Book Blitz + Giveaway: Abandoned by Elisa Dane

Abandoned
by Elisa Dane
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Release Date: February 15th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult


Synopsis:

My name is Tierra Owens, and I like to kiss. A lot. It numbs the hollow ache in my chest and—for a few minutes—makes me forget how truly alone I am. My mother is an alcoholic. She hates me and insists I’m the reason she’s not married to my father, whom I have never met. My best friend, Kaylee, is the only person who knows the real me. Everyone else sees what I want them to: a happy, confident, popular girl who has the world at her feet.

I am a fraud.

Relationships are forbidden. I avoid them at all costs. Sex? Emotions? Those things make a person vulnerable, and vulnerability always leads to heartbreak. When my childhood crush, Mattie shows up at school my world tumbles off its axis. The shell I surround myself with feels more like a pathetic crutch than a protective barrier, and I find myself wanting things. Daydreaming about what it would be like to have a boyfriend, a relationship—love.

The sad fact is: I’ll never have any of those things. I am unworthy—trash. Which is why my mom abandoned me.

Chapter three

Weekend parties were pretty much a staple in my life, due in large part to the group of people Kaylee and I hung out with. Despite my hopping social life, I wasn’t a huge drinker. I witnessed my mother make an ass of herself while she drank on a regular basis; I had no desire to follow in her footsteps. Drinking resulted in loss of control, which more often than not made the drinker appear weak and stupid—two qualities I worked hard never to display.

Tonight, though, despite my strong feelings about public drunkenness, I was making an exception. After the day I’d had, I wanted nothing more than to escape, to forget everything and lose myself in an alcohol-induced stupor. Tonight, I needed to check out for a little bit. My desire to save face was probably misplaced, anyway. I’d bet money the majority of the people inside were already too blitzed or high to notice any bad behavior other than their own.

I clutched the bottle of vodka I’d purchased for my mom, disgusted with myself, yet still fully intent on putting a massive dent in its contents. After the travesty that was my short tenure at Dell’s, Kaylee took me home so I could change out of my milk-soaked jeans and deliver my mom her booze. A shiny black Mercedes sat parked in my driveway. I assumed it was this Stephen character my mom had mentioned earlier, and to my horror, my suspicions were confirmed upon entering the house.

Well, sort of.

Judging by the heavy grunting and moaning echoing through the hallway from my mom’s bedroom, I knew her guest was at the very least male.

Disgusted by her two-second rebound rate, and the ease with which she’d completely forgotten I was on my way home with her alcohol, I quickly changed into the form-fitting black dress and jacket Kaylee had brought and high-tailed it out of the house. I cringed, nausea welling in my gut at what I’d heard. The sooner I could drink myself stupid and erase that memory, the better.

Kaylee was an awesome friend. She didn’t make a peep about what she’d heard back at my house. I freaking loved her.

I gnawed on the inside of my cheek as we turned into Dallas’s housing development, my thoughts shifting from the disgusting scene at my house to the revelation that Mattie was here, in Valencia Hills. My pulse kicked up a notch at the mere thought of him. He’d looked great. Confident. Composed. Perfect. Three qualities that seemed to elude me, no matter how hard I worked to achieve them.

Frustration burned beneath my skin and I dug my nails into my palms. I’d lost all control the moment I laid eyes on Mattie. Chased after him like a lovesick schoolgirl. I’d never lost composure around him when we were younger. Why now? What was wrong with me?

I shook my head once, and shifted in my seat. My reaction to him in the liquor store, my rash behavior … it couldn’t happen again. Ever. I’d changed. I wasn’t the girl Mattie had known three years before. And if his outward transformation from a boy to a man were any indication, he’d most likely changed too. I breathed out a small huff of air and mentally rolled my eyes at myself. My chances of seeing Mattie again were slim at best. He and his family were most likely in town visiting friends, or passing through on their way to someplace else. Working myself into a snit over the possibility of something that would never happen was just plain stupid.

Stationed at the pinnacle of the Hidden Falls gated community at the swankier end of town, Dallas’s house wasn’t a house at all—it was a flipping mansion. With sweeping green lawns, well-manicured gardens, and an enormous tree-lined driveway that shielded the monstrous brick manor from the outside world, the property was easily something you’d see on the cover of a magazine. And no wonder: Dallas’s father—Doctor Jonathon McCarthy—was a successful ear, nose, and throat specialist whose near-magical skill in the operating room was always in demand.

