Cover Reveal...Hot-Blooded by Kendall Grey

If Robert Rodriquez (Sin City), Tony Soprano, and David Lynch (Twin Peaks) made sweet love to a Hawaiian version of The Bride (Uma Thurman’s character from Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill), the resulting spawn might look like Kendall Grey’s upcoming mystery/suspense/supernatural thriller, HOT-BLOODED.

The first installment in the Ohana series, HOT-BLOODED is set on the island of Maui and is wrapped in the light and dark watercolors of Hawaiian culture, history, and mythology. It’s about guns, drugs, surfing, and tiki monsters. HOT-BLOODED tells the tale of a ballsy, half-Hawaiian angel-turned-demon, the duplicitous assassin who falls for her, and the blessings and curses of family—all wrapped up in freaky, supernatural gift paper.

Here’s the description:

WARNING: HOT-BLOODED does NOT end with a happily ever after. It contains drug use and graphic sex, language, and violence. The story is intended to entertain, not to condone or glorify illegal or immoral activities. This book is unsuitable for sensitive readers and those under the age of 18.
*Written in 3rd person. Contains a massive cliffhanger and multiple POVs.

Ohana is everything…

When an accident claims her mother’s life, Keahilani Alana must take charge of her ohana (family) or risk losing what little they have. With an underage brother to care for and no education, she has few options. The door to a heavenly hellish opportunity opens when she stumbles upon a valuable secret her mother left behind on the slopes of an extinct volcano—a legacy that tempts the family with riches beyond their wildest dreams. But the secret is much bigger and more sinister than they realize. As reality unravels and exposes eerie truths about the ohana that should have remained deep under the mountain, Keahilani must either resist the call of her blood or risk being consumed by its darkness.

Blake Murphy is an assassin working to infiltrate a new Hawaiian cartel. His investigation reveals that Keahilani, the sexy surfing instructor he pegged as an informant, is much closer to the drug ring than he thought. Passion ignites between them in the bedroom, but their ironclad ties to opposing interests pit them against each other everywhere else.

When tensions reach the breaking point and her ohana is threatened, the only cure for Keahilani’s hot-blooded fury is a loaded clip with a body bag chaser.

They don’t call her Pele for nothing.

Here’s the cover, designed by Renee Coffey:

So, are you up for a steamy, violent descent into tropical-island madness with a supernatural twist? If so, you can add HOT-BLOODED to your Goodreads TBR here. The release date hasn’t been announced yet, but Kendall is shooting for the end of June or early July. Stay tuned!
You can stalk Kendall on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Amazon, or her web site.

Playing with the Prop by Mina Carter

Playing with the Prop by Mina Carter 

Release Date: 4/29 

Never mix business with pleasure...

A physical therapist for sucessful Rugby team, the Strathstow Sharks, Ashley's golden rule is never to mix business and  pleasure. She loves her job and the guys she looks after, and doesn't want to jeapardise her place with the team. As nicely put together as her charges are, she's never found herself remotely tempted. 

Until now. 

Harry James, the team's newest prop gives her butterflies in her stomach every time she has to treat him, and her fantasies involving his hard, muscled body and sinful lips keep her hot and bothered at night. Luckily, he shows no sign of having noticed her attraction, and hasn't shown any interest in her...

She's been his from the moment he saw her...

Harry James marked the pretty little physio the first day they met. For the last year he's been biding his time, and trying to get her attention. So much so, it's gained him a few nicknames in the squad. Not that anyone would dare tell her. 

When the Sharks win big on Harry's birthday, can he stop at claiming a birthday kiss, or will he want everything she has to give?

Excerpt

Moving through the mass of people between them like the shark he was, he homed in. She didn’t see him until the last minute, her gasp audible when he reached her and slid an arm around her waist. She relaxed as soon as she recognized him, her lips curving up into a devastating grin, and he got the full effect of her done up for a night out. He’d never seen her wear makeup before, and he wouldn’t be able to say what she was wearing past lipstick. Whatever she’d done, it made her eyes appear all tilted and cat-like, emphasized her cheekbones and made his attention zero in on her lips. Her kissably soft lips. The sort of look that brought big men to their knees begging for a taste, and he was about as big as it got. He had to check himself to be sure he wasn’t standing there with his mouth open.

