Thursday, October 31, 2013

Seducing Her Rival by Seleste deLaney




The Spark


In romance novels, one of the tried and true moments is when the hero and heroine (hero/hero, heroine/heroine, whatever multiple combo is involved…) meet and there’s that spark. That moment when they look at each other or touch and it’s like the world stops. For non-romance readers, it’s one of the things they like to poke fun at.


I used to be one of those people.


You see, I read romances back in Junior High. Then I moved on to Stephen King. And horror was my path back to fantasy, sci-fi and paranormal. I looked at romance novels as fairy tales for grown ups.


*Hangs head in shame*


I came to my senses eventually, but I still feel guilt over the years I spent as one of those people. But, I still wasn’t sure about the whole “spark” thing. I mean, I’ve been married, and I had a fair number of boyfriends before that. But the spark? My experiences were limited. I think I had it once. With a guy I couldn’t have seeing as he was in a relationship with one of my best friends. (Run away, Seleste! Run away!) But even that one, I wasn’t sure about. Was it live or was it Memorex?  (And if you don’t get that, just ignore it. Please don’t make me feel old.)


Then I met this guy.  Actually, I didn’t even meet him when I felt this. We just met each others’ eyes across the room at an event. But I felt something. (There’s a line in Seducing Her Rival about magnetic attraction. That. There was a whole lot of that.)


For the life of me, I couldn’t have told you what exactly drew me to him. Then we talked—what I figured would be the quick extinguishing of the “spark.” But it wasn’t. I only became more attracted to him.


Of course, life has a funny way of mirroring fiction. There’s another moment in romance novels where the heroine (sometimes the hero, but it’s usually the heroine) gets exactly what she said she wanted… only to discover it wasn’t what she wanted at all.


So, yeah. The spark is real, and when it’s real it’s undeniable. However, the other plot devices are real too.

How does this story end? No idea. But to paraphrase Peter Pan, To live it will be a great adventure.



Connect with Seleste deLaney


Buy Links for Seducing Her Rival



About Seducing Her Rival:

She’s trapped with a man she hates…and can’t resist.
Mercedes boards a cruise frequented by investors with one goal: garner donations for the children’s charity she works for. The man who knocks her off her feet is not part of the plan. Sexy as sin and richer than God, Lucas sets off alarm bells in her head. But then he invites her to join him at the captain’s table to pitch her charity for an onboard fundraiser, and she decides Lucas might not be as bad as she thought.
Lucas is drawn to Mercedes’s spirit—and the fact she doesn’t recognize him. One scintillating night leads to another, but the afterglow is shattered when an early morning phone call reveals his identity as the man whose company is closing on the same property her charity needs.
Feeling betrayed, Mercedes storms out, but Lucas isn’t one to give up when something feels this right. And as much as she fights it, Mercedes can’t stay away from Lucas. But which one of them will seducing the enemy into surrendering?

(Please Note: I was supposed to review this book for the tour, but it was a dnf for me, so I would rather just spotlight it.)

GIVEAWAY:

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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Promo: Twisted by Holly Hook

TWISTED CROP

Twisted (Deathwind Trilogy #1) will be released on December 15, 2013.  


Twisted (Deathwind Trilogy #1) is a spin off from The Destroyers Series
Twisted (Deathwind Trilogy #1) is a spin off from The Destroyers Series
Sixteen-year-old Allie isn’t like other girls.  Instead of spending her summer break sitting around on the beach, she takes the epic vacation of a lifetime.

Tornado chasing.

And she’s not disappointed.  Just a few miles from the town of Evansburg, Nebraska, Allie meets her dream of seeing a tornado.  In person.  She can’t wait to tell her friends back home.  Never mind that her parents are going to kill her.

But her dream soon turns into a nightmare, and a strange event leaves her shocked.  Confused.  When she returns home to Wisconsin, something’s…different.  Allie now bears a curse so awful, it could destroy everyone and everything she’s ever known.

With her best friend, Tommy, Allie must return to the plains to find a way to reverse it.  She enters a world that she had never imagined, where she becomes a pawn in a fight to save the people of Evansburg from her fate…or to destroy them.

The cover will be revealed on November 15th!  If you are interested in participating in the cover reveal sign up here.  In the meantime here is the first chapter from Twisted!


Chapter One  

My very first tornado touches the grass of the plains. 
I stand next to the van, mouth dropping open, heart pounding.  It’s the moment I’ve been waiting for, saved money for, begged my uncle to book us for the Wild Weather Storm Chasing Tours for.
Uncle Cassius swears next to me, equally in awe.  It barely cuts over the wind rushing towards the distant funnel.  Waves of grass bow down to the twister, whipped down by the surrounding air flying in to feed it.  The perfect white cone stands out against the coal sky, slim and graceful.  A skirt of dust spins around its base, signaling its dance through a field a few miles away. 
“Beautiful!”  Kyle, our storm chaser guide, snaps a photo for his website.  He steals a glance at me and smiles.  He’s all enthusiasm, joy that we’ve found our prey. “Don’t worry.  We’re safe.  It’s heading to the east.  It’ll pass no closer than a couple of miles to our north.” 
I want his job someday. 
“I’m not scared,” I said, but my shaky voice betrays me.  Who am I kidding?  Kyle’s an experienced chaser–twenty years–but this is a real tornado.  In person.  Live.  I never realized it would be this intense, this breathtaking.  A hollow feeling fills my stomach like I’m plunging down the first hill of a roller coaster. 
The tornado curves, almost like it’s leaning to the side for a better look at something.  At us?  It’s a silly thought, one that makes me laugh.  The thunderstorm spins slowly above it, low and menacing.  Thunder claps.  It’s enough to remind me that the storm in front of me isn’t just beautiful.  It’s a predator, entrancing like a cobra and ready to strike. 
Good thing there’s no houses or buildings in its way.  Only farmland stretches from horizon to horizon. 
“Allie.  Forget your camera?”  Uncle Cassius slaps me on the arm, smiling.  It’s a tense smile.  So I’m not the only one with some nerves going. 
Camera. 
Yes.  Duh. 
I pull it out of my pocket and fumble with the slim case, fingers hunting for the button.  The camera zings to life.  Behind it, the tornado looms a bit larger, gaining strength and racing across the ground.  More dust kicks up around the perfect white of the twister. 
“Now I can really prove to everyone at school how crazy I am.”  I give Uncle Cassius a nervous chuckle.  The camera trembles in my hands as I catch the tornado in my view, click, and seal it in my memory forever. 
I’m having the most insane summer vacation of my entire high school.
I lift the camera for another shot, backing up to squeeze the tornado into the viewport.  I click another picture and lowered the camera again for another look. 
My heart jumps. 
The tornado looms larger, taller.  Kyle holds his hand up to his face, squinting for a better view.  Even Uncle Cassius goes quiet, stiffening and taking a step back towards the tour van. 
All at once I understand. 
The tornado has changed course. 
Kyle turns.  Real fear widens his features. 
“Get in the van,” he shouts.
* * * * *
The one big thing I can recall from those first ten seconds is the roar, like a distant train growing closer.  The wind whips my hair back, trying to pull me back out of the van.  It feels like the twister’s right behind me already, coming down for the kill. 
I slam the door on it.  The funnel’s much bigger behind the glass, so much that I can’t see the top of it anymore. 
Uncle Cassius snaps on his seat belt next to me.  Kyle starts it up, punches the gas, and gets us back on the road to nowhere. 
I toss my camera to the floor.  My hands fumble with the seat belt.  The van speeds up, slamming me into the seat.  The specter of the tornado closes in, whipping across the field towards us.  I’ve heard of tornadoes making sudden turns like this but I never realized it could happen this fast.  It rips across the field, coming straight at us.  My heart beats on a runaway course.  My mind locks into overdrive.  I feel like that news crew they always have on tornado shows, that one that survived by hiding under that overpass.  Will Kyle make us get out and climb under one?  They’re actually bad places to hide.  That news crew got off lucky.  Kyle knows better.  He’s been chasing storms longer than I’ve been alive. 
Only green and yellow spreads out ahead.  No shelter for miles.  Worse, no ditches.  The radar on Kyle’s laptop is covered in ugly red and orange blotches like Nebraska has sores. 
A hole of panic opens up inside me and for the first time, I regret coming on this vacation. 
“Can’t you go faster?”  Uncle Cassius leans forward in his seat, gaze hard, arms trembling. 
Uncle Cassius never loses his cool. 
Ever. 
Not even when I accidentally set his Persian rug on fire when I was seven and broke my arm at the age of nine. 
Outside, the tornado grows so close that I could only see the bottom half of the funnel.  The van bounces along every speed bump on the highway, every uneven spot.  My stomach heaves.  I’m going to be sick right here.  It’s my stupid fault we’re in this mess. 
“I don’t understand.”  Kyle punches the gas harder, making the van jump.  He turns his head like Linda Blair in the Exorcist, eyes widening.  “The tornado should not be moving this way.”
He’s right.  It shouldn’t.  But it is. 
The funnel reaches the road behind us, twisting harder, kicking up earth higher and higher.  We’ve gotten out in front of it.  I breathe a sigh of relief.  Kyle and Uncle Cassius do the same.  It’ll cross the road and forget all about us. 
Kyle lets off the gas a little and the whine of the engine calms some.  “We’re safe now.  That was highly unusual.  I’ve never seen a tornado turn like that in my career.”  There’s a hint of an apology in his voice. 
“Well, that was a close one, wasn’t it, Allie?”  Uncle Cassius hugs me from the side. 
“Yeah,” I say, willing my heart to slow down.  At least I can think straight now.  Can I even do another two days of this? 
Wow, what a dumb idea this was. 
But I still can’t resist another look at the storm.  I turn as far as my seat belt allows. 
My guts fall out of me all over again. 
The tornado’s still on the road, bigger than ever.  It can’t be. 
The twister has turned again.  It’s coming right up behind us.  Rolling dust eats the entire highway.  There’s tornado taking up the whole view of the back window.  Dust rips to the sides.  The bottom of its funnel spins with fury, big enough to swallow a house whole.  Its roar screams against the outside of the van, shaking the seat, pushing the whole van to the side. 
It’s no longer beautiful. 
“Ohmigod,” I say, sucking in a breath.  “Um…Kyle?  Stomp on the gas.  Just saying.” 
“I know!” he snaps.  His knuckles turn white on the steering wheel.  The van lurches again but he maintains control. 
“Allie, get down!”  Uncle Cassius puts his huge hand on my back and pushes me towards the floor.  
The seat belt cuts into my throat. 
What good is it going to do?  If the tornado lifts the car– 
I’m going to die. 
I begged to go on this trip and now Uncle Cassius is going to die too. 
The windows shatter with a deafening boom and the wind screams in my ears.  AllieAllieAllieAllie…
I can’t breathe. 
We’re floating. 
Uncle Cassius shouts something.  Kyle yells.  If I’m screaming, I can’t tell.  The storm’s sucking it right out of me.  Windy hands seize my arms, my legs. 
They pull. 
My safety belt snaps, whipping against my leg.  I cry out with the sting.  The seat disappears under me. 
I’m flying. 
The tornado’s ripping me right out of the van. 
The world turns to a white and brown roar.  The van’s gone.  I have no time to cry out to Uncle Cassius before the world snaps to black and silence takes the place of all.
About Holly Hook
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Holly Hook is the author of the Destroyers Series, which consists of five young adult books about teens who are walking disasters...literally. She is also the author of the Rita Morse series, a young adult fantasy series still in progress, and After These Messages, a short ya comedy. Currently she is writing Twisted, a spin-off of the Destroyers Series due out in December. When not writing, she enjoys reading books for teens, especially ya fantasy and paranormal series with a unique twist.




