by Kris Bryant
I’m surprised when I hear a knock at the door. It’s after ten p.m. It has to be somebody in the building because getting past Bruno and his loyal henchmen is virtually impossible. They always ring if we have visitors. That’s why we pay the big bucks to live there. I look through the peephole and gasp. It’s Ali! I unlock the door and fling myself at her. We hold each other tight, more so than usual. I finally peel myself away.
“Oh, my God! You’re here! You’re here! Are you okay?” I’m touching her everywhere to make sure she’s okay and to make sure she really is here in front of me. I pull her inside and close the door.
“I didn’t want you to leave me today,” she says. I hold her. She feels so good in my arms. I lead her to the couch and we sit facing one another.
“I’ve been trying to reach you for hours.” I can’t believe I’m scolding her at a time like this.
“Beth, I realize I dropped a major bomb on you today and I’m sorry, but I just can’t keep it in anymore. I know you need time to get settled back into a relationship, but I can’t help the way I’m feeling.” Ali gets up and starts pacing the living room. Obviously, she needs to talk.
Peace settles over me because I love her, too, but I want to tell her when she’s ready. Or when she shuts up long enough for me to say it. “I’m sure you aren’t ready for a serious commitment yet, but this sucks. I hate leaving you every few weeks. I hate it when you leave me every few weeks. I can’t stand it. I know I’m spoiled and I get what I want, but I really want you in my life every day. Not just a week here and there.” She sits back down facing me. “I love you and I want to make us work. I want to move in together, and if you want to stay in Chicago, I’ll move here. I want you. I’ve never wanted anything more. Ever.” She starts to cry.
That does it. I’m completely overwhelmed, and because she’s crying, I start crying. I wipe away her tears and can’t help but smile at her. This beautiful woman, my dream come true, is confessing her love for me. I have a thousand things to shout at once, but I need to calm down. I can’t screw this up again.
“Hey, hey, Ali. Listen to me. Listen to me,” I say. There’s so much vulnerability in her eyes that I’m suddenly filled with an incredible desire to protect her, take care of her, and love her forever. “I don’t know why you think it’s too soon for me to feel love or want this as much as you do, okay?” I run my hands through her long hair, tucking it behind her ears. “Yes, I’ve had it rough and yes, you’re my first real relationship after Crystal, but I couldn’t be happier. You’re everything to me, and I’ve never loved anyone more than I love you.”
She looks at me with such hope.
“I hate this separation, too. I don’t care about Chicago. I only moved here because this is where my work is. I can live anywhere. I want to be with you. I know it’s fast, but when you know something’s right, then you should dive in. I hate all of this time we waste apart,” I say. “I can sell this place tonight with one phone call.”
“Are you serious?” Ali grabs my hands and pulls me to her.
“About which part?” I laugh. “I kind of said a lot in a short amount of time.”
“About everything.”
“I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t one hundred percent certain. I didn’t want to say anything to you because you’re Ali Hart, incredible musician. You, who you are, your fantastic family. It’s unbelievable. I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”
I’m smiling, because I’m a hot, sappy mess. Ali presses into me, kissing me with a mixture of pure joy and deep passion. I lean back, bringing her with me so that we’re horizontal. She’s frantically trying to rip off my clothes. The shrill of the timer on the oven stops us.
“Hang on.” I slip out and head to the kitchen. Ali sits up and watches me. I can feel her gaze the entire time. I’m not nervous anymore. I pull the cookies out and leave them on the stovetop to cool. I steal a quick look at Ali. She’s gazing at me with unabashed love, nothing hidden or guarded like before.
“I love you,” I say, simply and quietly. I walk over to her and hold out my hand. “Let’s go to bed and then we’ll figure all of this out.” Ali smiles her wicked grin at me and reaches out. We both gasp at the jolt that races through us as our hands touch and fingers entwine.
About the Author
Kris Bryant grew up a military brat, living in several different countries before her family settled down in the Midwest when she was twelve. Books were her only form of entertainment overseas, and she read anything and everything within her reach. Reading eventually turned into writing when she decided she didn’t like the way some of the novels ended and wanted to give the characters she fell in love with the ending she thought they so deserved. Earning a B.A. in English from the University of Missouri, Kris focused more on poetry, and after some encouragement from her girlfriend, decided to tackle her own book. Jolt is her first novel. In her spare time, Kris enjoys traveling, hiking, photography, spending time with her Westie pup, Molly, and hanging out with her family.
