Exclusive Excerpt: XO, ZACH by Kendall Ryan
The first time we met was at a party.
Your ex arrived to show off the person he'd left you for last month, and you asked me to pretend to be your date.
I was more than happy to help. You were attractive, smart and witty--and that kiss we shared? It left me wanting you for days.
The second time we met was in my office on campus where we were both surprised to discover you were the new master’s degree student in poetry that I would be working with. You promised to be professional. I did no such thing.
The late nights and intense study sessions spent alongside you majorly throw me off my game. I want you, and I fight with myself daily over this fact.
I know I'm crass, that my sexual innuendos and dirty mouth annoy you, but I live for those two bright spots of color in your cheeks. If that's the only reaction I can get out of you, I'll gladly take it.
You hate Mondays so every Monday I slip an anonymous poem into your bag and your smile gets me through the week.
I think I'm falling for you, and I know it's wrong. I know that I'm only supposed to be your adviser and nothing more, but here's the thing. I think you're falling for me too.
xo, Zach
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"This is
serious, Poppy. Will you promise?"
"What am I
promising?" This man had a way of getting me to say things, to feel
things, to admit things that I might not have otherwise. I wasn't sure if it
was because he was older and wiser and that much more cunning at these types of
discussions, or if it was just because being near him seemed to physically
lower my inhibitions. He was like a walking shot of tequila.
"I need you to
promise me that if anything physical happens between us—that it will be very
consensual, and very sex-positive. I need you to understand that I will worship
you and make you come So. Many. Fucking Times."
He annunciated
those words so clearly and slowly, I felt them with every beat of my heart,
every pulse of heat between my legs.
Oblivious to my
hammering heart, Zach continued. "But I also need you to know that if I do
or say anything you don't like, all you have to do is say so and everything
will stop. Just the word no, Poppy. Use it and I promise to leave you
alone."
"Leave me
alone as in stop mentoring me, stop helping me in the program?"
His face was
serious and he shook his head without even considering it. "I will never
stop mentoring you, as long as you want it. Giving in to our attraction—or
not—will never be a condition for my help. I want you to succeed, and it has nothing
to do with how much I want you in my bed. Do you understand that?"
I felt myself
nodding my head.
I knew what he was
saying. Despite how aggressively Zach put his feelings on the subject of us out
there—I knew he'd never betray my wishes.
"Okay," I
murmured.
He considered me
for a long moment, neither of us blinking.
"Why did you
approach me that night at the party, Poppy. Did you find me attractive?"
Was he fucking
serious?
Of course I find
him attractive. Actually, attractive was too weak a word. I found him
mesmerizing. Addictive. Enchanting. Impossible.
"I'm not
saying I do, but if I wanted something to happen ..." I swallowed a wave
of nerves and took a shallow breath as Zach's mouth curved into a grin.
"Something as
in finding out how many times in a row I can make you come using my mouth, my
hands, and my ..."
I held up one hand.
"Yes. That. How would it work, isn't it, like, forbidden?"
God, why did the
word forbidden make me feel even hotter?
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She's a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she's appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.
Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras
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