About Me
- Katie Ashley
- Atlanta, GA, United States
- I am the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Best Selling author of The Proposition, Proposal, Music of the Heart, and Nets and Lies. I am represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel and Goderich for all books except for Proposition and Proposal.
The Proposition
Thursday, February 28, 2013
5K Likes Giveaway Extravaganza!!
So I reached 5K likes on Facebook, and I wanted to give back to my readers. Since November and The Proposition's release, I've been on an AMAZING journey. I can't thank you all enough for all your support and love for my books.
Here's just a bit of a thank you.
5 Sets of signed and personalized copies of The Proposition and Proposal
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When I reach 7K likes, I'm giving away a Kindle Fire or if you already have a Kindle Fire, you get an Amazon gift card for the price!!!
BIG HUGS AND THANKS AGAIN!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Here's just a bit of a thank you.
5 Sets of signed and personalized copies of The Proposition and Proposal
10 sets of Swag Packs with Proposition and Proposal Postcards, a Bookmark, and personalized Proposition/Proposal Pens, Mint Tins, and Lip Balm.
.JPG)
When I reach 7K likes, I'm giving away a Kindle Fire or if you already have a Kindle Fire, you get an Amazon gift card for the price!!!
BIG HUGS AND THANKS AGAIN!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Teaser Tuesday: Like a Virgin
So, this will be the last teaser for February. We're coming up on just a short month before the release!! Very exciting!!This is later in the day/evening after Chapter 2 when the band stops for dinner at a seedy bar/truck stop, lol. Jake and Abby continue to love one upping and betting each other on things. Jake has stated he could never, ever willingly...erm, get it up for a virgin, which Abby is. And here we go!
*ROUGH DRAFT AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
“Um, I’ll be right back,” Abby muttered before practically falling
out of her chair and sprinting from the table.
After
downing the rest of my beer, I glanced up to see the guys glaring at me. “What?”
Brayden
leaned forward so far across the table that his elbows bumped into mine. “You’re
an utter and complete asshole for hurting her feelings about the virgin thing.”
“I’m a dick
for telling the truth?”
AJ snorted contemptuously
at me. “It’s called a fucking filter, man. Try using it from time to time.”
When I
glanced at Rhys, he narrowed his eyes. “So not cool to make Abby feel bad about
herself, especially when she’s as smoking hot as she is.”
I opened my
mouth to argue when the screech of the karaoke microphone being tapped drew my
attention to the stage. Gazing out at us, Abby gave me a sickeningly, sweet
smile. Immediately my stomach churned, and I knew I was about to be publically called out for being a douchebag.
“I hope you
all don’t mind me singing again.”
The
scattered group of truckers whistled and hooted appreciatively, which caused
Abby to grin and breathlessly say, “Thank you.” Gripping the microphone
tighter, she said, “It’s just that I really would like to win a bet tonight,
and singing this is the only way I see being able to do it.” Once again her
blue eyes locked with mine. “Jake, this one is for you.”
She nodded
at the DJ who pressed the play button on the music. It took all of two seconds
for me to recognize the opening bass thumps. “Oh fuck,” I murmured as Like a Virgin began blaring throughout
the bar. As soon as some of the inebriated truckers realized the song, they
hollered and clapped their hands.
From the
minute she started singing, it was like Abby sent a direct beam of lust
straight to me. I mean, I knew I put on an act when I was on stage, so the fact
she was a performer should have made her behavior less believable. But damn was
she convincing as a temptress. Every shimmy and shake of her luscious body,
every time she tossed her head back and ran her fingers through her hair, every
slinky step she took and thrust of her hips was driving me fucking insane.
If I
thought I was stunned, the other guys were open-mouthed and wide-eyed at her performance.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught AJ gulping down his beer like a man dying
of thirst. Even Brayden was eying Abby in a way I hadn’t seen in years—although
it was a helluva lot more innocent than how AJ, Rhys, and I were ogling.
Shifting in my seat, I knew it wasn’t
going to be long before I lost the bet. Then all hell broke loose below my belt
with Abby’s next move. Sinking down to her knees, Abby then began to do the
unthinkable. She started crawling towards the end of the stage—never missing a
beat or lyric. Sitting below her, I had a straight shot down the front of her
dress at her fabulous rack. When she reached the end of the stage, she swung
her legs around, and for a brief moment, I got a flash of her upper thighs
before she let her legs dangle off the edge.
She hopped
down and slunk over to our table. Without a glance at the other guys, she gave
me a seductive crook of her finger. I shook my head and grinned, trying to make
her believe she was having no effect on me, which was a fucking lie. But Abby
wasn’t having any of it. She strode over to me as she ran her hand over her
hips and ass as she sang about being touched for the first time. Her fingers then
slid through my hair and across to cup my cheek before playfully smacking it.
Just when I thought she was headed back to the
stage, she backed up and straddled my lap. A hiss escaped my lips as she started
moving her ass across my crotch. I couldn’t help throwing my head back and
groaning. I’d been given expert lap dances in my day from some of the highest
paid strippers in the business. Abby was clumsy and didn’t know exactly how to
ride to me to achieve the most pleasure for my dick, but damn, if I couldn’t
feel her hot, little center burning through my jeans. I had been at half-mast
before, but I figured at any minute with her practically panting the oohing and aahing
parts of the song I would be busting out of my zipper.
Even in her non-existent
experience, she knew what was up--no pun intended. With the song still playing,
Abby glanced over her shoulder and shot me a triumphant look. “Do you now
concede to all the guys that you knowingly and willingly got it up for a virgin, or should I continue?”
Although my dick would have enjoyed
her continuing the half-hearted attempt at a lap dance, I shook my head. “Okay,
Angel, you win. You're the sexiest fucking virgin I have ever had the pleasure to get it up for.”
As AJ and
Rhys clapped and cat-called, Abby started to slide off my lap. When she did, I
grabbed her arm and spun her around to where she was straddling me again, but this
time we were face to face. A startled look flashed in her dark blue eyes. I
leaned in closer to her. My breath tickled her earlobe, and she shivered. “So you got me all hot and bothered, but wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?”
Her chest
rose and fell in heavy pants. “You’re quoting Romeo and Juliet?”
“Why do you
act so surprised?”
“You didn’t
impress me much as the kind of guy who liked to read, least of all
Shakespeare.”