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
Rest Home Runaways by Clifford Henderson. Baby boomer Morgan Ronzio’s troubled marriage is the least of her worries when she gets the call that her addled, eighty-six-year-old, half-blind dad has escaped the rest home. (978-1-62639-169-7)
Charm City by Mason Dixon. Raq Overstreet’s loyalty to her drug kingpin boss is put to the test when she begins to fall for Bathsheba Morris, the undercover cop assigned to bring him down. (978-1-62639-198-7)
Edge of Awareness by C.A. Popovich. When Marija, a woman in the middle of her third divorce, meets Dana, an out lesbian, awareness of her feelings bring up reservations about the teachings of her church. (978-1-62639-188-8)
Taken by Storm by Kim Baldwin. Lives depend on two women when a train derails high in the remote Alps, but an unforgiving mountain, avalanches, crevasses, and other perils stand between them and safety. (978-1-62639-189-5)
The Common Thread by Jaime Maddox. Dr. Nicole Coussart’s life is falling apart, but fortunately, DEA Attorney Rae Rhodes is there to pick up the pieces and help Nic put them back together. (978-1-62639-190-1)
Jolt by Kris Bryant. Mystery writer Bethany Lange wasn’t prepared for the twisting emotions that left her breathless the moment she laid eyes on folk singer sensation Ali Hart. (978-1-62639-191-8)
Searching For Forever by Emily Smith. Dr. Natalie Jenner’s life has always been about saving others, until young paramedic Charlie Thompson comes along and shows her maybe she’s the one who needs saving. (978-1-62639-186-4)
Blue Water Dreams by Dena Hankins. Lania Marchiol keeps her wary sailor’s gaze trained on the horizon until Oly Rassmussen, a wickedly handsome trans man, sends her trusty compass spinning off course. (978-1-62639-192-5)
Let the Lover Be by Sheree Greer. Kiana Lewis, a functional alcoholic on the verge of destruction, finally faces the demons of her past while finding love and earning redemption in New Orleans. (978-1-62639-077-5)
Blindsided by Karis Walsh. Blindsided by love, guide dog trainer Lenae McIntyre and media personality Cara Bradley learn to trust what they see with their hearts. (978-1-62639-078-2)
About Face by VK Powell. Forensic artist Macy Sheridan and Detective Leigh Monroe work on a case that has troubled them both for years, but they’re hampered by the past and their unlikely yet undeniable attraction. (978-1-62639-079-9)
Blackstone by Shea Godfrey. For Darry and Jessa, the chance at a life of freedom is stolen by the arrival of war and an ancient prophecy that just might destroy their love. (978-1-62639-080-5)
Out of This World by Maggie Morton. Iris decided to cross an ocean to get over her ex. But instead, she ends up traveling much farther, all the way to another world. Once she’s there, only a mysterious, sexy, and magical woman can help her return home. (978-1-62639-083-6)
Kiss The Girl by Melissa Brayden. Sleeping with the enemy has never been so complicated. Brooklyn Campbell and Jessica Lennox face off in love and advertising in fast-pace
d New York City. (978-1-62639-071-3)
Vermilion Justice by Sheri Lewis Wohl. What’s a vampire to do when Dracula is no longer just a character in a novel? (978-1-62639-067-6)
Taking Fire: A First Responders Novel by Radclyffe. Hunted by extremists and under siege by nature’s most virulent weapons, Navy medic Max de Milles and Red Cross worker Rachel Winslow join forces to survive and discover something far more lasting. (978-1-62639-072-0)
First Tango in Paris by Shelley Thrasher. When French law student Eva Laroche meets American call girl Brigitte Green in 1970s Paris, they have no idea how their pasts and futures will intersect. (978-1-62639-073-7)
The War Within by Yolanda Wallace. Army nurse Meredith Moser went to Vietnam in 1967 looking to help those in need; she didn’t expect to meet the love of her life along the way. (978-1-62639-074-4)
Desire at Dawn by Fiona Zedde. For Kylie, love had always come armed with sharp teeth and claws. But with the human, Olivia, she bares her vampire heart for the very first time, sharing passion, lust, and a tenderness she’d never dared dreamed of before. (978-1-62639-064-5)
Visions by Larkin Rose. Sometimes the mysteries of love reveal themselves when you least expect it. Other times they hide behind a black satin mask. Can Paige unveil her masked stranger this time? (978-1-62639-065-2)
All In by Nell Stark. Internet poker champion Annie Navarro loses everything when the Feds shut down online gambling, and she turns to experienced casino host Vesper Blake for advice—but can Nova convince Vesper to take a gamble on romance? (978-1-62639-066-9)
Switchblade by Carsen Taite. Lines were meant to be crossed. Third in the Luca Bennett Bounty Hunter Series. (978-1-62639-058-4)