“Hey there, sexy. Looking for someone?” he asked with a smile, careful not to just haul her to him and kiss the life out of her. Patience, he needed patience. She’d turned up, after all.

“You made me jump!”

She tapped his arm, accusation stretched across her face. She was still smiling so he wasn’t worried that he’d scared her. Besides, it hadn’t escaped his noticed that she’d turned toward him within his hold or that her hand lingered on his upper arm after she slapped him. Bare inches separated their bodies before she turned to glance around the bar, just for a moment, but that was enough. His entire body tightened, lungs frozen on a breath while his body reacted in a predictably male way. Locking the reaction down before she could notice, he turned her toward the bar where the rest of the lads were.

“Sorry, sweet stuff, I’m just pleased to see you,” he said, maneuvering her in front of him. “Hey! Coming through. Move it aside.”

She shot him a look over her shoulder as the crowd in front parted like the Red Sea. “Really? So I don’t need to check your pockets for a gun then?”

He blinked at her teasing glance. Full-on rabbit in the headlights until she turned around to watch her footing. Fucking hell. Okay, he hadn’t expected that. Not at all. He knew she was sharp, she had to be working with players who liked to take the piss, but the flirtatious note was new. He liked it though. Hell, did he like it.

“Sweetheart, you can check out my pockets, and anything else, any time you like.”

They reached the bar, and he motioned to the selection of drinks already lined up. The lads went for the “order one of everything and drink until it was gone” approach, but he was more than happy to order anything else she wanted.

Selecting a glass of wine, she lifted it to her lips but paused before taking a sip, watching him over the rim. “Really now? I might just have to take you up on that offer.”

Holy shit.

Heat hit him in the groin. An intense conflagration that galvanized his entire body. To stop himself from reaching for her, he picked up another pint. If he didn’t do something, he’d kiss her senseless, and more, right there in front of the entire bar.

“We can do that. Later,” he murmured, and took a fortifying gulp of his drink.

Later. Crap. If he lasted that long.

Welcome to our celebration! Join the party! 

https://www.facebook.com/events/650338368352972/ 

April 29th

Meet Mina:

Mina was born and raised in the East Farthing of Middle Earth (otherwise known as the Midlands, England) and spend her childhood learning all the sorts of things generally required of a professional adventurer. Able to ride, box, shoot, make and read maps, make chainmail and use a broadsword (with varying degrees of efficiency) she was disgusted to find that adventuring is not considered a suitable occupation these days.

So, instead of slaying dragons and hunting vampires and the like, Mina spends her days writing about hot shifters, government conspiracies and vampire lords with more than their fair share of RAWR. Turns out wanna-be adventurers have quite the turn of imagination after all…

(But she keeps that sword sharp, just in case the writing career is just a dream and she really *is* an adventurer.)

The boring part: A full time author and cover artist, Mina can usually be found hunched over a keyboard or graphics tablet, frantically trying to get the images and words in her head out and onto the screen before they drive her mad. She’s addicted to coffee and would like to be addicted to chocolate, but unfortunately chocolate dislikes her. Stalker Links:

Website: http://mina-carter.com Facebook Profile: http://facebook.com/mina.carter Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/minacarterauthor Twitter: http://twitter.com/minacarter Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Mina-Carter/e/B002BOH5R4/ Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2920063.Mina_Carter Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/minacarter77

Mina's other titles: Amazon Books

Squirm by Cari Silverwood

Squirm, an erotic parody

by

Cari Silverwood

A parody of everything great and weird in erotic romance that could be stuffed into one book without it exploding.

For some girls, one tentacle isn't enough.

Having a bad day isn't good but when Virginia Chaste has a bad day, she gets felt up by a tentacle monster. If it simply has to happen, let it at least be a billionaire and a hot biker.

