Steph Nuss's Blog, page 4

Girl, You Earned It

Since I know you’ll will be spending my birthday reading E. L. James’ Grey, I decided to post my giveaway early because you earned it! Every message you send me, every comment you post here on my website, and every review you leave does not go unnoticed, and I cannot thank you all enough for taking a chance on my Love in the City crew and falling in love with them!

I also didn’t want to interrupt anyone’s time with Mr. Grey himself. Happy Early Birthday, Christian; it’s a honor to share a day with you!

Anyway, back to the giveaway . . . I’m giving away this cute crossbody filled with signed copies of my first three books to one lucky reader! The giveaway is opened internationally. To enter, all you have to do is subscribe to my website (on the right side of the page) and comment on this post with your favorite book of all time! *Giveaway ends on June 19th, and the winner will be chosen at random*

If you’re a member of my Nuss’ Navy group on Facebook, I’ll also be doing special giveaways on June 18th for the swag pack pictured below and other goodies! So, be sure to join my group for exclusive Love in the City teasers and giveaways!

Finally, don’t forget to join the Sassy Mum Book Club on Facebook because I’ll be taking over on June 18th! Spend the evening with me, talking all things Love in the City and hosting more giveaways! I’m turning 25, so there will be five $5.00 gift cards up for grabs, and so much more!

Seriously, thank you from the bottom of my heart for making another year so special for me! After obtaining the rights to my books and self-publishing them, I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to do this on my own, but I quickly realized I’m not alone in this. I have my readers, and it’s because of you that I get to do what I love and share my characters’ stories with you!

Cheers to many more years!

 

Home Sweet Home

I recently had the opportunity to visit and explore the city my Love in the City gang calls home: New York City! I got invited to the Sexy in the City Author Event which took place on May 30th, but I made a trip out of if by flying in on Wednesday, May 27th, and doing a little book research. It’s just as big and crowded and overwhelming as I thought it would be, but I came back to Kansas with a better grasp on the city and its people, which will definitely help me write the rest of the series. I stayed with my friend, Lauren, who is also the owner of CherryRed’s Reads. She lives in the Bronx and showed me the city in such a short period of time; I’m so grateful for her welcoming into her home and taking the time to play tour guide for me! The city was a huge eye-opener for me, since I come from a place where we’re able to see for miles in any direction. In New York City, that’s just not possible. Everything is a buzz. The people always seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere or do something, but they’re nicer than most people make them out to be. I came to New York thinking the locals would easily spot me as a foreigner and maybe even tell me to get the hell out of their way, but that never happened. I was welcomed with opened arms and patience. While there are taxis and Uber that are used by many, lots of locals use the subway and everyone walks everywhere! As a girl who is used to driving and doesn’t handle roller coasters well, I couldn’t stomach the subway. The whiplash that ensued as the train stopped and started so quickly at each station made me so nauseous, I paid for us to use Uber and it was totally worth it. But I’m still glad I walked away saying I rode the subway because that’s something we don’t have here in Kansas. However, it made me appreciate my ’98 Chevy Monte Carlo just that much more. I could never give up driving my own car, but I totally commend those people who can drive in NYC! It takes a certain set of stealthy skills and a few foul phrases for a person to master driving in the city, which made transportation even more entertaining as our friends, Heather and Jeremy and Kelly, navigated us through the city! Kudos to all of you who drive in the city and whose stomachs can handle the subway! If I close my eyes and listen closely, I can still hear the male automated voice telling all train passengers to, “Stand clear of the closing doors.” Like I said, it’s something I’m proud to say I did, but I will definitely stick to driving a car!

I’m so thankful I was able to be with friends who knew how to get around the city, who knew what to watch for and what to avoid, where all the city’s secrets lie (like the one in Grand Central Station) as well as all the city’s wonderful landmarks. New York City is full of history and beauty, and I truly believe it is a place everyone should experience at least once in their lives. I know if I would’ve been on my own, I wouldn’t have had the same experience or saw everything that I did.

New York pie (also known as pizza) totally ruined me for all other pizza! I had to fold this in half (hot dog style) to eat it, and every bite was so freaking delicious! I won’t be able to look at Pizza Hut the same.

I also now understand why Ginnifer Goodwin and John Krasinski ate Shake Shack so much during Emily Giffin’s movie adaptation of her book, Something Borrowed. The food is absolutely to die for. I’d come back to NYC just for more Shake Shack.

