Blitz & Giveaway Lightning Crashes by Marla Holt

Lightning Crashes

Marla Holt

Publication date: January 18th 2022

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The Tower Card: Upheaval, Crumbling Foundations, Chaos, Awakening

The Sun Card: Enlightenment, Joy, Success, Vitality

Rachel Ferrer fled the church when she was eighteen, burying her trauma to chase her dreams, only to have them thwarted when her husband died shortly after their son was born. Now she and her tarot-reading roommate do their best to get by.

Nicolas Rivera should be happy. He answered his call to the ministry and has held a position in the church he grew up in for more than a decade. He’s married and he loves his kids, but something in him has shifted and the life he thought he wanted doesn’t feel like it fits anymore. When his childhood best friend’s widow reappears in his life, Nicolas tells himself that his desire to be near Rachel is altruistic.

Until it isn’t.

Rachel and Nicolas have been on the periphery of each other’s lives for years, but when their worlds collide, attraction sparks, lightning crashes and the walls they have been hiding behind begin to crumble.

Lightning Crashes is an exvangelical romance that examines what happens when we build our lives on faulty foundations and what can happen when we leave that behind and step into the sun. Follow Rachel and Nicolas down the path of temptation, through their yearning slow-burn, and into their happily ever after.

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—

EXCERPT:

Rachel lifted the quilt covering Nicolas and slipped beneath it. He made as much room for her as he could, but his legs were already hanging over the far arm, his back pressed against the cushions.

Rachel didn’t need much room as she snuggled into his side, tucking the quilt back around them. “It’s freezing in here,” she said, her voice husky and low, her breath feathering against his neck.

“You need to check your insulation,” he said. “And probably get new windows.”

“I’ll get right on that,” she said in a voice that implied the opposite.

She shivered, and Nicolas allowed himself the indulgence of pulling her closer against him. In the name of keeping her warm. “What are you doing up?”

Rachel’s hand found his waist under the blanket, her fingers icy against his bare skin, but he didn’t dare flinch, lest he scared her off. “I wanted to see if you showed up. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s good you got some rest.”

“More like I sobbed myself to sleep in Naomi’s bed, but yeah, sleep was good. How are you?”

He sighed, at a loss for words to describe how he was feeling. His face ached, his body felt drawn, like he’d worked out too hard without enough food afterward. Nicolas couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten. He wasn’t even sure he had a digestive tract anymore. Who had room for food when they were filled with heartbreak and betrayal? Was it possible to be yawning open with emptiness and full of dread and darkness all at the same time? It felt like the same thing, and yet entirely different.

Rachel’s hand was playing over his torso in a way that she probably didn’t even realize she was doing, but in a way that was distracting, allowing temptation to edge in on the periphery.

Author Bio:

Marla Holt believes in second chances, romance, and the radical notion that everyone deserves a happily every after. She's living her own fairy tale, writing contemporary romance novels in her Kansas farmhouse with her husband, three boys, three cats, and flock of imaginary sheep. Follow her at marlaholt.com or on Instagram as @marlaholtauthor

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Blitz & Giveaway for Absolution Marla Holt

Absolution

Marla Holt

(Lightning Crashes #2)

Publication date: April 20th 2021

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Lightning crashes.

The tower falls.

Rachel Ferrer thinks she’s already hit rock bottom, but then the ground crumbles beneath her feet. Alone, she is finally forced to face the darkness she’s been avoiding. Rachel doesn’t dare hope the spark of light in the distance might include Nicolas, even when she can’t forget the feel of his lips on hers.

Nicolas Rivera has always been the stable one. He is who others come to when their worlds shatter, but suddenly his life is the one in ruins. He doesn’t hope to connect with Rachel in the aftermath, but he discovers her in the last place he expected to. Uninhibited at last, the electricity between them finally ignites.

Is their flame enough for Rachel and Nicolas sift through the rubble, rebuild, and finally emerge, together, into the light?

Absolution is Volume 2 of the Lightning Crashes Duet and should be read after Temptation. Melt into this forbidden, slow-burn duet with a guaranteed happily ever after today.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Rachel lifted the quilt covering Nicolas and slipped beneath it. He made as much room for her as he could, but his legs were already hanging over the far arm, his back pressed against the cushions.

