The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.
They said it couldn't be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren's nerves and she can't wait to return to summer camp where she's valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she's broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn't even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.
But Matt isn't giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn't really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she's more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren's friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she's changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?
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Except:
“If
you don’t play football, what will you do this fall?” Thunder rolled through
the camp, sending the last of the families scurrying indoors, leaving Matt and
I alone in the narrow, shadowed space.
Matt
cupped the back of my head and he lowered his nose until it touched mine.
“This,” he whispered, then captured my lips in a kiss more electrifying than
the war nature waged outside. His mouth was gentle at first, but the pressure
grew more insistent until we both gasped for breath. My head whirled and I
thought I’d black out until he lowered me to the bench.
The
warmth of his bare chest seeped into my soaked tank, the drumming of his heart
faster than the clattering rain. His lips left mine and travelled along my jaw
to my earlobe. I shuddered when he lightly nibbled, the shock of pleasure
intense.
My
hands slid along his back, the muscles bunching beneath my touch. I traced the
ridge of muscle above his hip and felt him tremble, his breath growing ragged.
But when his fingers tugged up the hem of my shirt I was the one who sounded
winded. His palms skimmed upward against my ribcage until they cupped my flesh,
driving me crazy. Only another kiss kept me from making a noise. The storm was
loud, but I didn’t want to risk alerting others that we were behind the water
curtain flowing in front of the dugout.
“Matt,”
I gasped, loving the feel of his hands on me, the pressure of his hips against
mine. I was as hot as a stoked furnace, heat sizzling everywhere at once. My
fingers buried themselves in the thick hair at the nape of his neck and I
pressed my lips to his, wanting more of him.
He
pulled me up and onto his lap. My hair dripped down my back as my head lolled,
his mouth leaving a trail of fire along my neck before dipping lower to my
clavicle and lower still. I kissed his brow, his temple, and his square jaw
while his mouth explored. I wanted it to go on and on, but suddenly he pulled
back, his chest rising and falling like one of those old-time bellows I’d seen
on a school field trip.
His
face was fierce, intense, every handsome feature sharpened. His hungry eyes
were backlit with fire as they roamed over me. Why had he stopped?
“Lauren,”
he said when it seemed he’d finally caught his breath. I’d never seen him this
winded, not even after the endless sprints of football practice. “If we go any
farther I won’t be able to stop.” His eyes searched mine, willing me to
understand what he was saying.
“Oh.”
My cheeks went up in flames and scrambled off his lap. Thank god the heavy
waterfall had obscured us from view. I repositioned my bra and tugged down my
tank top. I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on.
“Hey.”
Matt lifted my chin until I was forced to meet his warm blue-green eyes, the
color as inviting as a Caribbean vacation brochure. “There’s nothing to be
embarrassed about. You’re my girlfriend. I love you.”
My
heart seized. He’d dropped the L-bomb. We’d skirted around the word for months,
saying things like, “I love that about you” or just a casual “Love ya” that
sounded like friends. But this. It was huge. What to say? The obvious answer
was no answer, but a fierce need to return the words clawed to the surface and
fought its way out.
“I
love you too.”
He
crushed me against his chest, his hands twining in my frizzing waves. I did love him, I marveled. His warmth. His
sense of humor. His strength of purpose and conviction. But was I in love with him? That was the bigger
question. One I had no clue how to answer.
About the Authors
J. K. Rock is the writing partnership of sisters-in-law Joanne & Karen Rock. Separately, they write adult romance. Together, they dream up Young Adult books like CAMP BOYFRIEND, the first in a three-book series. The summer camp stories continue with CAMP PAYBACK (4/14) and CAMP FORGET-ME-NOT (8/14), plus bonus free novellas in between stories. Visit http://campboyfriend.net to learn more about the series and the free prequel novella, CAMP KISS, which you can download here.
***Author Links***
Author Website / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / Karen's
Twitter / Joanne's Twitter / Facebook
***GIVEAWAY***
Grand prize - Signed copies Amanda Ink's SUN, Jennifer Armentrout writing as J. Lynn's FRIGID and JK Rock's CAMP BOYFRIEND. Also included, advance sneak peek copy Laurie Halse Anderson's THE IMPOSSIBLE KNIFE OF MEMORY and Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian's FIRE WITH FIRE, plus an "I <3 my Camp Boyfriend" tee shirt, friendship bracelets, 'I <3 Camp' temporary tattoos, and a bookmark with the download code for CAMP KISS.
Grand prize - Signed copies Amanda Ink's SUN, Jennifer Armentrout writing as J. Lynn's FRIGID and JK Rock's CAMP BOYFRIEND. Also included, advance sneak peek copy Laurie Halse Anderson's THE IMPOSSIBLE KNIFE OF MEMORY and Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian's FIRE WITH FIRE, plus an "I <3 my Camp Boyfriend" tee shirt, friendship bracelets, 'I <3 Camp' temporary tattoos, and a bookmark with the download code for CAMP KISS.
Three other winners will receive $10 Amazon
gift cards
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Be sure to check out the other giveaways listed in the upper right!
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