Everyone has their favorite place to be. Me? I’m definitely a small town kind of girl. Cities make me anxious, but small towns, places where I feel like I could know everyone around, I love that.

It’s a constant battle between Cynthia and Henry over which is better, small town or big city. It seems both have perks!

Excerpt from Everything She Never Wanted

“See,” Henry said with a nudge, “small town life isn’t all bad.”

Cynthia chuckled. “No. It’s definitely not all bad.”

Her eyes locked on his and all humor evaporated between them. Or maybe it burned off. Her money was on the second one. His eyes darkened and dropped to her lips. Her heart skipped, then leaped and raced on without the rest of her. He moved closer the same time she did and they came together in a crash of limbs and tongues and lips.

She was back on the edge of the counter in a second. His tongue in her mouth, his cock hard between her thighs. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in tighter so she could feel every inch of him.

Henry’s tongue swept over hers in a long, slow slide. She needed to feel him, to touch his skin. A tug at the edge of his shirt exposed warm skin to her fingertips. She climbed his body, taking her time as she explored him. He continued to drive her insane with his tongue and his cock, but she was fairly certain there were a few stutters in there that she could take credit for. Like when she ran her nails down his chest. And when she swiped her thumb over his taut nipple. Or when she moaned.

Okay, maybe that last one was more him than her, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was getting her hands on Henry.

He leaned back and stripped his shirt off, tossing it toward the couch. His lips were back on hers before his shirt hit the floor. His hands cupped her hips and pulled her against him as he thrust into her again. She cried out, his erection hitting her in the perfect spot. She looked at him, eyes dark and full of lust, muscles tense, light brown hair accenting his body and making her want him even more.

One hand went to the hem of her sweater and lifted it, raising goosebumps on her exposed flesh. His palm covered the spot, warming her again. He moved upward, drawing out more goosebumps, until his palm cupped her breast.

They both groaned.

“I’ve wanted to touch you for so long. Jesus, I’ve dreamed about what your skin would feel like. Taste like.”

“Hey, Henry?”

“Hmm?”

Cynthia grinned. “This isn’t a dream.”

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You know how much I love a first kiss. With Cynthia and Henry, I think it means even more since they knew each other for so long and never acted on anything. After all these years, sharing their first kiss is even more powerful, especially with everything else going on around each of them.

What do you think?

Excerpt from Everything She Never Wanted

His tongue brushed her lips as she parted them to get a taste of him. Her tongue ran along his, muddying her brain and demanding that she give in to whatever he wanted. Whatever he needed. She hooked her thumbs in his belt loops and held on. Their tongues teased and tasted each other. The wine was different coming from him, better even, and she felt herself sinking deeper into Henry.

Henry that she loved.

Henry that she never thought she’d see again.

Henry that was her best friend.

Henry that she didn’t know anymore.

She felt like she was back in high school, or middle school, experiencing her first kiss. A boy she barely knew. A kiss that made her head spin. A desire that was new and fresh and exciting.

When he pulled back, almost suddenly, Cynthia wasn’t ready for their kiss to be over. She still held him, her arms around his waist and his around her shoulders. She felt safe and protected within his embrace. But his eyes burned into hers, reminding her that the boy she knew had grown into a man she didn’t know.

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When I first thought about creating this series, Everything She Never Wanted was one of the books I was so excited to write. That sounds bad since the book deals with loss, but I knew it was going to be emotional and powerful. And I knew I was going to love Cynthia.

Cynthia is scared. She’s been scared her whole life. She’s been hurt and she’s dealt with pain forever. She’s the perfect person to help Henry through the loss his family suffered (no, I’m still not telling who they lose).

If you read the other books in the series, you might not like Cynthia. I get that. You’ll find out who she really is, and hopefully by the end you’ll be cheering for her to get Everything She Never Wanted!

Excerpt from Everything She Never Wanted

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey,” he answered, stepping closer to her.

“Do you feel any better?”

It took him a minute to realize she was talking about his panic attack, or whatever it was, when she got there. He nodded and pulled her in for a hug, resisting the desire to kiss her again. She was there for him the entire night. She didn’t shy away like so many others did. She let him be angry. She let him be irritated. She let him be whatever he needed to be.

Hell, she even let him kiss her and then not talk about it.

