Tuesday 28 May 2013

Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino



Synopsis

Mia Kelly is a twenty-five-year-old walking Gap ad who thinks she has life figured out when her father’s sudden death uproots her from slow-paced Ann Arbor to New York City’s bustling East Village. There she discovers her father’s spirit for life and the legacy he left behind with the help of an old cafĂ©, a few eccentric friends, and one charming musician.

Will Ryan is good-looking, poetic, spontaneous, and on the brink of fame when he meets Mia, his new landlord, muse, and personal heartbreaker.

A story of self-discovery and friendship, Sweet Thing shines light on the power of loving and letting go.  



Review

“You have to teach your heart and mind how to sing together… then you’ll hear the sound of your soul.”

I really loved Sweet Thing, especially Will. He is so damn sweet, wonderful, yummy and perfect. Love him a lot!! Mia I have a love/hate relationship but I really couldn't hate her. I understood her. Fear makes us all do stupid things, we are all human and especially when you are so lost in the world. Trying to find yourself, what you really want in life and taking the gamble of faith. The best thing of all of Sweet Thing is that in the end you come to terms with it all and happy with it all. You are finally at peace after the angst filled ride you took.
"The problem with that idea is that wisdom is not the same as information; it’s something entirely different. It’s often mistaken for good advice, but wisdom cannot be imparted to someone. Wisdom can only be earned; it’s a by-product of experience, not necessarily knowledge, otherwise I would be stalking Oprah right now, begging for a transfusion."
Before I started Sweet Thing I heard that a lot of people were frustrated with Mia so when I started reading it I was preparing myself for my frustration to erupt. It would have been just so easy to be angry and hate her but I had to feel for her. I knew that its so hard, and trying to find yourself in the whole process is hard. In way we try find wisdom and guidance through our parents. Trying to learn from their mistakes and/or follow their footsteps. Mia wanted to have a successful and stable future, she wanted to be with someone who is successful and not someone struggling to make means end. She learns from how her father's and mother's relationship never worked out because he was a musician, not stable like her stepfather David is. How their worlds are different and that's why it never worked for them, Mia didn't want to make that mistake. When she sees how her mother's and David's relationship and how it worked well for them because they were stable and from the same world.  She tries to find it for herself but little does she know that her fear is what is going to make her miserable after all. That being safe and not taking the "leap of faith" is not really living life or making the right choice for herself.

This is Mia journey of self discovery. She is a musician but in order to be smart and stable she majored in business. So when her father died she moves NYC to live in her father's apartment, manages his cafe and in that mean time, to find out what is her next step. Well that is her plan or what will be doing for now.  

“And so it began, my secret and suppressed obsession with the sensitive, tortured, artist soul. An obsession I was still fighting tooth and nail and one I wouldn’t admit to anyone, namely myself.”
That when she meets Will Ryan on the plane ride from Ann Harbour to NYC. He is a struggling musician and in her mind she can't be anything but friends with him. So they become friends, she offers a room for rent and they slowly become close, he starts to know her better than she does herself. Besides her obvious attraction to him, this connection she has with him she fights it tooth in nail and is hurting both Will and herself. She hurts Will more in my opinion. Hence my frustration with her for being such an idiot and not knowing what an amazing person she is hurting and pushing away. Her fear is what is making her be stupid and why I can't hate her but want to punch and shake her. 

“My real fear was that I would fall in love with Will or that I already had and then he would just leave me alone, broken and pathetic.”
He makes her comes to terms with what her heart wants and that is to make music, to play and enjoy doing so. He becomes instrumental in helping her find her way. She gets scared because she needs him a lot and is finding herself falling for him. So what she does she do? She pushes him, hurts him and make a mess of things. 
“…sometimes we figure things out and then life changes and we have to figure it all out again.”
This is Mia story. Join her in finding herself and finding love and her true happiness in that last place or... shall I say last person she would have thought because Will is anything but her safe and stable guy appearance wise or is he? 

He buried his face in my neck and pulled me into a hug. I threw my arms around him and whispered, “Never let me go.”
He tightened his grip as his mouth moved to my ear.

