EXCERPT 1
"So Ben Parker, if I want you and you want me...what's the problem?"
"You don't like to beat around the bush, do you?"
"We don't have time for that. We only have one night."
"Yeah," he said softly. "Don't I know it."
I turned so that I was fully facing him, one elbow on the railing. "Is that why you're reluctant? Because you're leaving tomorrow?"
"No. Yes. Partly." He shook his head. "It's complicated. I'm complicated."
"You're a guy. You can't be too complicated." I smiled and he smiled back sadly. "I'm listening if you want to explain all your complications to me."
He shook his head. "I can't."
"Look," I said. "I get that stuff has happened in your past that you want to forget."
He straightened. "What makes you think that?"
"You're traveling around the country with only one bag and no money. Not only that, but you got off the bus in a place with no jobs. If I wasn't mistaken, I'd say you're trying to lose yourself."
He leaned on the railing again, his hands dangling over into nothing. He looked out to the garden, but it had grown darker in the last few minutes, and it was difficult to make out more than just shapes. "You'll make a great criminologist, Kate. I have no doubt you'll go far in whatever you decide to do."
"Thanks. That's very sweet of you. But it has nothing to do with the question at hand."
"The question?"
I leaned over until my lips were near his ear. My breath fanned his hair. "Will you kiss me, Ben?" It was the wine talking. It had to be. I'd never been so brazen with any man before. I never made the first move, never took a chance on being rejected.
But I knew Ben wanted me. I just didn't know why he pushed me away.
***To read the extended version of this scene and discover what Ben has tattooed on his shoulder, check out C.J.'s website http://www.cjscottbooks.com
Ruin by C.J. Scott
(A Summer in Winter Novel 1)
Publication date: August 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
Kate Bell isn’t perfect. Not even close. The things she got up to in college would cause her parents to fall off their pedestals in shock. Home for the summer vacation, Kate settles in for a long, boring break in the tiny backwater of Winter with folks who still treat her like she’s twelve.
Then Ben Parker arrives and suddenly Winter gets interesting. He’s hot, mysterious and good with his hands. Kate falls for him instantly, but her cop father warns her to stay away. But how can she stay away from someone as compelling as Ben? Someone who thinks she’s perfect just the way she is?
When Ben’s secrets catch up to him, not only is Kate’s heart in danger of being broken, but Ben’s entire future could be ruined.
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EXCERPT 2
He gave me a sad smile. "I'm not a monk, Kate. If you kiss me...I can't stop there."
His words probably had the opposite effect to what he wanted. It spurred me on, because now I knew he was on the brink of giving in. On the brink of falling into the abyss with me.
I touched his face. His jaw was rough from his stubble. A small muscle pulsed against my fingers.
"Kate, please," he whispered. But he didn't pull away. Didn't stop me getting closer.
I stroked his lower lip with my thumb, and he groaned deep in his chest.
"Ben," I murmured.
He brushed my hair off my shoulder. His fingers caressed my neck, sending tiny tingles racing down my spine. My heart hammered against my ribs to the tune of kiss me, kiss me, kiss me. I wanted this man. Wanted to know him intimately.
My head told me it was impossible that I could feel this way after such a short time, but my heart was ignoring it, lost in a mad, chaotic rhythm of its own.
Ben's hand cupped my hip, his other pressed against my back. It was all the encouragement I needed. I closed the final small gap between us until I was crushed against his body. It was hard and ridged, warm.
Our lips met in a kiss that turned my legs to jelly. My knees buckled, but Ben's arms circled my waist. He held me there, firm yet gentle, like I was something precious. I felt dizzy and weightless. The world spun one way and I the other, out of control. I didn't care. It was exactly what I wanted to feel. Exactly how I'd always imagined a kiss should feel.
Yet I wanted more. The kiss filled me with longing that clawed at my heart. It wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.
