To the House of Pendragon – you’re my happy place. Well, you and Pinterest. Thanks for being the support system I need and always being positive.
To Vibeke Courtney, who is always in my acknowledgments – thank you for teaching me how to write and laying it down straight.
To Lisa Pantano Kane – you challenge me with the hard questions.
To Ing Cruz at As the Pages Turn Book Blog – you support out of the goodness of your heart, and I can’t repay you enough. Thank you for the release blitzes and blog tours.
To all of the bloggers – plain and simple, oh, my goodness! You spend your free time reading, reviewing, and promoting, and you do it for free. You are the life’s blood of the book world, and who knows what we would do without you. Thank you for your tireless efforts. You do it out of passion, which makes it all the more incredible.
To Abbi Glines, Jay Crownover, Tabatha Vargo, Tijan, N. Michaels, Eden Butler, Natasha Preston, Kirsty Moseley, and Penelope Ward for their encouragement and support over the years. It’s validating to be recognized by your peers, and authors supporting authors cultivates mutual respect. Positivity is contagious, so thank you for spreading the love.
To every author and aspiring author – thank you for the stories you’ve shared, many of which have made me a happy reader in search of a wonderful escape and a better writer, trying to live up to your standard. Write and create, and don’t ever stop. Your voice is important, and as long as it comes from your heart, it is right and good.
READERS GUIDE
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
There is a twelve-year age difference between the protagonists of Misconduct. Do you believe the age gap made a difference as far as life experiences and maturity? How much of an age gap would be too much for you?
2.
Easton fantasizes about standing in the middle of a burning room in chapter 1, but then she blows out the candle as she leaves the masquerade ball. Is there a significance in this action?
3.
Tyler is stubborn about many things: social media, accepting campaign donations, taking on more responsibilities than he can handle. Why do you think Tyler is initially so inflexible? Is he naturally resistant or did he have good reasons for the fights he picks?
4.
Why did Tyler question Easton’s teaching methods? Do you believe he had a genuine fatherly concern?
5.
Easton avoids intimacy, choosing to keep her distance from forming any real attachment to men. What’s different about Tyler? Did she let him into her life, or did he force his way in?
6.
So much of the city of New Orleans plays a part in this book. Have you ever visited the city, and, if so, what was your most memorable experience?
7.
Had Easton’s parents and her sister not died, would Easton have stayed with tennis, or would she have discovered her gift for teaching?
8.
If Easton’s parents had gone to the police about Chase Stiles, how do you think Easton’s life would have been different?
9.
Easton uses social media tools to teach her students. If you were a parent, would you embrace this practice in your child’s school? What would be some of the advantages and/or disadvantages of using social media for instruction?
10.
Tyler has a difficult relationship with his son, which he tries, throughout the novel, to fix. Given the demands in Tyler’s life, do you believe his actions to improve that relationship were commendable, or would you have tried something different?
11.
Easton has some fun at Tyler’s house during the rainstorm, such as organizing his books in his study. Do you have any urges to organize something in other people’s homes when you visit? If so, what do you find yourself needing to organize?
12.
Tyler is ashamed of his role – or lack thereof – in his son’s life when he was younger. Is what he said true, that it’s never too late? Or do you believe what Brynne said on the phone call, that there comes a time when we’ve been disappointed too much to ever repair the bonds?
13.
How do you think Christian felt when he would hear his mom and stepfather talking badly about Tyler?
14.
Keeping in mind that Tyler promised he wouldn’t hook up with anyone else, why did he entertain the idea when Easton presented him with Kristen?
15.
In the end Easton and Tyler agree that Jack needs help. Knowing the amount of pain and stress Easton has suffered in her life, do you believe she’ll be able to reconcile with her brother?
16.
Based on the relationship that Tyler and Easton share, who is more dominant?
17.
Were Tyler’s reasons for ending the relationship in chapter 21 justified? Why or why not?
18.
What do you think made Tyler finally see the light about what was truly important and helped him get his priorities straight?
19.
As Tyler is running for office, and with politics filtered daily into our lives through the news and social media, do you believe Easton’s statement of “the most popular wins” to be a true statement? Do you research a candidate on your own without the influence of media before you vote?
20.
Christian speaks his mind a lot in Misconduct, even showing up the adults in his life from time to time. Do you feel that he was right to hold Easton more accountable for her affair with his father? Why do you think her actions hurt him more than his own father’s?
21.
Why did Christian keep his knowledge of the affair secret?
22.
Do you feel that we place too much pressure on our children to excel at too many activities such as sports? Do you feel that the pressure Easton felt with her tennis career exacerbated her OCD tendencies, not just the counting but the need for perfection, or did the trauma of her parents’ and sister’s deaths contribute more?
23.
Easton did not know Tyler’s political affiliation in his senate run. Which party do you believe she supports? Which party do you believe he supports?
24.
