Sarah Campbell’s never bid in her high school's charity auction to win a date with one of the school's hottest guys. And she’s certainly not going to start now––when she’s still hurting over a bad breakup. The absolute last thing she’d ever do is bid on Mr. Ego himself, Chance DuPont.
Chance just wanted to help out a worthy cause, not get roped into not one but six dates with someone who seemingly can’t stand him. But when Sarah’s friends bid on him on her behalf, that’s exactly where he ends up. Now a local blog is covering the story by following them on all their dates, too?
Seems like everyone loves a good love story––except the two living it.
“Yeah.” He didn't say anything else. I couldn't read what he might be thinking from his expression, which didn't help.
“It's just, I'm not looking to date anyone. At all. It's not that it's you.” I tried to soften my words a little, and felt completely cliche with the it’s not you, it’s me excuse. Even if it was the truth.
He nodded. “I get that. And I’m right there with you.”
I leaned in. “You are?” It was strange, while I felt slightly better getting things out in the open, his words still unexpectedly stung a little. I told myself that maybe the whole thing wouldn't be so awkward moving forward if we were both on the same page.
He shrugged with one shoulder. “Sure. I'm not looking to really date anyone either. I only did the whole auction thing because Coach asked me to.”
A shadow crossed his face and it seemed as though he went somewhere else for a moment. I nodded.
“Anyway, I certainly didn't expect it to end up being six weeks worth of dates either. Kind of more than I bargained for,” he said.
Ouch.
Some of the sting of his words must have shown in my expression, because he reached over to lay his hand on my knee briefly. “I didn't mean it like that. I just meant…” He turned to face me more fully. “I get it, Sarah. You weren't looking for any of this. Neither was I. I have stuff in my own life that I'm trying to focus on right now.” He shrugged again, his hair falling into his eyes. “But, we're in it, we might as well at least try to make the best of it.”
I nodded. “Okay. I guess that makes sense.” I looked down at my boots. The mud was starting to dry around the edges.
He nudged me.
I looked up and he grinned for a few seconds. “Just try not to fall in love with me.” He winked.
“Ha, very funny.” I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Don't worry, I think you're safe.” I raised an eyebrow. “Same goes for you.”
He reached out his hand for me to shake. “Deal.”
“Deal,” I echoed.
He removed his hand and took a deep breath before speaking again. “You don't like me much, do you?”
His question surprised me. I looked back up to face him. His brown eyes were warm and sincere, without a hint of sarcasm.
“I don't even know you,” I said, honestly.
His head dipped the tiniest amount, acknowledging the truth in my statement. “But that doesn't change what I said, does it?”
“Why do you think I don't like you?” I asked.
He cocked his head, watching me. His scrutiny made me feel self-conscious, almost like he could see more than I wanted him to. I looked down again.
I realized that he deserved for me to be honest with him. Which wasn’t easy. It was my turn to take a deep breath before answering him. “Chance, I really meant it when I said it wasn’t you.” I paused. “I’ve just been through some stuff recently, and I’m not ready to let anyone in.” I felt stupid even saying the words.
He didn’t say anything right away, he just nodded. About a minute later, he said, “I get it,” barely above a whisper. We both stared out at the twilight sky, not speaking. But this time, it didn’t feel as awkward somehow.
I glanced up at him. “I’m sorry I’ve been a jerk.”
The corners of his lips turned up in a small smile. “Don’t worry about it.”
And something about Chance's simple smile hit me somewhere in the gut that had been hidden for way too long.
About the author
Jodie Andrefski has been passionate about reading ever since she was a little girl, when she used to climb trees to escape with a favorite book. She lives and writes in a New Bern, North Carolina, and has a grown son and daughter. Andrefski often draws on her background in education and mental health counseling to bring real world experience to her writing. She loves coffee, a good Netflix binge and just about any dessert. She is a firm believer in the magic of a first kiss, and insists that you should never, ever give up on your dreams. She loves to hear from her readers!
