Blog Tour & Giveaway: Start Me Up by Nicole Michaels

Single mom Anne Edmond can handle and hand-make just about anything. From table settings to party favors, floral arrangements to nursery décor, there is no project her creativity and a glue gun can’t tackle. But dating? That’s a whole another story. Case in point: Mike Everett. He’s a gorgeous mechanic and known car-whisperer, a man who can work with auto parts like nobody’s business. And he has thrown a monkey wrench into Anne’s carefully-crafted life.

One look at Anne is enough for Mike to know that she’s no fixer-upper. She’s perfect just the way she is and the chemistry between them works like a charm. Mike’s always been a no-strings kind of guy, but Anne’s impressive self-reliance and gorgeous exterior gives him pause. This time, a fast joyride just doesn’t seem like enough. But first he has to convince Anne that he means to take her all the way…

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*EXCERPT*

As the party wrapped up, Mike excused himself from the table, on a mission to grab Bailey and leave, when all the little girls ran inside. He followed, just in time to catch sight of them running up the stairs. Well, he certainly wasn’t going to follow her up into the personal living space. He walked back toward the kitchen and straight into Anne. They stopped in the narrow hallway between the living room and the kitchen, their bodies close. A light sheen of perspiration had built up on her cleavage and on her temples. He realized the floral smell wasn’t only the home, it was also her.

“Hey, this was a really nice party, Anne. Bailey seemed to have a great time,” he said.

“Thank you for bringing her. Bailey and Claire have become best friends this year at school. I think the party turned out well, too.” She looked genuinely happy about his comment, which made him think of a few inappropriate things he’d like to thank her for. He took a deep breath and tried to resist his baser urges, the ones telling him to get closer… ask her out, say something to let her know he was into her.

No, he’d already decided that was not going to happen. Never mind the fact that his sister would kill him if while doing her a favor he ended up trying to hook up with one of the school moms. As if Anne was even the hookup type. No, she was definitely the making-love kind of woman. He expected her to rotate any second, put some space between them, but she shocked him by stepping slightly closer as she spoke.

“So, I . . . um, put some stuff in a box.” He glanced down, and she was holding a pink pastry box with the Callie’s Confection’s logo on it. He raised an eyebrow, and she instantly looked embarrassed. “I mean, there were just so many cupcakes left . . . and Lord knows the last thing I need is more sweets in the house.”

She bit her bottom lip and scrunched up her nose in the most adorable nervous tic he’d ever seen. He was pretty sure she was trying to flirt with him by giving him take-home treats. She wasn’t offering any of the moms boxes to take home. At least he didn’t think she was. In that moment he wanted to take the awkwardness away, assure her that flirting with him was not only welcome, but a complete turn-on.

“You’re perfect. I think you should eat all the sweets you want.” He edged closer, placing his fingers over hers on the box. The sharp hitch of her breath made him feel a little bolder and a lot like ignoring the part of his brain telling him this was not a good idea. She chewed again lightly at her lower lip, the sight of it sending inappropriate signals throughout his body. Well, fuck it. “And thank you, I’m sure what you’re offering is . . . delicious,” he murmured.

Her lips parted on a tiny gasp and he worried he had gone too far, misunderstood the gesture. Some women liked to feed the dude in the room. But then her expression softened. Her mouth slid into a little smile, relaxing his nerves along with it. She was so out of his league, and he didn’t exactly fit the mold of ready-made stepdad. At least he hoped he didn’t. So what really was her motivation? Maybe she was interested in a little fun.

“You know.” Her head tipped to the side and her voice had gotten soft. “Claire and I were going to head to Settlers Park in about an hour… you are more than welcome to bring Bailey and meet us there. I mean since they’re best friends . . .”

“Oh, Anne, I’d love to, but—” Shit, there was nothing more he would like to do than go to the park with Anne, which surprised him almost as much as her asking him to do it. But he had a date with Katie. He couldn’t even bring himself to say it out loud. “I can’t.”

“Oh my gosh, I mean, of course. God, I’m so sorry, I don’t even know why I asked . . .” She made the cute little scrunched face again, and it was killing him to see her uncomfortable. He didn’t want Anne to regret being forward with him, hell it was amazing, but why did she have to suggest today of all days? “It’s Saturday, you probably have . . . oh gosh, you would never want to go to the park. Never mind, the girls will see each other at school, and gymnastics class or . . . something.”

“Uncle Mike has a hot date tonight. He told me.” Bailey was jumping down the stairs above them, and each thud of her feet hitting the squeaky old wood matched the pounding of his heart as he watched the expression of understanding and then embarrassment on Anne’s face.

“Well . . . good for you. How fun, it’s such a beautiful day. It should be, umm, perfect for a date.” Anne’s words were excited and over-the-top happy, making this even harder and more uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry—” he started.

“Oh goodness, stop.” She held a hand up to shush him and smiled. “No need for all that, let me just, um. Let me get Bailey’s goodie bag and you guys can get outta here.”

She walked away, her pink dress swishing around her legs. He caught her rubbing her temple, a gesture that implied she was upset or embarrassed, and it pissed him off that the situation had gone from flirty to awkward in a matter of seconds. It was only a hunch, but he would bet that Anne Edmond didn’t make the first move often. She likely wouldn’t be repeating it anytime soon after this.

Then again, maybe it didn’t really bother her. Hell, it wasn’t like she could possibly be looking for something serious, not with some random blue-collar guy that showed up at her daughter’s birthday party. She probably felt safe flirting with him, testing the waters before she worked up to someone who was her equal, some- one she would want to build a family with in this cute little house. It was really for the best. He had no business considering spending any more time with Anne

because they were complete opposites and she needed the sushi-loving man who wore a tie. Mike was not that guy. No, he was the man that would get grease stains on her matching pillows. It wasn’t a natural fit, not by a long shot, and he’d known it from the moment he laid eyes on her.

He had done his job, covered for Erin, played the parent for the day, and now it was time to go back to his very unpink, uncluttered, and unhomemade life. He had a date with Katie and he was pretty damn sure her hobbies were more of the carnal variety. Which was exactly what he needed in order to forget Anne Edmond.

About the Author:

When she’s not writing, cooking, or hanging out with her husband, NICOLE MICHAELS is a portrait and wedding photographer. She enjoys writing love stories with happy endings and lives outside of Kansas City with her husband and three sons. Visit her at http://nicolemichaelsbooks.com/

Jennifer’s Review of Start Me Up

Review (4.5 Stars): Start Me Up was a sweet and charming romance that had me laughing at the humor that was laced throughout most of this  book.  I liked Anne and Mike together even though he was used to playing the field and Anne had a hard time believing that she was as wonderful as everyone told her that she was.  There were times in this book that I wanted to smack Mike for the way that he treated Anne because she deserved happiness in her life and Mike needed to step up to the plate to be that guy for her.  He redeemed himself in the end and I hope he spends the rest of their lives making up for it.  Start Me Up was a delightful story and I can’t wait to read more from this talented author.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of Start Me Up. This giveaway is for US Residents only.  To be entered in the drawing by March 7th, please leave me a comment below: