On the rebound cover reveal, L.A. Cotton

  GET READY FOR a brand new enemies-to-lovers sports romance from L A Cotton!!   ON THE REBOUND is coming December 15th!   Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54609285-on-the-rebound         PREORDER: Amazon US: bit.ly/onthereboundUS Amazon UK: bit.ly/onthereboundUK Apple Books: bit.ly/onthereboundAP Nook: bit.ly/onthereboundBN Kobo: bit.ly/onthereboundKO Universal: books2read.com/onthereboundsu         Blurb: They say your first love leaves a mark. For Calliope James it didn't only leave a mark, it tore out her heart and left it bleeding on the ground. He was her best friend. Her first kiss. Her everything. Until one day, he wasn't. Zachary Messiah will never forget the girl with eyes the color of whiskey. But he's not that boy anymore. Cold. Cruel. He's devoid of emotion. Their paths were never supposed to cross again. But love doesn't always play by the rules. Now he's the King of Steinbeck University and she's the new girl on campus ... and the pasts they have fought so hard to bury are about to collide. Only this time, they might not survive the fallout.         About the Author: Author of over thirty mature young adult and new adult novels, LA COTTON is happiest writing the kind of books she loves to read: addictive stories full of teenage angst, tension, twists and turns. Home is a small town in the middle of England where she currently juggles being a full-time writer with being a mother/referee to two little people. In her spare time (and when she’s not camped out in front of the laptop) you’ll most likely find LA immersed in a book, escaping the chaos that is life.   Connect w/L.A. Cotton: Website: https://www.lacotton.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlacotton Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LACottonReadersGroup Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorlacotton Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorlacotton B+M: https://bookandmainbites.com/authorlacotton Goodreads: http://geni.us/T95Lbk Amazon: https://amazon.com/author/lacotton Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/l-a-cotton NL Signup: lacotton.com/subscribe  

Kingdom of the Wicked review, Kerri Manascalco

 Stalking Jack the Ripper is one of my absolute favourite series, and Thomas Cresswell is one of my absolute favourite book boyfriends. So my expectations for KotW were super high. Perhaps a bit unfairly high. KotW is a great book, just not as good as SJTR.

I so wanted to love this book, just as I loved Kerri’s previous books. And KotW is a solid book, but it didn’t take my heart like Audrey rose and Thomas did.

To start, I found this book very slow. There’s a lot of world building, which is so incredibly rich, but moves the plot along at a snails pace.

Also, because it’s Emilia by herself, it lacks a little something. Wrath is good but he lacks the sass I wanted and needed.

I also found that not enough information is given, which is ironic given the amount of world building. But I found it didn’t loosen up until about 60%.

I also found things happened too easily. I felt like, especially given the tasks, it should’ve been more difficult.

I liked this world, I liked Wrath, but I felt it was lacking a little bit and almost felt rushed. Still, this is a solid book and I look forward to the second one! 📖📖📖📖

Break me cover reveal, Meagan Brandy

Release Date: November 13

I had a plan, and it was solid.

 

Track down what was hidden away and take pleasure in toying with it. 

Toying with her. 

 

That plan, it worked like a charm.

Until it didn’t. 

 

Turned out, the feisty little thing I found was far from what I hoped for. 

She was different from all I knew and more than I expected.

 

She was light, and I’m the bastard who led her into darkness.

But this girl... she followed with a smile.

 

I told her I break pretty things.

She asked me to promise. 

Pre-Order Your Copy Here:

Apple | Nook | Kobo

*Amazon will be a live release

Add to your Goodreads TBR list!

Head here for an amazing Giveaway!

Meet Meagan Brandy

Meagan Brandy is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of New Adult and Sports Romance books. 

Born and raised in California, she is a married mother of three crazy boys who keep her bouncing from one sports field to another, depending on the season, and she wouldn't have it any other way. 

Starbucks is her best friend and words are her sanity.

Connect with Meagan Brandy

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Bully king review and release blitz, andi jaxon

 I quite enjoyed this book. I love the premise of a MM bully book and this was done pretty well.

The start is rough, not a lot is explained and things are just known without any reason for that happening. But as the book wears on that’s mostly fixed. There are some continuity issues and I wish Mary was note consistent, but it’s okay.

I loved the setting and the injection of religion. I do wish the language was a little more consistent as well, but these are relatively small issues.

The book is solid, I liked Taylor and want to see his story.

