Jessica Wilde's Blog - Posts Tagged "hero-is-a-fighter"
Excerpt from Every One of Me
In preparation/celebration of EVERY ONE OF ME being submitted to Smashwords on February 2nd. Here is a little excerpt from the book.
Once submitted to Smashwords, it will then be distributed to B&N, Apple, Sony, Diesel, Kobo, etc...
YAY!!
"The doctor cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. "Theresa? Are you still there?"
She opened her eyes and looked straight at him and glared. The look on her face was familiar and brought me back to that night so many years ago when I witnessed her shatter.
"Shit!" Dr. Geoffrey exclaimed and hurried to the door. I didn't expect him to be anything but a stoic professional, which told me that this new development wasn't expected or desired today. At all.
Tess stayed in her chair, stiff and looking like she was about to snap into a million pieces. Dr. G called out to a couple of people and all I heard were loud footsteps getting closer. My eyes never left her and the urge to go to her was overpowering. She was beautiful, but so cold and angry.
She turned her head to look at me and her eyes widened. They were almost black, so different from the beautiful caramel and chocolate I could stare at forever, and they focused on my face, pinning me to my chair. Her expression softened infinitesimally, but not enough to wipe the fury away. Then she stood and took a step toward me.
"Are you going to hurt me?" she growled.
Her question surprised me, but she didn't look scared of me or even the slightest bit worried if the answer would ever be in the affirmative. It was almost as if she were threatening me. I spoke slowly and quietly, "No, Tess. I'm not going to hurt you."
Dr. G looked back into the room when I spoke and looked stunned. "Maybe you should--"
I raised my hand to stop him from talking, but kept my eyes on Tess. The sudden movement made her jerk in alarm, but she didn't step any closer.
"I know you won't hurt Tess," she sneered. "I asked if you are going to hurt me?" Her voice was hard and low. Completely different from Tessa's. She took another slow step toward me, but I held still, worried that I was going to scare her if I moved. This was still Tess, no matter what, this was still my Tess.
"I would never hurt you, Camryn."
She flinched back in surprise at hearing her name, but recovered quickly. "Yeah, sure! That's what they all say, but they always lie. Go ahead and do it. I'd rather you hurt me than her. I can take it!" She tilted her head slightly, "You'll regret it, though," she warned.
I stood then, slowly and cautiously, and she stiffened. Her jaw twitched and her eyes narrowed again, but I saw something that she was trying to hide. Something that Tess could never hide when she was struggling to control her emotions, but Camryn didn't know that. Her lips trembled, so slightly that I would have missed it if I didn't know to look for it. She was about to break down.
"Camryn, I would never hurt you," I said sincerely. "You are a part of Tess… and I love Tess." I swallowed hard and inched closer, "I want to help you protect her."
"I don't need any help!" she screamed, looking more and more like she was going to fall to her knees. Looking further and further from the Tess I knew, but she was still in there.
I saw Dr. Geoffrey and two other tall figures in the doorway out of the corner of my eye. I prayed they stayed where they were or Camryn was going to lose it. She must have noticed because she whirled around and grabbed the chair she had been sitting in, tipping it over and letting out a scream that sounded more like a growl.
I just reacted. I moved toward her faster than I had ever moved before, and wrapped my arms around her. She struggled to get away, but I held her tightly against me. She jerked in my arms and tried to turn to face me. When I let her and looked down at her face, the look in her eyes tore through my chest. She was so scared. Panicked.
"Let me go!" she bit out, but the shake in her voice didn't help the fierceness of her words.
I buried my face in her hair next to her ear. "Never," I whispered.
Her whole body uncoiled and she leaned into me as if she couldn't stand on her own. I held her up and she buried her face in my chest, breathing deeply and trying to hold back the sobs rising in her chest. "I'm here, Tess. Baby, come back to me. I'm here."
Her sobs tore out of her and her knees buckled. I lifted her into my arms and moved over to the couch on the other side of the room, cradling her against my chest and rocking her back and forth with my face buried in her hair. Her hands came up around my neck and she clung to me.
