New Adult Contemporary
Companion Stand - Alone to CURVE
Releasing November 28, 2014
This title is suitable for readers over 15
Sometimes it doesn’t end with happy ever after.
Neve believes Jake is the one. She is miles away from
home, struggling to fit in at university and missing the people she
loves. The only thing getting her through is the knowledge that Jake will
be visiting for the weekend.
Jake believes he isn’t the one. His family and lifestyle
mean he can’t give Neve what she deserves: so much more than him. He
arrives for the weekend, knowing that he has to break her heart, along with his
own.
Sometimes we make decisions and have to live with the
consequences.
Each of them struggles to cope with the aftermath of the
weekend. Each of them is unhappy. Each of them refuses to do
something about it.
Sometimes it isn’t about a boy meeting a girl and falling
in love; sometimes it is about what happens next.
Neve
I loved the way we fit together so perfectly, aligned in every way. When we were standing, the height difference was noticeable as the top of my head barely
grazed his chin. Yet that made me feel safe, enveloped in his arms. But lying down, the difference disappeared. Yes, I did usually wake up with either his arms or long legs draped over me, but I liked it. Loved it.
“How long have you been awake and staring at me, Myrtle?” Jake’s yawned question interrupted my ogling.
“Oh, hours,” I joked. I could spend every hour of every day and not get my fill. Jake was that type of sexy which meant I couldn’t stop looking at him. And I wasn’t the only one, either. Over the months we had been together, I had finally got used to other girls, women even, eyeing him up, even if we were walking hand in hand. Maybe it was the permanent smile in his light blue eyes. Maybe it was the way his dirty-blond hair invited fingers to play in its messiness. Or maybe it was his ripped body, toned and tightened through hours of manual labour. God, his body.
“Earth to Myrtle,” Jake sang. “Is anyone at home?” I rolled over and straddled his hips. Looking down, my breath caught at the intensity of his gaze. His words may have been joking, but his eyes weren’t. He wasn’t looking at me: he was consuming me, almost as if he was trying to imprint my image on his brain. I dipped my head and kissed him lightly.
“Let me clean my teeth and I’ll be back,” I mumbled against his mouth but, as I tried to pull away, his arms folded around me, rendering me immobile. I wasn’t complaining; there were far worse places to be than pressed up against his chest.
“You know that I love you, don’t you?” There was a serious edge to his voice, which made me wish I was still looking into his eyes.
“That’s a stupid question. Of course I do. I love you and you love me. It’s knowing how much you love me, and looking forward to this weekend, that has meant I've survived the first couple of weeks here. So, yes, I know you love me. Now, can I brush my teeth?” After a brief, breath-crushing squeeze, his arms relented and I slid off the bed.
When I left the bathroom a few minutes later, I was surprised to see him, already dressed, and perched on the edge of my tidied bed.
“Oh, I thought I was coming back to bed,” I said, my hands unconsciously playing with the belt on my dressing gown.
“Sit down, Neve.” He never called me Neve. Ever.
“Why? Can’t I put some clothes on first?”
“Please, just sit down.” The quietness in his voice had me worried so I obeyed.
Big mistake.
That was the moment I let it happen.
“I can’t carry on doing this.”
“Carry on doing what? What are you talking about? Why are you acting so weird?”
“This. Us. I can’t do it anymore. I want out.” The bastard couldn’t even make eye contact with me as he broke—no, shattered—my heart.
“What the fuck? You’re kidding me, right? There’s no problem with this. We’re great. At least, I thought we were,” I added, turning his face around so he had no choice but to man up and look at me. “What are you doing, Jake? I know things will be a bit different when I’m here but you can come down whenever you want, and I’ll be home again in a couple of weeks. We’ll make it work. I promise.” I tried to kiss him, but he shifted his head so all I got was a stubbly cheek.
“It’s no good, Neve. My mind is made up. I came down to say goodbye.”
Never have I felt as angry as I did at that moment. Heat poured out of me, like a volcano erupting, and for a moment, I understood what compelled people to kill someone they love.
“You came down to say goodbye? Well, why didn’t you just do that then? But, oh no, you thought you were going to get one last shag in, didn’t you? So, you knew you were going to do this when we were in bed together? When you were telling me you loved me?” With each question, the tone and volume of my voice increased. When he tried to put his arms around me to calm me down, well, it was probably only dogs who could hear me.
“Get the fuck off me! You have no right to touch me. Not after this.”
“Please, don’t be like this.” The sadness in his eyes took the heat out of my anger and I wavered, desperate to find out what was going through his head. But I knew I couldn’t cope with finding out there was someone else or, worse still, that he no longer loved me. I had to stay strong.
“Get out. Get out now!” I opened the door to my room and stood sentry.
“Don’t—” I picked up his keys and phone off my desk.
“Here you go. Bye.” I forced myself to pretend I was feeling nothing but anger as I held them out to him. He walked over and took them, trying to hold onto
the hand which held them. I pulled it back and thrust it into my pocket. When he opened his mouth to speak, I made sure to get in first.
“Don’t. You have no fucking right to talk to me. Remember that, no right at all. So when you realise you have made the biggest fuck-up of your life, don’t expect to come crawling back to me, apologising and telling me you love me. This is over. You are over.”
The venom in my words had the desired effect and he walked through the door. Slamming it shut, I leaned my forehead against it and hoped for a sign that he might not go through with it.
The bang as the entrance door to the student housing closed crushed the first hope.
The throaty roar as his van came to life crushed the second.
The sound of the engine disappearing into the distance crushed any lingering crumbs which may have remained.
Falling to the floor, I wondered exactly how many pieces my heart had just been broken into. Allowing the fake anger to disappear, my chest heaved with panicky sobs. What would I do now?
Jake was my life.
My love.
My world.
And now that world was spiralling, free-falling through space, ready to disappear into the abyss. I closed my eyes, wanting to go with it.
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About the Author
As well as being a writer, I love reading and reading about
reading. My taste goes from Shakespeare to John Green...and much of what lies
between! Dickens, check. Austen, check. Atwood, check.
Over Christmas 2012, I discovered the joy of new adult fiction
and, inspired by Colleen Hoover and Tammara Webber, I decided to try my hand at
writing my own NA novel.
I love the friendliness of the Indie writer community and have
been overwhelmed by the support of followers interested in my journey. Please
feel free to monitor my publishing progress via my Facebook page, Twitter or
blog :-)
My first novel, Curve, was released in October 2013. My second
novel, Heart, is a standalone companion to Curve and will be released in
November 2014.
GIVEAWAY
To celebrate the release of HEART,
Nicola Hudson is hosting a giveaway on her Facebook
Page!
(1) Signed Print Copy of HEART
(International)
(1) eBook Copy of HEART
(1) Nicola Hudson Swag Pack
(1) $20 Donation to the charity of your choice OR a $10 Amazon Gift Card
(1) $20 Donation to the charity of your
choice OR a $5 Amazon Gift Card(1) Nicola Hudson Swag Pack
(1) $20 Donation to the charity of your choice OR a $10 Amazon Gift Card
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