The day has finally come and I’m so friggin’ excited to share the cover for Relentless. Not only did the amazing Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations do a beautiful job on this cover, but she also squeezed me in and moved me up her calendar so you all wouldn’t have to wait. Please stop by her Facebook page and click LIKE and show her some love.

Click here to view a larger version.

And some more stuff to swoon over!!

Here is my inspiration for Adam Parker:

 

And here is my inspiration for Chris Knight

 

And now… onto the teaser!!! The following is an excerpt from Chapter Ten. Below the excerpt, I’ve posted the lyrics to the song written for Claire by her first love, Chris Knight. I feel really bad not giving you guys all the details, but if you’re nice I’ll post another teaser in a couple of weeks.

RELENTLESS

Excerpt from

Chapter Ten

I’m not sure if he’s implying that I’m afraid of making my feelings known, but I try to follow Senia’s advice and not overanalyze his words or actions. I focus instead on the beautiful beach houses and quaint shops we pass as we walk down Lumina. He squeezes my hand and I look away from the scenery to find him pointing toward a small house with blue shutters and a Jeep parked in the driveway.

“I have a meeting with the guy who lives there tomorrow: Jason Wicker. He’s a surf instructor on Shell Island and he wants me to work with him on weekends. I told him my weekends belong to you, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“Your weekends don’t belong to me,” I reply quickly, ignoring the pang of disappointment at the thought of spending even less time with him. “You should work with him. You need to get back out there.”

“It’s not like I don’t still surf. What do you think I’m doing every night when you don’t see me?”

My eyes widen as I realize I’ve been a complete dope, cooking up all these unsavory scenarios in my head for the ways he spends his free hours. When I don’t answer, he shakes my hand to prompt a response.

“What did you think I was doing?”

I shrug as my ears burn with embarrassment. “Senia and I considered a few different scenarios.”

“Such as?”

“Such as… a stripper.”

He laughs so hard he nearly has a coughing fit. Senia and Eddie turn around to see what the fuss is about and I wave at them to let them know everything’s okay.

“You thought I was a stripper?”

“That was Senia’s suggestion.”

“What was your suggestion?”

“It’s not important.”

“Aw, come on.” He steps in front of me and busts out the puppy dog eyes as he walks backwards. “Please. I’ll give you a free lap dance.”

I push him hard in the chest and he grabs my wrist. His other arm hooks around my waist and he yanks me flush against him.

“What you think of me is very important,” he says in a deadly whisper that frightens me and turns me on all at once. He leans in closer and smiles against my lips, but he doesn’t kiss me.

My heart thumps against my chest as I smile, waiting for him to kiss me because I know he’s waiting for me to give in. He lets go of my wrist and his fingertips brush my jaw as he plants a soft kiss on the corner of my lips.

He pulls away and squints at me as if he’s trying to figure me out. “You’re gonna be my downfall.”

Don’t forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway for an autographed paperback of Relentless.

And if you haven’t melted in your chair yet, here are the lyrics to the song written for Claire by her first love.

“Sleepyhead”

by Chris Knight

Feels so wrong to want this

You look so broken there

A flicker in the mist

As tired as the air

 

Your head upon the pillow

It’s time to bury bones

Outside a whispering willow

The limbs fall like stones

 

So frightened of the dark

You’re my sleepyhead

Hiding with the stars

Put your dreams to bed

My sleepyhead.

You’re my sleepyhead.

 

With eyes full of shadow

And a mouth full of glass

Gasps come so hollow

Your lips taste like ash

 

Don’t waste your hours

Your time don’t come cheap

Don’t fall apart, baby

Just fall asleep

 

And I don’t know why I can’t kill this doubt

But I promise I’ll put your pain to rest

If it means I never sleep again.