Blog Tour: Break The Line by Allison Mullinax
Break the Line
by Allison Mullinax
Contemporary Romance
Fiery Seas Everlasting
February 13, 2018
As a pro-fisherman, Benson Howell’s days are spent on murky lake water, reeling in largemouth bass and winning first place trophies. At twenty-nine, life is easy and carefree. His only job is to stay in the top rankings during the fishing circuit, and keep the sponsors happy. That is, until he meets hot tempered, fiery haired Danni-Rose in small-town Alabama. He has never backed down from anything too big to reel in.
Danni-Rose has spent the past six years of her life burying her past. When Benson Howell literally plows his boat right into her life, armed with simmering anger, she fights the current pulling her closer to him. With a past she can’t let go of, and the sexy fisherman breaking down all her walls, Danni-Rose does everything she can to break the line connecting her to Benson.
Will Danni-Rose be able to let go of the past? Can Benson change her mind about him? Or will they both miss the catch of a lifetime?
ISBN: 978-1-946143-43-3 ~ eBook ~ $3.99
ISBN: 978-1-946143-44-0 ~ Paperback ~ $10.99
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Excerpt
Chapter 5 of BREAK THE LINE by Allison Mullinax
I look out across the clearing to the lake that is wrapped completely around her home town. Off in the distance I can make out the river dam. Little specks on the water indicate sailboats floating on the water tops below, steering clear of the barges making their way toward the dam. The air is so clear up here. I lay back on my side with my head propped on my hand, and look across the blanket to Danni-Rose. “It sure is beautiful,” I say, and she turns her head to me to see that I’m not really looking at the lake at all. All I see is the way the sun highlights the freckles splattered across her skin, and the way the breeze shuffles her hair off her shoulder. She holds my stare for a moment before looking away. “How old are you, Danni?” I ask, trying another angle, trying anything to get her to speak.
“Twenty-four, my birthday is next week, though. So, twenty-five by the time you leave this town and hit the next lake on your tour. You?”
“Twenty-nine, and that might be a while. Your mechanic seems hell-bent on taking as much time and money from me as he can. The part for my motor won’t be here until Thursday, and the labor will take several days. Looks like you’re stuck with me.”
“Well, at least your speed boat is broken, and you won’t be terrorizing the waters while you’re here,” she says, chancing a glance in my direction. I don’t smile at her this time, I only stare at her.
“Don’t you think that’s enough, Danni? I hear you, ok? I understand,” I say with an edge to my voice.
“No, Benson… you couldn’t possibly understand.” She’s looking down and picking a loose thread on the patchwork quilt. I watch her pull at the string, creating a crease along the edges of the material.
I let the silence linger for a moment. “What happened?” I risk asking. I’ll never get anywhere with her if I don’t try. I reach my hand out and place it over hers, stopping her nervous assault on the blanket. She doesn’t jerk away, she only looks down at my hand covering hers. And though the Alabama sun is warm against our skin, I see the chill bumps raise along her arms. She may think she’s hiding how she feels, but I’m honed-in to every breath, to every move she makes, and I know that I’m winning the war.
“I can’t fix something I don’t know anything about, Danni. Just try,” I say, aware that it sounds like I’m pleading with her. I don’t care, my pride never got me anywhere that I needed to be anyways.
I watch when she flips her hand underneath my touch, and twists her fingers into mine. There’s something about the way her hand fits into my palm. If a fishing rod ever felt like coming home, then her hand holding mine feels like going to heaven. She looks up, her eyes on mine, and my eyes fall to her lips.
“Someone I loved… very much… lost everything because of someone like you. And this,” she says, holding our entangled hands up, “no matter how good it feels, no matter how much I want it, feels like a betrayal,” she reveals, and the look on her face tells me that this battle can never be won in a day.
About the Author:
North Alabama native, Allison Mullinax, grew up in the small lake town of Guntersville, AL. She discovered the escapism and addiction of writing at an early age. Today she remains a lover of reading, all things outdoors, and spending time with her husband and three daughters.
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