BACK IN THE GAME by Erin Kern
A Champion Valley Novel
will be published on October 31, 2017 by Forever.
Stella Davenport wasn't made for small-town life. Sure, teaching ballet in Blanco Valley, Colorado, is great, but she longs for the chance to perform in a big city. Stella swore she'd never let anything get in the way of her dream-until sexy, broad-shouldered Brandon West walks back into her life. Stella is determined to resist him, even if arguing with Brandon is sexier than any foreplay.
For Brandon, it's always been just him and his son, Matt. Knowing that love only leads to heartbreak, he isn't looking to expand his family any time soon. Stella, with her long, gorgeous legs and infectious laugh, is a breath of fresh air he didn't even know he'd been missing. But when she's offered her dream job in Chicago, will he be willing to put his heart on the line?
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Excerpt from
BACK IN THE GAME by Erin Kern
Was it just her, or had their
almost-kiss a few months ago not been this hot? This intense? She didn’t
remember her panties almost going up in flames or her desire threatening to
choke her.
“A kiss doesn’t equal a
relationship,” Brandon told her.
Stella nuzzled her nose
against his. “But we’re not kissing.”
“Keep telling yourself that,
Stella.” Before she could respond, before she could even exhale the breath
she’d been holding, his mouth was there. Fitting over hers, exerting a gentle
pressure that had her fingers digging into the flesh on the back of his
shoulder.
When her eyes dropped closed,
her other senses took over and magnified the virile man who was so much bigger
and harder than she was. His arm enclosed her waist, tugging her closer, inch
by slow inch until she was flush against him. Chest to chest. Feet to feet. Leg
inserting between hers so that his muscled thigh was nestled perfectly in
between her softer flesh.
Best. Kiss. Ever.
Brandon West could use his
mouth as a lethal weapon to bring women to their knees. Because if he hadn’t
been holding her to him with such firmness, she would have sank the second his
mouth touched hers. And then she didn’t have time to think about all the other
things she wanted him to do to her, because his tongue smoothed over her lips
in gentle, yet not-so-subtle invitation to open the hell up.
He didn’t have to ask her
twice. Without thinking about where they were, or the cars and people hovering
around outside, even her looming anxiety, Stella obliged and parted her lips.
With a hesitation that was sweet, yet longing, his tongue slowly pursued hers,
touching just the tip before retreating again.
Since it wasn’t enough, since
the minimal contact had opened an emptiness she’d been living with for a long
time, Stella did her own pursuing. Her tongue chased his, testing the warmth of
his mouth. When he groaned against her and tightened his hand on the back of
her head, the heat was kicked up a notch. The passion she’d once possessed but
that had gone dormant from lack of use awakened with an explosive burst of
fireworks. She returned his groan with one of her own when he tilted her head
to change the angle of the kiss, allowing him to dive deeper.
And she let him, because
Brandon West was an overpowering man who held her passion and trust in the
palms of his hands. The question was, what would he do with it?
Their tongues continued to
dance and weave around each other until someone opened the front door of her
studio, and the outside sounds of cars and people intruded on their moment of
intimacy.
“Oh!” the startled voice
announced, ripping her and Brandon away from each other like two teenagers
who’d been caught necking by the principal.
Her mother stood by the door,
her eyes wide to match the smile on her face, as though to say, Score one for the team, honey.
Only Gloria Davenport.
She held her hands up and
backed toward the door.
“Don’t mind me,” she told
them. Then offered Stella two thumbs up. For Pete’s sake. “But good job, honey.
Way to take my advice.”
And then she was gone, blowing
back out the door as quickly as she had interrupted them, taking Stella’s
dignity with her.
One of Brandon’s dark brows
lifted, showing nothing of the passion he’d exhibited just a second ago. “Advice?”
he repeated.
“Ah . . . ,” she began, not
sure how to explain Gloria Davenport to someone who didn’t know her. “Just
ignore her. She obviously hasn’t taken her medication today.”
The slight curl of his mouth
widened. “You look like her.”
Please God, don’t say that. “Okay.”
His brown eyes narrowed,
scrutinizing way too much. “Is this another thing you don’t want to talk
about?”
Right on. She lifted a
shoulder and pretended her heart wasn’t still pounding from their kiss. “I have
no issues with my mom.” At least none that she was willing to share.
Brandon nodded. “You know, one
of these days all those walls you’ve thrown up are going to come crashing
down.”
As Stella watched Brandon
saunter out of her studio as though he hadn’t just knocked her socks off with
his mouth, all she could think of was how right he was.
About The Author
Erin Kern lives in north Texas with her husband, two kids and their dog. She loves BBQ, Texas sunsets, antiquing and high school football games. The Champion Valley series was inspired by Erin's love of Texas football, small towns and happy endings. When she's not at the computer working on her next tale, she can be found spending time with her kids or curled up with a good book.
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