Escaping Memories

by Amanda Siegrist

  "You're worrying me that you won't fight for me. You said at one time that once I was in your arms you would never let go. It feels like you're letting go."

  "And I feel like I'm losing you. I'm afraid of you walking out of the door."

  "I haven't walked out yet. Help me with this dilemma, Sheriff," she whispered, her lips brushing against his.

  Logan grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up. His hands slid down her arms, caressing the sides of her breasts as he trailed to her underwear, hooking his fingers on the band and pulled them down in one sweet stroke. He grabbed a kiss, pressing into her as he ached to be inside of her. Her words tortured him. He never wanted her to worry about his feelings for her. He would show her exactly how he felt. He would lay his brand on every inch of her body. Although, he swore he already had. Except, he figured, the one thing that could sear into her heart.

  He shoved his pants and boxers down, never once breaking the kiss that spoke volumes. It consumed him, tore at his heart at the deep frenzied need he sensed from her. He felt her pain, and each time his tongue touched hers, he zapped a bit of it away.

  He picked her up and gently eased her down onto his hard shaft. The moment he felt himself fully wrapped in her softness, he broke the kiss and held her completely still. He wanted to savor the feeling of being committed to her in such an intimate embrace. He held her gaze, as he pressed deeper inside of her.

  "Never worry about how I feel about you. I will never let you go. Ever. I did say that and I meant it."

  He gently pulled out and back in as she grabbed him tighter around the neck and moaned in his ear. "You promise? Because that's not what it felt like."

  "I was trying to be reasonable and fair. But I'm done doing that. I'll never survive if you leave me." He started rocking her faster, deeper, as his words shot straight to her heart. She didn't think anything could make her feel better until he whispered in her ear as he shifted inside her, the passion overwhelming in every corner of her body. "I love you, Aubrey."

  She threw her head against the wall, cringing at the slight pain that vibrated within her. It slowly dissipated as she saw his love pour out of his eyes. She watched him curl his lips into that charming smile of his. She couldn’t remember any other time she felt such pure bliss or beautiful sensations coursing through her body every time he pulled out and back in with complete abandon. She would remember this moment for all eternity. She knew she would never tire of making new wonderful memories with this kindhearted, tender, caring man.

  And when the exciting, pulsating tingles of pleasure wove through her veins, he crushed his mouth against hers to block out the scream that wanted to escape. He eased the rough kiss into a warm tangle of lips as they both came down from the harmonious high. "I love you, Aubrey."

  "I love you, Logan. I definitely think I will need a lot of help in the future."

  His smile lit her face up with happiness. "I am the sheriff, I aim to help."

  ***

  "Do you ever wear an expression that doesn't look like a glare?" Kat asked, as she leaned against the porch railing and stared at Danny. His eyes were glued to the front door even though he could hear Deke shoving their bags into the car and should've been helping him.

  "Do you ever mind your own business?" he countered.

  "No."

  He looked away from the door to see her smirking at him. "I'm not going to miss you."

  "You wound me. And here I thought you would be pining over me," she replied, placing a mock hand on her chest as if in pain.

  "I will if you want. Hell, I'll even throw in a goodbye kiss," Deke said, joining Danny near the steps and gave Kat a devilish wink.

  "Sure. I like kisses." Kat bounded down the stairs and offered her cheek to Deke. He laughed, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. "I think I might actually miss you, Kat. You are one hell of a woman. A guy could drown really quickly in your presence."

  "Yeah, sure. That's why my door is flooded with tons of men falling at my feet." She glanced at Danny, his expression wiped clean of any emotion. He was so difficult to read at times. "You don't have to worry. I know, I know, you will anyway. She'll be fine here." Kat glanced at the door, wondering when Aubrey and Logan would come out of the house.

  "It's impossible not to worry. I haven't been away from my sister like this in…shit, since I left for the academy when my parents were alive. I am worried. Deathly worried." Danny turned around and took a few deep breaths, hating the sheriff more and more as each minute passed.

  "It's called a phone. And vacations and airplanes and visits. It's not like you'll never see me," Aubrey said, as she grabbed his shoulder and waited for him to turn around.

  Danny turned around and pulled her into a hug. "I can't help it. Are you sure you want to stay, Aubs?"

  "I love him, Danny. Please try to understand and be nice to him. He's a good man if you give him a chance. I'm a big girl. I'm twenty-five. It's time I spread my wings a little."

  He stepped back and tried to smile for her sake. He just found her and the pain in his heart felt like he lost her all over again. He glanced down at her hand. "What's that?"

  She held up the carefully wrapped bags and handed one to him and one to Deke. "Goodie bags. I made some cookies the last few days while you guys wrapped everything up with the case. And a few more things I saw in the pantry that I thought you might like for the plane ride. I wanted it to be a surprise. I never made you cookies before, so I hope you like them."

  He grabbed another hug from her. "I'm sure I'll love 'em. I'm going to miss you."

  "I'll miss you, too. A phone call away, remember."

  "Let's go, man. We'll miss our flight if we don't hit the road," Deke said clapping him on the back. He walked towards Logan and held his hand out. "Sheriff, it's been a pleasure. Take care of Aubs for us. I trust you'll do a fine job."

