I shake my head and chuckle. “Nothing. Just…watching you. Touching you. It still seems unreal.”
Her gaze flicks up to mine and she smiles. “But it is real. What we have is real, Dorian.”
“I know that.” I laugh and let my head fall back on the cushion. Shit. Her emitting her incredible power to me last night has me all types of fucked up in the head. I feel vulnerable, juvenile, yet free. All the things I admire so much about her.
I shake my head against the back of the couch. “I sound like a bitch, don’t I? Like a stupid fool taken by infatuation.”
My beautiful Gabriella tosses the menu aside and straddles me in a blur before my eyes. “No, you don’t. You sound like a man in love. And lucky for you, I am perfectly fine with sounding like a bitch when it comes to you. We can be bitches together,” she smiles.
I attack her mouth with mine before she can say another word. Damn, I love this woman. More than two and a half centuries of a half-hearted existence yet I didn’t start living until the day I met her. Gabriella breathed life into me.
“Ok, ok,” she giggles pulling away. “At this rate, we’ll never eat and I’m starving.” She grabs the phone off the nearby end table and thrusts it against my chest. “Here. Order whatever. And get as many desserts as you want. We’ll need them,” she says with a sly smile.
“Yes, ma’am,” I reply, tickling her ribs, the alluring sound of her laughter filling every vacant part of me.
I do as she wishes, ordering all her favorite dishes plus every dessert on the menu. I never want her to go without. I want to give her everything she desires before she even realizes she desires it. I want to do any and every thing to make sure her smile never falters.
We’re kissing and cuddling on the couch, working ourselves into a frenzy when a knock at the door disrupts us. We’re both on our feet before the sound of the first rapt dissolves.
“That was quick,” she remarks, turning for the door. I grab her arm before she even takes a full step.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
She scrunches her cute little nose and rolls her eyes. “To open the door for the concierge. Duh. You have on your boxers which, quite frankly, boy scouts could camp under with the tent you’re pitching. I’ll be 2 seconds. Relax.”
I shake my head. “Your eyes, baby. You need to change them if you are going to fit in.”
My gorgeous little goddess smiles and shrugs out of my grip. “Who said I wanted to fit in? Besides, what’s the use in being a freak show if you can’t have a little fun?” Then before I can stop her, she is at the front door, turning the knob, with only my half-buttoned shirt obscuring her naked frame.
I see her freeze and hear a tiny gasp, putting me on alert. “Who is it, baby?” I call out, shrugging on my forgotten pants from last night.
Without turning around, she answers in a small, shaky voice, “My dad.”
Shit. Chris did not need the evidence of me fucking his adopted daughter slapping him in the face. No dad wants to see that. He’ll never forgive me now. I take a deep breath and make my way to the door, not looking forward to the awkward conversation ahead.
Gabriella widens the door just as I approach, giving me full view of a pair of cold, venomous eyes and a threatening snarl. I freeze in my tracks, unable to articulate a semblance of a response to what stands before us. The only thing that breaks me out of my trance is Gabriella’s tear-filled eyes gazing up at me full of confusion and fear. I open my mouth to soothe her anxiety, knowing that she needs an explanation for what greets us just two feet away. Shit, I need one too. But what do I say? How do I even begin to rationalize this?
Fuck.
So I start with the obvious, knowing that I have to say something. Whether or not it’s enough to diffuse the situation is the real question. But I doubt it. He’s always been a stubborn son of a bitch. Yet, I plaster on my most rigid grin and extend my hand anyway.
“Hello, Alexander.”
Gabriella & Dorian's story continues...
Light Shadows
Book 3 of The Dark Light Series
Coming Soon
Books by S.L. Jennings
The Dark Light Series:
Dark Light
The Dark Prince
Light Shadows (Coming Soon)
To be released Summer 2013:
Fear of Falling
Get to know S.L. Jennings:
www.facebook.com/darklightseries
www.facebook.com/authorsljennings
Twitter: @MrsSLJ
www.goodreads.com/SLJennings
Shout outs, Thank Yous & IOUs
Without question, I could not have done this without the love and support of all the fans and readers. It was your encouragement and enthusiasm that kept me going when I wanted to scrap The Dark Prince (which happened more than a few times). Thank you Thank you Thank you from the bottom of my heart for believing in this crazy dream of mine.
Throughout my journey creating TDP and trying to spread the DLS love, I have met some amazing authors that have inspired the hell out of me. Thank you Madeline Sheehan, Claire Contreras, T.K. Tuitt, Karina Halle, Gail McHugh, L.B. Simmons, C.C. Brown, MJ Abraham, Nicole Deatherage, Emma Grayson and the rest of my lovely ANGTFD book bitches (geez, there's a lot of you). I have learned so much from you all and love each of you dearly. I couldn't have picked a better bunch of crazies to laugh, cry, rant, curse and be inappropriate with. And special thanks to the PB to my J, my sista from anotha mista, E.L. Montes, whose friendship and support have encouraged me beyond measure.
I had kick ass beta readers who ensured that TDP wasn't crap. And if you thought TDP was crap and you are still reading this, well... sucks for you. Anyway, extra special shout out to Ashley Hartigan Tkachyk (Love you, Ash!) , Karinna Baez (my eye candy pusher), Kari Acebo (I owe you SO much for all you have done!), Ena Burnette (my smut peddler/pimp), Gina Tobin (thank you for everything!), Andrea Kelleher, Nikki Sebben Narvaez, Aimee Bentley, Gina Stough, Judy Ruiz and Jennifer Baumgart Heim.We did it ladies! Now how about that shot & ugly cry?
There were a few awesome book blogs that took a chance on me and consistently showed love for me & DLS. Thank you to The Sub Club Books, First Class Books, Books, Babes & Cheap Cabernet, SMI Book Club, Mommy's Reads & Treats, Sugar & Spice Book Reviews, Erotica Book Club, Swoon Worthy Books, Jennifer's Book Addiction, Alphas, Authors & Books Oh My, Red Hawt Romance, and every one else that posted, shared, tweeted and recommended. Much love.
Ah yes, my DLS girls, DLROs :) ... IOU all so much for all you have done to promote and spread the Dorian love! Thank you for everything you have done & I hope I can still create stories that inspire you to post man candy pics ;) Thank you for having some of the strongest pimping hands this world has ever seen!
To my fabulous friends that didn't gripe (too much) when I was stuck in the writing cave for weeks on end. Thank you for not making fun of my unarched eyebrows and lack of makeup when I was too sleep deprived to give a damn. IOU a girls night. With mustaches.
Shout out to the amazing Stephanie White of Steph's Cover Design to creating such gorgeous covers for The Dark Light Series. You rock, woman!
Most importantly, thank you to my beautiful family, who traded home-cooked meals for frozen pizza, family nights for writing nights, a clean house for a not so clean house, and a nice, perfectly sane mom/wife for a bloodshot-eyed, tangled haired, neurotic, crazy lady who talks to the voices in her head. IOU the world. And one day I'll give it to you. I love you.
And if you're reading this, thinking "Why the hell didn't she thank me?" well, guess what? I was saving the best for last :)
Thank you insert name here . I couldn't have done this without you.
xoxo,
Syreeta
Copyright © 2012 Syreeta Jennings
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, liv
ing or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Book cover by Stephanie White
The Dark Prince (The Dark Light Series) Page 42