Jonah and Roman are great characters with a ton of depth.

If bully books are your thing, give this a go. 📖📖📖📖

    BULLY KING by Andi Jaxon Release Date: October 15th   Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53467444-bully-king   Enter Andi’s Release Day Giveaway Here: https://kingsumo.com/g/2smulu/bully-king-release-day-giveaway       AVAILABLE NOW!! FREE in Kindle Unlimited! Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2F9aZ8z Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3bzWCGl Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2GC3kQY Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/3jV1rxg       Blurb: I'm the pastor's son. He's the star quarterback for a small Kentucky high school. While the town worships him, I pray for God to take my life. He makes my life a living hell by making me his victim. This perverse game we play could end us both. How can something that feels so right be so wrong? The price if the truth is discovered is death, but I can't stop. Neither can he. No one can know. Can I risk it? Is Roman King worth dying for? **This story is a m/m bully romance including dubious consent, assault, talk of suicide, and is intended for readers 18+. Please proceed with caution.**         About the Author: Sarcastic and snarky, I love to laugh and read dark fucked up shit. I write about tortured pasts and hot sex, a happily ever after that has to be worked for. My stories tend to be a little dark but with some comic relief, typically in the form of sarcasm. I like to dabble in a little of everything when it comes to stories. Romantic suspense, MM, a bit of erotica, with plans for Greek retellings, maybe some fairytale retellings, and some shifters. I write broken people who fight for their happily ever after, in all the many forms it takes. I married a sexy man in uniform who let me spawn and am now raising a mutinous army of hell raisers that I created myself, all while he defends our country. I drink too much coffee and am sexually frustrated for your freedom. If you see me online, I'm probably sitting in a closet, hiding from my kids. I have a ridiculous addiction to Archer, Sherlock, Supernatural, and The Big Bang Theory. I live my life spewing TV quotes and sarcasm. I'm a self confessed ass, not easily offended, and I love to laugh, almost as much as I love sleep. My laundry is rarely folded or put away and I have probably only showered once this week. I hate schedules and planning, I have calendars, planners, and my phone yet can’t remember anything. Somehow, I’ve managed to keep 3 kids alive but I really need to become an adultier adult.     Connect w/Andi: Website: https://www.andijaxon.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andijaxonauthor Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/andiandajsjunkies Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andijaxon Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorandijaxon Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17435346.Andi_Jaxon Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/andi-jaxon Amazon: https://amzn.to/35bPejB TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorandijaxon NL Signup: http://bit.ly/AndiJNewsletter  

The Insiders surprise cover reveal, Tijan

 The Insiders, the first book in an all-new must read trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Tijan coming May 4th 2021, and we have the stunning cover!

Pre-order your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ddgG2e

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/TheInsiders

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/34Xbz2H

Nook: https://bit.ly/33Ix9s5

Apple Books: https://apple.co/30Ugtfw

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3dkxBzV

Add The Insiders to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2GJn59t

Bailey is as normal as could be, with a genius IQ and a photographic memory. But still, normal for her. Then, things happen -- a guy breaks into her house in the middle of the night to take her hostage. She learns her father is billionaire tech genius Peter Francis, the same guy she’s idolized all her life. She finds all this out when she meets dark, mysterious, and electrifying Kashton Colello. He’s also an associate of her father’s, and he gives Bailey two choices—go with him and meet her father or survive on her own because those kidnappers are going to try again.  

 

It’s a no-brainer.

 

After this, three things become clear for Bailey:

 

1.   She has to live at her father’s sprawling estate, complete with bodyguards and the best security that money can buy.

 

2.   She’s no longer an only child. She has three siblings and has no idea what to do with them and vice versa.

 

3.   She is being guarded by Kash himself. Personally guarded. And there is a lot of guarding going on there and some of it is going to drive her crazy.

 

A complete outsider in a world of wealth and decadence, Bailey has to find her way within a family that has more secrets than she could have imagined. One of these secrets could be deadly…

Varsity rule breaker review and blog tour, Ginger Scott

This was a solid end to the series.

I love all of these couple, love how Ginger writes high school kids, love how she writes sports, love how she writes everyday life.

I did find this book a *tad* slow and wanted more detail in what happened between the last chapter and the epilogue but that’s a small complaint.

