Showing posts with label Blitz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blitz. Show all posts
Friday, October 23, 2020
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Monday, June 18, 2018
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Friday, August 25, 2017
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Monday, May 22, 2017
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Blitz: Romance and Erotica Reader Appreciation Giveaway @XpressoTours
Welcome to the Romance and Erotica Reader Appreciation Giveaway!
We’re so glad you stopped by! A lot of great authors are giving away a HUGE Amazon Gift Card to one lucky Romance and/or Erotica reading fan! (Yes, we check, and only true romance book worms qualify to win! But there WILL be a winner, which will be publicly announced in the Facebook Party HERE on December 2nd!
VIEW BOOKS FROM THE SPONSORS HERE!
—
Here are a couple of sneak peeks from the EPIC Romance and Erotica Group with Rebecca Hamilton!
Deep Focus: Young Hollywood Book 1 by Madisyn Ashmore
“Your parents, do they still live there?”
My chest tightened. I hated telling this part of my life story because of the pity it elicited from friends and strangers alike.
“My parents died in a car crash when I was fourteen. I went to live with my aunt after that. We’re not close.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“No, It’s okay. I was sort of a wild teenager, so I don’t blame her. But anyway, we don’t really keep in touch much anymore.” I paused. “Like I said, it’s complicated.”
He rubbed the soles of my feet and traced his fingers along my calves. My muscles relaxed against his firm touch. As he drew circles on my skin, an intense warmth washed over my body.
“I think LA is the place where outcasts, misfits, and lonely people come to find their soul.” He breathed the words like the they were meant for only himself. He looked surprised when my soft voice echoed a reply.
“Was that true for you? Did you come to Los Angeles searching for your soul?”
He thought quietly for a moment before his husky voice deepened. “I came here running. Running away from a past that…” His voice broke off. “I came here searching, and to start a new life.”
“And did you?”
“I found that money wins a lot of friends, but not the kind that you can count on forever. I’ve had a lot of women keep me warm at night, but none that would’ve stayed if all this vanished.” He gestured to the expensively decorated room around us, an ornate display of his opulence and wealth. For the first time, I saw the crack in his facade and the real Oliver Tate emerged.
“What was your life like…before.” I paused, choosing my words carefully. “Before all this.”
“Not now, Scarlett. It’s long and boring and not worth discussing.” He shifted on the couch and breathed a heavy exhale.
There was still so much about Oliver Tate I didn’t know. With every detail I discovered, a thousand more secrets loomed in the distance. I wanted him to release to me and tell me every broken and damaged part of himself. I could take it. I could take it all.
He laid back, his youthful face glistening with a mist of perspiration. I ran my fingers down the front of his shirt, slowly unbuttoning him, exposing his ripped abs, slick and steamy. His fingers gripped my arm, pulling me up to his face as he sucked and kissed my delicate lips.
I ran my hand along his pants, the heat spreading from his dark denim. My fingers grasped the stiff metal zipper, his rock hard warmth burning into my touch. He swelled as my hand grazed him…
—
Cadence by Lisa Swallow
Naked. My breath disappears. The word won’t leave my head; and if I closed my eyes, I’m damn sure the image of his firm, muscular chest glistening with water wouldn’t leave either.
Relieved my mouth isn’t hanging open, I attempt to switch on the snarky Tegan who was about to give him a mouthful. Jax runs a hand through his damp hair and I’m distracted by the drops of water on his lips as they curve into a sheepish smile.
“Oh, hey, Tegan.”
Hey, Tegan? I clear my throat and tear my look from his mouth. “Why haven’t you left yet? You have a shower in your own room!”
Jax’s lips purse with confusion. “Uh. Waiting for you. I wanted to talk to you about last night. I woke up in your bed, but you weren’t there. I know I was drunk but…” He stares at my gym gear or more precisely how the purple gym vest and black pants hug my curves. “I’m damn sure I’d remember if I’d been naked with you.”