Check out Holly's Books!

1 Tempest SmlTempest (Destroyers, Book One) By Holly Hook

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Sci Fi, Adventure
Price: FREE!
KINDLE EDITION       KINDLE UK
KINDLE CA          NOOK EDITION
iTUNES EDITION       SONY
SMASHWORDS          KOBO (Coming Soon)
*
Book 1 of the Destroyers Series
Sixteen-year-old Janelle never thought the gray spiral birthmark on her arm meant anything special. That is, until she meets Gary, a boy her age with a birthmark exactly like hers. Gary’s attractive, brooding, and perfectly normal…except for the fact that he materialized out of a dangerous hurricane right in front of her. Janelle’s certain of only one thing. Gary’s mark—and hers, too—mean something, but he’s reluctant to tell her what.
At last she squeezes the truth from Gary about their markings. And the truth is utterly terrifying: Janelle and Gary are more connected to the destructive power of nature than she ever dreamed possible. And learning the truth about herself is only the start of her nightmare.

Book 2 of the Destroyers Series, Inferno, is now available.  See below.
*TEMPEST is a 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Semifinalist and has now sold over 6000 copies since its release in September 2010!

2 Inferno SmlInferno (Destroyers, Book Two) by Holly Hook

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Sci Fi, Adventure
Price: $2.99 for the eBook (available for all eReaders!)
KINDLE EDITION       KINDLE UK
KINDLE CA           NOOK EDITION
iTUNES EDITION       SONY
SMASHWORDS          KOBO (Coming Soon)

*

Book 2 of the Destroyers Series
Ever since becoming leader of the human hurricanes called Tempests, 16-year-old Janelle is overdue for a vacation. But the trip to Hawaii quickly presents its own problems when she meets Kenna, a local sophomore who makes the volcano start rumbling when she’s nearby. So when Kenna gets kidnapped, Janelle has to find her before catastrophes can start.  If she doesn’t, it could mean the end of civilization as we know it, and the death of everyone she loves.

3 Outbreak SmlOutbreak (Destroyers, Book Three)

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Price: $2.99 eBook
KINDLE          KINDLE UK               
KINDLE CA      NOOK EDITION    
ITUNES EDITION      SONY
SMASHWORDS      KOBO (Coming SOON)

*

Book 3 of the Destroyers Series
Paul doesn’t want to kill anyone.  All he’s wanted through his teenage years is to have his first Outbreak, where he’ll leave his body to take the form of a tornado.  In Mobley, Oklahoma, it’s a normal part of growing up.  But just as his wish is granted, he learns that his ability can be used for an evil purpose–and that those in charge are watching him.
*

4 Frostbite SmlFrostbite (Destroyers, Book Four)

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Price: $2.99
AMAZON       AMAZON UK
AMAZON CA        NOOK EDITION
iTUNES EDITION       SONY
SMASHWORDS      KOBO (Coming Soon)

*

Book Four of the Destroyers Series
Sophia’s teenage years have been plagued with another presence that lives inside her–one that freezes everything around her when it gets angry.  When a new storm goddess arrives in town, it’s determined to get out of Sophia and join her…even it it means Sophia’s destruction and the end of the world.

5 Ancient SmlAncient (Destroyers, Book Five)

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Price: $2.99
AMAZON       AMAZON UK
AMAZON CA        NOOK EDITION
iTUNES EDITION       SONY
SMASHWORDS      KOBO (Coming Soon)

Book Five of the Destroyers Series
This is the fifth and final book of the Destroyers Series.
Things are never easy when you’re growing up. They’re even worse when you’re also a group of walking natural disasters.

With the insane goddess Andrina on the loose, Janelle and her friends have no choice but to seek out Huracan, the ancient Mayan god of storms, to combat her. But their solution could cause more problems on their adventure than they ever anticipated. Huracan is an old god who craved power and human sacrifice, and handing over power to him could return the world to those days…and mean their end.

Janelle, weary from her position as Tempest High Leader, may finally have a way out of the nightmare she and her boyfriend, Gary, have lived in since she discovered her true identity. But waking up an old, grumpy storm god and giving back her curse might not be better than anything she’s ever known.

Since Kenna learned of her place as a volcano goddess, she has struggled to control her power…and anger. Tired of being helpless in the face of Andrina and falling into her traps, she must discover her own abilities or perish. Unfortunately, Andrina has her own new plans for Kenna.