“Never.”
Sweet Thing made me feel so much, I hurt when they hurt, I was lost when they were lost. My heart melted when Mia's did and my heart hurt when Will was hurt. My hands was itching to shake and punch Mia when she was being stupid but in the end it was all worth while. I was at peace. 

A really good debut by Renee Carlino, looking forward to reading more of her books that will come out in the future. I recommend you all to read this!

My verdict? 4 - 4.5 Stars, can't decide which because of Mia's decisions and how she handled them gives it 4 stars and my love for Will gives it a little more (he is just so yummy), so I am in between perhaps a little closer to 4.5. ;) For my new hubby Will Ryan!! hehe. :P 


Buy here: 

(on sale for 99 pennies for Monday May 27th and Tuesday May 28th, 2013)

Monday 27 May 2013

Take it All Cover Reveal + Chapter One



Synopsis

Judy Garland said it best, ‘For it was not into my ear you whispered but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed but my soul.’

If you asked her why she loved him, she would only be able to tell you it was because he was who he was and well, she was who she was.

Plain and simple.

All her life Lennox Ward felt incomplete. That her heart was always searching for that one special thing; that special someone she had yet to find.

Then Caleb Kingston came strolling back into her life unexpectedly, and little did she know her world was about to come crashing down around her; forever shattering it.

Is love enough to conquer all?
Will she be able to lead them out of hell and off their path of self destruction?
Or will Caleb take it all?



 Expected Release Date 
August 4, 2013



Chapter One

He bent over and softly placed his lips on the tip of her nose, just as he had done for as long as she could remember. “I’ll be back,” he whispered quietly, hesitating before finally pulling away.
Their eyes met, and she knew, she could see the familiar distance in them just as she saw only a couple months before. But this time was going to be different. Unlike the last time, she wouldn’t know where to go or what to do. She wouldn’t be able to search for him and take him by the hand, and guide him away.
His eyes slowly moved from hers as he turned and walked towards the door, only to stop a moment, lingering in the doorway like he was second guessing his decision. She slowly sat up, hoping his mind had changed, but her hope quickly vanished as he continued out the door and into the hall.
She watched him through her window, walking down the brightly lit hall, knowing it would be the last time she ever saw him. That it would be the last time she’d hear his voice, the last time his fresh, yet smoky, scent filled her nose. She knew it would be the last time she’d feel her body come to life, ignited like a flame, from the touch of his lips on hers while the warmth of his breath delicately canvassed her body.
He didn’t have to say it; she could sense it, just like she’d done before. Only this time, the gut twisting feeling she got when he spoke, told her what he couldn’t say, and the unspoken words in his eyes. His azure colored eyes that still had a way of making her knees weak and heart slam against her chest, all the while small sparks of electricity soared through her body, all with a single simple look.
Lennox sat there in her room. Dazed, as the numbness slowly crept up and through her body, into her heart and soul, as the voice in her head spoke in loud volumes, telling her over and over, the things she didn’t want to believe. Her eyes, still fixated on his back, watching as he became further and further away; almost out of sight.
She swallowed, trying to rid the dryness that made it hard to breathe. Her mouth finally unfroze and her lips parted. “Caleb,” she spoke quietly, meaning for it to sound louder, so he could hear the gut wrenching pain that filled her normally soft voice, and he’d come back to her. But all that sounded was a whisper ending with a small sob.
He was her all, he’d always be her all, and she knew it the day he unexpectedly walked back into her life. That moment, when their eyes met, she knew they were made for one another, that they were meant to be. They were each other’s missing piece and he found her, in all his gorgeous gratifying glory, grabbing her by the hand, and her entire heart and soul.
Together Lennox and Caleb went places. Places she never, in her life, thought she’d ever go. The things she saw and witnessed are of things no one should have to see or speak of again, because once was enough. His path took them on a journey through hell, right to the burning pit, where, when given the chance to leave, she stayed and fought for him, and a way back.
She did things along the way that she’s not proud of. Things she’ll never be able to forgive herself for, unthinkable things that changed her demeanour and relationships with the people in her life. Lennox, being the typical girl next door, would never, in a million years, do what she did but when it came to Caleb, she’d do anything.
Through it all Lennox lost a lot along the way, important things. But at the time nothing was more important than Caleb and her being together. They learned once that not being together was more toxic then actually being together. So, in her mind, there wasn’t a doubt, or voice, telling her she made the wrong choice five months earlier, when he walked through the doors of Fizzy Wigs; a local cafe in Spruce Hill.
The scary part was, after knowing everything and going through all they went through, Lennox, given the chance to do so, would go back and do it all over; not changing a damn thing.
She continued to watch him walk away, rounding the corner, and disappearing from her sight without a glance back. The breath she didn’t know she’d been holding rushed out, as if someone came up to her, and punched her in the stomach. It was then she realized it hadn’t been enough, none of it was.
And even more heartbreakingly so, neither was she.
At that moment realization hit, and she was on her way back to hell, only this time she was going alone, and the battle out was a far bigger challenge then the last.
With her eyes still on the last place she saw him, silently wishing him to come back, a man in a white coat obstructed her view. Blinking, she looked up at him, his face unreadable as he looked down at the clipboard in his somewhat feminine hands. When he finished flipping through the white sheets of paper, his eyes lifted and met hers.
He witnessed, through her eyes, her world crumble and shatter around her, leaving nothing but an empty, hollow shell in its place.
 “Ms Ward....” he said carefully, making note of how delicate and fragile she looked.
Lennox sat there looking at nothing but dead air and the small dust particles as they fluttered around, the room was silent, and she didn’t even hear when the man spoke. It was as if someone had muted real life.
Her mind was on only one thing.
Caleb.
When he left her there in her room, he knew he wasn’t leaving alone, that he was taking her with him, maybe not physically, but in every other way possible. It was more than a piece of her he took, it was more than a part of her, it was every piece.
Every. Single. Fucking. Piece.
And she let him.
“Ms Ward, did you hear what I just said?” the man’s comforting voice echoed through the room.
Lennox shook her head, pushing the thoughts aside, as she looked up at him, and watched his lips move as he repeated the words that not only sent icy waves through her already numb body, but caused what little was left of her world to shatter.
And that’s when it happened, that’s when she began to drown. Drowning in memories, like a surfer in a wild tidal wave, as the gates opened and everything from the past five months came flooding back.