“I’m full
of surprises, Angel.” My hands gripped her hips tighter. “Just get to know me a
little better.”
Abby rolled
her eyes. “Did you seriously just use a bad pick-up line on me?”
“Who said
it was a line? Maybe I do want you to get to know me better.” When she quirked
her eyebrows, I laughed. “And not just in the biblical sense.”
And for your listening pleasure....
And for your listening pleasure....
Thursday, February 14, 2013
THANK YOU & Chapter Two of Music of the Heart
So what a coincidence that I reached 4K likes on my Facebook page on Valentine's Day! I can't thank you all enough for your love and support--especially Amber Vaughn for her HILARIOUS Jake Gyllenhal and Adam Levine pics encouraging you to like my page.
And here it is....Chapter Two of Music of the Heart--that releases March 25th. This is in Jake's POV. It's right after Abby nailed him in the balls to get out of his bed and then passed out...
Typical Drill of "This is a rough draft and subject to change..."
CHAPTER TWO
Scorching pain ripped through my crotch, and I groaned in
agony. One minute I’d been making out with an angel straight out of Heaven and
the next a hellish wildfire raged through my junk.
In my haze, I heard the angel screaming her fucking head off
and then I heard a loud thump. Once I could see straight again, I gritted my
teeth and staggered out of bed. I cupped my aching balls through my boxers and
stumbled to the bedroom doorway.
The angel, turned raging bitch, lay in a heap in the
hallway. AJ sat beside her, cradling her head in his lap, while my other band-mates,
Brayden and Rhys, knelt down, staring at her in silent wonder.
When Brayden caught sight of me in the doorway, he narrowed
his dark eyes. He rose up and took a step towards me, his jaw clenched tight.
His 6’2, muscled form might have been threatening if I didn’t know him for the
total tender-hearted pansy he was. “Dude, what the fuck is going on?”
I threw my hands up. “How the hell should I know? I woke up
to find her in my bed and then she nailed me in the balls!”
AJ shook his dark head of hair and snickered. “You gotta
work on your game, man.”
I flicked him off before grinding the sleep out of my eyes
with my fists. “I thought it was Bree, and then she was saying something about
a dude named Gabe and her brothers putting me up to it.”
“That makes total sense. I mean, what sweet, straight laced
girl like this is going to be getting in your bed,” Rhys remarked, his blue
eyes twinkling with amusement as he twirled the diamond stud in his ear.
We all gazed down at the girl. Nope, she was definitely not
groupie material. She reminded me of Brayden’s wife, Lily. They’d been high
school sweet-hearts, and somehow their relationship had survived the last eight
years of craziness as our band went from the garage to the biggest arenas in
the country.
Scratching the dark stubble on his chin, AJ grinned
wickedly. “Hmm, with the sundress and headband, she’s kinda got a Sookie
Stackhouse/True Blood look going on.
Pure but sexy as hell.”
Rhys wrinkled his nose and shook his blonde head. “Oh hell
no. She’s a hundred times hotter in the face than Sookie!” He motioned to the
angel’s cleavage. “And damn, look at that rack.”
Brayden grunted in frustration. “Guys, could you stop
thinking with your dicks for one minute, and focus on the fact we’ve got a
poor, helpless girl passed out on the floor!”
“You’ve been married too long, Bray,” I mused, continuing to
take in the blonde’s features. She had felt like heaven pressed up against me. Well,
until she’d cock blocked me rather painfully.
At her moan, we all jumped back like we’d been caught doing
something we shouldn’t have. She blinked her eyes a few times, bringing her
hand to her forehead. Her brows furrowed as she rubbed her fingertips into her
hairline. Then her eyes flew open, and she stared up at us. Her face crumpled
with mortification. “Oh God, it wasn’t a nightmare.”
AJ laughed. “Ya know, chicks are usually a lot more stoked
about meeting us than you are.”
Her dark blue eyes widened. “Oh, I’m sorry if I sounded
rude. I didn’t mean that how it came out.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and snorted. “Kneeing me in
the junk was rude, babe.”
She cocked her head to the side and gave me a death glare
before pulling herself into a sitting position. “You wouldn’t stop molesting
me. What else was I supposed to do?” she snapped.
Brayden bristled as he closed the gap between us. “Somehow
you managed to leave that tidbit out of your story.”
AJ extended his hand. “Come on, Sookie, let’s get you up off
that dirty floor.”
She gave him a puzzled look. “But my name’s not Sookie. It’s
Abigail—well, Abby.”
Once AJ pulled her up, she fell against his chest, trying to
steady herself. I rolled my eyes when he seemed to get a little too much
enjoyment out of her pressed against him as her hands fisted his shirt for balance.
Brayden must’ve realized it too because he took Abby by the
arm. “Come on over here and have a seat.” He motioned toward one of the
Captain’s chairs.
“Did you have fun feelin’ her up, dickhead?” I hissed to AJ.
He grinned. “It was a little piece of Heaven right here.” He
closed his eyes, swept his hand to his heart, and said, “Diablo linda, esas
tetas se sienten increible. Me gustaria metertelo hasta que estes gritando.”
Abby froze in front of us. She jerked away from Brayden and
whirled around. “Ni te lo pienses sucio!”
AJ’s eyes popped open, and his brows shot up in shock. “How
the hell do you know Spanish?”
“My parents were missionaries. I spent most of my early
years abroad—Mexico, Central America, and Brazil. My Portuguese isn’t as good
as my Spanish though.” She cocked her head at AJ. “Pendejo!”
“Yeah, I am an asshole for saying that!” He roared with
laughed. “My apologies, Sookie—I mean, Abby.” He then thrust out one of his
hands. “I’m Alejandro Joaquin Resendiz, otherwise known as AJ—drummer extraordinaire
of Runaway Train and your potential Latin Lova.”
Abby grinned as she reached out to shake his hand. “Abby
Renard.”
AJ’s dark eyes widened. “Ha—Renard, like Renard Parish in True Blood? See you could totally be Sookie!” AJ joked.
“Quite a charmer, aren’t you AJ?” Abby questioned with a
giggle.
“Anything for you, mi amor. I mean, do you know what a
fucking turn-on it is to hear fluent Spanish coming off a pair of lips like
yours?” His eyes rolled back in his head with delight.
“No, but I’m sure you’re going to elaborate for me, right?”
