Showing posts with label J. Saman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label J. Saman. Show all posts
Start With Me by J. Saman
Title: Start With Me
Series: Start Again Series Book Three
Author: J. Saman
Genre: Contemporary Romance Standalone
Release Date: October 16, 2017
Claire
No relationships. No falling in love.
Those are my rules. Simple. Easy. Uncomplicated.
Then Kyle Grant walks into my life and tries to mess all that up with his GQ looks and irresistible charm.
He’s everything I want.
But can never have.
Kyle
The moment I laid eyes on Claire Sullivan, I knew she was different.
Then reality hit me. She’s my brother’s assistant. She lives in Seattle and I live in New York.
As if that wasn’t enough, she reminds me with annoying frequency that she doesn’t do relationships.
But I don’t care. I want her.
Now I just have to convince her to be mine.
"J. Saman has made a MUST READ for anyone who loves to watch Fate and the Inevitable carve out a great big heart with a smirky face inside. START WITH ME is a light romance lover's dream asClaire and Kyle meet and dance around the elephant in the room dressed in hearts and flowers. Leave it to J. Saman to have me grinning like a Chesire cat, talking out loud and rolling my eyes all for love!" ★★★★★ TomeTender
"Her words and characters really come alive to me with depth and personality. Some of my favorite authors lately have taken conflicts, hidden secrets and impossible situations and worked them chapter by chapter in such a satisfying way for me! J. Saman has done this for me in this book and is a favorite indy author. Her talent has blown me away." ★★★★★ Luv My Books
"A page turner so full of heart and gripping emotions you'll feel like their personal cheerleader by the time the story ends. An added bonus is Saman's trademark humor and snappy, snarky dialogue. The characters sound like me and my friends, they react the way real people react to situations and thatmakes it easy to slip seamlessly into the narrative." ★★★★★ Author Erin Lee Daniels
"J. Saman has such a wonderful way with words, engaging my whole heart on each and every page. What a fantastic experience getting to be in Kyle and Claire's world! "Start With Me" is such an amazing story with pretty amazing sexy hotness too! This is a must-put on your TBR!!" ★★★★★Romazing Reader's Reviews
Kyle
“Here,” I say to Claire as I hand her the diet coke she requested.
“Thanks,” she says, taking it from my hand and setting it on the small white table next to her. Claire is lounging back on my balcony, reading a book while I study for the goddamn bar exam. Again.
To be honest, I don’t even know how she got here. We seem to be falling into a pattern of showing up. We meet at the coffee shop in the morning without even discussing it or scheduling it. We just do it and then without asking, we follow the other one home or wherever they’re going, and hang out or go to work together.
Never in my life have I ever been like that with anyone.
It doesn’t even feel like we’re imposing on the other. It’s just sort of the way things have developed. I ride with her to work or she rides with me, even though we both have cars. On weekends, we do things like go to street fairs and paint the walls of my apartment and go out to eat, and I listen to Claire play and make music a lot. She tries to quiz me on the bar exam, but doesn’t really do the best job with that one.
It’s like we’re in a relationship without being in a relationship.
It’s actually what I picture marriage being like when you’re old and have been together for fifty plus years. We don’t have sex. We don’t kiss on the lips.
We do, however touch each other in completely platonic safe places. And that’s another thing—we’re always touching each other. When we’re out, my arm is usually over her shoulder. If we’re watching TV on one of our respective sofas, she’s snuggled into my side.
All of this is something I’ve never experienced with a friend before. Not that I’ve had that many female friends over the years. Yet, I’m unbelievably happy.
It’s an odd sensation.
But right now, with Claire here and the warm fragrant wind on our faces and the sounds of the city below us, it’s the one word that seems to be repeating through my head at an annoyingly peppy rate.
Claire wanted to paint my apartment, so she led me to a hardware store. She wanted to hit up an outdoor street fair, so we did. She wanted to eat weird Tibetan food, so I tried it. I’m starting to get the impression that if she asked me to go sky diving right now, I’d acquiesce with little resistance. Can someone become pussy whipped when they’re not actually getting any pussy?
This girl . . . wow, I didn’t even see it coming.
I slide myself down next to her. We’re lounging on the double chaise on my balcony, even though there are other chairs and single chaises that we could very easily sit on. But we’re not. We silently sat on this one together.
Claire takes a sip of her soda, setting it back down on the table and bringing her knees up so that her Kindle is resting against the exposed skin of her thighs above her shorts. Her very short shorts. She has one arm propped behind her head, her hot-pink framed sun glasses perched perfectly on her nose.
“Why are you staring at me?” she asks without taking her eyes away from her e-reader.
