A Simple Request – Lacey Black

The rest of the night progresses quickly, and before I know it, my family is heading back home to Stewart Grove and I’m closing down the bar with Collin. He’s quiet as he locks the front entrance, and the room suddenly feels too small. Too quiet. Moving to where the old jukebox is mounted, I select a few classic country songs to fill the silence. Alan Jackson starts to sing about life next to the Chattahoochee River, and I find myself smiling and humming along. I let Collin do his thing behind the bar, while I work on tearing down the remnants of the paint party.

I was a little nervous painting over the floors I just refinished, but at the end of the day, this place has life and reflects the good, the bad, and the ugly that is life. If paint got on the floor, then so be it. I’d clean it the best I could and move on. Fortunately, I don’t see anything damaging and continue on with my business. I get everything torn down and start moving the tables to the back hallway. Cade dropped them off earlier this morning and said he’d come back tomorrow for everything.

“Let me help,” Collin says, jumping in and helping me carry the tables. Of course, he grabs one in each hand, and the job is complete pretty swiftly. “I really appreciate your family letting me borrow their tables,” I say. “No problem. Better than renting them from some company or buying new,” he states with a shrug. “Very true.

And these plastic ones are fairly lightweight and durable.” I wipe my hands down my pants. “Plus, I love that they fold in half. Sure makes moving them easier.” My heart rate is elevated, and it’s not because of a little extra exertion. I moved and set up the tables with ease, so I know it’s not that. It’s Collin. I don’t know why he gets under my skin the way he does, and it’s not in a bad or annoying way.

It’s simply…him. His scent, his powerful gaze, his uncanny ability to get me without even trying. I can sense his nearness, and my body reacts. It gravitates toward him all on its own. “You okay?” he whispers, his mouth surprisingly close to my ear. I don’t know when he moved to stand before me, but he’s right here, and it takes every ounce of control I have not to lean into him. “Yes,” I reply, my voice breathy and at a higher pitch than normal. Our eyes meet, and I swear I can see the flames dancing in those sapphire pools.

It reflects his desire, his raw need.

Cooper Town Boys Series, book 1 Copyright © 2026 Lacey Black Cover Design by Kristie Leigh, Vanilla Lily Designs Photographer Eric McKinney, 6:12 Photography Model Bryan B Editing by Kara Hildebrand Proofreading by Sandra Shipman, Joanne Thompson, and Karen Hrdlicka No part of this book may be used, including but not limited to, the training of or use by artificial intelligence, or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission by Lacey Black, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. Any reference to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the prior written permission of the author.

Published in the United States of America. All rights reserved. 1kitap1.com/en CHAPTER ONE COLLIN I pull open the old wooden door and smile. Classic George Jones pours through the speakers, not too loud, but loud enough all patrons can enjoy the good music. The regulars at the bar turn and wave when I enter, earning me a round of welcomes and hellos from the people I’ll be serving drinks to for the next several hours. “Hey, Collin,” Guy hollers, throwing me a wave and a grin. “Evening,” I reply, walking behind the bar and dropping my duffel bag into the cubby hole where we keep personal possessions.

“How’s it going?” “Oh, not too bad. The game’s on,” he informs me, nodding to the TVs lined up on the wall above the bar. The St. Louis Cardinals are taking on the Chicago Cubs in a much-anticipated rivalry game. Our red birds are up by one in the series but look to be down already in game two. “How are we doing?” I ask, even though the score is pretty telling.

“Bats are cold,” Guy states, moving to the tip jar and cleaning it out. “Hey, so I heard something today,” he adds, stepping closer and lowering his voice. “Chuck sold it.” The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and my mouth drops open. “You’re shittin’ me. He really did it?”

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 449a12c7f3747ff6
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 2,406,635 bytes (2.295 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 242
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 405.5 minutes
• Total Words: 81,100
• Total Characters: 431,077
• Average Words per Page: 335.12
• Average Characters per Page: 1781.31

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