This is a great series, with great characters and great stories. Give it a go!📖📖📖📖

We're so excited to celebrate the release of 𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 (The Varsity Series, Book 3) by Ginger Scott? We are in love with Cannon and have a hard girl crush on Hollis! This is the final book in a mature YA romance series! Check out the excerpt below and one-click yours today!

Varsity Rulebreaker (The Varsity Series Book 3) by Ginger Scott

Cover Designer: Ginger Scott

★☆★Read FREE w/Kindle Unlimited★☆★

Amazon US - https://amzn.to/3bgh7pN

Amazon UK - https://amzn.to/2F6XdDT

Amazon AU – https://amzn.to/30GPR1v

Amazon CA – https://amzn.to/3lmOM6C

Goodreads TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53602753-varsity-rulebreaker

Vote for Varsity Rulebreaker on the October 2020 Most-Anticipated Reads list: https://bit.ly/2GY4CFX

Varsity Rulebreaker

Book 3 in The Varsity Series by Ginger Scott

Hollis Taylor is allowed to break the rules. She’s coach’s little girl. And she’s good. If that means she gets to bump one of the guys for the starting catcher’s job on the Public High baseball team, then the others on the squad better suck it up and deal.

But breaking rules has taken Cannon Jennings far in life. One of the nation’s top pitching prospects, he came here to throw to his cousin and show college recruiters everything he could do on the mound. Taking his signs from a girl was not part of his blueprint, especially one that screwed over his favorite relative and best friend.

Too bad he broke the biggest rule of all before he knew exactly who she was.

It was just a New Year’s kiss. Totally forgettable. Especially under the circumstances.

So why can’t he stop thinking about it?

This is book 3 in The Varsity Series by Ginger Scott. You can start this series of stand-alone mature YA sports romances now with Varsity Heartbreaker and Varsity Tiebreaker.

EXCERPT:

“Well?” I lift a brow.

His stare is decisive. No more blinking lashes to lull me into submission. I’m being dissected solely by the dominant glow of his swimming-pool blue eyes. His nose is pink from being out in today’s sun and reflective clouds. His wet hair is drying right before my eyes into touchable waves that I imagine in my fingers. I’m thankful my arms are crossed to hide them because I can feel them twitch.

“Fine.”

I flinch at his sudden answer, most of me prepared for him to bail on this little wager. By the way he rounds the table and motions with his hand for me to step back, I start to tremble at the knees. Cue ball palmed in his left hand, stick grasped in his right, he steps into the space between me and the table and comes close enough that I can feel the warmth of the breath he exhales from his nose.

“Pardon,” he says, and I step back several feet to lean against a pub table.

Cannon positions the ball a little off-center then dabs one more dusting of chalk on the end of his cue, blowing the dust away while he looks at me, his eyes focusing away from the tip of the stick and onto my gaze. His mouth quirks on one side, and it’s in that small look that I know I’m done. I’m so fucking screwed.

He lunges over the table in a smooth pivot, bringing the stick back slowly and getting the feel of the slide before letting it rip, knocking the balls in all directions and quickly sinking one of each—a solid and a stripe. His eyes on the center of the table, he rounds it, his tongue sticking out the way Michael Jordan’s always did when he was deciding whether to put the game away with a dunk or a little fadeaway from the top of the key.

“You got a preference?” he asks.

“I…well…” I stumble on my words, his sudden confidence really nailing me to the floor.

He chuckles then bends down, lining up a shot at a solid.

“It’s alright,” he says, quickly leaning his head to one side to glance up at me and wink. “It won’t matter.”

And it doesn’t. He proceeds to sink his initial target, and then every other solid ball on the table, sometimes two at a time. I’m half expecting him to drain the eight-ball without even looking. He has to work at it a little, though, what with so many of my balls still on the table and in his way. He calls the side pocket and when the ball falls in easily, I breathe out heavily enough to flap my lips, then I drop my stick.

“Two out of three?” I scrunch my lips up with my pathetic attempt to regain my edge.

“You think it will matter?” He lays his stick on the table and saunters toward me.

My nervous knee begins to twitch, and I find myself rocking where I stand to try to keep my legs busy and my blood flowing. Cannon stops about a foot away from me, and he looks down at the floor as he slips his hands into the pockets of his jeans. I draw in his scent, letting it numb my nerves like the venom of a scorpion. I got sloppy, arrogant even. And that trust I felt so sure of is waning a little now that he’s calling in his bet. I gave him a free pass to surprise me, to ask something of me or dare me or…that’s the thing. It’s the unknown. I did that. I did that!

