**Teaser Tuesday ~ #37**

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

***

BLOCK (Social Media #3)

By @JA Huss

Publication Date: September 22, 2014

Novella (115ish pages)

Adult Contemporary Romance

Description:

Grace @FilthyBlueBird @VaughnAsher #YouAreCaredFor So the movie star says. But his idea of cared for isn’t the same as mine. Obviously a #Douche.

MovieStar @VaughnAsher@FilthyBlueBird #BehindTheScenesIsMyScene The Blue Bird has trust issues. And tantrum issues. And commitment issues.

Grace @FilthyBlueBird@VaughnAsher #SaidTheKettleToThePot

MovieStar @VaughnAsher@FilthyBlueBird #YouAreMine and I won’t let you forget it.

Grace @FilthyBlueBird@VaughnAsher #YouMustShitUnicorns that’s how delusional your fairy tale is. #GetAGripOnReality I’m outtie.

MovieStar @VaughnAsher@FilthyBlueBird You're an #Innie #Sweetheart :) My tongue licked all your #CuteLittleButtons.

#ForTheLoveOfFilth

Why is he so damn sexy? How will I ever get out from under Asher’s thumb if I can’t stop thinking about his tongue on my buttons? #HottiesNeedToPlayFair

Pre-­order Block

Add Block to your TBR

***Teaser***
(once again, this teaser pic is from fellow Hussie, Michelle New)

**Cover Reveal & Giveaway ~ Hunting in Bruges ~ E.J. Stevens**

It's time for a cover reveal!  Feast your eyes on the cover for Hunting in Bruges, the debut novel in the Hunters' Guild urban fantasy series by E.J. Stevens.

Keep reading for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Hunting in Bruges (Hunters' Guild #1) by E.J. Stevens

Release Date:  November 11, 2014

Genre:  Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Pre-order on Amazon

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis
The only thing worse than being a Hunter in the fae-ridden city of Harborsmouth, is hunting vamps in Bruges.

Being shipped off to Belgium sucks. The medieval city of Bruges is quaint, but the local Hunters' Guild is understaffed, the canals are
choked with dead bodies, and there's no shortage of supernatural predators as likely suspects.

On second thought, maybe Bruges isn't so bad after all.

With a desire to prove herself, protect the innocent, and advance within the ranks of the Hunters' Guild, Jenna Lehane hits the cobbled streets of Bruges with blades at the ready. Someone, or something, is murdering tourists and dumping their bodies in the city's scenic canals. With the help of a mysterious stranger, Jenna begins to piece together clues that are dotted throughout the city like blood spatter.

Determined to stop the killings, Jenna delves into a bloody local history that only raises more questions--but some secrets are best left buried. Jenna must put her combat training to the test as she struggles to unearth the truth about an ancient enemy.

Hunting in Bruges is the first novel in the Hunters' Guild urban fantasy series set in the world of Ivy Granger.

About the Hunters' Guild Series

The Hunters' Guild series is an urban fantasy series written by E.J. Stevens and set in the world of Ivy Granger. The series is told in the first-person point-of-view of Jenna Lehane, a Hunter with a troubled past, a proficiency with weapons, and an intolerance for monsters who target the innocent.

About the Author

E.J. Stevens is the author of the Spirit Guide young adult series, the bestselling Ivy Granger urban fantasy series, and the Hunters' Guild urban fantasy series.  When E.J. isn't at her writing desk she enjoys
dancing along seaside cliffs, singing in graveyards, and sleeping in faerie circles.  E.J. currently resides in a magical forest on the coast of Maine where she finds daily inspiration for her writing.

Hunting in Bruges Cover Reveal Giveaway

The author is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky winner! To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below.  This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  Giveaway ends October 7, 2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think of the cover?

**Release Blitz, Cover Reveal & Giveaway ~ Block ~ JA Huss**

Block, #3 in the Social Media Series releases *tomorrow*
You can still pre-order it for *ONLY 99 CENTS*
Grab your copy now!

I have all the details about Block, as well as a giveaway for y'all. And I have the cover reveal for Status, #4 in the series!! :)

Y'all, if you haven't started this series, what are you waiting for?!? It's so fantastic! My review of Block posts tomorrow. :)

***

BLOCK (Social Media #3)
By @JA Huss
Publication Date: September 22, 2014
Novella (115ish pages)
Adult Contemporary Romance

Description:
Grace @FilthyBlueBird @VaughnAsher #YouAreCaredFor So the movie star says. But his idea of cared for isn’t the same as mine. Obviously a #Douche.