Bryn is back for her senior year at the Institute for Excellence, also known as shape-shifting dragon school. She isn’t sure which is scarier, the life-force sucking dragons stalking campus or the fact that she’s officially betrothed to Jaxon, a guy who will never love her. Not that she could ever love him, either… That’s just ridiculous.
Senior year should be fun. Her parents are alive, she’s finally fitting in, and she’s learning how to be a Medic. But what’s with Jaxon giving her strange looks? He runs hot and cold, and he doesn’t even have the excuse of being a hybrid fire-and-ice-breathing dragon like her. One minute they’re having a great time and the next, she wants to blast a fireball at his head. The marriage contract of doom looms over them--unless this match not made in heaven kindles a flame…
“Okay.” She set her mug on the
bench and let him pull her to her feet. Should she tell her grandparents where
they were going? That would kind of ruin the moment she and Jaxon might be
having, so she shelved the idea.
Hand in hand, they walked down
one of the slate paths back into the trees with the fairy lights. “This place
is amazing.”
“This has always been my favorite
part of the house. I used to spend a lot of time out here.”
“Doing what?”
They walked down a path and into
a stand of trees. Several single swings and a double swing where two people
could sit, like a porch swing, were suspended from the trees. There was also a
staircase that spiraled around a tree and led up to a walkway suspended between
the trees, high up in the branches.
“Can we go up?” Bryn
asked. “Sure.” The spiral steps were easy to climb, but the walkway was higher
up in the trees than it appeared from below. “What do you think?” Jaxon
asked. “I think it’s the perfect place to hide from the world.”
Wait a minute. “You made fun of
me last year when I said I wanted a treehouse.”
“This isn’t a treehouse, it’s a
far superior tree bridge.”
“Right,” Bryn mocked. “That makes
sense.”
Jaxon tugged her back toward the
platform of the first tree. “There’s more.” Around the back side of the tree
there was a bench. “If you don’t feel like walking, you can sit.”
“As one does when one is tired
from adventures on their tree bridge.” She sat and relaxed back against the
trunk of the tree, very aware of Jaxon’s proximity and the heat coming off his
body.
“Exactly,” he said.
She laughed. From inside the tree
the fairy lights seemed even more magical. “You know this is basically a tree
house without walls.”
“No. That doesn’t work for me,”
he said. Bryn rolled her eyes but didn’t comment. “I saw that,” Jaxon
said. “You were meant to.” Joking around with him felt comfortable. “This is
nice.” “The tree?” he asked. “No.” She pointed back and forth between them.
“This. Us. No pretenses or small talk...just us.” “Speaking of us.” He leaned
in, slowly, like he was giving her a chance to move away. She met him halfway
and pressed her mouth against his. Time seemed to slow down as his hand touched
her cheek and then cradled the back of her head. Heat thrummed between them,
burning bright as the kiss grew, which was strange yet somehow right.
Chris Cannon is the award-winning author of the Going Down
In Flames series and the Boyfriend Chronicles. She lives in Southern Illinois
with her husband and several furry beasts. She believes coffee is the Elixir of
Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sucking down caffeine and
writing fire-breathing paranormal adventures or romantic comedies. You can find
her online at www.chriscannonauthor.com.
In a small town like Culler, South Carolina, you guard your secrets like you guard your cobbler recipe: with your life. Georgia Ann Monroe knows a thing or two about secrets: she’s been guarding the truth that her best friend Will is gay for years now. But what happens when a little white lie to protect him gets her into a fake relationship…and then the boy of her dreams shows up?
Enter Beau Montgomery: Georgie’s first love, hotter than ever, and much too much of a southern gentleman to ever pursue someone else’s girl. There’s no way to come clean to Beau while still protecting Will. But bless their hearts, they live in Culler—where secrets always have a way of revealing themselves.
Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains a hilarious “fakeship,” a scorching-hot impossible relationship, and a heartwarming best-friendship that will make you want to call your best friend right here, right now.
“Beau Montgomery, what on earth!” someone, I think it’s Will’s mom, says with a squeal. I can’t single it out because my heart seems to stop beating.
Everyone scoots toward the patio entrance and gathers around. Will drops my hand to move closer.
And then I see him.