I couldn’t help snickering. The more Abby/Hell’s Angel spoke
the more I started to dig her. She wasn’t star-struck by us, and she gave as
good as she got—my sore balls were testimony of that.
Rhys stepped forward and offered Abby his hand. “I’m Rhys
McGowan—bassist and if you’re looking for a real man, a much better choice than
that douchebag,” he said, jerking his thumb at AJ.
AJ brought Abby’s hand to his lips. “Just remember. Latin
men are the best.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” she murmured. As she took her
hand from AJ, she brought it to her head. “Ugh, why am I still so dizzy?”
AJ dove into the fridge for a bottle of water and gave it to
Abby while Brayden knelt down beside her. “Maybe put your head between your
knees?” he suggested, in a calm, soothing voice. At the same time, Rhys snatched
up a paper towel and ran it under the tap before handing it to Abby. I glanced
around at my band mates with a mixture of disbelief. They were falling all over
themselves to impress for Abby with their thoughtfulness. That never, ever happened with a woman on the bus.
The chicks were there to wow and impress us with their sexual talents. As soon
as they were done, they were sent unceremoniously off the bus.
Well, I guess, Brayden’s motives were different. He was the
father figure and care taker of the band as well as being the father to four
year old, Jude, and eight month old, Melody. And regardless of the tits and ass
thrown in his face twenty-four seven, he remained true to his wife. Although I
gave him shit about it, I really did admire him for being loyal.
Abby gave a ragged sigh. “I’m okay. Really, you don’t have
to fuss over me.” She smoothed her hair back and wiped a few dust bunnies off
her dress. “I’m hypoglycemic so sometimes I pass out when I don’t eat…that and
well, the adrenaline rush of being in a stranger’s bed and seeing you all instead
of my brothers.”
After taking a hesitant sip of water, Abby patted her cheeks
down with the paper towel. When she glanced up, she found all of us staring at
her. “So, um, I guess you’re all wondering how I ended up here, huh?”
Brayden motioned to the authorized pass nestled in her ample
cleavage. “I’m going to take a wild guess and say you got on the wrong bus.”
Abby nodded. She then launched into a story about why she
was even at Rock Nation. When she explained about the roadie and Jacob’s
ladder, I sucked in a breath. “He thought you were looking for me.”
“Huh?” she asked.
“I’m Jake Slater. He probably wasn’t paying much attention,
right?”
She nodded.
“I mean, Jake Slater and Jacob’s Ladder running together
kinda sound similar—if the asshat even heard anything past J. He just assumed
you were coming to see me.”
Abby’s eyebrows shot up. “And you often have random chicks
coming to your bus with luggage and a guitar case?” she countered.
The grin I gave her caused pink splotches on Abby’s cheeks.
“Never mind,” she muttered, looking away from me.
The sound of her phone vibrating on the table interrupted
us. She grabbed it up and frantically brought it to her ear. “Gabe, oh my God,
it’s so good to hear from you!”
The voice on the other line spoke frantically. She shook her
head. “No, no, I didn’t get cold feet about the tour. It’s just…I, um, I got on
the wrong bus.”
At the response, her face clouded over with fury. “Oh
really? Well, maybe one you assholes should have come to meet me!” He said
something else, and she sputtered with indignation. “Don’t you chastise me
about cussing! I’m a grown woman, and I’ll say whatever I want to! I can’t
believe you have me on speakerphone. Eli, if you don’t stop laughing, I’m going
to beat the shit out of you the moment I see you! And if you think I can’t,
just remember Costa Rica !”
I couldn’t help laughing at her fiery personality. The other
guys were equally amused at the spit-fire in front of us.
“How did this happen? There were over a hundred buses out
there, Gabe. When I asked about Jacob’s Ladder, they thought I meant Jake
Slater.”
Gabe’s voiced screeched on the other end so loud we all
could here it. “You’re on Runaway Train’s bus?!!!”
“Yes,” she replied. At his next statement, she snorted. “Well,
I’ve only managed to do the drummer and the bassist so far, but I’m thinking I
could get a threesome going and knock out the others. Maybe I’ll gang bang with
the roadies when we stop for dinner!”
Rhys made a strangled noise in his throat while AJ muttered,
“Fuck me,” under his breath. Even I couldn’t stop the below the belt stirring
at her imaginative suggestion.
She rolled her eyes. “Gabe, would you give me a little
credit? I’ve held on to my virginity this long. I think it’ll hold for awhile.”
We all exchanged wild glances. Rhys tugged so hard on his
stud it came out of his ear and dropped onto the ground. AJ fumbled for the
beer next to him and drained in a long guzzle—his chest heaving hard as he
stared at Abby. Even Brayden appeared shell-shocked by her declaration. All of
us had to be thinking the same thing. How was it possible for a smokin’ hot
girl like the one before us to be a…virgin?
Abby whirled around and saw our expressions. A flush entered
her cheeks, and she ducked her head. She sank back down into her chair and
buried her head between her knees. “I can’t believe I just admitted that in a
room full of men,” she whispered. When Gabe said something else, her voice
broke with emotion. “Look, I just need to know how we’re going to fix this.” After
sniffing for a few seconds, she raised her head and scanned our faces. “Yeah,
one sec.” She handed the phone to Brayden. “He wants to know your tour
schedule, so I’ll be able to get off the bus and onto a plane as soon as
possible.”
He nodded as he took the phone and stepped away from us.
“Hey Gabe, this is Brayden Vandenburg, and don’t worry, man, I’m gonna take
good care of Abby until we can get her back to you guys—” He jerked back like
he had been stunned. “That was so not
what I meant. Besides, I’m a married man. Now here’s where we are…” His voice
trailed off as he walked down the aisle.
Rhys patted Abby’s back reassuringly. “Hey, don’t worry.
It’s going to be okay.”
With her head buried back in her hands, she mumbled. “Thanks.
I hope so.”
Edging Rhys out of the way, I knelt down beside Abby. Taking
her chin in my hands, I pulled her head up to meet my gaze. “Don’t sweat it,
Angel. Your brother and Bray will figure it out. I promise we’ll have you back
to your civilized little world as soon as possible and before you can get too
traumatized by being in our presence.”
She smacked my hand away. “What do you mean civilized?”
I shrugged. “I just meant that it’s obvious you’re used to a
certain way of life.”
