Release Day Blitz ~ Surrender by K.M. Scott

Release Day Blitz ~ Face to Face by Susan Ward

Lady Meredith Ann Merrick must not weaken against the temptation of Varian. He will be her ruin. Varian Morgan cannot indulge his yearning for his beautiful hostage. This wayward sprite can only become his destruction. Captive of desire, Meredith is swept away to America and into the arms of a man she cannot resist. Will love be enough to overcome her doubts, as Varian’s mystery only becomes more mysterious? Can passion bind two people trapped by secrets and the past? When unexpected events send Meredith and Varian back to England, they are forced to share with each other the secrets each have been desperate to keep in hiding. Reeling in shock, their histories linked in ways neither could have ever imagined, Varian forces Meredith into a marriage of necessity instead of a union of love. Unable to resist Varian’s seductive hold over her, is it possible that their unrelenting and fiery passion can bring Meredith to forgive the man who shattered her heart?

     

* AMAZON *

I'm addicted to writing. I've written 26 romance novels in 25 years, but I just started releasing them in May 2014 because frankly there are some things inside them I wasn't sure I wanted my daughters to read.
The nest is empty, my girls all grown, so now I'm letting loose.

I believe in the adage; Don't judge a book by it's cover! Definitely the case with The Girl on the Half Shell. Perfect looking lives are not perfect. We all have our own challenges to overcome! It's a theme in the books I've written and I cover a wide range of contemporary issues in stories ranging from raw and steamy, to gut wrenching, to happy happily ever after. My first release The Girl on the Half Shell is my most intense novel, the first in the Half Shell Series and the one I had to wait until I had no kids at home to release. My Perfect Forever Series is definitely happy happily ever after! The first in this line of books was released June 2014 with The Signature.

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Release Day Blitz ~ Lasting Fate by Charisse Spiers

We can't always control what happens in our lives. If anyone has learned that it's Kinzleigh Baker. She has learned to embrace the moments and live like there is no tomorrow; to love the people that we are given with all that we have. She knows all too well what it's like to have your heart ripped from your chest and doesn't care to ever experience that feeling again. Her life has been one roller coaster of overwhelming consequences back to back. Kinzleigh has learned some of the humility she was once lacking as an adolescent. She has found out the hard way that we can't always focus on ourselves or take the important people in our lives for granted. She is working hard to live by putting one foot in front of the other. She is now forcefully embarking on a new journey; one that will be sure to cause lots of trials and tribulations on its own. What would you do if God gave you that second chance to the one thing you would change if you could? One tragedy that could be reversed perhaps or someone from your past waltzing back into your life unannounced. Would you take it and run with it or go a different route altogether?

