From the USA Today bestselling author of the Bliss series comes a new spin off series featuring your favorite Bliss series characters who are yet to meet their match. This time it is Zach and Danika’s turn.
I’m a gamer by nature and by profession. I’m all about strategy, performance, and coming out on top.
Five months ago I threw caution to the wind, and in the first miscalculated step of my twenty-one-year life, I made a move on my brother’s best friend.
The first mistake we made was keeping our relationship secret. The next was going off half-cocked when a train wreck of epic proportions hit us.
Now our secret is secret no more. As I struggle to deal with all of the swirling emotions, conflicted feelings, and the multitude of burned bridges that I need to mend, the one person who can help me through it all is the same man I need space from.
To fix it I’ll have to pull on my big-girl panties, focus on what I truly want in life, and put everything I have into winning the most important game I’ll ever play.
Life is a game, and it is what you make it.
Coming out unscathed is a whole other matter.
Prologue
Danika
“Yes,” I moan, grinding down against him.
“Fucking beautiful,” he says gruffly against my skin, his lips brushing my neck. His breath comes hard and fast in time with the upward thrusts of his cock, and I feel my orgasm barreling toward me.
“Feels so good,” I pant. His hand tightens around my back and his fingers zero in on my wonder button, stroking with expert precision and making my pussy clench around him. My body contorting as if it’s possessed.
“Jesus. Fuck,” Zach growls, planting his feet on the bed and thrusting up one last time before following me over the edge as he pours himself inside of me.
We collapse backwards, my legs falling limp on the way down, and together we lie there, chests heaving, bodies stuck together, struggling to catch our breaths.
“Every time is better than the last,” he murmurs in my ear, sucking my earlobe into his mouth afterwards. I whimper and my muscles spasm as aftershocks course through me. Shifting sideways, I stay draped over him, my fingers drawing mindless circles in the smattering of hair on his damp chest.
“What’s on the agenda today?” he asks, his hand running through my hair, roots to ends.
“Team meeting at eleven, lunchtime conference call with the west coast programmers at one, then I get to go play.”
“Such a geek.” He chuckles. I jerk my head up and I narrow my eyes at him. He just smirks, and my twitching lips give away how uncommitted I am to the death stare aimed his way.
“Your geek.”
“You better fucking believe it,” he replies with conviction, his arm hooked around my waist, giving a meaningful squeeze.
“I know it, firebug.”
Now he out-and-out grins. “Never going to live it down, am I?”
I push up with one hand on the bed so that my head hovers over his, our lips just an inch apart. “Never,” I whisper. “But that’s okay. I still love you.”
His entire body goes still and my eyes go wide as realization hits me. Way to go, Dani. Freak him out why don’t you.
My brain catches up with my body and flight mode kicks in. I move quickly, rolling backwards and scrambling off the bed. Making a smash-and-grab attempt, I scoop up my clothes scattered over his bedroom floor, but the first step toward escape is hampered by an arm wrapping around my waist.
I fall back and slam into his naked chest, my entire body going still at the contact.
“Wait a minute, Dani. You can’t say something like that then fly out of here like a bat out of hell.”
“Bats like hell. They live there.”
“They live in caves. Stop trying to change the subject.”
Deciding that redirecting this inevitable conversation is the best plan of attack, I continue. “I really have to go, Zach. I’ve still gotta go home, shower, get dressed, and then get to work.”
“It’s only six, and you just told me your first meeting isn’t till eleven.”
“I’ve got a lot of stuff to do before then.”
“I’ll drive you home and to the office if it means you’ll turn around. I wanna look in your eyes when I tell you I love you back.”
For the second time in as many minutes, my heart stutters to a halt. There’s no way in hell I’m in flight mode now.
Seven years ago, I fell in teenage girl love with Zach Cooper, my older brother’s roommate and best friend.
Five months ago, I fell into adult insta-lust with him the night I told him what I wanted. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t imagined what it would be like to hear him say those three little words.
