Book Tour + #Giveaway: Storm by Skye Knizley @Skye_Knizley @vamptasy @JaidisShaw

Title:  STORM

Series:  Storm Chronicles Book 6

Author:   Skye Knizley

Published:  April 21st, 2016  

Publisher:  Vamptasy Publishing

Genre:  Horror, Urban Fantasy

Content Warning:   Contains violence and horror elements

Recommended Age:  17+

Synopsis:  

On a rainy night in 1971 the cruise ship Crescent Star vanished in the North Atlantic without a trace. No crew, no lifeboats and no wreckage was ever found, in spite of a three-week search.

Two days ago, she crashed through and sank a pleasure yacht off the coast of New York, leaving five people dead. The ship has answered no hails and no one appears to be aboard. Agent Raven Storm and a forensic team lead by Aspen Kincaid have been tasked to investigate and bring the ship in, if possible.

What happened to 720 crew and passengers and where has the ship been for 44 years?

Clue by macabre clue, Raven uncovers the truth of the Crescent Star and faces a villain from beyond the grave.

But how can she stop something she can’t see, can’t touch, and that won’t hesitate to use the ones she loves against her?

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Excerpt from STORM by Skye Knizley:

Raven Storm sat up in bed, a scream fighting behind her lips. It had happened again; her father in the shadows, the boom of her pistol, and his body dropping. She’d had the nightmare every night since coming home. Her psyche eval was so bad she’d been dropped from field duty and was investigating UFO sightings in Montana. Not her best job ever.

She slid out of bed and padded toward the stairs. Around her was the loft bedroom she shared with her fiancé, Aspen. The walls were painted a soft lavender that was almost grey and matched the carpet. Their king-size bed was covered with a blue flowered bedspread and the nightstands were antiques sent by Valentina from Chicago.

Raven ran a hand over the Maltese Falcon poster in the stairwell and turned out of habit to the kitchen, where two scoops of coffee and some hot water soon produced a brew that would be guaranteed to keep her up the rest of the night. She was just sitting down to savor a cup when Aspen’s cell started chirping from its charging plate on the counter.

Who the hell is calling her at this hour? Raven wondered.

She picked it up and slid her finger over the screen. “Storm.”

There was a pause and then, “Agent Storm? Is Aspen Kincaid there?”

“She’s sleeping, like normal people, who is this?”

“This is Kane, I’m with Agent in Charge King’s office. Please get her, its important,” Kane said.

“Who is it?”

Raven looked up to see Aspen leaning over the upstairs railing, her purple hair trailing around her face.

“King’s office,” Raven replied.

Aspen wiped sleep from her eyes. “They have a case for you?”

Raven shrugged. “It’s for you, probably a crime scene.”

Aspen hurried down the steps and took the phone.

“This is Aspen.”

She listened for a moment, and turned to Raven, eyes wide. She pressed the speaker button and held the phone out. “Mr. Kane, can you say that again?”

“We have a code thirteen emergency. The cruise ship Crescent Star is carrying an unknown preternatural threat and heading toward New York City. I need you to lead a team onboard and stop it before it reaches the one mile marker. You’ll be briefed enroute.”

“Kane, this is Storm. Aspen isn’t a field agent, who gave the order?” Raven asked.

“King, Agent Storm.”

Aspen shook her head. “He knows I’m not an agent, Kane. I’m a lab-rat, I only go with Raven on certain cases, he can’t—”

“You have basic field training and he handpicked you, Kincaid. You’re on a chopper in twenty minutes, a car is on the way.”

“I want to talk to King,” Raven said.

“He didn’t ask for you, Storm,” Kane said.

“I don’t give a shit, Mr. Kane,” Raven said. “Code thirteen is the catastrophe code, you’re not sending Aspen—”

“This conversation is over, Agent Storm. Agent Kincaid, be ready,” Kane said.

The line went dead. Raven stared at the phone, then looked at Aspen.

