Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway:
Battle for the Top by Ariella Zoelle
Whether it’s on or off the tennis court, Knightley is always ready to battle for the top. An explosive confrontation with his nemesis Kingston leads them to take their rivalry to the next level off the court. Can two fierce adversaries turn passion into romance?
Knightley Neilson
Kingston Sabatino throws fuel on my fire like nothing else ever has. Our rivalry is all-consuming since I’m determined to dethrone him and reclaim my rightful place as the number one tennis player in the world. I will beat him, someday.
When I confront Kingston after another devastating loss, the line between my rage and obsession to win begins to blur as I discover there might be another way for me to come out on top. True, I’ve never been attracted to a man before, but the temptation to have him at my mercy matters more to me than his gender. I’m not just willing to make him mine; I want to claim him as mine in every way. Having him give in to me will ultimately be the sweetest victory.
Is it really possible for me to love a man like Kingston while still wanting to be the winner?
Kingston Sabatino
I’ll do anything to win Knightley’s heart. That includes becoming the best tennis player in the entire world and defeating him every time we meet. Next, I’ll issue a challenge I know he’ll never be able to resist, even though he’s straight: take his passionate rage out on me in the hottest way possible. That’s how I discover he kisses to win. And I’m not about to let him stop there.
Can I help him see past our rivalry to understand that we’re perfect for each other in every way? Tennis starts with “Love-all,” so let the game begin.
Battle for the Top is a standalone novella featuring a rivals to lovers, bisexual awakening, sports romance. Full of hot banter and sexy fun, this book ends with a satisfying HEA and no cliffhangers.
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Chapter 3: Knightley Neilson
His green eyes widened in surprise at the sight of me wearing nothing but a towel. “Hello, gorgeous.” He was one to talk. Although I had never been interested in men before, it was an undeniable fact that he looked handsome in jeans, a gray T-shirt, and a black leather jacket.
“I should shut the door on you just for that.”
“We both know you won’t.” He strode into my room like I had invited him inside, sitting down in the chair beside the window. His gaze once again drank me in from head to toe. My ego loved every second of his appreciation. “Are you ready to talk?”
“About what?”
“What happens next.”
It was hard to be mad at him for offering me answers to the thing I had spent the better part of my shower wondering about earlier. “Okay.”
His eyebrows arched in surprise. “Wow, you’re not going to fight me on it?”
I crossed my arms over my chest as I remained standing. “Do you want me to?”
“It makes it more fun for me when you do.” His cheeky grin was infectious, but I fought my urge to return it. “I enjoy when you make me work for it.”
“Get on with it already.”
He took a deep breath as he lost some of his playfulness. “You hate beating around the bullshit, so I’m going to put all my cards on the table for you. You’re more than a meaningless fuck for me, Knightley. I want to be your boyfriend.”
His willingness to state his ambition impressed me. That he had phrased it as he wanted to be my boyfriend and not that he wished I’d be his boyfriend also spoke volumes about his insights into how I worked. His intuitive understanding of his opponents was one of the things that made him impossible to beat. “Exclusively?”
“For both of us.” He smoldered in a way that made me shift uncomfortably as it stirred the embers of my desire from our previous encounter. “I play for keeps. It’s all or nothing with me.”
Maybe I had lost my mind, but I gave his proposition serious consideration. Relationships were almost more trouble than they were worth because none of my past girlfriends had accepted that tennis would always come first for me. But Kingston was wired like me, which meant he was one of the few people who would understand my priorities because they were his, too. My contrarian nature forced me to push back at his claims a little. “Is it really dating when we can’t go on dates? The media would have a fucking field day for weeks with speculation if we were spotted together.”
“We don’t have to go out to fancy restaurants to be in a relationship.” He stood up and closed the distance between us. I inhaled sharply when he pressed against my body, running his hands up my bare chest to rest on my broad shoulders. “All I need is to be with you like this.”
My arms encircled his slim waist as I held him closer. Why was that such a natural action with him? “And to be intimate with me?”
“Especially that.” His cocksure grin ignited the spark within me into a roaring blaze once more. “But more than that, too.”
It was impossible to think with him pressed so close against me. Why couldn’t I smother the urge to kiss him again?
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About the Author:
Ariella Zoelle previously published as A.F. Zoelle. She adores steamy, funny, swoony romances where couples are allowed to just be happy. That means she writes low angst stories full of heat, humor, and heart. Her vast knowledge of weird, wild, and wonderful randomness colors her writing, meaning her characters have some pretty strange and entertaining interests.
There are even rumors that she’s a time management wizard who uses her magic powers to create enough free time to turn her massive horde of plot bunnies into sassy M/M romance novels. Her next feat will be turning herself into a full-time author.
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