The darkened look in Jax’s eyes reflects exactly what’s happening in his imagination. I remain focused on his eyes. Do. Not. Look. At. His. Body.
My eyes drifts downwards and I fight against lingering on the solid abs and the light trail of hair disappearing into the knotted towel. Has he tattoos any lower than where the blue stars are inked on his skin at the edge of the towel?
I blink away the image. “Last night, you stood me up, then barged into my room in the early hours, whined for a bit before you passed out on my bed. Way to impress a girl.”
Jax tips his head towards the bed. “Could’ve been worse. Or better, depending on which way you want to look at the situation.”
I focus hard on not staring some more at Jax, or acknowledging I’m suddenly less pissed off and more aroused. “You should be so lucky!”
Jax steps towards me. “One day I think I will be, we agreed.”
I look directly into Jax’s eyes, so I can’t be tempted by his mouth — or any other part of him in touching distance. “Put some clothes on.”
“Or you could take yours off?”
I want to retort; but unsure whether my voice will fail and give my state of mind away, I clamp my mouth closed.
Jax inches closer and I back up. “Come on, Tegan, I can see in your face what you’re thinking.”
“I doubt that.” I swallow. I should turn and walk away, but memories of the way Jax kisses leads to temptation for more. “Get dressed.”
Jax sticks his bottom lip out, turns his back, and approaches the bed, hands going to the edge of the knot securing the towel. Before I get a view of his ass to bank with the other images, I spin around and leave the room.
“Nice try!” I call and Jax’s response is laughter.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Blitz: In the Line of Duty by Carolyn Arnold @Carolyn_Arnold @WWVBT
BLURB
He devoted his life to seeking justice. But would she get any for him?
It was an ordinary day for police officer Barry Weir. It was the end of shift, he was tired, and he just wanted to get home to his wife and kids. But someone had other plans for him, shooting him down and forcing him to make the ultimate sacrifice.
When news of Weir’s murder reaches the department, it leaves Detective Madison Knight and every cop in the Stiles PD itching for revenge. It cuts Madison’s boyfriend, colleague, and Weir’s childhood friend, Troy Matthews, deepest of all, driving him away from everyone he loves just when they need one another the most.
With evidence pointing to a gang-related drive-by, Madison and her team investigate the town’s seedy underbelly in search of justice for their fallen brother. But the deeper they dig, the more convoluted the case becomes. Now they need to figure out if this was a random shooting as part of a gang initiation, a straight-up hate crime, or a targeted kill. But with members of the Stiles PD under attack, they have to do it fast…before more officers pay with their lives.
PURCHASE
ABOUT THE DETECTIVE MADISON KNIGHT SERIES
Murder. Investigation. The pursuit of justice. Do you love trying to figure out whodunit? How about investigating alongside police detectives from the crime scene to the forensics lab and everywhere in between? Do you love a strong female lead? Then I invite you to meet Detective Madison Knight as she solves murders with her male partner, utilizing good old-fashioned investigative work aided by modern technology.
This is the perfect book series for fans of Law & Order, CSI, Blue Bloods, Rizzoli & Isles, Women’s Murder Club, and Hawaii Five-O.
Read in any order or follow the series from the beginning: Ties That Bind, Justified, Sacrifice, Found Innocent, Just Cause, Deadly Impulse, In the Line of Duty, Life Sentence (Bonus Prequel).
Excerpt from In the Line of Duty, Chapter 4:
A life of
sacrifice to the higher good was what Madison had signed up for. She’d defend
the innocent and protect and serve if it took her life to do so, and she’d do
it despite the way the media painted things to make officers look like the bad
guys more often than not. They applied too much use of force to a situation, or
they shot someone who wasn’t armed. Meanwhile, it wasn’t disclosed that the
officer approached a subject in the dark of night and the subject was holding a
bicycle pump extended in the fashion of a gun. The officer had to make a
split-second decision that, if it had been a loaded gun, the officer or his
backup would have been shot.
