BOOK INFORMATION
TITLE – The Best Laid Plans of Boys and Men
SERIES – None
AUTHOR – Anne Conley
GENRE – Contemporary Romance
PUBLICATION DATE – January 1, 2014
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) - 28,500
PUBLISHER – Anne Conley
COVER ARTIST – James Price with AEP Book Covers
BOOK SYNOPSIS
The Best Laid Plans of Boys and Men tells the story of the whirlwind
May/December romance between Taylor and Alexander. While Taylor is completely
caught off guard by Alexander’s maturity and the difference between him and
every other boy she’s dated, Alexander’s busy trying to figure out how to tell
her he’s the lawyer suing her pants off.
This is a standalone story of approximately 30 thousand words,
not part of any of Anne Conley’s series.
BUY & TBR LINKS
EXCERPT
“Well, well, well…” Sandra’s gaze turned mischievous, and Taylor turned to
see who had captured her attention. And promptly lost all ability to breathe.
She was barely aware of Sandra’s muttered curses as she wiggled into the pocket
of her jeans to extract the money, throwing it at Tess across the table.
Alexander had gone home to change as well. Gone was the suit and tie. A
pair of jeans and a black button-down shirt graced his long, lean body. The
shirt fit well over his broad shoulders, sleeves rolled up to expose tan,
corded forearms.
“Holy…” She took a sip of her drink, sucking it down to the ice to cool the
pooling warmth inside. Her heart was beating fast, slamming against her chest
painfully. Taylor watched his gaze travel the crowded club before finding them
seated along the edge in the curved booth. His arctic blue eyes flashed from
searching to triumphant to predatory in an instant, and the pool of warmth
spread through her core.
With each step closer, Taylor found less breathable air.
“Holy hell. That man can wear a pair of jeans like nobody’s business.”
Sandra was in awe, and the thought crossed Taylor’s mind that he was closer to
Sandra’s age than hers. She had no business starting something with him,
anyway; maybe she should just fork him over.
Except his eyes never wavered from hers. As soon as he’d seen them, his
gaze had latched onto hers, leaching inhibitions right and left. Her tongue
snaked out and swept across her bottom lip, followed by her teeth, and she
caught her hand fiddling with the neckline of her top. Subconscious signals
flowed from her before she realized what she was doing.
She was glad to see him.
He flashed a grin at them before sliding into the booth next to Taylor, and
she had a sudden understanding of the term panty-melting. His smile certainly
did things to her insides that nobody else had managed to do. Ever.
His proximity was doing things too. He smelled clean and fresh, his woodsy
aftershave wafting to her unencumbered by smells of permanent solution, hair
dyes, and shampoo. His thigh brushed against hers, and tingles erupted in her
stomach.
“Ladies,” he greeted them. Holding his hand out to shake the boy’s hand, he
introduced himself, “Alexander.”
The guy, whose diatribe about his hair had trailed off with the women’s
shift of focus, flashed a confident smile. “Lucas. Nice to meet you, man.”
Taylor watched the handshake, both men’s hands white-knuckled with exerted
pressure. She hid her smile behind her fingers. Lucas wrapped his arm
possessively around Tess, who didn’t seem to mind much, and Alexander visibly relaxed.
Okay, so he wasn’t threatened by the attention to Tess. For some reason,
that thought comforted Taylor, but not for long. His voice in her ear sent a
whole slew of uncomfortable thoughts racing through her body.
“Can I crash girls’ night if I buy you ladies drinks?”
“Of course! I’ll have another margarita, Taylor needs another cranberry
vodka, and Tess is drinking the draft bock.” Sandra had the hearing of a bat.
Taylor had always been amazed at how well she could hear clients talking over
the noise in the shop, and tonight was no exception.
When Alexander looked at her for confirmation, she nearly got lost in the
pools of blue piercing her, offering a meek nod of acceptance. As he slid out
of their booth with the grace of a cat, she felt a pang of loss at the sudden
coolness that replaced his body heat.