What I didn’t know was that just a few days after one of the best moments in my life—one of those ones you know you’ll remember forever—everything would be turned upside down.
And there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
BJ Harvey is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Bliss Series. She also regards herself as a smut peddler, suspense conjurer and a funny romance thinker upper.
An avid music fan, you will always find her singing some hit song badly but loving every minute of it.
She’s a wife, a mom to two beautiful girls, and hails from what she considers as the best country in the world—New Zealand.
From the outside looking in, you can be more objective to someone’s situation.
False!
People only see what you have, thinking your life and marriage are sheer perfection based on your tax bracket. If only they could step inside long enough to see how cracked the foundation truly is.
True or False:
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
False!
I firmly believe the only people who speak this nonsense are the ones living a life of contentment. They use this cliche to persuade you from searching for more out of life.
True or False:
If momma ain’t happy, nobody’s happy.
True!
This momma hasn’t been happy for a long time, and I plan on changing that.
The grass may not be greener on the other side, but if I’m the one mowing the lawn, who the hell cares?!
Prologue
MY HUSBAND REFERS to the internet as the devil. He trusts nothing that takes place on the screens I’m constantly working from. It’s easy to sit back and judge something you haven’t allowed yourself to explore. I finally broke him out of his no-internet accessing flip phone, and he has now come to the dark side.
Where I’m engrossed in social media and keeping up with my readers and fellow authors, he’s now consumed by stupid, childish games that make absolutely no sense to me. Who’s the hypocrite now? Well, both of us. But at least it keeps him out of my hair…a little.
He likes to complain and assume the worst on my end, throwing out the fact that he’s kept in the dark and has no clue who I interact with. This is true. I do keep him out of my author world bubble. It’s mine. I don’t want to share it with him. If I allow him to get close enough, I know he’ll pop it. And I’m not ready to fall back into reality. He doesn’t get my “job” and doesn’t even see it as one—although he doesn’t complain when my “job” buys him stuff.
Funny how that works.
The internet is my office. And a very, very distracting one at times. But it’s a necessity. I wouldn’t be known without it. He doesn’t get that. He has no clue how much work goes into this passion of mine that has turned into a career. The truth of the matter is, he doesn’t support me. So therefore, his mind isn’t open to everything that goes hand in hand with me being an author. All he sees is me on my laptop or phone, and he instantly thinks I’m chatting with people—guys—I shouldn’t be.
And maybe I do.
And maybe I shouldn’t.
I’m unhappy. I’ve been this way for a couple years now—since I started writing my books to be more precise. I didn’t wake up one day and tell myself, “Self, I want to be an author.” I woke up one day realizing I needed more in my life. Not that being a stay at home mother and wife isn’t satisfying, but it definitely wasn’t quenching my thirst once I delved into my new life as an author. Something was missing, and I was on a mission to find it. That’s when I discovered writing and that I could write out whatever I wanted and toss it into the black-hole known as the internet and if someone read it, cool.
It felt amazing letting out anything and everything I had on my mind without any expectations in return. Slowly, I started gaining readers. It was scary and exciting. There were people who actually wanted to read what I had to say. Why? I didn’t understand it, and I still don’t. But as they started conversing with me, one by one, I realized I wasn’t alone in the grand scheme of life. And that felt good. I felt like my purpose had been found. And I planned on embracing it no matter who had my back, which my husband didn’t. But his unsupportiveness hasn’t detoured me from continuing my writing journey. It’s not a choice. It’s my destiny, my future. The passion burns throughout me and I can’t extinguish it even if I wanted to. And yes, there have been times I wished I could shut the ideas out. It completes me and gives me a sense of purpose. When a reader tells me that my story moved them, helped them, made them laugh or they related even a tiny bit to something I wrote—it changes you.
And that’s exactly what happened to me.
I’ve changed.
And dammit, I like who I’m becoming.
I want to embrace this revolution rising within me. I want to spread my wings, and expand my horizons, and see where the possibilities of it can one day lead.