Her blonde brows shot up so far I thought they might reach
her white headband. “Are you insinuating that I’m some spoiled little brat who
is used to having everyone bow to her every whim?
“Maybe.”
Abby narrowed her eyes at me. “My parents were missionaries.
Do you even understand what that means?”
A smirk curved at my lips. “I know all about the missionary
position, Angel. In fact, I believe I was trying to acquaint you with it
earlier when you cock blocked me.”
“You’re seriously disgusting!” she cried popping up out of
her chair. She almost toppled me over before I could stand up. Poking her
finger into my chest, she said, “I’ll have you know that I’m not some prima
donna who can’t survive without someone taking care of me. The lives of
missionaries and their families is very simplistic, so trust me when I say,
I’ve seen a lot of hard shit. Yeah, we lived in major cities like Rio in Brazil
and Guadalajara in Mexico, but I’ve also tromped through the jungles and gone
days without showers, least of all cell phones and wifi. So I can assure you
that there’s nothing you and your band of merry miscreants can do that would
shock or scare me!”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh please. You fucking passed out at the
sight of the boys, not to mention that you flipped and got your lacy panties all
in a twist when I made out with you.”
“Are you trying to say that I couldn’t make it on this bus?”
she countered.
I cocked my head at her. “Come on, Angel. You would die a
thousand deaths if you even had to stay one night on here with us and our
raging sex drives, atrocious language, and bad table manners.”
“You seem to forget I have three older brothers. I’m well
acquainted with unruly guys.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I smirked down at her. “So
you’re saying if you had the chance to get off the bus in the next few hours,
you wouldn’t?”
She inched forward, standing toe to toe with me. “Are you
saying I don’t have the courage to stay?”
“Yeah, I am.”
AJ held up his hands. “Whoa, what the fuck do you two think
you’re doing?”
“What are the terms for me to prove myself to you?” Abby
asked.
Without even thinking, I blurted, “One week on the bus.”
Her tough as nails resolved wavered a little. “One week?”
she squeaked, her voice cracking.
Rhys tried pushing us apart. “Okay, that’s really funny, but
you two can stop now,” he argued. When neither of us backed down, he said, “Let
me remind you that Abby has a tour she needs to be on, and we have one as well.
No one has to prove anything to anyone, okay?”
I tore my gaze from Abby’s to glare at him. “This isn’t
anything to you, man. This is between me and Angel.”
“It’s Abby,” she growled.
I arched my brows at her. “So what’s it gonna be, Angel?”
Fury flashed in her blue eyes before she whirled around. She
stomped over to Brayden and snatched the phone away from him. “Gabe, there’s
been a change of plans.”
Monday, February 11, 2013
Teaser Tuesday from Music of the Heart: The Bet is Made
So today's Teaser Tuesday picks up with our last one. It's narrated in Jake's POV. Abby's on the phone with her brother after stumbling onto the wrong tour bus at Rock Nation. While giving her brother, Gabe, a piece of her mind on the phone, she also accidentally admitted that she was virgin in front of the band. Here's where that picks up.....
Remember to like my Facebook page. When I get to 4K likes, I"ll release Chapter 2! http://www.facebook.com/katieashleybooks
*Rough draft and subject to change*
Abby whirled around and saw our bewildered expressions. A flush entered her cheeks, and she ducked her head. She sank back down into her chair and buried her face in one of her hands. “I can’t believe I just admitted that in a room full of men,” she whispered.When Gabe said something else, her voice broke with emotion. “Look, I just need to know how we’re going to fix this.” After sniffling for a few seconds, she raised her head and scanned our faces. “Yeah, one sec.” She handed the phone to Brayden. “He wants to know your tour schedule, so I’ll be able to get off the bus and onto a plane as soon as possible.”
He nodded as he took the phone and stepped away from us.
“Hey Gabe, this is Brayden Vandenburg, and don’t worry, man, I’m gonna take
good care of Abby until we can get her back to you guys—” He jerked back like
he had been slapped. “That was so not
what I meant. Besides, I’m a married man. Anyway, here’s where we are…” His voice
trailed off as he walked down the aisle.
Rhys patted Abby’s back reassuringly. “Hey, don’t worry.
It’s going to be okay.”
With her head buried back in her hands, she mumbled. “Thanks.
I hope so.”
Edging Rhys out of the way, I knelt down beside Abby. Taking
her chin in my hands, I pulled her head up to meet my gaze. “Don’t sweat it,
Angel. Your brother and Bray will figure it out. I promise we’ll have you back into your civilized little world as soon as possible and before you can get too
traumatized by being in our presence.”
She smacked my hand away. “What do you mean civilized?”
I shrugged. “I just meant that it’s obvious you’re used to a
certain way of life.”
Her blonde brows shot up so far I thought they might reach
her white headband. “Are you insinuating that I’m some spoiled little brat who
is used to having everyone bow to her every whim?
“Maybe.”
Abby narrowed her eyes at me. “My parents were missionaries.
Do you even understand what that means?”
A smirk curved at my lips. “I know all about the missionary
position, Angel. In fact, I believe I was trying to acquaint you with it
earlier when you cock blocked me.”
“You’re seriously disgusting!” she cried popping up out of
her chair. She almost toppled me over before I could stand up. Poking her
finger into my chest, she said, “I’ll have you know that I’m not some prima
donna who can’t survive without someone taking care of me. The lives of
missionaries and their families is very simplistic, so trust me when I say,
I’ve seen a lot of hard shit. Yeah, we lived in major cities like Rio in Brazil
and Guadalajara in Mexico, but I’ve also tromped through the jungles and gone
days without showers, least of all cell phones and wifi. So I can assure you
that there’s nothing you and your band of merry miscreants can do that would
shock or scare me!”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh please. You fucking passed out at the
sight of the boys, not to mention that you flipped your shit and got your lacy panties all
in a twist when I made out with you.”
“Are you trying to say that I couldn’t make it on this bus with you?”
she countered.
I cocked my head at her. “Come on, Angel. You would die a
thousand deaths if you even had to stay one night on here with us and our
raging sex drives, atrocious language, and bad table manners.”
“You seem to forget I have three older brothers. I’m well
acquainted with unruly guys.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I smirked down at her. “So
you’re saying if you had the chance to get off the bus in the next few hours,
you wouldn’t?”
