Release and Excerpt: Easy Nights by Kristen Proby

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No one said change was easyâĤ
Savannah Boudreaux knows what it is to hurt. To bleed. To be afraid that the man sheâs promised to be true to until âdeath do us partâ might in fact separate them far sooner than anyone had ever anticipated. But Van also knows what it is to survive. To move on. To live life to the fullest. With five brothers and sisters and a loving mother as her constant source of strength during the pain and the healing, Van realizes there is little else she needs.
But some things never changeâĤ
Benjamin Preston sat on the sidelines of the Boudreaux family for years, in love with a woman he couldnât have. As the best friend of the Boudreaux brothers since childhood, Ben has seen both tragedies and joys in the family. And as a former MMA fighter and Krav Maga expert, Benâs used to fighting for what he wantsâand winning. His hands were tied when Savannah married her high school sweetheart not long after graduation, but now two years have passed since Ben found Savannah broken in her own home.
Sometimes what you need most has been right in front of you the whole timeâĤ
Vanâs convinced that happiness isnât in the cards for her, no matter how right it feels to be in Benâs strong armsâand his bed. Ben is determined to win her heart and fight for her trust. Heâs promised to protect her, to be her friend. But more than anything, he wants to finally make her his, and this is one fight heâs not willing to lose.
We turn a corner and there it is, my favorite tree. Itâs at least four hundred years old, with branches so big and heavy that they rest on the ground.
And under it is a portable swing with a red blanket spread in front of it.
âOh, my.â
He smiles down at me and leads me to the swing. I sit and kick my flip flops off, and Ben sets the basket in the middle of the blanket and joins me on the swing.
âThis is lovely.â
âItâs a good day for it,â he says and rests his arm on the back of the swing, behind my shoulders. His fingertips brush the bare skin on my shoulder. I scoot closer to him and rest my head on his shoulder.
âWe spent countless summers out here,â he says quietly, as if speaking too loud will disrupt the perfect spring day.
âWe did.â
âAnd as a teenager, I would see you sitting out here, under this tree, with a book. Your knees pulled up to your chest, and your bare feet dirty as can be. You took my breath away even then.â
I glance up at him in surprise.
âI canât tell you how often Iâd watch youânot in a creepy way, I might addâIâd watch you reading and enjoying this tree, and I wanted so badly to sit with you and kiss you senseless.â
âI didnât know that.â
âOf course you didnât,â he says with a gentle smile. âBut now you do.â
He nudges my chin up with his fingers and lowers his lips to mine, covering them softly. I cup his face in my hand and let myself simply soak in the moment, in my favorite place, with this man.
He slowly takes the kiss from sweet to hot, and to my delight, drags his hand from my hip to my breast, his thumb dancing over my already tight nipple.
Good God, heâs like a drug that Iâll never get tired of.
After what seems like an hour, he pulls back and rests his forehead against mine.
âI have been waiting for that for a very long time,â he whispers.
âI think this was probably way better than anything you might have done as a teenager.â
He chuckles. âTure. So, itâs a win-win.â
I let my fingertips glide down his cheeks to his neck.
âSavannah.â
âYes?â
âI want you,â he says and closes his eyes tightly. âI donât say that to rush you into anything, and this isnât the time or place anyway, but I need you to know that I want you.â
I cover his lips with mine, watching his eyes. âI want you too, Ben.â
He inhales and kisses me again, moving straight into hot as fuck.
Finally, he pulls back, clears his throat, and smiles at me.
âAre you hungry?â
I laugh and push my hair off my face. âSo hungry.â
âI think Gabby made fried chicken.â
âThat sounds good too.â