Learning to deal ...

Back at Marycliff University for her senior year, Elena Martinez is still reeling from her father’s devastating car accident over the summer.  Awash in anger and guilt and shouldering ongoing family responsibilities, she tries to pretend that everything's fine, even though it’s anything but. 

Daniel Carter has been looking forward to seeing Elena again all summer.  Sexy and energetic, she’d captured his attention on the surf trip they’d both gone on in early June, and he’s eager continue what they started on the beach.  But when he runs into her the week before classes start, she’s subdued and carrying the obvious weight of emotional pain.  Determined to help her, he becomes her refuge from the stress and grief pulling her under. 

Will Daniel’s persistence be enough to break through Elena’s emotional barriers?  Or will her fears and hangups be the end of their relationship before it can really even start? 

Gripping and emotional, Coping Skills will hook you in and not let go until the very end.  If you love strong and stubborn heroines, dominant and caring alphas, and stories that hit you in all the feels, one-click this book now! 

Soon, they were both involved in the game, throwing their whole bodies into turns, elbowing each other on accident, then on purpose, laughing and dueling for position.  Since he was bigger and heavier, he won more often than not, but Elena knew how to use her sharp little elbows to her advantage, probably the result of growing up with a younger brother.  He didn’t have a sister, but he had friends who did, and some of their older sisters were just as rough as he was on his little brother.  Clearly, Elena fell into that category of older sister.

After one elbow contest where Elena was losing, both with her elbow, and her narrow lead on screen, she hopped up and sat down on his lap, knocking the controller out of his hands, making his character veer off course and crash.  She braced her feet on the coffee table, pushing back to smash him as far into the couch as she could, pushing the coffee table away as she did so.

Wrapping his arms around her, he caught her before she could fall off his lap, trapping her against his chest, pulling her back, and rolling sideways so he pinned her on the couch.  She laughed, squirming under him, and tossed aside the controller, blowing out a breath to try to dislodge the ends of her ponytail caught in her mouth.

She slapped his tricep lightly.  “Move your arm!  I can’t believe you made me crash!”

He laughed, moving his arm, but brushing the hair off her face before she could.  Her laughter died, and she stilled under him, as though she suddenly realized how she was laying, pinned under him.  

His breath caught at the look on her face, equal parts memory and desire as her eyes flitted over his features and settled on his lips.  “You made me crash first.”

Her eyes went back to his, and her smile was dazzling, finally reaching her eyes and driving out the perpetual sadness.  “I was just trying to win.”

Now his gaze settled on her lips, lush and red, still smiling, though less widely now.  He remembered the taste of those lips.  Had been wanting to taste them again ever since. 

Slowly, he lowered his head to hers, giving her plenty of time to turn away if she wanted.  But she didn’t.  Instead, she closed the distance, fastening her mouth to his, her tongue plunging into his mouth.