About the Author:

Skye Knizley is the #1 bestselling author of the Storm Chronicles series, an urban fantasy tale that mixes mystery, magic and horror and the Shadowlands series of modern espionage thrillers. All of her books feature strong female leads who can hold their own with the men and then some, witticisms and of course Skye’s trademark snark.

Skye, who holds degrees in forensic science and psychology, lives in the middle of nowhere in a tiny little town of about 700 people. The small town life appeals to her and she finds it conducive to writing. When she isn’t setting quill to parchment (okay she actually uses a laptop, but quills are cool) Skye can be found practicing Muay Thai, camping, motorcycling and hiking with her psychotic Siberian husky, Piper. Once a year she participates in an uncontrolled “float trip.” Whether she wants to or not. It’s a camping thing.

Skye is also a proud gamer girl and an avid fan of role-playing games. She currently participates in a weekly Shadowrun game held at a local gaming store (stop in and say ‘hi!’) and is the writer and game-master of a private Fantasy Flight game held once a month.

Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

Vamptasy Publishing Links:

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Giveaway Details:

There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:

One GRAND PRIZE winner will receive a swag pack of bookmarks and mini posters AND an autographed copy of the book.

Giveaway is US only.  Ends May 30th at 11:59 PM EDT.

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Standard Tour + #Giveaway: The Touched Series by Elsa Winckler @elsawinckler @GoddessFish

The Touched Series

by Elsa Winckler

GENRE: Contemporary romance

 BLURB:

When it comes to men, if physiotherapist Caitlin Sutherland didn't have bad luck, she would have no luck at all. To help cope, Caitlin starts blogging in her spare time, about the types of men she meets and the bad dates she goes on.

While on duty during the annual Wines to Whales bicycle race, a gorgeous, sweaty cyclist walks in and sets her hormones dancing. But he is Don Cavallo; one of the four Cavallo brothers — hotel tycoons, famous as much for their business skills as for the number of beauties regularly seen on their arms.

Don Cavallo has his own issues with the other sex. He has yet to find one who is interested in him and not in his money or hotels. But when this sexy physio puts her hands on his back she not only touches his body, but also his heart.

They've both been burned before, but neither of them can stop themselves from playing with fire.

EXCERPT:

Touched to the Heart

‘Where’s your girlfriend?’ Was the first thing that popped out of her mouth. Caitlin nearly groaned out load. She looked away and unlocked her car. ‘Sorry, none of my business,’ she mumbled and opened the door.

‘She’s just a friend.’

‘Did you enjoy your date?’ she asked.

He shook his head. ‘I was watching you the whole night.’

Stunned, she swallowed.

‘And you? Did you have a nice time?’ he asked.

‘I…’ At a complete loss for words, she frantically tried to think of a word, any word. Nothing came to mind. She shook her head. He’d been watching her all night?

He stepped around so that the car door was between them. Her hands were resting lightly on the door.

‘Thought so.’ His smile was devastating. ‘I’d like to take you out, Caitlin.’

 ‘As in a date?’ she asked, still stunned.

‘Yes, Caitlin, as in a date.’ He touched her cheek. ‘There is something here,’ he said and motioned with his hand between them.

She didn’t move, just stared at him. Was he really asking her out on a date?

‘I don’t know what it is, but it’s keeping me awake at night. Let’s try a date and see how we like it. Friday around seven?’ he asked. ‘I’ll pick you up and we’ll have dinner.’

Caitlin stared at him for another minute before she was sure she could string a few words together. ‘Don, you…me…’ She shook her head and grimaced. ‘We live in two completely different worlds, we have nothing in common. You are…you, the papers are full of your businesses. I’m a physiotherapist from Hermanus. I don’t think —’

‘Then don’t. Think, that is.’ He smiled. ‘You do know that you can’t believe everything you read in the papers. And I happen to like this physiotherapist from Hermanus.’