“Just wondering what you’re reading,” I say as I take a sip of my regular Coke. I really only keep Diet Coke here for her. And wine. And large Swedish Fish, which she chews on constantly. And organic cheddar crisps that are really an expensive version of Cheez-It crackers.
“Nothing you’d like,” she says, which of course piques my interest, making me lean over to try and catch a few words on the screen.
“Why won’t you tell me?” I ask, trying to snatch the e-reader off her lap, but she pulls it away, angling it so I can’t see it.
“Why do you care?” she counters, nudging me with her elbow, trying to push me away.
I laugh, nudging her back. “I’m just curious. Don’t you want to know what I’m reading?”
“I’m gonna be real honest with you,” she says, pulling down the bridge of her glasses so she can look at me. “No. I don’t.”
“It’s smut, isn’t it? You’re reading porn.” I try to grab her Kindle again, but she holds it out so I’d have to practically climb on top of her to get it.
“Fuck off,” she laughs, pushing me away with her free hand. “Mind your own damn business. Last I checked, you have a big important exam to study for.”
“Why won’t you tell me?” I say, ignoring her jab. “What are you hiding?” I get up on my knees, angling my body over hers and grab the arm that’s holding the e-reader.
“Hey,” she yells, but she’s laughing now, trying to push me off and struggling to maintain her control of the Kindle. “It’s nothing. It’s just a stupid book.”
“Bullshit,” I argue, pulling her arm to me and snatching the book because Claire seems to realize that it’s a losing battle.
She lets out a huff, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. She’s not embarrassed, but I don’t think she wanted me to read this either. My eyes scan the text for a moment, widening as they go.
“It is porn,” I laugh, dropping back down into my seat. Claire reaches out, trying to swipe her device from my hands but I push her back by the forehead. “No way, cupcake. I’m into this now.”
“You’re a dork.”
“And you’re a secret porn reader.”
“That was a really pathetic come back. It’s not porn. Well, I guess it sort of is. I mean, it’s erotica. But it has a story to it and not like what you’d see in a real porn. It’s not like the cable guy is coming over and the girl opens the door in lingerie before she fucks him.”
“Oh,” I say glancing in her direction. “You’ve seen that one too.”
Another eye roll.
“‘His fingers traced small circles up her thighs until he reached her sex,’” I read and then look back over at Claire. “Her sex? Really? Why don’t they call it her pussy?”
“I know, right?” she laughs. “I never got that and you read it all the time in these sorts of books. They have all sorts of vagina euphemisms. Sometimes you’ll see it referred to her as cunt or snatch and yes, pussy is used, but in this book, it’s called her sex, even though the sex scenes are super graphic.”
“Wow,” I say with a big smile that I can’t contain. “I can’t tell if that’s hot or not.”
She nods, leaning back and looking up at the blue sky. “Wouldn’t it be awesome if they used words like penis fly trap, or cave of wonders, or pink taco?”
“Pink taco?” I snort. “That’s fucking nasty. But then again, I really love to eat both, so maybe it just makes sense,” I muse, sitting back to read more of this crap. “What do they call a penis? I’m assuming the words cock or dick aren’t used?”
She shakes her head. “No. At one point she used member, and another time it was his arousal.”
“So, explain to me why you’re reading this one if you don’t like the cheese factor of it.”
She shrugs, reaching over and taking her Kindle from me. “It’s trash and trash can sometimes be fun to read.”
“Do you always read trash?”
“I read all sorts of books, but to be honest, this is the first book I’ve read in a while. I’ve been writing a lot more music lately than I’ve been reading.”
I smile at that, pulling her into my side almost absentmindedly. It’s become a reflex. Something I do without thinking too much, but enjoy far more than I should. “Will you play something for me that you wrote?”
“Next time I’m in front of my keyboard.”
I kiss the side of her head, before picking up my own e-reader so I can get back to my studying. “Why don’t you have a real piano?”
Claire turns her head to me, her expression seems to be challenging my basic sanity.
“What?”
“You do realize I have like zero room in my apartment, right? And my music room is already overcrowded with my other instruments. I’d love a piano.” She shrugs. “Maybe if I ever move, I’ll get a real one. For now, I’m stuck with the keyboard. But it’s fine. It does the job.”
“Huh,” is all I can think to say, staring down sightlessly at my book.
“What are we doing tonight?” she asks, staring back at her own book.
“To be honest, I’m really not up for going out. I think I’ll probably just order something in and either study or watch a movie or something.”
She nods. “I’m up for that if you’re up for some company.”
I laugh, nudging her side again. “When am I ever not up for your company?” It’s a rhetorical question and clearly, I said it in an off the cuff way, but it still makes me cringe, because that question is suggestive despite its simplicity.