MovieStar @VaughnAsher@FilthyBlueBird #BehindTheScenesIsMyScene The Blue Bird has trust issues. And tantrum issues. And commitment issues.

Grace @FilthyBlueBird@VaughnAsher #SaidTheKettleToThePot

MovieStar @VaughnAsher@FilthyBlueBird #YouAreMine and I won’t let you forget it.

Grace @FilthyBlueBird@VaughnAsher #YouMustShitUnicorns that’s how delusional your fairy tale is. #GetAGripOnReality I’m outtie.

MovieStar @VaughnAsher@FilthyBlueBird You're an #Innie #Sweetheart :) My tongue licked all your #CuteLittleButtons.

#ForTheLoveOfFilth

Why is he so damn sexy? How will I ever get out from under Asher’s thumb if I can’t stop thinking about his tongue on my buttons? #HottiesNeedToPlayFair

Pre-­order Block

Add Block to your TBR

**This is one of my favorite scenes**

I head towards the bar and Grace isn’t even paying attention. She’s chatting up the bartender, who sees me coming and excuses himself as I take a seat two stools away from her.

"Hey," I say in a low voice. "I’m sorry for picking you up back there. It was presumptuous to think you’d talk to me tonight, let alone come up to my room."

"Another margarita," Grace calls out to the bartender.

I catch his eye and hold up a finger. "Scotch, please. Top shelf."

"I’m not interested in your excuse, Vaughn. Truly." She looks me in the eyes for the first time tonight. "Truly, I am not interested. I’m not playing a game with you. I’m not playing hard to get. I’m not pretending to be pissed. I’m not even pissed. I’m just not interested. You’re not the man I thought you were. And I get that I was invested in the fantasy version of you. OK?" she says, shaking her head a little. "I get that. It was my fault for turning you into some kind of Prince Charming. So it’s not fair that I had such high
expectations of you. I’m sorry that I blamed you for something I caused."

The bartender delivers our drinks and takes Grace’s empty glass away. I take a sip of my Scotch, then gulp it all, and slide my glass on the bar. "Another, please." The bartender nods and moves off to get that. I put my head in my hands. "Grace," I say, rubbing my temples. "Just for the fun of it, tell me what that Prince Charming version of me was like. How do I not measure up?" I look up at her, but she’s staring down into her pink drink, playing with the paper umbrella. "Was I nicer? Was I more generous? What is the real Vaughn Asher missing?"

She meets my gaze for a moment, but it’s a fleeting one. They drop back down just a quickly and shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know. The fantasy was... charming. Not just in a princely way, either. But really, really charming. Saying witty things, and being at ease with himself and others. He jokes with me and makes me laugh. You..." She doesn’t look at me, just continues to stare into her drink. "You make me sad. You make me feel inadequate. You make me feel stupid and small and pathetic."

Fuck. "How though? How did I do that? Because that was not my intention. OK?" I reach out and cover her small hand with mine. "I never wanted to make you feel like that. I wanted to excite you."

She looks up at my eyes and I almost wish she hadn’t. Her expression is overflowing with disappointment and she looks tired. She does look sad. She looks like she cried very hard earlier and the makeup can’t quite hide that. "You wanted to excite yourself, Vaughn. You wanted to please yourself. Not me. Everything you did, from picking out those clothes to putting money in my bank account, all of it was for your benefit. You lie to yourself, I think. You’re one long string of self­serving lies. I don’t know how you do it, or how you get so many girls to play along. But all your best intentions were nothing but really good deceptions. And even though I know in my heart" —she clenches her fist and holds it over her chest—"that the fairy tale is fake, that it doesn’t exist and I’m setting myself up for disappointment, I don’t care. Because I deserve that happy ending, Vaughn. I do. You might not think so. You might think I’m just some silly girl who has no right to expect so much from a man. But I don’t care. Maybe that man doesn’t exist and maybe I’ll spend the rest of my life alone, waiting for my prince. I don’t care. I refuse to play this game with you."