Paul, riddled with guilt from being forced to turn his girlfriend, Leslie, into an Outbreaker like him, has promised that she will be human again, no matter what price Huracan demands from him. Anything is better than watching her turn into a tornado each time it storms, unable to stop herself from destroying everything around her.
Leslie fears that she will be forced to help Andrina bring Janelle to her side. Worse, she fears that she will lose Paul. She’s willing to sacrifice her humanity forever to keep him safe, but if Paul doesn’t listen, she could lose everything she loves.

Sophia has lived her entire life harboring a winter demon in her body, a dangerous spirit that can take her over and freeze others at any moment. Her new friends need the demon’s help in order to track down the storm god, but there’s no telling what she can do and when.
An adventure told from the point of view of five different teens, this is the conclusion to the Destroyers Series.

Rita Morse and the Sinister Shadow

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Price: $1.99
NOOK EDITION
KINDLE EDITION
ALL OTHER EBOOK FORMATS (INCLUDING SONY READER, PDF, EPUB, AND OTHERS)
*
Fourteen year-old Rita Morse is the kind of girl that the teen-hating Shadow Regime doesn’t like. She won’t put up with crap that isn’t fair. Ever. After she toilet-papers a video game store in retaliation for a ban on teens, the Regime, an army of immortals secretly trying to oppress teens all over the world, adds her to their list of threats. That’s not good, because the Regime’s enemies always disappear.

Now Rita’s in the biggest trouble of her life. She’s being stalked, threatened, and nearly kidnapped by shadow people. And the Regime isn’t the only danger: they also control countless humans around the world, some of which are much closer to Rita than she thinks. There’s nowhere to turn.

If Rita can’t learn the Shadow Regime’s reason for their war on teens—and her—she might not make it through her first week of high school.

Rita Morse and the Treacherous Traitor (Rita Morse, Book Two)

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Price: $3.99
KINDLE EDITION
SMASHWORDS (ALL EBOOK FORMATS)*
Learning that she’s a Guardian, meant to protect the world from evil and injustice, has only been the start of Rita Morse’s problems. Now the teen-hating Shadow Regime has returned, with its sights now set on kidnapping and enslaving Rita’s classmates.  Rita’s new powers might not be enough to protect them, and worse, there may be a traitor working in her midst.

After These Messages (A Parody)

Genre: Young Adult Humor, Fantasy, Parody
Price: $1.99
AMAZON (FOR KINDLE)
BARNES AND NOBLE (NOOK)
SMASHWORDS (KINDLE, NOOK, AND EVERYTHING ELSE)
What would happen if the world suddenly turned into a giant commercial break? Unfortunately, Jade is about to find out, thanks to her little brother’s stupid wish.
Now, not only must she face stupid ads coming to life around her every minute of the day. She’s also being stalked by the most terrifying one of all: the creepy, ever-smiling Burger Planet mascot!
If Jade is unable to face him, she risks losing everyone she cares about to thirty-second slots forever.
*This is a novella at about 23,000 words long. It’s not too serious.*


Book Blitz: Dark Winter by John Hennessy

BB Book Tours


Book Details:
Dark Winter  by John Hennessy
Expected Pub: October 9, 2013

Romilly Winter is no ordinary heroine, just a reluctant one.
She has a gift. She can see the future. But can she see far enough? The world in which she lives is under attack – the dead are rising, and evil follows her at every turn.
Will she be able to save herself – and the world?
From the Diary of Romilly Winter, October 14th. 
"I’ve had two years to prepare for this. In that time, I have never told a soul. Of course, my Nan knew. She’d bequeathed me the mirror, after all. 
Now, maybe tonight, tomorrow, in a few days, the event that I don’t want to happen with all my heart, will come to pass. I’m not ready. I know I’m not ready, and yet, it will happen nonetheless. 
Nan had this thing in her possession for nearly seventy years. She had told me I simply had to be at Rosewinter, prior to my sixteenth birthday no matter what objections my parents raised. She said I was ‘special’, and was the only one equipped to deal with what was coming. 
The problem is, I don’t feel special, I just feel…different, and in all probability, that isn't going to be good enough. 
In just two days time, I will be sixteen years old, and if anything my Nan said is remotely true, I will be lucky to survive that long…"

Goodreads Link:


Buy Link:

Author Bio:

My first book was published in 2011. Whilst I am working on a follow up, I've been interested in all sorts of genres, and I will pretty much read anything.

