Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Jordan's Second Chance 3.1

Hey everyone and welcome to another Wednesday's Briefs! For those new to the group, every Wednesday, a group of authors use either a pictorial or written prompt to write a flash fiction of 500-1000 words. This week, I've chosen to use a written prompt, 'That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.'

This week we continue with 'Jordan's Second Chance.' Jordan's confession has shocked Wynter. What will his reaction be and will he like the answers when the truth is revealed? I hope you enjoy this latest installment.

Happy reading,

TC

****


Jordan’s Second Chance 3.2

 

            Wynter blinked, uncertain if he’d heard correctly. “What do you mean, you killed her?” Jordan did not seem the murdering type.

            Jordan sighed, leaning against the porch railing. He stared across the expanse of the backyard, silent. Finally, he shook his head and turned to face Wynter. “A few weeks before Lucas was born, his mother wanted to visit the cabin in the mountains that her family has owned for generations. It was their tradition to hire a midwife and have the baby there.”

            Jordan fell silent once again. Wynter reached over and entwined their fingers together. “Go on,” he urged softly.

            “Sarah Marie—Lucas’s mother—and I were supposed to go up to the cabin together, but a client called at the last minute and requested a meeting. Sarah Marie begged me not to take the meeting and to go with her. But I … I,” Jordan paused, looking at the landscape once again.

            “Couldn’t she have waited for you to finish your meeting before heading to the cabin?” Wynter asked, stepping back and wrapping his arms around Jordan’s waist.

            Jordan leaned back into Wynter and sighed. “The midwife had called earlier that day and told us she going to be at the cabin earlier than we’d originally planned. Sarah Marie wanted to make sure the place was aired out properly and straightened up before the midwife showed up.”

            “Was it all right for her to do that?” Wynter asked, trying to picture an eight-month-old woman bending down to clean without toppling over. He also couldn’t believe Jordan had allowed Sarah Marie to do such physical chores while close to her due date.

            Jordan chuckled, the gloomy atmosphere lightening marginally. “Sarah Marie was a very stubborn woman, she did what she wanted, when she wanted. A cleaning crew had already taken care of the cabin but she wanted to check on it for herself. You have to remember, that cabin had been in her family for generations and she was having our first child. She wanted everything to be perfect.”

            Wynter smiled, he could appreciate that. He wished he had something like Sarah Marie’s cabin that would remind him of his parents. “I can understand that.”

            “Indeed. Family was very important to her,” Jordan said. He turned around and pulled Wynter against his chest, tucking Wynter’s head beneath is cheek.

            “You loved her,” Wynter said quietly. He’d expected to feel anger or jealously. But strangely, he felt at peace. He was glad Jordan had had someone to love and who loved him in return.

            Jordan nodded. “I did, and I still do. Sarah Marie will always hold a piece of my heart and I hope you can understand and accept that. She was my first love. We grew up together and started dating in middle school. It was a given that we would mate when we turned of age. So when we graduated from high school, it felt like the natural course of events to mate and move into our own place.”  

            Wynter’s fingertips traced the broad expanse of Jordan’s back. He nodded his understanding. “Of course, I understand, Jordan. I’m happy that you had someone to love you.”

            “You are so good to me. You’re the best.” Jordan leaned back and captured Wynter’s lips in a soft, gentle kiss. Wynter’s breath caught in his throat. The kiss conveyed every ounce of longing Jordan had for him. Wynter’s body melted, surrendering to the intense emotions that intoxicated him like a drug. Jordan broke the kiss and buried his face into the crook of Wynter’s neck.

            “Will you tell me the rest?” Wynter asked in a soft voice after several minutes of silence.

            Jordan inhaled and stepped back, dropping his arms. Wynter followed, tightening his embrace and refusing to break the connection between them. “Sarah Marie went ahead and drove to the cabin by herself, but only after I made her promise to call me as soon as she got there. Only … she never called. After my meeting, I checked my phone and noticed she hadn’t called. I called her cell phone and the cabin’s phone, but there was no answer. The midwife hadn’t seen or spoken to her—she was still at the restaurant where she was supposed to meet Sarah Marie. I drove home, hoping she’d decided to wait for me instead and had just fallen asleep or something. It was only after …,” Jordan broke off and turned away.

            Wynter released him this time, knowing Jordan needed the space. He stayed silent, allowing Jordan to regain his composure. “When I got home, there was a police squad car in front of my house. They told me a drunk driver had run a red light and hit Sarah Marie. She was rushed into emergency surgery where they performed a cesarean section.” Jordan paused, his eyes damp with unshed tears. “She lived long enough to bring Lucas into this world and then she.” Jordan turned away, unable to continue.

            “You said you killed her. How was this your fault?” Wynter asked, confused.

            “Because I wasn’t there! If I’d scheduled the meeting for a different time, then I could’ve saved Sarah Marie! I could’ve …” Jordan growled, his hands clenching.

            “Don’t be ridiculous! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!”

To be continued …
****

Click on the links below for more free flash fiction!

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Friday, June 13, 2014

Welcome DC Stone!

Hey Everyone, let's welcome DC Stone! She has a new release out right now, Intimate Danger, so go get it, I've already ordered mine! 
 