She looked at him a moment longer. This was so not what she should be doing. Hannah’s warning and her own misgivings about him swirled around in her head.

His eyes never left hers.

She was a big girl. And if she prepared herself for the worst, then surely she’d be fine.

‘Where? I’ll meet you —’

‘I’ll pick you up,’ he said and lowered his head.

‘You don’t know where I live and I always drive myself,’ she managed just before his lips touched hers lightly.

 Touched Series:

Touched to the Heart (Escape Press 1 July 2014)

Buy links:

Amazon ~ Amazon UK ~ iBook  

eBooks.com ~ Google Play ~ Kobo

JB Hi-fi Now Books ~ Goodreads

Touched to the Soul (Etopia Press 6 August 2015)

Buy links:

Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon AU

All Romance ~ Kobo ~ iBooks ~ Barnes and Noble 

Touched to the Core (Etopia 4 Nov 2015)

Buy links:

Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon DE ~ Amazon FR

 Kobo ~ Etopia Press ~ Barnes and Noble ~ iBooks

Touched to the Depths (Etopia 3 Dec 2015)

Buy links:

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All Romance ~ iBooks ~ Google Play ~ EtopiaPress 

GUEST POST:

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?

I start with an idea that swirls around in my head for weeks, sometimes months. I write it down because if I don’t pen it down somewhere, I forget!

The next step is usually to think about the characters and I’ve found that if I spend enough time with this step, the rest of the process will fall into place. I sometimes even use the Myers-Briggs Type indicator to analyse the characters but then again, they may refuse to be put into any kind of box. In such instances, I have to go with the flow and do what they ‘tell’ me to do J

I have a vague outline, but I don’t plot in detail. The characters decide what happens when and I try not to get in the way but to tell their story.

In Touched to the heart, the first story in the series, I had this idea about a physiotherapist and a cyclist. I didn’t set out to write a series about four sisters and four brothers but once I had Don and Caitlin’s background set up, these other characters kept intruding. So although the idea of four sisters falling for four brothers is probably far-fetched, I had no choice but to tell all their stories.

In all the stories I’ve written so far, there is a magical moment (usually towards the end) when all the pieces fall into place. Then I know – this will work. If this doesn’t happen, I have to go back because then something isn’t right.

I write Mondays to Fridays and try to do between 2000 and 5000 words a day. I start everyday by reading the previous day’s words and making changes where I need to. I know most writers will tell you not to do this, but to finish the story as quickly as possible. I’ve tried this, but find I get a better sense of the mood when I read through the previous day’s words.

My husband reads through the story when it’s about half-way. He has a very good sense whether a story is working or not. When he read the first few chapters of Touched to the heart, he had a problem with the direction the story was going. I was very irritated and fed-up but grudgingly  had to concede he was right. I was struggling with the story and couldn’t figure out why. It took me a few days to get back to the exact moment where I steered in the wrong direction but once I had that figured out, the problem was solved and the story flowed.

After I’ve finished a story, I try to leave it for at least a week before I start reading it from the beginning. There isn’t always time for this, but when I’ve had a break it’s easier to pick up mistakes.

When I’m finally happy with the story, I send it off to the publisher and then the waiting begins …

AUTHOR BIO:

I have been reading love stories for as long as I can remember and when I ‘met’ the classic authors like Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Henry James The Brontë sisters, etc. during my studies, I was hooked for life.

I married my college boyfriend and soul mate and after 39 years, 3 beautiful children and 3 grandchildren, he still makes me weak in the knees. We are fortunate to live in the picturesque little seaside village of Betty's Bay, South Africa with the ocean a block away and a beautiful mountain right behind us. And although life so far has not always been an easy ride, it has always been an exciting and interesting one!

I like the heroines in my stories to be beautiful, feisty, independent and headstrong.  And the heroes must be strong but possess a generous amount of sensitivity. They are of course, also gorgeous!  My stories typically incorporate the family background of the characters to better understand where they come from and who they are when we meet them in the story.

