Nate Smith has a secret.
He is completely and totally in love with Carly Andrews, and has been since they were kids. The only problem is she doesn’t know, and he doesn’t believe she is ready to know. He doesn’t want to spoil their friendship. But … he also can’t stand the thought of her with other men. So, he threatens or hurts anyone who would dare to go on a date with her.
After years of disastrous dates, Carly knows she must be the problem. She is unlovable, and all she has ever wanted is to have a family. So, she intends to find a way to get pregnant. She no longer needs a man, just a sperm.
The moment Nate hears of her plan, he is not having her use just any sperm. She will have his, but if she wants to have a baby, they are going to do this the good old-fashioned way.
What started out as a crazy idea, soon becomes the best one yet. Carly has been in love with Nate all of her life. She has tried to hide her feelings, but now she has given him her virginity, and they are like dynamite together.
Only, she should have known nothing comes without a price...
Excerpt:
Picking up the empty potato salad dish, she offered a smile to the group and disappeared into the kitchen, which was where she found Nate looking out the window.
“There you are,” Carly said. She put the empty dish into the sink, and was tempted to leave it, but she hated mess. Turning on the tap, she began to clean it.
“I wondered where you had gone to.” With the dish clean, she left it on the draining board until later.
She didn’t want to be rude. Stepping up to the fridge, she grabbed the next bowl of potato salad. Everyone was always so hungry, even if it was the seven of them—eight if she counted Misha as eating for two people. She had hoped for more people to arrive, but she also didn’t mind that it was only the seven of them. She kept reminding herself of the little baby bump.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
Nate turned toward her and she saw the frown of his brows. She’d seen Nate glare or frown many times, but this was different. Something told her he seemed troubled today, unlike the other days.
“What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong? I promise I will clean everything up. Was the steak not good? The chicken?”
“You want to have a child,” Nate said.
“What?” She hadn’t expected him to mention children.
“A child. You want to have a baby.”
She offered him a confused smile. “This is not news, Nate. You know I have always wanted to have children.” She put a hand to her stomach. Unlike Sarah, she hadn’t opted for a bikini, but a one-piece suit. She also went for some shorts for her own personal comfort, so she wasn’t showing off too much leg.
“You’re planning on going to a sperm donor,” Nate said.
“You’ve been talking to Sarah.” She sighed. She should have known Sarah wouldn’t keep her random declaration of wanting a child and how to get one, to herself.
“Yes, I’ve been talking to Sarah. Is it true?”
She took a deep breath. “I only thought about it last night,” Carly said. “Yes, it is a real possibility.”
“Why?”
Carly couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re being serious with this question right now?”
He did that one-raised-brow thing. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but she had attempted to only raise one brow in the mirror, and it was next to impossible to do. She didn’t know how Nate could do it without practice. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was some kind of hereditary thing. They would never know as they had never gone back to their biological parents.
They’d stayed in the system until the end. Carly had been the last one to leave, and as she did, with the small black bag of clothes, and the few items, Nate, Sarah, and the guys had been waiting for her. She’d never looked back.
“This is serious, Carly.”
She blew out a breath. “Fine, and this is a serious answer. I suck at dating. I suck at meeting men, and the only way to have a baby is to, you know, be with a man, the right man, but he’s not appearing anytime soon. I’m probably the only freaking twenty-nine-year-old virgin on the planet, and I want to have kids. So, I’m cutting out the middle man, and I’m going to do it the modern way, with a guy’s sperm, and not the dating route.” She had no choice but to force a smile to her lips, as the ground refused to open up and swallow her whole, which is exactly what she would love it to do.
She couldn’t believe she had just told Nate she was a virgin. How lame she must look now.
There was no way she was dropping her head into her hands either. There was nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing at all. She was a virgin. There hadn’t been a good enough man in her life to lose it to. Not even at some crappy teenage party. There were parties she went to, but all of them were with the gang, and being around them never sucked.
“That’s not happening,” Nate said.
Now this did bring her back to reality, and she felt a little pissed off.
“What?” Carly said.
“You’re not going to get some random guy’s sperm.”