Intimate Danger
Romantic Suspense
Release Date June 11, 2014 from Evernight Publishing

ABOUT THE BOOK:
When FBI agent Trent Rossi arrives to investigate a chain of crimes—devastating murders and violent rapes—an inexperienced small town Detective, Charlie, who’s assigned to assist, finds her desire surging for the agent—only to realize he is the primary suspect.

A sleeping threat has awakened in the small town of Nyack. Crimes in the cozy village, garner the attention of the FBI, who assign two agents to assist Charlie in tracking down the sick and deranged perpetrator. Agents Trent Rossi and Dillon Echols work closely with Charlie, but as the crimes progress, dark secrets begin to cloud the air, blurring the line between who is on the side of the law and who’s against it. Being Charlie’s first major case, she’s unprepared not only for the menacing killer on the loose, but also with the unexpected feelings Trent draws out of her. 

While Trent holds secrets, disappears at random, and seems to understand their perpetrator all-too-well, Charlie’s suspicions grow along with the pull she feels toward him. Her attraction could become fatal, yet she does not realize it until it is too late.


 

EXCERPT:
           
Jesus, he should be looking for this Detective Lopez, but his body screamed for this woman. He fought the urge to fidget, cursed the hours he had been working, unable to get any kind of companionship. He would have to work quick and then find Charlie. “I’m Agent Rossi with the FBI.” He leaned against the desk, gave her the look that had gotten him into pants faster than any of his college buddies, and held out a hand. She looked at his palm as if it were a serpent ready to strike.
“And? How can I help you, Agent Rossi?” She rose from her chair and crossed her arms under her breasts. He tried—and failed—to ignore how the movement pushed her plentiful mounds up toward her chin.
Ooookkkayy.
He pulled his hand back and ran it through his hair.
Bad move! The stench coming from under his arm made him wince.
“Look, I know you probably have things to do,” he said.
She nodded, brows lifted to her hairline, as if saying “no shit.” He went on, “But I do need to find Detective Lopez. You’d be a real sweetheart if you could point me in his direction. I’m here on a case and I don’t know…maybe after I’m done briefing him, you’d like to have dinner with me? That is, if you’re not busy?”
The contortion of her brows twisted before a sly smile spread.
“You’re looking for Charlie, huh?”
Someone groaned, and Trent glared over his shoulder, perplexed. The heavyset guy in need of Tide shook his head and looked away. Irritated at the interruption and apparent lack of man code, Trent turned his attention back to the cute little female.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
The woman shifted and sat in the chair with purposeful, slow movements. She set one foot on the desk, crossed a long leg over the other. Each action played out in slow motion through his lust-filled brain. He shifted, his focus glued to the smooth expanse of a jean-covered thigh, and stepped closer.
Hummidy, hummidy, hummidy.
“And why is it you need Charlie?” The woman ran a hand up the outside of her leg and his attention followed it. His mouth went dry.
“Umm, a case.”
“A case?”
“Yeah.” When silence met him, he realized what was happening. You didn’t have to go through interrogation and interview classes in order to figure it out. He was being led. His gaze snapped to hers, except this time, her face did not look friendly. If the hardening of her mouth was any indication, she looked pissed. And he’d been totally caught just checking her out.
Resigned, he let out a breath.
“Yeah, a case. Look, I’m sorry for all—” He waved a hand between them. “This. Could you just point me in the direction of Detective Lopez?”
Her hard mouth softened and she stood from her chair again, lips turning up at the corners. Leaning in to him, her scent surrounded him and he got a whiff of coconut.
His gaze tracked along her face, and dropped to her shirt, which parted as she leaned forward. He about choked as he tried to swallow, his mouth dry as the Arizona desert.
“Well, Agent Rossi.”
Lean forward a little more, please.
“If you could stop staring at my tits for all of two seconds, then I’ll tell where you can find Detective Lopez.”
The noisemaker behind him let out a strangled cough.
He snapped his regard up to hers. Hazel eyes blared with anger. Crap.
“Shit, I’m sorry. Seriously, it has been a long damn day. If you’d just tell me where he is, Miss?” He raised his brows, wanting her name. Good Lord, he wanted her name.
She smiled sweet, the transformation of her face a thing of beauty. “It’s Detective.”
He raised a brow, a sick feeling creeping up his spine. “Detective?” he croaked.
The smile spread to her eyes. “Yes, and to not only help you, but to also answer your question, it’s Detective Lopez. How can I help you, Agent Rossi?”
The noisemaker behind him snorted out a laugh.

 
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About the author: D.C. Stone is a romance author and full-time fraud investigator. She lives in the north-east with her incredibly supporting husband and two kids. She’ll deny any association with the grumpy cat that also resides in the house, but he is there, never-the-less.
After serving eight years of service with the United States Air Force, she went on to transition into the world of financial crimes and became a lead investigator for many years.
Reading has always been a passion of hers, getting lost in a good, steamy romance is one of her favorite past times. She soon after discovered her own love for writing and recreating stories and characters in her head.  Her writing concentrates on romantic with specifics in paranormal, suspense and erotica.
Now, when she isn’t trying to solve a new puzzle in the world of fraud, she is engulfed with coffee, her laptop, and all those crazy characters in her head. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, New Jersey Romance Writers, RomVets, RWA Kiss of Death, and the Liberty State Fiction Writers. She currently serves as the Vice President and 2014 Conference Chair for NJRW. Come stop by on Facebook, Twitter, or her website and say hello!