And
rarely did the news share the stories of courage and bravery—how the actions of
officers saved lives and put criminals behind bars. They never reported about
the officers who resuscitated a woman who was clinically dead, saving her life
while waiting on the local paramedics to show up. No—law enforcement always
fell under the microscope of scrutiny and judgment, and yet she and her
brothers put their lives on the line every day because it was what many of them
believed they were born to do. Of course, there were some who viewed the job as
simply that, but not her. Donning her badge wasn’t something she gave thought
or consideration to each morning. It wasn’t an option. It was the same as
putting on a pair of pants or brushing her teeth.
You’ve reached the end of the
excerpt, but In the Line of Duty is
available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover from popular retailers.
For the Love of Police
line
between people who respect them and people who despise them. But how does that
choice come to be?
We all
make decisions based on information that comes our way, but what if everything
we read in the media about police taking harsh action isn’t correct? What if
these articles are missing key intel? Unless we were in an officer’s shoes, how
can we really know what transpired?
All of
us have played—or at least are familiar with—the telephone game. In this, it’s
easy to see how a message changes as it moves down the line. The same, too, I
would suspect, is the case when it comes to reporting. But that’s only one way
that information can get garbled, making it uncertain and difficult to claim as
truth. Reports are also often colored by the viewpoint of a source. If that
source is prejudiced against the police, it will immediately taint his or her
reaction to a situation; before knowing any facts, the police will be cast in
an unfavorable light.
I’m not
saying that police always make the right decisions; they are human, after all.
There are even some corrupt cops. However, I feel that people need to
appreciate that unless they are there, in the moment, there’s no way of truly
knowing why a certain course of action was taken.
As a
result of my own respect for law enforcement, I have dedicated In the Line of Duty to all the fine men
and women who serve or have served, and in memory of those who have made the
ultimate sacrifice. While most of us would run from gunfire, they run toward
it. That right there is enough to warrant my respect. Just imagine what the
world would be like without police. In two words, utter chaos.
--Carolyn Arnold
Author of In the Line of Duty (Detective Madison
Knight series)
Author Bio
CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international best-selling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.
Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.
She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime.
Connect with CAROLYN ARNOLD Online:
And don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter for up-to-date information on release and special offers at http://carolynarnold.net/newsletters.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Blitz + #Giveaway: YA Author Rendezvous Launch Party Today's Featured Author - Bethany Wicker @YAARendezvous @puzzleme17 @XpressoReads @XpressoTours #XpressoBookTours
Let us introduce YA Author Rendezvous – a group of independent Young Adult, Middle Grade and Children’s Book authors who have banded together to bring their stories to as wide an audience as possible. Visit them online and find some great reads!
Today we’re featuring YA Author Rendezvous author, Bethany Wicker!
Favorite YAAR Supporting Characters
We’ll start with Unexpected Alpha, by Bethany Wicker (yours truly.) I’m in love with Marie, the best friend of the MC. She provides comedic relief. I may be biased because she’s based off my best friend in real life, Mariah, but her bubbliness is hard to hate. She also becomes a badass werewolf when necessary.
Next up, The Institute Series by Kayla Howarth. I’m SO IN LOVE WITH DREW! Sorry, went a little fan girl. He betrays Allira in the beginning, but fights so hard to make things right throughout the series that Kayla made it had to not fall for him. Who doesn’t love a bad guy who tries to make things right in the end?
Then, there’s Joshua’s Island by Patrick Hodges. Who doesn’t love Kelsey? Sure, she gets her own novel in Ethan’s Secret, but before that she was a supporting character. She was so hardcore, stood up to the bullies, and stood for what’s right. She helps Joshua in so many ways to develop the courage he needs to stand up for himself.
The Awaken Series, by Michelle Bryan has several intriguing characters: Finn, Po, Tater, and my favorite, Jax. He’s SO ATTRACTIVE, hold on, need to shift away from fan girl mode. He comes to Tara’s aid when you least expect it and continues to help her on her journey. His snide comments are a bonus and there’s no instant love between them, which always ruins a good story.
