Shiloh Walker's Blog, page 70
September 4, 2013
Kindle books
Kindle
So I noticed yesterday that the ‘price set by publisher’ thing seems to be disappearing from Amazon. And the prices on a lot of my ebooks has been slowly dropping.
These are just some of the prices I’ve noticed, but they are anywhere from 15% or more off the set price.
The Protected $7.99
Wrecked $6.83
Stolen $6.83
The Missing $6.83
If You Hear Her $5.59
If You See Her $6.83
If You Know Her $6.83
Fragile $5.99
Hot Spell $5.99
The Reunited $8.89
Broken $11.04
Chains $10.83
Hunters: Heart and Soul: $10.83
Hunting The Hunter $5.98
To me, it looks like my newer books and my more popular books are getting the bigger discounts.
Hunting the Hunter was the ‘first’ Hunter book when I branched off from EC and started focusing more on a PNR world instead of the erotic paranormal, so if you’ve been curious about trying some of my other books, that might be one try.
Wrecked, Fragile, Chains, Broken, and the Ash Books (starting with If You Hear Her) are the ones I get the most feedback on.
I don’t see the prices reflected elsewhere, and please don’t snarl or growl at me. This is nothing I have control over.
However…maybe because it’s a new release, the price for The Protected is lower at other places than my new releases sometimes are. The cover price is $15.00 but it’s $9.99 at iBooks, Kobo and BN.
September 3, 2013
The Protected…releases today
Kindle
And… it’s marked down to $7.99 (Kindle) at Amazon!
As she climbed out, Gus appeared at the end of the sidewalk where it curved around to the front. His pale eyes glittered in his face as he watched her and her heart jumped and danced around in her throat, just looking at him. Really, that man was just too beautiful to exist. It wasn’t fair to the female population. Not at all.
Spit pooled in her mouth and she had to swallow just to keep from drooling as she moved to meet him on the sidewalk.
“We going inside?” she asked, trying to act like she wasn’t desperate to touch him. Desperate to see him, be near him. How had he hit her like this? A few weeks ago, she’d been stuck behind a desk, dealing with bitching headaches and wondering when she could get back out in the field.
And now, here she was, still dealing with bitching headaches, back out in the field…and standing in front of a man who had come to mean way too much to her, especially considering how very little she really knew about him.
He lifted a hand and brushed a stray curl back from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “If you were smart, you’d try to lose me once you were inside the store. Take off, steal a car and get away from here. Before it’s too late. Once they connect you to me, do you understand you may never be able to go back to your life?”
“I’ve never been much on doing the smart thing. Just the thing that felt right.” She shrugged and tried not to react as he shifted his attention from her hair to her mouth. He cupped her chin in his hand, stroked his thumb along her lower lip. The light touch sent all sorts of sparks and heat dancing down her spine and she wanted to shudder. Shiver. Quiver. Hell, she was quivering. And hungry, so damn hungry for him, but this wasn’t the time, wasn’t the place. Not they were likely to have that any time soon. “Besides, how likely am I to get away, if I tried?”
Lashes swept low. “If you ran now, I might let you go. You never should have gotten caught up in this. I’ve got enough blood on my hands.”
Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks | Indiebound | The Book Depository
Reminder…if you prefer to get your books from your local store, you might want to call them to make sure if they have it and if they don’t, just have them order it in. Some stores aren’t carrying my titles as much. Ordering it usually just takes a couple of days. The requests might be an incentive to order more… which I wouldn’t mind a bit. The ISBN, if you need it, is 9780425264430
September 2, 2013
Due out tomorrow… my messed up hero
Kindle
Long, tense moments passed and then Gus nodded slowly.
He held out a hand, and although she didn’t trust him any farther than she could throw him, she placed her hand in his, let him offer her assistance she didn’t need to rise to her feet.
He kept hold of her hand as he guided her across the room and toward the one area where they might have a modicum of privacy. Out of habit, she checked the bolt on the door. The latch was secured. The door was locked. Nobody had followed them and Vaughnne wasn’t about to let anybody near that kid. If they tried, she’d blow a hole through them or scramble their brains—whichever seemed to work best at the time.
Still…she checked.
Seconds later, the bathroom door closed at her back.
And then, she seemed to be the one who needed protection.
Gus went from the quiet protector to the warrior who’d leveled a gun at her, fully prepared to kill her. Before she could even catch her breath, he slammed her against the door, his forearm at her throat, pressing hard enough that she couldn’t draw her breath to scream.
