by L. A. Casey
There was never going to be a ‘Damien and Alannah’ in the way I wanted, and he made sure of that. No, we made damn sure of that. He took my virginity, but I was the eejit who practically begged him to take it. For that, I had no one to blame but myself… and my godforsaken hormones.
Damien came into our intimacy with no illusions or lies coated in pretty words—until he got what he wanted. Beforehand, he’d said he didn’t want a relationship, he just wanted sex, and for me to feel so broken over him keeping his word was foolish.
In the back of my mind, I’d silently hoped that once we’d had sex, Damien would want to be with me. If that wasn’t the dumbest misconception that filled the heads of teenage girls across the world, then I didn’t know what was.
The pain in my chest was nothing like I had ever felt before, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. I needed Bronagh. I needed my friend. I heard a noise behind me, and I wasn’t sure why, but because I thought of Bronagh, I assumed it would be her. I wanted to look around, but a sudden case of dizziness struck me, and I had trouble remaining sitting upright. Just when I thought my head and vision was clearing, I felt a knock on the back of my head that was followed by my body falling backwards.
It didn’t hurt, and the first thing I thought of was that I was passing out because I had drunk alcohol for the first time. I figured my spike of emotions had pushed my body into stress-out mode, and my mind just switched off as a result. I was glad of it. I was glad when I found myself facing darkness because, at the current moment, darkness was a more welcoming sight than the thought of Damien Slater. I wasn’t granted that peace because before I completely shut off, his voice was that last thing that ran through my mind.
It’s not that I can’t keep you, Lana; it’s that I don’t want to.
Damien didn’t want me, but what hurt the most was that I knew deep down, I’d always want him no matter what. I’d never let him or anyone else know it, though. Damien might have hurt me, but I would never give him the opportunity to do it again.
He said he didn’t want me, and for as long as I’d live, I’d never forget it.
I’ve finally reached this section of the book! I’ve been wanting to write the acknowledgments to BRANNA for a very long time. After so many delays with this novella, and hitting so many patches of writer’s block, and a never-ending loop of rewrites, I’m delighted to have finished with it, and to be content and happy with it.
It is another book down in the Slater Brothers series, and it is surreal to think that I’ve only got DAMIEN, ALANNAH, and BROTHERS to go. I always thought DOMINIC would be a lone novel, and that I’d never get to write the stories of his family and friends, but here I am, eight books later and still going strong.
I have to thank my best friends, Yessi Smith and Mary Johnson, for their constant support with my writing and their treasured friendship. Jill Sava for being the best PA I could have ever asked for—thank you for all you do for me. Jenny from Editing4Indies for taking on the task of cleaning up the manuscript, and Nicola Rhead for taking time out of your busy schedule to polish it off with a proofread. Mayhem Cover Creations for the fabulously stunning cover, and JT formatting for making my words look pretty. Mark Gottlieb for being a kickass agent, and my family for being my biggest cheerleaders.
And last, but never least, my readers. BRANNA is for you guys, because God knows you’ve wanted it to release more than me over these past few months. I love you all dearly, and even though I can’t reply to all the Facebook messages, Twitter mentions, and emails you send me, please know that I see them all, and they make my heart happy.
Thank you <3
L.A. Casey is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author who juggles her time between her mini-me and writing. She was born, raised and currently resides in Dublin, Ireland. She enjoys chatting with her readers, who love her humour and Irish accent as much as her books.
Casey's first book, DOMINIC, was independently published in 2014 and became an instant success on Amazon. She is both traditionally and independently published and is represented by Mark Gottlieb from Trident Media Group.
To read more about this author, visit her website at www.lacaseyauthor.com
ALSO BY L.A. CASEY
SLATER BROTHERS SERIES
DOMINIC
BRONAGH
ALEC
KEELA
KANE
AIDEEN
RYDER
Standalone Novels
FROZEN
UNTIL HARRY
