Summer Fire Anthology
Publication date: May 26th 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Publication date: May 26th 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
21 ALL NEW Contemporary Romance stories by New York Times, USA Today, and National Bestselling authors.
Love when it’s hot? So do romance writers. Especially when we’re writing about gritty alphas, angsty bad boys, sizzling attraction, and unrequited passion.
So loosen your buttons, turn the fan to oscillate and join us for this steamy, groundbreaking bundle of summer tales that are hot hot hot.
PREORDER LINKS:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Dv2jy3
Apple: http://bit.ly/1CVOgih
B&N: http://bit.ly/18d9QY0
KOBO: http://bit.ly/19QsJAD
ALL THE AMAZING AUTHORS:
Gennita Low
Stacey Mosteller
R.J. Lewis
L. Wilder
Victoria Danann
Kym Grosso
Cat Miller
Mimi Barbour
Clarissa Wild
Teresa Gabelman
Linda Barlow
Helen Scott Taylor
Victoria James
Mona Risk
Patrice Wilton
Joan Reeves
Danielle Jamie
Terri Marie
Lorhainne Eckhart
Brandy L. Rivers
Nicole Blanchard
Excerpt from Irish Kisses by Helen Scott Taylor
Aaron closed his eyes and absorbed the warmth of
Fiona’s arms around his neck. Her silky hair tickled his skin and filled the
air with the fragrance of cherries from her shampoo. Just her touch pushed back
the darkness that had threatened to overwhelm him. Much of the time he could
keep his terrible memories locked away, but occasionally something would rise
from the mire and he’d be right back there, reliving a shooting he’d witnessed,
or worse.
He gathered Fiona’s hands in his and lifted them to
his lips. He’d been such a fool. When he first went undercover, he’d imagined
coming to tell her about it afterwards like some movie star playing at being a
detective. The reality had shocked him. In the last six years, hardly a day had
passed when he wasn’t terrified he’d be found out and killed. And the deeper he
got, the more he had to play the role. He’d felt like he was digging his own
grave and burying himself.
“Talk to me if it’ll help,” she whispered.
“I’m not allowed to until it’s come to trial and the
cases are over.” Even then he wouldn’t want to tell her, wouldn’t want to
disgust her and shock her. He kissed her hands again. “You’re sweet and good
and everything that’s right with this world. I need to keep you separate from
the darkness.”
A Season in Gemini: Intro to the Sons of
Sanctuary MC by Victoria Danann
DESCRIPTION:
Garland St. Germaine had way too much fun
celebrating graduation from Dartmouth with her sorority sisters. They had,
apparently, managed to singlehandedly revive Dartmouth’s reputation as the
rowdy Ivy League institution. As a result, Garland’s father had given her a
choice of accompanying him on a three month business trip to Austin, Texas or
finding a substitute for the lavish lifestyle her allowance provided. After
several tantrums unworthy of a college graduate, she left Park Avenue wearing
sunglasses and a huff, and got on the company plane bound for the Yellow Rose
Country Club and Resort. She was sure there had to be more to life than an
adult version of being grounded.
Brant Fornight had made up his mind that he
wasn’t interested in the life his dad’s motorcycle club could offer him. He
wasn’t overly interested in money, especially not if it came with the risk of a
prison sentence. He thought of himself as a simple guy even though he often
pondered some of the great philosophical questions while he worked as a
mechanic. He liked working with mechanical things and hadn’t needed a formal
education to do that. The Sons of Sanctuary had topped off the natural born
talent by mentoring and letting him work on their vehicles.
After high school, he drifted from one Austin
repair shop to the next, accidentally improving his resume with each move that
earned a better title and more money. When he was twenty-four, he took a job as
Head Mechanic at the Yellow Rose Country Club and Resort. It never occurred to
him to wonder if there was more to life.
EXCERPT First Two Chapters
CHAPTER 1
David St. Germaine had sent a van and two guys
to move Garland out of her primo room at the sorority house. He was extremely
proud of the fact that she’d been voted Panhellenic Rep by her sorority
sisters. He’d told her that it was a more impressive accomplishment than any
other office because she was the embodied statement that her sorority wanted to
make about their chapter at joint Greeks meetings. Garland liked having her
father’s approval when getting it didn’t interfere with what was going to do
regardless.