But I can’t.
Because I’m stuck.
Being a prisoner to a life of contentment, knowing that I settled and wishing I knew then what I know now is so disheartening. I’m married to someone I’ve wanted by my side from the get go, but who loosened his hold on my hand, allowing us to grow apart. Now that he sees me pulling away, knowing I’m unhappy, he’s grasping for my fingertips, trying desperately to slip his fingers between mine and pull me back to him.
But it’s too late. My fingertips are now curled, forming fists, and leaving nail imprints in my skin. Him refusing to take the journey with me not only hardened my stance against him, but also my heart.
I can’t change it. I can’t change the way I feel. I can’t go back to two years ago when I picked up the first book I ever had the urge to read, and warn myself of what would take place once I closed that story with a new outlook on life. And if I could, I’m not sure I’d want to.
I knew it the first time he came over to my apartment and we ended up sleeping together, that I was settling. I was compromising who I was, and who I wanted to be—even though I wasn’t sure of who that was at that time.
The ironic part of it all is my settling led to my passion. But now I’m in a predicament. Do I stay with the man who loves me, but doesn’t know how to fully support me? Or do I skip bail and find what brings me joy? I have kids to take care of. I have to be smart instead of jumping on a whim and praying for a safe landing.
Waiting it out shouldn’t be hard, right?
I’m sure most will say I’m being a horrible wife, and that I shouldn’t have put myself in this situation to begin with. To an extent, I agree. I know all I’m doing now is flirting with disaster.
I can’t help it…or stop it.
It could be the fucking author in me reading into a web of lies my mind is forming, writing my own personal whacked out fairytale.
I know people say the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, but something inside me makes me want to test that theory.
Harlow Paige is a known author using a pen to shield her identity (and others) as she writes about her adventures and many, many mishaps in the world of online dating. Her Series of Cliches is bound to resonate within any woman who has jumped back into the dating saddle. No worries if single-hood doesn’t apply to you. This series will be full of real life honesty, as Harlow twists her life experiences with a bit of fiction to keep the reader guessing. Everyone who joins in on this adventure will be able to relate in some form, and if not, will still be rooting her on along the way.
Harlow asks that all willing participants please keep their hands, feet and legs inside the ride at all times. Your safety… and ENJOYMENT is her number one goal.
New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling Series.
Seven books in total. This edition contains the first three:
Debt Inheritance
“I own you. I have the piece of paper to prove it. It’s undeniable and unbreakable. You belong to me until you’ve paid off your debts.”
Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. Being the first born daughter, her life is forfeit to the first born son of the Hawks to pay for sins of ancestors past. The dark ages might have come and gone, but debts never leave. She has no choice in the matter.
First Debt:
“You say I’ll never own you. If I win–you willingly give me that right. You sign not only the debt agreement, but another–one that makes me your master until your last breath is taken. You do that, and I’ll give you this.”
Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. Stolen, taken, and bound not by monsters but by an agreement written over six hundred years ago, she has no way out.
Second Debt:
“I tried to play a game. I tried to wield deceit as perfectly as the Hawks. But when I thought I was winning, I wasn’t. Jethro isn’t what he seems–he’s the master of duplicity. However, I refuse to let him annihilate me further.”
Nila Weaver has grown from naïve seamstress to full-blown fighter. Every humdrum object is her arsenal, and sex…sex is her greatest weapon of all.
SAVE $4.99! (single price for included 4 books $14.99) Strictly Limited Time Boxed Set.
New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling Series.
Seven books in total. This edition contains the last four:
Third Debt
“She healed me. She broke me. I set her free. But we are in this together. We will end this together. The rules of this ancient game can’t be broken.”
Nila Weaver no longer recognises herself. She’s left her lover, her courage, and her promise. Two debts down. Too many to go.
Fourth Debt
“We’d won. We’d cut through the lies and treachery and promised an alliance that would free us both. But even as we won, we lost. We didn’t see what was coming. We didn’t know we had to plan a resurrection.”