The Strand Bookstore is a book lover’s paradise (I spent $80 dollars there)! As in, they have huge, tall shelves full of books from not only traditionally published authors but also some self-published. It was money well spent since I purchased some of my favorite authors’ books and this awesome shirt:

FAO Schwarz, the oldest toy store in the US, the toy store known from movies such as Big and Home Alone 2, was so big and amazing; I couldn’t have walked out of there without buying something for my nieces and nephew. For more pictures from my time in the store and to see all the different sections they have, check out my Facebook profile. It’s closing in July 2015 due to high rent, so if you get the chance to go to NYC before then, definitely stop in FAO Schwarz.

The Freedom Tower and the 9/11 Memorials were breathtakingly beautiful. It was the first memorial I’d ever visited that I could say I lived through when the historical event actually happened, so it touched me in more ways that I can describe. Lauren showed me the church fence where locals hung signs for their missing loved ones as well as a building that still had soot on it from the crashes. A nearby firehouse memorialized its fighters with a wall mural on the side of its building. The city and its people have definitely done a brilliant job at remembering those we lost on that tragic day, from family and friends to those who put their lives on the line to save others. It’s truly an area of New York people should take the time to visit and remember.

On Saturday, I had the joy of attending my first book signing as an author. The Sexy in the City Author Event took place at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Times Square. Times Square is just how it’s depicted on TV and movies: It’s lit bright and crowded and filled with all sorts of people from tourists to local entertainers dressed up (or hardly wearing anything). But back to the signing.

As I found my table in the ballroom, I was in awe of the goodies our hosts provided us like the bag filled with snacks and essentials and the awesome wine glasses they personalized with our names. They thought of everything, and I really appreciated that! After I set up my table and banner, I took in my surroundings, checking out the other authors and feeling so incredibly grateful to be in the same room full of so much talent. My table was in between T. Torrest’s and Heidi McLaughlin’s, two of my favorite authors, and it was such a pleasure to finally meet them! They were so nice and made me feel so welcomed, and less like a small fish in a big pond! I also had the opportunity to meet the woman who encouraged me to pursue my dream of writing, Jennifer Probst. I cannot thank her enough for being such a great friend. She’s been so supportive of me from the very beginning. She’s always been there for me whenever I’ve had any problems on my journey as a writer. It was just another dream come true to have her in attendance at my first signing since she’s been such a huge influence on me and my books. She’s one of the many authors I look up to, and she’s so sweet and personable with not only her readers but also her fellow authors. That’s the type of writer we all should aspire to be, and I’m so happy to have her as a role model. I truly hope we get to attend another event together in the future!

All in all, I had a wonderful time in New York, and I would love to come back someday. But for now, I’m happy to be back in Kansas! I want to thank my friends for welcoming me to their side of the country and for showing me a fantastic time, even though I’m such a pussy when it comes to the subway! I also want to thank the Sexy in the City hosts and their crew for inviting me to the event and making it such a success. Lastly, I want to thank all of the readers who stopped by my table on Saturday. I had so much fun chatting with all of you, and I hope you had as much fun as I did at the signing. You made my first signing a success in my eyes just by coming to see me, and I truly hope I get to come back for another signing in the future. A few of my Nuss’ Navy members got to meet one another at the signing, and I totally loved introducing you to each other! If you’d like to join my Navy, click here! I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without readers, so THANK YOU!

Xo,

Steph

Happy Mother’s Day!

Hello, everyone! Mother’s Day is tomorrow, and I have the best sale going on for the first three books in my Love in the City series! You can get all three books for under $2.00 on Amazon and iBooks (iBooks prices will change tomorrow, May 10th)! Wanted By You (LITC, #1) is currently FREE, but Fantasized By You (LITC, #2) and Pleasured By You (LITC, #3) will be on sale for only 99 cents each on Amazon and iBooks! The sale will end May 11th, so if you haven’t picked up the books yet, tomorrow is the time to do it! If you already have the books and want to gift them to someone you know who would love the series, tomorrow is the time to gift! (Please free feel to share the graphic below on any social media networks to help spread the word! I’d greatly appreciate it!)

