“I didn’t know you were pregnant either, but you look beautiful. I’ve never seen a more radiant mother-to-be.”
And truly, she was stunning. Avery and Nikki had formed a close bond when Melanie brought her to Carson. Her back story was a tragic one. A family hell-bent on making her invisible and a fate that so unjustly took her sister and two fiancés. She had also had a hard life, and the two connected immediately. At first, it had hurt when she noticed Logan had taken an immediate liking to her, but it was hard not to like Avery. She was an empty soul with a dire need for love, and once she accepted her place with Logan, everything else fell in line. Which was why Nikki wasn’t surprised to find out that Avery was only a month behind her in pregnancy, a large rock balanced perfectly on her delicate ring finger. Logan looked at her as if she was all he could see, and Avery mirrored that look. There was no denying the connection that they had together; a connection that made it all the more evident that Nikki and Austin weren’t ever going to find a happy ever after. A lusty haze is all they saw each other through - a lusty haze that had taken over every aspect of their lives when they were together.
And now after Nikki rushed through breakfast and a shower, and riding with the nosy townspeople on their small bus system, she hoped against all hope that she had made the right choice in coming back to Carson. She didn’t want to be a burden to anyone, especially her friend Avery, but it seemed that since no one was hiring and all the cheap apartments in the next town were full, Nikki was going to have to rely on others. She hated that more than anything.
Relaxing against the headboard in the guest bedroom, Nikki types furiously away on the keyboard of her laptop until her phone startles her from her trance. She sighs heavily, hating to stop her work when she gotten to such a good part, but after seeing the name that flashed across the screen, she knew she needed to take the call.
Taking only enough time to save the secret project she was working on - a story that had been agonizing her mind for years – she answers the phone.
“Hello?”
“Meet me in twenty minutes at Angie’s,” he commands.
“Huh?”
“Twenty minutes, Nikki.”
Click.
Staring at the phone in her hand, Nikki shakes her head, knowing that if she doesn’t arrive in the allocated amount of time, Austin will only come and find her at Avery’s, and he’ll be spitting mad to boot. Not wanting to ruffle any more feathers, Nikki takes her laptop and plugs it into the charger, then places it on the night stand.
She arrives at Angie’s in forty-five minutes, then heaves a deep breath before moving to open the front door. Before she reaches the handle, a strong hand wraps around her wrist and halts her movements.
“Nikki,” he murmurs hoarsely, his voice desperately close to her ear.
She gasps in surprise, not from her name, but from the shock she feels traveling up her skin from his contact – something she had forgotten occurred whenever they touched.
She turns her head towards the voice, bringing their mouths but an inch from each other, whispering his name in a single breath:
“Austin.”
About the Author
Renee Harless is a contemporary and erotic romance author. She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with her husband and children. Renee is a fan of the Washington Capitals and Virginia Tech Hokies.
To say that Renee is a romance addict would be an understatement. When she isn't chasing her kids around the house, or writing, she jumps head first into a romance novel.
Coming Alive: Welcome to Carson, Book One Page 23
