Alexander looked around. “Did it just fall?”
Jill nodded. “Yeah. I saw it. It was gliding and gliding, and then it just fell.”
“Who flies a kite at night? There’s not even that much wind. And a black kite? That’s weird. I bet you can barely see it at night.”
Jill held on to it. She turned it around. The string was threadbare and broken, and there was a rip on one of the corners. It was just a plain, dollar-store, run-of-the-mill kite, except it was black and boring, yet it wasn’t. It was exceptional because, even broken, it had managed to hover. To fly. To glide. And when the moonlight hit it at just the right angle, it even shone. It was a beacon of light. And the only thing Jill could think of was Paul. “Paul Black.”
Alexander took the kite in his hand and looked at it. Looked around, possibly to see if the owner of the kite was nearby. When there was no other explanation, he nodded. “I will always be grateful to Black. Seeing Black that day in my house was what saved you.”
She nodded. A lump formed in her throat, and she was at a loss for words. Two men. Two nemeses. Two heroes. The two men who loved her unconditionally, but only one had survived. The other one would never be far. At least in her heart, he remained.
Jillian and Alexander walked hand in hand back to the suite. They were still salty from their earlier swim in the ocean. They were headed to the same suite that she had met with Rocco in over a year ago. It was a lovely suite. And even though Alexander had asked numerous times if she was sure she wanted to go back to Rota Island to recover, she was sure because it would never be Rota Island to her. It would always be Onion Island. But she still believed in Fate. Even if it weren’t some romantic notion that some higher being had brought all of them together, even if it had turned out to be her father and uncle’s maniacal attempt to kill her and her mother, she still somehow ended up on that island twenty-four years ago. It was the same island that Oliver and Alexander were born on, the same island where she would marry Alexander. No one else would be there—not Oliver, not Heather, no one—because there was no time to waste. Their courtship had lasted long enough. When he’d presented her with a three-carat ring the same day they arrived—three days ago—she’d said yes before he finished asking. He had hidden the ring in a seashell, an unusual looking seashell, that he had purposely placed for her to see. She’d picked it up and looked at it, made a comment as to how beautiful it was, and then the ring had fallen out. With tears in his eyes, he’d gone down on one knee, and she’d jumped up and knocked him down to the sand, yelling, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” at the same time he tried to say, “Red, will you ma—” That’s as far as he had gotten.
After they’d arrived back, they had to give report after report, interview upon interview, account upon account as to what had happened, about what her father had done, not just to her but to everyone through the years. Alexander and Jillian had spent four days in bed. He’d held her, told her all the ways he loved her, and showed her all the ways he loved her. Then he told her they’d leave for a few weeks away. They needed time alone. She needed time to recover. He needed time to recover. He had never given upon her, and for that, she would always be grateful. She loved him even more if that were possible. Even Oliver, whom she would never hold it against, had given up. Not his love, but he had considered her dead or a runaway. Seven months was a long time to hold on to hope, but Alexander did. She knew he would find her. They were connected. Psychic or not, paranormal or not, there was a connection, and he had felt her. He’d known she was alive. He told her over and over.
When Jill put all the practicalities back in order—reenrolling in school, which was no problem considering the circumstances, same thing for Alexander—they found themselves with a few free months. Jill was given the good news of Heather and Oliver’s engagement, which apparently had been beautiful and heartfelt. She’d expected nothing less from Oliver. Heather had told her that the combination of hoping, searching, and finally grieving for Jill had brought them together in a way that they just didn’t want to waste one single minute. A quick engagement had been the only option.
So, now here they were, Jill and Alexander, entering the sanctuary of the suite. With one hand, Alexander untied the knot that held the top of her bathing suit together. The red bathing suit top that only accentuated her red hair even further fell to the floor. As if she hadn’t noticed, she continued to walk, giving him her back. He lunged towards her, causing a yelp, and placed her gently on the bed, the white four-poster bed with lush mosquito netting around it. The doors remained opened in their own secluded paradise. The waves of the ocean and her panting noises were all the sounds that could be heard. Jill’s long red curly hair framed around her face, contrasting dramatically with the white duvet. Alexander lay next to her. His arm held his head up as he traced with his index finger the small trail of sweat that had still not completely dried. Then he bent down, and his tongue trailed down the same path as the sweat that had slowly made its way down her body. He placed small sensual kisses at the pulsating point under her ear, down her neck, moving sideways to the center of her clavicle, down the middle of her chest, between her breasts, licking, kissing, and nibbling, all the way down her navel. “You taste like the beach.” He mumbled as he ravished. He untied the sides of her string bikini and pulled it away and flung it across the room. Quickly, he stood and removed his blue board shorts so that they both lay naked against the white cloud of cotton.
