Full Steam
Ahead
Release Date:
01/14/14
Synopsis:
Seven days aboard a luxury cruise. The perfect getaway from it all.
At least, that’s what Georgia Cantwell was hoping for.
Georgia wishes she could run away from the nightmare that has consumed her life, but she can’t. With her inbox filling with menacing emails, all she can do is try to get through her sorority’s winter break cruise without anyone realizing how wrecked she is. So she really doesn’t need Jace McLaren seeing through her tacked-on smile when no one else seems to notice.
Growing up with a father in jail, Jace knows from experience that if you’re going through hell, there’s no way out but through. He has always steered away from girls like Georgia with her ice-queen attitude, but she’s in real trouble, and despite himself he pushes past her walls.
As much as Georgia tries to ignore it, Jace won’t let her pretend with him. But she can’t risk telling him the truth. Her past would ruin his trust, her family, her future—everything.
But out on the open ocean, there’s nowhere to hide. And when Georgia’s secrets come tumbling out, it might take more than Jace to save her.
Full Steam Ahead
by Valerie Chase
The club stops spinning for a moment. Jace’s mouth is soft,
much softer than I’d have thought given the roughness of his jaw under my
fingertips. He doesn’t move for a heartbeat, and it’s like we exist in a quiet
bubble outside of this dance floor, outside of time.
But he pulls away from me. “What’s gotten into you?” He
breathes, our mouths only inches apart. “I thought—”
I kiss him again. I need to forget about those emails,
forget about my parents, forget about Hunter and Kelsey. I need to lose myself
tonight, and Jace hooks up with lots of girls, so I’m sure he’ll know how to
take my mind off of my problems. I’ve seen how he looks at me, so I know he’s
interested. We’ll have some fun, and both get what we want.
My tongue traces along Jace’s mouth and then I gently bite
his bottom lip, tugging it teasingly. I dip my thumbs into the waistband of his
jeans and feel the warm flesh of his stomach, so hard and smooth. I moan before
I can stop myself.
Whatever I’m doing must be working, because Jace starts to
kiss me back. His hands settle at my waist, trailing down toward my hips. Our
kiss deepens and his tongue circles around mine, once, twice. Soft as a
whisper. I’m lost in a rush of feeling, and I wrap my arms around his neck to
draw him closer. I need him closer.
I push us toward the outskirts of the room.
The lights move dizzyingly in the dark, and the music throbs
through my limbs. Jace and I reach an empty spot by the wall. Here, we’re
hidden from the dance floor by a tall potted fern decorated with white
twinkling lights. The tiny lights reflect in Jace’s eyes, which take me in
hungrily.
His hands move over my tank top to the bare skin of my
shoulders, and I shiver as heat spikes through my limbs. My own fingers roam
across his skin again eagerly: his waist, his back, across his hard stomach
that tightens at my touch… It has the temperature of a fever.
Jace dips his head to kiss my neck, and those dangerous lips
make my whole body tingle. My thoughts go wild as I imagine him kissing down my
belly, past my hips, and lower still. For a while we are a whirlwind, hot and
spinning, and I haven’t felt so alive in months. Maybe years. I can’t help but
think that it never felt like this with Hunter—this heat, this need. Not even
when we first started dating.
I had no idea what I was missing.
And I don’t want it to stop.
1) Why did I set Full Steam Ahead on a cruise ship? Well, I live in the rather un-tropical city of Washington, DC and so I thought it would be awesome to live vicariously through my characters!
2) I guess you could say that Full Steam Ahead was born at the Olive Garden. During lunch with a good friend, I told her about an idea I had for a book—an NA romance set on a cruise. We spent the rest of our meal brainstorming plot ideas and character motivations!
3) The character of Yasmin, Georgia’s best friend, was so much fun to write. I initially intended her to be a minor character but I fell in love with her voice. Not surprisingly, my next book will be Yas’ story!
4) I love coming up with my character’s names. I chose Georgia because I wanted a name that was sweet and southern. And I chose Jace because it simply sounded sexy.
5) I’ve always wanted to be a writer but it took me a long time to complete my first book—which is Full Steam Ahead. I hope you enjoy it!
I'm Valerie but please feel free to call me Val. I live in the Washington, DC area; and I write New Adult romance. I'm hoping to publish my first novel (set on a cruise ship!) in late 2013.
As for my writing, I love sexy banter and guys whose hearts are in the right place, even if their heads sometimes aren't. I love discovering strong, awesome characters, putting them in entertaining situations, and watching them argue their way to love.
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