PURCHASE LINK

I reach the end of the pier and sit on the edge, hanging my legs over the side. They still don't reach the water. I let myself remember the night on the pier when Breyson kissed me for the first time. I close my eyes and place my fingers on my lips, remembering the way they felt pressed against his. He will always be the only person to own me. I have always been his, but he's no longer mine. It's too late. I let him go and that will always be my biggest regret, but if it keeps him happy then I'll learn to live with it. The breeze picks up and my hair sways in the wind. I get the oddest sensation. It's as if I'm not alone, but then again, I'm crazy as of late. I'll probably be that way for the rest of my life. I can see seagulls flying overhead, making noise as they soar through the sky. I wonder what it would be like to have an aerial view of everything like a bird does. Would it change your aspect of things to watch things from above? The memories are evoking emotions that I thought I laid to rest, but I was wrong. My chest is killing me. My mind is in a haze to everything but Breyson. It doesn't take long for the cleansing process to occur, pouring out through my tear ducts. With each tear I cry an ounce of pain deteriorates, but then is replaced with a new wound. If I could physically see my heart right now I imagine there would be a lot of scarring. "Breyson, if I knew then what I know now..." "Would you change it?" My eyes widen at the sound of the southern voice I'll never grow tired of hearing. You know, the brain is a cruel organ. I've discovered this on so many occasions. Do you embrace the hallucinations or do you pretend you never heard them and hope they go away? No matter how many times I answer this question I always react the same. I embrace them, because the alternative is to forget, and I don't want to forget. "No," I whisper into the air. "I wouldn't change a single second with you." "Then turn around." That voice again, deep and low, makes me quake upon hearing it. I have no idea why, but I follow instructions. I pull my legs up onto the pier and make a one-eighty degree turn. What I see steals the very air from my lungs as if someone is holding me by the throat, squeezing as hard as they can. "Breyson, what are you doing here?" I'm trying to sound strong, but my voice is being treacherous. "I came to take you home where you belong." He remains standing where he is, waiting for a response. "What makes you think I want to go back? I told you I chose. You're better off without me." My voice cracks as the words exit. My heart doesn't want to say them, but my mind is steering my tongue. "I call bullshit. Stop fighting us, Kinz. You know we're meant to be together. One way or the other we will be together, dead or alive." He inches forward, slowly, as if I'm an abused, abandoned animal, and scared I'll run away. Maybe I'm tired of running. I release a long, steady breath, relaxing some of the tension I've been carrying since February. I'm exhausted from burdens I've been bearing in his absence. "You don't want to be with someone like me. I'm different. I can't even be a good mother to our baby, Breyson. I've barely even held him since he's been born." Tears are soaking my face. He sits down beside me, wraps his arm around my waist from behind, and scoops me into his arms, pulling me to straddle his lap. "I'm not the person you left behind. Something is wrong with me," I whisper and try to look away ashamed. He turns my face so that I have no choice but to look him in the eyes. Those blue eyes are smoldering, dominating, and unforgettable. They lock on you and you're doomed. You get lost in their depth without even realizing you're hooked. My heart feels like it's soaring just by touching him. "It's because we are supposed to raise him together," he says, brushing my wet hair off of my face. He swipes his thumb over my bottom lip as he bores into me, reading all of my secrets without my consent. He's the only one that has ever had that capability, the ability to read into my soul just by looking into my eyes. Chill bumps sprout all over my skin with each touch from him. "Your soul belongs to me, Kinzleigh, as mine does to you. Fate mated them together. If you try to fight what's meant to be, you'll always lose. You're sick, because your soul is yearning for its mate; therefore, it's taking it out on you. The person you are is in here," he says, pointing to where my heart resides below the surface. "Why should I believe that? That would be too easy." "It is easy. Why do you keep fighting what God placed together? Didn't your parents teach you that everything happens for a reason, good or bad? How do you feel right now? How does this make you feel?" He touches his lips to mine, and a rush floods through my body. My body begins heating and a tingling sensation tickles my lips. His tongue slides through the crevice between my lips and brushes against mine. That's all it takes and I'm completely lost in a world I've been locked out of for so long. The metal cuff that has had my heart under lock breaks free. I feel like I'm high, but I haven't consumed any drugs. My heart has a mind of its own. Without any further ado, my fingers thread through the back of his hair, and I kiss him back. I can't describe the emotions that are taking control of my body. An unexpected moan escapes my lips and I hear a throaty groan in return. In one swift motion he turns me so that my back is lying on the very pier this happened on two summers ago. My legs instantly wrap around his waist. I want him so badly right now I would allow it right here in the open if I hadn't just given birth to a baby. My tears have changed from sadness to surrender. I want him, I need him, and in this moment I know without a shadow of doubt I can't live without him. I've already tried. I may be a little hesitant to believe soul mates have as much control as he says, but one thing is for sure, and that's the fact that we always end up back together. He breaks the kiss and the loss of contact burns inside. He wipes the tears in a constant rain down my face. "Say you'll be mine, Kinzleigh. Tell me you'll stop fighting us and come back home where you know you're meant to be. I will do anything to support my family. As long as you're with me I will never let you or our son go without. I will sacrifice anything to provide for the both of you. I've already prepared for a place to stay. I just need to fill it with my family. You are and will always be the love of my life. I don't care what hurdles stand in our way; we can jump them as long as we do it together. I'm enough of a man that I'll beg if that's what you need, but don't make me live without my family anymore. I can't do it, and more importantly, I won't. I've never lied to you and I don't intend to start now." He rubs his rough hand up my leg and underneath my shirt, baring my stomach. It makes me slightly uncomfortable just having had a baby and not being completely back to my old size, but the fact that he's touching me and my need for it drowns out self-conscious thoughts. He bends down and kisses beside my belly button and comes back up to ensure I'm looking into his eyes. "I love you, Kinzleigh, with all that I am. You gave me your heart standing behind the field house. When I promised you I would take care of it that meant forever. What happened to me was not your fault. Give me forever; that's all I'm asking." My heart sends a shooting pain throughout my chest cavity, as if warning me not to make the wrong choice. I'm giving in. I can't deny him anything anymore, not even myself. I tried to walk away from him once; I'm not strong enough to do it twice. If there is some kind of curse on me, then I'll just have to outsmart it. Coexisting in a world together, but apart, is no longer an option. I will die of a broken heart before I can survive without him. "My heart has always been yours, Breyson, even before I told you so, and I've never taken it back." The floods of emotions pour out, hindering my ability to speak. "I tried to walk away from you, to give you a better life in an attempt to replace what you lost, but it's wearing me down. I'm exhausted. The truth is, the love I feel for you is unexplainable. I can't eat, sleep, or function being apart from you. The only thing left is to give in to my heart's only desire or allow it to destroy me slowly. For as long as you want me, I'll be yours." He's holding his weight above me. With one free hand he grips my chin between his thumb and index finger, tilting my head slightly, so he can study me as he does when he tells me something important. "Forever with you is what I need, Kinzleigh.”