And then she reaches into her little clutch purse to grab her credit card and wave it at the bartender. "I’m done, Vaughn. And for what it’s worth, I do believe you about that girl on the TV. Thank you for the charity money. I will make sure it goes to worthy organizations and send you the receipt so you can claim it on your taxes."

And introducing PART FOUR ~­ STATUS

Status (Social Media #4)
By @JA Huss
Publication Date: October 8, 2014
Novella (115ish pages)
Adult Contemporary Romance

Description:

MovieStar @VaughnAsher @FilthyBlueBird #DirtyHeaven is mine tonight. 

Grace @FilthyBlueBird @VaughnAsher I own #DirtyHeaven, bitch. #VaughnAsherIsMyBitch

MovieStar @VaughnAsher @FilthyBlueBird #FlashbackTime Get ready. 

Grace @FilthyBlueBird Come here and take off my lip gloss @VaughnAsher #OnMyKneesWaiting 

MovieStar @VaughnAsher @FilthyBlueBird #Flashback to last night. Oh, you weren’t wearing lip gloss. But you are now. #GetOnYourKneesAndWait

Grace @FilthyBlueBird @VaughnAsher ­ Dabbing lips with a napkin. #ThatAllYouGot?

Finally... Grace sees me in a different light. The banter is flirty, the sex is fun, and the future looks fabulous. I just hope she feels the same way when she finds out what I did.

Pre-­order Status

Add Status to your TBR

Purchase Links for Follow (Social Media #1)
Amazon ~ B&N ~ iBooks ~ Kobo

Purchase Links for Like (Social Media #2)
Amazon ~ B&N ~ iBooks ~ Kobo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

JA Huss is the USA Today best-selling author of the Rook and Ronin series, the epic science fiction I Am Just Junco series, and hundreds of kid-friendly science books in subjects such as biology, physics, anatomy and physiology, astronomy, and forensics. She has an undergraduate degree in equine science and a master's degree in forensic toxicology. She has never taken a creative writing class and she hopes she never will.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads |Amazon

**Bought, Borrowed, & Bagged #35**

Bought, Borrowed, & Bagged is a weekly meme, hosted by TalkSupe, where I share with you the books I have bought, borrowed, or bagged (gifted or won) plus a recap of the previous week's reviews, upcoming reviews, and any other bookishness I want to share. :)

Here's what was added to my ereader and/or my physical library this week:

BOUGHT

Once again, I didn't one-click much since I'm still out of town. I did pre-order Block, though.

BAGGED

Thanks to Michelle Mankin!

Last Two Weeks' Reviews

Beyond the Orange Moon by Adrienne Frances
Love by Design by Evie Knight

Upcoming Reviews

Exposed: Just One Night Part 2 by Kyra Davis
Beast: Parts One and Two by Ella James
Block by JA Huss
Rock Chick Regret by Kristen Ashley
Spin by Darcie J. Gudger
A Little Faith by Emma James

**When Life's Kicking Your Butt, How About a Theme Song? ~ September**

My pal, Robyn, over @robgirlbooks, issued a challenge for the year. She wants us to come up with a song - one a month - that we turn to when life is getting us down...when we need a pick-me-up...the song we turn to when trying to get motivated for cleaning the house...the song we hear when we need inspiration...well, you get the picture. :) At the end of the year, we'll have quite the playlist for life!

This month, the theme is Oldies ~ and I have to say it was really difficult for me to choose a song! ;) And then I ask my kids and Jax wants to pick a song from the 90's because that's Oldies to him. :/ I am NOT an oldie! LOL And then Sky goes and makes me feel old anyway with her pick. :) So, what are some of your favorite oldies? Here are ours:

My Pick 





Sky's Pick




Berk's Pick




Jax's Pick

**Cover Reveal ~ Heat ~ Kailin Gow**

Cover Reveal 

Heat by Kailin Gow

Coming
October 6, 2014

Pre-Order on Amazon: 
http://bit.ly/HeatAmazon

Bobby Cummings went to Paris to study at the same international culinary institute as his sister Taryn Cummings. Instead of taking it seriously as she did, he wanted to sample all the goods in Paris, especially the pretty girls there. Why not? He was 19 and the world was his oyster. He wanted to be just like Errol King, a Master Chef, who taught at the Institute and was a notorious bad boy chef.

