From Innovative New Adult Author—Jaqueline Snowe
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Let Life happen: A sassy
bartender who's seen it all wants nothing to do with the campus playboy-- but when they are paired together in class, sparks
fly. Can the player change his ways for the right girl?
Follow Jenna and Aiden in
this enemies-to-lovers story.
Warning: the example chapter contains harsh
language and a sexual scene.
Re-Released in January of
2018. Let Life Happen, the first book in the Isaac’s Bar Series, was picked up
by Liquid Silver Publishing and is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
Everyone has that one friend—the ridiculously hot one you swear you would never develop feelings for. Mostly, because it would end in heartbreak. When Aiden Chad walks into a room, people stop and watch him. Who wouldn’t stop and stare at the Sigma President with his chiseled jaw and perfect smile…and those abs. There’s something about a player like Aiden that makes girls say, “I can change him.”
On the other hand, Jenna Smithson has never been like most girls. Why would she start now? As a bartender at the local, college bar, she has seen it unravel enough times to know exactly how it always ends. For the first time in his life, Aiden encounters a girl who won’t fall at his knees or fall into bed with him. Instead, Jenna gives him a dosage of good, genuine friendship and treats him like a normal person. She calls him out on his shit and his charm gets him nowhere. And this, this makes him question his entire lifestyle. Her sassy attitude and foul mouth, combined with his attitude and humor, create sparks hotter than the Phoenix sun they live under.
A note from the author:
This book is a love story
to those couples who met in college, trying to figure out what they wanted to
do in the world without a clue how to get there. The names of characters and
places are made up, but the setting is all true to Phoenix, Arizona. This was
an ode to a city I grew to love.
Jaqueline Snowe lives in
Arizona where the "dry heat" really isn't that bad. She identifies as a full-blown Gryffindor and prefers drinking
coffee all hours of the day. She is the mother to two fur-babies who don’t
realize they aren’t humans. Her life revolves around balancing her day job in
education and her incessant need to write and explore the world with her
wonderful baseball-loving husband.
Find Jaqueline online:
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Want a
sneak peak of Let Life Happen, as the
two main characters have their
Jenna
It was the weekend after Valentine’s Day. The
only reason I agreed to go out with Aiden was because it wasn’t the Hallmark
holiday. And well, because he asked me really nicely the night before while I
was in a sex coma. He knew how to play dirty.
“So this is your non-Valentine’s Day date
with your non-boyfriend?” Maya asked, holding back a smile.
“That is exactly what this is.” I tilted my
head in confidence and flipped her off when she laughed. “What’s so funny,
missy?”
“You two are just headcases. I know it’s
still a taboo topic, but you need to DTR.”
“DTR?” I asked, confused.
“Define the relationship. It’s been months,
and you still aren’t official.”
“I don’t need it to be official. It’s working
out perfectly. I’m happy. He’s happy. We’re all happy. Hey!” I clicked my heels
together and smirked.
“Just ask him if you’re his girlfriend. Has
he told you he loves you yet?” she asked.
I spat out my drink and glared at her. “No
and no. Thanks for shocking me, by the way.”
“Anytime. It’s what I’m here for. Moral support
and all. I just think you should jump headfirst and tell him how you feel. It’s
been two months since Christmas. It’s only gotten more serious.”
“Ugh! I don’t want to eff it up, okay? That’s
what I’m afraid of. What if I say, ‘Hey, Aiden, I know we haven’t defined
anything and hang out all the time and have amazing sex, but I think I love
you’?”
She giggled. “Yes! Exactly!”
“What if he doesn’t say it back, or what if I
freak him out and we stop being…whatever we are? Do you hear me right now? I
don’t worry about this shit. I’d rather avoid it and enjoy the moment. I sound
pathetic and annoying. I hate being this way.” I punched a pillow on the couch,
then laughed. “God, I’m dramatic.”
“Ya think? But, babe, I’ve known you way too
long. You never back away because something might be hard or challenging. This
is just different because you’ve never been in love before, so it’s scary.”
I gave her a suspicious look. “Why are you so
wise?”
“It’s all the reality TV I watch.”
I went up to hug her. “I don’t know what we’d
do without you.”
“I don’t either. “She grinned and then
motioned toward the door. “He’s here. Don’t do anything stupid, okay? Think
about what I said.”
I rolled my eyes and opened the door to see
him in blue jeans, a white V-neck, and his Yankees hat. He looked delicious. He
eyed me up and down. “Happy Friday.”
“Happy Friday to yourself. Oh! I love your
new Chucks. Gray’s a good choice.”
Aiden swung one foot. “Thanks. You ready to
go?”
“Yup.” As I shut the door, I saw Maya making
a heart symbol with her hands. I flipped her the bird for the second time in
ten minutes, then followed him out.
He kissed me softly and with the sole purpose
of touching me. Swoon. Of course, I had to change the intensity of the
emotions, so I did the only thing I could—changed the subject.
“I know I said no gifts, but I found a card
and thought it was necessary to give it to you. I mean this from the bottom of
my tiny heart.”
He retrieved the card from my hands and took
in the envelope covered in pictures of toilets I hand drew. I chuckled as he
opened it up, distrust evident on his face.