Lasting Fate Book Trailer!

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Accepted Fate (Fate, #1)

Amazon

Book Trailer

Twisting Fate (Fate, #2)

Amazon

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I developed a passion for reading I never knew I had in November of 2012 when I decided to give eBooks a try. Since then I can't go a day without some form of a book or character running wild through my mind. For almost a year I constantly had a book pulled up on my Kindle app for my iPad. The beauty of self-publishing is that you can interact with the authors, which is how I started writing. I never knew I had the creativity to write a novel until I began conversing with another Indie author. If you ever think that Indie authors don't like getting feedback from readers, you are very wrong. I began editing for a fellow author and because she took a leap of faith in me and told me to give writing a shot, I am now an Indie author myself. I cannot tell you how amazing this journey has been. It is hard putting yourself out there for the public eye with all of the reviews that come through, but it's also amazing. I have met some of the most genuine people and people I would consider friends even though I've never met them face to face. I have now published the first two books in the Fate series, Accepted Fate and Twisting Fate and I am starting book three Lasting Fate to be released November 2, 2014. I cannot wait to see where this journey takes me and feel free to interact with me here or on social media. I will respond. :)

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Twitter ---> @cspiersauthor

Release Day Blitz ~ Fallen Down Under by S.M. Phillips

Synopsis:
"Fuck." I slam my fist into the desk before me and feel nothing but rage. I need to go after her. I need to explain. "But isn't this what you wanted?" The voice inside my head whispers. "Isn't this a nice easy way out?" Everything Max has done has always been at a cost to others around him. He wasn't about to make that mistake again. No longer will his selfish ways punish those close to him. Sometimes it's better to have had and lost than to never have had at all. Finally after what felt like forever, Jess was getting a glimpse of control over her life again and allowed her defences to come crashing down, only to have what it guarded to be crushed once again. Now, on the other side of the world away from her friends, she doesn't know what to do. Should she stay or should she go? Is it too late or have they both fallen too far into something that is completely out of their depths?

   
 

About the Author:
Welcome to the crazy and hectic life that is me... A fun, loving mum of one special little boy, girlfriend (I'm sure it should be wife by now!!) and an overall crazy, happy go lucky girl from England. I have always had a passion for reading and writing. Wherever I am, my book reader is never far behind along with a mug of coffee. I found myself wanting to write from a young age, I have quite a few hidden stories on my computer somewhere, maybe I will have to dig them out and play around with them at some point.