In 2012, I completed a first draft of an epic fantasy novel and hope to release it in 2013. Closer to release in 2013 is 'Dark Winter' - a paranormal horror aimed at the YA/NA market. 

If that's you, and you are planning to / have read the book (s) let me know, I'll always be happy to hear from you.

Author Links:


Book Blitz: Scarred Love by M.S. Brannon




Scarred Love by M.S. Brannon 
(Sulfur Heights #1)
Publication date: June 6th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

“I am certain, without any doubt, she was meant to be in my life. We belong to each other. I spent too much of my time consumed with what everyone else thinks of my feelings for Darcie, but the truth is, it was always supposed to be this way.” ~Reggie Evans
Darcie Claiborne spent several years of her young life living with a monster, always fearing what he would do next. Clasping onto her last ounce of hope, Darcie releases a scream. It’s her final attempt to live; to survive the villain of her reality. Sweeping her up in his arms, Darcie’s knight in shining armor rescues her from the hell she’s been living; from the stepfather she’s feared for all those years.

Reggie Evans has been forced to grow up before he’s ready when his mother dies of an overdose, leaving him responsible to raise his younger brothers. One fateful night, Reggie jogs by an old, run down house and discovers a young girl clinging to life as she screams for help.

Three years later, Darcie is healing and always protected by the man who saved her, but now she’s fighting with something she isn’t prepared to face. The growing love for the man who saved her life three years ago, the same man who’s nine years older. All the while, Reggie fights to protect Darcie from the demons of her past and new ones of her present.

**Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language and sexual content**


Purchase:




----

AUTHOR BIO:

M.S. Brannon was born and raised in the Midwest. She still resides there today with her wonderful husband and son. When she is not writing or reading, M.S. Brannon spends time with her family, watching movies, and discovering new music. She writes romance because she believes love and heartache is the rawest emotion one can experience.

Twitter: https:/twitter.com/MSBrannonAuthor



Excerpt #1
Darcie ~ Age 12
“Darcie, your stepfather does these things because you refuse to listen to anything I tell you,” my mom says while swallowing a handful of pills with her glass of red wine. “Just stay out of his way, be in your room when he’s home and it will give him less of a reason to punish you.”
I’ve been putting up with Robert’s punishments for eight years and I’ve come to the conclusion that I will never escape them until I leave. My mom takes pills and drinks from her bottle of wine several times a day. When she’s not drinking or downing pills, she’s sleeping.
I despise my mother. She’s weak and I fucking hate her.
She tells me I deserve punishments and she’s probably right, but what she’s neglected to tell me is why she allows him to do it. I barely remember what our life was like before Robert Stein, but I know it was never this horrible. We managed to have fun and I never lived in fear. Why did she let Robert change her? Isn’t a mother supposed to protect their child? Once a child is born, isn’t their mother expected to possess this sixth sense, that same kind of sense that can allow women to lift cars off their children? My thoughts fade as soon as she squeezes the ointment on her finger and rubs it onto the fresh cigar burns on my back and thighs. Robert never gave me a reason why he did it other than he couldn’t find his ashtray.

Excerpt  #2
Darcie
Suddenly, I am transported back in time to three years ago. The feeling of being pinned down by my arms and legs, the feeling of a man’s weight restraining me and the inability to breathe flashes into my mind. I start to violently shake my head from side to side. My breathing gets short and fast. Without even realizing it, I start to scream; just like I did the night he planned to touch me.
Jake freaks out and quickly releases my body from under his. “Shit, Darcie, I’m sorry. I forgot how you get.”
I’m still screaming, unable to move. I’m frozen to the carpet. I’m still in that house. Lying on that urine soaked bed.
Salvation arrives.
Reggie appears out of the nowhere. He kneels down beside me. His hands are wiping the anger away from my face as he whispers into my ear, “Shhh, Darcie. It’s okay. I won’t let him hurt you again, never again. As long as there’s breathe left in my body, he will never harm you again.” His voice is all I need to hear. My eyes begin to focus. My brain begins to register the only true protector I’ve had in my life.

