"Second Time's the Charm" by Melissa Keir (Contemporary Romance)

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Summary:  How does a middle aged, divorcee with two children find her way back to love after a devastating divorce leaves her with no self confidence and no faith in love? Lissa's ex-husband has shredded her self-esteem so she's thrown herself into her children and her work, leaving time for nothing else.

When an life threatening illness in her best friend's family puts Lissa on the path to romance, Lissa finds new love in a most unexpected way--an introduced by her new guy's ex-wife.

Who knew that first time loves could lead to second chances?

Excerpt:

“He said he was on his way, so he should be here any…” I felt a presence enter through the sliding doors and turned to look. The guy who stood just inside the doors was built like a football player with powerful shoulders and arms. The military short haircut emphasized his chiseled features. Wearing black jeans and a polo stretched tight across his chest, Alex had that casual, yet roughed up look that made a statement that fell somewhere between ‘I've just crawled out of bed but still, you don't want to mess with me’.

As he drew closer to our little group, I noticed the piercing nature of his blue eyes and the sexiness of his lips. In response, my own tongue darted out to caress my bottom lip. My heart sped up and remarkably, I was at a loss for words.

“Chloe. Mike. Any word?” my fantasy football player stated. This was Alex? No no no no! shouted the voice in my head while the tingling in my lower abdomen screamed Oh, my!

Alex shook hands with Mike as Chloe clung to Mike’s waist. “Nothing definite yet. They're going to do a spinal tap to determine if Joe has meningitis. I’m so worried about him. He looked so pale and helpless lying in the hospital bed.”

“Joe’s a strong kid. He’ll pull through. After all, he got a double dose of stubborn,” Alex said, trying to lighten the situation. He turned to me. “You must be Lissa. I’m Alex. Thanks again for

calling.” Sliding his hands in the pockets of his jeans, Alex gave me his best smile. Did I imagine a spark of interest in his eyes?

“No problem. I have two boys of my own and I'd do anything for a friend.”

Alex’s smile tugged at my heartstrings. It wasn’t the 'full mouth with all his pearly whites showing' smile like Steve's, but a 'little boy when he was unsure of himself' smile. Sitting down in one of the empty chairs, I finally caught my breath and watched Alex out of the corner of my eye as he interacted with Mike and Chloe. Where was the fearsome man Chloe portrayed? Was Alex just putting on an act? He certainly looked bad-ass when he strode through those hospital doors, with his commanding air and determined stride. But seeing him interact with his ex now, Alex seemed caring and compassionate.

Alex had a very different body type than Mike. Staring at him was like trying to figure out a puzzle. Hot, steamy body, dangerous blue eyes, but what about that personality? I knew I'd have a few questions for Chloe about Alex later, the first being the most obvious - was he available?

“Mr. and Mrs. Hunter?” The doctor stepped through the doors.

“I’m Mark Hunter and this is my ex-wife, Chloe Winters and her husband, Mike. And this is Chloe’s friend, Lissa,” Alex volunteered as if he had done this awkward introduction a few times before. “How's Joe? Do you know anything?”

“We got a positive for Meningitis. However, until we grow the cells in a petri dish for seventy two hours, we can’t be sure if it's bacterial or viral. Bacterial is far more dangerous so we're moving Joe to his own room in the children’s ward. We isolated him and are treating him with antibiotics as a precaution. We'll let you know as soon as he's settled then you can visit. But only immediate family. We don’t want to expose anyone else.” With a somber nod, the doctor moved back into the emergency room area, leaving us in stunned silence.

“I’ll head home and get you a change of clothes and grab some things for Joe. Do you think they'll let him have his DS?” Mike pulled Chloe close, kissing her tenderly. Their love was evident with him holding her hand and listening as he whispered words of love and encouragement. I felt like an intruder on such a private moment and drifted to an empty bench, watching as Alex headed off toward the vending machines.

Returning shortly with coffee and candy bars, he shared his feast as we sat lost in our own thoughts. While my guess was his thoughts were of concern over his son, my thoughts were all about the carnal man sitting across from me.

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