“It wasn’t your behavior.”
I hold up a hand up, indicating for him to let me finish, and he does.
“I didn’t understand. You told me about your family and your grandma and about Matthew. But I interfered with that dynamic because I was selfish. I got caught up at work and didn’t give you enough time during the week, and then when I saw you, I had all these raging hormones that felt like they took my whole body prisoner.”
He looks down, his cheeks going red.
“I have a ton of guilt,” I say. “I know you do, too. And I know the burden you carry has got to be huge. I just want to make you feel better.”
He shakes his head, looking away from me, reminding me of his brother. “I don’t deserve you. I don’t even deserve your friendship.”
I take his hand. “You have my friendship. And you have much more if you’ll take it from me.”
He meets my gaze. “I haven’t lost you?”
I shake my head, the pressure at the backs of my eyes releasing like a dam.
He cups the back of my neck and pulls me to him. His lips on mine send my body into orbit. He pulls away and then brings me to his chest, embracing me, warming my heart, and making me feel like I’m finally home.
Hoots and hollers erupt from above, and we both pull away to find all of our friends clapping and shouting for us. We glance at each other, laughing.
He looks up at them. “Fuck off for a minute, okay?”
They retreat to the table, and he takes my hands. “It’s going to be a while before I’m healed from this, and a part of me will never heal.”
“I understand that. But I want us to work on it together.”
He nods. “Me, too. I love you, Kylie. I love you so much.”
Tears come like a waterfall. “I love you, too,” I say, barely getting the words out intelligibly.
We embrace again and hold on to one another with the seagulls and the ocean waves and my new family steps away.
EXCERPT FROM UP FOR SECONDS: DESTINY DUNES BOOK TWO
CHAPTER ONE - TORI
As I usher some kids in from the outside play area, handing them off to Chelsea, she grins at me and says, “Groups have been posted for the teambuilding weekend.”
My insides twist with equal parts hope and dread. “Cool,” I say, heading to the break room, keeping my indifferent front, always. But the truth is I haven’t been anything resembling cool for the better part of a year. Although being lumped into a group with Jack Massey for a weekend away would be detrimental to all the work I’ve done to get over him, there’s a part of me that I wrestle to the ground daily that would love to see his name in my group.
I’m putting coins in the soda machine, when Brett walks in. “They separated us again,” he says going over to the water cooler.
“Of course they did. These weekends are about helping people get along. If you’re already doing that, their work here is done.”
I get my drink, and I’m almost out of the break room when he says, “But I did see who’s on your weekend.”
It’s all I can do to keep from putting my hand to my chest to slow my heartbeat. Instead, I turn to face my lifelong best friend, giving him a look like he’s the biggest idiot on the planet. “So.”
“Just making sure you’re okay.”
“Of course I’m okay. Nobody died. What about you? Is Kylie in your group?” Deflection is the name of my game.
He drops his chin. “No, but it’s okay. It’ll probably do us good to have a minute apart.”
“Why, so you can come up for air from all the sex you’ve been having?”
He waggles his eyebrows. “Pretty much. Seriously, it’s good for us to spend time apart. It’s healthy.”
“You just keep trying to convince yourself there, Romeo.” I head to my shared office and slide into the seat, pulling up the email. I want to get the particulars of this nightmare of a weekend I’m in for.
Every year Robert splits the whole staff of the resort into several groups. Each group takes a separate weekend and goes away to this camp where we do teambuilding exercises and that kind of bullshit. It’s all to help us work well together. He wants people from Kids Company like me to socialize with people from the business office, and people from The Circle where all the restaurants and shopping is to socialize with the spa workers and housekeepers. All of us are supposed to be this big happy family of grinning idiots.
I find the list of names in my group, and there’s his. Jack Massey. We had a thing at the end of last summer. Maybe the word disaster is more fitting for what we had. Whatever it was, it destroyed me, and it takes every bit of willpower and acting abilities I have to pretend I’m cool with everything when I’m around him.
Voices down the hallway peak my interest, because it definitely sounds like Jack. He used to come over here any chance he got before we had our thing. Now he never shows his face at Kids Company.
As he gets closer, I’m able to confirm it’s him, and my stomach squeezes itself into a tiny little ball. I hear buzz words like award-winning and state-of-the-art and educational, and I know he’s got somebody important with him. As they pass by my office, the guy he’s with stops and smiles at me. “Hello ma’am.” It’s the kind of greeting that only comes from a privileged, old, white guy, making sure he is gifting the lowly staff with his acknowledgment.
Jack is forced to stop, and he makes eye contact with me, sending my heart into a frenzy. “Senator, I’d like you to meet Tori. She’s one of our recreational therapists.”
I stand up and walk around my desk. “Hello, sir.” I clasp my hands behind my back to make sure he knows he doesn’t need to shake my hand. I don’t like touching people I don’t know. I’ve adopted this technique to send a clear signal. The downside is most men take the opportunity to look at my boobs.
“So, what does a recreational therapist do, Miss Tori?” Miss Tori. Could he be more condescending? I give him my spiel about how we cater to kids with disabilities here, and how I work with their therapists back home to better serve them for the week. He nods, widening his eyes in all the appropriate spots. I look at Jack for next steps, but the senator beats him to it.