Easton states to Tyler throughout their relationship not to be careful with her. What do you believe she means?
FALLING AWAY
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FALLING AWAY
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T
hree whole years.
I’d had a boyfriend for three whole years, and I still had more orgasms when I was by myself.
“Damn, baby, you feel good.” His sleepy whisper felt wet on my neck as he dragged his lazy lips over my skin.
Packing. That was what I’d forgotten to add to my to-do list for tomorrow. It wasn’t likely I’d forget to pack for college, but everything needed to go on the list so it could be checked off.
“You’re so hot.” Liam’s fish lips tickled my neck in short, slow pecks. It once made me giggle, but now it kind of made me want to bite him.
And a pharmacy run, I remembered. I wanted to stock up on my pill so I wouldn’t have to worry about it for a while. Packing and the pharmacy. Packing and the pharmacy. Packing and the pharmacy. Don’t forget, K.C.
Liam thrust his hips between my legs, and I rolled my eyes.
We were still clothed, but I wasn’t sure he realized that.
If I weren’t so tired, I’d laugh. He rarely got drunk after all – tonight only because it was an end-of-summer bash. And although I’d never been overwhelmed with a desire for sex, I did love that he tried to jump my bones at every opportunity. It made me feel wanted.
But it just wasn’t happening tonight.
“Liam,” I grunted, twisting up my lips as I pushed his hand off my breast, “I think we’re done for the night, okay? Let’s lock up the car and walk to your house.”
We’d been in his car for over a half hour – me tryi
ng to indulge his fantasy of sex in risky places and him trying to… Hell, I didn’t even know what he was trying to do.
I felt guilty for not being more into it lately. I felt guilty for not helping him get into it tonight. And I felt guilty for making mental additions to my to-do list while he was trying – keyword, trying – to get it on with me.
We hadn’t made love in a long time, and I didn’t know what my problem was anymore.
His head sank into my shoulder, and I felt the weight of his hundred and eighty pounds collapse on my body.
He didn’t move, and I let out a sigh, relaxing into the passenger seat of his Camaro, my muscles burning from trying to support his body weight all this time.
He’d given up. Thank God.
But then I groaned, registering that his body had gone a little too still, except for the slow, soft rhythm of his breathing.
Great. Now he was passed out.
“Liam,” I whispered, not sure why, since we were completely alone in his car on a dark, quiet street outside my friend Tate Brandt’s house.
Arching my head up, I spoke into his ear that was nearly covered by his blond hair. “Liam, wake up!” I wheezed, since his weight was hindering my oxygen intake.
He moaned but didn’t budge.
I slammed my head back onto the headrest and ground my teeth together. What the hell was I going to do now?
We’d gone to the Loop tonight for the last race before college started next week and then Tate and her boyfriend, Jared Trent, had thrown a party at his house, which just happened to be right outside, next door to her place. I’d told my mom that I’d be sleeping over at her house when I was really planning on spending the night with my boyfriend.
Who was now passed out.
Tate’s house was locked, I didn’t know how to drive Liam’s car, and the last thing I was ever going to do was call my mother for a ride.
Reaching for the handle, I swung the car door open and pulled my right leg from under Liam. I pushed against his chest, raising him off me only as much as I needed to squirm out from underneath his body and stumble out of the car. He groaned but didn’t open his eyes, and I wondered if I should be worried about how much he’d had to drink.
Leaning in, I watched his chest rise and fall in quiet, steady movements. I grabbed the keys he’d dropped on the floor and my wrist purse with my cell phone and slammed the door shut, locking the car.
Liam didn’t live too far, and even though I knew it was a lot to ask, I was going to have to wake up Tate. If Jared was even letting her get any sleep at all.
I ran my hands down my strapless white summer dress and powered quietly down the sidewalk in my rhinestone sandals. Pretty dressed up for the race track earlier, but I wanted to look nice at the party. It was the last time I was going to see some of these people. For a while, anyway.
Squeezing my little purse – small enough for my phone and some money – in my hand, I traipsed up the small incline into Jared’s yard and up the front steps of his house. No light shone from inside, but I knew there had to be some people still here, since the street was littered with a few unfamiliar cars and I heard the low beat of music still pouring out. Lyrics saying something about “down with the sickness.”
I turned the knob, stepped into the house, and peered around the corner into the living room.
And stopped. Dead. What the…?
The room was dark, not a single light showing other than the blue glow from the screen on the stereo.
Maybe there were other lights on in the house. Maybe there were other people still here. I couldn’t say.
All I could do was fucking stand there as my eyes stung, and a lump stretched my throat, at the sight of Jaxon Trent damn near naked on top of another girl.
I instantly looked away, closing my eyes.
Jax. I shook my head. No. I didn’t care about this. Why was my heart beating so fast?
Jaxon Trent was Tate’s boyfriend’s little brother. Nothing more. Just a kid.