Buy Links:
Escape down under (Book #1) ~ Amazon U.S ~ Amazon U.K ~ Kobo ~ Barnes and Noble

Fallen down under (Book #2) ~ Amazon U.S ~ Amazon U.K

Social Links:
* Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * Amazon page *

Blog Tour ~ Trifecta by Kim Carmichael

Two men. One woman. It could ruin a friendship, or bring a satisfying twist to their lives. Artist, Jason Morgan, is used to making magic on the canvas. Now he hopes to do it in the bedroom.

After a failed gallery showing, Jason decides the best way to cure his creative block is to act on his own personal fantasy, and enter into a sexual relationship with his two best friends.

From the time they were in elementary school, Russell Sinclair has been a willing participant in Jason's adventures, but this one goes to a new level. He's intrigued by the idea of sharing one woman, but is challenged by how to fit this three-sided relationship into his traditional life.

Lauren Redmond is no stranger to fantasy. As the aesthetic sales rep to the top Beverly Hills dermatologists, she is responsible for the majority of puffed lips and filled wrinkles in the greater Los Angeles area. She detours from her steady, secure path when she is offered the opportunity to live the dream with the two men who have occupied her heart since college. The fantasy fast becomes a powerful reality, and Lauren must decide if she is willing to give up everything she has worked for to have a bit of temporary decadence.

Trifecta explores the boundaries of love, relationships and convention.

Trifecta
http://www.amazon.com/Trifecta-Kim-Carmichael-ebook/dp/B00HG430AU



*** EARLY RELEASE PRICING OF $2.99 AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY AT AMAZON FOR KINDLE FOR A VERY LIMITED TIME ***

A #1 Amazon Kindle Bestseller in Body Art & Tattoo
A Kindle Bestseller in Romantic Comedy
A Bestseller in Romantic Comedy Books

After a year spent secretly hooking up with his best friend's baby sister, a tattoo artist who believes only ink is permanent must decide if his love is temporary.

In a temporary world only tattoos are permanent…

Content, consistent and calm described Ivan Harlow’s life to a tee. Satisfied with being a artist at the world-famous Permanent Tattoo, playing the role of eternal side-kick, and of course, hooking up with his best friend’s baby sister, his days are predictable and fun, and nothing has to change. With his live story permanently embedded in his skin, he still can’t help but feel anything he dares to love will only be temporary. All Emily Elliott wants are some big changes in her life. She wants to make it big in the world makeup, needs to show her three big brothers she is all grown up, and dreams of truly being with Ivan, the man she has wanted since she was seven years old. owever, when the fate of the tattoo shop is put into Ivan and Emily’s hands, they must not only work together outside of the bedroom, but face their own personal truths, and figure out what is permanent, what is temporary and where love fits.

Temporary is Book Two in the Indelibly Marked Series that revolves around the lives and loves of the Elliott Family and Permanent Tattoo. Each full-length book can be read as a stand alone, and features its own couple.

Grab your copy today

Temporary (Indelibly Marked Bk2)
http://www.amazon.com/Temporary-Indelibly-Marked-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00MG5IRPC




What is Permanent?

Always on the outside looking in, accountant, Lindsay Stevens, has calculated her transformation from a small town, nerdy bookkeeper to a sleek, high-powered accountant down to the last penny. With all her checks finally in balance, she moves to California to start a new life free of her embarrassing past she never wants revealed.

As Hollywood's hottest tattoo artist, Shane Elliott thrives on standing out. Charismatic and free of commitments, he travels through life with a wink and a smile, hiding the letters he receives from the IRS as if they don't exist. Now with bills to pay and tax collectors breathing down his back, for the first time in his life Shane can't charm his way out of his situation. However, when his new neighbor literally falls into his life, he knows he has struck gold once again.

Though Lindsay tries to keep her distance, she suddenly finds herself trying to hide her true self as she thrust into a world she doesn't think she belongs, but can't resist. In his good-time life, Shane must discover there is more to life than a party if he wants something more.

With their lives intertwined, the two must learn accept each other, themselves and their love.

Worlds collide as they decide what is truly permanent.

Permanent is the first book in the Indelibly Marked Series that follows the lives and loves of those surrounding Permanent Tattoo.