Author Bio

Emma Grayson is a Canadian author who resides outside of Edmonton, Alberta with her family and five year old son.

She is currently working on Take it All, book one in her new series, Blinded by Love, as well as Unbearable Guilt, book two in her Breathe Again series.

When she’s not writing she enjoys time with her son, going to movies, reading, or enjoying Starbucks latte’s with her girlfriends. She’s the lover of music, television, all things purple, Oilers hockey and doesn’t leave the house without her iPhone, Kobo, flip flops or a pack of gum.

Sunday 26 May 2013

Pieces of You Blog Tour



Synopsis

The story that began in the USA Today bestseller RELENTLESS continues. Which team are you on?


In Relentless, college student Claire Nixon and surfer Adam Parker each had a painful past too heavy to carry alone. Claire tried to push Adam away, but Adam's relentless pursuit of her heart and her secrets made her walls come crumbling down.

Though their hearts will never be whole again, Claire and Adam now know they are stronger together than they are apart.

But now Claire's attending college a hundred miles away from Adam. With their relationship already hanging by a thread, Adam is sent to Hawaii on business.

And rock star Chris Knight is back in Claire's life.

Chris wants his ex-girlfriend back and he knows just how to get her: only he has the power to mend the final missing piece of Claire's broken heart. Now Claire must choose between a long-distance relationship with Adam and a second chance at love, family, and home.

New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language, drug use, and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.


Review 

For those of you who haven't read my Relentless review, I am going to say that I am firmly Team Chris and always will be! 

There. I said it! LOL. 

If I thought Pieces of You will be any better than Relentless well she did that 100 times more. Loved it so much. It would could possibly because I get more Chris (yes you caught me, not only that BUT having his POV was a cherry on top of ice cream) and the reason why I loved PoY more BUT we get much more. Every story needs, everyone's story to make it more complete, we get more than we were expecting and get wowed. 

