by Mindy Klasky
She pulled back enough to set two fingers against his lips. “Hush. You were right.” She kept him from interrupting her. “Not about all of it. Not about Pirate and Lucky. And you were never one of my projects. But I did stop pushing myself a long time ago. I let myself hide from the hard things. The worst things.”
His fingers closed over her wrist, pulling her hand high enough for his lips to graze her palm. As delicious as that touch was, though, she had to say the rest. “I’d take it back, but I can’t unsay those words. I didn’t mean them. I couldn’t. You aren’t a coward.”
A ghost of a frown darkened his face. “I was,” he said. “I should have gone to the Dawsons when I said I would. But I’ve talked to them now.”
She brushed back a strand of hair from his forehead. “Was it terrible?”
“Yeah,” he said. “But not as bad as what happened to J-Dawg.” Again, that frown. This time he pulled back, and she shivered when she lost the heat of his body. But he didn’t go far, only a single step away so he could reach into his pocket. He pulled out a white disk and pressed it into her palm.
“What’s this?”
“Your Christmas present.”
She turned it over and saw the interlocking As on one side. The number 1 on the other. As the significance dawned on her, she started to shake her head. “You can’t do it for me. You shouldn’t—”
“For you. For me. Whatever. I’m doing it.”
She curled her fingers around the token and brought her hands to his chest.
His eyes clouded. “It’s not magic, you know. It’s not like I’ll go to a couple of meetings, and I’ll suddenly be healed.” His voice twisted the word into something hard.
“I know that.” And she did. True love didn’t work miracles. It couldn’t turn back time. Couldn’t erase everything that had happened—in Afghanistan, in a building fire thirteen years before.
But love could give them a foundation. A safe place to work. Somewhere to figure out a future. So she said, “There’s just one problem. I didn’t get anything for you.”
“Hmm,” he said. “I’m sure we can think of something.” He leaned in for a quick kiss. “How about giving me a job?”
“A job?”
“I had one lined up,” he said, and this time his kiss lingered, “but it ends on New Year’s Eve.”
She bit back a grin. “What did you have in mind?”
“That wall over there.” He paused for another kiss, tracing the seam of her lips with his tongue before he said, “It’s going to need another coat of paint.”
“That won’t take very long.”
“And I thought I’d finish up that tableau.” This time, his lips lingered on her throat, sucking hard at the pulse that pounded there.
“That’ll take what?” she finally managed. “A week?”
“And there are two more to do after that.” His teeth closed over her earlobe, tugging just hard enough to make her gasp.
“A month, then? All told?”
He shifted his weight, matching his hips to hers. She felt the heat of him, solid and steady, melting her and anchoring her all at the same time. He pushed her jacket off her shoulders and unwound her muffler from her neck. “I was thinking of something a little more long term. A bookstore and a visitor’s center. A history lesson for people to visit year-round. It’ll take a while to set things up, a few months more to get it listed with the tourist board. But I think we can have our store in place by spring.”
Our store. He was talking about a partnership. Something stable. Something permanent.
“Finn,” she breathed, as his hands slipped beneath her sweater.
His palms were firm as they glided up her back. He took her sweater with him, guiding it over her shoulders, over her head. She trembled as he undressed her, shaking with the cold and with more, with so much more.
She didn’t realize her eyes were closed until he kissed her eyelids. She shivered and crossed her arms over her chest, over the plain cotton bra she’d pulled on before she left the house, because it had never crossed her mind that she’d be here with Finn, that she’d be doing this with Finn, that she’d be naked.
He moved to stand behind her, leaning close to whisper in her ear. “Don’t cry, Lex.”
She didn’t mean to be crying. She didn’t mean to be doing anything but standing there, heart pounding so hard it had to burst out of her chest. She felt his lips on her left shoulder, tracing the line of the cotton strap that he slipped down her arm. He caressed her right shoulder, the worse one, the one she couldn’t bear to look at when she stood alone in front of a mirror. She felt his fingers in the middle of her back, heard his sigh as he worked the two tiny metal clasps.
“Hush,” he said, and she realized she’d cried out. “Hush,” he said again, and then she felt him drop her bra to the floor, felt the soft fabric brush against her tights as it fell. He returned his hands to her back, his palms flat against her scars. “Open your eyes, Lexi.”
And because it was Finn, because he was the one who asked, she had to.
She opened her eyes, and she saw herself in the mirror, the square set into the closet door. She watched as Finn kissed her neck, the left side, where there wasn’t any scar. She stared as he moved lower, pressing his lips to her back, to the raised flesh, to the hideous scars she’d hidden for years.
But Finn didn’t look repulsed when he touched her. He didn’t look disgusted.
She leaned her head back, letting it rest on his shoulder as he straightened. The motion meant her back was pressed against his chest. In that position, she was completely exposed to him, utterly bare. His arms closed around her, holding her close, secure. His hands settled over her breasts.
“There’s just one problem,” she said to their reflection, before his fingers could distract her completely.