Dawn of the Rebellion, by Michelle Lynn is up next with Drew. Yes, another Drew. I swear it isn’t the name! Drew’s originally Gabby’s boyfriend, but when she’s taken, Dawn and Drew set out to rescue her. Their relationship blossoms slowly and you see his true character come to life, and it’s very desirable. I’m not going to spoil anything but I cried at the end… read and see why.
Lastly, there’s Rise of the Shadow Seekers, by Korey Ward. My favorite of the trio is Nelson. I loved him from the moment he was introduced. He defended Alex from the bullies, but his looks scream otherwise. He’s broad and intimidating, but doesn’t use it for his own gain. Instead, he helps Alex in his quest and quickly becomes one of his first friends. A friend that anyone would want.
There are plenty characters out there that I didn’t have enough room to give credit to, but check them out in the YAAR library and be on the lookout for those enchanting supporting characters.
Author Bio:Bethany Wicker resides in Louisiana and is a pediatric nurse who loves to read and write any chance she gets. Her sun conure, Apollo, green cheek conure, Rocket, and her two dogs, Jasper and Drake, usually keep her company while she writes, throwing in ideas of their own. She has a loving husband, Lucien, and an amazing family who support her passion for writing. Her inspiration comes from her friend Mariah and the support from her fellow authors from YA Author Rendezvous. She loves young adult fiction of all sorts and thanks God for giving her the strength to finish novels of her own. She is obsessed with Disney, Cherry Coke, and White Chocolate Mochas, especially from Starbucks. She also loves food and is always excited to try new things.
For more YA Author Rendezvous Authors, visit their website!
GIVEAWAY!
Hosted by:
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Blitz: The Boundary Stone - The Stockbridge Series # 1 By- Gail Avery Halverson @gailhalv @GHBTours
The Boundary Stone
The Stockbridge Series # 1
By- Gail Avery Halverson
Genre- Historical Fiction/Romance
Bound since childhood to an arranged marriage with the restless and irresponsible heir of Houghton Hall, Viscount Miles Houghton; Lady Catherine Abbott, now grown, finds herself torn between duty to her family and her smoldering ambitions. Possessed of a nimble, curious mind, a love of science and the natural world, and a singular talent for illustration, Catherine desperately longs to accomplish something before she resigns herself to a loveless marriage and the idle, aristocratic whirl of parties and social gatherings within the confines of the palatial Houghton Hall.
Banished before his final year of medical training for pushing harder on the boundaries of scientific knowledge than any student at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, the mysterious and driven Simon McKensie has blurred the lines between research and criminality and must now choose between exile to the rural country village of Wells, or the hangman’s noose.
When the terrifying Great Plague of 1665 spreads from London to Wells, the town’s very existence is threatened and Catherine must confront her fears, her place in the world – and the burning passions she has long held inside.
Friday, August 14, 2015
Blitz: Addicted Trilogy by S. Nelson @authorsnelson1 @HotTreePromos #Giveaway
Now is the perfect time to check out S. Nelson's complete romantic suspense trilogy.
"Addicted was brilliant, Shattered was truly shattering and Wanted put it all back together..." Amazon reviewer
Addicted, book 1
ONLY 99 CENTS
Available on Amazon
Although Alek Devera is not the relationship type, everything changes once he comes face to face with Sara. Never having met someone quite like her, he starts to question everything he knows.
She intrigues him.
She challenges him.
She threatens the secret he's been hiding for years.
Will a promise made long ago be the very same thing that destroys their chance for happiness?
Alek Devera risked it all to keep her safe. His own happiness meant nothing if she wasn't protected. But when Sara ended their relationship, the evidence of his betrayal strewn at her feet, he vowed to win her back, putting their delicate future into fate's hands.
Will Sara give Alek the chance he needs to explain or will she choose to forge ahead with her simple life, leaving her heart in the shadows along with her dreams for a happily ever after?
