It's here, it's here! Headfirst into Home is finally available. Have I told you lately how much I heart this book? I adore Rachel and Ty. Who can resist a loving, dedicated mother and smokin' hot baseball player? Read on for a long excerpt. Leave me a comment. You like so far?

Prologue



Ten years ago

Ty didn’t know what he’d done to deserve a woman like Rachel Carson lying beside him, curled into his side. Maybe it had been fate. He’d never given fate and the thinking that things happened for a reason much thought before now. It didn’t seem right, saying everything that had happened in his life up until this point happened because of some bigger and better plan. But it had been pure luck that he’d driven up on his crush and her beat-up car broken down on the side of the road in the middle of a treacherous rainstorm.

He had barely been able to see two feet in front of him, but somehow he managed to catch sight of her little black car. It probably had something to do with the fact that lately she’d always seemed to creep into his thoughts. The storm calmed for a moment, but then showed its ugly head again. Because of the heavy downpour, they were left with no other option but to stop at a hotel.

His high school baseball coach usually held practice on Friday nights, but since a stomach bug had whipped through half of the baseball team, he had called it off. With the gift of a free Friday night, since he was one of the lucky ones who wasn’t puking his guts out in the toilet, Ty headed out of Lincoln Springs for the night. There was a batting cage the next town over he liked to hang out at. To some, beaches and gardens filled with wild flowers were an oasis. Not to him. He preferred a run-down batting cage. Even though he was a pitcher, it didn’t mean he didn’t like the sound of a ball coming off of a bat. He just didn’t particularly like the sound when he was the pitcher on the mound.

After an hour of hitting, he headed back home. He had expected the rest of his night to be lame. A Friday night with his grandmother was fine and all, mainly because he had a cool grandma who acted nothing like the stereotype. But this…with Rachel was about the best night of his life. Only in his dreams did he think he’d ever get the joy of having her wrapped in his arms. And what made the night even more perfect was they were going to spend the entire night together with no interruptions. For the next ten hours or so, it was only going to be “Ty had Rachel,” and he planned to enjoy every minute of it.

Another streak of lightening flashed outside of their window, seconds later followed by a clap of thunder. Rachel’s body jumped. And that only made her hold on him tighten.

Maybe Ty would start believing in fate. Because of Rachel’s fear of storms and tornadoes, she asked him to lie beside her in the bed instead of his makeshift one on the floor. The tears welling up in her eyes had him tugging her to him and whispering words of comfort in her ear. In that moment it didn’t matter that she had a longtime boyfriend. And although Ty couldn’t stand James Young for a lot of reasons—mostly because he got to call this woman his girlfriend—his intentions were pure and innocent. He believed he loved her, and wished to be something more than a friend to her for close to a year now. But just because he wanted it didn’t mean he was going to take advantage of her.

Holding her while she was scared out of her mind didn’t seem wrong. In fact it felt right. Maybe too right for where their lives were at the moment. He was casually dating Tiffany Perkins. But that wasn’t serious and he’d been thinking about ending it anyway. She was more wrapped up in herself and liked the attention she got from dating him, more than the actual dating him part. He doubted she cared anything deeply for him. But Rachel’s relationship with James was different. He could see she loved James. And just the thought of that fact about killed Ty. It was possibly childish, and he had no right to be jealous, but he wanted Rachel to love him the way he loved her.

At the moment though, she was touching him like he’d always wanted to touch her. He wanted the right to be able to reach out and take her into his arms. He wanted to be able kiss her if he wanted. When her eyes locked on his while one of her arms clung to his chest, he saw something different residing in her stare. They’d always had an awkward friendship. Mostly because she didn’t want to upset James and he didn’t want to put her in a bad situation. But right now, alone together, there was no James. It seemed Rachel was realizing the very same thing at that exact moment.

“Ty, I’m going to need you to distract me.” Her voice came out sounding fragile. “Can you do that please?”

He could practically see her mind moving a mile a minute. He was confused as to what to do. Did she want him to sing? Get up and make a complete fool out of himself by dancing? He was trying to do the right thing here, but the fear in her eyes along with something else he hadn’t seen from her before had him thinking she meant something else entirely. If she wanted something more she was going to have to spell it out for him.

He swallowed hard. “I can do that, sweetheart, but I’m not sure what you want me to do.”