  Logan shook his hand. "I will. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon. Aubrey needs to take care of her apartment, so I see a road trip in the near future."

  "I still can't believe you kept my apartment this whole time," Aubrey said to Danny as she shook her head in disbelief. "I mean, where did you get the money to keep up my rent?"

  "It's nothing for you to worry about. Take your time. Make sure this is where you want to be. Your rent's paid up for the next few months anyway."

  "Danny…" Aubrey said with veiled patience.

  "Yeah, yeah, I'm giving him a chance. Can't you tell?" Danny stepped towards Logan and held his hand out. His friendly smile did not fool Logan. He grabbed his hand and Danny leaned into the shake. "You hurt my sister in any way and I'll kill you. I know many forms of disposing of a body."

  "Funny. Me too," Logan said with just as friendly of a smile. "I love your sister. It's the last thing I would ever do."

  Danny held his grip on Logan's hand, exerting a certain amount of pressure to get his point across. The longer he held Logan's stare, the more he saw how much he didn't need to worry about Aubrey. He saw the love the damn sheriff had for his sister. It pissed him off for some reason. "You think you'll have it easy with her, you're wrong. Just wait until that demon comes out. She's more of a rebel than you know."

  "I look forward to it. I love every part of her." Logan glanced at their hands. "Can I have my hand back? The threat was enough to get your brotherly point across."

  Danny let his hand go and glanced at Kat. "Bye, Kat."

  "See ya, Danny boy." She laughed as he cringed at the nickname.

  Danny and Deke grabbed one more hug from Aubrey and walked to the car. Deke climbed into the driver's seat, but as Danny almost slid into the passenger side, Seth pulled into the driveway. He had been scarce the last few days, so his abrupt presence was a bit of a shock to Danny. He didn't expect to see him again. Seth got out of his truck and headed straight for him.

  "Safe trip, Agent O'Rourke. It was nice meeting you. I have to say, I'm happy to see Aubrey standing by my brother."

  "I'm still making a judgment cal
l about that. But I took your words into account. I'll be gunning for you first if he hurts her," Danny replied.

  "Sure, whatever, I'll take the first hit for my brother. It's the least I deserve. He'll never hurt her, though."

  "Yeah, he better not. See you around, Seth. Stay out of trouble. Your brother has enough to worry about with Aubrey."

  Seth turned around and glanced at them, a sweet smile on Aubrey's face. "I'm not sure what you mean. Aubrey's a sweetheart."

  Danny climbed into his seat and laughed. "Yeah, she is. Until she gets a mind of her own and doesn't feel like listening to you. You'll see." He shut his door and gave a slight wave as Deke backed out of the driveway.

  Seth shuffled his feet a bit, then turned around and walked up to the rest of the gang. He put his hands up and shrugged in an innocent gesture. "I acted like an ass…again, and I'm sorry." He combed a hand through his hair, scratching down to his neck and rubbed for a few moments as he waited for Logan, or anyone, for that matter, to answer. The eerie silence grated on his nerves.

  "You look like shit," Kat said, pointing to his eye that still covered his features with an ugly discoloration.

  "I love you, too, sis," Seth said with a smile, bringing his eyes to Logan. "I didn't mean to put my foot in my mouth. I said I was sorry, Logan. What else do you want me to say?"

  "I just want to know you're okay. You haven't been around the last few days. I already forgot about that mess. Let's move on. It doesn't matter anymore." Logan walked up to him, pulling him into a quick hug with a small pat on the back. "We're good, Seth."

  "Good. Thanks, Logan." Seth gave Aubrey a charming smile, the same one that reminded her of Logan. "How are you? I'm so glad you decided to stay. Logan's a lucky guy."

  Aubrey curled into Logan's embrace as he threw an arm around her. "I like to think I'm pretty lucky as well. And I'm fine, Seth. Each day is a better day. Some memories I'm trying to forget and thankfully I am surrounded by wonderful people who are helping with that."

  Kat clapped her hands together. "Great! Let's play some cards."

  Logan and Seth instantly groaned as Aubrey squealed with excitement. "Can I pick the game? I love War!"

  "Ugh, you always win at that game. Fine, but then I pick the next one," Kat said as she started up the steps, glancing at Logan and Seth who stood frozen. "It's not going to kill you two to play one game."

  "You're a maniac when you play. I haven't heard good things about Aubrey either." Seth looked at Aubrey with a tender smirk as she deviously smiled back. "Alright, I'm in for one game and that's it."

  Seth followed Kat into the house while Aubrey grabbed Logan's hand and tugged on it. "You're going to play, right?"

  "I seriously hate playing with Kat. And the last time I watched you play, you were almost as ruthless as her." Logan chuckled as he walked up the stairs with her.

  She stopped him, planting a hot kiss on his lips that melted him to the bones. "You promised you would play with me. You still haven't delivered on that."

  "I was thinking more of a private game where we make it interesting. Something along the lines of…I don't know, strip poker," Logan said, kissing her lips again as he trailed a soft hand down her back and cupped her butt.

  "I like that idea. Maybe we could kick Kat and Seth out," Aubrey said, leaning in for another kiss.