AMAZON

Wanted By You

Fantasized By You

Pleasured By You

IBOOKS

Wanted By You

Fantasized By You

Pleasured By You

My mother instilled in me my love for reading. She first introduced me to the wonderful Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb books as well as the hilarious Janet Evanovich and her Stephanie Plum series. I’m so thrilled to share such a wonderful hobby with my mom. When my grandma (my mom’s mom) passed away a few years ago, my mom and I found a poem my grandma wrote back when she was in high school. Reading it and knowing my grandmother wrote it encouraged me even more to pursue my dream of becoming a writer. Thanks to my mom, her poem is now framed and hung up in my bedroom (aka my writing cave) where I can look at it everyday and know that my love for writing isn’t just in my heart but also in my blood. I hope all of you take the time tomorrow to celebrate your mothers, even if they’re no longer physically with you, because without them you wouldn’t be here.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms out there! I hope you all have a fantastic day tomorrow!

Xo,

Steph

P.S. – If you’ve read Wanted By You, and want to read another special letter from Ellyson’s mother, Karen, please click here!

Seven 11 Blog Hop: Gaining A Vagina

Many of you have been asking about the next book in the Love in the City series. Well, lucky for you, it’s that special time of the month! No, I don’t mean the Aunt Flow kind; I mean, the Seven 11 Blog Hop kind, where a group of authors blog seven-line teasers/snippets from their current work-in-progress or previously published work on the 11th of each month! This month, my snippet is from Cherished By You (Love in the City, #4), brought to you by Justin Jameson and the Love in the City guys! (I love writing the guy scenes!) Enjoy:

            “I almost want to ask Tessa to stop cooking,” I said, resting my hands on my knees. “I think I’ve gained weight since she moved in.”

            “Did you gain a vagina, too?” Cash asked.

            “You know,” Fletcher said, spinning the basketball atop his finger. “You could just work the weight off by having sex with her.”

            Standing straight, I sighed and looked at the four of them. “For the millionth time, we are not having sex! We’re just friends.”

Ooh, I know what you’re thinking: Poor Tessa, no sexy times for her! YET. I promise, sex will be had and it will be phenomenal and totally worth the wait! But for now, there may or may not be a bet going on when Tessa and Justin will do it.

Since I can’t seem to stop sharing, I also want to show off the beautiful cover for Cherished By You done by Michelle at IndieBookCovers as well as the blurb! Be sure to add it to your Goodreads! This cover is my absolute favorite out of all the Love in the City covers!

 

“Move in with me,” he said. 

Being cherished is how Tessa Wilder always imagined falling in love. But for years, she’s always gone for the wrong guys. Now that she’s fallen for one of the good ones, she fears rejection.

“I can’t,” she replied.

Justin Jameson quit looking for a woman after being used so many times for his brains. A bit of an introvert and completely oblivious to women’s advances, he can’t even see that his friend cherishes everything about him.

When Tessa needs a place to stay, Justin’s the first to offer her a room. Hearts are opened; feelings are ventured. They’ll finally know what it’s like to be cherished in the city until one moment threatens the relationship they’ve built.

“I can’t lose you.”

Thank you all for being so excited for more of the Love in the City gang! I’m ready to be working on Justin and Tessa’s book, and your continuous love and support and messages and reviews make me even more eager to write and share their story with you! Click here to listen to a song from the Cherished By You soundtrack!

In the meantime, check out what others are saying about the Love in the City series, please leave your own reviews, and you may see your opinion on a promo picture for the series like the ones listed below! Don’t forget to share the series with your family, friends, neighbors, etc; I’d greatly appreciate it plus the first book is still FREE!

I also have a giveaway going on at Goodreads for a signed copy of Pleasured By You! Click here to enter!

Pleasured By You (LITC, #3)

Amazon: http://ow.ly/Lt5EA 

iBooks: http://ow.ly/Lt5FS 

B&N: http://ow.ly/Lt5H9 

Kobo: http://ow.ly/Lt5Ih  

Fantasized By You (LITC, #2)

Amazon: http://ow.ly/E8xMz   

iBooks: http://ow.ly/E8xYs  

B&N: http://ow.ly/E8xVl

Kobo: http://ow.ly/E8y1W 

#FREE Wanted By You (LITC, #1)

Amazon: http://ow.ly/E8xrn

iBooks: http://ow.ly/E8xFB

B&N: http://ow.ly/E8xCi

Kobo: http://ow.ly/E8xIB

As always, please head on over to the other authors’ blogs to read their Seven 11 Blog Hop posts by clicking on their names listed below:

YA author, Heather Hildenbrand

YA author, Kayla Smith

NA Fantasy author, Felicia Tatum

NA paranormal author, Justine Winter

Women’s fiction author, Amanda Aksel

Goodreads Giveaway & More

Happy Saturday, folks!

