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The Careless Boyfriend by Erika Kelly – Exclusive Excerpt

04/23/2019


From award-winning author Erika Kelly comes the third standalone title in her smoking hot series about four elite athlete brothers raised in the Tetons by their eccentric, billionaire dad and uncle, The Bad Boyfriend Series! Don’t miss your chance to meet the swoony Gray Bowie in THE CARELESS BOYFRIEND! Grab your copy today!

Gray Bowie broke the bro code: he fell in love with his best friend’s girlfriend.

For years, he hid his feelings…until one terrible night, it all came to a head.

Since her life blew up in high school, Knox Holliday has spent her time honing her skills as a couture wedding dress designer. But, just weeks before her debut, a freak accident wipes out her collection. The culprit: her ex’s former best friend, Gray Bowie.

Gray does everything he can to get her career back on track. As they work together, they find forgiveness and start to stitch together something that looks a lot like love. But, at the very moment they realize they have a chance for something real, her ex comes back to town, bringing opportunities Gray can’t provide.

This time, Gray’s not going to step aside, so he can only hope Knox will hold onto his heart.

She’s his dream, but will he be hers?


Leaving their tea behind, they headed outside. Wrapping the comforter around himself, Gray sat down first, then drew her onto his lap. Knox took in the wide Wyoming sky, ablaze with glittering stars. “Do you remember that Etch-a-Sketch I had? You used to write me secret messages on it?”

“Of course.”

“You made me shake it immediately after reading, so no one would see it.”

“So Robert wouldn’t see it.”

“You guys were so freaking competitive.”

“I wasn’t competitive with him.” He stroked the hair away from her temples. “I just wanted what he had. There’s a difference.”

She glanced up at him and saw the worry tightening his handsome features. If she’d known he felt this way back then, would she have broken up with Robert earlier? No. Not only would she never have believed it, they couldn’t have betrayed Robert’s trust like that.

He gave her a gentle bump. “The Etch-a-Sketch.”

“Right. Well, I took pictures of every message you ever made me.”

He shot her a look.

“I did. And I saved them. Every single one. They’re in a box under the bed. You had a way of saying just the right thing. Like, I don’t know if you remember—”

“I remember everything.”

Drinking in the sincerity in his eyes, she reached up and ran her fingers through his scruff. “This one day I was walking to my locker between fourth and fifth periods, and I could see it’d been pried open. I wasn’t going to be that stupid girl who opened it only to find a dead rat or poop smeared on the walls. So, I went to the office and told them about it, told them I wanted someone to come with me and to bring the janitor. The saddest thing was that they didn’t even hesitate. It wasn’t like, Oh, come on drama queen. No, Mrs. Andretti got her SWAT team together, and we marched over to my locker, all of us totally geared up for something terrible. And, lo and behold, they’d filled it with garbage from the cafeteria. And I mean, fresh bits of hamburger and pudding, fish sticks. It was disgusting.”

He lowered his head and let out a harsh breath.

“You drove me home that day. We had hot chocolate and hung out and, after you left, I went back to my bedroom and found your note. And, the thing is, you never said stuff like, Keep your chin up or…don’t listen to those idiots. You never addressed the bullies at all.” She reached for his hand, threading their fingers together. “You never gave them power.”

“What’d I write?”

“You drew a picture of a dress—a pretty lame one, if you ask me.” She gave him a teasing smile.

“It was the medium.”

“Ah, so if it had been paper, you’d have sketched a masterpiece?”

“Well, yeah.”

“You probably would have, Mr. Good-at-Literally-Everything. Anyhow, underneath the dress, you wrote my name. But you didn’t spell it out. K-N-O-X. You made it like my signature. And underneath you wrote in parentheses, This is going to be worth a fortune one day.”

He grinned. “I meant your autograph, not my sketch.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m a lot quicker than I look. But that’s the point. On a truly crappy day, you made me smile, because I knew you meant I’d be a famous designer one day.” She shifted so she could face him. “You didn’t tell me not to worry about those idiots. You made me focus on the future. On the talent I could rely on to get me out of here. You always made me feel like I had value.” She showed him her inked bracelet of tiny stars. “That’s where this came from.”

He brought her wrist to his mouth and kissed it. “You mean I reminded you of your value.”

“Yes. Exactly.” She clasped his hand tightly. “I never dreamed I could be with a guy like you.”

“Knox.” He let out an exasperated breath. “I don’t want to be some ideal.”

“No, I know. I don’t mean it like that. Well, I kind of do. Because, back then, you were an ideal. Every time I went to your house, I felt like I didn’t belong. Like your dad would pull you aside and go, What’s she doing here? You’re the best man I’ve ever known, and I didn’t think I could have the best guy. I thought—I guess subconsciously—that I could only have someone more like me.”

“Do you mean a guy who doesn’t let life knock him down? Who doesn’t let other people define him? A talented guy who makes shit happen? Because that’s what my dad saw—that’s what anyone who knows you sees.”

“It’s funny how different people show you different facets of yourself. I never saw myself the way you see me.”

“I will gladly hold your mirror.”

“Ugh, not after tonight’s ugly cry. God, I can’t even remember the last time I lost it like that.”

