Stephanie McKibben, Author
  • Author S.N.McKibben
  • Books
  • A Dirty Blog
  • Author S.N.McKibben
  • Books
  • A Dirty Blog
Picture
Picture

The Good Life Excerpt

6/30/2014

 
Picture
The Good Life

Detective Kyle Anderson is a man of simple tastes and reasonably low expectations. Give him a juicy steak and no homicides, and he’d call it good. When his sister Katelyn got engaged to his best friend Dominic, he’d figured the worst of the unnecessary drama in his life was over. But that was before Dom’s free-spirited, twig-eating, exasperating sister Demetria came back to Nebraska and completely hijacked the planning of the wedding, starting with inviting Dom’s ex-wife Isabel. Now Kate’s so determined to prove Isabel is up to no good that she insists Kyle date her to keep her away from Dom. Soon Kyle is so knee deep in Anderson-Valentini dramatics, he’s thinking of changing his name and moving to Tibet. If he could just get Demi the impossibly sexy granola-flake off his mind long enough to do it…


The Good Life Excerpt

“I can’t stay with you!”

“Why not? It’s not like we didn’t start the evening in bed together. All joking aside, I’m not in the habit of molesting my girlfriends while they sleep.”

“Kyle! That’s not—Err…” Demi growled, flailing her hands as she paced. “How—I mean why—I just…” she stopped and drew in a large breath. “How did you go from thinking I’m an idiot to deciding to hound me for a relationship?”

“Correction, I have never thought you’re an idiot. I think you are the farthest thing from an idiot. You are an intelligent, successful woman with an incomprehensible hatred of bacon who occasionally pretends to be a flake. Hence the nickname granola-flake. Which is way worse than actually being an idiot.”

She huffed.

“That’s my point though. Underneath all this,” she waved her hands again. “…is still that undercurrent of disapproval from you.”

“So change my mind. You’ve already proved me wrong on one major thing. I’m more open minded than you give me credit for. You seem determined to still see me as a narrow-minded bigot. This is a two-way street, woman,” Kyle growled.

“What was that one thing?” she asked, blinking in consternation.

“Let’s put it this way… I can tell when a woman hasn’t had a lot of sexual experience. Either that or you have shitty ass taste in men who are selfish in bed. But you deliberately cultivate this flower child, free love, come-and-get-it, sex goddess persona.”

Her mouth worked for several seconds. “I have too had a lot of sex!” She cringed and looked side to side, then spoke in a lower tone, “I mean, not a lot…but plenty.” Of course, most of it had been in the same calendar year, but he didn’t need to know that.

“So shitty taste, then,” he shrugged. “Alright, fine. Mystery solved.”

“Uh,” she huffed. “What’s that say about you?”

“Nothing, since I picked you.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did. I am currently the only person in this relationship who’s done any conscious picking.”

“We are not in a relationship!”

“Says who?”

“You are a maddening man…” she replied, utterly flabbergasted. “It takes two people to be in a relationship. You can’t just wake up one morning and decide you’re going to be with someone.”

“Sure you can. Technically speaking, it was you who made the first move.”

“No, I didn’t!”

“I guess that’s just how us Andersons roll. When we decide to do something, or change our minds about something and go in a different direction we just…” Kyle skipped his hands together, making a clapping sound, “…do it. Some, like Kate, take forever to get to that decision, but there’s no hesitancy on the course of action once the decision’s been made.”

Demi narrowed her eyes, mouth slightly parted. “You wouldn’t be saying that if you’d participated in any of the wedding planning with her.”

“That has never been about doubting her decision to marry Dominic and everything about Kate’s bad habit of trying to please everyone even knowing it is simply not possible to please everyone at the same time,” he said, then stood up and grabbed her again, scooping her off her feet.

She gasped and reflexively grabbed his shoulders. He sat back down on the chair and tucked her head with his again.

She sighed with a sudden realization, “You’re just trying to distract me, aren’t you?”

He smiled at her, “Maybe.  A little bit.”

She reached up and gently traced his swollen lip again then laid her head back against his shoulder.

“That’s what boyfriends do,” he continued.

She laughed and smacked his chest, “Are not.”

“She says while sitting on my lap… hours after having exchanged bodily fluids—”

“Stop!” she laughed and smacked him again.

He chuckled and squeezed her.

“Thank you,” she whispered after a moment.

He answered with another kiss to her head. She was willing to admit the ‘solid, dependable type’ did have its benefits.

She sighed and squeezed him back. “You’re a good man, Kyle Anderson.”

“Eh, I’m alright,” Kyle kissed her again. “I just wanted to let you know… I mean, I try to ease my girlfriends into this, but… my family’s sort of insane. Just so you know.”

She laughed so hard she started crying, and that seemed so silly that it made her laugh some more. He rocked her a bit and it wasn’t long before she dozed off again, held tight in his arms.

--The Good Life © 2014 by Genevieve Dewey, All Rights Reserved.

Picture

Click to Purchase at:

Picture
Picture
Picture
About the Author: Genevieve lives in Nebraska with her husband and three children. She has a Master’s Degree in Anthropology and a passion for reading, writing, and research. Her favorite subjects are organized crime, anthropology, and Chicago where her family is from (she still hasn’t quite forgiven them for leaving). Her books include:

The Downey Trilogy

First, I Love You

Second of All

Third Time’s The Charm
Dom & Kate

The Bird Day Battalion

The V-Day Aversion

The Good Life

Please feel free to connect with Gen online:

www.GenevieveDewey.com

(Get missing scenes and supplemental flash fiction!)

Twitter: @GenevieveDewey

Facebook * Goodreads * Pinterest * Google+ * YouTube
Genevieve Dewey
7/1/2014 03:18:49 am

Thank you, Stephanie!

Stephanie McKibben
7/1/2014 10:22:21 am

You're welcome!


Comments are closed.
    Welcome to
    The Enclave


    Thanks for taking a look at my little  hodgepodge of a blog. 

    The format and  subjects of my blog has changed through the years as it's my log of S.N.McKibben's writing journey. 

    ​You've now been sufficiently ​forewarned, happy reading!

    RSS Feed


    Categories

    All
    Age Difference Stories
    Anime
    Blood Money
    Book Review
    Book Trailer
    Conferences
    Dark Heart Heroes
    FREE Stories
    Giveaway
    Inside A Writer's World
    Jack The Bodice Ripper
    New Book Release
    Notice Me Senpai
    Pyromage
    Review
    Seducing Sensei
    Snow Blood Comic
    Taboo Fiction
    The Desperate Measures
    The King's Thief
    The Silent Road
    What I'm Watching
    Writers Block Solutions
    Writing Life


    Archives

    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
Proudly powered by Weebly
Photo from wuestenigel (CC BY 2.0)