{"id":10585,"date":"2020-08-26T17:37:54","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T00:37:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/?p=10585"},"modified":"2020-08-26T17:37:55","modified_gmt":"2020-08-27T00:37:55","slug":"excerpt-reveal-the-anti-boyfriend-by-penelope-ward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/26\/excerpt-reveal-the-anti-boyfriend-by-penelope-ward\/","title":{"rendered":"Excerpt Reveal: The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"The
The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Title: The Anti-Boyfriend
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date:<\/strong> 31 August 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From<\/em><\/strong> New York Times <\/strong>bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, my neighbor Deacon frustrated me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, he was great-looking and friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But our walls were thin, and on occasion, he\u2019d bring women to his place and keep me awake while he \u201centertained\u201d them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a single mother to an infant, I didn\u2019t appreciate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, finally it was my turn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When my daughter wouldn\u2019t stop wailing one night, Mr. Manwhore came knocking on my door.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miraculously, at the sound of his voice, Sunny stopped crying. And when he held her\u2026she eventually fell asleep in his arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deacon was rough on the exterior, but apparently on the inside? Mr. Single-and-Ready-to-Mingle was a baby whisperer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that night, we became friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019d go for coffee runs. Come over to chat. Normal friend stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But over time, our conversations ran deeper. We got closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until one night we crossed the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our friendship turned into a complicated mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d gone and fallen for a guy who\u2019d sworn off commitment and kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I knew Deacon was starting to care for me too, even though Sunny and I didn\u2019t fit into any plan he\u2019d ever imagined for himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was wrong for me\u2014so wrong that I\u2019d dubbed him the \u201canti-boyfriend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then why did I wish more than anything that I could be the one woman to change him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Anti-Boyfriend Excerpt:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copyright \u00a9 2020
By Penelope Ward<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, just as I got back to my door, Deacon was exiting his apartment.
\u201cOh, hey, Carys-Like-Paris. How goes it?\u201d He flashed a wide smile.
When people ask me my name, for some stupid reason, I sometimes answer, \u201cCarys, like Paris,\u201d particularly when I\u2019m nervous. That was the case the first time I met Deacon.
A whiff of his amazing smell put my body on alert. He looked handsome as always. Today he wore a camel-colored suede coat with a shearling collar. His blue eyes, which stood out against his tanned skin, glimmered under the fluorescent lights overhead, which also brought out the copper tint to his otherwise medium-brown hair. He was at least six-foot-two\u2014a beanstalk to my five-foot-four self.
This was my opportunity to bring up last night. But now that he was right here, towering over me, his musky smell saturating the air, I seemed to have lost the words. Still, I was determined to speak up now or never.
My heartbeat accelerated. Here goes. Still out of breath from my sprint up the stairs, I said, \u201cWell, honestly, in answer to your question\u2026 I\u2019d love to say I\u2019m doing great, but I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. So, I\u2019ve been better.\u201d
He frowned. \u201cI\u2019m sorry to hear that.\u201d
\u201cActually, it\u2019s sort of your fault.\u201d
Deacon\u2019s forehead crinkled. \u201cMy fault?\u201d
\u201cYeah. I don\u2019t know if you realize this, but your bed is right up against mine, on the opposite side of the wall. Your\u2026interactions\u2026last night woke me up, and I had a hard time getting back to sleep.\u201d
Boom.
There.
Said it.
Deacon closed his eyes momentarily. \u201cShit. I\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t know you were right behind me.\u201d
\u201cYeah. It\u2019s basically like I\u2019m\u2026right there.\u201d
\u201cWell, that was rude of me. I should\u2019ve invited you to join.\u201d
What? It felt like all my blood rushed to my head.
He held out his palms. \u201cI\u2019m kidding. Bad sense of humor comes out when I feel awkward, I guess.\u201d
Slipping a piece of my hair behind my ear, I brushed off his comment. \u201cI know you\u2019re kidding.\u201d
\u201cTotally kidding.\u201d He smiled. \u201cBut I\u2019ll try to be more considerate now that I know you can hear everything. You should\u2019ve said something.\u201d
I tilted my head. \u201cHow exactly would that have worked? Barging in on two naked people? That\u2019s why I\u2019m saying something now.\u201d
\u201cSolid point. But I take it last night wasn\u2019t the first time you overheard things?\u201d
I looked down at my feet. \u201cNo, it wasn\u2019t.\u201d
\u201cYou could\u2019ve banged on the wall or something.\u201d
\u201cI\u2019m not one to rudely interrupt someone\u2019s\u2026personal happenings. I just wanted you to be aware of the situation. We don\u2019t need to discuss it further.\u201d
\u201cMaybe we should come up with a code.\u201d
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d
\u201cLike, If I\u2019m disturbing your peace, you play a song and crank it up to send me a message.\u201d He snapped his fingers. \u201cSomething ironic like \u2018The Sounds of Silence\u2019 by Simon and Garfunkel.\u201d
\u201cCan\u2019t exactly crank up a song when a baby is sleeping.\u201d
His smile faded. \u201cSee? That goes to show you how clueless I am. Clueless and so sorry, Carys. Truly. I\u2019ll try not to let it happen again.\u201d
\u201cIt better not, fuckboy!\u201d a voice shouted from behind one of the apartment doors.
