30 DAYS by Christine d'Abo ~Excerpt~
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30 DAYS
Christine d'Abo
Releasing July 28th, 2015
Kensington
For
years, Alyssa has been going to bed with a memory. Is she ready to wake up with
a fantasy?
Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mate, but not Alyssa Barrow. She met Rob at sixteen, and they were set to live happily ever after—until he became ill. In his final days, Rob urged his beautiful, young wife not to abandon happiness—or pleasure. He even left her a special gift, a sexy game plan to help her move on: Thirty cards with instructions for thirty days of passion. You’ll know when the time is right, he’d said. Now it’s two years later, and when Alyssa meets her hot new neighbor, Harrison Kemp, she begins to think the right time is right now…
Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mate, but not Alyssa Barrow. She met Rob at sixteen, and they were set to live happily ever after—until he became ill. In his final days, Rob urged his beautiful, young wife not to abandon happiness—or pleasure. He even left her a special gift, a sexy game plan to help her move on: Thirty cards with instructions for thirty days of passion. You’ll know when the time is right, he’d said. Now it’s two years later, and when Alyssa meets her hot new neighbor, Harrison Kemp, she begins to think the right time is right now…
From his sculpted thighs to his
devilish grin, Harrison is the kind of man women want. Before she
can lose her nerve, Alyssa tells Harrison about her long-ignored cards…and asks
him to help her fulfill them. It’s a favor he’s more than happy to, um,
perform. With his skillful touch, and the hot press of his lips against her
skin, Alyssa finds herself re-awakening to life—and a host of other sensations.
But what began as not-so-innocent fun soon grows into true intimacy, and Alyssa
realizes she’s opening herself up not just to sex…but to love. When it comes to
a future with Harrison, what’s really in the cards?
Saucy, heartwarming, and
insightful, 30 Days explores the agony—and the ecstasy—of
starting over, and how a little encouragement, and a little courage, can go a
long way…
“This is the absolute worst idea
ever.” I stopped moving just past the coat check, crossed my arms, and glared
at Nikki. “Seriously, I’m not going any farther.”
I’ve let my sister talk me into a
great number of dumb things over the years, but going to a nightclub filled
mostly with university students was now at the top of that list. While I
certainly don’t consider myself old, it became painfully obvious to me in the
first five minutes of our arrival that I was also no longer twenty. Even as I
stood there glaring, a group of glammed-up girls walked past wearing outfits
that—okay Goddamn they looked really hot—announced that they were here for a
good time. I was at least ten years older than most of these people. How the
hell did she expect me to find someone to have random sex with here? Just go up
and be all hey, want to fuck?
Okay, that was a bit of a dumb
question.
But still!
Nikki dismissed my concerns with a
wave of her hand and a quick, “Trust me,” before she pulled me onto the dance
floor. I knew I shouldn’t have let her read through Rob’s cards. My sister on a
mission was never a good thing.
She’d gotten this crazy idea that
the best way to jump-start my reintroduction into the world of dating was to
take a survey of the available options. I wasn’t thrilled with her speed-
dating choice, but in retrospect, it might have made more sense than this.
Honest to God, I didn’t even know what song was playing. And were they
twerking?
No way in hell.
“Nikki—”
She covered my mouth with her hand.
“Baby, just have fun. That’s all this is about. Not about sex, or finding a
life partner. We’re just here to enjoy ourselves. Two girls out on the town
having fun.”
My sister is a dance freak and was
quickly swallowed up by the throng of writhing bodies. Alone, I had two
choices: dance or leave. Nikki was right about one thing, I hadn’t let myself
have much in the way of fun for a long time. So what if this wasn’t my normal
sort of evening out. The whole point was to get out there and do something
different. A quick look around the club reassured me that I wasn’t the only one
here in my thirties. Everyone was having a good time. There was no reason why I
couldn’t go out there and have fun too.
I took a step toward the dance
floor. When the world didn’t end, I took another. As I moved closer, the bass
from the music shook out my hesitation and the rhythm started to win me over. I
got as far as the edge of the crowd, close enough to be a participant. I closed
my eyes and tried to relax, to get into the flow of the beat. I let out a breath
and began to move my hips in rhythm. The song didn’t matter, the people around
me didn’t matter. I was here to enjoy myself.
For the first time in a long time, I
had to give myself permission to be selfish.
So that’s what I
did.
Christine d’Abo is
a romance novelist and short story writer, with over thirty publications to her
name. She loves to exercise and stops writing just long enough to keep her body
in motion too. When she’s not pretending to be a ninja in her basement,
she’s most likely spending time with her husband, daughters, and her two dogs.
Thank you so much for hosting 30 DAYS!
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