Eager to drink my sorrows away—if only for one night—I pressed past a group of smokers and an over-amorous couple engaged in a sloppy lip-lock and followed Kaylee into the house.

Lighted garland draped across the fireplace mantel and down the staircase, peeking out from almost every flat surface. Nutcrackers of every shape and size decorated the tables and shelves, their brightly colored bodies standing guard over the massive sixteen-foot Christmas tree in the corner.

Bodies lined the walls, covered the furniture, and filled every space in between. Loud, pounding music blared from the high-tech speakers stationed throughout the massive room, the driving bass rattling the walls and shaking the decor.

The heavy scent of alcohol mixed with sweat hung thick in the air, a sea of red Solo cups and beer bottles shimmying about as their owners danced in time to the steady beat of the music.

We squeezed around a particularly large senior boy. I recognized him as one of the varsity football team’s linemen. He had a girl hanging on each bicep and was taking turns lifting them off the floor as though they were life-sized dumbbells. I followed Kaylee toward the base of a set of stairs.

A large poinsettia plant sat stationed at the landing. A small girl with a blond, A-line bob crouched over the pot, her arms clutching her stomach as she heaved into the bright red leaves.

I cringed. That was a present the housekeeper wouldn’t immediately find.

It wasn’t hard to tear my eyes away from Betty Upchuck, but what I saw when I looked up tugged at my insides, pulling my lips down into a frown.

Worry lines creased across Kaylee’s perfectly made-up forehead, and fear radiated from deep inside her slate-gray eyes. Dallas liked to booze it up, big time, and given the fact the party appeared to be in full swing, it was a good bet her boy was already knee deep into a handle of something.

The bottle I held in my hand suddenly felt heavy and … wrong. While I knew Kaylee didn’t mind my wanting to escape the burden of my rotten home life for one night, the fact I planned on getting wasted when she and her guy were having problems because he did the same thing on a regular basis seemed insensitive.

“Knock it off,” she said, and gripped my empty hand, pulling me up the carpeted stairs behind her.

I scrunched my face up in confusion. “Knock what off,” I shouted over her shoulder. With the blaring music and full-on brouhaha taking place around us, I wasn’t exactly sure she’d heard me. I also wasn’t exactly sure why I was following her upstairs. Her time with Dallas was her own, confrontational or not.

The second story hallway was less crowded than the first, thankfully—mostly couples trading kisses and looking for a quiet space to make out or hook up.

I cringed at the thought. The idea of hooking up with someone at a party seemed random and skeevey. Yeah, I kissed a lot of guys, and occasionally enjoyed a random feelskie or two, but I had my limits. Sex was personal, extremely so, and the fact people were eager to share something so intimate, something that made them vulnerable to one another so casually, baffled me to no end.

For me, sex meant giving your heart to someone else, and trusting that someone else not to shatter it. I didn’t trust anyone, so for me, sex was a no-go.

Kaylee pulled me over to a large bay window that overlooked the front of the estate and all but shoved me down onto the cushioned seat. “Quit comparing yourself to other people, T.”

Eyes narrowed, I jerked my head back in confusion.

Her gaze traveled down to the bottle in my hand, then back up. She pursed her lips and raised a brow.

My eyes widened for a millisecond. Damn … The girl was perceptive. Either that or my emotions had shown on my face, which meant I had work to do. I didn’t have a problem sharing my feelings with Kaylee, but I refused to do it outside of my house. The mask had to stay on. The illusion needed to be kept.

Kaylee frowned. “D’s drinking problem has—”

“Kayleeee babeeeez!”

I stiffened. Speak of the freaking devil and his ass shall appear.

Dallas stumbled forward on liquid legs, an invisible cloud of alcohol fumes surrounding his muscled frame. Standing at six-foot-two, with short blond hair, tanned skin, a good-natured face, and muscles so large they required their own zip code, it was easy to see why he was popular. His aura literally screamed “future Heisman Trophy winner.” His only shortcoming: he had a hollow leg and no self-control. At least, when it came to booze.

Eyes at half-mast, words slurring, he enveloped Kaylee in a massive hug and began nuzzling the side of her neck.

That was my cue to leave.

I stood up, flashed Kaylee an apologetic smile, and scurried down the stairs. My destination: the kitchen. Specifically, the massive built-in refrigerator that spanned a large portion of the back wall. The clear liquid in my hand was calling out for some juice and I was ready to provide.

The McCarthys’ kitchen was literally the size of my entire house. No joke. And much like the rest of the house, it was jam-packed with people.