Deacon and I turned around in unison. I noticed Mrs. Winsbanger\u2019s door move across the hall. The old lady must have been listening in. She lived alone, and I often spotted her peeking out her door, spying on people.
Deacon grimaced. \u201cMrs. Winsbanger loves me.\u201d
\u201cApparently I\u2019m not the only one who overheard things last night,\u201d I said.
His face turned red. His embarrassment was a bit surprising. I\u2019d expected him to be more cocky.
\u201cI\u2019ll move my bed to the other side of the room. That should help.\u201d
\u201cWell, that would be nice, if it\u2019s not too much trouble.\u201d
\u201cIt\u2019s not.\u201d
Happy to have the conversation over with, I let out a long breath. \u201cOkay, well, I\u2019ll let you get going.\u201d
He didn\u2019t budge and seemed to be examining my face. \u201cYou okay?\u201d
\u201cYeah. Why?\u201d
\u201cYou seem frazzled.\u201d
Well, yeah. I didn\u2019t get good sleep, I\u2019m trying to get things done in possibly the only hour of the day I have free, and we just had the most awkward conversation EVER.
\u201cThis is just me\u2014my life. I have what could be barely more than an hour to eat my lunch and have some quiet time before my daughter wakes up from her nap.\u201d
\u201cAh.\u201d He scratched his chin. \u201cHow old is she now?\u201d
\u201cSix months.\u201d
Deacon knew I was a single mom. He\u2019d run into me one day and helped me bring groceries in while I tried to juggle Sunny and her stroller.
I was just about to head back inside my apartment when his voice stopped me.
\u201cDo you need anything?\u201d
I wasn\u2019t entirely sure what he meant. \u201cLike what?\u201d
\u201cSomething from the store? A\u2026coffee, maybe? I\u2019m just headed out to run a quick errand, but I can stop somewhere on the way back.\u201d
\u201cIt\u2019s the least you can do, monkey balls!\u201d Mrs. Winsbanger chimed in from across the hall.
She was apparently still listening.
\u201cDid she just fucking call me monkey balls?\u201d he whispered.
At that moment, I lost it. Laughter got a hold of me, and it took almost a minute before I could even speak. Deacon laughed, too, but I think he was more cracking up at my reaction.
\u201cNo idea why she just called you monkey balls. But I haven\u2019t laughed this hard in weeks.\u201d
After I finally calmed down, Deacon repeated his earlier question.
\u201cAnyway, as I was saying, can I get you a coffee or something?\u201d
His offer gave me pause. It was rare that anyone asked if I needed anything. I had a couple of good friends in the city, but they worked and had busy social lives. It wasn\u2019t like they were around in the middle of the day to run to the store for me. And given that it was fall in New York, it was getting chilly out. I had to have a damn good reason to take Sunny out in the cold.
Honestly, I was dying for a latte from Starbucks. Running to the coffee shop was definitely something people without babies took for granted. It wasn\u2019t worth having to bundle Sunny up.
\u201cI would love a vanilla latte from Starbucks, if you pass one on your way back,\u201d I finally said.
\u201cDone.\u201d He smiled. \u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d
\u201cJust one pump of vanilla would be great.\u201d
\u201cOne pump. Got it. Anything else?\u201d
\u201cIsn\u2019t that enough? It\u2019s hardly a necessity. I shouldn\u2019t be taking advantage.\u201d
\u201cTake advantage of me. What else do you need? Seriously. It\u2019s the least I can do after disturbing your peace last night.\u201d
Take advantage of me. Yup. Mind straight in the gutter. \u201cYou\u2019re not my gopher.\u201d
\u201cCarys\u2026.\u201d His baritone voice turned serious, and he repeated in a slow and exaggerated manner, \u201cWhat. Do. You. Need? I could run to the store.\u201d
There was something else I desperately needed.
\u201cDiapers?\u201d I said hesitantly.
\u201cOkay.\u201d He laughed. \u201cYou\u2019re gonna have to help me out with those. I\u2019ve never purchased them in my life.\u201d
Before I could tell him what size, he handed me his phone. I was all too aware of the brief touch of his hand.
\u201cEnter your digits. I\u2019ll text you from the store to make sure I get the right kind.\u201d
I did as he said before handing him back the phone, once again enjoying the contact from that brief exchange. Cheap thrills were as good as it got these days.
He put it in his pocket. \u201cAnything else?\u201d
\u201cNot that I can think of.\u201d
\u201cAlright. Well, if you change your mind, you can let me know when I text.\u201d
\u201cThank you. I really appreciate it.\u201d
\u201cTalk to ya in a bit,\u201d he said before heading down the hall.
