I have a whole new series coming out in a few months. It’s a long way off, but I just couldn’t wait to share a little peak of it with you.
The series is my Big & Beautiful series, something I mentioned a while ago. It’s going to follow eight friends who are both Big & Beautiful. Each woman will get her own story and I’m loving these sassy, sexy, and smart women.
The first book, tentatively called Chubby & Charming, follows hopelessly single Mandy. She is convinced she’ll never find love and has basically given up. Mandy was the perfect woman to start off this series and I absolutely loved telling her story. I hope you like it too!
Chubby & Charming – out Summer 2015
“I mean why are you calling me so late?”
“Ahhhh,” he said directly into the phone. He finally caught on to my line of questioning, and my mood. “You think I was out with someone else, is that it? Really, Mandy? You’re the only one I’ve been able to think about for two weeks. You occupy my thoughts, only you. Why would I be out with someone else?”
Instantly I felt embarrassed and guilty. I’d accused him of cheating on me when there wasn’t really an us. You can’t cheat if you aren’t together.
But he did say he was only thinking about me. That’s good right?
Then again, he didn’t tell me what he was doing. That’s bad, right?
As if reading my mind he picked back up, “I was with my sister. I told you about her. We try to go to dinner about once a month together. We’re both always so busy that we don’t get to see each other much, but we’re still close. When she asked if we could go out Friday I agreed, but I didn’t want to miss our call.”
Wow, I was a jerk. I couldn’t comprehend being that close to my brother. We grew up fighting constantly and never liked each other. As adults, we only see each other at family gatherings, and even there we barely speak. It’s like we’re complete strangers.
“I’m sorry I was suspicious of you.”
“Honey, listen, I want you to be able to tell me what you’re thinking. We need to be honest with each other, even if the truth hurts sometimes. I want to be with you, and only you, and I’m not going to do anything to screw that up.”
He always knew what to say to make me feel better. I don’t know how he did it, but it was like he already knew me. Knew my heart. In a way, I guess he did.
“Thank you for not freaking out on me. I’ve never told anyone the things I tell you.”
He laughed softly. “Me too. It’s strange how connected I feel to you. Especially since I’ve only seen you once.”
“And I was a bitch,” I added.
He laughed again, harder this time. I heard rustling in the background and looked at my clock. It was almost ten and I wondered if he was going to bed. There was something about talking to a man in bed that was very sexy.
“You weren’t sure about me. I know next time we see each other things will be different.”
“Are you in bed?”
He paused, briefly, before answering, “Yeah. It’s been a long week. I was going to lie down while I talked to you. Is that okay?”
“Yeah. It just feels… I don’t know, really personal. Like we’re sharing secrets.”
He chuckled, “We are sharing secrets. I’m just sharing them while I’m in bed.”
My heart rate picked up at the thought of Xander in bed. I knew how gorgeous he was and I found myself wondering what he was wearing. I opened my mouth to ask him but he spoke first.
“Why don’t you tell me something new, something you haven’t told me yet. How about you tell me five new things and I’ll tell you five new things.”
Suddenly feeling tired, I climbed the stairs to my room. “Okay,” I said on the way up. I walked into my room and turned on the lamp next to my bed. For some reason, the low light made me feel better about talking to Xander while I was in bed. I went into my closet and changed from the work clothes I was still in to my pajamas. I pulled on a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top then climbed into bed.
“Are you in bed too?” he asked, his voice deep and sensuous.
“Yeah. I was getting tired and I figured if you were in bed I might as well be too.”
“God, I wish I was there with you, by your side.”
I smiled, a breath pushing from me in a half-laugh, half-nervous sound. “Me too.”
“Hmmm,” he moaned softly. “Okay, before I get too distracted, tell me your five new things.”
I snuggled under the covers a little deeper, trying to think of anything new I could tell him. After talking all week, I wasn’t sure what there was about me that he didn’t already know.
“I had my first kiss when I was fourteen, my first love was George Strait because my mom listened to country music, I read about three books each week, the only foreign country I’ve visited is Canada, and… I really want to see you again.”
Xander laughed at my first admissions and got really quiet for the last one. I started to wonder if he’d hung up, or we’d gotten disconnected, because he was silent for so long. “I really want to see you too. Who was your first kiss? What was his name?” His voice had gotten deeper, softer. He was tired, I could hear it in the slow way he was talking, but he was also sexier with his sleepy voice.
“His name was Joey Maynard. We had social studies together and he asked me out after class one day. He kissed me in the woods behind the school. We dated for about a month before he moved on to someone else.”
“His loss,” Xander said huskily. “I never thought I’d be jealous of George Strait, but you’ve officially made me hate him. Joey Maynard too.”
