Love Nest: Love Bites, #2

By Matilda Martel

Carter "The Beast" Jameson is past his expiration date.

Ten years into his hockey career as the Philadelphia Furies number one Enforcer, he's had enough fights and confrontations to last a lifetime.

He wants peace. He wants joy. And more than anything, he's ready to settle down with the right woman and start his family.

He's just bought the house of his dreams and started renovating it for the perfect girl.

But there's no girl. Not yet.

It doesn't matter. That's only a technicality. He's asked the universe to send him the right woman and he's open to receive her as soon as she shows up.

Stella Franklin is a children's librarian who once vowed she'd wait until marriage before diving into the sheets. She was wrong. She's twenty-two and time's up. Stella needs a man.

But she wants the right one. Thanks to bickering parents, her family life is a mess. She'll do better and choose wisely.

She couldn't possibly choose Carter Jameson. He's too tall, too big and people call him The Beast.

His relentless stalking infuriates her as much as it turns her on. He swears she's the one and won't take no for an answer.

What's a girl to do when one of the hottest guys in Philadelphia swears you're his soul mate and wants to fulfill every dream you've ever had?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matilda Martel
• Release date: Sep 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223527176

Matilda Martel

Matilda loves many things---her husband, dachshunds, cats, the two terrible Chihuahuas who live with her, Paris, New York, a few select friends and family, Nutella, books, lots and lots of books, and writing sweet, steamy romance for nerdy girls-- because that's who I am.If you like your romances steamy but sweet. Sexy, but on the shorter side. With smart and sassy heroines who fall for soulful Alphas- then you might like my books.I write A LOT of OMYW, cause that's just my bag. But no matter what kind of story it is, my ladies are always adored and my endings are always HEA.Please head to my blog: www.matildamartel.com, to learn what's in the final stages and will be coming out soon!Want a free Ebook? Join my mailing list to get my monthly newsletter at : www.matildamartel.com/mailinglist/

Book preview

1

Stella

Mom, you're not listening to me. Dad doesn't tell me when he sends your alimony payment, and there's no sense in calling anyone about it since you're remarried and no longer entitled to them. I whisper into the phone and duck into the nearly abandoned poetry section. It breaks my heart more children haven't discovered the love of poetry, but the area makes a great hiding place for any librarian needing a break from playing twenty questions.

I am not taking Dad's side. We hardly speak. Call your lawyer, or don't call your lawyer. The choice is simple. What you shouldn't do is call your daughter two minutes before she’s scheduled to report to work and ask her why you haven't received financial compensation for being married to her father. There's no sense in disguising my disdain. My mother and I enjoy a brutally honest relationship.

As expected, she hangs up. She's ruined my mood for the remainder of the day, and her work is done. 

I lift my hands to my face and breathe into my palms. Five minutes of listening to my mother's shrill propelled my anxiety through the roof. 

I choose peace.

I am free to create the life I desire.

One breath in and one breath out--- rinse and repeat.

My best friend, Gia, believes in words of affirmation. I love to tell her she's full of shit, but she sends them anyway and says it's just a gag. I'm too embarrassed to admit I use them on days like today. 

This is nothing new. My parents are simply two people who were never meant to marry. I’m the product of an affair. Both Mom and Dad were married to other people when a birth control mishap turned their seedy tryst into a high society scandal. Their other spouses abandoned ship and left them to bring up a baby neither of them wanted. 

I don't take it personally. My parents are jerks, and jerks get what they deserve. My grandmother raised me, and I give her all the credit she deserves. She introduced me to my love of books. And I honored her by becoming a children's librarian. She’s also a sassy old broad who gave me my no-nonsense personality and my large derriere. Thanks, Nana.

Did you hear? Oh, my God! Did you hear? Ginny sprints into the lounge and clicks her heels like a leprechaun. She waves a tiny leaflet announcing a visit from the Philadelphia Furies at the Philadelphia Children's Library. 

Today? 2:00pm? Here? What in the world?

What do you mean they’re coming here? I can't believe my eyes. I don't understand what I'm hearing. Unwilling to accept such an outrageous statement as correct, I drop my teaspoon before the honey settles and chase my boss into her office.  

Isn’t it exciting? The entire team will be here this afternoon. The last time they did this, only a few players showed up, and that was over five years ago. This year, they promised the whole damn team! Ginny drums her sensible shoes on the hardwood floor then launches her desk chair into two counterclockwise spins. The woman has lost her ever-loving mind.

"No, it’s not exciting. They’ll make a mess! This is the Philadelphia Children’s Library, a historic landmark, and a trusted institution. We’re a place for children to unleash their imaginations and discover their love of reading. We’re not a sports bar on Spring Street. I don’t want those hooligans prowling around my End of the Summer Reading Jamboree. We’re doing a tribute to Roald Dahl today." I make a play to appeal to her practical side, the one that made her become a librarian in the first place and hope she comes to her senses.

She taps her Philadelphia Furies pen on her desk and blows out a long, exaggerated breath. Stella, I canceled your dumb jamboree. These kids live in downtown Philadelphia. They’ve probably never heard of jamborees. You’ll just confuse them.

Brimming with righteous indignation, I hold a fist over my heart and lift my index finger in the air. I mean to make a point, but Ginny cuts me off as soon as I open my mouth.

Zip it. The kids will arrive for the dumb reading hour their parents forced them to attend and find the Philadelphia Furies here instead. They’ll be thrilled. God knows, I will. She fans herself with a stack of purchase orders and mocks my professionalism.

I pace in circles and try to come up with alternative plans. If Gia was here, she’d tell me to look on the positive side. She’s such a