Twenty-four year old Dexter Michaels has arrived in the UK
for a fresh start - leaving everything and everyone he knows
behind in the states. Determined to put right some of the
wrongs he’ll never be able to forgive himself for making and
make his Aunt Sarah – the only person left who still believes in
him - proud, he lands in London with the intention of working
hard, getting his degree and keeping himself to himself. He
can’t destroy anybody else that way…
His heart and his body have other ideas however when he finds
himself sitting next to nineteen year old Emily Barton in his
Psychology class. Moving down south to find her own New Life,
Emily is shy, smart and beautiful – everything Dexter knows
he should stay away from… everything he knows would be too
easy for him to break.
But she makes him feel things he’d forgotten even existed. She
makes him laugh, smile, care… forget. Without her trying, and
without him realizing, Emily has wound her way into the one
place he swore to keep locked away forever – his heart.
But
can she stay there when she discovers the dark past he’s so
determined to keep hidden from her? Or will he destroy her
too, just like he always expected?
(Not recommended for younger readers due to language, drug/
alcohol abuse and sexual content)
Nicola
lives in Rochdale, England with her husband and four children
(and dog!). She is the author of two stand alone novels,
Inevitable and Saving Amy, and is currently having fun working
on her first series with book one, Take My Hand, to be released
in October. When not reading or writing Nicola can usually be
found carrying out her daily slave duties – cleaning, feeding the
mob, cleaning a bit more etc… or watching The Twilight Saga
for the fifty-billionth time :-)
Back on the sand I talked Emily into paddling along the water’s
edge. She whined a little, complaining about the cold, but when
I threatened to chuck her whole body into the frothy sea she
soon quit moaning and followed me towards the shore. I stood
still for a few long seconds when we reached it – gazing out in
awe towards the endless stretch of unsettled water.
For a moment I was back home. I was alone, admiring the
effervescent waves crash against the rocks, taking forgotten
debris and lost branches with them as they ventured back out
into the impossibly vast ocean, and wishing they could take me
with them.
“Crap that’s cold!” Emily blared as a small wave lapped over
her bare foot, snapping me back to consciousness.
“Quit being a pussy,” I replied, kicking up a mighty-big spray of
water her way.
She jumped away from me quicker than if I’d
just pulled a knife on her.
“Oh my God, Dexter!” she squealed! “Stop it!” she continued
when I splashed her again. “I mean it now. Stop,” she added
after the third time, growing a little more serious each time.
But I was having too much fun. Her angry face was too cute.
Sensing her irritation growing by the second and enjoying
it more than I should (I’m mentally stunted remember?) I
scooped her up in one swift movement and tossed her over my
shoulder, running deeper into the ice-cold water.
“Dexter, please. Put me down!”
“You got it, doll,” I said, laughing lightly and plopping her down
into the waist-high water.
“No! Please!” Any trace of humor immediately evaporated from
my body. “PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE,” she begged, her eyes
on fire with panic. She was all-out scared. Fuck that she was
petrified.
I lunged forward instantly, taking her in my arms like a baby
and ran as fast as the soft sand beneath my feet would allow,
towards the dry land.
“Jesus, Em, I’m so sorry,” I rushed out. She was shaking
in my arms.
It was more than just the cold – it was pure
unadulterated fear. “Shh, doll. You’re out now. I’ve got you,”
I reassured. She buried her head in my chest and her body
vibrated against me as the tears started to flow. What the fuck
had I done? “I’m sorry, doll. I’m so fucking sorry.”
Slowly but surely her body began to relax against me. Then she
looked up at me just long enough to say,
“Take me home.”
So I did. And all the day’s fun and giggles became nothing but a
grieved memory.
Book: Take
My Hand
Author: Nicola Haken
Genre: New Adult
Release Date: October 7, 2013
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