I hope spring has finally sprung wherever you are! I just wanted to pop in and share a little news with you!

Pleasured By You (Love in the City, #3) is finally available on Barnes and Noble for any of you Nook users. It’s also available in paperback form on Barnes and Noble, Amazon and Createspace. I know I’m biased, but the paperbacks are absolutely gorgeous; the yellow cover will certainly brighten up any bookshelf!

Speaking of paperbacks, I also have a Goodreads giveaway going on for a chance to win 1 of 3 signed Pleasured By You paperbacks, so be sure to enter:

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Pleasured by You
by Steph Nuss

Giveaway ends April 24, 2015.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Wanted By You (Love in the City, #1) is still FREE on Amazon, iBooks, and Kobo, and discounted at 99 cents on Barnes and Noble.

Last but certainly not least, I’m finally coming to New York City! I’ll be at the Sexy in the City Author Event on May 30th, 2015 at the Crowne Plaza Times Square in Manhattan with tons of amazing authors. I may write about NYC, but I’ve never been there so I’m really excited to visit the city I’ve set my series in as well as meet my fellow authors and readers at the signing! If you’re in the area and want to get tickets to the event, please click here! I look forward to meeting you!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Xo,

Steph

Pleasured By You: Available Now!

Last Friday, my third baby came into the world in the form of Pleasured By You (Love in the City, #3)! I’m so unbelievably proud of this book. It’s the first book that I’ve self-published, and I cannot thank all of you enough for your continuous support. If you haven’t had a chance to pick it up yet, please do so by clicking on your preferred reading platform below! You can also check out what readers are saying about the third installment of my Love in the City series on the Pleasured By You page here on my website or on Goodreads! 

Grab your copy of Pleasured By You today:

I’ve also included extras for those of you who enjoy devouring the story in a whole different way beyond reading it. You’ll find the soundtrack to Pleasured By You with songs from the book and/or songs I listened to while writing. I’ve also created clothing and scene boards so you could visualize scenes or outfits as I did. There are more extras in the form of a heartfelt letter and a character interview here, featuring your favorite couples from the Love in the City series: Ellyson and Carter, Maverick and Harper, and Fletcher and Bayler. You can also check out page here on my website for a behind-the-scenes look on how I come up with names for my characters and places. If you can’t get enough of the Love in the City gang, check out their character profiles here and be sure to join Nuss’ Navy on Facebook for special exclusives!

I hope you enjoy Bayler and Fletcher’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I look forward to reading more reviews and feedback from all of you, so please don’t be shy about contacting me or putting into words how you felt about the book in the form of a review! I really do appreciate it!

I promise I’m working on the next Love in the City book, and when I have a release date for you, I will let you know as soon as possible.

Lastly, I want to thank all the book bloggers who participated in my release day blitz and reviewed Pleasured By You as well as all the authors and readers who attended my Pleasured By You Facebook party and made my day even more special! Xo

*all the graphics in this post are fan-made*

Seven 11 Blog Hop: Vanilla, It’s Too Blah

With the release of Pleasured By You (Love in the City, #3) coming up on March 20th (NINE MORE DAYS), I’ve decided to post a teaser from Fletcher Haney for my Seven 11 Blog Hop post. If you’re new to my blog, the Seven 11 Blog Hop is where a group of authors post seven-line teasers from their current work-in-progress or published work on the 11th of each month. So, please be sure to check out the other authors’ posts! You may just find a new author you love!

Pleasured By You teaser

“What!” Bayler objected, glaring at me. “You can’t just have vanilla. It’s too blah. Pick again.”

I laughed and turned to her. It was kind of cute watching her get all excited over her creation. She’d baked and decorated Carter and Elly’s wedding cake, and it’d looked like a work of art. But I couldn’t let her know that. “Then, Ms. Easy Bake, what do you suggest?”

“Hey, I’m no Easy Bake,” she retorted, smacking my bicep. She glanced at the tray again and pointed to a couple of pieces. “Give us two of the white chocolate peanut butter.”

For more teasers from Pleasured By You, join Nuss’ Navy today!

