Excerpt & Giveaway: Promise Me Always by Rhonda Shaw

Promise Me Always
Rhonda Shaw
Publication date: February 26th 2018
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Gabrielle Wells was everything Danny Anderson shouldn’t want. She was his opposite in every way, but he couldn’t keep his distance, and fate seemed to push them together at every turn. She consumed him, and the more he learned about her, the more he realized she was exactly what he didn’t know he needed. But then past mistakes forced him to walk away and never look back, breaking Gabrielle’s heart in the process.
Fast forward six years, and it seems as if fate is intervening again. Danny, now a best-selling rap artist, returns to his hometown, and is reunited with the only girl he’s ever loved.
Gabrielle isn’t the girl he left behind, though, and Danny realizes life has thrown her quite a few curves. But he will stop at nothing to get her back, refusing to let his true desires—love and family—continue to elude him. However, when Danny’s past crashes into his present, threatening everyone he loves and everything he’s fought for, he must decide if his promise to Gabrielle of “always” is worth the risk.

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EXCERPT:

“Rap something for me.” I was almost begging, the urge to hear him perform his craft so strong I couldn’t fight it.
He laughed, a nice, low rumble, and the light expression brightened his face. “No, I’m not going to rap something for you.”
My heart stuttered, and warmth pulsed through me. I wanted to hear his laugh again. “Why not?”
“Why don’t you dance for me?”
I dropped my bag and set myself in fourth position, praying I didn’t twist an ankle on a pebble, before rolling up to balance on one foot while lifting the other to my knee. I spun around twice before landing into a lunge with my arms in third position.
“What was that?”
I leaned down to pick up my bag. “A pirouette.”
His mouth opened and his eyes widened before a stony expression fell into place. He turned and we continued walking.
“I’m waiting,” I pressed.
“Waiting for what?”
 “My rap.”
We stopped again, and he glanced at me before staring straight ahead over my shoulder, preparing the rhymes in his head as he nodded to a beat only he could hear. His voice was sharp as he snapped out the words, bending them in a way where I could almost hear the music that might have been playing along with it. He told me a story about a girl who was white-faced and
straight-laced, and, like Dorothy, was totally out of place.
When he finished, I smiled. He’d been trying to offend me, but I found his lyrics funny. “That’s good.”
His gaze lingered, as he’d most likely expected me to get insulted and stomp off in a huff, but when I didn’t, he shrugged. “It’s the best I could do on short notice, considering the material I have to work with.”
My grin widened. “Are you saying I’m boring?”
“Not too many skeletons in your closet, I’m guessing.”
“And you do?”
“You have no idea,” he murmured.
“Why are you always doing that?”
“Doing what?”
I walked over and stood right in front of him. He was only a few inches taller than I was, but appeared as if he towered over me. “Make me scared of you, or try to make me believe you’re some evil person.”
“I’m trying to make it clear you shouldn’t trust me.”
“And why shouldn’t I trust you?” I crossed my arms.
“Because it would be better for you if you didn’t.”
“Isn’t that for me to decide?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “If you weren’t so naïve.”
I threw up my arms. “Well, then help me to not be naïve. Help me learn what I need to survive here. Don’t just tell me I’m naïve and walk away.”
His gaze held mine before a beautiful smile broke out on his face, completely transforming it. “You’re a funny girl, Gabrielle.”
I was ready to lash out at his condescending comment, but stopped when he said my name. I’d been positive he hadn’t remembered it, me being nothing more than a small blip on his radar, and hearing his low voice say it caused goose bumps to break out over my skin and a shiver to roll through me. God help me, but there was something about this rude and impolite guy I liked.
“You should do that more often,” I said instead.
His eyes narrowed, the hardness returning to his face. “Do what?”
“Smile. It looks good on you. Thanks again for the escort.”
I stepped past him, but paused when he called out.
“Hey!”
I turned my head and raised an inquisitive brow.
“It’s Danny.”
I smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Danny.”

Author Bio:
Rhonda owes her love of reading to her mother who would read to her each night before bed and sometimes give into pleads for more than one chapter. These days, if Rhonda doesn’t have a book in her hands, it feels like something is missing. While romance is her true passion, Rhonda enjoys reading multiple genres.
Born in California, but transplanted to the Midwest, Rhonda is warm weather girl to the bone (even years later, winter and her are not on speaking terms) and loves nothing more than a balmy, summer evening. She also loves all animals–especially her silly French Bulldog, Keno.
Nowadays, she has so many characters and story ideas running around in her head that she can’t keep up with them. But one day, she’ll tell each one.

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