Nine Naughty Novelists: Time for Just A Kiss

Happy Monday and Happy October all!

I love October. The leaves are gorgeous here, the nights are cool enough to have a fire in our fire-pit and roast marshmallows but the days are still warm, the football season is finally into conference play and Halloween--one of the most fun holidays-- is on it's way!

This year, I’m excited that it’s October for another reason too. This month I’ll release the fifth book in my Bradford series, Kevin’s story, Just A Kiss!

I love all of the books and I could easily do a top ten list of what I like best about each of them. But since Kevin is the next one up, I thought I’d share my list for Just A Kiss today.

First a little background for anyone new to the series. The Bradfords are siblings Jessica, Sam and Sara and they got their stories first in Just Right, Just Like That and Just My Type respectively. But in those books we meet their friends, Mac, Dooley (Doug) and Kevin, who really are “honorary” Bradfords—definitely a part of the family. Well, Mac got his story too— he fell in love with Sara—but the other guys were left hanging a little. Until now. Dooley’s story, Just For Fun, came out in July and now… it’s Kevin’s turn!

Ten things I like about Just A Kiss:

Kevin Campbell is probably the nicest of the guys and deserves to do some kissing of his own
I think I like the title best of all the books
The cover is perfect for this book and these characters
We get to see into Kevin’s past and find out some… interesting secrets
Eve Donnelly is crazy about Kevin and he deserves that too
These two have a very sweet history that was really fun to discover
I get to talk more about Nebraska Cornhusker football (Kevin’s an ex-player J)
We get to see more of the guys… and they’re just as fun and inappropriate as always
We get to meet some new people like Drew, Libby, Lacey, Monica, and Bryan—all of whom I love
It feels good to have all of the guys happy ever after and to have expanded this family—especially since I wrote Just Right without even knowing it would be a series!

Here’s a peek at Just A Kiss

She’s unforgettable… and that’s exactly what got him into trouble the first time.

Blurb:

The Bradfords, Book 5

As a paramedic in the busiest ER in the city, Kevin Campbell knows there’s no such thing as a typical night—but this one definitely has them all beat.

His dad’s been stabbed with a fork, his mom’s been in a fight, and it’s all because of a younger half-brother he never knew existed. And if that’s not enough, everyone seems to agree that Kevin should take the boy in for the six months during his mom’s rehab. Oh, and the annulment he thought he got fourteen years ago? Never went through.

It’s really too bad he gave up drinking and swearing.

Eve Donnelly is shocked to see Kevin again, but not surprised they’re still married. After all, she was the one who refused to sign the annulment papers. Now that she’s got Kevin back in her life, nothing else matters. Not even her past fourteen less-than-virtuous years. In fact, the truth about her life without Kevin isn’t even worth bringing up. She hopes.

When Eve offers to help Kevin with his younger brother, a sweet, devout preacher’s daughter seems like an answered prayer. Besides, things can’t get more complicated. Can they?

Warning: Contains a bad boy gone good, a good girl who knows all about being bad, and lots of hot, sweet, so-this-is-how-married-couples-do-it sex.

Excerpt:

Kevin was here. Right in front of her. Smiling that smile.

“Wow,” she said softly.

“Ditto,” he said with the half grin still in place.

“I didn’t expect that to be quite so strong.”

His pupils seemed to dilate as he watched her. “You didn’t expect what to be so strong?”

“The impulse to kiss you.”

His pupils dilated for sure then. It felt like he leaned closer. “You have the urge to kiss me? Now? Just like that?”

She lifted a shoulder. She should probably be embarrassed by that. Or her pride should dictate that she not admit it. Or perhaps her pride should make it so it wasn’t true. He’d walked away. Less than twenty-four hours after professing in front of God and witnesses that he would love, honor and protect her until death parted them, to be exact.

But it was true.

“It doesn’t feel sudden,” she said.

“We’re seeing each other again after fourteen years apart. That seems sudden.” His voice was soft and a little hoarse.

“It doesn’t feel sudden because it never stopped being true.” She gave him a smile. “But I didn’t expect it to be so strong.”

“Damn,” came a muttered response from one of his friends.

She didn’t bother looking at who. But Kevin did. It pulled his attention from her to them and broke the spell.

Damn indeed.

“I, um, need to talk to you,” he said.

She sighed. Damn again. When they’d first broken up she would have done anything to get him to talk to her. She would have called, camped out on his porch, dressed slutty and shown up at his work place, begged… anything.

But he’d served her with annulment papers and left town. She knew he’d gone to Lincoln, but wasn’t sure how to find him. She hadn’t gotten to know his parents well enough to ask them. His friends weren’t talking. He’d just been gone.

And now he was back and wanting to talk to her. Terrific.

It had to be something big. Something like being Drew Dawson’s father.

Nothing she wanted to hear.

“Can we pretend that you simply came in for coffee and breakfast?” she asked. “I’ll take your order and fill your cup, like nothing’s weird or awkward, okay?” But she would still have to sell the restaurant and move to Siberia so she didn’t have to watch Kevin raise his son with another woman.

One corner of his mouth curled up, but he shook his head. “I need to tell you something.”

“You really don’t.” It was one thing for him to be with another woman, even have a kid, but for it to be in her own backyard—that wasn’t fair. But if he didn’t say it, she could try to ignore it, try to fake it, tell herself that everything was normal and fine.

“I really do,” he said firmly. “It’s important.”

“Nothing’s been this important in fourteen years,” she said, trying to sound flippant. “I’m sure you’ll realize that this is the same—”

“We’re still married.”

She stared at him.

Oh, that.

He knew. Okay. No wonder he wanted to talk.

Which meant he was getting married. That was the only reason the annulment—or lack thereof—could have come up. In Nebraska, they wouldn’t give a marriage license to someone who already had one. In most states probably.

Eve tried to ignore the fact that her heart was trying to turn inside out at the idea of him marrying someone else.

Talking was exactly what she’d been going for when she’d refused to sign the annulment. She’d wanted him to come to her and ask her why. She’d wanted a chance to change his mind. She’d wanted him to have to face her before he gave his heart and life to someone else. Someone who would never love him the way she did, someone who had no right to the man she was supposed to be with.

“Did you hear me?” he asked.

Eve swallowed hard and nodded.

“The annulment was never official,” he clarified.

“Yeah. I um… I really thought this would come up before now.” She realized too late how that sounded.

Kevin’s eyebrows drew together. “You knew?”

Did she confess? Did she lie? Did she fake a heart attack?

“Yeah, I knew. Know.”

“How long have you known?” he demanded.

She hadn’t signed because she didn’t want the annulment and she’d hoped he’d find out and come to her about it. Well, she was getting her wish. “All along.”

His eyes flashed. “You’ve known all along that we were still married?”

“Maybe we should leave you two alone...” one of the guys in the booth said.

“Not necessary,” Kevin said. He grabbed Eve’s wrist and started for the kitchen door.

Mark your calendars for October 30^th!