Excerpt #3
Darcie
It’s about one in the morning when we pull into the driveway and park next to Reggie’s Camaro. I am wasted. Unable to walk, shitfaced, wasted. I can’t form a single thought and my lips are numb. All the guys are pissed at me. Apparently, I was running my mouth to Vanessa during the entire race and ended up chucking my empty tequila bottle at her head. I can’t remember if it hit her or who won the race for that matter.
Jeremy runs around to the passenger seat and hoists me out of the car. I climb onto his back and he carries me up the back steps into the kitchen. I’m attempting to sing “Creep by Radiohead, but butchering the song with every syllable when Jeremy sits me down on the counter. Jake avoids me as he makes his way down to the basement. Screw it! I could care less right now. I achieved my goal; I’m drunk as hell and it’s amazing!
I swing my feet back and forth while singing the lyrics to “Creep.” “I wish I was special. So fuckin’ special...”a little louder now“…but I’m a creep!” Jeremy’s hand comes across my mouth, quieting me. I jerk my head back smacking it on the cupboard and shout, “Hey! I’m singing, Jer!”
Jeremy hands me a glass of water and a couple of Advil. I swallow the pills and let out a loud burp. He rolls his eyes, trying to hide the smile across his face.
“Do you want me to help you to bed, Darcie?” he asks.
“Ahh, Jer. That’s so sweet. Where’s Presley? She can help me. It might be weird seeing your sis in her underwear.” I laugh obnoxiously at my strange comment. God, I’m wasted.
Jeremy blushes. “She’s with Drake and I’m not going in there. If you need help, then I’ll help you.”
To Jeremy’s relief, Reggie walks around the corner, glaring at both of us. He looks sexy as hell, wearing only a pair of black basketball shorts that are slung low on his hips. I’m practically drooling as I look at the slight trail of blonde hair below his belly button and the defined V of his abdomen. His hair is loose and tousled from sleep. Oh shit. There go my hormones again. I want to rip his clothes off and suck on his…lips? I let out a small giggle followed by a hiccup from my dirty thoughts.
Jeremy’s angry as he looks over at me. “She’s fucking wasted, Reg. She drank a pint of tequila and started running her mouth to that girl she beat up at school. Everyone else bailed on me. I’m trying to get her to bed.”
Reggie rolls his eyes and shakes his head in disgust. “I’ll put her to bed.”
Relief passes over Jeremy’s face. He smiles then sprints out of the kitchen and flies down the stairs, heading for the basement. Man, I didn’t think I was that much of a pain in the ass.
Reggie walks over to me and puts his hands on either side of my thighs. My breath hitches at our closeness and flashes of last night play in my mind.
I press my forehead to his and whisper, “Always my knight in shining armor.”
“Always.” His lips stay close and I’m hoping he will crash them into mine, but he doesn’t.
“I’ve had a bad day.”
He lets out a small sigh and says, “Yeah… I know.”
Reggie slides his hands behind my butt pushing my core against his waist. Butterflies are swarming in my stomach as I wrap my legs and arms around him. I plant my face in the crook of his neck and that familiar smell of salvation engulfs me. It’s divine, a combination of soap and Reggie. Lifting me off the counter, he walks down the hall toward my bedroom. I look into his eyes where I find fierce, ocean blue pools, drowning me in desire. My body is warming with pleasure as I feel his hard muscles constrict with every movement.
Reggie kneels on the bed hovering over me. I let go of my grip and push myself to the top, lying on my pillow. He lifts one of my legs and pulls off my leather boot. It drops to the floor and he repeats with the other. He’s sitting up on his knees between my legs and my body is rushing with excitement. His hands slowly slide down the zipper of my jacket. I can’t believe this is going to happen. I don’t want anything more than to give him the innocent part of me. Now, I wish I was a little more sober.
“Sit up.,” Reggie demands, never taking his eyes off mine.
I comply. His hands skim over my shoulders, moving my jacket down and the heat from his touch is sending me over the edge. Reggie tosses my jacket to the floor and then he leans down and puts a faint kiss to the cigar burn on my left shoulder. My breath hitches from his gesture and I wish he could take all of it away. Using a gentle touch, his hands guide me to lie down. I’m panting with want. All the familiar feelings of our storage room make-out floods my body. Moving off the bed, Reggie pulls the comforter over my body then leans down and places a gentle kiss on my forehead.
“Goodnight, Darcie.”
Wait. What? He’s leaving me?
The door clicks shut. Embarrassed and rejected, I roll over onto my side and cry for the second time in twenty-four hours.

