by K. K. Allen
Now it’s my turn to smile. I step forward and reach for his hand to pull him up. My arms wrap around his neck, my lips crash into his, and I kiss him harder than I ever have before. I kiss him until my head clears and I realize I never did respond. I pull away and wipe my eyes one final time, and then nod, emphatically, until my words begin to work again.
“Yes, Jaxon. I will spend forevers and eternities and infinities with you. That’s the silliest question you’ve ever asked me.”
He smiles before pressing another kiss against my lips and lifting me from the ground. “Good thing I don’t have to ask it again.”
I squeal before our lips find each other’s again and we lose ourselves in the roar of the waterfall—and in each other. Forever.
SURPRISE! The extended epilogue can be found here:
www.smarturl.it/WE_ExtendedEpilogue
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My first thank you is to YOU, the reader, for giving Waterfall Effect your time when there are so many amazing choices out there. As a reader myself, I know how difficult selecting a book from your teetering TBR pile can be. Your time is so precious, so valuable. Thank you for dedicating some of that time to my words. It means the world.
To all the bloggers and bookstagrammers who came out swinging to support me this release. THANK YOU will never be enough. You all do so much for this community and ask for nothing in exchange. I’m honored to be included in your feed, whether it’s a share or a review. Authors would be nothing without you supporting us.
To my family for being ridiculously supportive of my work, my long hours, my travel, and for suppressing your eye rolls every time I mention I have a deadline. Jagger, I love you to “invictory.” Mom, Ed, T, Dad, Corey—love you all to pieces and pieces.
Now, onto the heavy stuff. I first read Plato’s Allegory of the Cave in my college western philosophy class. The concept of human perception intrigued me to no end, and for some reason—around the same time I was plotting Up in the Treehouse—I also started plotting a story about a girl who suffered from an altered reality due to manipulation from a parent. When I finally sat down to finish plotting this story more than one year later, I struggled. I struggled a lot. After some time, three books later, and thanks to some brave sounding boards, I was able to reshape Waterfall Effect to make it what it is today.
So, to my parents, Ed and Helene, who were the first to listen to my crazy ideas yet have no recollection of this brainstorming period—you get my thanks, because I love you. Ashleigh Wilson, I’ll never forget that conversation in Chili’s when you crushed all my dreams and told me none of my ideas were original (haha). Thank you for that. Seriously, thank you. And Becca Hensley Mysoor with Evident Ink, who I hired to help me get out of my head. Girl, you took on that mission like a champ. You understood what needed to happen from that first conversation, and then you waved your magic fairy wand and set me on a new path. The right path. THANK YOU!
Now, to the folks who helped me once the first draft was done. My Rock Star Beta Team. My Dream Team. You three mean more to me than Starbucks’ chocolate croissants. Forrrreals. I’ve never had so much fun during a Beta read, but it’s your honesty that I value the most. Thank you Sammie (bestie), Cyndi (love you so hard I named a character after you), and Richard (thanks for all the laughs!).
To my Alpha Team, who, let’s face it, didn’t get to read much because I still had a ton of work to do. Kim Lorraine and Joy Eileen. Adore you both.
A huge shout-out to my PA, Lindsey Truman, AKA “Boss of K.K. Allen.” I LOVE you, girl. You stepped up at a time when I didn’t realize I needed you, and you just did the damn thing. I’m so grateful for you and cannot wait for the day we finally meet in person. I will squeeze you so hard, xoxo.
To all my author friends who have been my rocks these past seven months. Some of you were there for my meltdowns, and some of you were just there. Thank you. Your friendship means everything. Alyson Santos, Kim Lorraine, RC Boldt, Kate Farlow, Kim Holden, K Langston, K. Street, Stephanie Kneese, Nicole Davis, Ginger Scott, my Do Not Disturb ladies, After Hours Book House ladies, and the Minxes. And there are so many more! Just, thank y’all from the bottom of my heart for being true friends with the best hearts. I adore you all.
Let’s face it: a lot of you picked up this book because of THE COVER. The most beautiful cover ever, and it was perfectly designed by the amazing Sarah Hansen of Okay Creations. You nail it, girl, every single time. But this one is pure magic.
I’m just saving the best for last, aren’t I? Shauna Ward, your amazing ability to take my writing and work your editing genius while never changing my tone. It’s a gift. And I love you so much for your honesty and support and encouraging words, and I know there are way too many “ands” in this sentence. Anyway, you’re the best, and I couldn’t think of a better co-pilot to work on my babies.
To my amazing reader group, FOREVER YOUNG. Y’all are the BEST GROUP EVER. I’ve never felt so supported in my entire life. But you’re behind me every single day, watching my random live videos, and filling me with so much encouragement. YOU remind me every day why I’m here, why I’m doing this, why I pour my heart and soul into these books.
And for the ones with the graphics talent who make the most beautiful teasers that I get to share with the world. Kcee Bomer with Unbound Book Reviews, Bianka with InBookEden Book Blog, and Yvette @booksandbandanas. Mwah!
To my Angsters <3—my street team with major cred. Can’t wait to watch us grow. Adore you all!
To my publicist, Linda Russell, with Foreword PR & Marketing. It’s been one year, babe, and we’re still doing it. Thank you for slapping me around when I need it, and filling me with hope when I need it, and reminding me every day that this journey is mine. No one can take that from me. I love you.
