Saying
Goodbye
Part
One
Passports
and Promises
Book
1
Abigail
Drake
Genre:
New Adult Romance
Publisher:
Pennrose Press
Date
of Publication: September 10, 2016
ISBN:
978-0-9978243-1-5
ASIN:
B01KGYPFTK
Number
of Pages: 171
Word
Count: 53K
Cover
Artist: Najla Qamber
Book
Description Part One:
Samantha
Barnes always dreamed of seeing the world, and only has a few months
left before she starts a semester abroad in Japan. Enough time to say
goodbye to her friends, polish up her language skills, and maybe even
squeeze in a quick fling with handsome fraternity boy Dylan Hunter.
All
she wants from Dylan is something casual, and perhaps some
mind-blowing sex, but things don’t work out as planned. Dylan wants
a lot more from her than a hook-up. Before Sam realizes what’s
happening, their relationship has become serious, something she never
intended. And then she discovers Dylan is hiding a dark secret that
makes breaking up with him nearly impossible.
Sam
is running out of time. She has to leave soon. She has no choice. But
leaving Dylan could mean more than just the end of their
relationship. It could also mean destroying him completely.
Excerpt
Part One:
I
walked out of the classroom and straight into Dylan Hunter. He’d
been standing right outside the door to my classroom.
“What
are you doing here?”
I’d
wanted to see him in the sunshine, and I’d gotten my wish. He was
even better looking than I remembered, with his black hair, dark
eyes, and sexy crooked smile.
“This
was the only Japanese III class being offered this semester. I took a
chance.”
I
hesitated, not sure if this was nice or a little creepy. “Oh.”
He
lifted a bag he held in his hand. “I brought lunch.”
His
face, so full earnestness, dispelled any worry I had about his
creepiness factor. We sat outside and ate the lunch he’d prepared
for us; peanut butter sandwiches, apples, and brownies.
“I
bought the brownies, but I made the sandwiches myself.”
He
handed me a soda. The September sun peeked through the leaves on the
trees, warming us as we sat on a stone bench and ate. He turned and
straddled the bench to face me. My cheeks got a little hot. I’d
barely had time to pull my hair into a bun this morning. I wore yoga
pants and a hoodie, and not a touch of makeup. The longer Dylan
stared, the more uncomfortable I became.
“What?”
“Are
you still with Max?”
I
shook my head. “We broke up weeks ago.”
“But
do you still love him?”
I
decided the direct and honest approach would work best. “I never
loved him and he never loved me. It ended well. We’re better as
friends.”
He
grinned and the effect shocked me. An odd tingling sensation rushed
through my whole body. If his smile could do that to me, I had to
wonder what his other parts could do. His lips. His hands. Everything
else.
He
leaned forward and, for just a second, I thought he might kiss me.
Instead, he got really close and stared into my eyes. “That’s
good news, Sam.”
“Why?”
“Because
I want you to be mine.”
My
half-eaten brownie remained clutched in my hand as I tried to
formulate a coherent thought. I took a sip of soda and stared at him.
“That’s
awfully direct, isn’t it?”
He
shrugged. “Why pretend? It’s what I want. Why shouldn’t I be
honest about it?”
“You
hardly know me.”
“I
know enough.”
He
reached for my hand, lacing my fingers with his. It reminded me of
our walk home from the frat.
He
let go of my hand and looked at his watch. “I’ve got to go. Can I
see you later?”
“When?”
He
gathered up our trash and tossed it into a bin. “How about dinner?
Would seven work for you?”
I
hesitated only a second before answering. “Yes.”
“I’ll
pick you up at the Theta house. Wear a dress.”
I
stood next to him, holding my books against my chest. “I’m not
sure if this is a good idea...”
He
touched my face, his thumb stroking my cheek. “What’s there to be
unsure about?”
“You’re
a nice guy, but I’m leaving in January. I’ll be in Japan for the
whole semester. It would be crazy to get involved with someone right
now.”
“It’s
dinner, Sam. No worries. No strings. Just food.”
“Just
food?”
“Just
food. I’ll see you at seven.”
