Cover Reveal: Between the Cracks (Clipped Wings #1.5) by Helena Hunting + EXCERPT

I am thrilled to share this novella and cover with you today. BETWEEN THE CRACKS takes place in the span of time between CLIPPED WINGS and INKED ARMOR. This story is told from Chris's point of view, and you'll be seeing more of him and Sarah in the upcoming release of CRACKS IN THE ARMOR, releasing in June. Between the Cracks will be available for free on D2D (Draft2Digital) as well as other accommodating platforms.

Between the Cracks (Clipped Wings #1.5)

by Helena Hunting

Tattooist Chris Zelter doesn’t always make the best decisions when it comes to the people he cares about, or the women he gets involved with. Things have changed recently, though. Chris has lost interest in casual flings as he finds himself wrapped up in Sarah Adamson, a waitress at the local strip club he frequents. It takes months of persistent attention before she finally agrees to date him, and he's determined not to mess it up.

Just as things are finally going his way, Chris receives a troubled phone call in the middle of the night from Hayden Stryker, his best friend and business partner. Unexpected revelations and the sudden departure of his girlfriend, Tenley, has nearly sent Hayden over the edge. Add in a speeding ticket and an impounded car, and Hayden is balanced on the precipice of a total meltdown. Worried about his friend, Chris sets out on a rescue road trip, first to get Hayden, and then to bring back Tenley. The two men run into unforeseen roadblocks, proving even the best intentions don’t guarantee results.

Chris and Hayden return to Chicago empty handed, and Chris is left feeling as if he’s let down all the people who matter, especially Sarah. But Chris discovers that sometimes the best way to deal with failure is to find a way to forget about it. And losing himself in Sarah is the perfect way to do just that.

She sat down next to me and nabbed the remote, flicking on the TV. The Discovery channel came on, featuring some nature program. “Are you okay with this?” Sarah lifted my arm, ducking under it so she could burrow into my side.

“Sure. It’s cool.” We could watch static for all I cared. It was just nice to chill with her.

During the show, Sarah migrated from her own couch cushion to my lap. I liked that she was all tucked up against me. I dwarfed most women, but Sarah was tall, so I didn’t feel like I would break her if I hugged her. She snuggled in closer, the top of her head under my chin.

“What’s up, you okay?” I asked, giving her a squeeze.

“I just wish I knew what was going on with Tenley.” She traced the perimeter of one of the buildings tattooed on my arm.

“Yeah. That whole situation is messed up.” I kissed her hair.

She lifted her head. “Do you really think she'll be back?”

She looked so sad. It made me wish I’d done a better job of convincing Hayden to stay and work things out. “You said yourself she’s in love with him. That’s got to make it hard to walk away permanently. Especially after everything she’s already been through.”

She nodded, as if she wanted to believe it too. Neither of us looked away, and the heavy weight of her anxiety became something more like desperation, charging the air.

Her fingers skimmed my jaw, running over the stubble I hadn’t shaved because I didn’t want to use her razor without asking first. Sarah’s palm came to rest against the side of my neck. She lifted her chin and tugged, pulling my mouth down. It started out innocent enough, but that didn’t last.

Sarah shifted around, straddling my lap as she sucked on my bottom lip. Her thumbs stroked down the side of my neck as she tilted her head and slipped her tongue into my mouth. She tasted like mint tea and some kind of sweet lip balm or whatever girls put on their lips to keep them soft and kissable. Which hers were.

I tried not to get too excited. Sarah was upset. Maybe she was looking for a diversion from the shittiness of the past couple of days. I knew I was, but I wasn’t going to make the next move, in case she regretted the decision when she wasn’t so keyed up.

I kept my hands on her waist, but the urge to move them higher or lower was pretty damn difficult to curb when she started making noises to accompany the tongue action. Those long nails of hers went under my shirt, but the thing was so tight she couldn’t get far.

Sarah broke off the kiss and went for the hem, pushing it up until my abs were exposed. “Want to help me out here?” she asked, all attitude, even though she was breathless.

“Not when you ask like that, no.”

She stopping fighting with the shirt long enough to meet my gaze. I tried not to smile at her angry expression. Sarah was aggressive. It was part of the reason I liked her. She was also no nonsense and had a biting sense of humor.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and batted her eyelashes. “Please?”

I lifted my arms over my head. “Will you look at that? Must be magic.”

Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She's putting her English degree to good use by writing popular fiction. She is the author of Clipped Wings, her debut novel, and Inked Armor.