“Huh? ‘My feelings for you are like a toilet
seat… A lot of ups and downs but a necessity in my life.’ I’m so blessed. Thank
you. This is…so romantic.” His lips
tilted at the sides, and he put the card in his back pocket. “I’m going to save
this.”
“Good. It’s an original.”
He laughed. “I can tell. Did you find a blank
card with a toilet seat and add all the drawings yourself?”
“Yup. I’m artistic like that.”
He put his arm around me and kissed the top
of my head. “I love it. Thank you.”
I snaked my arm around him, making it
slightly awkward because of our height difference, but we made it work. We
walked toward his car, but I stopped him. “Let’s not drive. Let’s just walk
somewhere we’ve never been. Somewhere that looks shady, a dive.”
“No romantic candlelit dinner for you? I had
all these plans.”
I shook my head. “Nope. I hope you’re
kidding. You know I would rather have a greasy burger and play darts.”
“When will you learn to trust me, woman?”
“I trust you.”
“Then follow my lead. We aren’t going to
drive anywhere, and I know you’ve been to First Friday before.”
“A couple times, but I normally work. Are we
going?” I asked.
“Yup. And I know we agreed no presents, but I
came up with a better idea. We each have five dollars to spend on the other
person. We get twenty minutes to find a gift.”
“Ohh, I can be a fan of this. Let’s head over
there!”
“Hold on, shorty. I also have, uh, something
to show you. It’s not a present, because you would’ve bitched at me for
breaking the rules.”
“I wouldn’t have bitched.” I noticed his
expression and nodded. “Okay, yeah, I probably would have.”
“Instead, I bought myself a gift I want to show you.”
“Interesting tactic, but I’m listening.”
He popped open the trunk. “I bought myself a
beer-making kit. You know, because I love beer. I heard it’s pretty cool.”
“Wow! I’ve never done it, but they’re
supposed to be great. What type of beer?” I eyed all the materials and a big
glass thing curiously. I always planned on making beer in my life.
“The problem is, though, I can’t have this at
the house. The guys would drink it before it was finished. Plus, it kind of
breaks the house code. Specifically, house code seventy-five, where we aren’t
able to produce or sell alcohol of any kind,” he deadpanned. His chiseled face
remained passive, but his eyes gave him away. They were a little too bright. A
little too happy.
“You made up that code. I know what you’re
doing.”
“Oh really? What am I doing?”
“Backhandedly giving me a gift.”
“No, no, I’m not. I am not giving you this
awesome present. It’s just for me. I just can’t do it at the frat house, so I
have to borrow your apartment.”
“You think you’re so smooth and slick. Damn.”
I looked back in the trunk and saw he’d
bought everything needed to start the process.
He continued to stare at me with a fake
innocent expression. I pointed a finger at his chest, but he grabbed my hand.
“My, my, Jenna, are you insinuating I would break a rule we made and give you a
beer-making kit? I would never do such a thing. And you’re being kind of
selfish thinking it’s for you.”
“Two hundred asshole points, Aiden.”
He shut the trunk and smacked my ass. “Want
to start tomorrow?”
“You bet your ass I do.” I initiated contact
and grabbed his hand. “I love it, Aiden. I really do. We can do it together.
Then when it’s ready, we can get really drunk.”
“That was my plan.”
We walked a good mile to get to the arts
district of Phoenix to see all the street venders setting up for the monthly
exhibit. We ran into some people from campus and said hi, but then we got to
the flea market area.
“Twenty minutes. We meet right back here.”
“Ready? Break!” I shouted and took off in the
opposite direction.
I walked around and saw a bunch of cool art,
but the majority was way over five dollars. I thought about getting him a
keychain, but they were all too random. I saw a stand with cheap beer koozies,
coasters, and shot glasses. That was more like it.
I couldn’t decide between two but finally
bought a koozie that said, Have a nice
day! But then there was a middle finger printed on the bottom. Perfect. I
thought it fit perfectly since we’d decided to become our own beer brewers.
I found him waiting for me in the spot we
determined, a smile on his face. He turned his hat backward, and I wanted to
jump him. It was a weakness of mine. Aiden was a weakness in general. But with
that backward hat, I wanted to take him right there.
“On the count of three, we hand them to each
other. Ready? One…two…three.”
I held out the koozie and dropped it in his
hand…and he handed me the exact same one. “No fucking way.”
“This is either really funny or really sad,”
he said, grinning down at the identical gifts. “What does this say about us?”
“That we both drink too much, are too
sarcastic, and, eh, might be assholes.”
“You’re my perfect woman.”
He pocketed both of the koozies, and we
stopped at a food truck to get dinner.
“I know this isn’t a Valentine’s Day date,
because it’s overrated. But if this were one, this would be the best one I’ve
ever been on,” I said between bites of my walking taco.
“Best date or non-Valentine’s Day date?” he
asked.
“Does it matter?”
“Absolutely. Things to keep in mind for the
future.”
The thought of a future with him didn’t freak
me out at all anymore. My future slowly changed to include him in it. “A little
bit of both. Thank you.”