Now since you all know how crazy I am for Chris, you should all know that I love Chris even more now - did I thought I could? No I didn't because I thought I loved him so much, that it isn't possible to love him more but man am I wrong. And, yes I love that. In the third and final book, is going to be ever more amazing than the first two. I know that deep deep down. 

Getting back to PoY just like Relentless, my attention is riveted on the pages and I am compelled to read more until I get to the last page and was like no no no no no I need more! 

I am wondering who Claire chooses in the end, who will get the girl but one thing is for sure that Cassia is an amazing writer and I love her writing so much that whatever the end may be I will still love it - yes I will be upset but I think I will over it and no I am not admitting defeat, my Chris is too amazing to say no to. LOL. 

I loved Pieces of You to pieces and can't wait for Book #3. 

5 Brilliant Chris Rockstar Stars



Bio


USA Today bestselling author Cassia Leo loves her coffee, chocolate, and margaritas with salt. When she's not writing, she spends way too much time watching old reruns of Friends and Sex and the City. When she's not watching reruns, she's usually enjoying the California sunshine or reading--sometimes both. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Saturday 25 May 2013

I *heart* Ryan GOING UNDER Blog Tour

Synopsis


Brooke Wright has only two goals her senior year at Charity Run High School: stay out of trouble and learn to forgive herself for the past. Forgiveness proves elusive, and trouble finds her anyway when she discovers a secret club at school connected to the death of her best friend. She learns that swim team members participate in a “Fantasy Slut League,” scoring points for their sexual acts with unsuspecting girls.
Brooke, wracked with guilt over her friend’s death, decides to infiltrate the league by becoming one of the “unsuspecting girls,” and exact revenge on the boys who stole away her best friend. An unexpected romance complicates her plans, and her dogged pursuit of justice turns her reckless as she underestimates just how far the boys will go to keep their sex club a secret.

(This is a New Adult fiction book with mature themes. It contains graphic sex and language and an explicit description of sexual violence. Please take the content warning seriously.)


All About Ryan

“Ryan, why are you so gorgeous and strange?”

My sister told me she laughed her butt off at that part in the book—the part where Brooke gets drunk. I wanted it to be silly and lighthearted to take away from some of the heaviness in the novel. I mean, good grief. If the entire novel were like Chapter 20, who on earth would read it??

But back to gorgeous and strange Ryan. It’s official. The ladies love him, and many of you were a little mad you didn’t get more of him in the book. In my defense, I will say that Going Under was not meant to be primarily a romance. In fact, I purposely wrote the romance as a side item. This did not make for completely happy fans. You were semi-happy, but not all-the-way happy. ☺ So here’s me making it up to you. I’m giving you a little inside information on our leading man that hopefully will allow you to forgive me in some way for not featuring him on every page. xo

Full name: Ryan James Foster
Born: September 27 in Raleigh, North Carolina at WakeMed
Astrological Sign: Libra
Stats: 6’2”; 180 lbs; brown hair; blue eyes
Favorite food: Steak fajitas
Favorite music: The Smashing Pumpkins, specifically their Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness album. (His older cousin turned him on to ‘90s alternative rock.)
Favorite TV show: Game of Thrones
Activities: surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding (he’s really hot when he snowboards), swimming, making out with Brooke
Favorite book: The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Favorite movie: Snatch (Hey, what do you want me to say?)
College degree: B.S. Business Finance
Current job: Finance manager for a chain of local skateboard and skateboard supplies stores in Chapel Hill, NC

Idiotic move in college: Hosted a “hurricane party” at a friend’s place half a mile from the beach. These are popular parties during hurricane season in Wilmington, NC, and they really piss off the local authorities. No one was hurt, but a lot of college students got wasted and then naked. Ryan only got partially naked.

Biggest regret about Brooke: Not getting out of the car. He drove to NC State to see Brooke her freshmen year. He sat in the car in front of her dorm. He waited for hours and finally saw her walking towards the dorm entrance. And he wanted to go to her, but he was afraid. So he watched her swipe her key card, open the door, and disappear from view. He wouldn’t see her again for two years.

