Well, on May 4th, the blog tour for Breaking Noah kicked off with a BANG!!! Not only are some pretty amazing blogs posting their reviews for the co-authored book between Missy Johnson and myself, but my amazing publisher has offered up some pretty great prizes. Check out the daily blog tour stops and enter the giveaway to win some great prizes from myself, Loveswept and other Loveswept authors.
Read on for an excerpt from Breaking Noah and get ready ... May 12th is going to be an exciting day!
BREAKING NOAH EXCERPT
He’s
flustered.
I
suppose if I’d been caught stalking a student, I’d be flustered, too. I stand
there with my hand on my hip, my eyebrows raised, waiting for him to say
something. Containing my smirk is harder than I’d imagined. I really couldn’t
have planned this any better if I’d tried. Oh, Karly, justice is so close, I
can taste it.
I
don’t even think he’s aware he’s glanced at my chest three times already.
Noah’s already putty in my hands.
“Mr.
Bain? Would you like to tell me why you’re at my home, of all places? You
couldn’t be stalking me, could you?” The cool, sarcastic tone of my voice
surprises even me. I had no idea I had it in me—so Karly-like. It’s as if her
attitude’s flowing through me.
He’s
so uncomfortable that it’s a real effort for me not to laugh. What the hell is
he doing here, outside my apartment? This guy really is the definition of creep.
The way he looked at me today, and now this? I shiver and run my hands over
my arms. He might be the worst kind of predator—attractive, intelligent, with a
smile that could charm the pants off a nun. It would have been easy for Karly
to fall for him and never be able to see the disastrous results coming.
“I
was in the area . . .” His voice trails off as his face resigns to the fact
that there is nothing he can say to get him out of this. I don’t think watching
him squirm will ever get old. How’s that hot seat feel? It’s only going to
get worse.
“Dammit,”
he curses, slamming his hands down on the steering wheel in frustration.
“Language,
Professor Bain,” I chide softly. I lean forward so my arms are resting on the
door frame of his car.
He
runs a hand through his dark, unruly hair, his pale blue eyes darting around,
and I can see the effort he’s putting forth to not look at me. Maybe he’s
expecting me to be angrier than I am? That I’d be making more of a scene? But
how can I be? This is perfect.
I never
expected to have this kind of effect on him this early, and as creepy as
he’s being right now, this is exactly what I want. I really thought I’d at
least have to put in some sort of effort.
He
finally speaks. “I wanted to check that you were okay.” His voice is quiet, and
I’m confronted by how much I actually believe his words.
Don’t
get dragged in, Zara. This
is probably how he lured Karly, too. Acting allconcerned and gentlemanlike. I
want to pull his heart straight out of his chest, but there’s much better ways
to handle men like him.
“Why
wouldn’t I be okay?” I laugh. I pretend his words don’t affect me, but they do.
I’m not used to anyone outside of my family actually caring about me. I’m
usually referred to as the lone wolf. With the exception of Karly and my
brother, nobody knows me. I’ve never given anyone the chance. Not even Dillon.
He’s seen glimpses of who I really am, but allowing anyone that close gives
them the opportunity to hurt me.
“I
had a feeling.” He shrugs, shaking his head as if he can’t put into words
exactly what he’s doing. The sweat beading on his forehead and the slight
tremor in his hands have me wondering if this really is out of character for
him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here, and you obviously weren’t meant to
see . . .”
“That
you were spying on me?” I supply. “I can assure you, Professor Bain, I’m quite
all right, and not in need of saving, or whatever it is that you’re doing
here,” I protest. “I can only imagine what the dean would say if she found out
about this. I’m not exactly sure, but I would think that showing up at a
student’s home in the middle of the night with some sort of feeling could land
even the most trusted professor in some serious hot water.” Start begging,
Noah. The unintentional trap I’ve laid for him: It’s pure genius. I only
wish I’d thought of it myself.
“Please,
Zara. Can we keep this between us? I’m sorry . . .” He curses again, gripping
the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turn a ghostly white. I know the color
well. I’m sure if I uncoiled my tightly wrapped hands, they’d match his perfectly.
I
bite back a smile. I can’t help it; I’m amused, yet angered at the same time.
How is it possible to feel both of these emotions simultaneously? Wanting to
giggle and punch him in the face? I wish there were some manual to tell me
which feeling I should have.
I’ve
never seen a grown man so worked up before. His embarrassment is obvious, yet
there’s something else I can’t put my finger on. Maybe genuine concern? But
that can’t be the case. He hasn’t known me long enough to feel that way. He
starts the engine and I step back, cross my arms over my chest and attempt to
keep my fists hidden from sight. I bite my lip and watch him shift the
gearshift into drive.
“Sure,
Professor Bain,” I whisper, biting my lip. Releasing balled hands, my finger
toys with the necklace that hangs around my neck, drawing his gaze once again
to my breasts—a trick Karly taught me when we were teenagers trying to buy
beer. Give a man an excuse to ogle your goodies and you’ve won without even
having to try. I tilt my head and smile at him. “This will be our little
secret, okay?” A secret that I’m going to use against you anytime I wish, I
think to myself, inwardly rubbing my hands and cackling like a mad scientist.
“I’ll
see you tomorrow, Ms. Hamilton,” he says nervously. He checks his blind spot,
or to see if anyone else is watching our interaction, and sheepishly smiles.
I
watch as he drives off, the car disappearing into the night. I stand on the
road for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts before I head inside. The last
thing I need is Dillon poking his nose around where it doesn’t belong. This is
my fight.
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