Virginity isn't all it's cracked up to be and her search for the Holy Grail of Erotic Romance, the ten inch purple-headed schlong, may have finally borne fruit.

Yeehaw! Playing hide the tentacle has never been so much fun.

 

Chapter 1 Virginia swept back her long blonde hair and smiled as enticingly as she could at the man on the other side of the chain mesh gate. Her little black dress was fine but the six inch red stilettos were going to kill her any second. He grinned back, anchoring his fingers high in the mesh, leaning on the gate, and exuding eau de biker. The muscle of his flexed and tattooed bicep shone under the florescent light. “C’mon in. We don’t bite much. Name’s Jace.” She breathed in again, swooned, then swiftly recovered and slipped past Jace into the garage. Eau de Biker. Mmm. Oil, leather, and beer smells always did it to her. Her panties had wet through in an instant. But, she had a job to do. The garage was dark, dingy and filled with testosterone-hyped tatted up bikers. They roamed across the concrete floor checking out the chromed bikes like a pack of thirsty hungry snakes let loose on a Sunday picnic of virginal squeaky mice. She shook her head, knowing she’d imagined that with way too many adjectives. Sometimes her imagination went a little gaga. Past the knowledge that she was here to look for Cyndie, she wondered, ever so hopefully, if among these men she would find her holy grail – what she’d been saving herself for from the day she opened the pages of her first romance novel – the man with the ten inch purple-headed schlong. Fabio with his flowing locks could take a hike.

Cari Silverwood is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of BDSM stories and dark erotic fiction. She writes the way the world should be - dangerous and sexy with bullets piercing the darkness and lovers wrenched close by ropes. When you need escape, when you need that rough lover to bring you to your knees, here you will find stories to singe your fingers. The taste of adventure, the tang of BDSM, the burn of fantasy run wild. Brace yourselves, if you dare to read. And...in this real world, she has a lovely family in Australia, with the prerequisite teenager who dwells in the dark bedroom catacombs...a husband who raises eyebrows when he catches glimpses of what she writes, and a menagerie of other animals barking, meowing, and swimming about the place. Website: www.carisilverwood.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CariSilverwoodAuthor Twiiter: https://twitter.com/CariSilverwood  

   

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Intimidator by Cari Silverwood!

Intimidator (Preyfinders, #2)

by Cari Silverwood

 

 This is Book 2 in the new Preyfinder series. Book 1, Precious Sacrifice, is currently in the anthology, Kept. Willow has her hands full scraping out a life in a grungy neighborhood where drugs and crime are the norm. Life is hard, but it's about to get harder. Being transformed into a sexual pet for an alien warrior may be her only way out. But Stom, the man she's been awarded to as a battle honor, has no use for a female, not when his heart is still in a million pieces. Though the need to be Stom's mate is overwhelming her, mending his heart isn't going to be enough. His enemies are searching, looking for the women who are more than they seem, but she's in their hands before she discovers she's more-than-human. Sometimes it sucks to be a chosen one.

Book 1, Precious Sacrifice, (which is part of the Kept anthology) can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Kept-Erotic-Anthology-Sorcha-Black-ebook/dp/B00IR33PVS/

  ARe / Amazon / Smashwords

   

 Cari Silverwood is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of BDSM stories and dark erotic fiction. She writes the way the world should be - dangerous and sexy with bullets piercing the darkness and lovers wrenched close by ropes. When you need escape, when you need that rough lover to bring you to your knees, here you will find stories to singe your fingers. The taste of adventure, the tang of BDSM, the burn of fantasy run wild. Brace yourselves, if you dare to read. And...in this real world, she has a lovely family in Australia, with the prerequisite teenager who dwells in the dark bedroom catacombs...a husband who raises eyebrows when he catches glimpses of what she writes, and a menagerie of other animals barking, meowing, and swimming about the place.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Chapter 1

On the planet Grearth.

The wind came from where the sun bleached the horizon, fluttering the ashes higher off the scorched ground, a bitter flock of blackness that clouded the sky for miles. Stom sucked in a breath through his mask. Unlike the trail of ten fighting men who swept out to his left and right, he’d removed his helmet – the goggles and the mask with a breathing filter was it. He needed the touch of the breeze on his face, no matter how acrid.

