Jeremy looks at me in silence for a long, scary moment. For a second, I’m afraid I spoke too soon, revealed the secret too early—spoken too rashly. I can see his mind working, fitting in this information with his view of me, and the world…
Finally, he stirs, “You waited this long to tell me. Why?”
“I didn’t want you to blame yourself for what you did to me if you found out it was without cause. I wanted to protect you. All you’ve done, with me in the collar, I’ve forgiven. Because of love.”
“Love is what we have,” Jeremy agrees. “And our bond is strengthened by your honesty.” He squeezes my hand. “Thank you, for telling me.”
“You’re not mad?”
He laughs. It’s a rich deep laugh. “No, Lilly I’m not. I love you.” He tucks my hair behind my ear. “Anything outside of that is just noise.”
I beam at him, elated. He kisses me once more.
***
That night, for the first time ever, we make love as husband and wife.
Many hours later, I’m lying against Jeremy’s chest, staring off into nothing as he slumbers beneath me. Jeremy is a heavy sleeper when he’s fully satiated.
My husband’s a heavy sleeper when he’s satiated, I correct, then drift away on that thought…
Until Jeremy starts to stir. He begins mumbling words I cannot understand. His body starts to jerk beneath me, back and forth, back and forth. “No,” he gasps. “No, Lilly, no, don’t look away, no, I’m coming for you, Lilly, Lilly, LILLY!”
Immediately I’m up and alert. I shake him by the shoulders. “Jeremy. Jeremy, wake up!”
“No, no,” he keeps gasping. “Don’t look away…”
“Jeremy!” I scream. I slap him across the face. His eyes pop open. He jolts up in bed, nearly knocking me over in the process. He’s breathing hard, his nostrils flare, and every muscle fiber of his upper body is straining, flexing…
Then he sees me. The sight makes him relax. His shoulders slump down.
He reaches up and touches my face. “Lilly…” he whispers. “Lilly Stonehart. I had a dream. I almost lost you. You wouldn’t look at me.”
“Never,” I tell him. I turn my lips into his hand and kiss his palm. “I’ll never look away. It was a nightmare, Jeremy. Nothing more. I’m here. I’m yours. For life.”
“For life,” he mutters. The words seem to give him strength. “Yes. Yes. I like that.”
“You know I’d never leave you, right?” I ask.
“Of course,” he whispers. But the nightmare is still fresh in his mind, and it fills his voice with doubt.
I take his hand. “Come with me,” I say. “I want to show you something.”
I lead Jeremy out of bed, through the quiet hall, and into the private room I’d converted into my painting studio. Jeremy’s not once been in here since I made my claim. He’s given me the privacy I need.
But now, finally, I feel ready to share with him the painting I’m most proud of. It’s the same one I’ve worked on for weeks.
I walk him to the easel. A dark cloth covers the canvas. “Stay here,” I say, as I turn away to increase the dimmer. A soft yellow light fills the room.
I come back to Jeremy, who’s watching me curiously. “I want to show you what I’ve been painting all this time,” I murmur faintly. “I wasn’t ready before, but now…I am.”
I reach for the cloth and pull it away.
Jeremy’s breath catches.
I look at the painting, so full of flaws, but so representative of all that I’ve been through.
It’s a panoramic of the view from the sunroom. The sea is stormy and dark clouds fill the sky. A single, gleaming white pillar stand in the middle of it. Beside it, the shape of a frail, decrepit girl, almost a skeleton, supporting herself with one arm. She’s looking out at the dark, raging sea.
“That’s you,” Jeremy says, pointing at the girl.
“No,” I say. “It’s who I could have been.” I take his hand and move it to the side, where two dark figures are hidden by the night. They’re standing together, a man and a woman, looking in from outside the window at the poor girl.
Neither have any care for the storm going on behind them.
“That’s me,” I correct. “And that’s you. We’re both on the outside, see? Looking in at the ghosts of our past. The sky, the storm, see how that doesn’t touch us? Do you see the rain falling everywhere? But we’re not wet. Do you know why?”
“Why?” Jeremy asks.
“The storm doesn’t touch us because you protect me. I protect you. We are each other’s guardian. The clouds, the angry waves, the awful gales…those are representative of our troubled past. My own childhood, and yours. It represents all the struggles we’ve been through and overcome. It is our history, and even though it is always there, it cannot touch us. Not anymore. Because…”
“Because we have each other.” Jeremy finishes for me. His voice is choked with emotion. “Lilly, this is spectacular. I can’t believe you withheld it from me for so long.”
“It wasn’t done,” I say. “It’s still not finished.”
“It looks complete to me,” he says.
“No,” I shake my head. “Not quite. It—“
I break off with a gasp. Sudden inspiration strikes.
