Twenty-four year old Dexter Michaels has arrived in the
UK for a fresh start - leaving everything and everyone he knows behind in the
states. Determined to put right some of the wrongs he’ll never be able to
forgive himself for making and make his Aunt Sarah – the only person left who
still believes in him - proud, he lands in London with the intention of working
hard, getting his degree and keeping himself to himself. He can’t destroy
anybody else that way…
His heart and his body have other ideas however when he
finds himself sitting next to nineteen year old Emily Barton in his Psychology
class. Moving down south to find her own New Life, Emily is shy, smart and
beautiful – everything Dexter knows he should stay away from… everything he
knows would be too easy for him to break.
But she makes him feel things he’d forgotten even
existed. She makes him laugh, smile, care… forget. Without her trying, and
without him realizing, Emily has wound her way into the one place he swore to
keep locked away forever – his heart. But can she stay there when she discovers
the dark past he’s so determined to keep hidden from her? Or will he destroy
her too, just like he always expected?
(Not recommended for younger readers due to language,
drug/alcohol abuse and sexual content)
Goodreads Link: Click here
Excerpt:
Back on the sand I talked Emily into
paddling along the water’s edge. She whined a little, complaining about the
cold, but when I threatened to chuck her whole body into the frothy sea she
soon quit moaning and followed me towards the shore. I stood still for a few
long seconds when we reached it – gazing out in awe towards the endless stretch
of unsettled water.
For a moment I was back home. I was
alone, admiring the effervescent waves crash against the rocks, taking
forgotten debris and lost branches with them as they ventured back out into the
impossibly vast ocean, and wishing they could take me with them.
“Crap that’s cold!” Emily blared as
a small wave lapped over her bare foot, snapping me back to consciousness.
“Quit being a pussy,” I replied,
kicking up a mighty-big spray of water her way. She jumped away from me quicker
than if I’d just pulled a knife on her.
“Oh my God, Dexter!” she squealed!
“Stop it!” she continued when I splashed her again. “I mean it now. Stop,” she
added after the third time, growing a little more serious each time. But I was
having too much fun. Her angry face was too cute.
Sensing her irritation growing by
the second and enjoying it more than I should (I’m mentally stunted remember?)
I scooped her up in one swift movement and tossed her over my shoulder, running
deeper into the ice-cold water.
“Dexter, please. Put me down!”
“You got it, doll,” I said, laughing
lightly and plopping her down into the waist-high water.
“No! Please!” Any trace of humor
immediately evaporated from my body. “PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE,” she begged, her
eyes on fire with panic. She was all-out scared. Fuck that she was petrified.
I lunged forward instantly, taking
her in my arms like a baby and ran as fast as the soft sand beneath my feet
would allow, towards the dry land.
“Jesus, Em, I’m so sorry,” I rushed
out. She was shaking in my arms. It was more than just the cold – it was pure
unadulterated fear. “Shh, doll. You’re out now. I’ve got you,” I reassured. She
buried her head in my chest and her body vibrated against me as the tears
started to flow. What the fuck had I done? “I’m sorry, doll. I’m so fucking
sorry.”
Slowly but surely her body began to
relax against me. Then she looked up at me just long enough to say,
“Take me home.”
So
I did. And all the day’s fun and giggles became nothing but a grieved memory.
About The Author:
Nicola lives in
Rochdale, England with her husband and four children (and dog!). She is the
author of two stand alone novels, Inevitable and Saving Amy, and is currently
having fun working on her first series with book one, Take My Hand, to be
released in October. When not reading or writing Nicola can usually be found
carrying out her daily slave duties – cleaning, feeding the mob, cleaning a bit
more etc… or watching The Twilight Saga for the fifty-billionth time :-)
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