Excerpt #4
Reggie
I make my way from behind the bar and spot their table. Drake, Presley, Grady and Darcie are sitting around, laughing and sipping their drinks when I approach. She really looks happy with this douche; it makes my heart sink further. I release the frustrated breath I was holding and walk right up to their table.
“Hey, Reg, it’s fucking crazy in here tonight,” Drake says.
“Yeah, that’s why I’m here. You guys should leave. It’s way too packed and I can’t keep an eye on you and everyone else,” I say, looking straight at Darcie.
Grady instantly recognizes I’m addressing Darcie and stands to challenge me. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I can take care of her myself. Back the fuck off.”
“You’re in my Goddamn bar and if I want you to leave, then you’ll leave. So get the fuck out before I toss you out on your ass,” I seethe with anger. It’s been a month in the making and I’m ready to lay this fucker flat.
I ball up my fist and roll my head from side to side, loosening up my muscles. Grady moves around Darcie, getting dangerously close. He stands a few inches shorter than me and breathes his beer laced breath in my face. The corner of my mouth lifts slightly as I get this gratifying urge to punch the guy’s face.
Jake and Jeremy come from the pool tables to stand behind me. Jake is bouncing like he’s on a pogo stick. His excitement is impossible to contain because he knows I’m about to kill this dude. “I’ve been waiting for a fucking month for this to happen. Knock his bitch ass out, Reggie!”
Drake protectively moves Presley behind him, but places his hand on my shoulder. I jerk my arm forward. No one is going to stop me from destroying this douche bag. “Lay off, Drake. You aren’t stopping this.”Drake steps back and joins Jeremy and Jake a few feet behind me. They have witnessed my murderous rage before and know I am beyond the point of no return. I square my shoulders and roll them back. Clenching my fists open and closed, I glare down Grady, careful to never break our gaze. The bar turns deathly quiet as a crowd forms around us. Here we go. I’m ready to knock this useless piece of garbage on his ass. My feet turn as I ready myself to punch Grady in the face then I see her.
Darcie moves from behind Grady and stands beside him. “Reggie, please. Don’t do this. We’ll leave okay. Just…don’t do this.” Her face is pleading. The anger starts to slowly dissolve. Darcie has the uncanny ability to convince me of anything. The boys often take advantage of it because they know I can’t say no to anything she asks. I start to relax, settling my tense muscles. I can’t hurt her. Not again.
Jake shouts from behind me, “Darcie! He disrespected Reggie in his own bar and deserves to get his ass handed to him. I remember a day when you would be on our side. Now you’re a fucking traitor!”
“Fuck you, piss ant!” Grady shouts back to Jake.
This situation is spiraling out of control quickly. Darcie’s face falls as she looks like Jake slapped her across the face. “Jake! Shut up! Don’t say that to her!” I shout back to him.
Grady’s glare turns deadly when he steps within inches from my face. “You know…you’re really starting to piss me off. She’s not your girl! She’s mine!”
I’m ready to blow. She’s not his! She will never be his! Darcie is mine, forever! I clench my fists again and ready myself to destroy Grady once again when Darcie moves between us. Her hands are on my chest, pushing back against me. The smell of vanilla perfumes the air as Darcie wedges herself between Grady and me.
I break my gaze from Grady and meet her pleading, jade colored eyes. She’s my solace. When I look at Darcie, I find peace in a world filled with shit. I relax my fists and bring my hands to the side of her face, just like I’ve done so many times before, but this time, like the few times before, is different. This time, I want nothing more than to press my lips to hers. As we look into each other’s eyes, time stands still. Everyone else disappears. It’s just us. For a split second, she glances at my lips then back to my eyes. Her head nods slightly and before I can make my move to kiss her, Grady pushes against the back of Darcie and tries to cheap shot me in the jaw.