Social Media links:

Website ~ Personal Facebook page ~ Author Facebook page

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Giveaway:

A copy of one of the ebooks

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Blurb Blitz Tour + #Giveaway: A Wedding at Meadows Shore by Eva Charles @GoddessFish

A Wedding at Meadows Shore

by Eva Charles

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

BLURB:

Meadows Shore is the childhood home of the five Clayton sisters and the six Harrington brothers, the family seat where these irresistible characters gather regularly…or whenever they need the comfort of Portuguese home cooking and the love and wisdom of elder women.

After Sophie Clayton catches her husband in bed with a young intern, she creates a new life for herself as the executive director of a failing domestic violence agency. It’s the perfect job for a woman born to fix everything. A friend’s broken heart, a tattered agency, a flat tire—she’ll roll up her sleeves and make it as good as new. Sophie rarely encounters anything she can’t fix…until she meets the devastatingly handsome and insufferably arrogant, Max Parker. One of Boston’s most eligible bachelors, he’s never without a stunning young woman on his arm and in his bed.

When Sophie’s forced to deal with Max, sparks fly, and somewhere in the crossfire of verbal daggers and clever barbs, she discovers his darkest secret.

EXCERPT:

His voice took on a husky, seductive quality. “The women I date aren’t interested in my body, Sophie. What interests them is how I pleasure their bodies.”

She stared deep into his icy blue eyes and snickered.

Max never missed even the smallest of details. They were often the difference between success and getting your hat handed to you. Tonight, he noticed Sophie’s eyes betray her, even as she mocked him. Her pupils were dilated, the rich, whiskey-colored irises nearly overtaken by black. I have her attention.

Embolden by her body’s reaction, he took a step closer. He was so close that if she’d been breathing, her breath would’ve warmed his skin. “I can bring much more to your bed than my father does. So…much…more…” He drew out the words, emphasizing each in a voice that oozed sex. “And though I’m not an easy man to impress, I’m sure you’d have no trouble persuading me to finance your agency. None at all,” he drawled.

Neither of them spoke for a long moment, maybe two. The air was charged. The silence dangled between them like a ripe peach, fragrant and swollen, tempting the weakest among them to reach for it first.

“What do you think?” he asked softly, ending the silence.

While waiting for her response, a calculated kind of wait, he resisted the urge to lift his hand and run his fingers through the strands of hair that’d come loose, softly framing her face.

“I think you really are an ass.”

With that, she turned and walked away. Leaving him to gape at her magnificent back.

AUTHOR BIO:

Eva Charles is the author of the multi-titled Meadows Shore Series that chronicles the lives and loves of the Clayton-Harrington family. She invites you to visit their beloved Meadows Shore nestled in the charming seaside town of Fair Harbor, where you’ll enjoy love, laughter, loyalty, and an abundance of mouth-watering food, Portuguese style.

After being a confirmed city-girl for more than thirty-five years, Eva moved to beautiful western Massachusetts in 2014. There, she found herself living in the woods with no job, no friends (unless you count the turkeys, deer, and coyotes roaming the backyard), and no children underfoot, wondering what on earth she’d been thinking. But as it turned out, it was the perfect setting to take all those yarns spinning in her head and weave them into a romantic tale.

When she’s not writing, trying to squeeze information out of her tight-lipped sons, or playing with the two cutest dogs you’ve ever seen, Eva’s creating chapters in her own love story.

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Giveaway:

$50 Amazon/BN GC

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Book Blast + #Giveaway: Simply the Best by Various Authors @GoddessFish

 Simply the Best: A Collection of International Digital Award Winning Romances

by L.A. Sartor, Laurel O’Donnell, Kathy L Wheeler, Dale Mayer,

Charity Tahmaseb, Cynthia A Clement

GENRE:  Multi-genre

BLURB:

This collection of multi-genre romances features winning novels from the International Digital Awards, including historical, suspense/thriller, short historical, contemporary, paranormal, and young adult. Simply the Best of all worlds!

