Crushed
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 7, 2014
Description:
Brooklyn has decided to stick around campus to pursue her Master’s Degree while her boyfriend chases a job opportunity in Chicago. After discovering that long distance relations rarely work out, her best friend helps her to decide that she needs to put down the daily pints of therapeutic ice cream and join their local gym.
Though resistant to the idea at first, Brooklyn relents and finds that things quickly heat up with her new personal trainer Collin. Is it just a flirtatious crush, or is there something real there? And will the blind date her best friend has also committed her to have any weight in the decision on whether or not Brooklyn will pursue her chances with Collin?
Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
And that’s when I saw him. He was leaning casually against the check-in desk, the absurdly chiseled muscles of his arm flexing under the weight of his perfect body. They were easy to see, thanks to the black top he’d cut the sides out of. His dark brown eyes glistened with boyish mischief while his lips curled into an appealingly delicious smile. The low rumble of laughter that flowed from his chest moved through me, over me, and almost immediately – I’m ashamed to say – I could picture myself in those sexy arms with his hands moving in all sorts of ways. It was one of those knock-down-drag-out images that stilled me in my tracks. And I’m pretty certain my face turned a million shades of red.
All at once, I felt those nerves flooding back. Only they were a thousand times stronger than they’d been in the parking lot, and for a fairly long second I thought I might hurl right then and there. But I swallowed down the sensation, clenched my jittery hands and tried my best to manage a natural smile as Savannah walked confidently up to scan her little card. As we approached the desk, getting closer and closer to the hottie at the side, I secretly wished I’d worn a cute little outfit like Savannah’s...
Everyone behind the desk greeted her by name – she was daily regular, and she had the body to account for it. I crept up timidly behind her, hoping that no one noticed me. But I didn’t stand a chance at that for too long. Before I realized what had happened, Savannah had turned around and gestured in my direction. “This is my friend Brooklyn, she’s signing up today.”
Suddenly, all eyes were on me. Including the hot stranger’s. And I felt my face blush against my will again. “Hi.” I waved timidly, and I could feel him smiling beside me.
“Cute name.” He said, but I’m pretty sure I was the only one who heard him. And I was also pretty sure I was crushing on him pretty hard.
After getting the necessary pre-requisites out of the way about how trials and memberships work, and after they gave me their boring sales run-down with the hopes of converting me right then and there, I was given a little card like Savannah’s that would only be active for a week. Then the main girl behind the counter with the too-chipper voice said, “You also get one free session with a personal trainer with your trial. Did you want to use that today? Most people say it helps them to get familiar with the equipment.” She shrugged.
I opened my mouth to object, but before I could push the words out, Savannah had gestured toward the hot guy who was still leaning against the counter. “Collin, you’re a personal trainer, right?”
My head jerked in his direction, and I wondered if my expression looked as panicked as I felt. Knowing Savannah like I did, I knew exactly where this was going.
“Yeah, sure am.” He smiled as he straightened.
“Great!” She was overly enthusiastic, and I felt my morbid embarrassment heighten. “Do you have time to show her around?”
“I’m on in ten.” After glancing at a clock on the wall, he turned his full attention directly to me. “Want to meet me over by the lockers?”
Everything in me wanted to scream yes! with the same force that it wanted to bolt right back out the door, get in my car, and never return. I was torn, undecided on which would be the least embarrassing, and the internal controversy had paralyzed my ability to respond with any ounce of smoothness. Finally, I felt myself nodding my head, and he seemed to accept this as a positive confirmation.
“Great. See you in a few minutes.” There was a slight chance he might have winked at the end. But it also could’ve been the sun streaming in through the all the windows at the front of the building, so I tried my best not to get my hopes up. As he walked away, assumedly to change into a less distracting ensemble, I wondered if anyone else noticed my gaping mouth as I stared at his impossibly tight ass and broad, well-defined shoulders. When Savannah nudged me, I decided that was confirmation enough.
Though I would never admit this to her in a hundred years, it was occurring to me that maybe my friend had been right – maybe this was exactly what I needed. Hell, I was beginning to feel better already.
Renee' Novelle is preceded by a long line of published family
members, including Pulitzer Prize nominated author and Poet Laureate of
Kentucky Jesse Stuart.
As a child, Novelle was already gaining recognition for several of her works, and in her formative years, she continued this trend by earning local awards for her short stories and poems.
Inspired to cultivate her talent, Novelle pursued freelance journalism and has found placement of more than 80 of her pieces in both online and print publications since 2008. Additionally, she has written multiple screenplays, and contributed her savvy, effective writing style to many non-profit and for profit organizations. She also launched several blogs over the years, which garnered international attention.
In 2013, Novelle returned to her first love - fiction. Writing under the names Renee Novelle and R.S. Novelle, she has a publication schedule that includes psychological thrillers, suspense, paranormal fiction, contemporary women's fiction, chick lit, and new adult.
Though she received her Bachelor's of Science in Communication, Summa Cum Laude, she considers herself a constant student of the written word. She's an avid reader, an enthusiastic quote poster, and rarely takes "no" as a final answer. She has an unhealthy obsession for theater, dance, music and art, and strongly believes that wine is simultaneously the beginning of, and resolution to, all of life's problems. She believes in following dreams, and that in the end, you always end up where you're meant to be.
For more information, to view pictures, read blog posts and see the upcoming release schedule, please visit the website at www.RSNovelle.com
As a child, Novelle was already gaining recognition for several of her works, and in her formative years, she continued this trend by earning local awards for her short stories and poems.
Inspired to cultivate her talent, Novelle pursued freelance journalism and has found placement of more than 80 of her pieces in both online and print publications since 2008. Additionally, she has written multiple screenplays, and contributed her savvy, effective writing style to many non-profit and for profit organizations. She also launched several blogs over the years, which garnered international attention.
In 2013, Novelle returned to her first love - fiction. Writing under the names Renee Novelle and R.S. Novelle, she has a publication schedule that includes psychological thrillers, suspense, paranormal fiction, contemporary women's fiction, chick lit, and new adult.
Though she received her Bachelor's of Science in Communication, Summa Cum Laude, she considers herself a constant student of the written word. She's an avid reader, an enthusiastic quote poster, and rarely takes "no" as a final answer. She has an unhealthy obsession for theater, dance, music and art, and strongly believes that wine is simultaneously the beginning of, and resolution to, all of life's problems. She believes in following dreams, and that in the end, you always end up where you're meant to be.
For more information, to view pictures, read blog posts and see the upcoming release schedule, please visit the website at www.RSNovelle.com
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Hot cover! I'm intrigued!
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