A kid who watched me. A kid I rarely ever talked to. A kid who felt like a threat just standing next to me.
A kid who was looking less and less like one every day.
And right now he wasn’t coming up for air. I jerked my body toward the door, not wanting him – or her – to see me, but…
“Jax,” the girl gasped. “More. Please.”
And I stopped, unable to move again. Just leave, K.C. You don’t care.
I squeezed the doorknob, sucking in quick breaths, but I didn’t move. Couldn’t move.
I didn’t know why my hands shook.
Chewing my bottom lip, I inched around the corner again and saw him and the girl.
My heart pounded like a jackhammer in my chest. And it hurt.
The girl – I didn’t recognize her from school – was completely naked, lying on her stomach on the couch. Jax was sprawled on top of her from behind, and judging from his jeans pushed down below his ass and his thrusting hips, he was inside her.
He didn’t even get fully undressed to make love to a girl. He couldn’t even look her in the face. I wasn’t surprised. With the arrogance he displayed around school, Jax could do whatever he wanted, and he did.
Holding himself up with one arm, he used the other to wrap around her face and twist her chin toward him before he leaned down and covered her mouth with his.
Liam had never kissed me like that. Or I’d never kissed him like that.
The girl – long blond hair fanning around her face and spilling over her shoulders – kissed him back with full force, their jaws moving in sync as his tongue and teeth worked her.
Jax’s smooth, sculpted hips ground into her in slow, savory movements while his hand left her face to run down her back and then slide underneath her body to cup her breast. He didn’t do one thing at a time. Every part of his body was in this, and everything he did looked as if it felt good.
And why wouldn’t it? Jax was coveted by the girls in this town for a reason after all. He was suave, confident, and good-looking. Not my type, but there was no denying that he was sexy. According to Tate, he was part Native American.
His skin was like toffee – smooth, unblemished, and warm-looking. His hair was a deep brown, almost black, and it hung halfway down his back. He often braided pieces of it before tying it back into a ponytail midskull, which he did all the time. I’d never seen his hair hanging loose.
He had to be six feet tall by now and would probably be exceeding his brother in height in no time. I’d seen Jax on the lacrosse field at school and at the gym where we both worked out. The dips in his biceps and triceps flexed as he held himself above the girl and worked his body into hers. With the moonlight coming through the window, I could just make out the V in his torso as it descended to his abs and lower.
He didn’t break pace as he whispered in her ear, and as if she were given an order, she dropped her foot to the floor, bent her knee, and arched her back.
Jax let his head fall back and bared his teeth as he sank deeper into her, and I stared, absently tracing the scar on the inside of my wrist.
I wanted it to be like that for me. I wanted to be breathless like her. Gasping and desperate. Passionate and hungry.
Liam had made me happy once, and when he messed up, I took him back, because I thought the relationship was worth it.
But now, seeing this… I knew we were missing something.
I didn’t know when the tear spilled over, but I felt it drop onto my dress, and I blinked rapidly, wiping my face.
And then my eye caught something, and I blinked again, noticing someone else in the room. Another girl, nearly naked in her bra and panties.
I swallowed a gasp, sucked in air, and then swallowed again.
What the hell?
She walked across the room – she must’ve been over by the windows, because I hadn’t seen her until now – and leaned down, kissing Jax hard.
Acid bile crept up my throat.
“Ugh!” I growled
, and stumbled backward, hitting the opposite wall in the entryway. Scrambling, I yanked open the front door and flew outside without looking back.
Jumping the steps, I had hit the grass running when a deep voice commanded behind me, “Stop!”
I didn’t.
Screw him. Screw Jaxon Trent. I didn’t know why I was mad, and who the hell cared?
Running across the lawn, I bolted for the sidewalk, wishing I’d worn sneakers instead of sandals that flopped around on my feet.
“Stop, or I will take you to the ground, K.C.!” Jax’s loud bellow threatened behind me, and I brought myself to a sudden halt.
Shit. My eyes darted from left to right, searching for an escape. He wouldn’t really do that, would he?
I inched around slowly, watching as he stepped off the stairs and walked toward me. He was wearing pants, thank God. But I guess that was easy, since he never really took them off. The dark-washed jeans hung off his hips, and I got a damn clear look at the muscles framing his abs. He had a swimmer’s body, but I wasn’t sure if he was actually a swimmer. From the way the top of his jeans barely hung just above his hairline, I guessed he wasn’t wearing boxers… or anything under the jeans. I thought of what was just beneath his pants, and heat warmed my belly. I clenched my thighs together.
I shot my eyes down to the ground, wondering how I could stand the sight of him. He was just a kid. Did he do things like that with a lot of girls?
He came up to stand in front of me, hovering down, since he was nearly a half foot taller. “What are you doing here?” he accused.
I locked my mouth shut and scowled at the air around him, still avoiding eye contact.