Permanent (Indelibly Marked BK1)
http://www.amazon.com/Permanent-Indelibly-Marked-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00FPOI3MS




Over a year ago, The Naughty Box shook up the erotica world like no other box set. Now this international team of best selling authors reunite to bring you Between The Sheets – A Naughty Box Production. Yummy erotica to keep you up late for all the right reasons, every reader is sure to find something in between the pages before they get in between the sheets.

Between the Sheets
http://smile.amazon.com/Between-Sheets-Naughty-Production-Book-ebook/dp/B00NPLNUU8

About Kim



Kim Carmichael began writing eight years ago when her need for graphic sex scenes and love of happy endings inspired her to create her own. She has a weakness for bad boys and techno geeks, and married her own computer whiz after he proved he could keep her all her gadgets running. When not writing, she can usually be found slathered in sunscreen trolling Los Angeles and helping top doctors build their practices.

Twitter
@KimCarmichael4
Facebook
Amazon

Release Day Blitz ~ Wild Western Women

AVAILABLE TODAY! 5 historical romance stories from USA Today Best Selling Authors Kirsten Osbourne and Callie Hutton, and best selling authors Caroline Clemmons, Sylvia McDaniel, and Merry Farmer (PLUS bonus content!) all for just $0.99!

Get your copy now on Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo! Add it to your Goodreads WANT TO READ list!

From USA Today Best Selling Author Kirsten Osbourne: Mail Order Misunderstanding

Julia traveled West to be a schoolteacher. Thomas requested a mail order bride. When he arrives at the train station to pick up his bride, Thomas mistakenly thinks Julia is there for him. Julia sees Thomas and thinks he's there from the school board. She's married an hour later.
{ Find Kirsten on her website, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. }

From USA Today Best Selling Author Callie Hutton: A Chance To Love Again
Widow Rachel Stevens is very happy with her job as a cook for the Lazy Sunset ranch where she is raising her son. However, the new foreman, Rusty McIntyre, is turning her life upside down. She could overlook how her son has begun to idolize Rusty, but she’s having a heck of a time ignoring the flutters in her stomach every time the man smiles at her. But Rusty has problems of his own. His previously unknown fourteen year old daughter has just arrived to live with him. Used to always being on his own, now he has a young boy following him around imitating his every move, and a surly young lady glaring at him. Throw into the mix the tug he feels toward the ranch cook—who wants no part of him—and life is no longer as easy as it once was.
{ Find Callie on her website, Facebook, and Twitter. }

From Best Selling Author Caroline Clemmons: Save Your Heart For Me

After fleeing an abusive husband six years ago, Beth Jeffers wants nothing more than to protect her son Davey and to help her mother operate a Texas Hill Country boarding house. The strong women in her family have had no luck with men, and she has no intention of letting any man influence her son. Not even handsome lawman Matt Petrov, no matter how much her lonely heart urges otherwise. Federal Marshall Matt Petrov, also known as Lone Wolf Peters, fell in love with Beth the first time he saw her. Then she was another man’s wife, so he kept his longing a secret. But he’s saved his love for her for six horrific years. Now, the lovely widow and he have crossed paths again. This time, he intends to risk all for a chance at happiness. First he must rescue his distant kinsman from an assassin’s clutches and protect Beth’s son Davey from the villain. Mystery, kidnapping, and twists await Matt and Beth. But will Matt’s secrets shatter the love he and Beth share?
{ Find Caroline on her website, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. }

From Best Selling Author Sylvia McDaniel: Desperate

After the death of their father, the McKenzie sisters, Meg, Annabelle and Ruby try the normal ways for women to earn a living in a small western town. When they fail, the McKenzie sisters decide to take up their father’s profession, bounty hunting. They quickly learn they can use their feminine wiles and their Baby Dragoons to earn their way in the old west. They’re tough and resilient, badass women in this historical western novella. Kick off the adventure with the first installment of the new series, Lipstick and Lead with Desperate.