Rachel didn’t need much room as she snuggled into his side, tucking the quilt back around them. “It’s freezing in here,” she said, her voice husky and low, her breath feathering against his neck.

“You need to check your insulation,” he said. “And probably get new windows.”

“I’ll get right on that,” she said in a voice that implied the opposite.

She shivered, and Nicolas allowed himself the indulgence of pulling her closer against him. In the name of keeping her warm. “What are you doing up?”

Rachel’s hand found his waist under the blanket, her fingers icy against his bare skin, but he didn’t dare flinch, lest he scared her off. “I wanted to see if you showed up. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s good you got some rest.”

“More like I sobbed myself to sleep in Naomi’s bed, but yeah, sleep was good. How are you?”

He sighed, at a loss for words to describe how he was feeling. His face ached, his body felt drawn, like he’d worked out too hard without enough food afterward. Nicolas couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten. He wasn’t even sure he had a digestive tract anymore. Who had room for food when they were filled with heartbreak and betrayal? Was it possible to be yawning open with emptiness and full of dread and darkness all at the same time? It felt like the same thing, and yet entirely different.

Rachel’s hand was playing over his torso in a way that she probably didn’t even realize she was doing, but in a way that was distracting, allowing temptation to edge in on the periphery.

Author Bio:

Marla Holt believes in second chances, romance, and the radical notion that everyone deserves a happily every after. She's living her own fairy tale, writing contemporary romance novels in her Kansas farmhouse with her husband, three boys, three cats, and flock of imaginary sheep. Follow her at marlaholt.com or on Instagram as @marlaholtauthor

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Blitz & Giveaway forTemptation by Marla Holt

Temptation

Marla Holt

(Lightning Crashes #1)

Publication date: March 23rd 2021

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Broke and widowed, Rachel Ferrer has already lost so much that when her tarot reading roommate pulls The Tower card, Rachel isn’t phased. What are upheaval and chaos when the worst had already happened? When Rachel’s late husband’s childhood best friend, Nicolas, reappears in her life and brings a handsome friend along with him, Rachel forgets the cards. She takes a chance on Blake even though she can’t stop thinking about Nicolas. It isn’t settling if the person you want is married, right?

Nicolas Rivera has always been a man of faith. His marriage and his job at the church have been his pillars, but when the foundations of both begin to crumble, doubt and a forbidden attraction tempt him to seek comfort in the one woman he shouldn’t go anywhere near.

Nicolas and Rachel have been on the periphery of each other’s lives for years, but as circumstances push them together, lightning crackles between them. WIll they be able to resist the electricity or will they get burned by Temptation?

Temptation is the first volume of The Lightning Crashes Duet. Volume one is a slow-burn forbidden romance that ends on a cliffhanger. Volume 2, Absolution, will be available April 20th, 2021, complete with all the happily ever afters.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“Gabe hated smoking.”

The voice came from her left, encroaching on the tiniest little bit of peace Rachel had had in days. She knew who she would find when she opened her eyes. He was the other reason she was outside. He and his friends had been in the restaurant, in their usual front-side booth for almost two hours, and the entire time she’d felt watched. She hadn’t been able to decide whether it was Nicolas or Blake who was staring at her. Maybe it was both of them. Shiny Guy had found every excuse he could to approach the bar, even asking her if she happened to be in charge of reservations. She’d barely kept from laughing in his face. The idea of managing the busy restaurant’s events on top of everything else nearly made her head explode.

Rachel opened her eyes and raised her head without adjusting her posture and took another drag from her cigarette blowing the smoke in his direction before she said, “Oh, so we’re talking about how you knew my husband now?”

He ducked his head and sat down on the nearest bench, about ten feet away. Good. He should keep his distance. “I never wanted to put you on the spot. I’m sure it can be a difficult subject.”

Rachel narrowed her eyes at him. “Or you didn’t want to be held accountable for not being there when he was sick. Or after.”

Nicolas sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his palms open. “We went down two different paths. I stayed here. Stayed with the church. Gabe . . .” Nicolas trailed off as if he expected Rachel to fill in the blanks as to what it was that Gabe had done. What he’d studied, the profession he’d chosen, the beliefs he’d adopted after he’d left evangelicalism behind. Rachel didn’t give him anything, and eventually Nicolas said, “Well, he moved on.”

Rachel snorted. “And left us all behind.”

“Is that how you see it?” Nicolas asked.

