Averi Rain has always been in love with one man.
The problem is he’s always loved everyone else.
Ian O’Neal has been known for his reputation with the ladies and has never really cared about any of them for longer than a one-night stand. He’s known Averi since they were both in high school and had always harmlessly flirted with her, never really seeing her for the woman she’s become.
Forced to spend more time together to help their friend, he begins to see how sweet and funny she is, not to mention having curves in all the right places, and he sets out to win her heart. Unfortunately for Ian, a handsome fireman has Averi in his sights and now, for the first time, Ian has to compete for her affections.
A series of events throws Averi and Ian together giving Averi a glimpse of the man Ian really is and she likes what she sees, but she also can’t bear the thought of having her heart broken when he moves on to the next conquest.
Will Averi settle for the stability Alex can offer or will she give her heart to the one man who can break it for good?
Can Ian prove to her that he’s worthy of her love or will the new man in her life steal the future he’s set his sights on?
Will Ian find love for the first time or will he be forever…
The problem is he’s always loved everyone else.
Ian O’Neal has been known for his reputation with the ladies and has never really cared about any of them for longer than a one-night stand. He’s known Averi since they were both in high school and had always harmlessly flirted with her, never really seeing her for the woman she’s become.
Forced to spend more time together to help their friend, he begins to see how sweet and funny she is, not to mention having curves in all the right places, and he sets out to win her heart. Unfortunately for Ian, a handsome fireman has Averi in his sights and now, for the first time, Ian has to compete for her affections.
A series of events throws Averi and Ian together giving Averi a glimpse of the man Ian really is and she likes what she sees, but she also can’t bear the thought of having her heart broken when he moves on to the next conquest.
Will Averi settle for the stability Alex can offer or will she give her heart to the one man who can break it for good?
Can Ian prove to her that he’s worthy of her love or will the new man in her life steal the future he’s set his sights on?
Will Ian find love for the first time or will he be forever…
Chasing Rain Excerpt
Chasing Rain ©2014 Elizabeth James Author
Averi's POV
As soon as we walked in, we noticed a crowd gathered at the back of the bar near the pool tables. They were obviously enjoying a pool game by the hoots and whistles. We found a couple of spaces at the bar and ordered our drinks. The cheers for the game got louder and naturally, we became curious so we picked up our glasses and walked back to see what the excitement was all about. Kendall led the way, but suddenly, I found myself running into her as she stopped in her tracks. Puzzled, I glanced over her shoulder and was surprised to see Tristan. Then I saw Ian. Despite the fact they were in a heated game of pool, they simultaneously looked in our direction as if sensing our presence. Ian was looking way too hot in a black t-shirt paired with faded blue jeans. He had his baseball cap turned backwards and instantly an image of Luke Bryan popped in my head. Ian had obviously been working out too, and it showed. He was lining up to make a shot and without taking his icy blue eyes off of mine, he hit the cue ball which rocketed the final ball into the pocket.
Throwing his hands up in the air, he hollered, “Game!” The crowd erupted in a cheer. “That’s best two out of three, brother!” He said placing the pool cue back in the rack before holding his hand out to shake Tristan’s. “Do we have a deal?” Tristan laughed and nodded as they shook hands. Whatever, I don’t care. Really…don’t…care. I kept saying that to myself as my heart raced and my palms grew sweaty. Who was I kidding? I really missed seeing him! My internal voice had a meltdown. What? Averi, really? What about Alex? You have a boyfriend! What are you thinking??
Tristan moved over to stand beside Kendall and he wrapped his arm around her waist and spun her into a kiss. Feeling his gaze, my eyes flickered over to Ian briefly then went straight to the big screen tv overhead.
“So, baby. What are you girls up to?” Tristan said nuzzling her ear as he threw his arm over her shoulder.
Kendall grinned. “I’ve got exciting news!” She said excitedly.
Tristan smiled. “Do I need to buy a round for the bar? Are we pregnant?”
Kendall laughed. “No, not yet. And yes, that would be exciting news but that’s not it.”
Tristan pouted then shrugged. “Well, we’ll keep trying.” He waggled his eyebrows and grinned. “So, you’ve got something exciting to tell me and it turns out I have something exciting to tell you, too!”
