Excerpts from The Player and RUSH 2

For me, the story and also character development are of utmost importance in my novels. So I’ve been working hard to become not only a better writer, but a better editor. For readers who’ve been wondering when another full length novel will be released, I can tell you that it will be very soon.

 

 

The Player

 

“So,” Harlow said, tracing a gentle fingertip along Kyle’s lower jaw. “How many of your brothers have a dimple right here” ─ she pressed the deep groove that was smack in the middle of his chin ─ “like yours?”

With his eyes closed, Kyle gave her a sleepy chuckle before answering. “I’m the only one.”

Feeling wonderfully sated but still frisky enough to make love again, Harlow molded her body to his. “Ooh . . . so who do look like, your mother or your father?”

“Neither.”

“You’re a combination of both, huh?”

“No. I look like the guy my mother had an affair with while my dad was overseas.” When her finger caress stilled, he opened one eye to gauge her expression.

“I’m – oh Kyle I’m so sorry.” Harlow’s voice was filled with concern and her big brown eyes shone with pity. “I shouldn’t be prying.”

Kyle rolled over so that they were face to face. “Don’t be sorry. I didn’t find out until my pretend dad died. By that time I was in high school so it didn’t bother me.”

“What?”

“I’m not kidding. I met the guy right after the funeral. She moved him in, and when I tried to physically throw him out she finally told me the truth. So I left home and never looked back until Willa came to see me.”

“Who’s Willa?”

“My older sister. She sort of took over being a surrogate mother for our two younger brothers because my mother was-” Just like that he stopped, his brow furrowing as he mumbled something about talking too much.

 So once again he’d shut the damn door right in front of her. Just when he was about to open up, he closed down. “Oh-okay,” she said, wishing she hadn’t opened that door in the first place. When she tried to slide out of bed his arms quickly wrapped around her waist, stopping her. Pulling Harlow into his chest, Kyle murmured something into her hair that she couldn’t quite make out. Since he kept repeating it, she strained to listen.

“Don’t leave yet.” His voice was nothing but a mumble, as if he were fighting to keep his eyes open. “Stay with me.”

If he felt like spooning then Harlow figured a trip to the bathroom could wait until he fell asleep. It felt so good to have a man at her backside again. The heat from his long, hard body was a pleasure. What she didn’t miss was the snoring, and Kyle was loud, if not louder than her ex had ever been. Giggling to herself, Harlow debated if she should look for her phone to take a video as proof. That way they could have a good laugh about it in the morning. Deciding against it, she removed the arm gripping her waistline as gently as she could. After that she slowly inched out of bed . . .

 

~~~~~End of Excerpt~~~~~

Copyright 2014

 

 

RUSH 2: The book of Aaliyah

 

 

“You’re a dhilo, mommy,” Aadyn said, “And I’m telling Ba’ba on you!”

Aaliyah snatched him by both arms faster than I could grab her. “Who has taught you this?!” she screamed, shaking him with each word. “I am your mother! I am not a whore!”

“Hey hey hey, Aaliyah, hold it. What the fuck is going on between you two?”

Aadyn looked up me with a mixture of fear and shock. His little chin began to tremble as the tears fell and his mouth widened to give off a siren long wail. “Let him go Aaliyah,” I said, fighting to control my own anger. “Let me talk to him. I’ll find out who’s been feeding him that shit.” She was so distraught I thought I’d have to catch her in order to stop her from falling. While she staggered away from Aadyn, I picked him up. “Hey little man, stop crying. Shhh. Daddy’s here. It’s okay.” I wiped away some of his tears with a gentle brush of my hand. As he snuggled into my chest, slowly the waterworks ended. But not the hiccupping sniffles. I had to think this through, cos I sure as hell didn’t know how to deal with it. As I circled the living room I caught his head slowly popping up, and he gave Aaliyah a pout combined with an evil eyed glare just over my shoulder.

“Do not look at me like that!” Her scream made me flinch and caused our son to  duck and cling harder.

“Damn it Aaliyah, I said let me handle this.”

She threw her hands up like she was ready to throw in the towel. “I must go through this all day at work . . . I-I do not need to be attacked in my own home-”

“What the hell are you talking about? I’m not attacking you. I’m just asking for a little time to calm him down so I can find out who’s been feeding him this shit.”

Those deep brown eyes of hers, those hypnotic, dark eyes that had drawn me in the first time I saw her began to well up with tears. “I have dishonored my family-”

Whoaa. Now it all made sense. Her restless nights and getting up to check and double check to make sure every door and window was shut and locked tight.

“You’re gonna die, Mommy.”

Both of us looked at our son like he’d sprouted tentacles or something. Aaliyah collapsed onto the couch, weeping and saying a bunch of prayers in Maay-Maay.

I just . . . hell, I wasn’t sure what to do at that point, so I just hugged him tighter, telling him that what he’d said was very bad, and that I never wanted to hear him talk to his mother that way ever again. “Look how upset mommy is.” I walked him over to the sofa, making sure he got an eyeful of Aaliyah’s sorrow. “Tell her that you’re sorry.”

That pout returned as he stubbornly answered, “No.”

“I said, TELL HER YOU’RE SORRY.”

With eyes as wide as saucers he looked from me to Aaliyah and back again. I guess his little brain was fried after trying to figure out the option with the least amount of punishment. But I wasn’t backing down. I’d tried to be his friend ever since I’d moved in, cos I wanted him to have a better childhood than I’d had. But being a father meant I needed to set boundaries. No, I didn’t have to beat his ass to instill discipline. I didn’t have to be like Turk. I cradled his head to my chest again, smoothing down those fat, golden brown curls that I knew would one day drive the girls crazy. “When you’re wrong and you hurt the ones you love, you gotta suck it up and be a man.” I was staring straight at Aaliyah as I said it, swallowing hard cos I needed her to know this wasn’t just for his sake, but also for mine. “You gotta say you’re sorry Aadyn. But most of all . . . you gotta mean it.”

~~~~~End of Excerpt~~~~~

Copyright 2014