THE RECKLESS PLAN

The Plan Series #4

by Elle Vaughn

Cover & Excerpt Reveal

Release Date: March 9, 2022

Cover Design: Cover Me Darling

Genre: Contemporary romance
Trope: Friends to lovers, protector romance, suspense

Synopsis

Former Marine Taylor Stoll is facing one of his biggest challenges yet. And that challenge goes by the name of Sadie Hart. After meeting her at a wedding, and doing a little more than just dancing, Taylor can’t stop thinking about the feisty, sexy, and utterly intoxicating nanny. But there’s only one problem: she disappears from his life as fast as she came into it.

When the two meet again at yet another wedding in Hawaii, Taylor hopes this is his chance to finally sweep her off her feet. But Taylor is crushed when he realizes that not only does she only want to be friends, but she’s busy doting after another man—a man she’s convinced is Mr.Right…

But amidst the angst exists an even greater problem: the reappearance of the Rebel Knights. Penny and Elliot are in danger once again and it’s up to Taylor to ensure their safety…as well as the safety of the woman he loves. Because the Rebel Knights know that as their nanny, Sadie is the perfect target. And they’re not ready to give up without a fight…

Will Taylor be able to keep his head while protecting Sadie from the rogue biker gang? Will he finally be able to capture the heart of the girl who has run away with his? 

Excerpt

Well, that didn’t go according to plan. Actually, I didn’t really have a plan to start with, but things definitely went to shit pretty quickly. I didn’t even want to see Taylor tonight. I never wanted to see him ever again. I hated him. Yet…I was stupidly excited to see him, despite my anger toward him, I was almost relieved when I spotted him standing there. He looked fucking sexy in that suit. I wanted to stay strong and remain hostile toward him after the way he treated me in Hawaii, but the walls I built between us caved way too easily and the next thing I knew, we were in the middle of a heavy make out session behind the fountain. I wanted him to take me up to his room. I wanted him so badly at that moment.

But of course…who showed up to break the spell? His dream girl. The one who got away.

I hated her.

Shit. That was such a damned lie because how could anyone hate her? She was great. I actually hated how perfect and amazing and wonderful she was because I couldn’t even blame Taylor. I mean, who wouldn’t want someone like her? And maybe he was trying to do the right thing by moving on with someone else and trying to forget about his feelings for her, but when that person he was trying to move on with was me, it kind of hurt, and really unnerved me. It made me feel like even though I wasn’t the one he truly wanted, I was good enough. And I hated that.

“Let’s go, bitch!” Penny slurred, grabbing my shoulders and trying to focus her eyes on me.

“I’m tired. I think I’ll just head back to our room and crash,” I replied, gently prying her hands off my shoulders.

“’Scuse me? Did Sadie Hart just turn down an afterparty? In a freaking giant ass suite?”

I laughed. “I did. But go, have fun. Don’t forget your room key.”

Penny pouted then conceded. “Everything okay, Sadie? Need some company? I can skip, too.”

“No, no, I’m just totally pooped. You have fun, okay?”

Penny didn’t seem convinced. “Are you sure?”

“Yes! Go!”

I gently shoved Penny into the waiting arms of a way too tipsy Antonio and the two stumbled away toward the lobby.

“Girl, let’s sext Elliot,” I heard Antonio mutter drunkenly as they walked arm in arm.

“Oooh, good idea!”

I laughed at them, then sucked in a breath and made my way toward the other side of the hotel. The side that was less populated. I figured the elevator farthest from the exhibit would give me the greatest chance of not running into anyone I knew, and therefore I could sneak back to our room without incident.

My stomach felt sick. I’d been cruel to Taylor. I let my anger get the best of me and was a little too honest about my observation of his feelings for her. But it was probably for the best. It was better that we ended this now before things got even more complicated. This is what happens when you take two people who didn’t do relationships and tried to make it work. It didn’t. It never did.

I pressed the up button outside the lift and waited for the car to arrive. I tapped my foot impatiently and then slipped inside the elevator the moment the doors slid open. Crossing my arms, I leaned back against the farthest wall, ready to be tucked in bed and asleep. Then, just as the doors were beginning to close, I heard feet pounding on the tile and an arm stuck through the doors just before they shut.