I step away from Jeremy and grab my pencils. Quickly I sketch out the shape of a bird, a large bird, taking flight from the cliffs. The cloud cover—no, it’s too much. I dab a bit of white over it, softening the harshness of the sky. I draw a beam of light, a thin, precious ray, breaking through the clouds and shining onto the bird.
Jeremy watches me work in utter silence. It’s the first time he’s witnessed me paint.
The bird—I add details to it. I give it soft wings, glistening with a hint of moisture. A perfect beak, a little head. I emphasize the light, making the bird stand out against the other dark colors. Making the bird pure white. But making it somehow ethereal, too.
And then it’s complete. I drop my brush and stare. Everything…everything has come together perfectly.
“It’s a dove,” Jeremy murmurs.
“Yes,” I confirm. “The dove brings peace. It symbolizes forgiveness. And this one… it’s not just any dove, Jeremy. It’s a spirit dove. The one I once took in.” I look at him. “But it’s free now. just like I am. Just like I am free, with you.” I cast an arm over the painting. “The whole thing…shows all we’ve been through. Our past and our future merged into one.” I tap the end of my brush at the skeletal girl. “This was the darkest time of my life. If I could get through it, face that and live, twice, with you and with Esteban, well…” I glance up at Jeremy, then shift the brush tip to the two figures looking inside, “Well, just imagine what we will do together, when we return to America…” I thread my fingers through his. “As husband and wife.”
Jeremy holds me tight, and in that moment, I know he’ll never let go.
THE END
BONUS SECTION: Introduction to the remainder of the Box Set
So... that was Uncovering You!
What’s next?
Tons.
The first book I included is LANDON, which I published October 23, 2015. It’s a complete, contemporary romance stand-alone. It’s probably the book I’m most proud of. Here’s the description:
Can one night change your life? I never thought so.
But can one night with the right man change everything?
I am about to find out...
Fearful of exposing the secret she's been hiding for years, Celeste Adams never lets feelings seep into her relationships with men. But when one sinful night introduces her to a gorgeous stranger she cannot simply forget, her resolve to remain unattached is threatened...
She resists the temptation to seek out more, while forging ahead on plans to recreate herself as a graduate student at the University of Chicago. And she does just fine, until that very same stranger waltzes back into her life as the very sexy, and very unattainable...
> Professor James Landon.
... Suddenly our lives are thrown together on a collision course of the deepest passions. Neither of us knows how far this will lead. How powerful these feelings will become.
Or, that our love is doomed from the very start.
After LANDON is Never Let Go, which I wrote just before the first Uncovering You book. It’s a new adult novel, and a lot lighter and friendlier than Uncovering You or LANDON or anything else. Lots of readers loved it... so if you’re looking for something breezy, check it out!
Here’s the description:
Inspired by true events...
The first day of college gives every girl a chance to reinvent herself.
I go and screw mine up by meeting the most gorgeous guy I've seen in five years while talking to my cat.
But Andrew Crowner is far from judgmental. By the end of our interaction, he has me smitten by his easy manner and kind smile. And from the way his eyes linger on me before he leaves, I start to think that maybe I’ve caught his attention, too.
I let myself believe that luck may finally be on my side. That is, until I stumble on my roommate, and her overnight guest: Spencer Ashford.
Lean, tattooed, and sexy as sin, Spencer is exactly the type I need to avoid. I would have no trouble with that... were it not for his swift and inexplicable interest in me.
Suddenly, I go from a girl with next-to-no experience with boys to one caught in the crosshairs of two completely different men.
Andrew's interest is wholesome and sweet. Spencer's is edgy and raw. My choice should be easy. But there are always complications, and sometimes, matters of the heart take the least expected turns.
There’s more! At the start of 2013 I wrote a pair of books called Change of Heart. There was a Part One and a Part Two. Both books are included in this box set! This is a complete story that ends in a total HEA.
After Change of Heart? You’ll find Yours to Savor, which was my first book ever written. It also ends in a HEA. It’s more of a contemporary romance, and if you read it you’ll find that I was still discovering my writing style at that point...
Which brings me to the final book of the box set: The Alastair Affair. It’s my newest dark romance series, published this November (2015!). The second book is already out (but not in the box set) – but don’t worry! It’s available for free on Kindle Unlimited. And just $0.99 otherwise.
So... I really hope you keep reading, and check out the bonus books. Scroll through and see which ones catch your fancy. I put a lot of effort into every single one, so would love for new readers to discover my previous books!
~Scarlett
November 2015
LANDON
A Stand-Alone Contemporary Romance by
Scarlett Edwards
Copyright © 2015 Edwards Publishing, Ltd
eBook ASIN: B016DA1CIO
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Cover design by Scarlett Edwards
First Edition: October 2015
Book Description:
LANDON is a STANDALONE, CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE NOVEL from the best-selling author of Uncovering You.