On his retinal map, there was a tiny green triangle at this spot. This had once been his home.

Nasskia, little Bon, and her older brother Septis would lie here, somewhere, buried underneath the ash at his feet. Unless they’d been unlucky and the Bak-lal had taken them, changed them; if so, they could be anywhere on Grearth. Their nerves hard-wired. Their skin armored, their brains pumped with instructions from the nearest factory queen. Their personalities gone. Even the little ones like Bon. His throat tightened, his eyes stung, and a small muscle beside his eye twitched.

Despite the tight-held ball of emotions inside him, Stom treated his environs to another careful visual sweep. Nothing moved.

Elger’s voice buzzed in his ear comm. “It’s clear, Stom. We haven’t seen a Bak soldier for days.”

With their leader dead three days ago, Stom was filling in. He grunted affirmation to Elger. Other patrols had been ambushed; theirs had been relatively lucky for three days running. “Rest. Keep your eyes up.”

He hunched down onto his heels but kept his mech rifle in his hands. The last Baks on this part of the continent had been a weedy, damaged force. Maybe they could cleanse the whole planet. Never been done before, but gods, they needed to.

There’d never been a starfarer home planet invaded before. How the Bak-lal had achieved this was a mystery. In one night, the Bak-lal had appeared in armies of converted people and insect beast machines.

Once, above his head would’ve swayed a tangled canopy of trees. Grearth, forest planet.

He felt his hand move on the padding inside his glove. His skin was striped with black, his color the mark of the Feya, a people born under trees.

When it had happened, he’d been off planet. A few million had been evacuated. Some higher up had held off using the Planet Breakers and instead ordered Grearth razed by flame. The difference had seemed miniscule. Turn the planet into dust, or burn it. He’d watched from holoscreen as they’d detonated the bombs, the firestorms rendered in deep reds, oranges and black. The superheated carpet of fire had crept silently across the world, burning everything to nothing.

Yet the evidence before his eyes had meant zero. He hadn’t believed, not until they’d been dropped in to clean up remnants.

At least someone would have a future here, maybe not for a hundred years, but the world would recover. He stared bleakly outward, vision blurred. Nasskia was gone. His bond mate. His heart. His soul. His one and only Nasskia who could never be replaced, and his little ones. May demons take the Bak-lal; his little ones were gone too.

Sara Daniel's One Night with the Groom

New Release Spotlight – One Night with the Groom

By Sara Daniel

One Night with the Bridal Party is a subseries of Decadent Publishing’s popular 1Night Stand line. One Night With the Bride and One Night With the Bridesmaid share the same opening scene where the bride’s mother presents each woman with a one-night stand a week before the wedding.

Meanwhile, the poor jilted groom has been twisting in the wind since his bride left him a year before. Fear not! He’s about to meet up with the woman from his past who still holds his heart captive, despite him spending fifteen years trying to forget her.

One Night With the Groom
As if trying to save the family farm and pay her mother’s medical bills isn’t enough struggle, Luciana Cortez discovers her brother has used the last of the mortgage money to buy her a one night stand. Even if she wasn’t appalled at the prospect, her farm chores leave her too exhausted for sex. The silver lining: she’s also too busy to think about the man who’d once pledged to marry her then abandoned her.

Working on an important business deal, CEO Blake Wellington doesn’t think twice when he steps out of the limousine…until the car leaves. Instead of the business he needs to attend to, he’s on the doorstep of the farm where his past love Luciana lives. Without cell phone service or transportation, he must rely on her for help, a move that threatens to awaken his long-dead emotions.

As they attempt to gain closure over the ache and secrets of their past, neither are prepared for the onslaught of emotions that jeopardize everything they’ve worked their whole lives for. When the night is over, they must heed their responsibilities and go their separate ways, even if it means a lifetime of heartbreak.

EXCERPT:

“Blake.” Her heart bled as if she’d stabbed it with a pitchfork. She dropped her hand from her stomach to her side. “What are you doing here?”