She inched forward, standing toe to toe with me. “Are you
saying I don’t have the courage to stay?”
“Yeah, I am.”
AJ held up his hands. “Whoa, what the fuck do you two think
you’re doing?”
“So what would I have to do to prove myself to you?” Abby
asked.
Without even thinking, I blurted, “Stay one week on the bus.”
Her tough as nails resolve wavered a little. “One week?”
she squeaked, her voice cracking.
Rhys tried pushing us apart. “Okay, that’s really funny, but
you two can stop now,” he argued. When neither of us backed down, he said, “Let
me remind you that Abby has a tour she needs to be on, and we have one as well.
No one has to prove anything to anyone, okay?”
I tore my gaze from Abby’s to glare at him. “This isn’t
anything to you, man. This is between me and Angel.”
“It’s Abby,” she growled.
I arched my brows at her. “So what’s it gonna be, Angel?”
Fury flashed in her blue eyes before she whirled around. She
stomped over to Brayden and snatched the phone away from him. “Gabe, there’s
been a change of plans.”
Friday, February 8, 2013
Friday Freebie: Chapter One of Music of the Heart
So, I had originally promised to give Chapters 1 & 2 of Music of the Heart when I reached 4K likes on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/katieashleybooksBut yesterday, I reached the 3K level friend mark on my author Facebook, and I'm almost at 2K twitter followers, so I thought, what the hell. I could give you Chapter 1 for now!! It's from Abby's POV while Chapter Two is Jake's.
So here it is:
CHAPTER ONE
My cowboy boots clomped across the pockmarked pavement as I
weaved in and out of the rows of tour buses. Screamo rock music blared around
me, echoing through the cramped parking lot. Roadies and technicians brushed
past me with scratchy conversations emitting from their headsets and
walkie-talkies. Once they swept their gaze over the dangling authorized pass
around my neck, they didn’t ask what I was doing, nor did they ask if they
could give me a hand.
Intense June heat beat against my
back and singed the bare flesh above my thin sundress straps. I grunted and
gave a tug on the rolling suitcase behind me while the guitar case I carried at
my right side felt like it was weighed down with lead.
Rock Nation was one of the biggest
music festivals in the country. A hundred bands performed over three days, and
the shows lasted around the clock. Music fanatics camped out in the middle of
the desert and somewhat recreated Woodstock .
Well, that’s just what I’d been told. It wasn’t like I’d spent the last two days
with thousands of stinky, mud-caked strangers. I’d just come off a 737 from Austin , Texas
My only real interest in being at Rock Nation was seeing Jacob’s Ladder—the chart topping, Christian rock cross-over band. The three members, Gabe, Eli, and Micah, just happened to be my older brothers, and the reason I was wandering around a parking lot in the middle of the desert.
Sweating profusely, lost, and
frustrated was not quite what I had envisioned when my brothers asked me to
join them on their summer tour. It wasn’t the first time I had gone around the
country with them since they had burst into the limelight two years ago. But it
was the first time I had to decide if the rootless existence of a musician was
really for me. After singing my ass off, as my brother Eli said, for the label
executives, I had been offered the role as lead singer as soon as my brother,
Micah, exited the band to get married and join the seminary.
After rolling my suitcase to a
halt, I sat my guitar case down. Shielding my hand over my eyes from the
glaring sun, I peered at the buses. Trust me, when you’ve seen one tour bus,
you’ve seen them all. Very few boasted the band’s name who called them their
home away from home. Right now, I was faced with row after row of them
compressed together so tight you could barely move between them.
Peering at the windshields, I searched for the usual multicolored paper with the bus number. For the life of
me, I couldn’t remember what number I was supposed to be looking for. I dug my
phone out of my purse and gazed at Gabe's text. Can’t come to meet you like we planned. Crashing after the 4am show. Pass will be in the box
office. Come on to the bus. It’s 419. We take off at 9am with or without you.
With a frustrated grunt, I shoved
my phone back into my purse. Most of the time, the boys were a lot more
considerate of me. I guess they thought since this wasn’t my first time at the
rodeo, so to speak, I should be able to take care of myself. Usually, they
tried to treat me like I was still ten, instead of twenty-one.
“Okay, so where the heck is Bus 419?” I growled.
“Yeah, just
how much you wanna see Blaine Bennett?” a voice said over my shoulder.
I whirled around to see roadie
grinning wickedly at a very scantily clad girl. At the mention of getting
closer to her idol, she pressed herself against him. “Really bad,” she purred.
Oh, ew. It was way too early for
this kinda crap. “Um, excuse me?” I questioned.
While the girl acknowledged me, the
roadie tuned me out. “Hello, I’m talking to you! I mean, I may not be rubbed up
against you, but I am speaking.”
The roadie
gave a grunt of frustration before turning around. His irritation faded a
little as he did a pervy head to toe appraisal of me. “And just what can I do
for you, sugar?”
The girl
must’ve thought she was losing her chance to see Blaine whoever he was because
she stepped around the roadie and tried blocking his view of me.
Craning my
neck, I said, “Listen, I really need
to find bus 419. I’ve got to find Jacob’s Ladder.”
The roadie’s
eyes rolled back in his head, and I didn’t even want to guess what Miss Thing
was doing to him. I glanced away and let the waves of disgust roll over me. I
was so going to give the boys a piece of my mind when I finally found them.
Realizing I was getting nowhere with the roadie, I stomped my boot on the
pavement like the irritated child I felt like. “Look, I have a pass, and if
don’t get to Jacob’s Ladder’s bus ASAP, they’re going to be epically pissed. And believe me, I’m going to give them a full-on description of you so they can totally get
your useless ass fired!”
The roadie
momentarily jolted back into reality and pushed the girl back a little. “Hang
on just a second, babe. She’s going to irritate the hell out of me until I get
her to the bus.”
The girl’s
lips curved down in a pout. “You promise you’ll come back and get me to see
Blaine?”
He bobbed
his head enthusiastically. “As long as you keep doing what you were doing.”
She grinned
as he turned and trudged over to me. “If I don’t get Jake’s prize piece of ass
to him, he really will fire me,” the roadie mumbled.
“Huh?” I
questioned, as he jerked me by the elbow.
We wove
in-between several more buses. When we arrived at one, he banged on the door.
The driver appeared in the doorway with a biscuit in one hand and a head-set in
the other. “Yeah?”