The only thing was someone was going to walk into his life and put a wrench into his plans...someone with eyes like violets and hair like chocolate silk, and a smoldering passion that consumes him whenever they're together. He didn't think she would be his type at all. He didn't think he would be hot for Lily, his teacher at the Culinary Institute. Now what would Taryn think? What would Errol think?

Whatever they thought...there's one thing he knew for certain, things with Lily and at the Institute had just gotten heated.

This is a 4 book serial.

Website   Facebook   Twitter

Kailin Gow's life is sometimes more fascinating and stranger than fiction, which is being chronicled in a feature film based on a treatment optioned and in development for a release date of 2018. (IMDB.com - The Colorful Worlds of Kailin Gow 2018). Her true life experiences as a world traveler where she has traveled to over 25 countries, logging hundreds of thousands of miles, absorbing the cultures and collecting stories relating to places and the romance of the land, and incidents in her personal life, has inspired her to write and publish over 170 books with over 30 series.

She is noted as an indie pioneer, as one of the first to publish in 2001. Breaking stereotypes, her books has crossed traditional and indie lines, gaining recognition in schools and libraries, as well as the indie community. Her action adventure young adult fantasy series, The Frost Series, an ALA YALSA Reader's Choice Nominated book series - had been optioned by an international film company and is currently in development as a game and a film at http://www.facebook.com/thefrostseries. Five of her fantasy/action adventure series have been optioned to be made into worldwide games.

Kailin Gow has been known in The World Journal, an international newspaper, to be a phenomenon. She was profiled on the homepage of Amazon.com as an Author Success Story who overcame personal obstacles to become a bestselling author, appeared as one of Amazon's top authors for the Kindle Fire launch release, and is one of the earliest indie authors who have sold over a million books. She writes for Fast Company as a publishing expert, had appeared on a major network Television News as a bestselling author who writes fiction and non-fiction with a social conscious, and has made speeches and appearances across the U.S. and on top 15 national radio regarding self-esteem and issues relating to women.

Kailin Gow was an invited speaker and signing author at Book Expo America (BEA)2014. 

Having experienced bullying firsthand and slander as a woman, Kailin Gow is an active advocate against bullying in the workplace and in schools. She has written Shy Girls Social Club Handbook Against Bullying and has helped launch Stories for Amanda where all proceeds go towards the Amanda Todd Foundation against bullying. She has written several books with the theme of abuse towards women and children, especially the steamy international bestselling The Protégé Series, which launched a book club initiative in battered women's shelters and won The Indie Excellence Awards at NIEA for Erotica in 2014.

She holds a Masters Degree in Communications Management from The University of Southern California, and degrees in Drama and Social Ecology.

She resides in the American West with her husband and daughter, but had lived for a decade in Texas, and briefly in England. Besides being a full-time author, she volunteers for many organizations, is active in church helping build homes for the homeless and visit orphanages. A voracious reader, when she is not writing, she loves reading an entire series in one sitting! She spends way too much time on Facebook than she is supposed to at http://www.facebook.com/kailingowbooks, but loves meeting new people from all walks of life. She has over 30 Series, written under Kailin Gow, and more under her middle grade, women's fiction, and mystery pen names:

***For 16 and up***

The Frost Series - COMPLETED. Bitter Frost Series Consists of 8 full-length novels.
The Wolf Fey Series - COMPLETED. Consists of 2 full-length novels and one novella.
Fairy Rose Chronicles - age 13 and up.
The PULSE Series - Next Book - Blood Ring (PULSE #9), releasing due to readers' demand to continue the series. Consists of 9 full-length novels and one novella.
FADE Series - COMPLETED. ALL Full-length novels.
DESIRE Series - All Full-length novels.
Last Book, FRENZY - 2015.
Fire Wars Series - All Full-length novels.
Alchemists Academy - All Full-length novels.
Wordwick Games - All Full length novels.
Wicked Woods Series - COMPLETED. Consists of 5 full-length
novels.
Steampunk Scarlett - All Full-length novels.
The Phantom Diaries - All Full-length novels. Last Book, DARK VICTORY - 2015.
Stoker Sisters - All Full-length novels. Last Book, SISTER OF THE STRIGOIS - 2015.

Beyond Crystal River - 2015 NEW SERIES.

SHADES - 2015 NEW SERIES. This is a high concept psychological thriller.

