All I ever wanted was a home—stability, hard walls, and roots so deep they could withstand the strongest storm. Through long hours and determination, I was finally on my way, signing contracts for my brick and mortar ship, and beginning to feel settled for the first time in my life.
But the night I met John Eaton, I felt that stability crumble. His smile was a mixture of little boy and pure devil at the same time. I knew his type, knew the sort of games that came with men like him.
So I pushed. But he pulled harder. I tried to fight it, to shove away the connection that clawed at my heart, but it was too late. Roots dug in, grew deep, and twisted. John fell for me, and I for him. He was impossible to resist. I was his.
But a secret is a dangerous thing. Held for too long, it can rip a life apart.
Destroy the man I loved.
Destroy us.
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Excerpt:
The
rain was coming hard and fast as I stood in the middle of the shop. Row after
row of pieces were laid out on the floor in front of me like a puzzle, all
alphabetized, just as I’d done before. And just like last time, slot X was
missing. I grabbed the box and held it upside down, shaking it a few times,
praying that somewhere, slot X was hidden inside. Nothing. It was empty.
Completely empty.
I
lifted my glasses and rubbed my eyes. Hard. This wasn’t happening. This really
wasn’t happening. I could feel the blood boiling under the surface of my
skin, and I took a calming breath. You can go back to the warehouse in the
morning, get a totally different unit. Or better yet, try to find something
already assembled. The pressure of the last few days was crushing me. I
needed sleep, I needed a vacation, a day at the beach with a mojito in my hand.
But… the shop hadn’t even opened yet.
Then
I heard a loud ping from behind me, echoing through the silence of the
empty back room. It was a sound I’d heard a few other times in my life, but one
that was never welcomed. I turned around, just in time to hear it again. The
sound of water—dripping. Another drop of rain hit the metal counter in the
middle of the room, and I closed my eyes. This was a nightmare. There was no
way I could handle this. I was out of money, running out of product, and out of
time. I could handle going to the warehouse in the morning. I could handle
losing another day of work, but a leak in the roof was something I just
couldn’t take.
Then
it came again, the sound barely audible, but one that caused every cell in my
body to explode. I picked up a piece of shelving from the floor and slammed it
as hard as I could against the counter. I let out a cry, the impact so heavy it
caused my palms to ache—but the shelf remained perfectly intact. I wanted to
scream. I needed it broken. I needed something to take the pressure from
my life. Tears fell to my cheeks, and my whole body began to shake. I lifted
the shelf over my head and slammed it down again. Harder. Then again, and
again, and—and someone grabbed me from behind and hauled me against their
chest.
“Shhh…
It’s okay, you’re okay.”
John
wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me backward, holding my shaking body
firm against his. I lowered my arms, letting the solid board fall in one piece
to the ground. Defeated.
“You’re
okay. Shhh…”
I
wrapped my arms around my waist, trying to hide that part of me away. To shield
the evidence of my pain. This was all I ever wanted, the thing I’d been
dreaming of since I was eight years old. To own something that was mine. But
every day I could feel it slipping, and I didn’t have it in me to hold on any
longer. My body sagged, and he held me closer, harder, causing the vibrations
in my limbs to sink into his.
I
didn’t know why he was doing this. Or even why he was here. But most of all, I
didn’t know why I was letting him. Things would be awkward in the morning, I
knew that, but for some reason, I couldn’t pull away. I was weak and he was strong.
I needed strength. I didn’t even care at what cost.
“You’re
okay.”
I shook my head, feeling another tear
slip into the corner of my mouth. “How do you know?” My voice was broken,
hoarse. “Everything is falling apart.”
Author Spotlight:
Taylor is a contemporary romance author who loves writing stories about real people. Ones with hopes, dreams, fears, insecurities, and flaws. She loves to read as much as she loves to write, and is thrilled to share her first novel with you.
When Taylor isn’t writing, she can often be found with her nose in a book, her face behind a camera, or spending time with her husband and three young children.
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