I’d taken all of two steps into the cavernous room when I was greeted with several shouts and a few hoots and hollers. Truthfully, I was in no mood to party with these people, but I couldn’t leave without Kaylee. She and Dallas had issues they needed to resolve, so I rocked my best “I’m here to party” face raised my hands into the air and shouted, “The beautiful people have arrived. This party has now officially started!”

The crowd soaked up my ridiculous act, while I cringed on the inside, horrified by my complete lameness.

Dallas’s fridge was a veritable smorgasbord of opportunity. I rifled through a bevy of juices, my digits wrapping around the smooth neck of a tall container of pineapple-orange.

Shoving aside empty pizza boxes and empty beer bottles, I set my beverages down on the enormous island that graced the center of the kitchen and snatched up what I hoped was an unused Solo cup from a stack that had toppled over. I poured myself a shot of vodka, then quickly chased it with another before mixing myself drink. Downing it in several large gulps, I made another. I didn’t bother to hold back either, filling the cup to the freaking rim. Waste not, want not and all that jazz.

“You changed your outfit.”

Her voice reminded me of nails scraping down a chalkboard, and the tiny hairs on the back of my neck jumped to attention in agonized protest. Why couldn’t she leave me alone?

Mask firmly in place, I turned to Vivi and acted properly surprised. “Hey, Vivi.” I glanced down at my slinky new dress and called forth my inner model. “Yeah, I thought this dress might be a little more fun.” I placed a hand on my hip, arched my back just so, and called forth my very best Tyra Banks “booty tooch.”

Vivi might rule the school, but she didn’t have my figure. I wasn’t conceited, or anything, but I had no problem admitting I had a rockin’ ass, a slender waist, and enough packaging up top to perfectly fill out my somewhat less-than-modest dress.

Vivi’s ass required extra postage and looked like it had been stuffed with a few surplus rolls of bubble wrap. Her tight, tangerine dress did nothing for her.

Viv cast me a plastic grin that looked more like a sneer and mumbled a low, “If you say so.”

For a split-second, reality cut away, and I pictured myself dumping the entire container of juice on her over-processed head and storming away with a very satisfied “Take that.” The fantasy, unfortunately, faded as quickly as it came, and I found myself right where I was before: suffering through a conversation with Valencia High’s very own Regina George.

“Here,” she said and thrust a cup at me. “Drink up.”

I glanced down at what I assumed was some type of cola drink mixed with God only knew what and shook my head. I didn’t accept drinks from anyone at parties. Not girls, and definitely not guys. There were just too many opportunities for some jerk to spike your drink with something, and I wasn’t about to become a statistic. “No thanks,” I said, and finished mixing my own drink. I held up my cup as if to say “Cheers” and downed a huge gulp. “I’m sticking with one type of alcohol tonight.”

Vivi rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to say something when Marcie sidled in like a creeper on crack and squealed.

“Oh my God, Vivi. Did you see the new guy? The old friend Dallas is throwing this party for? He just moved to town, and he’s … ” Her eyelids fell to half-mast, her head tipped back, and it looked like she was going to start moaning and writhing right there against the kitchen counter. “So. Effing. Hot.”

I sucked down a giant gulp of my fruity-flavored drink, feeling a little sheepish that I’d no clue the party was actually for someone. I was so caught up in my own personal shit, I’d either forgotten or, more likely, hadn’t paid attention when Kaylee told me about it. I wouldn’t be winning any Best Friend of the Year awards any time soon.

“Noooo,” Vivi purred, her eyes going wide. “I’m supposed to meet up with Tommy”—she cast me a quick, sideways glance—“later, but if this new guy is riding the Hottie Train, then I may have to reconsider.”

Marcie grinned at Vivi like it was her reason for living, and snaked her arm around her elbow. “C’mon. His name is Matt Forrester. I’ll point him out.”

My eyes felt like they had popped out of my skull, and it took everything I had to keep the booze in my mouth from shooting all over the place.

Mattie was here? The party was for him? He knew Dallas? My lungs ached, suddenly desperate for air. I glanced down at the drink in my hand, and the bottle in front of me, and wished, in that moment, that I were anywhere else. I wanted to disappear, to shrink down into nothing, find a crack in the wall, and ride out the remainder of the party alone.