Nila Weaver fell in love. She gifted her entire soul to a man she believed was worthy. And in the process, she destroyed herself.
Final Debt
“I’m in love with her, but it might not be enough to stop her from becoming the latest victim of the Debt Inheritance. I know who I am now. I know what I must do. We will be together–I just hope it’s on Earth rather than in heaven.”
It all comes down to this.
Indebted Epilogue
A bonus book to be read after:
Debt Inheritance
First Debt
Second Debt
Third Debt
Fourth Debt
Final Debt
Please note the books are too large to be included in one file. Indebted Series Boxed Set 1-3 contains the first three books of the Indebted Series and this edition contains the last four.
New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author
Author of Bestselling Titles: Monsters in the Dark, Destroyed, & Indebted Series
Have you ever had a secret that weighed on you so heavily you felt as though you might crumble from the burden of it?
I’ve been lying to all of my loved ones for months now, lying right to their faces. I know at some point the truth will have to come out, but I’m dreading that day with every fiber of my being. I don’t want to hurt anyone, especially Jeff, my fiancé.
My past and present are at war, pushing and pulling me in two different directions and sooner or later I’m going to break. How do I choose between the two men I love?
Garrett, my ex, who disappeared from my life without a trace has now returned. He claims he still loves me and he wants me back.
Jeff, the man I’m engaged to marry built our relationship on lies, but he proves to me every single day how much he loves me.
Are the mistakes of the past too much for me to move on from or can I find a way to forgive one of them?
Maybe it’s time for me to start with a clean slate and just focus on me.
This is the emotional conclusion to Shelby’s story which began in Waiting for Love.
“What are you so happy about? I just told you what a disaster my life has become and you think it’s funny?” I poke his rock hard stomach. He catches my hand with his and uses it to tug me forward. I stumble into him awkwardly, landing against his chest. His arms slide around me, resting low on my waist…dangerously low…almost into ass territory low. Both of my palms are flat against his chest and it’s difficult for me to resist the urge to slide them down his stomach and back up under his shirt. His skin would be scorching hot on my hands as I slowly traced his defined abdominal muscles. Stop it. Focus. My eyes raise up to meet his and there’s an answering smirk playing around the right corner of his lips as if he knows I was lost in lust filled thoughts of him.
Teasers
About the author
Dawn Stanton, author of the Waiting series, lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons. Dawn’s obsession with books began at an early age and although being an author doesn’t leave much time for her to read, there’s nothing she likes better than to relax on the beach, toes in the sand and a great book on her kindle.
“Are you ready?” I ask, placing my palm on her sweaty stomach. She’s so petite that my hand spans her entire stomach. It rises and falls with each deep breath she takes. This power I feel right now is utter heaven. She’s mine in every way possible, and no one can deny it. Fury of possession and lust hit me. I don’t want to hold back any longer.
Kayla nods. Gritting my teeth, I unfasten her gag and pull it away with a long strand of spit connecting it to her mouth. Her lips part and close a few times as she adjusts to the new sensation.
Lips. They’re such innocuous things in real life. They speak, and laugh. They kiss babies, and are responsible for filtering or not filtering every word you ever speak. In my world, this world, they’re the most erotic, beautiful, stunning part of a person. Lips praise. They suck and kiss and worship my body. Kayla’s lips worship me. I am obsessed with lips, but especially hers right now because I know that this isn’t her life, nor is it something she would pick for herself, yet her lips are asking me for more. Words passing her lips about how good I feel, how wet she is, thanking me for filling her with a vibrating dildo. It’s uncomplicated in here. She obeys. She wants more.
Removing the gag does give me pause, because she could potentially say something un-sub like and ruin the scene, but at this point I wouldn’t even care, I’ll still fuck her. My cock is heavy and dripping with pre-come. I glance at the large, digital clock to my right to make sure my timing is on par and catch sight of the crew.
