Excerpt #1 (Chapter 1 / 522 words)
She nearly fell back onto her ass at the sight. Holy hell, his smile was A-list movie-star quality. A flash of yellow caught her eye, and reflexively she turned to look. All the color drained from her face, and her heart stopped. Her tampons were rolling down the sidewalk, and all of her personal items—bras and underwear included—were littered across the grass, on display for everyone to see.
Kylie scrambled to her feet, righted the box, and began frantically shoving her stuff back inside. Oh my God. Kill me now. She chased after a stray tampon and scooped it up before the guy saw it. Her shampoo and conditioner had rolled halfway across the parking lot. Looked like she’d have to buy new ones because she was not going to be the lunatic student chasing her shit across campus.
Please let him be gone, please let him be gone. But when she turned back to collect her unmentionables, she found the guy gathering her cosmetics and gently setting them in the box. She plucked her underwear from the ground as
quickly as possible, praying she could get them all before the guy offered to help with those, too.
“Kittens?” he said, amusement coloring his tone. He held up a pair of her panties—gray ones with white kittens on them. “That’s…different.”
Kylie’s eyes widened. “My grandmother gave me those.” She grabbed the underwear from his hand and shoved them into the box. A stab of sadness hit her at the thought of her grandmother, but it was quickly replaced by utter
mortification. She did not just tell that super-hot guy that her grandmother had bought her kitty underwear. Lightning couldn’t strike her down fast enough.
“They’re cute.” His lips twitched into an almost smile. Actually, it was more of a smirk.
She’d never met a guy who could pull off a smirk without looking like a jackass, but damn if he didn’t wear it well. Really fucking well. Refusing to respond to his teasing, she silently picked up more of her items.
“Now these”—he held up a pair of black, bikini-cut panties with brightly colored polka dots—“are sexy. In a nerdy sort of way.”
“There’s nothing nerdy about those,” she said and tore the panties from his hand. They made her ass look fantastic. Her heart was out of control, and adrenaline spiked through her system, making her arms and legs shaky.
Mouth open, he paused for a beat, then laughed. “Y’know, this is the fastest I’ve ever gotten into a girl’s panties.” He twirled her red thong, grinning.
She narrowed her eyes and snatched the thong from him, shoving it into the box. “Next time, I’ll expect dinner first.”
He laughed, and goose bumps erupted on her arms. “Dinner, huh? I can handle that.”
Her heart jackhammered in her chest. “And a movie, too.”
“Whatever you want.” He winked, then stood and moved around the massive tree that stood near the edge of the sidewalk. Then he held up a pair of white briefs, a devilish glint in his eyes. “Granny panties? Now, this is a surprise.”
Excerpt #2 (Chapter 13 / 418 words)
She stepped away from him and swiped her finger across the screen, disappointed to see a text message and not the nursing home’s phone number. Without thinking, she opened the message. She squinted at the image. “What
the…?” Kylie tilted her head to one side as recognition hit her. “Oh my God!”
“What’s wrong?” He peered over her shoulder. “What the fuck?” He snatched the phone from her hand. “Are you seriously standing here looking at a cock shot?”
Kylie spun around to face him. “A what?” She laughed. She knew it was a picture of a guy’s dick, but she’d never heard anyone call it a cock shot before.
“A dick pic.” He waved the phone to emphasize his point. “You told me you didn’t have a boyfriend.”
“I don’t!”
“Well, this sure seems like you do.” He looked at the message, and his brows furrowed. “Whoa. Wait. Why the fuck is Finn sending you pictures of his dick?”
“That’s Finn’s dick?” She reached for the phone, but he pulled it back out of her reach, giving her an incredulous look. “How do you know that? Seriously, Xander. How do you know that’s Finn just by looking at the picture?” Kylie
cupped her hand over her mouth and laughed so hard, tears pooled in her eyes.
“I recognized his phone number.” For some reason, that only made her laugh harder, and his mouth quirked up into a smile. He shook his head, but the look on his face told her he wasn’t angry. If anything, he looked upset, concerned
even.
“Now that’s what I call junk mail.” She could barely get the words out without laughing again.
“Get your smart ass in the car.”
“Right. Breakfast. At a surprise place.” She walked back to the car. “Now that I think about it, I am rather hungry.”
“Good.” Xander nodded for her to get in the car, then closed her door. He went around to the driver’s side and got in. She noticed he still had the phone clutched in his hand. Was he planning to give it back?
She buckled her seat belt. “I could really go for some sausage.”
He whipped his head around to look at her. “You’re unbelievable.”
“And you’re a little testy.” She stuck out her tongue, and he laughed. A deep, rich laugh that echoed around her, sending tingles through her body.
