by Cass Sellars
“I’m okay, I guess. I miss you, Park.” Dayne stepped a bit closer, immediately propelling Parker back the same distance. She imagined opposing-magnet experiments in junior high science class for no reason at all.
“Where is Julie?” Parker diverted the conversation with a sound reminder of why missing her was ridiculous.
“Coming later.” Dayne absently dismissed the diversion. “I’m glad I could see you alone, honestly. I just wanted to talk to you. Do you think about us, princess? Maybe that there could be another chance for us, Park?” Dayne reached out and hooked a finger over Parker’s clasped hands in an attempt to pull her closer.
“Really? No, I don’t.” The words she’d always planned to say rushed out. “There was barely any room in your life for one partner—do you really want to go for two…again?”
“I know I did that but I’ve changed. Things could be different. I’m not in love with Julie like I was…am with you.” She tilted her platinum-blond head and offered her most charming smile.
Parker smirked ruefully. “Your greatest love was always your ego, not your wife, not me, Dayne, it’s just who you are.” She was happy that there was no bitterness in her voice. She had no residual feelings for Dayne and had, for all intents and purposes, forgiven her, although she would never have predicted that Dayne would attempt to do this here and now.
“Park, sweetheart, it’s true.” She attempted her signature flirtatious tone once again.
“How can you say that when the woman you cheated on me with is showing up here as your date?” Parker smiled at the absurdity. “I’m finally happy. Thanks for asking.” Parker was amused and irritated by the impudence of her ex-wife.
Dayne reached out for Parker a second time, and held her arm tightly, making Parker tense again. As Parker moved to push her away, Dayne stepped forward even farther, more deliberate to secure a physical connection. Parker thwarted the move by placing her arms at her sides.
“Princess, we were awesome together. I don’t know that I can find that again. I know I screwed things up but I can fix them.”
Parker considered that Dayne, in her own muddled way, believed her own words. “Stop it, Dayne. I can’t imagine that even you would expect me to betray someone to satisfy your need to win at this game of yours.” Parker wondered how she could have ever compared Syd to her.
She suddenly felt a firm hand glide down her arm from behind. Kissing her temple lightly, Syd stepped from the archway of the den and around Parker. Conspicuously dropping her left hand to the small of Parker’s back, she extended her right to Dayne, looking her carefully in the eye.
“Hi. Dayne, right? I believe you and I spoke earlier. I’m Sydney Hyatt.” Dayne’s eyes shifted between Parker and Syd, who refused to break eye contact with her.
“Dayne Grant.” She returned the handshake stiffly. She lowered her gaze to meet Parker’s. The words were bitter and escaped rapidly. “Wow, you moved on quickly.” Her delivery was unpleasant, and she watched Sydney who couldn’t have been less intimidated by Dayne’s icy stare. Finally, Dayne’s eyes locked on Parker.
“Good luck, Dayne.” Parker’s monotone response belied the resentment building in her chest. Sydney squeezed her a little tighter to her side, reassuring her without having to say a word. Sydney looked carefully at Dayne, her warning very clear. Parker knew that Sydney wouldn’t find Dayne any real threat but was grateful for the show of solidarity.
“Why don’t we talk later? I think I need a refill.” Dayne abruptly turned back down the hall as Parker visibly relaxed into Sydney.
“You okay, baby?” Sydney turned her shoulders so she was squarely in front of Parker.
Parker looked up and smiled, notably more relaxed. “I am now. Thank you for the rescue.”
“Sounded like you had things well under control. I just don’t trust that she’ll respect your space.” Sydney smiled as she skidded a thumb along Parker’s jaw. “In case you forget at any point, that space leads to my girlfriend and I don’t share well, remember?”
She rolled onto her toes, capturing Sydney’s lips in a grateful kiss, locking her arms around her neck. Sydney returned the embrace, pulling her off her feet.
“I would never forget. It’s one of my favorite things about you. I love you, Syd.”
“I love you, baby,” Syd whispered against her mouth before returning her to the floor. From the corner of her eye, she caught Dayne walking across the hall just in time to witness the exchange.