God, she was beautiful. The kind of beautiful that gave him butterflies. In his eighteen years of living, she was the only woman who caused him to experience such things. When she only gazed back at him, not saying a word, he asked, “Rachel, what is it you need from me? You name it and I’ll do it.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The simple gesture caused her to suck in a breath. It caught him by surprise. “I don’t want to cross a line. I care about you too much to ruin anything we have. For once, things between us need to be clear.”

She pulled at his T-shirt until half of his stomach was revealed. The last thing he expected shy little Rachel to do was place her lips on his bare skin. He didn’t mean to, but a soft groan spilled from his lips. At least now he knew what kind of distraction she was looking for.

She looked up at him with a wanting in her eyes. And for the first time since the rain had started to pour, she didn’t seem to be scared anymore. “Is that clear enough?”

Wrapping his arms around her small waist, he pulled her up his body. “Once I start kissing you, I’m not going to be able to stop.”

In response, she threaded her fingers through his hair. She leaned down until her lips were tantalizing close to his own, and then whispered, “Kiss me, Ty.”

He put one of his hands behind her neck, and the other around her waist. Savoring this big, possibly life changing moment, he rose up and locked his lips onto hers. They were soft and warm. At first the kiss was sweet. Almost like they wanted to go slow and savor their first time together. But the longer they kissed, the more Ty needed. And by the soft moans and tugging the rest of his shirt up his chest, he figured Rachel was right there with him. She needed him as much as he wanted her. The knowledge of this made his heart swell a couple sizes.

He helped her pull his T-shirt over his head. Her fingers gently stroked from his shoulders down his arms.

Their hands and mouths moved over each other’s bodies, doing a little bit of exploring and a lot of pleasuring. There was something about her he couldn’t quite put his finger on, but knew somewhere deep that she was special—would always be special to him.

His jeans and her shorts were pulled down and puddled at the foot of the bed. He did away with his pants after pulling a condom from his wallet. Before he moved any further, he wanted to be clear with her. “You sure, honey?”

“Yes,” she simply said. “But I need to tell you something first.”

“What is it?”

She nibbled on her bottom lip before answering. “I haven’t been with anyone else.”

Okay, that was the last thing he expected her to admit. “Ever?”

She shook her head. “You will be my first.”

He stared into her eyes and could only read desire and need—for him. They’d been friends long enough for him to know she didn’t make rash decisions. Still…a decent guy would have hesitated, talked to her and found out why he’d been chosen as her first, but all the good guy parts took off to the unknown against his overwhelming desire to be with her.

“I promise to be gentle. You don’t ever have to worry about me hurting you.”

First, she kissed his shoulder, followed by placing her lips on his mouth. “I know. I trust you, Ty.”

Something this good couldn’t be anything other than fate.

* * * *

Fellow author and good friend, Peri Elizabeth Scott, has a new release coming your way. It's up for pre-order now on the BookStrand website. It releases tomorrow (Dec. 16th). I had the privilege of being a beta reader for this one, so you can believe me when I say you won't be disappointed. Heck, you can't go wrong with any Peri Elizabeth Scott book. :)  



Blurb:

Bronwyn Campbell is a contract lawyer who mixes business with pleasure when she is assigned to sculptor Aedan MacGregor. Alone in the world, Bronwyn finds herself head over heels in love with the taciturn Scot, and believes he feels the same about her, despite his single-minded focus on his art. Until she overhears a conversation between Aedan and his agents. 

Her perception of their relationship is challenged, hearing that while Aedan wants her in his life, it is as his lawyer—with benefits—and nothing long lasting. He doesn't require her in any other way. Falling back into old, learned behavioral responses, Bronwyn withdraws, and takes advantage of a job transfer opportunity while Aedan is overseas. Feeling she doesn't owe him an explanation, and in an effort to salvage some scrap of pride and assuage her broken heart, Bronwyn arranges to move to Atlanta.

But when it comes to eavesdropping, sometimes one doesn't hear everything…

A BookStrand Mainstream Romance

 

Excerpt:

It shouldn’t feel worse than losing her parents, but it did, albeit in a different way. Certainly different than when Rodney kicked her to the curb, her heart already chastened and raw from being orphaned. She could excuse her need for Rodney, then desperate to have someone in her life to keep her afloat. She’d used him as he’d used her, and it was her pride that took the minor hit that time around.