Kendall smiled. “You go first, then,” she said bumping his hip with hers.
He shook his head and laughed. “Oh no, ladies first.”
Kendall looked over at me and smiled. “Well, you remember we were talking about the apartment and what to do with it…I’ve found a tenant.”
Tristan’s smile faded. “Um, well that’s what I was going to tell you…I’ve found a tenant,” he said frowning.
Wait, what? My heart just stopped. This was not good.
Kendall looked up at Tristan, eyes narrowed. “Well, honey, I said Averi could rent it.”
Tristan’s eyes flickered over to mine before he spoke. “Baby, I promised it to Ian.”
I couldn’t help it. I blurted out, “Kendall promised it to me this afternoon!” I felt bad because Tristan and Kendall both looked miserable and at a loss of what to do.
Ian cleared his throat and said, “Tristan lost a bet with me and the prize was the apartment.”
My head was spinning and I knew that it wasn’t from the drink I’d guzzled. I’d just opened my mouth to speak when I heard him sigh and say, “Look, Averi can have the apartment. I can be the bigger person. Despite, Tristan promising it to me because I really need a place to stay.” With every word he emphasized, it made me more and more angry.
I bristled at the insinuation that he was going to be self-sacrificing and the bigger person. My face flushed hot and through gritted teeth I said, “I am not going to let you be all noble and stuff.” Kendall and Tristan stood watching our standoff with obvious discomfort. I glanced at Ian and saw the trace of a smile. Before I could stop myself I said, “Obviously, I wouldn’t want to upset either one of you. I’d be willing to share the apartment with him since we’re both desperate to find a place…temporarily, of course.” I unclenched my teeth and gave them my biggest smile.
Kendall’s mouth dropped open and Tristan broke into a big grin. “How’s that sound to you, little brother?” He said slapping Ian on the shoulder.
Ian actually looked stunned as he appeared to be thinking it over. I’d called his bluff and fully expected him to back out. I almost fell over when I heard him say, “Okay, sounds good to me!”
Tristan smiled. “Well, I guess it’s settled then. You’ll share the apartment until one of you makes other arrangements.”
Kendall was whispering furiously in Tristan’s ear but he never stopped grinning. Finally, she said out loud, “There’s only one bedroom! What are you going to do about that?”
Ian shrugged. “Averi can have the bedroom, I’ll take the futon in the living room. No biggie. I’m always on the go so it’ll be just a place to crash.” With a deliberate grin directed at me, he said, “We’ll just have to share the shower…I mean, bathroom.”
Suddenly, it hit me. I’d just agreed to share an apartment with the one man I’d been trying so hard to avoid. And what about Alex? How was I going to explain living with Ian to him? My hands became clammy as the reality of the situation set in. Kendall looked at me with concern. “Averi? You don’t look so good. Are you okay?”
I swallowed hard and nodded. “Yeah, sure.”
Ian was studying me and it made me uncomfortable. “You having a change of heart, Little Bit? Want to back out?” He asked, raising his eyebrow.
I took a deep, cleansing breath then shook my head, “Nope, let’s do this!”
Averi's POV
As soon as we walked in, we noticed a crowd gathered at the back of the bar near the pool tables. They were obviously enjoying a pool game by the hoots and whistles. We found a couple of spaces at the bar and ordered our drinks. The cheers for the game got louder and naturally, we became curious so we picked up our glasses and walked back to see what the excitement was all about. Kendall led the way, but suddenly, I found myself running into her as she stopped in her tracks. Puzzled, I glanced over her shoulder and was surprised to see Tristan. Then I saw Ian. Despite the fact they were in a heated game of pool, they simultaneously looked in our direction as if sensing our presence. Ian was looking way too hot in a black t-shirt paired with faded blue jeans. He had his baseball cap turned backwards and instantly an image of Luke Bryan popped in my head. Ian had obviously been working out too, and it showed. He was lining up to make a shot and without taking his icy blue eyes off of mine, he hit the cue ball which rocketed the final ball into the pocket.