Every day for the ten days between finals and
graduation she’d packed a few things in preparation for the final move-out. She
was torn between having loved university life and wanting to get on to whatever
came next even though she wasn’t clear about what that was. Certainly she’d
never planned to use her B.A. in Classical Studies to gain actual employment.
She could read and write Greek and Latin, sketch an Ionic column, explain
Socratic Method, and accurately recount the biography of even the most obscure
demigod.
After a quarter million dollars of education
and related expenses later, that degree and a few dollars would buy a
Starbucks. But livelihood wasn’t a concern. She was the only child of a rich
widower who rarely denied her anything.
She showed the movers to her room and pointed
out what should go. After one last look, she plugged her phone into the console
of her wine-colored Maserati, selected the music playlist she’d entitled ROAD
TRIP, and pointed the car south toward New York thinking that traffic wouldn’t
be bad on a Sunday. At least not as bad as usual. She could probably do the
trip in four and a half hours with one potty stop enroute. After four years, she
knew where to stop for a decent restroom.
The New York Times still printed society pages
on Sundays, only the new current title was “About Town”. It included celebrity
sightings along with traditional news about Social Registry members. Charity
galas and Arts League balls were always popular. The concession to modernity
was that in recent years there had been sensationalism-creep. The news had
begun to treat society’s best more like celebrities in the sense that scandals
were printed right alongside who was seen with whom at balls, galas, museum
exhibit previews, and art show openings. It had become a gossip column thinly
disguised as the time-honored tradition of setting aside valuable print space
for flattering the moneyed elite.
Garland pulled up in front of her building,
grabbed the rolling suitcase with essential stuff, smiled at Max, the doorman,
and gave him the car keys so that he could have the car parked in a two
thousand dollars per month garage nearby. She might not use the car again for
weeks, or even months, but it was nice to know she could.
“I’m home!” She took a deep breath and called
out to anyone who might be in the penthouse. Since it was Sunday that would
probably be either her father or no one.
She walked the length of the kitchen and
beyond to a small, but elegant and sunny breakfast room that overlooked Central
Park and was rarely seen by anyone other than Garland, her father, and the
staff.
“I say, ‘I’m home!’”, she repeated as she
flopped into a chair opposite where her dad was having coffee and reading the
paper.
David St. Germaine looked over the top of the
Wall Street Journal. “So I see.”
“Wow. Welcome home.”
He slid a section of the Sunday Times toward
where she sat across the glass top table. “I second the ‘wow’.”
Before looking down at whatever he wanted her
to see, she could tell that he was the farthest thing from happy. When she’d
seen him two days before at graduation, he’d been delighted, either with her or
his date for the day. There was no point in remembering her name. Her father
rarely saw women more than once.
On the cusp of fifty, he was still handsome,
with a little silver above his ears and a tan that never faded completely
because he kept a boat at the Yacht Club and made a point of sailing, when
weather and business permitted. He’d been referred to as ‘eligible bachelor’
more than once, but Garland doubted the veracity of that claim. Since her mother’s
death, he hadn’t given anyone reason to think he was ‘eligible’.
She looked at the paper. The front and center
color image was none other than herself wearing a short sparkly dress that had
ridden far too high as she fell backwards spilling a colorful beverage when she
went sprawling into the laps of laughing friends.
The headline read, “Germane Enterprises
Princess Out on the Town. Daddy’s little girl lets her hair down and her skirt
up.”
As she stared at the page, her father said,
“Nice dress,” in a tone dripping with sarcasm.
Without looking up, she said quietly, “We were
just having some fun, celebrating graduation.”
“How many times have I told you that what you
do reflects on me? And, by extension, on Germane Enterprises?”
She raised her eyes to meet his glare.
“Thousands.”
“That’s right! Thousands. You would think a
girl capable of graduating Dartmouth summa cum laude would get it after mere
dozens of times.”
“Everybody else…”
“You’re not everybody else though. Are you?”