They had wasted enough time being apart. Jill glided her bare leg between his bare thighs and then kissed her way from his jaw down to his chest. She flipped over and startled him. It caught him off guard. She wasn’t normally so forward in bed.
“I want you,” Jill said as she bent down to kiss his ear. It was an insane, frenzied kiss.
He put his hands behind his neck and grinned. “Red, you have me.” She felt him harden beneath her. He was gentle with his touch since she still had bruises on her body and her wrists still hurt. Jill continued to kiss his ear then his neck as her hips gyrated against his.
When she couldn’t take it any longer, she lifted, and he impaled himself in her. The sensation of being filled by him was indescribable. He groaned. She moaned. He reached for her waist and helped her move slowly up and down, but this wasn’t what she wanted. It wasn’t what she needed. She moved faster, harder, and he followed suit, and his grip around her waist tightened. With his help, she moved up, and then he slammed her down over and over. When she was right on the brink, he wrapped an arm around her waist and, still connected, rolled her onto her back while pinning his mouth to hers. Her legs immediately wrapped around his waist, and he continued his movement in and out. He ran his tongue along her wet skin. She fisted the sheets. She was a mess, writhing uncontrollably. His fingers teased her nipples, and when his head dropped to her breast and his teeth replaced his fingers on her nipples, she came. She came long and hard and in a way that she knew she’d never come before. It was the first night of the rest of their lives. The evening of the day he had proposed, he had told her he didn’t want a long engagement. She hadn’t responded. “Tomorrow. Tomorrow we get married,” she whispered. He looked at her and smiled, and it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
The End
Coming Soon
Seeing Clearly, A novella about Heather and Oliver
Also by Sidney Halston
Seeing Red
Acknowledgments
The idea of Seeing Red was something I fiddled around with for years. With the encouragement of my husband, I finally believed in myself enough to complete it. I couldn’t have done it without my husband’s constant reassurance and enthusiasm. I thank him from the bottom of my heart, and for this particular novel, his help with all the sci-fi stuff was invaluable. I also want to apologize to my wonderful children, whom I neglected for the last few months in order to finish this book. Mommy loves you!
With that being said, it takes a village to raise children and to write a novel, so I thank all
those who helped me with babysitting, especially my mom and dad!
I also want to thank my beta-readers. Thanks to my mom, Leisha at Rolopolobookblog.com, and, of course, to Adriana. You ladies helped me put a lot of thoughts into perspective, and I couldn’t have done it without you. Adriana, I love you, my friend, and I promise that the MMA series will have a lot more sex.
Also, I’d like to thank Theresa Wegand, the best editor/proofreader. Thank you for all your hard work and for all you have taught me along the way.
Last, but not least, thank you to all who have read my books! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I’d like to give a special thanks to the bloggers out there, rolopolobookblog.com and others who were so supportive of Seeing Red. You really helped spread the word, and without you, I don’t know if anyone would’ve known about Alexander and Jill!
About the Author
Sidney Halston lives her life by one simple rule:
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Mark Twain
That’s exactly what she did. After working hard as an attorney, Sidney picked up a pen for the first time at thirty years old to begin her dream of writing. Having never written anything other than very exciting legal briefs, she found an outlet for her imaginative, romantic side and wrote Seeing Red. That first pen stroke sealed the deal, and she fell in love with writing.
Sidney lives in South Florida with her husband and children. She loves her family above all else. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading and reading and reading.
When she’s not writing or reading, her life is complete and utter chaos trying to balance family life with work and writing and reading, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Recently, she signed a three-book deal with Random House for a übersexy MMA Series. Be on the lookout for the series coming in Spring 2014.
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