Shallow Teaser

A fan of Going Under recently asked (pleaded with puppy dog eyes) for me to release a teaser from Nick's POV and this is me giving in. Hope you enjoy!

Nick- (Unedited)

When I got out of the car, a congratulatory crowd rushed toward me and I was so bombarded I couldn’t find Payton in the sea of faces. I searched the crowd, but knew she wouldn’t be pushing through to get to me, so I shoved my way toward Dane since I suspected that was where she would be and I was right.

She saw me coming and tried to escape by mixing into the crowd, but I was faster. With her back turned to me, I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close until her back was pressed against my chest. In her hellaciously tall heels, her ear was level with my mouth and I leaned forward to whisper, “Not so fast, Doll Face. We had a bet and you owe me.”

God, she smelled great. It was some kind of fruity mix I couldn’t identify so I placed my nose in her hair and breathed in deeply, but then I quickly pulled away because she peered over her shoulder at me. “First of all, it’s Payton, not Doll Face. And secondly, you misrepresented yourself when you made that bet with me. You did not tell me you were Nick Hawke, therefore you tricked me into making that wager.”

“I may not have told you who I was, but there was no trickery involved. I would have given you your two-hundred bucks if I had lost. This was an upstanding bet whether you like it or not, so are you going to give me the night you owe me?

I decided I faired a better chance of her feeling guilty and saying ‘yes’ if she was looking me in my eyes, so I spun her around to face me. “Tonight works for me.”

She dropped her face, but I watched it closely as she thought about her answer. I saw a hint of a smile and then she lifted her eyes to mine. Just as she opened her mouth to give me her verdict, I felt Samantha’s arms snake around my waist again.

“Hey, Hawke. You ready to go so I can give you your grand prize?” Samantha blurted out and then not so innocently added, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. Who’s your friend here?”

I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut tightly. I might not know Payton well, but that wasn’t a requirement for me to predict that Samantha had just blown this for me.

“Hello, my name is Justa Leavin’ so feel free to throw your grand prize up on Poppycock here,” Payton scoffed before she shook her head in disgust and walked away.

It was probably useless to attempt any kind of damage control after what Samantha just pulled, but I couldn’t help myself. Payton Archer wouldn’t be swayed easily so I had my work cut out for me, but I was prepared to do it because I was going to have my night with her.

End of Excerpt

That's all folks!