Sort of.
Free enough, she told herself, thinking of her mother who was still stuck with her abusive husband.
This life…her coffee shop and other small businesses, plus her friends…this was good enough.
When she stepped into the main shop area again, she breathed a sigh of relief. Hayden had moved off, her husband taking her to…well, wherever it was that sweet, wonderful, romantic husbands like Viktor or Javier took their wives and children.
Katia wouldn’t know.
The bell over the door jingled again just as she was hauling cream out of the fridge to fill up the dispensers. She set it on the counter before turning to greet the latest customer.
“He…” the greeting froze in her throat as she stared up at the man. The dark hair, the crystal blue eyes, the intense stare…it was all there and the hairs on the back of her neck weren’t just standing on edge, they were dancing a jig in warning.
Too late, she thought as she glanced at the door. There was no way she could get out of here without the man stopping her.
Slowly he approached the counter, is broad shoulders and dangerous look telling her that she was in more trouble than she’d ever been in before. “Hello Katia,” his deep voice said.
Her whole body went cold. Katia. Not Kate. Everyone in Lisdeer, Virginia knew her only as Kate. Her whole body felt as if she wanted to just scream with anger at the unfairness of this life. And it was all because her father had forced it on her. His evil, manipulative, abusive personality couldn’t stand that his daughter had slipped away from his clutches!
This was it. This was the end! He’d found her! Her father had sent one of his goons and now, because she hadn’t listened to that warning earlier this morning, she was going to die. She hadn’t heard from her mother in months and now it was her turn.
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she stared back at him defiantly. “Are you going to kill me?” she whispered. Her eyes glanced over at the customers sitting innocently by the window. They didn’t need to be hurt because of her father’s rapacious need for more money, more control, more power. She knew the kind, elderly ladies who were sipping tea. They knitted blankets for every new baby that was born in the small town. They also played bingo every Thursday night and baked cookies for the high school bake sale.
She felt hot then cold, her body trying to react but she was frozen. “Couldn’t you…”
The man’s cold eyes continued to stare at her and Katia noticed a harsh scar that slashed across his cheek, making him appear more dangerous. More deadly.
“I’m not here to kill you, Katia.”
She glanced up into those emotionless, blue eyes, her whole body trembling. “What are you going to do to me?” she asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer. Even as she stood there, she wondered if this man had stationed someone at the back door. She could…maybe if she moved quickly enough…?
His smile was just as cold. The devil probably smiled like that; frigid and unfeeling. Katia wondered if she was going to find out in the next few minutes.
That’s when the man spoke. “I’m not going to kill you, Katia. I want to marry you.”
What’s Coming Next?
Don’t forget – more stories under my erotica line, Gabriella Rossi. Click here for The Alexa Series!
The Russian’s Proposal
Free Introduction Emailed to subscribers – Approx. February 2, 2018
February 14, 2018
One Night with the Sheik
(Formerly titled “The Sheik’s Redemption”)
Free Introduction Emailed to subscribers – Approx. March 19, 2018
Release Date: March 16, 2018
The Lottery Winners Series
A free novella will be posted or e-mailed some time after March 23rd. This will be a short story about the three ladies and one guy who win a combined lottery of $1.6 Billion and what they do with the money and their lives after their good fortune. I was inspired to write this story after buying my lottery ticket back in October of 2017 – and obviously didn’t win. The woman who won made me ponder what I would do if I won the lottery and I didn’t have one dream but several.
The dates below are tentative – I might need to shift the dates as I conclude each of the stories. Right now, there are four stories, but I have ideas for others in this series. If I add more stories, I might shift the release dates. Once I have the stories written, I’ll solidify the release dates and let you know.
The Lottery Winners Novella – March 23, 2018 (Free!)
Tempted (Daisy’s Story) – April 20, 2018
Rescued (Ivy’s Story) – May 18, 2018
Caught (Marilou’s Story) – June 15, 2018
Seduced (Tony’s Story) – July 20, 2018
For more up to date information, subscribe to my e-mail list here: http://www.elizabethlennox.com/subscribe/
Spanish Passions (Friends Forever Book 2) Page 15
