Impulse Control
By: Amanda Usen
Publisher: Entangled: Indulgence
Published: Jan. 19, 2015
Genre: Contemp. Romance
Survivalist Russ Donovan is the toughest man in America, with a reality TV show to prove it. Now he’s been strong-armed into filming a new show with dainty lifestyle expert Susannah Stone. But while “At Home in the Wild” could mean millions for his family’s charity, Russ plans to put Little Susie Homemaker to the test—in the Adirondack Mountains in the dead of winter. And there’s no way she’ll be able to hack it…
Susannah is tougher than she looks. She’s had to fight her way through life, and there’s no way she’ll let a bossy mountain man show her up. When she gets him on her turf, he’s in serious trouble. But now she’s run into a bit of problem. Because no one—least of all Russ and Susannah—expects sparks to fly both on camera and off. And now everyone will see their risqué rivalry break all of the rules…
Her simmering anger erupted into a full boil, and she pushed against his chest. “Men like you enjoy making women feel weak, and I’m sick of it.”
His arm tightened around her waist. “There is only one very specific instance in which a man like me enjoys making a woman feel weak, and I am trying to show you what it is. I’ve had my ass handed to me by female black belts. I’ve jumped beside women who made better landings than I did. I’ve been outswimmed, outgunned, and outranked—by women. I’ve got no problem respecting women.”
Now it was her turn to scoff. “But not a woman like me. I’m just good for baking cookies, cleaning the windows, and feeding the babies. Oh, and sex.”
“For God’s sake, I was being an asshole because you were standing there in your perfect pink suit looking at me like I was something you wanted to delicately scrape off the sole of your high heel. And I call bullshit. You want to pigeonhole me with your asshole ex, but I’m not him. I don’t put other people down. I kick them into higher gear. Good God, woman, you climbed a mountain with me today. Have you ever done anything like that before?”
She shook her head, unable to speak. Her ex-husband never would have accepted responsibility for her near collapse on the trail yesterday, and he certainly wouldn’t have apologized. Russ had stepped back so the cameras could get a good shot of her when they reached the top of the mountain today. Ethan would have hogged the peak or at least insisted on being in the picture. Russ was right—he was nothing like Ethan.
She ducked her head to avoid his fierce gaze, but she couldn’t escape his voice. “I know myself inside and out, because I’ve been in a lot of fucked-up situations where decisions had to be made fast to keep people alive. I don’t like to lose—fights, games, competitions, or people. I push hard, I fight hard, I do everything hard, but I take care of my own. Nobody messes with my team. Like it or not, Susie, we’re a team now. I’m goddamn pissed at your ex-husband for leaving you wounded, but I’m fairly certain undoing the damage is within my capability.”
She lifted her chin. “That sounds like pity to me.”
“Not pity.” His erection throbbed against her belly. Her breath caught, and her nipples peaked. He groaned, low in his throat, and the sound vibrated in her core. “Trust me—not pity. Give me one night, Susannah.”
Amanda Usen knows two things for certain: chocolate cheesecake is good for breakfast, and a hot chef can steal your heart. Her husband stole hers the first day of class at the Culinary Institute of America. She married him after graduation in a lovely French
Quarter restaurant in New Orleans, and they spent a few years enjoying the food and the fun in the Big Easy. Now they live in Western New York with their three children, one hamster, two guinea pigs, a tortoise, and a new-to-them beagle. Amanda spends her days teaching pastry arts classes and her nights writing romance. If she isn’t baking or writing, she can usually be found chasing the kids around the yard with her very own hot chef husband.
I’m a gemini and no… I don’t exhibit the traits at all! Thanks for the fun spotlight!
My zodiac sign is Pisces. I do inherit some of the characteristics that are associated with a Pisces.