“It’s not really any of your business, actually.” She ducked down and grabbed her tomato juice before her stomach caved in on itself. “Was there something you needed?”

Nicolas cocked his head to the side and clasped his fingers. “I’m not a threat, Rachel.”

She knew her skepticism shone across her face, as bright as a lighthouse beacon warning sailors of cliffs, but she couldn’t help it. Everything about this man spelled trouble. Maybe he wasn’t aware of it. He definitely didn’t understand how broken she was. Or of the way she longed to use him and discard him. It was dark and lurid, the pull she felt toward him, and something Rachel would never give in to. There was no pretending her husband was back, not even for a second, even if the temptation had kept her awake more than one night this week.

“Our children are friends. You’re volunteering at the church. I’m a regular customer of yours. We could be friends.”

“I’m thankful that Oscar has a friend like Asher,” she said, watching as triumph lit his eyes. She allowed herself a twitch of a smile before she slammed the door on that. “But I don’t have time to indulge your guilt for not being a better friend to Gabe while he was here. If you’ll excuse me.”

Rachel snubbed the cigarette out on the ground and stood to flee. Only Nicolas was by her side before she could take her second step, his fingers closing on her elbow—not with any force, but enough of a touch to stop her in her tracks. Enough for her to feel the heat of him. Enough for the potential energy to crackle between them like lightning.

Time stood still even as Rachel could feel the Earth rotate around them. Rachel could predict the ecstasy of his hands on her body, the taste of sweat on his skin as she licked up his neck. The tangy flavor of herself on his lips as he kissed her. The press of his fingertips into her hips as he positioned her in his lap and the delicious completion as his cock slid inside her.

The heat of it could burn her alive if the guilt didn’t get to her first.

When she could move again, Rachel met Nicolas’s eyes and recognized the yearning. The desire. And the guilt. All there, a reflection of everything she’d just imagined, sparking in the way he was looking at her.

“Rachel, I—”

But Rachel couldn’t stay to hear anymore. She shook off his hold and stepped out of his reach. “I can’t,” she said and fled back inside before she could do something stupid like beg a married man to kiss her.

Author Bio:

Marla Holt believes in second chances, romance, and the radical notion that everyone deserves a happily every after. She's living her own fairy tale, writing contemporary romance novels in her Kansas farmhouse with her husband, three boys, three cats, and flock of imaginary sheep. Follow her at marlaholt.com or on Instagram as @marlaholtauthor

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The Lightning Crashes Duet by Marla Holt Reveal

Temptation

Marla Holt

(The Lightning Crashes Duet, #1)

Publication date: March 23rd 2021

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Broke and widowed, Rachel Ferrer has already lost so much that when her tarot reading roommate pulls The Tower card, Rachel isn’t phased. What are upheaval and chaos when the worst had already happened? When Rachel’s late husband’s childhood best friend, Nicolas, reappears in her life and brings a handsome friend along with him, Rachel forgets the cards. She takes a chance on Blake even though she can’t stop thinking about Nicolas. It isn’t settling if the person you want is married, right?

Nicolas Rivera has always been a man of faith. His marriage and his job at the church have been his pillars, but when the foundations of both begin to crumble, doubt and a forbidden attraction tempt him to seek comfort in the one woman he shouldn’t go anywhere near.

Nicolas and Rachel have been on the periphery of each other’s lives for years, but as circumstances push them together, lightning crackles between them. WIll they be able to resist the electricity or will they get burned by Temptation?

Temptation is the first volume of The Lightning Crashes Duet. Volume one is a slow-burn forbidden romance that ends on a cliffhanger. Volume 2, Absolution, will be available April 20th, 2021, complete with all the happily ever afters.

--

Absolution

Marla Holt

(The Lightning Crashes Duet, #2)

Publication date: April 20th 2021

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Lightning crashes.

The tower falls.

Rachel Ferrer thinks she’s already hit rock bottom, but then the ground crumbles beneath her feet. Alone, she is finally forced to face the darkness she’s been avoiding. Rachel doesn’t dare hope the spark of light in the distance might include Nicolas, even when she can’t forget the feel of his lips on hers.

Nicolas Rivera has always been the stable one. He is who others come to when their worlds shatter, but suddenly his life is the one in ruins. He doesn’t hope to connect with Rachel in the aftermath, but he discovers her in the last place he expected to. Uninhibited at last, the electricity between them finally ignites.