***For 18 and up (New Adult/Coming of Age)***

Loving Summer - All full-length novels.
The Donovan Brothers - All full-length novels.
Saving You Saving Me (You & Me Trilogy)- COMPLETED. Consists of 3 Full-length novels.
Never Knights - COMPLETED. Consists of 3 Full-length novels.
Rock Hard Love Hard - 1st book, Rock Hard Love Hard is now
Available.

Sawyer House Chronicles (Spin-off of You & Me Trilogy) - Coming in 2015
Canvas - Coming in 2015

***For 18 and up (Adult/Steamy Romance)***

The Protege - COMPLETED. 3 Full-length novels.
Master Chefs - COMPLETED. Consists of 3 Full-length novels.
The Blue Room (Spin-off of Never Knights Trilogy) - Romantic Suspense.
Barely Legal (Spin-off of The Protégé) - Romantic Suspense.
The Oyster House - Artistic Romantic Thriller set in Hong
Kong and England. - Coming in 2015.

For information on the series, new series and new book releases, contests, appearances, KG-Convergences, and more, sign up at http://www.KailinGowBooks.com.

**Blog Tour Review & Giveaway ~ Beyond the Orange Moon ~ Adrienne Frances**

Adrienne Frances and Bandit Publishing are excited to share with you the RELEASE of “Beyond The Orange Moon” by Adrienne Frances. Make sure to join the FB Release Event PARTY, add to your Goodread, pick up your copy & enter the GIVEAWAY below for signed paperbacks! 

Adrienne Frances ~ Beyond The Orange Moon

Book #2 in the Mathews Family series

Genre: New Adult/Contemporary/Romance

NOW AVAILABLE!

 

Sometimes fate strikes in unexpected ways. 

Lucy Dalton was tired of living a life she didn't want.

Charlie Mathews was living the life he always wanted. But one night, fate changes the course of their lives forever. A year later, Lucy and Charlie's paths meet again, igniting a spark that neither can deny.

Lucy knows he doesn't remember her, but she's already in too deep. Charlie knows the unwritten family rule: Mathews men never admit when they're broken. 

Can they leave the past where it belongs and find a way to look beyond the orange moon?

Lucy Dalton met Charlie Mathews under the best of circumstances...which quickly turned into the worst of circumstances. In a moment, Lucy's and Charlie's lives changed forever. A moment that gave Lucy the incentive to give up on the career which she'd been working towards - a career she'd been expected to enter. Following that moment, she spent the next year unfocused. And then she runs into Charlie once again...and things start falling into place. A career doing something she's passionate about presents itself...and then, there's Charlie.

Lucy is so kind-hearted and loves with all she has. She also has a magic touch for making unique cupcakes. A sure way to win a man's heart, right? Charlie may be my favorite Mathews brother. He won me over in Under the Orange Moon. He's loving, loyal, and when he feels it in his gut, whatever it may be, he doesn't hesitate. He jumps in with both feet because anything else would be wasting time. When he began seeing Lucy at the park, he felt alive for the first time in awhile. Of course, he had to decide if he's ready and willing to move forward.

Lucy and Charlie together are beautiful. The pull between them - the attraction - is undeniable. That Lucy also loved Jack, Charlie's son, wholeheartedly - and that Jack felt the same way - only added to the feels. And this story delivers the feels. I loved the dynamics between the three of them and the emotions evoked. Both Lucy and Charlie have something to move forward from, even though Charlie doesn't remember that the thing they're both moving past is the same. I have to admit that I agreed with Lucy's decision to keep her secret. Yet, I also understood Charlie's reaction when the secret is revealed. I loved, loved the fact that Dylan, Charlie's little sister, played such a big roll in Charlie's epiphany where Lucy is concerned.

That this series revolves around the entire Mathews family is a real draw for me. A large, well-developed cast of characters that I can become 'friends' with, is something I adore. I love each and every one of the Mathews and getting reacquainted with the family was a thrill. I'm anxious for the other brothers' stories. But Charlie's and Lucy's story is always going to hold a special place in my heart.

 

Dylan Mathews grew up in a house that was always filled with good-looking guys. However, with four protective older brothers they never stood a chance.

Except for one.

Dylan knew she loved Ben McKenna from the first time she laid eyes on him. When he started sneaking in her room, she thought he felt the same way.

