I’ve started working on my next project, A Scoop of Love. If you’ve read the books in the Wild Knights series, Claimed by a Knight and Seduced by a Knight then you’ve already met Raegan. And if you’ve ever wondered who own the yoga studio that has been mentioned all throughout both the Knight and Noble series, you’ll finally get to meet him.


Coming...some time this spring (hopefully, Lordt willing)


*Unedited, subject to change*





I turned and went to the bar to order a drink. 

“I’ll be right there in a minute, Rae,” Crissy, one of the beertenders, said to me as I sat down on the last empty barstool.

I nodded and shrugged out of my jacket. When my elbow brushed against a hard mass of muscle, I turned to apologize.

“Oh, I’m so sorry…”

My words trailed off, my mouth hanging open as the man I’d bumped into turned and looked at me.

“It’s all good,” he said, looking down at me with a smile that had twin dimples on full display.

My eyes widened at the man staring at me.

“You…you’re…” I stammered, in shock.

“Rae!”

I turned to find Londyn coming towards me. She looked from me to the man.

“I see you two have met.”

“Not exactly,” he said, squinting at me.

“Oh,” Londyn said. “Well, Pax, this is Raegan Wilson.”

He held his hand out to me.

“Nice to meet you, Raegan,” he said as his large hand wrapped around mine.

“Rae, this is my boss at the yoga studio–”

“Paxton…Humphries…” I whispered, my throat dry and I did my best and failed miserably not to completely fangirl out. “You’re Paxton Humphries!”

“So you do know him?” Londyn said.

“Who the fuck doesn’t?!” I screeched. I blinked and turned and looked at her. “Wait…he’s your boss?”

“Yeah,” Londyn said with a shrug.

“Way to bury the fucking lead, Londyn,” I said with a shake of my head. “‘Oh, my boss Pax is coming back to town.’ You failed to mention that yoga studio owner ‘Pax’ was  two-time NFL Super Bowl champ as well as MVP Paxton Humphries.”

“Sounds like you’re a fan,” Ramsey teased from behind Londyn.

“I’m a huge fan,” I said, turning to look back up at Paxton, who was still staring at me with an amused look on his face.

“It’s always nice to meet of fan,” Paxton said humbly.

It was then that I realized… “I’m…still shaking your hand.”

I’d just been standing there, rambling while still furiously shaking his hand like a loon.

“Yes, you are,” he chuckled.

“You’re probably gonna want that back,” I mumbled trying to reign in my little freak out.

His grip tightened around my hand ever so slightly. “You didn’t hear me complaining,” Paxton murmured in a low, gravely tone that made the made goosebumps break out along my arm.

I finally released my hand from his and turned my attention to Londyn.

“I saw you come in at the end of my set, everything all good?” she asked.

“No,” I said. “But I don’t want to talk about it right now. I just want a drink.”

Thankfully, Crissy chose that moment to come over to where we were sitting. I gave her my order and Crissy asked Paxton if he wanted a refill.

“Yeah, and put Miss Wilson’s drink on my tab, please,” he said to Crissy.

I was already shaking my head.

“Oh, that’s not necessary. And please, just call me Raegan.”

“Are you kidding?” Paxton said. “There’s no way I’m gonna pass up the opportunity to buy a drink for someone who is a fan of mine.”

Deciding there was no point in arguing, I smiled politely. “Thank you.”

“My break is almost up,” Londyn said, reminding me that she was even there. “But we’ll catch up after?”

“Definitely.”

“Here you guys go,” Crissy said, sliding two beers in front of Paxton and me. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

We both said thank you and I took a long sip of my beer, letting my eyes drift close. When I finally stopped to take a breath, I cracked one eye then the other and looked over to find Paxton staring at me curiously.

“Damn,” he chuckled. “It was that bad, huh?”

“Worse,” I sighed.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s okay. My day got significantly better when I got the chance to meet Paxton fuckin’ Humphries.”