The cab navigated the thronged streets of downtown and headed west toward the small suburb where her family home was located. Maybe that was the first indicator—Aedan never stayed over at her place. She’d inherited the two-story home when her parents had passed in that train accident in Europe, just after she’d graduated college, and while she rattled around in the commodious structure, she’d never thought to sell it. It was all she had of them aside from her memories, and thus far the commute wasn’t too onerous, if a long drive. In any event, Aedan had been there only once, when she needed to pack a bag for an unanticipated weekend trip with him. They’d saved time by sharing the car instead of meeting at the airport.

Reflecting on her alone state in an effort to avoid thinking about him, she supposed her antipathy for relationships was learned, modeled by her parents who’d shunned their own families. They’d married late in life, expressly against the wishes of their parents, some kind of Montague-Capulet scenario Bronwyn never really understood. She knew she lacked the extended family many other kids had while growing up, and the grandparents were now gone, the two cousins she knew of working overseas. Working in the very country Aedan was heading off to in the morning. Europe seemed to take people from her, but perhaps with an ocean between them she could manage to do what needed to be done.

Muted jazz emanated from the car’s speakers, and the driver’s head twitched along with the irregular beat. Her whole self felt irregular, and she slipped slightly out of focus as she recalled the remainder of the evening when she was faced with her actual place in Aedan’s life.

Rena and Craig had accompanied them back to his condo following the show. As his agents, the couple were all too willing to continue to celebrate the lucrative evening. Bronwyn would rather have celebrated it alone with Aedan, in a very different manner, but resigned herself to a much later night. Maybe that was her problem—she always took a backseat to other’s needs.

They’d sat around in his well-appointed living room, drinking wine and discussing future shows while she and Aedan exchanged glances full of promise. Or so she thought. Bronwyn had excused herself to the restroom, and on the way back to join them discovered for herself that old adage about eavesdroppers never hearing anything good about themselves.

She hadn’t meant to listen in, but when she heard her name mentioned, her footsteps had slowed and she hovered just out of sight in the hallway. She could hear the conversation now as if it were playing out right in front of her, set to the beat of the jazz the cabbie clearly enjoyed.

“She’s been nothing but good for you, Aedan.” Rena’s clear voice carried, and Bronwyn could detect nothing other than sincerity in her tone. It had warmed her heart, because she’d never been certain she had either Rena’s or Craig’s approval, and she wanted his friends to like her. Lord knew she had scarcely any of her own. As in one. That was her parents’ influence as well, isolationists. They were a close-knit unit of two, grudgingly opening up to include her on occasion. She’d worked so hard for their attention she lacked the energy to seek it out from others. No wonder she was stunted and couldn’t read people well in social situations. No wonder her world consisted of sterile, exact contracts. A person didn’t have to deal with emotions and people if they stuck to paperwork. Oh, how she wished she had stuck with that.

Aedan’s reply to Rena had shaken her a little, but he was such a practical man, and it had been her life’s mission to get him to express himself outside of his favorite medium of sculpting. She’d been tutoring herself in that regard, and thought it to be a pleasant learning experience together. Now she winced to think of just how expressive she’d been with the man she loved and believed loved her back. So she’d told herself his immediate answer felt like he was keeping their relationship private, as was his custom.

“Bronwyn’s been invaluable. Her ability and professionalism astounds me.”

Rena had laughed. “I’m sure, honey. But she’s also good for you personally.”

“She’s more than my lawyer,” Aedan admitted. “And that’s not a lifelong arrangement.” What? Was he thinking of a future without her? Without them?

Craig snorted. “You’re her biggest client and don’t ever think her firm hasn’t noticed all those billable hours. It doesn’t hurt that she worships the ground you walk on, buddy.”

“I didn’t ask for that from her, Craig. I don’t require it.” The ice in Aedan’s voice chilled her to the bone before her heart seized up. She’d made an involuntary noise and forced her feet to propel her forward to join them. It had taken all she had to smile faintly, and present herself like she hadn’t just heard herself being compartmentalized. Lawyer with benefits, short-term at that.

Rena and Craig looked uncomfortable, Rena shooting Craig a dark glance, but Aedan had no visible reaction to the conversation, other than a telltale tick in his jaw. Bronwyn pretended she hadn’t overheard anything. She knew Aedan was further annoyed when she avoided seating herself close beside him, but she’d made her way to the kitchen on the pretense of locating another bottle of wine. She formulated a plan to make her escape whilst staring into the depths of a cupboard, carefully keeping her back to the three of them, willing herself to breathe and assume a normal demeanor.


Buy Link:



http://www.bookstrand.com/overheard