Pleasured By You is available for preorder on Amazon and iBooks, and you don’t need to read the first two books in the series to enjoy it! However, Wanted By You (Love in the City, #1) is still FREE on Amazon, iBooks, and Kobo, and Fantasized By You (Love in the City, #2) is available on all platforms as well.

I’d also like to invite all of you to join the Pleasured By You Release Day Party! There will be lots of giveaways and takeovers from some of my favorite authors! You won’t want to miss out on it, so please be sure to invite your book friends!

Don’t forget to check out the other Seven 11 Blog Hop posts by clicking on the authors listed below! Happy Hump Day!

Seven 11 Blog Hop Authors:

YA and PNR author, Heather Hildenbrand (enter to win a custom Dirty Blood mug here)

YA author, Kayla Smith

Contemporary romance author, Felicia Tatum

Women’s fiction author, Bethany Lopez (enter to win a signed paperback of Bethany’s 8 Weeks)

NA paranormal author, Justine Winter

Contemporary romance author, SC Ellington

Women’s fiction author, Amanda Aksel

*Happy Book Birthday to Heather on the release of Broken Blood (Dirty Blood Book 5)!*

*Kayla’s next book, The Sacrifice (Luna Series Book 3), will release March 31st!*

 

iBooks Preorder: Pleasured By You (Love in the City, #3)

Do you remember that New Year’s one-night stand discussed in Fantasized By You (Love in the City, #2)? Well, now you can read about it! Fletcher Haney is now available for preorder on iBooks as is a sample, Pleasured By You (Love in the City, #3), so you can get a little preview of his and Bayler’s sexy time if you’re too excited to wait until release day on March 20th!

Don’t forget to join the release day party and invite your fellow book lovers for lots of fun giveaways and author takeovers from a handful of my favorite writers!

And remember, Wanted By You (Love in the City, #1) is still FREE for a limited time on Amazon, iBooks, and Kobo! So, please share with all of your reader friends so they can fall in love with the Love in the City gang! Speaking of fans, if you haven’t joined Nuss’ Navy, you’ll want to do so now! There are lots of teasers for Pleasured By You posted in the group, and I’ll be doing special giveaways exclusively for the group when March 20th comes around!

FREE + PREORDER

Hey, everyone!

If you’re a fan of my Amazon page then you should’ve received the email about the preorder for Pleasured By You (Love in the City, #3) which releases MARCH 20th! I can’t wait for you all to read Bayler and Fletcher’s story! I had such a blast writing it and adding a few new characters to the series; I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do! Here’s a little teaser + the preorder links! Please feel free to share with all your book-lovin’ friends! I’d really appreciate it!

Amazon US:  http://tinyurl.com/q435gfh

Amazon UK:  http://tinyurl.com/pahnkvo

Amazon CA:  http://tinyurl.com/qztto7h

Amazon AUS:  http://tinyurl.com/pu4vytu

I’ve also put Wanted By You (Love in the City, #1) on sale for FREE on Amazon, iBooks, and Kobo! So, if you know someone who hasn’t started the series yet, please let them know about this awesome deal because now is the perfect time to jump on the Love in the City bandwagon! #Share #Share #Share!

And don’t forget to join the Pleasured By You Release Day Party on Facebook! I have some of my favorite authors stopping by to do takeovers including Jennifer Probst, Sawyer Bennett, Adrienne France, Kandi Steiner, Michelle Valentine, Lauren Blakely, Brenda Rothert, Amanda Maxlyn, Casey Peeler, Amanda Aksel and more! So, you don’t want to miss out on the party with lots of fun, hot book boyfriends, and giveaways! Click here to join!

Valentine’s Day Special: Love in the City

With the lovers’ holiday just days away, I thought I’d share some Valentine’s Day specials from the couples of the Love in the City series! First, you’ll get a glimpse into Wanted By You (Love in the City, #1)‘s couple, Carter and Ellyson, and their past: their first Valentine’s Day together as friends in college (2005). Next is a teaser from Harper and Maverick’s Valentine’s Day from Fantasized By You (Love in the City, #2). And finally, what would a Valentine’s Day special be without some sexting! Enjoy some texts between my latest couple from Pleasured By You (Love in the City, #3), Bayler and Fletcher. Enjoy!

Valentine’s 2005

Carter

It was the Friday night before Valentine’s Day, and Elly and I were hanging out in my dorm working on our Psychology homework. On any other Friday, we’d probably be at a party somewhere, getting drunk and having a good time, but since most of the parties this weekend would be directed towards couples, Elly didn’t feel like going out. And if she wasn’t going out, I wasn’t going out.

