A few more weeks of August Excerpts and I’ll be back to my Healthy Teen Tips Friday posts. For today, though, I’d love to share a scene from my YA Romantic Suspense,
SAVAGE CINDERELLA. If you want to check out the
book trailer, you can watch it
here.
EXCERPT:
Cody stalked around Brinn. Her nerves fired and twitched as she followed his every movement. For a man his size, he moved with the grace of a large cat, sure-footed and fluid. He pointed out the vital areas as he circled her. “The eyes, ears, and throat are vulnerable to attack with fingers and open-handed strikes.” He mimed the various hand positions she could use to damage the sensitive targets. He pointed again to the solar plexus and then to the groin, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth. “Of course the quickest way to stun your attacker is to give him something else to think about besides hurting you, such as…breathing.”
Brinn’s face flushed and she couldn’t help but smile a little, despite the electricity that thrummed through her body. “You don’t want me to hit you there, do you?”
“I’m pretty good at defending my vital organs, but let’s focus on body shots for now.” He motioned with his hands to indicate the target zone was from shoulders to hips. “Just remember, a man has two natural fears during combat—blindness and castration.” He grinned down at her and then stopped circling. Brinn came to stillness as well. “He can’t protect both areas at the same time. But first, you have to get close enough to do some damage.”
He took another step toward her and Brinn instinctively backed up. She realized all at once that other than her father and Justin, and maybe Mr. Hoffman on occasions of necessity, no man had actually touched her since…her heart began to race as Cody took another step closer. She matched his distance by stepping back again.
“Stop retreating, Brinn. You have nowhere to go.” His voice was deep and resonated around her, his features sharp with concentration. Brinn felt panic rise in her chest. Her breath grew shallow. Sweat tickled her brow and she suddenly imagined another face and body stalking her. She shook the picture from her mind, focusing instead on Cody’s familiar features.
“I can’t hit you, Cody. I…I won’t.” Her back hit the wall behind her, knocking the last of her breath from her lungs.
When he placed one huge hand on the wall next to her and trapped her in a corner with a long muscled arm, Brinn almost fainted. Dark spots flashed behind her eyes. The heat of his body radiated against her in the inches between them. Fear seized her limbs. His voice was barely above a deep whisper, the gravelly tone at odds with the handsome face and the lollipop sticking out of the corner of his mouth.
“Are you ready?” He bit down hard, grinding the candy and tossing the stick into a nearby trash-can. His cool gaze dropped back to hers. “How would you escape if someone had you trapped like this?”
Brinn fought to think and breathe, but her mind fogged with unwanted images. A tingle crawled along her skin. Escape was her only goal. She bent to duck under his arm, but he was too fast. Cody grabbed her, spun her around, and locked her into the steel circle of his bulky arms. He pinned her hands across her chest, crushing her back against the concrete wall of his body. The breath exploded out of her, replaced by sheer panic.
Cody’s hard body encased her, holding her helpless. Her limbs began to shake with a mixture of fear and rage as she struggled with no effect. His voice whispered softly on her hair, sending shivers along her spine. “Don’t panic. Breathe. Think. React.” Cody said the next words with cold, clear intent, “Or are you too weak to stop me?”
Somewhere deep inside and far away, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but every fiber of her being felt the fear and rage of being held against her will, and something inside of her snapped. Giving in to the adrenaline that rushed through her system, Brinn let her instincts take over.
With the force of a hammer, she raked the edge of her boot down his hard shin-bone and slammed it onto the instep of his foot. Cody grunted but didn’t release her. Blood surged in her ears, a deafening roll of thunder that crashed against her mind and escalated her fear. The hands that restrained her brought a flood of images raging to the surface. Memories rose of hard cold hands that held her down and touched her in places that made her hurt inside.
She went wild. With both knees bent, she sprang upward. The top of her head met his chin with a shuddering crunch as his teeth collided. A throbbing pain shot through her head. She took advantage of the momentary weakness in the vice-like grip that held her hands, wrenched one arm free, and plowed her elbow into his solar plexus with all of her might. As his massive frame gave way and he lost his breath, she pushed backwards with the full weight of her body. His balance tipped.
When her opponent crashed to the floor, taking down the table and chairs as he went, Brinn lunged for her knife. The world faded into a hazy, slow motion movie in her mind. Her only clear thought—knife. Before rationality could take hold, Brinn jumped on Cody. She straddled his chest, grabbed the short layer of sandy hair on his head, and drew her blade to his throat. A hiss escaped from between her clenched teeth.
If you want to see what happens next, leave a comment below, stop by and “like” our FB page, and you’ll be entered into the contest for a FREE signed copy! The winner of last week’s giveaway was Meggan Connors. Congratulations, Meggan. You’ll be receiving a signed copy of ON THIN ICE!
See you next week with an excerpt from my upcoming release, WANING MOON. Since the book won’t be available until September 28th, I’ll be giving away some cool WANING MOON swag. I hope you’ll join me.