Can one night change your life? I never thought so.
But can one night with the right man change everything?
I am about to find out...
Fearful of exposing the secret she's been hiding for years, Celeste Adams never lets feelings seep into her relationships with men. But when one sinful night introduces her to a gorgeous stranger she cannot simply forget, her resolve to remain unattached is threatened...
She resists the temptation to seek out more, while forging ahead on plans to recreate herself as a graduate student at the University of Chicago. And she does just fine, until that very same stranger waltzes back into her life as the very sexy, and very unattainable...
Professor James Landon.
... Suddenly our lives are thrown together on a collision course of the deepest passions. Neither of us knows how far this will lead. How powerful these feelings will become.
Or, that our love is doomed from the very start.
Dedication
LANDON’s dedicated to the three girls who made it possible.
To my bestest friends in the whole wide world for letting all her ailments become inspiration for this story, while neglecting her husband and fifteen kids – seriously! – to do it.
(And thanks for cracking the whip when needed.)
And to Ox.
And to R... wherever you are.
- Scarlett Edwards
October 23, 2015
PART ONE
Foreword
1.
I’m Celeste. I’m not exactly innocent, but I’m not entirely a slut, either.
Though some would have you believe otherwise.
I have a few rules that I developed in college:
The first is, never sleep with the same man twice.
That came after my heartbreak with Brad.
The second is that if you must sleep with the same man twice, never spend the night.
That came after my heartbreak with Brad.
The third is that if you must spend the night, never, ever (God forbid) develop feelings.
That—you guessed—came after my heartbreak with Brad.
And you know what? I was doing pretty good abiding by those rules.
That is, of course… until he came along.
PART TWO
Seduction
1.
“I’ve been watching you all night.”
The voice is soft as a breeze rustling through the leaves of an orchard. It’s cool and unhurried, a marked contrast to the wild hollering of the party outside.
I turn around, searching the dark for the man.
I don’t see him.
My fingers tighten around the edge of the counter. I’d come in here to get a breather. I told Summer I was way too tired after my nine-hour flight to hit a party the same day.
She insisted I come anyway.
She promised we’d have fun, that we’d drink and dance and flirt with the guys just like we had back in high school. Then she’d poked me in the ribs in that dismissive way of hers and commented, “You need to live while you’re still young. Clock’s ticking, you know.”
She had no idea how closely that comment had cut.
I agreed, if only to prove her wrong, and she promised to keep me safe.
But I haven’t seen her since she locked eyes with a tall, preppy blonde less than five minutes in, out on the deck.
How she scored us both invitations to a yacht party, I’ll never know.
“Over here,” the man continues. “To your left.”
I follow the sound of his voice. I see his dim outline against a corner chaise. He’s lounging on it, one arm draped over the back.
I wish I could see his face, but I cannot. He sounds sober, unlike the scores of men who’ve been sloppily hitting on me outside.
I, on the other hand, am definitely feeling a little tipsy. I told Summer this isn’t my scene now, but it used to be. I’m no angel. I’ve had my share of sordid hookups and raucous partying and crazy nights that would make the loosest groupie blush.
But I promised myself I would leave all that behind come grad school, especially since I’d be living with my old best friend. After five years apart from each other, I wanted to focus more on our friendship than on random hookups with guys.
Summer, however, seems to have arrived with the opposite mindset.
“Do I know you?” I ask, swinging my head to clear the hair from my eyes.
He swirls the scotch glass in his hand. “No,” he says. “Not yet. A
nd that is what makes you so tantalizing.”
In a single, fluid motion, he stands. His eyes reflect the light. For a split-second, I am spellbound by a brilliant green. “You will soon.”
I cross my arms, deciding the standoffish approach might cut right through his bullshit. So many men I’ve encountered have been the same. They talk a big game, but when push comes to shove, they scamper off like mice.
“Did you follow me inside?” I ask, perking an eyebrow to show I’m not amused.
He strolls across the room, taking the slowest path toward me. He’s not drunk, just… serene. Measured.
My eyes dart behind him of their own accord. He’s also blocking the only exit from the inner cabin.
He laughs. “No,” he says. “But I’ve been waiting for you… to come to me.”
He stops at my side, definitely too close for a simple stranger. But I’m out to show that I won’t be intimidated by him.
I don’t budge.
He puts his glass on the bar. He’s facing it. I’m facing away. If I turn my shoulder slightly, I won’t even see him.
But my hands are right back on the edge and gripping tight.
His hand comes down to the bar, and he places it a hair’s breadth away from my own. I wait for him to speak, unwilling to initiate anything. But I have to admit: the growing silence is making me uncomfortable.
“Where’s your friend?” he finally asks. He lifts his pinky finger and moves it in a short line along my wrist.
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