Retreat To Me (The Retreat Series Book 1)
Page 17
She stammered toward him, tripping over her apologies. But his eyes kept growing wider as he backed away from her, like he thought she was going to pounce on him.
Shit! Had he caught her gawking at him?
She probably looked like a stalker. No wonder his beautiful emerald eyes seemed like they were going to pop out of his perfect head.
“I’m so sorry!” Olivia repeated. “I didn’t know anyone was here. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“You!” he exclaimed, still looking at her like he’d seen a ghost. “You’re—”
But before he could finish his sentence there was a loud clatter and a string of expletives erupted from the stranger’s sexy mouth. He’d backed into the stove and burned his hand on the nearest pan, sending it catapulting across the kitchen.
Olivia ran to help, nearly colliding with the shirtless man when she slipped on the overturned contents of the frying pan. He reached out to catch her, hissing when his hand made contact.
Olivia took one look at his hand and cringed. “Shit! You burnt your hand.” A large red welt was already forming across his palm. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“It’s all right,” he said hitting her with a stunning smile for her benefit. “They’re only my career,” he added with mild sarcasm as he examined the damage to his hands.
“You’re a musician?” Olivia asked.
“Not quite.”
Olivia stared into his piercing green eyes and found it hard to breathe.
“I’m Alex, by the way,” he said awkwardly holding out his uninjured hand.
“Olivia,” she said finally able to find her voice.
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank everyone who made this book possible. To my husband, whose unyielding belief and encouragement forces me to pour my best self onto each and every page. To Molly, Megan, and Terese, three of the most amazing women I know, who take time out of their lives to let me blab endlessly about my books while they help make them shine. I’m blessed to call you friends and grateful beyond words for your help. To Vince for literally sitting by my side during every word, edit and rewrite. You are the heartbeat at my feet. To my brother, for making me realize I loved the title. To the Carter’s, for opening up their beautiful home and inspiring me to create the magical concept of Carter Ridge. To my parents for teaching me that love conquers all. And to everyone who still believes in it. And to all of you who are taking the time to read this to the very end.
And finally, a special heartfelt thanks to all the men and women who serve this country. Your sacrifices have shaped our nation. I am forever grateful for the freedoms you fight for. I will continue to write love stories, knowing they will never be as profound as your love of country.
To my readers,
I want to personally thank you for taking the time to seek out this great little indie book. Writing is truly my passion. I believe each of us can find a small part of ourselves in every book we read, and carry it with us, shaping our world, our adventures and our dreams.
Following my dream to write frees my soul but knowing others find joy in my writing is indescribable. So thank you for your support and I hope your enjoyed your brief escape into the magic of these pages.
If you enjoyed this story, don’t worry, there’s plenty more currently rattling around in my rambunctious imagination. Let me and others know your thoughts by sharing a review of this book. Reviews help shape my next writing projects. So if you want more books like this one be sure to shout it from the rooftops (or social media.) ;-)
- Christina Benjamin
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW HERE
About the Author
Award-Winning author, Christina Benjamin, lives in Florida with her husband, and character inspiring pets, where she spends her free time working on her books and speaking to inspire fellow writers.
Christina is best known for her wildly popular Young Adult series, The Geneva Project.
Her best-selling novel, The Geneva Project - Truth, has won multiple awards and stolen the hearts of YA readers. Packed with magic and imagination, her epic tale of adventure hooks fans of mega-hit YA fiction like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson.
Christina loves to read and write across genres. YA is her favorite but she’s a sucker for a good love story. Don’t miss her romance, paranormal and historical fiction, as well as the multiple anthologies she’s been a part of.
Follow her Amazon Page to get updates when new books are released. HERE
For more information
@authorcbenjamin
ChristinaBenjaminAuthor
www.christinabenjaminauthor.com
Also by Christina Benjamin
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Retreat Again (Available for Pre-order)
YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE
The Practice Boyfriend
YOUNG ADULT FANTASY/DYSTOPIAN SERIES
The Geneva Project - TRUTH (Book 1)
The Geneva Project - SECRETS (Book 2)
The Geneva Project - LIES (Book 3)
The Geneva Project - DESTINY (Book 4)
The Geneva Project - Complete Box Set
The Geneva Project - Prequels Collection