My hands balled into fists at my sides, I roll my shoulders back and lift my chin, determined not to let my worry shine through.

“Bet’s a bet,” I say, shaking my head with tight lips. I had no idea I was going up against a pool shark.

“That it is,” he says, glancing up while keeping his head low. The way he peers at me through the strands of his hair that now shadow his eyes is both ominous and so freaking enticing.

“Five a.m. Saint Peters Gulch. Tomorrow.” He leans in and for a moment I think he’s going to kiss me, but instead he pauses while forward on his toes. “I’ll let you know what you owe there and then.”

I swallow and he sees it, his eyes darting to that place on my neck that betrays my bravado.

“Fine,” I gurgle out.

He laughs lightly and falls back to give me some space.

“Relax, Hollis. I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it.” With one last wink, he brings his hands from his pockets and claps them a few times to remove any leftover chalk. I force myself not to look over my shoulder as he leaves, and I keep that promise to myself, spending the next twenty minutes playing out the rest of the balls on our table and realizing I never even had a chance.

🄿🅄🅁🄲🄷🄰🅂🄴 🄷🄴🅁🄴

𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫

Amazon US —> https://amzn.to/3aSWik0

Amazon UK —> https://amzn.to/2XwPRi4

Amazon AU —> https://amzn.to/2TL6VzP

Amazon CA —> https://amzn.to/2X54ave

𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫

Amazon US https://amzn.to/2zluA2u

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Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2Bnapmc

★☆★Read FREE w/Kindle Unlimited★☆★

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Raise Hell cover reveal, Ashley Gee

Once upon a time, I was innocent — and then they destroyed me.

Left me for dead.

The boys of Havoc House don’t think I remember what they did to me.

But they’re going to pay for all of it.

People like to say that revenge is a dish best served cold. But it takes planning and patience to seek true vengeance when you’ve been wronged.

And the best revenge takes time.

You have to smile when you want to scream. 

Laugh, when you want to cry.

Play nice, while you dream of going for the jugular.

For that, you need boiling hot rage.

I am the cleansing fire that will burn out every bit of the evil at St. Bart’s Prep.

I’ll cross each of the Havoc boys off my list until I’m the last one standing. One by one, they will fall.

I’m willing to do whatever it takes to see that happen.

Even pretend to fall in love.

Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord.

But I can’t wait on heaven, so instead I’ll raise hell.

Add to your Goodreads TBR list now!

Meet Ashley Gee

Ashley Gee is a romance author and part-time adult. She lives in Indiana with her husband, two children, two cats, two dogs and partridge in a pear tree (okay not really!).

She doesn’t enjoy long walks on the beach because the sand gets everywhere but can often be found binging Netflix and drinking wine from the grocery store.

Her books feature brooding boys and the girls who bring them to their knees. 

And the one thing she loves more than anything else is talking about herself in the third person.

Connect with Ashley Gee

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A golden fury review and release blitz, Samantha Cohoe

 I liked the premise of this book but I felt like it didn’t know what it wanted to be. Did it want to be a tale of a girl, looking for her place in the world? Did it want to be the tale of an alchemist struggling with what she wants to do? It is a romance? Is it a mystery? There’s so much going on in this book that seems to change mid track. 

I wish Thea were a stronger character and that the relationship with Will or Dominic or even Valentin were stronger to give some depth.

I wish her father were more consistent.

I wish the French Revolution theme were a bigger part as well.

As a final note, I wish there was a more solid end, rather than what were given. To me, it doesn’t read as a series but I might be wrong, but if it’s not, I would’ve liked a better end.

This book is a little bit of a mess, the result of too many themes, too many ideas trying to get out in one book.

It’s a great attempt but fell a little short unfortunately.

📖📖📖📔

*A Nerd Daily YA Debut to Watch Out for in 2020*

“Sharply written with a crackling, compassionately determined heroine, A Golden Fury is a vivid ride through eighteenth century Europe with darkness and dread creeping at its corners. Utterly enchanting.”

- Emily A. Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Saints

"An engaging concoction of fantasy, romance, and historical fiction." - Booklist

"Cohoe situates the supernatural among the historical, referencing the French Revolution and the Enlightenment while...keeping a sense of urgency as Thea struggles with the magical, demonic pull of the Stone."

- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"The attention to detail in the story is excellent. ...Thea herself is a confident lead with a strong voice. A solid fantasy to flesh out the world of alchemy that most readers know only from 'Harry Potter.'" - School Library Journal

“Cohoe transmutes the legend of the Philosopher's Stone into a dark, intoxicating tale of ambition, obsession, and sacrifice. Prepare for a magic that will consume you.”

- Rosamund Hodge, New York Times bestselling author of Cruel Beauty and Bright Smoke, Cold Fire

“Steeped in mystery and magic, Samantha Cohoe’s A Golden Fury immerses readers in beautifully rendered world where magic and science mix, and where the intoxication of power can be deadly. Whip-smart Thea is a heroine readers will root for.” - Lisa Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Magician

A GOLDEN FURY

By Samantha Cohoe

Set in eighteenth century England, Samantha Cohoe’s debut novel, A GOLDEN FURY (Wednesday Books; October 13, 2020), follows a young alchemist as she tries to save the people she loves from the curse of the Philosopher’s Stone. The streets of London and Oxford come to life as this historical fantasy unravels. Weaving together an alluring story of magic and danger, Samantha’s debut has her heroine making messy decisions as she toes the line between good and evil while it becomes blurred.

Thea Hope longs to be an alchemist out of the shadow of her famous mother. The two of them are close to creating the legendary Philosopher’s Stone—whose properties include immortality and can turn any metal into gold—but just when the promise of the Stone’s riches is in their grasp, Thea’s mother destroys the Stone in a sudden fit of violent madness.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Meghan Harrington, Publicist St. Martin’s Press & Wednesday Books Meghan.Harrington@stmartins.com | 646-307-5556

    

While combing through her mother’s notes, Thea learns that there’s a curse on the Stone that causes anyone who tries to make it to lose their sanity. With the threat of the French Revolution looming, Thea is sent to Oxford for her safety, to live with the father who doesn’t know she exists.

But in Oxford, there are alchemists after the Stone who don’t believe Thea’s warning about the curse—instead, they’ll stop at nothing to steal Thea’s knowledge of how to create the Stone. But Thea can only run for so long, and soon she will have to choose: create the Stone and sacrifice her sanity, or let the people she loves die.

A GOLDEN FURY and the curse of the Philosopher’s Stone will haunt you long after the final page.

About the Author

Samantha Cohoe writes historically-inspired young adult fantasy. She was raised in San Luis Obispo, California, where she enjoyed an idyllic childhood of beach trips, omnivorous reading, and writing stories brimming with adverbs. She currently lives in Denver with her family and divides her time among teaching Latin, mothering, writing, reading, and deleting adverbs. A Golden Fury is her debut novel.

The cup and the prince review, Day Leitao

 This book sounded great but unfortunately fell flat for me.

The world building is weak, and I found the writing repetitive, a little childish, and at times contradictory.

I wanted to like Zora, as a strong female character but couldn’t really connect.

There was an attempt to get you on her side by a somewhat demeaning almost encounter in the first chapter, but that wasn’t enough for me.

I think with a little more time and development this book could be good, but as is, isn’t great. Sorry! 📖📖📖

Varsity rule breaker release blitz, Ginger Scott

We're so excited to celebrate the release of 𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 (The Varsity Series, Book 3) by Ginger Scott? We are in love with Cannon and have a hard girl crush on Hollis! This is the final book in a mature YA romance series! Check out the excerpt below and one-click yours today!

Varsity Rulebreaker (The Varsity Series Book 3) by Ginger Scott

Cover Designer: Ginger Scott

★☆★Read FREE w/Kindle Unlimited★☆★

Amazon US - https://amzn.to/3bgh7pN

Amazon UK - https://amzn.to/2F6XdDT

Amazon AU – https://amzn.to/30GPR1v

Amazon CA – https://amzn.to/3lmOM6C

Goodreads TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53602753-varsity-rulebreaker

Vote for Varsity Rulebreaker on the October 2020 Most-Anticipated Reads list: https://bit.ly/2GY4CFX

Varsity Rulebreaker

Book 3 in The Varsity Series by Ginger Scott

Hollis Taylor is allowed to break the rules. She’s coach’s little girl. And she’s good. If that means she gets to bump one of the guys for the starting catcher’s job on the Public High baseball team, then the others on the squad better suck it up and deal.

