Today we're featuring Constructing Us by C.J. Lake! Get a peak and don't forget to enter the giveaway below!
Title: Constructing Us
Author: C.J. Lake
Age: NA
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release date: July 19, 2014
Blurb:
*Story contains explicit/steamy scenes that are intended for mature readers.When Andy takes over the lease on her friend Ethan's apartment, he warns her about his roommate, Tragan. According to Ethan, Tragan Barrett is self-centered and inconsiderate, caring more about hanging out with his friends and hitting the local casino than straightening the living room or keeping up with his laundry. Andy isn't too concerned, though, because she isn't moving in to make a friend.
Intended as a short-term living arrangement, the apartment is close to the hospital where Andy is participating in a drug study for a rare disorder she was diagnosed with when she was twenty. Now, fresh out of college, she is trying to figure out her life--and also how to live with the uncertainty of her condition. Figuring she'll go one way and he'll go another, Andy is surprised to learn that Tragan is not exactly the way Ethan painted him. In fact, there's a whole other side to the darkly sexy construction worker...especially when it comes to Andy.
Can an unlikely friendship turn into something much more?
{{PICK ONE EXCERPT AND ONE POST}}
TRAGAN BARRETT:
Tragan was partly inspired by a few of my guy friends. Heâs masculine, laid-back, and not one to over-analyze his emotions--but heâs loyal and his feelings are absolutely sincere. His biggest vice might be his love of blackjack -- but fortunately, his casino skills are honed and he usually wins. Looks wise, he has dark hair that is short but messy, a tattoo on his right arm, and a strong build that comes from his work in construction. Whether or not heâs clean-shaven depends on the day.
ANDY DELPHIN:
Iâve always been drawn to female characters that have a dry sense of humor, but are also vulnerable and sweet. I think of Andy as having a true natural beauty, inside and out. People have asked me how much of Andy is like me. Well, Iâm sort of a book junkie like her, and although I donât cook like she does, I love trying all different cuisines. Also, I used to live in Boston and still love it there!
FACTS ABOUT Constructing Us:
*Thereâs more to Andyâs boyfriend, Dr. Brad, than meets the eye.
*Tray has to enlist his friends to help with a surprise for Andy that she never sees coming.
*When Tragan kisses Andy for the first time, theyâre surrounded by a sea of chocolate cupcakes.
*My love of coffee inevitably spills into my stories.
*I handwrote much of this book at the beach.
MUSIC PLAYLIST:
My #1 signature song for Tragan & Andy was âBurnâ by Ellie Goulding. I always thought of them when I heard that song and listened to it a lot while I was working on the book. There were several other songs that also made me think of their love/passion, especially âHo Heyâ by The Lumineers, âAnywhere But Hereâ by SafetySuit, âAnimalâ by Neon Trees, and âParalyzerâ by Finger Eleven.
Excerpt 1:
After his parents left, Tragan found Andy at the kitchen sink. She was pulling her hair up into a messy knot at the back of her head, which exposed more of her neck. He stepped closer, leaned on the counter beside the sink. âWell, the good news is that my parents had an awesome time. They absolutely love you.â
âOh, goodâ¦â Andy said, reaching for the dishwashing soap.
âThe bad news is that for the rest of her days my mother will now be saying: âWhy canât you meet a girl like Andyâ?
She gave a laugh at that. âTechnically you did meet me,â she pointed out.
âYou know what I mean,â Tragan said. âSeriously, I can see it now. âTragan, that stripper you brought home for Thanksgiving? Why canât she be more like Andy?ââ
Andy shot him a look. âStripper? Really?â
He shrugged. âYou never know,â he said, grinning.
âPersonally, I think you should set your sights a little higher,â Andy remarked, tilting her head at him--then corrected herself. âI shouldnât say that, because I donât actually know⦠Tragan, are you seeing anyone now?â
He shook his head. âNope, no,â he said, straightening up a little. âIâm keeping my options open,â he added for some unknown reason. He felt like an idiot as soon as heâd said it.
âThatâs good,â she said generically and set more plates into the sink. As she swished them with soapy water, Tragan found himself thinking about what his mom had said at the door.
