Promotional Event including Excerpt, Teasers & Giveaway – The Girl I Was Before by Ginger Scott

Excerpt

She doesn’t say anything more as the seconds keep ticking by. I keep mentally begging, until I feel her hair tickle my chin as it slips to the side, along her back, along the bareness of her neck. It’s moving. She’s moving. She’s leaning her head to the side, her change in position long and subtle as her hand comes up to sweep the rest of her hair out of the way, her body leaning more into mine, her neck exposed.

I’m about to kiss her neck, and yeah, I’ve kissed her mouth, so this shouldn’t be a big deal. But this feels like a very big deal. I’m Dracula, and she is letting me have her, giving me a taste, knowing I won’t be able to stop. This is definitely submission. She’s submitting, right? My lips barely brush that part of her neck that dips into her shoulder, even this slight touch makes me want to bite and taste her more. But I’m careful; I’m slow.

“Paige,” I whisper, a mimic of how she said my name a minute before. She sighs when I speak, and I smile. I kiss more, letting the full weight of my mouth caress her skin. This time, she moans.

My hands act on their own, palms sliding up the tops of her legs until I reach the gathered material around the bend of her waist and grip it tightly, my mind consumed with the vision of what it would look like if I just ripped this damn dress off. I flex my fingers against her and feel the brush of her panties along the tips. The sensation makes my breath falter, so I return my focus to her neck, letting my tongue have its wish as I taste my way up her shoulder to her ear, tucking the delicate lobe between my teeth, letting my tongue run over the harsh metal and rock of her earring.

I’m content to stay here, to do this, for as long as she’ll let me. Then I feel her hands slide down my arms and reach into my fingers, squeezing before the sharpness of her nails drags slowly back up my arms. She makes it to my biceps before she can’t reach any farther; she lets her hands drift from my skin, bringing her arms over her head, reaching for me, my hair, my neck. The motion causes her body to arch, her legs shifting up and down, almost like she’s trying to rid herself of her dress.

My hands obey—pulling up the gathered material while my mouth continues to memorize every contour of her neck. My knuckles brush along the lace top of her panties, against the smoothness of her waist, the length of her belly to her ribs until I feel the material of her bra against the tips of my fingers. I pause, waiting for those two voices to show up on either shoulder, for good and evil to battle it out and let me know what I’m supposed to do next. But Paige isn’t waiting for either of them.

“Touch me,” she whispers…

The Girl I Was Before, in Five Words

Honesty. This is a story about not just telling the truth, but being honest with yourself, even when it goes against your grain.

Selflessness. Paige learns the ultimate lesson in her growth throughout the story. Being selfish is a lot easier than giving up your wants and desires to see someone else be happy and thrive. The concept at the heart of The Girl I Was Before is really rather simple—doing the right thing. Simple as it is, it’s still so very hard, and the struggle to do so is something we can all relate to in some place in our lives.

Bravery. Sometimes it’s scary to take a leap, especially if it’s a leap of the heart. Going into unknown territory, abandoning comfort—those are themes that play throughout this story.

Friendship. Paige learns the meaning of true friendship—and how friendship can be the ultimate foundation for true love, as well.

Change. This word in many ways defines the entire Falling Series. The shift that happens that first year of college is tremendous and powerful. This series chronicles that very important first year in the lives of six people, and more than anything, we get to see them change. They aren’t what they will be yet, but they are on their way.

Ginger’s Favorite Quotes

“Thing is, with anyone else, you’d just be their girlfriend, and with me…you’re kind of my world.” – Houston Orr

I love this moment where he puts Paige on a pedestal. It’s great because she’s earned it, and he means it—he’s not just paying lip service to get her for the night, he’s paying homage to earn her for good.

“This guy?” She points at me with her thumb, barely unfolding her arms. “He’s the one who told me I could do better,” she says, and my eyebrows raise a little, feeling the spotlight of, well, everyone. “And ya know what? He’s right.” – Paige Owens

This happens in a scene where Paige kinda kicks some serious ass. She might be a bitch sometimes, but she’s also tough as nails—and right here she says something that I think a lot of us wish we could go back and say to a douchebag or two.

“It’s sad that most people think being honest is strange. I just feel like even the ugliest truth feels a whole lot better than carrying around the weight of lies.” – Houston Orr

I love this quote because it’s exactly how I feel. There are some passages in my stories that are cut from my fabric. This is one of them. I wish we could all be more honest – it doesn’t mean be cruel, but there’s nothing wrong with being real. And I think being honest about our own flaws, shortcomings, fears and worries is harder than being honest about what we think of others. And I think that’s exactly where we should start – with ourselves.

“As bad as this feels,” he says, lifting his eyes up from the ground to mine in a slow drag that cuts me in half, “I wouldn’t take it back. Not any of it. Not even this. For a minute there—I know you loved me. Even if you don’t now…I know you did.” – Houston Orr

I just love the rawness here. It touches on the idea of something being fleeting, and that gets me pretty misty.

“I like you, and that’s what this all is to me—it’s me liking you and being perfectly fine with being the guy in the background, beyond your spotlight. That’s what I got out of that story your sister shared. I heard that you’re a leader, that you’re the one people gravitate to—people adore you! How have you forgotten that? I want to see that girl, more of that girl—the girl who rules the playground. This place needs her.” – Houston Orr

This is such an important moment in the story – it’s where a shift happens, and Houston gives Paige the courage she needs when she needs it most.