by Anthology
“You remembered my name,” she giggled awkwardly.
“Why wouldn’t I?” I asked. Was she always so adorably artless?
“I, uh,” she stuttered. “I wanted to thank you for helping save Henry. He’s doing really well. We’re probably going to release him back in the woods today.”
“Good. Glad to hear it.” And I was. Little furry dude was cute.
“Anyway,” she said, and held up my jacket. “I washed this for you and baked some cookies as a thank you. I was going to leave them for you, but they told me you were still here.”
“I actually just got off my shift,” I said. “Are you busy?”
“I’m heading to the rescue. Bossman will have my head if I’m late again. But here you go.” She held a bowl out to me in one hand, my jacket in the other. “I hope you like peanut butter.”
“I love peanut butter,” I grinned. Taking them from her, our fingers brushed slightly and the spark was evident as an electric thrill passed between us. She jerked away and put her hands behind her back. “Thank you, Eva.”
“No, no,” she shook her head. “Thank you.” She turned, stumbled on her feet, and caught herself on the door. “Shit,” I heard her mutter.
“Are you ok?” I asked, rushing to her side.
“Fine,” she said quickly. “Bye.” She was out the door before I could say anything else.
I heard chuckles and mocking behind me, but I didn’t care. I had a shit ton of cookies and they didn’t. Guess who wasn’t sharing? I opened the bowl and there lay a piece of paper with a phone number and For Mason in perfect handwriting.
I grinned to myself as I stuffed a whole cookie in my mouth. Eva M’Kay would definitely be hearing from me again.
About the Authors
Emme Burton
Emme Burton is the author of the Amazon Top 100 Rom-Com/New Adult novel SNACK and the Better Than Series: BETTER THAN ME (Book 1), FIX IT FOR US (Book 2), and STILL INTO YOU (Book 3). She lives in St. Louis, Missouri with her amazing husband and sons, and her “fur boy,” Jasper. Emme has never, ever been lost in a mall either as a child or an adult. Her mother, and now her family, have always known where to find her. At the bookstore.
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M.C. Cerny
M.C. Cerny fell in love with books after experiencing her first real ugly cry reading, Where The Red Fern Grows. Her debut romantic suspense novel, Flashpoint was written in a series of post-it-note ramblings that would likely make her idol Tom Clancy and her mother blush. She is a post graduate of NYU, and calls rural NJ home with her menagerie of human and fur-babies. When M.C. is not writing, you'll find her lurking in Starbucks, running stupid marathon, singing Disney show tunes, and searching out the perfect shade of pink nail polish. xoxo
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Sarah M. Cradit
Sarah is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Paranormal Southern Fiction series, The House of Crimson & Clover. The series was born of her combined loves of New Orleans, family dramas, and the mysterious nature of love and desire. Her books combine elements of paranormal, mystery, suspense, intrigue, and romance. She is always working on the next book in the series, and absolutely loves connecting with her fans.
Sarah lives in the Pacific Northwest, but has traveled the world from Asia to Europe to Africa. When she isn’t working (either at her day career, or hard at work at writing), she is reading a book and discovering new authors. The great loves of her life (in order) are: her husband James, her writing, and traveling the world.
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Michelle Dare
Michelle Dare is a romance author. Her stories range from sweet to sinful and from new adult to fantasy. There aren’t enough hours in the day for her to write all of the story ideas in her head. When not writing or reading, she’s a wife and mom living in eastern Pennsylvania. One day she hopes to be writing from a beach where she will never have to see snow or be cold again.
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Jami Denise
Jami Denise is an up and coming writer from Southern California.
She writes Romance, Romantic Suspense, and Erotic Romance.
Her books are always on the spicy side with a little bit of sweet to make you swoon. Her feisty kittens always give the bad boys a run for their money. She likes taking risks, pushing her characters into directions that challenge the reader and take them out of their element. You'll usually find the unexpected to happen in her stories. Life isn't always pretty, and she likes to layer her words with true grit.
She is a self-professed cat lady, addicted to coffee, Monster, birthday cake lip balm, and loves all things old,grungy,and fast. She's well versed in sarcasm, and the F-word is her favorite adjective.
