by Nana Malone
(The Donovans #3)
Publication date: July 27th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Up and coming racecar driver, Kisima Jennings, is all alone in the world and that’s just how she likes it. After all, she has her career, who needs family? But when a near-fatal crash jeopardizes her future, she’s forced to lean on someone for the first time in her life.
As an athletic trainer, Derek Donovan is driven and has always kept his eyes on the prize, never letting personal entanglements come between him and his dream of becoming a head trainer for the New Orleans Jaguars. That is, until one misstep costs him everything. Now he’s starting over, but with a client as tempting as Kisima, is he destined to repeat the mistakes of his past? Or will letting someone close bring him everything he’s ever wanted?
Excerpt:
Derek punished the treadmill in the hotel gym. Kisima Jennings’ words kept running through his skull. I don’t think this is going to work out. I don’t think this is going to work out. I don’t think–
He pushed faster, trying to outrun the echo of her voice in his head. In his blood. Since he’d left the ranch, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Which was part of the problem. He sure as shit couldn’t work with her. They would clash at every turn.
The other problem, he fucking wanted her. Bad enough to consider begging. Those dark, chocolate, arresting eyes of hers had latched onto his soul. In the sunlight of the study, her cinnamon kissed skin had looked soft and good enough to taste. Even with the chair, he could tell she was strong and athletic, but curvy. He liked strong women. None of that waify bullshit. Idiot.
It was like he never fucking learned. He couldn’t explain it, but the pull to her was strong, potent. After Kallie, he should have learned his lesson. But his cock, apparently, was a little slow on the uptake. He could ignore it, but if he was trapped in one room with her for several weeks, he might go insane.
He knew he’d been an ass. And he’d even tried to rein himself in. But the fire in her eyes was too fun to watch. Someone with that kind of fire would never just take being in a wheelchair at face value. She was a fighter. He knew it. It pissed him off that the woman in all the photos was replaced by a pampered princess.
She was the princess in the ivory tower who expected everything to be done for her. And he thought Kallie Wintor was spoiled. She had nothing on Kisima Jennings.
The main house reminded him of a trip his family had taken to California to see Hearst Castle when he was a kid. It wasn’t nearly as large or opulent, but pretty fucking close with the old-world feel. From the research he’d done, he knew that the Daniels were an old racing family. The founder of Daniels Racing, Donald Daniels had been an oilman who had too much money and no idea what to do with it. Looked like that was still true today.
The grounds, from what he’d seen and the map he’d been given, contained three guesthouses spread across the property. The one directly behind the main house was about a football field away. Between the two houses, there was a pool, a basketball court, an expansive circular driveway and a state of the art gym.
The map boasted two other equally large guesthouses on the property spread out around the mazes and the racetrack. TJ Daniels had a racetrack on his freaking property. Granted he ran a racing school too, but damn. Why the hell had his dad never sent them out there for summers? That would have certainly been a change of pace.
Though, judging by that enormous chip on Kiss Jennings’ shoulder, the money hadn’t done her any good. He was still trying to figure out that relationship. She clearly lived there, but what was she to the old man?
Stop thinking about her. It’s not like you’re ever going to see her again. Something way too close to regret spread from his chest. No, he was not upset about not seeing her again. He was missing an opportunity to use his skills. Yeah, yeah. The lies he told himself. Either way though, he’d be right about one thing. It wouldn’t work to be at odds with her trainer. He needed someone to commit to working their ass off. And he had a feeling Kisima wasn’t that kind of girl.
His phone chimed and he hopped off the still moving treadmill to snag it. Maybe one of those calls he’d been making to every friend he had in the league was finally starting to pay off.
“Hello, this is Derek.”
There was a beat of silence and his skin prickled with awareness. “This is Kisima Jennings. Do you have a few minutes?”
His brain told him to be cautious. Told him that he’d regret taking this call. But every instinct and cell in his body told him to take it. “What can I do for you, Kisima?”
“I don’t suppose you’ll let me get away without eating any crow.”
He smirked. “Not on your life.”
“Fine.” She was silent for a moment. “I would like you to come back. I need your help.” It sounded like she was speaking through her teeth.
His gut twisted even as the adrenaline flooded his veins. He wanted to go back. Just the idea of seeing her stubborn little vein jut was enough. “On one condition, I’m in charge of your recovery. I say it, you do it. No questions, no complaints.”
More silence. No doubt she was thinking up all the ways she could kill him. “Fine.”
“In that case, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
USA Today Best Seller, Nana Malone’s love of all things romance and adventure started with a tattered romantic suspense she “borrowed” from her cousin.It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a precocious thirteen. She’s been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.
While she waits for her chance at a job as a ninja assassin, in the meantime Nana works out her drama, passion and sass with fictional characters every bit as sassy and kick butt as she thinks she is.
Want to know when the next book is coming? Hit up her Newsletter here. You’ll only get updated when there is a new release or a special promotion for her Sexy, Sassy Readers. http://eepurl.com/2PeXb
*USA Today Bestselling In Stilettos Series *
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I loved the excerpt so much that I went and bought the book. Thanks for the intro.
Yay! Hope you love it 🙂