Reading, Willing & Able: EXCERPT REVEAL: Tell Me Pretty Lies by Charleigh Rose

TELL ME PRETTY LIES by Charleigh Rose
Release Date: March 18th

Add to Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46662113-tell-me-pretty-lie

Blurb:

Three things my mother acquired when she became engaged:

1. A brand new Tiffany’s ring.

2. A lavish home on Heartbreak Hill.

3. Three privileged stepsons.

The last thing I expected was to fall for one of them, least of all Thayer Ames.

Beautiful, brooding, and untouchable.

I knew it was a bad idea. He warned me himself.

But he was a thunderstorm, and I never could resist the rain.

It was perfect…

Until it wasn’t.

One night was all it took for our world to crumble around us, leaving only secrets and lies between us.

Now, I have to face him again, and the boy I used to know has become the man who loves to hate me.

Excerpt:

“Shayne!” Thayer’s voice breaks through the heavy rain. I cross my arms and continue toward my house.

Thunder rolls and lightning follows again, much sooner this time, telling me the storm is moving closer. I push wet hair out of my face, squinting to see through the rain.

“What the fuck, Shayne,” Thayer booms, running up behind me. I turn to face him, his dark, wet hair falling in front of his eyes. “Are you crazy?”

“You told me to leave!”

“Well now I’m telling you to get your ass back inside the barn!”

I shake my head as the thunder booms once more. I know I’m being unreasonable. Now is not the time to hold anything against him. But I can’t help it. I turn back around, heading for the house. We’re only slightly closer to the barn anyway, and I’d rather get somewhere warm. But then Thayer’s hand is gripping mine, pulling me back toward him.

A loud crack splits my ears as another flash of light appears, interrupting us. Thayer and I both look over to see a bolt of lightning hit a tree only feet away. It blazes down the tree in a straight line, chunks of bark flying off. I stand there wide-eyed, staring at the smoke that follows.

“We need to leave.” Thayer grabs my hand again. When we touch, I feel a jolt shoot through my thumb and down wrist, and I drop his hand like it’s on fire.

“What was that?” It doesn’t exactly hurt, but I definitely felt something.

Thayer frowns, bringing a hand up to grip his bare shoulder, but he doesn’t respond. He felt it too.

“What the fuck are you guys doing?” Holden calls out, running up to us from the direction of the house. “The old man’s about to lose his shit.” He looks between the two of us, Thayer shirtless, his belt buckle still undone, and me, shoeless, looking more like a wild animal than a girl.

I freeze, not knowing how I’m going to explain, but Thayer’s quick on his feet, even three sheets to the wind.

“Pretty sure she just got hit by some ground lightning,” he says, gesturing to the tree that’s still smoking. “She should probably get to the E.R.”

“What? No, I’m fine,” I insist, shaking my head.

Ground lightning? Is that what that was? I barely felt it.

Holden rushes over to me and Thayer takes off, giving me one last look over his shoulder as Holden inspects me for damage. I can’t pry my eyes away from him, standing there in the pouring rain with his bare, tan chest heaving, perpetual frown in place. Somehow, I know that for the second time this week, everything is about to change. I feel it in my bones.

And I can’t shake the feeling that Thayer just said goodbye.

For good.

About the Author:

Charleigh Rose lives in Narnia with her husband and two young children. She’s hopelessly devoted to unconventional love and pizza. When she isn’t reading or mom-ing, she’s writing moody, broody, swoony romance.