RELEASE BLITZ WITH EXCERPT: Smooth Sailing by Kristen Ashley

SMOOTH SAILING, a page-turning standalone forced proximity, opposites-attract MC romance from New York Times Bestselling Author, Kristen Ashley, is out now!

Scroll down for an extended excerpt!

 

 

Harlan “Hugger” McCain wasn’t ready to be welcomed into the fold. He felt like an outcast.

 

 

When the Chaos Motorcycle Club came to call, Harlan “Hugger” McCain wasn’t ready to be welcomed into the fold. They said he was a legacy. He felt like an outcast.

But he patched in anyway.

And he was all in to be a part of their not-quite-outlaw missions.

This takes him down to Phoenix, right into the orbit of Diana Armitage, a beautiful, green-eyed woman with a heart of gold and a scarily honed tendency to sacrifice for pretty much everyone she cares about, and some people she barely knows.

Hugger has been existing. Life has never given him much, now, he expects even less.

Diana lives life to its fullest. And she doesn’t keep it a secret she wants to drag Hugger right along with her.

But Hugger is certain he’s got bad blood. He’s got one foot in Chaos, one foot out. One foot in Diana’s life, one foot out.

Diana and his brothers in Chaos have their work cut out to show Hugger who he is.

That he belongs.

And he’s worthy to be loved.

 

 

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“…a steamy romance that felt as sweet as it was sexy.” ~Danielle, Red Cheeks Reads

 

Check out Danielle’s 5 SMOOCHES review!

 

 

EXCERPT:

 

Prologue

Beat-up Chairs

 

Big Petey

 

Denver, Colorado

Not too long ago…

Thursday Night

 

The bar wasn’t the worst Pete had been in, it wasn’t the best either.

But it was a bar, a busy one, and shit went down in bars, busy, seedy, or neither.

And shit was going down.

That was why he tensed, and Rush, sitting across from him in a back corner booth, tensed with him.

They’d seen the dipshit on the barstool cop a feel of a woman’s ass as she walked by with her friends. They’d seen her negative reaction to that unwanted touch.

And they’d seen how Harlan McCain hadn’t missed either.

Now, Harlan, a bouncer at the bar, was on the move.

Pete knew Harlan also hadn’t missed the man on the barstool had a crew with him.

And that bar had one bouncer.

Harlan.

That didn’t stop the man from walking right up to Barstool and having a few words.

Unsurprisingly, those words didn’t go well.

Even if Harlan appeared to be going about things calmly and rationally, the situation deteriorated. Barstool got off his seat, going right into a two-handed shove on Harlan without the man doing a thing to stop him.

His buds all exited their seats and gathered around.

Harlan went back a step at the shove, but that was it.

Except Harlan kept talking.

Barstool got in his face, and it was clear he wasn’t sharing the weather.

Harlan stayed cool, and when Barstool finally shut up, he kept calm and kept talking with some easily read head and hand motions that indicated Barstool, and his buds, were invited to walk out the front door.

Barstool, either drunk, stupid, or both, took a step back, cocking an arm to throw a punch.

This caused Pete to prepare to move.

It also caused Harlan to dodge, and while dodging, take Barstool by the back neck of his shirt, the back waistband of his jeans and frog-march him right out the front door.

His crew followed, and their set faces and body language shared what they intended to do when this shit went outside.

Pete and Rush instantly slid out of their booth.

Harlan was a big guy. Tall. Built. And the man’s muscle wasn’t lean, it was bulky.

If he knew how to use it, it would pack a mean punch.

If he didn’t, it could slow him down. Make him vulnerable.

But four on one wasn’t good odds for anybody, no matter how they could handle themselves.

This being why Pete and Rush quickly wound their way through the bar to the front door and out of it.

Rush was young, fit, and he knew how to take care of business.

Pete had long since passed his days where he could throw down.

Shit, he had to brace in preparation just to stand up from a chair. His knees were bad. His back ached most days. His neck got stiff easily. Even his hips got to hurting on more than the rare occasion. Cold weather seized him right up. He went through ibuprofen like he owned stock in that shit.

The thought of throwing a punch, or catching one, made his stomach curl into itself.

But this was Harlan.

This was Jackie’s boy.

So Pete would get trounced to dirt if it came to it.

Rush pushed out the door first, Pete followed, and they both stopped in their tracks right outside.

Barstool was flat on his back on the pavement, and he looked like he was out cold.

One of his crew was bent double, his hand to his face, blood streaming through his fingers, hollering, “You broke my nose, asshole!”

Another was on his knees, both hands clutching his junk, a look on his face no man needed translated.

The last was backing off from Harlan, his hands up.

“Well…shit,” Rush whispered.

That said it.

What, it took them half a minute to get out there?

Impressive.

“Banned,” Harlan’s low, rough voice came, his gaze centered on Hands Up.

“You just earned a lawsuit,” Hands Up threatened.

