All About Hope by Ashley Erin
Series: All Or Nothing #2
Publication date: March 26th, 2016
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
Friends with benefits.
Toe curling, ecstasy inducing and completely secret.
Alex and Lia succumb to their scorching attraction, striking a deal of no-strings sex. Neither of them want a commitment, both of them are unable to stop the sparks from flying when they're together.
Feelings develop, old fears surface and sex is no longer enough.
Will a glimmering sense of hope allow them to let go of the past, or will their secret blow up, leaving them shattered?
**All About Hope is a standalone novel intended for mature audience due to coarse language and sexual content**
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Excerpt
Ollie runs to the end of the arena, waiting for my cue. Kicking my heels out, I say, "Whoa." He slides to a stop, the tracks he's left behind are straight and true.
After leaving Emma's house an hour ago, I desperately needed to get my mind off weddings, and relationships, and stupid men who fuck me and then avoid me after giving me a taste of something I forgot I desperately needed.
So, I saddled Ollie and have been going through some reining patterns. Show season is upon us, the first in just over a month, and I want to be sure we're ready.
Lifting my right rein, I roll my spur into his left flank. He spins on the spot, the room around us blurring with the speed of the spin. Stopping him, I let him rest a moment before lifting my left rein and this time rolling my spur into his right flank. He spins in the opposite direction, the tightness of the circle envied by many.
Ollie is eight years old and has been my reining horse since we entered the Futurity, the chance for first time reining horses to show what they have and win big, when he was three years old. In the five years I've had him, the bond we've formed is envied both in and out of the arena. He will be with me until the day he dies, despite offers of tens of thousands of dollars to buy him.
Patting Ollie on his neck, I frown when I see Alex through the large windows at the end of the arena. Everything I've been trying to clear my head of comes back with a vengeance. It really bothers me that Alex initiated what happened that night, and then proceeded to avoid me like I'm a carrier of the plague.
I didn't ask him to pin me against the counter and kiss me with an explosive passion that still has my body thrumming six months later. Nor did I ask him to wrap my legs around his waist and fuck me until I had the most earth shattering orgasm I've ever experienced.
Growing, I nudge Ollie into a canter, circling the arena working on lead changes until we are both covered in a sheen of sweat. I love the speed of this sport, and the connection between horse and rider. It's a testament to how frustrating I am that I don't feel better after a solid hour of working.
Slowing Ollie to a trot, I begin our cooldown. When his breathing has slowed, I dismount and walk him around the arena a couple times to ensure he's cooled down enough. Leading him to the tie stall, I quickly untack him and rub him down until his coat shines before settling him into his stall with some feed and his supplements. The entire time I perform my tasks, I'm remembering that night with such acuity that by the time I'm done putting his tack away, my body is quivering in need.
Scowling, I clench my thighs to alleviate the ache, getting more and more pissed off at Alex the entire time. He did this to me. I was fine. I met my own needs and didn't need anything from anyone. Now, I can't come unless it's to images in my head of that night with Alex. He's ruined my ability to need nothing from anyone.
Flipping the lights, I burst through the door cursing under my breath and crash into a hard, hot body. Glancing up, I step back into the now closed door of the barn. "Alex."
Alex's hazel eyes take in my disheveled appearance. My hair is wild from running patterns with Ollie, my skin covered in a light layer of sweat and dust. When his eyes fall on the slight sliver of skin showing between my jeans and tank top, his eyes shoot back to mine where they bore into my soul. He steps back a foot, his eyes moving between mine and the barn door as he tries to think of something to say. "I didn't know you were in the barn."
"I was working Ollie. We have a show in May." Tucking my hands in my back pockets, I lean back, propping one foot against the wall, trying to ignore the way my body lit up from the inside. I've spent the last ninety minutes replaying that one night, and now the object of my desire is standing here looking at me with false indifference. Despite his best efforts, I know he's still attracted to me, because if he wasn't, he wouldn't be avoiding me all of the damn time.
When he starts to turn without another word, I shove off the wall, closing the distance between us.
Enough is enough.
I fist my hand in his shirt when he moves to walk away again, and step into him, tilting my head up so he can't avail looking at me. "You've been avoiding me."
"No..." He tries to look away, but I raise my other hand and hold it against the back of his head.
"Don't lie to me, Alex. We used to spend time together, and now you don't remain in a room with me more than the necessary amount of time to be considered polite. Don't even get me started on the fact you haven't been alone with me since the engagement party.
