Title: A Lie for a Lie
Author: Helena Hunting
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Publisher: Montlake
Guest Post: Lainey vs. Puck Bunnies in A Lie for a LieĀ Ā Ā
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A Lie for a Lie is a heartwarming, sexy, emotional romantic comedy. Itās a second chance romance, filled with secrets and there are definitely some exciting, fun twists. Itās also a story of empowerment, self-discovery, and independence.
Rook Bowman, aka RJ or Rookie as he has been known as previously, has recently taken on the role as captain of Chicagoās NHL team, and with that role comes big responsibility and more fame than he sometimes knows how to handle. As with any professional sport, the NHL lifestyle can often be full of excess and decadence; money, fame and an endless stream of women who will do just about anything to get into bed with them, and itās not always easy to avoid that kind of temptation.
When we meet Rook inĀ A Lie for a LieĀ we learn that he has a less than shiny past when it comes to the excess and the puck bunnies (hockey groupies). NHL players are often drafted quite youngājust watch a game and youāll notice that the rookies can often barely grown peach fuzz, let alone a full beard. Theyāre still teenagers when they start their careers, and Rook was no different. Having grown up on an alpaca farm in rural New York, his focus was mainly hockey and the family farm, but once he hit the pros he found himself surrounded by women who literally threw themselves at him. And being young, attractive and full of testosterone, he fell headfirst down that rabbit hole. At least until the drama found him in the form of a fake pregnancy and a social media firestorm. Because of that, and the impact it had on his relationship with his family, Rook swears off the bunnies and refocuses on his career, rather than extracurricular activities.
He meets Lainey on the way to Alaska, where heās gone every summer since he was a teenager with his dad and his brother. He lost his father a few years earlier, but kept the tradition with his brother because he craves the escape from the demands of his life as an NHL superstar. Lainey encapsulates everything he misses about being a ānormal guy.ā She doesnāt recognize him or seem to even know anything about hockey, and that makes her even more alluring. For once, he can just be himself. He doesnāt have to worry about ulterior motives or being used. Lainey is refreshingly innocent, incredibly smart, genuine and overwhelmingly sweet and Rook finds himself enamored with her sense of adventure. As they get to know each other, Rook learns about her traumatic past and realizes that despite the challenges sheās faced, Lainey possesses a quiet strength and resilience. Add some insane chemistry and youāve got a recipe for love. UnfortunatelyĀ for Rook, he built their entire fragile relationship on lie he canāt take back.
A Lie For A Lie Excerpt
When Lainey excuses herself to the bathroom, I rush upstairs and throw on a T-shirt. I know she said whatever makes me comfortable, but sitting around shirtless is such a douche move.
I make it back to the kitchen and pour her a fresh drink before she returns from the bathroom.
āHow can I help with dinner?ā Lainey drapes her sweater over the back of a chair.
And my mouth goes dry. Like I ate an entire sleeve of saltines and chased it with a tablespoon of salt. So far Iāve only seen Lainey in a giant parka or an oversize sweater. Under all that bulky fabric is one hell of a body. Sheās wearing a simple white waffle shirt that conforms to her curves. A pair of dark-wash skinny jeans encase her toned legs.
Iām used to bunnies throwing themselves at me, often in questionable states of undress. I stopped getting excited about miniskirts and revealing tops a long time ago. Thereās something infinitely sexier about a woman who can show off her body without actually showing it off at all.
Lainey tips her head to the side. Her teeth press into her full bottom lip. I want to do that. Suck that pouty, full lip between my teeth and bite it. I want to do a lot of other, far more explicit things than that, but a kiss seems like a good place to start.
āRJ? Is everything okay?ā Her eyes dip down to my chest. Iām wearing a shirt from one of my endorsement campaigns. It afforded me the extensive renovations on this cabin a few years ago.
āHuh?ā I give my head a shake. āOh. Yeah. Everythingās good. Sorry, zoned out there for a second.ā
She smiles and pushes up on her toes, her eyes twinklingālike, they legit light up, and her excitement makes her entire body vibrate. It also makes her boobs jiggle. I try to keep my eyes glued to her face. Itās not easy, though.
āI do that all the time! Sometimes my brain is busy with so many thoughts I miss entire conversations. Does that happen to you too?ā
I grin. I love that she seems to say whatever is on her mind. āAll the time.ā
āItās actually a helpful skill when youāre being lectured, because I can sort through stuff in my head, but itās not so great when your supervising professor is telling you whatās wrong with your thesis.ā She pulls her hair over her shoulder and finger combs it.