Sweetest Moment: Marrying Brooke. Simple. No fuss. A courthouse. The important people. A beautiful woman in a little white dress. Saying “I do.” And the next installment in their great big adventure.

Random Stuff:
~Broke his arm three times when he was in elementary school and middle school.
~Had braces twice: once in fourth grade and then again in seventh because he never wore his retainer.
~Played center forward in soccer until he messed up his knee.
~Pledged a fraternity in college and then quit.
~Turned down a make-out session with a girl in his freshmen composition class. Told her he was already committed to someone else.
~Became inseparable friends with Alyssa from philosophy. She was the only one who could stomach his incessant talk about Brooke.
~Wears one contact in his right eye to give him monovision (one eye sees distance and one eye reads up close).
~Does pushups every day.
~Tried vegetarianism for a week at the insistence of his friend, Charlie. Missed his steak fajitas too much to commit for life.
~Wants to give Brooke babies as soon as possible.

Okay fans. If that didn’t placate you, I will be collecting questions about Ryan during the tour that I will answer at the end. You have to email me at swaldenauthor@hotmail.com to ask a question (please limit them to two), and I will post all the questions and answers by June 9. Sound good?



Video Game Scene (Ryan’s POV) 

I watched Brooke look everywhere but at me. She was interesting: one minute forward—almost predatory—and the next minute acting like she’d never kissed a boy. It’s like she functioned in a constant state of confusion. Or maybe she had split personalities. God, I hoped not. I had no intentions of dating a lunatic. 
“I feel shallow,” she said, sitting on my bed. I sat across from her in my computer chair. I knew what would inevitably happen once I got close to her. 
“Why?” 
“Because I’m so drawn to you and I don’t know really anything about you. Is it just your looks?” She looked up at me then, her face painted with mild desperation. Apparently she didn’t want to be drawn to me just because of the way I looked, and she was hoping I’d tell her there was a whole lot more going on between us. I didn’t. 
“Is it?” I asked. She looked slightly put out. 
“No, I don’t think so. I think there’s a lot more, but you’re not telling me,” she said, shaking her head. 
I rubbed my jaw and thought for a moment. “I’m a Big Brother.” 
“I know that. I’ve met Kaylen.” 
“No,” I laughed. “For the Boys and Girls Club.” God, she was so cute. 
“Oh, they take people that young?” 
“Well, not usually, but I was pretty insistent. That, and I had a few strings pulled.” 
“Why?” she asked. It almost sounded accusatory, but it didn’t offend me. It made me grin instead. 
“Because I’m trying to be a better person, Brooke.” 
I watched her face change from confusion to slight shame. She was thinking about something private, so I decided I wouldn’t ask. And then her demeanor changed in an instant. 
“What? You’ve got sins to atone for?” she asked. It came out light and flirty. 
“Doesn’t everyone?” I said. 
“Most people just pray,” she replied. “Doesn’t take as much effort as volunteer work.” 
Again with the cuteness. 
“Praying only goes so far, I think,” I said, chuckling, and she laughed. I admit I really liked making Brooke laugh, especially since I sensed some underlying hurt in her. I really wanted to ask her, but I didn’t think now was the right time. We were still getting to know each other. Maybe it wouldn’t be right to pry into her deep dark secrets. We had already shared one with each other, and I confess it made me feel a bit too vulnerable. I wanted to be vulnerable with Brooke. I did. Just not like that. At least not yet. 
“So tell me about your Little Brother,” she said, patting the space beside her on the bed. 
Well, here goes. And she invited me. 
“His name’s Chester,” I replied, sitting next to her. 
“Okay, that’s not a name,” she said, and I laughed. 
“Well, for this kid it is,” I said. “He’d be considered your typical white trash kid. Ten years old. So-so home life. I tutor him a lot and take him for pizza. He wants to join the Marines when he grows up, and I asked him why the Marines and not some other branch of the military.” 
“And?” 
“His father was a Marine,” I replied. “He died a few years back.” 
“Oh,” Brooke said. Her face fell, and I thought to lighten the mood. 
“He’s a pretty good kid. I got onto him, though, when I found out he got into a fight at school,” I said. 
Brooke smiled. “You sound like you really enjoy doing this.” 