Saying
Goodbye
Part
Two
Passports
and Promises
Book
1
Abigail
Drake
Genre:
New Adult Romance
Publisher:
Pennrose Press
Date
of Publication: September 10, 2016
ISBN:
978-0-9978243-3-9
ASIN:
B01KS613FG
Number
of Pages: 164
Word
Count: 50K
Cover
Artist: Najla Qamber
Book
Description Part Two:
What
if you meet the right person…at absolutely the wrong time?
When
Samantha Barnes starts her semester abroad in Japan, she brings along
a heavy load of emotional baggage. With her ex-boyfriend in the midst
of a mental health crisis back home, she’d been forced to make some
difficult choices, choices that now fill her with guilt and remorse.
She also made promises to him she isn’t sure she can keep,
especially when she meets Thomas MacGregor, an irresistibly charming
Scottish rugby player. Thomas is studying at the same university as
Samantha, and, although she tries to fight it, she begins to fall for
him. Hard.
Life
in Kyoto is everything Samantha could imagine, but, when tragedy
strikes, it sends her on a downward spiral into darkness. Will she be
able to come to terms with what happened, and have a future with
Thomas, or will she forever be plagued by regret?
Forgiveness
is a tricky thing, especially when the person you need to forgive
most is yourself.
Excerpt
Part Two:
As
we walked through the lobby, I felt a little underdressed. Most of
the women had on skirts, and the men wore suits. The only other
foreigners, a group of men sitting in the bar, laughed and talked
loudly, causing people to shoot them curious glances. The bar opened
into the lobby, and they watched what looked like a very noisy and
exciting rugby match on a large television. I suspected they might
also be students, here for the Tokyo orientation, but we
automatically steered away from them. They seemed rowdy, and had
begun drawing annoyed looks from the hotel staff.
“Some
people leave home for the first time and don’t know how to act,”
said Hana under her breath.
One
of the guys in the group stood up and yelled, raising his hands in
the air. His booming voice echoed throughout the lobby.
“Bloody
hell. They did it.”
I
caught a glimpse of possibly the tallest, broadest guy I’d ever
seen. He had a headful of unruly curls streaked with gold that made
him look a bit like a lion. He wore jeans and a wrinkled dress shirt
half tucked and half untucked into his jeans. He turned around and
his eyes met mine for just a moment. A shockingly deep shade of blue,
they lit up when he saw me.
“Oi,”
he said, waving at us. We ignored him and ducked into the hotel gift
shop.
“Do
you think they’re in the Ritsumeikan group?”
Hana
glanced over her shoulder. “Dr. Eshima told me there would be a
bunch of ruggers from Scotland, England, and Australia in our group.
This is the first year they’ve had a team, and they recruited the
best collegiate ruggers in the world for training and marketing
purposes. I would bet that is them.”
Dr.
Eshima had taken a position teaching at Ritsumeikan this semester. I
was excited, not only because I loved having him as a teacher. It
would be nice to have another familiar face around.
“Ruggers?”
“Rugby
players,” she said. “Uh-oh. Here comes one now.”
The
giant lion man stood at the doorway of the gift shop, swaying
slightly on his feet. His eyes scanned the shop until he found me.
“Oi,”
he said again.
I
feigned tremendous interest in the postcard collection, but he
refused to take the hint. He came over, standing a little too close.
Hana deserted me, sneaking to the far side of the gift shop to get
two cans of grape juice from the fridge. Lion Man stared down at me,
forcing me to acknowledge his presence.
“Yes?”
“I
came to say hello.” It sounded more like “Ay kem ta sey halloo.”
His eyes, only half open, appeared glassy. Definitely trashed, but he
didn’t seem dangerous. Just very large, and loud, and Scottish.
“Hello.”
I nodded at him and returned to my postcard perusal. My heart
hammered in my chest. I forced myself to take slow, even breaths,
feeling a now familiar tightening in my ribs.
I’d
had the first anxiety attack of my life not long before I left for
Japan, and the lack of control had been as frightening as the attack
itself. I’d had a few close calls since then, but never another
full-blown attack.