Did you ever have something so tragic and frightening happen that you did everything in your power to convince yourself it wasn't real? Have you ever been so paralyzed with fear you prayed that if you simply closed your eyes and slowed your breathing, everything would be fine?
Yeah, me too.
Only this time, none of that worked.
When Sara's past comes back to haunt her, she's enveloped in a world that only existed in her nightmares. Taken, her life flashes before her eyes as the one man who threatens her existence slowly lets her in on his plans for their future.
When the woman he loves is snatched from his life, Alek's world is turned upside down. On his way to rescuing Sara, he's faced with decisions that could change both of their lives forever. Will his uncertainty rip apart their fragile relationship forever or will he rethink what he's about to do?
Only this time, none of that worked.
When Sara's past comes back to haunt her, she's enveloped in a world that only existed in her nightmares. Taken, her life flashes before her eyes as the one man who threatens her existence slowly lets her in on his plans for their future.
When the woman he loves is snatched from his life, Alek's world is turned upside down. On his way to rescuing Sara, he's faced with decisions that could change both of their lives forever. Will his uncertainty rip apart their fragile relationship forever or will he rethink what he's about to do?
S. Nelson grew up with a love of reading and a very active imagination, never putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard until a year and a half ago.
When she isn't engrossed in creating one of the many stories rattling around inside her head, she loves to read and travel as much as she can.
She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two dogs, enjoying the ever changing seasons.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Book Tour & Blitz: Grit of Berth and Stone by Lisa Dunn @scouterwife @anaiahpress @NereydaG1003 #YABOUNDBOOKTOURS #Giveaway
Grit of Berth and Stone
by Lisa Dunn
Release Date: 03/17/15
Anaiah Press
256 pages
Summary from Goodreads:
Banished for a foolish mistake, sixteen-year-old Grit of Berth and Stone scorns the loss of her home, her honor, and her only ally. Only the weak worry about such things.
But war is brewing all across Chasmaria, and as a group of rebels pull Grit into their ranks, she begins to question what strength, courage, and honor really look like. When faced with a horrible truth about herself, Grit must either fight her way back to Thresh or live with the blood of the innocent on her hands.
But war is brewing all across Chasmaria, and as a group of rebels pull Grit into their ranks, she begins to question what strength, courage, and honor really look like. When faced with a horrible truth about herself, Grit must either fight her way back to Thresh or live with the blood of the innocent on her hands.
Buy
Links:
Amazon ~ Barnes
& Noble ~ Kobo
Books
Excerpt:
Excerpt:
One
bright, moonlit night, dreams of a golden-haired sireling disturbed Grit’s
slumber. He was chasing her to the sea. She dove into the water, but it was
warm, not cold.
She
woke in a sweat. Throwing aside her blanket, she walked into the clear air
outside the cave. She sat on a log before the fire, stoking the flames till
they rose and crackled in the quiet night. As she watched the dancing flames,
Grit forced her mind to empty of all her past experiences. She willed her
memories into the middle of the fire and imagined the flames consuming them,
one by one, until every last memory of Thresh wafted away in the fire’s
smoke. There went Turf and his taunting sneer, Dame Dara with her unjustified
disdain, Sage Brakken, Sires Pierce and Swot. Sire Stone struggled to remain in
her memory, circling her with an approving eye during her last training
session. Slate, Seal, Oath, Talon... All of them into the fire and gone. Grit
clenched her teeth and drew her dagger.
There
was Dame Berth, easing her dagger from its sheath and placing it in Grit’s
hands after her Twelfth Branding. “Use it honorably. This weapon wasn’t meant for spineless babes.”
Grit
twirled the dagger between her fingers and aimed for the fire. Her arm swung to
rid herself of Dame Berth, but at the last moment, her hand wrapped tightly
around the dagger. It’s my dagger, not
hers. I won’t throw away
what’s rightfully mine. She sheathed her
dagger and willed Dame Berth into the fire.
