How do you break someone’s heart when they no longer have one?
Release Date: July 21st, 2015
"Some boys will keep it, some will break it, and some boys, they just won't want it. You gotta be careful who you give your heart to..." Slate Declan
First loves, we all got them. Mine is Slate Declan. He was kind, gentle, and caring. Still, he managed to break my heart. So I put miles between us, and eventually, my heart healed.
I haven’t seen Slate in years, but a couple friends and I are going back to the Bayou for the summer. While I’m visiting my hometown, I’m going to look up Slate Declan. And I plan to break his heart, just as he did mine. I'll remind him of what he has lost, and then I'll prove to him that I’ve moved on.
It should be real easy, right?
Well, let me tell you, Slate Declan is not the same guy that I left behind. And there’s another problem. How do you break someone’s heart when they no longer have one?
I’m a tease, always have been. In my teens, Jax Declan tried to warn me about staying away from the bad boys. The only boy I ever wanted was Jax. But, no matter how much I tried to play with him, he rejected me.
I haven’t seen Jax Declan in years. A couple friends and I are going back to the Bayou for the summer. A little older now, and a bit wiser, I’ve decided that I’m going to find my teenage crush and I’m going to break him. This summer Jax Declan will play with me.
But the closer I get and the more I learn about the reserved, discreet, and sexy Jax Declan. Well, I’m starting to think that Jax Declan might just be one of those bad boys he tried to warn me about all those years ago.
“Oh, come on! You can throw harder than that,” I say catching the ball.
A wily grin spreads across Slate’s mouth. “I don’t want to hurt your girlie hand.”
“You won’t.” I whip the baseball back to him, and he easily catches it.
“Hey, Grams wanted me to ask if you’re coming over for dinner Saturday,” he says, tossing the ball up in the air and then catching it in his mitt.
Since Jamison’s death, home hasn’t been the same. My parents are either arguing or not speaking at all. So, I’m rarely there. I hang out at Slate’s or Emmie’s, weekends mostly at Slate’s seeing as Emmie’s mom usually has some kind of event or pageant scheduled for her. “I don’t know.” I shrug.
He stops playing with the ball and looks at me. “What? You got something else going on?”
“Well,” I set my glove on my hip, “Timmy Baxter did ask me out to the movies.”
Slate’s face scrunches up. “Like on a date?”
“I think so,” I say with a grimace.
“And what are you going to do at the movies?”
“Watch it, and maybe kiss,” I say, knowing that’s what most couples do at the movies.
“Kiss!” His eyebrows lift. “Have you ever kissed a boy before?”
“No.” I look down, kicking some dirt on the ground with my sneaker, suddenly feeling weird talking about this with Slate.
“But you want to kiss Timmy Baxter?”
“I don’t know.” I glance up at him. “Maybe.”
He walks over to me. “Show me.” He drops his glove on the ground.
“Show you what?”
“How you’re gonna kiss Timmy Baxter.”
“You want me to kiss you?”
“Yeah.” He lifts his hand. “Here, show me on my hand.”
“That’s stupid.”
“Don’t you want to know if you’re doing it right?” He shoves his fist closer to my face. “Go on.”
Never backing down from a challenge presented by Slate, I grab his balled hand and pull it up to my mouth. I close my eyes and press my lips against his warm skin. Opening my eyes, he’s curiously watching me. “Not too bad.” He drops his hand. “Now, let me show you how a boy’s supposed to kiss you.”
“Okay.” I go to thrust out my hand, but he grabs it, yanks me against him, and lowers his head. He’s going to kiss me on the…Wow! His lips touch mine and those dormant butterflies come swarming into my belly. He pulls away with a smile. “And if he tries to stick his tongue in your mouth, knee him in the balls.”
“You kissed me!”
“Ah, it was just a peck.”
“It was a kiss! Ow…I should knee you in the balls.”
“What, you didn’t like it?”
“You’re a jerk, Slate Declan.” I whack him in the chest with my glove. “I thought you were going to kiss my hand, too!”
