Withholding Nothing by Victoria Bright
Publication date: March 29th, 2018
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
The girl code "Chicks before d*cks" should include that no friend can steal another friend's boyfriend--or marry them.
When Ashton Carter's "good idea at the time" revenge plan lands her in hot water, she never expected to see her ex again--especially in court. A few thousand dollars in damages later, she snags a job as a phone sex operator and seeks out a roommate to help fund her "stay out of jail" expenses. Having a roommate should've been helpful--except when they turn out to be the hot, yet douchebag mechanic working on her car.
When Ashton learns that her new roommate has been the sexy phone sex caller, lines begin to blur between real life and fantasy. It was supposed to be a no-strings-attached situation; neither of them were ready for love again. When a surprise visit from an ex shakes their forming foundation with an ultimatum, Ashton is forced to face the truth of her feelings and make a choice. With her budding relationship and livelihood at stake, Ashton has to untangle the lines of reality and fantasy in a last ditch effort to protect her heart.
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Excerpt
"You must be the deer killer," I stated with a smirk. The stress that once filled her face quickly morphed into irritation.
"Excuse me?" she spat. So sexy when she's mad.
I nodded toward her car. "This is your car, isn't it? The one you hit the derr with last night?"
She folded her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowing at me. "Were you there to see me hit it?" she asked.
And she was a smart ass. How cute.
"Well, with the blood on your car, the alien egg on your forehead there, and the fact that you're not in jail for hitting a person... I think it's safe to assume you're the deer killer," I stated, the smirk never leaving my face. Her tanned skin turned a light shade of red as she placed the baseball cap back on her head, trying to rearrange her bangs to hide the knot. I glanced over to her two friends, both of them watching us with grins plastered to their faces.
"Hey, space cadet, want to come back to Earth to tell me the damage or are you just going to stare at my friends?" she snapped.
"You're funny, you know that?" I mused; wagging my finger at her. She rolled her eyes. "First, I'll properly introduce myself. I'm--"
"An asshole," she interrupted. I chuckled.
"Sadly, that isn't it, though I've been called that plenty of times."
"Yeah, I don't doubt that," she muttered under her breath. "Look, I don't care what your name is. Just tell me what's going on with my car."
"The deer killer is impatient, I see," I said, ignoring the glare she gave me. "In order to get an idea, I need to know the details of what happened."
She looked at me with wide eyes and exaggerated shock as she placed her hand on her chest. "Details, you say?" she asked. "But I thought you had it all figured out 'considering that I'm not in jail, that there's blood over my car, and I have an alien egg on my forehead,' remember? Now Inspector Gadget wants details!"
I stare at her for a moment, my smirk never wavering, "Are you done? I mean I have all day, pretty lady. Keep going if that's what excites you."
She scowled. "Whatever. I hit a deer and ran into a ditch. The end."
"I see. Did you see how big it was?"
"Hell if I know. It was dark," she muttered.
I took a few steps away from her and re-examined the front of the car once more, stroking the stubble on my chin.
"Well, you'll need a windshield, hood, a few parts to reconstruct the front, like a grill and headlights. You're also leaking antifreeze, so you'll have to get that fixed. I wouldn't be surprised if you need a new radiator either. This deer did a number on your car," I said. She looked at the car warily, nibbling on her bottom lip again. Wonder if they're as soft as they look.
"How far in the hole am I then?" she asked, wringing her hands together.
"It's still too early to know officially since I haven't looked under the hood yet, but just by looking at it... probably $2,500 if I don't find anything else."
"Fuck!" She pinched the bridge of her nose and blew out a breath. "I'm so fucked." She stumbled forward slightly, her hand catching against the window.
"Whoa, you all right?" I asked, securing her other arm. She snatched away from me.
"Don't touch me," she said, her voice a bit breathless. I held my hands up stepping back. That was probably well-deserved considering I'd been acting like an ass.
"Okay then. I'll be sure to look away when you're ready to faceplant into the ground and crack your head open."
"Stop talking while you're ahead, asshole," she snapped. "I'm fine. I just need a minute."
"Excuse me?" she spat. So sexy when she's mad.
I nodded toward her car. "This is your car, isn't it? The one you hit the derr with last night?"
She folded her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowing at me. "Were you there to see me hit it?" she asked.
And she was a smart ass. How cute.
"Well, with the blood on your car, the alien egg on your forehead there, and the fact that you're not in jail for hitting a person... I think it's safe to assume you're the deer killer," I stated, the smirk never leaving my face. Her tanned skin turned a light shade of red as she placed the baseball cap back on her head, trying to rearrange her bangs to hide the knot. I glanced over to her two friends, both of them watching us with grins plastered to their faces.
"Hey, space cadet, want to come back to Earth to tell me the damage or are you just going to stare at my friends?" she snapped.
"You're funny, you know that?" I mused; wagging my finger at her. She rolled her eyes. "First, I'll properly introduce myself. I'm--"
"An asshole," she interrupted. I chuckled.
"Sadly, that isn't it, though I've been called that plenty of times."
"Yeah, I don't doubt that," she muttered under her breath. "Look, I don't care what your name is. Just tell me what's going on with my car."
"The deer killer is impatient, I see," I said, ignoring the glare she gave me. "In order to get an idea, I need to know the details of what happened."
She looked at me with wide eyes and exaggerated shock as she placed her hand on her chest. "Details, you say?" she asked. "But I thought you had it all figured out 'considering that I'm not in jail, that there's blood over my car, and I have an alien egg on my forehead,' remember? Now Inspector Gadget wants details!"
I stare at her for a moment, my smirk never wavering, "Are you done? I mean I have all day, pretty lady. Keep going if that's what excites you."
She scowled. "Whatever. I hit a deer and ran into a ditch. The end."
"I see. Did you see how big it was?"
"Hell if I know. It was dark," she muttered.
I took a few steps away from her and re-examined the front of the car once more, stroking the stubble on my chin.
"Well, you'll need a windshield, hood, a few parts to reconstruct the front, like a grill and headlights. You're also leaking antifreeze, so you'll have to get that fixed. I wouldn't be surprised if you need a new radiator either. This deer did a number on your car," I said. She looked at the car warily, nibbling on her bottom lip again. Wonder if they're as soft as they look.
"How far in the hole am I then?" she asked, wringing her hands together.
"It's still too early to know officially since I haven't looked under the hood yet, but just by looking at it... probably $2,500 if I don't find anything else."
"Fuck!" She pinched the bridge of her nose and blew out a breath. "I'm so fucked." She stumbled forward slightly, her hand catching against the window.
"Whoa, you all right?" I asked, securing her other arm. She snatched away from me.
"Don't touch me," she said, her voice a bit breathless. I held my hands up stepping back. That was probably well-deserved considering I'd been acting like an ass.
"Okay then. I'll be sure to look away when you're ready to faceplant into the ground and crack your head open."
"Stop talking while you're ahead, asshole," she snapped. "I'm fine. I just need a minute."
About the Author:
Victoria Bright is from a small town in North Carolina and currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina. You can usually find her hoarding bottles of Cool Blue Gatorade, playing The Sims when not writing, or obsessing over Camaros.