I stood by my door and watched him walk away. The view from the back was just as good as the front. And moreover, it seemed Deacon was just as lovely on the inside as he was on the outside.
\u201cOne pump my ass,\u201d I heard Mrs. Winsbanger say before she slammed her door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n

About Penelope Ward:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Penelope
Penelope Ward<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connect with Penelope Ward: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website<\/a> | Instagram<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Twitter<\/a> | BookBub<\/a> | Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Title: The Anti-BoyfriendAuthor: Penelope WardGenre: Contemporary RomanceRelease Date: 31 August 2020 From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel. At first, my neighbor Deacon frustrated me. Sure, he was great-looking and friendly. But our walls were thin, and on occasion, he\u2019d bring women to his place and keep me awake […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10579,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[2,2433],"tags":[2639,1259,2942],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/ER-Banner.jpg?fit=818%2C343&ssl=1","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10626,"url":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/31\/new-release-the-anti-boyfriend-by-penelope-ward\/","url_meta":{"origin":10585,"position":0},"title":"New Release: The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward","date":"2020-08-31","format":false,"excerpt":"The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward Title: The Anti-BoyfriendAuthor: Penelope WardGenre: Contemporary RomanceRelease Date: 31 August 2020 From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel. At first, my neighbor Deacon frustrated me. Sure, he was great-looking and friendly. But our walls were thin, and on occasion,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blitz"","img":{"alt_text":"The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/RB-Banner-1.jpg?fit=814%2C341&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10226,"url":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/2020\/07\/20\/cover-reveal-the-anti-boyfriend-by-penelope-ward\/","url_meta":{"origin":10585,"position":1},"title":"Cover Reveal: The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward","date":"2020-07-20","format":false,"excerpt":"The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward Title: The Anti-Boyfriend Author: Penelope WardGenre: Contemporary RomanceRelease Date: 31 August 2020 From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.At first, my neighbor Deacon frustrated me.Sure, he was great-looking and friendly.But our walls were thin, and on occasion, he\u2019d bring\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book It"","img":{"alt_text":"The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/CR-Banner.png?fit=851%2C315&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11287,"url":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/2020\/10\/20\/release-blitz-happily-letter-after-by-vi-keeland-penelope-ward\/","url_meta":{"origin":10585,"position":2},"title":"Release Blitz: Happily Letter After by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward","date":"2020-10-20","format":false,"excerpt":"Title: Happily Letter After Author: Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward Genre: Contemporary Romance Release Date: 20 October 2020","rel":"","context":"In "Adult Fiction"","img":{"alt_text":"Happily Letter After by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/RB-Banner-2.png?fit=850%2C315&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7487,"url":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/06\/book-review-dirty-letters-by-vi-keeland-and-penelope-ward\/","url_meta":{"origin":10585,"position":3},"title":"Book Review: Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward","date":"2019-11-06","format":false,"excerpt":"Click to purchase Title: Dirty LettersAuthor: Vi Keeland & Penelope WardGenre: Contemporary RomanceMy rating: 4 of 5 stars I\u2019m a fan.\u00a0 I think the first Penelope Ward book I read was Stepbrother Dearest\u2014-No, it was Jake Undone. I loved both of these novels and most of the other Ward books\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book It"","img":{"alt_text":"Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/BR-Dirty-Letters-Banner.jpg?fit=851%2C315&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9518,"url":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/22\/excerpt-reveal-my-favorite-souvenir-by-penelope-ward-vi-keeland\/","url_meta":{"origin":10585,"position":4},"title":"Excerpt Reveal: My Favorite Souvenir by Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland","date":"2020-04-22","format":false,"excerpt":"click to purchase My Favorite Souvenir Excerpt: \u201cGood afternoon. You\u2019ve reached the Four Seasons Resort, Vail, Colorado. How may I direct your call?\u201d I took a deep breath. \u201cHi. I checked out early this morning. My reservation was for ten days, but I only wound up staying two nights. Is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book It"","img":{"alt_text":"My Favorite Souvenir by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/My-Favorite-Souvenir-Excerpt-Reveal-Banner-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C456&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1251,"url":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/2014\/01\/12\/book-boyfriend-report-jake-undone-by-penelope-ward\/","url_meta":{"origin":10585,"position":5},"title":"Book Boyfriend Report - Jake Undone by Penelope Ward","date":"2014-01-12","format":false,"excerpt":"Another Book Boyfriend? Have you been good enough to get another Book Boyfriend so soon after the last one? Well, who am I to deny the world at large hot men? Especially the inked and pierced kind of guys that melt in your mouth and warm up your hands, eh?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Gemini Series\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Jake.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10585"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10585"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10586,"href":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10585\/revisions\/10586"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/havecoffeeneedbooks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}