Is their flame enough for Rachel and Nicolas sift through the rubble, rebuild, and finally emerge, together, into the light?

Absolution is Volume 2 of the Lightning Crashes Duet and should be read after Temptation. Melt into this forbidden, slow-burn duet with a guaranteed happily ever after today.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order

Author Bio:

Marla Holt believes in second chances, romance, and the radical notion that everyone deserves a happily every after. She's living her own fairy tale, writing contemporary romance novels in her Kansas farmhouse with her husband, three boys, three cats, and flock of imaginary sheep. Follow her at marlaholt.com or on Instagram as @marlaholtauthor

Website / Goodreads / Instagram / Newsletter

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The Betrayal Incident by Marla Holt Blitz & Giveaway

The Betrayal Incident

Marla Holt

(The Incident Series, #3)

Publication date: September 14th, 2020

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Because of his betrayal, Phoenix walks away from the only man she’s ever wanted. Can Robin find the strength to fight for their love?

Phoenix Lambert doesn’t have time for men. She’s too busy running pop star Van Birch’s empire. But she can’t get a certain silver fox out of her head. One night together turns into two which turns into sneaking around to be together, because oh yeah, that silver fox is also her best friend’s dad.

Twice widowed Robin Birch isn’t in the market for a third wife. He has a busy law practice to run and a bid for Congress to win. But when Phoenix falls into his arms, he can’t make himself let her go–or confess to his daughter that he’s been sleeping with her best friend.

When Phoenix refuses to be his dirty little secret, Robin thinks it’s over. But their relationships with Van keep pushing them back together. Can proximity and the promise of love bring them back from the brink of betrayal?

The Betrayal Incident is the third and final installment in The Incident series. Read this steamy age gap, best friend’s father romance with a guaranteed happily ever after by Marla Holt today.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“This is a surprise,” he said, nuzzling his nose over her neck.

“I’ll say. A bid for Congress, who knew?” Phoenix said.

“We only started putting the team together. Do you think it’s a bad idea?”

“No, I think you’d be brilliant at it. Just surprised. You haven’t mentioned it since that night.” She let the part about him being a complete asshole be implied. To his credit, he didn’t back down.

“I always meant to get into politics eventually.”

Robin raised his head to meet her eyes, she saw heat and desire, and just the barest hint of vulnerability. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a light kiss on the lips. “It makes sense.” And it did, only Phoenix dreaded what it would mean when he was living on the East Coast and she was back to living in L.A. most of the time.

But maybe she was thinking too far ahead. The election wouldn’t be for another year. It was anybody’s guess what would happen between then and now. And Phoenix hadn’t even told him about the baby yet. She’d had half a mind to do it now, to ply him with roast beef and spicy pickles and tell him he was going to be a father and that despite all the bullshit they were wading through now, she was excited—ecstatic even. Their nursery theme was going to be gender-neutral. Whales, she’d already decided, but she would let him suggest names if he wanted.

Instead, Robin pressed Phoenix into the door with his body as his lips brushed over her jaw. “Did you have urgent business or . . .?” he asked, and she could hear the plea in his voice that told her he just needed a break. Which was fine. They had plenty of time to talk about the baby.

“I missed you, but I can probably come up with something if you’d like to work.”

“I’d rather not,” Robin’s voice was gruff, hard.

“Good, because I’ve always wanted to go down on you in your office.” Then she pulled him in for a hard kiss.

Robin sighed against her lips, brushing his tongue out to meet hers as his hands landed on her hips and squeezed. Phoenix managed to shove him out of his jacket. Then, with a rub of her cheek over his bearded chin, she grasped his tie and pulled him around his desk and pushed him back into his leather desk chair.

He grinned as she leaned over him. “Are you feeling bossy today?”

“I’m feeling bossy every day, Birch.” She kissed him once more, then concentrated her attention on his fly. His suit was a light gray today, made out of a breathable fabric that was soft and cool beneath Phoenix’s fingertips as she traced the ridge behind his zipper.