When she doesn't have her nose in a book, or fingers on a keyboard, she's spending time with family and friends, watching old movies, and waiting for the next felon to come sweep her off her feet.
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L.B. Dunbar
I’d like to say I was always a writer. I’d also like to say that I wrote every day of my life since a child. That I took the teaching advice I give my former students because writing every day improves your writing. I’d like to say I have my ten-thousand hours that makes me a proficient writer. But I can’t say any of those things. I did dream of writing the “Great American Novel” until one day a friend said: Why does it have to be great? Why can’t it just be good and tell a story?
As a teenager, I wrote your typical love-angst poetry that did occasionally win me an award and honor me with addressing my senior high school class at our Baccalaureate Mass. I didn’t keep a journal because I was too afraid my mom would find it in the mattress where I kept my copy of Judy Blume’s Forever that I wasn’t allowed to read as a twelve year old.
I can say that books have been my life. I’m a reader. I loved to read the day I discovered “The Three Bears” as a first grader, and ever since then, the written word has been my friend. Books were an escape for me. An adventure to the unknown. A love affair I’d never know. I could be lost for hours in a book.
So why writing now? I had a story to tell. It haunted me from the moment I decided if I just wrote it down it would go away. But it didn’t. Three years after writing the first draft, a sign (yes, I believe in them) told me to fix up that draft and work the process to have it published. That’s what I did. But one story let to another, and another, and another. Then a new idea came into my head and a new storyline was created.
I was accused (that’s the correct word) of having an overactive imagination as a child, as if that was a bad thing. I’ve also been accused of having the personality of a Jack Russell terrier, full of energy, unable to relax, and always one step ahead. What can I say other than I have stories to tell and I think you’ll like them. If you don’t, that’s okay. We all have our book boyfriends. We all have our favorites. Whatever you do, though, take time for yourself and read a book.
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Lisa Edward
Lisa Edward is the author of The Songbird trilogy, and the novella Duty of Care. While Lisa has called Melbourne Australia home for her entire life, she has lived and worked in England, and travelled through most parts of Europe and the United States. She loves nothing more than spending time with her beautiful daughter, or curling up into the early hours of the morning with a great novel. By day, Lisa works in the analytical IT field, so relishes the opportunity to foster her creative side through writing. Her deep appreciation for literature was nurtured from a young age, being taught to respect books and get lost in their stories. She enjoys reading honest and realistic novels that are relatable, thought provoking and leave a lasting impression. She can’t write without music playing, using the emotions from different songs to invoke those of her characters. Lisa takes inspiration from her own life experiences, the people around her and those she has met in her travels.
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> Lia Fairchild
Top 10 bestselling author, Lia Fairchild, writes primarily romance and women's fiction. Fans of her books praise her endearing, real characters who come to life in stories that will touch your heart.
Fairchild is addicted to the warmth of Southern California and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a multiple-subject teaching credential. She is a wife and mother of two teenagers.
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Mary Catherine Gebhard
Mary Catherine Gebhard bites off more than she can chew. She's lived in Salt Lake City, Utah her entire life, but occasionally goes on vacation from reality. Don't worry, she sends postcards.
If you're interested in reading more of Zee & Cage, she'll continue their story for free in her newsletter.
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Z.B. Heller
As a little girl it was always a dream for Z.B. Heller to become She-Ra Princess of Power. Since this dream was unobtainable, she spent what was probably way to long in college trying to “find herself”. Becoming an artist scratched the creative itch until the stories in her head were getting to be to loud for her to get anything else accomplished.
She lives in St. Louis with her husband, son and Flemish Giant rabbit Chloe. In her spare time she likes to read, stalk celebraties on Twitter and create the type of art people scratch their heads about.
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Glenna Maynard
Glenna Maynard is a Kentucky native with a passion for romance best known for her bestselling romantic suspense novel I'm with You and The Black Rebel Riders' MC series. When she isn't arguing with the voices in her head or drinking reader tears, she enjoys watching classic TV shows with her two children, and longtime leading man.
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Kristen Hope Mazzola
You want to know more about me? Well, let's see...