“You haven’t seen testy yet, sweetheart.”
“Really?” she asked innocently. “I’m pretty sure I saw a bit of Finn’s testes.”
EXCERPT #3 (Chapter 23 / 876 words)
He glanced over his shoulder, then stopped. Where the hell was Kylie? She was behind him a second ago. He stalked back to the elevator and pushed the down arrow. A moment later, the doors slid open, and he came face-to-face
with her.
He tilted his head. “What’re you doing? The elevator’s not a damn carnival ride.”
“Apparently, neither are you, but that hasn’t stopped me from trying, now has it?”
He stared at her, and she stared back, a faint spark flashing in her eyes. He laughed. She cracked a smile and then hid it just as quickly, but it was enough for him to know she wasn’t angry.
At this rate, there was no way he’d make it through the next few days without slipping up, especially considering he was having a hell of a time not kissing her right now. Xander led the way toward their rooms.
She stopped by her door. “Just tell me why.” Her voice was low, tinged with pain and sorrow.
“Why what?”
“Why don’t you want me? Am I not good enough for you? I mean, I’ve seen the girls you’ve been with, and granted, I’m not anywhere near as pretty as they are, but—”
“Stop it,” he warned.
“That’s it, isn’t it? I’m not up to your standards? I’m too fat? My boobs aren’t big enough?” Her tone remained level, as if she were talking about something as simple as the weather. “Maybe I’m not dumb enough or my hair isn’t the right color. My ass is too flabby.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” The muscle in his neck ticked, and his jaw clenched. If she seriously thought all of those things about him, about herself, then he really fucked up worse than he imagined.
“Well, it’s gotta be something about me because, from what you’ve said, you don’t turn women down.” She stepped up to him, her face inches from his.
He held her gaze, his heart in his throat as he searched her face. She was hands down the sexiest, smartest, funniest woman he’d ever met. Hell, if he could’ve built his dream woman, she wouldn’t stand a chance against Kylie. She was the entire package. How could she not see that?
“Forget I said anything.” She turned her back to him and slipped her key card into the lock, but before she could open the door, he grabbed her and spun her around.
He threaded his fingers into her hair, holding the back of her head, and then his mouth was on hers. She stood frozen, her eyes going wide, and then she relaxed. He parted her lips with his tongue, and her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into him. Soft, supple lips worked against his, her warm breath mingling with his. She tasted like beer and strawberries. It was the most delicious flavor in the world, and he needed more. Moving his hands to her neck, he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.
Kylie wrapped her arms around his neck and arched into him. Her soft moan was the only permission he needed to keep going, to give her what she’d wanted and to take the same in return. And God, her kiss was pure perfection.
His mind raced as he backed her up against the door, pinning her between it and him. He plunged deeper, harder, devouring her mouth, swallowing her soft moans and gasps for breath. Her tongue sliced over and around his, the motions slightly hesitant as if she were unsure of what she was doing, and that only spurred him on. Her innocence was precious, something to be cherished. And there wasn’t another man on the face of the earth who would cherish her like he did. He wanted to fall to his knees and worship her.
She dragged her booted foot up his leg and hooked it under his ass, jerking him closer as she pushed her hips forward. He dropped his hand to her waist, flexing his fingers on her hip before clutching her thigh and grinding against her. He was so damn hard he couldn’t see straight.
“Kylie.” He groaned. “Fuck.” He slammed his palm on the door right above her head, hoping the sting would ease the war raging inside him.
Dropping her foot back to the floor, she sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth and looked up at him under her long lashes. That look… His cock thickened even more.
She fiddled with the buttons on his shirt, and all he could think about was how it would feel to have her plump lips on his bare chest.
He rested his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. She was destroying him, shredding every last ounce of willpower he had left, which wasn’t much to begin with. Xander took her hand and slid it down his stomach until her palm was firmly on his crotch. His dick was hard enough to pound nails. Because of her. Because of that kiss.
“Now tell me you’re not good enough, Ky.” He nipped at her bottom lip. “Or whatever other ridiculous bullshit you just spewed from this sexy-ass mouth.” He rubbed his thumb across her lips. “I dare you.”
Getting
Down ‘n Dirty with Lexi Lawton
Hey, everyone! I’m author Lexi Lawton, and I
couldn’t be more excited to be here with you today. Not many people know me, so
I figured why not get down ‘n dirty and bare it all? In the most in-depth
interview I’ve ever done, I’m gonna share personal stuff about me, my writing,
and my books. So, strap in and let’s get down to business!
Personal
Stuff:
Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell
something about yourself and how you became an author?
