by Cindy Miles
At the door, I grabbed Harper’s black wool coat, helped her into it, found the ax she’d dropped on the floor and grabbed that, too, and outside, the cold December air bit at my face. The new leather jacket Brax had given me for Christmas kept it from sinking into my skin. I pulled Harper to my side and strode toward the woodpile. I glanced around.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
I kissed her temple. “You’ll see.”
I saw them then—and headed straight for the wood line. It was a decent walk, with the early morning day after Christmas cold wind biting at us both. She snuggled against me, and I knew I loved her. Loved feeling her body next to mine. The smell of her hair. The softness of her skin. And the look of adoration in those seagreen eyes. We were alike, she and I. We shared demons. We shared fears.
We’d share the healing, too.
At the wood line, we stepped in, and although mostly pines, we found some that looked like a Christmas tree. Small, it looked more like a Charlie Brown tree. It didn’t matter.
It’d be our first. The first of many.
“Stand back, woman,” I teased, and set Harper back. I eyed the tree and whacked it with the ax until it cracked. I pushed it over, and looked at her.
“You’re crazy,” she said sweetly.
“You like crazy,” I corrected.
“I do if it’s you,” she warned.
I grabbed the tree by the stump and we dragged it back to Belle House.
With no tree stand, no lights, I propped the tree, now leaking sap, against the stone wall near the hearth. It wasn’t big—maybe four feet tall.
Next year, we’d do Christmas right.
This year? It was more of making a point. Of letting go of the past.
Of kicking the past’s ass.
Grabbing her narrow shoulders, I urged Harper to sit by the tree. “Be still. Keep your eyes closed,” I warned. “Don’t open them until I say to.”
She closed those beautiful eyes. “Okay, okay.”
I ran out to my truck, opened the door, and grabbed the box Olivia had helped me wrap. I took two leaps and was back up onto the porch and I flew inside. I dropped down beside Harper, and all at once I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
“Can I look now?” she asked.
I continued to stare, marveling at every single feature. “Not yet.”
A soft grin claimed her lips, and then I did, brushing my mouth over hers. She exhaled, and I swallowed it.
Then I put the box in her lap.
“Open your eyes,” I said.
And she did.
She looked at it. Fingered the big red bow. She did that for several moments—so long, I almost ripped the bow off for her. Then she lifted her face, and my heart seized in my chest. Those wide eyes were wet with tears.
“It’s so beautiful,” she said, and her voice cracked.
I reminded myself to breathe. “Open it, silly.”
I knew then that, despite the word carved in my back by a radical drunk of a father who never, ever deserved children, I was far, far from stupid. Nope. Not a stupid boy at all.
I watched Harper then, slowly tug the bow loose, ease open the taped ends of the box. I saw her hands shaking, and for a moment it saddened me to think she’d been given so much in life, yet so very little. The simple things that would’ve made her happy. Like a red bow on a box.
So little as to not have experienced a personal gift from a loved one.
That was about to change, starting now.
She looked inside the box. She blinked. She looked at me. And then threw her arms around my neck, the box trapped between us.
“A new camera!” she said excitedly. “Kane!” She covered my face, my mouth, my forehead with kisses, then my throat, and then settled on my mouth with a long, slow, erotic sort of kiss that made me wonder how she’d only just started kissing in the first place. When she finished, she looked at me, and her eyes shined with something you don’t see in many people anymore. I know people. And I don’t see it. Ever.
Gratitude. Pure. Raw. Gratitude.
And something else I dared to hope for.
Love.
“I love it,” she said, and she grazed my stubbled jaw with her smooth fingers. She kissed me again, and then looked at me, close, our faces a breath apart. “I…I love you, Kane McCarthy.” The words came out on a feathery breath. Soft. So very soft.
My heart seized again. It was a feeling new to me. It was…overwhelming. I kissed her back, slow, deliberate, and sighed against her mouth. “I’m so in love with you, Harper Belle.”
