Sympathy For The Devil (30 page)

He approached, covering half of the five feet between them.

She tipped her head back, gazing up at him behind those shades. “Any buyers?”

“There’s interest. No offers yet.”

“Give them time. So...” She toed the gravel between them. “...what now? Back to the city?”

Her voice was light. Too light. Too casual. And the emotion lodged in his throat eased just a little, enough that he could breathe.

“I don’t know,” he replied. And took a step closer.

Her body language spoke more than words had, relaxing and softening. “You’ll maybe stay for a little while?”

Closer still. “If I’m wanted.”

A small smile curved her lips. “I’m here to ask you if you want to swing by and visit Dani and the baby. Adam invited you. Olive branch.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “He’s sorry but he’ll probably need time to adjust. The invite is for real, though. We can stop and pick up a card. Some flowers.”

We
. He moved closer still, his hands folding on her hips. She took in a sharp breath but remained soft in his grip. He plucked her sunglasses from her face, set them on the hood of her car at her back. Her hands came out to touch his sides, grasping a handful of his T-shirt in each. She smelled like soap from a fresh shower, and he leaned closer, breathing her in. She pulled at him, tilted her head back until his lips grazed hers.

He wouldn’t tell her yet, but he loved her. He’d known before he had a word for it, before wanting to admit it. Things were still new,
they
were still new, and now wasn’t the time for it. But soon. Soon, he’d tell her. For the immediate future, he’d show her.

They kissed deeply, the dance of his demand and her yield both familiar and comfortable.

“Devin,” she said softly as she pulled back, and met his eyes. “The baby. It’s a girl. Her...her name is Chelsea Sharise.”

He let out a breath, stifled it before it could turn into a sigh. He kissed her again, briefly, and took her hand. “My truck? I’ll drive, you give me directions to their house.”

“Sure.”

Chelsea Sharise. His former brother-in-law’s little girl, new to the world, carrying the name of the aunt she’d never know. Things changed. Life moved on. Grief had its place.

So did letting go.

About the Author

Asha King likes good-looking men and hot books, and often strives to combine the two in contemporary, paranormal, and suspenseful romantic stories. She lives in the exotic land of Alberta, Canada, where she doesn’t ride a polar bear to work but does drink vast amounts of locally brewed beer and watches hockey.

She loves connecting with readers and you can keep up to date with her on her blog at ashaking.blogspot.com, where you’ll find a list of what she’s working on, including her new paranormal romance series,
Cats & Conjure
.

Now Available:

Wild Horses

A Stirling Falls Novel

Popular blogger Danyiah Jackson is known for finding the humor in anything—until some of her fan mail turns threatening and a stalker makes it clear he’s been watching her. She grudgingly accepts the advice of a threat assessment expert and disappears from the online world, taking temporary refuge at a family friend’s quarter horse ranch in the country.

Head horse wrangler Adam Cooper isn’t thrilled about the smart-mouthed young woman suddenly living and working at the ranch—even if she’s drop dead gorgeous. But their verbal sparring sets his body ablaze and gets his heart racing, and he’s drawn to her despite his misgivings.

As Danyiah and Adam fight their attraction, however, her stalker draws near, putting not only their fledgling love but their lives on the line.

****

Wild Horses: Cold, Cold Winter

A Stirling Falls Novella

Six months after the events of Wild Horses, blogger Danyiah Jackson happily lives in the country, loving—and often shocking—her broodtastic horse wrangler boyfriend, Adam Cooper.

But her surprise Christmas present for him, done as a prank for her blog and to spring some life-changing news, incites an argument months in the making, bringing the insecurities and vulnerabilities of the pair to the forefront. Adam wants more than he fears she’s willing to give, and Dani has a secret of her own that she fears will tear everything apart.

Is a happily-ever-after really possible for an opposites-attract romance?

And Coming Soon from Phaze Books...

Gimme Shelter

A Stirling Falls Novel

When a terrified woman clad in nothing but a red evening dress arrives at his door in the middle of the night, Stirling Falls veterinarian Mark Goodwin’s first instinct is to call the police, despite her begging him not to. The bruises and cuts on her body speak of trauma, but not only can’t she tell him how she got them, she doesn’t even know her own name.

With no memory, no identity, the woman he comes to call Rebecca knows just one thing: she mustn’t be found. A darkness haunts her nightmares, one that follows her into wakefulness, and the longer she’s with Mark, the more likely she is to draw him into the danger that nearly got her killed.

If she leaves the safety of Mark’s home, if anyone finds out where she is, she knows her death will be brutal and inevitable... But if she stays, she’s just as in danger of losing her heart and risking both their lives.