Stupid Girl by Cindy Miles blog tour with excerpt and giveaway @cindymilesbooks @XpressoReads
Publication date: May 13th 2014
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Only fools fall in love…
After her senior year of high school leaves behind nothing but heartache, Olivia Beaumont is sure of this: She’s no stupid girl. She sets out for Winston College, promising herself that she will remain focused on her first and only love – astronomy. But all it takes is cocky sophomore Brax Jenkins and an accidental collision with a football, to throw her entire year off course.
A quick-tempered Southie who escaped the inner city streets of Boston to pitch for Winston, Brax is known to play way more fields than just the baseball diamond. So, when his name is drawn to take part in his fraternity’s hazing dare, Brax eagerly accepts the mission to take Olivia’s virginity. But he doesn’t plan on falling hard for the sweet and sassy Texas girl who sees right through his bad-boy persona.
As Olivia and Brax battle their feelings for each other, echoes of the past year begin to surface. A boy who once turned Olivia’s whole world upside down reappears, and “harmless” pranks wreak havoc. Pretty soon the aspiring astronomer is on the verge of revealing her most difficult, heartbreaking secret. All the while, Brax must wrestle with the irrevocable dare, and Olivia struggles against all logic as she does the one thing only a stupid girl would do: fall in love.
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Or maybe even further. And just when I thought it would, Brax stopped, his big palms resting against the bare skin of my ribs, our breathing in sync and fast and deliciously fogging up the windows. He instead helped me from the cab of my truck. Walked with one arm around my shoulders as he carried my scope to the dorm entrance. Kissed me again and swiped my card. Gave me a little push inside after we kissed some more. Watched me until the shadows swallowed me up in the darkened common room. Even inside the stairwell, the rumble of his muffler sounded, and I listened to it as it carried him further away. It was a double-edged sword, that distinct sound; one of comfort, of familiarity. And then, one of departure, an echo of Brax departing. Leaving. Fading away. That sound and thought thumped heavier in the pit of my stomach than it should have, and I didn’t understand why.
Excerpt
SOMEHOW, I KNEW BRAX would follow
me; the round headlight in my rear view mirror was all the proof I needed. I
knew he had a right to be angry, but for some reason it offended me that he
seemed to take that anger out on me. As if I’d had anything to do with Noah’s
proclamation of Brax’s bad reputation.
No sooner did I pull into my
parking spot, kill the engine and open the door was Brax already off his bike
and standing there. He opened the door. “Jesus fuck, Gracie, please.” I sat
stone-statue still in my truck, staring out the windshield, my knuckles turning
white as I gripped the wheel. His voice held pain; more than what was caused by
our fight, or by Noah’s warning, or even by his accidental intrusion on the
conversation. I let out a pent-up sigh, watched as a tear fell onto the thigh
of my faded jeans.
“Baby, Christ God, I’m such an
idiot. Please don’t cry.” Brax’s calloused fingers grasped my jaw, forcing my
gaze to his. Embarrassment swamped over me and I blinked, trying to convince my
treacherous eyeballs to stop leaking. But Brax’s roughened knuckle brushed away
the trail of dampness. He crouched down then, the material pulling taut over
his muscled thighs, the tee shirt snugged over his broad shoulders, and he
looked up from his lowered position. His hands now rested on my knee. He
squeezed it, slightly, exhaled and stared at the ground between his feet, then
back up to me. “You gotta believe me when I say I’m sorry, Gracie. I lost it
back there.” He glanced away, thinking. “I thought he’d convinced you I was no
good.” His eyes seared into mine, and I saw doubt there. A lot of it; more than
what he probably meant for me to see. “I thought you believed him.”
Brax’s confessions from that
night on the ball diamond came rushing back, and I was struck by the force of
the fears he still had buried deep inside. Abandonment seemed an empty
description. In many ways he was the strongest person I knew; his turmoil
growing up had made him a survivor, valiant. Yet a part of him, no matter how
small it might seem, lingered inside of him like a small, frightened kid—scared
of being left alone in a dumpster to just … stop existing. It saddened me; it
didn’t make me pity him, but just the opposite. I respected him for showing me
this vulnerable side of Braxton Jenkins, for letting me in, and I was positive
not another soul in Texas had witnessed it. I wondered if it meant something.
