From Gods

by Mary Ting

  He wore beige casual pants and a black sweater that fit perfectly to the tone of his body. His hair was brushed to the side, showing his nice forehead. Whatever kind of cologne he had on made me want to dive right into his arms…maybe it wasn’t the cologne, but just him.

  “Pretty cheesy, huh?” he chuckled.

  I shyly giggled as I stared down at my shoes. What’s wrong with me? Answer him. “Umm…kind of,” I smiled as I peered up, only to have him take my breath away again.

  “Sorry. I just had to say that. You looked so lost and vulnerable. Did you need some help?”

  Great! To him I was just a lost puppy…lost and vulnerable. “I actually found what I was looking for.” I was staring into his eyes, melting, feeling myself sinking into him. Snap out of it!

  “You certainly did,” he said with a playful tone.

  Arching my brows in confusion, I thought about what I’d said. From his perspective, my words had been about him.

  “We meet again, for the third time.”

  He was counting?

  “You left so abruptly at Café Express, I didn’t get to ask you for your name.”

  “Umm…my name? Oh…my name is Jeanella Mefferd, but you can call me Jenna.”

  Extending his hand, he waited for me. “I’m Maxwell. But you can call me Max.”

  Nervously, I placed my hand in his to shake. It was strong, yet gentle…just right, and heat blazed through me from his touch.

  “Are you here with someone?”

  “Yes.” I looked away shyly.

  “Are you lost? Do you need some help?”

  “Actually, I was looking for the restroom. Since I didn’t know where it was I thought I’d ask the bartender, but I guess there isn’t one, and I’m on my way to the restroom.” I rambled nervously as I slowly pulled my hand back to point in the direction I meant to go. I had just realized we were holding hands during our short conversation. “So…I’d better go.”

  “I’ll walk you there.”

  What? “Oh…no need. I’m sure I won’t get lost.” Feeling the heat on my face again, I turned before he could say another word, but it didn’t matter what I had said. His hand was gently placed on my back, guiding me to the women’s room. I turned my back to the bathroom door to thank him, but he spoke first.

  “I think this is my stop,” he muttered, looking straight at me. “I’m not wanted in there. What do you think?” He arched his brows, and his tone held a note of challenge.

  Huh? He wants to go in with me? I gasped silently, as I was still lost in his eyes. “I think the women in there will throw themselves at you.” I couldn’t believe I’d said those words. I couldn’t take it back. What was I doing, flirting with him?

  He seemed to like what he heard. His arms reached out, his muscles flexing as he placed one on each side of me on the wall. With nowhere to go, I was trapped inside the bubble of his arms. He leaned down toward the left side of my face and brushed my hair with his cheek. “You smell…delicious,” he whispered. His hot breath shot tingles to places I hadn’t expected them.

  Out of nervousness and habit, my left index finger flew inside my mouth. Max gave a crooked, naughty grin and slowly took my hand out of my mouth. “Did you know that biting one’s finger is an indication one is sexually deprived?” His words came out slowly, playfully, but hot. “I can fix that for you, if you’d like.”

  He did not just say that to me! I parted my lips for a good comeback, but I couldn’t find one. Feeling my chest rise and fall quickly, I tried to control the heated desire. Sure, he’d helped me once, but that didn’t mean we were friends, or flirting buddies, or that I would allow him to fix my sexual deprivation. Oh God…can guys tell if you haven’t done it in a very long time? This had to stop or else…oh dear…I wanted to take him with me into the restroom.

  Needing to put a stop to the heat, I placed my hand on his chest… big mistake. Touching him made the heat worse, and tingles that were already intensifying burst through every inch of me. I had to push him away.

  As if he knew what I meant to do, he pulled back, but his eyes did the talking instead. There was no need for words; I felt his hard stare on my body, as if he was undressing me with his gorgeous eyes. His gaze was powerful, as if his eyes were hands; I felt them all over me, completely unraveling me.

  Just when I thought I was going to faint, his eyes shifted to mine again. “It was really nice to meet you, Jenna. I’m sure we’ll see each other again, real soon. I better let you go. Your someone must be waiting for you. By the way….” There was a pause as he charmed me with his eyes again. “You…took my breath away. If I were your someone, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight for even a second, because someone like me will surely try to whisk you away.” He winked and left.

  Sneak Peek

  Crossroads Saga, book 1 by Mary Ting (Free on kindle and nook)

  (Crossroads, Between, Beyond, Eternity, Halo City)

  Slowly I turned my back toward him and tried to wrap myself inside his wings again. I wanted to be back in the arms of an angel, back to the feeling of peace that was so desired. He fidgeted away from me, mumbling, “This is too dangerous. I won’t be able to control myself.” His voice was worried and low.

