Colors of
Us
McAvery
Brothers Book One
Sandra
Bunino
Genre: Contemporary Romance/New Adult
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Number of pages: 240
Word Count: 62,000
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Synopsis
Everything she knew to be true fell
apart. Then fell apart again…
Michelle Willis is running from her past.
What better place to hide than in the anonymity of New York City. Finding
refuge in a tiny SoHo art gallery, she rebuilds her life one painting at a
time.
A wrong turn sends Hunter McAvery on a
crash course with disaster. He fights his own demons by following his big
brother’s lead - drinking and bed-hopping his way through Manhattan.
A glance at Michelle’s self-portrait
triggers emotions Hunter can’t tamp down. Driven to meet the artist, he
discovers a fiery chemistry as their lives collide. But when their past
threatens to tear them apart, can their love survive?
Excerpt:
“I think pink is your
color. It looks great against your dark hair.” Reaching past her shoulder, he
curled a strand of her hair between his fingers and tugged gently before letting
it fall onto her shoulder.
Meeting his gaze, she
smiled. “Thanks.” Michelle wasn’t used to compliments. It’d been her goal to
fade into the crowd and not to call attention to herself. But her self-imposed
rules seemed to float away around Hunter McAvery.
Returning her smile, he
continued the lesson. “After you slide your hands into the opening, you’ll wind
the long strap around your fingers and wrist like this.” Holding her fingers in
his hand, he wound the dangling strap around her palm and over her knuckles.
“You want to protect the part of your hand that meets the bag.”
He stepped closer as he
slipped the strap around the base of her thumb. When he brushed his fingertips
against the sensitive area just below the fleshy part of her palm, a shiver
shot up her arm and traveled to her belly. His warm breath ghosted her face as
he circled the end of the strap around her wrist and secured the Velcro tab.
Before she knew it, strong fingers captured her left hand and guided her arm to
the warmth between their bodies. She itched to graze her fingers along his
muscled chest, capturing his heat with her palm. Her gaze bounced to his neck
and stubbled jaw, which clenched as he slid the other wrap over her hand.
Slowly wrapping her other wrist, he secured the strap and held both of her
gloved hands in his. “Make a fist,” he said huskily.
Tightening her hands
into a ball, she tucked her thumb around the outside of her fingers like he
showed her at the gym.
He squeezed her fists.
“They look good. You’re a badass.”
Michelle snorted. “A
badass in pink.”
“Let’s see what you got.
Show me some upper cuts. Right here.” He tapped his abs.
“You want me to hit
you?” She giggled.
“Sure. I can take it.”
Turning her palms up,
she made a fist and alternated soft punches to his belly. His rock-hard belly.
Each strike made her aware of how alive he made her feel. The force of impact
sent ripples up his tight shirt, awakening the planes of his muscular form. She
gulped back the desire to open her fists and run her fingertips along the line
of each thick muscle.
His hands came to rest
on her forearms, halting her movement. The pads of his thumbs stroked the
sensitive skin near the inside of her elbow causing a delicious shiver up her
arm. Michelle’s eyes met his. The fire brewing in his darkened gaze drew her
in. Hunter stepped between her legs, nudging her back against the wall next to
the mural. She closed her eyes and choked back a groan, wanting—no, needing—to
grind her heat on his leg. Raising her arms above her, he pinned them against
the wall on either side of her head. His scent flooded her senses as she lifted
her chin to close the gap between them.
“I’m trying like hell
not to kiss you.” Hunter straightened his back but didn’t loosen his grip on
her arms.
Her skin prickled from
the nearness of his body. She let her gaze drift to his lips. “Why?” she
whispered.
He blew a slow breath
between his teeth. “Nothing good would come of it. I’m not capable of giving or
feeling… or offering anything much to you.” He shook his head but he didn’t
move from her body.
“I don’t believe that.”
Michelle wriggled her arms from his grasp. Her fingertips lingered on his
corded forearms, which flexed under her touch. Easing a trail toward his
shoulders, her fingers reminded her of a paintbrush’s first dab of color on a
fresh canvas. She’d always believed each canvas had a personality of its own,
and it was the symphony of the brush, artist, and canvas that created the work
of art. She wanted to explore the blank canvas of Hunter McAvery.
She studied his arms,
still caging her in. Protecting her. Wanting her. Her eyes met his gaze. He
stared at her, unmoving, but a spark burned in his eyes. She held her breath,
afraid to break his trance. Her palms smoothed over his shoulders and down his
chest, stopping at the center of his ribs. Pushing into the muscles of his
chest, she felt the strong beat of his heart on her fingers. “Kiss me, Hunter.”
Raising her eyebrows, she dared to look him in the eyes, almost afraid of what
she’d see.
“You don’t understand.
You’re too… good.” He averted his gaze.
“Maybe you should let me
decide what’s good for me.” She moved closer, his breath burned hot on her
face, and he squeezed his eyes closed.
“Michelle….”
Her hands traveled up
his chest and rested on the bulk of his strong shoulders. Pulling him in, her
breasts molded into his chest and, finally, he crashed his lips down on hers.
She met every stroke of his tongue as her fingers raked through the ends of his
hair. Moaning into his mouth, she straddled his muscular thigh as warmth
flooded her sex. She’d never felt more alive.
His hand grazed her
cheek before taking her chin between his thumb and index finger and pulling
away from their kiss. He tipped his forehead to hers, his raspy breath hot on
her mouth. “Shit.”
Michelle widened her
eyes. “What?” she whispered.
“You. Me. This just
can’t happen. Not now. Not like this.”
About the
Author:
Sandra Bunino is a romance author of
several novellas including The Satin Rose Experience series. Her first
full-length novel, The Colors of Us from the McAvery’s series, released in
August 2014. She makes her parents proud by putting her MBA degree to good use
dreaming up heroes who resemble David Gandy whenever possible. When not staying
up past her bedtime torturing her oh-so-sexy heroes, she can be found shopping
for shoes or saving turtles.
As a social media junkie in need of a
ten-step program, you can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and her new
addiction, Pinterest. Sandra loves to read and chat with other readers, so she
formed the Bunino’s Bookalicious Babes group on Facebook where they currently
share their love of Jamie Fraser from Outlanders…and David Gandy, of course.
Website: http://sandrabunino.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SandraBunino
Bookalicious Babes Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/597429020306289/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sandrabunino/
Bookalicious Babes mailing list: http://eepurl.com/LuwPL
Tour
giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card and a Colors of Us
Swag Pack
what inspired Colors Of Us? :)
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