I am just an average twenty-something following my dreams. I have a full time "day job" and by night I am an author. I guess you could say that writing is like my super power (I always wanted one of those). I am the lover of wine, sushi, football and the ocean; that is when I am not wrapped up in the literary world.
Please feel free to contact me to chat about my writing, books you think I'd like or just to shoot the, well you know.
A portion of all my royalties are donated to The Marcie Mazzola Foundation.
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Morgan Jane Mitchell
Bestselling erotic romance and paranormal author, Morgan Jane Mitchell spent years blogging politics and health trends before she rediscovered her love of writing fiction. Trading politicians for bloodsuckers of another kind, she's now the author of bestselling post-apocalyptic fantasy novel, Sanguis City. Her action packed series of vampires, witches, demons and zombies is paranormal romance, dystopia, urban fantasy and erotica in one bite. When Morgan Jane is not creating the city of blood or conjuring up other supernatural tales, she's dreaming up erotic and dark romances. Morgan Jane lives in the beautiful bluegrass area of central Kentucky with her husband, 3 sons, 3 cats and a greyhound shepherd mix dog named Miss Penni Lane.
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Emerson Shaw
Emerson Shaw was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelors of Business Administration. She is married and has two beautiful children. Her debut novel, Acts of Desperation, was based off of a true story. She recently began a new romantic suspense series called "The Hot Pursuit Series." Straight Flushed, book one, was released on June 22, 2015.
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Kacey Shea
Kacey Shea is a mom of three, wife, and indie author who resides in sunny Arizona. She enjoys reading and writing romance novels as much as her son loves unicorns, which is a lot.
When she's not writing you will find her playing taxi cab to her children while belting out her favorite tunes, meeting friends or family for food and to share some laughs, or sweating it out in the gym. Kacey finds that picking up heavy weights repeatedly is good for her mental health as much as it is for the physical.
She has an unhealthy obsession with firefighters. It could be the pants. It could be the fire. It's just hot. On occasion she has been known to include them, without their knowledge, in her selfies outside the grocery store.
Kacey one day aspires to be a woman hand model in a sexy photo shoot. You know, the woman's hand raking across the muscular back or six pack stomach of the male fitness model. Yep, that hand.
Until that day comes she will continue writing sexy, flirty romance novels in hopes to bring others joy!
Kacey enjoys interacting with her fans so please feel free to stalk her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
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M. Stratton
M. Stratton is an International Amazon bestselling author in the romantic suspense and mystery suspense categories for her Storm Series and Bender. She lives with her husband and son in Arizona, which is a big difference from where she grew up north of Chicago, Illinois. As an only child she learned to tell herself stories to make the long winters go by quicker while dreaming of summer vacations. Now as an adult she still makes up stories to pass the time, but now she writes them down to share with other people.
Stratton is a self-proclaimed dork who loves to make people laugh. Her inner rock star is always on stage performing to a sold out crowd, but she quiet and shy on the outside. She spends her days plotting new ways to surprise her readers.
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Madison Street
Madison Street was born in New York City and was raised in the Bronx, where she resided until she was 17 years old. After September 11, Madison joined the United States Navy to serve her country.
During the deployments, Madison constantly wrote short stories and she discovered her passion for writing. You will find Madison always on the computer, whether she’s on Facebook, designing websites, messing with Photoshop, or writing for her blog.
Besides writing, her second passion is music and dance. Even though she’s a terrible singer, she’ll still belt it out in the shower, especially if the song is her jam! She currently resides in Virginia with her husband of 8 years, 2 children, a dog, and a cat. She is so excited to start this amazing journey and is honored to be part of such a compassionate and loving community.
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Felicia Tatum
Felicia Tatum was born and raised in Tennessee. She always loved reading, and at the age of twelve began writing. Her passion for creating stories grew and in May 2012, she finally wrote her first novel, The White Aura.
She still lives in Tennessee with her daughter and her kitty. She loves cooking, books, and animals are some of her best friends. She watches a lot of Disney channel and often dreams up new book ideas. She’s currently working on various projects, including the rest of the White Aura Series, the Scarred Hearts Series, and a novella series. Her dream is to write as many books as possible while entertaining as many people as possible.
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