Exclusive Excerpt: Rough Terrain by Annabeth Albert

Thank you so much for having me. I had so much fun writing ROUGH TERRAIN. One of my favorite things to write are kisses, but sometimes the moments when characters don’t kiss but really, really want to are even more powerful than an actual kiss. And they make the eventual kiss that much more explosive.

Here’s one such moment:

***

Renzo’s tongue felt too thick for his mouth. Damn but Canaan was sexy, miles of creamy, pale skin on a lean, compact body. He’d expected some tats or nipple rings given how punk Canaan liked to present himself, but Canaan was ink free and his nipples were perfect and pink and unadorned. “You…no ink?”

“Not yet.” Canaan shrugged as he pulled on a black T-shirt, yet another in what seemed an endless supply. This one was closer fitting and of a more expensive-looking fabric, making Canaan look even more like the ex-drummer he was. “Grandma hated tats. Like hated. And I didn’t want to keep a secret from her. Now she’s gone, but I haven’t seen a design I can’t live without.”

They were standing way, way too close, but Renzo couldn’t seem to step away. Canaan smelled good—not like the hotel products either, but a light beachy scent that made him want to go on a hunt to figure out if it was shampoo or aftershave. Canaan reached around Renzo to grab the hair dryer mounted on the wall, which brought him closer still.

“Can I…”

“Yeah.” Renzo licked his lips. This was it. They were going to kiss. And it would be—

“Thanks.” Canaan plugged in the hair dryer, arm brushing Renzo’s but no kiss was forthcoming. At all. Apparently Canaan was oblivious to his turmoil, because he turned away, toward the mirror, and started putting mousse in his hair.

Fuck my life. Now it was Renzo’s turn to flop on the bed, legs jelly for reasons that had nothing to do with the flights of stairs and everything to do with Canaan.

“How’s that?” Canaan came back over by the bed, blond hair perfectly tousled like usual, small black earrings in his ears, and jaw still a little scruffy. He had no roots, but his darker eyebrows said the near-white color was helped with a bit of science of some sort. Renzo really dug the contrast. “I need a haircut soon.”

“I like it,” Renzo said before he could recall the words.

“Yeah?” Canaan stretched out next to him, easy as could be, like they did this every damn day, like he belonged right there next to Renzo. “Maybe I’ll keep it.”

Fuck. This. Noise. Renzo was going to have to do it. Right then. If only for his own freaking sanity. Rolling toward Canaan, he reached out and—

Buzz. Canaan’s phone vibrated on the nightstand.

“Oh, hey, we better get downstairs.” Canaan sat up and stretched. “Showtime.”

Right. Showtime. Because that was why he was there. To play a role. Not to get his feelings all jumbled up and to do stupid shit.

***

Want to read the actual first kiss? Check out ROUGH TERRAIN! I hope you enjoy!