“She’s
supposed to be on the bus,” the roadie said.
The driver
eyed my luggage and guitar case. “You sure?”
I huffed
exasperatedly. “Um, yeah, the guys are going to be really ticked if you leave
without me,” I snapped.
With a
snort, the roadie said, “Guess she’s their entertainment for the road.”
“I’m their
sister, thank you very much."
“Whatever
ya say, babe. No judgment from me,” the driver replied. He put down his biscuit
and headset and leaned forward to take my guitar case. “The guys are—”
“Still asleep. Yeah, I know, and trust
me, I also know better than to disturb them!” I said climbing up the stairs.
I turned around as the roadie
shoved my suitcase at me. “Thanks. You’ve been so much help,” I said.
He grumbled something under his
breath before stalking away. The driver closed and locked the door before
easing back down in his seat.
Motioning towards the living area,
I said, “I’ll just go make myself comfortable until the guys wake up.”
“Fine,” he muttered before putting
on his headset. I guess he was more than ready to tune me out.
I walked down the aisle and flopped
down in the captain’s chair. Ugh, what an absolutely shitty morning. Rubbing my
temples, I tried soothing the headache that was already forming. Not to mention
the fact my stomach was grumbling because I hadn’t eaten anything yet, and that was a huge no-no for me with my
hypoglycemia. I’d over-slept and been in such a rush to get to the airport that
I’d forgot to grab the snack bag my mom, who still couldn’t grasp I was
twenty-one now, had packed for me. I didn’t dare take a peek in the cabinets to
see what sustenance the boys might have. I was pretty sure they lived from fast
food joint to side of the road diner.
Instead, I leaned back and closed
my eyes, hoping a quick nap might get rid of my headache. It wasn’t long before
the gentle sway of the bus along the highway lulled me to sleep.
When I woke up, my neck ached from banging against the large picture window. Raising my hands over my
head, I stretched and yawned. The view outside boasted wide open spaces for as long and far as I could see. Jeez, how long had I been out? A glance at my
phone showed almost an hour. I whirled around in the captain’s chair to find
the living area of the bus still empty and quiet as a tomb.
The boys must’ve been on one of
their coma binges after an adrenaline sucking weekend. Sometimes they could go
for forty-eight straight hours without sleep, but then they would crash and
burn for a whole day.
I picked up my phone and texted
Gabe. Wake up, sleepyhead! Feelin’
lonely. My bros suck at welcoming their baby sister!
It was only a second before my
phone buzzed. Hey Little Girl. Come on
back to the bedroom. I’m just chillin’
I smiled and texted, B right there
Pulling myself out of the chair, I
made my way past the bunks where Eli and Micah snored. I eased the bedroom door
open, finding the room bathed in darkness. “Gabe?”
I was surprised not to find the
television on or him playing Xbox. “I just texted you, so don’t think you’re
going to pretend you’re asleep or something.”
A mound of clothes caused me to
stumble forward, and I pitched onto the side of the bed. “Gabriel Andrew
Renard, if this is your idea of a joke, it isn’t funny!”
A long moan erupted from underneath
the covers as a body shifted toward me. When I was little, the boys, Gabe especially,
used to love to scare me. I had a feeling where this was heading, and after the
morning I’d had, I wasn’t in the mood. “Okay, fine. If you’re going to be a
jerk, then I’m going back outside.” I grunted with frustration and started to
hoist myself off the bed.
An arm snaked around my waist,
jerking me down further onto the mattress. “What—” I started before the warm
flesh of a man’s body pushed me onto my back and covered me with his weight. It
took all of one second to realize this was so
not Gabe.
Scorching hot lips met my own, and
I shuddered. They pressed eagerly and with intense longing while fingers
wrapped and tangled their way through my hair. When I opened my mouth to protest,
a tongue darted inside, dancing tantalizing against my own.
For a moment, my traitorous body
enjoyed the sensations pulsing through me. Then I realized I was allowing some
stranger some heavy first base action while his hand started to round second.
With all the strength I had, I pushed against him.
“Get off me!” I screeched.
He ignored me as his fingers fisted
the hem of my sundress. A lazy chuckle erupted from him. “Bree, babe, what the
hell are you doing wearing clothes to bed?”
Bree? This jerk was mauling me
because he thought I was someone else. I gritted my teeth and smacked his bare,
and very sculpted, chest. Hard. “I’m not Bree!”
The hands left my body, and I heard
fumbling above me. The light on the bedside table flickered on. I sucked in a
breath at the drop-dead gorgeous face hovering over mine. His dark hair was
buzzed short, and several piercings glittered in his ears. Blue eyes, hazy with a
mixture of sleep deprivation and desire, stared down me. He drank in my appearance,
stopping to linger on my heaving chest and how my dress had bunched up my
thighs. A seductive grin stretched across his face. “No, you’re definitely not
Bree. You put her to shame, Angel.”
When he started to lean over to
kiss me again, I brought my hand in front of his face. “Look, if Gabe put you
up to this, the joke is up. You got me. Ha, ha.”
His brows furrowed, and I noticed
the silver hoop in one of them. “Who the hell is Gabe?”
My heart shuddered a little, and I
tried to still the fear prickling over my body. “My brothers didn’t put you up
to this?”
“No, babe, I don’t think so.”
“Oh God,” I moaned, bringing my
hand over my eyes.
“So you’re telling me you didn’t
sneak into my bed on purpose?”
I snatched my hand away and glared
up at him. “Of course I didn’t! I don’t even know you.”
“Well, give me a chance to get to know you better.” He pressed into me
again, and for a brief instant, I fought the longing crisscrossing over my
body. After all, I’d never kissed a strange guy or been in a stranger’s bed.
I’d never even been in a boyfriend’s bed. My experience with guys was pretty
much non-existent.
“No, I have to go,” I murmured
against his urgent lips.
“You don’t have to fight it. I promise
I won’t think bad of you later on. And I’ll make you feel so fucking good, you sure as hell won’t be thinking bad of yourself either, Angel.”
When it was very clear he wasn’t
going to let me up, my desire got doused with anger. Who the heck did he think
he was pinning me down and trying to get to know
me better? Drawing all the strength I could muster, I brought my knee up
against his groin.
“FUCK!” he groaned, rolling off of
me.