“I haven’t the foggiest idea.” His lips curved in a crooked smile.

Aching to wrap her arms around him, to kiss his sexy mouth, to soak in his presence while grinning at him like a fool, she took a step back. She might not be hallucinating, but his sudden appearance had the power to drive her over the edge of insanity and longing. Her heel caught on the threshold at the opening of the barn, and she stumbled.

He reached for her, but she steadied herself on the doorframe, holding out her other palm to ward him away. She couldn’t handle seeing him, let alone skin-on-skin contact.

“Give me a minute,” she begged. “I’m kind of shocked to see you.” Kind of, ha. Completely would have been an understatement.

His smile faded. “Good shocked or bad shocked?”

“I don’t know yet.” The dead tree beside the barn creaked in the wind. She’d let her fear over it falling on the barn or, worse, in the other direction keep her from cutting it down, but the nasty gusts made her regret the decision.

“Keep me posted on which way it goes. I’m already skittish about getting shot at.”

“You won’t be unless you touch me, in which case I’ll shoot you myself.”

“Fair enough.” He pocketed his hands and stepped back.

The distance helped. So did the fact he didn’t call her bluff. Luciana’s limbs shook too much to pick up any weapon. At one time, she’d been furious with him for abandoning her when she’d needed him most. Although he’d bowed to her parents’ pressure and hadn’t fought to save their future together, her emotions had faded to regret and resignation.

“So, you decided to drop in after fifteen years without a word, and you don’t have a clue why?” Okay, maybe her anger hadn’t faded.

“I didn’t come to see you.”

“Ouch. Thanks for being straight with me, rather than sparing my ego. I think.”

He winced. “I didn’t mean an insult. I’m supposed to be in Des Moines to consider a potential property for my company to add to their hotel portfolio. But the limo took me here instead and then left me.”

Limo. Hotel portfolio. If he hadn’t been out of her league before, he’d traveled far beyond her social realm. “So, are you one of those ‘if I build it, they will come’ visionaries?”

“No, I’m a market-feasibility, make-sure-every-aspect-is-viable-before-I-sink-a-penny-into-it type of executive. I don’t have a reason that makes any sense for why I showed up here, and my cell phone isn’t getting reception. If I could borrow your landline to make some calls, I’ll get out of your hair as soon as possible.”

He hadn’t come to see her. He’d arrived by mistake and wanted to get far away without further ado. Once upon a time, they’d shared a rare, special love. She remembered it and regretted losing it, even if he didn’t.

Amazon | Decadent Publishing

Sara Daniel started writing One Night with the Bride and couldn’t stop. So, she wrote One Night with the Bridesmaid next.  Her latest release is One Night with the Groom. She’ll let you guess what the next title in the One Night With the Bridal Party series will be! Connect with her online at:

Subscribe to newsletter: http://eepurl.com/rx_AL

Website: http://www.saradaniel.com

Blog: http://saradanielromance.blogspot.com

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/SaraDanielSaraShafer

Facebook profile: http://www.facebook.com/SaraShaferDaniel

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SSaraDaniel

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ssaradaniel/one-night-with-the-bridal-party-series/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/SaraDaniel

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The Road to Hell series welcomes author Kathy Bosman

Please welcome Author Kathy Bosman onto the Road to Hell. Kathy is the author of Dragonfly Moments. Other books written by Kathy are Wedding Gown Girl, Reminding Me of You, Cosmetic Heart, Three Tiers for Win and a story in the Love and Diamonds Anthology.

Now, it’s time to create a little hell and get to the good stuff by revealing all of Kathy’s wicked secrets while on the Road to Hell. LOL  Yeah, you wish! ;-D 

Grab your favorite drink, sink your teeth into something decadent, sit back, relax and enjoy getting to know Kathy…

*** 

GRACEN:  Tell me three things about yourself that we cannot find on the internet or in your bio?

KATHY: 1. My maiden name was Sparks. 2. I’m addicted to chocolate. 3. I have very small feet.