If he might care for me as much as I secretly cared for him. I reached for his
hands then, where they still gripped my knee, and threaded my fingers through his
strong ones. My voice felt unsteady, shaky. “I draw my own conclusions, Brax.
About everyone, and everything. That doesn’t just include you. It especially
includes you.” I chose my next words carefully. “I don’t typically let
people in”—I pressed one of my hands to my heart—“here. So trust me, if the
rumors I heard about you from the get-go didn’t scare me away, nothing will.”
His fingers tightened around mine, and I saw instant relief flood the harsh
planes and unique features that the shadows tried so hard to hide. “Noah was
wrong for what he said. Even he admitted having overstepped his boundaries, and
he was right about that. And I have no idea what caused him to feel the need to
warn me about you.” I peered closely at him. “I don’t need any more warnings.
And I don’t like being yelled at, Brax, or accused falsely. I understand you
felt like you’d walked up on something between Noah and I, but you didn’t.
That’s not me, not the kind of person I am.” I smiled then, and I saw regret
soften his unusual eyes. “I’m different. Remember?”
Brax
stood, his body filling the space left by my opened door. With one arm, he
braced his weight against the frame and leaned in. His hand lowered, pushed my
braid over my shoulder, then grasped my jaw and drew his mouth over mine. “I
know you are,” he whispered, and his lips brushed feathery over mine. Then, he
nudged my mouth open as he deepened the kiss, and the gentle swipe of his
tongue, so possessive and erotic, made my lips tingle. Without thinking, I
eased across the bench seat, Brax slid behind the wheel, pulled the door closed
and laid me back, our tongues and mouths fusing, tasting. My heart raced out of
control. God, that kiss could have gone on and on.
Or maybe even further. And just when I thought it would, Brax stopped, his big palms resting against the bare skin of my ribs, our breathing in sync and fast and deliciously fogging up the windows. He instead helped me from the cab of my truck. Walked with one arm around my shoulders as he carried my scope to the dorm entrance. Kissed me again and swiped my card. Gave me a little push inside after we kissed some more. Watched me until the shadows swallowed me up in the darkened common room. Even inside the stairwell, the rumble of his muffler sounded, and I listened to it as it carried him further away. It was a double-edged sword, that distinct sound; one of comfort, of familiarity. And then, one of departure, an echo of Brax departing. Leaving. Fading away. That sound and thought thumped heavier in the pit of my stomach than it should have, and I didn’t understand why.
COMING NEXT:
From Cindy Miles, bestselling new adult author of STUPID GIRL, comes the next installment of her blockbuster Stupid in Love series – STUPID BOY.
Brax Jenkins and Olivia Beaumont are the most envied couple at Winston College—but the so-called “virginity dare,” orchestrated by Brax’s old fraternity, almost tore them apart. Now, a new dare is taking shape, and it’s sure to set the campus ablaze with crazy new rumors and chaos.
Winston’s “It Girl” Harper Bell isn’t just president of Alpha Delta Phi—she’s also a master at keeping her ugly past a secret. So, when the Kappas’ dare hits closer to home for her more than anyone realizes, she devises a competition of her own as payback. Three sorority sisters will seek out a notorious bad boy, train him to be the perfect boyfriend, seduce him almost to the point of no return, and promptly—and publicly—break his heart. Always up for a challenge, Harper targets the biggest player she can find: Brax’s wickedly handsome foster brother Kane McCarthy.
But, Harper discovers there’s much more to Kane than girls, games, and partying. His easy smile belies the quiet, old soul reflected in his deep brown eyes. All it takes is one night, one secret laid bare, and one kiss from Kane to shift Harper’s world on its axis. Suddenly, the girl who’s always walked a straight and narrow path can’t think of anything else except losing control.
AUTHOR BIO
National bestselling author Cindy Miles writes edgy romance, ranging from contemporary love stories to sexy paranormals. A native of southern coastal Georgia, she loves reading (naturally), baking swoon-worthy desserts, traveling abroad, yoga, and classic rock. The cover for her upcoming New Adult romance, STUPID GIRL, was featured on USA Today’s Happily Ever After blog. In the novel, a volatile mix of bad boys, sassy smart girls, dark secrets, and red-hot romance add up to one wild ride through college.
Would love to win!
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