“Your hand is all dirty. Besides, I wanted to be sure I got there before anyone else did.”
“Got where,” I ask, and a smile ruffles his mouth. What is he talking about? He’s not making any sense, and darn it, my lips are still tingling where his mouth touched me. “I’m going home!”
He starts laughing.
“Jerk!” I stomp away.
“Hey, Rayna,” he calls after me, still laughing.
I flip around with a snarky, “What?”
“Have fun on your date Saturday.”
EXCERPT
“Oh, come on! You can throw harder than that,” I say catching the ball.A wily grin spreads across Slate’s mouth. “I don’t want to hurt your girlie hand.”
“You won’t.” I whip the baseball back to him, and he easily catches it.
“Hey, Grams wanted me to ask if you’re coming over for dinner Saturday,” he says, tossing the ball up in the air and then catching it in his mitt.
Since Jamison’s death, home hasn’t been the same. My parents are either arguing or not speaking at all. So, I’m rarely there. I hang out at Slate’s or Emmie’s, weekends mostly at Slate’s seeing as Emmie’s mom usually has some kind of event or pageant scheduled for her. “I don’t know.” I shrug.
He stops playing with the ball and looks at me. “What? You got something else going on?”
“Well,” I set my glove on my hip, “Timmy Baxter did ask me out to the movies.”
Slate’s face scrunches up. “Like on a date?”
“I think so,” I say with a grimace.
“And what are you going to do at the movies?”
“Watch it, and maybe kiss,” I say, knowing that’s what most couples do at the movies.
“Kiss!” His eyebrows lift. “Have you ever kissed a boy before?”
“No.” I look down, kicking some dirt on the ground with my sneaker, suddenly feeling weird talking about this with Slate.
“But you want to kiss Timmy Baxter?”
“I don’t know.” I glance up at him. “Maybe.”
He walks over to me. “Show me.” He drops his glove on the ground.
“Show you what?”
“How you’re gonna kiss Timmy Baxter.”
“You want me to kiss you?”
“Yeah.” He lifts his hand. “Here, show me on my hand.”
“That’s stupid.”
“Don’t you want to know if you’re doing it right?” He shoves his fist closer to my face. “Go on.”
Never backing down from a challenge presented by Slate, I grab his balled hand and pull it up to my mouth. I close my eyes and press my lips against his warm skin. Opening my eyes, he’s curiously watching me. “Not too bad.” He drops his hand. “Now, let me show you how a boy’s supposed to kiss you.”
“Okay.” I go to thrust out my hand, but he grabs it, yanks me against him, and lowers his head. He’s going to kiss me on the…Wow! His lips touch mine and those dormant butterflies come swarming into my belly. He pulls away with a smile. “And if he tries to stick his tongue in your mouth, knee him in the balls.”
“You kissed me!”
“Ah, it was just a peck.”
“It was a kiss! Ow…I should knee you in the balls.”
“What, you didn’t like it?”
“You’re a jerk, Slate Declan.” I whack him in the chest with my glove. “I thought you were going to kiss my hand, too!”
“Your hand is all dirty. Besides, I wanted to be sure I got there before anyone else did.”
“Got where,” I ask, and a smile ruffles his mouth. What is he talking about? He’s not making any sense, and darn it, my lips are still tingling where his mouth touched me. “I’m going home!”
He starts laughing.
“Jerk!” I stomp away.
“Hey, Rayna,” he calls after me, still laughing.
I flip around with a snarky, “What?”
“Have fun on your date Saturday.”
Kelly Gendron is the author of the TroubleMaker series, Breaking the Declan Brothers series, and a few other romantic suspense novels.
When she's not writing steamy, blush producing romances, she's out meeting new people while representing a group of reputable nursing facilities. You can find Kelly in a quiet suburb, somewhere between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. If you Google her, she’ll pop up there too. And, please do find her. Kelly loves to hear from her readers, and meeting new people.
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