“I do. I mean, it can get exhausting, and sometimes I don’t wanna hang out, but I’m so glad when I do because he seems genuinely happy to see me. His favorite is kicking around the soccer ball. He wants to play in middle school.” I watched her as she thought. 
“You play soccer?” 
“Used to. Tore up my leg pretty badly last year, so I quit. The doctors said I was okay to play, but I didn’t want to risk damaging it more,” I said. My hand instinctively went to my knee, and I massaged it. 
“Don’t trust doctors?” Brooke asked. 
“Don’t trust anyone, really,” I replied. 
“Do you trust me?” she asked. There was so much hope in her voice. It was sweet and sad at the same time. I mean, what was she thinking? I barely knew her, and I said it out loud. 
“I don’t know you.” 
Again, her face fell. “I know.” 
How did I have that much power over her emotions? She should probably work on that—not being so affected by another person. For now, though, I thought I’d help her out. And I wanted to. 
“But yes, I do. I don’t know why but I do trust you,” I said. It wasn’t completely true, but I loved the way her face lit up when I said it. 
She stared at me for a moment, and then she wrapped her arms around my neck. It was like instant sunshine. I don’t know how else to explain it. I swear the sun burned brighter, spilling into my room through the open windows, and I felt a shift of power. Just a second ago I had all the control over her emotions. Now I’d do anything she wanted, as long as she kept touching me, burying her face in my neck, breathing on me in a silent invitation to kiss her. 
And then she drew back abruptly, and I felt the sun fade. 
“I don’t know why I did that,” she said, her face a rosy pink. 
“Did what? Hug me?” I was confused. I thought this chick was mad for me. What was she playing at? 
“No, the other thing,” she said. 
“What other thing?” 
She looked at me confused. “You didn’t feel it?” 
“Feel what?” What the hell was she talking about? 
“Nothing.” 
“Oh, no you don’t,” I said. “Tell me what you’re talking about.” 
The pink in her cheeks darkened. It was so cute. Everything about her was. I know I keep saying it, but that’s because it’s true. She was cute. And I wanted to pounce on her. I wondered if she’d be okay with that. 
“I kind of licked your neck,” she said. 
I fought hard not to laugh. “You kind of licked my neck?” 
Brooke nodded. “Does that make me weird?” 
I shook my head. “Not in the least.” I wanted to do something that would shock her, so I leaned over and ran my tongue from the nape of her neck all the way to that space right behind her earlobe. She squealed and shivered. “Good squeal or bad squeal?” I whispered into her ear. 
“Good squeal,” she breathed, and I hopped up from the bed. Her expression was both confused and excited. 
“I think we should play some video games,” I suggested. 
Brooke looked at me like I’d lost my mind. I couldn’t help it. I laughed. 
“Not a gamer?” 
“I don’t even know how to hold the controller,” she grumbled. She was irritated. That was obvious. She wanted to get physical. That much was understood. But she didn’t know what I had planned, and if she’d only be patient and trust me, then she’d discover that I planned to give her what she wanted all along. 
“I’ll teach you,” I offered, and turned on my TV and Playstation. I could feel her watching me as I started the game and settled on the floor in front of my bed. “Come here,” I said, and watched her climb off the bed to sit next to me. “No, not there. Here,” I said, pointing to the space between my legs. She arched her eyebrow and pursed her lips. 
It was funny to watch. Like she almost thought not to. Because she was all sweet and naĂŻve, right? Give me a break. I didn’t know anything about Brooke’s past, but I knew deep down that she was no virgin—that she had some experience under her belt. Oh God. That was the worst pun ever. 
She eventually nestled herself between my legs, and I tried my best not to get an instant hard-on. The girl was between my legs, okay? She leaned against my chest, and I smelled her shampoo mixed with the tangy grease of the diner. She came straight over to my house after work without showering or changing. And I was glad for it. I liked the way she smelled. It was all so very “blue collar pretty girl,” and I liked that her dress provided me easy access. 
I handed her the controller and placed my hands over hers, guiding her and teaching her about each button. She asked me a lot of questions, repeating the same ones over and over because she couldn’t commit the functions of each button to memory. At one point she suggested the controller be labeled, and I asked her how a player was supposed to look at the labels and the TV screen at the same time. She elbowed my ribs good-naturedly, and I kissed her temple. 