“That was one heck of a kiss earlier,” she whispered against his chest.

So much for not talking about it.

Henry sucked in a breath. “I thought so, too.”

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the best kiss of my life.”

He pulled back from her and spun away. He could take kindness. He could handle sympathy. He could even swallow pity. But lying was not on the menu for the evening.

“You don’t have to bullshit me, Cynthia. I’m almost thirty-four years old. I’ve kissed enough women to have picked up a few things. This isn’t high school where you have to lie to me about how much I mean to you.”

Hurt flashed in her brown eyes, bringing out the green. She nodded once, then leveled him with a look that said exactly what she thought of his accusation.

“First of all, I never lied to you in high school. You were my best friend. I adored you. I had no idea you liked me the way you did, or I wouldn’t have turned to you. I was never close to any of the girls I knew, but with you, I could be myself. So screw you for saying I lied about what you meant to me. Second, that was the best kiss of my life. Maybe you didn’t feel the same, or maybe you did, but don’t ever tell me that what I’m feeling isn’t true.”

Henry didn’t know whether to be shocked or impressed by what she said. He’d never known her to have such a quick temper, but things had changed about both of them over the years.

One thing that didn’t change was how much he wanted her. And damn if he could stop himself from kissing her again after seeing that spark in her eyes and hearing his was the best kiss of her life.

Henry didn’t give her a chance to back away. He didn’t go slow. He didn’t ask first. He just took, again, what he wanted, but this time, he wasn’t holding back.

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Henry was the fat kid in high school. He spent his years feeling like he was in the background, never getting the girl and never making the team. All he had was his best friend in the world, until he told her he loved her.

Cynthia felt like a fool for not realizing Henry was in love with her in high school. She lost her best friend when she walked away, but she felt the loss for years after she left Bereton. After losing her job, Cynthia moved back home and reconnects with Henry.

Amidst loss and heartbreak, Henry and Cynthia have to decide if they can cure each other or if some pain can only be healed alone.

Mary’s warning… This book is emotional. Painfully so. It’s been hard for me to write, but it was a story that had to be told. I know you’re going to hate me. You’re going to hate this book. But grab some tissues and dive in. It will make you cry, but there’s always love, even in pain.

Available August 22!

Preorder now from Amazon, Kobo, or iBooks.

Excerpt from Everything She Never Wanted

“Should I be worried?” he asked, striving for levity in light of what she’d seen inside.

Her eyes betrayed her grin. She was worried about him. She shook her head and stood, brushing the snow from her jeans. She scooped up half the snowballs and carried them to the picnic table.

“This looked like a pretty sturdy wall,” she said, nodding to the side of the house.

“Uh, I think so. Why?”

She shrugged. “I thought you could use it.”

“For what?”

She looked at him and grinned. She grabbed one snowball and tossed it up gently before catching it. Then she turned and threw it at the side of the house. The snow exploded over the dark stone, leaving a beautiful white imprint.

Oh, hell, yeah.

“Seriously? You didn’t lure me out here for a snowball fight?”

She shook her head, that sad look in her eyes again. “You looked like you needed this.”

Henry pulled in a breath, unsure if he was happy she remembered his need to throw things when he was mad, or sad that they were basically strangers who knew each other.

She grabbed another snowball and chucked it at the wall, the packed snow bursting a foot from the first one, and Henry couldn’t resist any longer. He walked over to the pile she’d amassed and tested one. He packed it again, out of instinct, then threw it as hard as he could at the wall.

The blast eased something inside him, ever so slightly. He stood for a moment, enjoying the sight of the snow scattered across the side of his house.

Then threw another one.

And another.

And another.

Cynthia packed snowballs and Henry launched them at the wall. He had no idea how long they were out there. Long enough that the tips of his fingers started to get cold, his gloves soaked through, and he regretted wearing only jeans outside. Cynthia’s nose was red, as were her cheeks, but she didn’t complain. She just kept packing snowballs, not saying a word as Henry threw one after the other at the side of his house.

He finally stopped and looked at her. Really looked at her. She packed another snowball, oblivious to him staring. She looked beautiful with her red face, jeans hugging her lower half. Her white jacket nearly blended in with the snow around them. She finally looked up at him and grinned.

“Feel better?”

He nodded. “Thanks.”

“Any time.”