Morgan Kelley has left
Boston and is settling in Philadelphia…to a city that harbors her most painful
secrets. Will these secrets destroy Morgan’s new beginning or will coming clean
give her the second chance she’s longing to have? Find out in Elle Keating’s
BACK TO THE START!
Back to the
Start by Elle
Keating
Genre: Contemporary
Romance
Series: Dangerous
Love
Release
Date: June
19, 2018
Format:
Digital eBook
ISBN:
TBD
Jake McGinnis has the life he has dreamed of since
childhood: a professional football career with adoring fans, financial
security, and the unwavering support of his family. From the outside
looking in, he has everything. But nothing could be further from the
truth. Because there isn’t a day that goes by that Jake doesn’t think about his
first love... and what his world would look like if she was still by his
side. When he hears that she is relocating to start a new job
less than a mile from him, the pain of their breakup feels fresher than ever.
For eight years, he has wondered why their relationship ended and now
she's settling in his city. A city that isn't big enough for the two of
them.
For Morgan Kelley, moving to Philadelphia means living
closer to her family and practicing veterinary medicine with two of her closest
friends. It’s also her chance to start over and move on from her failed
marriage. There’s only one con: the close proximity to Jake McGinnis. Once upon
a time being near him was all she wanted, but now he is practically a stranger...
and it's all her fault. Faced with awful memories and the possibility of
bumping into him at her favorite coffee shop, Morgan is haunted by the real
reason she once broke both of their hearts. Deep down, she knows she won’t be
able to embrace this new chapter of her life without finally telling Jake the
whole truth.
But how will he react when she shares her secret?
Their love story once felt inevitable, unshakable. Is this where it ends
for good, or is it the beginning of a second chance
Chapter One
Jake
Stand up straight.
Stare dead ahead. Smile at your sister.
Jake McGinnis watched his sister, Carina, sway to the music. Her
fiancé of only five minutes brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and wiped
away the tears from her still-flushed cheeks. But they were happy tears. Which
meant Josh Graham was a lucky man. As long as Carina’s fiancé kept a smile on
her face, he was allowed to live.
“Look how happy your sister is, Jake. I’ve never seen her so in
love,” his mom said.
Though Jake towered over Lucrezia McGinnis
by at least eight inches, he would always be her little boy. It wasn’t like he
was a momma’s boy or starved for her approval. She had always encouraged him to
make his own choices and follow his dreams. Even when he was five and he
declared that he was going to be an NFL quarterback, she didn’t shoo him away
or tell him to have a plan B when that dream didn’t materialize. Instead, she
had told him that he would have to work hard to make it to the pros, and then
when he thought he couldn’t take anymore, he would need to work even harder. He
leaned into his mom and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Lord knows Carina
deserves it.”
“And so does that young man. He too
deserves to be happy and in a family who loves him,” his mom said, nodding at
the couple on the dance floor. “Josh is a good boy.”
His mom had moved to the States over forty years ago, but her
Italian accent was still incredibly thick. Jake loved the sound of her voice,
how comforting it was. So much so that it almost made him let his guard down.
Almost. Jake returned his attention to his sister and the scene behind her. The
Avalon Yacht Club’s floor to ceiling windows allowed him to see the sun setting
over the bay, giving the large reception room a golden hue.
Josh took Carina’s hand and kissed her ring finger. The diamond
sparkled. His sister’s smile took over her entire face. Jake had to admit that
the man had class. Just last week, Josh had driven to his future in-laws’ house
and asked for their daughter’s hand. After he received their blessing, Josh
called each of Carina’s siblings and her best friend and her mom and invited
them to come witness what turned out to be one hell of a proposal.
At first Jake had thought it was strange that Josh wanted to pop
the question at his best friend’s wedding reception. Jake wasn’t an expert at
weddings and etiquette, but he had wondered if proposing at someone else’s
reception was some sort of party foul. But then he had seen the bride’s face,
how happy she was when Josh dropped to his knee and told Carina and over a
hundred and fifty guests that he wanted her to be his wife. There hadn’t been a
dry eye in the place. Even Jake had gotten a little choked up.