She could have fought back.
She knew that.
And she knew how.
But as his misty eyes stared into hers, her heart slammed against her chest and she couldn’t breathe, could barely even think.
It wasn’t fear that seemed to crowd out all of her thoughts, though. Fear she could have handled.
This was so, so much worse.
“You need to understand something.” He leaned in, pressing his mouth to her ear. “And I want you to listen to me, very, very closely…Vaughnne. Is that even your name?”
She was pleased that her voice was almost steady as she said, “Yes. It’s my name. I gave you a false last name, but my first name is Vaughnne.”
“Hmmm.” He nuzzled her neck and little licks of pleasure shot all the way through her. “And FBI…are you really FBI?”
“Yes.” She closed her eyes as he pushed his thigh between hers. Oh, hell. What the hell was this? “You can call D.C. They can verify.”
“They routinely give out names of their agents, Vaughnne?”
He licked her. What… the… hell? She shuddered as he crowded in closer. His forearm was still wedged against her throat, preventing her from moving, but it was no longer pressing against her so tight that it was a chore just to breathe. Well, it was, but that was because of the sheer, burning weight of lust. He traced his tongue down the line of her neck. “You did not answer me.”
Accent, she noticed dimly. He had an accent—she hadn’t ever heard it before. And she would have noticed, too, which meant the man’s skills just went from the category four strange to category five. At least.
Swallowing, she focused on his question. “Generally, no. But if you call and ask for the man I tell you to ask for, he will verify.”
“And isn’t that convenient?” He laughed a little, resting his free hand on her hip. His fingers flexed and she felt the imprint everywhere he touched. Every single place, from his thumb, to his little finger, curving over her flesh, kneading back and forth… “You give me a false number. A false name. So easy to fool me, you think?”
As his mouth came to cover hers, she averted her head. Finally, her brain was engaging.
Sex as a weapon. Not something she’d ever had directed at her, but, whoa. Damn. That’s what this was and he was potent as hell. “You can look the damn number up on Google. I’m pretty sure I can’t control Google, although if I can get them to give me some major shares in the stock, hey, I’m game to try. You call that number, I’ll tell you how to get connected to the man who can vouch for me.”
His knee pushed between her thighs and this time, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep from shuddering. Couldn’t keep from whimpering as he drew her in until she was all but riding his thigh. Oh. Hell.
“And what will he tell me when he vouches for you? What happens then? Somebody comes in here to take the child from me? I don’t think so, Vaughnne.”
“Nobody wants to take him away,” she snapped. And then she curled her hands into fists to keep from reaching for him as he shifted and settled his hips squarely between her own. She felt him now. All of him, the ridge of his cock, hot and thick, and damn it, if he hadn’t been aroused, this would have been easier, so much easier.
But sex as a weapon wasn’t really useful if the weapon wasn’t primed and ready to fire, she supposed.
Summoning up what little strength she had, she closed her eyes. She went through her options and discarded all but a few. As she was busy with that, he shifted the forearm he had wedged across her upper body. Cooler air kissed her flesh and she hissed as she realized he had freed the top button of her shirt.
No. Absolutely no.
As he reached for the second one, she opened her eyes and stared at him.
He stared right back at her.
She didn’t have a lot of room to maneuver, she had next to no leverage and she’d rather not wake up Alex, either. The kid had already been through hell and was sick on top of everything else in his life.
She didn’t really want to hurt Gus, either. Assuming she could. She might want to bloody him in that very second, but he was trying to protect the kid. She thought maybe she could understand that drive. Maybe.
As pissed off as she was, she understood the basic need to protect.
When he leaned in, she slid a hand around the back of his neck, careful to keep her expression blank. As he covered her mouth, she held herself still. And as he went to sweep his tongue across hers, she bit him. At the same time, she tangled a hand in his hair and jerked. He muffled his response, doing exactly what she’d expected—trying to avoid waking Alex, scaring him. He went to grab her and she jammed her fist into his throat. He had to breathe, right?
Even as he was struggling to do that, though, he was already reaching for her. Damn it. He was too well-equipped for this, she thought. She evaded his hand and lashed out with one weapon he couldn’t prepare for. Blasting her voice into his mind, she watched as he stumbled and slammed a hand against his temple, caught off guard.
She jerked the door open, taking advantage of the few precious seconds she had. The second she was out the door, she cut the scream off, pulling her weapon as she set her stance.
He came for her, pausing only at the sight of her weapon. She set her stance and held his gaze.