“It’s not over yet. I want dessert. Like real
food dessert. I’ll deal with you later.” He winked.
“Such a tease. Let’s get a brownie!”
We found an unoccupied picnic table across
the road, and we walked over to eat.
“So can I finally get to ask about the
heinous crime you committed to do time at the nursing home? Don’t think I
forgot.” I shook a finger at him.
“Ah, man. I don’t want to tell you.” He
cringed and took a huge bite of the brownie. “Plus, we have to exchange
something equally as important. Do you have any dark secret you want to share?”
I thought about it and really didn’t come up
with anything earth-shattering. “I made out with Maya at a party in high school
once.”
“Wow.” He coughed on his brownie and had to
wipe his mouth before continuing. “Not what I was expecting. As much as I’d
like to see that, not really too big of a deal.”
“Hmm… I punched a girl in the face.”
He shrugged. “Not surprising. I’ve seen you
at the bar.”
“I stole a WWJD bracelet when I was eight.”
He laughed and shook his head. “This is
enlightening. I’m finding out so much more about you.”
“I returned it, though, when my grandpa
realized what I did.”
“So not really that badass or incriminating.
Any other stories you care to share?”
I tapped my fingers on my chin. “Hmm, I used
to skip school by sneaking out of the band room and putting a rock in the
door.”
“You were in band?”
“No, I just knew two horny band people, and
we worked out a deal. I would sneak out now and again. In return, I would be
the lookout sometimes when they went at it in the little closet in the back.”
“So, in short, you’ve had a lesbian
experience, gotten in a girl fight, stolen something, skipped school, and were
kind of a pimp?”
I nodded. “Yeah, good summary. Now spill your
crime.”
“I’m not sure I feel safe with you anymore.
And no, even all those wonderful details about your deranged childhood don’t
add up to mine.”
I drummed my fingers on the table, taking in
the surroundings, hoping something would come to me. Nothing. Nada. “You’re no
fair.”
“Too bad. Guess you’re going to have to move
on.”
“You suck.” I pouted.
“False. You, on the other hand, are really good at sucking…” He didn’t
finish his sentence, but raised his eyebrows and ran his fingers over his lips.
“Such a horn dog.” I kicked him under the
table.
“Only for you.” He gave me a weird look.
“Ready for part two of the night?”
“I like the sound of part two. Does it
involve you taking off your clothes and letting me ogle you like the man candy
you are?”
He tilted his head to the side and thought
about it. “You’re jumping ahead to part three.”
“You and all your parts and planning. You’re
sneakier than I originally thought. Or maybe more organized. Verdict’s still
out.”
He rolled his eyes before continuing. “I was
worried about convincing you to do something slightly illegal, but after all those
stories, I think we’re okay. Clearly, you’ve got a rap sheet.”
“Not on paper like yours, you felon.”
“Ha-ha-ha. Part two is breaking into a
billion-story hotel downtown and riding up to the pool and patio on the top
floor.”
I barked a laugh. “How do you plan on
managing this?”
“It’s all about acting natural, baby. Looking
like you own the place.”
“Let’s do it.”
We approached the hotel, but before walking
in, he lifted me so my legs were around him. “Part of this plan is to act like
we’re just crazy for each other and making out waiting for the elevator. It
makes people uncomfortable, and they won’t bother us.”
“Make out with you? Not going to be a
problem. Let’s start now.”
He kissed me hard and somewhat aggressively
as he walked us toward the elevator. I opened my eyes to see a couple staring
at us, but I deepened the kiss.
Aiden groaned into my mouth, scaring them
off. I pulled back a little to whisper into his ear, “They ran off. Nice work.”
“Let’s hope the elevator’s clear.”
“Yeah, we can have fun on the ride up.” It
pinged, and just our luck, it was empty.
His eyes turned charcoal and predatory. “Want
to see what I can do to you on a one-minute elevator ride?”
I didn’t get a chance to answer before he
stuck his hand in the front of my pants and rubbed my clit, getting me hot and
ready within seconds. “Mmm, you’re already wet.”
He kissed me senseless and used his fingers
to get me off right before the doors opened.
“Oh Jesus.” I moaned into his shoulder,
biting him.
The doors pinged. We had two seconds to pull
it together. He cleared his throat, tucked my shirt back in, and adjusted
himself before motioning me out the door.
“Oh my God.” I could barely walk. He picked
me up honeymoon style and carried me to a lounge chair overlooking the city.
“That was way more fun than I thought it
would be. You were amazing.”
“Uh, so were you. I’m still coming down from
my orgasm.”
We sat there watching the city lights without
anyone questioning us. I’m not sure how long we sat together, but he finally
turned to me and said, “You are without a doubt the most beautiful person I
have ever met. And I’m not just talking about your body, which is smoking, by
the way. You are amazing, Jenna. Thank you for making tonight in my top five.”
I blushed, and the words I love you were right on my tongue.
But the bright beam of a flashlight hit us in
the face, and a security guard yelled, “Get out of here, guys. You don’t have
the armbands. If you leave now, there will be no consequences. Get lost!”
“Now it’s definitely in my top five. Run-ins
with the law are my favorite!”