  "You know we can't do that. We can, however, kick their butts at cards, then kick them out."

  He tangled his tongue one more time with hers, pulling her closer as her tiny moan made him ache for so much more. He pulled his lips away, kissing down her neck and back up to her ear where he took a nibble as she moved to the beat of his kisses. "Aubrey…you have no idea how much I love you. I'll show you every day of my life just how much."

  "And I'll hold you to that. I've always felt lost in life. I feel like I've truly been found for the first time. Don't ever leave me. I love you too much."

  He wrapped her in a hug, letting the peace that settled in his soul make itself at home. "Never. You're in my arms and that's where you'll stay."

  ***

  Thanks for reading my book and I hope you enjoyed it. I would love to hear your feedback. Please leave a review.

  Thanks!

  Amanda Siegrist

  For a sweet love story check out

  Protecting You

  A McCord Family Novel

  Ava Rainer is on the top of her game. Good life, good job, great friends—especially Detective Jimmy McCord. Not everyone appreciates their friendship, particularly Jimmy's brother Zane. He thinks she's there to tear his family apart. She met him once with no desire to meet again. She would do anything for Jimmy, though. She sadly found out he would do anything for her.

  Tragedy strikes, leaving Ava under the depths of despair, struggling to climb her way out. Wishing that Jimmy were there to help pull her out of her turmoil, she finds herself face-to-face again with Zane. Can he ever forgive her for breaking his family apart? Can he help her move on with life and find the peace she desperately needs? Or will the pain and heartache tear them apart even more?

  For a sweet love story check out

  Trust in Love

  A McCord Family Novel

  Life is good. Life is better. Austin misses his brother Jimmy, but he still has his brother Zane—and Ava, who constantly meddles in his love life. Or lack thereof. He just wants fun and a woman to keep his bed warm. He doesn't need love, nor want it. He tried love once, the pain still fresh in his heart. Why can't she understand that and leave him alone? He does the only thing he can think of. He moves out to get some space, some fresh air.

  Life is safe. Life finally feels free. Sophie Greene needs her new life to get better, not stay on the path of pain and destruction. Her hopes are dashed when the first person she meets scares her to the bones—Austin. And he lives right next door to her. Maybe life isn't going to get better.

  Austin's puzzled by his new neighbor. Her skittish behavior, her refusal to accept any of his offering's of help. He's just being neighborly. He would never dabble with his neighbor. Never! Except the temptation overwhelms him every time he sees her beautiful angelic face. He wants her and he can't deny it. But does he want to fall in love? Does he want to risk that chance of feeling pain if she doesn't love him back? How can he even try when she constantly takes two steps back when he steps near her?

  For an exciting adventure check out

  Sunrise Awakening

  Maddie Dalton's ready for a challenge. She wants to bring a little more excitement to her life, so she takes a new project a few towns over. But her excitement becomes more than she bargained for when she meets Jake. He thrills her, incites a deep burning of desire she had been waiting to feel all her life. That drop you to your knees, hold your breath, everything slows to a stop, kind of moment. Life becomes further challenging, to her horror, when eerie things start happening to her. She wants to tell Jake, but his protectiveness tries her patience. She can take care of herself!

  Jake Anders is enjoying small-town life since leaving the big city. He just wants to move on with an easy, quiet life and pursue a relationship with Maddie. He's finally found the one. Until one day, a murder stuns the town. The Chief of Police informs him the case is all his. To make matters worse, he knows something's bothering Maddie. Why won't she just tell him? He will do anything to keep her safe...including telling her what to do for her own good.

  As he digs deeper into the murder, the terror creeping into the town surrounds them. Can Jake find this killer before he strikes again? Can he keep the town safe? But the real question that presses on his mind...how can he keep Maddie safe when she refuses to listen to him?

  For an exciting adventure check out

  Sunset Darkening

  Lucas Dalton just wants to move on with his life—do his job. He wants to focus on finding the man who killed three women and nearly took the life of his sister. It remains difficult with all the reporters flooding his door. He finally has a moment of peace until
one fateful day she knocks on his door.

  Elle Conners just wants her position back at the LA Chronicle as the top reporter. The only way she can do that is to get an exclusive interview with Officer Dalton or his sister, Maddie. Only problem is—he's not cooperating and won't let her near Maddie.

  On top of fighting off Elle—and not just because she's a reporter. Lucas now has more murders to contend with in his town. Is the man he's been searching for back? Or has a new terror entered his life?

  About the Author

  I am a stay-at-home mom with two beautiful little girls. They are high energy (as I'm sure most kids are) and give me occasional breaks to put my thoughts down on my lustrous computer. I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice, working in that field for several years before the opportunity came for me to stay home with my girls. When I'm not trying to create a wonderful reading experience for you, I am enjoying my time with my children and my incredible husband, Will. I hope you enjoy the story and I plan to write many more. I have a few more amazing stories in the works. If you would like to see what will be coming in the near future, head to my website at http://www.amandasiegrist.weebly.com. Or you can also check out my Facebook Page or follow me on Twitter (@amanda_siegrist). Thanks for reading!