Excerpt from ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE by Danielle Jackson
In this scene, Samantha “Sam” Sawyer and Russ Montgomery are attending the engagement party of Cassie and Reid (from THE ACCIDENTAL PINUP), which has an Alice in Wonderland theme. Sam is helping Russ with the finishing touches on his costume, which leads to a fun photo-op, and an unexpected announcement from Russ about his plans for the end of summer…
“The Knave of Hearts stole tarts from the queen,” she said. “He was on trial when Alice met the king and queen for the first time, and she came to his defense. But the queen . . . well, she wanted his head for stealing from her.” She pulled a simple black eye patch from the box and then rummaged through a drawer she knew had fabric tape in it because she had organized it just so.
“She was ruthless,” Russ commented. “Over a pie?”
Sam couldn’t stand it; he was so pure about everything.
This was one of the few things that amused Sam.
“It was a tart. And baked goods are not to be trifled with,” Sam replied, holding up the finished product, showing Russ how she affixed the heart to the eye patch. Not her best work, but it would have to do for the evening. Russ nodded in approval and leaned his head toward her, so she could put the eye patch on him.
Sam reached up and was about to place the accessory to complete Russ’s costume when she heard the familiar sound of a shutter click.
The aforementioned March Hare was in her natural element, taking photos, even though this was her own engagement party. Sam was used to it, but she wasn’t sure in this instant that Cassie’s motives were entirely innocent.
“Sam, can you start that over? I want to capture the entire process. You two are just too cute tonight.” Cassie exaggerated a pout at both of them when they just gaped back at her. “Do it for me? The affianced whom you celebrate this evening?” Sam’s scowl softened to an eye roll at Russ, and she took the eye patch and started again.
“Okay now, Sam, hitch your butt up ever so slightly? On your tiptoes, please?”
Somehow Sam was now in the middle of a photo shoot where the Queen of Hearts was dressing the Knave of Hearts. Following Cassie’s direction, Sam stood on the sturdy tips of her combat boots, and judging from the direction of Russ’s gaze and the fact that his face was now as red as her outfit, he could see down the front of her chemise. A feeling of satisfaction warmed Sam’s skin as she looked at Russ while he was looking at her, his entire face and neck turning more and more red, and—
Click.
They snapped out of the trance neither of them was aware they were under, both suddenly very aware of how intimately they were positioned. Russ was perched back against the desk and Sam was over him. She had both of her arms extended almost around his neck as she had already placed the eye patch and was posing for the sake of Cassie’s picture. She was also straddling him.
Cassie looked at the screen of her camera and winked at Sam.
What a weird party.
“Sam, what do you think? Do I look like I’m ready to steal a pie from you?” Russ asked.
“Perhaps a touch more blush,” Kit called out as she walked by, holding two bottles of vodka.
Sam narrowed her eyes at Kit as she wandered off, then turned her sights back to Russ. His normally pale cheeks did indeed have a pinkish hue, and Sam felt heat rise to her own face again. But, rather than acknowledge how strange the evening had been thus far, she took a few steps back, gave one more passing glance at Russ’s overall look, and nodded. “You’ll do. Now, run along before I decide to cut off your head.”
“How about I get you a drink from the bar to make up for my crime?”
“Perfect,” Sam agreed, smoothing the front of her tiny dress, which had gathered up slightly when she was straddling Russ. She watched him walk away, mesmerized by the way his pants hugged his perfect ass. Sam took a deep breath and let it out slowly, stopping herself from sighing all the way into a swoon.
He returned from the makeshift bar, which was situated in front of one of the large windows that normally flooded the studio with light, but as the sun set over Chicago, the last rays of the day beamed their way in, adding warmth to the oversized market lights Sam had strewn about earlier.
“So, what was James talking about earlier?” she said, clinking her manhattan with his beer. The man had certainly figured out her drink order pretty quickly. And with Riki bartending for the night as an engagement gift to Cassie and Reid at the temporary bar in the studio’s small kitchen, these were the best ones in town. “Are you going somewhere?”
“Yeah, I got into culinary school. I start this fall. In New York.”
Sam felt the room go dim, and not because she had timed the lights to match the sunset.
Russ was leaving. She took a big swig of her very strong drink.
“Sam? You okay?”
Sam most certainly was not okay. He could text her random memes or ask her out for what felt like the nine hundredth time, but he couldn’t tell her about this? A major life change? Sam wondered if this was actually what everyone was so mum about around her. She’d have a few choice things to say to her friends.
But then again, Russ hadn’t shared this with her directly, and it wasn’t Cassie or Kit’s place to go around telling his news—even if his brother and boss had done so. Beyond that, it wasn’t like she and Russ were anything more than friends. She had made that painfully clear on every occasion she’d had the chance.
Still, Russ tagged along with Reid when he visited Cassie at work, and because Cassie was Sam’s boss, this meant she saw him regularly. Whenever there was a particularly good special or a great local band playing at Bugles, they all checked it out together. And James was always asking them to stop by Simone’s to try new menu items or seasonal drinks, and to help fill the restaurant when things were slow during a normally busy time. In all of these instances, Russ generally spent most of that time with Sam. No, they weren’t more than friends, but she did think they were friends.
Whatever, she thought to herself. All of her excuses and reasons for never agreeing to go out with Russ were proven correct in that moment. He wasn’t going to stick around like Sam had assumed all those months ago, and she wasn’t going to let this bring her world down around her.
Excerpt from ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE by Danielle Jackson. Copyright © 2023
ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE by Danielle Jackson
When Sam is stuck sharing the streets for Chicago’s summer festivals with a man she can’t stand, she’ll find it’s often a bumpy road that leads to love….
As office manager of the city’s leading luxury boudoir and pinup photography studio, lovable grump Samantha Sawyer has everything under control. With an eventful summer season on the horizon, Sam is balancing a hectic workload while preparing the Buxom Boudoir “Photobus,” a vintage coach bus converted into a mobile photobooth and meeting space, to make the rounds at Chicago’s bustling summer street festival roster. Sam’s busy schedule makes avoiding the difficult parts of her life much easier, but there’s one person who can see right through her to-do lists and icy façade, really see her.
A lot has changed in the last year for Russell Montgomery. Years of odd jobs and couch surfing around the country had left him scrambling, but after reconnecting with his brother, Reid (and coming as close to settling down as he’s ever been), Russ now works at a hot local restaurant. Russ has been welcomed into his newly engaged brother’s circle of friends—all except a close friend and coworker of Reid’s fiancée, an intriguingly stormy woman named Sam.
Luckily, Sam is certain that the chaos of her calendar will ensure their distance, and she won’t have to deal with Russ or his irritating, handsome smile. But when Russ is charged with the launch of a restaurant food truck for the festival circuit, the sizzling Chicago heat is no match for the fire between them….
Romance Contemporary | Romance Comedy [Berkley, On Sale: August 8, 2023, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593437353 / eISBN: 9780593437360]
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About Danielle Jackson
Danielle Jackson is a contemporary romance author, avid reader, lackluster-yet-mighty crafter, and accomplished TV binge-watcher.
Danielle has had the unique experience of working on almost every side of the book business—as a publicist at a publisher, an editorial manager of a book review website, an events coordinator at an independent bookstore, and now, an author. When she’s not writing, Danielle co-hosts a pop culture podcast, moderates and participates on industry panels, and hosts a romance book club.
Danielle lives in Chicagoland with her very own romance hero husband, darling daughter, and two tempestuous cats. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram, @DJacksonBooks.
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