Before We Fall by Courtney Cole Launch Day Blitz & Giveaway!

We are celebrating all things Before We Fall by Courtney Cole today!  Read the blurb, grab a cool drink and read the smokin' hot excerpt, then enter the giveaway!

BEFORE WE FALL by Courtney Cole (; Forever Trade Paperback; $12.00)

Sometimes before we fall . . . we fly.

One dark moment was all it took to turn twenty-four-year-old Dominic Kinkaide's world black. On the night of his high school graduation, a single incident changed him forever, and he became a hardened man-famous in the eyes of the world, but tortured inside. Now all he cares about is losing himself in the roles that he plays.

At twenty-three years old, Jacey Vincent doesn't realize how much her father's indifference has affected her. She is proof that sometimes it isn't one specific moment that wrecks a person, but an absence of moments. She tries to find acceptance in the arms of men to fill the void-a plan that has worked just fine for her, until she meets Dominic.

When jaded Dominic and strong-willed Jacey are thrown together, the combination of his secrets and her issues turns their attraction into the perfect storm. It could change their lives for good-if it doesn't tear them both apart . . .

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About the author:

Courtney Cole is a New York Times and USA Todaybestselling author who lives near Lake Michigan with her family.  She's always working on her next project... or staring dreamily out her office window.

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Excerpt:

Jacey is standing still in the middle of the room, dressed in her uniform, letting a party guest lick salt off of her forearm for a tequila shot. She’s heavily made up tonight- thick mascara, red lipstick.  She smiles up at him with those red lips and a fake smile and as she does, she catches sight of me.

She freezes in shock, although what the fuck?  I’m the one living here temporarily.  I belong here, she doesn’t. 

Suddenly, a guy comes rushing up to me, someone I don’t know.  A very drunk someone.

“Dude, can you sign my shirt for my girlfriend?  If I take home your autograph, I’ll get laid for a month.”

He grabs at my arm and I shake him off in annoyance. 

“Dude.  If you were lucky enough to get invited here, then you should know not to approach anyone for autographs.”

I’m not usually so rude to fans.  But my mood gets the better of me. The guy stares at me, stunned, and I continue on my way.  As I do, I feel Jacey’s gaze.

She pulls her arm away from the guy, sets down her tray of shots, and makes a beeline for me. 

I turn my back on her, intent on continuing up the stairs without acknowledging her, but she won’t have it.  She grabs my arm, forcing me to look at her.

“ Are you all right?” she demands.  “That was pretty harsh.”

I glance down at her, into her brown eyes and find her to be sincerely concerned.  I must look seriously rattled if she noticed that something is wrong. She barely knows me.  Her fingers are warm on my arm and for a minute, I waver. 

She’s warm and soft and concerned.  I know what that might turn into. 

A wild night that will make me feel better. 

Women are all the same, they want to fix what is broken and they’re willing to do anything to accomplish that.  I never talk about my past or anything at all about me, but women can still sense that I’m fucked up.  What they don’t understand… is that I’m unfixable. 

I stare down at her again, shaking my head. 

“I’m fine.  Don’t worry about it.”

But she looks at me again, really looks at me, her brown eyes probing mine.  “I don’t think you are.  What happened?”

“Why does it matter to you?” I ask, before I can stop myself. 

Because something about her makes me think that it does somehow matter to her and not just because I’m Dominic Kinkaide.   Everything I’ve seen of Jacey is wild and untamed… she works for Saffron, pushes cops around, gets dressed in parking lots and lets men lick salt off her body for tequila shots.

Yet at the same time, she seems warm and real.  I haven’t forgotten how she shoved her way in between Cris and I and shielded my body with her own.  She’s a puzzle. 

Jacey looks confused by my question. 

“It matters because you’re not some stranger off the street. You look seriously upset.   Of course I’m going to ask you if you’re alright.  Who wouldn’t?”

Most of the people I know in Hollywood, I think.

