Blog Tour: Saving Tatum by Micalea Smeltzer
Even
tough girls need saving.
Jude Brooks is bad news. He’s
the kind of guy that leaves behind a string of broken hearts and
Tatum O’ Connor is not about to be one of those girls, despite all
of Jude’s advances. They have a past, and Tatum’s determined to
make sure they don’t have a future.
Unfortunately for her,
“no” isn’t a word in Jude’s vocabulary.
The more she
backs away, the more he pushes.
But what if he pushes too
far?
Tatum’s hiding a pain that no one sees and holding on
to a hurt that may never heal. Letting Jude into her heart could
shatter her completely—and what if she opens up to Jude and he
can’t handle her baggage?
Love is never
easy—especially when the person you’re falling for is the person
you blame for the worst event in your life.
Love, heartache,
and despair.
That’s the name of the game when you’re
Saving Tatum.
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Happiness
had been absent from my emotions for a long time. On the surface, I
wore a smile and never showed the struggles I dealt with on the
inside. The fact of the matter was, I’d been hurt. I was damaged
goods, and I hadn’t believed I was the kind of girl worthy of
love—of being saved.
But I was beginning to see that everyone is worth saving. It was
strangely appropriate that the man I’d let break me, was the one to
put me back together.
I
didn’t know what tomorrow, or next week, or even the following
month might hold for us, and I wasn’t going to let myself overthink
it. I was going to live in the moment.
Jude
lay on his back, staring up at the clear blue sky. “Tatum?”
“Yeah,”
I replied when he didn’t continue immediately.
“Can
I hold your hand, or are you going to hit me for that?”
I
turned my head and laughed at his serious expression. “I think that
would be alright, and I really am sorry about that. It was an
automatic reaction.”
“So…”
He started, a slow grin appearing on his face. “Your first response
to a guy kissing you, is to slap him? Interesting.”
He
was never going to let me live this down. I really hadn’t meant to
hit him. He knew that, but he also enjoyed my pain. Douche.
“Only
one guy.”
“I’m
the only guy to ever kiss you?” He brightened.
“No!”
I immediately shut him down. “I’ve kissed other guys, but you’re
the only one that I…you know…”
“Slapped?”
He supplied. “Should I be honored that you like to hit me?” He
winked.
“You
make me sound like I’m abusive,” I pouted, feeling ashamed of
myself and my behavior.
“Nah,”
he propped his head up on his hand and stared down at me. “You’re
just a tough girl.”
“Tough?”
I wrinkled my nose. “That doesn’t sound very appealing.”
“Oh,
trust me,” his brown eyes sparkled, “it is. It’s hot as hell
actually. But you want to know a secret, Tate?”
I
nodded and he lowered his head so his mouth was pressed against my
ear. My body shuddered at the close proximity and the heavenly feel
of his breath ghosting against my skin. “Even tough girls need
saving.”
“Is
that what you’re going to do Jude?” I quirked my head and
squinted from the sun shining in my eyes. “Are you going to save
me?”
“No,”
he shook his head, his dark hair brushing my forehead. “You’re
going to save yourself.”
He
said the words with such surety that I couldn’t help but believe
him. When I didn’t say anything he rolled onto his back and finally
entwined our hands together. Peace flooded my body and I didn’t
understand it. How could the man that had filled me with such torment
not long ago, calm my body with a simple touch? It was mindboggling.
I
rolled my head slightly to the side, studying his profile—the
elegant slope of his nose and the slant of his lips. I couldn’t
believe I was thinking this, and he’d probably kill me if I said it
out loud, but he was beautiful—inside and out. It was a shame that
I was just now noticing it. I think a lot of people never saw what a
magnificent person he was. He hid his true self behind cocky smiles
and flirtatious come-ons.
“You’re
staring at me.”
“I’m
not,” I hastily turned my head away.
“I
felt your eyes,” he continued. “You were totally staring. It’s
okay, look all you want. I know I’m quite the feast for your eyes.”