“Got cameras everywhere, man. They caught that genius”—Harlan jerked his head toward the prone man on the pavement—“doing his grab-ass shit in the bar. Caught him refusing to leave when it was made clear he was no longer welcome in this establishment. Caught him shoving me and winding up to land a blow. Out here, caught him doing the same, then that professor”—an additional jerk of the head to the one bleeding—“jumped on my back.” Another jerk in the other direction. “That one tried to pile on. Now, you tell me, what judge is gonna see some assclown grab a woman’s ass, refuse to leave when asked, all four of you throwing down against one guy, and give you that first dime for me protecting myself and the women in the bar, something I’m employed, in part, to do?”

Before Hands Up could speak, Harlan kept at him.

“None of ’em. Trust me on this, I been doin’ it for a while. Now gather your troops and get gone. Don’t come back either. Lifetime ban.”

Hands Up was pulling Nuts Busted straight and talking trash. “Was a shit bar anyway.”

“Good you won’t miss it,” Harlan muttered.

Hands Up, Nosebleed and Nuts Busted dragged Barstool, who was regaining consciousness, to his feet, at the same time they glared at Harlan. Pete noticed their attention often bounced to Rush, who was standing not near, but not far, from Harlan’s back.

They ignored Pete. Then again, even he had to admit he wasn’t much of a threat.

Harlan didn’t move, nor did Rush or Pete as they watched the four men make their way to an SUV.

They still didn’t move as the vehicle drove out of the parking lot.

Once it exited the lot, Harlan turned to them.

He glanced at Rush, but his focus settled on Big Petey.

“If I wanted in, I’d have hit the Compound, man.”

“You ride,” Pete replied.

Harlan’s wide shoulders went up and down. “Lotta men ride bikes. That don’t mean they got patches.”

True.

But this was Jackie’s boy.

“It’s time,” Pete replied.

Harlan shook his head. “I’m not a joiner.”

“Joker isn’t either, but he’s a brother. Snapper, the same,” Pete told him. “It isn’t about joining, son. It’s about family.”

Harlan had a mess of blond-brown hair and a full, thick beard that couldn’t decide if it wanted to be blond or brown, and there was even some black vying for space.

Pete could still see his lips thin in that mass of whiskers at the mention of family.

Pete was too old for this shit.

And he was tired.

He’d survived two wars with his Club. They’d lost men, to both death and dishonor. They’d put their asses on the line. They’d seen their women in danger.

Personally, he’d watched his only child, his beautiful daughter, waste away from cancer.

But he had to do this. He had to find the energy for it.

This had to happen.

For Harlan.

For Jackie.

Therefore, Pete pulled out the big guns.

“She’d want you with us, Harlan,” he said quietly. “You know that. You know it, son. I heard her say it myself.”

It was all about direct eye contact, until Pete said that.

When those words came out, Harlan looked away.

And Pete knew he was right.

He also knew Jackie died wanting that for her boy. She wanted that purpose, that solidness, that brotherhood for her only child.

And she died without him having it.

Rush entered the discussion.

“Listen, this decision doesn’t need to be made now. We’re havin’ a get-together Saturday. It starts at one o’clock. Come whenever. It’s FFO. That way, you’ll get a feel of us. Be able to make an informed decision.”

And we’ll get a feel for you, he did not say, but Pete knew that was a part of it.

Rush was too young to know.

Tack knew. Hound. Hop. Dog. Brick. High. Arlo. Boz.

They all knew.

Rush didn’t know.

Pete had told him, but he didn’t know.

Harlan already was one of them.

The tightness in Pete’s chest relaxed a hint when Harlan asked, “What’s FFO?”

“Friends and family only,” Rush answered.

Now it was direct eye contact with Rush. A lot of it. And it lasted awhile.

Finally, Harlan said, “We’ll see.”

Both he and Rush knew that was as good as they were going to get.

They left it at that and walked to their bikes.

They’d see on Saturday.

And on Pete’s part, he’d hope.

And that hope was all for Jackie.

 

WANT MORE? Click HERE to finish reading the Prologue!

 

 

 


About Kristen Ashley:

Kristen Ashley is the New York Times bestselling author of over eighty romance novels. She’s a hybrid author, publishing titles both independently and traditionally, her books have been translated in fourteen languages and she’s sold millions of books.

Kristen, born in Gary and raised in Brownsburg, Indiana and was a fourth-generation graduate of Purdue University. Since, she has lived in Denver, the West Country of England, and she now resides in Phoenix. She worked as a charity executive for eighteen years prior to beginning her independent publishing career. She now writes full-time.

Although romance is her genre, the prevailing themes running through all of Kristen’s novels are friendship, family and a strong sisterhood. To this end, and as a way to thank her readers for their support, Kristen has created the Rock Chick Nation, a series of programs that are designed to give back to her readers and promote a strong female community. You can learn more about Kristen and the Rock Chick Nation on her website.

Connect with Kristen:

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