But I don’t say it.  Instead, I turn my back and start up the stairs again.  I don’t fucking answer to her or anyone else. 

“Do you need anything?” Jacey’s voice is hesitant behind me.  “An ice pack or anything? That bruise on your cheek looks like it still hurts.”

I pause, not looking at her.  Instead I remember her bare leg, stretching toward the sky while her tiny uniform shorts slide over it.  The mere memory of the way she’d undressed right out in the open sets my pulse to racing. 

Yeah, there’s a bunch of things I need, but only one thing that will take my mind off the reason that I need them.

“Yeah, I need something.”

There is a moment of silence between us, then another. 

Finally she asks, “And that is?”

I turn back around slowly, looking her up and down until my eyes freeze upon hers and stay there.  Hers are dark and sincere, waiting for me to say something. She has no idea what kind of person I am.  She has no idea that I’m just a shell, completely empty inside. 

If she did, she would run far, far away. 

I stare into her eyes as I move closer and she doesn’t look away.  

I step back down until we’re on the same step and her back is against the wall.  I press against her, close enough that my rigid dick digs into her hip. 

With my mouth mere centimeters from her ear, I say, “You.  Spread-eagled and tied up on my bed.   That would do for a start." 

Yowsa!  Can I have a sick day to start reading this?  Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

~Shel



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If You Stay by Courtney Cole Launch Day Blitz

It's a Launch Day celebration!  If You Stay by Courtney Cole published by Forever Romance is available today.  Check out the details below, go forth and enjoy!

Twenty-four-year-old Pax Tate is an asshole.  Seriously.  He's a tattooed, rock-hard bad boy with a tough attitude to match.  His mother died when Pax was seven, leaving a hole in his heart filled with an intense guilt that he doesn't understand.  What he does know is that he and his dad were left alone, and they have never been close.  Now, he uses drugs and women to cope with the black void in his soul.  He pretends that the emptiness isn't there and this has always worked... until he meets Mila.  

Sweet, beautiful Mila Hill is the fresh air that Pax has never known in his life.  He doesn't know how to not hurt her - but he quickly realizes that he'd better frigure it out because he needs her to breathe.  When the memories of his mother's death resurface to haunt Pax, Mila is there to save him from overwhelming guilt.  Mila restores his broken heart, even as she evokes his powerful, sexual desires.  Now for Pax to keep Mila, he needs to work on his issues - and stop being an asshole.  But is that enough to make her stay?

About the Author

Courtney Cole is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives near Lake Michigan with her family.  She's always working on her next project...or staring dreamily out of her office window.  To learn more about her, please visit http://www.courtneycoleauthor.com.

Excerpt:

I toss the note in the trashcan, but it bounces off the rim and lands on the floor. Shit.

I consider the notion of trying to get up and get it, but decide against it. I’m too sore and it’s just not that important. Housekeeping can pick it up later.

However, before I can think any more on it, the tip of a shoe appears next to it. My gaze flickers upward and finds a girl standing there. She’s staring at me with clear, green eyes and she’s holding a vase of flowers.

And she’s fucking beautiful.

My gut immediately tightens in response. Holy shit.

She’s small, with long dark hair draped over one shoulder and clear green eyes framed in thick black lashes. Her skin is bright and glowing. And why am I noticing her skin when she’s got such a great rack? I fight to keep my eyes away from her full, perky tits and focused on her face.

She smiles a wide, white smile. A gorgeous kind of smile.

“Hi,” she says softly. “I didn’t know you’d be awake.”

There is gentle familiarity in her voice, as if she knows me.

I’m confused. How fucked up had I been? Do I know this girl? My instincts say no. 

She’s not the kind of girl I tend to hang around. I usually keep the needy ones around, the ones who are willing to do whatever I want, just because I can give them what they need.

This girl is not one of them. That much is blatantly apparent. She reeks of sunshine and wholesomeness. It’s foreign to me. And fascinating.

