The Hardest Fall by Ella Maise
Contemporary Romance
April 17th
Chance encounters doesn’t happen often. It’s like fate giving you an opening and it’s up to you if you’re going to make the most out of it or lose that opportunity completely.
Well, in Dylan and Zoe’s case, they were given three chances. First, it was in the bathroom where Zoe took a dare that led her to seeing MORE of Dylan. He was unavailable and she backed off. The second time was a year later, she saw him and ran off and he followed her, she was in a relationship and Dylan respected that. Is it third time’s the charm for these two? Will they make that last chance count?
Zoe Clarke, had a reason for moving to Los Angeles. She wanted to make good with the promise that she made to her mom before she passed away. But she din’t imagine it to be hard, to keep that secret, and for that reason to affect what she feels about Dylan. She didn’t plan on falling for him. Zoe actually made it a point to skeedadle whenever they would cross paths, but as luck would have it, they were fated to find each other.
Dylan Reed, had a goal, to become a pro-athlete, be a part an NFL team, and to live his dream and make his family proud. He wan’t your typical jock, he’s the relationship type of guy, a one-woman man, that is a rarity in itself. And to be that gorgeous, hard-working student-athlete, well, he’s the ultimate catch. But, of all the girls pining over him he can’t his mind off of the girl who barged in on him. Yet, lady-luck was on his side, because he not only saw Zoe again, they were going to be roommates. Still, he was being tested by fate, and he would fight tooth and nail to get what he wants.
Another great read from Ms. Ella Maise. I love how they didn’t jump into a relationship from the get-go. That they established a friendship first, eventhough they clearly falling for each other. This book reminds me of just being proud of your quirks, if the person you’re in love gets your weirdness and still loves you, then, that person is a keeper. Another aspect of this book that made it hard to put down, was the suspense of finding out what Zoe’s secret was. Why she wouldn’t give in to Dylan even if she was already falling for him. Can’t wait to read more Ella Maise books ❤️
“My hips moving of their own accord, I sang the whole thing, even made the gorilla noises, as if the lyrics weren’t enough. You can guess where I’m going with this, right? Because it’s me we’re talking about here. When my eyes lazily opened, Dylan Reed was staring at me upside down. I closed my eyes, opened them again…tried it yet again for good measure…but he wasn’t going anywhere. When I’d first seen him looking down at me, I’d thought and hoped I had just conjured him up because I was feeling…a certain way. Watching Dylan Reed do push-ups and sit-ups was not something that was easy to erase from your mind, after all. Watching his muscles ripple under that smooth skin that begged you to touch, lick, and slurp, to…do all the things you couldn’t and shouldn’t and wouldn’t do to a friend…”
“I’m right here and I want you, so damn much. I’m not sure how much more I can take. Every time I see you with a guy…I just want to rip his head off for touching you, for looking at you, for being close to you when I can’t.”
“And I feel like…how am I supposed to keep it in its place? How am I supposed to get used to seeing that smile on your lips? It breaks my brain. You break my brain sometimes—complete mush. Even that first time in the bathroom…though that was just nerves and being horrified, so maybe we can’t count that one…but the second time, when I saw you walking toward me, I just got stuck. How could anyone possibly look away—”
“I’ll catch you when you land, Flash. Just don’t take too much time, because I’m already there, impatiently waiting for you.”
***ARC graciously given in exchange for an honest review :)
The first time you meet someone, you make eye contact. You smile, say hello. Should be simple, if you’re anyone but me. The first time I met Dylan Reed, I found myself making eye contact with a different part of his body. You see, I’m very good at being shy, not to mention extremely well-versed in rambling nonsense and, unfortunately, rather highly skilled at making a fool of myself in front of a guy I’m attracted to.
At the time, I knew nothing about him and thought none of what I said would matter since I’d never speak to him again. Turns out, I was very wrong. He was the star wide receiver of the football team, one of the few players expected to make it into the NFL, and I ended up seeing him all over campus.
I might have also propositioned him, run away from him, attacked him with a cooking utensil…and…uh, maybe I shouldn’t tell you all of it. It’s pretty normal stuff, things you’d expect…from me. Eventually, the time came when I couldn’t hide anymore—not that he’d have let me even if I tried.
Before now, he never knew I was secretly watching him. Now that we see each other every day, he knows when I have a hard time looking away. It doesn’t help that I’m not the most subtle person in the world either.
He smiles at me and tells me he finds me fascinating because of my quirks. I can’t even tell him that I think my heart beats differently whenever he’s around.
He thinks we’re going to be best friends. I think I have a big thing for him, and the more I get to know him, the more I don’t care that I’m not allowed to be his friend, let alone fall for him.
The thing is, that’s exactly what I’m doing—what we’re doing, I think.
Falling.
Hard.
I stopped speaking when Dylan’s gloved hand—his huge gloved hand—cupped my cheek and gently tilted my face up. The world around me slowed down, and I stood still. I swear to you, I watched his eyes roam my face in slow motion.
“I like having your eyes on me, Zoe.”
I managed to force a nervous smile. His thumb moved on my cheek, rendering me…basically completely helpless.
Forgetting myself, forgetting where we were, I whispered, “I like watching you.”
His tongue peeked out and touched his lower lip. “I know.”
Oh, Dylan, why did you do that?
“I meant I like watching you—liked watching you play tonight. I didn’t mean it to sound like I like watching you when you’re not playing. I definitely wouldn’t watch you if you were just standing there, or I don’t know…I wouldn’t watch you when you’re working out, and I would never watch you if you were—”
“You know why I like watching you?”
The question shut me up pretty quickly, which was probably for the best; who knew what else I would spew out.
“Because I can’t take my eyes away from you. Everything else…it all disappears, and…”
And… And…
“And?”
I tried my best not to look eager for his answer—or let’s say not too eager, because there was no way he couldn’t tell I was very interested and invested in hearing what he was about to say.
He let out a heavy breath and decided not to finish that particular sentence. I’d seen it in his eyes, a slight change, there and gone.
Goddammit!
I’m a big dreamer. And that’s how it all started for me, really. Reading and dreaming. I love nothing more than to escape real life to find those very few magical moments in a book. I love how it has the power of stealing your worries away, putting a smile on your face even when smiling is the last thing on your mind. Crushing on fictional characters is also another bonus. Through my words, if I can manage to make even one-person smile, it means I’ve done my job well.
Writing became my world and I can’t imagine myself doing anything other than creating new characters and telling their stories. You know how some things simply makes your heart burst with happiness? A really good book, a puppy, hugging someone you’ve been missing like crazy? That’s what writing does to me. And all the hard work, all the sleepless nights, all the anxiety that comes with publishing…everything is worth it at the end.