He opened his mouth to protest when she flicked her wrist. The knife in her hand hissed through the air, embedding itself with a thud into the wall next to him.
“A trade, however.”
Oh, he liked this girl. Keeping his eyes on her, he pulled out the knife with ease. The slim, black-enameled hilt was warm from her touch. “A trade it is,” he rasped.
“Go on, then,” she said. “I'll not leave until you're well out of here.”
Deliciously peremptory. His gut tightened and went hot.
Come with me. He'd take her to a tavern, buy her ale and bread, tease her simply to hear her talk, to watch her all night and revel in the way she commanded those in orbit around her. Only then she'd see him. And run. The heaviness in his chest was a crushing thing.
“As my lady wishes.”
She gave a start. She hadn't truly thought he'd obey, and it made him chuckle. God, he hadn't smiled this much in years. The muscles along his chest ached from his recent laughter. When had he last laughed? He could not remember.
Hector Ellis's daughter. So the man would have to live. Archer turned a new plan over in his mind. One Archer knew Ellis would agree to, for a man such as him would agree to anything to save his own skin. A little time was all that Archer required.
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THIS BOOK WAS a labor of love. But what came afterwards, the help and support I received from others, was probably this biggest joy of the entire process. These people are filled with so much awesome. I can never repay them; I can only thank them here. And that really seems too small a thing.
Massive thanks to: Elyssa Patrick, Amanda Bonilla, Edie Harris, Rhiannon Morgan, Morgan Doremus, Bree Bridges, Courtney Milan, Thea Harrison, Vivian Arend, Annie Tegelan, Joanna Hoskinson, Christine Bell, Joan Swan, Karina Callihan Escobar, Liz Callihan, Kristin Nelson and Lori Bennett of NLA Digital Platform, Julie Titus of JT Formatting, and Jena O’Connor of Practical Proofing for editorial and copyediting feedback. And, as always, my husband and children for supporting me every step of the way.
Author Note
In The Hook Up, Anna calls football a religion. For a lot of people it is exactly that. Devotion to a team can be absolute. To that end, I deliberately did not name a college or a team, preferring to leave that to the reader’s imagination.
The 2014 NCAA football season marks the beginning of a four-team playoff schedule. Drew and his team play under this new system. It can be debated that since Drew manages to lose a late season game, much to his chagrin, the selection committee might have cause to eliminate his team from playoff consideration. I’d like to think that them being two-time National Champions, and having a near perfect season, along with other team losses, conspire to keep their ranking high enough to let Drew’s team into the playoffs. Of course, I’m happy to hear any and all rebuttals.
Because while I’ve done my best to portray the world of college football as accurately as I can, there is always the possibility that I’ve made mistakes. If you catch any, please accept my apologies, and I’ll strive to do better next time!