Dominic Reed, heir to an oil fortune, has spent his entire adult life perfecting his dark hobby. With little control in every other area of his manicured life, he finds his release as a dominant. With more money than he knows what to do with, he creates a TV show: The Dom Games.
This year is different than the past seasons, this year Dominic will be the star. He wants a forever submissive.
Before last month Kayla Parchet thought the word submissive only referred to dogs. Fresh out of college with a business degree that is scrap paper, she needs to get an Ivy League masters degree to pursue her dreams. When Kayla is accepted to be one of the ten, her world takes a dark turn as she competes against women who live the submissive lifestyle for enjoyment. Can she hold on to her dreams long enough to win the competition and ten million dollars? Or will she get sucked into Dominic’s twisted world?
Only a few whips and canes stand between Kayla and the future she’s always desired.
Rachel grew up in a small, quiet town full of loud talkers. Her words were always only loud on paper. She has been writing stories and creating characters for as long as she can remember. After living on the west coast for many years she recently moved to Virginia Beach, VA.
Music was was part of my DNA, pumping hard through my veins, resonating deep within my bones. Not surprising, considering my dad was a global rock star and my mom had the voice of a fallen angel.
With my twin sister by my side in our indie-rock duo, Singed Wings, we were ready to finally see our name in lights when we opened for the hottest act to sell out stadiums – Jobu’s Rum Summer Reunion Tour.
The life I’d always wanted was finally within my reach. All I had left to do was finish out my last semester of high school.
But there was one problem: Ms. Sloan, the new art history teacher.
The same Ms. Sloan I’d met as Belle, the sexy little pixie who’d captivated me at a New Year’s Eve concert last year.
The same Ms. Sloan who’d owned nearly every one of my thoughts since that night.
The same Ms. Sloan whose class I was in danger of failing.
With my dream gig dangling just on the other side of that cap and gown, all of my focus should’ve been on my school work and improving my music as I prepared for my big shot to rock the world…
But I never expected her to rock mine first… and to change everything.
The Book Boyfriend Series is NOW ON SALE for $0.99 and FREE ON Kindle Unlimited.
Erin Noelle is a Texas native, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and three fur babies. When she’s not reading or writing romance novels, she enjoys winning at cards and board games, awkward people-watching in public places, and doing cartwheels at the most random times. She’s usually barefoot, is never without a song in her head, and currently holds the title of World’s Best Procrastinator.
Her titles published include the Book Boyfriend Series, Dusk ‘Til Dawn Series, Luminous Duet, Fire on the Mountain series, and numerous standalone books that range from New Adult to Contemporary romance. Her books have been a part of the USA Today Bestselling list as well as the Amazon and Barnes & Noble overall Top 100. You can follow her on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/erin.noelle.98, her blog @ http://www.erinnoelleauthor.com, on Twitter @authorenoelle, and on Instagram @erinnoelleauthor.
As a man, he’s her target and she’s determined to get him out of her system once and for all.
Jake Wilde doesn’t live a tame existence. He never has. He never will.
His career as a smokejumper in Alaska? Dangerous.
His female conquests? Copious.
His stance on commitment? Never happening.
But when the girl from his past shows up at his door as a woman, Jake Wilde is about to learn a valuable lesson. Never, ever play with fire . . . unless you’re looking to get burned.
“How many guys am I meeting?” I asked after he parked the Jeep outside of the smokejumper base. There were a handful of other trucks and Jeeps staggered around, but it was hard to tell just how many people were inside.
“You’re not meeting any guys.” He threw open his door and crawled out.
“Um, I’m an investigative reporter. My job is to investigate.” I closed the door behind me and came around the front of the Jeep where he was waiting. He was so tall. I didn’t remember him being this massive.
That could have been because the context in which I considered his size was different now. The little girl had seen a big brother who could stand up to a bully. The woman saw a man who could hold her in his arms while he screwed her.