He’s standing behind Mrs. M next to his dad, a big smile on his face, and he’s tall. Real tall. His dark hair is longer and nearly falling into his hazel eyes, definitely a length that Orry won’t like much. His jaw is strong, some muscles pressing under his polo. He looks nothing like the boy I remember.
And suddenly I’m a little self-conscious. What am I wearing today? I can’t even remember. I could look down but that would mean looking away from him, and then maybe when I look back he won’t be there. I don’t know if he even sees me, but I see him. Clearly. After more than two years of nothing.
“Beau, is that you, boy?” Orry calls. Beau steps around the rest of the family toward his grandpa. He’s closer now, and I can get a better look at his face. My eyes explore his features and rest on his lips, which break out into a small smile and—Dang, is it hot out here?
“Hello, Granddad.” Orry pulls him into a hug and Beau has to lean over to reach him properly. Orry looks like a kid in his arms.
Cheese and rice, even his voice is sexy. Deeper but still with a familiar feeling that it stirs up in me, and an accent with a hint of Georgia twang instead of South Carolina cadence.
I like it. Lord help me, I like it.
Orry holds him out at arm’s length and examines him before giving him a pat on the shoulder. “You look more like your daddy than I expected. How tall are you?”
“Six one, sir,” Beau says.
“You look good, grandson, real good. Atlanta treating you well?”
“Yes, sir, it is.”
I want to move, but I can’t. My feet are stuck to the ground, not that I should move anyway. I don’t reckon I trust myself around him. Especially not right now when I’m not sure if I want to hug him or kick him somewhere that would hurt. I’d do a good job of it too and make darn sure my kick was as painful as him not showing up that night.
“When’s your momma coming?” Mrs. M asks him.
“Not until closer to the wedding,” he says.
I watch as Will hugs him. They’re both smiling, and it reminds me of before when he was here. They were inseparable—we were—and now I’m just standing here like an idiot. Which I am. Will looks in my direction, and then Beau’s eyes are on me, too. It’s even worse when he’s looking at me, especially now with a hidden glimmer in them. It’s not how he said hello to the others; it’s almost like his eyes hadn’t seen me before, and now he’s hyperaware. Just like I’ve been since his dad yelled his name.
He takes a step toward me.
Danielle Ellison is a nomad, always on the lookout for an adventure and the next story. In addition to writing, she’s the founder and coordinator of the NoVa TEEN Book Festival. When she’s not busy with books, she’s probably watching her favorite shows, drinking coffee, or fighting her nomadic urges. She is newly settled in Oklahoma (for now) with her cat, Simon, but you can always find her on twitter @DanielleEWrites.
Kate ships tons of fictional couples, but IRL her OTP is her and Mick, the hot quarterback she’s crushed on since, like, forever. With only one semester left of senior year, it’s now or never if she wants to land him in time for prom. Since she’s flirtationally challenged, she enlists Cooper Callihan, the guy who turned popular seemingly overnight but who used to be a good friend.
Cooper lives and breathes rowing, but his partner just broke his wrist. When he remembers Kate’s good with a set of oars, he strikes a deal: help him train, and he’ll make sure her crush notices her. Only he didn’t know how addicting spending time with her would be. Or how the more successful the Operation is, the more jealousy he experiences.
The mission has been set. The troops have their marching orders. But what if the target is the wrong guy all along?
Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains stargazing, accidental swimming, and poker swindling. This kissing practice will melt your ereader…and give you a new couple to ship.
The boat bumped the shore before I realized how close
we were. I stood, planning on jumping onto the dirt and grass embankment so I
could help pull the boat to shore. I nearly fell in the water but managed to
land on a muddy spot instead, my shoes making a sloppy squishing sound.
When
I grabbed the boat and tugged, it was heavier than I expected. My foot slipped,
unable to get any traction in the slimy sludge, and I fell backward, all my
momentum now working against me. As squishy as the mud was between my fingers,
it sure was hard on the butt.
Cooper’s
laughter came out sputtered at first, like he’d made an attempt to stop it, but
then he laughed full out, the boat rocking as he folded over. I flicked mud at
him, but it barely hit his legs, which was hardly satisfying.
