Take
the Fall
Take the Fall # 1
Take the Fall # 1
By: Marquita Valentine
Releasing July 21, 2015
Loveswept
Blurb
Fans
of Abbi Glines and Katy Evans will adore Take the Fall, the first spinoff novel
from Marquita Valentine’s New York Times bestselling Boys of the South series.
In this emotional new romance, passions run hot as a rugged, brooding
Marine rekindles an old flame.
As
a teenager, Seth O’Connor went to jail for a crime he had nothing to do with.
He took the fall to protect the girl he loved, but the cruel realities of
prison hardened him. After doing his time, Seth shuts her out and enlists in
the Marines—until his grandmother’s funeral forces him to come home and face
Rowan Simmons once again. The woman she’s become puts all his high-school
memories to shame, and Seth wants her more than ever. Can he be honest about
why he denied her for so long?
After
Seth pushed her away, Rowan swore that no man would ever hurt her again. But
the boy who broke her heart has become a sexy Marine, capable of fulfilling her
every desire—and now that he’s back in town, old feelings are simmering to a
boil. Rowan wants to stay strong, even as her body surrenders to his expert
touch. She only hopes that by taking him back, she can finally help heal the
wounds that drove them apart
Link to Follow Tour:
Goodreads
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23437529-take-the-fall?ac=1Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/150849-take-the-fall
Author Info
Marquita Valentine is the New York Times and USA Today
bestselling author of the Holland Springs and Boys of the South series, having
sold more than a quarter of a million books around the world. She’s been called
“one of the best new voices in romance” (Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews) and her
books have been praised as “sexy, fun, and slightly addicting” (The Book
Queen). When she’s not writing sexy heroes who adore their sassy heroines, she
enjoys shopping, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.
Married to her high-school sweetheart, Marquita Valentine lives in a seriously
small town in the south with her husband, two kids, and a dog.
Website: http://www.marquitavalentine.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marquitaval
Excerpt
A girl wearing a plaid skirt and a white shirt with the ends tied
in the middle of her very impressive cleavage steps in front of our cars. The
headlights shine right on her as she flashes a seductive smile.
Her hands shoot up into the air. “Ready?” she shouts.
Tony guns his engine, his maniacal laughter louder than anything.
The sound makes my skin crawl. Actually, Tony himself makes my skin crawl. He’s
twenty-nine years old and still hangs out with the high school crowd—that’s
fucking weird.
“Shut the fuck up, Johnson,” Jase shouts, flipping the other driver
off. Then he turns to me. “Two turns left, then a hard right, before a quarter-mile
stretch.”
I flex my fingers and nod. Jase cranks up STP’s “Dead and Bloated.”
“Go!” Plaid skirt girl’s hand drops down.
I hit the gas and manage to break out in front of Tony’s Camaro.
“No braking in the turn,” Jase shouts.
I nod. My knuckles are white as I grip the steering wheel.
Adrenaline pumping, I shift gears, and the Mustang shoots forward.
Jase bangs on the dash. “Two car lengths ahead. You can do this,
O’Connor.”
I’m equal parts exhilarated and terrified I’ll screw this up. What
if I lose?
“Get out of your head, Seth. Nothing good in there right now.”
I slice my gaze to Jase, and then back at the road. The hard right is
up next. “I got this.”
“Don’t say shit like that,” Jase grouses over the music. If I hadn’t
been driving, I’m pretty sure he would have smacked the back of my head to
emphasize his point.
Tony suddenly pulls up beside me, and I blink. “Where in the hell did
he come from?”
“Pay attention.”
Tony edges ahead of me. The right turn is only a few hundred feet
away. I let up on the gas a little and Tony surges. His taillights are in my
peripheral now.
“Why the fuck are you slowing down?”
Because Tony’s speeding up, and he’s going to spin out on the turn.
“Trust me.”
Jase blows out a hard breath, and I can practically hear his teeth
grinding. If this doesn’t work, then Jase will hand me my ass. And I like my
ass; I like sitting on it. More specifically, Rowan likes my ass. I like it
when she digs her fingers into my cheeks when I’m inside her.
“Fine,” he bites out.