“Pretty sure you’ve been in crisis mode your whole life.”

“What does that mean?”

“You spent a lot of your childhood alone in that trailer, and I’ve been in there. Those sounds are creepy. Trucks roaring past, wind making it creak. Remember that night you called me because a pack of wolves was howling?”

She did. That had been terrifying.

“You never knew when the bullies would strike or whether your boyfriend was sober. There wasn’t much about your life you could control. You moved to New York City and Paris by yourself, spent a year making dresses alone in a house on Maui, knowing that your ability to support yourself rested on your shoulders. I’m going to guess you spent every day worried about whether you’d finish in time or not have anything good enough.”

“I did.” For a moment the truth shone so brightly it blinded her, so that all she could do was live inside the rightness of it. “My whole life, everything has seemed critical, every problem life or death. You’re right. I have been in crisis mode.”

“And I think—I hope—for the first time tonight, you get that you’re not alone anymore.” He drew her so tight against him nothing could get between them. “Maybe that allowed you to break down a little.”

“I didn’t scare you away?” She used a teasing tone, but she wouldn’t mind a truthful answer.

“I’m thinking you’re not grasping the situation. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to see me for who I am.”

“And who’s that?”

“The one who carries your heart.”

Grab your copy of THE CARELESS BOYFRIEND in eBook or paperback today!


And don’t miss the first two standalones titles in The Bad Boyfriends Series, THE WORLD’S WORST BOYFRIEND and THE HEARTLESS BOYFRIEND! Grab your copies today!

Award-winning author Erika Kelly has been spinning romantic tales all her life–she just didn’t know it. Raised on the classics, she didn’t discover romantic fiction until later in life. From that moment on, she’s been devouring the genre and has found her true voice as an author. Over three decades she’s written poems, screenplays, plays, short stories, and all kinds of women’s fiction novels. Married to the love of her life and raising four children, she’s lived in two countries and seven states, but give her pen and paper, a stack of good books, and a steaming mug of vanilla chai latte and she can make her home anywhere.

Find Erika Kelly on Amazon

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter Signup | Erika Kelly Goodreads

 

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BONUS: Both the book and the audiobook are in Kindle Unlimited!

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Anonymous Mom Posts by @jenifergoldinwrites may be Anonymous Mom Posts by @jenifergoldinwrites may be one of my favorite books of 2023. It’s so unique and fun! It’s about a local Facebook moms group and focuses on 6 different women in the neighborhood. Each chapter starts with a post and comments, and I thought it was a fun and unique read!

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I wholeheartedly enjoyed Kissing Kosher by Jean Me I wholeheartedly enjoyed Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer and would recommend it to anyone Jewish or wanting to learn about being Jewish. I would recommend it for anyone with chronic pain as well. Though there were a few issues I can pick at (see my review for details) I very much enjoyed the listen, and I think it may be my favorite of Jean Meltzer’s three releases. 

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When I saw the entire series of The Runaways by @d When I saw the entire series of The Runaways by @devneyperry was available for just one credit, I couldn’t click fast enough! I loved Runaway Road and I can’t wait to listen to the rest!
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Formula 1 is by far the sexiest sport. I don’t k Formula 1 is by far the sexiest sport. I don’t know why we don’t have more romances set in racing and I’m so glad @kbromberg has set her latest series in my favorite sport. Riggs started off not-so-good but completely won me over with his sweet, fun, lighthearted personality. I laughed and I cried. It was slow-burn, but the last 25% had me riveted and I hate to wait until January for the next in the Full Throttle Series.
Note: there are triggers, please read them. My review lists my likes and the things I really didn’t like. 

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It was great to see this display of books featurin It was great to see this display of books featuring curvy heroines! What would you add? #barnesandnoble #bookstagram #bookdisplay #inclusivebooks #curvyheroine #bookworm #booklover
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One more post about #readersontheriver - it was ni One more post about #readersontheriver - it was nice to be at such a well organized, not overcrowded or overscheduled signing. @jrwardauthor and @christopher.rice.writer were absolutely hysterical and @1001darknights_blueboxpress were great hosts. Looking forward to 2025!
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Oh how I wanted to love this book! Told half in f Oh how I wanted to love this book!  Told half in flashbacks of a forbidden romance in the 50s and half and the present, I really loved both stories, but a few things held me back from loving it. Check out my review to see what they are. 

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Is it a dagger or something else? 🤔😇 @lowie1 Is it a dagger or something else? 🤔😇 @lowie1111 made this special gift for @jrwardauthor and gave it to her at #readersontheriver hosted by JR and @1001darknights_blueboxpress — it was a fabulous weekend! More to come!
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Fighting the Pull by @kristenashleybooks is LIVE a Fighting the Pull by @kristenashleybooks is LIVE at MIDNIGHT! While the River Rain Series has had its ups and downs for me, I absolutely loved Fighting the Pull. Elsa is by far my favorite heroine of the series and Hale was all bossy and sexy. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a billionaire either. As more and more background about the characters comes up, it’s made me want to re-read the whole series with new eyes while I anxiously await for the next in the series!

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