“Maybe Tori could show us the outdoor area, since this is her space and clearly not yours, young Jack.” The man looks Jack up and down, indicating his suit pants, button-down shirt, and tie. As much as I hate to admit it, I love the way he looks in a suit—like there’s nothing he can’t accomplish or fix.
Jack opens his mouth, gauging me, so I save his ass and step out into the hallway. “Of course. Right this way, senator.” Janelle or Bailey usually handles the tours, being in PR, but this guy seems important, and I’m in no position to tell him no. I move into lovely hostess mode, trying not to be bothered by Jack, trailing feet behind me who I get off to most lonely nights.
After I’ve shown the senator our entire facility and answered a million questions, we’ve circled back to my office. Robert comes slow jogging down the hallway, getting all of our attention. “I’m so sorry I was caught up. I got here as soon as I could.”
“It’s no problem,” the senator says. “Jack and the lovely Tori have been taking very good care of me.” The man gives me a smile that teeters on creepy.
“That’s great. Is there anything else left to see in this building?” Robert asks.
“No, I think I’m all set.” The man gives me one last smile. “It was so nice to meet you.” He turns to Jack. “Nice to meet you, too, son.”
Dismissed of our duties, Jack and I watch them walk down the hall. With every step they take, the tension between us thickens.
Jack is the first to speak. “I’m not sure if he was really nice or interested in you.”
I glance down at my boobs in my V-neck T-shirt. “Really, you’re not sure?” I turn from him and head to my office. He follows me inside, but he doesn’t say anything, so I say, “Why was that guy here, anyway?”
“Robert’s hoping to get government funding for our out
reach program. It’s a longshot.”
“Mmm.” I slide into my chair.
“I saw that you and I are on the same teambuilding weekend.”
I try to quell my smile. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Is that gonna be weird or anything?”
“Why would it be weird?” I ask, typing nonsense into the computer.
“All right, cool. Then it’s not weird.”
I glance up at him. “Is it weird for you?”
“It might be a little weird.”
I cock my head to the side. “What’s it been, a year?”
“It’s been a little over a year.”
I shrug as if I couldn’t give the exact day and hour count since it all ended. “You’re the big man on campus. I’m sure it wouldn’t take you much to get one of us switched.”
“It wouldn’t, but I don’t need that. Do you need that?”
“Did I say I needed that?”
“Nope.” He grips the door, and I imagine the muscles in his forearm working under that sleeve.
“Then I guess I’ll see you next weekend,” I say.
“Guess so.” He leaves, and I let out a huge sigh, closing my eyes. “I forgot to tell you.”
I perk up and see he’s back in the doorway, dammit. “Yeah?”
“I didn’t look at your chest in that shirt once.” He heads out, and I grit my teeth, having no idea how this man has the power to crank my body temperature up to scalding.
Find out if Jack can win Tori back!
* * *
Preorder Up for Seconds now!
* * *
Also Available from Melissa Chambers
* * *
Destiny Dunes Series:
Down for Her
Up for Seconds (available for preorder now)
Coming Around (available for preorder now)
* * *
Love Along Hwy 30A Series:
Seaside Sweets
Seacrest Sunsets
Seagrove Secrets
WaterColor Wishes
Grayton Beach Dreams
* * *
Young Adult titles:
The Summer Before Forever (Before Forever #1)
Falling for Forever (Before Forever #2)
Courting Carlyn (Standalone)
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Acknowledgments
The Destiny Dunes world is one that has been in my mind and on the page in some form for many years. Other books took priority for one reason or another, but I found myself, almost daily, dreaming about Kylie’s and Brett’s love story. It was one of those tales that wasn’t going away, and I’m thrilled they kept knocking on my door!
First and foremost, I’d like to thank my partner in romance crime, Amy Knupp for gently nudging me on a daily basis to become better at all facets of this business. I’m so thankful we’ve made this rare and dynamic connection, and my sincere hope is to one day contribute as much knowledge, skill, and overall awesomeness to this friendship as you do!
Humongous thanks to my loyal and invaluable beta readers—Jessica Calla and Kristen Kovach. I think one or both of you have read most everything I’ve ever written, published or not! Thank you for loving romance novels and for knowing them and the market so well!
Thank you so much to my romance author marketing group—Amanda, Amy, Beth, Christine, Janet, Jessica, Jody, Lulu, Monica, Rob, Sahara, and Shannon. I live for our biweekly meetings! I’m learning so much from each of you. Thank you for being the supportive and sharing group that you are!
And finally, thanks goes as always to my whole world—my husband Jody and our son, Collin. Thanks for putting up with all the writing and writer-related stuff I do on a daily basis! You’re both beyond understanding and supportive. Love you both around the world and back.
About the Author
Melissa Chambers writes contemporary novels for young, new, and actual adults. A Nashville native, she spends her days working in the music industry and her nights tapping away at her keyboard. While she’s slightly obsessed with alt rock, she leaves the guitar playing to her husband and kid. She never misses a chance to play a tennis match, listen to an audiobook, or eat a bowl of ice cream. (Rocky road, please!) She’s a member of the Romance Writers of America and has served as president for the Music City Romance Writers.
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