By: Jenna Sutton
Releasing
June 7, 2016
Berkley Sensation
Berkley Sensation
Thirty-year-old
Bebe Banerjee is desperate to get rid of two things: her fiancé and her
virginity. Escaping her arranged marriage might be impossible, but she refuses
to give her firsts to an entitled jerk who lives on another continent. Instead,
she devises a plan that guarantees another man will get her momentous firsts.
But she never imagined that man would be Cal O’Brien, the gorgeous heir to the
Riley O’Brien & Co. denim empire…
Although
Cal has always been fascinated by Bebe’s brilliant mind and beautiful eyes,
he’s never pursued her. She can’t stand the sight of him, and every time
they’re in the same room, they end up trading insults. Yet when he finds out
about Bebe’s bold plan, he makes his move, unaware of her upcoming nuptials. He
promises to make her firsts unforgettable, but he doesn’t know how hard it will
be to forget her when their arrangement ends.
Bebe Banerjee has been in love with her best friends brother
Cal O'Brian for years, but the fight like cat and dog! Babe nick picks at Cal
so no one can guess her feelings for him, especially not Cal! But Bebe has
bigger secrets, one that no one knows about, not even her best friend. Bebe is
secretly engaged under an arranged marriage! It was supposed to be an
engagement of convenience, one that never supposed to be fullfield, but when he
fiancé calls her and states that they have to get married or she has to pay
back all the $600,000 he paid for her schooling...
Cal O'Brian wanted Bebe in a big way, but he could never
understand what he did to her to make her dislike him so much. But when he over
hears her saying that she had never been kissed, that she was still a virgin
and that she wanted someone to help her with the predicaments, Cal steps up to
help.
So Bebe and Cal enter into this affair, without realizing
that they cared for each other, but that soon changes as things heat up between
them. Then the truth about Bebe's fiancé comes out and Bebe is left fight to
keep Cal and to get herself out of this mess that she created.
While I found the book a good read on the whole, I did found
the story dragged on for longer than was
necessary and could have been much more enjoyable if it wasn't as long.
One the whole I found the story and the characters
interesting and funny it truly is an enjoyable summer read.
I give Hanging by a Thread 3 stars!
Chaste. Untouched. Maiden. Pure. Innocent. The words that described a virgin might sound pretty, but the truth was downright ugly, at least in Bebe Banerjee’s opinion. She was convinced her virginity was the reason her heart raced, her breath seized, and her palms sweated whenever she was near Cal O’Brien.
Bebe surreptitiously studied Cal,
trying to ignore the wave of lust that surged over her. If she’d had some
experience between the sheets, she was sure she’d be able to handle the way he
made her feel.
If she had gotten naked with a few
guys, maybe she wouldn’t obsess about his glacier-blue eyes and his thick, dark
hair. Maybe she wouldn’t notice the way his jeans clung to his tight behind and
long legs. Maybe she wouldn’t fantasize about his lips, his smile, his big
hands . . .
Bebe desperately wished she could
just avoid him, but his little sister, Teagan, was her best friend. If she
wanted to spend time with Teagan, she had to put up with Cal. She said no to a
lot of Teagan’s invitations to hang out because of him, and she had to be very
careful not to offend her best friend.
That was why the object of her
X-rated fantasies stood next to her in a club-level suite at PacBell Park. The
San Francisco Giants were in the playoffs, battling against the Atlanta Braves
to win the National League pennant, and Teagan had invited her to attend the
game in the Riley O’Brien & Co. suite.
Founded by Teagan’s
great-great-grandfather, Riley O’Brien & Co. was the nation’s oldest
designer and manufacturer of blue jeans. Americans had worn Rileys for nearly
two centuries. In fact, Bebe was wearing a pair right now.
Teagan and her brothers were
involved in the day-to-day operations of Riley O’Brien & Co. She managed
the company’s law department, while her oldest brother, Quinn, served as
president and CEO, and Cal handled global marketing and communications. Even
Quinn’s wife, Amelia, was involved in the company, heading up the women’s
division.
Beside her, Cal shifted slightly and
took a pull on his Shiner Bock. He was close enough to touch, and she clenched
her hands into fists just in case her fingers suddenly decided to act out her
secret fantasies. He didn’t even look her way, and he probably wouldn’t unless
he felt the need to toss an insult at her.
“How was Antigua?” Cal asked,
directing the question to his sister and her new husband, Nick Priest.
“It was the most amazing place I’ve
ever been,” Teagan said, her blue eyes shining and her glossy lips turned up in
a smile.
Teagan and Nick had just returned
from their three-week honeymoon to the Caribbean island. Both of them were
glowing from their tans and their newlywed status.
“We were lucky we had our own
private beach because Nick is apparently an exhibitionist,” Teagan added with a
lustful gleam in her eyes.
Nick was a former professional
football player, and he had been voted as one of the “Sexiest Men Alive” by People magazine. With his blond hair and bright green eyes, he was gorgeous, no
doubt about it. But in Bebe’s opinion, he wasn’t nearly as gorgeous as Cal.