"My God," I heard the doctor breathe.
But as far as I was concerned, it was just Tess and me. "
Once submitted to Smashwords, it will then be distributed to B&N, Apple, Sony, Diesel, Kobo, etc...
YAY!!
"The doctor cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. "Theresa? Are you still there?"
She opened her eyes and looked straight at him and glared. The look on her face was familiar and brought me back to that night so many years ago when I witnessed her shatter.
"Shit!" Dr. Geoffrey exclaimed and hurried to the door. I didn't expect him to be anything but a stoic professional, which told me that this new development wasn't expected or desired today. At all.
Tess stayed in her chair, stiff and looking like she was about to snap into a million pieces. Dr. G called out to a couple of people and all I heard were loud footsteps getting closer. My eyes never left her and the urge to go to her was overpowering. She was beautiful, but so cold and angry.
She turned her head to look at me and her eyes widened. They were almost black, so different from the beautiful caramel and chocolate I could stare at forever, and they focused on my face, pinning me to my chair. Her expression softened infinitesimally, but not enough to wipe the fury away. Then she stood and took a step toward me.
"Are you going to hurt me?" she growled.
Her question surprised me, but she didn't look scared of me or even the slightest bit worried if the answer would ever be in the affirmative. It was almost as if she were threatening me. I spoke slowly and quietly, "No, Tess. I'm not going to hurt you."
Dr. G looked back into the room when I spoke and looked stunned. "Maybe you should--"
I raised my hand to stop him from talking, but kept my eyes on Tess. The sudden movement made her jerk in alarm, but she didn't step any closer.
"I know you won't hurt Tess," she sneered. "I asked if you are going to hurt me?" Her voice was hard and low. Completely different from Tessa's. She took another slow step toward me, but I held still, worried that I was going to scare her if I moved. This was still Tess, no matter what, this was still my Tess.
"I would never hurt you, Camryn."
She flinched back in surprise at hearing her name, but recovered quickly. "Yeah, sure! That's what they all say, but they always lie. Go ahead and do it. I'd rather you hurt me than her. I can take it!" She tilted her head slightly, "You'll regret it, though," she warned.
I stood then, slowly and cautiously, and she stiffened. Her jaw twitched and her eyes narrowed again, but I saw something that she was trying to hide. Something that Tess could never hide when she was struggling to control her emotions, but Camryn didn't know that. Her lips trembled, so slightly that I would have missed it if I didn't know to look for it. She was about to break down.
"Camryn, I would never hurt you," I said sincerely. "You are a part of Tess… and I love Tess." I swallowed hard and inched closer, "I want to help you protect her."
"I don't need any help!" she screamed, looking more and more like she was going to fall to her knees. Looking further and further from the Tess I knew, but she was still in there.
I saw Dr. Geoffrey and two other tall figures in the doorway out of the corner of my eye. I prayed they stayed where they were or Camryn was going to lose it. She must have noticed because she whirled around and grabbed the chair she had been sitting in, tipping it over and letting out a scream that sounded more like a growl.
I just reacted. I moved toward her faster than I had ever moved before, and wrapped my arms around her. She struggled to get away, but I held her tightly against me. She jerked in my arms and tried to turn to face me. When I let her and looked down at her face, the look in her eyes tore through my chest. She was so scared. Panicked.
"Let me go!" she bit out, but the shake in her voice didn't help the fierceness of her words.
I buried my face in her hair next to her ear. "Never," I whispered.
Her whole body uncoiled and she leaned into me as if she couldn't stand on her own. I held her up and she buried her face in my chest, breathing deeply and trying to hold back the sobs rising in her chest. "I'm here, Tess. Baby, come back to me. I'm here."
Her sobs tore out of her and her knees buckled. I lifted her into my arms and moved over to the couch on the other side of the room, cradling her against my chest and rocking her back and forth with my face buried in her hair. Her hands came up around my neck and she clung to me.
"My God," I heard the doctor breathe.
But as far as I was concerned, it was just Tess and me. "
