Scratch
by
Rhonda Helms
Release Date: September 30th 2014
by
Kensington
Genres: New Adult & Romance
Synopsis
The most painful scars are the ones you never see.
In her DJ booth at a Cleveland dance club, Casey feels a sense of connection that’s the closest she ever gets to normal. On her college campus, she’s reserved, practical–all too aware of the disaster that can result when you trust the wrong person. But inexplicably, Daniel refuses to pay attention to the walls she’s put up. Like Casey, he’s a senior. In every other way, he’s her opposite.
Sexy, open, effortlessly charming, Daniel is willing to take chances and show his feelings. For some reason Casey can’t fathom, he’s intent on drawing her out of her bubble and back into a world that’s messy and unpredictable. He doesn’t know about the deep scars that pucker her stomach–or the deeper secret behind them. Since the violent night when everything changed, Casey has never let anyone get close enough to hurt her again. Now, she might be tempted to try.
Excerpt
“I
can’t possibly eat one more bite of potato salad. Oh my God.” Daniel moaned and
lay back on the blanket, cupping his
hands over
his still-flat belly, despite his grumbles. “I’m so full, my pants are
literally going to explode off of me.”
“As
my English prof would point out, you mean figuratively,” I said in a prim tone.
“If your pants literally exploded, we’d be in a world of legal trouble, since
this is a public park. And as punishment for your grammar error, I’m making you
eat the rest of this potato salad.” I scooped a heaping spoonful out of our
bowl and shoved it toward his face.
He
sat up and mock glared at me. Dappled sunlight from the setting sun spilled
across the dark mop of his head, hit his deep green irises. Before I could
react, he grabbed the spoon and flung it, loaded potato salad and all, across
the park. “Oh, crap. Sorry, it slipped.”
“Litterer!”
I cried out, looking around like I was seeking a police officer. Not that there
was anyone else around us except for a couple of young kids playing on the
swing set nearby.
Daniel
tackled me to the ground and dug his fingers against my right side, where I was
super-ticklish. “Narc!” he said, laughing hysterically.
“You
jerk!” I swatted up at him and scrambled to get away. I stood and wiped the
bottom of my shorts with a huff. “That was a perfectly good spoon.”
He
raised an eyebrow. “I’ll buy you another.”
“It
was part of a set.” I tugged my tank top down to make sure my abdomen was
covered. Thankfully, Daniel had stayed away from my scarred side.
“I’ll
buy you six, then.”
“You
have an answer for everything, don’t you.” I chuckled.
He
stood, peering down at me. His eyes were light and dancing, and my heart hadn’t felt this light in a
couple of days— not since my moodiness back in the library. His hand slid along
my unscarred side again, but instead of torture-tickling me, his fingers
slipped and danced over my tank top. The warmth of his touch still seared me,
despite the barrier.
“Not everything,” he murmured, his attention
turning to my mouth. His fingers tightened incrementally on my hip. Something
shifted then, sexual tension crackling in the air between us.
I
automatically licked my lips, and his eyes flared. I stepped closer. I needed
to taste his mouth, right now.
“Oooooooooh!”
a high-pitched kid’s voice said from behind me. “They’re gonna kiss!”
I
closed my eyes as a light flush stole over my cheeks.
Daniel’s
mouth hovered close enough to me that I could feel his breath huffing against
my skin. “I need to kiss you,” he said, and the raw edge in his tone had my
eyes flying open.
Yes,
the need was right there, unmasked, unashamed, completely bared to me. I felt
my body respond, my core tightening, heart thudding, hands trembling.
I
nodded, leaned my face up. My mouth already hungered for his.
He
brushed his mouth against mine, a butterfly touch that didn’t satisfy the
growi
ng pulse in me. “Not here,” he said, his words barely a whisper. “I want
you alone.”
Alone.
The ache I heard in that one word sent shivers of anticipation across my skin.
My flesh burst into thousands of vibrant tingles. I gave a mute nod. I wanted
it too.
Author Interview
Music is a strong running element
in SCRATCH, which even includes a playlist at the end. How has music factored
in your own life?
I
started in music when I was 9—I played clarinet. Stayed involved in band
through high school and college. I sang in a jazz ensemble, was a singer in a
cover band, and I even DJ’d for a while. In short, music was a huge part of my life for a long time. I miss
performing and have even been considering getting involved in it again!
Where did you get the idea
for SCRATCH?
Part
of it came from a real-life incident I’d heard that had stuck with me for many
years. I always wondered what had happened to the girl who’d gone through such
a traumatic event. How did she cope? How did she move on to love and trust
again? This book was my exploration of how a woman who’d gone through hell
could move forward and find real happiness.
Which scene in SCRATCH was
the hardest for you to write?
Oh,
it had to be the scene where Casey confesses to Daniel about her past. Finally
opens up and divulges the painful truth. I sobbed as I wrote it—her pain was so
vivid to me that I couldn’t shake it off for a while afterward. That was
actually one of the hardest scenes I’ve ever written in my whole publishing
career.
What is the follow-up book
to SCRATCH?
The
sequel to SCRATCH is BREAK YOUR HEART, which is her roommate Megan’s story. I
can’t wait for you guys to read it—this one’s a little sexier, a little
scandalous. And Nick is so foxy. ;-) Coming end of July, 2015!
You write young adult
novels too—what do you have coming out in teen romance?
Next
year I have two teen romances coming out with Simon Pulse—SPARKS IN SCOTLAND,
which is a Scotland-set story about a girl who falls for a local Scottish boy
while on vacation, and PROMPOSAL, which follows a girl and her best guy friend
as they navigate love and drama during prom season. You can go to
rhondahelmsbooks.com to find out more about the other teen romances I have out,
too!
About the Author
Rhonda Helms started writing several years ago and loves writing teen and New Adult romance. She has a Master's degree in English and a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing. She also freelance edits manuscripts.
When she isn't writing, she likes to do amateur photography, dig her toes into the sand, read for hours at a time, and eat scads of cheese. WAY too much cheese.
Rhonda lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband, two kids, a dog and a really loud cat. Visit her website at http://www.rhondahelmsbooks.
When she isn't writing, she likes to do amateur photography, dig her toes into the sand, read for hours at a time, and eat scads of cheese. WAY too much cheese.
Rhonda lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband, two kids, a dog and a really loud cat. Visit her website at http://www.rhondahelmsbooks.
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