Once
he semi-recovered from his laughing fit, he took a large step and jumped onto
the dry part of the shore. Show off. He
tugged the boat up next to him, then extended a hand to me.
“I
like how you took care of the boat first,” I grumbled as he grabbed my clean
hand.
“Well,
it doesn’t have feet. It’s hardly fair to expect it to climb onto the shore.” His implication was clear—he expected me to have that ability. He yanked me
up, and I nearly bumped into him. My hands automatically went to his waist.
He
gripped my upper arms. “Whoa. You steady?”
Suddenly,
I didn’t feel steady at all. My stomach did a sommersault, and my skin tingled
underneath his large, warm hands.
I
must just be lightheaded from standing up so fast—that was it. I shook off the
momentary dizziness, and glanced down. My muddy hand left a big smear of brown
across his T-shirt and the top of his jeans. “Oh shoot, I got your clothes
messy.”
He
shrugged and his voice came out low. “I don’t mind getting dirty.”
My
gaze shot to his. Apparently I was the one with muddy hands and dirty thoughts, but then dawning
crossed his features.
“You
thought I was giving you some line, didn’t you?”
I
shook my head. “No. Of course not.”
“Mmm-hm.
Guess you’re not quite as serious as I thought.” He tipped his head toward his
truck. “C’mon. Let’s get you home before the rest of your thoughts drift into
the gutter and you offend my delicate sensibilities.”
I
opened my mouth to tell him he was the one who put them there, but luckily I
stopped myself just in time. No way that wouldn’t come out sounding
inappropriate, and then he’d get the wrong idea and think I was crushing on him
or something and run in the other direction.
That’d
leave me with two social disasters on my hands, because I’d never pull off my
goal to land Mick without Cooper by my side.
Cindi Madsen is a USA Today Bestselling author of
contemporary romance and young adult novels. She sits at her computer every
chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters.
Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She
has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair,
especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music,
dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where
summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three
children.
After book blogger Vivian Galdi’s longtime crush pretends their
secret summer kissing sessions never happened, Vivian creates a list of safe
crushes, determined to protect her heart.
But nerd-hot Dallas, the sweet new guy in town, sends the mission
and Vivian’s zing meter into chaos. While designing software for the bookstore
where Vivian works, Dallas wages a counter-mission.
Operation Replacement Crush is in full effect. And Dallas is
determined to take her heart off the shelf.
Val was able to ask Dallas from The Replacement Crush a few questions!
What was the first thing that went through your mind when you saw Vivian for the first time?
I was intrigued. When I moved to California, I thought all the girls would be blonde beach girls, but Viv’s not that. She was arguing with her friend Jaz when I saw her on the first day of school. She gave me this dirty look, probably because she thought I was eavesdropping, which I kind of was since she was talking about “morning tongue action.” I could tell she was feisty, and I liked that.
Do you like books? Have a favorite?
I like to read, but not as much fiction as Viv does. That girl is always reading at least two or three books at once. I really liked READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline. I hope the movie is good- sometimes those movie people mess up great books.
What was your internal strength that gave you the determination to argue against Vivian’s Replacement Crush Mission? I mean that takes some...um confidence.
Look, I could tell her heart wasn’t in it. She was being totally stubborn, saying she’d only go out with guys she wasn’t attracted to or whatever. And I’m a guy who goes after what I want. Plus, she and I have great chemistry- we did from the beginning. We had way more in common than she did with those “safe crushes” she wasted time on. And I totally had to get that Jake butthead to back off.
So yeah…I just knew we were supposed to be together.
Lisa Brown Roberts still hasn't recovered from the teenage trauma of nearly tweezing off both eyebrows and having to pencil them in for an entire school year. This and other angst-filled memories inspire her to write YA books about navigating life's painful and funny dramas, and falling in love along the way.
Her almost forever home is Colorado, though she occasionally pines for the days when she lived within walking distance of the Pacific Ocean. Her house is full of books, boys, four-legged prima donnas, and lots of laughter.
