by Yessi Smith
Close, but not close enough.
Cardinal groaned against my chest, laying his head against my heart while his shoulders rose and fell with his heavy breathing. Before I could register what he was doing, he lifted me in his arms and slid down my leggings. He set my bare ass on the edge of the grand piano, the chill sending shivers through me. But the chill was obliterated by his hot hands, pulling me closer again. He muttered a quick curse before tugging something from his wallet in his all-but-discarded jeans. He quickly sheathed himself with the object from the little black package he’d taken out. His eyes bore through me as he reached around, dragging me to the very edge of the piano. Instinctively, I wrapped my legs around his back, flexing him in, needing him. Every. Hot. Inch.
As he slid inside me, my body shuddered. The music swam and wove its magic around us, and with each stroke, the room pulsed with the build up of the bridge in the song. My hands tangled in his hair once more, pulling him in for a kiss that mated not just our bodies, but surely affected our souls in some way. My body sang to his rhythm, and as the final chorus rang out, my body shattered against him, destroying the last wall I had to protect my heart.
Cardinal pulled me from the piano and carried me in his arms, holding me against him as he shuddered with the power of his release. Shaking, I blinked as I tightened my legs around his waist, holding myself up with my arms circling his neck, connected body and spirit, and the music began to fade.
Cardinal’s heart pounded against my chest, the only sound in the utterly silent room, then the music started again, weaving its magic once again.
Gently, he set me back down on the piano, his crystal eyes searching mine, reading my soul.
It was pivotal, I knew it, and I leaned forward to kiss his lips, savoring the unique flavor that had haunted all my fevered dreams. When I pulled back, I reached up to trace his cut jawline. “I’m not going anywhere.”
His jaw tensed under my hand, and fear laced through my soul.
I might want to try again… but what if he didn’t?
“Are you sure about that?” he asked, his tone severe in its deep intonation.
I gave my head a slow nod in affirmation. “Yes.”
A smile spread across his face, melting the icy depths of his gaze into a warm pool. “You think we can make this work?”
“Only one way to find out.” I grinned in response as he kissed me once more.
Never had I thought that finally letting go and writing the song that was my soul’s lament for my past would be the catalyst to bringing me back to the place that made everything right again.
But that was the magic.
The magic of music.
Epilogue
Cardinal
“You ready?” I held up my phone as I walked into the house, a grin so wide my face ached.
Jaya bounced down the stairs, an expectant and nervous expression on her beautiful face. Wrapping her in a tight hug, I kissed the top of her head and marveled in how everything had changed in the past few months.
We’d moved in.
Gotten engaged.
And now this…
“Do I want to know?” she asked against my chest.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged, milking the moment.
“Okay, I’m ready. Tell me.” She hugged me tighter, and I chuckled at her needing reassurance.
“Number one.”
I could feel her breathing halt completely, then she leaned back, sucking in a deep breath as she covered her face with her hands. “No.”
I chuckled. “Yes.”
“Really?” she asked, her eyes wide just above her fingertips.
I held up my phone now that she’d released me, and she grabbed it from my hands then proceeded to jump up and down! “NO FREAKING WAY!”
She assaulted me with a tight squeeze and quick kiss before dancing around again.
“Live to Love You” had hit number one on the iTunes store.
Damn, it felt good to hit number one again. But this time for different reasons. The royalties were being donated to cancer research, and all I could do was pray that the money helped kick cancer’s ass. My mom was finally in remission, but it could always come back. And I wanted — needed — for there to be a cure for her… for someone else’s mom, sister, brother, father, family.
Jaya handed me my phone, pulling me from my thoughts. “You. You did this.” She shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes.
“Nah, we did.” I shrugged, tugging her into a hug.
“No, it was you. I just wrote the song. You… you gave it life.”
“It’s a fair trade then, because I helped with the song, but you healed my heart.”
Jaya giggled. “Cheesy much?”
“You love it.” I shrugged, not caring I sounded like a sap.
“Yeah, I do. But that’s because I love you.”
“Good to know. Love you too.”
Jaya held me tight, and I lifted my hand to instinctively touch my headphones.
Then let them go.
Because the music I heard was so beautiful I didn’t ever want to stop listening.
The sound of her laugh, the way she swayed her hips, the sound of her humming softly under her breath.
All composing the song of love.
Other books by Kristin Vayden:
Regency Romance
Redeeming the Deception of Grace
To Refuse a Rake
What the Duke Wants
To Tempt An Earl
A Tempting Ruin
A Hoyden and an Heiress
The Forsaken Love of a Lord
How to Silence a Rogue
Holiday Historical Romance
A Night like no other
Scottish Romance:
Knight of the Highlander
Contemporary Romance
The ONE
Pursued
New Adult Romance
Whispered Lies
Beyond Broken
Sports Romance
Block and Tackle
Time-Travel Romance:
Living London
Surviving Scotland
Regency Anthologies
Forbidden
A Christmas Seduction
Coming December 2017
Heart of a Cowboy Elk Heights Ranch Series, Book One
About The Author
Kristin's inspiration for the romance she writes comes from her tall, dark and handsome husband with killer blue eyes. With five children to chase, she is never at a loss for someone to kiss, something to cook or some mess to clean but she loves every moment of it! Life is full—of blessings and adventure! Needless to say she’s a big fan of coffee and wine…and living in Washington she’s within walking distance of both!
Kristin has a new contemporary western romance series releasing this December. You can find her books on all e-book retailers.
Connect with her:
Facebook
Instagram: @kristinkatjoyce
Twitter: @KristinVayden
You can also sign up for her newsletter here
Acknowledgements
It takes a dedicated team to put together a book, and we were blessed with the best team out there.
Amazing souls came together to donate their hard work and we would like to thank photographer, Eric David Battershell for our cover image, Dana Leah with Designs by Leah for designing our gorgeous cover, and models Tessi Conquest and Burton Hughes. Your kindness means the world to us.
Jill Sava from Love Affair With Fiction, thank you for piecing together our stories and formatting our anthology. Your attention to detail and the heart you put into everything is obvious and makes all the difference.
To our readers and the bloggers who dedicate countless hours to us, we wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do what we love.
All our love and thanks,
J.L. Berg, Kathy Coopmans, Molly McAdams, Erin Noelle, Jessica Prince, Yessi Smith,
Rachel Van Dyken, Jennifer Van Wyk, and Kristin Vayden
Websites
For more information on Gastroparesis and the non-profit that all of the proceeds from this anthology are going to visit G-Pact please visit G-Pact’s website!
If you have Gastroparesis and love romance books or are a caregiver for someone with Gastroparesis and love romance books ploease join our facebook group Books & Bellies!