Mattie Forrester had been a major player in my life. The only person—until Kaylee—I’d ever trusted completely. The only boy I’d ever loved. Talking to him with a gut full of booze was out of the question. I couldn’t let him see me like this—drunk, closed-off, and emotionally barren. A shell of the person he used to know. I needed to keep my guard up were I to reconnect with him. Right now, I was liquored up and weak. Pathetic.

Marcie tugged Vivi forward a couple of steps, then stopped and glanced back over her shoulder at me. “By the way, Tierra. Zach is looking for you.” They disappeared seconds later into the crowd just outside the entrance to the kitchen.

Stunned silent, I downed another large gulp of my drink. Holy hell. What were the chances? Mattie wasn’t traveling through town or visiting friends. He’d freaking moved to Valencia Hills. He and Dallas were friends. And he was here. At the party.

And so was Zach.

My stomach dropped. Crap. I’d forgotten all about Zach. Poor guy. That didn’t say much about him, did it?

The room spun, my heart sank, and all I wanted to do was go home. Which, of course, was impossible. I had no clue where Kaylee was, and had no other way to get home—not that I’d have left the party without her. It was just … the idea of Mattie seeing me drunk … It made my stomach turn. Why? Why had I allowed myself to fall into my mother’s pattern of drinking her pain away? How could I have been so weak? I didn’t know half the people at the party, and the half I did know were too blitzed to care. But Mattie? I never wanted him to see me drunk. Weak.

Resigning myself to the fact there was nothing I could do—I was already three-quarters of the way down Shitfaced Lane—I ambled over to the large group sitting at the kitchen table. I sat down at the only open space in the far corner and immersed myself in a rousing old-school game of quarters. With the house as crowded as it was, my chances of seeing Mattie were slim. I hoped.

Not only was I not familiar with any of the people at the table, I also wasn’t any good at quarters. A mere thirty minutes had passed and I was giggling like an idiot and feeling way too comfortable in my skin. It didn’t help that the tall, dark, and nameless cutie to my right kept encouraging me to tip back every time a quarter missed the shot glass, and not just when I missed. I’d hoovered half my drink down before I realized what was happening.

My choice to forego dinner earlier had been a bad decision. If I didn’t get something in my stomach to soak up the alcohol I was drowning it in, my night would be over before it started.

The room tilted and swayed beneath my feet as I stood up from the table. “Whoa!”

The nameless cutie was out of his chair and at my side almost instantly. “Easy there, beautiful. Looks like you’re feeling pretty good right about now. Maybe you and I should … you know, go somewhere else while you ride out your buzz.”

“Hands off the merch, perv!”

My attention turned to Kaylee, whose stormy eyes were narrowed over a face taut with anger and frustration. She leaned forward and all but growled, “My girl isn’t riding anything with you.”

Cutie lifted his hands off me in surrender and dared to look excited. He nodded his head with a little “Ah-hah”, his lips curling into a wide smile. “I see how it is. I’m down with a little girl-on-girl action. And you’re hot too. Why don’t you join us?”

I barked out a laugh and, for some reason, wasn’t able to stop. “Oh my God! You think she and I”—I motioned to Kaylee—“are a thing?” The room spun, tears formed at the corners of my eyes, and my laughter took on a life of its own.

I jabbed Cutie in the ribs.

I smacked Kaylee on the shoulder and snorted. “He thinks we’re a couple. That’s hilarious!”

Kaylee’s face twisted into a frown and she let out an exasperated gasp. “Geez, Tierra. I don’t swing that way, but I am a freaking catch.” She jutted out her chin and feigned a hurt expression. “You’d be damn lucky to have me.”

“Oh, stop,” I said, and threw my arms around her. We stumbled back a few steps before Kaylee was able to steady me on my feet. “I don’t swing that way either, but if I did, you know I’d be all up in your grill and shit.”

Kaylee jerked her head back. “In my grill?” She glanced over my shoulder toward the table, then down into my cup. “Just how much have you had to drink already, T? We’ve only been here for forty minutes.”

Lifting my cup to my mouth, I tossed back the remainder of my drink and flashed her some teeth. “Um … ” The sides of Kaylee’s face began to blur, and the voices and music in the background sounded like they were underwater. “I don’t know. Not a lot. Two, I think? And maybe a couple of shots?”

Cutie piped in from the table. “She downed whatever was in that cup of hers pretty fast.”

Treating him to another round of the evil eye, Kaylee latched onto my elbow with fingernails that felt more like talons and yanked me toward the mouth of the kitchen. “Okay, Speed Racer, I think you’ve had enough for now, and I need to talk to you.”