Nightingale by Andrea Bramhall. Culture, faith, and duty conspire to tear two young lovers apart, yet fate seems to have different plans for them both. (978-1-62639-059-1)
No Boundaries by Donna K. Ford. A chance meeting and a nightmare from the past threaten more than Andi Massey’s solitude as she and Gwen Palmer struggle to understand the complexity of love without boundaries. (978-1-62639-060-7)
Timeless by Rachel Spangler. When Stevie Geller returns to her hometown, will she do things differently the second time around or will she be in such a hurry to leave her past that she misses out on a better future? (978-1-62639-050-8)
Second to None by L.T. Marie. Can a physical therapist and a custom motorcycle designer conquer their pasts and build a future with one another? (978-1-62639-051-5)
A Kingdom Lost by Barbara Ann Wright. Without knowing each other’s fates, Princess Katya and her consort Starbride seek to reclaim their kingdom from the magic-wielding madman who seized the throne and is murdering their people. (978-1-62639-053-9)
Season of the Wolf by Robin Summers. Two women running from their pasts are thrust together by an unimaginable evil. Can they overcome the horrors that haunt them in time to save each other? (978-1-62639-043-0)
The Heat of Angels by Lisa Girolami. Fires burn in more than one place in Los Angeles. (978-1-62639-042-3)
Desperate Measures by P. J. Trebelhorn. Homicide detective Kay Griffith and contractor Brenda Jansen meet amidst turmoil neither of them is aware of until murder suspect Tommy Rayne makes his move to exact revenge on Kay. (978-1-62639-044-7)
The Magic Hunt by L.L. Raand. With her Pack being hunted by human extremists and beset by enemies masquerading as friends, can Sylvan protect them and her mate, or will she succumb to the feral rage that threatens to turn her rogue, destroying them all? A Midnight Hunters novel. (978-1-62639-045-4)
Seneca Falls by Jesse Thoma. Together, two women discover love truly can conquer all evil. (978-1-62639-052-2)
Wingspan by Karis Walsh. Wildlife biologist Bailey Chase is content to live at the wild bird sanctuary she has created on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula until she is lured beyond the safety of isolation by architect Kendall Pearson. (978-1-60282-983-1)
Night Bound by Winter Pennington. Kass struggles to keep her head, her heart, and her relationships in order. She’s still having a difficult time accepting being an Alpha female—but her wolf is certain of what she wants and she’s intent on securing her power. (978-1-60282-984-8)
Windigo Thrall by Cate Culpepper. Six women trapped in a mountain cabin by a blizzard, stalked by an ancient cannibal demon bent on stealing their sanity—and their lives. (978-1-60282-950-3)
The Blush Factor by Gun Brooke. Ice-cold business tycoon Eleanor Ashcroft only cares about the three Ps—Power, Profit, and Prosperity—until young Addison Garr makes her doubt both that and the state of her frostbitten heart. (978-1-60282-985-5)
Smoke and Fire by Julie Cannon. Oil and water, passion and desire, a combustible combination. Can two women fight the fire that draws them together and threatens to keep them apart? (978-1-60282-977-0)
Slash and Burn by Valerie Bronwen. The murder of a roundly despised author at an LGBT writers’ conference in New Orleans turns Winter Lovelace’s relaxing weekend hobnobbing with her peers into a nightmare of suspense—especially when her ex turns up. (978-1-60282-986-2)
Rush by Carsen Taite. Murder, secrets, and romance combine to create the ultimate rush. (978-1-60282-966-4)
The Quickening: A Sisters of Spirits novel by Yvonne Heidt. Ghosts, visions, and demons are all in a day’s work for Tiffany. But when Kat asks for help on a serial killer case, life takes on another dimension altogether. (978-1-60282-975-6)
Love and Devotion by Jove Belle. KC Hall trips her way through life, stumbling into an affair with a married bombshell twice her age. Thankfully, her best friend, Emma Reynolds, is there to show her the true meaning of Love and Devotion. (978-1-60282-965-7)
The Shoal of Time by J.M. Redmann. It sounded too easy. Micky Knight is reluctant to take the case because the easy ones often turn into the hard ones, and the hard ones turn into the dangerous ones. In this one, easy turns hard without warning. (978-1-60282-967-1)
In Between by Jane Hoppen. At the age of 14, Sophie Schmidt discovers that she was born an intersexual baby and sets off on a journey to find her place in a world that denies her true existence. (978-1-60282-968-8)
Under Her Spell by Maggie Morton. The magic of love brought Terra and Athene together, but now a magical quest stands between them— a quest for Athene’s hand in marriage. Will their passion keep them together, or will stronger magic tear them apart? (978-1-60282-973-2)