âSo are you always this great to peopleâs parents?â he fished. âOrâ¦â
âOr what?â
When she blinked at him, waiting, he lightened his tone, made it more joking. âOr is there just somethingspecial about Mari and Jack Barrett?â
Her gaze returned to the dishes in the sink as she proclaimed, âTheyâre very easy to talk to, for real. I donât know why you were worried.â
âI wasnât worried.â
âSure,â she said, teasing him. âYou know, youâre lucky your parents are still together. When my dad moved to Switzerland, it was supposed to be a year or so. We didnât know heâd end up staying forever.â
When her voice trailed off, Tragan probed, âDo you ever see him?â
Andy nodded. âOh, sure, on Skype. Emma and I visited him in Zurich about two years ago, and he came to the hospital in Chicago when I was sick. Plus, we talk on the phone and email a lot.â
âThatâs cool.â
âYeah, heâs a good dad. But itâs still not the same as having my mom and him still together, like yours.â
Selfishly, Tragan was impatient to switch topics. He loved his parents to death but he didnât want to talk about them right now. And he didnât want to talk about Andyâs parents, either. âHey--are you and Brad serious?â he blurted.
Andy appeared startled by the shift in subject. At first she hesitated, without replying. But Tragan held her gaze anyway, determined to learn the answer.
Finally, she shrugged. âYeah, I mean, maybe, sure, could be,â she floundered, breaking their eye contact to reach for a towel. Rubbing it over a wet plate, she babbled on, âHeâs a great guy and, you know, Iâve known him for a couple years now, umâ¦plus, weâre still young, itâs not like we have to make any decisions right nowâ¦butâ¦my mother likes him andâ¦enh.â
âEnh?â Tragan repeated skeptically. âThat doesnât sound good.â
âNo, no,â she backpedaled, âI meanâ¦Bradâs great.â
âRight, you said that.â
âAnd heâs very smart--extremely smart.â
âIâm sure he is,â Tragan agreed (since the guy was a doctor, after all).
âAbove all, though, Bradâs aware of my whole situation and is understanding about it.â Half-heartedly, Tragan gave a nod, although he really didnât want to validate that. Andy seemed healthy to him, and besides that, he didnât want to act like she had such a bad situation. âWho knows, weâll see.â She let the dishtowel drop on the counter. âWow, Iâve been rambling. You know what? Iâm just gonna finish up these dishes tomorrow. Iâm tired,â she insisted a little too abruptly.
âOkay.â He had to assume that his seemingly simple question had hit a nerve. As she headed to her room, Tragan called after her. âListen--you really helped me out tonight. If thereâs ever anything I can do for you, just let me know okay? So we can call it even.â
There was a momentary pause. âYou know what? There is something,â Andy told him as she walked back to him.
Traganâs heart rate kicked up, having the sudden notion that Andy might slide her hands up his chest and press her supple, sexy body into his. If she did, he would unleash such heat on her, he couldnât guarantee theyâd even make it to the bedroom before they were both going at it like animals.
âYou know how you tend to pile your dirty, sweaty clothes on the floor--in a, sort of, inconvenient heap thatâs blocking the dryer?â Andy said. âWhich is charming, by the way.â
Inwardly, Tragan sighed, disappointed. So much for hot, relentless sex in the kitchen. âYesâ¦?â
âI was thinking that maybe you could use a hamper instead?â
Traganâs eyes dropped down for a second, before returning to hers. âSo thatâs all you want from me? My disgusting laundry out of your way.â
âWell, I wouldnât call it âdisgusting.ââ
âFine, Iâll get a hamper.â
âSpecifically I was hoping you could use one with a lid--like I have? Iâll pick you up one.â
âAndy, I think I can buy my own hamper,â Tragan said, trying not to sound churlish.
âIf youâre sure. I have no problem treating you; it could be, like, an early Arbor Day present.â
So she wanted to be a smartass. âHamper with a lid,â he bit out, glaring at her--and fighting a grin. âGot it. Anything else?â
âNo, thatâs it. For now.â She gave him a sweet little wave that exuded sarcasm. ââNight, roomie!â
Watching her go, he blew out a breath of laughter, in spite of himself. He shook his head as he heard her bedroom door close. Now that he was alone in the kitchen, there seemed only one logical thing for him to do. In fact, he wasnât clear on anything else at that moment except for this.