Author Bio:

Marla Holt believes in second chances, romance, and the radical notion that everyone deserves a happily every after. She's living her own fairy tale, writing contemporary romance novels in her Kansas farmhouse with her husband, three boys, three cats, and flock of imaginary sheep. Follow her at marlaholt.com or on Instagram as @marlaholtauthor

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The Deception Incident by Marla Holt Blitz & Giveaway

The Deception Incident

Marla Holt

(The Incident Series, #2)

Publication date: July 21st 2020

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Her life is stabilizing and his is spiraling while they both keep secrets.

Minnie Halvarson moved to Kansas to start over. She wanted to be anonymous, live a simple life, and heal from her past. When Bryant Wilder walks into her bookstore, she thinks she’s hit the boyfriend jackpot. What more could she want than a tall, bookish man who worships her?

Until Minnie finds out he’s dating mega pop star, Van Birch and cuts all ties with him.

Bryant Wilder is a humble Kansas contractor by day and Van Birch’s fake boyfriend whenever she needs him to bel. At first Bryant is happy to do it, but after five years, he is tired of dodging paparazzi and keeping his hookups on the down low.

Bryant wants more.

Who he wants is Minnie. But she won’t even look at him.

Now Van is back in Wellville, and has adopted Minnie into their friend group, Bryant is just as smitten with her as ever. Maybe if she hadn’t just had a baby, he’d actually have a chance.

The Deception Incident is the second book in the Incident Series. Dig into this steamy, instalove, secret baby romance with a guaranteed happily ever after by Marla Holt.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Bryant thought he might have died. On some level, he knew he lay in bed next to the voluptuous woman he’d been lusting after for weeks. That was the only way to account for the otherworldly satiety that had him feeling as though he’d left his body behind altogether and reached some other level of consciousness.

His mind was not functioning. Bryant couldn’t form thoughts, couldn’t speak words. This tiny woman, whom he’d thought so shy when he’d first met her, had rocked his world. It was as if her touch had electrocuted him onto a new plane of existence, because he was certain that he was no longer the same Bryant Wilder he had always been an hour ago.

Was that even possible?

The only thing he was sure of was that as soon as his body re-materialized and his thoughts could coalesce into coherence, he was going to have a new obsession. This woman. She was going to be the undoing of him.

The first conscious thought he had that didn’t have to do with the freewheeling pleasure centers in his brain was that he had to tell Van.

Telling Van what was harder to grasp. That he’d just had the most amazing sex of his life? Sure, he’d guess that might be something they’d discuss, but it wasn’t what he wanted to talk to her about. He couldn’t articulate why. He and Van talked about everything.

Then Minnie stirred in his arms, and Bryant fell back into his body. His limbs were heavy, his muscles relaxed, and he thought maybe he had been asleep for a little while. He didn’t remember getting rid of the condom, but he must have at some point. All there was in his memory was his skin on Minnie’s in a chilly room. He pulled her closer, not sure if they’d knocked all the covers to the floor or if the bed was still made.

Minnie rolled in his arms so her breath tickled his ear, then she skimmed her finger tips up his arm and over his collarbone. She scratched in the three day’s worth of stubble on his chin, then trailed up to tap on the hinge of his glasses.

“You still have your glasses on,” she said, a giggle in the back of her throat.

“Of course,” Bryant said. His voice came out in a decidedly unsexy croak. “I needed to be able to see every expression you made, every sensuous writhe, every shudder of delight, and I’m blind without my glasses.”

Author Bio:

Marla Holt believes in second chances, romance, and the radical notion that everyone deserves a happily every after. She's living her own fairy tale, writing contemporary romance novels in her Kansas farmhouse with her husband, three boys, three cats, and flock of imaginary sheep. Follow her at marlaholt.com or on Instagram as @marlaholtauthor

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The Van Birch Incident: A Rock Star Romance by Marla Holt Blitz & Giveaway

The Van Birch Incident: A Rock Star Romance

Marla Holt

(The Incident Series, #1)

