Page 258 of Kiss Me Tenderly
“I love you, Birdy,” I whisper, breaking the kiss. Our heavy breaths tangle together as I press my forehead against hers. “More than I ever realized was possible. I love you so much I ache.”
“Me too, baby.” Her fingers curl around my cheek, her thumb rubbing over my scruffy skin. “I love you, Sebastian.”
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Thank you so much for readingKiss Me Tenderly. I hope you enjoyed Penelope and Sebastian’s story as much as I did.
Need more of Penny and Bash? I’ve gotcha covered! Read the bonus epilogue for Kiss Me Tenderly here.
Want to know more about the small town of Bluebonnet Creek, Texas? The prodigal son returns home, and stumbles upon his childhood sweetheart whose heart he broke three years ago. Will they be able to mend what had been broken? Find out in It Should Have Been Us, coming late 2023. Pre-order now!
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New to Blairwood University? Go back to where it all started and find out how Emmett won over a reluctant city girl inKiss Me First.
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Not ready to say goodbye to Bluebonnet? Neither am I! This fall, I’ll take you back to our charming southern small town, and you’ll get to find out what happened with Becky and Miguel in this second chance, small town sports romance!
Turn the page to read the first chapter of It Should Have Been Us!
Note: Unedited and subject to change
CHAPTER 1
MIGUEL
Welcome to Bluebonnet Creek, Texas.
Population: 11209
“11210 starting now, I guess,” I mutter to myself as I pass by the sign and enter the place that used to be my home, the uneasy feeling making the bile rise in my throat.
“Temporary.”
It’s just temporary.
But no matter how much I try to reassure myself of it, the panic builds inside the pit of my stomach. My hands grip the steering wheel tighter as I continue driving down the empty road. The bright oranges and reds have given away to the darkness some thirty minutes ago, the black sky matching my mood perfectly.
Never, not in a million years, have I imagined myself returning to Bluebonnet Creek.
The last time I was here–five fucking years ago–was the day I left for college. After an epic fight with my dad, I ran out of the house, the echo of our heated words still ringing in my head along with the sharpbangas the door of my truck shut with finality before I drove away.
I swore I’ll never look back.
And I haven’t.
I went to college, had an amazing college career, and got drafted into the NFL my junior year. Although people tried to tell me I should wait and finish college, get more experience, I decided to quit college and join the pros.
I could always come back to college, but I only had so many years I could play professionally so I decided to use every single one of them. Yes, there was always a risk of riding the bench for a while, but as it turns out, there were a few teams that needed a new linebacker and badly. One of them was the Austin Lonestars, and they picked me as a third round draft pick. Not shabby if I may say so myself.
So I quit college, and spent the last year playing for Lonestars. I won’t lie, the shift was hard, the pace of the professional team brutal, but somehow I’ve found my place in Dallas. I kept my head down and worked my ass off. The team had a good season, but ended up losing in the second game of the playoffs. The loss sucked, but what sucked even more was that I was injured in the second quarter. I was trying to tackle one of their receivers when I was bulldozed by their tight end which resulted in a dislocated shoulder and broken clavicle. As far as injuries go, this wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened to me. What it was, was annoying as hell, but I was determined to get better by the time the summer camp rolled around to reclaim my spot. My idea was to focus on PT and working my other muscles so I didn’t fall behind, when the invitation came.