Capturing
You
Maple
Grove
Book
1
Katana
Collins
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Date
of Publication: 12/16/14
Word
Count: 72,000
Cover
Artist: Fiona Jayde
Book
Description:
After
discovering she's infertile, Lydia Ryder has all but convinced
herself that she doesn't need children or a family to be happy. All
she needs is her camera, her passport, and a damn good manicure. And
maybe, maybe a sexy male travel companion. But when her job as a
magazine photographer lands her in the small town of Maple Grove, NH,
a precocious ten year old and her single father barge into Lydia's
life, turning what she thinks she wants onto its head. In this town
full of happily ever afters, Lydia finds herself wishing for things
she had sworn off long ago...
When
Cameron Tripp's wife passed away from heart disease, he thought he'd
never find love again. He certainly never would have expected a woman
like Lydia Ryder to waltz into his life and awaken his dormant heart
and libido. But despite his better judgment, Cam finds himself drawn
to the vivacious and argumentative outsider. He quickly learns that,
like him, she knows all about misplaced trust, heartbreak, and how
quickly a family can fall apart if you let it.
As
impassioned arguments morph into frenzied kisses, the two wonder if
one weekend can ever be enough. Despite lacking a maternal side, can
Lydia connect with his ten year old daughter? And when Cameron
finally learns the true nature of Lydia's article, the trust he
worked so hard to build crumbles once again. With such doubts filling
their minds, is there any hope that Lydia and Cameron will be able to
start a new life together?
Excerpt:
Chapter
Eleven
It
didn't take long before Cam was lying on the floor, face up, a
half-empty bottle of wine clutched in a hand. His ceiling fan was so
dirty. He'd have to make a mental note to dust up there next time. If
he'd even remember in this inebriated state. Do drunk people use
words like inebriated? Apparently this one did.
He
looked to his left, swiveling his head without lifting it off the
floor. Callie was lying face down on his couch. One leg dangled off
the edge and knuckles that grasped her bottle of vino scraped the
floor. Her cheek was squished making her loose lips pucker. Sensing
his stare, she opened her eyes; they were red and bloodshot. “You're
so drunk,” she slurred.
“You're
an enabebler,” Cam attempted to speak. Clearly it wasn't going
well. He could tell in his own head it was wrong and his sister broke
out in a fit of giggles.
“This
is fun,” she said, “Why didn't we ever do this before?”
“Because
you weren't twenty-one before,” he grunted and bringing the bottle
to his lips, took another swig. The sweetness wasn't so much of an
issue after your sixth glass. And after almost a whole bottle? You
didn't even taste it anymore.
“Listen, mister. I've been twenty-one for...” she counted on
a few fingers, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as though
the extra thinking hurt, “many months now. There's no excuse!”
Her elbow gave out and she fell back down onto the couch with an
oomph.
“Yeah,
well, I've got reponsibilities,” he said. “Responsilibilities,”
he tried again. “Re-spons-ib-ilities.” There. He got it, finally.
Callie
broke out into another fit of girlie giggles and rolled off the couch
onto her back next to Cam. He couldn't help but laugh too. And damn
it felt good to laugh. It was creaky; unused. But nice, nonetheless.
“So seriously,” Callie's eyes were only half open, “who's the
city chick?”
Cam
groaned. Lydia. Everything came back to Lydia lately. “I need to be
drunker if we're going to talk about this,” he lifted the bottle
again, the halogen lamp reflecting off the tinted glass. It was
noticeably lighter than before.
“C'mon,”
she propped herself up on an elbow. “Tell me about her.”
He
sighed. “She's...beautiful.
Callie
burst out laughing again. “Okay, I think you've had enough,” she
reached across him and took the bottle from his hands.
He
closed his eyes, picturing her face. That sleek chestnut hair; grey
eyes with little specks of gold like his granite countertops; high
cheekbones and large, plump lips. When he opened his eyes, Callie was
looming over him smiling. “You're thinking about her, aren't you?”
He
groaned. “She has a boyfriend. It's a moot point.”
“Did
she say it was a moot point?”
“She
doesn't have to. She has a boyfriend and she lied about it.”
Callie
arched an eyebrow. “Which only proves that she's into you, too.”
“Doesn't matter,” he mumbled.
“Boyfriend. In New York. She's leaving.”