Throwing his hands up in the air, he hollered, “Game!” The crowd erupted in a cheer. “That’s best two out of three, brother!” He said placing the pool cue back in the rack before holding his hand out to shake Tristan’s. “Do we have a deal?” Tristan laughed and nodded as they shook hands. Whatever, I don’t care. Really…don’t…care. I kept saying that to myself as my heart raced and my palms grew sweaty. Who was I kidding? I really missed seeing him! My internal voice had a meltdown. What? Averi, really? What about Alex? You have a boyfriend! What are you thinking??
Tristan moved over to stand beside Kendall and he wrapped his arm around her waist and spun her into a kiss. Feeling his gaze, my eyes flickered over to Ian briefly then went straight to the big screen tv overhead.
“So, baby. What are you girls up to?” Tristan said nuzzling her ear as he threw his arm over her shoulder.
Kendall grinned. “I’ve got exciting news!” She said excitedly.
Tristan smiled. “Do I need to buy a round for the bar? Are we pregnant?”
Kendall laughed. “No, not yet. And yes, that would be exciting news but that’s not it.”
Tristan pouted then shrugged. “Well, we’ll keep trying.” He waggled his eyebrows and grinned. “So, you’ve got something exciting to tell me and it turns out I have something exciting to tell you, too!”
Kendall smiled. “You go first, then,” she said bumping his hip with hers.
He shook his head and laughed. “Oh no, ladies first.”
Kendall looked over at me and smiled. “Well, you remember we were talking about the apartment and what to do with it…I’ve found a tenant.”
Tristan’s smile faded. “Um, well that’s what I was going to tell you…I’ve found a tenant,” he said frowning.
Wait, what? My heart just stopped. This was not good.
Kendall looked up at Tristan, eyes narrowed. “Well, honey, I said Averi could rent it.”
Tristan’s eyes flickered over to mine before he spoke. “Baby, I promised it to Ian.”
I couldn’t help it. I blurted out, “Kendall promised it to me this afternoon!” I felt bad because Tristan and Kendall both looked miserable and at a loss of what to do.
Ian cleared his throat and said, “Tristan lost a bet with me and the prize was the apartment.”
My head was spinning and I knew that it wasn’t from the drink I’d guzzled. I’d just opened my mouth to speak when I heard him sigh and say, “Look, Averi can have the apartment. I can be the bigger person. Despite, Tristan promising it to me because I really need a place to stay.” With every word he emphasized, it made me more and more angry.
I bristled at the insinuation that he was going to be self-sacrificing and the bigger person. My face flushed hot and through gritted teeth I said, “I am not going to let you be all noble and stuff.” Kendall and Tristan stood watching our standoff with obvious discomfort. I glanced at Ian and saw the trace of a smile. Before I could stop myself I said, “Obviously, I wouldn’t want to upset either one of you. I’d be willing to share the apartment with him since we’re both desperate to find a place…temporarily, of course.” I unclenched my teeth and gave them my biggest smile.
Kendall’s mouth dropped open and Tristan broke into a big grin. “How’s that sound to you, little brother?” He said slapping Ian on the shoulder.
Ian actually looked stunned as he appeared to be thinking it over. I’d called his bluff and fully expected him to back out. I almost fell over when I heard him say, “Okay, sounds good to me!”
Tristan smiled. “Well, I guess it’s settled then. You’ll share the apartment until one of you makes other arrangements.”
Kendall was whispering furiously in Tristan’s ear but he never stopped grinning. Finally, she said out loud, “There’s only one bedroom! What are you going to do about that?”
Ian shrugged. “Averi can have the bedroom, I’ll take the futon in the living room. No biggie. I’m always on the go so it’ll be just a place to crash.” With a deliberate grin directed at me, he said, “We’ll just have to share the shower…I mean, bathroom.”
Suddenly, it hit me. I’d just agreed to share an apartment with the one man I’d been trying so hard to avoid. And what about Alex? How was I going to explain living with Ian to him? My hands became clammy as the reality of the situation set in. Kendall looked at me with concern. “Averi? You don’t look so good. Are you okay?”
I swallowed hard and nodded. “Yeah, sure.”
Ian was studying me and it made me uncomfortable. “You having a change of heart, Little Bit? Want to back out?” He asked, raising his eyebrow.
I took a deep, cleansing breath then shook my head, “Nope, let’s do this!”