The party swelled over the next few hours as the guests multiplied and the drinks flowed freely. After eleven, Parker was in the living room happily holding court from her lover’s lap. She felt solid and secure in herself and in her new life. The boys’ neighbors, Patty and David Mancini, pored over the loft pictures she offered from her phone. She never once looked for Dayne and secretly hoped she could avoid seeing her entirely for the rest of the party.
“If you think mine looks good, wait until you see her place,” Parker gushed as she curled an arm around Sydney’s neck, happily accepting a small peck in return. “Please stop by one evening for dinner. I would love to use my new kitchen some more.”
“We’d love to, Parker,” Patty answered for them both. “Sydney, you have an amazing girl there.”
“I know I do. I am very lucky.” The answer felt inadequate to Sydney who felt so much more for her. She marveled silently at how much less that scared her than it once had.
Syd tightened her hold on Parker and watched her cheerfully gush over lofts and furniture and custom appliances. Syd scanned the room for Dayne and hoped she would not test her again this evening. She had learned that she could and would protect Parker at any cost to herself, and a pushy ex would certainly be no exception.
A group of raised voices and laughter erupted from the dining room as Dayne delivered the punch line to a raunchy joke told a little too loudly. She swayed a bit as she continued dominating the conversation. Syd watched her warily as Parker visibly winced at the sound of her ex-wife’s alcohol-tinged voice.
Twenty minutes before the midnight bell, waitstaff began circulating with trays of champagne. The bulk of the merrymakers pushed into the living room and grand hallway claiming their place in front of the TVs. Mack brought a sparkling cider for the mother to be.
“Mrs. Foster, a virgin cider for you and my amazing daughter.”
“Did you say daughter?” Parker covered her mouth at the newly blown secret. Mack looked shocked and guilty at her own slip.
“Yes, she did. You know for a decorated detective, my wife is a wretched secret keeper.” Jenny poked at her adoring spouse. “Yes, we are having a girl.” She squealed a little as Parker hugged her happily.
“I’m so happy for you both.” She hugged Mack as Jenny received a congratulatory squeeze from Syd.
Parker glanced at the raised hearth behind them. Syd whispered, “So that is the famous fireplace?” Sydney winked at Parker making her relax into a smile. “What are you thinking?” Syd was gauging Parker’s mood.
“That it seems like another lifetime. Someone else’s actually. It’s weird.” Parker concluded it would never be more than brick and mortar to her and took Sydney’s hand.
“I have you. Don’t worry.” Parker didn’t.
“It’s okay if you want to leave now.” Parker said, offering Syd an escape.
Parker watched a devastating smile stretch across Syd’s mouth, her arms pulling around Parker proprietarily. “You still owe me a kiss at midnight, Ms. Duncan. Gigolos don’t come cheap, remember?”
Parker laughed and relaxed into the best gift she could have asked for. She hugged her happily as the thirty-second count began. She took Sydney by the hand, and Jen and Mack followed as Parker led them to a spot directly in front of the hearth. Jenny looked quizzically at her choice of location as Syd lifted Parker onto the brick. Parker leaned into the group to be heard. “We kind of have a thing. Right, Syd?”
“Absolutely, my love.”
Voic
es swelled in unison. Five, four, three…
Sydney swept Parker into her arms and back onto the floor where she framed Parker’s face, drawing her thumbs along her jaw. At one she kissed her mouth and held there long after the cheers had faded around them.
Parker felt life begin where she’d believed it had ended.
About the Author
Cass Sellars is a fraud investigator and criminal justice professional. Over her career, she lead complex white-collar criminal, corporate theft, and financial fraud investigations. Formerly an editor of a small magazine, a creative journalist, and public speaker, she’s always been a writer at heart. The Lightning Series represents a first endeavor into the world of romantic fiction.
After life-changing experiences as a victim of corrupt “justice,” she felt compelled to write about powerful characters that have the opportunity to fight for those who have been victims and seek justice where money and politics are not always the only winning assets.