She lowered her eyes. “No.”
“With great privilege comes great
responsibility.”
She bit back a comment that tried to take
possession of her mouth. Something about using condoms and clubbing with a
designated driver. But she decided that sort of retort would make her sound
weak and juvenile. So she said nothing. After a few seconds of staring, he
continued.
“Christ, Garland. You and your miscreant
friends got thrown out of some cheap dive? That’s pretty hard to do. Places
like that host Ladies’ Nights to attract young women to come in.” He let out a
frustrated breath. “What are your plans?”
“My plans?”
“Yes, Garland. As in, what do you plan to do
when you wake up tomorrow?”
“I just finished school. I was thinking I’d
take a couple of weeks. Maybe do some shopping and get together with friends
before…”
“Before what?”
Truthfully, she hadn’t gotten to that. Her
vision began and ended with lunching and shopping. “I haven’t worked that out
yet.”
“Good. Then you won’t be inconvenienced to
have to cancel anything.”
“What do you …?”
“I’ve made plans for you. I’ll be spending
most of the summer at the property we’re expanding in Texas. You’re coming with
me.”
“To Texas!?!” She looked as horrified as if
she’d just been told she’d be summering inside a tank on a war torn border
somewhere between the remnants of Arabia and the remnants of Persia.
He went on as calmly as if she hadn’t spoken.
“This…” He glanced down at the tattling paper. “…is an indication that you’re
not ready to make your own choices. So I’ll make them for you. Austin this
summer then Wharton School this fall. Thank goodness your GPA is high enough.
I’ll have to call in some favors and donate a fortune, probably, but you will
get in.”
“To Business School? I don’t want to study
business. I can’t think of anything less fun. And Philadelphia? Really?”
She saw the traces of a smirk appear around
his mouth. “This has nothing to do with fun, Garland. It’s about being a
productive member of this family and, by extension, a productive member of
society. When you have an MBA from Wharton, you’ll be ready to step into a
position with Germane Enterprises and do something worthwhile with your life.”
Her eyes flashed. “You can’t make those
decisions for me. I’m not a little girl.”
His face softened slightly, but was no less
serious “No. You’re not. And you’re welcome to show me your independence by
walking out that door with your clothes and the college degree you just earned.
You can start at home plate, like I did instead of on third base. Like you
did.”
The range of limited options flew across her
vision like a rapid-sequence music video. And she didn’t like anything she saw.
She wanted to be the girl who took that
option. She wanted to stand up and say, “Okay. I’m out.” But she didn’t think
she was cut out for pioneering a whole new way of life.
“I guess you win then. I’m not prepared to be
homeless.”
“It’s not a matter of me ‘winning’. It’s about
what’s best for you.” He snapped the paper and went back to reading. “We’re
leaving in two days. You can shop and play with your friends until then.” He
lowered the paper again long enough to say, “Do you think you can manage to
stay out of the news for that long?”
Since the question was rhetorical and there
was nothing else to say, she rose and left the room. It was the adult version
of being grounded.
Garland didn’t hate her father. She believed
he loved her in his own distant, detached, heavy-handed way. She’d also spent
enough time in the homes of friends to know that warmth and affection had been
missing in their household since her mother died.
Visiting with friends was a great vicarious
pleasure for her. She loved observing the dynamics of families where love was
shared openly and without agenda. She wanted that for herself someday.
CHAPTER 2
Brant Fornight was a third generation Austin
native and everything about the town suited him just fine. He wasn’t one of
those people who lived in the mountains, but dreamed of a house on the beach.
Or vice versus.
Dry air, hills, and live oak was good enough
for him.
He’d made up his mind that he wasn’t
interested in the life the club could offer him. Since he’d grown up in and
around his dad’s motorcycle club, he was able to make a truly informed choice.
Brant didn’t have the kind of angry fire in
the belly that motivates a man to choose that path. He wasn’t overly interested
in money, especially not if it comes with the risk of prison. And he hadn’t
experienced the sort of injustice that had caused the original seven members,
all Vietnam vets, to band together with a third finger prominently raised at
particular aspects of society.
