SOMETHING NEW
The Something Series #1
by Shaniel Watson
Cover & Excerpt Reveal
Release Date: November 9, 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romance Standalone
Trope: Forbidden love, policeman, sudden parent, dark secret, slow-burn
Synopsis
A strong woman. A determined man. A secret that changes everything.
Lexi is strong and self-reliant. She’s had to be. Lexi is the only person her brothers have left—and she does what she has to, even flirting with the edges of the law, in order to keep her three younger brothers with her. So when Noah crashes into her world—literally—she dismisses him. But he comes back, and she soon finds herself intrigued and caught up in a world of new feelings that she doesn’t quite know what to do with. She keeps her guard up, though, because if Noah finds out her secret, her world will come crashing down.
Noah can’t stop himself from falling for Lexi. He admires the way she’s held her family together in the face of severe hardship, and he finds himself wanting to be there for her. But she keeps him at arm’s length, refusing to share everything with him. And that just brings out his cop instinct, making him determined to find out her secret.
When the truth comes out, hurt and tempers flare. Will Lexi and Noah be able to work through their issues and build something new? Or will they just become a painful chapter in each other’s lives?
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Excerpt
“I was at the store yesterday. I literally walked right into his chest. The steel is real. So real that it almost knocked me off my feet, if he hadn’t been quick enough to catch me. He’s Holden's brother.”
“Get out! Holden, Holden?”
“Yes. His brother’s a cop.”
“Wow. He’s hot. Haven’t gotten around to him yet. I’ll probably have to make an appointment.”
“I’m sure he can fit you in between lunch and a smoke break. I’ll put in a good word for you.”
“When we were in high school he was like the hottest thing. And he didn’t even go to our school.”
“Probably because he spent most of his time in juvie, his reputation precedes him.”
“Shit, and now his brother’s a hot cop. Best of both worlds. Dirty and nice…one will get you all dirty and the other will clean you up and lick you down, yas.
“No.” I shake my head trying to get rid of the sexy image before it plants itself. “No one is going to get dirty or lick anyone down.”
“You are no fun. You got to learn to live a little. Let your imagination run wild.”
“I don’t have time for a fantasy,” I whine. “As you can see I have a stack of bills in front of me, which I’m behind on. I’m afraid to open them. The mortgage is two months past due. If I don’t work up enough money to pay everything in about two to three months, the bank is going to start foreclosure proceedings. I can’t let that happen. This was my grandfather's house. He signed it over to me so they wouldn’t take it away from us when he went into assisted living. He wanted this house to stay in the family. I can’t be the one who loses it. If that happens, then he might as well have given it to Vanessa. Before the ink was dried a for sale sign would have been on the little grass we have out front.”
“Isn’t there anyone you can borrow from? One of those payday loans?
“Hell no. They’re as bad as a loan shark. Vanessa racked up like ten grand with those things, in Grandpa’s name. Ten turned into almost twenty thousand with the interest. You know how hard he had to work to pay it back after she disappeared for a whole year? I worked two after-school jobs to help him out. He didn’t want me to but I felt bad watching him work so hard for her fuck up, once again.”
“Sorry, but your mom is a bitch.”
“You’re not wrong.” It’s sad when you don’t even feel a tiny bit insulted when your mother is called out of her name. I’m not the least bit offended on her behalf.
“I don’t have much but if you need it, I could lend you a thousand from my savings. It’s not much judging by that stack of envelopes but getting money always makes me feel better. Especially when it’s not coming with someone's hands up my skirt.”
“I hear you. But no. I’ll try to get more over time at the store and do some more nights at the club, slapping hands from under my skirt.” I sigh, pushing the offending stack of envelopes on the floor, and replacing them with my legs.
“Lexi, if I had it, I would give it to you.” She places my feet on her legs and rubs the top.
“I know. And you know I wouldn’t accept charity. And another big ass bill to pay back.”