"What I don't get is that you're the one who initiated that night. You're the one who made the first move, not me. I haven't been some clingy chick you pick up in a bar, so what gives?" Holding him in place, I glare up at him, locking his gaze in mine.
He sighs and runs a hand down his face before looking at my hand still grasping his shirt. "I've been a dick for no reason, haven't I?"
"Well, I wasn't going to use those exact words, but yeah." Grinning, I drop my hand when he chuckles softly.
"In the heat of the moment, all I could think about was you and how much I wanted to feel you. Afterwards, all I could think about was everyone else and what they would do if they found out. I don't want a relationship and the pressure would be there, I know how Emma thinks." His smirk drops into a frown as I gape at him.
"That is the lamest thing I've ever heard. Your hot factor just dropped by two points." Crossing my arms over my chest, I narrow my eyes. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows, but there is a slight smirk he's fighting at my comment. Cocking my hip out, I scowl. "Let's go through these one at a time. First off, no one knows what happened and there is no reason for them to know. Second, you're assuming I want a relationship, that's something I haven't had the desire for in a long time. Been there, done that, and I have the emotional scarring as a souvenir."
Alex has made me wonder, hope eve, but for the most part I'm still leery of entering a relationship especially with someone as skittish as Alex, so I don't feel like I'm lying.
"My hot factor?" Alex grins at me, cocking his head to the side in a way that is too cute. He's trying to distract me, but it won't work.
"Seriously? That's what you took from that?" Shaking my head, I step toward him and place my hand on his chest, pressing my body into his. For a moment, all I can think about is the hard muscle beneath my hand and remembering the way it looked when he pounded into me.
Grinding my teeth, I focus back on the man before me. "All I want is someone I trust to have hot sex with. Get your head out of your ass and think about it. If that's not what you want, fine, but we're friends Alex, and it hurts my feelings that it's so easy for you to forget that."
Lifting onto my toes, I press a chaste kiss to his lips, drawing away before he can react. Brushing past him, I saunter to my house.
I'm not a pushover, and I'm not going to let him get away with this shitty behavior any more.
After leaving Emma's house an hour ago, I desperately needed to get my mind off weddings, and relationships, and stupid men who fuck me and then avoid me after giving me a taste of something I forgot I desperately needed.
So, I saddled Ollie and have been going through some reining patterns. Show season is upon us, the first in just over a month, and I want to be sure we're ready.
Lifting my right rein, I roll my spur into his left flank. He spins on the spot, the room around us blurring with the speed of the spin. Stopping him, I let him rest a moment before lifting my left rein and this time rolling my spur into his right flank. He spins in the opposite direction, the tightness of the circle envied by many.
Ollie is eight years old and has been my reining horse since we entered the Futurity, the chance for first time reining horses to show what they have and win big, when he was three years old. In the five years I've had him, the bond we've formed is envied both in and out of the arena. He will be with me until the day he dies, despite offers of tens of thousands of dollars to buy him.
Patting Ollie on his neck, I frown when I see Alex through the large windows at the end of the arena. Everything I've been trying to clear my head of comes back with a vengeance. It really bothers me that Alex initiated what happened that night, and then proceeded to avoid me like I'm a carrier of the plague.
I didn't ask him to pin me against the counter and kiss me with an explosive passion that still has my body thrumming six months later. Nor did I ask him to wrap my legs around his waist and fuck me until I had the most earth shattering orgasm I've ever experienced.
Growing, I nudge Ollie into a canter, circling the arena working on lead changes until we are both covered in a sheen of sweat. I love the speed of this sport, and the connection between horse and rider. It's a testament to how frustrating I am that I don't feel better after a solid hour of working.
Slowing Ollie to a trot, I begin our cooldown. When his breathing has slowed, I dismount and walk him around the arena a couple times to ensure he's cooled down enough. Leading him to the tie stall, I quickly untack him and rub him down until his coat shines before settling him into his stall with some feed and his supplements. The entire time I perform my tasks, I'm remembering that night with such acuity that by the time I'm done putting his tack away, my body is quivering in need.
Scowling, I clench my thighs to alleviate the ache, getting more and more pissed off at Alex the entire time. He did this to me. I was fine. I met my own needs and didn't need anything from anyone. Now, I can't come unless it's to images in my head of that night with Alex. He's ruined my ability to need nothing from anyone.