“You can ask me all of the questions you need to. I’ll give you the tour and everything later on. When they’re all gone or asleep.” He leaned into his Jeep and crossed his arms.
“A good reporter has multiple sources.”
“No. All you need is one good source.”
I sighed and clamped my teeth down on my pen again. His forehead creased again, like before. Was he worried about my pen? The integrity of my teeth?
“No, I’d need a really, really great source, so until that happens, I’ll keep to the multiple source way of doing things.”
His smile crept into place. “You have no clue how really, really great my source is.”
Was he making a lewd joke? An innuendo? With me? God knew I’d heard him and Matt go back and forth like a couple of one-track-minded cavemen, but he’d never been so forward with me.
I liked it. I really liked it.
Two could play at this game though.
“Just how great is your source?” I lifted an eyebrow, my gaze dipping to his belt region.
He shoved off of his Jeep and moved closer. “Astoundingly great.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. “Does your ‘source’ get the job done?”
He smiled down at the ground and kept moving closer. I hoped he wouldn’t stop until he crashed into me and pinned me up against the wall behind me. “I’ve never heard any complaints.”
Wilde Fire is what the title says, Wild and Fiery. It was a quick, hot read that made me want to go up to Alaska and not just because it’s entering the 90s in California, if you catch my drift 😉
I work in a fire department so I’m always drawn to books that have something to do with the fire service. And not just for the firemen.
Jake and Bree have immediate chemistry that FLIES off the pages, er kindle. You get the point. A hot read, not insta-love but close.
4 stars!
Kat Austen is the secret pen name of a New York Times and USATODAY bestselling author. Kat writes short and steamy reads that leave hearts (and other parts) satisfied.
Koda’s found his sister, Winnie, and now he’s made a life for himself in Gray Ridge, Colorado. As a bear shifter, he’s naturally a loner, and with so few females around, he’s resigned to never finding his mate. But when he stumbles upon a woman in the woods, his whole world changes.
Snow’s been on the run and has made a makeshift family with a band of seven wanderers. While resting in the woods and waiting for them to come back, something big finds her.
When Koda and Snow collide, they realize their stories are woven together more tightly than they could have imagined. Will the truth break their mates bond? Or will it bind them closer together?
Warning: This fairy-tale shifter story is full of alpha sweetness with a side of growly bear. What’s not to love?! If you love a classic story with a dirty twist, then get your click on!
Alexa Riley is two sassy friends who got together and wrote some dirty books. They are both married moms of two who love football, donuts, and obsessed book heroes.
They specialize in insta-love, over-the-top, sweet, and cheesy love stories that don’t take all year to read. If you want something SAFE, short, and always with a happily ever after, then Alexa Riley is for you!
Lost Kings MC Boxed Set, Includes Books 1-3, plus bonus material.
SLOW BURN (Lost Kings MC, Book #1)
Forced to represent an outlaw biker, a married attorney must come to terms with her feelings for her client while avoiding the danger he brings into her sedate life.
CORRUPTING CINDERELLA (Lost Kings MC, Book #2)
Love is the ultimate outlaw.
How do a lawyer and a badass biker with a heart of gold keep their love alive while their opposing worlds collide?
STRENGTH FROM LOYALTY (Lost Kings MC, Book #3)
As a dark cloud descends over Hope and Rock’s already precarious future, will a long-hidden secret push them both past the point of no return?
Bonus Scene #1
Prom Dress
Bonus Scene #2
Prom Dress
PLUS, character interviews, and other exclusive-to-this-boxed-set material.
Autumn prefers to write her romances on the classy side of dirty, and she’s a sucker for a filthy-talking, demanding alpha male hero. The bigger the better. She believes true love stories never end.
Some of Autumn’s favorite hobbies include reading, writing, acting, music and horror movies. When she’s home, her faithful Pug is always by her side. She’s an active member of her local chapter of Romance Writers of America.
Autumn was born and raised in upstate New York. She still enjoys all four seasons there with her very own alpha hero and their three rescue dogs.