But breaking rules has taken Cannon Jennings far in life. One of the nation’s top pitching prospects, he came here to throw to his cousin and show college recruiters everything he could do on the mound. Taking his signs from a girl was not part of his blueprint, especially one that screwed over his favorite relative and best friend.

Too bad he broke the biggest rule of all before he knew exactly who she was.

It was just a New Year’s kiss. Totally forgettable. Especially under the circumstances.

So why can’t he stop thinking about it?

This is book 3 in The Varsity Series by Ginger Scott. You can start this series of stand-alone mature YA sports romances now with Varsity Heartbreaker and Varsity Tiebreaker.

EXCERPT:

“Well?” I lift a brow.

His stare is decisive. No more blinking lashes to lull me into submission. I’m being dissected solely by the dominant glow of his swimming-pool blue eyes. His nose is pink from being out in today’s sun and reflective clouds. His wet hair is drying right before my eyes into touchable waves that I imagine in my fingers. I’m thankful my arms are crossed to hide them because I can feel them twitch.

“Fine.”

I flinch at his sudden answer, most of me prepared for him to bail on this little wager. By the way he rounds the table and motions with his hand for me to step back, I start to tremble at the knees. Cue ball palmed in his left hand, stick grasped in his right, he steps into the space between me and the table and comes close enough that I can feel the warmth of the breath he exhales from his nose.

“Pardon,” he says, and I step back several feet to lean against a pub table.

Cannon positions the ball a little off-center then dabs one more dusting of chalk on the end of his cue, blowing the dust away while he looks at me, his eyes focusing away from the tip of the stick and onto my gaze. His mouth quirks on one side, and it’s in that small look that I know I’m done. I’m so fucking screwed.

He lunges over the table in a smooth pivot, bringing the stick back slowly and getting the feel of the slide before letting it rip, knocking the balls in all directions and quickly sinking one of each—a solid and a stripe. His eyes on the center of the table, he rounds it, his tongue sticking out the way Michael Jordan’s always did when he was deciding whether to put the game away with a dunk or a little fadeaway from the top of the key.

“You got a preference?” he asks.

“I…well…” I stumble on my words, his sudden confidence really nailing me to the floor.

He chuckles then bends down, lining up a shot at a solid.

“It’s alright,” he says, quickly leaning his head to one side to glance up at me and wink. “It won’t matter.”

And it doesn’t. He proceeds to sink his initial target, and then every other solid ball on the table, sometimes two at a time. I’m half expecting him to drain the eight-ball without even looking. He has to work at it a little, though, what with so many of my balls still on the table and in his way. He calls the side pocket and when the ball falls in easily, I breathe out heavily enough to flap my lips, then I drop my stick.

“Two out of three?” I scrunch my lips up with my pathetic attempt to regain my edge.

“You think it will matter?” He lays his stick on the table and saunters toward me.

My nervous knee begins to twitch, and I find myself rocking where I stand to try to keep my legs busy and my blood flowing. Cannon stops about a foot away from me, and he looks down at the floor as he slips his hands into the pockets of his jeans. I draw in his scent, letting it numb my nerves like the venom of a scorpion. I got sloppy, arrogant even. And that trust I felt so sure of is waning a little now that he’s calling in his bet. I gave him a free pass to surprise me, to ask something of me or dare me or…that’s the thing. It’s the unknown. I did that. I did that!

My hands balled into fists at my sides, I roll my shoulders back and lift my chin, determined not to let my worry shine through.

“Bet’s a bet,” I say, shaking my head with tight lips. I had no idea I was going up against a pool shark.

“That it is,” he says, glancing up while keeping his head low. The way he peers at me through the strands of his hair that now shadow his eyes is both ominous and so freaking enticing.

“Five a.m. Saint Peters Gulch. Tomorrow.” He leans in and for a moment I think he’s going to kiss me, but instead he pauses while forward on his toes. “I’ll let you know what you owe there and then.”

I swallow and he sees it, his eyes darting to that place on my neck that betrays my bravado.

“Fine,” I gurgle out.

He laughs lightly and falls back to give me some space.

“Relax, Hollis. I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it.” With one last wink, he brings his hands from his pockets and claps them a few times to remove any leftover chalk. I force myself not to look over my shoulder as he leaves, and I keep that promise to myself, spending the next twenty minutes playing out the rest of the balls on our table and realizing I never even had a chance.

🄿🅄🅁🄲🄷🄰🅂🄴 🄷🄴🅁🄴

𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫

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𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫

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