“Good. But if we’re getting pizza, can we get it from that really snobby gourmet place that has those specialty pies? And I don’t really want to watch anything too serious. Maybe an action flick or a comedy.”
“Jesus, you’re pretty fucking demanding considering you’re the invited guest. I thought the benefit of friendship was that the woman didn’t get to dictate everything. Otherwise, what’s the point?” I ask, looking down on her. “It’s not like I’m getting sex out of the deal.” I can’t help but raise an eyebrow.
“No,” she says, looking up at me with a small grin on her ruby-tinted lips, her blue eyes covered by her shades. “I guess that’s true. How’s this then? I’ll let you pick the actual movie.”
“Wow,” I deadpan. “That’s the most generous thing anyone has ever offered me. I would have personally gone for the sex, but choosing the movie might just be better.”
“See.” She nods her head. “They don’t make people more giving than I am. You really are lucky to have me as your friend.”
“True.” I lean back in the chaise, enjoying the way I sink into the cushion. I take a sip of my soda and Claire goes back to her reading.
“How often do you masturbate?” she asks and that sip of soda that I was in the process of swallowing immediately comes out my mouth and nose in a gush of fizzy spray. “Wow.” She smirks, trying to hide her laugher. “I’ve never actually seen anyone spray soda out of their nose like that. I didn’t realize it was possible.”
“Thanks,” I mutter, wiping my face and trying not to grimace from the persistent burn inside my nostrils.
“That as unpleasant as it looked?”
“Yup. So, try not to say something like that the next time I take a drink.” I raise my hand, stopping my thought. “On second thought, any time I drink or eat something, try not to speak. I’m afraid one day I’ll actually choke and you don’t look like the type to know CPR.”
“Au contraire, mon frère, I am excellent at mouth to mouth.”
“That was a softball.”
“It was, but you set it up nicely. So, answer my question.”
“How often do I masturbate?” I look over at her, my eyebrows at my hairline.
“Yeah, I’m curious,” she taps on the edge of her e-reader, “because in this book, the guys are always taking cold showers to knock their hard-ons down. I don’t get it. If you’re alone and in the bathroom, why not just whack one off? Saves time and prevents frostbite.”
“Yeah, I have no real answer for that.”
“Oh, come on, I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”
“Claire, knowing you, I assume you get off at least once a day.”
She winks at me. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” I would, but that’s really not the point.
And in fact, now all I can see is an imagine of Claire making herself come. “Stop visualizing or I’ll do it back.”
I grin at her. “That a threat or a promise?”
“I don’t typically make threats I’m not willing to back up. It misleads people.”
“What exactly are we talking about now?”
Claire shrugs, leaning back a little against the cushion, parting her thighs absentmindedly. Holy fuck that’s hot. “Honestly, I don’t know. I sort of got lost in the mental image thing. But really, I want to know why men take cold showers instead of jerking off in books.”
“I don’t know, Claire. I’ve never actually taken a cold shower to get rid of an erection. Usually I just jerk off in the shower if I’m that hard up.”
Claire smiles big. “Thank you. That’s all I wanted to know.”
Now I can’t concentrate. How am I supposed to go back to reading business law after that conversation? It’s impossible. I need to change the subject because all I can think about is Claire naked, spread out with her hand between her legs. Or even better, my hand between her legs. And now I’m getting hard, which is just ironic in a bad porn movie sort of way.
So, I say the first thing that comes to mind other than the obvious. “I heard Kate say that it’s your birthday next week.”
Claire sighs, straightening her legs and letting her book lay flat against them. “Are you fishing here, Kyle? Did Mama Duck put you up to this?”
“She might have,” I admit.
Claire lets out another sigh. “I’m not all that into my birthday and Miss Kate has a real hard time accepting that.”
“Why aren’t you into your birthday?”
Claire is silent for a moment, just staring out at my view. “I’m just not,” she finally says. “So, when you report back, tell her that you tried and I wasn’t receptive. I don’t want a party. I’m not being one of those girls who says one thing, but really wants the opposite. I’m not.”
“Kate loves you. She wants to make you happy and to her, that’s making a big deal.”
“I know and I love her back for it. I really do. If I was a good little egg, I’d just smile through it. And with some things I do. But not this. No parties. No cake. No singing or presents.”
“Can I get you something?” I ask, already having an idea of what I want it to be.
The corner of her mouth twitches up. “You really are the perfect guy,” her head tilts in my direction, “aren’t you, Kyle Grant? You must have women dropping their panties for you constantly.” She smiles bigger. “I don’t need anything.” Claire reaches out, her fingers gliding across my cheek until her hand cups it. “You already give me so much more than you realize.”
