Lovers and Strangers (The Hollywood Nights Series, Book 1)

by Candace Schuler

  He stood there for a moment longer, his hands still wrapped around her wrists, staring down at her with an intense look on his face. She could almost see his mind working, the wheels turning, thinking over what she'd just said, examining it from every angle.

  "I never thought of it like that before," he said slowly, his eyes focused inward as he worked it through. "I just knew I felt responsible when Eric died. And so damned guilty. He'd asked me to do this one thing for him and I wouldn't do it. After all he'd done for me. The guilt ate at me. And that's what I focused on—the guilt. I've been focusing on it for twenty-five years."

  "Then don't you think it's about time you cut yourself a little slack? You forgave me my past," Faith said. "Forgive yourself yours."

  "It's not the same. You were an innoc—"

  "It's exactly the same, except for the details." She leaned into him, grabbing the fabric of his T-shirt in her fists. His fingers were still wrapped around her wrists. "Exactly," she said, desperate to make him understand and accept his own innocence. If he didn't, or couldn't, then they didn't have a chance. "You were young, hardly more than a child, just like I was. And something terrible happened to you. It wasn't your fault but you felt guilty and responsible, the way children do when something bad happens to them. But you're not a child anymore, and you have to let it go, Jack. You have to."

  They stood like that for another few seconds, her hands clutching his shirt, his wrapped around her wrists, both of them tense. Waiting. Wanting. Hoping.

  And then something in Jack's eyes changed, something dark and tormented slipped away. "Maybe..." he said slowly, still fighting to hang on to the emotion that had sustained him for the last twenty-five years. "I guess it's something to think about, anyway."

  And Faith knew it was going to be all right. Eventually it would be all right. The first seed of doubt about his own guilt had been planted and taken root. It would flower soon, and he'd forgive himself completely. Faith took a deep, shuddering breath and dropped her head against his chest, sending up a quick, fervent prayer of thanks.

  Jack pressed his lips to her hair. "What am I going to do with you, Angel?" he whispered, awed.

  Faith raised her head. "Love me," she said hopefully.

  Jack smiled and bent his head to kiss her.

  The meeting of their lips was a silent, solemn vow, a tender proclamation, an unspoken promise of commitment to each other and their future. And then Jack lifted his mouth from hers and smiled down into her eyes. He let go of her wrists, bringing his hands up to cup her face.

  "Can you ever forgive me, Angel?"

  "For what?"

  "For everything. For being so thickheaded. For hurting you. For that harebrained stunt I pulled at Flynn's tonight. For Jill," he said succinctly.

  "It was a stupid thing to do," she said.

  "Yes," he agreed.

  "I don't want you to do it again. Ever."

  "No," he agreed again, quickly. "I won't. Ever."

  "And I think you owe me a formal apology."

  "You got it," he said. "On my knees. In blood. Whatever you want."

  Faith smiled up at him, her whole heart in her eyes. "That won't be necessary. A simple 'I'm sorry' will suffice."

  "I'm sorry," he said instantly. "Abjectly sorry. I was a jerk. A fool," he added, remembering what Jill had said.

  "I think you owe Jill an apology, too."

  "I already apologized to Jill," he said, grinning as he remembered it. "She said she hoped you made me suffer before you took me back."

  "Should I?"

  "It's too late. You've already taken me back."

  "Yes. I guess I have, haven't I?" She snaked her arms up around his neck. "You might want to apologize to Sammie-Jo, too," she suggested.

  Jack lifted an eyebrow. "Sammie-Jo?"

  "She wants to rip your heart out by the roots," Faith told him.

  "Well, she's too late," he said, his voice rich with satisfaction. "I haven't got a heart anymore. I gave it to you, Angel."

  "Oh, Jack," she breathed, unbearably touched by his tacit admission of love. It wasn't the declaration she had hoped for but it was enough, for now. The rest would come later. "Jack," she said again, and lifted her lips to his.

  The kiss they shared this time was longer and deeper, a lovers' kiss. They were both trembling and eager in a moment, moving against each other to find a more satisfying angle, a more perfect fit. Jack lifted his head after a long moment, shifting his hands on her body to lift her into his arms, and carried her into the bedroom, feeling like a pirate with his hard-won treasure.

  His loving was lighthearted and playful at first, an expression of the joyous feeling within him. Faith answered him in kind, nuzzling and nipping as they rolled across the bed. And then their eyes met, and they stilled, staring at each other, suddenly breathless, and the mood changed.

  Jack cupped her face in his palms and turned it up to his so that he could look down into her eyes. "God, I love you, Angel," he said fervently. It felt so damned good to say it out loud like that, so right, that he said it again. "I love you."

  Faith smiled up into his eyes, her own brimming over with love and joy. "I love you, too, Jack," she said simply.

  "No one else will ever love you the way I do," he promised. "Age doesn't matter. Experience doesn't matter. Nothing matters. You were meant for me and nobody else. You're mine. Nobody else's. Mine."

