Today I am so pleased to welcome Melissa Collins to Joyfully Jay. Melissa has come to talk to share a sexy, exclusive excerpt from her latest release, Unsteady. She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

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Hey everyone, this is Melissa Collins and I am so excited to share this steamy (and angsty) excerpt from my novel, Unsteady, with you. I hope it makes you want to learn more about Micah and Jude.


Excerpt

A deathly silence greeted me when I stepped back inside. Thankful for Jude’s sudden absence, I quickly threw my shit into my bag. I’d only been here a day, so it wasn’t like there was much—a pair of gym shorts from last night, my cell phone, car keys, and a spare pair of sneakers. I left in such a hurry, it was all I thought to take with me. My life currently fit into a gym bag.

Fucking pathetic.

With Sarge’s bowl half emptied, I stood at the kitchen sink, pouring out the rest of the water. “What are you doing?” Jude’s voice fell on my back.

“Leaving. I told you I never—”

Before I could finish my sentence, he was behind me, grabbing my shoulders and turning me around to face him. “Like hell you are.” His voice was calm and even. He’d obviously already made my decision for me.

“No,” I gritted back. Twisting out of his grip, I knocked one of his arms from my shoulder. I hated that my other arm was pretty much useless to defend myself. “I don’t—”

“Don’t what?” he challenged, wrapping his strong fingers around my wrist, keeping it locked against the wall at my side. His jaw clenched, and I hated that my eyes automatically traveled down his neck, roaming over every sexy fucking inch of his skin. And damn him, he saw me do it. His eyes sparkled with delight as he continued, “You don’t want to stay here? Couch not comfy enough for you?” There was no mistaking the thick coat of sarcasm dripping from his words. Even though there wasn’t any space left between us, he took another step toward me, letting his body press up against mine.
Teaser image, to share after excerpt

And I fought the fucking urge to melt into him.

Trying my best to control my breathing, I chose not to answer him, a nonresponse he took as a challenge. “You want to know what I think?” He wedged his thigh between my legs. “Of course you do. You’re hanging on every word I say right now.”

I had no clue who this man was. Dominant and in control, he was the exact opposite of the Jude I remembered and every bit the man I craved.

“Here’s my take,” he went on, his lips pulling into a smirk I wanted to kiss off his face. “You came here because the way we left off is killing you.” Opening my mouth to spit back a response was pointless because he paid me no mind, continuing to talk. “And I know that’s true because it’s been killing me, too.” He registered the shock on my face. “It ripped me in half to push you away.”

“Then why did you?” My head spun. His body. His heat. His words.

“Later. We’ll get to that later.” It was clear there was no point in challenging him.

And for all the shit I’d gone through, for all the lies I told to my family—to myself—for all the pain I’d suffered, all I wanted was to feel something good for once.

As he licked his lips, I had a feeling Jude would make that happen.

On a deep and shaky exhale, the fight left my body.

“Good,” he said softly. He did nothing to hide how proud he was that he’d won. His smile grew wider; his eyes shone brighter. His grip around my wrist tightened as he pressed his leg further against my hard dick. “Now here’s how this is going to work. I’m going to let go of your hand and you’re going to leave it there. I touch you. That’s all. Got it?” His dominance set me on fire, but it also pissed me off something awful. The desire to challenge him almost outweighed my desire to feel his mouth on my body.

With a simple nod, he released his hand from my wrist, moving it over a few inches to my hip. “Good.” Toying with the edge of my shirt, his fingers grazed against my skin, setting it on fire, making me grow even harder. As if he knew the reaction only a touch was having on me, he leaned in, putting his lips next to my ear. His warm breath fell over my skin, hypnotizing me. “I’ve waited too long to do this.”

To do what?

I was dying to ask, but the words lodged in my throat and my breathing stopped as he trailed his nose along my jawline. When he licked a wet, hot path down my neck, my knees buckled. A soft bubble of laughter fell from his lips knowing he’d won me over. Nibbling his teeth along my collarbone, he whispered against my skin, “This is going to be fun.”