I’m the naughty alter-ego of author, Kara Leigh
Miller. Bet ya didn’t see that coming, huh? 😉
As Lexi, I write steamy new adult and adult romances. While the Lexi pseudonym
has been around as long as Kara, (approximately 10 years or so) Lexi didn’t
actually become a published author until May 2017 when my agent sold my book to
Entangled Embrace.
What is something unique/quirky about you?
I’m terrified of having surgery because I have this
irrational fear of suffering from anesthesia awareness. I get that it’s super
rare, but it still scares the crap out of me. Luckily, I’ve never had to have
any major surgery, and I hope I never do.
Tell us something really embarrassing that's
happened to you!
Several years ago, I went to a smaller writers’
conference in Florida. During the ride in the shuttle from the airport to the
hotel, I met a fellow author. I was traveling alone and terrified because I
didn’t know anyone. This author was so friendly and talkative and she made me
feel so at ease. She promised to introduce me to people when we arrived. Fast
forward to the opening night festivities, and who does she introduce me to? A
literary agent. But not any agent. An agent I’d admired for a long time who I’d
recently queried. (She had rejected my query.) I shook said agent’s hand and
she commented how I looked exactly like my Twitter pic. To say I was shocked
she knew who I was was a vast understatement. Then, like the nervous idiot I
am, I blurted out that she’d recently rejected my book. Talk about mortifying!
She was so gracious, though, and we had a good laugh about it.
Writing
Stuff:
Do you see writing as a career?
Absolutely! Though I have to be honest, when I first
started writing, it was more as a hobby. I enjoyed writing and living in the
worlds I’d created. As I wrote more, though, and honed my skills, I realized I
could make a career out of this. Writing under two names can be difficult at
times, and while Kara is more active and has more publications, my goal for
2021 is to fully revive the Lexi pen name and make this a viable career on all
fronts.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to
readers what they want?
I try to be original. LOL. Not sure I always
succeed, and when I do write something that essentially “breaks the rules,” it
doesn’t get received very well. My first book, Trusting Tanner, is a
prime example of this. It was originally titled Tempting Tanner, and the
hero was in a not-so-great relationship with the heroine’s college
roommate—until Tanner meets Juliana, then all bets are off. She tempted him at
every turn. With the tireless efforts of my amazing editor, we tried so hard to
make this story work, but ultimately, it just didn’t. So we reworked it,
renamed it, and re-released it as what it is today. Readers seem to enjoy this
version a lot better.
Will this stop me from trying to break the rules in
the future? I really want to say no because I hate to be boxed in to such tight
“rules” but I also know this business and if I want to continue to sell books
to publishers, I need to give readers what they want. Romance tropes are
popular for a reason, and I’ve finally realized that that’s not a bad thing.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Descriptions! I loathe writing descriptions of
settings, buildings, weather, etc. I can write a pretty great description of a
character, but ask me to describe where they are and my eyes glaze over. Maybe
this stems from the fact that I skim-read lengthy descriptions in books I read
for pleasure. Gimme the action and dialogue!
Book
Stuff:
What did you enjoy most about writing Chasing
Xander?
Definitely the banter between Xander and Kylie.
Xander has no filter, and he throws around the F-word like it’s nothing. He can
get pretty creative with how he uses it, too. LOL. Some of the things that came
out of his mouth surprised me while I was writing, and Kylie really throws him
off his game, which was so much fun to write.
How did you come up with name of this book?
I’m not really sure I can pinpoint exactly how I
came up with this title, but I knew I wanted it to be similar to the first
book, Trusting Tanner, in that it had to include the hero’s name and a
description of the overall theme. Because Kylie essentially “chases” Xander for
the first half of the book (until he finally comes to his senses), Chasing
Xander just seemed to fit.
Have you written any other books that are not
published?
Hahahaha. So, so many books that are in
various stages of completion. The third book in The Collins Brothers Series, Resisting
Ryder, is finished and currently with the publisher for consideration. I
also have a completed romantic suspense that’s the first in a planned series.
The second book in that series is drafted but needs some major revisions. I’m hoping
to get these finished and sent to my agent this year.
Tell us about your main characters- what makes them
tick?
Kylie is driven by the desire to be better than her
family, to break free from her past. Her mother died when she was young, and
her father turned to alcohol to cope with his grief. She spent so much of her
life taking care of her drunk father and dealing with him being in and out of
jail. (She’s now on a first name basis with the local sheriff, thanks to her
father.) Her need to be free of him propels her to go to college in a different
state where she can essentially start over and create a better life for
herself.
Xander, who is always partying and having fun, is
struggling in this book. He needs to hunker down and focus or he’ll end up
flunking out of college. He’s driven by the desire to get his act together and
prove to himself and his father that he’s not a screw up. Kylie helps him see
there’s more to life than frat parties.
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