Yet
there were some memories that refused her attempts to cast them into the
flames, and no amount of screaming, “To Grit!” would compel them into the fire.
Coil would not abdicate his place in her memory, and all Grit’s
efforts to dethrone him served only to reinforce his position.
Coil
waited in the meetinghouse, among the throng gathered for her Sixth Branding.
He scowled over Dame Berth’s fence, telling
Grit she’d
planted the potatoes all wrong. He laughed on the training field, raising a
sword too large for his thirteen-year-old frame and daring her to nick him with
the dagger she’d
just inherited. He lingered in every corner of Thresh, challenging her to race
him to the Western Sea. And he was in the Western Sea, his jubilant face turned
toward the sun, his arms stretched out, his body unguarded.
“To
Grit! To Grit! To Grit!” Her throat burned from the refrain, but still Coil was
in her tree, his hands inches from her feet.
In
a rage, Grit threw her stick against a tree, dumped the contents of her pack,
and ran to the creek that passed near her cave. Her knuckles scraped against
the rocky creek bed as she pulled the pack through the water.
“To
Grit, to Grit, to Grit...” she muttered as she doused her fire.
Her
fingers bleeding, she crammed her blanket into the still dripping bag and
stomped into the moonlit night.
About the Author
As a child, Lisa Dunn fell asleep to her father's fanciful bedtime tales and played with her own story ideas during the daylight hours. She now resides in a small southern town with her husband, four children, and an ever-changing assortment of pets. Local librarians habitually thank her for their job security.
As a child, Lisa Dunn fell asleep to her father's fanciful bedtime tales and played with her own story ideas during the daylight hours. She now resides in a small southern town with her husband, four children, and an ever-changing assortment of pets. Local librarians habitually thank her for their job security.
Author Links:
GIVEAWAY:
Book Tour & Blitz Organized by:
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Blitz: Three, Two, One (321) by J.A. Huss @jahuss @XpressoReads #Giveaway
Three, Two, One (321) by J.A. Huss
Publication date: January 28th 2015
Genres: Erotica, Romance, Suspense
Publication date: January 28th 2015
Genres: Erotica, Romance, Suspense
Synopsis:
ONE GIRL
Battered, barefoot, and huddled under a bookstore awning in the pouring rain, Blue only knows one thing. After fifteen months of captivity, finally… she is free.
TWO FRIENDS
Self-made millionaires JD and Ark are not out to save anyone when they stumble upon a wet and shivering girl one early Sunday morning. But when you sell sex for a living and salvation rings your bell… you answer the call.
THREE SOULMATES
After years of searching, love lifts the veil of darkness, and three people—with three very big secrets—find themselves bound together in a relationship that defies the odds.
Or does it?
Love. Lust. Sex.
This trinity might be perfection… but not everything should come in threes.
WARNING: This is a STANDALONE non-traditional M/F/M ROMANCE with a non-traditional ending.
Battered, barefoot, and huddled under a bookstore awning in the pouring rain, Blue only knows one thing. After fifteen months of captivity, finally… she is free.
TWO FRIENDS
Self-made millionaires JD and Ark are not out to save anyone when they stumble upon a wet and shivering girl one early Sunday morning. But when you sell sex for a living and salvation rings your bell… you answer the call.
THREE SOULMATES
After years of searching, love lifts the veil of darkness, and three people—with three very big secrets—find themselves bound together in a relationship that defies the odds.
Or does it?
Love. Lust. Sex.
This trinity might be perfection… but not everything should come in threes.
WARNING: This is a STANDALONE non-traditional M/F/M ROMANCE with a non-traditional ending.
EXCERPT:
I
walk quietly over to the door and press my ear against it to listen. I can hear
the clicking of a computer keyboard, then the rolling wheels of a chair.
Finally soft footsteps as he pads towards the doors. I back away, afraid of
being caught. But he doesn’t slide them open. Instead, the lights flick off and
then his footsteps retreat. I hear the crack of a beer bottle being opened, and
then a sigh.
