Rebel Soul
Rebel
Series #1
By J.C.
Hannigan
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: June 1, 2016
Synopsis
Tessa Armstrong has
one more summer at home before heading off to college with her best friend.
She’s been counting down the months, waiting to be free of her overbearing
brothers and overprotective father — not to mention getting out of the small,
suffocating town she’s grown up in.
The one thing Tessa doesn’t count on is falling in love, least of all with Brock Miller. He’s the kind of boy her father has always warned her about. He’s older, mysterious, and a little dangerous.
Brock has had a hard past, and the whole town not only knows it, but won’t let him forget.
The one thing Tessa doesn’t count on is falling in love, least of all with Brock Miller. He’s the kind of boy her father has always warned her about. He’s older, mysterious, and a little dangerous.
Brock has had a hard past, and the whole town not only knows it, but won’t let him forget.
Brock has come back
to take care of his ailing mother and struggling younger siblings. He doesn’t
have time to fall in love, especially with one of the town’s darlings, but
sometimes, love comes fast and fierce.
Can Tessa and Brock find a way to each other despite their pasts and the
obstacles their families present?
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Excerpt
The clearing was shaped like a circle, with the
access road on the south side. Directly across from it was an old but clean
looking trailer. Before I could ask who’d brought the camper, Elle was darting
off to join Braden at the fire pit in the center of the clearing.
I watched as she leaned into him and whispered
in his ear. He grinned, nodding at her with an affectionate smile as she ran
her hand along his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to
him and pressing a slow, tender kiss to her lips.
For a moment, a small swell of jealousy pressed
down on me. Not because it was Braden, but because I wanted that. I wanted
someone to kiss me slowly; I wanted to feel strong arms around me. I wanted
intimacy and tender touches.
I glanced around the party, noting there wasn’t
anyone even remotely interesting around. These were all guys that I’d gone to
school with, or guys that were Braden’s and Tommy’s friends. None of them made
my heart beat faster and my palms sweat. Hell, I got a better chemical reaction
from shooting a bow and hitting my target than with any of the guys around this
lame town.
One reason to really wish the summer away:
college meant more of a selection.
Elle saw me sulking and reluctantly pulled away
from Braden. “What’s up?” she asked, frowning at the sullen look on my face.
“Nothing.” I sighed.
“I don’t buy that,” she called me out, jutting
her hip out and propping her hand on it with her certain brand of attitude.
I fixed her with a serious stare. “I promise that
I’m fine. Just…please tell me we’re still sharing a tent and that Braden won’t
be in it?” I raised my brows, pleading with her.
Elle smiled at me brightly, her white teeth
flashing in the moonlight. “Don’t worry about it! Braden’s sharing a tent with Ezra.
Unless you want to share a tent with him…” Elle trailed off, smirking as her
hip bumped into mine.
“Um, no. I’m good.” I made a face, my memories
drawn to the one time when Ezra and I hooked up. It was a year before the
Corbin Little incident. I was sixteen and Ezra was seventeen, his license still
fresh in his hand when he asked me out to the movies. We’d mutually decided to
skip the movie and drive around in his truck, and one thing led to another.
Although Ezra was sweet, he wasn’t experienced and neither was I for that
matter. The whole situation was awkward, painful, unpleasant, and completely
overrated. Definitely not worth the black eye that Ezra got when Tommy found
out. I definitely had no desire to relive that night. “So, whose camper is
that?”
She glanced up, looking towards the trailer. A
guilty look befell her face. “That’s Braden’s brother’s trailer,” she said
innocently, shrugging. She wasn’t meeting my eyes.
“Braden’s brother?” I repeated, blinking slowly.
“Yeah, I think that’s him now.” Elle grinned,
nodding towards the headlights that were focused on us as a truck pulled up. My
eyes widened as I took in the new Ford F-250 with huge, monstrous tires and
floodlights. He parked carelessly with the other vehicles lining our makeshift
party area and got out, leaving the lights pointed directly at our little
group.
“Hey, Brock! Glad you could make it.” Braden
smiled, his entire demeanor changing as his older brother slowly walked up to
us. Brock had a dark, grim look on his face, as if this was exactly where he
didn’t want to be. He was carrying two ten gallon jugs of water effortlessly. He
set them down a little ways away from the fire.
