Blurb
In Regina Cole’s steamy novel of hot ink and delicious angst, two tortured artists take a leap of faith—but the past threatens to tear them apart.
After her parents pull the plug on her college fund to finance their nasty divorce, Hailey Jakes is desperate to pay her own way and finish her degree in graphic design. She can hardly believe her luck when the sexiest guy she’s ever seen hires her to be the receptionist at his tattoo shop. With sea-blue eyes, jet-black hair, and full sleeves of tattoos on his muscular arms, Neill Vanderhaven looks like the kind of guy who wouldn’t give her the time of day. In fact, he’s mesmerized by her—and it doesn’t hurt that she’s talented as hell.
But Hailey and Neill have more in common than instant chemistry: They’re both carrying serious baggage. Hailey’s parents split after years of blowout fights and sloppy affairs. Neill just got out of something serious with a woman who loved her bad habits more than she loved him. When they take the plunge on a new relationship, they’re both breaking their own rules.
But then a terrible misunderstanding brings Neill’s worst fears to life, and their connection threatens to come crashing down. What they have is more than skin-deep, but now Hailey and Neill need to decide whether the kind of love that lasts forever is worth such exquisite pain.
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/08/draw-me-in-by-regina-cole.html
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22551565-draw-me-in?ac=1
Author Info
Regina Cole, lover of manly muscled arms, chest hair, and mini-marshmallows, has been reading romance since her early teens. While she loves a love story of any heat level, she’s been drawn to the erotic side and is loving every minute. When she’s not frantically pounding away at the keyboard, she can be found fishing with her family, playing with her dogs, trying out strange new recipes, or snuggling with her hubby. She also writes mainstream romance as Gina Lamm.
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Excerpt
I quickened my step and hurried toward my tutoring appointment with Dr. Fields, my student adviser. The manicured grass swished under my sneakers as I cut the corner past the campus police station. I rounded the math building toward Adams Hall. The large stone structure that housed psychology and English classes, as well as my adviser’s office, was one of the oldest on campus. But that was Leesville. Ancient stone structures surrounded by modern architecture and wonderful, colorful landscaping. A mishmash of old and new that had inspired probably a hundred of my drawings since I’d been here.
A burst of laughter caught my attention, and I moved to the edge of the sidewalk, waiting for a group of girls to pass so I could mount the steps to Adams Hall. It wasn’t until after they’d gone that I heard the last chime of my cellphone.
“Crap,” I muttered as I yanked it from my pocket. The screen flashed. Missed call—Home. I frowned. It wasn’t like Mom to call me in the middle of the day.
As much as I hated to, I navigated to the missed call and tapped the number. With the sound of ringing in my ear, I wandered down the walk a little way. Sunlight streamed through tiny gaps in the thick canopy above, oak trees lining the shady, acorn-covered sidewalk. With the small nuts crunching under my steps, I counted the rings.
Three, four, five . . . I frowned. Mom always answered by the third ring. She worked from home, and it was Thursday, so why the delay? Six, seven . . .
The heavy click of someone answering was a temporary relief.
“Hey, Mom, what’s up? Sorry I missed your call. I couldn’t hear the ring until it was too late.”
It wasn’t my mother who answered. It was Dad. “Hales, I’m sorry.”
“Dad, why are you home? What’s wrong? Is Mom okay?” I stopped there, in the middle of the sidewalk. My stomach tightened and my nails cut into my palm as I made a tight fist and waited for his answer.
His heavy breath was full of sadness, even through the phone’s tiny speaker. “I’m sorry, but it’s over, Hales. Your mother and I . . . we’re through.”
I slammed my eyes shut. I’d known it. Before he had said a word, I’d known what he was going to say. But that didn’t stop the bolt of shock from slicing me in two. I took a deep breath to steady myself, then answered. “When, Dad?”
“Yesterday.” His voice broke. “It’s not my choice, honey. It’s hers. She left, and she’s taken all our savings with her. I did everything I could, but she read my text messages and misinterpreted them to mean I was having an affair. I tried to explain, but she wouldn’t listen.”
I cradled my forehead in my hand. Nausea swirled in my belly. I didn’t care if they split up, I really didn’t, but for him to pull this shit . . . “How can she believe that, Dad? It’s not like this is the first time.”
“Hey, I’ve told you both that I was drunk at that New Year’s Eve party, and that it didn’t mean anything . . .” He trailed off, but his voice came back much stronger. “I don’t have to explain myself. But listen, this is going to affect you. Why don’t you come home tomorrow after your classes and we can talk about it?”
“I can’t do that. Whatever it is, can’t you tell me now?” I didn’t want to know, not really, but I sure as hell wasn’t stepping foot back home, not for as long as I could swing it. I wrapped my arm around my midsection, trying to hold myself together.
Dad made a sound deep in his throat. I waited him out, and after about ten seconds of silence, he broke. “I’m sorry, I was trying to figure out a way to keep you in school, but I can’t. We’ll have to put your education on hold for the time being.”
The world shimmered around the edges, and I swayed. Leave school? He had to be kidding. There was no way.
Shocked tears tracked down my cheeks. I hated the way the oxygen couldn’t find my lungs, how my icy fingers gripped the phone so hard it creaked. It wasn’t my parents’ split. It was something much, much worse. “You can’t do that.”
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