Surprise Prologue Reveal: Checkmate: This Is War by Kennedy Fox
Title: Checkmate: This Is War
Series: Checkmate Duet #1
Author: Kennedy Fox
Genre: Enemies to Lovers Romance
Release Date: October 3
Travis King is the worst kind of
asshole.
He taunts me for being a good girl and
mocks my high standards.
He’s cruel, crass, and has enough
confidence to last two lifetimes.
And I hate him.
It wouldn’t matter so much if he were
avoidable.
But considering he’s my older
brother’s best friend and roommate, I see him more than I’d ever
want to.
His sculpted abs and gorgeous eyes are wasted on such an arrogant
man, which makes me hate him even more.
Even though I’ve had a crush on him
since I was ten, the feelings weren’t mutual and he’s made that
very clear.
He’s always loved getting under my
skin and one night against my better judgment, I let him in my bed.
I’ve succumbed to his manwhore ways,
but that doesn’t change a thing.
Because the King is about to get played
at his own game—and lose.
Checkmate.
PROLOGUE
VIOLA
Once upon a time, in a faraway land,
lived a young princess who awaited a prince who would give her
everything she ever dreamed of… love, passion, loyalty. He’d be
the sweetest, kindest, most heartwarming gentleman a girl could ever
ask for. And he’d be perfect.
…Excuse me while I vomit.
There is absolutely, positively, no way
that a man like that exists on this earth. I used to think he was,
but of course, I was proven wrong. I was young and naive, and didn’t
know any better.
And he was Travis King.
I remember how clear the sky was as I
sat on my rooftop outside of my bedroom window. Summer was fading
away and the start of my seventh grade year was right around the
corner. The stars were super bright and as I counted them, I heard
Travis’ father screaming from the house across from mine. He did
that a lot and occasionally, I’d see Travis through the window of
his bedroom. He’d put on his headphones to tune out the yelling, as
if it was something to which he was accustomed. But that night he
didn’t go to his bedroom. He ran out of his front door, slamming it
behind him, and began pacing his front yard. I swallowed, watching
him intently as his hands balled into fists at his sides.
When the Kings moved across the street
from us, Travis and my older brother, Drew, instantly became best
friends. They were both going into their first year of high school
and I was sad I wouldn’t be at the same school as them anymore.
Well, mostly about Travis. Drew had made it very clear he didn’t
like his little sister tagging along, but Travis never made me feel
like I was a nuisance.
As I watched him kick the dirt on the
sidewalk, he looked up at me. His lips were turned down and I could
see the anger in his eyes. My breath stilled as he watched me watch
him, and I was certain he’d tell my brother I’d been spying on
him.
Instead, he walked across the street,
climbed up the trellis and sat down next to me. He stayed silent for
a long while, but then he finally turned and spoke.
“I hate my dad sometimes.”
“Why does he get so mad?” I asked.
He looked away and rested his arms over
his bent knees. “He drinks. Sometimes too much.”
“Does he hurt you?” He didn’t
look at me. “Or your mother?”
He winced. “No. Just yells.”
We sat in silence, both lying on our
backs as we looked up at the sky above us, the stars so bright and
big.
“You can sit up here anytime, you
know? My parents won’t mind.”
“Drew would,” he said
matter-of-factly. “He’d call me a pansy.” He chuckled.
“Drew calls everyone that.”
He laughed again.
I turned my head and looked at him. “I
don’t think you’re a pansy.”
Travis tilted his head and looked into
my eyes and everything went serious. I watched his throat move,
swallowing hard. He licked his lips and moved in close. Feeling his
breath against my skin made me so nervous, I instinctively turned my
head.
“Are you excited about going into
high school?” I spit out, trying to change the subject, looking
back up at the stars. I could’ve sworn Travis was about to kiss me.
It would’ve been my first kiss.
Moments passed and he finally
responded. “Yeah, I guess. It’ll be nice getting back into
basketball season and staying late for practices and games.”
I knew what he was implying without
saying the words. Less time at home.
“Why do you think she puts up with
it?” Curiosity got the best of me, and I could no longer keep it
in. “Can’t she leave him?” I asked.
He shrugged. I supposed it wasn’t
that simple for adults, but to me it just sounded like common sense.
Why would anyone want to be with someone that treated them like crap?
That wasn’t the last time Travis
snuck up the rooftop and sat with me under the stars. We shared
details with each other that we hadn’t shared with anyone else
before. It was our secret little spot where we could talk or just sit
and stare up at the sky.
It was easy.
He wasn’t my brother’s best friend.
I wasn’t his best friend’s little
sister.
And the lines between us weren’t
blurred.
I was only twelve years old, so I truly
believed prince charming existed. As I grew older, I came to realize
he never really did. Because if he did, he most certainly wouldn’t
be available. And he most definitely wouldn’t be interested in a
girl like me. I’m not saying that because I want anyone to tell me
otherwise, but if such a man existed, he’d have no chance with me
anyway. Because for some only-God-knows-why reason, my heart only
beats for one man. My pulse only increases when he walks
into the room. My cheeks flush and my body hums when he looks
at me. I feel the blood in my veins as my skin heats from his very
existence. He’s the epitome of perfection.
…Too bad a decade later, he’s a
complete asshole.
Travis King.
He’s no knight in shining armor; more
like a royal jackass. He may look like a prince on the outside, but
on the inside he’s a cocky, arrogant womanizer that I want to shove
over a cliff.
All right, that might sound dramatic
and all, considering I just confessed my feelings about him, but
those are feelings of hate…not love.
From being head over heels for him as a
young girl to loathing him as a woman, Travis King needs to remember
the golden rule—never admit defeat.
It was game on.
AMAZON * AMAZON UK * B&N
KOBO * iBOOKS
Kennedy Fox is a duo of bestselling
authors who share a love of You’ve Got Mail and The
Holiday. When they aren’t bonding over romantic comedies, they like
to brainstorm new book ideas. One day, they decided to collaborate
together under a pseudonym and have some fun creating new characters
that’ll make your lady bits tingle and your heart melt. If you
enjoy romance stories with sexy, tattooed alpha males and smart,
independent women, then a Kennedy Fox book is for you! Both authors
are from Manhattan living the glamorous bachelorette life, or perhaps
they’re just confusing themselves with an episode of Sex and the
City (Total #Girlcrush SJP). Either way, they’re looking forward to
bringing you many more stories to fall in love with!
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