A parade of wise-ass responses lined up in my head, but none of them marched forward. My brain was suddenly focused on one thing—Jude, and the feel of his touch, the taste of his kiss, the pressure of his body. Cupping my jaw, he pulled my face to his and attacked my lips. It was almost impossible to breathe, but he was giving me his air. His tongue delved into every part of my mouth. His teeth nipped at my lips, stopping just shy of being painful. It was as if he knew my threshold and I wondered if all those years I’d dreamed of Jude, maybe he actually was in my head, hearing my thoughts, my dreams, my desires.

The torrent of emotions playing in his eyes kept me transfixed as he pulled away from the kiss. His hands roamed over my stomach. If my muscles clenched this much with a touch over my shirt, I didn’t stand a chance when he touched my skin. He gripped the edge of my shirt with both hands, pulling me far enough away from the wall to lift it over my head. Of all the fucking times in my life for it to happen, the fabric caught on my prosthetic. Immediately, I moved to fix it, hating the fucking thing more than ever.

“Stop,” Jude commanded, gripping my warm wrist once again. Without saying anything else, he released the fabric, tracing his fingertip along my upper arm as he finished removing the shirt. Embarrassment flushed my cheeks. But considering he was currently working my belt open, him seeing the brace holding my arm in place should be the least of my concerns.

I was so focused on my arm, I almost didn’t hear the clink of my belt as it hit the floor, my shorts falling into a puddle of fabric around my feet. For all the times I ran across open deserts, maneuvered through unfamiliar streets, battled foreign soldiers on foreign soil, I’d never felt so vulnerable as I did with Jude as he stripped me naked.

I sucked in a sharp breath as he traced his fingertip along the edge of my boxers. Keeping his eyes trained on mine, he slowly worked the fabric down, off my hips, down my legs, adding them to the pile at my feet. Kneeling before me, he gently lifted one leg and then the other, unwrapping my clothes from them. After easing off my sneakers and socks, I was completely naked, pressed up against the wall in his kitchen and totally under his control.

When I looked down, saw him kneeling before me, taking in every inch of my hard and ready body, I lost the ability to breathe. To think. To speak.

As if he could read my mind, he ran his hands up my thighs, saying, “Just feel this. Feel me. Worry about all the other shit later.” His mouth followed the path of his hands, kissing up one leg and then the other. The heat of his skin radiated all around my aching dick, but he never touched it. He was working me into a frenzy, and all I could do was take it.


Blurb

UnsteadyMicah Hudson and Jude MacMillian were both lonely teenagers. One the new kid and one the target of relentless bullying, they quickly became friends. But when friendship grew into more, the relationship was too much for either to handle. As their tenuous bond was tested, everything tumbled down, leaving them lonely once again.

A decade later, Micah is on the brink of losing his will to live. Beyond exhausted from lying to everyone, including himself, Micah thinks of the one person who knows his deepest secret. Desperate and alone, Micah makes the
only decision he feels he has: he must leave. But his need for closure depends on one thing.

Can Jude make room in his Unsteady life for Micah once again?


Bio

Melissa CollinsMelissa Collins has always been a book worm. Studying Literature in college ensured that her nose was always stuck in a book. She followed her passion for reading to the most logical career choice: English teacher. Her hope was to share her passion for reading and the escapism of books to her students. Having spent more than a decade in front of a classroom, she can easily say that it’s been a dream.

Her passion for writing didn’t start until more recently. When she was home on maternity leave in early 2012, she read her first romance novel and her head filled with the passion, angst and laughter of the characters who she read about it. It wasn’t long before characters of her own took shape in her mind. Their lives took over Melissa’s brain and The Love Series was born.


Giveaway

Melissa has brought a $10 Amazon gift card to give away to one lucky Joyfully Jay reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Wednesday, May 3rd at 11:59 pm EST.

  • By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win.  The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
  • If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
  • Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
  • Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
  • All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
  • By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
  • Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
  • Void where prohibited by law.
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