“Ow,” I slurred. “You’re hurting my arm … I think.” Everything was a little fuzzy around the edges.

Kaylee scrubbed her face with her hands and let out a deep sigh. “God, you’re a freaking lightweight. I didn’t think you’d be messed up this quickly and I need you right now. Dallas and I just broke up.”

“Wait … what? You BROKE UP? AGAIN?”

Kaylee’s hand shot up to my mouth, the rest of what I had to say coming out in a muffled mess of unintelligible nothing. “Jesus, T. Just announce it to the whole goddamned world, why don’t you.” She shook her head. “Dallas and I are just … ” Tears misted over her eyes and she sucked in a deep, calming breath. “He blew it. I gave him an ultimatum about his drinking and he freaking blew it.”

She grasped onto my hands and got right in my face. “Look, I hate to do this to you because I know you need to blow off steam and everything, but I need to get out of here.”

“I can take Tierra home if she wants to stay.”

Mouth open in surprise, Kaylee gaped at Zach as though he’d sprouted a matching set of penises on either side of his head. “Where the hell did you come from? And hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s impolite to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations?”

Zach frowned and held up a hand. “I wasn’t listening to your conversation. I was looking for Tierra and I just happened to hear the last thing you said.” He turned to me and placed a sweaty hand on my shoulder.

I felt my eyes narrow. When had I lost my jacket? And what was up with those slimy paws of his? I shrugged away from his contact and fanned myself. “Is it hot in here?”

Kaylee rolled her eyes. “No, sweetie. You’re just drunk.” She grabbed my hand again. “C’mon. Let’s go.”

My feet had gone numb. My legs too, making any type of movement near impossible. “Um … I don’t think I can walk.” I squinted, looking for a place to sit down. The walls were beginning to move on me.

“KAYLEE! BABY, PLEEEASE!”

“Shit.” Kaylee’s eyes went orbital, panic twisting her gentle features into a worried mess. “I can’t do this, T. If I stay, Dallas will make a scene, and Vivi will never let me live it down.”

Zach sidled in close and placed an arm over my shoulder. “Chill, Kaylee. I said I’d take her home. It’s no big deal.”

He smelled yummy, like licorice and spice, and I snuggled into his embrace. Anyone who smelled that good deserved some slack. I was willing to overlook the sweaty hands if he’d let me continue sniffing him. Wait … I glanced up at the chiseled jawline jutting up to my right. Something … There was something about him I didn’t particularly care for. What was it?

“KAYLEE!”

“Jesus! Is that Dallas yelling? He sounds like a dying animal.” I stood up on my tippy toes and the room spun like an amusement park ride. “Oh, hell.” I pitched sideways, Zach’s sweaty hands the only thing keeping me from parking my backside on the pretty Spanish tile.

Kaylee shot forward and grabbed hold of my chin. “No more alcohol for you tonight. You hear me?” Her gaze traveled from me over to Zach. “She doesn’t get to drink anything else without me here to look out for her. Got it?”

Zach’s head bounced up and down like one of my mother’s hideous bobble heads and I couldn’t stop the snicker that blew past my lips.

She jabbed a pointy finger at Zach. “I swear to God. If I find out you gave her anything else, I will castrate your sorry ass and feed your tiny pecker to Tweety Bird.”

Casting him one final glare, she pressed a kiss to my cheek and darted toward the exit at the back of the kitchen.

Flushed, I glanced up at Zach and pressed a hand to his cheek. “Did she just refer to your pecker as Tweety Bird?”

Zach’s eyes rolled around in his head like marbles. Well, they looked like they did, anyway. The walls and the floor were tilting a little, so it was safe to say my perception was a tad off. He shook his head—which sent my fuzzy brain into a tailspin—and ushered me out of the kitchen. “My night just took a swirl down the shitter. C’mon, my pretty little drunk. Let’s get you somewhere safe and quiet.”

It took some maneuvering on his part—mostly because I kept stumbling in my platform heels—but Zach managed to quarantine me in what looked like a small theater room. The space was dark, the only light a soft, white glow coming from behind a set of drapes covering the far wall.

I slipped down into the plush red seat closest to the door with a loud “Oof!” and proceeded to pull Zach down next to me. The booze had fully kicked in, amplifying my pathetic need to feel close to someone. I leaned over, breathed in the spicy scent of his skin, and licked his neck. “Mmmm … You smell yummy.”

A loud groan bubbled up from deep inside his chest and I leaned forward, lips puckered and ready for a kiss.