GRACEN: What hobbies and interests do you participate in when you’re not writing?

KATHY: It may sound boring, but I love knitting while watching movies. I also enjoy beading and sometimes other handcrafts. Hiking, golf and yoga are some of the physical activities I enjoy.

GRACEN: Do you have any writing quirks or certain things you MUST have or do before beginning the writing process?

KATHY: I need a neat environment to work and like my digital photo frame to be on. I prefer silence and must have a glass of water nearby.

  

GRACEN: Glad to hear I'm not the only one who prefers silence when I write! If you were plotting to take over the world, how would you do it?

KATHY: Whoa! I’ve never ever considered that before. I’m quite a shy person who’d rather follow than take the lead so I’d probably appoint someone else to do the dirty work for me. Someone very clever and ruthless.

GRACEN: Ha! I know just how you feel, I'm shy and extremely uncomfortable taking the lead as well. If you could make one statement that the entire planet would hear and remember, what would it be?

KATHY: God is very different to what religion often makes Him out to be.

GRACEN:  I can't disagree there. What genre do you write and why that genre?

KATHY: I write sweet, contemporary romance but have started to write contemporary fantasy. I’ve tried other genres but this seems to be what I flow in the easiest.

GRACEN: For those who are not yet familiar with Dragonfly Moments, can you please give us some details about the book and/or series?

KATHY: Dragonfly Moments is a story about a woman (Tessa) who’s obsessed with having her own family and would rather stay with a man for stability than love. When a crush from her younger days comes back into her life, she’s not ready to confront the feelings he still stirs up in her. Only when things around her start to crumble and he stands by her, does she open up her heart. But her obsession stands in their way. Dragonfly Moments is book 1 of The Creators series. I wanted to write books about people in creative careers. Tessa is an artist. Book 2, called “The Dance of the Firefly” will come out later this year. The heroine in that book is a dancer.

GRACEN:  Do you have any new stories in the works and can you tell us a bit about it/them?

KATHY: I have a Christmas book coming out at the end of the year and at the moment am working on a Halloween story. I’ve also started writing a different genre under a pseudonym.

GRACEN: If you could describe your writing with one word or brief phrase, what would it be? Please delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they’ve finished reading your story.

KATHY: My books are tender, sweet and sensual, touching the heart.

GRACEN: What, in your opinion, makes your story unique and what makes it stand out from other stories in your genre? Think of this as a pitch to convince readers to pick up your books.

KATHY: As one of my readers said – if you want a “sweet” fix, you should read my books.

GRACEN: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?

KATHY: To be honest, I usually Google for research. The only interesting thing I’ve ever done was watch “The Black Swan” while writing, “The Dance of the Firefly.” I don’t usually like horrors but I watched this movie to get the “ballet” feel plus I bought a ballet exercise DVD and learned some steps. I also read my daughter’s ballet book.

GRACEN: Of all your books, which character did you have the most fun creating and why?

KATHY: That’s a hard one. I think my favourite two were Kienna from Wedding Gown Girl and Win from Three Tiers for Win.

GRACEN: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why?

KATHY: I think Kienna from Wedding Gown Girl as she’s a lot like me or Rowena from The Dance of the Firefly. I would love to watch Rowena dance.

GRACEN: Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

KATHY: Maybe Mark in Dragonfly Moments.

GRACEN:  If you were interviewing yourself, what is the one question you would ask yourself and please give us the answer to that question?

KATHY: What was the hardest book to write?

I think my Christmas story as I was going through a tough time at the time of writing it.

GRACEN:  Thanks so much for joining us, Kathy!  It’s been a treat getting to know you better! 

KATHY: Thank you, Gracen, for having me on your blog!

Blurb:

Seven years earlier, a young and serious Tessa Calitz wrote a letter to free spirit Ryan le Roux promising her undying love. As time passed she forgot about that letter...but Ryan did not.

When he walks back into her life, Tessa is in a relationship and busy setting up her art gallery in Johannesburg. She has plans to start a family, and the arrival of Ryan throws her for a spin. He is the worst thing that could happen to her dream of stability...or is he?

