Authors: Michelle Lynn
Gabe raises his eyebrows, but begins loading the SUV with luggage. When the last bag is in the back, I am astonished to see that it is jam-packed with luggage.
Does he always have to be right?
We head down the freeway toward our town, which is about an hour outside of Chicago. I can’t stop nibbling on my lower lip. I don’t know what to expect when I get there. I have heard Gabe’s phone buzz a few times with text messages, and I wonder who they are from.
By the time we pass the sign “Welcome to Belcrest: population 1,531”, my lip is raw and I am starting to sweat. I can’t believe I am back in the one place I swore I would never return.
“Holy shit. You weren’t kidding when you said you came from a small town,” Ian remarks from the backseat.
“Belcrest is small but mighty. Right, Madgirl?” Gabe playfully nudges me with his elbow. That is how the football team has always been described, ‘small but mighty’. We’ve never had as many guys as the other teams, but we were still state champions five years in a row when my brother and Gabe played. By the time I graduated, the run ended.
I remain quiet, nervous about seeing everyone. We pull up to Gabe’s house, which still has the same white porch with hanging flower baskets. I get out, stretching my legs and Mrs. Basso comes walking out with a chocolate lab behind her. Dixon passed away when we were in high school and they got a new pup, Kisses, which was affectionately named by Mrs. Basso. She said she was outnumbered for years and it was time she had a girl around the house. Since all of the boys were pretty much out of the house by then, there wasn’t really a fight.
“Gabe, it’s so good to have you home,” she says, embracing him in a tight hug.
“It’s good to be home, Mom,” he responds, squeezing her back. I know he has always had a close relationship to his family, unlike me. “Anyone else here yet?” he asks.
I freeze, not wanting to know whether or not Trent is here.
“Doug is out back with your dad,” she says and then turns towardsme, doing a double take. She looks back and forth between Gabe and me, though whether she is confused or upset, I can’t really tell.
“Madeline?” she asks curtly.
“Hello, Mrs. Basso,” I say.
“I assumed you would be in town this week,” she says, coming over to give me a brief hug. Cold compared to how she used to hug me.
“Why are you guys driving together?” she asks, seeming irritated.
“We ran into each other at the airport and thought we would share a rental car this week.” Gabe tosses the keys in my direction.
Catching them, I hear Ian clear his throat behind me.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Mrs. Basso this is my friend, Ian. Ian this is Gabe’s mom, Mrs. Basso,” I motion back and forth.
She eyes him up and down. “Please, call me Wendy,” she says, extending her hand.
“Nice to meet you…Wendy,” Ian says, shaking her hand.
“Alright then, let’s go,” I say to Ian. “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Basso. Gabe, let me know if you want the car.” I turn around before either one of them can say anything, heading back to the driver’s side of the blue monster.
“Wait, Maddy!” Gabe calls, jogging over to me.
“What’s up?” I say, trying to keep the impatience out of my voice.
“I don’t have your number. Give me your phone,” he demands.
I dig it out of my purse and hand it to him. He programs his number and then calls himself. After he hands it back to me, I see that he stored himself as the ‘Hot Basso Brother’.
“Nice,” I smirk up to him.
“It’s not my fault my brothers got stuck at the shallow end of the gene pool.” He holds his hands out, waiting for me to disagree. I don’t.
We pull out of the driveway from the place that I once considered my home, and I want to cry for all that has happened between me and the Bassos. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let myself get dragged into it again. I see Mrs. Basso giving Gabe the third-degree, probably about why he would show up with me, and I watch him shaking his head back and forth.
“She’s a trip,” Ian says. “What is her problem with you?”
“She used to be nice. I was like a daughter to her,” I say, staring at the road ahead of me.
“What happened?” he asks.
I don’t answer. I don’t want to talk about it. I can’t tell him that I took something from her that I could never replace.
LOVE ME BACK IS AVAILABLE
Nook-
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-me-back-michelle-lynn/1115197462?ean=2940016551449
Smashwords-
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333505
Goodreads-
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18042532-love-me-back
The Perfect Distraction by Melissa Rolka
Excerpt
The next morning is Saturday. Quinn never made it home and I hope she is ok. The one thing she is good at is always letting me know she is alive the next morning. So sure enough the phone rings and it is her letting me know she crashed at Marco’s place on the couch downstairs. Then she also informs me that she has so much to tell me about Reed. I feel my heart sink a little, which I know is ridiculous. Add that feeling on top of the crap I feel like from drinking too much and from how things ended with Derek. I know that I need to get a good run in and hit the courts. It’s the best therapy for me. I buzz Kelly and she is on board with a run. Maggie and Jenna are true partiers and never wake before noon on Saturdays.
We get three miles in and then head to get breakfast together. She asks about what happened to me after beer pong and I tell her about Derek. She tells me about who everyone hooked up with, which included Quinn with Reed (of course, no mention of her hooking up, but I don’t pry). But then she tells me that at one point a bunch of them were all talking and Reed asked her what happened to me. I know she sees a little spark in my eyes that she kindly ignores. She also tells me that Marco was looking for me the remainder of the night too. I realize I might have to make another decision soon about Marco.
Ugh.
