Hi everyone –
Today’s hook continues with “Their Bond through Jade”
This week’s Hook …
There was no malice in his voice. She sat on one of the chairs, her body relaxing bit by bit. “Steve never mentioned someone called Mat.”
He laughed. “You know all his secrets?”
“No. But, considering I’m his best friend, I believe, he would have mentioned a friend staying with him.”
“Let me think, I can’t recall him mentioning your name, either.”
His voice had a teasing tone, and Tiffany was starting to like him. It was exactly what she needed after opening the door to the police.
“After his girlfriend, I’m the next most important person in Steve’s life,” she said, trying hard to match his humour. “And there’s never been a mention of a person named Mat. I’m pretty certain of that.”
“Damn that little bugger. Here I thought we were best buddies.” He paused for a second then added, “Tell me, Tiffany, why were you so upset?”
“You tell me first how Steve knows someone from New Zealand.”
He laughed again, and it was one of those contagious laughs, which told everyone of his love for it: deep, heartfelt, and infectious. She liked him already for his laugh alone.
“You picked up on that, ay?”
“Educated guess.”
There was silence before he explained. “Steve and I went to school together in Sydney, and we’ve stayed in contact.”
She remembered Steve had grown up in Sydney but then moved to Melbourne in his early teens because of his father’s job. Mat’s voice brought her back from her thoughts, before she was able to reply.
“Darling, I love talking to you, but I’ve got to be somewhere in an hour. Can you promise me you’ll be okay?”
“Thanks, Mat. Yes, I’ll be fine.” It wasn’t a big lie, because at that moment she was feeling better.
She hung up and noticed a smile on her face. And instead of a churning stomach, butterflies had made themselves comfortable. She thought of how easy the conversation had flowed and how attentive he’d been. And his voice. She liked his voice. It was deep and calm, smooth and articulate. She closed her eyes and lost herself in his accent. It hadn’t been strong, but still obvious to her.
And then there’d been his laugh. God, his laugh. It had turned her inside out.
With a big exhale, she covered her face with her hands, surprised that on a day she had to face the police, she was drooling over a man she’d never met, but only talked to.
For a mere few minutes, at that.
The police. A ripple of worry went through her, and she stood to search for her phone to give Steve another call. This time on his mobile.
Review
Mat is a sexy, tattooed New Zealander with a strong sense of family and duty and Tiffany is a woman with a past that continues to haunt her. Can Mat help her overcome her demons and move on with the next phase of her life? Come for the romance and stay for the breathtaking scenery. (5 star review)
Blurb
Pikorua, the Maori name for the symbol, is a twist that is said to symbolise the strength of the bond between two people. Mat is certain there is something between Tiffany and him.
When Tiffany Cahill opens the door to the police, memories flood her mind of the previous year and a relationship gone bad. Frightened, she calls her friend, Steve, for help, but instead a stranger answers the phone. Little does Tiffany know how much this New Zealander is going to impact her life, especially after she is assaulted only a few hours later.
Mat Apanui, the owner of a helicopter tour company in New Zealand, can’t ignore the worry in Tiffany’s voice when he answers Steve’s phone. Before he knows it, he is spending most of his business trip to Melbourne with her. Desperate to keep her safe after an attack, he invites her to stay with him in Queenstown, NZ.
With her safety at risk, how will Tiffany overcome her reservations and trust the sexy stranger enough to fly across the Tasman Sea?
