No Strings Attached
Samantha Brady's to-do list is simple…Sell her novel, have a baby and find the man of her dreams–though not necessarily in that order. Trouble is, she has writer's block, hasn't had a date in months and lives platonically with her best friend, Jack Turner, the only man who has ever met her Prince Charming criteria.She and Jack have always avoided romantic entanglements of any kind, especially with each other. No strings. No fuss. No heartaches. Until one night of too much wine and too few inhibitions takes their friendship to a whole new level.Sam's to-do list–and her life–are turned completely upside down. She's realized she wouldn't mind a "string" or two–but is she too late to keep her perfect guy from walking out the door?
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“Aren’t you the least bit curious to know what kissing each other would be like?”
Samantha nodded. “It’s only natural. We’ve known each other a long time.”
Leaning over, Jack drew Samantha into his arms and kissed her. The kiss was brief, nice…and not at all what she had expected. She felt nothing extraordinary and was almost relieved.
“Your turn,” he said.
Nervously she leaned toward him, and their lips touched again. But this time he clasped her head between his hands and kissed her as if he really meant it. His lips moved over hers softly yet firmly, then his tongue slid between her lips and she could hear him moan. Or was that her? Somewhere in Samantha’s mind lurked the thought that she should stop kissing Jack before things got out of control. Finally, and with a great deal of effort, she pulled back.
“Well, well,” he said, his smile disgustingly erotic. “You are full of surprises. Must be my lucky day.”
PRAISE FOR THE WORK OF MILLIE CRISWELL
“For charming, outrageous fun, read Millie Criswell!”
—New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips
“A book by Millie Criswell is better than chocolate.
Don’t miss it!”
—USA TODAY bestselling author Leanne Banks
BODY LANGUAGE
“For an amusing and heart-warming story, be sure to check out Body Language.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“An entertaining…second chance at romance starring a delightful protagonist…. Readers will enjoy this love-at-the-U.N. tale.”
—Harriet Klausner, reviewcenter.com
“Simply a joy to read.”
—Kathy Boswell, The Best Reviews
MAD ABOUT MIA
“Once again the irrepressible Criswell provides readers with a funny and heartwarming story.”
—Booklist
“Lighthearted and good-natured reading.”
—Romantic Times
MORE PRAISE FOR MILLIE CRISWELL
“Criswell…makes her delightful contemporary debut with a funny and sexy romance…a worthwhile read.”
—Publishers Weekly on The Trouble with Mary
“Romantic comedy has a new star, and her name is Millie Criswell.”
—New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich
“Very entertaining, lots of laughs and some tears.”
—Philadelphia Inquirer on What To Do About Annie?
To my son and daughter-in-law, Matt and Staci Criswell—brilliant attorneys, wonderful parents and the best son and daughter-in-law a mother could ask for. I love you both!
ALSO BY MILLIE CRISWELL
BODY LANGUAGE
SUDDENLY SINGLE
MAD ABOUT MIA
STAYING SINGLE
THE TRIALS OF ANGELA
WHAT TO DO ABOUT ANNIE?
THE PREGNANT MS. POTTER
THE TROUBLE WITH MARY
THE MARRYING MAN
THE WEDDING PLANNER
TRUE LOVE
DEFIANT
DANGEROUS
DESPERATE
PRIM ROSE
SWEET LAUREL
WILD HEATHER
ASKING FOR TROUBLE
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
IN THE LIVING ROOM of Samantha Brady’s Upper East Side apartment, right next to her aging laptop, sat a small, green ceramic frog.
The frog would have been considered ugly by most standards, with its bulging dark eyes and a semblance of a mysterious smile, as if it knew something she didn’t. But Samantha loved it. Her best friend, Jack, had won it for her years ago at the Dutchess County Fair, and it had come to symbolize all the unsuccessful relationships with men she had experienced over the years.
Samantha had kissed a lot of frogs while looking for her Prince Charming, but all she’d gotten for her trouble was chapped lips.
The Big Romance that everyone wrote and sang about continued to elude her. The closest she’d come was The Bastard, which was how she always thought of Tony Shapiro, the man she had given her heart to shortly after her arrival in the city, and the man who had caused the naive little farm girl from upstate New York to smarten up and quick.
The Bastard had been married with three children. She’d been humiliated and decimated by the experience. But it had served to teach her a good lesson: Men were pigs, not frogs!
The exception to that was Jack Turner. She and Jack had grown up together in the quaint upstate community of Rhinebeck. He was exasperating and bullheaded, but also kind and caring.
She’d had a secret crush on him in high school and entertained wildly romantic ideas about him during her senior year. But he’d begun dating the very popular Suzy Stedman exclusively, and Samantha knew she was no match for a gorgeous cheerleader with boobs the size of bowling balls; hers were more in the golf ball category. At any rate, she’d put aside her foolish notions and settled for being best friends.
To the left of Samantha’s computer sat another ceramic figurine—a shiny red apple that her mother had given her before she’d left home to pursue a writing career. An inscription in gold leaf read: Take a bite out of the Big Apple. Love, Mom. She’d taken many bites of that apple since arriving to pursue her career as a freelance writer and novelist. But so far Samantha had come up with a lot more seeds than pulp.