No one is as gorgeous
as Cal.
Nick leaned down and whispered
something into Teagan’s ear, something that was obviously naughty because her
face turned the color of cherries. When he straightened to his full six-five
and saw her red cheeks, he chuckled.
“You’re so bad,” Teagan muttered,
lightly slapping Nick’s chest. In response, he grabbed her hand, hauled her up
against him, and kissed her . . . with tongue.
Cal made a gagging noise. “Jesus
Christ,” he groaned, “do you have to do that in front of me?”
Teagan pulled away from Nick. “Please,” she shot back, her voice full
of disgust. “Do know how many times I had to listen to my high school friends
talk about you and your big—”
Much to Bebe’s disappointment, Cal
covered his sister’s mouth with his hand and cut off the rest of Teagan’s
sentence. She tried to pull his fingers away, and finally she got free by
elbowing him in the stomach.
Laughing, Cal stumbled sideways into
Bebe, almost knocking her over. He grabbed her forearm to steady her, his hand
hot against her skin, and she gasped. Even the slightest touch from him made
her pulse pound, and she tugged her arm to get away from him.
Instead of releasing her, his
fingers tightened. She looked up . . . way up. He was almost as
tall as Nick, and he loomed over her by more than a foot. He was a little
leaner than Teagan’s husband but still solid muscle. His faded Giants T-shirt
showed off his broad shoulders, impressive biceps, and ropy forearms. He’d
paired the shirt with ancient Rileys that fit him like a glove and well-worn
boots.
“Sorry about that, Cookie,” Cal
apologized offhandedly.
“I told you not to call me that,”
she snapped, trying to jerk her arm free.
She hated it when he called her Cookie, and he knew it. Of course, that
was why he did it.
He had come up with the nickname
right after he’d found out she had a medical degree in addition to her MBA and
law degree. He’d claimed it was a better moniker than Bebe since she was such a
smart cookie, but she knew it wasn’t a compliment.
“I thought you liked nicknames.” He
smiled angelically and widened his eyes to look innocent. “You call Teagan kanya all the time.”
Kanya was Bebe’s nickname for her best
friend. It meant “girl” in Hindi, the native language of her Indian ancestors.
She had been born and raised in the United States, but using Hindi words was
one way she stayed connected to her heritage.
“Teagan and I are friends,” she pointed out.
He got her message loud and clear
because his eyes got all squinty. “I can be friendly.”
Yes, he could be friendly. In fact,
he was friendly to everyone but her.
He never had anything nice to say to her, and she returned the sentiment.
She wasn’t sure who had struck
first, probably her, but now they launched verbal missiles at each other with
frequency and precision. He went out of his way to be rude and antagonistic,
and she did the same.
Bebe knew the real reason she acted
like such a bitch around Cal. She liked him, and she didn’t want him to suspect
how she really felt. She didn’t want to be the pathetic geeky girl with a crush
on the hot guy.
Before Cal, she had never been
attracted to any man. She’d never even experienced a high school crush because
she had entered the ninth grade when she was twelve and had graduated when she
was fifteen. She had immediately headed off to college, and she’d obtained two
bachelor’s degrees in three years.
By the time she had been able to
vote, she had been in her first year of medical school. She’d become accustomed
to being viewed as a study partner rather than a sex partner.
She wasn’t oblivious, though, and
over the years, she had noticed good-looking men. But she had never felt that
zing of sexual attraction until she had met Cal four years ago. She hated the
way he made her feel: gauche, nervous, and overstimulated. When he was near,
sounds were louder, colors were brighter, and smells were stronger.
Right now, she could smell him, a
panty-soaking aroma of warm male and expensive cologne. It was so delicious,
she could barely concentrate on the conversation swirling around her.
“Even though Antigua was amazing,
I’m glad to be home,” Teagan said, ignoring Cal and Bebe’s sniping. “I missed
everyone. Mom and Dad. Quinn and Amelia. Bebe. Letty.”
“You didn’t miss me?” Cal asked,
feigning hurt feelings.
Bebe knew Teagan had intentionally
excluded Cal, trying to annoy him. The O’Brien siblings teased one another
mercilessly. Their relationship was so different from the one Bebe had with her
older brothers.
She rarely talked with Pritam and
Ranjit, and when she did, they definitely didn’t tease her. They didn’t even
call her Bebe. They insisted on referring to her by her full name, Bindu, which
she hated.
“No. I missed Kim more than I missed
you,” Teagan replied, referring to the woman who did her nails at the swanky
spa she frequented.
Teagan’s snarky response made
laughter well in Bebe’s throat. Before she could choke them back, giggles
escaped her. Cal stiffened next to her, and she mentally prepared for their
next verbal battle.
Ready. Aim. Fire.
Jenna is the author of the Riley O’Brien & Co.
romances including All the Right Places
and Coming Apart at the Seams. She
has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Texas Christian University and a
Master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern
University.
Jenna and her husband live in a 103-year-old house
in Texas affectionately known as “The Money Pit”. You can find out more about
her and her books by visiting www.jennasutton.com.
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