Excerpt One:
“For seven hours, we hung out at 25, drank coffee and just talked about anything and everything,” he admitted, standing up and stretching. “She’s gorgeous, Ty, inside and out. She’s wild, unpredictable and dangerous as hell. Not just for my sanity, but for my health. She’s the kind of girl you know you’ll want forever with, and forever will still not be long enough. But she’s not the type of girl to give forever to you willingly. I’m pretty sure you’d have to drag it out of her, kicking and screaming.”
Taking a deep breath, he shoved his hand into his gym shorts pockets. “I don’t know what to do about it. She has a boyfriend. Hell, I have Sandra. We’re friends.” He snorted at the last word. “If you discount the fact that the whole seven hours I was with her I imagined her under me.”
“So, you’re in lust. Work it out on Sandra,” Tyler suggested, watching Dominic walk to the boxing bag and stare hard at it. He flinched when Dominic suddenly swung hard at the bag, swearing fluently as he drove his fist into it.
“That’s the problem, Ty. It’s not lust. I’m not denying I want to lose myself in her. God, I’d give anything to have her legs around my waist as she moaned my name. There’s no guy in his right mind that wouldn’t.
I sat and watched her for a month without approaching her. For an entire month, we silently flirted with each other without saying one damn word. It was like a game we played. But it’s her
eyes that drew me to her. I could easily lose myself in them. Christ, Ty, they reveal such pain. Jesus, there’s so much agony there. I want to know why. I want to make her forget that pain. I want—” He broke off, frustration eating at him. “I want to know
her.”
Excerpt Two
Stephanie took in his nauseous expression, feeling guilty that she hadn’t noticed how tense he was. Shifting in her chair, she grinned when he gripped the bar again, the whitening of his knuckles revealing his fear.
Taking a deep breath, she cupped his face in her hands, bringing his mouth down onto hers for what was supposed be a gentle kiss; a kiss to make him forget his fear of heights and to thank him for sharing this moment with her. Instead, as soon as his lips touched hers, her whole body ignited into flames and she forgot about everything except the feel of his mouth on hers. When their mouths briefly parted, she impulsively delved her hands into his hair and held his lips to hers. Their kiss wasn’t gentle or sweet. It was hot and passionate, and promised so much more.
Stephanie moaned softly against his mouth. Caught up in his touch, she slid her hands from his hair to his broad shoulders. She pressed her chest tightly against his, twisting until she was in his lap.
Dominic stroked her tongue with his. Hearing her soft whimpers of pleasure, he closed his eyes, and a shudder rippled through him as she slid her hands under the back of his T-shirt and stroked his back.
He regretfully broke the kiss when he realized the ride had finished. Lifting his mouth from hers, he grinned at her flushed expression and felt a smug satisfaction as he looked into her eyes, unfocused with passion.
“We should get off,” he murmured softly, chuckling when she muttered underneath her breath, “I think we just did.”
Taking her hand, he led her off the Ferris wheel, guiding her through the crowds, and she let him. She was shaken by their kiss. She told herself she’d only kissed him to make him forget about his fears. She hadn’t expected him to take the kiss further; she hadn't expected herself to let him, and she certainly hadn’t expected to find herself wanting so much more.
Excerpt Three:
“I don’t understand, Dominic. Why are you acting like this?” Stephanie said, taking a step towards him and reaching out to touch his arm. She couldn’t understand why he was treating her this way. He was acting so indifferent, so cold. She scrambled her brain, wondering what she’d done wrong. She knew she’d been tense on the trip back to San Francisco, but he’d seemed okay with it. He’d accepted that she had a lot on her mind, or at least, she thought he had. When he stepped back to avoid her touch, she flinched.
“Listen, honey, this thing between us . . . it was fun,” Dominic began, feeling bile begin to rise in his throat as he pushed on. “But that’s all it was. Fun, and now it’s over.”
“It’s over?” she echoed, staring at him in disbelief. “I don’t understand.”
“What’s there to understand?” he drawled, raking his eyes over her and turning his lip into a sneer. “The sex was good, but that’s all it was. Good sex.”
“You said you loved me,” she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I lied,” Dominic replied, gripping the door handle tightly. He flinched when Stephanie’s head jerked back as if he’d struck her. Forcing himself to continue, he added brutally, “I wanted to get you into bed. Christ, don’t tell me you actually believed I loved you?”
When she remained silent, he laughed harshly. “Why the fuck would I love you? No man in his right mind could ever love someone as fucked up as you are.”
“Stop it,” she whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. “You don’t mean that.”
“Oh, honey, yes I do,” he bit out, shaking his head in disgust. “You were an itch I wanted to scratch, that’s all. It was nothing more. And I had you. You practically wrapped yourself up in a red bow and gave yourself to me on a silver platter. All I had to do was stroke your ego and pretend to give a damn, and you were all mine.”
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head in denial.
“Yes,” Dominic growled.
Stephanie stumbled backwards, unable to take her eyes off him. She wrapped her arms around herself, starting to shake. “You don’t mean that,” she whispered again, shaking her head. “I told you everything. I told you who I was.”
“Yeah, you did,” he said silkily, his hardened gaze pinning her to the spot. “And you actually thought after you told me who you were, I would still want to be with you? That I would actually love you?” He forced himself to drive the knife in deeper, telling himself this was for the best for both of them. “Christ, I was hoping when I didn’t answer your messages you’d get the hint, but no, you had to come here and make a scene. Get this through your head: I don’t want you. I never did. I just wanted to fuck you, and now I’m done. You’re delusional to think that I could ever love someone as damaged as you. Hell, no one could.”
**Book Soundtrack**
Can you share your idea of the perfect soundtrack to ‘Damaged’ with us?
I think the idea of the perfect soundtrack would be songs that suit everything that Dominic and Stephanie went through. When I wrote Damaged, I did have a soundtrack in mind for the book. These were songs that really struck a chord with me and became an integrated part of the characters and their love story.
Christina Aguilera - Just a Fool
Whiskeytown - Excuse me While I Break my own Heart
Big and Rich - You Never Stop Loving Somebody
Gary Allan - Along the Way
Blake Shelton - It Aint’ Easy Being me
Lady Antebellum - All We’d Ever Need
Sheryl Crow - First Cut is the Deepest
Ozzy Osbourne - Bloodbath in Paradise
Bret Michaels feat Miley Cyrus - Nothing to Lose
Garth Brooks - More than a Memory
Bad English - when I see you smile
Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow - Picture
Allison Iraheta - Scars
Bon Jovi - Wedding Day
Sister Hazel - Your Winter
Katy Perry - I’m still breathing
Sarah Mclachlan - Full of Grace
Eric Church - My Heart Has a Memory
Kenny Chesney - Better as a Memory
Christian Kane - Whiskey in Mind
Elvis Presley - Always On My Mind
Pink - True Love
In other words while there would be love songs there would also be songs about Heartbreak, loss and inner demons.
