Bingley couldn’t help
but sneak a few more looks at the fiery maid of honor, remembering the way they’d
first met four months ago. Jane had seemed so…nice, for want of a better
word. Too sweet for him to want to tamper with or tease too much, although Beth
hinted there was more to Jane than her pleasant veneer might suggest.
He hadn’t believed
that at first but, oh, he believed it now, as she swiveled to face
her friend, sending another death stare in his direction, then a much kinder,
warmer look to his cousin.
“You’re gonna be
really happy, Cuz,” he whispered to Will, who was smiling at his bride Beth as
if he’d just won the lottery and it was being hand delivered to him in a pretty
package of white tulle.
“Thanks, Bingley,”
his cousin murmured. “I owe you, you know. None of this would’ve happened
without you.”
Bingley swallowed
away a sappy emotion he didn’t want to succumb to in public and clenched his
jaw to keep from saying anything either overly sentimental or just plain
stupid. Much as the whole commitment thing gave him hives, Bingley couldn’t
have been happier for Will. The guy deserved every ounce of wedded bliss.
“Anything for you,”
he finally managed, meaning it, but unable to stop the wave of irritation that
hit him in the gut when he caught Jane rolling her eyes at him from the periphery.
No, she wasn’t nearly
as nice as she appeared, although he’d thought she was pretty awesome during
the engagement party a couple of months back. Jane had downed, perhaps, a few
too many glasses of celebratory champagne, and the two of them had ended up in
the coat room, making out like teenagers. He quickly learned three other very
interesting facts about her:
She wore some really racy
undergarments beneath her simple, classically cut clothes.
She could do several
wickedly imaginative things with her tongue. Both excellent discoveries, in his
opinion.
But her emotions
jumped up and down like an insanely volatile stock during a wild trading day.
Bingley exhaled and
tried to stop his mind from playing the X-Ray Vision game every time he caught
a glimpse of Jane standing demurely by the altar.
Although, how could
he keep himself from wondering if she had that leopard-spotted bra on
underneath her red dress, like the one she’d been wearing in July, hmm? Or, why
she had all but sprinted away from him when he saw her again a few days later,
and why she’d studiously avoided him at the few other events they’d both had to
attend since then… They’d barely made it past second base at the engagement
party. Was she embarrassed? Had he unknowingly done something wrong?
C’mon, man, get a
grip!
He knew from years of
experience that he was better off not caring about what women thought of him.
Keeping his emotions out of any relationship was the key.
Seeing Will with Beth
together had lulled him—temporarily—into believing that whole “happily ever
after” thing might happen for him, too. Their connection through that online
dating site had encouraged him—briefly—that a “Love Match” wasn’t impossible.
So he’d entertained the idea of dating more seriously when he met Jane.
Big mistake.
He knew what he was:
a lifetime bachelor. And there wasn’t a woman in the world who could snag his
heart long term. He’d be willing to bet on it.
Still, he had a few
assets.
He was young,
reasonably good looking, wealthy…and he sure as hell didn’t need a
pseudo-sweet, temperamental, psychologist chick blowing him off, especially
after he’d let his guard down long enough to get close to her one hot summer
night. Wouldn’t happen again.
Besides, this was a wedding.
There were plenty of smart, beautiful babes to be found—it’d be like cherry
picking blue chips in a bull market—and he was the guy to find them. The sooner
the better.
###
Book & Author Details:
Pride,
Prejudice and the Perfect Bet by Marilyn Brant
(Perfect #2)
Publication date: July 20th 2014
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
(Perfect #2)
Publication date: July 20th 2014
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
**Note: PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE PERFECT BET is part
of the "Perfect" series, but it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone
novel**
The course of
true love doesn’t always run smooth…
Everyone thought Beth Ann Bennet and Dr. Will Darcy had an unexpected romance in Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match (Perfect #1).
Now, Beth’s best friend, Jane Henderson, and Will’s first cousin, Bingley McNamara, begin their own unlikely love story in Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Bet (Perfect #2), which starts at the Bennet/Darcy wedding when the two of them find themselves in the roles of maid of honor and best man for the newlyweds.
Jane is an interning school psychologist and a woman who wears an angelic mask in public, but she’s not as sweet tempered as she’d like everyone to believe. Turns out, she may have just crossed paths with the one person who’ll unnerve her enough to get her to reveal her true self.
As for Bingley, he’s a wealthy, flirtatious, compulsively social guru of finance, who likes to wager on stocks and, let’s face it, on just about anything that strikes his fancy. But this dedicated ladies’ man may have finally met the woman who’ll challenge his bachelor ways!
Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Bet…where life’s biggest gamble is the game of love.
Everyone thought Beth Ann Bennet and Dr. Will Darcy had an unexpected romance in Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match (Perfect #1).
Now, Beth’s best friend, Jane Henderson, and Will’s first cousin, Bingley McNamara, begin their own unlikely love story in Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Bet (Perfect #2), which starts at the Bennet/Darcy wedding when the two of them find themselves in the roles of maid of honor and best man for the newlyweds.
Jane is an interning school psychologist and a woman who wears an angelic mask in public, but she’s not as sweet tempered as she’d like everyone to believe. Turns out, she may have just crossed paths with the one person who’ll unnerve her enough to get her to reveal her true self.
As for Bingley, he’s a wealthy, flirtatious, compulsively social guru of finance, who likes to wager on stocks and, let’s face it, on just about anything that strikes his fancy. But this dedicated ladies’ man may have finally met the woman who’ll challenge his bachelor ways!
Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Bet…where life’s biggest gamble is the game of love.
Purchase:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Perfect-Marilyn-Brant-ebook/dp/B00LROV6NI/ref=twoen-20
Marilyn Brant
is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of contemporary
women’s fiction, romantic comedy & mystery. She was named the Author
of the Year (2013) by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English. She
loves all things Jane Austen, has a passion for Sherlock Holmes, is a
travel addict and a music junkie, and lives on chocolate and gelato.
Author links:
GIVEAWAY
Blitz-wide
giveaway
Ends August
12th - open INTL
One signed
paperback copy of the companion book from the series, PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE
PERFECT MATCH (Will & Beth's story).
One signed
paperback copy of Marilyn's bestselling coming-of-age romantic mystery, THE
ROAD TO YOU.
One Marilyn Brant t-shirt with musical notes.
One ACCORDING TO JANE canvas tote bag.
One A SUMMER IN EUROPE luggage tag.
And one Godiva ice cream cone magnet.
One Marilyn Brant t-shirt with musical notes.
One ACCORDING TO JANE canvas tote bag.
One A SUMMER IN EUROPE luggage tag.
And one Godiva ice cream cone magnet.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your post will be published after administrator approval.