“Ready to kill some bad guys?” I asked. 
“I have a feeling I’m gonna be really bad at this,” she said, squirming between my legs. Brooke, stop doing that. 
“You’ll do just fine,” I said, and pressed the X on the controller for her. 
She squealed. 
“You like to squeal,” I said, watching her die in the first few seconds. 
“What is this game?” she asked, afraid to start another round. I watched her finger poised over the X. 
“Oh, Brooke. You’re such a girl. This is Call of Duty. Freaking amazing game,” I said. 
“It’s scary,” Brooke replied. “I don’t think—” 
“You’re doing just fine,” I assured her. Just get on with the game, Brooke. I’ve got things to do! 
I watched her start another game and promptly die in five seconds. But then she tried again. And again. And suddenly she was wholly invested. It didn’t even take that long. I liked watching her competitiveness. I’d never seen her like that, and it was a huge turn-on. 
“That’s right, bitch!” she yelled when she killed her first enemy. I couldn’t help but laugh. It was adorable. 
It felt natural to put my hands on her thighs. It felt even more natural to spread them a little, and she didn’t resist. I wanted my hand between her legs more than anything. I felt my body swelling because of it, my heartbeat ramping up, the testosterone surging through my limbs. But I also knew how to control it. Yeah, this was going to be about me, but I wanted her to think it was all about her. 
Brooke put the controller down. 
“What did you do that for?” I asked, raining kisses on her neck. 
“I can’t concentrate,” she said. I thought maybe it was because of my kisses, so I stopped. 
“Pick up the controller, Brooke,” I ordered. “And play your game.” 
I’m a pretty easy-going guy, I think. I’m respectful and cautious. I take my time. But I admit that something changes within me when I’m being intimate with a girl. I turn a little controlling. I won’t lie. I like it. I like the power. I like to watch a girl yield to me, and not because I want to dominate her in a bad way. I’d never do anything to a girl she didn’t want. It’s just that I know if she allows herself to trust me, she’ll enjoy what I want to give her. 
That feeling was compounded by a million as Brooke sat between my legs because Brooke was unlike any girl from my past. I wanted to turn her inside out, make her solely mine, even though it scared the shit out of me. I wouldn’t let her know that, though. I wanted her to hear my confidence, and I wanted her to do what I said. 
She picked up the controller without a word and started another game. I ran my hands up and down her thighs, pushing her dress around her hips. I felt her shake just a little. I don’t know if it was nerves or sexual excitement. Maybe both. I didn’t really care at the moment. I was too interested in her panties and if she’d let me touch them. 
I snaked my hand around her right thigh and ran my fingers over her panties. Right between her legs. And here was the moment I had to make the decision. Do I tear the controller out of her hands and push her to the floor? Or do I keep playing with her—my game—while she plays hers? I thought the game playing would be more tortuous, that I could have a hell of a lot more fun with it, so I pushed down that primal need to fuck her on my bedroom floor in favor of watching the TV screen and giving her tips. She was struggling, and I liked it. 
I slipped my hand underneath her panties and touched heaven. Heaven isn’t brilliant light and fluffy clouds and angels singing. Heaven is warm and soft, secretive and dark. Heaven is wet and wanting. So I thought I’d give her what she wanted. I touched her gently, refraining from slipping my finger inside of her, and watched as her player got blown to bits. 
“Try again,” I cooed into her ear. 
“I don’t want to,” she whined, frustrated. 
“Brooklyn, try again,” I said. I thought if I said her full first name she’d know I was serious. And I was. I wasn’t messing around. I was ready to show her just how explosive playing Call of Duty could be. 
She obeyed and started another game. I didn’t waste any time. I slipped my finger in her, feeling what must be heaven’s corecomplete and utter divinity—and stroked her until her player died all over again. I don’t even think she was trying at this point. 
“I’m really bad at this,” she breathed. I liked the sound of her voice, like she’d turned into a seductress though she wasn’t doing anything to me. No, that’s not right. She was doing something to me. She was driving me fucking crazy. 