Sellars grew up in the Midwest and in Great Britain, but spent much of her adult life on the East Coast. She currently lives near San Francisco with her wife. She dabbles in interior design, travel, singing, and works at being a vital part of the LGBT and creative communities.
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
Divided Nation, United Hearts by Yolanda Wallace. In a nation torn in two by a most uncivil war, can love conquer the divide? (978-1-62639-847-4)
Fury’s Bridge by Brey Willows. What if your life depended on someone who didn’t believe in your existence? (978-1-62639-841-2)
Lightning Strikes by Cass Sellars. When Parker Duncan and Sydney Hyatt’s one-night stand turns to more, both women must fight demons past and present to cling to the relationship neither of them thought she wanted. (978-1-62639-956-3)
Love in Disaster by Charlotte Greene. A professor and a celebrity chef are drawn together by chance, but can their attraction survive a natural disaster? (978-1-62639-885-6)
Secret Hearts by Radclyffe. Can two women from different worlds find common ground while fighting their secret desires? (978-1-62639-932-7)
Sins of Our Fathers by A. Rose Mathieu. Solving gruesome murder cases is only one of Elizabeth Campbell’s challenges; another is her growing attraction to the female detective who is hell-bent on keeping her client in prison. (978-1-62639-873-3)
The Sniper’s Kiss by Justine Saracen. The power of a kiss: it can swell your heart with splendor, declare abject submission, and sometimes blow your brains out. (978-1-62639-839-9)
Troop 18 by Jessica L. Webb. Charged with uncovering the destructive secret that a troop of RCMP cadets has been hiding, Andy must put aside her worries about Kate and uncover the conspiracy before it’s too late. (978-1-62639-934-1)
Worthy of Trust and Confidence by Kara A. McLeod. FBI Special Agent Ryan O’Connor is about to discover the hard way that when you can only handle one type of answer to a question, it really is better not to ask. (978-1-62639-889-4)
Amounting to Nothing by Karis Walsh. When mounted police officer Billie Mitchell steps in to save beautiful murder witness Merissa Karr, worlds collide on the rough city streets of Tacoma, Washington. (978-1-62639-728-6)
Becoming You by Michelle Grubb. Airlie Porter has a secret. A deep, dark, destructive secret that threatens to engulf her if she can’t find the courage to face who she really is and who she really wants to be with. (978-1-62639-811-5)
Birthright by Missouri Vaun. When spies bring news that a swordswoman imprisoned in a neighboring kingdom bears the Royal mark, Princess Kathryn sets out to rescue Aiden, true heir to the Belstaff throne. (978-1-62639-485-8)
Crescent City Confidential by Aurora Rey. When romance and danger are in the air, writer Sam Torres learns the Big Easy is anything but. (978-1-62639-764-4)
Love Down Under by MJ Williamz. Wylie loves Amarina, but if Amarina isn’t out, can their relationship last? (978-1-62639-726-2)
Privacy Glass by Missouri Vaun. Things heat up when Nash Wiley commandeers a limo and her best friend for a late drive out to the beach: Champagne on ice, seat belts optional, and privacy glass a must. (978-1-62639-705-7)
The Impasse by Franci McMahon. A horse packing excursion into the Montana Wilderness becomes an adventure of terrifying proportions for Miles and ten women on an outfitter led trip. (978-1-62639-781-1)
The Right Kind of Wrong by PJ Trebelhorn. Bartender Quinn Burke is happy with her life as a playgirl until she realizes she can’t fight her feelings any longer for her best friend, bookstore owner Grace Everett. (978-1-62639-771-2)
Wishing on a Dream by Julie Cannon. Can two women change everything for the chance at love? (978-1-62639-762-0)
A Quiet Death by Cari Hunter. When the body of a young Pakistani girl is found out on the moors, the investigation leaves Detective Sanne Jensen facing an ordeal she may not survive. (978-1-62639-815-3)
Buried Heart by Laydin Michaels. When Drew Chambliss meets Cicely Jones, her buried past finds its way to the surface—will they survive its discovery or will their chance at love turn to dust? (978-1-62639-801-6)