{ Find Sylvia on her website, Facebook, and Twitter. }

From Best Selling Author Merry Farmer:The Indomitable Eve

The one thing Eve deLaurent has wished for in the two years since her sister, Amelia, was whisked away to America was to be a family again. But the tragedy that befell her once Amelia was gone has left her wounded, body and soul. Now, reunited with her sister, all Eve wants to do is run. Amelia’s new, happy life is a betrayal deeper than Eve can stand. She would leave and never look back, were it not for Mark Andrews. As Cold Springs’s reverend, Mark is used to people confiding their darkest sins and looking to him for help. So when he sees the pain behind Eve’s mask of confidence, all he wants to do is help her. But Eve awakens a desire in him that reminds him that even a man of God is still a man. They seem to be everything the other wants and needs, but can the people of Cold Springs accept an actress in their pastor’s arms? Can they be together if bitter family betrayals keep Eve and Amelia at each other’s throats? You’re only as strong as the loves that hold you together...

{ Find Merry on her website, Facebook, and Twitter. }

** Plus bonus stories from Caroline Clemmons and Merry Farmer! **

Get your copy of Wild Western Women now on Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo! Add it to your Goodreads WANT TO READ list!

Cover Reveal ~ Eggnog Kisses by Mireille Chester

Title: Eggnog Kisses
Author: Mireille Chester
Release Date: December 2nd 2014

It’s been six months since Kaley’s fiancé called things off, disappearing with barely an explanation, and the thought of spending Christmas alone is causing feelings of hurt and loneliness to ruin her holiday cheer.  Tall, dark, quiet, and ever the gentleman, her next door neighbor has been sneaking into her thoughts more often than not lately.  When she decides to ask him to go to a Christmas party on a spur of the moment whim, she has no idea she’s about to unleash a whole new dimension on her usually normal life.

Born in Quelondain, Sean is no stranger to a broken heart.  Though it’s been years since the one he loved fated to his best friend, the ache is still present and crossing over to the other world hasn’t helped like he’d hoped it would.  When Kaley asks him to accompany her to a Christmas party his gut tells him to stay away.  It’s not that he isn’t attracted or tempted, but how is he supposed to explain his past and what he is.  Of course, it’s just one evening, right?  What could possibly happen in one night?

Two broken hearts…

Two worlds…

One fate…

She managed to get into her apartment while keeping a curious JJ from escaping.  The fluffy white cat purred and rubbed himself against her ankles.

“Hey, bud.  Did you miss me?”  Kaley went to the cupboard and pulled out a few Whiskas treats for him.  She looked around her small apartment and suddenly, she didn’t want to be there alone.  “I’ll be right back.”

She didn’t bother putting on shoes before closing her door behind her.  Sean answered his door and smiled at the sight of her.

“What can I do for you, neighbor?”

“I…”  This was stupid. 

“So, what brings you over here?”

I just…”  Kaley’s good mood vanished.

His smile softened.  “First Christmas since Gale left?”

She took a deep breath and blew it out of her nose.  “It’s stupid, I know.”

Sean shook his head.  “Not at all.  I know the feeling.  I wasn’t engaged, mind you, but my first holiday after my girlfriend left I was a wreck.  We’d been together four years.”

“I’m sorry.”  She looked at the ground.  “What happened?”

He cocked his head to the side.  “I was just about to have a rum and eggnog.  Want one?”

She was tempted to turn him down, but curiosity got the better of her.  “Sure.”

He held the door opened wider so she could get in and directed her to the couch.  “It was your typical breakup.  We were young and life had other plans for us.”

She watched as he mixed the drinks and brought them over.  “Thanks.”  She took a sip and he took a long swallow of his drink.  “Anyway, it wrecked me when she left.”

“What did you do?”

“I moved here.”  He smiled.

Kaley frowned.  “That worked?  It helped?”

“Not even a little bit.  The only thing that helps is time.”

She couldn’t help the depressed look that took over her face.  “Five years, eh?”

Sean laughed.  “It’s been that long, but it didn’t take that long.  I’ve had a few other girlfriends since, I just haven’t found anyone else I want to settle down with, that’s all.”  He raised an eyebrow at her glass.  “Want another one?”

“Please.”

“So where’s your party at tonight?”

“Mel’s boss is throwing a bash for their office. He rented the Rex Hall.”

“Cool.”