I cock my head.

“I’m sorry. Do I know you?”

The beautiful girl blushes now, a faint pink tint along the delicate curve of her cheek. 

I immediately have the urge to run my fingers along the color, although I don’t know why.

“No,” she answers and she seems embarrassed. “I know that this is probably weird. 

But I’m the one who found you on the beach. I came the other day to make sure that you 

were okay. And then I wanted to bring you some flowers because your room seemed a little bare. I’m an artist, so I love color. And now I seem like a stalker, don’t I?”

She’s rambling. And it’s cute as hell. I smile. And as I do, I feel like the Big Bad Wolf and she’s little Red Riding Hood. My, what big teeth I have.

I smile wider, especially when I realize that she’s even wearing a dark red shirt. And it’s stretched tightly across her perfect rack.

“It’s okay,” I assure her. “I like stalkers.”

Her head snaps up and her eyes meet mine, her gaze startled. I have to laugh again. 

Something about her seems so innocent. She’d truly be startled if she could hear my thoughts about her smoking hot body.

“Thank you for the flowers,” I tell her, chuckling. “They’re nice. You’re right. The room can definitely use some color. You can set them over there if you’d like.”

I motion toward my empty dresser. She moves in that direction, stopping to pick up the crumpled note from my father.

“Is this trash?” she asks innocently. I nod and she drops it in the wastebasket.

“Thanks,” I tell her. “That’s just where it belongs.”

She looks puzzled, but she doesn’t question my words. Instead, she places the flowers on the dresser, then sits in the chair next to me. And stares at me.

I stare back.

“What?” I ask her. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

She smiles. “I’m just happy to see your eyes open. I know this is going to sound stupid, but you were in a bad way on Goose Beach. And I haven’t been able to get those images out of my head. So it’s nice to see you wide awake and perfectly fine. I’ll have something to replace those bad images with now.”

Well, the idea that I’m perfectly fine is debatable. But I’m a little puzzled. She seems genuinely concerned, truly troubled. And she doesn’t even know me, so why should she care?

So I ask her that.

And she’s the one who’s puzzled now.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” she asks, and then she pulls on her full lip with her teeth. My gut clenches again as I catch a glimpse of her pink tongue. “Anyone would be concerned. 

And it was the first time that I’d ever tried CPR. I don’t even know if I did it right. And it was the first time I’d ever seen someone overdose. I wasn’t sure exactly what was wrong when I first found you. But you didn’t seem like you were just drunk. I’m glad I called the ambulance.”

I stare at her now.

“You called the ambulance?” Interesting. I wonder what the hell happened to Jill? 

She probably left me to die, the fucking whore. You get what you pay for, I guess. A few snorts of coke apparently don’t buy much.

Beautiful Girl nods. “Yes, I did. The girl who you were with wasn’t too happy about that. But I thought you needed it. And it turns out that you did.”

Ah, so Jill was there.

“There was a girl with me?” I raise an eyebrow, probing to find out what happened with Jill.

Beautiful Girl shakes her head. “Not at first. She came while I was trying to decide what to do. She was mad at you for something-until she saw the condition you were in. And then she got hysterical. She left when the paramedics arrived.”

That sounds about right.

“Well, thank you for calling help,” I tell her slowly, eyeing her, taking her all in. “I’m Pax, by the way.”

She smiles. “I know. Stalker, remember?”

I smile back. “Well, you have me at a disadvantage. Because I don’t know you.”

And that’s a damn shame.

She holds out her hand and I take it. Hers is small and soft, almost fragile.

“My name is Mila Hill. It’s very nice to meet you.”

And it is.

I know I should tell her to run far, far from me, but of course I don’t. She’s like a ray of sunshine in this bleak hospital room and I soak her up. She’s got good, healthy energy and

I like the way it feels to talk with her.

She’s like a breath of fresh air.

I may be the Big Bad Wolf, but even wolves need to breathe.

~Shel