Flipping the lights, I burst through the door cursing under my breath and crash into a hard, hot body. Glancing up, I step back into the now closed door of the barn. "Alex."
Alex's hazel eyes take in my disheveled appearance. My hair is wild from running patterns with Ollie, my skin covered in a light layer of sweat and dust. When his eyes fall on the slight sliver of skin showing between my jeans and tank top, his eyes shoot back to mine where they bore into my soul. He steps back a foot, his eyes moving between mine and the barn door as he tries to think of something to say. "I didn't know you were in the barn."
"I was working Ollie. We have a show in May." Tucking my hands in my back pockets, I lean back, propping one foot against the wall, trying to ignore the way my body lit up from the inside. I've spent the last ninety minutes replaying that one night, and now the object of my desire is standing here looking at me with false indifference. Despite his best efforts, I know he's still attracted to me, because if he wasn't, he wouldn't be avoiding me all of the damn time.
When he starts to turn without another word, I shove off the wall, closing the distance between us.
Enough is enough.
I fist my hand in his shirt when he moves to walk away again, and step into him, tilting my head up so he can't avail looking at me. "You've been avoiding me."
"No..." He tries to look away, but I raise my other hand and hold it against the back of his head.
"Don't lie to me, Alex. We used to spend time together, and now you don't remain in a room with me more than the necessary amount of time to be considered polite. Don't even get me started on the fact you haven't been alone with me since the engagement party.
"What I don't get is that you're the one who initiated that night. You're the one who made the first move, not me. I haven't been some clingy chick you pick up in a bar, so what gives?" Holding him in place, I glare up at him, locking his gaze in mine.
He sighs and runs a hand down his face before looking at my hand still grasping his shirt. "I've been a dick for no reason, haven't I?"
"Well, I wasn't going to use those exact words, but yeah." Grinning, I drop my hand when he chuckles softly.
"In the heat of the moment, all I could think about was you and how much I wanted to feel you. Afterwards, all I could think about was everyone else and what they would do if they found out. I don't want a relationship and the pressure would be there, I know how Emma thinks." His smirk drops into a frown as I gape at him.
"That is the lamest thing I've ever heard. Your hot factor just dropped by two points." Crossing my arms over my chest, I narrow my eyes. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows, but there is a slight smirk he's fighting at my comment. Cocking my hip out, I scowl. "Let's go through these one at a time. First off, no one knows what happened and there is no reason for them to know. Second, you're assuming I want a relationship, that's something I haven't had the desire for in a long time. Been there, done that, and I have the emotional scarring as a souvenir."
Alex has made me wonder, hope eve, but for the most part I'm still leery of entering a relationship especially with someone as skittish as Alex, so I don't feel like I'm lying.
"My hot factor?" Alex grins at me, cocking his head to the side in a way that is too cute. He's trying to distract me, but it won't work.
"Seriously? That's what you took from that?" Shaking my head, I step toward him and place my hand on his chest, pressing my body into his. For a moment, all I can think about is the hard muscle beneath my hand and remembering the way it looked when he pounded into me.
Grinding my teeth, I focus back on the man before me. "All I want is someone I trust to have hot sex with. Get your head out of your ass and think about it. If that's not what you want, fine, but we're friends Alex, and it hurts my feelings that it's so easy for you to forget that."
Lifting onto my toes, I press a chaste kiss to his lips, drawing away before he can react. Brushing past him, I saunter to my house.
I'm not a pushover, and I'm not going to let him get away with this shitty behavior any more.
All About Us by Ashley Erin
Series: All Or Nothing #1
Publication date: March 26th, 2018
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
It took twenty-four hours for Emma's world to shatter, leaving her broken. Returning to her childhood home, Emma wonders if it could be exactly what she needs to heal.
Dane finally has a chance at the girl he lost all those years ago. When Emma blows back into his world, he knows he won't let her go again.
They're drawn together, their chemistry undeniable. Emma just needs to decide whether she's willing to risk her heart when it's just begum to heal.
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Ashley Erin lives in Alberta, Canada where winter and summer compete to take over. She wears flip flops as soon as it's above freezing, because her hatred of socks outweighs her dislike of snow. Her boyfriend stays with her despite a penchant for adopting rescued cats and dogs without permission. Their two dogs and four cats are spoiled rotten. When Ashley isn't writing, she is reading or working with horses.
Ashley is a self-published author of contemporary romance and new adult romance. Follow her on Facebook to keep up with her current and upcoming releases.
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