If I would have known then what I know now.
If I would have known that having my heart broken at thirteen by my one and only friend, Garrett Rhodes, would never compare to the empty feeling at sixteen when I buried my mother.
If I would have known that changing schools in my senior year would throw all that back in my face.
If someone would have told me that when you drink a fifth a night and get in bar fights at twenty one, I’d end up in jail … again.
Maybe … just maybe … I wouldn’t be in the hell storm I’m living in these days. Letting my past dictate my future, allowing the best of the best male MMA fighters bully me day in and day out and knowing no matter what I do, Garrett will always be the only man that understands me. I didn’t have to live this way. One day changed the course of my life forever.
Through all this mess, the one thing that I’ve found that keeps me centered … martial arts. And I’m damn good. If only someone would give me a chance to prove my worth.
All I can do now is make the best of it and try to not let the fight consume me.
“Hey, cheater. You still got clothes on,” Garrett shouts from the bank.
“It’s not my fault that you’re wearing more than me. Skirt and flip flops come off in much less time than sneakers and jeans.” Dipping my head back to get the hair out of my face, Garrett finally gets his shoes off and starts working on his jeans.
Nothing could have prepared me for the sight I was about to see. Unbuttoning his pants and letting the zipper down, he lets the denim drop to his ankles. His muscular thighs are barely hidden by the tight boxer briefs he’s wearing underneath. Pulling his shirt over his head, Garrett’s abs glisten in the late afternoon sun.
Licking my lips, I have to remind myself that when I last saw Garrett, he was a fifteen-year-old, lanky boy with no muscle tone whatsoever. This man before me … he’s got muscle on top of muscle and it’s downright the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. I make sure that when Garrett finally makes his way into the water I keep my chest below the surface to hide my ever present hardened nipples. I could always lie and say the water’s cold, but he’d know I’m a damn liar.
Ashley Suzanne is a married mother of three little boys as well as a daughter, aunt, sister, best friend, birth mother, blogger, book whore and author. Ashley is a native to the suburbs of Detroit, with most of her family living in Kentucky and New York.
You can usually find Ashley sitting in bed, with her laptop, playing on Facebook, pretending to write, entering giveaways (she’s also a swag whore) or on a football field with her oldest son, Tyler. Yep, not only is she a football fan, she’s a football mom!
When she’s reading, it’s typically something to do with romance, contemporary being her favorite genre. She’s a total fan-girl over a few authors; Pamela Ann, SE Hall, Madeline Sheehan, Jasinda Wilder, Maya Banks, CM Stunich, Nicole Jacquelyn and Riley Rhea to name a few.
Ashley has no pets, unless you count her children and she is a little OCD. Her favorite color is pink. Her favorite drink is cherry vodka and coke and double chocolate brownies are a must.
Other Works by Ashley Suzanne (all available on Amazon, BN, iTunes, Kobo and Smashwords)
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