  "I'm yours," she agreed. "And you're mine. Nobody else's. Mine."

  They broke apart then, and stood up beside the bed, never taking their eyes from each other while they undressed. When they were completely naked, they straightened and faced each other, like two people standing in front of an altar.

  "I promise to love you forever," Jack vowed, his hands light and still on her bare shoulders. "I promise to cherish and comfort and protect you for as long as I live."

  "I promise to love you forever," Faith echoed, her hands soft and cool against the bare skin at his waist. "I promise to cherish and comfort and protect you for as long as I live."

  They smiled at each other, then, tenderly, moving together like two people who'd just exchanged their wedding vows in front of all their friends and family. Their lips met first, warm and seeking. And then her breasts touched his chest, soft against his hardness. Her stomach touched his. And then their loins met, heat against raging heat, male against female.

  They sank to the bed together, clasped in each other's arms, their mouths eager and open, tasting, searching, seeking new angles and new pressures, new ways to get closer. And then Jack rolled over on top of her, stopping their search for the perfect kiss. He spread his fingers in her hair on either side her head, cupping his fingers around her skull, tilting her head back. He stared down at her for a moment, as if judging the angle, and then brought his mouth firmly down on hers.

  There was no hesitation in his kiss, no teasing nibble, no tentative thrust of his tongue into her mouth. It was sheer, raw, unadulterated possession. A man claiming his woman.

  Faith moaned and arched under him, her fingers digging into the small of his back, her slender legs lifting to wrap around his waist. She was shameless and eager and avid. A woman claiming her man.

  He slipped into her then, sinking into her body, filling her with his heat and hardness. She took him gladly, accepting him, accepting herself, surrounding him with her woman's softness.

  It was a meeting of true equals, a mating of partners. For a moment, just for a moment, it was enough in itself. And then they started to move—together. Climbing higher—together. Growing hotter and harder and softer—together. Until, together, they exploded into a whirling kaleidoscope of time and space.

  * * *

  Hours later, when the sun was full and bright in the morning sky, Jack slipped out of bed to make coffee. As he passed through the living room, his gaze was caught by a sudden movement in the mirror. He halted in midmotion and stared at it.

  Instead of his own reflection, naked and sated with love,
he saw a beautiful woman in a long pale dress. And somehow, Jack wasn't at all surprised to see her. She stared at him for a moment, as if she could see into his very soul, and then smiled, seeming to give a satisfied little nod before she disappeared. And Jack knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he'd just been granted both his greatest desire and his greatest fear.

  He was loved.

  And he loved.

  It was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to him.

  And the scariest.

  But he was happy. For the first time in twenty-five long, lonely years, he was truly happy and at peace with himself. And he owed it all to the angel lying asleep in his bed. His angel.

  The End

  Want more from Candace Schuler?

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  SEDUCED & BETRAYED

  The Hollywood Nights Series

  Book Two

  Excerpt from

  Seduced & Betrayed

  The Hollywood Nights Series

  Book Two

  by

  Candace Schuler

  Bestselling, award-winning Author

  SEDUCED & BETRAYED

  Reviews & Accolades

  "A poignant tale of tempestuous love that even time cannot defuse."

  ~Romantic Times

  "...true-to-life characters who forge a bond strong enough to carry them into the future."

  ~A Little Romance

  "A terrific love story..."

  ~Rendezvous

  "I want you out of here, Zeke," she said with quiet desperation. "Now."

  Zeke shook his head. "We need to talk."

  "You and I have nothing to say to each other."

  "We have a daughter," he said calmly, "who's planning a wedding. I'd say that gives us plenty to talk about." He reached out as if to touch her.

  She stepped back, out of reach. "You're right. It's time we declared a truce," she said. "For Cameron's sake."

  "You might start by looking at me," Zeke suggested, "instead of staring off over my left shoulder somewhere."

  "I look at you."

  "No. You don't," Zeke said. "He reached out again and grasped her chin, turning her face up to his. "Now you're looking at me," he said as she stood there, glaring up at him, wide blue eyes meeting smoldering brown for the first time in years.

  They both felt the pull.

  It was primal.

  Visceral.

  Frighteningly real.

  She's still got the deepest, bluest, most fathomless eyes in the world, he thought. And the sweetest, most kissable mouth known to man. And the softest skin imaginable. He'd always loved the way her skin felt under his fingertips, like warm living silk that responded to his slightest touch, as if she was fashioned to respond to him, and only him.

  He hasn't changed, Ariel thought. He still has a gaze that would melt the polar ice cap. And a mouth made to drive a woman crazy. And hard, gentle hands. She'd always loved the way his hands felt on her skin, his touch as knowing as if he'd programmed her every erotic response. Which in a way, he had.

  She swayed toward him, slightly. And he bent his head, slightly. And then they both gasped and jerked away as if they'd gotten too close to a flame.

