When workaholic Libby Strong’s friends and family make her take a long
overdue holiday, she’s not impressed. A week of lounging by a swimming
pool and doing nothing is not her idea of fun. In an act of rebellion,
she books a day trip, touring in a jeep. When her guide arrives, Libby’s
astonished to discover she’s the only patron going on the trip. But as
hunky Demetrio takes her off the beaten track and deep into the
beautiful Portuguese countryside, she soon leaves her worries behind and
hangs on tight for the ride of her life.
Excerpt:
Libby huffed and puffed as she made her way up the steep slope
leading to the rear exit of the hotel complex. She swore the builders
had had secret CCTV cameras installed so they could watch people suffer
their poor planning for years to come. At least it was early. Had it
been lunchtime, she’d surely have passed out with the heat.
Ah well, Libby thought as she finally reached the road, it’ll be worth it. This trip is going to be amazing.
As she stood on the mercifully flat pavement and got her breath back,
a thought niggled at her. Nobody else was here. Panicking, Libby
wrenched open her bag and pulled out her paperwork. She examined it,
then a glance at her watch confirmed she had both the right date and
time. So where was everyone? Yes, she was ten minutes early but surely
the others should be here by now? Looking down the slope she’d just
ascended, Libby frowned as she saw it was deserted. Everywhere was
deserted.
Fuck, she thought, perhaps they were all here earlier and they’ve gone without me!
The rumble of an engine distracted Libby from her worries. Turning,
she saw a jeep trundling down the road towards her. She watched
hopefully as the driver pulled the vehicle up beside where she stood and
reached into the passenger seat.
Picking up a clipboard, the man glanced down, then at her, and said, “You are Libby Strong?”
She nodded.
The man grinned widely, revealing dimples in both cheeks, and hopped
out of the jeep. Walking around the vehicle to where she stood, he held
out a hand.
“I am Demetrio. Your guide for the day.”
Libby took his hand and shook it. It was warm and strong. Much like
the rest of him, she suspected, as she gave him a subtle once over. He
was tall, with black curly hair to his shoulders, luscious brown eyes
and olive skin. A white t-shirt bearing the holiday company’s logo
covered his top half—though without obscuring his impressive biceps—and
he wore longish tan colored shorts on the bottom. A pair of non-descript
white-ish trainers and faded red cap completed his outfit.
“I’m Libby,” she said, even though he already knew her name. She was just being polite. “Pleased to meet you.”
They broke off the handshake and Demetrio smiled again, then moved to the passenger side of the jeep and pulled open the door.
“Please,” he said, gesturing she should get in.
Libby did as she was told, but couldn’t help asking the burning question.
“Where is everyone else?”
Demetrio waited until she was safely in the passenger seat, closed
the door and made his way to the driver’s side. He got in, then turned
to her.
“There is nobody else. You are only person on this trip. You get best views!”
He laughed then , the flash of white teeth against olive skin
resulting in an unexpected jolt in Libby’s nether regions. She studied
his profile for a few seconds, then grudgingly admitted to herself that
Demetrio was, in fact, very attractive. Despite the fact she was a
red-blooded woman, she rarely noticed such things.
Like most people, she’d come on this holiday to recharge her
batteries. Unlike most people, she’d been practically forced into it.
Libby was somewhat of a workaholic, which left her little time for
anything else. It was this fact which had cost her her last
relationship. The long working hours, frequent rain checks on their
dates and her lack of interest in any kind of affection, let alone sex,
had finally caused James to walk away.
Libby had barely noticed. She’d just carried on working, and
working…until her friends and family had finally intervened. They’d
booked the holiday to Portugal, arranged with her boss for her to have
the time off, and basically given her little choice but to go.
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1 comment:
Off the Beaten Track sounds like a very enjoyable read. Thanks for the excerpt!
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