I
took a deep breath and tried to calm down as I analyzed the
situation. For all his size, the rugby player wasn’t an actual
threat. He was just a large, good-looking drunk who wanted to flirt.
As soon as I realized that, my heart rate slowly returned to normal.
He
tilted his gigantic head to one side, looking a bit like a golden
retriever. Maybe that was his spirit animal. Not a lion but a big
puppy with giant, overgrown paws.
“Do
we have problem, sorority girl?” he asked, his eyes on the Greek
letters appliqued onto my hoody.
I
gave him a tight smile, wanting to hide the fact my hands still shook
from the adrenaline rush I’d just experienced. I shoved them into
the pocket of my hoodie. “I don’t have a problem. Excuse me.”
I
tried to slip past him, but he blocked my way. “Aren’t you high
and mighty?”
“Aren’t
you drunk and sloppy?”
His
friends laughed. They stood at the entry of the shop waiting to see
what might happen.
“Come
on, Thomas,” one of them said. “Leave the poor girl alone.”
He
straightened his spine, making him seem even more ridiculously tall,
and made a half-hearted attempt to tuck in his shirt, bringing my
attention to both his six-pack and his bulging biceps. In spite of
his rudeness and slovenly appearance, I found him attractive. Scary
thought. A wall of muscle, charm, and Scottish hotness, he probably
picked up women as easily as picking up a pair of socks. The last
thing I needed right now.
“Let
me try this again, the proper way. Hello. My name is Thomas Alexander
MacGregor. How do you do?”
He
gave me a very formal bow and held out a beefy hand. Against my
better judgment, I took it. “Samantha Barnes.”
He
swayed again on his feet, but kept my hand firmly gripped in his. I
wondered what would happen if he passed out in this tiny gift shop
full of delicate glass trinkets in elegantly lit display cases.
Thomas MacGregor, built like a redwood tree, would take out half the
shop if he fell. The little Japanese woman behind the counter seemed
to think the same thing. She watched our interaction with wary eyes,
her fingers hovering above a button on her desk. Thomas didn’t even
notice her. He only had eyes for me. Bleary, bloodshot eyes, even if
they were a beautiful shade of blue.
“Samantha
Barnes. You are lovely. Really lovely. Not the friendliest girl I’ve
ever met, and a bit stuck on yourself, I’d say, but lovely. As
lovely as an angel, in fact. Why don’t you and your friend join us
for a drink?”
I
wiggled out of his grasp and ducked around him. “No, thanks.”
He
spun around, almost losing his balance. “Why not?”
Hana
and I slipped out of the shop, but I paused in the doorway. “Didn’t
a MacGregor try to kill Peter Rabbit?”
He
frowned, his eyebrows coming together as he thought about it. “That
was Farmer MacGregor. And Peter Rabbit got away, if I remember the
story correctly.”
I
couldn’t help but smile. “So I guess history will repeat itself.”
He
left the shop and watched as I walked toward the lobby with Hana.
“You won’t even have one wee drink with me, little rabbit? Why?”
“Because
you are a drunken, rude, overbearing Scottish ox. And you’ve
already had one ‘wee drink’ too many.”
His
friends cheered; laughing so hard they nearly fell over. One of them
shouted, “She’s right, Tommy. You are a bloody ox.”
He
got very red in the face and lumbered back to his friends. “No
chance with that one. Pretty to look at for sure, but as prickly as a
damned thistle. You were right. I owe you a pint, Malcolm.”
My
ears burned as we walked away. Hana gave me a sympathetic look.
“Well, hopefully you’ll never have to see him again,” she said.
I
sighed. “I’m not that lucky.”
About
the Author:
Abigail
Drake has spent her life traveling the world, and collecting stories
wherever she visited. She majored in Japanese and International
Economics in college and worked in import/export and as an ESL
teacher before she committed herself full time to writing. She writes
in several romance genres, and her books are quirky, light, fun, and
sexy. Abigail is a trekkie, a book hoarder, the master of the
Nespresso machine, a red wine addict, and the mother of three boys
(probably the main reason for her red wine addiction). A puppy named
Capone is the most recent addition to her family, and she blogs about
him as a way of maintaining what little sanity she has left.
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giveaway
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