“Hold the elevator!”

Fuck. I grimaced when I realized immediately who it was. It was Taylor. His eyes widened momentarily when he noticed me standing there. 

“Oh, sorry,” he muttered, leaning over to hit the button for his floor.

“It’s fine.” I watched him briefly. His back was to me, and he stood stiffly with his hands clasped in front of him. “Aren’t you going to the afterparty?”

“I decided I should just head to bed,” he remarked coolly.

“Oh.”

We rode in silence as the elevator moved up and up. Then, I jumped as another clap of thunder reverberated through the air, then jumped again as the lights in the elevator flickered and the car halted suddenly.

“Shit,” Taylor said under his breath as the lights dimmed and then went out, save for one emergency light that ran along the top of the lift, barely illuminating the small space.

I pushed away from the wall, suddenly feeling nervous.

“Hmm, this doesn’t seem good,” Taylor said, hitting buttons randomly. “Shit. No power.”

“Isn’t there supposed to be like a backup battery thing or something?” I asked, unconsciously taking a step closer to Taylor.

“I thought so…but…nothing seems to be working. I wonder if the lightning actually struck the hotel itself and fucked something up.”

The lights flickered again, and the elevator moved downward briefly, then halted again roughly. I gasped and shot over to Taylor, grabbing his hand. His fingers automatically tightened around mine.

“It’s alright, Sadie,” he said soothingly. “Elevators have safety features that will keep the car from falling.”

“Are you sure?” I whispered.

“Pretty sure,” he replied. “But I’m no elevator engineer.”

I tightened my grip on him, wrapping my other hand around his forearm and internally hated how much safer I felt next to him.

“Come on,” he murmured softly. “We might as well relax and wait.”

I followed him as he went to the back wall and slid down to the floor, his long legs sprawled out in front of him. Reluctantly, I followed suit and sank down onto the floor a few feet away.

“What now?” I asked.

“Guess we just wait until the power kicks back on.”

I frowned, then tried to subtly study him but it was hard to see his features clearly in the dim light. He seemed down and reserved now, a drastic change to his demeanor earlier—when he was gripping my ass hard with his hands, his mouth assaulting mine in the sexiest way. We both felt distant and were upset with each other again. I called him out and was honest about how I felt, and now there was no going back. He knew that I knew and that was that.

“We can still be friends—” I started but the sharp intake of breath I heard come from him made me stop.

“Are you serious? You think I actually want to be friends with you?”

I felt my face fall and I was grateful that he couldn’t see it. “I suppose you wouldn’t want to be at this point.”

“I never wanted that with you,” he snapped. “All that shit when we were in Hawaii about how we could be friends and I’d be your wingman and whatever else stupid shit I said. You really thought I only wanted to be friends? Fuck, Sadie. I’ve been trying to win you over from the start. I only said those things so you’d want to be near me. I’d hoped…shit. I’d hoped you would like me once you got to know me a little better. That day we spent together was one of the best days of my life.”

I was speechless. I sat in the darkness and drew my knees to my chest, desperately trying to think of a response, but my mind was blank. Suddenly, Taylor pushed up the floor and began to pace the length of the elevator.

“Damn it, Sadie. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we met at Penny and Elliot’s wedding.”

Slowly, I rose to my feet, too, and clasped my hands together nervously. “Taylor, we’re like oil and water. We irritate the shit out of one another.”

“I’ve fucking noticed,” he ground out.

“Maybe this is a sign we should just go our separate ways.”

There was an eerie silence for a few beats, and I wondered what he was thinking, but I didn’t have to think for long because suddenly he was on top of me. His big hands were gripping my shoulders and he shoved me back with a few sure steps until my back was pressed against the wall. I could feel his breath on my cheek, coming in small, short puffs. His torso was brushing against mine and suddenly I was feeling desperate to lean forward and kiss him.

“Is that what we should do, Sadie?” he asked, his voice deep and almost dangerous sounding. “You ready to go our separate ways?”

About the Author

Elle Vaughn is an avid book lover - especially romance novels. She's the author of the Anna and Quinton novella series and is always working on a new story project. When she's not lost in her character creations she can be found chasing around her toddler, being outside in the Colorado outdoors, gardening and attempting to cook for her family!