It's Tuesday again and time for a teaser. And I've got a cover reveal to go along with it!
I'm still writing this one so things may change, but for those of you who don't know, this is the story of Gibson (Kade's brother) and Sam (Tessa's BFF)--both were introduced in Need You Tonight.
But before she could complete the breath, a booming knock rocketed through the farmhouse, rattling the door and and sending a scream right up her throat. Darcy barked from upstairs. Sam clamped her hands over her mouth just in time to cut it off. But she scrambled to her feet and turned toward the front doorway like the Big Bad Wolf was about to bust through.
Whoever this was, it couldn’t be good. It was too early and this house was too far out for it to be someone selling something. She needed to get to the bedroom and get the gun she kept in there. But the windows in the living room had thin curtains and she’d have to cross that room to get to the stairs. What if whoever it was saw her?
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Her hands shook. There were knives in the kitchen. That’d be something. She took a step that way when the banging came again, each knock like a jolt of electric anxiety through her.
But just as she almost made it to the doorway to the kitchen, a familiar voice echoed through the house. “Sam, it’s Gib. I know you’re here. Open up.”
Every tight muscle in her body sagged in relief. Gibson. It was Gibson. Not an ax murderer in a hockey mask. Okay. Okay.
But then as soon as that thought settled—I’m safe. Another one hit. It was Gibson.
She had no idea how he’d found her, but she’d told him to leave her alone when she’d left The Ranch. And she was a fucking mess right now. If she’d wanted his help, she would’ve asked him for it. That sent a rush of righteous indignation right up her spine, anger hot on its heels.
Part of her was tempted to just ignore his pushy ass. Pretend she wasn’t here. But knowing him, he’d break the frigging door down. So instead, she gathered up that anger into a nice, spinning ball in her gut and stalked toward the door.
He banged on it again before she could reach it, so when she swung the door open, his fist was still hovering in the air. He blinked as if surprised she’d actually appeared, and then blatant relief descended over his features. “Thank fuck.”
Her jaw clenched, and she had to force it to relax to speak. “What the hell?”
His gaze skated over her, a deep line appearing between his brows. “Shit, Sam, you look…baby.”
She had a good idea what she looked like. She was sweaty, covered with wood dust, and between the slap earlier and all the crying, her face probably looked like she’d been hit with a wet bag of rocks. Goddammit. This was the last thing she needed Gibson to see. And the fact that he’d forced her into letting him see her like this pissed her off even more. “Don’t you dare call my baby or look at me like that. You’re not supposed to be here. I didn’t invite you.”
His blue eyes flicked upward, rigid determination there. “You don’t need to be alone right now. And you damn well shouldn’t be alone out here in the middle of nowhere.” He swung a hand toward the door. “A stiff wind would knock this thing down. What are you thinking?”
Well, that just punched all her bitch buttons. “Thanks for stopping by. It’s been fun. I’m alive and fine. You can go home now. Buh-bye.”
She moved to shut the door, but his hand flew out to block it from closing. “Oh, no you don’t. You can be pissed at me all you want. But if you think I’m leaving you out here like this, let me alleviate you of that notion. Not gonna happen, sunshine.”
Her grip on the door tightened. “What? You gonna drag me out kicking and screaming, Gib? I’ll fucking fight you.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked and he took a step forward. “You know I’m not going to put my hands on you like that. But you either come willingly or you’re going to be staring at my ugly mug until you do.”
Ugly mug was about as far from the truth as possible. Even with dark shadows under his eyes, his hair disheveled from raking fingers, and a wrinkled shirt, he looked like he’d just fallen off the stage of some hot man revue. But she was too ticked off to care about how hot he was. Mostly.
“Leave, Gib.”
“Not unless you come with me.” He ducked under the arm she had braced on the door and strode inside.
“Oh my God.” She spun around, the door swinging shut on its own behind her. “Boundaries, dude. Ever heard of the word?”
“Yep. Can spell it and everything.” Gib crossed his arms over his chest and smiled.