“No you aren’t,” I said, feeling her growing wetness. Her head fell back on my shoulder. “No Brooklyn. Pick up the controller and try again.” 
“Ryan!” she cried, and I took my hand away. I know. I was being monstrously unfair, and I didn’t care because I had her right where I wanted her. 
“Play your game, Brooklyn,” I said, shifting behind her. There is no way in hell she didn’t feel how hard I was. 
She knew the deal. If she didn’t pick up that controller then she wasn’t getting fingered. Yeah, that sounds crass, but it’s true. And Brooke wanted my hand on her. I knew because she didn’t put up much of a fight, and she didn’t turn around and climb on top of me. Nope. She wanted me to do all the work, and I was more than willing, but she wasn’t getting anything if she didn’t at least try to play the game. 
She picked up the controller and started again. I slipped my fingers under her panties once more and continued stroking her. I had to hand it to her. She tried. She really did, and it was a rush listening to her soft cries and whimpers mix with the gunfire and cussing on the TV. My exploration turned more rhythmic. I didn’t want to make her suffer for too long, so I concentrated until I found the spot she seemed to respond to the most and rubbed her incessantly. I felt her body yielding, her legs starting to shake, the inevitable build of something delirious and delicious. God, what I wouldn’t do to have my mouth on her! She kept giving it to me, like a fountain, and all I could think about was the way she tasted. 
And then she screamed, slamming her head against my shoulder, a great crescendo of her voice mixed with rapid gunfire. The gunfire stopped abruptly; her cries petered out.  She slumped against my chest, letting her head rest on my shoulder, and took deep breaths in an effort to still her shaking. 
She was quiet as I slipped my hand from under her panties. My fingers were coated with her, and it felt natural to bring them to my lips. 
“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I said, and tasted her on my fingers. Fuck. Holy. Fuck. Again, surge of primal need. Testosterone overload. I want to fuck this girl right now. I want to fuck her until she sees stars. 
“I’m embarrassed.” I heard her voice from far away and tried desperately to get control. 
“Why?” I asked. 
“Because I think I sounded crazy.” 
I smiled. “No. Not crazy. Perfect,” I said. I leaned over and kissed her cheek. Oh, what the hell? I was going to say it. “And you taste delicious, by the way. Scrumptious, really.” 
I figured she’d run away from embarrassment, but she didn’t. She turned around and tucked her legs underneath her, grinning at me. “Scrumptious, you say?” 
I nodded, feeling an odd drowsiness. I hadn’t come, but I thought that I put myself through a lot of work just now. Not bad work, by any means. I’d do it again in a heartbeat, but work, nonetheless. It’s not like every girl’s body is the same. I had to learn Brooke for the first time today, the places she liked to be touched most. 
“I think I like playing video games,” Brooke said. 
“Oh, you do, huh?” 
She nodded and looked down at my lap. What was she up to? 
“I think you should play this next round,” she suggested, and her hand went to my belt buckle. And suddenly I had to make another major decision: let Brooke touch me or give it time. I wanted her to touch me. My body screamed for it. But I knew it wasn’t the right time. We’d probably already gone too far too fast as it was. 
I shook my head and watched her furrow her brows. 
“You’re new at video games, Brooke,” I said. I wouldn’t even try to hide the reluctant resignation in my voice, but I knew I was doing the right thing. “Let’s just take it little by little.” 
She paused before saying, “Yeah but doesn’t practice make perfect?” 
So cute. She was so fucking cute. 
“In small doses,” I replied. 
I could be cute, too. 

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About S. Walden

S. Walden used to teach English before making the best decision of her life by becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Georgia with her very supportive husband who prefers physics textbooks over fiction and has a difficult time understanding why her characters must have personality flaws. She is wary of small children, so she has a Westie instead. Her dreams include raising chickens and owning and operating a beachside inn on the Gulf Coast (chickens included). When she's not writing, she's thinking about it.

She loves her fans and loves to hear from them. Email her at swaldenauthor@hotmail.com and follow her blog at http://swaldenauthor.blogspot.com where you can get up-to-date information on her current projects.