  I didn’t heed his warning. When I pulled him closer, he ultimately gave in, and held me gently with both of his arms and wings this time. All I needed was his touch, for him to hold me that way; it made all the difference in the world. I was safe again. Without thought, I turned toward him.

  The look in his eyes was so tempting, telling me that he wanted me too. I knew it was impossible for him to want and need me the same way, but his eyes told me something else. The depth of my yearning and what I wanted to do at that moment were undeniable.

  I leaned toward him and tenderly placed a kiss on his supple lips to thank him. It was an innocent kiss. What was the harm in just one small kiss? I was extremely surprised that he didn’t push me away. I was even more surprised at myself, since I was never the type to make the first move.

  “Thank you for saving me,” I whispered, looking straight into his soulful eyes, as something came over me. He was right. It was dangerous, but it was me who couldn’t control myself. His eyes gave me permission to continue, so I gave him another kiss, but slower and longer this time. His lips were warm and sweet like honeysuckle, just how I imagined they would be. When he kissed me back it was hesitant, but it was enough to spread heat through my body like a blazing fire.

  Still holding me, he pulled me away with a sudden jerk as his eyes pierced into mine with anger. His left hand was tightly wrung around my hair and the other gripped my shirt so I could feel the tightness from it. Panting, wanting more of him, I forgot how to breathe, and so did he.

  His eyes, still fierce with anger, gripped me even tighter as he slightly pushed and pulled me, fighting and uncertain of what he wanted to do. Feeling petrified, I had to prepare myself for the consequence of my actions, for I knew I had crossed the line.

  I was waiting for him to release me and push me away. I also anticipated the lecture he would preach about how humans and angels couldn’t have any physical contact. Recalling the last time, he suddenly stopped as we almost kissed. Then, he drew me even closer, and kissed me hungrily. Passion that I never knew could be possible claimed both of us. My toes curled, feeling immense pleasure that tingled to the very depth of my being as my fingers tugged lightly on his muscular shoulders. Then his wings were totally wrapped around us.

  We were in the dark, just Michael and me inside the cocoon of his wings. I couldn’t believe what was happening…our first real kiss. Pressing his whole body against mine, I could feel his heart racing just as fast as mine was. We both lost control, and every part of me quivered with intense pleasure I had never felt before.

  Sneak Peek

  Eternal Echoes Excerpt by Angela Corbett

  (Emblem of Eternity trilogy, Book 2)

  I took a deep breath as I came out of the memory. I was getting better a
t keeping my flashback reaction less noticeable, but I still steadied myself against the gate. Alex noticed. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I nodded, my breath less ragged. “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?” He came over and stood behind me, a commanding presence. His hands were a gentle weight on my arms as he turned me toward him. At first, he seemed to be looking for signs of distress, but as our eyes caught and held, I knew his thoughts were in other places, and mine were headed there, too. His hand slipped feather-light over my arms and down until they rested above my hips.

  Like I was having some sort of out-of-body experience, I watched as my hand went up to his face, tracing the line of his jaw. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” I said in a very unconvincing way.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t mean what I said. I did. And I still had enough blood flowing to my brain to vocalize it. But I was having a hard time convincing my rational side I shouldn’t be making out with Alex. Especially when my rational side was practically screaming that I’d kissed Emil last night and to be fair, I should also make out with Alex. My rational side told me I wouldn’t want a double-standard. My rational side had lost its mind.

  “Why?” Alex asked, inching slowly closer, his eyes dark in a way that made my legs feel like pudding.

  There were so many possible answers to that question, with reasonable arguments why we shouldn’t proceed, that I wasn’t sure which to choose. I started with, “What if the bracelet doesn’t work?”

  Alex glanced down at my bracelet, giving a very slow smile I could only describe as predatory before eying me like he was preparing for an attack. Apparently a couple of centuries of sexual frustration will do that to you.

  “It will,” he answered, still moving toward me.

  “How can you be sure?”

  Alex’s mouth curved slightly in a smile part rapacious, part entertained. “I’ve been waiting a long time for a relationship with you, Evie. And for everything that comes with it. I wouldn’t have given you the bracelet if I wasn’t sure it would work. I gave it to you because I intend to put it to use.”

  Sheesh! Judging by his dark, focused gaze, I knew he wasn’t kidding.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” I shook my head, like that would emphasize my argument and stop his sultry advances. It didn’t.