With
my free hand I smacked his stomach. My God he had abs of steel. I
think I hurt my hand more than I did any damage to him. Not that I
was really trying to hurt him. Although, I thought he needed a nice
blow to his ego.
I
squealed as he rolled on top of me and I found my arms pinned above
me, pushed into the sand. His tongue slowly snaked out between his
plump lips to moisten their surface. I thought he was going to kiss
me, but he didn’t. I was learning that Jude rarely did what I
expected of him. In many ways he was a mystery.
His
dark eyes grew serious as he stared down at me and I found myself
squirming as his hips dug into mine. I felt my body responding to the
position—muscles tightening, pulse racing, and an overwhelming ache
building inside me.
“Are
you sure about this?” He breathed softly. There was a vulnerability
in his eyes that I’d only ever seen when he was around his grandpa.
“About us? Or am I going to wake up in the morning and find that
you’re gone?”
“You
really think I’d run away?” I replied, wiggling my hips, which
caused him to hiss sharply between his teeth.
“Honestly?
It wouldn’t surprise me. You’re afraid of your own feelings,”
he lowered his head, brushing his nose against my neck. My eyes
closed and a pleased hum resounded in my throat. There was still a
voice in my head telling me to push him away, but I was done
listening to it. “It’s okay to be scared, Tate,” he nipped my
earlobe, the heat of his body wrapping around mine like a blanket.
“I’m scared too.”
“You
are?” I breathed, my voice so soft the wind nearly carried it away.
I
felt him nod, his hair tickling my neck. “I’ve never felt this
way about anyone, but you,” he confessed. “It’s always been
you.”
The
dead grass crunched beneath my feet as we trudged through the field.
It was crazy to think that in a few short weeks spring would be here
and the grass would soon be green. Spring was my favorite time of
year. I loved the colors and flowers, even the smells. There was
something so promising about spring—it was a new beginning.
Jude
stopped in the middle of the field and spread the blanket out on the
ground. “Sit,” he instructed.
With
a reluctant sigh, I did as he told me. “Why are we out here?” I
asked, drawing his sweatshirt closer to me as I shivered.
“I
want you to see something.”
“Thanks
for the non-answer,” I mumbled as he sat down beside me. He wiggled
around until he got comfortable.
He
chuckled, sweeping his hair from his eyes. “There’s something I
want you to see,” he repeated, “be patient.”
You’d
think Jude would know by now that I was the least patient person on
the planet. Only a few minutes had past when I asked, “What are we
waiting for?”
“Oh,
Tate,” he chuckled, his eyes crinkling as he lay back, propping his
body up with his elbows, “you’re something else.” Tilting his
head, he continued, “Look around you, appreciate what’s right in
front of you for a change. You need to slow down and enjoy life.”
“Look
at you sounding so wise,” I commented, resisting the sudden urge to
smile. I wanted to smile a lot around Jude and that scared me a bit.
He
gasped, his eyes brightening. “I am wise.” He sat up and drew his
knees up, draping his arms on top. “Now watch, here comes the
surprise.”
For
a moment, I wondered what he was talking about and then I realized we
were watching the sunset. The sky deepened with hues of orange and
red as the sun descended. My mouth fell open in awe as the meadow
around us became awash with golden light. I didn’t speak and
neither did he. For once, I was living in the moment, and maybe this
moment wasn’t such a bad place to be.
There
was calmness in the air around us as the last of sun’s rays fanned
across the land. It didn’t take long for the sun to disappear and
for the stars and moon to twinkle above us.
Without
saying anything, we both lay back on the blanket, staring up at the
sky above.
“Beautiful,
isn’t it?” He whispered, his fingers brushing lightly against
mine where we rested side by side.
“What?”
I asked, trying to pick out any of the constellations.
“Nature…everything…you.”
About the Author:
Micalea
Smeltzer is a bestselling Young and New Adult author from Winchester,
Virginia. She’s always working on her next book, and when she has
spare time she loves to read and spend time with her family.
Follow
Micalea:
Twitter:
@msmeltzer9793
Instagram:
micaleasmeltzer
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