Title: I Could Never
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Forbidden Romance/Enemies to Lovers
Release Date: August 21, 2023
BLURB
From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new forbidden, enemies-to-lovers storyâ¦
It all started with an unexpected phone call.
Two years after my fiancé passed away in an accident, his father died suddenly, leaving Bradâs adult, special-needs brother with no one to care for him.
The next thing I knew, I was on a cross-country drive to New Hampshire where Iâd be moving in to look after Scottie until I could get him into a group home.
The last thing I ever expected?
I wouldnât be taking care of him alone.
Josh Mathers, my fianceâs best friendâwho also happened to be my sworn enemyâinsisted he was the better person for the job. He told me to go back to California, and I told him where he could stick that demand.
Our disdain for each other wasnât anything new. It dated back to a text Iâd accidentally read years ago.
We hated each other. But we both loved Scottie, so neither of us budged.
Now we were living together in a tiny houseâwith one available bedroom. Thank goodness it was only temporary.
Over time, I realized the broody jerk I thought I knew was different than Iâd imagined.
I found myself slowly growing attached to someone I once considered the enemyâ¦and growing attracted to him.
Sure, both of us were guilt-ridden over Brad. We were also two grown people with pent-up frustration toward one anotherâstuck in a cabin in the woods.
But this was Josh.
I could never.
PRE-ORDER LINKS
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**No Amazon e-book preorder.
Will go live on/around release day
EXCERPT
Copyright © 2023 by Penelope Ward
Josh sat at the table, casually having coffee as I walked into the house after my drive home from the salon. The smell of cigarettes emanated from him. He hadnât smelled like that since the first day he arrived.
âWhereâs Scottie?â I asked.
âIn his room,â he answered without making eye contact.
I stated the obvious. âYou smell like smoke.â
âMust be the firewood.â He brought his mug to his mouth.
âBullsh*t. The pellet stove doesnât emit any fumes.â
âYeah. I caved and had one. Big deal.â He pointed toward the door. âI did it outside, though, while keeping an eye on Scottie through the window.â
âYouâd been doing so well. What happened?â
He still wasnât looking at me, and instead stared straight ahead. âJust human, I guess.â
Then something in front of him on the table caught my attention: pieces of ripped pages piled atopâ¦my journal.
A rush of adrenaline shot through me. âWhy do you have that?â
âItâs apparently your diary.â
âIâm quite aware of that.â My heart began to pound. âYou were snooping in my room?â
He shot daggers at me. âThink, Carly. Of the two guys in this house, who is the one more likely to have been ransacking your room?â
âYou were supposed to be watching him while I was at the salon,â I yelled.
âGod forbid I take a piss in peace. Is it not bad enough that Iâm showering with him now? Getting my balls tugged?â
I wanted to laugh, but this moment was far from funny.
âScottie ripped those pages out?â
âThe notebook is bright orange, like his iPad cover. Probably caught his attention. The drawer next to your bed was open, so he must have gone in there. I assume thatâs where you kept it. Admittedly, Iâd been letting him hang out in your room, but you sometimes do, too. I went to check on him, make sure he wasnât doing anything bad, and found those pages strewn about.â A vein popped in his neck.
Josh was angry. Why? I shouldâve been the angry one.
âDid you read it?â
âI only happened to see what was on the pages he ripped. I didnât read anything else once I figured out what the hell it was.â
This is bad. Starting to sweat, I asked, âBut how much did you see?â
He stood up from his seat and slowly approached me. With each step he took toward me, I took one back. When we could go no farther, he placed his arms on either side of me, leaning his hands against the wall. And I forgot how to breathe.
Fear. Arousal. Embarrassment. You name it, I was feeling it right now. Every emotion hit me at once.
His breath grazed my face. âHow much did I actually see?â He paused. âEnough to know you think Iâm an evil pig.â
Ugh. No. Now his anger made sense.
When he backed away, I walked over to the ripped pages on the table and sifted through them.
âItâs the last one, for reference,â he noted.
I read what Iâd written the other night.
AUTHOR BIO
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.
She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
AUTHOR LINKS
OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD
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