon

https://amzn.to/2Ksq8lL

B&N

https://bit.ly/2I0oF4Z

Kobo

https://bit.ly/2KuSdsW

iTunes

https://apple.co/2WlErQq

Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST August 12th. Due to GDPR regulations you no longer need to submit your email address in the comments. If you have been selected as a winner your name will be posted at the top of the post. You may then contact maureen@JustContemporaryRomance.com to claim your prize. Your email address will be shared with the author/publicist providing the giveaway.