And finally, to those of you who suffer from mental health issues or know someone who does, please know this story was not written lightly or purely for entertainment. All my books are influenced by real people or experiences in my own life. And when I can’t claim to be an expert in something, I research the hell out of it.
To everyone, thank you so much for reading.
Much Love,
Dangerous Hearts (#1)
His heart beats for the music. She's his favorite song.
Lyric Cassidy knows a thing or two about bad boy rock stars with raspy vocals. In fact, her heart was just played by one. So when she takes an assignment as road manager for the world famous rock star, Wolf, she's prepared to take him on, full suit of heart-armor intact.
Wolf is the sexy lead singer for the hottest rock band around with a line-up of guaranteed one night stands. Lyric Cassidy isn't one of them. That's fine with him. Women like Lyric come with fairytale expectations, so it should be easy to stay away. Too bad she's hot as sin with a fiery temper and a mouth that drives him wild.
She's also got something to hide. Something he discovers. Something he wants ...
Sharing a tour bus, neither of them are prepared for the miles
of road ahead and the fierce attraction they feel toward one another--a dangerous combination.
Dangerous Hearts (#2)
He stole her lyrics, and then he stole her heart.
Lyric Cassidy is off the tour, lost as to what her next career move will be, and certain that she’ll never love again after Wolf. All because of a social media scandal that left her with no choice but to pack up and face the consequences. When she learns that the fate of her career is in her hands, she has a difficult decision to make. Step back on the tour bus with Wolf and deal with the mess she left behind, or end her contract early and lose her job at Perform Live?
Wolf’s shattered heart finds no resolve in giving Lyric a chance to come back on tour. He can never be with her again. Not after she walked away. Conflicted with wants and needs, he struggles to remember who Wolf was before Lyric. That’s what he needs to become again. Maybe then his heart will be safe. Or maybe there’s no hope for the damaged.
But with stolen dreams, betrayals, and terrifying threats—no one’s heart is safe. Not even the ones that may be destined to be together.
Up in the Treehouse (Chloe and Gavin’s Story)
I wanted to tell him all my secrets, but he became one of them instead.
Chloe Rivers never thought she would keep secrets from her best friend. Then again, she never imagined she would fall in love with him either. When she finally reveals her feelings, rejection shatters her, rendering her vulnerable and sending her straight into the destructive arms of the wrong guy.
Gavin Rhodes never saw the betrayal coming. It crushes him. Chloe has always been his forbidden fantasy—sweet, tempting, and beautiful. But when the opportunity finally presents itself, he makes the biggest mistake of all and denies her.
Now it’s too late . . .
Four years after a devastating tragedy, Chloe and Gavin’s world’s collide and they find their lives entangling once again. Haunted by the past, they are forced to come to terms with all that has transpired to find the peace they deserve. Except they can’t seem to get near each other without combatting an intense emotional connection that brings them right back to where it all started . . . their childhood treehouse.
Chloe still holds her secrets close, but this time she isn’t the only one with something to hide. Can their deep-rooted connection survive the destruction of innocence?
Under the Bleachers (Monica & Zach’s Story)
One kiss can change everything.
Fun and flirty Monica Stevens lives for chocolate, fashion, and boys … in that order. And she doesn’t take life too seriously, especially when it comes to dating. When a night of innocent banter with Seattle’s hottest NFL quarterback turns passionate, she fears that everything she once managed to protect will soon be destroyed.
Seattle’s most eligible bachelor, Zachary Ryan, is a workaholic by nature, an undercover entrepreneur, and passionate about the organizations he supports. He’s also addicted to Monica, the curvy brunette with a sassy mouth—and not just because she tastes like strawberries and chocolate. She’s as challenging as she is decadent, as witty as she is charming, and she's the perfect distraction from the daily grind.
While Monica comes to a crossroads in her life, Zachary becomes an unavoidable obstacle, forcing her to stop hiding under the bleachers and confront the demons of her past. But as their connection grows stronger, she knows it only brings them closer to their end.
It’s time to let go.
To have a future, we must first deal with our pasts. But what if the two are connected?
Soaring (a short story)
On an Alaskan cruise in the dead of winter, Emma and Luke find each other under the aurora borealis, a phenomenon that bonds them in the most unlikely of ways. While Luke teaches Emma what it means to soar, she gives him a reason to stay grounded, but as their journey nears its end memories of a forgotten past surfaces, challenging their future—if a future for them still exists.
K.K. Allen is an award-winning author and Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences graduate from the University of Washington who writes Contemporary Romance and Fantasy stories about “Capturing the Edge of Romance.” K.K. currently resides in central Florida, works full time as a Digital Producer for a leading online educational institution, and is the mother to a ridiculously handsome little dude who owns her heart.
K.K.’s multi-genre publishing journey began in June 2014 with the YA Contemporary Fantasy trilogy, The Summer Solstice. In 2016, K.K. published her first Contemporary Romance, Up in the Treehouse, which went onto win RT Book Reviews’ 2016 Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best New Adult Book of the Year. With K.K.’s love for inspirational and coming of age stories involving heartfelt narratives and honest characters, you can be assured to always be surprised by what K.K. releases next.
More works in progress will be announced soon. Stay tuned for more by connecting with K.K. in all the social media spaces.
www.KK-Allen.com