Kaley noticed him glancing at the clock on the wall.  “Do you have something to do?”  She turned toward the door as someone unlocked it from the outside and he stood.

“Sean!”  The dark haired woman dropped her duffle bag and ran into his open arms.  Kaley watched dumbfounded as he hugged her close.  He had a girlfriend.

“I was getting worried.”  He took her coat from her and hung it up.

“My bus was delayed.  There was a crash on the highway and we got caught behind all the traffic.  I don’t think it was too bad.  I mean, there were ambulances and stuff, but the cars looked to be in not bad shape when we were finally able to go by.”

“And you didn’t think to phone?”

She shrugged.  “Ooh! Are you having rum and eggnog without me?”  The woman finally turned her attention to Kaley.  “Since Sean has zero manners, I’m Reese, by the way.”

“Um, Kaley.”

“Let me guess.  He didn’t tell you I was coming?”  She took the drink Sean handed her and settled on the cough beside Kaley.  “And he says I’m forgetful.  You’re getting old, big brother.”

He scoffed.  “And you get more immature the more years you put behind you.”

“Mom’s going to flip when she hears you finally have a girlfriend.  It’s about time you got over that stupid bitch.”

“Reese!”

“Well, what?  By the moons, she was.  None of us could figure out what you saw in her.”

“You were sixteen when we split.  Don’t tell me you gave a shit.”

Reese pounded back her drink.  “Of course I cared.  How many big brothers do I have?”

Sean rolled his eyes.  “Four.”

“Right.  But you were always my favorite.”  She skipped back to her knee high leather boots, slipped them on, and shrugged on her coat.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m meeting Heather.”  She gave him a peck on the cheek.  “I have my key.  Don’t wait up.”

“Just remember I’m leaving at eight tomorrow morning.  With or without you.”

“Yeah, yeah.”  Reese grinned.  “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.  Brat.”

She closed the door with a wave at Kaley.

“She’s, uh… she’s one of those high energy people.”  Sean smiled and went to refill their drinks.

“No kidding.  I had no idea you had a sister.  Or three brothers for that matter.”

“What about you?”

Kaley shook her head.  “Only child.  Your mom and dad?”

“Both alive and running the farm.  You?”

“My parents died when I was fifteen.  Drunk driver.  I went to live with Mel and her folks.”

“But you don’t do Christmas with them?”

“They’re not around since they retired.  Mel gets on a flight tomorrow to join them in Mexico tomorrow morning.  They invite me every year, I just… Christmas needs snow.  You know?”

He grinned.  “I agree.”

Kaley found her gaze moving to his mouth.  He had a great smile.  Had they
really been living next to each other for almost six years?  How had she never noticed? 

“What?”

“Nothing.  I was just thinking that I can’t believe we’ve been neighbors all this time and we know nothing about each other.”

His smile softened.  “Yeah.  I guess that’s life.  Everyone’s too busy.”

She looked at her watch.  “Shit.  I have to go get ready.”

Sean stood and walked her to the door.

“So, you’re just home alone tonight?”  She looked up into his dark green eyes.

“Seems like it.”

“I was just thinking… Mel is bringing a date tonight and I’m going to be the third wheel.  Want to come along?”

“I don’t think…”

“Come on.  I’ll owe you one.  There’s this guy that works there that always gets drunk and hits on me.  You can pretend to be my boyfriend.”  Sweet mother of fuck.  Had she actually just suggested this?  She was thirty four years old for shit’s sakes.  Her face turned a deep shade of red.  “Sorry.  That’s so highschool.  I’m just going to leave before I make myself sound any more stupid.  Thanks for the drinks.”

Kaley rushed out of his apartment and back into hers.  Good god!  How many eggnogs had she had?

Mireille Chester is a stay at home mom of three children and wife to an amazingly supportive husband. Her time is spent playing with the kids, reading, writing, and watching movies with her hubby.

Mireille is a fantasy author who loves to spend time in made up worlds filled with magic. She is a firm believer that no hero is perfect and that all villains are burdened with a tiny shred of humanity. While she writes her Adult and YA novels under the name Mireille Chester, she is now writing a middle grade series under the name M.G. Chester.

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