Seizing the opportunity, I scrambled
out of the bed. I threw open the bedroom door and stomped out into the hallway.
“Okay, boys, you’ve had your fun, so cut the crap! You better get your sorry
asses up right now!” I screamed.
Three pairs of legs dangled out of
the bunks. Almost in unison, they hopped out onto the floor. Three bleary eyed,
heavily tattooed rockers in various states of undress, stared at me with
bewildered expressions.
“Oh shit,” I murmured before I
pitched forward and everything went black.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Teaser Tuesday: Excerpt from NETS & LIES & Chance to Win the Book
Yesterday, I released a New Adult book called Nets and Lies. AMAZON & BARNES & NOBLE.
Well, it's new to you guys, but it's been a part of my heart and soul for three years now. After a rape scandal broke out at a school I had formerly taught at, I was inspired to write the story. The basketball coach accused of rape was one I had worked with closely through coaching basketball cheerleading and the after-school program. While along my career other teachers I have known have been accused, I have never, ever doubted this man's innocence. Mainly because I saw the integrity he had with the students he taught and the girls he coached.
So the story took a far different turn than I ever imagined. Here's the final blurb:
Always awkward in her 5’10 frame, Melanie Reeves finds her saving grace through basketball. Not only is she the varsity team captain, she’s the pride of Coach Thompson, who holds the keys to a college scholarship. Melanie has also found 'courtly' love with Will, Coach T's handsome, ball-playing son. When Melanie is on the court, everything is perfect....until she is forced to face an opponent who doesn't play by the rules.
Jordan Solano's power lies in her beauty and sex appeal. Never afraid of breaking the rules, she engages in a scandalous flirtation with the school's married basketball coach. But the flirtation quickly turns into accusation, and Coach T's job and reputation are placed in jeopardy after Jordan charges him with rape. Jordan's own reputation has the school administration unwilling to believe her. That is, until she makes a startling claim - she's not the only victim.
Suddenly, all eyes are on Melanie, and it isn't for her amazing free-throws. A man's job, a girl's reputation, and her boyfriend's entire world now rest in Melanie's hands. She has to decide: keep her secrets and protect her future, or put an end to the lies...and lose everything.
Over the eleven and half years of my teaching career, I taught many girls who had been victims of sexual abuse and some even of rape. Their experiences, their pain, their silent cries for help touched me deeply. I encourage any woman--young or old--who has been the victim of sexual abuse, rape, or incest to speak out. It is also why 10% of all ongoing proceeds from Nets and Lies will go to www.rainn.org to help victims of abuse.
At the end of the teaser, there's a Rafflecopter Giveaway for 10 ebooks for Kindle or Nook of Nets and Lies. Don't forget to enter!
And here's the teaser for today *warning triggers for victims of abuse or rape*
I didn’t bother looking
in the mirror. After all, I would’ve had to fight the urge to scream at my
appearance. And I wasn’t just being dramatic.
No,
there was so much more.
Slowly, I peeled my clothes off. And then one stolen
glance at the inside of my practice shorts sent me over the edge. I tried
reasoning that it wasn’t just the shorts. I mean, I’d been teetering on the
brink for an hour now. It might have been the sheer force of trying to keep my
sanity in check—to block what had happened out of my mind—or to swear on my
life that I would never admit it had happened.
But deep down I knew it was the shorts that sent me truly
over the edge. The ones marked blood red with evidence of what had transpired
on the futon in Coach T’s office.
I snatched the towel off the rack and buried my face in
it. Muffled sobs reverberated against the terry cloth fabric. Defeated, I slunk
into the shower. With the water pounding in the stall, my screams and sobs were
drowned out. I slid down the side of shower tile, letting the water scald me.
Even as splotches of red blotted my skin, I never turned away. It soothed
something deeply troubled within me.
Biting into the towel, I choked off my cries. I fought to
find anything or anyone else to blame for what happened. I cursed the stupid
rack because it had messed up my entire night. Without it, I would have never
been left alone in the gym with him. He would have never had the opportunity.
Everything I’d fought to suppress in the last hour came
flashing back into my mind—as electric and dangerous as the heat storms we had
in the summer. Suddenly, I was no longer in my bathroom.
I was in Coach T’s office.
My head throbbed, and I reclined on the futon in the
corner. A long eternity seemed to have stretched by since Coach T had ushered
all my teammates out the door. They’d been hanging around to make sure I was
okay. He reassured them I was fine, and they should get on home.
Something
cold pressed against my forehead and caused me to jump. When my eyes met Coach
T’s, he laughed. “Easy Mel, it’s just an ice pack.”
“Oh, thanks.” I took it from him.
“That was quite a bump on the head,” he said, as he sat
down beside me.
“Must’ve been. I don’t even remember coming to your
office.”
“You didn’t. After you got hit by the shelf and pump, I
found you sprawled out in the floor and brought you in here.”
It was then that I wanted to crawl under the futon and
die of embarrassment. The thoughts of him picking me up were completely
mortifying. My face flushed. “Oh God, that’s right. I remember you carrying me
now.”
He laughed at my expression. “It’s okay, Mel. It’s not
like you gave me a hernia or something!”
“No, it’s not okay,” I moaned. “It’s totally
humiliating!”
“Just to you it is,” he replied, turning back to his
desk.
“Ugh, I bet the team is going to give me crap tomorrow
about being such a spaz.”
“You aren’t a
spaz. I’ve been asking the Booster Club to repair that shelf for years. It
could have happened to anyone.”
“But it happened to me,” I countered.
Spinning around in his seat, Coach T said, “We’re lucky that
Coach Murray was still here to check you over. I was just thankful you weren’t
going to need an ambulance.”
It was then I remembered the burly face of Coach Murray,
one of the trainers for the football team who had once been an EMT, bending
over me while I was still lying on the floor of the athletic closet.
I sighed with relief. The last thing I would have wanted
was the big production of the ambulance being called with all the sirens and
flashing lights. That would have been a nightmare!
I leaned forward. Even though there was no window on his
office door, I knew it had to be late, so I started to stand up. “I guess I
better get going.”
Coach T rose from his chair to place a hand on my
shoulder. “I don’t know about that. I think you’re still too woozy to be
driving.”
“Um, I guess so,” I murmured. Slowly, I eased back down.
As he joined me on the futon, his hand lingered on me, his fingertips
feathering back and forth on my bare arm.