Her eyes widened. “You are?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. I was. It seemed incredible, but I knew it as sure as I’d draw my next breath. “Yes, I am. And I have one more thing for you. Close your eyes again.”
She did, and I reached into my pocket and grasped the small round object I’d found at an antique store a few days before. I grasped Harper’s hand, placed it there. “Okay. Open your eyes.”
Harper’s lashes fluttered, she looked first at me, then her hand. A small gasp escaped her throat, and her small, delicate finger stroked the brushed brass cover of the old compass. She didn’t say anything. Just lightly stroked it.
When her eyes lifted they were moist with tears and again, filled with raw gratitude. “Kane,” she said, and her voice cracked. “I will cherish this forever.”
“For you to always find your way,” I said, holding her gaze. “Your way back to me.”
She threw her arms around me again, pressing that full, beautiful mouth to my throat. “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life.”
I held her to me, pressed my hand to the back of her head. “So am I.”
Then, she popped up and her brows knitted together. “I didn’t get you anything.”
I looked at her then. Searched her eyes with mine. So close, I felt like we could almost read each other’s thoughts. Just in case, I told her. “You did. And I’m forever grateful for it, Harper.”
She didn’t even try not to claim it. “How’d you know it was me?”
I smiled. “Because no one except you knows I have a sister in indigent care at Harbor Breeze in Revere, Mass. That’s why.” She’d called Christmas night. She’d paid Katy’s bill for the next ten years. My heart had burst then, and I’d known right away it’d been Harper. I could never repay her. But I’d die trying. Starting with quitting the gambling life. Getting my GED. Maybe signing up for some classes. I’d tell her that later, though. For now, I just wanted to be with her. In this moment.
In the now.
“Oh,” she said. Then she slipped her arms around my waist again. “Tell me again.”
I pressed my mouth to her ear, kissed the soft lobe, the soft outer shell. “I’m in love with you, Harper Belle,” I whispered.
And she sighed, a content sound that average people don’t make.
And then I was lost. Again.
Forever.
Excerpt from STUPID GIRL
The moment I spied the Welcome to Killian sign at the outskirts of town, my stomach dropped and my hands gripped the steering wheel hard. The small Texas college town sat half-way between Lubbock and Amarillo. Two hundred and forty-eight miles from home. Three hours and forty-four minutes by car, going the speed limit.
I hoped to God it’d be enough.
Peering through my shades, I noticed Killian’s Sonic parking lot was filled to the gills with rowdy boys, souped up trucks and hot rods. As I passed by, I eyed several girls sitting on the backs of opened tailgates, laughing and flipping their hair. Reminded me of my hometown of Jasper. What was it about a Sonic burger joint? Always seemed to be the popular hang-out spot. Part of me wanted to pull in, tell the hair-flippers to get a grip and leave. But the bigger part of me kept my foot on the accelerator. Stay low, keep quiet, and no one will even know I exist. Just the way I wanted it.
Slowing down, I hit my blinker and pulled into the massive brick entrance of Winston U.
Flanked by huge magnolia trees and planted mounds of petunias and other annuals, a little of my earlier somberness over leaving home eased out of me. It was replaced by an excitement I was sort of surprised by. Things would be different here. I just felt it. No more stares, no more whispers. No more muffled giggles. No more rumors. No one knew me here. I’d just melt in to the population and be a big nobody. Invisible, like a ghost. Perfect.
I started down the main drive leading to admissions, and scanned the grounds ahead of me. Large colorful banners stretched across buildings that said WELCOME FRESHMEN, along with several home-made Greek signs for Rush Week. People were everywhere, on the lawns, the sidewalks, the parking lots. Maybe I should’ve taken up Mom’s offer to come with me today. My brothers had offered to come, too. Even Grandpa Jilly. I’d turned them all down, insisting I could—no, needed—to do this alone. What was I thinking? Stupid, stupid girl. Too late now, I was in it up to my gills. No turning back. Drawing a deep breath, I pushed my self-doubt aside. I can do this.
