The Truths about Dating and Mating Excerpt!

 

Greetings!  It's day 5 of my blog tour and I want to thank my awesome CP, Victoria Smith, for allowing me to come on her blog and share an excerpt of my book, The Truths about Dating and Mating, which releases tomorrow!

I tossed my head back and laughed as he walked away, and then clapped my hands as the opening beats of Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” came on the jukebox. “I love this song!”

I jumped up from my stool and starting dancing, singing along with half the patrons in the bar.

For the second time that night, Ian watched me with a smile of amusement as he leaned his weight on his cue stick. I made an exaggerated fish face as I danced around and cocked my brow at him. He shook his head, and I could only imagine the number of synonyms for "nuts" he was coming up with in his head.

Gliding forward to the beat of the song, I placed my hands on his hips and tried to get him to move. “Come on, Ian, dance! Move those hips.”

“I don’t dance,” he said in a monotone, refusing to budge.

“Well, you know what they say: bad dancer, bad in bed.” I gave him a saucy wink and pivoted away to grab my drink. I turned back to look at him a moment later, wanting to see his reaction, but stepped back in surprise when I realized he was directly behind me. “Whoa. Hello,” I said with a laugh.

With a wicked glint in his eyes, Ian took the drink from my hand and put it on the table.

“Hey! What are you…?”

He grabbed my hips and pulled me back against him, resting his chin against my cheekbone. Then he swayed us from one side to the other, winding us slowly and sinuously toward the ground and back up again in time to the music.

            Guh!

            “I said I don’t dance,” Ian said into my ear. His licorice-flavored breath tickled my cheek like a feather and his whiskers scratched my jaw. “Not that I can’t.” With a playful swat on my behind, he moved away.

            I goggled at the wall ahead of me. Did that just happen? I wouldn’t have believed it if not for the small sparks arcing back and forth in my nerve endings. I immediately wanted that feeling – whatever it was – back again. I spun to find him leaning against the pool table. His mouth was still pulled into that little smile, but it was missing from his eyes. He actually looked a little uncertain.

            Shaking off my lust-induced stupor, I pointed a finger at him. “You’ve been holding out on me!” I marched over and grabbed his hand. “Come on.”

            He resisted my pull. “Where?”

            “We’re dancing.”

            He dug his heels in even deeper and pulled his hand from mine. “No.”

            I thrust out my bottom lip.

            “No! That was just a…”

            “A tease,” I accused. “And it was nice, but the evidence is still inconclusive.”

            “Evidence of what?” he asked with an exasperated laugh.

            I shrugged. “Of whether you’re a good dancer, and therefore, good in bed.”         

           His brows lifted in surprise. A second later, though, a very slow smile moved over his face. He leaned forward and dropped his mouth next to my ear. “I can give you proof, but like I said, I don’t dance.”

My stomach somersaulted. That wasn’t a nudge. That was more of a whack upside the head. “Why, Mr. Hollister, are you propositioning me?” I asked in a horrible fake southern drawl.

He assessed me for a moment. “Maybe I am. Would that be so wrong?”

What a frustrating move, turning it around on me. My insides trembled, but a rush of excitement took flight in my bloodstream. I knew I should just laugh it off and get back to the game, but a part of me was itching to see how far he was willing to take this flirtatious banter.

I smiled coyly and shrugged. “Another drink, and I may be propositioning you.”

He stood and grabbed my glass from the table. “Allow me to get you a refill, then.”

 Well, there you go!  Thanks for reading!

The Truths about Dating and Mating
Author: Jaycee DeLorenzo
Release Date: November 21, 2012

Spunky Italian coed Ivy Rossini likes to talk and push the boundaries. She gets to do both as she co-hosts Riordan College’s radio program, The Truths about Dating and Mating, alongside her lifelong best friend, Ian Hollister.

Being the only girl who cares to see beyond Ian’s bad boy reputation has its advantages, especially when he’s scaring off the jerks who just want to nail the campus sex-guru. It’s when he’s “protecting” her from the advances she welcomes that she wants to lob him over the head and tell him to butt out. But Ivy’s feels like she’s the one who’s taken a hit when Ian almost kisses her at a party. She knows she should feel relieved when he pulls away, so why is she disappointed instead?

What’s worse, Ivy’s now getting aroused by Ian’s slightest touch and can’t stop entertaining thoughts of a romantic future. But Ian doesn’t do relationships, and she’s not interested in anything casual. In the end, Ivy decides it’s best to keep her growing feelings a secret and hope they’ll pass. However, when Ian begins hinting at wanting to take things to the next level, she’s forced to decide if a chance at something more is worth risking everything they’ve built.

With their friendship and her heart hanging in the balance, can Ivy follow the advice she and Ian give their listeners - to communicate, be honest, and trust in themselves - or will insecurity, stubbornness, and pride ruin any chance of their relationship getting off the ground?

About The Author:

Jaycee DeLorenzo hails from Tucson, Arizona, on the outskirts of the Saguaro National Park – which she believes to be the most beautiful spread of desert in the world. By day, Jaycee is an English language teacher to elementary students. By night, she’s a wife, mother, writer, cover artist, website designer, and blogger. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, singing (very poorly), catching up on her favorite T.V. shows, and researching. 

The Truths about Dating and Mating is Jaycee's debut novel, and the first in a series centering around students of the fictitious Riordan College.

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