“And you think you can tell me what I’m going to do? I’m twenty-nine years old, Nate. I’m not some child you need to keep protecting. I know my own mind, and I know my own body, and if I want to have a child, I will have a child, and if that means having to use some stranger’s sperm, so be it.”
She took a deep breath and then realized he was coming toward her, and he wasn’t slowing down.
Taking a step back, then another step back, the bowl of potato salad would be no match for an advancing Nate. The fridge stopped her retreat. She attempted to square her shoulders and offered him a glare.
Nate smirked. That was all he did. One small smirk.
“You want a child so badly, fine, I’ll give you one, but you’re not going to have any stranger’s sperm being the father of your child. I’ll be the father of your child, and I’ll take care of your virginity problem. We’ll do it the good old-fashioned way.”
Don't let title fool you, he's a sweetheart and only has love for her...their whole clan loves each other more than they realize. Sometimes, found-family is everything, and this is one of those cases. They learn their lessons about holding the truth from each other, and find their HEA. Sweet, sweet tale and a quick read.
I don't know why Carly thought she could tell Nate whenever needed and was going to and he would react. Nat said nope. Not got happen...you having anyone's baby it will be mine..he response should have been dripping with suggure...yes love.
Best friends to lovers, Carley and Nate, are tiptoeing the delicate balance between friendship and romance, as Nate struggles with his feelings for Carly while trying not to jeopardize their bond. The tension created by Nate's jealousy and possessiveness when Carley tries to date and sabotage her dates is entertaining. It made the eventual shift from friends to lovers all the more satisfying. Cary was frustrated that her dating life was not working out because she craved a solid relationship to build a family. Overall, the well written narrative and steamy scenes made this friends to lovers romance an engaging read.
Best friends to lovers, Carley and Nate, are tiptoeing the delicate balance between friendship and romance, as Nate struggles with his feelings for Carly while trying not to jeopardize their bond. The tension created by Nate's jealousy and possessiveness when Carley tries to date and sabotage her dates is entertaining. It made the eventual shift from friends to lovers all the more satisfying. Cary was frustrated that her dating life was not working out because she craved a solid relationship to build a family. Overall, the well written narrative and steamy scenes made this friends to lovers romance an engaging read.
Nice read not too long but it definitely was a sweet read it has a bit of drama but not too big that takes away the sweet love of Nate and Carly.
Nate had always wanted Carly, though he doesnt want to ruin the friendship they have, she's his light in the world and he can't ever lose that. But when Carly, fed up of all her failed dates (thanks to Nates intervention) just wants to have a family of her own, Nate knows he cant stand by anymore. But will crossing that line cost them both when secrets unravel? Well written, engaging steamy, friends to lovers, protective, desires and more.
Oh how I loved this story. Nate and Carly have been "dancing" around each other for years. Nate wants her but at the same time, he doesn't. That doesn't stop him from scaring off anyone she dates or wanted to date. Carly has had nothing but disappointment in the dating field. She wants a baby so she tells her friends that and you know Nate is NOT going to let that happen. He'll give her a baby the old fashioned way. But when she discovers that all her friends have kept secrets from her, she storms out. I would have loved to see more groveling on each of their parts but the story was still good! Will she forgive them all?
Nate and Carly have known each other since they were children. They have formed a family with other foster kids they met when they were younger and none of them were ever adopted. Nate has been in love with Carly forever and has chased off all of her past dates. He justifies this by claiming none of them fought him for her and were unworthy of her. Carly is oblivious to Nate's actions and instead feels like she is unwanted by men. Now she is nearing 30 and wants a baby. She decides to seek services from a sperm bank. Nate offers to give her a baby as long as they make it together and not through a fertility clinic. Carly is excited. She has loved Nate forever and hopes this will bring them closer. Unfortunately, Carly finds out how Nate has driven away all the other men in her life. Now she is questioning everything.
What people do for love ... while Nate's way of handling Carly's environment was way OTT, his motivations and heart were in the right place. I loved the way he loved her in his own crazy way. Their backgrounds/upbringing created much emotional fear (in all of them -- including Mitch, Sarah, Reese and Dalton). Nate really did try to take care of their entire found family. They were all loyal to each other in the end. Loved Nate and Carly were able to navigate their way to a solid HEA.