Brant thought of himself as a simple sort of
guy even though he was an avid reader of classics and secretly pondered some of
the great philosophical brain-scramblers while he worked as a mechanic. He was
born with the talent for it, loved taking things apart and putting them back together
in better condition than before. The Sons of Sanctuary had nurtured that gift
by mentoring and letting him tinker with their vehicles.
After high school, he’d drifted from one
Austin repair shop to another, accidentally improving his resume with each move
to a larger shop, new title and more money. When he was twenty-five, he took a
job as Head Mechanic at the Yellow Rose Resort. It required a double skill set:
mechanic and manager of fuckwads who needed a babysitter more than a
supervisor. Even though he was younger than almost all the guys who reported to
him, he handled it. One way or another.
He smiled about that. It’s exactly the sort of
thing his old man liked to say. Get it done. One way or another.
It never occurred to Brant to wonder if there
was more to life, and maybe he never would have, if Garland St. Germaine hadn’t
gotten lost white exploring the resort grounds. Occupied by her own dark thoughts,
not looking at much but the pavement in front of her, she’d wandered far afield
of guest paths. When she looked up, she was in front of the huge vehicle
maintenance facility known as “the shed” . She didn’t know how she got there
and had no idea how to find her way back.
Since she’d been in Austin for a week, she’d
acquired a golden tan that would be the envy of any lotion ad. Her ash blonde
hair had also lightened several shades and taken on some dramatic, but still
natural, highlights. Wearing a tank top, knee length shorts, and flip flopped
through one of the open bays and came face to face with Brant Fornight.
He was wearing jeans and a black tee with the
Yellow Rose logo and text that simply read CREW.
He looked her over too quickly to be accused
of leering at a guest. And everything about her screamed guest, from the small
diamond studs in her ears, to the designer sunglasses, to the skin that had
that look of perfect nutrition and expensive lotion.
“What can I do for you, darlin’?”
The endearment was politically incorrect
according to the new standards, but if she complained, he could always say it
was just part of the local charm.
Looking at the twin fires in Brant’s striking
black eyes, she temporarily forgot what she needed. It was hard to tell whether
the amusement on his handsome face was a permanent expression or if he was
having fun at her expense.
She cleared her throat. “I was having a look
at the, uh, property and I guess I got turned around.”
“Yeah.” He gave her a slow smile that had all
her lady parts perking up and standing at attention. “We don’t get many people
who start out lookin’ for the pool and wind up here,” he drawled while wiping
his hands on a rag.
She scowled. “I wasn’t looking for the pool. I
was just…”
“Havin’ a look at the property.” He smiled. He
pointed to a black and green vehicle that also bore the Yellow Rose logo. “Hop
in this golf cart and I’ll drive you back.”
“I don’t want to put you out.”
He laughed out loud and shook his head. “This
is the best thing that’s happened to me this year. Come on. I’ll go fast enough
to get the breeze goin’ and cool you off.”
She had gone past attractive glow to full on
sweat. As if on cue, she was reminded of that when she felt a trickle of
perspiration run between her breasts. His promise to ‘cool her off’ caused a
blush for, what she was sure was, the first time in her life.
“Well, it is hot out here,” she said, looking
around as if someone might argue. Or intervene.
He looked over at the temperature gauge. “Only
ninety six in the shade. ‘Course that’s the way they report temps. In the
shade. But…” He looked down at her feet. ”…it’s really about one fifteen where
you’re standin’. On that asphalt. In the sun.”
Following his eyes down to the tarmac beneath
her feet, she realized that she did actually feel as if she was slow cooking.
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
His grin was heart-stopping. He turned his
back long enough to open a refrigerator, withdrew a bottle of water, and set it
in the cart’s drink holder when he got behind the wheel. After Garland seated
herself on the passenger side of the cart, he handed her the ice cold bottle of
water. “All part of the service, ma’am.”
“Thank you.” She accepted gratefully. But as
badly as she wanted to drink, she wanted to feel the cold bottle against her
skin even more. She held it to her chest, closed her eyes and moaned. “You’re
an angel in disguise.”