When everything she clung to starts to crumble, Ryan is right beside her to inspire her to greater things. But her compulsion for having marriage and children on her terms alone pushes Ryan away--until she falls in love with an orphaned baby.

What can Ryan do to make Tessa realize that being with him is what her heart has longed for all along?

Here's a trailer of the book for a foretaste: Dragonfly Moments Book Trailer

Excerpt:

The swish of the door opening wider and the squeak of rubber-soled shoes on the polished floor caught her attention. A customer. Precious gold—so rare and so needed. Turning to face her potential sale, she put on a bright smile…that turned to jelly. The breath froze in her lungs.

“Ryan. Is that you?” she said with a whisper.

The man who had filled her dreams and inspired her whole art career years ago stood before her, taller, broader, tanned, and smiling wide. She had somehow thought he’d disappeared off the globe. Not much had changed. That slight curl to his hair, the dark halo a perfect frame for his broad-jawed, rugged face. Thick, velvet locks, the color of dew-soaked mountains and earth. Piercing eyes, like planets orbiting her heart. The longing of years seemed to converge on this particular moment. She pulled back, frightened by the intensity of her feelings.

“I like your new gallery.”

She shivered and clasped her chiffon top close to her chest. His voice had deepened over the years. He had matured like she had grown up, changed, and moved on.

“Thanks. I’ve been open for three months already.”

Her voice came out like a squeak. Her palms were moist and her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. He truly was the best artwork in the world—the way his body moved—the whole picture of him.

“May I?” He pointed to the art she’d spent days arranging perfectly on the walls.

“Of course.”

He paused before each painting as she held her breath, longing to read his mind on what he thought of them. Then he spent longer before her latest work. She moved up behind him and stared at the misty oil canvas in muted colors of a figure standing on a pier, overlooking a churning sea. The man appeared pensive and peaceful with the grey, choppy waves around him and the dark, billowing clouds above him. She followed the shape of the real man in front of her with her gaze. Who would have thought he would come here? All these years, she’d figured him gone forever. Buried under new dreams and desires. Little did she know her need for him could resurrect just with a brief encounter.

“How come they’re all landscapes?”

She shrugged. “Landscapes are my genre.”

Except for those crazy mother and child paintings stashed away at home that no-one’s ever seen. Days and days of her spare time were taken away painting a picture of an African mother with her newborn twins, a Chinese mother with a toddler in a pram, and the hippie mom with her baby in a pouch attached to her middle. The feeling bubbling inside her while she painted them had been unsurpassed by any other. What would Ryan think of them? It was safer that he didn’t know. Better he believe she was a landscape painter and nothing else.

He moved on to one of the other artists’ works. Did he hate her landscapes? Why did it matter to her so much what he thought of her art? Not like she still loved him. Not after all these years. But he had inspired her art in a way—got the ball rolling because she used to spend hours sketching him while he romanced her best friend and roommate, Annie. That felt like decades ago, yet was only seven years. Ryan had been the highlight of her waking hours then, her shy and aimless period when she worked in a mindless job for little pay, before she realized she could study her passion. Art.

“Where are your sketches?” he asked.

She frowned. “They’re at home. I stopped sketching my second year in college because that’s when I developed my best painting style. My sketches didn’t get me top marks.”

“But they’re so realistic.”

“You never looked at them.”

“I’ve studied the one. Constantly.”

She turned away, her face hot and the hairs rising on her arms in a wash of tingles. Had he come into the gallery on purpose? She strode to her desk, reaching it in a moment, relishing the distance between them. If Ryan could evoke such feelings in her now when she was with another man, would she ever be free from his grip? The heat of the room suffocated her, and she tried to take in several breaths. If only she had the power to block out the effect he had on her. So, he’d been thinking of the letter she sent him. The same one that disclosed her heart’s feelings toward him. Too late to come here now and talk about it. Stir up feelings she had no right feeling anymore. And why all the questions about her art? As if he really cared. Ryan didn’t care. If he did, he’d have come back to her years ago. 

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