She turns away from me, picking up her smut and bringing her knees back up. She’s dismissing me. Changing the subject without having to say another word.
I don’t know if I’ll ever really understand the contradiction that is Claire Sullivan.
But she’s crazy if she thinks I’m not getting her a present.
The thing I want to get her might just be a bit over the top. Might go way beyond something a friend would give. But it’s something that’s been on my mind since I first went to her apartment, and after our conversation today, I really can’t stop the wheels from spinning. That, and I cannot think of someone I want to spend my bonus money on more than her.
Claire might not want the attention that comes with a birthday party. I won’t even pretend to understand the reason behind it. She says I’ve given her more than I realize. She has to know it’s the same for me. That she has become the most important thing in my life.
I just want to make her happy because it’s exactly what she deserves.
Hopefully, that’s what my present will do.
Author J. Saman lives in New England with her husband and three daughters. When she's not writing romance and looking after her busy family, she works as a nurse practitioner. J. is a lover of picking at old wounds and second chance romances. She likes strong female leads and sexy alpha men with a sweet side.
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Start With Me by J Saman
Title: Start With Me
Series: Start Again Series Book Three
Author: J. Saman
Genre: Contemporary Romance Standalone
Release Date: October 16, 2017
Claire
No relationships. No falling in love.
Those are my rules. Simple. Easy. Uncomplicated.
Then Kyle Grant walks into my life and tries to mess all that up with his GQ looks and irresistible charm.
He’s everything I want.
But can never have.
Kyle
The moment I laid eyes on Claire Sullivan, I knew she was different.
Then reality hit me. She’s my brother’s assistant. She lives in Seattle and I live in New York.
As if that wasn’t enough, she reminds me with annoying frequency that she doesn’t do relationships.
But I don’t care. I want her.
Now I just have to convince her to be mine.
We trek down the mountain and simply going by the laws of gravity, it takes us half the time to get down than it did to get up. By the time we reach his car, we’re exhausted.It’s also pitch black and raining. Hard. A torrential downpour complete with thunder and lightning came out of absolutely nowhere.“Shit,” Kyle laughs as he starts his car. “It’s awful out. And there are no lights around here.”“Then I take it you didn’t noticed that there is a car blocking you.”
“What?” Kyle’s head snaps around like he can see in the dark out of his even darker back windshield. He can’t. So, he puts his car into reverse and the backup camera comes to life on his navigation screen.
“Shit,” he says again, because some asshole seriously blocked us in. They’re parked in just such a way that we can’t get out because if we go forward and try to readjust ourselves, we’ll roll down into a gully.
“So, I guess I am a camping girl, after all. At least we’re warm and dry in your car.”
“Yeah. I have gas, but not a full tank and this car has a big engine, which means we don’t have enough to get through the night and drive home tomorrow.”“That’s not exactly environmentally friendly.”“Yeah. Thanks. I’m an asshole Yuppie.”“I think your kind is actually referred to as the one-percenters now. Yuppie went out with acid-washed jeans, Studio 54, and blow.”“Again, not very helpful. As I was saying, we have some gas, but we’re going to need it to get out of the fucking mountains. So, I’m going to have to turn off the car soon. We’re stuck out here, cupcake. Do you get that? We’re going to have to sleep in my car in the middle of the goddamn forest.”He’s freaking out. Which is oddly endearing. I get it, though. He grew up in Philly and then lived in New York City, so roughing it in the wilderness is really not his thing. It’s not exactly my thing either, but I’m definitely more of a roll-with-the-punches person than he is.“On the bright side, I packed plenty of water and snacks, and we have the whole back of your car to sleep in.”He looks at me and I don’t think he’s seeing the bright side quite the same way I am. But really, we’re not so bad off. We have shelter, jackets, food and water. Could be so much worse.“Claire . . .” He looks over at me, nonplussed.“Oh, come on, Kyle. Adapt with me.” Heat is brushing our faces and it’s warm and cozy in here despite the monsoon outside. It’s actually pretty noisy, but in a comforting way. Is it weird that I’m not at all disappointed about being stuck out here with him?Other than the fact that I have to pee. That part kind of sucks right now. And the sound of the rain is definitely not doing me any favors.“Adapt with you? Are you willing to sleep with me in the backseat?”“That’s oddly reminiscent of a high school proposition I once received.”“I’m being serious.”