"How'd this happen?" Melody asked in a stunned whisper..."We just met.""I don't believe that," Clay argued as he turned her palm over in his and traced the lines of it with the pad of his finger. "I'm pretty sure we've known each other forever. Seeing you the first time was like coming home, and there ain't been anything to happen since that's disabused me of the notion."Melody recently fled from her abusive husband after finally gaining the courage to run. She ends up in a small town that breeds fighting men...that is, MMA fighers. And though she still flinches and shrinks away from a lot of men, there's something about Clay that makes her feel protected instead of scared. Maybe it's because he looks so lonely, sitting by himself on Thanksgiving, eating at her table in the local diner. Maybe she falls for him when he tries desperately to choke down the piece of pumpkin pie he so obviously detests just because she bought it for him. What Melody doesn't know is that the huge dude that starts eating every night at the diner is actually the heavyweight champion of the UFC. Hell, she's been so cloistered for so long, she doesn't even know what the UFC is. But she's about to get a crash course in badass boys, because you KNOW that ex husband shows up, right? SMH...stupid man..."He rested his cheek against her shoulder, burying his face in her soft, sweetly scented hair. "You smell like cookies."This was super sweet, but not sticky sweet...after all, this is one huge dude who pounds other guys faces in until they black out!!!! But wow, was Clay ever gentle with this woman. Nothing, NOTHING, NOTHING tops the ultimate protective alpha male. The one who doesn't stand for a negative word against his woman, let alone some snarky pissant of an ex who used to rape and beat her. Yeah, I swooned!!I swooned even more at the sex...holy wowza!! That was HOT!!!"Go ahead." Clay's voice turned low and gravelly with sex. "Use it; fuck it. It belongs to you; own it"..."Or..."She never knew she was supposed to be this woman, one comfortable enough with her own body and desires to make herself vulnerable to him like this. She wanted to be claimed, owned, fucked from behind until she came, screaming Clay's name. If she wasn't already in love with Clay, she would have fallen for him just for giving her this freedom. She wasn't nervous and jumpy; instead she was uninhibited and sexual..."It was great watching Melody come out of her shell. Getting to know Clay and being with him intimately seemed like such a natural progression for her, despite the fact that Clay likes it rough and raw...and then he turns the switch to a huge monster of a teddy bear. But she felt safe with him, and as she gets to know his only family left in the world...friends who took him in when he was a scared homeless kid, she sees more to the man than the fighter or the lover. She sees a man who is willing and able to be a better man than she ever thought she'd have.Nothing better than a strong man with a gentle heart. I was so impressed with the writing in this short, novella length book. Though it's not horribly sophisticated or flashy, it's very down to earth and easy to relate to. Little details such as how Mel turns the faucet in the tub off with her toes and Clay's teasing her about it, the touching emotion in the bedroom...it all came together and gave me a huge surprise. This is for the romance lover...the sappy HEA needer who also likes some rough and tumble with their lovin'. What a great, quick read! I'm very much looking forward to Romeo and Jules story, and eventually Wyatt. Arc generously provided by Loose Id via Net Galley
