I Wish You
Were Mine
Oxford #2
Oxford #2
By: Lauren Layne
Released February
2, 2016
Loveswept
Loveswept
Blurb
Perfect for fans of Alice Clayton and Emma
Chase, Lauren Layne’s Oxford series heats up in this story of forbidden desire
as a brooding jock hoping for a comeback falls for a woman who’s strictly
off-limits.
A year
ago, Jackson Burke was married to the love of his life and playing quarterback
for the Texas Redhawks. Now he’s retired, courtesy of the car accident that
ruined his career—and single, after a nasty scandal torpedoed his marriage.
Just as he’s starting to get used to his new life as a health and fitness
columnist for Oxford magazine, his unpredictable ex shows up on his doorstep in
Manhattan. Jackson should be thrilled. But he can’t stop thinking about the one
person who’s always been there for him, the one girl he could never have: her
younger sister.
Mollie
Carrington can’t say no to Madison. After all, her older sister practically
raised her. So when Madison begs for help in winning her ex-husband back,
Mollie’s just glad she got over her own crush on Jackson ages ago—or so she
thought. Because as Mollie reconnects with Jackson, she quickly forgets all her
reasons to stay loyal to her sister. Tempted by Jackson’s mellow drawl and
cowboy good looks, Mollie is sick and tired of coming in second place. But she
can’t win if she doesn’t play the game.
Excerpt:
“I
thought I might find you out here,” he said quietly as he took a sip of his own
champagne.
Mollie
snuck a look out of the corner of her eye. He’d come looking for her? She
hadn’t thought anyone had noticed she’d slipped away.
“I
messed up the toast,” she said quietly.
“Nah,”
he said, stretching his long legs out in front of him and slouching down a bit
to get comfortable. “Just think how many people you educated on the mating
ritual of parasitic worms. They should be thanking you.”
Mollie
groaned. “It was supposed to be romantic. I did a paper about them for my
systematics and biotics diversity final. They’re unusual because they’re bonded
for life. Most organisms sleep around or, you know, the male dies after
mating—”
Jackson
winced, and Mollie wished she could wither and die just like a male bee.
Mollie
knew she had lots of useless trivia in her head, but she didn’t normally go
spouting it out like this. Not that she was a smooth talker or anything, but
she was usually pretty quiet and normal, if a bit nerdy.
But
tonight she felt . . . off. Starting with the fact that the dress Madison had
picked for her was the exact color of Mollie’s complexion, so she looked like a
mole rat. And then there was the fact that she’d tripped a bit as she’d been
going down the aisle, courtesy of the five-inch stilettos her sister had
insisted on.
Add
in an awkward maid-of-honor speech where she’d gone on for a good five minutes
about Schistosoma
mansoni worms and how they mated for life, just like the
bride and groom, and . . . oh God. Why had nobody stopped her?
Mollie
scrunched down on the bench with a moan as she took a sip of champagne. “Madison’s
going to kill me.”
Madison
was in a mood anyway. She’d been a bridezilla from the moment Jackson had put a
ring on it, but Mollie had figured when the actual day came around, her sister
would relax.
Nope.
She’d
been pissed about the flowers being ivory instead of true white to match her
dress. Had bitched about the fact that Lily, one of her bridesmaids, had styled
her hair in a way that was too close to the bride’s style.
Then
Madison had vented about how the bracelet Jackson’s mother had shyly presented
as Maddie’s “something old” was dumpy.
That one had
gotten under Mollie’s skin. Mrs. Burke was the closest thing to a mother that
either of them had. Their own mother had died of an overdose years ago, and
Mollie would have given a kidney to have a surrogate as lovely and kind as
Jackson’s mom.
“Maddie
won’t kill you,” Jackson said, putting an arm around the back of the park bench
and smiling down at her. “She loves you, even if she doesn’t get your whole
triple-major, science-camp vibe.”
Mollie
withheld a snort. That was an understatement. She loved her sister, but the
closest Madison ever got to science was her monthly chemical peel.
Still,
Mollie felt a fierce need to make sure that Jackson Burke knew she was an
adult. “I’m twenty. I do not go to science camp.”
He
lifted an eyebrow, and Mollie pointed her champagne flute at him. “Okay, I used
to go to science camp. But I’m not the one who used the word
‘lactation’ in relation to a mermaid.”
“Hey,
you’re not the only one who took bio in college.”
“But
you were a communications major. Journalism,” she said.
He
gave her a surprised look, and Mollie looked away, mentally kicking herself.
That was exactly what Jackson Burke didn’t need—another groupie stalker.
She
snuck another glance and saw that he’d slumped even farther, matching her own
crappy posture, and Mollie was surprised to see that he looked . . . exhausted.
“Are
you okay?” she asked. Because she couldn’t not ask. Not after she’d seen the
weariness around his eyes, the slight tension in his shoulders.
Jackson
turned his head so their eyes locked and he frowned before returning his
attention to the mermaid. “Nobody ever asks me that.”
Her
heart squeezed at the lost note in his voice. It was strange to think of
someone as big and important as Jackson Burke being lonely, but somehow . . .
somehow she knew he was. Even here, among all these people, he was somehow
alone. Apart.
Like
her.
Goodreads Series Link:
Buy Links:
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Author Info
Lauren Layne is the USA Today bestselling author of more
than a dozen romantic comedies. She lives in New York City with her husband
(who was her high school sweetheart--cute, right?!) and plus-sized
Pomeranian.
In 2011, she ditched her corporate career in Seattle to pursue a full-time writing career in Manhattan, and never looked back.
In her ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books.
For a list of all her works, please be sure to check out her official website!
In 2011, she ditched her corporate career in Seattle to pursue a full-time writing career in Manhattan, and never looked back.
In her ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books.
For a list of all her works, please be sure to check out her official website!
Author Links
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