Welcome to the Books That Need More Attention Giveaway Hop! I'm featuring my latest release CROSSING THE ICE and sharing an exclusive excerpt. Check it out!
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Josh followed me through the
wood-paneled dining room to the French doors leading outside. The marsh grass
surrounding the deck swished in the breeze, and the late afternoon sun
reflected off Nantucket Sound. It would’ve been beautifully serene if not for
the ridiculous anxiety that had begun to churn in my stomach.
“So… the tango,” Josh said. “It’s
a bit different from the usual ballroom hold. Have you done any ballroom
dancing?”
I shook my head. Slow dancing at
my prom was the extent of my partner dancing, and that had been more swaying
while standing still than anything.
“Good. Then you won’t know the
difference.” He smiled. “If you’ve watched videos, you’ve seen the tango has a
close hold.”
He took a tentative step toward
me but kept his arms at his sides. “But I’m not sure how close Emily and Sergei
want you and Mark to be.”
I got a stronger whiff of his
cologne, which smelled expensive. And sweet. Like him. Oh, dear God.
“Um… we need to be pretty close
in some parts of the program,” I said.
He shifted nearer, sliding his hand
around to my lower back, and the heat from his touch radiated through my cotton
shirt, my skin, and into the deepest cells of my body. I didn’t dare look up
because there would be only a narrow space between our faces. Between our
mouths…
Tango! Focus on the tango.
Thinking I should demonstrate
what I did know about the dance, I clutched Josh’s right shoulder and extended
my other arm out to the side like I’d seen the pros do.
“Let’s move this a little lower,”
he said.
He gently pried my hand from his
shoulder and placed it around the top of his bicep. The muscle was solid under
my fingers, and I resisted the strong urge to squeeze it.
“How tight should I hold onto
you?” I asked.
He took a noticeable swallow and
glanced at my grip. “That’s… that’s good.”
“Em was telling me to have more
tension in my arms, so I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to hold on tighter or
just hold my arms straighter or…” Nice
rambling.
“You’ll want to keep your right
arm tense because it helps you follow your partner’s lead.” He grasped my right
hand, pressing our palms together, and my pulse sped even faster. “I know you’re
not actually doing the full dance on the ice, but I’ll show you how it would
look and feel.”
It feels terrifying yet totally amazing.
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Falling hard never felt so good.
Pair skaters Courtney and Mark have one shot left at their Olympic dream. They vow not to let anything get in their way, especially not Josh and Stephanie, the wealthy and talented brother and sister team.
The heart doesn’t always listen to reason, though…
The more time Courtney spends with sweet, shy Josh, the harder she falls for him. But they are on opposite sides of the competition, and their futures are headed in opposite directions. Will their friendship blossom into more or are their paths too different to cross?
Available on Amazon, B&N, and iTunes!
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