Literary Misfit: Review & Excerpt Tour: You're Still the One by Rachel Harris

About YOU’RE STILL THE ONE: Love is one dare neither of them can take… Arabella Stone, Nashville’s darling, is eager to shuck her prim-and-proper rep, and a few wild months spent checking items off her ” summer bucket list” is the way to do it. First up: kiss the man she’s crushed on since she wore a training bra, the bad boy of country himself, Blue bassist Charlie Tucker. For Charlie, a beautiful woman flirting with him isn’t out of the norm–but a beautiful woman bolting after the hottest kiss of his life sure is. And when he finds out his kiss-and-run Cinderella is none other than Arabella Stone, daughter of his label’s CEO, he knows he’s in trouble. Because not only is she a Stone, she’s also his employee for the next few months at the recording studio he just bought. Over the course of one thrilling summer, Arabella and Charlie chip away at her bucket list and fight the simmering attraction between them…knowing that once it’s all over, so is their time together.

Excerpt:

She was totally stressing.

This wasn’t anything like she’d imagined. First of all, Tyler and Sherry’s neighborhood was darling, but when Charlie had suggested their home as the ideal location to go skinny-dipping, she’d envisioned a huge estate with a pool to rival the Playboy Mansion. What she got was a cute, modest, old-style, southern home on a quiet cul-de-sac.

Charlie had explained that this was typical Magnolia Springs. Here, they didn’t need a huge gated community or acres and acres of land. People didn’t care about money or celebrity. The only things that mattered were how kind you were, what team you rooted for (hint: always say the Saints), and how spicy you seasoned your seafood.

While that was all well and good, and Arabella appreciated the charm of the neighborhood, he was overlooking a huge benefit from the sprawling acreage of most celebrity homes:

Seclusion.

Tyler’s neighbors surrounded him on three sides. The so-called privacy fence bordering the property didn’t do squat for those towering second-story windows. And while said windows currently all sat dark, the moon was heavy and half full in the sky. There was more than enough light reflecting off the surface if a wandering eye should awaken and decide to catch a peek.

As for the pool in question, it was absolutely adorable with its rushing waterfall and soothing, blue-tinted underwater lights…but it was a whole lot smaller than she’d anticipated. Like, so small it could be considered a lap pool. As in she’d be practically sitting on Charlie’s lap. Naked.

“How about this?” he said, voice low and husky in the dark. “I’ll go first.”

The rustle of fabric in the otherwise quiet night told her he was stripping down, and Arabella squeezed her eyes shut against the sudden whirlwind of emotions. That was the other thing about this little adventure of hers. It was no longer a solo dip.

Charlie would be naked, too.

A hiss of fabric sounded behind her, and Ella’s heart pounded in her ears.

Correction: Charlie was naked. Right now. Just a few feet away. Swinging free in the nonexistent breeze.

Heaven help me.

Soft footsteps crept toward her, and Arabella almost swallowed her tongue. Touching his bare skin would be easy—so easy—as easy as stretching a hand back and extending her fingertips. Her hands clenched at her sides.

How many nights had she lain in bed, dreaming of this very scenario? Or if not this scenario, one almost identical? Sexual tension crackling in the air, a naked Charlie within reaching distance and breathing heavily, waiting to see what she’d do next.

Of course, there were two major differences between fantasy and reality. In those dreams, Ella had also been naked…and Charlie had wanted her, too.

About Rachel Harris: New York Times bestselling author Rachel Harris writes humorous love stories about sassy girls-next-door and the hot guys that make them swoon. Vibrant settings, witty banter, and strong relationships are a staple in each of her books…and kissing. Lots of kissing. An admitted Diet Mountain Dew addict and homeschool mom, she gets through each day by laughing at herself, hugging her kids, and watching way too much Food Network with her husband. She writes young adult, new adult, and adult romances, and LOVES talking with readers!