I
slide the doors apart, just enough to peek inside.
There’s
a large monitor on the desk sitting on front of a wall of windows. And on the
screen are the images he took of me this morning. Of JD and me. And of the
three of us out on the terrace. They flip by, hundreds of them, at least. Maybe
thousands. I look over at the couch where he’s sitting with a beer propped up
on his leg, staring at me.
“You
can look at them if you come in here to do it.”
I
don’t know how he wants me to respond, so I’m unsure if I want to look at them
or run back to JD’s room and hide.
“I’m
sorry about that,” Ark says, clearing his throat. “It’s just… JD stopped
thinking about her, ya know? It took him so fucking long to stop thinking about
her. And now here you are with a clue. And…”
I
step into the room.
“And
he’s gonna go looking for shit again, I just know it.”
I
take another step towards him and Ark pats the space on the couch next to him.
“I love these pictures. Come look at them with me.”
I
take two more steps, and then I’m within arm’s reach and he slips his hand in
mine.
My
body shivers from his touch, but I let him pull me the rest of the way, and
take a seat as he lets go. My butt is barely perched on the cushion, my hands
in my lap, my body on high alert in case he wants to hurt me.
But
he doesn’t. He surprises me by scooting away, propping his back against the
armrest, and stretching out his legs behind me. They are long and in the way,
so now I can’t lean back.
He
takes a swig from his beer. “I saw you this morning. God, has it only been one
day?” I know what he means. It feels like I’ve been in their house forever.
“And answers were the last thing on my mind, Blue. I mean, fuck. I’d given up,
just like JD. I gave up a while back, actually. Just accepted that this was the
way things were. The way my life was gonna go. But fuck.”
I
don’t know what any of that means, but I take that it’s not good by the way he
finishes the beer and then throws it across the room, where it lands cleanly in
an open-top trash can near the desk. “Get me another one, will you?”
I
look down at him and squint.
He
stares back. His eyes are bleary, and red, and now that I look closely, tired.
Not tired like he needs sleep. But tired in a way I can relate to. The kind of
tired where your body feels heavy and your mind feels empty. “Never mind,” he
says in a soft voice that I’ve never heard before. He says it, but he doesn’t
stop staring.
“What?”
I ask, getting uncomfortable.
“Why’d
you come in here?”
“I
was…” I was looking for my money so I could leave. But this guy. These guys…
they are pulling me towards them somehow. JD and his charm. Ark and his
distance. And despite the fact that they take advantage of girls for a living,
they feel very… vulnerable. It feels precarious. Like the whole thing might
come crashing down at any moment. Like they are held together by some invisible
thread. And not some mental connection or shared experience, either. Although I
have no doubt they have all that too.
Held
together by a thread that’s invisible because it’s nearly gone.
We
are alike, then. Aren’t we?
Three
people brought together by the early-morning rain.
Two
of us clinging together, trying to stick it out. Ride the wave until it
crashes, and then help each other up to start all over again.
One
of us already dead. Still walking, but not living. Waiting to be saved. Or
maybe wanting to be the one who does the saving.
AUTHOR BIO:
JA Huss is the USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty romances. She likes stories about family, loyalty, and extraordinary characters who struggle with basic human emotions while dealing with bigger than life problems. JA loves writing heroes who make you swoon, heroines who makes you jealous, and the perfect Happily Ever After ending.
You can chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AuthorJAHuss),
Twitter (@jahuss), and her kick-ass romance blog, New Adult Addiction (www.newadultaddiction.com).
If you’re interested in getting your hands on an advanced release copy of her
upcoming books, sneak peek teasers, or information on her upcoming personal
appearances, you can join her newsletter list (http://eepurl.com/JVhAr) and
get those details delivered right to your inbox.
GIVEAWAY:
Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)
- Signed Copy of 321
- Super Swag Pack
- $50 Amazon Gift Card