Tony and I make the hard right. His car spins out, making a wider
half circle than needed. That’s my cue.
“See. Ya.” I downshift and stomp on the gas pedal.
Jase’s Mustang rolls across the finish line, engine purring. I
barely pull up the e-brake before jumping out. Banging the roof of the car, I
let out a yell. The crowd goes wild, some groaning because they didn’t bet on
the rookie.
While Rowan collects the money we won, I do a little victory
shuffle.
Jase joins me, his smile as wide as mine, but he doesn’t celebrate
like I do. That’s fine with me; I don’t care how damn goofy I look or sound
right now.
I just fucking won my first race. And Tony Johnson’s Camaro is mine.
Mine.
I don’t bother to pay any attention to Tony as he parks his Camaro a
short distance away. He probably needs a little time to find the pink slip to
sign over to me and cry.
Poor
bastard.
Rowan jogs to me, looking fine as hell in her tiny shorts and tank
top. There’s lace at the top, highlighting the best-looking pair of tits I’ve
ever seen. And by the way she’s smiling at me, I know I’ll be getting up close
and personal with them tonight.
“I’m so proud of you,” she squeals, launching herself into my arms.
I bury my face into her hair. She smells and feels so damn good that
my skin gets all tight. “Does this mean I can sneak into your room tonight?” I
whisper in her ear.
She nods. “I’m gonna show you such a good time, lover boy.”
I straighten, taking her gorgeous face in my hands. “You know I love
you, right? I’d do anything for you.”
Her nose wrinkles, freckles dancing across it as she does. “I love
you, too, Seth.”
I know she does, but sometimes it feels like the love I have for her
is like air or water—something I can’t live without. I have no idea what I’d do
if I couldn’t have Rowan in my life.
Die, most likely.
“Fuck you, Tony. I’m not a cheat.”
Rowan’s head turns and so does mine. A few feet away, beside Tony’s
car, he and Jase are shouting at each other. Fingers are pointing and Tony’s
shoving against Jase’s chest.
I start to go and join in, to see if I can help diffuse the
situation, but Rowan grabs my arm. “Don’t. Let Jase handle it.”
I frown.
“Not that I don’t think you can handle it,” Rowan quickly adds,
mistaking my frown for displeasure at her words.
“Don’t worry about it,” I say, then kiss her forehead. “I’ll stay
right by your side until Jase needs me.”
Rowan steps closer to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. She
grinds slowly against me, barely moving against my hardening dick. “I need you.
We could find a dark corner.”
Picking her up, I head in the opposite direction, away from the
crowd and the argument. Rowan’s legs wrap around my waist. She kisses her way
up my jaw, stopping at my ear to nibble. My eyes start to water.
“Slow down, wildcat.”
In response, she starts sucking on my earlobe. Rough brick bites
into my hands when I hit the wall of an abandoned factory. Rowan tugs at my
shirt, helping me pull it up and over my head. I cup her breasts, feeling her
nipples harden.
“You looked so hot driving,” Rowan breathes. “I want to ride you
while you drive us around. I want to feel you so deep inside . . . and the
vibrations from the engine will make me come so hard.”
My heart slams against my chest. This girl . . . God, she knows how
to amp things up. “Tomorrow,” I promise. “You wear that skirt I like and no
bra. I’ll let you do whatever the hell you want while I drive.”
Rowan giggles and I smile, then stare into her eyes. “I really love
you.”
“Why do you keep saying that?” She tilts her head to one side. “I
know you love me.”
“Because after my conversation with your brother, I—”
“FIGHT!”
“Oh my God,” Rowan says, shoving at me. “Put me down.”
I let her legs slide down, and turn. Jase and Tony are going at it.
Punches are being thrown and there are grunts, curses, and shouts. It’s too
dark and the guys are built too much alike to see who’s whaling on who the
most.
“I need to—”
Rowan hands me my shirt, and I kiss her. Hard. “Don’t
let that perv hurt my brother, Seth.”
Pulling the shirt on and letting it fall, I stride in their
direction, my heart slamming against my chest. “I won’t.”
Thank you for hosting TAKE THE FALL
ReplyDelete