But just as their passion ignited, he left for college and never came back.

Until now.

Returning home after 5 years, Ben realizes Dylan has always been the one for him.

Can he win back her heart and finally find love under the orange moon?

Adrienne Frances spends her time as a writing consultant at a university near her home. In her spare time, she loves to be with her husband and two sons, who have made her exactly who she is today. Writing is a passion that she has appreciated for as long as she can remember. She believes that a wild imagination is a terrible thing to waste and should be captured and brought to life by all that are blessed to have one. This way of life is what led her to become a writer and later an author under Bandit Publishing. Her first celebrated novel, Under the Orange Moon, was released in March, 2014.

Website: http://www.adriennefrances.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/UnderTheOrangeMoon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Cover Reveal ~ Bulletproof ~ Melissa Pearl**

COVER REVEAL

Bulletproof (Songbird #2) by Melissa Pearl

Release Date: November 20, 2014

Morgan Pritchett doesn't need anyone. Strong-willed and confident, she's the master of organizing and looking after everyone around her. In her mind, she's bulletproof. But she has one weakness – men. She can't seem to live without them, yet is unable to find her perfect match. After yet another break up, Morgan promises her sister and best friend that she'll write off men for the rest of the year. But then she meets Sean Tate.

Sean Tate has worked hard to become a Hollywood actor, scoring minor roles and slowly making a name for himself as an action sidekick. After a chance encounter with the stunning Morgan Pritchett, he decides to take a risk and put his dancing skills to the test by signing on for the lead role in Superstar, a TV musical. He never thought he'd reconnect with the girl who urged him to ignore his manager and be honest with himself, but when Morgan shows up on the set as a production assistant, he realizes he's found his ultimate weakness — her.

Their passion for dance and music will bring them together, but will their relationship be able to withstand the forces determined to pull them apart? As Morgan comes face to face with her demons and Sean decides just how much he's willing to risk for love, these two lovers discover something... they're not as bulletproof as they thought.

ADD IT TO YOUR GOODREADS TBR PILE

You can pre-order Bulletproof here:
Amazon
Smashwords
iTunes
B&N
Kobo

!!!!!!PLUS AS A BONUS!!!!!!

Fever (Songbird #1) recently got an EPILOGUE

Check it out below!

FEVER EPILOGUE:

~SPOILER ALERT if you haven’t read Fever~
ELLA

The shower was hot and divine, the droplets hitting my skin made me want to melt. I was exhausted down to my very core. Gutting the old to make room for the new was hard work. Every muscle in my body ached, but I was so ridiculously happy it didn’t even matter. A smile crept over my lips as I reached for the shampoo, squirting a healthy amount into my palm. I had callouses on my hands and my knuckles were indented with various nicks and scrapes. They stung a little as I rubbed the shampoo into my hair, but nothing could wipe the grin from my face.

A song filtered up my throat as I spun to wash out the shampoo. I went for Frank’s Fly Me To The Moon, belting out the song as my mind wandered towards the man I wanted to kiss. Lathering up my loofah, I scrubbed it up my arms, washing off the grime from another hard day’s work.

“Please don’t tell me that loofah is stealing my job again.” Cole’s deep voice made me giggle.

“It’ll go into early retirement the second you get into this shower.” I kept humming as I listened to him undress, my body already zinging in anticipation. It didn’t help that Cole had joined in the song and was now singing about how I filled his heart with song. I tipped my head back and sighed, still reeling in the awesomeness that my life had become.

After Cole’s grand entrance back into it, he’d given me a weekend of heaven before flying back to Chicago. I’d then had to wait until after we’d both finished out our school year. I didn’t want to fly over for his graduation, knowing David would be around. I couldn’t rub his face in it. I just couldn’t. I was so incredibly happy with Cole; it was impossible not to show it.

June 18th had been the happiest of my life. Cole had flown across the country, I’d flown down and we’d run into each other’s arms at LAX.

“Hmmm.” Cole’s large hands ran around my body as he pressed his naked torso against my back. Ripping the loofah from my hands, he chucked it out of the shower and took over, running his soapy fingers over each and every one of my curves.

A soft moan formed in my throat, whispering out of my lips as I rested my head against his shoulder and wrapped my hand around the back of his neck. He rested his chin on my head.