You can find Autumn on Facebook and she always loves to hear from readers at:
You know that group of people in school that everyone fears? Popular. Beautiful. The in-crowd?
That was my family. Kind of.
We were above that group. We held court over everyone else. We were the best looking. We were the mysterious and elusive ones. Most of the girls wanted to (and did) date the guys, but they didn’t want to be one of us. They couldn’t be. They were our prey.
We were the feared.
But like every family, nothing is as it seems. That was my truth.
Kellan was in his own league. He was our leader and he was the one no one messed with. No one dared. He was ruthless, powerful, and no one could match him…
Except for me.
I was about to find out just how different I was from my family.
**Evil is a full-length paranormal romance stand-alone.
As I drove through the backstreets of Poehler and headed out of town, I saw Leah and a few others leaving one of the pizza places, like a normal teenager enjoying time with her friends.
I’d never been a part of that world. None of the Bradens had. And for some reason, it never bothered us. We were meant for different things. Still…a part of me wished things could’ve been different. That I could’ve grown up as a normal girl with a normal family and even a normal boyfriend.
When I slowed and turned onto the gravel road that led to my home, I knew it was useless to wish that.
I wasn’t normal. No one in my family was, but it would’ve been nice to know what normal felt like.
We lived in a three-story brick house. And as I parked to the left of the garage, I cursed when I saw that every single light was off. That didn’t mean everyone was asleep, not in my family. It meant that they were outside, probably down by the river.
It was a little reprieve for me.
I let myself in to the empty house, kept the lights off, toed off my sandals, and moved into the kitchen. The bare tile felt cool underneath my feet. As I opened the fridge, I pulled out a container of orange juice and then screamed.
Kellan stood right behind me, a foreboding expression on his face.
“Oh God.” I laughed, weakly, as I set down the orange juice. “You gave me a heart attack just now.”
Kellan cocked his head to the side, his eyes on mine.
When I shut the door, the fridge’s light was replaced by the moonlight. It fell over his face and gave him a shadowed, mysterious look. Anyone else would’ve shuddered in scared anticipation. I just shuddered because it was cold.
“What?” I asked. Kellan had something to say, I could tell. I didn’t have the patience to play his games.
“Where were you?” he asked, his voice low and gruff, almost raw.
“I had things to do. What are you talking about? I told you that.” I wanted him to leave it alone. I didn’t want to tell him about the painting, not after so many years of secrecy.
“No, you didn’t tell me anything. And I knew you didn’t want me to ask, just like you never want me to ask.” Kellan moved forward and leaned against the fridge. I knew he didn’t intend it, but his stance seemed predatory.
“I saw Leah leaving the pizza place tonight. You sure you want to miss out on that?” I asked nervously. I downed the rest of the orange juice, and when I turned toward the sink, Kellan grabbed my arm and hauled me back.
“What?” I asked. Kellan had never been intentionally rough with me. I’d never seen it, but I knew he had it in him. In fact, something told me that he had a lot in him that I wouldn’t want to know.
His fingers tightened on my arm. “What were you doing tonight?”
I looked at his hand, almost distantly, though I felt the pain intimately. “Don’t ask me that.”
“Why? Are you going to tell me the truth?”
I looked up and met his gaze. His eyes were a piercing blue, so beautiful to look at, but I swallowed and steadied myself. “I would lie. And I don’t want to lie to you.”
Hello~ (waves)
I didn’t begin writing until after undergraduate college. There’d been storylines and characters in my head all my life, but it came to a boiling point one day and I HAD to get them out of me. So the computer was booted up and I FINALLY felt it click. Writing is what I needed to do. After that, I had to teach myself how to write. I can’t blame my teachers for not teaching me all those years in school. It was my fault. I was one of the students that was wishing I was anywhere but at school! So after that day, it took me lots of work until I was able to put together something that resembled a novel. I’m hoping I got it right since someone must be reading this profile! And I hope you keep enjoying my future stories.
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