SNEAK
PEEK into
ON
THE ROCKS
BY
BESTSELLING AUTHOR SAWYER BENNETT
Last
Call, #1
Adult
Contemporary Romance
Releasing
February 17th,
2014
He
left to travel the world for fame and glory, but only after spurning
Gabby Ward and crushing her young heart. Now Hunter Markham has come
back home to the sand and salty breeze of the North Carolina Outer
Banks so he can open up Last Call, a beach bar nestled among the
dunes of the Atlantic.
Gabby Ward is not happy that Hunter has returned. Bitter over his rebuff years before, she’s content to stay far away from him and his dangerously charming ways.
Gabby’s well-schemed plans to ignore Hunter go up in flames when he presents an offer to her that she simply can’t refuse, throwing them together in a common quest to each reach their goals. Working together day in and day out proves to be problematic for Gabby, who soon realizes that the feelings she had for him are still very much alive. Hunter struggles to reach through to Gabby’s cold heart, all while starting a new career away from his life as a top ranked, professional surfer.
What starts out as a mutual business arrangement soon turns into a passion that neither of them can continue to deny.
Hard choices lay ahead for both of them when Hunter is offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to return to the pro surfing tour.
Choices that could destroy what they have built or take them further than they ever had dared to hope.
Gabby Ward is not happy that Hunter has returned. Bitter over his rebuff years before, she’s content to stay far away from him and his dangerously charming ways.
Gabby’s well-schemed plans to ignore Hunter go up in flames when he presents an offer to her that she simply can’t refuse, throwing them together in a common quest to each reach their goals. Working together day in and day out proves to be problematic for Gabby, who soon realizes that the feelings she had for him are still very much alive. Hunter struggles to reach through to Gabby’s cold heart, all while starting a new career away from his life as a top ranked, professional surfer.
What starts out as a mutual business arrangement soon turns into a passion that neither of them can continue to deny.
Hard choices lay ahead for both of them when Hunter is offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to return to the pro surfing tour.
Choices that could destroy what they have built or take them further than they ever had dared to hope.
Where to Purchase:
Sneak
Peek Excerpt
ON
THE ROCKS
By
Sawyer Bennett
“What
the fuck is wrong with her?” I grumbled.
“You’re
clueless, dude,” Brody said while he placed the twenties, tens,
fives, and ones in their respective drawers. He opened up the rolls
of coins and emptied them in their slots. “Absolutely clueless.”
Walking
up to the bar, I pulled a stool out and leaned one ass cheek on it,
laying my forearms on the bar. “Want to enlighten me?”
Shutting
the register drawer, Brody turned to look at me. “You two remind me
of two kids who like each other but don’t understand it. So rather
than confronting it, you pick at each other, letting your confused
emotions come out as anger and stupid words.”
“I’m
not the one picking at her,” I pointed out.
“True,
but I expect Gabby’s feelings run in a different direction than
yours. You’re running around with your tongue hanging out, panting
after her, and she’s got her heart tied up. It’s the classic
difference between men and women.”
I
stood there with my jaw hanging open, staring in wonder at Brody. He
just fucking ‘Dr. Phil-ed’ me, and I was in awe.
“How
in the fuck do you know that?” I asked.
He
shrugged his shoulders and walked out from behind the bar, heading
toward the stockroom. “One thing in prison you have a lot of… is
time. Three things came out of it. I devoured a lot of books, I had
plenty of time to think, and I sharpened my observation skills. I see
plenty of what goes on, even if you and Gabby don’t.”
I
was struck dumb. My brother… the felon… the philosopher. I was
beyond grateful that he was actually having a conversation with me. I
was blown away at the nature of said conversation. My respect for my
brother increased tenfold, because I realized that prison might have
actually made him smarter… keener… even potentially more
well-rounded.
“You
amaze me,” is all I could think to say.
Brody
just snorted at my comment and walked into the storeroom, while I
stared after him. Maybe that was a turning point for Brody, actually
doling out advice to his dumbass brother.
Now
it’s Wednesday morning and, as I pull into the parking lot of Last
Call, I see Gabby’s work truck. None of the other crew members have
arrived, but it’s only 7:30 AM and they don’t usually clock in
until around eight. I have no clue what time Gabby shows up each
morning, but I’m guessing it’s way earlier than seven thirty.
Unlocking
the door, I let myself in and relock it behind me. I’ll open it
back up at eight.
I
hear sounds coming from the back room, which leads out onto the
existing deck. Gabby said they’d be starting the deck expansion
today, so I expect to find her out there.
When
I walk back there though, I find her still inside, bent over one of
the pool tables, reviewing the design plans she has spread out before
her. She’s wearing her classic work clothes… jeans, a t-shirt,
and work boots. She has her tool belt riding low on her slim hips,
and she’s chewing on the end of a pencil while she peruses the
documents in front of her. With her hair pulled up in a ponytail, she
looks young and fresh… and it makes me want to kiss the fuck out of
her.
“Good
morning,” I say, and her head snaps up.
For
a brief moment, her face is placid and relaxed. But the moment she
realizes it’s me walking in, her lips set in a grim line and she
turns her attention back down to the plans before her.
And
that just pisses me off. Fuck what Brody said about her liking me,
and that’s why she’s so cranky. It doesn’t make any sense, and
I’m getting tired of her bratty behavior. It makes me want to be a
brat in return, so what do I do?
I
walk up beside her, getting up close and invading her personal space,
and lean over the plans. “Whatcha doin’?” I ask in a friendly
voice.