I shifted the ice pack. When I did, I found Coach T
staring at me. “W-what?” I stammered, embarrassed by the intensity of his
stare. “Oh God, is my head already swelling?”
He laughed. “Nope. But it should because you’re just so
damn beautiful.”
“No, I’m not.”
He shook his head. “That’s what I love about you, Mel.
You’re so unaware of how beautiful and alluring you are.”
“You must be thinking of my sister, Natalie. She’s
the alluring one, not me.”
He brought his hand to my cheek. His thumb traced a line
from my cheekbone to my ear. “Trust me, Mel, I’ve been with a hell of a lot of
women, so I know beautiful when I see it.”
Heat once again rose in my cheeks at the reference to his sex life. Coach T mistook my reaction. “You don’t have to blush when you’re given an honest to goodness compliment. You are beautiful, Melanie. I mean, you were this brace-faced, awkward little mouse of a thing when you first walked in my gym four years ago. Talent out the ass, but so unsure of yourself.” He laughed. “Well, maybe you still are unsure of yourself. But, four years later you’ve grown to be one of the most beautiful young women I’ve ever seen.”
Heat once again rose in my cheeks at the reference to his sex life. Coach T mistook my reaction. “You don’t have to blush when you’re given an honest to goodness compliment. You are beautiful, Melanie. I mean, you were this brace-faced, awkward little mouse of a thing when you first walked in my gym four years ago. Talent out the ass, but so unsure of yourself.” He laughed. “Well, maybe you still are unsure of yourself. But, four years later you’ve grown to be one of the most beautiful young women I’ve ever seen.”
Coach T’s flattery made me uncomfortable and caused my
heart to flutter uneasily. The room closed in around me, and I felt like I
wasn’t getting any air. His presence loomed over me, and I didn’t like his
closeness—the way his leg brushed against mine or the feel of his hand on my
shoulder.
It wasn’t like I’d never been alone with him before. But
there was something different about this time. My instincts told me something
was wrong. And more than anything, I wanted to be out of there.
“Um, it’s late. I better get home now,” I said.
Before I could raise myself off the futon, Coach T’s mouth
crushed against mine. I felt the moisture of his tongue as it pushed against my
lips, forcing them open. When his tongue darted into my mouth, I jerked away
like I’d been stunned by a taser. I trembled and tried to get my bearings.
“Coach T, you shouldn’t have done that!” I protested.
His arm snaked around me, nudging me against him. As his
breath burned on my cheek, it was like there was no escaping him. “Oh, but I
should have. You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that. I’ve had my eye on
you for so long, and I’ve waited patiently.”
As the magnitude of his words crashed over me, I
shuddered. No, no, no! This couldn’t be happening. I had to be wrong. Coach T
would never do this to me. He’d never kiss me when he shouldn’t or tell me he’d
had his eye on me for a long time. No, it couldn’t be true. I’d been hit on the
head and was hallucinating
“It isn’t right!” You shouldn’t be arguing with him.
You should be getting the hell out of here! my mind reasoned.
“What’s wrong with kissing a beautiful girl?”
I
don’t feel beautiful right now. I feel cheap and dirty. “But I-I belong to
Will!” I argued, as I swatted his hand away and tried to get up, but he eased
me back down.
Coach T shook his head and smiled. “You don’t belong to
anyone, Mel. You’re your own person.” His hand swept up my leg to rest on my
thigh. “And I love you.”
“N-No…you can’t. You’re married.”
“So?
It doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”
“But
I love Will.”
He snorted. “Will’s just a boy. What does he know? You
deserve a man to teach you about love not some fumbling kid.” I continued
trying to push his hand away, as his breath hovered over my ear, “Better yet, you
need me to teach you about love.”
I stared into his eyes. My voice became a small whisper.
“Please, don’t say that.”
“Melanie, surely you realized how much I’ve wanted you?”
Slowly, I shook my head.
“What about at Christmas when I kissed you under the
mistletoe?”
I cringed as I thought back to that night. Will had
invited me to his house when his parents were having a party. We stayed
upstairs most of the night, watching movies and talking, fooling around a
little. When I’d gone downstairs to get something to drink, Coach T had pinned
me against the kitchen door and kissed me under the mistletoe. His reeking
breath told me how drunk he was, so I’d tried to brush it off as nothing.
Somehow it had stayed in the back of my mind.
“But you were drunk,” I argued feebly.
“Maybe I was, but I wasn’t too drunk to want you.”
Like in a movie, the world crawled by in nightmarish slow
motion. Coach T’s weight smothered me, pressing me down on the futon. A voice
began screaming inside of me as I clawed against him. “NO! No, please. Please
don’t do this!”
His breath scorched down my neck, hot with desire—the
same desire that pushed against my thigh.
“Just let me love you—let me love you like I’ve wanted to for so long,
Melanie.”
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I shook my head. Like a
captured fish on a hook, I flailed beneath him. Then as bits and pieces of my
clothing were stripped away, I slowly stopped fighting. Fear gripped me like I
had never experienced before in my life.
It
stunned and paralyzed me.
In
just a matter of seconds, I became a quadriplegic. Even though my brain
screamed at my arms and legs to fight, the only thing I could move was my
eyelids. But I clamped them shut, deluding myself that if I couldn’t see what
was going on, then it wasn’t really happening.
Then I detached. I floated above myself, spiriting away
from the pain that ripped through me. I was no longer in the room with Coach T
moving frantically inside me. Faintly, I could hear the roar of the crowd in my
ears, and the rubber smell of the basketball filled my nostrils. Happiness
engulfed me.
I was on the court, and I was a star. I made basket after
basket. Even three pointers flew gracefully through the air to swoosh almost
effortlessly through the goal. Elation filled me as points for my team racked
up on the red glow of the scoreboard. As I sprinted up and down the court, I
never grew tired, nor did I ever grow faint of breath. Gazing into the stands,
I saw my parents as they clapped, screamed out my name, and waved their
pom-poms. The crowd rose to their feet and applauded me while my teammates
patted my back and hugged me.
But more than the adulation of the fans, the love of my
family, and the support of my team, it was Heaven.
And
I was safe.
But that moment was fleeting, and I was sucked back into
reality. It was over, and Coach T was pulling away from me. I still didn’t open
my eyes, even as the silent tears dripped off my cheeks.
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