But the moment had passed. And now it was taking everything he
had to keep his shit together. Because just twenty feet away stood the reason that[KH1] he felt like he was
going to crawl out of his skin and put his fist through the wall behind him.
Deep breath. Straighten your tie. Unclench your hands. Don’t
look at her.
He fucking looked.
And regretted it the second he
laid eyes on her.
He had prayed to feel
indifference. That the sight of Morgan Kelley wouldn’t invoke anything in him.
But pain hit him harder than any linebacker ever could and the anger…it made
his blood boil.
It was the anger he clung to. It was the safest choice and an
emotion that he was well acquainted with. Anger had driven him these past eight
years. Every time he had pictured her face, he would sprint a little harder. Each
moment he had allowed himself to think of how she tasted, how she had melted
into him the first and only time they were together, Jake would hit the weight
room and lift until his arms were about to give out or his coach told him to
fucking stop, whichever came first.
It was anger, not lust, not love, that had prompted him to
fulfil his desires with many women over the years. At first, he had chosen
women who resembled her. It wasn’t intentional; it was his subconscious that
ached to be with her again, to look into her dark blue eyes and get lost in
them, to touch every freckle that sprinkled her nose, and to fist her long,
blonde hair. When it had finally hit him that he was seeking these women out
for one reason and one reason only, he changed his requirements. From that
moment on, the women he fucked had to be different from Morgan Kelley in every
way. He didn’t want to see her face when he made a woman’s back arch with
pleasure. He didn’t want Morgan’s eyes looking back at him, destroying what was
left of his heart.
“May I have this dance?” Patrick McGinnis asked. His dad’s voice
made Jake snap to attention. He forced a smile and tried to pretend that he
wasn’t falling apart. Jake took his mom’s hand and placed it in her husband’s.
“Of course,” she said. His mom gave Jake a kiss on the cheek and
whispered, “Now, are you going to ask her to dance or are you content with just
staring at her from across the room?” His mom winked at him and made her way
onto the dance floor with her husband.
Jake had no intention of asking Morgan to dance. It was tough
enough to be in the same room as her. On the drive here, Jake had sworn to
himself that he wouldn’t speak to her. Or look at her. Or imagine what her life
had been like these past eight years…without him. His stomach twisted into
knots, which pissed him the hell off.
Feel nothing…please.
Morgan glanced in his direction and then turned her back on him.
He watched her signal the bartender. Memories of that day she had broken up
with him came flooding back.
Her crying.
Her wincing, as if in pain.
Her saying the words he would never forget.
“We need to…break up, Jake. I can’t do this anymore.”
No. She wasn’t going to dismiss him again. In an instant he was
at the bar, standing directly behind her and wondering what the fuck he was
doing.
***
About Elle:
Elle Keating is the author of romance
novels with sexy heroes and fierce females. Her first book, Thrill of the Chase
(Dangerous Love, #1), was published by Forever Romance’s digital imprint,
Forever Yours, in 2015. Cut to the Chase (Dangerous Love, #2) soon followed.
Most recently, Elle self-published Wanting More (Dangerous Love, #3) and a
standalone novel, Keeping His Commandments.
An avid reader of gritty, dark romances, her favorite authors include Pepper Winters, Penelope Ward, and Anna Zaires.
When she isn’t torturing her heroes and heroines (don’t worry, there’s always a happily ever after), Elle is a public school administrator and enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children in New Jersey.
An avid reader of gritty, dark romances, her favorite authors include Pepper Winters, Penelope Ward, and Anna Zaires.
When she isn’t torturing her heroes and heroines (don’t worry, there’s always a happily ever after), Elle is a public school administrator and enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children in New Jersey.
No comments:
Post a Comment