“I somehow thought their might be,” he countered. But he smiled as he said it, and she knew he’d have an answer.
“The Hyland Motel is closed for the season. And we won’t have room for that cot here, once you finish the other battle scenes.”
“Now what could we possibly do about that?”
For answer, she turned toward him. Not because she couldn’t face her scars in the mirror. Not because she needed to hide from the past.
She turned because she wanted him, because she needed him. And she kissed him deep, kissed him hard, kissed him until they didn’t need to say any more words out loud.
But because she was Lexi, she said them, just the same. “You get the right side of the bed. And I’ll clean out half my closet. And if you’re lucky, very lucky, I’ll cook you an omelet in the morning.”
“With cheese?”
“With cheese.”
“And ham?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
His laugh was the best Christmas gift she’d ever received.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It takes a small town to launch a new contemporary romance series, and Fly Me to the Moon has been no exception. Jessica Scott generously agreed to read a manuscript of this novella, and her insights into military life and veterans with PTSD made Finn’s story better than it was. Any mistakes that remain are my own.
Susan Struss, one of my Facebook friends, offered up the name Namastyle for the combination yoga studio and hair salon featured at Monday Yoga Night.
This book was created under the auspices of Book View Café, and I am indebted to my co-op’s fine editors: Patricia Rice and Jennifer Stevenson. James Hetley was an excellent proofreader, completing his work under adverse personal circumstances.
My family—Klaskys and Maddreys alike—continue to support my writing, and I’m extremely grateful for their enthusiasm. A special thank you goes to my husband, Mark whose patience and good humor carry me through the more…challenging aspects of writing.
Of course, no writing career is complete without readers. I look forward to corresponding with you through my website: www.mindyklasky.com.
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sp; THANK YOU!
Thank you for choosing Fly Me to the Moon from among all the romances out there! If you enjoyed this Harmony Springs novella, you might want to check out other Harmony Springs books, including Just One of Those Things!
I truly appreciate readers’ letters, emails, blog comments, Facebook posts, and tweets. As a reader, you’re in the best position to help authors like me by telling your friends about books you love (including writing reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and other similar sites.)
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ALSO BY MINDY KLASKY
A Mindy Klasky Sampler
(A free sampler containing the first chapters of 24 books)
The Harmony Springs Series
Fly Me to the Moon
Just One of Those Things
The Diamond Brides Series
Perfect Pitch
Catching Hell
Reaching First
(Triple Play I: Perfect Pitch, Catching Hell, and Reaching First available as a boxed set)
Second Thoughts
Third Degree
Stopping Short
(Triple Play II: Second Thoughts, Third Degree, and Stopping Short available as a boxed set)
From Left Field
Center Stage
Always Right
(Triple Play III: From Left Field, Center Stage, and Always Right available as a boxed set)
The Jane Madison Series
Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft
Sorcery and the Single Girl
Magic and the Modern Girl
(The Jane Madison Series, Volumes 1-3 available as a boxed set)
Single Witch’s Survival Guide
Joy of Witchcraft
The As You Wish Series
Act One, Wish One (formerly How Not to Make a Wish)
Wishing in the Wings (formerly When Good Wishes Go Bad)
Wish Upon a Star (formerly To Wish or Not to Wish)
(The As You Wish Series available as a boxed set)
Stand-Alone Works
Capitol Magic
Fright Court
Season of Sacrifice
The Glasswrights Series
The Glasswrights’ Apprentice
The Glasswrights’ Progress
The Glasswrights’ Journeyman
The Glasswrights’ Test
The Glasswrights’ Master
Harlequin Special Editions
The Daddy Dance
The Mogul’s Maybe Marriage
Non-Fiction
The Rational Writer: Nuts and Bolts
ABOUT MINDY KLASKY
Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her she could travel anywhere in the world through stories. She never forgot that advice.
Mindy’s travels took her through multiple careers – from litigator to librarian to full-time writer. Mindy’s travels have also taken her through various literary genres for readers of all ages – from traditional fantasy to paranormal chick-lit to category romance, from middle-grade to young adult to adult. She is a USA Today bestselling author.
In her spare time, Mindy knits, quilts, and tries to tame her endless to-be-read shelf. Her husband and cats do their best to fill the left-over minutes.
ABOUT BOOK VIEW CAFÉ
Book View Café is a professional authors’ publishing cooperative offering DRM-free ebooks in multiple formats to readers around the world. With authors in a variety of genres including fantasy, romance, mystery, and science fiction, Book View Café has something for everyone.
Book View Café is good for readers because you can enjoy high-quality DRM-free ebooks from your favorite authors at reasonable prices.
Book View Café is good for writers because 95% of the profits goes directly to the book’s author.
Book View Café authors include New York Times and USA Today bestsellers; Nebula, Hugo, Lambda, and Philip K. Dick Award winners; World Fantasy and Rita Award nominees; and winners and nominees of many other publishing awards.
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www.bookviewcafe.com