While not super huge, Winston was mostly well known for their successful baseball and football teams. The Silverbacks. But I’m not exactly a jockette or even into sports, so that’s not what drew me. Winston also had an extraordinary astronomy program, with a mega-observatory to boot. They called it the Mulligan, and when it was first installed in 1910 it had been the largest scope in the country. I’d been lucky enough to gain employment in the Science complex through the financial aid department. It was geek-girl heaven, and I’d be right smack in the middle of it.
Literally. I loved the stars, constellations, galaxies, and all that went with it. Staring through my scope at the seemingly infinity heavens had helped me get through the last painful year of high school. To a certain degree, it’d healed me, right along with my family. We Beaumont’s all stuck together—except for my dad, who’d pulled a disappearing act long, long ago. Other than my family, astronomy was my life. All I’d ever wanted to do was study the stars, ever since I was a little kid and Jilly had given me my first telescope for my sixth birthday. Finally, it was happening. I just prayed the past would leave me alone. That the nightmares would stay gone, that the relentless fear which had for a while replaced my fearlessness would recede somewhere deep, deep inside of me. And would stay there. Forever.
As I kept my eyes on the street signs, my hand fumbled around on the bench seat of my truck until I found the campus map. Holding it up eye level, I navigated my way through several streets until I found my dorm. Oliver Hall held three stories, double occupancy dorm rooms, each with a private bath, and a common room. I’d been assigned to the second floor, dorm room 21. The parking was split into two sections, with Oliver Hall in the center. I pulled into the not-too-packed left side lot, found a spot closest to the front, and parked.
I pushed my hat back off my forehead and for a moment I sat, just looking out at the red brick building, manicured with boxwood hedges lining the walkway up to the dorm. A huge cottonwood tree, probably a couple hundred years old at least, stood tall and off to the side, casting an arc of shade over the hall. People milled about—mostly girls, since it was a girls’ dorm. Laughing. Hollering. Going in and out of the door, everyone loaded down with bags and boxes and belongings from home. Mid-August, it was hot and humid as Hades. And I was here. Alone.
This was my new life.
Somewhat intimidating.
I gave Mom a quick call to let her know I’d arrived and promised to call later. Then, after a big, calming breath, I opened the door and climbed out. The heady scent of freshly cut grass hit my nose, and it actually helped me feel a little less anxious. These people don’t know me. They don’t know what happened to me. A little more apprehension eased out of me. Shoving the truck keys into my bag, I made sure I had my dorm keys, and pushed my cell into my back pocket. I slipped my shades off and tossed them onto the dash, shouldered my backpack, and shut the door. Reaching over the side rails of my truck bed, I grabbed a box filled with astronomy books and desk supplies, and started across the lawn. Not super light, but manageable, and I’d rather get the heavier boxes in first. Looked like I’d be making a few trips to get all my stuff inside anyway. My boots dug into the grass as I made my way to the entrance.
“Heads up!”
Just as I turned, a sudden, powerful force slammed into me, taking me down, and I hit the ground with enough vigor to make the breath whoosh out of my lungs. The box flew out of my arms, and I was a little stunned at first, lying in the grass. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling; I’d been thrown from so many horses over the years, I’d lost count. And this is what being thrown felt like. Maybe worse. My hat had shifted and now shaded my eyes. I concentrated on breathing.
Then, suddenly, my hat was pushed off my face, and he was over me. Arms braced on either side of my head. Looking down. Frozen in place, I couldn’t do anything else except stare back at him, and I watched his smile fade as his gaze fixed on mine. He looked about as surprised as I felt.