When she opened her eyes and saw the change in
his expression, she realized that calling attention to her breasts may not have
been the smartest move.
Brant tore his gaze from the water bottle. It
may have elicited a moan that would haunt his fantasies forever, but even he
knew that ogling guests was crossing a line. He wasn’t sure whether he should
be glad that he’d given her a cold compress, or curse himself for it, but the
view above her neck was just as interesting. She’d removed her sunglasses and stuck
them on top of her head, which left him exactly sixteen inches away from
amber-colored irises that were stunning, and so unusual with her blonde locks
that she looked almost exotic. At the moment they were also questioning why he
wasn’t starting the engine.
He pushed the ignition button and they lurched
forward. When they started down the hill, the cart picked up speed. The air
movement did cool the feeling of scorching skin. She took a big swig of cold
water and laughed. “You’re right. This feels good. You could sell rides to the
overheated.”
He smiled, steering and stealing glances at
the unlikely passenger and the strange, but welcome turn his morning had taken.
“So where to?”
“You know where the hotel is?” He raised one
eyebrow. “Well.” She laughed. “Of course you do.”
They coasted down a hill then laughed when the
cart struggled to climb up the next. On reaching the top, the hotel came into
view, sitting on a ridge as if presiding over the Yellow Rose’s five
championship golf courses.
She pointed to the right of the eighteen-story
hotel. “We’re in one of those villas next to the hotel.”
He whistled long and low. “So I’m guessing
you’re not using a stay-two-nights-get-the-third-free coupon.”
She laughed because she had no other response,
not knowing if there was such a thing or if he’d just made that up. “Oh, you
know. My father is here overseeing some business development. Told me to either
come for the summer or look for a box under a bridge.”
When Brant looked over, he seemed to be studying
her. He suspected that she was early twenties. So what she said about being
there with her father didn’t really make sense. “You in a box under a bridge.
Can’t see that.”
“Hmmm. Well, it could happen. You remember the
story about that ex movie star who was living in the bushes in Central Park?”
“No. I guess I missed that.”
“You must not watch “Entertainment Tonight”.”
He chuckled. “Guilty. Or not guilty. Take your
pick.”
She indulged in a leisurely look at his tan
profile. He had lashes so long and thick that she would think were fake on a
woman. But she thought that, if she was reading signals right, there was
nothing fake about Brant Fornight. He had an open, easy-going manner that put
her at ease. Running her eyes over the dark hair that threatened to reach the
ribbed neck of his tee, following the line of his straight nose and strong jaw,
she decided he could be vying for the title of the best looking man she’d ever
seen.
“What’s your name?”
“Brant Fornight. What’s yours?”
“Garland St. Germaine.”
His eyes slid sideways. “Pretty name. And
unusual. I don’t think I’ve ever run into a Garland before.”
“It was my grandmother’s maiden name. The one
good thing about it is that it doesn’t lend itself to cute nicknames.” She
chuckled. “The closest anybody ever came to making one stick was this guy at
school who used to call me Garfield.”
Brant puzzled at his reaction to that. His gut
had tightened. Apparently he didn’t like getting an image of another guy
calling this girl anything. Once he realized that he would probably never see
the beautiful girl with the terrible sense of direction again, he slowed the
cart down as much as possible without raising suspicion.
When they reached the walk to the door of her
villa, she turned toward him. Her hesitation made him wonder if she was just as
reluctant to end the unlikely encounter.
Her smile was warm, but he couldn’t tell if it
was a friendly smile or an I’m-interested smile. “Well. I guess this is me.”
“I guess so.”
“Thank you for the ride, Brant.”
“It was my pleasure, Garland. Whenever you get
lost anywhere around vehicle maintenance, this chariot will be at your
disposal.”
She grinned. “Flowery words for a vehicle
maintenancer.”
“Maybe I’m not one-dimensional.”
She stared as if she was trying to read his
mind. “Maybe you’re not.”
She got out and walked to the door knowing
that he was watching her rear end under the pretention of seeing her safely
home. She swiped the card key and opened the door then turned to smile and
wave. In return she was rewarded with a macho chin jerk that made her smile
even bigger.
