Lila Felix: YA Lover's BLOG HOP

I am super excited about this blog hop. There's 13-14 YA authors involved and they are all wicked talented!

I am honored to share Jamie Magee's post here! Jamie Magee is not only one of the most brilliant people I know, but I'm proud to call her one of my dearest friends.

So, with no further delay...

Excerpt from FRICTION:

She couldn’t deal with being in Willowhaven—it hurt too badly.

In all truth, she knew she was a coward. If she were living out of state with her mom, she could fool herself, pretend her father was waiting on her, only a phone call away. Memphis was sure if she did so, their mother would take what belonged to Georgia, spend her entire inheritance.

“You heard wrong,” she said, her voice trembling. “I waited too long, now it’s pointless.”

Easton started to move the boat toward the next dock. It took him a second to figure out how to respond. He got why she wanted to run, but he knew this would kill Memphis. His sister was his life, always had been—right now they were going to need each other more than ever.

“Lucas would have wanted you here.”

“Well then he should’ve have died,” she nearly shouted. “Dads don’t leave, not now—not now they don’t. He should have—he should have—”

“Shh,” Easton said, reaching for her but she jerked back, embarrassed she’d broken her calm, allowed her selfish anger to surface.

“I get it, I do.”

“Then don’t guilt me into staying with Memphis—he’s got this whole town to lean on. I gotta deal with me.”

“Right,” Easton said under his breath, knowing if he were her and not seven when he lost his dad, he’d have done the same. “These are still your roots though, you can be ticked off all you want—but no matter where you go, this is home.”

“What makes it home?”

“Us.”

Georgia jarred back a bit, not knowing how to take his one singular word.

“You heard me, this is home for us—go on, run wild or whatever, but this is still home,” he said with a wry grin as he looked back to make sure he was guiding the boat correctly.

“You’re like Memphis. Think this town is some kind of heaven, you like people knowing all about you. You like having to stay in one mold your entire life, knowing if you change people will think you’re a fraud.”

He laughed, which made her cheeks flame. She knew it was too dark for him to see, but it still made her mad. Still made her think this good ‘ol boy was looking at her like some dark emo girl who lived for the morbid.

“It’s been a hell more than a heaven, and I don’t give a damn what people think about me. Everybody changes, clearly,” he said with a nod to her.

“A nod…means what?”

He shrugged. “Blonde looked good on you.”

“You really hate my hair don’t you?”

He laughed, a deep, real, soulful laugh.

She barely stood from her seat and reached across the boat to slap him. When she did so the boat rocked, which scared the hell out of her and made her legs wobble, and the boat rock more. Within a second she felt herself falling to the side.

Her hell-bent aim on the water stopped abruptly. She felt his arms surround her waist and pull her against him.

Knight in shining armor…

Easton was still sitting in place, but she was standing between his legs, looking down at his face, which was a breath away from her chest, her heaving chest, rising and falling with each and every rapid breath.

His hands were braced on her waist, holding her in place, which did little to no good. The boat was still rocking and the moment it rocked harshly with the current she lurched forward, sending them both flying backward in the boat.

Laughing, he carefully reached for her face. She was lying across him, and her hair was a canopy placing them in their own world.

The second his gaze met hers, the instant he saw no humor was in her stare, his entire world changed.

Every warning bell he had was silenced; he didn’t know his own name much less basic morals. Morals which chanted wrong time, place—the wrong girl.

Slowly, he raised his head, his gaze searching hers before rising to her lips. He was straining to stall, to give her any and every chance to stop him, but before he knew it, his lips were on hers.

Scorching fire.