“We’re not doing this, Casanova,” she said quietly. She licked her lips and hated the fact that she could still taste him. Her entire body throbbed, ached. Burned for him. And damn it, if he hadn’t been trying to pull…whatever he’d been pulling? She might have been just fine with letting him do anything he wanted to with her. Even with a kid sleeping a few feet away. They’d been in a bathroom, right? She knew how to be quiet.
But he had been up to something and she wasn’t going to be used. Wasn’t going to have any man use sex against her. No matter what the goal was.
“Nobody is going to hurt him,” she said as he edged out of the bathroom, moving closer and closer.
She backed away. And still he kept coming. Eventually, she ran out of room and he stood there with his chest pressed to the muzzle of her Glock and no emotion on his face.
“Nobody is going to hurt him. Nobody is going to take him. I’m here to help keep him safe,” she said.
“Nobody can keep him safe,” Gus said, his voice a monotone. “You don’t even know what is after him.”
Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks | Indiebound | The Book Depository
Have you hit the blog tour stops?
http://ripeforreader.blogspot.com
http://nikkibrandyberry.wordpress.com
http://www.read-love-blog.com/
http://ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.com/
http://readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.com
August 31, 2013
The Protected…Author’s Choice!
KindleSnippets!
Due out next week…
Gus had planned to do . . . something.
He didn’t know what.
But he’d planned to do . . . something when she came inside.
She came inside, a dazed, almost drugged look on her face, like she didn’t know where she was. Who she was. Part of him wanted to grab her and shake her, scold her for her carelessness, because she didn’t even look around.
He wasn’t hiding. The room was dim, but he stood in the corner, leaning against the wall, and all she had to do was look around and she’d see him.
But all she did was shut the door and flip the locks.
Then . . . she stood there.
Her back to him. Her shoulders rose and fell rapidly, and distantly, he was aware of the harsh sounds of her breathing filling the room. She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to the door. A sob ripped out of her. She slammed a fist against the door and the sound of it caught him off guard.
Anger and grief rolled from her, and he felt frozen there. Guilt flooded him and part of him wanted to slip out of the room, disappear, and leave her alone with whatever hurt her.
The other part of him wanted to go to her and haul her against him, make her tell him what had hurt her . . . so he could kill it. Fix it. Whatever. He didn’t know which one he was supposed to do. He was good at killing things, but fixing them? Not so much.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
He wasn’t supposed to care . . . not for anything or anybody.
She wasn’t supposed to matter, yet she did. More than anybody or anything, save for Alex.
He didn’t want this inside him, but there it was.
She slammed her fist against the door and screamed and he just couldn’t take it anymore. Shoving off the wall, he crossed the floor. He didn’t know what he was going to do, what he was going to say—
“Damn you, Gus.” The words came out in a ragged sob.
His heart jumped into his throat.
She was crying . . . over him.
He almost tripped over his feet, his shoes scuffing on the hardwood floors.
She gasped and whirled around.
He saw her hand go to the weapon strapped to her waist, and he moved, catching her wrist and pinning it to the wall.
Her eyes went wide as she stared at him, damp and glinting with tears. Her mouth fell open.
“Gus . . .”
“Damning me finally?” he whispered.
She sucked in a breath and reached up, fisting her hand in his shirt. “You . . . you’re okay.”
Reaching over, he caught the weapon and tugged until she let go of her Glock. He laid it down on the small table to his left. “I wouldn’t go that far.” Reaching up, he cupped her face in his hands. “Why are you crying, Vaughnne?”
She sniffed and reached up, swiping the tears from her face. “I’m not.” She lifted her chin and glared at him.
“Of course you’re not.” Unable to resist another moment, he lowered his head and pressed his mouth to hers. She tasted of tears and her and he was starved for her. He lifted his head a fraction. “If you don’t want this, then you better stop me . . . now.”
Her response was to reach for his shirt and strip it off.
If he were any sort of decent, he’d slow this down. Talk to her. He’d be lying if he tried to tell himself he hadn’t come for this. He hadn’t come only for this. He’d wanted to touch her, feel her underneath one more time . . . to take her in a bed and take his time with her.
One night. One night when he didn’t have to worry about all the burdens he’d carried for so long. One night when all that mattered was the two of them.
But Gus had stopped worrying about being decent a long, long time ago. So as his shirt fell to the floor, he reached for the neat little line of buttons marching up the center of her prim white shirt. “You look so neat and put together, Vaughnne,” he murmured, freeing first one button, then another, watching as he bared one inch of skin at a time. “I’m going to enjoy watching you come apart for me.”
