Crushed by Renee Novelle
Synopsis:
Brooklyn has decided to stick around campus to pursue her Master’s Degree while her boyfriend chases a job opportunity in Chicago. After discovering that long distance relations rarely work out, her best friend helps her to decide that she needs to put down the daily pints of therapeutic ice cream and join their local gym.
Though resistant to the idea at first, Brooklyn relents and finds that things quickly heat up with her new personal trainer Collin. Is it just a flirtatious crush, or is there something real there? And will the blind date her best friend has also committed her to have any weight in the decision on whether or not Brooklyn will pursue her chances with Collin?
Though resistant to the idea at first, Brooklyn relents and finds that things quickly heat up with her new personal trainer Collin. Is it just a flirtatious crush, or is there something real there? And will the blind date her best friend has also committed her to have any weight in the decision on whether or not Brooklyn will pursue her chances with Collin?
Crushed Excerpt
By Renee Novelle
As soon as I
walked through the perfectly polished glass doors, I was assaulted by a rush of
bright colors, vibrant music and overly friendly people just dying to put their
bodies through the most grueling workout they could endure. And I had to admit
to myself, their enthusiasm was a little contagious. People of all shapes,
sizes and ages surrounded me, and I began to feel those nerves dissolve – just
a little bit.
Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be so bad after
all.
And that’s when
I saw him. He was leaning casually against the check-in desk, the absurdly
chiseled muscles of his arm flexing under the weight of
his perfect body. They were easy to see, thanks to the black top he’d cut the
sides out of. His dark brown eyes glistened with boyish mischief while his lips
curled into an appealingly delicious smile. The low rumble of laughter that
flowed from his chest moved through me, over me, and almost immediately – I’m
ashamed to say – I could picture myself in those sexy arms with his hands
moving in all sorts of ways. It was one of those knock-down-drag-out images
that stilled me in my tracks. And I’m pretty certain my face turned a million
shades of red.
All at once, I
felt those nerves flooding back. Only they were a thousand times stronger than
they’d been in the parking lot, and for a fairly long second I thought I might
hurl right then and there. But I swallowed down the sensation, clenched my
jittery hands and tried my best to manage a natural smile as Savannah walked
confidently up to scan her little card. As we approached the desk, getting
closer and closer to the hottie at the side, I secretly wished I’d worn a cute
little outfit like Savannah’s...
Everyone behind
the desk greeted her by name – she was daily regular, and she had the body to
account for it. I crept up timidly behind her, hoping that no one noticed me.
But I didn’t stand a chance at that for too long. Before I realized what had
happened, Savannah had turned around and gestured in my direction. “This is my
friend Brooklyn, she’s signing up today.”
Suddenly, all
eyes were on me. Including the hot stranger’s. And I felt my face blush against
my will again. “Hi.” I waved timidly, and I could feel him smiling beside me.
“Cute name.” He
said, but I’m pretty sure I was the only one who heard him. And I was also
pretty sure I was crushing on him pretty hard.
After getting
the necessary pre-requisites out of the way about how trials and memberships
work, and after they gave me their boring sales run-down with the hopes of
converting me right then and there, I was given a little card like Savannah’s
that would only be active for a week. Then the main girl behind the counter
with the too-chipper voice said, “You also get one free session with a personal
trainer with your trial. Did you want to use that today? Most people say it
helps them to get familiar with the equipment.” She shrugged.
I opened my
mouth to object, but before I could push the words out, Savannah had gestured
toward the hot guy who was still leaning against the counter. “Collin, you’re a
personal trainer, right?”
My head jerked
in his direction, and I wondered if my expression looked as panicked as I felt.
Knowing Savannah like I did, I knew exactly where this was going.
“Yeah, sure
am.” He smiled as he straightened.
“Great!” She
was overly enthusiastic, and I felt my morbid embarrassment heighten. “Do you
have time to show her around?”
“I’m on in
ten.” After glancing at a clock on the wall, he turned his full attention
directly to me. “Want to meet me over by the lockers?”
Everything in
me wanted to scream yes! with the
same force that it wanted to bolt right back out the door, get in my car, and
never return. I was torn, undecided on which would be the least embarrassing,
and the internal controversy had paralyzed my ability to respond with any ounce
of smoothness. Finally, I felt myself nodding my head, and he seemed to accept
this as a positive confirmation.
“Great. See you
in a few minutes.” There was a slight chance he might have winked at the end.
But it also could’ve been the sun streaming in through the all the windows at
the front of the building, so I tried my best not to get my hopes up. As he
walked away, assumedly to change into a less distracting ensemble, I wondered
if anyone else noticed my gaping mouth as I stared at his impossibly tight ass
and broad, well-defined shoulders. When Savannah nudged me, I decided that was
confirmation enough.
Though I would
never admit this to her in a hundred years, it was occurring to me that maybe
my friend had been right – maybe this was
exactly what I needed. Hell, I was beginning to feel better already.
AUTHOR BIO
Renee' Novelle is preceded by a long line of published family members, including Pulitzer Prize nominated author and Poet Laureate of Kentucky Jesse Stuart.
As a child, Novelle was already gaining recognition for several of her works, and in her formative years, she continued this trend by earning local awards for her short stories and poems.
Inspired to cultivate her talent, Novelle pursued freelance journalism and has found placement of more than 80 of her pieces in both online and print publications since 2008. Additionally, she has written multiple screenplays, and contributed her savvy, effective writing style to many non-profit and for profit organizations. She also launched several blogs over the years, which garnered international attention.
In 2013, Novelle returned to her first love - fiction. Writing under the names Renee Novelle and R.S. Novelle, she has a publication schedule that includes psychological thrillers, suspense, paranormal fiction, contemporary women's fiction, chick lit, and new adult.
Though she received her Bachelor's of Science in Communication, Summa Cum Laude, she considers herself a constant student of the written word. She's an avid reader, an enthusiastic quote poster, and rarely takes "no" as a final answer. She has an unhealthy obsession for theater, dance, music and art, and strongly believes that wine is simultaneously the beginning of, and resolution to, all of life's problems. She believes in following dreams, and that in the end, you always end up where you're meant to be.
For more information, to view pictures, read blog posts and see the upcoming release schedule, please visit the website at www.RSNovelle.com
As a child, Novelle was already gaining recognition for several of her works, and in her formative years, she continued this trend by earning local awards for her short stories and poems.
Inspired to cultivate her talent, Novelle pursued freelance journalism and has found placement of more than 80 of her pieces in both online and print publications since 2008. Additionally, she has written multiple screenplays, and contributed her savvy, effective writing style to many non-profit and for profit organizations. She also launched several blogs over the years, which garnered international attention.
In 2013, Novelle returned to her first love - fiction. Writing under the names Renee Novelle and R.S. Novelle, she has a publication schedule that includes psychological thrillers, suspense, paranormal fiction, contemporary women's fiction, chick lit, and new adult.
Though she received her Bachelor's of Science in Communication, Summa Cum Laude, she considers herself a constant student of the written word. She's an avid reader, an enthusiastic quote poster, and rarely takes "no" as a final answer. She has an unhealthy obsession for theater, dance, music and art, and strongly believes that wine is simultaneously the beginning of, and resolution to, all of life's problems. She believes in following dreams, and that in the end, you always end up where you're meant to be.
For more information, to view pictures, read blog posts and see the upcoming release schedule, please visit the website at www.RSNovelle.com
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