Release Blitz, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway:
Antagonist by Ana Ashley
Dads of Stillwater, Book 1
One artist. One attorney. Two single dads.
Meeting at a bachelor auction for charity had trouble written all over it as far as I was concerned, especially when the guy that won the bid for me seemed to be after only one thing…a good time between the sheets.
Refusing Fletcher’s advances was easy the first time round. After all, we weren’t meant to see each other again.
Except I’ve just moved to Stillwater where Fletcher lives. Except both our kids are in the same class.
Now the kids are fighting and I’m ready to throw my own punches. If only Fletcher wasn’t as goddamn irresistible as he is irritating.
When the fight moves from the playground to the bedroom, who will come out on top?
Antagonist is book 1 in Ana Ashley’s new series, Dads of Stillwater. Single dads, sassy kids, Ana’s usual cast of intriguing secondary characters, Stillwater has it all.
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The more Fletcher talks, the more I’m certain I’ve misjudged him. In some ways, we’re not so different from each other. I just hope it’s not too late to repair some of the stuff I’ve said or implied to him.
As we drive out of town, we descend into a comfortable silence. I still don’t know where Fletcher is taking me, and maybe, for the first time in my life, I don’t need to know exactly where I’m going.
At some point, we turn off the main road and onto a forest-lined street.
I see a few flickering lights in the distance. As we keep going, the lights get brighter until I see water.
“Are we at the lake?” I ask.
“Yes.”
A moment later, Fletcher stops the car in front of a log cabin. I follow as he steps out of the vehicle. The air has become considerably chillier than earlier, but it’s a good chilly. Perfect for sitting outside wrapped in a blanket.
“This place is yours?” I ask as Fletcher takes out a set of keys to unlock the front door.
“Kind of. It’s the family cabin, but George and I use it the most now.” As we walk in, I’m met with a picture-perfect image of a family home. The door opens straight to the living area with a large kitchen at the other end. There’s a fireplace and a couch big enough for an entire family to sit comfortably.
“My grandparents bought the cabin in the sixties,” he continues as he turns the lights on and checks the circuit board. “I still remember my grandad telling stories of the parties they had here in the summer. It was eventually passed down to my dad and uncle, but my uncle moved to Florida years ago and only visits once a year. My parents spend two weeks a year in the summer.”
“How often do you come here?”
“Maybe twice a month. George loves it out here. I usually set up a treasure hunt for him. Although my days on that are numbered. He’s becoming too clever. Last time he asked me why my pockets were always full when we left the cabin and empty when we returned and then called me selfish for not sharing my snacks that I clearly ate while he was treasure hunting.”
I laugh, thinking that’s something Megan would totally do.
Fletcher flips a switch and the outside deck lights up with a million fairy lights. He takes my hand and leads me through the sliding glass doors.
“This is beautiful, Fletcher. So calm. What a special place.”
I look at him, and he’s staring at the glistening moonlit lake. His hair is still in a perfectly styled bun that I suddenly want to mess up.
“When I was young, I wanted to travel and see the world,” he says. “But in all the places I’ve been, there’s never been a place I feel more connected to, more at home than this cabin.”
I step in front of him, and our slight height difference makes him have to look up.
“Why did you bring me here, Fletcher?”
My eyes skate over his perfect skin, short beard, and impossibly clear eyes.
“I think you know, Harry.”
I let out an irritated growl.
“Why the nicknames?” I ask.
He places his hands on the lapels of my jacket, gripping tight and pulling me closer until our noses are all but touching.
“Because when I call you by anything but your name, you come alive. Your eyes light up with this fire, this anger, frustration. It’s the only time I get to see the real you, Harrison.”
His words should hurt. So why don’t they? Why do I get a tingle up my spine with the knowledge that Fletcher wants to see me? That nothing else will do?
Anyone else would apologize in case they hurt my feelings, but not Fletcher. He’s waiting for me to take his words in. He doesn’t believe he should apologize because he’s speaking from the heart.
“And what do you see when you see me, Fletcher?” My voice is raspy, needy, and full of vulnerability. There’s no coming back from this.
“I see someone who’s surrounded themselves with so many protective layers that they’re afraid of what might happen when they take them off. I see someone so fiercely protective of everyone else that they forget their own needs are legitimate.”
“Needs, huh?” I bump his nose with mine, holding him against me so he can feel exactly what I need right now.
“Yes.” He all but gasps as I take his mouth in a long, languid kiss, exploring, tasting, and memorizing every inch of Fletcher’s mouth.
I growl when Fletcher reaches behind me to untuck my shirt. I thread my fingers through his hair and feel the elastic band snap. His hair falls in waves, soft and silky around my fingers.
“You have something against my hair ties?” he chuckles, continuing to kiss my jaw.
“Yes, as a matter of fact. They’re very inconvenient.”
“You know what else is inconvenient?” he asks.
“Let me guess…people who stop in the middle of doorways? People not using proper grammar in text messages?”
He laughs. “Yes…but not that.”
“When you wash your face and water trickles down to your elbows?” I continue, “Having to scroll past someone’s life story before you get to the ingredients in an online recipe?”
“Nope.”
“Dropping your front door keys just when you’re carrying a hundred bags or really need to pee?”
Fletcher is now howling, and I rack my brain, trying to come up with funnier stuff to keep him laughing.
“No, you fucker. What’s inconvenient is that you made a promise earlier,” he says, trying to catch his breath.
“I don’t remember doing that,” I tease.
Fletcher runs his hands down to my ass, giving it a squeeze, and moves slowly to the front, where my rock-hard dick is trying to escape the confines of my clothing.
“You said we have some unfinished business, and I don’t know about you, but if I have to yet again take care of my unfinished business by myself, I won’t be happy.”
I hiss when he grips my erection, my eyes closing as I hold my breath to stop myself from coming in my pants.
“Fuck, Fletcher.”
“How about a tour of my bedroom before we give the neighbors a show?”
I open my eyes and look around. Sure enough, there are neighboring cabins with their lights on.
“I think that might be a good idea.”
He pulls me inside and closes the door behind us.
I barely register the way to the bedroom because my eyes stay on Fletcher’s ass as he moves in front of me.
The room is exactly what I’d expect to find in a cabin. The bed takes up most of the space and is full of blankets and pillows. There’s a small fireplace and a wall-to-wall window facing the lake. The curtains are open, framing the moonlit lake perfectly.
Fletcher doesn’t turn the lights on. Instead, he presses a button on the side of the fireplace and it turns on, immediately giving a warm glow to the room.
He takes his jacket off and drapes it over the armchair in the corner, then turns slowly and starts undoing the buttons on his white shirt.
I swallow, my mouth feeling dry all of a sudden. “What you said before…about finishing yourself…” I say. “You do that a lot?”
“A lot more since I’ve met you, Harrison Davis.”
To celebrate the release of Antagonist, Ana is giving 2 e-copies of the winner’s choice of any book from her Backlist!
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About the Author
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