She leaned back against the door, her hands falling to hang loose at her sides. “I’ve been doing that almost since the first second I laid eyes on you, sugar.” A smile curved her wide, sexy mouth, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, and if he’d let himself look, he knew what he would have seen.
She knew, he realized. Had some idea of just why he was there.
And it just made him that much more of a bastard. But he didn’t care.
When he reached the final button, instead of pushing the shirt off her shoulders, he let it hang open, revealing the narrow line of her sleek torso, the lace edging of her bra. He traced one finger down the midline of her body, stopping when he reached the waist of her trousers, the sturdy leather of her holster. Still holding her gaze, he unbuckled it, unbuttoned her trousers.
Vaughnne stood there, silent and watching him with solemn eyes. He leaned in and nipped her lower lip, pressed a kiss to her neck, moving in a line straight downward until he was kneeling in front of her.
She wore a pair of low-heel ankle boots and he tugged them off, setting them neatly by the door. Vaughnne kept a tidy little nest, something he’d noticed when he let himself inside. He wouldn’t leave any sign of himself when he left . . . other than what he was doing to her now. Glancing up at her, he saw her lashes were closed, her head was tipped back, and her hands were braced against the door, curled into tight fists that left her knuckles bloodless.
He wanted her clutching at him that tightly.
Wanted to hear that smart mouth, the cocky attitude that had driven him insane the past few weeks.
But when he tried to reach for the words to say something, anything to tease it out of her, he couldn’t find them. So instead of saying anything, he leaned in and pressed his mouth to her belly as he caught the waist of her trousers and dragged them down over the swell of her hips, her thighs, down until she could step out of the puddle of material.
Rising, he stood in front of her, arms braced on the door by either side of her head, waiting for her to look at him.
Seconds ticked away, and finally, she lifted her lids, staring at him with dark, unreadable eyes.
He opened his mouth, determined to find something to say. Something. Anything. It shouldn’t be this hard to find a handful of words. He’d lived most of his life by them. Glib lies, charming little half-truths . . . all of them said to people who meant less than nothing. And here he stood with a woman who meant everything and he couldn’t find anything to ease the pain he sensed was inside her.
Before he managed to find even one damn thing to say, Vaughnne reached up and laid her hand on his cheek. “Take me to bed, Gus,” she said quietly. “We can have that one night now, right?”
Please note if you wish to get this book in print from your local store, you might want to make sure they pre-order it. A lot of stores aren’t carrying as many of my books in print. Thank you!
Lauren Dane
Caris Roane
Eliza Gayle
Lissa Matthews
McKenna Jeffries
Taige Crenshaw
Delilah Devlin
HelenKay Dimon
August 29, 2013
Truths & Lies
KindleThe past year has kinda sucked. Actually, the past few years have been a pattern. I keep telling myself that things will get better, things gotta get better. But they don’t. Currently, on top of the personal stuff and the writer stuff, the dryer is going to have to be replaced soon and my laptop is doing evil things that makes me think I’ll need a new one. I can’t write without a laptop so this ought to be interesting.
A few days ago, we went to an art festival and I bought a cute little clay thing for the bathroom, to put toothbrushes and the toothpaste in. It cost $40. It wasn’t even used once, because it was broken in the car. Somehow. Mysteriously. Ghosts must have done it because nobody will cop to it.
Every other day, something else is going wrong.
Not too long ago, I was told that I really don’t have anything to complain about…but, well….ya know, this sort of thing is subjective.
I was told that I’ve got a great career, but that great career isn’t really what people think. This is how I support my family, so yes, it’s a big concern to me, because going back to nursing isn’t much of an option for me. Naturally, I worry. I’ve had two series dropped, struggling to keep the others going. And I do mean struggle. The most successful one is the selfpubbed one and it’s twice as hard as the others since I’m flying solo.
I get that others have it so much worse than I do…and I really do get that. I’ve got it so much better than my parents did and I know that. Despite what it may sound like, I am grateful.
But…sometimes it feels like it’s all falling apart around me.
I hate that I feel like this. I’ve got three beautiful, smart kids. I’ve got a great husband. And I am able to write for a living. It’s more than some people can do, and I know that.
I appreciate it. I wouldn’t change where I am, or who I am. Yet…I still feel like I’m falling apart.
How can I feel like this, even though I know I’ve got so many things that others don’t and that I need to appreciate every thing I do have? Things I never hoped to have as a kid?
