Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway:
Just Say When by Aimee Nicole Walker

Someone wants Police Chief Emilio Mendoza dead. And if his unknown assailant doesn’t kill him, pining for Sheriff Abraham Beecham just might.

Abe and Lio’s thirty-year journey has taken them from heated rivals to best friends with countless labels and pit stops along the way. Romance is the only avenue left unexplored but not from lack of love or desire.

Abe pushes people away before they can get too close, and Lio doesn’t engage in situations he can’t control. They’ve reached an impasse, and neither are willing to risk their friendship until fate intervenes, forcing them to reassess their priorities.

But when an unhinged enemy targets Lio, will their gamble be too little too late, or will their love truly conquer all?

Just Say When is a standalone romantic suspense novel within the author’s Savannah universe. This book contains mature content and is attended for adults.

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I set the electric sander on the worktable in the middle of the space and faced Abe. He had drywall dust in his hair and on his clothes. He raised his hands and ran them through his hair, shaking the fine powder loose and putting his impressive biceps on display. I wanted to sink my teeth into Abe’s arms, sweat and dust be damned. His t-shirt was damp and clinging to his broad chest. Hard nipples pressed against the fabric, and I so badly wanted to cross the room and work them with my teeth and tongue.

 

“Eyes up here, buddy,” Abe said.

 

I jerked my gaze up and nearly laughed at his indignant expression above his mask. “My apologies. Let me buy you a beer to make up for it.”

 

Abe waggled his brows. “Plying me with booze, huh?”

 

I pinned him with a dark glare. “Because that worked so well for me the last time I tried to kiss you.”

 

Not only had Abe pulled away before my lips could land, but he disappeared from my life for a month. No phone calls or texts. No dropping by on a random evening to hang out and watch a game. He was just gone, and it was the loneliest time in my life until he reappeared on my doorstep with a sack of food in one hand, a six pack of beer in the other, and a sheepish grin on his face. I had a choice to make: I could open the door and pretend nothing happened so I could get my friend back, or force a conversation that could’ve ended our friendship for good. I chose door number one and buried my feelings. Until recently, I convinced myself that friendship with Abe was enough. Now, I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen if I just said when.

 

“Touché,” Abe said.

 

We finished knocking off most of the dust, but I would still manage to track the shit everywhere before I finally got it out of my home. We tossed the masks onto the worktable and headed into the kitchen.

 

“Pretty sure I’ve found the task I hate more than stripping wallpaper,” I said.

 

“You’ll say the same thing when we paint the dining room.” I loved how Abe said we.

 

“And I’ll reaffirm how much I hate stripping wallpaper next weekend when we tackle that job.”

 

“I probably have plans next weekend,” Abe said when I handed him a beer.

 

I quirked a brow. It seemed there were some instances when we didn’t apply. “I could live with this hideousness an extra week.” I stretched and flexed my shoulders, neck, and back before reaching in the refrigerator for my beer. “Pretty sure I feel every one of my forty-two years right now.”

 

He twisted off the cap and tossed it into the recycling bin. “You’ll feel better after a hot shower.”

 

Of course my brain leapt into action, conjuring up an image of the two of us taking a shower together right as I took a sip of beer. I somehow managed not to choke and chased the first drink with another.

 

“I love the way your mind works,” Abe said huskily. Of course, he knew the direction my mind had gone.

 

Abe crossed the room and pressed his body against mine just as he’d done in the parking lot, then he set his beer on the counter and did the same with mine. “I really want my kiss.”

 

“I thought you wanted me to say when.”

 

“Oh, I do, but I’ll settle for a kiss right now.”

 

I had no business entertaining the suggestion until we had an overdue conversation, but reason and logic—my two best traits—were powerless against the smoldering expression in Abe’s eyes. I cupped the back of his neck and planted my lips against his.

 

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