I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it, Road to Reality is my favorite in the Road Series. Not just because Zoe has a special place in  my heart. You can read about it more on A Piece of My Heart.  But also because Mac, the hero of the story, is pretty much perfect.  I know, I know, there is no such thing as a perfect guy, but hey, it’s my story, so in my mind is he darn close to it.

And Beth, well as a heroine, she is pretty expectational herself.  Shy, awkward and basically clueless. All she ever wanted was to make a better life for herself and Zoe.

Here is an excerpt from the chapter Major Hotness.

She could do this. Or so she tried to convince herself. It was her job. She did it all day long.   Just because she had a crush on him didn’t mean she couldn’t be professional. Even if it meant running her fingers though his hair. Oh man, she needed to get her mind back on track. It was a haircut, nothing more, nothing sensual there. Only she couldn’t seem to convince herself of that.

Once Mac was seated in her chair, a black smock on, this one with a teal embroidered Mitchell’s on the front, she asked, “What can I do for you?”

Ignoring the muffled cough by Mitchell hovering a few feet away in the guise of product inventory, Beth continued to look at Mac’s reflection in the mirror in front of her. She saw his eyebrow rise and fought not to blush at the loaded question she asked. “With your hair. What do you want done?” she said, clarifying her question.

“A trim I guess,” he replied easy enough.

“OK,” she said, pulling a blue comb from the glass jar on her counter. Running her fingers through his hair first, testing the weight and feel of it, she tried to convince herself once again it was just a haircut, for God’s sake. “Feels damp.”

Mitchell’s snort caused her to turn her head sharply and glare at him while he arranged products without skipping a beat.

“I took a quick shower at the end of my shift.”

Trying not to imagine him in the shower was an effort, but she could do it. She hoped. “That makes it easier then. I’ll just spritz it down a bit more.”

Running her hands and the comb through his hair, turning, and angling her head, she tried to decide where she wanted to start on the wavy locks. “You’ve got quite a bit here.”

Mitchell suddenly had a coughing fit behind her and had to excuse himself, Charlotte seemingly joining in.

“Sorry about them. They’re both getting over a cold,” she said, hoping it didn’t sound as stupid to him as it did to her.

“No problem,” he said with a knowing grin.

“So what are we doing here?” she asked again. Flustered, she completely forgot he already had addressed the question.

“Oh, I think you know what we are doing here,” he answered with a wicked gleam in his eye.

Oh boy, she thought, way out of her comfort zone. Pull it together, she scolded herself, pull it together. Choosing to ignore his loaded answer, she picked up her scissors and went to work. “Ever think of trying something new?” she asked, and then regretted it almost immediately as she felt the heat creep back up her neck.

Mac continued to grin at her obvious discomfort. “What did you have in mind?” he asked, seeming to enjoy the banter.

I’m a professional, she reminded herself. “Nothing major, tighten up the sides and back, go a bit shorter on top, maybe. It would be easier, too. You could probably run a towel through it and go. You’ve got enough waves, so it looks like it will fall in place on its own. Want to give it a go?” Crap, she shouldn’t have phrased it that way.

He sent her a look that had her holding her breath, his eyes challenging hers, a sensual smile spreading across his handsome face. “I’m willing to risk it, are you?”

Placing her scissors down, she grabbed the clippers and tentatively smiled back at him. She could play it cool. “Sure.”