He’s the campus golden boy. She’s picking up the pieces of her broken past. But in Cecy Robson’s scorching novel of second chances—perfect for readers of Monica Murphy and J. Lynn—their differences only make their connection more explosive.
Every memory Lety Tres Santos has from her childhood comes with a scar—some emotional, some physical. Her father is an abusive drug addict, and her mother enables his destructive behavior. College offers Lety a fresh start . . . until her father finds a way to ruin that, too. Now, after losing her scholarship to kick off junior year, Lety must somehow stay in school, pay tuition, and turn a deaf ear to the whispers that follow her. And she intends to do it all without Brody Quaid’s help.
Brody is a lacrosse star, a 4.0 student—and as a freshman, he fell hard for the beautiful and spirited Lety. But their relationship crashed and burned because he couldn’t break through the walls she’s put up around her heart. With Lety hurting more than ever, Brody strives to win her back and make her believe in real love and true partnership. That will mean opening up secrets locked away in his own past—and trusting someone more than he’s ever dared.
Lety knows how painful it can be to depend on the wrong man. She also knows how much Brody wants to do this the right way. But it takes more than sizzling desire to move on and build a future together.
“Do you think it was easy for me to let you go? You weren’t the only one crushed. I cried every day for a month when we broke up.”
“Then why did you do it? And why are you doing this now?”
My vision blurred as I thought about that horrible day when I severed our relationship. Carlos had busted my nose and given me a concussion after arriving coked up at a family party. Brody had watched the blood pouring out of me, unable to break free from the men holding him back.
I would have given anything to spare him from that part of my life. Instead he’d seen it all. “I’ll never be good enough for you, and you know it.”
“You’re wrong.” He drew me to him. His lips pushed against me until mine parted and allowed him in. I shouldn’t have. I knew I shouldn’t have, but my resolve crumbled and I gave in, linking my arms around his neck.
His strong arms wrapped around my waist and he deepened our kiss. His tongue flicked over mine, circling and taunting me to play. My spine arched as he pulled me tighter against his body. He hadn’t kissed me since the day I walked away, and now I didn’t want him to stop.
I moaned softly, returning his show of affection with equal force and enthusiasm. God, I’d missed that mouth. Our kiss intensified, turning into more. We took our time, as if nothing else mattered. When we finally parted, we were both panting.
“We shouldn’t have done that,” I told him.
He smirked. “Yeah, we should’ve. Truth is, I don’t know why we stopped.”
I edged away when he tried to kiss me again, wishing life were that easy.
Brody cupped my chin, tilting it gently so I’d meet his face. “Letz, come on. We’re better off together than apart.”
I lowered my lashes. “You can’t mean that.”
“Yeah, I do. I spent all last year trying like hell to get over you.”
My hands splayed across the bulky muscles of his broad chest. This time it was my turn to smirk. “Oh, yeah. I saw all the girls offering to help you out with your dilemma.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Just like I saw you and Justin Kalabrowski making out at the No-Pants dance.”
“I wasn’t making out with him.”
“Yeah, you were. You were in the hall near the bathroom and it took everything I had not to pound the shit out of him.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I would think Karen Enderson, your date for the evening, would have had a problem with that. Or was it Linda Marrington? Or Jessica Gustfenson? Or Cindy Vincent? Hmmm, maybe I’m confusing them with Lissette Miller.” I tapped my fingers against him. “Did I miss anyone?”
He grinned. “Wendy Jenner.”
My teeth clenched. “Oh, yes, good ol’ Wendy. The girl who yodels during sex. How could I forget?”
“I hear it’s not really a yodel, more like an excited vibrato.” He laughed when I did, but then his expression grew somber. “For the record, none of them meant anything. Just girls I went out with a few times.”
I smiled softly. “And for the record, I didn’t kiss Justin. He kissed me.”
He rolled his eyes. “Lety, I saw you. The guy was on you like a piece of duct tape.”
“If you saw that, did you see me knee him in the nuts when I told him to stop and he wouldn’t?”
Anger tightened his muscles and deepened his voice. “No. I didn’t.”
“Well, that’s what happened.”
“I always hated that kid. Remind me to beat his ass next time I see him.” My head fell against his chest when he pulled me closer. I listened to the steady beat of his strong heart, feeling a sense of peace I hadn’t felt in forever.
“It didn’t work, you know,” he said after a long moment.
“What didn’t work?”
“Dating all those girls. I never got over you.”
About the Author:
CECY ROBSON is the New Adult and Contemporary author of the Shattered Past series, and the award winning author of the Weird Girls Urban Fantasy Romance series. A self-proclaimed professional napper, Cecy counts among her talents a jaw-dropping knowledge of useless trivia, the ability to make her hair big, and a knack for breaking into song, despite her family’s vehement protests. A full-time writer, registered nurse, wife, and mother living in the South, Cecy enjoys spending time with her family and silencing the yappy characters in her head by telling their stories.
Jennifer’s Review of Once Loved
Review (4.5 Stars): I’ve adored Lety since first reading about her in Once Perfect and I was so excited to get her story in Once Loved. Lety Tres Santos is working her way through nursing school, struggling to do it all with two jobs and a heavy course load. Lety comes from an abusive family and is doing her best to leave that life behind, focusing on a career where she will never have to depend on anyone like her mother does. Brody Quaid has loved Lety since the first moment they met and now with all the stress that she is under, she is terrified that she will choose the wrong man. Brody isn’t willing to give up without a fight but each is hiding a devastating secret and the past may prevent them from finally sharing a future together.
Lety was a great character to me because she had been through so much in her young life and I was impressed by her inner strength and drive. My heart broke for her when I learned about what she lived through growing up and how she desperately fought the emotional demons that threatened to tear apart her dream. Lety is a character that will stick with you after the conclusion of Once Loved because even though she had been through so much, she was still capable of loving another human being and would be a wonderful nurse.
I think Brody was the perfect guy for Lety even though she was afraid of making the wrong decision in having a relationship with him. He went through his own personal pain and was fighting demons just like Lety was. Together they could provide each other with the love and support that they needed and to remind each other that their past made them stronger but can’t prevent them from having a bright future.
Once Loved was an amazing romance that will take readers through a journey of emotions and show that love can help to heal all wounds. The subject matter in Once Loved is a little dark at times but Ms. Robson has the wonderful ability to weave a well-written story to show that you can find love and light in any darkness. I’m so excited to see that each of the Tres Santos siblings are able to find their happy ending and I hope that the youngest, Sofia, will be able to find her chance at love soon with Once Pure.
Thank you so much for being a part of my blog tour, and for the wonderful feature. I’m so excited that you not only enjoyed Lety and Brody, but their journey as well!
Thank you for hosting ONCE LOVED! So happy you enjoyed!