Waiting
for a Girl Like You
Kissables
Book
1
Gina
Conkle
Genre:
Hot Contemporary Romance
Date
of Publication: Dec. 13, 2016
ISBN:
978-0998305615
ASIN:
B01N3LCLJB
Number
of pages: 225
Word
Count: 56,000
Cover
Artist: Rebecca of Dreams2Media
Book
Description:
2
Stories in 1 Book
Proper
Care and Feeding of a Broken Heart
Bookstore
clerk Abbie is off-the-charts nervous her first night moonlighting in
a sex-for-hire job. If she only kept her mouth shut…but nothing
goes as expected, including the intense blue-eyed surfer who walks
through her door. Mark wants to work out a few kinks —and leave the
lifestyle for good. Past mistakes still haunt him, but sweet Abbie
turns Mark’s plans upside down, and two broken hearts discover
honesty is the hottest aphrodisiac.
Anything
But Safe
Former
trophy wife Jennifer wants to thrive again, but when her new life
hits a speedbump, her unlikely hero is rough working man AJ. The
woman AJ rescued is out of his league, but the two together are
magic. Jennifer smooths his hard edges, and when she’s with AJ, her
true, quirky colors show. A surprise threatens to derail the two who
quickly learn…love is anything but safe.
Excerpts:
Waiting for a Girl Like You (2 stories in 1 book)
The
Proper Care and Feeding of a Broken Heart (story 1)
My
cheeks burned but I stood taller. “I don’t know what Mrs. Smith
told you but when she said ‘fresh face’ that was code for I don’t
know what I’m doing. I’ve never done this before. Any of it. Not
sex for hire. And certainly not BDSM. Much as I want to bolt, I need
the money. So can we get this over with?”
Another
dry chuckle. “You know how to get a man going.”
I
glared at him through my bangs and hugged myself tighter. Music
pulsed from the room next door, but I couldn’t say what the song
was. Did they need a sound track to get going? The frazzled side of
me surrendered to how little I knew about sex. Despite standing
bravely, I was small and adrift on an unknown sea.
Surfer
Man stepped within touching distance, his blue eyes on the verge of
grey, lit with a strange mixture of hard shell and tender patience. A
faint line traced the left side of his mouth like contempt came easy.
“First
rule,” he said evenly. “You only talk when spoken to.”
“Then
what am I supposed to call you?”
The
question startled us both. I was throwing out the no names rule and
for good reason. Something dawned on me. With the closed door, it was
just the two of us. This square room was my island. Control could go
either way. Surfer Man’s mouth opened, but an adrenaline rush took
over and my hip cocked sideways. In the world of fight or flight, my
body tensed with its version of fight.
“Oh,
let me guess. You’re going to say Call me master or some crap like
that. I work at a bookstore. I’ve read those please spank me Mr.
Billionaire books.”
I
liked a few of them. Reading the books was one thing. Living them was
another.
One
side of his mouth curved up. “Maybe you should tell me how you
really feel.”
I
exhaled slowly, blowing bangs off my forehead. No sense in telling
him what I really thought. Talk about a mood killer. No man wanted to
hear me say this place is for losers who can’t find a girl. Yet,
this guy was no loser.
“Real
billionaires don’t look like you do in those jeans of yours.”
He
chuckled, his blue eyes flaring wider. “I’m no billionaire.”
Oh,
but you are one hot man. Thankfully my filter worked and I kept that
to myself.
“You
know what it is? It’s the whole BDSM scene thing. Sex isn’t a
scene. It’s sex. Two people being honest skin to skin.”
Sinews
under his forearms flexed while music cranked louder in the next
room. His hard shell scrutiny narrowed, and I cringed. Sneering at my
customer’s preferences wasn’t a smart idea. How he got his rocks
off was his business.
“Honest
sex.” He let the words settle in his mouth. Surfer Man shook his
head and made for his gym bag.
“What?
Are you leaving?” My voice notched higher. I didn’t want him
tying me up, but I didn’t want him to leave.
“This
wasn’t a good idea.”
Scowling
at me, he stood under the bulb, the red light pouring over him. How
was it a nice looking man in his thirties paid a hefty price to tie a
woman up yet he was the one getting all contorted about it? I was
pretty sure he could get the average beach bunny to shed her bikini
and play sex games for a night. Unless his tastes ran too dark.
I
eyed the bag at his feet. Dust lined a few creases. “Maybe we could
talk instead.”
He
laughed harshly. “You’re naked. I paid for sex with a pretty
woman.
Not
conversation.”
“Want
me to cover myself with the sheet?”
“No,”
he said, his face screwing up like I wasn’t playing with a full
deck. “I don’t want you to cover yourself.”
Feet
planted wide, the bulge in his jeans was gone. The lost reaction
bugged me. He didn’t find me attractive anymore? To add to the
strangeness, my reversal irked me. I should be glad. I could run down
the hall, grab my clothes and purse, and run out the door and never
come back.
Red-tinged
light cast shadows over his features. He set both hands on his hips,
his raw voice reaching out to me. “Why do you want me to stay?”
Anything
But Safe (story 2)
Tendons
stood out on AJ’s neck. If she read him right, he was flummoxed by
their sizzling chemistry. What made this different was liking each
other so quickly. It was powerful. Overwhelming and mind-consuming.
Conversation flowed naturally. She’d dumped her troubles at his
feet last night without a second thought. AJ listened. And when
things weren’t hot and heavy, he was fun. She needed fun.