The bell rings and I groan. “I hope it’s not someone coming to collect money I don’t have.”
“Look on the bright side, it could be something good.”
“With my luck this morning—doubt it,” I say, opening the door, and seeing the last person I ever expected to lay eyes on. “Isn’t there a rule about officers harassing law-abiding citizens?”
“Sure, but I don’t see any around.” He tilts his head to the side. “And it’s Noah.”
“All right, Noah, why are you showing up at my door unannounced?”
The sides of his mouth turn up, and he hands me my license. I thought he gave this back to me with the ticket and registration. It was a lot going on with Drew and Axel’s mouths actively working to ensure I got a ticket.
“Seriously, I don’t know how I didn’t notice. Thanks.” Nice of him to come here to give it back in person. “I appreciate it.”
“Instead of thanks, how about you let me take you out?”
Didn’t see that request coming. Okay. Hot cop wants to take me out! Okay…this is the point when I should stop acting like I’m mute and turn him down. Right? Of course, I’m saying no—in a non-offending, don’t give him a reason to look around and give me another ticket way.
From the corner of my eye, Shauna scurries quietly over to the door, out of sight from Noah, making kissing faces, crossing her arms, and running them along the side of her body. I smile and shake my head making sure I keep my eyes on Noah. “I can’t.”
“You can’t. Why? Are you married? Boyfriend? Life-long commitment and pledge to no dating?” He leans in closer from across the threshold, leaning a hand on the door frame, unduly scrutinizing me in a way that has me mentally shifting back. The most important thing you can do dealing with a cop with rapid-fire questions like this is to show unwavering certainty.
“Are you going to slap cuffs on me if I answer wrong? Last I knew, I had the right to turn down a date.” Even if you are very cute leaned up against my door, looking too good and stuff I shouldn’t care about. Real good.
“You have a right to say no. I have a right to inquire why that would be.” He shrugs. “It’s in my nature. Habit and all.”
“Well then, it’s in my nature to say, thank you again, would you please step off my porch? Unless you have another ticket to hand me.”
He smiles. “It’s like that?”
“It’s like that.” I smile back, waving my fingers at him.
“You have a good day, Lexi,” he says, backing off the steps. “I’ll see you around, and tell your friend across from you behind the door, good day to her too.”
I close the door, grinning, and I look at Shauna. “What was that?”
“Girl, you know what that was. He could of at least let you off with a warning instead of a ticket for all the eye fucking he was doing at the door.”
“There was no eye fucking. Just me nicely turning down a date.”
“Well, how could you resist the S.W.A.T style date invite?” She laughs.
“He wasn’t that bad. I was just caught off guard by him asking me out.”
“You looked like Bambi with shotgun barrels between your eyes.” She sits back on her spot on the couch. “Earlier you should have led with he was hot. I’m not into cops…but yeah you should have taken that date, to see how much you could corrupt him. Bring him to the club. Give him a real, real happy ending.” She picks her soda bottle up and takes a drink. “It’s five o’clock somewhere and this needs a hit.”
“Perfect reason a cop is another trouble I don’t need. If he found out what goes on at the club, the only date I’ll get from him is behind bars for my next court appearance. After he clicks shiny silver bracelets around my wrist.” Maybe if I wasn’t doing the things I was doing things would be different and I could say yes to that date.
Who am I kidding; even if I did what the hell was legal, what would a man like that do with a ready-made family of responsibility waiting to weigh him down? From what I remember with Vanessa and any other man that’s ever come across that door, they don’t stay for long. Just long enough to make us believe things might be all right before they shattered those illusions with overwhelming reality and more trouble than we had before they came into our life.
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About the Author
Shaniel Watson is the author of the Imperfections Series. Her first book was published in 2015. She writes stories she likes to read, sultry emotional stories with imperfect characters who eventually get their happy ending.
Shaniel lives in New York and is the proud mother of two daughters.