“Get the rest of the water from my truck,” Brock
ordered, his eyes narrowing in on Braden’s face.
His voice prompted butterflies to explode in my
belly. It was deep, gravelly, and full of authority. Brock had the kind of
voice and rugged good looks that made girls swoon.
My eyes drank him in. His dark hair was wet, as
if he’d just stepped out of the shower, and bits of it fell across his
forehead. He had a strong, chiseled jaw, a five o’clock shadow and the most
sensual lips I’d ever seen.
I had the most ridiculous urge to step towards
him and run my hands through all that hair. The way his Wrangler jeans clung to
his muscular thighs made my mouth water. He looked like a damn cover model for
some country living magazine.
He looked a thousand times better than I
remembered. Not good, not good at all! I thought, desperately seeking some kind
of flaw in him that I could latch on to.
Even his clothes made me drool, or perhaps it
was the way he wore them. He was dressed in well-worn cowboy boots and a black
t-shirt that clung to the muscles in his strong arms. Arms that looked capable
of hard labor; arms that I’d love to have wrapped around me.
Elle elbowed me sharply, giggling. I hadn’t
realized I was noticeably gawking at the man standing less than a foot away
from me, but I couldn’t help it. The guys I was used to seeing around weren’t
built like Brock. They didn’t even come close to being built like Brock.
He glanced over, his brow furrowing as his eyes
landed on me. I clamped my jaw shut and tried to force my eyes away from his,
but he had some kind of pull on me. I couldn’t stop staring at him and he was
staring right back.
His eyes were every bit as intriguing as I
remembered, but the easy dimpled smile was definitely not present. Brock Miller
looked hostile and every bit as dangerous as they said he was…and still, I
couldn’t stop staring.
“Yeah, yeah,” Braden grumbled, effectively
breaking whatever strange spell had overcome us. Brock’s eyes tore from my face
and he watched as his brother stomped over to his truck. A second later, a
menacing deep bark sounded from in the cab. Braden yelped and flew backwards,
away from the snarling dog sitting inside. Brock smiled slowly, the dimple
appearing just above the left corner of his lip.
He put his fingers to his lips and whistled. The
dog leapt from the open window and growled at Braden. Brock whistled once
again. Obediently, the dog walked up and sat down at Brock’s feet, still
watching Braden carefully. The dog was huge and beautiful, a German shepherd
mix from the looks of it. Absently, Brock’s hand dropped down to pat the dog on
the head.
“I hope you’re going to control that fucking
mutt,” Braden seethed, his face red with embarrassment. “I don’t want it
barking all night.”
Brock sent him a single look that had Braden
clamping his mouth shut and fetching the rest of the water jugs from the back
of the truck. It seemed that Brock had an undeniable power over those around
him. Me, Braden, the dog, even Elle watched with wide eyes.
I grabbed Elle’s arm again, dragging her further
away from both Brock and Braden. I felt light headed, and I didn’t like it at
all. “Why didn’t you tell me he was going to be here? If my father finds out,
he’s going to flip!”
“Chill out, Tessa. Your father isn’t going to
find out…I promise.” Elle’s eyes were filled with sincerity. “And really,
there’s nothing wrong with Brock.”
“Didn’t he just get out of jail for aggravated
assault?” I retorted, folding my arms across my chest. I was suddenly cold; the
good mood I’d been in earlier had long since evaporated in a puff of smoke,
replaced with a swirling number of complicated emotions and reactions that I
couldn’t even begin to sift through.
“Yes, but you don’t know the reason why,” Elle
said, as if this should make all the difference in the world. Elle noticed my
unimpressed are you serious stare. She smiled sadly. “Tessa, your world is
always so black and white. Sometimes, things fall in the grey area. Trust me
when I tell you, this is one of those things. He is one of those things.”
I wrinkled my nose, resenting my friend for
calling me out. “Fine, but don’t expect me to talk to him. I barely tolerate
Braden.”
“I know,” Elle said without humor. She pursed
her lips as if she had more to say. Instead, she forced a smile. “Let’s go get
a drink.”
Meet
the Author
J.C. Hannigan lives
in Ontario, Canada with her husband, their two sons, and their dog. She writes
contemporary new adult romance and suspense. Her novels focus on relationships,
mental health, social issues, and other life challenges.
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