“She is the muse to my artist’s soul. When her lips touched me, my whole world exploded in color. Love brought me back.”
I couldn’t help but attack him with kisses after that statement. My world, my future husband.
Epilogue
Gwendolyn
Eight Years Later
“Woo hoo! Go Emily!” I screamed loudly as her name was called to walk across the stage.
The ten-year-old that first walked into my life, so unsure of herself, could not be seen in the now eighteen-year-old young woman walking to the dean of her high school to accept her diploma.
It wasn’t always easy. I barely survived her thirteen-year-old stage, but the demons who had inhabited her body vanished by age fifteen.
Her eyes scanned the crowd for us, and I gave her two thumbs-up, my smile stretching from ear to ear. Then I realized people were looking at me instead of her and I sat back down quickly. Arthur was there to grab my hand to calm me from getting too inside my head. As long as he was there with me, my senses wouldn’t take over.
“Emily!” The screaming four-year-old boy next to me, sitting on his daddy’s lap, waved his arms frantically to get her attention. I looked at Arthur and smiled; it made my heart melt every time I looked at my son in his arms.
Memories assaulted me, of our wedding shortly after Arthur was free from the hospital, to the moment Cora had checked my blood to see why I’d been so sick, which led me to find out we were pregnant, to holding that screaming baby in my arms and kissing his cotton-white downy hair.
Life had turned out okay after all.
I’d been so worried when Emily first showed up that I wouldn’t be able to handle being a family. But we made it work, and I couldn’t have done it without Arthur by my side.
After the graduation ceremony, Emily took pictures with her friends, and even stood next to her boyfriend in front of us, which was brave of them both.
Arthur may or may not have made a large wave crash into the kid when she first introduced him as her boyfriend at the beach on family day.
“Let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving. Should have stuck a granola bar in my bra,” Emily whined, grabbing hold of Wallace’s hand.
She took her role of aunt very seriously, even though he was more like a brother to her.
Arthur groaned that she was talking about shoving things in her bra, but we walked together to the SUV.
The diner where Arthur and I had first talked to each other had become a favorite place to have family time over the years. Cora and Pops sat beside Wallace whom Cora had really taken a liking to. Along with Mina, Emily’s own personal robot friend and study buddy. Pops fancied her, but she was playing hard to get. Smart little robot.
I’d ordered a round of milkshakes for everyone to celebrate the occasion when the door crashed open and men started screaming for people to get down on the ground and throw them their wallets.
“Not again,” I muttered, and my eyes met Arthur’s. Couldn’t they have waited until after we were done eating, at least? Emily grabbed hold of our little Wall-E and used her power to shield those she touched from harm. They would be safe—now it was our turn to protect the rest of the people around us.
Arthur nodded his head, and I gave him that almost smile he loved so much.
We were heroes, and it was time to save the day.
Again.
The End
Sneak Peek of Spring, Releasing Jan 2019
His blue eyes were staring at me so intensely I felt the need to move from where I was sitting on the couch, watching the newest episode of my favorite show.
It was rare that I got to actually sit down and watch one of my shows not on the DVR, and he was ruining my mood being all surly and stoic.
“I doubt anyone is going to attack me while I sit in my living room wearing my sweater. No one’s hiding beneath the couch, so can you go outside the room or something. Your stare is annoying.”
It wasn’t really annoying that he was staring, it was just annoying that the young, fifteen-year-old Hazel inside my heart, that had been in love with him, liked that his eyes were on me. Even if it was only for my protection.
Maddox had been gone a long time from my life, and now we were two completely different people: a hippie singer and a Green Beret. My temporary bodyguard, that I didn’t need.
My head turned back to see if he was going to leave. But his lips stayed closed, and his body didn’t move an inch. I guess that was a no to moving to another room so I could watch TV in peace.
Fine, if he wanted to be a pain in the ass, then I would be one right back.
I stood and stretched toward the sky then took off my oversized sweater. A body was a body to me, and I embraced my own beauty long ago. But being close to naked freaked many people out, and right now I was willing to use my body as a tool to make him feel uncomfortable.
Sitting back on the couch in nothing but my nakedness, I reached over to the coffee table and grabbed my tea cup with a big smile on my face. Sucker.
Barely paying attention to the show, I listened to hear for his large frame moving to the door.
But it never came.
This man was impossible! The whole situation was ridiculous. I was perfectly capable of handling myself against anyone who tried to hurt me. I was part of the Hero Society, and had eighty-three saves on my hero belt. But of course, I couldn’t tell my label that. To them I was Hazel James, five-time platinum record singer, and advocate hippie for all things flora. Plants and trees were my jam. But what they didn’t know is that at night, I was someone else. In my hero suit, I became a warrior, using my powers over all things flora to help save lives and protect the innocent.