I don’t know.
Why does it feel like every day is a struggle and why has it felt like this not for a few days, a few weeks, but…longer? Frankly, right now I can’t remember when it hasn’t felt like this. I’m not looking at weeks right now, probably not even months, but a couple of years.
It’s more than just stuff going on personally, things that I am not, and will not, go into. It’s more than struggling to keep together a career that sometimes feels like it’s just…falling apart.
Sometimes I feel like I’m in the middle of the ocean and I’ve got people around me, and I know they can see me and I’m going down and it’s like…I know you see me, will you help me…but they aren’t seeing me drowning. I guess I look like I’m swimming. There have been a few times when I reached out to a couple of friends, but…nothing. Granted, my idea of reaching out isn’t me grabbing hold and shouting…Hey, YOU!!! LOOK AT ME!! I’M DESPERATE!!!
I don’t do this well. I never have. I want to do things on my own–every thing on my own, which is probably one of my biggest flaws. A few days ago, I finally broke down and admitted to myself, then to my husband that I was drowning.
It’s like there’s so much going on, with our family, with my career, with everything, there’s just no room left for me. I’m drowning in everything else and it’s got me…lost.
It’s been more than a decade since I was this low, but I’m there again. It took me three days to finally call my doctor and make an appointment. I saw my doctor today and I know tomorrow isn’t going to be any better and neither will the day after and neither will the day after that.
But maybe in a week or two, I’ll feel like maybe there’s something left inside for me.
Why am I telling people this?
Because of things I read from women like Jenny Lawson, the Bloggess. The reason I finally made that damn phone call is because I do know that depression is an evil son of a bitch and I do know that depression lies.
And as lonely and down as I’ve been feeling, even when I’m trapped in that ocean, going under and I’m drowning and people just see me swimming, depression does lie.
There are other people out there feeling just as lost, just as low. I know what it’s like. And sooner or later, it will be okay.
August 28, 2013
August 27, 2013
The Hunters Books 1 & 2…now back in print
KindleUTA: Due to matters outside of my control, the print date for The Hunters 1 & 2 has been pushed back a few weeks. I’m sorry.
Some people are just finding these books and wanted to be able to read them in print, so I’m giving it a shot.
The first two are available in print. So far, it’s just showing up on Amazon, but it will be available through other retailers. It can be ordered, but it won’t likely be stocked in stores so if you want it, make note of the ISBN and have them order it in.
ISBN-10: 0615827691
ISBN-13: 978-0615827698
Hunters: Declan & Tori
Book 1
Tori McAdams was a sensible woman. She didn’t believe in hocus-pocus, she didn’t believe in ghosts, and she definitely didn’t believe in vampires…not until the night she was attacked by one. Alone, starving and afraid, she doesn’t know what’s happening but at least she had somebody to turn to…
Declan Reilly was normally the last person she’d go to for help, but now he was the first on her list. He can help; she knows he can. She never could have planned on what happens next, though…the sexy detective is so much more than he appears.
Warning: This book contains violence, sex, more violent, a maniacal murderer, sex, more violence, and a menage or two thrown in for good measure.
**Please note this work has been previously published. While it’s been edited, no new material has been added.
Hunters: Eli and Sarel
Book 2
Three centuries is a long time to spend alone…but Elijah Crawford is used to it. He’s got his friends, he’s got thugs to kill, and a mild obsession with an on-and-off again lover to keep him occupied.
But then a woman appears in his dark world, one who just might bring some light to those endless nights. Just one look makes him hunger. Just one glimpse makes him burn.
There’s just one complication. She wants him dead.
Sarel Chandler knows all about vampires and she knows all about monsters–or so she thinks. The monster she knows as Elijah Crawford is responsible for the death of her sister and she’s going to see that he pays for it.
There’s just one complication…she’s completely wrong…and she’s about to pay for it in so many ways.
Warning: This book contains a pissed-off witch, a sexy Master vampire, some serious ménage action and lots of one-on-one time…of the up-close-and-personal variety. And I do mean lots…
**Please note this work has been previously published. While it’s been edited, no new material has been added.
ALSO!
You can buy the box set in ebook. :)
Still waiting for it to show on all platforms, but it should be there sooner or later.
August 26, 2013
To the bloggess…thank you for #69
KindleI needed a laugh, so bad today.
And I found this post…
If you’re brave enough, read it.
And for some odd reason, 69 struck me as insanely funny. Which I needed.