I
swear I can hear her teeth gritting from my nearness, and she takes a
step to the side. “Just going over the specs on the back deck
extension, so I can get the crew started when they get here.”
I
slide a step closer to her, bending over the drawings. “Explain
what you’ll be doing today.”
She
curses under her breath, and I have to suppress a chuckle. I’m
enjoying what my bratty side is doing to her.
“I
don’t have time for this, Hunter. You either trust my work, or you
don’t.”
I
turn to look at her, and she’s glaring at me. “You’re cute when
you’re angry. I particularly like the way you pout. It’s sexy.”
Flames
leap out of her eyes, I kid you not, and she takes a step in closer,
while jabbing me in the chest with her finger. “Just cut it out,
Hunter. I know you think this banter is funny but it’s not. It’s
really pissing me off. I’m trying to do a job here, and you’re
not making it—”
I’ve
had enough—enough of her rancor and PMSing or whatever the fuck her
problem is. Brody said she likes me, and I’m going to see if he’s
as smart as I think he might be.
Grabbing
her shoulders, I pull her in hard to me so her breasts mash into my
chest. She lets out a tiny gasp, her hazel eyes going wide, and her
lips full and slightly open. It’s the only invitation I need before
I bring mouth down on hers… fast and hard.
I
unleash all the pent-up frustration I have toward her cranky behavior
into her mouth, slamming my tongue up against hers, scraping my own
bottom lip against her teeth. The pleasure-pain is exquisite, and I
groan at the first contact.
She’s
stiff… just for a second, her hands hanging loosely at her side. I
let it cross my mind briefly that I could be making a very big
mistake, that this could be bordering on assault, but then her arms
come up and she clutches my hips with her fingertips.
That
spurs me on, and I tilt my head, angling for a deeper contact. She
responds tenfold, sliding a sexy whimper into my mouth, and I feel
myself starting to grow painfully hard.
All
from a fucking kiss.
A
kiss that is just like five years ago, yet so very different. Then
she was forbidden, young, innocent. It was shocking and altering, two
things that fueled my lust.
Now,
it’s a desire that’s fueled by years of wondering, fantasizing,
and maybe even a bit of regret. It’s also a flame that has recently
been fanned by anger, and let’s face it… there’s nothing hotter
than being in the middle of an argument and releasing that emotion
through the sexual channels.
My
heart is slamming inside my chest, and my dick is aching. I want to
do nothing more than take Gabby, lay her across the pool table, and
fuck the meanness out of her. I want to sink myself in her warmth,
make her body mine, and when it’s done, have her look at me with
something other than disdain.
But
now is not the time, and it’s certainly not the place. When I take
her—and I will—it’s going to be somewhere private so I can do
things that might border on depraved… but will certainly wipe that
smug look off her face. Just the thought has me smiling against her
lips.
I
bring one hand up and cup the back of her head, pushing her mouth
harder against mine for just a second, taking a last swipe at her
with my tongue. Then I pull back, gripping onto her hair to hold her
in place.
I
stare at her intently, watching her eyes, which are clouded with lust
and longing. Without the power of the kiss driving us, her gaze
starts to clear, and I enjoy the myriad of emotion that filters
through. Desire is replaced by confusion, which is then replaced by
anger.
She
pushes back against my body, her hands still at my hips, but I hold
tight to her hair and I don’t budge an inch.
“What
the hell was that for?” she seethes.
I
give her a calculated smirk, running my eyes over her face and
leaning down to nip at her lower lip with my teeth. She shivers in my
arms and I internally gloat, because while she acts like she’s mad,
she wants me. There’s no denying it.
Pulling
back slightly, I rub my nose against hers, and then say, “It was
the only way to get you to shut up.”
She
looks at me blankly for a moment, and then it sinks in what I just
said to her. She practically screeches as she rips away from my
embrace, and I quickly release my hold on her hair so she doesn’t
tear a chunk of it out. Stepping back a foot, her eyes do a slow burn
and her hand comes up to wipe it across her lips. It’s a calculated
move… to show me that the kiss disgusted her, but she’s not
fooling me. I invented that move, used it on her five years ago in
fact. I know all about masking my true feelings.
Leaning
against the pool table with one hip, I cross my arms across my chest
and give her a lazy smile. “Don’t act affronted, Gabs. You
enjoyed that just as much as I did.”
“Oooohhh,”
she screeches again, and I wince at the sound. “You’re an
asshole. If you touch me again, I swear I’ll… I’ll…”
“What?”
I taunt her. “Kiss the fuck out of me again? You wanted it… you
enjoyed it. Accept it.”
“I
did not,” she insists, stomping her foot. “You caught me off
guard.”
Laughing
at her silliness, I take a step forward, even as she takes a step
back to keep distance between us. “You may not know what’s going
on here, but I do. Brody enlightened me the other day.”
That
gets her attention because she can’t help but ask, “What do you
mean?”
I
decide I’m done playing for the day. I can see she’s going to
need time to process this, and I’m fully expecting to deal with a
she-devil tomorrow. So I just turn around and head back out to the
front of the bar, telling her over my shoulder. “Ask Brody. He’ll
fill you in.”
I
hear her curse behind me, dropping a few F-bombs in the process. I
just laugh, and I know she can hear me because a few more choice
words follow me out the door.
About
the Author
USA
Today Best-Selling
author, Sawyer Bennett, is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial
lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the
stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster
(well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog
the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn’t have many
weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.
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