Between Everything and Us

by Rebecca Paula

  My shaky sigh slips out between us. I swear he turns me to honey. I just melt all over my bed.

  His mouth, I swear, is capable of amazing things.

  “I can rephrase.” Noah slides up my body, laughing at the sticky note on my forehead. “You might as well give up.” He meets my stare. “You’ll never guess who you are.”

  That sounds like some extensional question. One that can wait until morning.

  I rake my hands down his back, slipping just below his boxers to curl my hands over the curve of his ass. “I don’t want to play anymore. Shut up and kiss me.” I rip the post-it off his forehead and toss it to the floor while I race to catch my breath. “Now would be good, Noah.”

  EVERLY AFTER

  All truths burn bright and clear. I’m still waiting in the dark.

  Everly Monteith has traded her life of glitter, parties, and self-destruction for waitressing at a Parisian café. She’s put the tragedy that sent her across the Atlantic in the past—until her toxic ex shows up and sends her reeling once more. Her fresh start begins slipping away until a smug British war correspondent crashes her party. But falling for Beckett means letting down her guard, something that might pull them both into the dark.

  There are beautiful lies in this world, and it takes me being chased through a hallway at a rave to decide this girl is one of them. But even the most beautiful lies aren’t worth chasing.

  Twenty-five-year-old Beckett Reid is forced into sabbatical after being kidnapped on assignment in Afghanistan. Back in Paris, he locks himself away to work on a novel, focused on saving his budding journalism career. But when he meets an enigmatic American heiress, his plans are quickly neglected. Everly is the perfect replacement for dangerous war zones, even if she does leave glitter on everything he owns. Reckless and wild, she runs through life making more mistakes than anyone he’s met, but Beckett is determined to fight for her, even if he must face the messy truth that he must fight for himself first.

  Available now

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  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  This book started like a fever — quick and insistent — until a mad flurry of words poured out onto the pages. When the fever broke, I was surprised that I had written another book again. That wasn’t the plan, you see.

  Like Mati, I discovered this past year that plans aren’t everything. So much has changed for me personally and professionally since I first drafted this story. I’m so incredibly thankful for the support of readers, bloggers, fellow authors, and my friends and family for supporting me on this writing adventure of mine. It hasn’t been easy, but your encouragement means everything. Thank you!

  I want to thank my editor, Deb Nemeth, for shaping the book into the story Beau and Mati deserved. I want to thank my copy editor, Rebecca Weston, for being incredibly talented at taking my words and shining them up for the world to read. And I want to thank Maggie Hall for designing the gorgeous cover for this book. It’s so perfectly Beau and Mati — thank you!

  I want to thank Erica Monroe for always being in my corner and giving me amazing pep talks when I need them. I’m still convinced I wouldn’t have released any of my books if it wasn’t for you, so for that, I’ll be endlessly thankful to you. I fucking love you and your incredibly gifted cursing (and your books, too).

  I want to thank my lovely MTWBWY BAMFs for continuing to encourage and support me and my writing. I love you all and am so grateful that the internet brought us together. Look how far we’ve all come in two years?! Keep up the amazing work and words. I’m incredibly proud of each of you!

  I want to thank the incredibly supportive writing community that has supported me throughout everything — Lia Riley, Lex Martin, Kristine Wyllys, Molli Moran, Marie Landry, Heather Van Fleet, Holly Faur — I can’t thank you enough for all of your support.

  I want to thank the bloggers I’ve met since publishing Everly After. You all work so hard to spread the love of words to readers and I can’t thank you enough for your support. A special thanks to Sil, who creates such gorgeous teasers and who always makes me giggle, and to those darn Book Baristas for being so cute (and for giving me that line to write in my acknowledgements, haha).

  I want to thank my RWA conference buddies for making me feel so welcome when I was pretty sure the world was going to end in Atlanta at that huge hotel with thousands of unknown faces. I want to thank you for the mojitos, the laughs, for talking me into taking those cowboy pictures…for making those days at RWA my favorite of every year. I’m so glad we met and I’m proud of you all. Keep writing, keep dreaming!

  To my family, I don’t think a thank you in the back of a book can cut it, but thank you anyway. You have all been so supportive of this chance I’m taking, have given me endless pushes when I really needed them to keep going, and have been understanding when I’m stuck on never-ending deadlines. I love you.

  To Jonny, the inspiration for every hero I write, thank you for putting up with me this last year. Thank you for learning to cook, for cleaning the house, for tucking me into bed with our Bella when I’ve had a really long day and need sleep. Thank you for teaching me what it’s like to wholly love someone and how to let go of chasing plans and to enjoy the small things.