His face took me off guard. It was … shocking. Not handsome—almost frightening. Rough. The lightest, most startling blue eyes I’d ever seen stared down at me. One of them had a really recent black and blue shiner marring the otherwise fair skin. A whitish half-moon scar started at the corner of the other eye and curved around his cheek bone. Another white scar jagged down from his jaw, just below his ear, halfway down his throat; it was met by a black tattooed inscription that disappeared down his shirt. Super dark hair—almost black—swung over his forehead, and equally dark brows furrowed. We both stared for a few seconds.
Then, his head lowered, and full, firm lips covered mine.
And he kissed me.
Purchase STUPID GIRL!
Coming Soon: STUPID LOVE
Book Three in the Stupid in Love Series
Can’t get enough of the exploits at Winston University? Stay tuned for book three in the series – STUPID LOVE – to find out what happens next! Sign up for Cindy Miles’s newsletter to receive the scoop on the book’s upcoming release.
Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh
New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh stuns with a sizzling contemporary romance…
A bad boy wrapped in a sexy, muscled, grown-up package might be worth a little risk…
Molly Webster has always followed the rules. After an ugly scandal tore apart her childhood and made her the focus of the media’s harsh spotlight, she vowed to live an ordinary life. No fame. No impropriety. No pain. Then she meets Zachary Fox, a tattooed bad boy rocker with a voice like whiskey and sin, and a touch that could become an addiction.
A one-night stand with the hottest rock star on the planet, that’s all it was meant to be…
Fox promises scorching heat and dangerous pleasure, coaxing Molly to extend their one-night stand into a one-month fling. After that, he’ll be gone forever, his life never again intersecting with her own. Sex and sin and sensual indulgence, all with an expiration date. No ties, no regrets. Too late, Molly realizes it isn’t only her body that’s become addicted to Fox, but her heart…
Special Excerpt:
Her smile smashed into him with stunning force. He heard nothing of the party around him, saw no one but her. God, that smile, the way she cupped her sister’s face with such open affection before the two of them hugged. Really hugged. No fake bullshit, no playing up for the journalists in the room.
They weren’t paying attention to anyone else, happy simply to see one another.
Then she laughed as she drew back and the sound was chains around his heart, a thousand guitar strings pulling tight. It hurt and it was beautiful. For an instant, he almost forgot where he was, he wanted so badly to have that unguarded smile turned in his direction. He could imagine her warm brown eyes looking up at him as she ran her fingers over his jaw and rose on tiptoe to slide one hand around his nape to haul him down for a kiss.
Fucking hell.
When was the last time a woman had done that to him the instant she walked into a room? Never
. Not even when he’d been a hormone-drunk youth. And the fact he knew she was exactly as she appeared to be, that she wasn’t out for fame or money? Yeah, that just made her sexier. No way was he leaving this party without her, the raw need to possess her a violent craving in his gut.
He didn’t believe in fantasy shit like destiny or fate or the biggest con of all—love—but he knew himself. And he knew what he wanted: to tug her to him with his hand fisted in her hair, brand her with his mouth, warn every other male in the room that she was off-limits. But the instant he did that, he’d make her front-page news when he wanted her all to himself.
Private.
Alone.
No cameras.
No lights.
No fucking interruptions.
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Untouched by Lauren Hawkeye
New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author Lauren Hawkeye serves up a captivating story of loss, self-discovery, and deep-seated desire.
Some secrets are best left locked away in the past….
Alexa Kendrick has no recollection of the car accident that left her scarred and sent her life careening wildly off course. When the half-sister she thought she’d never meet shows up at her door with an invitation to a new life, Alexa finds herself in Florence, Arizona, a town notorious for being populated with more prison inmates than actual citizens…a town that has done its best to hide its own dark secret.
After Ellie is called out of town, she leaves her sister with the keys to her flower shop and Alexa finds herself swapping lives with her sibling: running Ellie’s business, living in the house left to them both by their absentee father…and forging a smoldering relationship with sexy-as-sin penitentiary officer, Nate Fury—a man with his own demons.