“I can see that,” I say with a smile, hoping to relax him. “Yes, I’ll gladly snuggle up against you. But first, I have to pee.” He looks at me like he might be ready to kill me. “It’s the sound of the rain. It cannot be helped. I’m going to pee and probably be soaking wet when I return.” Again, not amused. “Just keep the heat on, okay?”I start to take off my jacket, followed by my shirt.“What the hell are you doing?” he practically yells at me.“Seriously?” I look over at him incredulously. “If I go out there fully dressed it will not only take me longer to do my thing, but I’ll be soaking wet when I return. I’m stripping down now so that when I come back, I can put on dry clothes and not freeze my ass off all night.”He stares at me, his eyes slightly bulging. I shimmy out of my jeans and then I’m sitting on his front seat in my bra and panties.“Fuck,” he hisses, but I don’t waste time on his reaction to my almost nudity.I hit the unlock button and hop out into the freezing rain. “Holy hell,” I scream, running down to the car next to us and squatting in front of it. Kyle can’t see me from here and considering I’m already shaking and shuddering, frozen and soaked through, I wouldn’t care if he could.I do my business in record time, rub my hands together because they’re already wet, and then I jump back into his car.I’m drenched. Water is running through my hair and down my body in rivulets. My panties and bra are not even salvageable. I shiver, trembling uncontrollably. Because goddamn I’m freezing.“C-close y-your e-e-e-eyes.” My teeth are chattering so badly I’m afraid I’m going to chip one. Kyle has the sense to turn up the heat to full blast, pointing the vents at me.He looks at me and then I glare and he gets it. His eyes shut, but a small smile twitches up the corner of his lips. “I already looked.”“Y-yeah, b-but I’m a-about to get n-n-n-naked”“Why?” he asks, suddenly all Zen with an even bigger smile. Asshole.“B-because I’m w-w-wet.”He groans, throwing his head back and everything, and suddenly I’m flooding with heat.I rip off my bra and panties, sitting naked on his passenger seat, which is nicely warm since he also turned on the butt heat for me. I use one of my t-shirts to wipe down my body—my frozen sodden body—very grateful that I thought to wear multiple layers. Between the blasting heat and the warmth from my seat, I’m already feeling better, and my teeth have thankfully calmed down enough for me to speak. “Are you looking?”“No,” he says, that impish grin still in place. “But I have the perfect image of you mostly naked and soaking wet with your hard nipples poking through your bra, so I’m good.”“Asshole,” I mutter, as I slip commando into my jeans and throw on my long-sleeved thermal followed by my jacket. I twist my soaking wet hair up into a bun and secure it with an elastic. “I’m good.”“No baby, you’re fucking gorgeous.” His eyes open and he looks at me with a devilish smile I feel all the way in my toes. “How on earth am I going to sleep next to you and keep my hands to myself?”“You’ll manage.”He shakes his head, his eyes dark and filled with lust. Damn, I want to straddle him in his seat and ride him until morning.I hand him a package of trail mix and a bottle of water from my backpack and we eat, accompanied by the sound of the pouring rain and the radio. We don’t speak. Our sexual tension is too tightly wound for words.He silently shuts off the car, bathing us in blackness. The rain makes loud clanking sounds against the metal of the roof of his car. Lightning flashes violently, lighting up the black sky for a fleeting second followed closely by an angry ripple of thunder.“You ready to try and sleep in this hellhole?”“Yeah,” I say, my voice thick, my breaths coming out just a touch faster.He flips on the flashlight app on his phone, hits a button on his car and the back seats go down.“Bow chicka wow wow,” I sing playfully.He laughs and then we wordlessly crawl back into our new bed.We settle in, my back to his front. My ass far too close to his dick.“Claire?” he whispers, the darkness and our proximity requiring that level of intimacy.“Yes?”“I promise to be good,” he says and then pauses. “But you should know that I’m having all kinds of thoughts. All. Kinds. So, if you wake up to a wandering hand, I’m apologizing in advance.”“You’re forgiven,” I breathe and giggle a little, trying to play his words off as a joke.He drops an open mouth kiss to the crook of my neck. Once. Twice. It’s not enough. My eyes clench shut at the warmth of his mouth on my skin, a moan caught in the back of my throat. My eyes blink open and I stare into the blackness in front of me. It would be so easy to ask for more.So, goddamn easy.And so fucking stupid.Then he pulls me into his chest, his arm wraps snuggly around my waist, forming my body to his incredible heat. I can’t get close enough.I sigh. He sighs. I close my eyes and I spend the entire night talking myself out of turning around.
Author J. Saman lives in New England with her husband and three daughters. When she's not writing romance and looking after her busy family, she works as a nurse practitioner. J. is a lover of picking at old wounds and second chance romances. She likes strong female leads and sexy alpha men with a sweet side.
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