Maddox was completely unnecessary.
There was no need for his massive body to be so close all the time, or his blond hair and beard to smell like a crisp breeze from the frosty mountains.
And there was absolutely no need for him to look at me with those same eyes that I’d once written songs about in my teenage bedroom.
I had to get rid of him somehow.
Then an idea struck my thoughts, and I knew it was a good one, guaranteed to get Maddox to walk back out of my life as easily as he had before.
Eat your heart out, Maddox Kennedy, you have no idea who you just agreed to bodyguard. I wasn’t the Hazel he remembered, and it was time I showed him who I was.
I was trouble, through and through.
More Books by Jessica Florence
author.to/Florencebooks
Dawn (Hero Society #1)
Dawn has come, a time for heroes to rise. Draco has lived long and felt the pain of loss more than anyone in one lifetime could imagine.
Immortality was given to him as a gift, a gift that failed him and turned him into a shell of the man that has nothing left but to wait out the end of existence alone.
Until her.
Rose is an empath who sees more than who Draco is supposed to be: she sees him, and what they could be. Together, they will begin the search for others with extraordinary powers, to stop a war that's been brewing for over a millennia.
The journey is only beginning, and an unnamed enemy has started to make his mark on their world.
The dawn of heroes has finally arrived.
Only time will tell if it's too late to defeat the upcoming darkness of night that now descends upon all of mankind.
The Final KO
I fight bitches for a living.
Which makes finding a decent guy hard when you're a female MMA fighter. None of them have been my equal. I yearn for a man who can push me to reach new heights and challenge me. A man who will treat me like a lady then lift me up by my ass and impale me against the wall.
But when Arson Kade, MMA's top fighter and notorious manwhore, declares he's that man for me I have my doubts. Any sane woman would.
There seems to be more to Arson than the rumors that surround him, but will it make me fall hard or run for the hills?
&nbs
p; I know I've got no choice but to hold on for the ride.
It's the main event and my heart's on the line.
But will it be the Final KO?
The Final Chase
I never thought a wallaby, Henley shirts, and a horse’s rectal exam would have anything in common.
Turns out they did.
Jake Wild. Owner of Wild Rescue for exotic animals.
He’s everything I’m not, my polar opposite.
I’m heels and my salon,
he’s dirt and his creatures.
But much like the animals he cares for, he’s got that carnal edge.
He’s the type of man you crawl on your hands and knees for with your ass up in the air.
He bites, he's on the hunt, and now I’m his prey.
A chance meeting and a bet started the undeniable attraction between us.
But I’m not giving my heart and soul away that easy, he’s going to have to catch me first.
It's the ultimate game of cat and mouse.
But will it be the Final Chase?
Long Drive
There is a long road in everyone’s journey in life.
For some people, it’s a way to get from one place to another.
For others, it’s a search for one’s purpose in existence.
For me, the road was where I could find peace.
When everything in my life had shattered, I turned to the road.
And that’s where I met him.
Killian Lemarque.
A beautiful truck driver, and my salvation.
One month on the road together is the deal, and when it’s over, I will have hopefully figured out what I’m going to do about my torn reality.
But sometimes the road can change everything.
One Month. One Truck. One Long Drive.
How You Get The Girl
As Hollywood’s hottest actor, getting a woman in my bed is never a challenge.
Then I spotted her at a bar—she wanted a man for the night, and I jumped at the chance to fill the role. I gave her Joel Kline’s best, and she smacked my pretty face.
But don’t worry, that’s not the end of our story. Her brand of crazy inspired me, and I had to see her again, no matter the cost.
Now, Alessandra Rose is my lead makeup artist for the next four months.
Literally, her job is to touch me every day for the duration of filming. Sounds like a win, right?
Nope, she stops me at every hint of a flirt. I’m in uncharted waters for once.
Joel Kline’s famous techniques to get the girl are failing me. It’s no longer about those sexy Brazilian lips, or her fiery spirit that gives me a hard-on.
It’s about making her banana pancakes after she spends the night in my home.
It’s about knocking down those walls around her, claiming her as mine.
She’s going to fight me, of course, unwilling to accept that it’s not all an act.
But I’m not going anywhere; that’s how you get the girl.
Guiding Lights
He sings of suffering. His eyes hold the pain of living in sorrow.
The moment our gaze meets recognition flares within.
We are tortured souls drifting in a sea of darkness.
