We're happy to share with you an excerpt today! Blue Crush is a New Adult Romance and it is the second book in The Blue Series. Enjoy!
Blue Crush (Blue Series #2)
by Jules Barnard
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Genevieve Tierney moves to Lake Tahoe after college, determined to go it alone after being betrayed by her boyfriend. Working at a casino and avoiding cheating jerks seems like a good plan, until she meets the one guy tempting enough to drag her back down.
Lewis Sallee is six and a half feet of perfectly sculpted mountain man who threatens her play-it-safe approach and awakens a sex drive she never knew she had. Although Lewis is in a complicated relationship with one of the most beautiful women Gen has ever seen, she can’t seem to control her attraction to him.
To boost her confidence, Gen steps out of her comfort zone and signs up for the Alpine Mudder, a gritty endurance race. But as she prepares for the biggest physical challenge of her life, her emotional strength is pushed to its limits after she accepts Lewis’s help in training. He tests her willpower and has her fighting her body’s response to him—with her mind and heart not far behind.
Excerpt:
I’m falling. Onto Lewis.
This time, instead of catching me, he’s going down too.
I let go of the paddle a split second before it tangles with our bodies. The cold of the water stings my skin in counterpoint to the heat of Lewis’s chest as he envelops me in his arms. I cling to the devastating warmth at the same time I push it away, my instinct to kick to the surface stronger.
I breach the water a second before Lewis pops up, his head flinging back a spray. My teeth chatter. I’m gasping from shock, from cold.
He chuckles.
“This isn’t funny.”
His mouth turns down a fraction, but his smile doesn’t completely fade. He swims to me and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me to his warm chest.
I can’t catch my breath, and it has nothing to do with the water temperature and everything to do with the rightness of his body against mine. Why does he do this to me?
And how is he not freezing his balls off? His body is like a heater.
Lewis’s legs swish below mine to hold us up, the paddleboard drifting off. He swims us in the direction of shore, my body tucked above his like he’s my life raft.
“I can swim on my own.”
“Feel free to,” he says without releasing me.
I stay right where I am—wrapped in his arms. Pathetic, but shit, a woman is only so strong, and my man candy is holding me.
2. I know it’s him before I open my eyes, so I don’t bother. I turn and lean against his chest, covering my face with my hands. Guttural whimpers erupt from my throat, the smooth stroke of his hand on my spine highlighting my body’s shaking.
“What happened in there, Gen?” His velvety voice lures me from the dark, ashamed place inside my head.
There’s no way I’m telling him exactly what happened. I don’t want to think about it, let alone relive it. “You saw what happened.”
He lets out a shaky breath as if he’s trying to calm down. “You have to tell someone.”
Tell someone? Is he kidding? He knows—knows the gist anyway—and that’s bad enough. Lewis is everywhere, witnessing all my humiliations. I look weak in front of him, never how I want to appear. What Drake did to me, my inability to stop it . . . Does Lewis think I bring it on myself, the way Cali does?
“Gen?”
“No,” I croak.
His hand spreads on my back. “Then I’ll do it for you. I’ll tell management what I saw. You should make sure they know what happened, or you should quit your job.” His voice is firm.
“No. Don’t.” I pull away, pressing my fists to my eyes. They come away moist, but no tears fall. I won’t let them. So tired of this shit. Never again.
I make the mistake of looking up. Lewis’s gaze sucks whatever air I managed to regain. His features—intense, addictive—set off a riot of new emotions. Need, want. I hate that he does this to me.
I step away, one foot, then the other.
“Gen . . .” Lewis’s voice pleads, his eyes darting to my quivering mouth, the balled fists at my sides. He doesn’t come closer. He holds himself back.
I don’t blame him. He should stay away.
This time, instead of catching me, he’s going down too.
I let go of the paddle a split second before it tangles with our bodies. The cold of the water stings my skin in counterpoint to the heat of Lewis’s chest as he envelops me in his arms. I cling to the devastating warmth at the same time I push it away, my instinct to kick to the surface stronger.
I breach the water a second before Lewis pops up, his head flinging back a spray. My teeth chatter. I’m gasping from shock, from cold.
He chuckles.
“This isn’t funny.”
His mouth turns down a fraction, but his smile doesn’t completely fade. He swims to me and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me to his warm chest.
I can’t catch my breath, and it has nothing to do with the water temperature and everything to do with the rightness of his body against mine. Why does he do this to me?
And how is he not freezing his balls off? His body is like a heater.
Lewis’s legs swish below mine to hold us up, the paddleboard drifting off. He swims us in the direction of shore, my body tucked above his like he’s my life raft.
“I can swim on my own.”
“Feel free to,” he says without releasing me.
I stay right where I am—wrapped in his arms. Pathetic, but shit, a woman is only so strong, and my man candy is holding me.
2. I know it’s him before I open my eyes, so I don’t bother. I turn and lean against his chest, covering my face with my hands. Guttural whimpers erupt from my throat, the smooth stroke of his hand on my spine highlighting my body’s shaking.
“What happened in there, Gen?” His velvety voice lures me from the dark, ashamed place inside my head.
There’s no way I’m telling him exactly what happened. I don’t want to think about it, let alone relive it. “You saw what happened.”
He lets out a shaky breath as if he’s trying to calm down. “You have to tell someone.”
Tell someone? Is he kidding? He knows—knows the gist anyway—and that’s bad enough. Lewis is everywhere, witnessing all my humiliations. I look weak in front of him, never how I want to appear. What Drake did to me, my inability to stop it . . . Does Lewis think I bring it on myself, the way Cali does?
“Gen?”
“No,” I croak.
His hand spreads on my back. “Then I’ll do it for you. I’ll tell management what I saw. You should make sure they know what happened, or you should quit your job.” His voice is firm.
“No. Don’t.” I pull away, pressing my fists to my eyes. They come away moist, but no tears fall. I won’t let them. So tired of this shit. Never again.
I make the mistake of looking up. Lewis’s gaze sucks whatever air I managed to regain. His features—intense, addictive—set off a riot of new emotions. Need, want. I hate that he does this to me.
I step away, one foot, then the other.
“Gen . . .” Lewis’s voice pleads, his eyes darting to my quivering mouth, the balled fists at my sides. He doesn’t come closer. He holds himself back.
I don’t blame him. He should stay away.
Jules Barnard Bio:
Jules Barnard is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. She attended UC Davis, whose college landscape often finds its way into her New Adult novels. She has a Master’s degree and spent many an hour running statistical analysis, until she realized her favorite part of the job was writing reports. She decided to cut out the math and add in some hot guys, and so began her career as a novelist.
Jules is a Northern California native living on the coast with her husband and two children. She has no impulse control around cupcakes and credits herself with the ability to read while running on the treadmill or burning dinner.
Deep Blue (Blue Series #1) by Jules Barnard
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cant wait to read...sounds great
ReplyDeleteThank you for having me today!
ReplyDeleteWooohooo that's some palpable angst! Great excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win and for sharing the post!
ReplyDeletesounds so good.
ReplyDeletelooks and sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds interesting, thanks. Deb P
ReplyDeleteLoved the excerpt! Looks like an awesome book!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to see that a fellow Aggie has achieved writing success! I will seek out the first installment in the series and cross my fingers to be lucky in the giveaway. Best wishes for the future!
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