Title:
Fumbled
Author: T.K.
Rapp
Release Date: Jan
6, 2016
Find on
Goodreads
A good love story always begins
the same way.
A
chance meeting.
A sizzling
look.
A flat
tire…
Dani Miner could have been
voted least likely to be a damsel in
distress.
Tabor Hunter should have been
voted most likely to do the
rescuing.
So when Dani gets a flat tire
on her way home one evening, she is, at first, less than thrilled to be helped
out by a man that is clearly too charming for his own good. Even if he is
handsome. And buff. And the king of the thousand watt
smile.
However, prickly Dani is
eventually charmed by her hottie knight in shining sunglasses. And a brief
moment spent on the side of the road on a hot summer evening quickly leads to a
first date.
But what Dani doesn’t
realize is that she has just agreed to go out with the very famous defensive
end for the San Diego Quakes. And Tabor is thrilled to finally meet a woman who
doesn’t fall at his overly athletic feet. This year's most
valuable player is excited to have a chance to be an ordinary guy with a less than
ordinary woman.
But being a celebrity can put a
real kink in your love life and Dani, a woman used to a much quieter life, is
soon caught up in the high paced world of fame and
football.
Falling in love is easy. Falling
in love with a sports star is another
story.
Can Dani figure out how to play
the game before she fumbles her chance at
happiness?
“Come.
On,” I grunted, pulling one way and pushing another.
“Stupid piece of
junk!”
I
threw the tire iron on the ground and jumped out of the way when it bounced.
The last thing I needed was a bruise because I was a clumsy dumbass. I kicked
the black rubber before wiping my hand across my face to move the stray auburn
hair that clung to my forehead. My knees were blackened from the dirty asphalt
and my hands were covered in brownish
muck.
I
was a complete mess.
I wiped my hands on my thighs
and sat down on the curb, preparing to call my dad to drive over and save
me.
“Do you need some
help?” a low voice
asked.
The sun blazed down,
obstructing my view. Not even shielding my eyes seemed to help. All I could
make out was a towering shadow a few feet away that was intimidating as hell. A
gray Range Rover was parked behind him across the street, and I assumed it
belonged to Mr. Tall-and-Helpful. He squatted down next to the tire, giving me
an unobstructed view of him.
He wore gold-rimmed aviators
and a baseball cap that hid his face well. But his full lips that were curved
into a smirk had me entranced. I tried to avert my eyes to anywhere but his
lips, knowing that he might be able to see exactly what I was
thinking.
I cleared my throat and dropped
my gaze, and it landed on the white T-shirt clinging to his chest. His pecs
were straining beneath the thin material and it dawned on me as I continued to
look him over that his muscles appeared to be bulging
everywhere. Hell, his neck was probably the same size as
one of my thighs.
After
my breakup with Philip the year before, I’d sworn to myself that I
would never rely on a man again—even for something as small as a tire
change.
Don’t get me wrong, I
wasn’t a man-hater by any means. I loved men. But I’d
depended on Philip so heavily that I’d started to lose myself in the
process. Once I’d found me again, I didn’t want to let
go.
But sometimes you need help,
whether you want to admit it or
not.
“I—I’ll
be fine,” I lied, scrambling to my feet to give me some distance. I
had a better view of the guy and I was unable to say anything more. Mr.
Tall-Helpful-and-Gorgeous let out a disarming huff and it
shook me from my perusal of his body.
“I’m sure
you will,” he said before stepping around me, picking up the tire
iron, and pointing to the
flat.
“Sure.” I
shrugged. “I’ve only been trying for the last fifteen
minutes.”
“I know.”
He smirked as he placed it over the lug nut. With one strong push, he loosened
it.
“You know?”
I questioned, laughing softly. “How long have you been watching
me?”
“Looked like you were
determined to do it alone. Didn’t want to step on your
toes,” he said without a hint of sarcasm.
“Oh,” was
all I could say in response.
His hands moved swiftly,
removing the rest of the lug nuts and setting them aside. I was fascinated at
how easy the whole thing was for him, and I was grateful for his
help.
“I’m
Tabor,” he said as he put the car jack in place.
“Dani,” I
answered. “And thanks.”
“No
problem.”
He
flashed a smile over his shoulder before he turned back to the tire. I touched
my hair and realized I probably looked like a frazzled mess. Sweat was running
down my spine, my clothes were smudged with dirt and grime, and I was pretty
sure my mascara was trudging into raccoon
territory.
“So do you make it a
daily ritual to scour the neighborhood for damsels in distress, or do you
happen to live around here?” I asked, though it came out rude and not
playful as I intended.
I was grateful for his help,
but it wasn’t coming through in my tone. My friends always told me my
sarcastic, dry personality was off-putting, and when I wanted to rein it in, I
failed miserably.
“Are you asking me if
I come here often?” His eyebrow arched slightly over his sunglasses suggestively
and he laughed as I stared at him feeling
mortified.
T.K. Rapp is a Texas girl born
and raised. She earned a B.A. in Journalism from Texas A&M and it was
there that she met the love of her life. He had a contract with the U.S. Navy
that would take them across both coasts, and ultimately land them back home in
Texas.
Upon
finally settling in Texas, T.K. worked as a graphic designer and photographer
for the family business that her mom started years earlier. She was able to
infuse her creativity and passion, into something she enjoyed, but something
was still missing. There was a voice in the back of her head that told her to
write, so write, she did. And, somewhere on an external hard drive, are several
stories she started and never finished.
Now at home, raising her two
daughters with her husband, T.K. has more time to do the things she loves,
which includes photography and writing. When she’s not doing one of
those, she can be found with her family, which keeps her busy. She enjoys
watching her kids in their various sporting activities (i.e. doing the soccer
mom thing), having Sunday breakfast at her parent’s house, singing out
loud and out of key or dancing like a fool. She loves raunchy humor, gossip
blogs and a good book.
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