{"id":252189,"date":"2026-07-13T01:49:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T22:49:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/at-first-smile-melissa-whitney\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T01:49:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T22:49:54","slug":"at-first-smile-melissa-whitney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/at-first-smile-melissa-whitney\/","title":{"rendered":"At First Smile – Melissa Whitney"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cBeing a hockey player is what you are, it\u2019s not who you are.\u201d \u201cYou may be one of the few who think that.\u201d Face pinched, she lets out a sibilant breath. \u201cWell, most people lack imagination.\u201d My lips drag up at the corners. She sighs. \u201cWhat are you protecting me from, Rowan?<\/p>\n

Yes, you\u2019re famous. Yes, your life is messy right now because of punch-gate, but what is it you\u2019re really scared of?\u201d \u201cMe\u2026 I\u2019m scared of me.\u201d It\u2019s almost a croak. \u201cOh, Rowan,\u201d she whispers, her stiff posture eases and the steely expression melts. \u201cIt\u2019s not forgiveness you don\u2019t think you deserve\u2026 It\u2019s me.\u201d The words cluster and choke in my throat. \u201cYou didn\u2019t leave to protect me, not really. You left to protect yourself. You waited to make your move fearing that you\u2019d somehow disappoint me, but I think you didn\u2019t want to let yourself down.<\/p>\n

That I\u2019d turn out to be just like everyone else and not see you. You didn\u2019t give me\u2026us a chance.\u201d Shaking her head, she starts walking away. \u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d Spinning, I follow her. \u201cI\u2019m fucking terrified.\u201d She stops but doesn\u2019t pivot to face me. \u201cI am petrified I\u2019ll let you down. I let down everyone who\u2019s ever loved or had faith in me. I\u2019m scared I\u2019ll break your heart, or you\u2019ll break mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

I take a steadying breath. \u201cI\u2019ve always let that fear control me, keep me away\u2026protect me. I don\u2019t want to be safe if it means throwing away a chance to be with you. I am more scared than I\u2019ve ever been that you\u2019ll walk away.\u201d I fist my hands at my sides. \u201cBut if that\u2019s what you want, I understand. I just don\u2019t want to hide from you anymore. So, here I am.\u201d I swing up both hands. \u201cI\u2019m Rowan Iverson. I play hockey for the L.A.<\/p>\n

Bobcats. They call me Rowdy Rowan. I\u2019ve been in every penalty box in the NHL\u2026twice. I punched Landon Phillips and I\u2019m not sorry about it. I\u2019ve never really been in a real relationship. I tried with Emma Sinclair, but she was more interested in raising her public profile. I wasn\u2019t heartbroken about our breakup.<\/p>\n

That relationship was more about me trying to do what I thought I was supposed to, not about how I felt about her. In the year I dated Emma, I didn\u2019t feel an ounce for her of what I felt in just thirty-five hours with you\u2026 That I still feel for you. God, I want you so bad and that hasn\u2019t dulled in the last week, it\u2019s only gotten stronger.<\/p>\n

I care about you\u2026 so, so much and that scares me. And I\u2019m okay with being afraid because you\u2019re worth it.\u201d As if in slow motion, Pen turns. Her eyes glossy and lips drawn into the sweetest smile. My heart soars and I go on, \u201cI\u2019m scared of thunderstorms.<\/p>\n

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Disability advocate Pen Meadows is on a mission; grab a breakfast sandwich, find her gate, and listen to her smutty audiobook. Only, the sexy, tall man in front of her at Tim Hortons may prove a worthwhile distraction. His soft Irish lilt and mix of gruff sweetness make Rowan Iverson unlike any man she\u2019s ever met.<\/p>\n

After a brief meet\/cute, and even briefer goodbye, the social media influencer ends up seated beside Rowan on a cross-country flight. Rowan Iverson desperately wants to get back to Los Angeles without calling further attention to himself. A potentially career-ending incident at hockey\u2019s biggest game could transform the NHL\u2019s top defenseman into its most hated player. The last thing he wants is for his mess to trip up Pen. A mid-flight detour forces him to realize that his goal to resist her bright smile may be a game he\u2019s already lost.<\/p>\n

Back in the reality of their jobs and lives in Los Angeles, Pen learns that the man she\u2019d spent one incredible night with isn\u2019t who she thought. He\u2019s a player and Pen doesn\u2019t play games, especially when her heart is at stake. Can Rowan prove to Pen that he is who he wants to be\u2026just hers? 1kitap1.com\/en At First Smile Copyright \u00a9 2024 by Melissa Whitney All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

This is a work of fiction. The characters are products of the author\u2019s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Although it\u2019s fair to say that anyone enjoying a life so full of love is lucky indeed. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.<\/p>\n

Digital eISBN-979-8-9904334-3-4 Print ISBN: 979-8-9904334-2-7 1kitap1.com\/en CONTENTS Author\u2019s Note\/Content Warning Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Epilogue Sneak Peek – Finding Home Also by Melissa Whitney Acknowledgments About the Author 1kitap1.com\/en To everyone who\u2019s ever been told that they weren\u2019t the main character, I see you.<\/p>\n

1kitap1.com\/en AUTHOR\u2019S NOTE\/CONTENT WARNING My Dear Reader, In so many ways this is the riskiest book I\u2019ve ever written. As a legally blind woman that has been losing her sight since the age of six, I have seldom saw myself as the main character (pun intended). There is limited thoughtful\/accurate representation of legally blind characters within media, especially characters that are crafted by someone that is legally blind.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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