Chapter 1
Remi Calder saw Eadan Fleming for the first time on the day
he moved into her apartment building.
While he helped the movers carry in some of his boxes, she
hid behind the foyer’s largest plant, completely in awe. The muscles stored in
that man’s six-foot frame were purely mouth-watering, a vision not soon
forgotten. In fact, she was in such a state that had she been wearing a
pacemaker it would have seized up.
Though she’d just passed her twenty-eighth birthday, the
gratifying sight left her gaping like a love-starved groupie.
The fellow wore his well-washed jeans and plaid shirt as if
it were a posh outfit from the elite tailors down the street. Yummy! His
hair was fashioned in that short style that many business men wore today, a
thick auburn mass curling in the heat.
Just then, he bent over to pick up a crate and her mouth
dried up, her heart beat in triple time and the black turtleneck sweater which
she thought slimmed her down suddenly choked her. With her tongue glued to the
top of her mouth, she didn’t see the other fellow who was approaching from
behind.
“He’s something else, eh, lass?”
First she jumped. Then she yelped. And just when she thought
things couldn’t get any worse, her camouflaging foliage tipped over and flopped
on the floor with a loud thud, leaving her totally exposed. Oh, lawdie!
The noise alerted the man she’d been spying on and he turned
her way to see what had caused the commotion. Embarrassed beyond words, Remi
knew he was still watching as she tried to upright the damn tree. Not once, oh
no; it took her three tries as the blasted bush seemed to have a mind of its
own. Finally the man who’d caused the uproar came to her rescue and put it back
in place.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” The knowing gleam
in his eyes made her blush. This bloke reminded her of her brother, a
down-to-earth tease who loved to catch her in uncomfortable situations. Since
she seemed to be cursed with clumsiness, he ragged on her a lot.
“Oh, don’t apologise. I was just, ah…checking if the
umm…soil was dry. You know, if the plant needed water. I do that from time to
time. Otherwise they die.” Running out of inane blather, Remi shrugged,
reddened and hunched her shoulders.
By this time, the hunky eyeful had finished loading the
elevator and turned politely. “Were you wanting to use this lift?”
Remi glanced at her annoying friend and raised her chin.
Then she stepped out from behind the plant, knocking against it once again.
Turning in time, she saw it being caught and pretended it had nothing to do
with her.
Sauntering toward the elevator, Remi hoped like hell that
the run in her left legging hadn’t travelled around to the front of her leg.
She approached and saw him waiting for her from inside the open doors.
“Hi,” she stuttered slightly. “Are –are you moving in
today?” The first two fingers of the hand behind her back slowly crossed over
each other.
“Yes, I bought a flat on the ninth floor – 906. It’s a great
building and close to the city center. I was lucky it came up for sale. What floor
did you want?” His finger still hovered over the panel of numbers.
Remi’s eyes were glued to his muscled chest, imagination
going wild. “Sorry, I’m so sorry. I’m on the eight - eighth. Thank you.”
He grinned at her bumbling and then looked into her eyes,
and she saw a sincere, friendly smile. One that had her instinctively smiling
back. She watched his eyes widen and his glance sharpen. Lowering her lashes,
she hid her shyness.
To break the tension, she said, “It’s a good place to live.
I’ve been here for four years. In fact, I’m right underneath you.” She glanced
up at him and saw his right eyebrow arch and his head cock to the side. The
chuckle snorted from behind reminded her that the tease still lurked.
Darn—her mouth was getting in the way of her brain again.
Would she never learn? “I mean that
I’m in 806, directly beneath 906, one floor down.” To cover up the fact that
she’d been staring at him like an eager, tail-wagging puppy, she fixed her
purse strap and moved forward.
“That’s nice.” He had a distinctive half-grin hovering over
his mouth that reminded her instantly of the famous, cocky Elvis smile that had
fascinated female hearts all over the world.
“Graeme, are you coming with this load?”