He knows I have secrets that I'll never tell.
I am numb.
I am broken.
I am dirty.
I can never be the guiding light through the darkness he thinks I am.
I have forsaken my past, I rely on keeping myself shut off.
But he has secrets too, secrets that would destroy everything I have left.
I wish things were different, that maybe we could be each other's lifeline.
But destiny drags us down like an anchor.
The broken can only drift in the sea barely staying afloat.
Blinding Lights
She dances with a passion I'll never know.
Seeing her again tears me at the seams.
She was never mine.
My soul is stained with the darkness of death.
I have killed.
I have tortured.
I have lost.
Her soul is too bright for the shadows within,
and her determination to be the flame in my heart could kill us both.
Still, I want her, I crave her.
But not even her blinding lights can fight away the darkness threatening us both.
Eventually, everything gets snuffed out.
Weighing of the Heart
What happens when the myths of old become reality?
Thalia Alexander has lived her life in peace until her twenty-fifth birthday when she has a strange dream about a man.
A tall, dark, and sexy man that shows up at her work the next morning.
Tristan Jacks is trouble with a capital T, but for some strange reason she is drawn to him like nothing she has ever experienced before. He has this possessiveness and adoration for her that she can’t explain. It’s like they have known each other forever.
Thalia’s strange dreams continue to stalk her as her relationship with Tristan builds to be a love that will last the ages.
And when those dreams and reality start to clash, will Thalia be able to handle the truth?
Could the world of ancient myths truly exist in modern times?
Evergreen
It was supposed to be an easy stakeout.
Until a bunch of bachelorettes mobbed me, changing my life forever.
I couldn't get Andi Slaton, with her red hair, blue eyes, and cotton candy-flavored lip gloss, out of my head.
But when she offers herself to aid the FBI to help me take down the biggest criminal family in Tampa, Florida, my very sanity is put to the test watching her spend time with my arch enemy.
She's everything I want, I will be everything to her.
We will be Evergreen.
Playlist
Delicate- Taylor Swift
Feeling Good- Nina Simone (Bassnectar Remix)
Come Away With Me- Nora Jones
Just The Way You Are- Bruno Mars
GDFR- Flo-Rida
Down- Marian Hill
A Drop In The Ocean- Ron Pope
Gravity- John Mayer
Youngblood- 5 Seconds of Summer
I Get To Love You- Ruelle
You Are The Reason- Callum Scott
Acknowledgments
I always feel so emotional when I get to this part. I mean, I there are so many people that help me when it comes to writing my stories.
You readers. I mean really my biggest thank you goes to you guys. You read my book! Even if you DNF, you still gave it a shot and that is something I can never repay you for. I wouldn’t be doing this without you taking a chance on my book, so thank you.
To my fairies, I love y’all. Thank you for being my amazing people.
To all the bloggers and bookstagrammers who help me show my stories to the world. You guys make me feel like I’m flying high in the clouds. It feels so surreal that you guys are there for me and man, I am so grateful for everything you guys do for me.
To my betas. Melissa, Krystal, Autumn, Tina, Laura. You guys helped me out soo much!! I truly appreciate you guys reading my story before everyone, helping me make sure this book was epic.
K. Webster. Gurl you are my soul sista. WE can nerd out together all night. Thank you for reading this story for me and giving me all the advice and for swooning over them. I’m so honored you were there for me. A true friend.
Kate.. Kate, I’ll never be able to describe what you made me feel by taking the time read through my story and give me your thoughts. I was terrified. But you held my hand and it was magical. You did so much for me. I’m so glad I have you.
Amelia. You are always there for me, You let me bitch then kick my ass back to the computer to write. You are my muse and I hope to be as badass as you one day.
Sarah. YOU NAILED THESE COVERS! No one can ever claim they have a cover goddess bc you truly are the
only one!
Keizha You rock, and I am sooo happy I have you. You make my words extra pretty and there wouldn’t be a book without you! You always go so above and beyond.
Judy! You are the cherry on my sundae. I need you forever in my life. Thank you so much for your hard work.
Baby and love of my life. Thank you for supporting me to live my dream. We’re in this together, forever, and always.
<3
About the Author
Jessica Florence,
Author <3 PotterHead<3 Movie Geek Extraordinaire.
When she's not writing her next invigorating story. You can find her running her own business, and spending time with her husband and daughter in southwest Florida.
Jessica loves to interact with her readers, find her on
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Www.JessicaFlorenceAuthor.com
[email protected]
https://twitter.com/florence_jess
Winter (Hero Society Book 5) Page 16