“Okay,”
he said, “Now you're the one with the drunken drunk talk.”
“She
has a boyfriend.”
“All
the more reason to do it. Neither of you will get attached.”
“You
want me to use her to get my feet wet again?”
She
snorted a laugh. “You sure you want me answering that?”
“Oh,
god,” he covered his face with both hands. “No. You're twelve.
You're
twelve
and you collect My Little Ponies.”
Grabbing
a pillow, she hit him playfully across the face. “Just think about
it, bro. We all just want you to be happy.”
Happy.
The word rolled around in his mind like a marble on a slick surface.
It was too soon to be happy. Too raw. He liked the wound—liked
keeping it fresh and open. It was his only connection left to Hannah.
Cam
pushed off the ground, room spinning as he got to his feet. With a
groan, he grabbed a plastic bag, gathering the empty bottles.
“What
are you doing?” Callie mumbled.
Cam
rubbed his eyes with a knuckle. “I can't have Maddie or mom coming
home tomorrow to find these. I'll take them out to the recycling
tonight.”
Callie
gurgled something that half sounded like words before she rolled
over, smashing her face into a pillow.
The
recycling was locked in a wood shed on the edge of the property to
protect their garbage from bears. Cam shivered, his unlaced boots
crunching in the snow as he staggered to the shed. He had to pause a
moment, leaning on the banister to make the snow below him stop
spinning.
At
the water's edge was a vision. A beautiful woman bundled in a coat
staring out into the night. Cam blinked. Was he just seeing things?
Surely he couldn't trust his eyes when he was this drunk.
But
then, the woman turned and he was struck by Lydia's stunning svelte
body, backlit by moonlight. She took his breath away and they both
stood frigidly staring at each other.
Tossing
the recycling into the shed, he huffed toward the frozen lake and
Lydia stood there, unmoving. His insides wrenched and he didn't
bother thinking.
“Cam,”
she said as he approached. Only he didn't let her get anything else
out. He grasped her tiny waist with both hands and tugged her into
him, sloping his mouth down over hers in a kiss that stirred fire
even on the coldest night.
She
moaned into his mouth and their tongues explored each other in wild,
feverish movements.
. “God, you are beautiful,” he whispered
against her. “And smart. And talented.” Then, dragging his lips
up her neck, he scraped his teeth along the tender flesh there. Her
muscles quivered against his mouth and he grinned, loving that he
could affect her this way.
He
kissed her jaw up to her chin, pausing just in front of her full,
curvy pout. “What are you doing to me?” He rasped.
Lydia's
eyes danced, fluttering open to meet his gaze. She licked her lips
and swallowed. “You've been drinking.”
“Only
a little,” he lied. Cam tried to blink his alcohol fogged brain
back into commission, but all he could see was Lydia. All he wanted
was Lydia. He didn't care about the wine. Or the auction. Or the fact
that she had some boyfriend waiting for her in New York. He just
wanted to live in the moment and for once do what his heart desired.
“I've wanted to do this since the moment I saw you,” he groaned
and pressed his lips to hers once more.
About
the Author:
Katana
Collins Katana Collins splits her time evenly between photographing
boudoir portraits and writing steam-your-glasses romances. Between
navigating life as a small business owner, a first-time homeowner,
and a newlywed, Kat is in a constant state of
"OHMYGODINEEDCOFFEENOW."
She
is the author of the Soul Stripper trilogy, Wicked Exposure, and the
graphic novel, Cafe Racer, co-written with Sean Murphy.
She
and her comic book artist husband commute back and forth as they
please between Brooklyn, NY and Portland, ME with their ever-growing
family of rescue animals (up to two dogs and a cat and still
counting!). She can usually be found hunched over her laptop in a
cafe, guzzling gallons of coffee, and wearing fabulous (albeit
sometimes impractical) shoes.
Visit
her on the web at www.katanacollins.com
, on Twitter @katanacollins, or find her on Facebook
www.facebook.com/KatanaCollins
Tour giveaway 3 paperback bundles of the Soul Stripper Series open to US Shipping 2 digital bundles
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you for a look at your book. I love what I have read so far. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, nikirenee!!! Glad you're enjoying so far! I should have the prequel (which will be free) ready to publish next week, fingers crossed!
ReplyDelete