Her antagonist ambled toward the lift and shook his head. “I
think it’s a bit over-crowded already, bro. Best you just send it back down for
me.” He winked at Remi, and her heart sank to the floor. The beast knew she’d
been spying and thought it gave him some power over her. Well, she’d let him
know she wasn’t someone to trifle with. Pushing her heavy curls back over her
shoulder, she sent him a haughty grimace. Sure enough, just when she wanted to
create an uncaring attitude, her watch caught in the strands of her hair. The
last thing she saw as the elevator doors closed was the silly fool’s grin.
Because of all the cartons and boxes jammed in, she’d had to
squeeze into the idol’s personal space. Now, she had her arm trapped, snared by
her hair. Even though Mr. Handsome had moved aside to let her proceed into the
corner, she hadn’t gotten that far. Brushing against him was unavoidable. But
stumbling? The man wouldn’t know that being in close proximity with any male
could cause her feet to forget how to walk, or her mind to become too befuddled
to remember.
“So you like this building?” he asked, making polite
conversation.
“Yes. Very much.” She pretended to be smoothing her hair,
rather than yanking away at it.
His gaze followed her hand and his grin widened. “Then I’ve
made a good choice.”
Nodding, she answered. “Most of the people here are very
nice.” She stared up at the flashing numbers on the control panel, praying they
would pass by quickly. She’d never felt so uncomfortable in all her life. From
the first day she’d moved into the building, this elevator had been the bane of
her existence. Who would be so foolish as to install a lift with mirrored
walls? Maybe a masochist! Every time she rode in the silly thing, she was
forced to see her overlarge self—the one she disliked to such an extent that
she’d habitually close her eyes—and cuss the building’s designer.
“Here, would you like me to help you get free?” He pointed
at her problem and lifted his hands in a gesture of waiting.
Forcing her stare away from the ceiling, she sighed and gave
up the attempt at pretending. “Would you mind? I seem to have hooked my hair on
my watch.”
“Not at all.” Since they were in close proximity, he didn’t
have to move, just lift his hands and untwist the curl from around the watch’s
fancy silver bracelet.
Remi did everything she could not to faint. First she bit
her lip, then clenched her free hand to stop it from reaching. Trying not to
stare at his muscular throat and the coating of sweat that glistened, she
closed her eyes. But his warm breath, enhanced by the hint of coffee, bewitched
her senses. Everything stopped—the elevator, his hands and then her heartbeat.
“There. You’re loose.” He stepped back and grabbed a small
suitcase just in time to jam it into the door to keep it open. “By the way, my
name is Eadan Fleming. I’ve just moved to London from Edinburgh.” With his head
angled to the side, he waited while she desperately tried to overcome her
muddled senses.
“Welcome. I’m Remi Calder. I hope you’re happy here.”
“I’m sure I will be.” He stepped aside to give her room to
exit and then waited.
Would she look very foolish backing out? Stupid, silly
tights. She did so anyway, wanting to escape the awkwardness as quickly as
she could. Besides, using this method of fleeing, her backside, being overly
large and not her best feature, wouldn’t be something he’d have to witness
waddling away from him.
At the exact moment she decided to bolt, the golf clubs
leaning against the elevator wall decided to fall over. Without his quickness
in reaching for her, she would have fallen too. As his arms encircled her full
figure, she couldn’t help but breathe in his cologne. It smelled of the wind on
top of a snowy mountain peak, fresh and clean. The scent shot straight to her
already heightened senses and left her reeling.
“Are you alright?” He sounded as if he really cared.
No! I want to disappear – now. “I’m so clumsy, I’m sorry. I hope your clubs are okay, and
that I didn’t break them.”
Now why would she say something so silly? Why in the world did her brain always go on a retreat at
the moment when she needed it most?
“Can I help you to your place? You’re shaking.”
“I’m fine. Really. Welcome to the building. And if you need
any sugar, you know where to find me.” Oh, no! Remi groaned her dismay.
By now she didn’t care what part of her anatomy he saw; she just had to make
good her escape.
She bolted for her place, and while searching for her keys,
she dropped her handbag. Finally she had the door opened and turned to wave him
on his way. Off-balance and in too much if a hurry, she accidently stumbled
over the purse. He watched her until she was on her knees inside her entrance
and she knew that all he saw were her arms reaching into the hallway to snatch
her fallen articles.