Escape: Exodus Book Three by Gun Brooke. Aboard the Exodus ship Pathfinder, President Thea Tylio still holds Caya Lindemay, a clairvoyant changer, in protective custody, which has devastating consequences endangering their relationship and the entire Exodus mission. (978-1-62639-635-7)
Genuine Gold by Ann Aptaker. New York, 1952. Outlaw Cantor Gold is thrown back into her honky-tonk Coney Island past, where crime and passion simmer in a neon glare. (978-1-62639-730-9)
Into Thin Air by Jeannie Levig. When her girlfriend disappears, Hannah Lewis discovers her world isn’t as orderly as she thought it was. (978-1-62639-722-4)
Night Voice by CF Frizzell. When talk show host Sable finally acknowledges her risqué radio relationship with a mysterious caller, she welcomes a real relationship with local tradeswoman Riley Burke. (978-1-62639-813-9)
Raging at the Stars by Lesley Davis. When the unbelievable theories start revealing themselves as truths, can you trust in the ones who have conspired against you from the start? (978-1-62639-720-0)
She Wolf by Sheri Lewis Wohl. When the hunter becomes the hunted, more than love might be lost. (978-1-62639-741-5)
Smothered and Covered by Missouri Vaun. The last person Nash Wiley expects to bump into over a two a.m. breakfast at Waffle House is her college crush, decked out in a curve-hugging law enforcement uniform. (978-1-62639-704-0)
The Butterfly Whisperer by Lisa Moreau. Reunited after ten years, can Jordan and Sophie heal the past and rediscover love or will differing desires keep them apart? (978-1-62639-791-0)
The Devil’s Due by Ali Vali. Cain and Emma Casey are awaiting the birth of their third child, but as always in Cain’s world, there are new and old enemies to face in post Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. (978-1-62639-591-6)
Widows of the Sun-Moon by Barbara Ann Wright. With immortality now out of their grasp, the gods of Calamity fight amongst themselves, egged on by the mad goddess they thought they’d left behind. (978-1-62639-777-4)
18 Months by Samantha Boyette. Alissa Reeves has only had two girlfriends and they’ve both gone missing. Now it’s up to her to find out why. (978-1-62639-804-7)
Arrested Hearts by Holly Stratimore. A reckless cop with a secret death wish and a health nut who is afraid to die might be a perfect combination for love. (978-1-62639-809-2)
Capturing Jessica by Jane Hardee. Hyperrealist sculptor Michael tries desperately to conceal the love she holds for best friend, Jess, unaware Jess’s feelings for her are changing. (978-1-62639-836-8)
Counting to Zero by AJ Quinn. NSA agent Emma Thorpe and computer hacker Paxton James must learn to trust each other as they work to stop a threat clock that’s rapidly counting down to zero. (978-1-62639-783-5)
Courageous Love by KC Richardson. Two women fight a devastating disease, and their own demons, while trying to fall in love. (978-1-62639-797-2)
Pathogen by Jessica L. Webb. Can Dr. Kate Morrison navigate a
deadly virus and the threat of bioterrorism, as well as her new relationship with Sergeant Andy Wyles and her own troubled past? (978-1-62639-833-7)
Rainbow Gap by Lee Lynch. Jaudon Vickers and Berry Garland, polar opposites, dream and love in this tale of lesbian lives set in Central Florida against the tapestry of societal change and the Vietnam War. (978-1-62639-799-6)
Steel and Promise by Alexa Black. Lady Nivrai’s cruel desires and modified body make most of the galaxy fear her, but courtesan Cailyn Derys soon discovers the real monsters are the ones without the claws. (978-1-62639-805-4)
Swelter by D. Jackson Leigh. Teal Giovanni’s mistake shines an unwanted spotlight on a small Texas ranch where August Reese is secluded until she can testify against a powerful drug kingpin. (978-1-62639-795-8)
Without Justice by Carsen Taite. Cade Kelly and Emily Sinclair must battle each other in the pursuit of justice, but can they fight their undeniable attraction outside the walls of the courtroom? (978-1-62639-560-2)
