Spotlight & Giveaway: Tempting Tim by Melissa Ellen

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Melissa Ellen’s new release: Tempting Tim

I never wanted the limelight. The only thing I wanted was Conley Logan.

 
When words failed to express my feelings for Conley, I relied on music instead. But our love song ended before it even began, when I hadn’t told her how I’d truly felt. As a result of it, I watched Conley leave hand-in-hand with my bandmate instead of me.

Not wanting the fight that would break up the band, I made a choice. I lived with it every day, knowing it was nobody’s fault but my own. I’ve moved on. I’m content with my small town life of running a bar. But now Conley is back, forcing me to face the music.

From the way I’m tempted to make her mine still, it’s as if nothing has changed – but until she tells me why she’s back, I’m not sure I can trust what’s growing between us.

The only thing that has changed: I’m not letting her get away this time without a fight.

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from Tempting Tim 

I narrowed my eyes, pinning him with them. Despite his effort, he wasn’t hiding the truth from me. “We both know this was never your dream.”
He looked away, staring off in the distance, deep in thought. “Let’s just say I couldn’t have what I wanted.”
“And what was that?”
Massaging at the back of his neck, he shook his head and forced a breath. “Nothing. Just forget it. I don’t have time to relive the past. I need to finish closing here.”
I jumped off my seat and raced around the bar, catching his wrist when he started to leave. “No. I won’t forget it. Not this time.” He glanced down to where I was touching him. I quickly released him and searched his eyes for answers. “What did you want? The spotlight? If you wanted the lead, you should’ve fought for it. Everyone knew you deserved it over him, but you just let him have it.”
“It’s what was best.”
Taking a step back, I shook my head in confusion. “For who? For Bobby? Because it sure as hell wasn’t what was best for the band. Is he why you left?”
“You know why. My pops broke his leg and needed help. He was going to lose the bar if I didn’t come back.”
“And when he got better, you could’ve come back to the band. You deserved to be there. It was your dream. You helped make it happen. Otherwise, Augustine might have never gotten the break they did.”
His jaw tightened. “Let it go, Con,” he said definitively, turning away and walking into the storage room.
Ignoring his warning, I followed him in there, shoving through the door. “You just left! And said nothing!” I yelled at his back, surprising myself at the angry words firing out of my mouth. “Why? Why did you just disappear like that without a word to me? You were my best friend.” My voice cracked on the last word. I swallowed the dry lump in my throat, fighting back the threatening tears. The hurt I felt was as strong as if it had happened yesterday and not ten years ago. I hadn’t realized how much it still pained me. I hadn’t ever admitted to myself how much he’d meant to me.
He spun on me, startling me and forcing me back a step. “I didn’t want to be your friend, Conley!” He threw his hands up in the air, then fisted the ends of his hair. “Dammit!” He turned his back to me again, taking a few heated steps away, then spun back around, dropping his arms, his wild gaze pinning me in place. I felt his stare everywhere. It blazed, roaming over me, heating every part of me as if there were flames licking at my skin. “The reason I never went back was because I couldn’t watch you be with him anymore. And I knew if I went back, I’d never be able to leave you again. I needed to leave. I needed to get the hell over you and move on with my life. I couldn’t do that seeing you every damn day. It killed me to leave, but it was killing me more to watch you with him.”
The silence hung between us as we stared at each other, my mind reeling, so many things clicking into place. I finally allowed myself to acknowledge what I’d been feeling the moment I saw him for the first time in a decade, what we’d both been ignoring and fighting since we were fifteen years old.
It was him.
It had always been him.
Somewhere along the way, I’d convinced myself he never wanted me and that I was happy and in love with Bobby. But it had all been a lie. So many lies…so many years wasted.
“Did it work?” I asked, taking a tentative step forward.
“Don’t,” he warned, his muscles straining against his shirt as he clenched and unclenched his fists. He had no idea how hot he was when he was broody like this, when he was fighting for control, fighting against his feelings.
“Did you get over me?” I took another step closer to him. Then another. I reached for him, pressing my palm against his firm stomach. Feeling the heat and hardness, I ran my hand up his chest, resting it over his heart.
“Conley,” he warned again, wrapping a hand around my wrist, stopping me from going any farther. But this time, his warning was less of a powerful demand and more of a desperate plea. I searched his face for any sign he didn’t want this. That he didn’t want me. I placed my other hand on him. Curling my fingers into his shirt, I pulled myself closer.
His throat swelled and dipped with a forced swallow. His gaze bounced between my eyes and lips as his hand released my wrist and traveled hesitantly over my neck, threading through my hair until it cupped the back of my head. Backing me against the wall, his body pressed into me. He dipped his head, tracing the tip of his nose up the side of my neck. My skin tingled from the sensation and warmth of his breath as he whispered against my skin, “I’ve wanted to kiss you since the ninth grade.”
Closing my eyes, I inhaled his scent. “Then what are you waiting for?”

Excerpt. ©Melissa Ellen. Posted by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
 
 

Giveaway: One signed paperback copy of Tempting Tim by Melissa Ellen

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Meet the Author:

I’m an indie author that focuses on contemporary romance with a little bit of everything: humor, angst and sometimes suspense. I went from designing buildings to crafting stories.

I grew up as a book worm, reading anything and everything and still try to read at least a book a week. I’ve always had an active imagination. Luckily, I now have time to put it excellent use into stories that are constantly swarming around in my head.

When I’m not writing, you can find me relaxing on my porch with my husband and son or tackling my latest DIY project.

 
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