MAVERICK Sneak Peek

Who wants a sneak peek of MAVERICK? You do?? Oh good! Because I have one for you!!

Here it is. The first chapter of MAVERICK (May 21, 2013).

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 ONE

Something—no, someone—was rubbing against my leg. Soft skin, silky smooth, gliding back and forth over my calf. My thigh. Fingertips traveled from my hip to my stomach, nails digging gently into my abs.

I grunted and forced my eyes open. A naked chick with blond hair was curled up next to me. A naked chick whose name I couldn't remember.

She bent her head close to my bare chest and her lips grazed my skin. “Good morning,” she said, her voice soft.

Her long hair was a mess of tangles, her mascara smudged, but she was still beautiful. Tan and thin, her tits the best money could buy. She looked like half the other chicks in Southern California. Hell, she looked like all the chicks in SoCal.

I yawned and the odor hit me like a freight train. She smelled like cigarettes and stale beer. And sex.

Or maybe that was me.

“Hey,” I mumbled.

She smiled and lowered her head again. Her tongue danced in circles on my skin as her fingers trailed down my stomach. I should have felt something, some little spark in my gut, some twinge in my cock. But I felt nothing.

Chelsea?

Cheryl?

What was her name? Something with a Ch. I was pretty sure of that.

I swallowed. My mouth was bone-dry, like someone had shoved a handful of cotton down my throat. I rubbed at my eyes and glanced at the nightstand. Four cans of Bud Light littered the top, along with a flashing alarm clock and a discarded black lace thong. I pushed the panties to the floor and picked up a can. Empty. So was the next one. The third was half-full and I downed the warm, flat beer, washing away the cotton in my mouth.

I set the can back down and looked at the top of Ch's head. She'd stayed glued to me, her hand traveling lower, her fingers brushing the tip of my dick. “Yo. I gotta go.”

Her tongue licked at my nipple and she kicked at the sheet so she was fully exposed. My eyes traveled the length of her body and I drew a quick breath. At least I hadn't been so drunk that I'd brought some sea hag back to my room. I could have done worse. Much, much worse.

I closed my eyes, trying to remember. Chantelle? Charity?

“Hey,” I said, rubbing my temple and re-opening my eyes. “You hear me?”

Ch lifted her head and gave me what I'm sure she thought was an incredibly seductive look. “You can be a little late,” she said, tightening her grip on me.

The bummer part for her was that I'd seen that look a hundred times before. And I'd see it again the next morning. Same look, just different faces.

“I already am,” I said, easing out from under her. My legs were heavy as I set them on the floor. Wasn't gonna be good for the waves. “So I gotta jet.”

“Come on, baby,” she said, sliding her body across the sheets. “We can be fast. Get your blood pumping before your heat.”

I rolled my eyes and started searching the hotel room for my board shorts. I didn't need her to get my blood pumping. The only thing that got my blood pumping any more was the water. I'd probably said something to her in the bar the night before. Something clever, something that made her feel like I really wanted to be with her, something that got her excited, knowing she was going to get to fuck the best surfer in the world.

But I couldn't even remember her name.

I found my shorts, light blue and white, wadded into a ball under the desk. I reached down and pulled them out. I unrolled them and pulled them up over my legs.

“No time,” I said, tying the drawstrings tightly around my waist.

She sat up and tugged on the sheet, covering her ass but leaving her tits exposed. “Well, I guess we'll have to save it for tonight then.”

I could feel her eyes on me as I crossed the room. It was a nice hotel—the best Huntington Beach had to offer—but to me, it was just another place to crash. A place to sleep before I woke up and started the same shit all over again. I grabbed a container of mints sitting on the dresser and popped two of them in my mouth, feeling them burn away the lingering taste of alcohol. I rolled them around with my tongue, making sure I hit every spot. The tour frowned at alcohol on my breath at check-in. I kept thinking they'd get used to it, but it hadn't happened yet.

“Kellen?” the girl asked, pulling the sheet tighter around her, sort of like a topless toga. “We can hook up tonight? Right?”

I crouched down, looking for my t-shirt. I found more of her discarded clothing—a black lace bra, a skirt that looked like it hadn't covered nearly half her ass—but couldn't find it.

I straightened myself and looked at her. “What?”

“We can hook up tonight, right?”

I frowned. What was her name? Cheyenne?

“We hooked up last night,” I said.

She smiled at me. “I know. So we should do it again. Because we, like, totally clicked.”

We hadn't. I knew exactly why she was naked in my hotel bed and it wasn't because I'd suddenly decided she was the one. I'd been drunk. I hadn't wanted to be alone. And she was beautiful.

I knew there was no way she could believe what she was spewing, either. She didn't give a shit about me. She didn't even know me. She wanted to do me because of who I was. She wanted to hang on. She wanted to tell her friends she was hooking up with Kellen Handler.

I tossed my stuff in the beat-up blue duffel flattened on top of the dresser. My boards were already on the beach, waiting for me. Along with about five thousand spectators. And Jay's ghost.

I slid my feet into my sandals. I ran my hand through my hair and offered her a half-smile. “Stay as long as you want this morning. Think checkout's at noon.” I wasn't going to tell her that I wouldn't be checking out, that I'd be in that same room for the rest of the weekend.

Her face fell but I was immune to it. I'd seen it before, more times than I could count. Disappointed, mad, maybe even sad. Nah, I thought. Not sad. She just wanted the conquest, thinking she was the one who was finally going to reel me in.

“Don't you want my number?” she asked. “I'm not some psycho that—”

I looked at her for a minute and then sighed. “Look, I don't even remember your name,” I said, trying not to sound too harsh. “And I'm sure you're cool, okay? But it was one night. I'm outta here after the finals. So there's really no point.”

She loosened the sheet, pulling it up over her breasts. She'd lost a little of her confidence.“Yeah, but next time you come through, you could call me. We could hook up again.” She offered a tentative smile. “Pretty sure you had fun.”

My temples throbbed, and it wasn't just from listening to her babble. I'd drank twice as much as I'd planned to last night. Like usual.

If Jay had been there? He always cut me off when I was getting close to the line, especially during competitions. He knew when to stop me and he knew I'd listen.

But he wasn't around anymore and I didn't listen to anyone.

“Did I?” I asked. “Because I don't even remember.” I picked up my phone and checked the time. “I gotta roll.”

“You really don't want my number?” she asked, disbelief in her voice.

I wasn't going to stand there and explain myself. I could tell her it was me and not her, but that would sound like a line. Didn't matter if it was true or not. I could tell her I didn't know when I would be coming back through again and I didn't want to get her hopes up.

But I didn't want to waste my time with reasons. Or hers. It all just sounded like bullshit and she wouldn't get it and then she'd start asking questions and then I'd get pissed and it would just get worse.

I hoisted the bag over my shoulder and opened the door to the room. I glanced at the girl in my bed whose name I couldn't remember and said the same thing I'd said a hundred times before.

“No,” I told her. “I really don't want your number.”

****

There you go. The first chapter of MAVERICK. And I know, Kellen doesn't come off like much of a nice guy here, does he? But, remember, I don't write about assholes. And Kellen most certainly is not one. A little damaged and a little messed up but still a good guy.

You can read more about him in just a couple of weeks!! If you just can't wait, you can always sign up for an e-ARC. I'll be sending out a few at random -- sign up sheet is here.