August 25, 2013
Just reading this hurt my heart
KindleThese people tried to do something as simple as give hungry people food. There’s no place, apparently, for a homeless person, man, woman or child to go for food on weekends-imagine that, if you have a child who is starving and you have no way to provide for that child-Raleigh doesn’t have any choices for you on the weekend. A group of churches provided food on the weekend and they tried to keep it, from what I can tell, in the downtown area where a lot of the homeless are.
And now the city is telling them…nope, try it, and you get arrested.
Thanks for showing us what a friendly city you are, Raleigh. A place I don’t wanna visit.
This morning we showed up at Moore Square at 9:00 a.m., just like we have done virtually every Saturday and Sunday for the last six years. We provide, without cost or obligation, hot coffee and a breakfast sandwich to anyone who wants one. We keep this promise to our community in cooperation with five different large suburban churches that help us with manpower and funding.
Today officers from Raleigh Police Department prevented us from doing our work, for the first time ever. An officer said, quite bluntly, that if we attempted to distribute food, we would be arrested.
“They will arrest me if I give you a biscuit.”
Me addressing the crowd. “They will arrest me if I give you a biscuit.”
Our partner church brought 100 sausage biscuits and large amounts of coffee. We asked the officers for permission to disperse the biscuits to the over 70 people who had lined up, waiting to eat. They said no. I had to face those who were waiting and tell them that I could not feed them, or I would be arrested.
In the past, we have had a good working relationship with the Raleigh Police Department. We knew that we could not use the park itself, as doing so required a permit, but that it was fine if we wanted to set up on the sidewalk, as long as we did not block the sidewalk and cleaned up after ourselves. We have operated, unmolested, under this assumption for the last six years.
By the way, each permit to use the park costs $800. Yes, eight hundred dollars. That would cost us $1,600 every weekend, and the officer we spoke to said the City likely wouldn’t approve it anyway.
Now, however, we are hearing that we can’t distribute food at the park, period. No representative from the Raleigh Police Department was willing to tell us which ordinance we were breaking, or why, after six years and countless friendly and cooperative encounters with the Department, they are now preventing us from feeding hungry people.
From Love Wins blog.
UTA: If anybody feels inclined to write the city… the emails are:
Mary-Ann.Baldwin at raleighnc.gov
Russ.Stephenson at raleighnc.gov
Randall.Stagner at raleighnc.gov
John.Odom at raleighnc.gov
Eugene.Weeks at raleighnc.gov
Thomas.Crowder at raleighnc.gov
Bonner.Gaylord at raleighnc.gov
August 24, 2013
Stop draggin’ my heart around…
Kindle
Gus…like I said, he’s a sexy, sexy bastard. I really loved this son of a bitch.
She was going to miss him.
Every day for the rest of her life. It shouldn’t happen like this. Damn it to hell, it shouldn’t happen like this. If she was going to fall for a guy, why couldn’t she have fallen for one she could keep?
She rolled onto her side and watched him climb out of the bed and her heart skipped a beat. Wistful, she bit back a sigh. Then again, she was being stupid. She had absolutely no desire to undo a minute with him. Maybe she couldn’t keep him, but the days she’d spent with him burned brighter on her memory than any other she could recall.
If she had to settle for something vivid like this that would end in heartache, or something just . . . mediocre that she barely recalled a few months, a few years later? This was better, she thought. She hoped she could remember that later on down the road when she was cussing him out for leaving her.
He didn’t speak as he dressed. She didn’t bother saying anything. There was no point in trying to get him to change his mind. He’d already decided what he needed to do. He wasn’t there looking to see if she wanted him even. If he’d shown any sign of that, then she’d be all over him, giving him all the reasons he needed to stay.
But he’d come with a purpose in mind.
So fine.
Let him go.
Swallowing around the knot in her throat, she told herself she could get through this. The first few days would be the worst, right? After her father had thrown her out, once she’d gotten through the first few weeks, the first month or so, she’d figured out how to get along and she’d been okay. This couldn’t really be any worse than that.
In the dim light, he turned to face her after he’d pulled his shirt on, and she rolled onto her back as he came to sit on the side of the bed.
He reached up and touched her cheek. “Thank—”
“If you say thank you to me, I’m going to break your nose,” she warned softly.
A faint smile danced across his face, there, then gone. “Do you really think I can leave without saying thank you for helping me with Alex?”
She sat up and leaned in until they were nose to nose. “Anything else and I’m punching you, Gus. I did my job. Period.”
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