Under Your Skin
by Shannyn Schoroeder
BLOOD IS THICKER THAN INK…
Norah O'Malley has been alone for a long time. It’s been ten years since her father and four brothers shipped her off to be raised by her aunt. Seven months since she's seen the guy who got her pregnant—who still doesn’t know. And it’s two weeks since she came home to Chicago and discovered none of her family wants to talk—or listen.
She never expected to walk into a tattoo shop seven months pregnant and get her socks knocked off by instant attraction. She can’t even see her socks. But Kai Ellis is big and gruff and sexy as hell, and if he has a past, well, so does she. Even more, Kai knows how to listen so that Norah feels just a little less alone . . .
All the chemistry in the world can’t help Norah make her decisions. And no sizzle of desire will make Kai believe in happy endings. But a little time with someone who understands might just change everything . . .
Norah O'Malley has been alone for a long time. It’s been ten years since her father and four brothers shipped her off to be raised by her aunt. Seven months since she's seen the guy who got her pregnant—who still doesn’t know. And it’s two weeks since she came home to Chicago and discovered none of her family wants to talk—or listen.
She never expected to walk into a tattoo shop seven months pregnant and get her socks knocked off by instant attraction. She can’t even see her socks. But Kai Ellis is big and gruff and sexy as hell, and if he has a past, well, so does she. Even more, Kai knows how to listen so that Norah feels just a little less alone . . .
All the chemistry in the world can’t help Norah make her decisions. And no sizzle of desire will make Kai believe in happy endings. But a little time with someone who understands might just change everything . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want an excerpt? Here you go:
Norah O’Malley woke like she had every day for the past two
weeks: lying in her brother’s bed, in her father’s house, rubbing her pregnant
belly like it was a Magic 8 Ball that held some mystical answers for her fucked
up life. Her bladder was full to bursting, another perpetual condition these
days. Struggling to sit up, she shifted to get to the bathroom. This was not
how she expected her life to look at twenty-two.
After taking care of business, she studied herself in the
mirror. Did she look different? Of course from the chest down her body was no
longer hers and hadn’t been for some time. Her face looked the same though.
Right? She pressed closer to the mirror, propping her belly on the sink. What
would Avery see if they met today?
Her older brother Jimmy had been pressuring her since she
came home weeks ago to call Avery and tell him she was pregnant. She knew she
had to and it had been crappy of her to keep this from him, but she knew Avery.
He’d want to take care of her. He was that kind of guy. She could definitely
appreciate such nobility in the hero of a book or movie, but in real life,
choices like this sucked.
She wasn’t sure she was ready to be a mom. Old stirrings of
Catholic guilt hit her—years of parochial school had that effect—but she
couldn’t imagine trapping them when they weren’t ready. She shuffled back to
bed and sat on the edge. Every time she thought about Avery, her stomach
fluttered. Her short time with him had been magical. She’d never felt so loved
by any other boyfriend she’d had. Part of her wanted him to be with her through
this. A huge part.
Another part was afraid of disrupting his life. She’d dodged
his calls all summer, not knowing what to say. He was looking for summer fun,
but fun ended for her at the sight of two pink lines.
And now she was afraid of her brothers’ reactions. They
didn’t handle news of her pregnancy well. They would threaten to go after Avery
again. If nothing else, she needed to protect him until she figured out what
she wanted.
The baby kicked her now empty bladder and elbowed her ribs.
Must be breakfast time. She crept downstairs hoping to avoid running into her
brothers, especially Tommy. Tommy was nearest in age to her and they’d always
been close growing up, even after Jimmy had shipped her off to live with Aunt
Bridget in Boston. Tommy had come to visit her often and called her a few times
each week. They had always been more friends than siblings.
She’d expected Jimmy, Kevin, and Sean to blow up when they
found out she was pregnant. Telling them over the phone probably would’ve been
better than just showing up on their doorstep six months pregnant. But Tommy
was supposed to be on her side. He’d raged the night she came home and the
anger had been at a slow burn since. He barely spoke to her. His first and only
question was always: Who is he?
Avery didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of that
wrath. The guy had done nothing wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About the Author:
Shannyn Schroeder is a former high school and middle
school English teacher. She holds a
Buy Link:
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/33051
1 comment:
Thanks for hosting me today!
Post a Comment