That was the way it’d been since I saw her on our first day of college a few months ago. Sure, I noticed other girls around campus flirting for my attention, but the only woman who held mine was lying across my twin bed right now with her long, red hair cascading over her shoulders as she kicked her feet in the air and stared up at the television.

“Gross!” she exclaimed, wrinkling her nose.

“What?” I asked, intrigued by her outburst. Turning my head toward the television, I watched the Russell Stover’s commercial. Smiling, I looked over my shoulder. “You have a thing against chocolate?”

“Assorted chocolates, yes,” she said seriously.

“Everyone loves boxes of chocolate. Flowers and chocolates. Isn’t that what every girl wants on Valentine’s Day?”

Shaking her head, she muttered, “Not this girl.”

Laughing, I closed my Psych book, too distracted by the hot girl in the room to even care about depression. It was already depressing enough that it had been almost six months and I still hadn’t made a move on Ellyson Evans. “Okay then, what’s your ideal Valentine’s Day present?”

“I don’t know, but it’s definitely not a box full of chocolates with suspicious fillings inside of them.”

This is what I love about her. Any other single girl would be whining because she wouldn’t be receiving a box of chocolates this year, but Elly’s complaining about the actual chocolates themselves. “Isn’t that the fun of it though? You never know what you’re going to get.”

“How is that fun?!” she said, furrowing her brows. “I mean, Forrest Gump’s mom was right, life is full of surprises, but when it comes to chocolate, I want to know what I’m getting. I don’t want to bite into a peanut-butter-cup-look-a-like and find out it has coconut inside. That’s just disgusting.”

I laughed again. “Don’t they have them labeled underneath each piece of chocolate?”

“Yes, but who actually takes the time to read those things?” she deadpanned. “And even if they did read them, they still probably wouldn’t know what they were since some of them are called weird names. None of them say, ‘Looks like a Reese’s cup, but it’s not!’”

“Okay, so tell me what you’d prefer?”

Resting her chin on her hand, she sighed. “You know the Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Crème?”

“Yeah . . .”

“I’d like a box full of fun-sized Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Crème bars, but you can’t get them this time of year. They only come out with the fun-sized ones during Halloween because white chocolate is like the middle child in the chocolate family.”

I’m the middle child in my family. I couldn’t wait to see where she went with this.

“Compared to milk and dark, white chocolate is the most delicious. It’s not the attention whore like milk chocolate or a liar like dark chocolate.”

Amused, I said, “I get how milk chocolate is an attention whore, but how is dark a liar? Isn’t it supposed to be the healthier chocolate?”

“That’s just it though. It is healthier so people end up eating more of it because they think they’re doing something good for themselves, but then they lose all sense of portion control. That’s not healthy. Sure, dark chocolate might statistically be healthier for us, but it still has calories and fat just like all the other chocolates. If I’m going to eat chocolate, I’m going to eat the most delicious, who-cares-how-many-calories-it-has kind.”

Laughing again, I nodded. “Okay, okay, you have a point.”

“What about you?” she asked, smiling proudly. “What’s your ideal Valentine’s Day gift?”

Smiling mischievously, I allowed my eyes to roam over her tight, little body sprawled across my bed. With her shoulders slightly hunched and her elbows pressed into the mattress, her breasts swelled against her sweater. Her jeans hugged her ass just right, and from my seat at my desk, I imagined the perfect Valentine’s Day gift: Ellyson Evans lying on my bed in nothing but sexy, red lingerie to match that beautiful hair of hers. Sure, most guys would want their girl already naked, but as I imagined slowly unwrapping the lacy material from her body, taking my sweet, torturous time, touching her and kissing every inch of her until she was begging me to take her, I thought getting Elly naked myself would be the ultimate gift.

“Earth to Carter,” Elly laughed, waving her hand in the air.

Shaking my head, my smile widened as I let the daydream of her disappear, knowing I wouldn’t tell her what I really wanted for Valentine’s Day. Over the months, we’d become really great friends, and as much as I wanted her, I couldn’t risk ruining our friendship right now. “I guess my ideal gift would be beer. For guys, alcohol is our chocolate.”

She laughed. “But it doesn’t taste nearly as good though.”