  Seduced & Betrayed

  The Hollywood Nights Series

  Book Two

  by

  Candace Schuler

  ~

  To purchase

  Seduced & Betrayed

  from your favorite eBook Retailer,

  visit Candace Schuler's eBook Discovery Author Page

  www.ebookdiscovery.com/CandaceSchuler

  ~

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  Complete your Hollywood Nights journey

  with an excerpt from

  PASSION & SCANDAL

  The Hollywood Nights Series

  Book Three

  Excerpt from

  Passion & Scandal

  The Hollywood Nights Series

  Book Three

  by

  Candace Schuler

  Bestselling, award-winning Author

  PASSION & SCANDAL

  Awards & Accolades

  RITA Finalist

  Romance Writers of America

  REVIEWS

  "A fast-paced tale of love, betrayal, and murder... and delicious romantic tension to keep us turning those pages!"

  ~Romantic Times

  "A beautiful, heartwarming story with just enough mystery and other-worldly events to keep the story moving at a brisk pace."

  ~Rendezvous

  Steve gave her a narrowed look. "Sooner or later," he warned her, "that mouth's gonna get you in a whole lot of trouble."

  Willow pursed her shiny red lips at him in an exaggerated kissing motion. "Promises, promises," she taunted and turned to stroll toward the bar ahead of him, giving him a good look at the back of her snug black dress, which came to a V just below the curve of her waist.

  "Good God Almighty, woman," Steve rasped hoarsely, and she knew she'd hit her mark. "I'll get even with you for this," he growled.

  Willow laughed and kept on walking. "You're certainly welcome to try," she taunted.

  He caught up with her and turned her around to face him. "You want to yank on my chain a little more, fine. But this is between you and me, sweetheart. Let's keep it that way."

  He bent down and pressed a hard, possessive kiss on her astonished mouth, then whirled her around again and, hands firmly on her shoulders, headed her toward the bar.

  "You can let go of me any time now," she said as they threaded their way through the crowd.

  "Are you going to behave yourself?"

  "Define behave," she retorted.

  "Willow..." he said warningly and tightened his hands.

  "All right, tough guy. I'll behave."

  He let go of her.

  "But only because I wouldn't want to be responsible for a bar brawl," she added.

  He grinned at her. "God, you're a piece of work," he said admiringly.

  Willow bent her head, refusing to let him see her smile, and dug into her evening bag. "Here," she said and handed him a tissue. "Wipe your mouth off. You've got lipstick all over it."

  Passion & Scandal

  The Hollywood Nights Series

  Book Three

  by

  Candace Schuler

  ~

  To purchase

  Passion & Scandal

  from your favorite eBook Retailer,

  visit Candace Schuler's eBook Discovery Author Page

  www.ebookdiscovery.com/CandaceSchuler

  ~

  Discover more with

  eBookDiscovery.com

  Candace Schuler is a writer with a multiple personalities. In her 20+ year career, she has written software user guides, various types of instruction manuals, marketing collateral, grant proposals, case statements, case studies, business profiles, newsletters, press releases, white papers, speeches, scripts, short stories, a cookbook—and 26 (to date) romance novels.

  Candace credits her husband Joe and her love of travel with starting her career as a romance writer. It was his comments on a letter describing a trip to New Orleans that prompted her to try writing romance fiction.

  She wrote her first novel Desire's Child by hand on 12 yellow legal pads. It was published by Harlequin Books in September, 1984 (after she typed it into a computer, of course). Her second book A Cherished Account was published by New American Library under the pen name Jeanette Darwin just one month later. She is also published under the name Candace Spencer.

  Her books have appeared on the B. Dalton's and Waldenbooks bestseller lists and have twice been nominated by the Romance Writers of America for a RITA award in the Best Short Contemporary Romance category—in 1996 for Passion and Scandal and in 2003 for Good Time Girl. Good Time Girl also received the 2003 Scarlett Letter Award, presented by the Tampa Bay Romance Writers for excellence in sensual romance writing. Candace's books
have also received three Reviewers' Choice Awards from Romantic Times magazine. In 1992, she was awarded the Career Achievement Award as Series Story Teller of the Year by RT.

  She is currently in the process of digitizing her backlist for e-book publication.

  Other stuff:

  * Well and happily married to the love of her life

  * Mom to two 70-pound Dobermans who think they are lap dogs

  * Plants a garden every year in hopes of producing the perfect tomato

  * Bakes a to-die-for chocolate cheesecake

  * Is a Big Brother Big Sister volunteer

  * Buys way too many shoes

  * Holds the Grant Professional Certified credential

  * Is a member of Novelists, Inc.

  You can contact Candace through her website: www.candaceschuler.com

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  A Note from the Author

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Excerpt from SEDUCED & BETRAYED – The Hollywood Nights Series, Book 2

  Excerpt from PASSION & SCANDAL - The Hollywood Nights Series, Book 3

  Meet the Author