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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Thursday, November 2, 2017

I felt terrible … mostly - I Knocked Him Out (Love at First Crime, #2) by Jessica Frances

"This story has a great mix of romance and suspense. The character are so easy to fall in love with, also easy to relate too. [...]
I can't wait to see what is next in this series. Keep up the amazing work! I would recommend this one to everyone. "
- Chantelle, Goodreads

Description:

Published: October 31st, 2017

She knocked him out, so he knocked down her walls…

He has irritated me ever since we were kids.
He is overprotective.
Controlling.
A complete jerk.
So, I knocked him out.
It was an accident.
I felt terrible … mostly.
It changed things between us.
Life for us both got more complicated.
Add in a stalker who has decided to take an interest in me,
And suddenly our worlds are turned upside-down.
Can things really change between us so fast?
Or are we just making a bigger mess than what we started with?
I think that hit to the head might have knocked things loose for both of us.
Because, from the moment I knocked him out, we saw each other differently.
As some people say, there is nothing quite like love at first … crime.

EXCERPT

“You hit me!” he accuses.
“You sneaked up on me!” I snap back.
This is always the way between Declan and me, ever since we were kids. He never speaks to me normally or casually. He’s always angry, aggravated, or annoyed. The three As.
“I was calling your name; you just weren’t paying attention.” He says this like I’m the only person in the world to ever be lost in my thoughts.
“Well then, good call on coming up close to me while I was punching the shit out of this stupid bag,” I retort, already sensing any warm feelings that had started to work their way up from a guilty conscience disappearing.
“God, you’re annoying.” He shakes his head now, wiping his wet face with his T-shirt. My eyes betray me by peeking at Declan’s toned abs.
Stupid, smoking hot jerk.
“Ditto. Now, is there a reason you’re annoying me right now? Or are you just trying to fill your quota for the day and we’re a little behind?” I ask, shaking my head to get myself back in the game. Getting distracted while Declan is in one of these moods just means more insults with me looking like a fish out of water in response.
“I just wanted to tell you that you’re going to be late if you don’t leave soon.”
“Is that all?” I roll my eyes at him, something I’m aware annoys him to extremes. “I do know how to read a clock, you know.”
He narrows his eyes on me. Their blue color might be an exact match for a sunny, blue sky, yet I only ever see storm clouds directed at me.
 *****
It’s a shame how much energy we spend annoyed at each other, but if I’m being honest with myself, I’m not sure any other way between us would work.
Take away his surly mood, quick-to-judge attitude, and misconceptions in almost all the ways he sees me, Declan is a nice guy. He’s almost the perfect guy. Attractive, sweet, funny, protective, hygienic. Since one of my exes thought showering more than once a week was excessive, that’s important. Not only all this, but he has a good job, solid friends, and an easygoing personality. He’s quite the catch.
But, for whatever reason, we have always clashed and that has always helped me to keep a distance from him. If he started to act welcoming and sweet to me now, I might be in serious trouble. And since we work together and have a messy history, I don’t need that complication.
As it turns out, knocking him out might have knocked loose a few feelings for us both.
If only I could have changed the track that we now appear to be stuck on, things might not have needed to get more muddied between us.
Apparently, though, we were doomed from the moment we got here, or maybe from the moment I knocked him out and gave him ideas. Now I can’t help wondering what he will be dreaming about tonight as he sleeps against me. Will it be the same as last night? And will tomorrow bring a change between us?
Little did I know, we have already passed the point of no return.

About the author:
Jessica lives in Adelaide, South Australia. When she is not writing, you can find her reading, napping or watching excessive amounts of TV. Connect with her on Facebook and Goodreads.

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4 comments:

Rita Wray said...

I liked the excerpt, thank you.

ShirleyAnn said...

I enjoyed the excerpt the book sounds great adding it to my wish list.

Jessica Frances said...

Thank you for signing up for the book blitz and for posting. I appreciate your support <3

Nikolina said...

I really enjoyed reading the excerpt, thank you!