“So I just got a call from the architect.” His voice was liquid soft and sexy, in spite of the fact he was talking business. I would have ignored it if he hadn’t said the words I’d been desperate to hear all day.

My eyes popped open and I spun in his arms. “What’d he say?”

Cole grinned down at me, his eyes buzzing with the same excitement I felt. “He’ll be here at nine tomorrow to show us his initial ideas.”

I let out a squeal. Cole laughed at me, capturing my lips. I went on my tiptoes and ran my fingers into his hair, loving the way his body responded to my touch.

We’d basically spent the second half of June holed up in my room...much to my aunt’s disgust. I hadn’t cared. I was with Cole and we'd had major catching up to do, but as July rolled around we knew it was time to get on with it, so we’d excitedly contacted a few real estate agents and the hunt had begun. I still had five months until I was granted full access to my trust fund, but Cole’s was plenty healthy and was able to get us started. We’d already received pre-approval from the bank and it was just a matter of finding the perfect place.

Three weeks later, we did. It was an old store with a studio apartment on top. It’d been abandoned years ago, but the rights for sale had not been available until the owner passed away. For us, the timing couldn’t have been better. After being handed the keys, we stood on the sidewalk in giddy silence gazing up at what would soon become Reynold’s.

We were both getting a taste of our dreams. I was living back in a place that felt like home. Our little apartment was just under five miles from Pasadena Community College. I was cutting back to part-time classes and would complete my degree over four more years. I wanted to be able to help Cole with the pub. I would have quit college then and there, but Nina had talked me out of it, convincing me that I could handle both.

“It’ll be busy, but you’ll never regret having a college degree,” she’d said. “You guys are gonna be great. I’m so proud of you.” Her eyes had welled with tears as we talked over Skype, making me want to cry.

I still couldn’t believe Cole had left Chicago...and them...for me. But he told me as long as I was there, he could live anywhere.

“Ella, you’re my home and no matter where you go, I’ll follow you. I’d walk a thousand miles, remember?” He'd leaned his forehead against mine and I'd nearly died, but then he'd taken it one step further, his expression softening to mush. “I want to marry you.”

My lips parted, my heart freezing still.

He’d grinned at me. “I don’t have a ring yet. Every penny I have is kind of wrapped up in our future plans right now, but there’ll be one coming, Miss Simmons...I just wanted you to know.”

I'm pretty sure I haven't stopped smiling since that day. We might not be officially engaged, but our hearts got hitched a long time ago and for now I’m happy to wait for my wedding day.

Cole’s tongue was burning as it slid into my mouth. He pressed me back against the cool tiles, his lips working over my chin and down my neck. I ran my fingers across his hard shoulders as his tongue traveled down my body, hotwiring my brain and making coherent thought impossible.

“How much time do I have?” Cole murmured against my belly. 

“Time? What’s time?” He chuckled, blowing a raspberry into my belly button. I gently yanked his hair as I giggled.

“Jody’s picking me up at seven.”

“And where are you going?”

“We’re taking Morgan out for karaoke.”

“Again?” He looked up at me. “She’s not looking for that guy is she?”

“The actor?” I chuckled. “No, she just needs some cheering up. She still hasn’t found a job and since her big break up with Brad she's been working her way through a very lousy dating pool."

"I thought she was swearing off guys."

I shrugged, my insides pinching with worry. "Me too." Cole's expression mirrored my disquiet, but I forced a smile, not wanting to take my concerns into the evening.

"Anyway, we have to celebrate as much as we can tonight. Jody leaves next week. It’s gonna be sad. We have to have as much fun as we can while the trio is still together.”

I tipped my head, water running off my hair and splashing into his face. I laughed, brushing his slick curls off his forehead. “I’m so glad I’ve got you.”

Cole ran his hands up my sides, squeezing my hips and giving me one of his megawatt smiles. I leaned down and kissed it, pressing my body against his. “So in answer to your question...” I softly bit his neck before working my way up to his ear and nibbling on the lobe. “I’ve got as much time as we need.”

Cole’s deep chuckle reverberated in his chest. “When it comes to you, my love, there is never enough time.”

I grinned as his lips got back to work and I was sent to heaven, the tune of Cheek to Cheek whistling through my brain as Cole and I danced to our own shower song.

*********

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