I’m working on yet another romance novel, so excited! Check out the excerpt below:
***
Jillian stood up and looked at me. His brown eyes were burning with something I had never seen before. Passion? Heat? Both, a little voice told me. I took a deep breath to steady myself.
“Why not?”
“I’m not that kind of girl,” I said, straightening my back.
“And what type of girl would that be?” Jillian chuckled, reaching for me again.
I slapped his hand away and moved towards the door to put some distance between us. “The type of girl that sleeps with her old friend after only seeing him for a few days.”
Jillian closed his eyes, sighed, and looked like he was counting. I waited for him to compose himself. He finally opened his eyes. “Gabrielle, I know you’re not that kind of girl. First off, you’re a grown woman. Who can make her own rational decisions. Second, just because we haven’t seen each other in a few years doesn’t mean my feelings have changed.”
“Feelings?” I echoed, confused.
“I’ve always loved you,” Jillian confessed. I felt the floor move underneath me and leaned against the door frame for support. “Ever since we were kids. You’re the only woman that makes me weak in the knees.”
I chuckled nervously, embarrassed by such a display of emotion. Sex I could handle. Having someone tell me they have loved me since they knew me ten years ago, I could not. “Jillian, you don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Yes, I do.”
“No, you don’t,” I said, gripping the door frame. “Your hormones are raging or something.”
“Gabrielle, you honestly think that? Me, a man who could have any woman I chose right now?” That snapped me out of whatever lustful haze I was standing in.
“Exactly,” I said, frowning. I crossed my arms across my chest and straightened my back, warrior style. “You could have any woman. How am I supposed to know that you’re not just trying to conquer an old part of your past? Add another notch on your belt?”
Jillian looked hurt. “You honestly believe that?”
“Yeah, I do,” I said, sounding more sure than I was. “Look, I know how this game is played. We’re both young and single. And you know that I have a reputation. Yes, I know you don’t believe that,” I hurried, cutting him off before he could protest. “But that changes nothing. I’m not ready to…to…”
“Be loved?” Jillian suggested gently. My temper flared.
“What do you know about me, Jillian? What makes you think you know me so well?” I started pacing on my side of the room. “You know what? I am so sick and tired of everyone, including you and Nikki, telling me what you think you know about me. Since when did everyone become damn psychologists? And since when did I become such a fascinating subject?”
Jillian watched me patiently while I paced, hugging myself tighter. “You know nothing about me. Do you know my favorite color? My favorite movie? That I can’t sleep without Muffins in my bed at night or else I have nightmares? Do you?” I demanded of him. I couldn’t look at his face. After the week I had been having, my heart was hurting, and I had no more energy to ignore the pain.
Jillian stepped around the desk, and I froze. He noticed and stood where he was. “Your favorite color is yellow, Gabi. Your favorite movie? The Wizard of Oz. I know you can’t sleep without Muffins without having nightmares—you’ve been like that since we were nine and you watched Child’s Play without your aunt’s permission. You love chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, rainy days, and shoe shopping. You hate people who talk during the movie previews, the feeling of grapes against your teeth, and romantic comedies.”
He moved forward, and I stifled a sob, still refusing to meet his eyes. “You’re not alone, you know. I understand that feeling. You want to hide behind something, anything so that you don’t have to face your feelings. Me? Its dating various women. That way, I don’t have to face what I’m really feeling. I can live in the moment and not worry about the future.” I looked away. He was talking to a part of me I hadn’t given him permission to talk to.
Jillian cupped my chin and forced me to look at him. I could smell his minty breath and his musky aftershave. “You have always been my first love. I loved you the day you climbed out of your aunt’s truck and ran into the house, with pigtails and yellow ribbon in them.” He pulled me close and I finally let tears roll down my face. Jillian watched them for a moment and then kissed them away. “Stop being so stubborn. Can’t you allow something good to happen to you?”
***
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