  His arms went around me tight, pulling me to him. My chest crushed into his, the hard planes of his stomach obvious even through our clothes. He stared down at me, not loosening his embrace. My breath was shallow as I stared back, wondering how long it would be until we both lost all common sense. He moved his lips over my cheeks, the soft skin brushing wispy strokes over my face. When he got to my ear, he took the soft pad in his lips and nipped lightly, then whispered one word. “Why?”

  Why? Why what? Had there been a question? I fumbled around in my head for what we’d been talking about. Oh. That’s right. Bad idea. This is a bad idea. Why is it still a bad idea? What was my list again? I did more fumbling and found one. “What about Emil?”

  I felt Alex tense, his shoulders becoming taut under his shirt. “He’s not invited to this conversation.”

  Geez! Alex had always been overbearing, but apparently when it came to sex, he was not only overbearing, but alarmingly primitive. Again, I attributed the aggression to decades of pent up frustration.

  “Don’t you think he’ll be pissed?”

  Alex kept kissing down my neck, and I moaned. His hands moved around to my stomach, unzipping my coat. He quickly discarded it on the ground.

  “We all agreed to the rules,” Alex said, his hands moving lightly under my sweater, inching it up ever so slightly. I’d never been addicted to anything, but imagined this was how addiction started. A little at a time. Alex pulled my sweater over my head, then kept kissing back up my neck and along my jawline. “We’re not doing anything wrong.”

  I looked at where our hands were, and the clothes slowly making their way to the ground. We were about to be doing things that were wrong in a very good way. “I guess it depends on your definition. Emil would think this is seriously wrong.”

  The muscles at Alex’s jaw ticked, his eyes glittering with a combination of passion and anger. “I told you,” he said, moving swiftly, one arm sliding under my thighs, the other around my back. He lifted me, cradling me in his arms, and walked down the row of stalls to an empty stall at the end of the barn. Fresh hay was scattered in large mounds, creating a soft bed on the ground—albeit a scratchy one, but better than the dirt floor. He laid me down gently in the hay then straddled me, the years of want and need, written across his face. “We’re not talking about him.” With that, he was on top of me, the kiss aggressive. I could feel my soulmark burning, and my bracelet seemed to be giving off heat as well. If this kept up, I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole barn burst into flames.

  Sneak Peek

  The Ghosts of Rue Dumiane.

  by Alexandrea Weis

  Shaking her head slightly, she moved on to the hallway that separated the bedrooms from the rest of the cottage. Just as the slender fingertips of light retreated from the hallway, Danica came to the first bedroom door. She pushed the thick cypress door open and reached into the dark, windowless room for the light switch. When she flipped the switch on the wall next to her, the small room became drenched with warm light from the lamp mounted in the ceiling fan above. The dome over the lamp had been covered with frosty glass, muting the harshness of the bright light. Soft blue paint covered the walls while a matching blue carpet had been placed on the floor. Overhead, the ceiling had been left an austere shade of white.

  Danica leaned against the doorframe and reflected on the various stages of childhood and adolescence she had gone through while occupying this room. The rainbow-painted walls her mother had painstakingly decorated for her had been replaced with posters of boy bands and television heartthrobs until her mother had died. After the funeral, Danica had come home and removed all the posters in a fit of rage, wanting to be surrounded once more by her mother’s rainbows. The last year she had spent in this room, she had felt comforted by those rainbows, as if her mother’s love had been forever sealed beneath the paintbrush strokes on her walls.

  “I missed this old place,” she whispered.

  A sudden rush of cold air moving down the hallway caused Danica to turn away from the bedroom door and peer into the darkness behind her. She took a few steps further down the hall until the aroma of cigar smoke mixed with a hint of brandy wafted in the air around her. Danica remembered that smell. It had always filled her bedroom whenever the dark man would appear.

  “Is it you?” she softly called into the hallway. “It’s me, Danica. I’ve come back. Just like I said I would.”

  Danica walked briskly past the entrance to the master bath to the final door at the end of the hall. Without hesitation, she pushed the cypress door open and walked inside the master bedroom. The light from the large picture window overlooking the courtyard shone into the room, accentuating the deep burgundy color of the carpet beneath her feet. She stepped into the center of the room and observed the ceiling fan above. Danica waited, straining with every breath to hear the slightest stirring.

  “Welcome home,” a man’s wispy voice resonated around her.

  A hopeful smile curled the edges of Danica’s heart-shaped mouth. “Thank you, Gaston. It’s good to be home.

  About the Author

  Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl

  Website: www.authormaryting.com

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