Haunted by Death ~ Dale Mayer

Death haunts anthropologist Meg Pearce…

In her last summer before college, an innocent camping trip ended in a friend’s disappearance…and destroyed her life.

Angel’s Assassin ~ Laurel O’Donnell

When Damien enters Aurora’s life, tempting her with promises of dark passion and forbidden lust, he threatens to tear her peaceful world apart with shadowy secrets of his own.

Be Mine This Christmas Night ~ L. A. Sartor

At Christmas, finding love and a family seems even more possible…unless you’re keeping a secret.

A Hunter 4 Rescue ~ Cynthia Clement


Worlds Apart. Joined by Love

A unit of elite alien warriors, known as Hunters, crash lands on earth and their leader is torn between getting his men to safety or protecting the human woman he has bonded with.

The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet ~ Charity Tahmaseb

Sometimes staying silent is the biggest lie of all

No one expects the girl who has mastered the art of keeping quiet to join the speech team. But Jolia does. When a crush-worthy rival offers to coach her in secret, she can't say no. But secrets have a price, and this one might cost Jolia everything.

The Mapmaker’s Wife ~ Kathy L Wheeler

In the midst of his worn-torn country, love posed the greater danger.

A flippant proposal and an attack on her person finds one young woman married to the mapmaker who only needs someone to take control of his ungovernable child. Feelings quickly shift into something less platonic and when the enemy gains vital secrets, her suspicions land her in jail.

This multi-author boxed set will be sold for $0.99 cents.

Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ iTunes ~ Kobo

EXCERPT:

 From A Hunter 4 Rescue by Cynthia A Clement

Her touch had a power that he had never felt before. It was stronger than any natural force or weapon. Fiona’s tongue flicked over her lower lip and for the first time in his life he wondered how a woman would taste. Not just any woman, though. Fiona was the only one he wanted.

He pulled her close and with his free hand brushed her hair from her face. By Cygnus, she was beautiful. He glanced down at her lips and was lost. Lowering his head, he captured her mouth. Thoughts scattered as sensation took over. His tongue glided over her lips. He licked and nibbled until she sighed and opened for him.

He thrust into the warm, moist haven she offered. His body hardened and control was forgotten as he delved deeper, skimming his tongue against hers, soothing and sliding until bliss spread over him. A surge of longing and need shot through him and concentrated in his groin.

Her scent filled his nostrils and the pounding of her heart was music to his ears. His hands roamed her back, but her shirt blocked a total bonding. With shaking fingers he pulled the cotton fabric from her jeans and then buried his hand beneath it. He connected with the silky smoothness of her skin and his body sizzled with intense yearning.

Never had he felt such pleasure. It was overwhelming. Fiona seemed to be experiencing the same because her body moved against him with frantic impatience. Desire, hunger, concern, and reverence all battled inside of him. Fiona was his pair bond. She deserved better than a hurried mating. He had to end this now.

A groan of conscious escaped him and he pulled away. He had to do what was best for Fiona. She needed time; time to trust him and time to commit to him. She looked up at him, her eyes glazed with passion. His breathing was too rapid to speak. He rested his forehead against hers and tried to recover. His body shook, his groin ached, and his brain refused to focus, but he had his answer.

Fiona tasted of heaven.

AUTHOR BIO:

Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author known for her page turning plotlines and heartwarming characters. A prolific writer, she specializes in Romantic Suspense, but also writes thrillers, comedy, and contemporary romances.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Award winning author Kathy L Wheeler loves travel, fantasy football, NBA and musical theatre. As an avid reader of romance and patron of the theatre, her main sources of inspiration come mostly from an over-active imagination. Kathy writes contemporary and historical romance, from sweet to spicy.

Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

L.A. Sartor is a bestselling, award-winning author. She began telling stories around the age of 4 when her mother, at L.A.’s insistence, wrote them down and L.A. illustrated them. As an adult, she writes suspense and action-adventure novels with a dash of romance, and screenplays—she's had a contracted adaptation!  She lives in Colorado with her husband whom she met on a blind date.  L.A. loves to travel and thinks life is an adventure and we should embrace the journey. 

Website ~ Facebook ~ Facebook Author Page ~ Twitter

Laurel O'Donnell is a best selling author and has won numerous awards for her medieval romances, including the International Digital Award and the Holt Medallion Award.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Charity Tahmaseb has slung corn on the cob for Green Giant and jumped out of airplanes (but not at the same time). She’s worn both Girl Scout and Army green. These days, she writes fiction (short and long) and works as a technical writer.

Website/blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Cynthia Clement is an award winning author who began writing when she was a teenager. Her novels reflect her love of romance, strong honorable heroes, and suspense intertwined with the intriguing and unexplained.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon or B/N GC

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Cover Reveal: Smoke & Metal by Skyla Madi @Skyla_Madi @XpressoTours

Smoke & Metal
Skyla Madi
(New York Crime Kings, #3)
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: May 21st 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance

The feel of cool air on my skin is priceless. We are free, but we aren’t out of the woods yet. Not by a longshot…
Can Skull feel it?
His impending downfall?
There’s a war coming, and I’m at the forefront of it. I will tear New York apart looking for my brother, and I won’t stop.
Emily thinks I’m crazy, but I’d do the same for her. There is no obstruction…
No building…
No cell…
That can withhold my family from me. I’ll find Joel. It’s only a matter of time…

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Cover designed by Deranged Doctor Design!

—

Previous books in the series:

Author Bio:
Skyla Madi is an Australian writer from Brisbane, Queensland. She started her writing career fresh out of high school and at 21 she is a giver of both real and fictional life.
Madi is an Aquarian, lover of the written word and author of the #1 BESTSELLING Consumed trilogy.

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: Wednesday by Clare James @ClareJamesBooks @XpressoTours

Wednesday
Clare James
(Love in Days, #1)
Publication date: September 27th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Her. Him. Alone. Beach house. Every Wednesday. Clothing optional. 

Twenty-one-year-old Aria Prince has just moved back to her hometown to start over after a painful divorce. She’s always prided herself on being an early bloomer, but had no idea she’d be married, divorced, and the mother of a toddler by twenty-one. Surely menopause was just a few months away, especially considering the hot flashes and night sweats. Or was that just exhaustion? 

Unlike her friends who were at school, going to parties, and sowing their oats—wild and otherwise—Aria’s days were measured in the number of orders she took at her family’s restaurant, the chapters she read in her nursing text, the amount of Cheerios she cleaned up off the floor, and the wet kisses she received from her son. 

And that was just fine with her. 

But when she began running into her former best-friend Tristan Green—who was home taking care of his sick father—at every turn, she remembered what it felt like to be just Aria. Not a single mother, or sleep-deprived nursing student, or royal screw up. And though she didn’t even have time to shave her legs, let alone consider a sex life, Tristan makes an offer she’d be a fool to refuse. 

Each day they’d give themselves to those who needed them. Every day – except Wednesday. Wednesday they’d take what they needed from each other. 

Did she forget to mention Tristan was gorgeous? 

Or that they hated each other? 

Well, you know what they say about the line between love and hate … it’s a skinny-ass bitch. The question was, could they keep their feelings out of it?

Goodreads / Amazon

On sale for only 99 CENTS today!

You can also pre-order book 2 – Friday:

—

Sneak a peek at Wednesday:

Aria:

That is his request.

One day each week. Four days each month. Twelve days over the summer… if the arrangement would even last that long.

He looks at me and the disdain in his eyes has disappeared. Now they warm for me. No. Burn. They burn for me and through me.

Could I do this?

Should I?