Publication date: May 21st 2020

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Van Birch: Pop Star. A-list starlet. Off-limits.
Clay Noble has spent the better part of a decade avoiding his taboo obsession: His stepsister Van. In love with her since the first time he’d heard her sing, even shipping himself off to the army couldn’t stop thoughts of her. Now that he’s lost everything in a tornado, he’s forced to move back in with the only family he has left, Van and her dad. Sleeping down the hall from her is forcing every unwanted impulse back to the surface.
Clay Noble: Gorgeous. Infuriating. Untouchable.
Everything Van touches turns to gold with a side of outrageous. When she accuses her manager of sexual assault, the public thinks it’s just another one of her publicity stunts and the backlash is brutal. Wounded, she dashes home to a tornado-devastated Wellville, Kansas to heal and help rebuild, even though the constant stream of social media doubts and threats won’t let her rest. But there’s another reason for her sleepless nights and fevered dreams. Clay is back, hotter than ever, and his lingering glances and stolen moments have her convinced the feelings she’s fought for so long may not be one sided after all.
******
The Van Birch Incident marries forbidden romance, bordering on taboo with a little danger and a guaranteed happily ever after, while exploring how social media and real life collide in a post #metoo world where the internet never sleeps.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Clay didn’t want to crowd her, but he needed to touch her, to make sure she was all right. He warred with himself as he slowly approached her, trying to shove his needs aside and focus on her. When she didn’t flinch away, Clay cupped Van’s jaw in his hand and angled her head so that she met his eyes.

“Hey,” he said in the most soothing voice he could muster. It was not a tone Clay used often. “Are you okay?”

She shook her head and leaned into his palm. Her chest heaved, and Clay covered the hand she held over her heart with his own. Her heart was pounding scary fast. He thought that maybe Van was having a panic attack. She’d had them a few times when they’d been teenagers.

Clay was vaguely aware of Michael, muttering to himself and getting to his feet, over his shoulder. Van’s eyes shot to him, and her breath came even faster. She was going to hyperventilate.

“Don’t look at him,” Clay said, capturing her gaze again. “Look at me. Good. Now, breathe with me.” He stepped in close, putting their hands over his heart. Clay’s heartbeat wasn’t exactly slow and steady, but it was calmer than hers.

Van closed her eyes and matched the rise and fall of her chest to his. Finally, she relaxed into him, her head rolling onto his shoulder.

“I have to give a speech in a few minutes.” Her voice was wavering and muffled by his shirt.

“Take some time. They’ll wait for you,” Clay said and wrapped his arms more fully around her. He wanted to rail at her, to tell her she needed 24-hour security, but now wasn’t the time.

“Thank you,” she said. “I—” She balled her fingers into his shirt.

“Shhh.”

Clay chanced a glance over his shoulder, and Michael had disappeared. Good riddance, fuckwad.

He tightened his hold on Van and held her until both their heart rates had returned to normal. At some point, they’d started to sway together. His thumb caressed the curve of her waist, and he felt Van’s nose graze his neck. A second later, her lips brushed over the hollow of Clay’s throat.

Her balled fist flattened against his chest, and he pressed his palm into the small of her back. The swaying stopped, and when she raised her eyes to his, the shift in mood was so swift and fierce, Clay barely registered the decision to kiss her before their lips crashed together.

Van tasted like whiskey but also hot and sweet in a flavor that was something all her own. Her lips were naturally plump and supple, and her tongue was like velvet against Clay’s as he delved into her mouth again and again. His mind spun with desire as Van’s hands couldn’t decide where to stay. They roamed up and down his chest, over his shoulders and into his hair before starting all over.

The brush of her nails at the nape of Clay’s neck pulled a groan from his chest. She didn’t resist as Clay eased her back against the wall and pressed against as much of her small, soft body as he could. She moaned as he ground against her and kissed his way down her neck.

They’d kissed before. Just the once. It had been intense, but not like this. There had been electricity, but there hadn’t been this bald longing like there was now, like maybe Van wanted him as much as he wanted her. Like maybe she always had but was only just now willing to admit it.

“Clay.” The word was almost a gasp as her leg wrapped around his, pulling him closer as he ground against her again.

God, he wanted her. He wanted her here, now.

Clay was contemplating wrapping her legs around his waist and hiking her skirt up when he heard voices approaching.

He and Van stilled at the same time. Clay’s blood was thrumming inside him, telling him to press on, to pull her closer, to pull

down his zipper, brush aside her panties, and finish this. He couldn’t make himself step away from her. Not yet. Not when he was

so close.

Author Bio:
Marla Holt believes in second chances, romance, and the radical notion that everyone deserves a happily every after. She's living her own fairy tale, writing contemporary romance novels in her Kansas farmhouse with her husband, three boys, three cats, and flock of imaginary sheep. Follow her at marlaholt.com or on Instagram as @marlaholtauthor

Newsletter / Goodreads / Instagram / Website

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