***To read the extended version of this scene and discover what Ben has tattooed on his shoulder, check out C.J.'s website http://www.cjscottbooks.com
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EXCERPT 3
"Give me one good reason we can't do this," I said.
He crossed his arms over his chest. "You and me...we're wrong together. I'm so sorry."
"I said a good reason." My brain was beginning to work again, but my body still felt numb from the rejection.
"You, this place, everybody...it's all too...perfect."
"What?" It didn't make sense. He was pushing me away because he thought I was perfect. "For starters, I'm so not perfect."
"You are to me."
My breath left me in a whoosh. I blinked at him, tried to work out if he was joking. But he didn't laugh. His eyes twinkled like stars, and then he looked down at his feet. In the instant our gazes had connected, I could tell that he seemed surprised that he'd said it too.
"You don't know me well enough," was all I could manage.
"Yeah," he said. "What's with that?" It wasn't an answer, but I didn't think I was going to get a better one out of him. "Look, Kate. I may not know everything about you, but I can see that you're a good person. You offered me this opportunity without judging me first. Most people would have just let me pass on through. You're funny and kind, not just to me but to Jane and even Mrs. Merriweather."
"So?"
"So...you have this stupid, blind belief that I'm more than I am. I'm not, and I'm not right for you. Not even for a night. Especially for a night. Besides, there are people worrying about you and expecting me to treat you like a gentleman would treat a lady."
"Are you talking about my parents?"
"And Jane. I'm sure the waitress in the diner is worried too, and maybe dozens more townsfolk."
"You're rejecting me because of Winter?"
He pushed off from the wall. I could just make out the flash of anger in his eyes, the grim set of his mouth as he came toward me. "I'm trying to be the good guy here. I gave my word that I wouldn't hurt you, and I'm trying to keep it. Don't make this any harder than it already is."
"Having sex with me doesn't mean you're going to hurt me, Ben."
"Maybe not, but I don't want to destroy the trust everyone has put in me."
I threw up my hands. "It shouldn't be about anyone else! It should be about you and me."
"I can't, Kate. I've come too far to break that kind of promise now, even to virtual strangers."
"What the hell does that mean?"
He shook his head and looked away.
"Okay, Mystery Man, I get it. You can have secrets. Fine. I have no right to ask what they are. We're just two adults attracted to each other, nothing more, so I don't see why we can't act on it. We have one night, Ben. One night to have a little fun together." I poked my finger into his chest. "And another thing. I'm not perfect. Not by a long shot. If my parents knew what I got up to at college, they'd be horrified. I've slept with more guys in the last three years than I care to talk about. I've smoked God knows what, I've skipped class, and last month I woke up in the gutter without any underwear. See? I'm not fucking perfect!"
My tirade was followed by complete silence. Even the birds must have gone to sleep. Then Ben laughed. His chuckle started low in his chest and became a full rumble bubbling out of him.
"You woke up without your underwear?" he said. "What the hell happened to it?"
I tried to contain my smile. My little tirade seemed ridiculous all of a sudden. "I don't know. I never found it. There's a good chance I wasn't wearing any in the first place."
He laughed so loudly I worried he'd wake up Jane and Mrs. M. "Okay, I'll agree that you've got a few personality quirks. But I still think you're perfect."
Tears stung my eyes. "Well," I said, breathing deeply. "I've never been rejected so nicely before. It sucks, by the way."
***To read the extended version of this scene and discover what Ben has tattooed on his shoulder, check out C.J.'s website http://www.cjscottbooks.com
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AUTHOR BIO:
C.J. loves reading stories that take her away to another world. If she’s in the middle of an amazing book, she’ll keep reading while cooking or cleaning (when she can be bothered doing either).
She likes interesting artwork but can’t paint, sketch or make anything more complicated than a snowman from plasticine. She enjoys beautiful gardens but hates gardening. She also hates housework, cooking (see above) and writing about herself.
C.J. loves connecting with readers. The best place to interact with her and other fans is via her Facebook page. That’s where she posts teasers and other stuff from her books.
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