Nate and Carly have been in love with one another for two decades only neither of them want to ruin their family that they have built.. them and four other friends make up this built family. Nate has spent all these years protecting Carly in silent. Now he finds out she wants to be a mother and has plans to make it happen.. so he does what any ott man would do.. he tells her he will give her that baby. And there love story that is years in the making can finally begin!
I really enjoyed this story and hoping the rest of the group gets a book. I think it touched me so, because I have seen young people without form there own families. The growth and strength in the group makes for a good story.
Another great read by Sam Crescent. Carly is tired of not finding someone to spend the rest of her life with. She just wants to be a mother and have a family. So she decides to get a sperm donor for this, but once Nate finds out, he quickly offers to do it the old fashioned way. This was Nate's way of showing he loves Carly. He has been in love with her for so long that he only wants the best for her. Nate was a bit of a bully. Not necessarily to Carly, but he did push people out of her life who he thought wasn't good enough for her. This was all because he was too afraid to confess his own feelings to Carly and take a chance on a relationship. They were cute together, as they had both been in love with the other for quite a long time. They were finally taking a chance on being together, but sometimes the best laid plans go amok. This story showed you should just be honest and take a chance on something that could make you happy. If you lie about it, it might just blow up in your face.
This book was a good read. I do jot know how this author gets better and better. I enjoyed reading this book from beginning to end. I definitely recommend this book.
I loved the characters and the growth of them as the story unfolded! I am really hoping each character will get their own story! A must read
No-One Could Claim Her But Him! He’d loved and been obsessed by her since the moment they met. Protecting her and keeping her safe all these years later, she was still his one obsession who he thought he could not have until the day he found out she wanted a baby! An obsessive enjoyable steamy read with a wonderful HEA!
I love when Sam writes this type of book. Great storyline, fantastic characters, and awesome angst throughout the book. Loved Nate and Carly's story. The love he had for her and that caveman takeover with the thought of her being with another man, LOVE that!!!
Nate does not think himself a good man, he is ruthless but loyal to those he cares for. He has secretly been in love with Carly for years but has never told her. He is obsessed and possessive of her, he has crafted her life in such a way that he pays for everything without her knowing. Carly is so lonely, she thinks she is unloveable. Her dates have ended in disaster. She is unaware that Nate has purposely made all of her dates disappear. She longs for a family and when all else fails these two are pushed together to get her pregnant. The time these two lifelong friends spend together proves to be much more.
Blood doesn’t always make a family and this book shows how love brought together six children, in foster care, who became a family. I loved the story. It tugged at my heart strings all throughout the story. I especially loved Nate and Carly and how they finally admitted to their feelings for each other. It’s a great story that I would highly recommend reading. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and are voluntarily leaving a review.
No One Else Can Have Her - By Sam Crescent Carly Andrews is growing frustrated, all potential romantic dates that she plans either don't show up or the ones that do are just horrendous thanks to Nate's threatening behaviour. Carly is starting to feel that she is cursed, even undesirable but that couldn't be further from the truth. Carly grew up in Foster care and with the bond she shares with Nate Smith, Sarah, Reese, Dalton and Mitch, they created a family of their own. Always protecting each other, having each others back there is nothing the six of them won't do for one another. However, in protecting one another and trying to not upset the family dynamic Carly and Nate don't admit that they love one another and in more than a familial way. Nate has rose to become the king of the underworld and he protects his family above all else but he worries his feelings will destroy his relationship with Carly. However, once the thought of someone else giving Carly what she truly needs and wants becomes a possible reality Nate goes above and beyond to show her just how special she is. I adored Nate and Carly, such beautiful characters and so well written. I loved the bond the six family members had and show that family is made up of so much more than just blood. The hurt when secrets came to light was heartbreaking but gave you a deeper understanding of the characters it was beautiful to read. I would of liked the ending to of been a bit longer but that's just because I didn't want it to end. A thoroughly enjoyable, steamy read that was delicious in every way. Happy Reading. Please note that I was given an arc of this book for my honest review which is exactly what I have given. 5 out of 5 Stars.