Remi, you fool. If
you need any sugar? For heaven’s sake, what were you thinking? No wonder
the daft man was grinning like a teenager after his first beer.
His Promise Excerpt
There wasn’t a day that Kim hadn’t loved Bruce. Never in a
million years had she doubted that they would be together. At seventeen, they
were inseparable. She couldn’t imagine, as she stared up at the thousands of
stars in the dark Montana sky not kissing Bruce or feeling his touch on every
other day like this one, when she would gaze up at the light of the moon or the
bright blue sky.
But then, you never forget the taste of your first love. He
touched her the way no other man could. It was imprinted on her soul—the way
she molded against him, skin to skin, with each breath. Each moment with him,
kissing, touching, or just talking, the sound of his voice melted her soul and
had her yearning to see him again before he even left.
She didn’t believe her lips would ever forget the taste of
his love. His touch, his smile, the light in his hazel eyes when he held her
face in his hands the very first time he’d kissed her—it was all burned forever
in her memory.
Like yesterday.
“Hey, baby.” He came up behind her, sliding his hand over
the flat of her stomach. He lifted her hair and pressed a kiss to her cheek
before sliding his lips down the soft skin on her neck. He was pulling her back
with him into the shadows.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, then giggled. She
couldn’t help it, as he had his hand under her shirt. He’d pulled the long
cotton fabric free from the waistband of her jeans and was running his hand
over her skin. His belt buckle was pressing into her. She craved the feel of
him all the time and mourned his touch when he was gone.
“Where your daddy can’t find us,” he said. He had his hand
on the rail of the wooden ladder that led up to the loft. “Go on.”
She didn’t hesitate as she climbed the rail. She could hear
the tractor purring in the field. The sound carried, so she knew as long as she
could hear it in the distance, they had time alone. “You weren’t supposed to be
here today,” she said. “You said you couldn’t come, that you had to pack.”
He pulled her to their space in the loft where the hay bales
were stacked against the dark planks. She climbed over the two bales and into
their hidden spot, a bed of hay with an old blanket thrown overtop. It was
where they always met, where they hid out together. It was where they’d met
last night, when she’d snuck out of the house after her parents were asleep. It
was where they’d last been together—touching, tasting, exploring each other.
“I couldn’t leave without seeing you again.” He pulled her
down with him so they were lying side by side. Her body had a mind of its own
and responded to Bruce, moving closer to him, her legs tangled with his, her
hands pulling at his shirt, kissing him as she threaded her fingers through his
short brown hair. She loved his hair, how it too seemed to do whatever it
wanted. The natural waves always had that messy bad-boy look, and every time he
cut it, it made the smile that lit up his face and his eyes stand out on his
cheeks. And his lips…full and so kissable. Oh, and could Bruce kiss. She loved
his long, lean body, his legs, how much taller he was than her—how much
stronger. She truly believed he was forever hers, and he wouldn’t let anything
come between them.
But she was wrong. Oh so wrong.
“Just one more kiss,” he said as he leaned over her. “I need
to know you’ll wait for me.”
“You know I will. I wish you didn’t have to go.” She wanted
to cry. It would be ninety-three days of hell until she could feel his touch
again, feel his lips on her again, feel his love again. Life was so unfair.
“Kim! Kim!” It was her mother calling out.
“I have to go, but I don’t want to,” she said, rolling onto
her back, her hands above her head.
He kissed her one more time and pulled a strand of hay from
her hair. “I’ll call you. I promise I will. Baby, remember I fall in love with
you over and over every single day. Nothing will come between us. Remember
this, feel this.” He took her hand and pressed it to his beating heart. “It’s
for you, only for you, that my heart beats. This moment, the way you look now,
the blueness in your eyes and how they smile only for me and beg me into your
loving arms, the way your long hair teases me and has that curly, messy look
even when you try to brush it straight…”
Not a day had gone by without her remembering those last
moments together—almost twenty years ago, now. She’d promised to be his
forever…that was, until she married someone else.
***
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