“You can just call me Paxton,” he chuckled. “Calling me Paxton Humphries over and over might give me a complex.”

I smiled and shook my head.

“I’m sure you get this all the time but…my dad is a huge fan as well and…he would absolutely lose his shit if I sent him a pic. Would it be too much to ask…”

“Not at all,” he said with a smile.

I snatched up my phone, opened up the camera and leaned in his direction for a selfie. I couldn’t stop the shiver that raced up my spine when he wrapped an arm around me, and pressed his cheek next to mine so we’d both be in frame.

“Here,” he said taking my phone from my hand, his fingers brushing against mine in the process. “Let me do it.”

“Okay,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound too breathless since his cologne was sending my senses into overdrive. I tamped down the urge to bury my face into his neck. He probably already thought I was a tad crazy, and I didn’t need to add to that. 

“On three…” Paxton said, extending his long arm up over our heads to take the pic. I put on my best smile and Paxton captured our picture.

He handed my phone back to me and I immediately opened my messages and shot a text to my dad.

Guess who I just met!

I grinned when he texted me back immediately.

Daddy: who

I shook my head at my father’s lack of capitalization or punctuation in his text as I added the picture of me and Paxton and then sent it.

Daddy: no shit! get ya pops an autograph

I smiled and put my phone down.

“He’s freaking out and wants an autograph,” I giggled.

“I think that can be arranged,” Paxton said.

“Check Father’s Day gift off,” I said and Paxton threw his head back and laughed, causing his bound locs to sway around.

“We used to watch your games every week, without fail,” I said. “Even went to a few games. I actually still have your jersey.”

“Really? That’s pretty dope, Paxton said.

“Dad was so bummed after your injury…” I squeezed my eyes shut. “Shit. I’m so sorry. That’s probably the last thing you want to talk about.”

“It’s all good,” Paxton replied.

“No, it’s not,” I said shaking my head. “I’ve been just going on and on and I didn’t even consider the fact that because of what happened, that might not be something you care to talk about anymore.”

“Raegan,” Paxton said, placing a hand on my arm. “It’s fine. I’m in a good enough place now that I can comfortably talk about those days and not feel some kind of way about it. You don’t have to apologize.”

“I’m sure you’re used to it anyway, people losing their shit over you.”

“It’s died down quite a bit over the years, but every once is a while I’ll still run into the occasional fan from my football glory days.” He took a sip of his beer and then added. “But I’ve definitely never met a fan as pretty as you.”

I felt my cheeks flush at his compliment and I turned to take another sip of my drink.

“So what do you, Raegan?” Paxton asked.

“I own scoops,” I said.

“The ice cream shop?”

It was a few doors down from his yoga studio.

“Yep,” I said. “Started with an ice cream truck in Atlanta and moved back home after…an unfortunate situation.”

I was quiet for a moment, trying to get the memory of Kelvin calling me earlier out of my head.

“You okay?”

I looked up at Paxton and smiled.

“Yeah.”

The sound of applause stole our attention away from one another and I turned to see Raegan back on stage. The room came alive as Londyn began to rock out on her Fender H.E.R. Stratocaster electric guitar, a gift that Ramsey have given her this past Christmas.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Paxton bobbing along to the music and I took the opportunity to secretly take him in from head to toe. His skin was a mouthwateringly dark chocolate, his nose was wide and his lips were full. But it was his eyes…they were a mesmerizing brown.

He was a bit leaner than he’d been during his NFL days, but the black tee he was wearing showed off just how fit and muscular he still was.

I could admit that more than once I’d found myself salivating over this man while watching him on television. Or his pictures in magazines – specifically a certain sports magazine that annually featured athletes wearing nothing at all.

Paxton chose that moment to turn his gaze back on in my direction. I quickly looked away, trying to focus on Londyn’s set again. But now I had imagines of a nude Paxton Humphries dancing in my head. And I couldn’t help but wonder what the part that had been tastefully covered in the magazine spread looked like.