She fanned herself absently, mentally chiding her body’s physical reaction.
“You gonna tap that?” Lucas was watching her, an amused look on his face.
“Excuse me?”
“That’s a manther if I’ve ever seen one.” He tossed back his beer in one
motion and settled back with an excited gleam in his eyes.
Tess laughed uproariously, and Taylor couldn’t hide her confusion.
Sandra explained, “The male equivalent of a cougar is what he means.”
“How do you guys even know he’s here for me? You’re closer to his age. What
if he’s here to pick you up?” she asked Sandra.
“He’s not, honey. I guarantee you.”
“Yeah, he looks like he wants to fuck you senseless,” Lucas added.
“Well, I wouldn’t have put it nearly that eloquently…” Alexander slid into
the space next to Taylor, replacing the heat which had left with him. She
watched him as a slight blush rose to his cheeks. Or was it a flame like the
one tickling her insides right now? Or the one that was rippling across her own
skin?
He held out a hand to her with two drinks in it, one hers, and one a clear
amber liquid, presumably his. The way he cradled both glasses in his palms lent
an intimacy to the glasses flush against each other. She took both and placed
his on the table while he handed the others around. Those hands…
Grateful for the drink, she took a rather large sip, not wanting to see
Alexander’s reaction to Lucas. Even though Lucas’s attention had been diverted
to something Tess was whispering in his ear, Taylor still couldn’t look up
enough to gauge anybody’s reaction.
Except Sandra’s, who loudly announced someone had to get up because she
wanted to dance.
Alexander gracefully slid back out, holding out his hand to Taylor to help
her. When she took it, his smooth fingers caressed her palm seductively as he
lifted her out of the booth. The shudder wracking her body could not be
suppressed. What was it about this guy? Nobody had ever made her body do these
things, and she barely knew him.
An overwhelming desire to explore the attraction consumed her. Her eyes
lifted to his, and once again, his crystalline blue gaze pierced her. She
sipped on her drink, ignoring Sandra behind her and asked, “Do you want to
dance?”
A rare uncertainty crossed his features, and Taylor thought it was cute. “I
don’t really dance to this type of music,” he said, looking down at her. His
gaze was focused on her lips, and she licked them nervously.
Setting down her drink, she took a deep breath and grabbed his hand. “It’s
not hard, you just bounce with me.” Taylor wasn’t used to taking the lead with
guys, certainly not guys like Alexander. He was so put together, so unlike any
of the other guys she’d gone out with. In fact, it occurred to her, he wasn’t a
guy. He was most definitely a man.
Carnal desire replaced the uncertainty on his face, and he tossed back his
drink in one swallow. “Sounds heavenly.”
Author Interview
Where do you get your inspiration for the characters in Best Laid Plans of Boys and Men?
This story started as a fluffy piece for an anthology. I've always loved May-December romances, and wanted to write one. When I write, the story almost always comes first, then the characters, so in this case I have no idea where Alexander and Taylor came from, they just wanted to be in this story.
What can we expect next from you?
Next is another stand-alone novel about a reality TV show, called The Fixer Upper. It's a fun little story with a British hero, because I think accents are hot. It should be out in late February.
Is there going to be more of Alexander and Taylor?
I'm sorry to disappoint, but at this time, no. I will never say never, though, so you'll just have to stay tuned. Sign up for my newsletter at www.anneconely.com for more information about new releases.
AUTHOR BIO
Anne has written her entire life and has the boxes of angst-filled journals
and poetry to prove it. She’s been writing for public consumption for the last
four years. Currently she is writing two romance series. In Stories of
Serendipity, she explores real people living real lives in small town Texas in
a contemporary romance setting. In The Four Winds, she chronicles God’s four
closest archangels, Uriel, Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael, falling in love and
becoming human. She lives in rural East Texas with her husband and children in
her own private oasis, where she prides herself in her complete lack of social
skills, choosing instead to live with the people inside her head.
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