Charles “Charles!” My brother clicked his fingers in front of my face and I blinked, jolted back to the present. “Hmm?” “What is up with you this afternoon? Your head is in the clouds; you barely listen when we call your name.” James’ voice was light-hearted, but I could see the weariness in his eyes. “Apologies,” I murmured, but I was still distracted, Nell’s ghost still smiling seductively from every window. In a sudden...

Charles I laughed as her eyes widened to the size of gold coins, her plump little lips dropping into an infinitely kissable O. For a moment she was speechless as she took in the size of the room, the gold leafing of the walls and the heavy velvet curtains. Her footsteps echoed as she clicked towards the bed and ran her fingers through the luxurious fur, closing her eyes in ecstasy as she entwined her hand into its silken...

Nell I liked him. I’ve never been a girl to beat about the bush and I certainly didn’t intend to start with the King. In truth, however, the idea of meeting the man himself had set my stomach fluttering, terrified that the only small talk I knew how to make – bawdy tavern-girl humour – would not amuse royalty. Yet I was the brazen one, the girl whose cock-sure temperament frequently strayed the wrong side of arrogant. If...

Nell The knock was soft, but made us both jump nonetheless. “Don’t get it,” Jamie whispered in my ear, “Whoever it is will go away.” Ignoring him, I climbed to my feet and straightened my skirts. “If you’ve come with gifts or flowers, you’re supposed to leave them at the stage door...” I trailed off. A pair of sparkling gold and diamond buckles adorned shining black shoes. A cloak of velvet hung in ripples across his shou...

"She seems quite taken with you," Nadja said. Nadja was one of the senior supervisors of the library. We often had lunch together and we talked about pretty much anything. Today, she caught me off guard."Who?" I asked. "The young one. Short with brunette hair," she said, "Looks a bit like a fairy." "Amelia?" I said quizzically, "Naw." Amelia was sweet to everyone. She was energetic and spirited around everyone. Nadja squi...

I checked my watch. I had been waiting for her for almost 20 minutes. I grinned and chuckled to myself. No, I'd been waiting longer. I leaned against the railing overlooking the square. The air was crisp and cool. It felt good to inhale it deep into my lungs. It had been a mild winter so far. They were only able to open the square's outdoor skating rink just a week before Christmas, weeks later than usual. Skaters shuffle...

I was halfway between Sears and flat broke, sitting alone in the mall’s noisy food-court, eating a tasteless salad, and wondering why I let my mother con me into getting dressed and driving into town with her to go shopping the day after Thanksgiving, the busiest shopping day of the year. She was right, of course. My mother is always right. And to prove the point, I had somehow managed to finish all my Christmas shopping....

This feeling I had was unreal. It'd been years since I'd last seen Holly Hightower. There'd been many women in many places since then. But now I was falling for this one…hard. * Sensual and seductive, she lay amid the rumpled sheets of the bed where we'd just made love, relaxed and at ease within the golden skin of her petite, perfect body. Not posing, not looking at the camera so much as through it, into the photographer...

After throwing Billy out of my room and my life, I lay in my bed and reflected on my life. I remembered the best moments and of my life and Doug was there. I relived, reluctantly but honestly, the worst times and Doug helped me though most of them. Being with him made things better. I had abandoned him. Why did I do that? In retrospect, it was sheer stupidity. Blinded by the promise of excitement and adventure, I deserted...

He sat on top of her, legs and body raised just slightly above her hips, so as not to crush her with his weight. He was leaning forward, holding her arms over her head. She was afraid to look him in the eyes, her face red, eyes tearing up. “Please don’t”, she whimpered. It was barely audible. “Yes baby, please. It’s okay. It’s time. I love you.” “No, I can’t” “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It is who you are.” She looked...

I'm sure you don't remember the first time we met. I say "met"; it was but a brief moment in which two strangers passed each other by, one barely noticing the other, if at all, but leaving an unmistakably profound impression on him—on me. No, I am certain you do not remember, but I will never forget, for it was the moment that the seed of my love for you was planted.It was late in May, early in the morning—I could tell yo...

“It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” Roy Disney Lying in bed, I wait for the doctor to let me go home. An IV is in my arm attached to a bag hanging next to my bed. The slow drip of the liquid seems in time with my beating heart. The room is a light pastel yellow, cheerful but not overstated. A large tree is right outside my window overlooking the beautiful rose garden covering the lawn. La...

I slowly awoke from my slumber. I heard the steady drone of a fan. I remembered the shadow of a dream as reality spread before my senses. I had been frightened and running, but I couldn't remember anything specific just a feeling of desperation. I began to notice my surroundings. I didn't know where I was. I didn't feel Billy curled up next to me. I wasn't even in my own bed. Memories sluggishly filled the void of my cons...

It was nothing fancy, just a brief reprieve from the distractions of everyday life. A little rendezvous just under two hours away, but it might have as well been across country. Buildings, landscape and people changed. We had both done a great deal of traveling in our time, and we love to be on the road. Music and pleasant conversation while en route between the CB radio broadcasting warnings of the presence of the Highwa...

Note from the Author This book was written as a Valentine’s Day gift to all of my readers as proof that romance is still alive in our hearts. Thank you for your support. Please note that the songs in here are pretty darn awful - mostly because they are intended to be that way and likely also because it's my first attempt at writing romance.  *** The bar was packed to capacity, revellers jostling for space as the band star...