***

One Day Later

After Ellyson left my room last night, I couldn’t sleep. Her scent lingered for a while, causing all of my thoughts to drift back to her. The way she smiled and laughed, the way her mind worked; she was so unlike any other girl I’d ever met. Like sheets straight from the dyer, she was warm and inviting and completely captivating, it wasn’t a surprise I stayed up all night thinking of a way to give her a Valentine’s Day gift without coming on to her. I wanted to eventually make a move, ask her out on a date, but I knew she wasn’t ready for it. She didn’t notice me the way I noticed her, or if she did, she was great at hiding it.

“What are you doing?” Cash asked, walking back into our room after saying good-bye to the girl he’d brought back last night.

Another reason I couldn’t sleep last night: my roommate hooked up with the loudest chick on the planet. I couldn’t have been happier to see her go.

“Just working on something,” I answered, gluing a piece of cardboard into the inside of an old shoebox. “Glad you finally got Miss Squeals to leave.”

“Man, she was loud, wasn’t she?” he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Loud is an understatement.”

“What’s with these?” he asked, grabbing the bag of chocolates from my desk.

“Nothing,” I said, snatching them out of his hand.

He laughed, and then walked back to his bed and flopped down on top of it. “Carter, please tell me this has nothing to do with Elly.”

“It has everything to do with her.”

“You are so pathetic. Just ask her out. You have her number. You know where she lives. You have a couple of classes together. Just fucking do it already!”

Looking over my shoulder, I glared at him. “Sorry, but I don’t just want to hookup with her.”

“I know, but−”

“It’s just some chocolate. It’s not a big deal, but if anyone’s to blame it’s you. If you hadn’t brought that chick back last night, I wouldn’t have had to leave to keep my hearing intact.”

“You’re right; I can get pussy without buying it chocolate.”

“That’s not what I meant,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Last night, I went to the store to kill time and I found the chocolate she likes.”

He groaned, covering his face with his hands. “Dude, it’s sad that you even know what kind of chocolate she likes.”

“No, it’s not,” I said, proudly admiring the shoebox full of tiny squares. “Women love men who pay attention.”

***

Valentine’s Day

Throughout the day, I’d watched couple after couple exchange gifts and affections. Love songs played on the radio. Grand gestures went on here and there. A few guys even proposed. Women carried teddy bears and flowers and boxes of chocolates around campus like they were gold medals from their perfect boyfriends.

But as the day turned into night, I headed over to Elly’s, knowing Paige, Elly’s roommate, was at her Monday night class.

I knocked on the door, and Elly immediately answered.

“Hey,” she said, opening the door further. “What’s up?”

“Not much,” I said, walking into her room. She shut the door behind me, and I turned to face her. “Just thought I’d bring you this.”

I handed her the shoebox wrapped in shiny red paper, and she smiled and shook her head. “Carter, what is this?”

Taking a seat on the edge of her bed, I shrugged. “Open it.”

The smile on her face grew as she lifted the lid and found thirty small squares filled with fun-sized Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Crème candy bars.

Laughter fell from her lips as she sat next to me. “Where did you find these?”

“BJ’s in Brooklyn.”

“You went all the way to Brooklyn just to find the most delicious chocolate?” she asked in a sweet surprised voice.

“Cash brought a chick home with him the other night. I had a lot of time to kill.”

She took one of the bars out and immediately ripped it opened, and then tossed it in her mouth and moaned as she bit into the white chocolate bar filled with cookie chunks. “It’s like a tiny brick of heaven.”

I laughed and slid my arm around her shoulders. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Elly.”

“Thank you,” she said, batting those big brown eyes at me. “I really do love it. Best box of chocolates ever!” She moved the box of chocolates off her lap and walked into her closet. I heard her footsteps coming closer again and looked up to find her showing off a thirty-pack of Coors Light. “It’s a good thing one of my neighbors has a fake id.”

Standing, I walked over to her, wanting more than anything to take her face in my hands and kiss the ever-loving fuck out of those perfect pink lips, but instead, I just smiled down at her. “You got me beer?”

“Of course, I did,” she smirked. “It’s your chocolate.”

Grabbing the case from her hands, I set it on the floor and then wrapped her up in a hug, hoping someday we’d share a Valentine’s Day together as a real couple instead of just friends.

Pleasured By You will release March 20th, 2015! Be sure to add it your Goodreads and join the Facebook party!

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Love in the City gang!

Xo,

Steph Nuss