“Well, Aria,” he purrs in a voice I don’t recognize. “What do you think? Forget it all and become mine for one day?”

My brain tries to make sense of the sinful offer, but my body is already in motion – making my way to the man I once knew.

His eyes delight with each step I take toward him. His stance somehow opens for me. When I stop, however, to meet his scorching gaze, a wave of confusion washes over his face and gives him away. He’s not as confident as he lets on.

But when I answer his offer with my lips, it’s the last time I see any kind of trepidation. No, at that point I know – he will be in control from here on out.

And in a place very deep inside, I am relieved.

Tristan:

It was a crazy, exciting, brilliant – thought maybe a bit sleazy – idea. But it made perfect sense. We were both stuck here for who knew how long, so why not make the most of it?

Tonight’s the deadline for her decision. Seven o’clock, only twenty minutes from now. Aria said she’d consider my offer, but I’m not sure I can trust her.

Still, I light the candles, straighten the bed, and hope.

And it’s excruciating. Whoever said anticipation is half the fun is a moron.

I need to show her what she missed when she left with him all those years ago. It was my fault, I know that now. I waited too long, and when I finally got the balls to do something about it, I was too late.

That’s when I learned that nice guys finish last. Always. Forget the chick flicks where the nerd triumphs and gets the girl – all that Michael Cera bullshit. Doesn’t happen. Unless you’re Mark Zuckerberg or Jack Dorsey, and are on your way to making billions.

I’m ashamed to admit that’s where my motivation came from. I thought I could erase Aria with another woman. But I knew I needed to make some serious changes to do that. It’s why I went to MIT. It’s also why I quit MIT to start my own company. And I why worked around the clock and spent every cent I had on my latest idea.

For women.

At least that’s how it started out.

And it worked. Once I got out of Dodge, my lanky body filled out and I became confident and successful. Women were no longer an issue.

Not that you’d know that now. As the clock ticks closer to seven, I’m coming undone and clearly losing my cool.

Confidence? Out the window.

Upper lip? Beaded in sweat.

Nails? Chewed down to the quick.

Hair? A big, kinky 1970s bush, after continuously running my hands through it.

Balls? Blue, as they have been since she came back into town.

Yep, in the span of ten minutes, I’ve gone from Magic Mike to Jonah Hill.

Where are the assless chaps when you need them?

Pacing around the room, I listen as the waves crash on the beach outside the door. The door I’m willing to open with my Jedi mind tricks. Forget everything I’ve done over the past three years: the start-ups; the research; the hours behind the computer. None of it matters now because I’ve become a pathetic shell of my former self, like the kid I was in high school. The dorky computer geek who always landed in the fucking friend zone.

In less than a month, I’ve morphed back into that guy. Waiting on that girl. My mind races on an endless loop of insecurities. Will she do it again? Will she stand me up? Will she leave?

I know I shouldn’t care. I have options a-plenty these days. Still, I want her. One day is all I’m asking for. It’s all we need. One day a week. Four days each month. Fifty-two goddamn times each year.
On the other three-hundred-fourteen days, we could go back to business as usual. She would pretend not to notice me in town and I’d pretend that I hate her sweet little ass.

Author Bio:
Clare James writes steamy contemporary romance and new adult stories, penning more than a dozen novels. Her Entangled Brazen debut, CAUGHT, was a #1 Amazon Best-Selling Romance Series, and the touching family drama, WEDNESDAY, also hit #1 as a category bestseller on Amazon. 

Clare is fan of spunky women, gorgeous guys, and super-hot romance, and spends most of her time lost in books. When she's not reading, you can find her locked away writing. Clare is also a former dancer and still loves to get her groove on - mostly to work off her beloved cupcakes and red wine. She lives in Minneapolis with her two leading men - her husband and young son - and is always on social media chatting with readers. 

Sign up for Clare James's newsletter and be the first to hear about new books, bonus content and exclusive offers! http://eepurl.com/6PV7r 

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