He stepped up to the sink and did the rest of the dishes. ~
Excerpt 2:
âAll right, Andy, if youâre really not going to let me have any cupcakes, then Iâm gonna get going,â Tragan told her with a grin. âLater.â
âOkay--oh, wait--real quick. Could you hand me that lid over there?â Andy said, pointing to the cake cover resting on the opposite counter.
âSure.â
When Tragan lifted it up, he froze--then turned his head toward her, his dark eyes narrowing. âWhatâs this?â
âHmmâ¦letâs seeâ¦â Playfully, Andy held back a smile as she ambled closer. âA jumbo-sized cupcake--set apart from the others--with a T scrawled in blue icingâ¦â
âFor me?â Tragan said, breaking into a full smile.
âOf course! Iâd never forget about you,â she said with a little laugh.
âYes!â he said, messily pulling the cake right out of the ramekin cup and assailing it with his mouth. âAwesome!â he mumbled, totally un-self-conscious about the frosting on his lips.
âYouâre such a guy,â Andy said, shaking her head, and then without thinking, reached up to wipe the underside of his lip with her thumb.
The second she made contact, she realized what sheâd done. Her hand was on his face. More than that, she was touching his mouth. Something so intimate--too intimate for friends--and yet, her fingers lingered. She couldnât seem to stop touching him, grazing her thumb over his lower lip, as if there was still frosting there. As if she didnât have an impulsive desire to slide her thumb inside his mouth and to feel his hot tongue on her flesh. Her breath became shallow as her eyes traveled up--and she found Tragan watching her. His gaze was intense, fully aware of her--and then she panicked.
Self-consciously, she swallowed and pulled back.
Trying to act natural, Andy snatched a dishtowel off the counter and handed him that instead. âHere, you can do it,â she said awkwardly, as hot embarrassment flooded her cheeks. If people saw this now, would they really be surprised that Brad was her only boyfriend ever? As much as she wanted Tragan, she was inexperienced enough to fear rejection and nowhere near confident enough to be a seductress.
Wordlessly, Tragan took the towel and wiped his mouth.
âBetter?â When she nodded, he tossed the towel and said, âActually, itâs just as well I get cleaned up. Iâm supposed to meet some girl later.â
At that, Andyâs mouth fell open. âW-what girl?â she asked, feeling her brow crease with concern.
âPellicanâs sisterâs friend is supposed to be there today, helping out,â he told her.
âOh.â Andy swallowed down a hard lump. Suddenly she started to feel queasy, and it had nothing to do with the drug trial. This was 100% anxious jealousy, churning in her stomach. Why hadnât she considered that Tragan could be interested in other girls, too?
âAnd you, um, like her?â she asked, attempting to sound pleasant and unaffected--as if she were simply taking a friendly interest in the topic, as his roommate.
He gave a one-shouldered shrug, while his face remained noncommittal. âNever met her. But Pellican thinks weâll hit it off.â
The painful ball of jealousy in Andyâs belly swelled, then ballooned to her chest, making it hard to breathe normally. Still, she forced a smile that felt brittle, but it was the best she could do. Then nodded maybe a bit too vigorously. âThatâs great, Tragan. I really hope it works out,â she lied.
âYou do?â he asked, never taking his eyes off her face, as though studying her reaction.
âSure. If itâs what you want.â She quickly turned away from him and walked back to the counter where sheâd been frosting cupcakes and tried to think of what she could busy herself with until he left the kitchen.
Mere seconds later, she felt Tragan come up behind her. Her whole body stilled, as her pulse began to pound. She could feel how close he was to her. âAndyâ¦â he said softly, and came even closer. The heat from his body spread across her back, igniting every nerve ending in her body. âWhat if thatâs not what I want?â ~
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C.J. Lake is a storyteller who is passionate about art, surfing, and skiing/snowboarding. Residing near the coast of Massachusetts, C.J. is working on a new book that will feature Tragan Barrett's friend, Matt Winter. Readers can get in touch via email ([email protected]), or follow C.J. on Twitter @brightbluesurf.