āI take it thatās happened to you.ā
āIt did. Thankfully he also emailed all his criticisms, so missing out on it the first time wasnāt that big of a deal.ā She divides her hair into three sections and deftly braids it without looking at what sheās doing even once. Itās pretty damn impressive. I almost want to pull it apart so I can watch her do it all over again. āAnyway, enough about that. Letās get started on dinner!ā She nudges me out of the way so she can wash her hands. She dries them on her jeans and moves over to the fridge, opening it to check out the contents.
I kind of like that she makes herself at home. Iām used to women who expect to be catered to. Itās refreshing to meet someone who doesnāt want me to pander to her.
I start pulling things out of the fridge as she starts naming items sheāll need and set them on the counter. I manage to locate most of what she asks for.
āWhat about garlic? Do you have any of that?ā She leans over, peering into the fridge beside me. Her braid slips over her shoulder, skimming my arm.
āUh, maybe we could forgo the garlic?ā
āAre you allergic? My oldest brother gets bloated when he eats it. It took us forever to figure out what was causing it. Sometimes Iāll still put some in when heās coming for dinner, because itās funny to see him look like heās expecting.ā She tips her head to the side. āOr you just donāt like garlic?ā
āI like it sometimes, but it depends.ā
Her brows pinch together. āOn what?ā
āWho Iām eating with. I mean, if Iām going out with buddies, you bet Iām gonna order the honey garlic wings, or the cheesy garlic bread, or the pasta Alfredo. But if Iām eating dinner with a pretty girl, Iām gonna pass on the garlic.ā
āOh.ā She twists the end of her braid around her finger.
I hope Iām not reading things wrong and making her uncomfortable.
āDoes that mean you think Iām pretty?ā
That she sounds genuinely curious as to my answer is unexpected. āYou see yourself in the mirror every dayāwhat do you think?ā
She averts her gaze, still playing with the end of her braid. āMy eyes are too big, so I always look like Iām surprised. My nose is small, and my lips are too full, so my mouth doesnāt really fit the rest of my face.ā
āWow. I think you need a new mirror, because all I see is a whole lot of gorgeous.ā
She snorts a laugh and waves me off. āOnce, I took a portrait class, and we learned all about proportion and symmetry of the face. Those are just my flaws based on what I was taught.ā
āWell, Iām a big fan of all your flaws, and I think they make you more beautiful, not less.ā
āThanks. I think youāre beautiful too.ā She cringes. āI mean handsome. Youāre very nice to look at, with or without a shirt on. When I fell in your lap on the airplane, I remember thinking, At least I fell on someone nice looking.ā
āIs that so?ā
āMm-hmm.ā She opens a drawer, maybe to avoid looking at me. āAnd as much as I was mortified when you sat beside me on the Cessna, I couldnāt complain about the view, inside or outside of the plane. That you turned out to be really nice, and just so helpful, was a great bonus.ā She hands me a roll of foil. āWhy donāt you wrap the potatoes? They take the longest, so we should get started on those first.ā
I put the potatoes on the barbecue and let Lainey order me around. She definitely knows her way around a kitchen. When I was growing up, my mom did most of the cooking, but my dad could make a mean Saturday-morning brunch. He also made great bread, which I miss a lot.
An hour later weāre seated at the table, plates full of steak, twice-baked potatoes, and crispy brussels sprouts cooked in bacon fat. I open a bottle of red wine and offer Lainey a glass.
āJust a little bit? Iām not sure I like red wine.ā
āMaybe you just havenāt had the right red wine.ā I pour a little into her glass.
She picks it up and gives it a swirl, then sniffs it. āIāve seen people do this in the movies, but I donāt really know what the point is,ā she admits, then tips the glass back and takes a tentative sip. Her expression turns thoughtful; then she takes another, slightly more robust sip. āThis is actually really nice. I like it. Maybe the red wine I had before was bad.ā
āMaybe. Some of the cheap stuff tastes pretty awful.ā I pour more into her glass before filling mine. I hold up my glass and wait for her to raise hers.
āTo chance meetings.ā
āTo new adventures and great company to share them with.ā We toast and take a sip, each smiling behind the rim.
Author Biography
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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. Helena writes everything from contemporary romance with all the feels to romantic comedies that will have you laughing until you cry.
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