Zach cursed underneath his breath and slid out of his seat at the same time. I, in turn, took a header into the empty chair.

“Why’d you get up? C’mon, Freddy. Don’t you want to kiss me?”

He let out a disgusted sounding huff. “Freddy? Do you even know my name right now, Tierra?”

I barked out a laugh because I finally remembered what it was I didn’t like about him. “Of course I do. You’re Freddy Fish Lips. My sloppy kiss boyfriend.”

He shook his head. “This night fucking sucks.” The next thing I knew he was leaning over me, pulling me up into a sitting position. “Stay here. I’m going to go make you some coffee to try and sober your ass up. Then I’m taking you home.”

I hollered out a pathetic sounding “Party pooper!” as he trudged out of the room.

The room started spinning and I fought to keep my eyes open. Any time I closed my lids it felt like I’d ricochet into outer space. Maybe if I just … Yes. If I lay back and kept my foot on the floor I could close my eyes and rest. Rest sounded good.

If only that whispering would stop. Who was talking? And why were they stomping across the floor like an elephant on speed?

The light snapped on, bathing the room in bright light that burned against my closed lids.

“That was quite a show, Tierra.” Vivi’s voice ground against my nerves like dull sandpaper.

The booze in my gut started to bubble. I didn’t bother to open my eyes. Maybe if I ignored her, she’d go away. Or maybe I’d pass out and gain relief that way.

Luck was not in my favor, and she unfortunately remained. “Kiss boyfriends, huh? That’s what you’re calling your fuck buddies these days?”

My stomach heaved, the acidic taste of vomit and undigested alcohol burning the inside of my mouth. I was going to be sick. And soon. Which meant I needed to get the hell away from Vivi. “I’m not having sex with anyone, Vivi. I—”

“Tierra?”

I stiffened. Oh, God no. My luck couldn’t possibly be that bad, could it?

“Tierra Owens? No way! Freckles … Is that you?” Mattie’s voice echoed across the space like a sonic boom and rattled my skull. Damn that last cup of souped-up juice I’d pounded. It felt like he was screaming at me from inside a wind tunnel.

Even drunk and on the verge of losing my stomach, though, my body responded to the sound of his voice just as it always had. My heart jack-knifed inside my ribs and it felt like someone sucked the air out of my lungs with a vacuum. I couldn’t breathe. A warm flush covered my skin.

Reluctantly, and very slowly, I opened my eyes.

My stomach clenched. A deep tugging sensation yanked at the very center of my being as I took in his magnificent form. Good Lord, he was beautiful. The brief glance I’d managed to get of him at the liquor store hadn’t done the boy any justice.

A low, gurgle erupted from deep inside my stomach. The timing was nothing short of impeccable. The queasy bubbling in my gut had turned into a full boil. I was so going to be sick. “I’m sorry. I-I’m not feeling very … ”

I pulled myself up from my chair onto shaky legs, ready to make a run for the nearest bathroom when Zach pushed through the door and powered toward me.

“I made your coffee. Here.” He shoved the steaming mug beneath my nose.

Wrong move on his part.

I gagged once, and then all hell broke loose. All over Zach’s shoes.

Directly in front of Vivi.

And in plain view of Mattie Forrester, the boy I’d given my heart to back in the eighth grade.

I didn’t stick around. Didn’t listen to Vivi’s snide, “Holy shit, did you see that?” or the round of howling laughter. Didn’t stop when Mattie’s husky voice called after me. Didn’t apologize to Zach for yodeling my lunch all over his brand new pair of Nikes.

Nope. Mortified, I tucked my imaginary tail between my legs, fixed my eyes on the ground, and ran out of the room, and out the back exit Kaylee had escaped through earlier.

It was official. Today blew on an epic level.

ELISA DANE is a self-proclaimed book junkie. A lover of handbags, chocolate, and reality television, she's a proud mother to three All- Star cheerleaders. 

Writing is her absolute passion, and it's her mission to create stories that will not only take you on a romantic journey that will warm your heart, but help you find a new respect and interest in the sport of All-Star cheerleading.

Elisa is no stranger to the publishing world. She writes steamy paranormal romance under her real name, Lisa Sanchez. Her adult works include the Hanford Park series (Eve Of Samhain, Pleasures Untold, and Faythe Reclaimed), Obsessed (an erotic suspense), and a paranormal novella, Cursing Athena. Elisa lives in Northern California with her husband, three daughters, and a feisty Chihuahua who stubbornly believes she's human.

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