[EXCERPT] “Kiss Me Tenderly” By: Anna B. Doe

The next book in Anna B. Doe’s Blairwood University series releases in ONE WEEK! (or, if you’re reading this on August 4th or later, it’s already out!) Regardless, I’m so excited to get to share an excerpt with you today — this is just a tiny bit of what you can expect in Penny’s love story. Make sure to check out my ARC review (posting soon!) and in the meantime, read the rest of the Blairwood books to catch up on the friend group!

“Kiss Me Tenderly” Excerpt:

“Say yes,” I whisper softly so only she can hear me.

Birdy blinks, a confused frown between her brows as she processes my words.

She was wrong. I wasn’t waiting for her. I stayed up late, trying to translate that damn list of hers so I knew all the things she wanted to do, but somewhere in the middle of it, I fell asleep, so I ended up missing my morning run. And let me tell you; it was totally worth it because the list gave me a better insight into her than anything else could.

“It’s on your list,” I point out. “Say yes to an invitation. So I dare you to say yes to me. To my proposition.”

She shakes her head, her cheeks turning rosy. “This isn’t how it works.”

“Isn’t it?” I challenge, moving closer to her. Maybe it’s a mistake to push her this hard this fast, but I can’t help myself. It’s stronger than me. And it’s not even about her giving in and helping me, not wholly. I liked pushing her buttons, seeing how she was going to react. “I didn’t see any explanations, just the items on the list, and one clearly states you have to say yes to something. Why can’t it be me?”

“Because I don’t like you?”

“Hmm…” I raise my hand, slowly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. My fingers graze her cheek. Her skin feels like silk under my fingertips, that rosy color turning darker at my touch. “Why do I have a feeling that you’re lying? Twice in a row, if I might add. I didn’t peg you for a liar, Birdy.”

“I’m not a liar, and not everything revolves around you, you know?”

“We’ll have to agree to disagree, at least for the moment. I’ve read the list, you know? All of it. I stayed up way too late trying to get it to make sense, but I finally did. I can help you with the list, and you know it.” I let my fingers trail down her chin, my thumb running over her lower lip. “Things I can teach you…”

Some things were typical college bucket list items, others… A virgin. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, and yet I was. I couldn’t imagine a reason why a girl like her was single. Why didn’t some small-town, goody-two-shoes boy snatch her up right after high school and take her to the altar? I have no idea. But I was selfishly glad for it. So fucking glad, and none of it had anything to do with her music at all.

The more I learned about Penelope, the more she intrigued me. And this was just scraps. I wanted to know it all. I wanted to know her tells. I wanted to know her wishes and dreams. I wanted to know what made her angry. I wanted to know her, plain and simple.

“Why do you need to hear me play so badly? I’m not even that good.”

The softly spoken question snaps me out of my thoughts. I pull back, unsure if I heard her correctly, but her face is completely serious.

Not that good? Is she crazy?

She’s one of the most talented musicians I’ve heard in a long-ass time. Maybe a little raw, but that only makes it that more special. That more real.

“You have no fucking idea just how good you are,” I shake my head and simply stare at her. My praise makes her cheeks flush harder.

Innocent. So damn innocent. The vice grip around my stomach tightens at the realization, making me feel unsettled.

This has a bad idea written all over it, but I can’t back down now. I don’t want to.

“I’m average at best. So why me? Why not somebody else?”

Average, my ass.

“Your music makes me feel. You make me feel. And I haven’t felt anything in so long that I forgot what it’s like.”

The admission slips from my tongue easily, shocking me almost as much as it surprises her. When you’ve lived in my world for as long as I have, you learn there is no space for you to tell the truth. Either people don’t want to hear it, or they’re going to use it to twist it somehow so they can benefit from it. One way or the other, you are screwed.

But Birdy doesn’t belong in my world, and admitting it out loud almost makes it feel like the weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

Her teeth sink into her lower lip. My gaze zeroes in on the motion, my blood starting to run faster as my heart speeds up in my chest.

“I’m not…”

I place my finger over her lips, stopping her from finishing that sentence. I didn’t want to hear her say no one more time. Not after I’ve opened up to her and let her catch a glimpse of the man that’s been hiding inside.

“Think about it. Truly think about it.” My throat bobs as I swallow the lump that has formed before pushing the word out, “Please?”

She blinks, those indigo eyes seeming more vibrant under the sunlight, dark blues and violets playing in her irises.

What are the secrets you’re hiding

Behind those violet eyes,

Little bird,

Good girls like you,

Shouldn’t have the demons dancing in their eyes…

“Okay,” she whispers, her lips brushing against my thumb. The touch is reflexive, completely innocent, but I swear I can feel it all the way to my bones.

Taking a step back, I look away, my gaze falling on two girls watching us from the inside of the diner, eyes wide.

Fuck.

“You know where to find me, Penelope.”

Letting my hand drop, I allow myself another look at her before I turn around and run in the other direction while everything in me screams to do the exact opposite.