Kelly isn’t up to hitting the courts today, but says she’ll see me later at the library. I quickly head back to my dorm room to change into my tennis skirt and tank. Quinn is back, but is curled up in her bed. I am quiet as a mouse because I really have no desire to hear about her hook up with Reed.
I’m hoping I’ll find a random player to play singles with me, but I don’t see anyone else. I head over to the practice backboard wall and start working on my serves. I start to work up another sweat.
I’m startled when I hear a smooth voice from behind say, “Not a bad serve.”
I turn around to see Blue Eyes staring at me. Instantly they are traveling up my legs in my short tennis skirt. “Thanks.” I will not let him rattle me out here on the court. This is an area in my life I am confident in. I know I’m not a super star, but I’m good.
“So it’s Kate who plays tennis and mysteriously leaves Marco’s without telling anyone.” Once again I am not sure if it’s a question or a statement. I want to reply about seeing him with Quinn, but realize that would be childish.
“Yep, that would be me.” I say as confidently as I can.
“Let’s play, huh?” He raises an eyebrow and waits for me to give him the ok.
We move our way over to an open court. The guy is not only good looking and toned, but also moves with more grace than I have ever noticed on any other tennis player before. He lets me choose if I want to serve or receive first. I always like serving first. The adrenaline pumping through me is so strong right before I play a game and once I begin to serve I feel a relief. I’m not oblivious to the fact that he is going to kill me, but I give it my all. My serves are in and strong, but he comes back with such force. Needless to say he wins the first game in a breeze. We begin to switch sides and he stops to talk before crossing over. His look is cocky and I’m just waiting for the trash talk. And oh is it trash talk, but not about the game.
“I saw you go upstairs with Marco.” He says this with a smirk on his face.
I’m feeling confident and witty, so I don’t miss a beat when I say, “I saw you with Quinn against the side of the house.” Guess I decided to be a little childish.
He runs his hand through his dark hair and looks at me with those blue eyes. He lets a little chuckle out and I swear I hear him say, “Touché.”
His serves are ruthless, but I’m able to hold my own. We play two sets and he wins the majority, but I have a few wins myself. I play strong and I’m a sweaty mess by the end. I feel great and relieved.
Therapy.
I end up sitting down on the court to drink my water and he makes his way over. We sit there and don’t say anything for a while. I make a decision that I am going to get up and be the one to leave first before this gets awkward.
“Well, thanks for the rivalry on the courts today, Reed who plays tennis and isn’t too mysterious on the side of house.” I realize that this is not as creative of a comeback, but it will have to do. I don’t give him a chance to reply. I’m standing and moving off the courts in a blink of an eye.
Synopsis for The Perfect Distraction
When Katherine “Kate” leaves for her freshmen year at college, a grounded and stable piece of her is missing. She pushes away the ghosts of her past, determined to start her college life single, carefree and distracted.
Throughout high school Kate was reserved and shy, with little experience. Now, on her own, with little holding her back, Kate is ready to branch out. She bonds with a tight knit group of friends and even starts casually dating. What starts out as innocent flirting on the tennis courts slowly turns into a friendship and eventually something more complex. Reed comes into her life giving her the distraction she craves more than anything; but is she ready to give her heart away so easily?
Things get complicated when Kate’s ex-boyfriend and first love continues to pursue her. Kyle deeply regrets breaking her heart when he left for college the year before and is now on a mission to reclaim her. Kyle’s persistence and relentlessness is nothing short of obsessive. He will stop at nothing to win her back and prove his love.
Kate finds herself torn between her past and the unknown of the future. Her determination to stay distracted may just be her downfall or the beginning of something new and wonderful.
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Be looking for Ilsa Madden-Mills’
Very Bad Things
, a New Adult romance book releasing September 10, 2013! Read below for an unedited excerpt…
I purposely walked outside to the patio and strolled by his table, shooting him and his companions a flirtatious smile while he glared back. Then I went to the bar and ordered a glass of water. And waited.
It took fifty-three seconds for him to appear beside me.
“Not drinking today?” he said in a low voice, sending delicious tingles all over my body. He settled himself beside me on a stool.
“No fake ID,” I said, putting my hand on his inner thigh and caressing the taut muscles there. “You seem tense. Is there anything I can do to help you relax?” I asked, my lips curving up in invitation.
He stared at my stroking hand and swallowed but didn’t move away. “I just came over to see how you’re doing,” he said with a face like stone, not giving anything away.
I scowled and pulled my hand back. “Why? Because you feel bad for the poor little rich girl with all the problems?”
He looked away from me.
I said, “Let’s go in the bathroom and fuck.”
He exhaled heavily and stood up from the stool.
“No?” I said, feeling ashamed for the words coming out of my mouth, yet completely powerless to stop them. “You know, one of my favorite books has this sizzling chapter where the main characters go to lunch together. And even though it’s a first date, they end up fucking in a bathroom stall because they can’t wait to get at each other. He just bends her over and gives it to her, hard and fast. I’d like to reenact that scene.” I took a hasty sip of water and got my nerve up. “All we’d have to do is pick the biggest stall, and then you flip my dress up and take me from behind. Or I could get on my knees for you?”