His
long legs stretched out under her old table last night did things to
her. Her nerves shot to life when predatory blue eyes tracked her
movement in the kitchen. AJ was different. Comfortable and
uncomfortable at the same time. And his thoughtfulness with the
herbs? She wanted to kiss every inch of skin on his body.
“No
need to glower at me,” she said. “You brought up how different we
are last night right after I got into your truck.”
His
mouth’s hard line softened. “That’s what’s bugging you?”
“It
didn’t bother me. Not at first. Then, after Richard’s call, I
wondered if I was making another bad decision.” Her voice faded.
“You were a great listener, but it crossed my mind that you were
after one thing and one thing only.”
AJ’s
crystalline blue eyes pierced her. “Sex.”
The
nicest shiver ran down her legs. “Yes.”
Hot
sun beat down on the rest of the world. It was August. Standing under
the pepper tree, AJ was a tall, cool drink of water. Stained
coveralls didn’t put her off nor did his tattoo and the rough
cadence of his speech. Under the gruff exterior was a real man with a
good heart. He visually devoured her every time they’d crossed
paths around town, and last night was no exception. But, could she be
content with a sex only fling?
“Well,
that’s a relief.” Faint sarcasm edged his last word.
“What
is?”
His
steady gaze never wavered. “I thought you might be going in a
different direction.”
She
cocked her head. “Did you think I was about to give you the ‘let’s
be friends’ talk?”
“I
thought you were about to give me the ‘let’s hook up for sex
only’ talk.”
“Oh
AJ,” she said around hiccups of laughter. Her cheeks burned. She
shook her head, a little dazed. “I…I don’t know what to say to
that.”
“It’s
not the first time a woman like you propositioned me.”
Eyes
rounding, she laughed at the absurdity. “I’m not propositioning
you.”
“Good
because my answer would be no.”
She’d
come for lunch and conversation of the talking variety. A kiss or two
was more than welcome, but they needed to slow down, let things
simmer. AJ’s forbidding frown told her some of Hidden Valley’s
well-shod women had dallied with him, and he was having no more of
it. The town was an eclectic mix of gated communities, small
farm-to-table co-ops and wineries. A lot of working class people had
lived here long before it was hip.
Hurt
bloomed in her chest at the idea of any woman taking advantage of
AJ’s goodness. Or his body. His past was likely more colorful than
hers, but his flat out refusal to hook up intrigued her. He’d
messed around in the past. What made him change his mind?
About
the Author:
Gina
Conkle writes Viking, Georgian, and contemporary romance. She grew up
in southern California and despite all that sunshine, she love books
over beaches and stone castles over sand castles. Now Gina lives in
Michigan with her favorite alpha male, Brian, and their two sons
where she occasionally gardens and cooks. Living in snow gives her
the perfect excuse to get lost in reading and writing.
***
Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?
I am a “plantser” which means I start writing as a “pantser” and then stop partway and give characters and plot some structure. I do research beforehand and during writing, which adds to the creative mix.
Do your characters ever want to take over the story?
Absolutely! I let them run the show. That’s where the best, insightful parts come.
What is your favourite food?
I like the combination of chocolate and peanut butter.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Night owl.
Where do you dream of travelling to and why?
I’d like to go to Iceland (more Viking research and the island is beautiful). I’ve also wanted to hike Hadrian’s Wall for years. That’s a “someday” dream.
Do distant places feature in your books?
No. Waiting for a Girl Like You is 2 stories in 1 book and both take place in southern California.
Do you listen to music while writing?
Yes. I looped U2’s “One” and Rolling Stone’s “Beast of Burden” a lot. Then I listened to some Norah Jones and City and Colour’s “Lover Come Back.”
Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?
Waiting for a Girl Like You is an experiment for me. It’s the first in a series that delves into each genre I write (Viking, Georgian, and now contemporary romance). Each book will feature two novellas and/or category length stories that are connected (though that’s not the case with Waiting for a Girl Like You.
The stories are much steamier. The first story opens in a modern day brothel in California. The hero, Mark, is working his way out of BDSM when he meets Abbie. Both discover honesty is the hottest aphrodisiac.
The second story is AJ’s romance with Jennifer, a former trophy wife figuring out what’s next for her. AJ is the rough-edged working man she’s seen around town, but circumstances put them together and the chemistry is hot and sweet.
What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?
I’ve been published three years now and my eye-opening realization is that publishing is really a version of the entertainment industry. The fads. The who’s hot and who’s not. Your sub-genre may not be in vogue today, but keep writing. It will most likely cycle around again.
Is there anything you would do differently?
Yes. The publisher of my first book, Norse Jewel (a single title Viking romance) asked me to cut the book down to category length. I agreed (so I take full responsibility for the decision). I wished I would’ve honored the story as it was originally written.
Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?
I’ve learned a lot from writer/teachers: Laurie Schnebly-Campbell, Mary Buckham, and Alicia Rasley.
Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?
Make writing a daily, disciplined habit. Write what you love, what makes you happy.
What are three words that describe you?
History-nerd. Determined. Happy.
What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?
One of my all-time favorite books is Josie Litton’s Dream of Me. I don’t have an auto-buy author.
List of previous books if any
Norse Jewel, book 1 Norse series
To Find a Viking Treasure, book 2 Norse series
Meet the Earl at Midnight, book 1 Midnight Meetings series
The Lady Meets Her Match, book 2 Midnight Meetings series
Tour
giveaway
Samsung
Galaxy Tab A Nook w/ 7” HD Screen.
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